Aubrey's Wrath of the Righteous (Inactive)

Game Master Aubrey the Malformed

I'm suggesting compromise. We left Lann on the outskirts of the bad molefolk's area. We just talk to Lann and then "go kick some demon butt." Lann can organize things on his side: porters for the captured arms, bring Horgus, Aravashniel, Anevia, and Wirra here, and haul our non-combat gear here too.

I'm all for this compromise.

I'll second that second.

Lets do it.

Sounds like a majority. OK, please roleplay it so you can pop out and see Lann.

Mulluq agrees with the others, although not quite as eagerly. He seems antsy during the short trip back to meet with Lann, and keeps looking over his shoulder back at the mongrelfolk warren, as if the unvanquished demons would come down on them at any time. As they move through, he collects as much of the useful gear he can to return it to Lann, hoping it will aid their peoples in any future struggles, "Do you think he'll be able to carry all of this back by himself? Even if we entrust Muray into his care, we may still need to return to Neatholm anyways to rest and sup once more before our final trek to the surface."

Jod points at Muray, "You're with me. Stay close." Jod uses strips of cloth from the defeated to tie up bundles of equipment and loads the poor fellow down with discarded gear, but he takes on even more for himself.

In response to the paladin's thoughts, he says, "I don't know why we could not return to the village. Some rest to make sure we are at our strongest before we continue, some time to visit with the elders and discuss plans, both sound like good ideas to me."

"Do you think he'll be able to carry all of this back by himself? Even if we entrust Muray into his care, we may still need to return to Neatholm anyways to rest and sup once more before our final trek to the surface."

In response to the paladin's thoughts, he says, "I don't know why we could not return to the village. Some rest to make sure we are at our strongest before we continue, some time to visit with the elders and discuss plans, both sound like good ideas to me."

"The beauty of the plan is that Lann brings the villagers here to collect the gear. We won't have to haul it back ourselves. And they can bring Anevia and the others here too."

"Mulluq and Yaniel's sword carve a path to the surface and we can be out of here tonight. Or this morning. Who knows what time it really is up there."

"I don't think we should turn Muray over to Lann. Too chancy. Keep him with us."

Jod shrugs. "OK"

Sol smiles back at Jod. He's feeling useful, since his plan is being used, and they could be out of these caves soon.

"Hey, Muray, where does the tunnel come out on the surface?"

"Dunno. Above... somewhere..." It seems that Muray doesn't have a great grasp of the layout of the city above.

The group go and find Lann out in the tunnel. He is clearly relieved to see them, though he gives Muray a cold look. "You have done it? You have routed the traitors?"

Jod offers, "The ones we left won't be a problem." He points at Muray, "Of course, we didn't leave him, but he's not going to be a problem, either."

"Alright," says Lann, "Let's go back to the village."

"We're not going back yet. There's demons in the tunnels beyond Muray's camp. We've won armor and weapons and other things that could be useful to your people. Can you bring them here to get them? And bring our friends too? We're going to fight the demons."

"The gods bless you for helping my people! I will go back and bring help to carry them away. With these we can truly assist against the demons above." Lann hurries away.

Sol watches the molefolk walk away.

"We made him happy. I guess its time to make Mulluq happy."

Mulluq seems somewhat confused, "Working toward my happiness is a useless endeavor. I do not seek to be happy, I seek only to remove the taint of evil from this world if only to compensate for my very own foul-blooded existence." He sighs, staring down at his cloven-hoofed feet, before realizing, "If you are speaking of destroying the demons in the maze, I do not do it for my own desires. It is to preserve the peace and safety of the innocents who could be destroyed by the demons' evil."

Kira rolls her eyes. "But killing the demons may give you the warm fuzzy feeling that less souls are in danger. Come on, let's get to it."

Jod grins and agrees with Kira's assessment. "OK, let's go. Muray, you're with me. I might be the only friend you have, so stay close."

Jod's picked up a puppy, but he's not gonna kick it if it bites him...

"Hey, I thought Muray was my friend." Sol looks at Jod and Muray. "But he's probably better off with you."

The group, plus Muray, head back to the erstwhile mongrelfolk caves and the room with the iron ladder going up.

And the rope going down with the sound of water, further down the corridor. For the sake of completeness.

"Anyone other than me who want to check out the rope? Just for completeness' sake?"

Sol tilts his head impatiently.

"I'll go. I've less gear to slow me on the rope and quicker down is quicker up."

Hannik waits anxiously, "If you see trouble yell and I'll call in something to cover you. "

Kira looks relived that someone else is going down. "thank you Sol, I'd need to remove my armour, which doesn't seem safe to do down here."

Before climbing down, Sol floats his lights into the cavern below.

Perception: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (8) + 4 = 12

"I'm sure Jod will be delighted to climb down with you. I'll make sure our friend remains comfortable." Rhok gives Muray a thin smile. "If anything happens down there, bub, I'm throwing you down the hole. After I rip your arms off, that is."

Mulluq just glares at Rhok with undisguised disapproval, but he doesn't know if the man was merely making a threat just for the sake of intimidation, or honestly just told a prisoner that he would brutally kill him.

Sense Motive on Rhok 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (13) + 4 = 17

"Hey, now, he'll be good. Won't you, Muray?"

"Kira, you're pretty handy with that crossbow, right? Can you cover us?" Setting his weapons other than his falchion alongside his pack on the floor, he climbs down first.

Climb check: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (1) + 6 = 7

Drawing his falchion, he watches for threats while Sol climbs down after him.

"I mentioned the fish before, didn't I?" says Muray.

To Jod, kira says "Of course... and moves to take up position.

To Muray she says "Fish?"

"Yeah, big fish. Down there."

Sol pauses at the edge of the hole with the rope in his hands. "What kind of fish?"

"Big fish. Big teeth."

"Jod, there's some kind of dangerous big fish down there."

Sol turns back to Muray. "Does this fish come out of the water? Are we safe if we stay out of the water?"

"Keep some light down here, then!"

How much 'dry' land is there? Is the rope hanging over the water or ground?

"The fish stay in the water, more or less," says Muray helpfully.

You'll have to climb down the rope to see if there is dry land or not under the rope.

Sol dropped lights down the hole before Jod went.

"Thanks, Muray. You're a real help." Sol shakes his head. "Sooner done; sooner we're out of here."

He sits on the edge and grasps the rope. Then he twists over the edge and begins to lower himself down.

"The fish stay in the water, more or less," says Muray helpfully.

You'll have to climb down the rope to see if there is dry land or not under the rope.

Per my post on Thursday, Jod climbed down and readied his falchion in case there were threats. Just before Muray remembered about the big fish.

So Jod climbs down and readies his two-handed weapon. Interesting...

Jod clambers down the rope. It's damp but he is able to grip it well enough. The rope ends after forty feet, just above the water. Below is a swirling pool filling the bottom of a chamber ten to fifteen feet across.

Perception DC 20 for Jod and Sol. If either of you succeeds:

OK, wouldn't we know that the water filled the chamber after Sol sent his lights down, before anyone started talking about climbing down?

Slight retcon. Before Muray's comment about the fish:

Jod stops shortly after his head is below the level of the floor above.

"I don't know how deep the water is, but it covers the floor! It's moving, but I don't see a way in or out. Muray, where do your people stand when they get water?" Cue Muray's comment about big fish...

"Sol, can your lights go into the water?"

Perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (12) + 6 = 18

Muray shouts down, "We drop a bucket on a rope!"

Kira sighs. "The rope they are climbing down?"

"Jod, if there are no exits that way it's probably safest to come back up and continue on."

"Yeah, when I fish, I prefer to be on the other end of the line!"

Climb back up: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (8) + 6 = 14

"Sol, can your lights go into the water?"

"I don't know I've never tried." Sol mentally guides the dancing lights lower.

Range is 115'. Should work.
Perception: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (1) + 4 = 5

Sol plays with the lights for a while, but they do not reveal anything further.

Proceeding with the expectation the climb check was successful.

Jod pulls himself up onto the floor of the room where the others are waiting. "I don't think we are prepared for a fight with big fish with big teeth. We really don't have a reason for such a fight, right?"

Hannik stifles a fake cough with one hand and a muffled "wuss."

Perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (6) + 6 = 12

Jod glances at her and shrugs, clearly unconcerned.

Mulluq snorts derisively through his nose, at which portion of the entire exchange is unclear, but it doesn't take long for his words to remedy that. "Must we continue to tarry here much longer? It appears that the water is for either drinking, or fishing, or both. I worry that we delay too long,when we should be cleansing this place of its demonic influences."

He turns to Muray, "If there is anything of import worthy of our time here at this body of water, tell us now, or let us be done with this. Any aid or clarity you give us could only reduce the amount of time you are kept under our suspicious watch." The impatience growing in his voice.

Diplomacy 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (2) + 8 = 10