Ari draws her bow and notches an arrow on it, ready to release it at a moment's notice.
"Ready when everyone else is."
Hakon nods grimly and readies his sword and shield. I as well.
Bolkvar mutters under his breath, and his skin momentarily looked like it was made of stone. The image was gone as quickly and silently as it had appeared. "In we go. I'll go first, to check for traps."
"After you, then." Barra whispers, drawing his swords.
"I'll follow right behind..." added Marcus.
Yes.. I'll be right behind. Hakon boldly walks beside Marcus, ready to attack the moment danger appears.
The company forged through drifted snow and came up to the building itself. Within they found a plain chamber that looked to have most recently housed an animal den of some sort. Drobbings and bones lay scattered about. A ladder with most of its rungs still attached rose up to a hole in the ceiling. A long-rotted trap door stood open against one wall, revealing some sort of chamber below. Only the bare rudiments of a ladder remained here, with its wood badly cracked and iron nails rusted to almost nothing.
Bolkvar walked over to the trapdoor. Looking down he said "Bloody hell." He chanted words of power, causing stone to come out of the ground, making stairs leading down. Turning to the party he said "Thurvek, with me. Dwarves go first underground. Also, I'd prefer nay to tire meself out doin' this again. See if any o' ye can find a way up. If nay, I can go up as well."
Thurvek walked behind the dwarven scholar, battleaxe in hand.
"Wait here", the dwarven cleric said to the others. "Once we make sure it's clear, I'll bellow up to let you know. If you hear the sound of combat, come down anyway."
Ari heads into the building with everyone else. She has to admit that Bolkvar's skill with stone is quite impressive.
At Thurvek's words, Ari says, "And if we don't hear the sound of combat, but you never return? I don't think we should separate. If this is where the children went and those Silver whatevers came, it may take more than two people to deal with it."
Ari pauses for a moment, then adds, "Uh... even if those two people are very skilled dwarves."
Thurvek pokes his head up through the hole, meeting Ariyana's glaze.
"Wait. Here."
Then the dwarf's head lowers back down the hole.
Ranek shakes his head at the insistence of the Dwarves in going alone before walking over to the ladder and studying, trying to determine how sturdy it was.
Aldon will cautiously peer up the ladder along with Ranek.
Perception
While the dwarves are off doing their dwarfy thing (being rude and mysterious) and the others are trying to fit two people on the same ladder, Barra pulls a torch from his pack and makes ready to light it. "It's called Goblin Tower, and it's occupied... we'll be headed down there sooner rather than later."
Before everyone blundered in, Marcus pushed in front, "Give me a moment, I'll check for tracks."
Go ahead, it's your funeral, Ari wanted to say, but the teachings of her former mentor Rolt kept her from doing so.
Instead, she waited with the others and looked around to see if she saw anything noteworthy.
Hakon stood his ground, surveying the area with his heavens-blessed sight.
Up the ladder, nothing appeared unusual. The wood was old, but had the look of something that would still bear weight.
The recent snow disclosed no tracks for Marcus to find save the company's own. Nor did any new secrets appear to those casting about the first floor of the Goblin Tower.
Below, Bolkvar and Thurvek found a filthy basement. Rotted skins and other bedding covered the hard dirt floor. Bits of rusted cooking supplies were heaped in one corner. Smoke stained the ceiling and wall black next to a shallow fire pit. A waist-high, tumbledown stone barrier enclosed what looked to be a well shaft. A battered wooden bucket and a tangled rope lay nearby.
Bolkvar spit on the ground. He was about to leave, but having come so far he decided to at least look around. Focusing, he looked around for any trace of magic.
Bolkvar spit on the ground. He was about to leave, but having come so far he decided to at least look around. Focusing, he looked around for any trace of magic.
Bolkvar detected no sleeping Art about.
”Blast it! Bloody waste o’ time this be. Nothin’ but ruins down ‘ere. Any luck up top?” As Bolkvar yelled this he walked over to the well and peered inside. A child could have fallen in something like this, and as he was here anyways he was intent on doing a thorough search for any bodies.
Ari is just about ready to march down into the basement with or without Thurvek's permission. She firmly believes it was stupid to split up. She just hopes the decision doesn't come back to haunt them.
Taking a few deep breaths, she tries to calm her nerves. Ari decides its best to trust her companions and so chooses to wait on the ground floor for a while longer.
"We're coming up", warns Thurvek to those above.
Looking about, Ranek says to Marcus, "Marcus, would you mind climbing up first? The ladder appears sturdy, but you are a bit heavier than I - especially in armor."
"Sure." replied Marcus easily. However before he headed up he sent a fervent prayer to Torm Truesayer. In this uncertain world, one could never be sure what was round the corner...
Aldon shifts out of the way to allow Marcus to climb. He still keeps his senses alert for any hit of movement or sound.
Similarly, Barra will wait at the foot of the ladder for Marcus' impressions.
Hakon waits for any sign to attack as well.
Bolkvar saw nothing down the well but smooth stone walls, neatly rounded and seamless. The bore only a few cracks to show age and clearly were not natural or the work of cut stone. It must have been some Art that carved them.
Up above, Marcus warded himself in Torm's Power and climbed the ladder. He found the Goblin Tower's second floor windier than the first. A large crack on one face let the breeze in and drifted snow all about. He saw no sign of recent habitation, nor whatever ladder must have once gone up to the top level.
Sounding a little disappointed, Marcus calls back down, "Doesn't seem to be anything up here. There is a level above, but the ladder is gone. I can't imagine the kids came this way..."
Still for completeness Marcus tries to look for any signs of their passage.
He heads back down and shrugs, "I suppose we'd better try that mine then."
Ari nods in agreement with Marcus.
"If they're not here, then we should hurry. The farther away from town they went, the more trouble they could be in."
She calls down to the dwarves in the cellar, "There's nothing up above! If you didn't find anything down there we should make haste to the mines!"
Bolkvar emerges looking grumpy. ”Aye.” He says, curtly. ”Wasted enough time here. To the mines.”
Thurvek follows right behind Bolkvar up from the hole.
"To the mines, then. Let's move."
The company left the Goblin Tower for the Old Mines, following Serpentbane's directions over land where only a thin layer of snow hid the rock, gravel, and dirt at the foot of the mountains. They came to a badly overgrown hill, with only a few old wagon ruts to show where an old road may have come through. From its crest, they could just see where the mine must lay amid a snow-covered ruin of tangled and rotted wood and the few large stones standing erect that might once have anchored it. Heading that way, they find some withered brush about the edges of a pit plunging into the earth.
”Call this a mine?” Bolkvar sounded offended. ”Shoddily made and shoddily maintained. Nay heart or soul was put into this.”
"I know, right? It's basically just a hole in the ground!" Barra grinned from ear to ear, before pulling a leather cap out of his pack and tying it on. "Would them that's more experienced with holes in the ground like to go first? And I'll have a torch lit, but we'll want more than one."
”Call this a mine?” Bolkvar sounded offended. ”Shoddily made and shoddily maintained. Nay heart or soul was put into this.”
Walking next to Bolkvar, Thurvek mutters under his breath, "..humans."
"I know, right? It's basically just a hole in the ground!" Barra grinned from ear to ear, before pulling a leather cap out of his pack and tying it on. "Would them that's more experienced with holes in the ground like to go first? And I'll have a torch lit, but we'll want more than one."
Speaking louder, the dwarven cleric comments, "I cede to Bolkvar's wisdom. His knowledge of mine construction exceeds my own . I would recommend one dwarf in front to lead, one to protect our flank."
Ranek draws out his sword and speaks a word, casting a cantrip upon his sword. "I can provide a certain amount of light as well," he says with a smile.
Bolkvar nods. ”Plenty o’ dangers in a death trap like this. Greatest o’ all it fallin’ on our heads. Follow me, but nay too close. Nay reason for all o’ us to be buried alive. An’ Thurvek, ye should guard the rear. Should we be ambushed it’ll be the front lines.”
"Before we get ahead of ourselves gentlefolks, let's see if there's any sign of anyone or anything coming this way..." interjected Marcus.
It was going to be tricky with any trail under snow or passing over rock, but with a patient eye one could spot all sorts of things that might otherwise get overlooked.
Ari whispers a few words and four balls of light appear in front of her.
She inspects her bow to make sure it's in good shape before saying, "Marcus is right. We need to take care, lest whomever or whatever might have taken the children gets the jump on us as well."
”Call this a mine?” Bolkvar sounded offended. ”Shoddily made and shoddily maintained. Nay heart or soul was put into this.”
Marcus and Ariyana find tracks about the mine. It looks as though others have come through fairly recently, including some with rather large, bare feet.
"Look at that!" Marcus points to a huge footprint in the snow, "Something big made that, and it wasn't wearing boots... I fear we may be dealing with Ogres or worse here. We must investigate."
Marcus was concentrating so hard on following the tracks, he literally wouldn't notice if a man in a bearsuit tapped him in the shoulder...
We should tread lightly. Ogres or worse would be very dangerous foes in close quarters. Not to mention the possibility that they could cause a cave in."
Ari follows behind the others, but lets Thurvek take the rearmost position, if he wants to.
Aldon remains quiet and in the middle of the pack as the journey into the mine begins.
Hakon remains quiet, as well. Although he takes a lead beside Marcus.