Nomen Infernale XIV: Scylla & Charybdis

Moments after hearing the initial skittering, a giant giant solifuge peers out of the darkened hallway at the Oameni. Nuru attacks but misses,Alex slips behind Kegho to allow the muscle to sort things out. Riven fires an arrow which damages the beastly arachnid. Theo calls upon Ator and his hammer did strike the beast. Kegho swings Skullcleaver but narrowly misses. Asbjørn takes the opportunity to strike from his side and did much damage. Teleptyon fires a bolt of Ar from his staff. The Hammer of Ator misses. Kegho and Asbjørn strike nearly simultaneously at the solifuge dealing massive damage and killing it. The Hammer of Ator comes down upon the next solifuge and it retreats somewhat. Kegho pours out oil on the corpse of the arachnid which filled a narrow choke point and planned to set it on fire if more came through the passage. While the warriors hold the solifugim at bay, Alex goes to the door to the east of them and begins checking for traps, looking for an easier way forward. He finds no traps, but begins studying the door itself which shows a relief of a king bowed before two gods who Theo identifies as the celestial mother and father of the Khemian pantheon. Teleptyon attempts to get a better look into the larger hall with the solifugim and sees bits of metal, some of it precious and glyphs in a floral pattern. He makes a mental note, but is not lured immediately in.

Alex’s attempts to open the double doors are stymied by his height. His attempts are interrupted by the boot of Asbjørn kicking them open. The arachnids stir, and La Compagnia hold their breath for a moment, letting out a communal relieved sigh when the beasts go back to their skittering in the dark hallway. Alex slips down the hallway quietly and using his mirror checks around the first corner. He sees a hallway getting narrower as it passes south. He asks Nuru for a vibe check of the stonework, but neither sees anything suspicious. Alex notes a whiff of mold or rot in the air.

The party moves into the hall and closes the door behind, quietly this time. Several of them creep down the narrow hallway and find what were once votive alcoves turned into makeshift cells for the victims of the dark cult that had taken this place over. As Theo tried to decide how to lay these long-dead victims to rest, the advanced party heard the unmistakable sound of a jelliform creature moving down the hallway towards them.

The party retreated back down the hallway as an oozing mass pursued them at a leisurely rate. Alex hoped that the brown jelly was the source of the mold smell and poured a thin line of drystone across the path, but it did nothing. Asbjørn attacked and it spit into three more jellies. Nuru and Asbjørn lit torches and Riven deftly assembled a flaming arrow. Nuru struck with his torch and the jelly hissed in what they hoped was pain.