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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Capellan" data-source="post: 1497210" data-attributes="member: 6294">"The Hallowed Hills" by Miguel Duran (WotC Cliffhanger) - Part 7It is two more days before they are ready to return to the caves, and whatever slim hopes were held of the three brothers' survival have faded even further.  Nonetheless, the adventurers once more descend into the darkness, for Sirdros insists that even the faintest of hopes must be pursued.Passing the bodies of both the ghouls and the stirges without mishap, the group explores several more caverns without incident, travelling deeper and deeper underground as they do so.After several hours, Twinkle stops to wipe her face with her sleeve,"Is it just me, or is it getting hotter?""The air is warmer here." Sirdros agrees. "It is the first time I have not felt chilled, since I returned from my lord Pelor's domain.""Well, I'm glad someone's enjoying it." Mantreus mutters.  The self-styled 'dashing rogue' is finding it hard to look cool whilst dripping with sweat."I did not say that." The priest of Pelor responds, "This is not the wholesome warmth of the sun; I care for it no more than you.""Wholesome or not, we press on." The Padre points into the darkness, "We haven't found the missing Pelorites, yet.  Stay alert, though - the last time it was this hot underground, we ran into undead and that death cultist Orc.""Thanks for the cheery thought." Briar quips, tying back her sweat-stained hair with a scarf.The air grows ever more hot and humid, until at last the group emerges into a large cavern, which is filled with lush - though rather strange - vegetation.  Fungi, tubers and all kinds of bizarre growths, many of them garishly coloured, dot the area.  There is one particularly large mound of these growths, largely purple in hue, on the far side of the cavern, near a section of the wall that looks like it has recently collapsed."Wait." The Padre holds up a hand to forestall the others from heading across the cavern toward the only other exit, a narrow tunnel that can just be seen behind a natural curtain wall. "Every time we go anywhere in these damn tunnels, something jumps out and tries to kill us."Anastria glances around and wrinkles her nose,"The place needs a good clean, that's certain, but I don't see anything dangerous.""What about that?" the priest points at the purple mound."It's just a bunch of over-grown mushrooms." The elven woman sniffs."They could be man-eating mushrooms." Twinkle offers, "Or maybe they release hallucinogenic spores so that people near them go crazy and try to kill each other.""Twinkle, stop helping." The Padre draws out his bow, "I say we shoot a few arrows into it, just to be sure it's not a threat.""Hey, look everyone - it's a sleeping dragon." Anastria mutters, sarcastically, "Let's shoot it in case it's dangerous."Oddly, no-one seems particularly interested in the elf's opinion.Except possibly the mound, which objects rather strenuously to being shot at.As soon as the first arrow sinks into it, the mound immediately starts shrieking: a deafening noise that echoes and re-echoes in the enclosed space."Great!" Anastria yells, struggling to be heard above the din, "Now every monster within half a mile will know we're here and be coming to jump out and kill us!"The others, however, are far too distracted to concern themselves with the elf's complaints.  Instead, their attention is focussed on one especially large, violet-capped fungus, which lurches out of the mound and begins to move toward them.  Dragging itself along on dozens of tiny, finger-like roots, the creature is extremely slow, but proves dangerous nonetheless, as two long vines unwind from its body and lash out toward the group. "You three!" the Padre draws his mace and uses it gesture at Mantreus, Twinkle and Briar, "Put a stop to that racket.  The rest of us will deal with the big one."This proves easier said than done: while the fungi are static targets, or nearly so, that which is easy to hit is not always easy to harm.  Their sponge-like flesh absorbs much of the force of bludgeoning blows, while the small holes caused by Anastria's rapier seem to cause them little injury at all.The vines of the single mobile fungus lash out as the Padre and Sirdros try to surround it.  The latter is encased in a heavy layer of armour, and the blow harmlessly slides off his breastplate, leaving a smear of purple-green ichor on the metal, but the Padre is not so fortunate.  The vine wraps around his leg, and dozens of hair-like protrusions pierce his skin, injecting the strange venom into his body."Damn it!" the priest curses as his leg goes numb, then gives way beneath him.  He falls heavily, landing directly in front of the fungus, which looms up, both vines thrashing wildly in the air, ready to strike again and end the helpless priest's life.</blockquote>

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