The Gray District was south of Midland District and east of the Vossler estate. The people who lived within the district were mostly quiet and kept to themselves mainly because most of the residents were dead. The only living occupants of Gray District were followers of Pharasma, who lived within the Grand Cathedral of Pharasma. There were occasionally visitors that came to see their deceased family and friends, but otherwise, there wasn't anyone in the Gray District.
The group had to make a quick stop at the Vossler estate for Alexander to bring Duke along before they headed into the Gray District. Of the four tiny wards in the district, Potter's Ward was the cheapest to be buried in for the poor and homeless. It often didn't take any coin to have a corpse as part of a mass burial with the surviving family marking the fallen's name on one of the black walls in the southeastern corner of the ward. It was quiet so far with no sign of people or undead getting in the adventurers' way.
With Cressida's information, the group was able to find the mausoleum with the toppled gargoyle statue. They split up for a chance to search for clues and a possible trail toward where Gaekhen was taken. Although they weren't able to find a body, Griffin was quick to note wheelbarrow tracks in the area as confirmation they were in the right area. Takota examined the tracks closely and noticed that there were smaller footprints with four toes. The archer grunted and motioned for the group to follow him toward a mausoleum that the tracks led to.
"Well spotted," Falenas complimented Takota. "Do you have any idea what we're dealing with?"
"Derros," Takota answered. "I've seen them once before as a child. Be careful."
Takota didn't know much about derros but what he did know was that there were multiple footprints. He wasn't sure how Rolth came to acquire the services of Derros but he knew that fighting a large enemy in tight corners could be a tough battle. They entered the mausoleum and Takota revealed a secret door that led underground. The tunnel was illuminated by an eerily blue light from moss that hung from the walls and ceiling. The group entered the tunnel with Alexander and Duke leading the way. The air was musty and difficult to breathe and Takota grimaced at the stench of rotting flesh.
Eventually, the group arrived in a large chamber supported by four pillars of stone. The ceiling arched into a dome and the walls were lined with skeletons that were caked with mud. Most of the skeletons were adults but there were a few that were smaller, meaning they were halflings or children. There were two pits to both sides of the group filled with hundreds of bones. Toward the far end of the chamber was a crude hole that was gouged into the wall, leading somewhere deeper.
"This is a troubling place to be," Viera commented with her hand resting on her sword's hilt. "We shouldn't linger here any longer than necessary."
"I agree," Alexander nodded. "Let's find what we came here for and leave."
Duke started to bark loudly toward the bone pit to their right. The group had enough time to take out their weapons in time for four skeletons to climb out, wielding broken scimitars. Takota heard movement from the other bone pit and glanced in that direction. He gasped in awe at the sight of a lone skeleton that resembled a large beast. Given its features, the archer believed that it was the remains of an owlbear based on a hunting story his father told him once before.
The owlbear skeleton charged Alexander, who fends off its sharp beak with his shield before it claws him across his chest. The warrior cried out in pain before slamming his flail down on its skull, crushing it and ending the magic that animated the creature. The group then focused on the humanoid skeletons. Takota tried to fire his bow but in such close quarters his arrow went off mark. Falenas was likewise forced to use his dagger, and even working in tandem with Duke, wasn't able to secure a blow against one of the skeletons.
Still, the rest of their companions fought on. Griffin struck one skeleton in the neck, severing its spine to have it collapse. When another skeleton struck him, he lashed out with his rapier and it fell to his precise strikes. Viera grimaced when a skeleton struck her with a scimitar and claw but she brought it down with a swing of her longsword. Alexander charged at the skeleton Falenas and Duke fought and slammed it to the ground with a shield slam. He stomped down on its skull to end the battle.
After a moment of silence, Griffin chuckled. "I think we're on the right track."
If the group had any doubts before, they knew that they were in the Dead Warrens. Viera and Alexander led the way through the hole at the far end of the room and climbed through it with the others following close behind. The tunnels were cramped, but aside from Falenas' objections, the group offered little complaints. Alexander and Viera took the first turn that they could find which led the group into another chamber with space to spare.
The room smelled of sweat and mud along with the aforementioned rotting flesh. There were four straw mats to serve as beds and the only occupants of the room were two short creatures that Takota recognized. The two derros each had sickly blue skin and wild, untrimmed white hair. They were garbed in leather rags and carried short swords on their belts. The two were tormenting a rat, but when they heard the sound of intruders, they took out their weapons and charged into battle.
Viera and Alexander fended off the derros on the frontline with the latter gasping as his foe pierced through his armor to inflict a minor injury on his thigh. In turn, the warrior slammed his flail and shield against the derro's face, although the derro remained standing even after the brutal attack. Griffin circled his way through the battle and flanked the derro Viera fought, jabbing him with his rapier in time for the priestess to strike the derro with her blade.
Takota grunted in annoyance when, caught in close quarters, wasn't able to use his bow effectively. He was at least thankful that the shot went wide and didn't strike one of his companions. Falenas took out his dagger and charged the derro Alexander fought along with Duke. Although the hound couldn't find a place to bite the derro, Falenas stabbed his dagger into the derro's shoulder. His screams were silenced with Alexander crushing the derro's skull with his flail. The final derro fell with Griffin piercing his throat with his rapier.
"Are you okay, Alexander?" Viera asked.
Alexander shrugged. "I can keep pushing forward. Save your healing for when it's needed."
Takota glanced towards the straw pallets with a grunt. "There are two more derros somewhere."
"And who knows how many undead," Falenas sighed. "Hopefully, I'll get a chance to test out my new bomb before the day is over, but so far, I haven't had much luck."
"For what it's worth, I'm thankful that you're choosing not to blow us up," Griffin said. "You're not so bad with that dagger either."
"We should continue on," Falenas said with a shrug. "Keep charging into battle, but one of these days, I shall be ready to show my creation in battle."
With the chamber having no way further, the group backtracked through the tunnel they came through. They continued down the tunnel and it didn't take them too long to find another chamber with two other exits leading out and with three wooden tables stained red with blood set in place. On one table was a corpse that was being drained by three stirges. A female derro had just placed a fourth stirge on the corpse for it to feed on when she notices the adventurers. Her eyes dart to a nearby bird cage with two other stirges that she dashes toward.
"Stop her!" Griffin ordered.
The noble quickly slid over an empty table to stand in her way and jabbed at her chest with his rapier. She fell back, and Takota, taking time to aim, fired an arrow. It struck her through the skull, ending her life and attempt to unleash her remaining stirges on the group. The group piled into the room with Viera and Falenas taking note of the stirges on the corpse.
"Should we do something?" Viera asked, frowning at the sight.
Falenas shook his head. "I wouldn't provoke the stirges. Once they're done feeding, they'll leave. Besides, there are no tattoos on this vagrant. This isn't who we're looking for."
"There's only one derro left that we know of but we're not any closer to finding Gaekhen," Alexander said and turned to Takota. "I don't suppose you have a way to track him down."
"Perhaps," Takota answered and took a sniff of the air. He frowned and turned toward one of the ways out of the room. "The scent of decay is strong in that direction."
"I imagine that's where the corpses go to when they're ready to be disposed of," Griffin said, motioning to the corpse the stirges fed from to note it as an example. "It's possible that Gaekhen's body can be found there."
"It's worth taking a lot," Viera nodded in agreement. "Let's go."
The group each took a deep breath of somewhat-clean air before they proceeded through the entrance Takota noted. The majority of the room they entered contained nasty mud from a sinkhole that was kept damp from water leaking through the walls. There was a solid patch of ground in the mud that formed some sort of island that was filled with reeking body parts. The group frowned to see an otyugh feeding on a severed arm but it dropped its food when it noticed the adventurers, growling in preparation for a fight.
This wasn't the adventurers' first encounter with an otyugh, and while they knew what it was capable of, they weren't expecting to fight one in the Dead Warrens. The creature surged forward, its wide jaw biting into Viera's shoulder as she screamed out in pain. Its tentacles rushed forward toward Griffin and Alexander but the two were able to get out of the way in time. Duke charged the monster and bit into the lower half of its body as hard as he could.
"Iomedae, grant me your strength!" Viera called out to the sky.
The aasimar's longsword started to glow in a white light that she used to strike at the otyugh. The beast roared out in pain from the weapon and released its fangs from her. Alexander charged forward, slamming his flail and shield into its side, while Takota fired a shot that pierced into its jaw. Falenas dashed forward, ducking underneath its outstretched tentacle, and swept out with his dagger. The alchemist must have caught a vein into his attack as the otyugh bled heavily and collapsed, letting out a pained cry as it passed away.
"Are you okay, Viera?" Griffin asked, unable to hide his concern. "That looked like a powerful attack."
"I'll live," Viera told Griffin as the light from her sword faded. "Just give me a moment. I have a potion that'll patch up some of my wounds."
"Someone remind me to come back to this area before we leave," Falenas told the group as he made his way through the mud and toward the island. "I have a feeling that there may be some items that we could use buried here among the forgotten corpses."
"If you want to spend more time here, be my guest," Alexander said with a frown. "I'm looking forward to cleaning the stench off when we're done."
Falenas shrugged then shook his head in disappointment. "Just our luck."
"I take it that you weren't able to find Gaekhen," Griffin sighed.
"Even worse, I'm afraid," Falenas said and held up a pair of legs adorned with tattoos to his chest. "It looks like Rolth decided that he didn't need these."
"Rolth is even more despicable than his father," Viera cursed. "He will be brought to justice."
Takota nodded in agreement. "He will fall."
"We're on the right track, at least," Alexander told the group. "We continue on through the other path we didn't take in the previous room. The rest of Gaekhen might be deeper in the Dead Warrens."
"Are you volunteering to carry these?" Falenas asked and set the legs down on the ground.
"Why would I?" Alexander motioned towards Falenas' belt. "You have a bag of holding. I think it's time to use it."
Falenas opened his mouth to argue, but unable to come up with any points to change Alexander's mind, slumped his shoulders in defeat. "If you insist. However, if I accidentally pull out Gaekhen's legs instead of one of my bombs, I'm still going to throw them at whoever we're fighting."
A/N: Not a lot happening in this chapter but I didn't want to have an entire dungeon in one chapter so we're splitting it up. Next time, we finish this part and move onto the final parts of Edge of Anarchy.
Until next time.