The Pod-Caverns of the Sinister Shroom (Game Thread V)

[JadedDM]

Elvenoff leads the way into the next room, stepping through the smoke. The room is round shaped and is lavishly furnished with tapestries, a massive, reclined couch with bedclothes on it, a water pipe on a low table in the middle of the room, an enormous brazier (five feet across) full of unlit coal beside which is a filigreed watering can, and a cabinet containing three cut-glass decanters and a silver goblet.

The room is unoccupied, but there are signs that someone was here recently. A loose stone in the floor has been removed, and a box that was hidden underneath it is open. Inside are three gemstones, but nothing else. There are double doors to the north and south, the former open and the latter closed. Looking through the double doors to the north, they can see webbing covering the halls. This must be the way the Shroom took when it heard the alarm in the library.

To the east is a single door, hanging open. The hallway through it extends to the south. Near this door there are two holes carved into the stone, each just large enough to fit a human head into. Just above these holes is a wooden peg, but whatever it was meant to hold has been removed.

"It would seem that evil is always drawn to what luxury that it can find," the paladin notes.

=====================

Jerrard casts a Smoke Ball cantrip and tosses it inside the Shroom Room. (1d20): 19, success. Jerrard moves into the Shroom Room.
Elvenoff enters the Shroom Room.
Thuskar enters the Shroom Room.
Elite Podman 01 is stuck and cannot move.
Elite Podman 02 is stuck and cannot move.

Round 11!

Party's Initiative (1d10): 4
Enemy's Initiative (1d10): 5

(Party wins!)

[Breila]

"I think we should leave the moss right here, it can't move as fast as we can. Dispatching it might cost us the time needed to save out friends. I've cost us valuable time already." Babushka walks east now at a brisk pace, but scans the area around her (walls, floor and ceiling) more carefully than before.

[JadedDM]

Avoiding the tree in the center of the room, Babushka attempts to head for the eastern tunnel at a quickened pace. She does keep a careful eye out, though, particularly toward the ceilings, and it pays off. Just within the tunnel, on the ceiling, are two of those hanging plants they encountered once before, with the sticky tentacles. They are hunched up on the ceiling, trying to remain hidden, waiting for some poor fool to walk right underneath them.

There does not seem to be a way to proceed without passing underneath one or the other.

[Jerrard]

"Son of a..." Jerrard curses out loud, his sword raised in front of him. "It would appear so Elvenoff, the luxury is.. Obvious."

Jerrard looks to the Open doors, "The room would suggest it has escaped for the time being, I suggest we find the others, camp here and set after the creature as a group, luck kept us alive before, I doubt we will be so lucky again." He scans the room stepping to the hole in the floor (how big is the hole?) he grabs the 3 gems and slips them in a pouch.

"Elvenoff, check the doors, secure them if you can, we need to get the others." Face still dark he pats Thurskar on the shoulder. "Thank you for your help, I think I have knowledge to help, it will take time, but I think I can." He says to the Hybrid, watching Elvenoff check the doors.

[JadedDM]

The hole in the floor is very shallow, just deep enough to hold the box. From the looks of things, the Shroom fled into this room, lifted the stone, and removed something from the box--what, Jerrard cannot say with certainty--leaving behind the three gemstones. The gemstones in question are purple and seem to be well-cut.

Elvenoff closes the double doors to the north and begins to push the massive brazier toward them, making a crude barricade. Seeing what he is doing, and wishing to help, Thuskar lends him a hand.

When Elvenoff checks the single open door to the east, he frowns. "You should see this," he says, gesturing for the mage to approach. Should Jerrard come closer, he will see that down the hall from this door is another large, heavy portcullis blocking the way. "He is a slippery blackguard, that one," the paladin says, referring to the Sinister Shroom.

[Jenara]

Locky watches Babuskha move around the cave, her keen eyes spot the hanging plants, she wasn't going to get caught by those again.

Looking at the tree her curiosity getting the better of her, she smiles "I wonder what this tree is doing here? It don't think it LOOKS like the mad ones." She looks up at the tree, her face full of interest. "Hello Mr. Tree."

[JadedDM]

The tree shudders slightly, and two eyes and a mouth form on its trunk. But rather than being twisted with rage and madness, this tree's face appears sullen and weary. Blinking a few times, it speaks sluggishly. "Greetings...? Thou art...not a plant. Thou are animal. Long hast it been since mine eyes hast gazed upon a creature of flesh and bone. Art thou aligned with the Shroom and its minions?" it asks with a resigned glumness.

[Breila]

"Locky, please. Don't wake that tree up. Maybe the chains are not strong enough to hold him?
You're such a good shot, let's dispatch the snagworts, won't we?"

She herself loads her sling and fires a stone at the left snagwort.

1d20=17, 1d4=4


When the tree starts to speak, Babushka almost lets her sling fall down in surprise.

[Jerrard]

Taking a closer look Jerrard scowls, "Thus, my idea holds, we regroup, heal if we need to, and set off after the creature."

With that he walks back to the door they came in, his eyes going to the door to the South, he would go that way if the Portcullis couldn't be lifted. Returning to the bedchamber he heads over to the wooden pegs, taking a closer look, while Elvenoff bars the doors.

[Jenara]

Lockys face brightens up with wonder and excitement, "I'm Locky, Locky Lightfoot." She offers the tree her hand, "I'm a Kender, not a tree, and we have come here to stop this, me and my friends... Ohh what is a Shroom? It sounds rather funny." She rambles, yet there is intelligence and wisdom in her eyes.

"Who are you? And why are you chained up like this?"

[JadedDM]

Jerrard examines the pegs on the wall. The pegs are just above the two holes in the wall. There is a silhouette of a staff or wand of some sort left behind in the dust. Likely, whatever it was, the Shroom grabbed it before fleeing.

Meanwhile, the tree speaks slowly, as slowly as Locky speaks quickly. "The Shroom...the mushroom man behind it all. He is quite...mad." The tree sighs deeply. "I am called...Leafloam the Treant. The Shroom's minions spirited me away in the dead of night from the Qualinesti forest, bringing me here. And here I have remained, tormented. My seeds taken, experimented on. My once mighty boughs...deprived of sunlight." He shakes his branches slightly. There are barely any leaves left on them, giving him a sickly look. "Trapped here in chains of metal, I hast giveth up all hope of ever feeling the wind again."

Shay momentarily forgets about the moss, startled by the talking tree. He begins to circle around it, sword drawn, lantern in the other hand, wary in case the tree attacks.

Not about to be forgotten, though, the Vampiric Moss strikes. Babushka is right, it is quite slow and they could likely outpace it easily...if they left the room. Wriggling forward, the moss attaches itself to Locky while she's distracted, ready to harvest more blood.

===============

Babushka attacks Hanging Snagwort 01 (17) for 4 damage.
Thuskar and Elvenoff barricade the doors save the one they originally arrived through.
Jerrard picks up three well-cut purple gemstones and investigates the wooden pegs.
Shay circles the tree, cautious, keeping an eye on it and the vampiric moss.
Locky talks, talks, talks.
Hanging Snagwort 01 goes into defensive mode (AC improves by 4).
Hanging Snagwort 02 goes into defensive mode (AC improves by 4).
Vampiric Moss attacks Locky (1d20): 18, grabs.
Elite Podman 01 is stuck and cannot move.
Elite Podman 02 is stuck and cannot move.

Round 12!

Party's Initiative (1d10): 4
Enemy's Initiative (1d10): 9

(Party wins!)

.X.X._.X.X.X.X.
.X.X._.X.X.X.X.X.X.
.X._._._._.B.H._._.
.X._._.T.L.X.X.X.X.
.X.X._._.S.X.X.
.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.

X – Solid rock
T – Tree
B – Babushka
L – Locky/Vampiric Moss
S – Shay
V – Vampiric Moss
H – Hanging Snagworts (x2)

[Jenara]

"Oh Drat! Silly Moss!" Locky Shouts in pain, the moss as the moss grabs onto her body, "Please help, lets kill it this time!" She shouts, trying in vain to pull the moss off her body.

As she does so, despite her pain, a thought slips into her head, Leaffoam, he could squash the moss easily. "Free him! Let him loose, Will you help us?" She asks, ripping her fingers into the moss, pulling off a tiny piece, clothing too.

[JadedDM]

"I would aid thee, were I free," the treant responds. However, the chains that bind him are held in place by a heavy padlock with a big keyhole.

[Breila]

"Shay, I am sure the treant is harmless. I've heard of these mighty creatures of the qualinesti forests." She turns towards the treant.

"I feel honoured to meet you, Leafloam. I am called Babushka." Turning back to Shay and pointing to the padlock, she asks him. "Could you try picking the lock?"

She then goes to Locky, helping her to pry the moss off.

[JadedDM]

Working together, the two girls attempt to pry the vampiric moss off of Locky, but it will take time.

Shay shakes his head to clear it, torn between gawking at the talking tree and the girls who are taking this all in stride. Kneeling by the treant, he pulls out his lock picks and gets started, using the light of his lantern to see what he is doing. After a minute, there is an audible click as he unlocks it.

Immediately, the room rumbles as the treant pulls itself free from the chains and breaks open the mortar holding it into place by smashing it with its branches. The mortar cracks, and the treant pulls itself free. "Thou hast freed me!" it says, hope returning to its voice.

====================

Locky and Babushka attempt to remove the vampiric moss from the kender. It will take (1d4): 4 rounds. (As they are working together, I'll cut that in half, and say 2 rounds.)
Shay attempts to pick the lock holding Leafloam. (1d100): 33, success.
Leafloam breaks free from his prison.

(OOC: Jerrard's group left to go this round.)