[KAUAI]The Rod of Seven Parts: Of Hexes and Gems

Maelicent finds the same drag marks in the smooth narrow tunnel that he spotted in his first reconnaissance of this area. The thick clear slimy goop is still there, as well. The packed dirt in front of and as far as he can see down both the southern tunnels looks to be devoid of prints, but has obviously been traversed sometime in the last 24 hours; the dirt has been carefully swept. Pausing to scout at the easternmost of the pair of south-bound tunnels, Maelicent peers into the dark and quite clearly makes out that the tunnel takes a sharp dog-leg to the right some 30 feet in. The tunnel's grade is steep, much steeper than the hour-long trek back up to the cracked cave at the beginning of this complex.

After assuaging his curiosity regarding the pair of southern tunnels, Maelicent intrepidly treks into the large cavern to the east. The rock in here has the look of being worked, though is still in its natural state. Someone has taken tools and dug and scraped in a rough improvised manner until the worst of the drop offs, holes, and ledges are made even. Though damp, the air in the big cavern reeks like a barnyard on a hot day. The floor of the cavernous space is spongy with spoor and offal, out of which sprout a patchworked carpet of mushrooms. There are normal specimens a few inches in height and giant varities as tall as Maelicent.

Taking a moment to have a look at the pool at the far end of the cave, the Gudwulf warrior's keen eyes pick up the glint of gold illuminated through a gap in two patches of brown algae at the surface of the pool. What looks to be a magnificent glowing gold coin lies at the bottom of the very mucky water. The water itself appears to be perhaps six feet deep. Something in the water plucks and sucks down a bit of the algae at just that moment, however, and though the gold coin continues to shed enough light that that section of the cave is yet still softly lit, the coin itself is obscured from view as water ripples and the patch of algae shifts.

Moving north, Maelicent finds a patch of smooshed grey ooze lying strewn across the gravel floor in front of a heavy iron door that hangs widely ajar. From his hiding spot near the stalagmite, the goblin spies owlbear tracks passing out the door and beyond his own position and quickly ascertains that the beast must have pushed open the iron door and rushed out, in so doing, it also likely squished some sort of amphibian or slug-like creature unfortunate to be caught in its path. A moment later, after peering round the stalagmite, the mystery of the scritching is answered.

Movement on the north and east side catches the goblin's attention. Two pairs of vacant white eyes clouded with film on the far eastern and northern side of the cavern in an alcove blink at the goblin. The eyes take turns blinking, then one of the creatures haltingly slithers forward, a crude rake-like polearm in its grasp. The thing resembles a squat humanoid with a slug-like tail that it uses for locomotion. Slimy, with gray skin the same color as the mushrooms growing in the cavern, the giant slug silently snakes closer to Maelicent, who takes note of a ropy and well-muscled set of humanoid arms holding a hoe. Off to the south, a third live slug slowly plods at its patch of earth and dung and seemingly takes no heed at all of the Gudwulf warrior. To the northwest, a tool rack containing more hoes, rakes, and four crude-looking longspears, along with some very queer-looking pots of earth containing mildered wood rests along the cavern's natural rock wall.

Voadam quietly shares some thoughts with his companions in a low voice that will not carry. "If the mining continues as the beast prowled around, as it sounds to me, that would indicate the owlbear did not disrupt them. It may have been the miner's beast."

The Gudwulf warrior cautiously retraces his steps out of the cavern to rejoin his waiting allies. Emerging from hiding within the circle of Voadam's torch-light, the goblin lowers his nocked arrow as he leans in to whisper. "Tha cavern's looks ta be about thirty-some paces wide north ta south and maybe fifteen east ta west. Tha ground's covered in drek an giant shrooms an thar's a handful o big rock columns spread out around tha place; offerin plenty of cover.

Tha pool's in tha south-east corner an maybe four or five paces across an a fathom deep with somethin under makin it glow. Something's swimming around in it under a layer o scum; might be fish, maybe somethin else.

Tha east wall's got a huge iron door that's half open; looks like a big fitted stone room on tha other side. That's where tha monster came from ta eat yer dwarf.

Tha metal scrapin sounds are from four ugly gray slug-things busy rakin up tha drek. They got slug bodies tha size of you giant-kin, a pair a arms, blank milky eyes an they be usin rakes. They're spread out along tha north and west sides of tha cavern. They don't look too bright. I think one of em might a seen me, but I aint sure. They look kinda blind, deaf an stupid. A fifth got squished by tha owlbear on its way out an the others don't seem ta notice nor care. They got a weapon rack with four spears in tha north-west end though.

We can go in from the south-west corner across from tha pool, or half-way up the west side. That'd be closer ta tha weapon rack."

Voadam speaks in a low voice in response "This sounds like the chamber from Gamad's vision. Approaching from closer to the weapons rack to prevent them from arming seems best. Gamad, you said it was in the pool?"

"Y'all aimin ta kill tha slugs? Jess follow this tunnel north
and take the second left after an be as quiet as ya can.
Tha weapon rack will be right ahead a ya.
I'll head back in and get set."
The goblin waits to see if any further planning will be forthcoming.

"No, I don't know enough about them to want to kill them. They could be mindless thralls set to working here, unable to even comprehend our presence. Our goal is the Rod, no more. Should they turn on us though, we want to be in a position to take their weapons and kill them rather than let them arm themselves properly to kill us. I could use a spear. Slug men. This will be new to me."

"Gettin ta know tha things ya wanna kill be a troublin waste. They might
be giant-sized an have strong arms, but I sure wouldn't call em 'men'."
Maelicent shakes his head disaprovingly.

"If they didn't flinch or break from their work when the owlbear mauled one of their numbers then they probably won't engage us unless we attempt to interrupt their work or engage them directly. We'll see though." Voadam grins at the goblin's dour disapproval "Lore of your enemies is a treasure to be valued, and proved my strongest weapon in many a conflict. So not men then but slugs with arms. Sounds like a thing of chaos, or similar to the Worms of the Earth I've heard of before, perhaps men warped to become slug like slave miners. Though the unswerving devotion to their work sounds like a Law trait. Either way, possible connections to the Rod. We shall see."

When the Green Wizard begins to blather on about the lawful/chaotic aspects of the dung-eating giant-slugs, Maelicent concludes that he's gotten all of the coherent conversation out of the giant-kin that he's likely to, and slinks backwards into the shadows. The goblin slowly retraces his steps and covertly enters the mushroom cavern. Picking his way cautiously from column to column, Maelicent finally assumes a hiding spot in the shadow of a great stalagmite near the massive iron door (J-16).

Gamad

Slug men … Probably mindless demons of some sort huh
Gamad say and looks at Voadam
I do not recall a pool, but a cave with lots of fungi and mushrooms could mark the precious spot.

The dwarf is excited by the thought of being so close to another part of the powerful rod, so much research opportunities lies in the mysterious segment, hopefully the second rod could break the law curse that settled atop his dwarven head.
Forgetting the pitiful incident with his goblin alley, the dwarf concentrates on how to defeat the slugs and what kind of creatures are they.

*Knowledge skill?