Agna Tarnhammer |
Agna stands by quietly, following the others into the establishment. She still wasn't sure the group was on the right path with getting involved into the gnomish activities, but she was with them for the time being.
DM - Voice of the Voiceless |
Harvald's introduction is not needed as the female svirfneblin speaks for herself "Miatha, owner and cook. Help yourself, there will be more than enough." and she ushers you in to sit at gnome sized tables that are cramped but manageable for ones of your increased bulk. She gives Ivy a smile and nod that suggests they know one another as well.
Hilde Forgedottir |
Hilde gives the shaven-headed dwarf a sidelong grin. "Being here is of real importance, Nar, no matter what has come before. And where are my manners? I am Hilde Forgedottir."
DM - Voice of the Voiceless |
After you are brought in, seated and furnished with vittles - Miatha tinkers a moment longer before joining you also. Harvald initially concerns himself predominately with the consumption of stew - leaving Miatha to ask "So what brings you to the walls of Fasturvalt? You have the look of ones that do not call the stone dark their home."
In the reflection of the wan light cast by the fire - you can see her point. Given the relative monochromatic background, the slight colour provided by your equipment and clothing is as bright and jarring as a harlequin outfit would be in the waking world.
Hilde Forgedottir |
Hilde examines her garb with new eyes. "I had not thought of that--when one uses darkvision exclusively, it's easy to forget such things. Do you have some less obvious clothing for us?" She smiles slightly. "Agna will speak on it at greater length, as the fight is hers by right of blood. We are here to try to retake what the dwarves of old had taken from them: Dammerhall. The lands under sky have not been kind to dwarves, so we have returned, as it were, to our roots."
Agna Tarnhammer |
"Hilde speaks the truth. For too long,we rightful inhabitants and rulers of our city have been denied the experience of its glory,as we have been forced to squint our eyes from the sun and the up worlders. We have decided the time is right to take back what is ours. We need a guide who might slip us in Dammerhall, so that we can begin the process of clearing out our birthright. We pay well."
Padrym Steelribs |
Padrym nods along with the explanation provided.
"We've trained for this, but lack the experience to make our own way down here. Assistance would be appreciated, and rewarded."
DM - Voice of the Voiceless |
Miatha frowns at the naming of Dammerhall "I don't know the name... but I'm neither oldest nor wisest among us. Tammar would hold that honor... he was here when Fasturvalt was founded, and if there is any that knows these stones best it would be he. I can only say that it's not this side of the fungal jungle... but I've not delved beyond there."
To Hilde's query she is quizzical "The color is only seen where there is light, and oft within the tunnels there is not. It becomes you, I should not think you need hide it."
Nar Redgrave |
Nar bristles a bit as a reflex when he thinks Miatha is being critical of them, but settles a but when she explains better. "Where can we find this Tammar?" Nar tries to keep his voice from being to harsh as he would around other dwarves.
DM - Voice of the Voiceless |
"He is foreman to the Stonecutters - not far, just across the river and to the quarry."
"As to the jungle - spiders yes, living mushroom people also... and other denizens of the underworld - bats, salamanders and those that prey upon them."
Harvald finishes his stew, and wipes his mouth "Miatha has Geirni spoken to any of the drow he has in chambers?"
This draws a look of shock and surprise from her along with a shaken head.
Padrym Steelribs |
"How 'bout these others? Are they all hostile? No sense weakening ourselves crossing a jungle and then loose our home for it."
Padrym keeps his own counsel on the trustworthiness of drow.
DM - Voice of the Voiceless |
Miatha shakes her head at Harvald's revelation "No... but he's been seen about town with it... showing the dark one the armory and much of the city." you get a clear indication that Miatha thinks as you do of the drow's presence.
Padrym's query draws a shrug "They both of them seem to keep much to themselves. We svirfneblin need little of what is in the fungal jungle, and they seem to need little of what is not within it... so our paths rarely cross."
Stáli Dammerhall |
"Aye, I'd be glad to have a look for you if you want me to make sure it hasn't been compromised and to look for weaknesses you need to defend. Of course, I'm not sure we dwarves would be sharing the secrets of any of our armories with outsiders, so I understand if you'd rather not expose yourselves to another group besides the drow."
Padrym Steelribs |
"Aye, not sure they should be letting us in there either. Drow could just claim we did the damage and then were would we be? This is troubling, but we've enough of a task before us with the jungle, let us not borrow trouble until we're ready."
DM - Voice of the Voiceless |
Fade to montage...
Your initial fears about the drow ambassador were proved valid when he attempted to betray the town and bring down an assault force upon Fasturvault. Fighting alongside the gnomes to prevent evil gaining greater foothold your aid was pivotal in preventing their society falling into darkness. Lord Geirni fell during the fighting, with the gnomes reverting to the aged council of Tammar to guide them.
He fulfilled his promise and told of an aged dwarven mithril mine, likely played out, that was rumored to lie deeper within the underworld... Zaraketh, the River of Stone. But between you and it lied the vast fungal jungle and the outpost of the drow that attacked Fasturvault. The fungal jungle was foraged and you befriended the mushroom folk that lived within it's confines... aiding them in a struggle against the skis'raal that also called it their home.
The drow outpost of Vothys was then within your sights... and was brought to it's knees with the streets darkened by elven blood. With the last barrier cast aside you were brought to the precipice of 'the Great Jumping Off Point'... a sinkhole that would drop you deeper and deeper into the darkness....
Padrym Steelribs |
Padrym leans on his new axe, the old one notched and broken long ago in the fierce fighting for the keep of Vothys. Although the wounds from the battle have healed, the fire in the young inquisitor still shines brightly.
"Well, now that we've purged this place, let us see what lies below. How deep do we think Zaraketh lies?"
DM - Voice of the Voiceless |
The gnomes of Fasturvalt can give no answers to the secrets of what follows below, so you are left to your own devices. Ivy only warns that it is rumored to be thousands of feet deep. Travelling across the fungal jungle you move past the fallen drow outpost and come to the Great Jumping Off point.
Upon arrival the Great Jumping Off Point proves to be nothing but a great vertical shaft in the earth. Small eyeless bats fly everywhere hunting small fluttering insects that infest the pit. The walls of the shaft are relatively smooth, though there are spots where the wall gives way to small alcove where bats roost or rubble lies within. No base of the pit is visible from where you stand.
It's a ruddy great big hole in the ground... how are you planning to get down?
Hilde Forgedottir |
Hilde thinks back on all she's heard and read about the area, putting her archivist's training to work. Lore Master ability; taking 20 on an applicable Knowledge check (not sure if it's Dungeoneering, Geography, History, or Local) for a 29. I suspect the name of the pit means what it says, and there's some sort of magic that will cushion our fall if we jump.
DM - Voice of the Voiceless |
Hilde's memory enhanced by arcane means can recall an aged tale of Gherran the Stodgy, who among other exploits once consumed a full four pounds of porridge in a single sitting. Among the illuminated pages it told of a shaft very much as this, circular and cutting down through the earth like a needle. Bats dwelt upon it, and it was not exactly straight... somehow bending back on itself and there was definitely no tale of magical air that cushioned falls.
Gherran climbed... slowly and arduously and was half the man he was at the base of the shaft from the effort. Converting the words of a poet into that of a thinking dwarf Hilde wagers roughly two and a half thousand feet in depth.
Hilde Forgedottir |
The archivist shares the information with the rest of the party. "That's quite a lot of porridge. It seems wisest to send an archon scouting; there may be a way down along the edge."
Stáli Dammerhall |
Yep, sorry for the delay...
Stáli looks out over the vast hole, then lifts his hammer and with an arm made strong by the smithing and fighting of the last few months, points toward the vast abyss. "Torag, aid your servants and send a light to help us search the way forward." With his other hand on his holy symbol, Stáli nods toward the hole and a moment later a small shimmering ball of light appears. "Fellow servant of Torag. We need your assistance seeing what lies ahead of us in this vast passage into the depths of the earth. Please go forth and see what lies below, go only so deep that you can return with your report before you must return to The Father of Creation."
Basically hoping to have the lantern archon scout straight down the hole and come back with time to report to us. I'm thinking that is 2 rounds of double moves down (240 feet), 2 rounds of double moves back up, and a round to let us know what it found if that works for you. Has aura of menace if that comes into play.
DM - Voice of the Voiceless |
The ball of light appears to shimmer in a way that denotes an understanding before it moves below, returning a scant half minute later to report It is as you see here, the great pit descends far beyond we travelled and far beyond we could see.
In essence everything it could see is the same as what you can from the top.