Move 426: An Alcove of Dead QuaggothsTunnels--Very Early, Day 42 (Marpenoth 25)
Several members of the party were rendered invisible, and it was decided that Kanon would be safest in holding his current position in the middle of the marching order. The group soon reached the point in the tunnels where they had first encountered the quaggoths. The handful of quaggoths that had been killed in the first skirmish were still against the wall in the little alcove where their bodies had been drug, seemingly undisturbed. The area where the rest of the fighting had taken place not so many hours before lay beyond the alcove, and ahead of them, there stretched an unexplored tunnel, a seeming continuation of the main tunnel they were in.
When Blacky decided he wasn't interested in the sword Jana asked, "Can anyone else use a sword like this, or wanna learn how? I'm sorta interested," she confessed, "but I think I'd better learn how to use a longsword instead, since that's the right kinda sword and all."
Azrun shook his head, "I could swing it but it's a little too bulky for me. It's more of a "stand toe to toe and try to kill someone with" weapon. I'm not too keen on that idea," he said with a smile.
"Let's not get divided up too much," Jana suggested. "I think it's best to have only one scout group so if there's trouble, we'll have plenty of firepower to meet it."
Dalgaer nodded at the sight, "Such a tribe could not have survived here if there were many large predators or scavengers nearby, I expected them to be undisturbed. Much time has passed, we must still be cautious, but I suspect that aside from odd magical stuff our biggest danger will be the tribe's survivors and any pets or prisoners they kept. Assuming they have not yet fled. If they have, the pickings will likely be slim..." Dalgaer suddenly started, as if realizing he had been speaking out loud. He glanced around, "Arachne... you still here?"
Kanon nodded at Jana's comment about not splitting up and looked down the tunnel where they had met the Quaggoth host, "Then it's back to the pool where we met the large host first?"
Aloysius nodded. "Doubts have I that we will see any more quaggoth. Carmeneren said something about how they eat their own fallen brethren. The fact that these appear untouched suggests that no quaggoth remain."
He looked down the tunnel. "Perhaps the pool would be a good choice. If those corpses yet remain, my theory would be given more credence. At least we don't have to worry about any quaggoth attempting an ambush. Their tactics are rather straight forward."
Niceties of marching order had ended while the party was inspecting the former battlefield. In answer to Dalgaer's question, Arachne's voice spoke up quite close to him. "Yes, Dalgaer, I'm here. No-one's picked me off yet."
Azrun shrugged, "Best to check there and see if we missed any items too. I doubt we did, though."
"Whoever goes to look in any pools needs to have a rope tied around 'em," Jana suggested. "We've not have the best luck with pools down here so far."
Azrun shrugged, "I'll go. I don't have a bunch of metal to sink me to the bottom on and I can swim too. If no one objects?"
"I could go," Arachne offered. "I can swim. I'm not carrying metal. I can stay under water for as long as need be and, if I really don't like it where i've gotten to, I can teleport out. What I'm not good at is wading. The water's seldom the right depth for me to do that without winding up swimming."
Azrun shrugged again, "Or Arachne could go since it sounds like she's better equipped for the trip."
Kanon nodded as Arachne asked to go and removed his necklace and handed it in her direction, "Just in case. It allows you to breathe underwater and if you need to be able to move more capably at least for a short time I will pray for the rosemantle."
The party decided to move forward into the cave where Aloysius, Azrun, Echo, Jana, and Kanon had fought the main body of quaggoths. The dead, both the bodies they passed on their way through the tunnel and the ones in the larger cave itself, appeared undisturbed. There was some talk, possibly idle but just as possibly serious, of exploring the pool in the northern portion of the cavern. The mouth of another unexplored tunnel that appeared to lead to the northwest was located near the pool.
Aloysius studied the scene carefully before announcing, "There are missing corpses. I'd say, perhaps, five. That would suggest there are more quaggoths and they took the bodies to eat."
Pointing at three corpses of obviously larger quaggoth, he added, "But the leaders' remains are still here. Let's go down that passage before looking at the pool."
Dalgaer nodded, "Makes sense." Dalgaer hangs his battle-ax over his shoulder by it's short lanyard and takes his crossbow cocks it and loads a bolt.
"Everyone go down it or do we want to send scouts first?" Jana asked, directing her question in the direction she's last heard Echo speak.
"Scouting helped the last time we encountered them." Blacky commented.
"Scouting is fine for me, or not. I don't think scouting is as crucial now, as it was
when we first came into this section of caverns," Renn said from near the front of the group. "I think what remain of the Quaggoths, indeed if that is what they are, would be leery of combat with us again."The priest remained silent looking over the bodies carefully. He nodded as Renn spoke, "He is most likely correct. I suspect that there are five maybe six of these things whatever they are. They had several hours and could have dragged off more for their meals or other sundries. However, they only gathered five mayhaps one for each.
"I'll go," Echo's voice replied after listening to the comments from the others. "I'll be back in ten or fifteen minutes tops," she told them before she left.
Jana winced. She pulled her sword and leaned against a wall, watching down the tunnel. She bounced a foot rapidly as she waited.
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