The party turns a corner and hears the spattering of water on rock; it is not long after that they come to a place where the stream drops in a series of little water falls, a fall of about seven feet. The path on left side of the stream continues as a shelf-like path, hanging over the shallow crevice of the stream. The crevice goes on out of sight, deepening the path of the cavern as it cuts its way further into the subterranean.
The path on the right ends, with a large stone-carved block, about ten feet deep and six feet high. It is not possible to outwardly identify its purpose, only to say that it is definitely not natural. It was clearly worked and smoothed, though not perfectly so, into a rectangular piece of stone. On inspection, you see that it is inscribed with further writing.
Mikael's ability to comprehend languages is quickly running out. He has only two or three minutes left before he will have to wait until the next day, to cast the spell again.
54 comments:
Well, I run to it and read whatever I can before it runs out.
Let us hear it..
Could the stone block be acting as a door?
If it is a door, there should be some evidence of it sliding out (unless it slides back of course). Can we see behind it in any way?
Is the block detached from the wall, or part of it?
The block is attached to the wall.
It reads,
"Humble yourself before the webs of a great warrior,
who in twenty years led down five hundred sacrificial victims,
not letting a one of their number take their own lives on the journey."
So, is this some sort of magic entrance or merely a monolith to be addressed before continuing deeper?
I'm leaning towards the latter.
So it sounds like a monument. Still talking about sacrifices, too. Also confirms this was written by froglings.
I kneel before the monument. May as well see if "humble yourself" has a greater meaning.
Well, we're on the right track, for all it's worth. The writing seems to imply we should keep on descending, too.
Is the path on the right fully blocked or can we squeeze through?
Embla, there's nothing to address.
Mikael, actually humbling yourself in front of a killer frog's gravestone feels a little silly.
Engelhart, the right side of the stream disappears into the vertical wall of the passage, as the stream simply ate it away. All further passage further has to happen on the left side of the stream.
I propose we continue on the left side then.
I'll get up then. "Without a clear way in, if there is one, it looks like our only options are to keep going or head back. I am willing to keep going if others are."
Let's press onward.
So you forge on for 25 minutes, steadily making your way along the ledge as the stream deepens from 7 feet to 10 feet. The tunnel seems to be turning more often to the right, and more water is slowly adding itself to the stream in the crevice.
Here and there you find more bits and pieces of metal. At about the end of the 25 minutes, you find a wooden plank, ancient but still surviving in the relatively dry tunnel, leaning against a wall. The plank looks like half a stocks; with a slot for hands and head cut into it.
Do you continue?
Yes
Yes, definitely.
Agreed.
It's been two hours since you fought a battle, and four hours since you've eaten anything. You're all feeling awfully hungry.
Thank you for the stomach reminder. My pack is back with Willa, and most of my food is with our donkeys.
My food went with Valda. Perhaps we should head back, make sure the vanishing creature didn't reappear, and eat. We can plan a better trek from there, as we have no idea how much further this goes.
I have no food on me.
You're getting fairly thirsty, also.
(come to think of it, I've forgotten to buy food...)
So, we head back to the surface?
I'd rather not test the water in the cave.
Let's head back and prepare for a lengthier expedition down here - perhaps we can talk with the people running the salvage operation above to help us set up camp like Alexis details in these posts: http://tao-dnd.blogspot.ca/2016/02/how-to-tackle-dungeon-i-first-steps.html
Well, we don't lack for water, if Lothar can tell us if anything feeling amiss with the stream.
But yes, we can head back, get us a meal and still be here in time for the rest of day.
Understood.
As a group, somewhat disheartened, you drag your feet back the way you've come, feeling more tired at having to climb uphill instead of being able to coast down, and hearing your stomachs grumbling the whole way ...
How far back do you wish to go? To your packs? To the surface? To Stavanger?
Let's go back to the surface and see if we can find the site overseer - we need to tell them what we've uncovered (and get support for a lengthier delve)
To the surface. I retrieve my pack on the way.
Before we return to the surface... can we improvise a makeshift tripwire or some other marker along the way?
Just a little something to tell us when we come back if something has come this way.
(The piece of wood we passed might be usable for this)
I retrieve my pack and thank Valda for carrying it. I think setting up camp inside as a jump-off point makes sense, but I lack the skills to know if it is a good idea.
The narrower passage I can remember is the tunnels that lead in and out of the shrieker room. We could set it there.
A tripwire? Probably not. You could string a wire but that wouldn't say it wouldn't be seen, unless Embla has some set traps ability.
Mikael is already back on the surface ... rather, he's leaning against a wall, practicing what he's going to say when he sees Valda again.
I'd say you haven't reached the passage that Rob talks about, but you are long away from the place where the piece of wood was.
You said you went back. You're in the process of doing so. Do you want to stop and make a plan before going back any further?
No I'm good (I'll stay grouped with the 2 others though).
No plan, other than the tripwire idea already voiced.
Don't figure we'll get jumped on the way back.
Sorry about rushing ahead. I assume we are heading back at this point.
I wouldn't assume about not getting jumped. The teleporting monster has yet to be accounted for, and we have no way of knowing the extent of its abilities.
So, let's go back to the surface then.
Yes, let us.
You're heading back, but I'm making room for the time it takes. I asked how far back you went and did not get a clear answer.
An unskilled set trip wire would tell you if a non-intelligent creature passed by; but not an intelligent one, who would see the wire and either a) recognize that you were there, and that you were probably going to be back, and wait in ambush, not having the effect you wanted, or b) would simply avoid setting off the wire and giving itself away. You'd need to be a proper-skilled amateur to set a wire or string that wouldn't be seen, to have the effect you want.
Can I put you back in the company of Valda and the others?
Ah, good.
You meet the hirelings, who explain that Pandred passed by hours ago with Oddsdrakken. You collect your packs and your food. You are very hungry and thirsty.
You meet the overseer and ... presumably ask him questions or tell him things. He will ask if you have cleared the area completely past the boneyard that you found.
I'll tell him about the teleporting gunk-beast and the for workers to be on their guard.
[It's getting to be a theme: we get inside this dungeon, something unwelcome comes out]
*the need
My prior comment referenced your first post, not your second. I drink some wine and thank Valda for carrying my pack.
Could anyone in the group give me some food?
I'd be sure to note it in order to give you some back as soon as we hit a market.
I'll share with you.
I don't know what food the party has; you'll have to work out what the hirelings can give you quickly.
The overseer will ask, "Did you kill the gunk-beast?"
"No, we hurt it but it dissapeared into thin air."
I gracioulsy accept food from Mikael.
We have food for days on the donkeys.
Let us prepare and eat our doubled portions, we've certainly deserved them.
May I add my food supplies to yours? Saves me from carrying them. I have:
6x herring, fresh
1x potatoes (8.1 lbs)
1x onions (6.75 lbs)
1x onions (6.75 lbs)
1x pot (cooking), crockery
One of those onions is "mushrooms," sorry
If there is need of clean water I can purify some.
We can begin right with your herring, as it might otherwise lose its "fresh" qualificative.
I'll crack open my cask of beer, as promised.
Add it to the party supplies, and I will take it all off my character sheet.
Where shall we set up camp?
What is the outside temperature and weather like?
We may want to set up inside, maybe close to the pit room?
This is again getting long. The next post is up.
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