"Well done lads. You showed those creatures of the earth who the children of the mountain truly are."
Most of this wooden loft is still standing—this is the only remnant of the building’s destroyed second floor. The roofless chamber is completely exposed to the elements and filled with soot-covered debris, fire-damaged furnishings, and charred wooden beams. A large, soot-covered brass statue of a goddess with a longsword in one hand and a kite shield in the other stands precariously on the northern edge of the platform above a rickety flight of stairs.
The statue is of Iomedae.
You don't find anything else of interest in this area.
"Well we've put it off long enough. Time to head down!"
"We've certainly decreased the chances of something attacking us from behind now. No sign of that troll creature yet either."
"Well we've put it off long enough. Time to head down!"
"Aye. Should take a look at that safe on the way, too, but I'm not much for opening such things."
Before he turns to go back down, the statue of Iomedae catches Gundar's eye. He moves over to it and takes a cloth from his belt and wipes the statue's face clear of soot and some of the tarnish until the brass features shine through once more.
"Apologies for the neglect, miss," he says quietly to the goddess's visage. "We'll see to it things get better 'round here, you wait and see."
Ulark peers down the collapsed hole by the spider's carcass.
Think there's a way down past the stairs in the back? Not a problem if not, but the clearest way's the one that's be most watched.
"Down it is then. Ulark speaks wisely, at least a cursory search is worth getting the drop on our foes." Thozar then uses his quarterstaff to prod and poke the areas with rubble, searching for an alternative way down.
There are a couple of potential ways down, the stairs being the easiest, of course. The rubble in the northeast corner also looks like you can climb down.
The lockbox is solid, locked and won't be moved.
Inspecting the rubble-strewn hole with his fellows, Gundar eyes it with an experienced gaze.
"I could try the climb, if any a'ya can follow."
"My ability to climb is very limited without assistance... Another route would be best for me unless we have a rope I could use to rappel down." Thozar's gaze turns down with a little shame at another shortcoming of his.
No, you speak it well. Ulark replies to Thozar. He hesitates, then puts a hand on the druids shoulder. This armor makes me a poor monkey as well. And...
Whatever he was going to say is cut off as Belir hammers away at the lockbox. Ulark blinks for a moment, then cracks a smile at Thozar.
Well, after that may not be too much mystery in our drop. May as well take the stairs.
Only 2 of the first 8 strikes (rounds) even seem to scratch it. It is making quite the racket.
After 8 rounds, three dire rats come to investigate. Due to the noise, they surprise you (so they move in the surprise round).
As the rats came into view Kragmyr brought his hammer down on one. He yelled "Away, ye rat-bastards!" as he did so.
"I think we'll have to try to find something quieter than this." says Torith, though a lot of his words are drowned out by the clanging.
Torith takes careful aim at the rat he can see coming around the corner.
As the rock flies towards the rat he backs away to give the others room to get in.
Kragmyr hits a rat so hard, it leaves little more than a stain where it used to be.
Torith does indeed miss.
"Well, whatever surprise we may have had in probably over by now." Thuradin says over the din. Once the rats come up from below he muses out loud "This place is infested with so many beasts it's a wonder people came here for their trysts at all."
Gundar greets the arriving rats with a wordless shrug, confident his companions an handle the new threat, and knowing he'll never join the melee in the tight quarters.
Thozar visibly perks up at Ulark's words, but before he can say anything in response the incredible noise of a metal axe striking a lockbox fills the room. Between strikes, he tries to get a few words in to Belir, "I... have... crowbar... sledgehammer... pitons... could... break... lock... or wedge... open!"
The rats take him completely by surprise, but without a clear shot and anywhere for him to enter the fray, Thozar follows Gundar's lead and makes way for those who are better able to handle the situation. "Brothers, let us know if you need aid! There is naught for us to do directly."
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The next rat steps up to bite Kragmyr.
After flattening the first rat, Kragmyr failed to see the second leap at him. It sunk it's teeth into his arm, causing blood to spill forth. With a grunt he grabbed at the oversized vermin, ripped it off and threw it away from him. It landed easily, and with bloodstained muzzle turned back towards him.
"Ancestors beards that hurt!"
Ulark tries to swing his longaxe past Kragmyr, then backs away to make room to let others past or draw the fight into opener space.
for
Careful Kragmyr! Falling to a rat's not a tale for your list.
All attacks have missed the rat, who is proving to be quite agile.
Torith takes careful aim past his allies and times his attack for when he thinks that rat will next dart around the corner to bite at Kragmyr.
Thuradin moves up into the stairwell ready to heal anyone who needs it.
Torith explodes the rat in a most spectacular fashion!
You are then easily able to descend into the basement level.
The stone stairs end in a stark subterranean chamber. Doorways to the northwest and southwest offer egress from the room. Around the corner to the south, a lone statue has been relegated to a dusty corner behind the stairs.
"Another statue... This place must have been pretty important to the original owners. Perhaps we can repurpose it once we clear it out?" A base of operations for our little group would help with the assassin problems... a safehouse of sorts. His thoughts then wander to the building as a whole. Can the defiled be consecrated? Can the fallen find rest?
Thozar sticks to the back of the group, shield and quarterstaff at the ready should any foes attempt to ambush them from the rear. He does his best to keep an eye out for anything important.
But is too preoccupied with his thoughts to offer up an earnest effort.
|
Belir stomps loudly down the stairs. Not known for being quiet his presence is definitely known as his armor rattles loudly. he pokes his axe at the blade on the statue. "Who makes a statue with the sword all crooked like this! Poor worksmanship if ye ask me. Must have been some inpatient human." Belir tsks at the shoddy work.
Thuradin goes over to the statue to look it over, cleaning some of the dust off "you think they would have taken some of these statues to the Sanctuary when they consecrated it, rather than leaving them here to gather dust."
Maybe fear of infection kept them careful. Ulark says as he moves a bit past the statue, longaxe at the ready, to look down the hallway.
Thozar speaks right though: place was holy once. After we're sure its clear 'd be nice to make it so again.
"Probably left they're goddess behind hoping she'd keep evil out. Would be my guess at least."
"Hey Belir, pass me that broken lock there. With some time and fiddling with the mechanism maybe we can learn a few things."
Torith places the item in his pack to investigate later.
Belir takes to destroying the lockbox after the rats are dead, and eventually breaks it open (50 rounds total).
Unfortunately, all of the items inside were destroyed. The lock is also quite destroyed.
A potion of darkvision, a scroll of barkskin, a scroll of ghostbane dirge, a masterwork hand crossbow, and a case containing 10 normal bolts, 10 cold iron bolts, and 10 silver bolts. Given the odds, I will allow 2 of each bolt to be salvaged (75% broke, rather than just 75% chance for them), if anyone is interested.
Thuradin will pull the sword from the statues grasp "Hmm, interesting." is all he says as he examines the sword.
Thozar winces at the sight of the ruined contents of the lockbox. "Perhaps next time we should attempt to use a real lockpick and leave the dwarven one for tasks better suited for it's strengths?" Those items looked pretty useful, I pray we have no need for them.
In response to Belir's question Thuradin offers "I'd say the door by Urlak should be our first option. I wouldn't want to leave something behind us that could attack us from behind or cut off our escape route."
"Agreed, let's form up and enter!" Thozar grips his staff tighter, ready as he will ever be to face whatever is beyond that door.
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Kragmyr will gladly go second (reach weapon)
The walls of this chamber are pocked with skull-sized cubbyholes, each containing a single brass or clay urn—some long since shattered or dented, others still intact. A lightly colored stone statue depicting a burning chariot wheel occupies the northwest corner of the room. Two iron doors on the eastern wall allow egress from the room.
Luckily, Gundar and Kragmyr notice the very large, gelatinous mass in front of you. It is mostly transparent, but it wiggles a little as it seems to sense your presence.
Torith stays behind his allies and aims past Gundar's head at the big wobbly mass of slime.
Thozar sends a blast of acid towards the jelly cube. "Can the thing leave this room? We may be able take advantage of its size in this confined space!"