Move 428: A Puddle of BloodTunnels--Very Early, Day 42 (Marpenoth 25)
A decision was made to move forward while Echo's reconnaissance was still fresh. The party moved down the tunnel near the pool area and soon reached another split in the passage. Since they had expressed a desire to see the large cave first, Echo directed them to take the northbound tunnel. After about sixty feet, it opened into a cavern considerably larger than anything they had seen in this series up to this point. The whole place reeked of a combination of wet fur, stale air, and rotting vegetation. The plant smell was coming from a slimy pile of green near one of the walls. A couple of stone axes were laying in haphazard spots around the room. In the far southwestern alcove, blood, still fresh enough to be liquid, was puddled on the rock floor.
"This must have been where they ate their comrades," said Aloysius with disgust. "Doubts have I that we shall find anything useful here. Perhaps we should continue down yonder tunnel. That would seem to be the most likely path the survivors took."
"You think so?" Arachne's voice asked, from close to Dalgaer. "I agree about where the survivors must've gone, but -- you think they ate the skin and fur and bones and offal and spilled enough blood to leave a puddle? I'd guess that they drained the blood from the corpses and then took them with them -- food for their journey, perhaps. Unless they have a shaman who does zombies. That's argued against, though, by the weapons that've been left behind. They wouldn't be so likely to do that if they had future zombies to arm. Still, I guess everyone still alive is already well armed. I wonder what they were able to garden down here in the dark?"
"That is an astute observation," Aloysius noted. "Although, from this distance, Stargazer can not see well 'enow to see what other remains there might be. Methinks it unlikely that they dabble in necromancy, although anything is possible. That would seem to call for more forethought than they seem to employ."
Jana, looking a little green herself, looked up at the ceiling of the alcove for any evidence a body had been hung there to drain such as hooks or ropes. "It does seem like if they were draining the blood to keep the body for food, they'd have gutted 'em too. Maybe they used the offal as compost for mushrooms or something."
Kanon cautiously walked towards the pile of green refuse looking it over slowly, "Intriguing. I wonder if it's some kind of mushroom or mold." He stopped after moving ten feet and shook his head, "What am I doing?" With that he turned and started heading back towards the group.
Azrun looked around the room, covering his mouth and nose with his hand, "So, uh...we going through that tunnel to look for the women and children?"
"I got as far as the pool up ahead," Echo said quietly. "I don't know what's past that."
The party moved on beyond the large stinky cavern, continuing along the northbound tunnel. Before long, they reached another split in the tunnels. To their right, they could see the edge of the pool that Echo had mentioned. To their left, there was another passageway.
"Let's save the pools for last," Jana suggested. "I'd like to be able to stop and let anyone who gets wet dry off without worrying too much about our backs. Besides, if it's safe, we could all use a bath."
"Sounds good to me, lets check out the rest of these tunnels then." Blacky said hefting his axe.
Kanon nodded as the others voiced opinions about moving on, "I agree. Let's move on and come back." The priest lowered his head and continued on pulling his mace and shield as the group moved further into unfamiliar territory.
Dalgaer cleared his throat. "Hmf. I hate to bring this up, but I think if our goal is saving these prisoners, we are doing this completely wrong. We can't do a clean sweep of these tunnels. No matter how many beasties we killmore can always sweep in behind us. We should move as quickly as we can to wherever these folks are being kept. Deal with whatever gets in our way. And then use Arachne's gifts to leave quickly."
Dalgaer continued, "If the goal is saving folks, that's the only choice. Otherwise we might as well admit we've given up of of rescuing them and are just taking a leisurely stroll through the Underdark, killing things and taking there stuff along the way."
Dalgaer concluded his uncharacteristically long speech with, "I'm new, you folks chose, I just wanted to make certain I knew the real goal."
Renn was not seen, nor heard from.
"Janathell speaks wisely," said Aloysius. "Let us continue searching the tunnel afore inspecting the pool. "
Turning towards Daelgar, he added," Aye, 'tis a predicament. E'en if we make haste and find the captives, it will do us little good if we are harried at every turn by creatures we left behind us. We have chosen to clear a path as best we can, at least of those creatures made known to us by Carmeneren. And mayhap they will have things that will prove useful to us."
"There won't be a clear path. regardless." Dalgaer said with a shrug, "One cannot kill everything in these tunnels on our way down. It cannot be done. and with arachne, we have no need to follow the path anyway. But I am new, so i defer."
"No, but creatures who move into an area that we clear are less likely to be as numerous, or e'en as powerful as those who reside here now," said Aloysius. "And whilst thou may be intent 'pon deference, let that decision still not your tongue. Our group discourse hath permitted us to mine valid approaches from everyone, e'en if one serves only to state an obviously ill-founded approach
Azrun looked around the area a little bit kicking at small stones, "So we're checking the tunnel?"
"It's nice of you to have such faith in my abilities," Arachne said. "I can only take a few at a time, though -- and I can also wind up dead. Then where would you be?
"I have suggested the teleporting before -- and there's also that exit path which the slavers apparently used and we _might_ figure out how to follow from the other side." The invisible voice paused and then said, "The goal is unchanged. We do want to rescue the prisoners. But, in fighting our way down to them, many of us feel more effective if their shoulders are not itching with quite so much anxiety."
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