Guldarin recalls vague tales of a giant civilisation of bygone centuries. The stories seem more like random folktales than anything factual. It is hard to believe that even the most sophisticated giants ever piloted a flying city.
With no other ideas coming to the fore, Greeg steps up to the door that Don had indicated, flexed the muscels in his shoulders, and tried to pry it off the hinge.
The door crashes open, revealing that it has been holding back piles of rock. These thunder around Greeg, battering the goliath. Fortunately for him, Greeg avoids the worst of the damage, but still sustains some bad bruising.
As the dust settles, it is quite clear that the passage ahead is impassable.
Don coughs, fanning away the dust. "Okay...that wasn't such a good choice. You alright, big guy?"
"The dwarven thing to do would involve spending several weeks clearing rocks and going down this passage anyway." Guldarin peers at the piles of rock.
"Then it's a good thing we're going with the human way of doing things....With just enough effort to squeak by, and a keen sense of 'Quit'."
"Oh, I wasn't trying to suggest it was a good idea. But for a lot of dwarves, once the decision was made to go East, you'd fnd a way to go East. Regardless of collapsed passages, pockets of gas, mysterious graveyards with signs saying 'Stay away if you value your life', or other minor inconveniences." Guldarin ponders for a moment. "How thick is the door? Could we perhaps make a hole in another to see whether we were going to have the same problem before we try to force it open?"
Greeg rubs a particularly large bruise where a boulder crashed into his shinbone, before looking at the broken door and rubble in consternation. "Figures, I finally get to break something on purpose and I still land it trouble for it. <sigh>"
"Guess we go another way then. I reckon if we thump the doors, we may get a better sense of if they're hollow behind them or not. What say you?"
Don considers the idea, "I think I've got this..." He removes a piton and hammer from his climbing kit. then approaches the north door. If the floor in this area is grated, or laid stone, there should be a mortar point somewhere close by, so he'll partially drive a piton or two if necessary, into the ground right by the door, so it can only open partway when Greeg pulls it open, thus avoiding a significant, if not entire amount of possible rockfall.
In other words, Thievery
Guldarin ruminates on dwarves, drawing some (possibly) unconscious parallels with the behaviour of adventurers everywhere.
Dungeoneering
Dungeoneering for West door
for South door
Don ambles around the room knocking hard on all the doors. They all seem to be in the same state as the eastern door - merely holding back a tide of stone.
"They're all just as bad, though I spose if we fix em like I did the north door, we might be able to sift through the rubble, but I'm starting to think this grate here is our best choice now."
Shining a light down the grating reveals a short access ladder. It would appear to lead to the sewer system.
Dungeoneering
"Probably has rusted braces against the wall, common in most sewer systems, light folk go first, heavier ones rely on the rope when possible.." Don affixes a rope to a good nearby anchor point to have on hand to help guide people down in case his suspicions are confirmed.
the elf muses. "Kadrulu? That sounds like a name worth remembering."
History check
"To the sewers, then," Nayce sighs.
Andaros combs his extensive memory. Now he comes to think about it, he recalls that Kadralu occurs in records as a flying city built by a group of highly sophisticated giants. There are no mentions of the city in the last 500 years, and few in the fifty or so before that. Andaros feels that it may be likely that the city and civilisation fell prey to decadence and indolence - such after all is the story of many accomplished cultures. Some giant poets have kept the name of Kadralu in their verses as an emblem of the supremacy of giant culture.
Cronin leans on his halberd as he watches the proceedings with an air of fascination, then more so as the "light folk" descend.
Greeg easily hoists up the grate and Nayce prepares to descend. The hole looks as if it may well be rather a snug fit for Dirt.
The drow looks down at the hole, wondering:
"Are these poo or storm sewers?" Hoping for the latter.
Nevertheless he wraps his desert scarf over his nose and mouth before descending to join Nayce.
"Considering where we are, I'm betting its more of an underground aqueduct, keeps the sun off it so it doesn't evaporate...most likely well out of use too, that said, down you go." He flashes a roguish grin, as he gestures to the ladder.
Andaros likewise wraps a kerchief about his mouth before he descends in his turn.
Guldarin sniffs the air as he reaches the ladder after Don. "Mother's cooking? Can't be. She was banned from the kitchen."
Greeg easily hoists up the grate and Nayce prepares to descend. The hole looks as if it may well be rather a snug fit for Dirt.
YOU MA'AM ARE CORRECT!!! :)
Nayce climbs down quietly and has a look around.
Descent successfully accomplished, the group find themselves in a surprisingly spacious tunnel. Contrary to Kevaras's fears, it seems to have been intended for water rather than soil drainage - but is in any case completely dry now. The tunnel stretches before and behind. It lookes significantly sturdier than the tower you've just been navigating.
Don investigates the system, chuckling. "Called it..." He concedes, "Okay, didn't take much skill to guess a canal in the desert's probably dry, but still..." He looks for any signs of directional flow for the water. If he finds a sign of which way the water flows, he'll vote for downstream.
Dungeoneering:
"Called it..."
"Do you want a prize?" Asks the paladin, while offering Don a Christmas tree sculpture constructed entirely out of golem glass.
Don sees nothing that really indicates a directional flow.
Greeg took some time to tend his wounds while the others carefully descended the tunnel. When he finally mde it to the ground, he looked around and shrugged.
"East's as good as any I guess, since we don't much about this place."
"I always perferred going east myself. Makes me feel like I am going home."
Andaros nods, giving his silent ascent to Greeg's choice of direction.
The drainage system is orderly, laid out to bring water to the whole city, but now acting as an underground street map. There are numerous junctions. In general however, it seems that the east/west passage you are walking down is the main artery.
Progress is easy, if dull.
"Ah, I think we should make some sort of mark where we entered this passage. All these tunnels look rather alike. Wouldn't want to get stuck down here."
Nayce nods at Guldarin. "I don't want to get lost down here."
"Well, its a sewer, not a maze so it shouldn't be too complex all in all, but I've got some chalk to work with that should be up to it."
Don defers to Guldarin and Nayce's understandable wish to know where they are and marks the trail.