Fellowship of the Dice

The gunslinger limps over, keeping a wary eye out for any other unexpected dangers. Or for this bird person to turn out to be an illusion or something. This place hasn't engendered a lot of starry-eyed trust. "Nate." He leaves it simple. He is a human in the clothes of a wilderness traveler, and a rare firearm in his grip.

"A while ago I was tasked to take a scouting party west." Lineos scratches the feathers behind his ear, hesitating for a moment. "You see, we, errr, I am a member of the descendants of the Malakim Empire, we have been wandering through the eastern wastes looking for a new home." Lineos looks sullen for a moment, melancholy glossing over his eyes. "One by one the rest of my party perished, until there was just me, lost and desperate. One night while I was trying to get some sleep they came and took me, i don't know what they wanted."

"I am Torias, scholar-priest-smith of Kilmorph." He is a heavily tatooed, totally bald dwarf wielding a big axe. He takes Lineos' claw. "We are getting rid of some vermin in here. They infested a nearby town."

Dreams says sympathetically, "I am sorry to hear of the loss of your companions. You are free now, but if you wish, you may travel with us, though I can't promise those travels will be safe. Trouble has a way of seeking us out. For that matter, we're going to seek out trouble--there is an evil plot we fear is afoot that we must put an end to."

Lineos nods his head in agreement with the rest of the group, "thank you for the offer, most gratious saviors, it would be an honor to join you."

"Shall we begin by looking through the chamber we just cleaned? I guess most of the slime will have run back into the pool by now, so I think it is safe to enter." If no one objects, Torias walks back into the chamber, and starts to search for clues or the like.

Nate nods. "Strength in numbers. It's dangerous out there." He looks around at the slimes and other nastiness. "Obviously. Anyways, we've cleared most of this whole cavern, but there's some kind of ... corruption crystal golem or something? Hit like an ogre, I think it could meld into stone. Still out there, we only took a few chips off it, didn't put it down."

Torias suggests searching the chamber, and so you return to the chamber.

Much of the slime and ooze has retreated into the center pool, but not all of it, some if it is just slime that covers the walls and floor, it just is slime not some creature. You give a search, and Lineos finds the chest where Malbion had stored his gear, and the birdman recovers all of his personal belongings (very conveniently).

The chamber is filled with various pieces of ritual gear, all of which is heretical and clearly needs to be destroyed. The corpse of Morbion wears a suit of hide armor of some poor creatures enchanted with magical runes, his quarterstaff also bears similar runes, slumped at his feet is his crumpled magical cloak, pinned with a periapht bearing a mark of heath, and his boots too bear magical markings.

Notably he has no Cindershards to protect him from the Sickstone, nor does Lineos.

Dreams says, "I fear we are better off leaving the golem alone, since it proved stronger than us in combat. Instead, we should try to block the entrance to the cavern to keep the unwary from entering--or the golem from escaping." She looks at Margion's remains and his paraphernalia. "And I think we should take his body outside, along with his unholy ritual items, and perform a cremation, to make sure everything we can destroy is destroyed."

Lineos nods his approval of Dreams' idea, "We would be doing a great service to any wanderers that may get lost and end up here."