DM: Sandpoint Town Guard

Arao runs at the door, ramming his right shoulder into it. The door is hard, the dragon born in platemail is harder. The door bursts open. Lloyd charges into the room as Gryffin starts casting his spell.

"Wait!" the half-elf shouts as he hurriedly waves off a hand towards Gryffin, careful not to disrupt the eladrin who in turn stops his spellcastting.

The warlord's words seem to have an instant effect on the room's occupant.

"Oh Avandra, I have been here so many hours. I thought it was coming back for me. I thought it was going to take me too. Thank Avandra, thank Avandra!"

Inside you see a badly bruised town guard. It is Nerath, one of the guards the party left to guard the factory basement the day before. His face has clearly taken a direct hit from something that split his left cheek and has caused his eye to swell up and turn purple-blue. His leather plated armour is badly damaged, with two panels torn and hanging loose. His weapon hangs limp from his right hand. The room stinks. It would appear that he has been in here for a while.

When he sees that you really are dressed as guards, he runs forward and hugs the nearest of you, the dragonborn.

"You have to get out of here. You have to get me out of here, quick, before it comes back."

He stops, eyes searching out tunnel entrance behind you.

"It took Kabel, I heard his scream. I called for Andriak to come from his duties guarding the entrance, to investigate with me. We came down here, we found this ... THING ... it was feasting on him. Eating his flesh. Its face split open, gorging. It was disgusting. We tried to run, but it caught us on the stairs, threw me down. I landed near Kabel's body. His face ... it was missing.

"Andriak tried to hit it with his sword, but he missed, and that was the last chance he got. He fell. It left him there, just lying on the stairs, his head twisted to one side. Then it came at me. I picked myself up and ran. I ran here, and pulled the door behind me. There was no key. There was nothing. I just pushed against the door for such a long time. It got it opened a bit, reached in, tore at me, again and again. I stabbed it blind, just thrust my sword out. I heard its guttural scream. It was like a demon.

"It pulled back then, long enough for me to slam the door shut. It tried again. It kept trying for what seemed like forever, but I had my back braced against the door, my feet against the wall, and I prayed and prayed and prayed.

"And then it stopped. I heard it slouch off. I heard it dragging. I guess it took the bodies. I guess it went back in there."

He points at the broken entrance to the smugglers' tunnels.

"WE HAVE TO GO NOW!" he pleads.