Amealleanne studies the mage, trying to ascertain her intentions and letting the others talk.
"Hail and well met, Flynn! You look like a band of adventurers like us. We're from Secomber, and we're here looking for treasure. Where are you from? Have you found anything nice yet?" Bryn says, looking beyond Leon and Brynderie at the rest of the group.
Kyrus cocks his head oddly. "We're from Daggerford, looking for the source of a blight on the nearby lands," he calls out, still ready to attack if the group turns hostile. "I'm afraid we haven't had much time for treasure hunting."
"oh, a profitable endeavor, I would hope. How long have you been here treasure hunting?" Brynderie inquires hoping to sound as casual as possible.
Úlf keeps quiet, letting those whose words are sweeter speak in this situation; he keeps a tight grip on his axe, though, just in case.
"Oh, we've been exploring these ruins for a couple of weeks. We felt the earthquake here - thought we might die under the earth!" At the mention of the earthquake, the other men murmur and nod... "Hey, have you run across any goblins or orcs yet?" she continues. "There's a nest of 'em here somewhere...nasty bunch!"
"We've seen some hints of orcs, but not found any yet. Does it seem they've been here long? We thought they might've have disturbed something that's causing this blight" There's a slight difference in Amelleanne's whereas she normally has a cultured accent, presumably from growing up around nobles, her voice has shifted towards more a commoner accent.
"Can't help you there. We don't know anything about a blight. Hey - maybe you should talk to our boss and join us. You look like you can handle yourselves in a fight..."
"We're a bit in a hurry," Kyrus adds. "And we're more concerned with dealing with the blight than worrying about hunting for treasures. Who exactly is your boss? And how long would it take to meet him?"
I'd hate to be that guy but we don't have the time right now, dealing with this blight comes before any social interactions Leon states motioning for our group to move on
"Maybe we can trade stories when we've finished our task?"
"Sure. Just be on the lookout for the rest of our gang - don't attack them accidentally! The goblins and orcs you should kill outright. Good luck..." she says, and they proceed north through the passage you are in, eventually disappearing into the darkness.
The room you now enter is 40 feet x 40 feet, with a westward leading passage in the northwest corner. The room is bare, with only dust and scattered debris.
"Well... that was odd," Kyrus comments. "I didn't think there would be adventurers exploring the place. And how have they not heard anything about what's going on right outside?" He sighs, clearly not satisfied with the encounter. "We can figure out what's going on once we've stopped the poison."
For the record, i don't trust them Leon states plainly
Brynderie nods at Leon, "Agreed!"
"Úlf does not trust them, either...is too strange an introduction, and how they do not know what else is going on...still. Is good it did not come to blows."
"Úlf does not trust them, either...is too strange an introduction, and how they do not know what else is going on...still. Is good it did not come to blows."
The warrior thinks back on the encounter, remembering as many details as he can, trying to think of any strange tics or mannerisms they may've displayed.
"Agreed, but we're not going to learn anything sitting here complaining about it. I suggest we keep moving. Hopefully we can find something useful before we have to deal with them again."
The group moves through the room and follows the next passage west, stopping at the north-leading passage that connects back to where you had found the trap, and another 30' x 30' room with a set of double doors on the far western wall. There are several sets of faint footprints in the dust...most likely from the group you just encountered.
"Well, I suppose it's not surprising that they just came through here..." Kyrus drops to one knee and examines the ground for a moment. "Huh. Goblins too from the looks of it. I'm surprised that we haven't seen any of the little problems so far. Maybe they're lurking around somewhere. Everyone be on your guard."
Amelleanne nods her agreement about the goblins, but her mind is still thinking over the other party.
"I just hope they're not the ones that caused this blight..."
"Hmmm, heading right will take us back toward the where we've already been. Or we can go through this room and head back toward... the entrance I think. Or that south passage we saw when we came in. I suggest we go through and make sure we've cleared this floor, then head down and hunt some orcs."
The next room does indeed lead back to the entrance area. The doors off of the north-leading passage, however, reveal steps leading up to another level...
Tyler agrees with making sure this floor is clear then choosing either up or down for our next exploration.
"Surely down would be better? I can't see poison leaching into the earth from above? I'm reluctant to leave potential enemies behind to cut us off, but that's going to happen either way"
"Yes, I would agree, Amelle... down the stairs seems proper now."
My vote goes for heading down as well, down always seems the way to go Leon comments
"Úlf thinks down is good way to go as well...but if group is ok with it, I will drop to rear guard to help watch our flank."
"Be all means. I'll feel safe knowing we have someone trustworthy watching our asses." He peers ahead in to the darkness. "Well, we're not going to find anything standing here. Onward."
The party decides to travel north, back to the room with the stuck moving block trap and follow the ramp leading down and deeper into the mountain. At the bottom, they enter a huge cavern.
A large crack runs through this room from the north wall to the south wall. The crack is about 6 feet deep and from 3 to 5 feet wide. In the center of the room is a 20×20 foot pillar that rises to the ceiling, with the exception of the southeast corner of the pillar. There, it ends in a balcony about 20 feet above the floor. The entire pillar is surrounded by a large pool; the pool, however, is dry. Bilious green water spilling from fountains on the sides of the pillar, which would normally fill the pool, now runs into the crack. The poison water runs through the crack in the south wall, into the mountain, and presumably out again into Laughing Hollow. This seems to be the source of the pollution contaminating the Delimbiyr River. Leading from the balcony on the southeast corner of the pillar to the edge of the pool facing the balcony are the remnants of what might have once been a bridge.
"Well, that's convenient," Kyrus says dryly. "Shall we try to plug up the cracks? Or keep exploring and see if we can stop the flow entirely?"
"That is actually possible." Tyler agrees, removing several packages of Alchemists cement from his haversack.
Kyrus laughs. "I suppose it pays to be prepared! Good luck for us!" He pats Tyler on the shoulder. "Need some help with that?"
"I'll need wood for frames." Tyler nods, "And we'll need to dam that foul water back until the cement dries properly."
I could just try purifying it, lest we forget i do know some magics
"Úlf is thinking this is too simple a solution...I know nothing of rocks or dungeoneering, though. Is maybe good idea to see if crack is natural or man-made?"
"Good idea, Ulf!"
The crack is obviously a result of the earthquake from a few weeks ago, which may also explain why the fountains are now pouring out some poisonous fluid instead of the pure, clean water it seems intended for.
The crack is about 6 feet deep and from 3 to 5 feet wide. To make a durable block for either the pool or the wall, you would need to make a 0.5 x 6 x 5 = 15 cubic foot structure. That's 15 bags of alchemical cement and enough wood (of which there is precious little under the mountain) to make a frame. Oh, and something to create a divert and/or dam for the liquid to let the cement dry. Great alternative thinking...
Likewise, Leon's magic wouldn't be enough to purify the total amount of nastiness under the mountain that the earthquake released. Again - nice alternative idea!
"So we need to go deeper then?" Tyler grumbles, returning his cement to his haversack. "Finding the source of the fountains water and either clearing it or stopping it."
"So it would seem. Well, let's pick a door and take a look around."
"Deeper it is!" the warrior echoes.
"How about a temporary block, or to stem the flow a little. It may make cleaning up the mess seeping out easier. Of course if it will take too much time we may be better spending it on seeking the source." Ami has no knowledge of engineering to accomplish this, she's just throwing the idea out there.
"If we were to dam the fountain, it could overflow and trap us in the lower levels. Good thought to prevent further harm temporarily, Amelle, but I think we must continue deeper with all speed."
Amelleanne shrugs, happy to accept the word of someone far smarter than she.
[ooc]So where to next? There is a balcony on the tower that the poison water is flowing out of, doors on the north east corner, a passage to the north, and three passages on the western wall. The ramp leading up from the southern wall is completely blocked by rubble...
we should follow the water flow, that'll eventually lead us to the source.
"The simplest solution is usually the best," Kyrus agrees. "Let's see if we can find where the poison comes from."