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The King's Guards

"Door is clear," Marryck says.

Tabintha nods to Tholan as Marryck steps behind her and pulls out an arrow to notch into their bow. Both Tabintha and Tholan have short swords drawn and Leonidas starts mentally preparing to cast his GOB spell.

Rather than get trapped and pinned in by the shape of the hall, the plan is for Tabintha to step back up the hall while Tholan pulls down and is backed up by Jortimer. Marryck will shoot what they can.

Tabintha opens the door and the strange blue highlights two stone shelves in a tomb-like room of higher quality than some others. Each shelf has the remains of warrior in still in-tact armor, holding a spear crossed over their chest.

As the door swings all the way open, the torches inside flare up and before Tabintha can even enter the room, both skeletons sit up and in one motion swing their bony legs over and leap from the shelves. The creatures advance immediately upon the party!

Tabintha shouts, "Go!," and then steps a full stride north. Tholan says nothing but takes a step back as Jortimer steps up next to him. Leo begins chanting in earnest.

Far behind them, Pholex sighs deeply.

After the battle, Marryck takes one of the spears and Tabintha takes a shield. The suit of armor is a bit bulky for her but she recognizes that it is astoundingly good quality...

...though it feels strikingly mundane. Leonidas, who has a sense for such things, feels no magical power.

Tabintha points out the other suit of armor and shield to Tholan...

...but he waves his hand.

"Nah, miss. I'm used to my own kit."

Jortimer shrugs and takes the shield and armor off the other, though it is bulky and causes his backpack to jangle loudly. The shield, at least, is light enough that he can make do with it.

The other spear they leave behind. In the room, Marryck has been searching the shelves of these warrior's tombs...

...and is happy enough to find a good selection of coins. They pocket them to split later once the group are in a safer spot.

After that, nothing remains but to head up to the door at the end of the hall they are in. Even from here, they can tell it is a bit more sturdy and heavily decorated than the others.

Another Locked Door

Marryck sighs strangely while trying to pick the lock...

...and then staggers a bit. Tabintha pulls them back and checks they are ok.

"Something...it feels weird. Like my teeth feel number and I can't stop shivering. Whoever locked this door, they don't want it opened."

"Maybe these strange words on the door explain it?," Tabintha says, pointing at the text scrawled into the door and near the lock...

...but no one behind her really has a clue on how to read it. Another mystery for this strange place.

"Tholan, Pholex?," she asks.

"Don't look at us, miss," Tholan says, like he is sad he cannot help, "We are strangers, here, just stopping by. One of the folks upstairs might know."

Tabintha nods at this. "Ok, we'll backtrack. Ask if anyhow might have any idea. Leo, can you copy some of this text."

Leonidas says he can, but says he'll just copy a few letters at random. "Wouldn't want to curse my backpack."

After that is complete, Tabintha gives a think. "There's another door, if it's more of these undead creatures, it might be a threat to the inn upstairs. Do you think we should fight it."

Jortimer agrees. Pholex looks nervous. Tholan points out that he is just here for the pay and the day is approaching done. Leonidas will back up his sister. Marryck, who has tended to be unluckiest in the torments of this dungeon, gives it a think.

"Yeah, let's..."

The Damned Thing in the Room

Tabintha shouts, "Keep it surrounded!"

The group had backtracked to this room to make sure the area was clear before they brought disaster on The Black Lobster, and once Marryck got the door open they spotted another pile of bodies much like the first room they had entered. Only these were a lot more bloody. A lot more...wet.

With a smell to match.

And rather than a few of the better maintained ones "waking up" and attacking, the whole damned pile of corpses in the middle shuffled up and this thing, this abomination started shuffling slowly forward. Heads and legs and arms from multiple people trying to work as one.

Tabintha did not hesitate and the team spread out to surround thing thing, Marryck getting a shot off before the thing could get closer.

"Gods, that is disgusting," Jortimer says, trying to fling gore off of his mace.

Tabintha pokes at it a bit with her sword but whatever might be under the strange pile of flesh, she is not sure her stomach can handle it.

As Marryck checks out the door to the south, they realize it leads back around to the stairs.

"Ok," they say, "I think the place is clear, besides the scary door at the end. Let's head back up and get some food and rest, see if we can figure out any clues about how to open the door."

The Slykk Infested Temple

Tabintha points for Leonidas and Jortimer to take position behind some trees as the sun sets behind the distant mountains.

Tabintha was taking the risk that the frogmen would be similarly put out by darkness as her and her friends, hoping she was right. The fact that from here they can see several fires blazing inside the crumbled ruins of the temple gives some ease. Surely creatures with night vision wouldn't need quite so many fires, right?

In the end, it had been...

...Eaken who finally figured out Leonidas's scribbles. She went off to visit a relative, nearby, and got confirmation. Apparently her family used to picnic in an old, crumbled place nearby but in the last couple of years it was considered unsafe. Not only because it was near toppling but because some Slykk had taken refuge there. Not a huge number, probably just a scant remnants of some bigger tribe.

"Why haven't the locals dealt with them?," Leonidas had asked.

"Frankly, because the frogs seem smart enough to only attack travelers and many of the more local folks are not quite willing to die to protect the sort of traveler who can't fend off a few croaks."

In fact, Eaken had gone on to explain, there were a few locals, including some wild men, who did trade with the Slykk...

...though the sort who did that didn't tend to be welcome at places like The Black Lobster. There had been a lot more Slykk at one point, but the numbers had dwindled many times as they bit off more than they could chew.

"Do frogs chew?," Jortimer asked and Marryck had punched. Not hard, but with some frustration that caused the bigger guy to hush. Having more experience with mixed races, Marryck consider some of the terms used to describe the Slykk as a bit derogatory.

Tabintha had been a fan of simply going through with a scorched earth policy. Even if the Slykk lost equal to the number of adventurers, they were still responsible for quite a few deaths in these parts. Jortimer favored at least giving diplomacy a chance. As for Marryck and Leonidas...

...the party was somewhat split between the best approach.

Tabintha eventually compromised. They would try, briefly, the path of diplomacy but from a place where they can defend themselves. To wit, Marryck getting in position to shoot.

Leonidas summons up a pair of Gobbies...

...who are currently walking in step with Tabintha and Jortimer, hidden a bit by the larger humans. As soon as the Slykk start attacking, hopefully the surprise of having more than double the expected attackers will make them think twice.

Well, no time like the present. Tabintha and Jortimer start walking forward...

"Hello!?," Tabintha calls, holding her hands up. She her sword awkwardly hanging from a hook thanks to a strap made by Sige. Won't hold in place long enough for a run, but should handle this.

The three Slykk in the courtyard turn and stare at Tabintha and Jortimer walking up. A few seconds later one is twirling a sling while two are rushing forth with spears.

The one in the back lets loose a stone which slams into Tabintha's armor without causing any harm. At almost the same time, an arrow from Marryck imbeds in the creatures arm and it croaks in pain and confusion.

As the spears approach, the the two gobbies rush out to join the others.

As the Slykk that had been using the sling collapses into one of the cooking fires, a pair of others coming from a side room see this and the overwhelmed others and shout something in their native language, then start bounding off into the woods.

Both spear guys also turn and run. Tabintha acts quickly to stab hers but Jortimer pulls up and lets his go.

Tabintha takes a wild swing at the back of the fleeing Slykk but misses and a second later, hear's Leonidas calling the Gobbies back. The second one, near Jortimer, managed to get in a stab but listened to Leonidas.

A roar rips through the night as a larger Slykk than the others comes out. Like the others, this larger creature is blue and orange but unlike the muddy loin-cloths of the others, it has a more ostentatious outfit. At least, one that probably once was fancy. The furs and scales and feathers are all mattered and decayed. If this is the Slykk equivalent of royalty, it has been on hard times.

It sees the party...

...and then turns to flee. As it does, Leonidas claps his hands together and shouts, "ZAP!..."

A lightning bolt shoots out and hits the "royal" Slykk and the frog-like humanoid lets out a croak as it collapses.

"Umm, Leo...," Jortimer says, eyes slightly blinded by the flash, "Was that necessary?"

"The others are obviously too cowardly to fight a fair fight. All the deaths they caused is on his head."

"Or hers," Marryck shouts, hopping down from their perch, "I wouldn't want to wager the guess of the gender of the dead creature."

"True," Leonidas agrees.

"Let's see if we can find what we are looking for," Tabintha says as the gobbies fade into black smoke around her. "Otherwise, this was a lot of bother for nothing."

"At least travelers won't get randomly attacked," Jortimer says.

The Fallen Statue

Marryck had found a few gold pieces and a ring with a pretty jewel on it. And a lot of bloody clothing and trashed odds and ends. Jortimer, seeing the remnants of months of victims had mollified his stance on Leonidas's ZAP. The fight here had done the area, good. Maybe no more families would picnic in this spot, but at least people would be able to get the Black Lobster without risking death.

At least from these threats.

Leonidas is the one who spotted the statue. In the same room from which the "Royal" Slykk had emerged. In the back, a statue of a man in clerical garb had stood, now long toppled. Despite the cracks and the moss growing upon it, two things had caught Leo's attention. First, a weather worn version of the same script that had been upon the door, at least something like.

Second, the engraving of a key.

It had taken Tabintha a few seconds of poking to pick up a large cracked off piece of the statue and smash into the chest until a crack opened a small compartment inside had two items of interest. A stone tablet, and a large brass key still in good condition.

The tablet had cracked a bit in the fall but the following words stand out...

Good King...Axebre...fouled by the Heart of Bere...sigils protect the doo...yet only one unmove...erekh's Beauty can take...leeing from Ott...destroy it....ary, lest it...too.

After taking some sheets from Leonidas's backpack, he and Jortimer take a rubbing using some ash from the fire. Jortimer finishes some of the missing pieces.

"Something called the Heart of Berekh. Seems it cursed King Axebreaker and turned him foul. The only way to free him is to get whatever the Heart is from his presence and then destroy it."

"But," Leonidas notes, "Whoever takes it must be unmoved by it or they will be likewise cursed instead."

Finding nothing else of value, they start off to return to the inn and discuss some plans.

They get back to good food and a warm bed without incident. The folks in the tavern celebrate the vanquishing of the Slykk and Jogi says he will put a sign declaring the bridge to be "Leonidas Bridge" after hearing the story of the ZAP spell taking out the chief.

After resting a night, the four would-be come up with a plan to get the Heart and free the curse spreading under the Black Lobster Inn.

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