"Is everyone alright? I think I'm going to have my fill of giant insects, oh, about a few hours ago."
Readying herself to move on, she peers over with a mix of grimness and curiosity at the party's grim finding of the wizard's corpse. "I wonder if she was with anyone... would be strange to come to a place like this alone." As Borris and Josef examine the corpse, Misha goes searching for signs of any one else's passage, especially that of the members of the civilized races.
Josef:
Misha:
Redona:
Rikar:
Sezira:
Josef:
Misha:
Redona:
Rikar:
Sezira:
Sezira picks up and dusts off the book before leafing through the pages. The unfortunate womans spellbook? She hated to take from the dead, ones that wouldn't have been enemies at least. But down here any edge had to be taken. Taking a small crystal she kept just for this purpose she set it on top of the book. Waving her hand in a quick gesture over the book and uttering a few arcane words, her small magical ability manifests and she is able to read the writing.
After studying the ground a bit, and puzzling out what happened, Rikar says, "Well, those folks who came into the mountain before us weren't so soft as to be killed by a couple of spiders. But it looks like the spiders softened them up, so the goblins could grab them. I know we were planning a nice, methodical approach to our explorations, but I think we should follow these tracks and see if we can save any of them."
Rikar is Right we should find the survivors and try to resque them they could aid is in our quest and it's the right thing to do!
Sezira nods, agreeing with the others.
"If there are survivors we need to find them and try to rescue them. Perhaps the Dwarves will give them a few days rest as well."
Rikar do you think we covered all the tunnels? if so lets move down the ladder into the mountain!!
"We haven't covered all the tunnels, there is still one back the way we came (). But if there are people in danger we should go help them now, and we can finish examining this area later, on our way back up."
She turned to Josef. "You keep it, you're the only one of us it will really be useful to."
Agreeing that helping the others that you met at the tavern a week ago was the best option, Rikar and Sezira lead you to the large room at the end of the mines. This mine cave's unworked, solid stone walls and floor suggest that it was here before the mine; however, there is a ten foot diameter well with a masonry rim on the floor. Closer inspection reveals a series of metal rungs securely fastened on the wall of the pit, allowing a man sized creature to safely descend to whatever is below.
Misha looks skeptically down the pit. "I don't want to leave her here, but unless we have a way of lowering Sunshine, we may have to tie her up here, and hope we eliminated most of the threats that might attack her. What do you think?
"What if we tie her up where Dain died? The goblins will likely stay away from that chamber, which should keep her a little safer. Leave food where she can reach it so she doesn't make noise when she gets hungry, and she'll probably be fine. Unless the goblins smell her..."
I think its up to Misha it's her animal after all but we indeed need to try and hurry up a bit time may not be in our hands.
"Well, I bought Sunshine, but she's carrying a lot of our supplies, so it is a concern to everyone. I think what Rikar suggests is good--people know they should avoid where that creature was, we can leave her there with food and water and, Rikar, let's do what we can to obscure her and our tracks.
"Now, if this place was a mine, they'd HAVE to have some way of bringing mine carts or large quantities of ore to the surface for trade--they couldn't just bring it up and down this hole, or if they did, there'd have to be a place to hang a block and tackle system. We can keep an eye out for how they got their goods to the surface. But we also have the other adventurers to worry about. I don't want to lose Sunshine for all our sakes, and hers, but I don't want them to remain in danger while we dally about."
Presuming all are agreeable, Misha will lead Sunshine to the "kritter's" lair, making sure it is clean and roomy enough for her to pace around a bit. She'll relieve the mule of her saddlebags, urging anyone to take whatever food or climbing gear they like from them, and place the saddlebags behind some rocks where they will be hard to spot. She makes sure there's ample food and water accessible. If there's no good place to tie Sunshine up, she'll take a couple of their pitons and hammer them securely into the stone floor, and secure a sufficient length of rope from that to Sunshine's harness.
"I expect you're right Misha, and we'll probably find other ways in and out of the mountain as we get to know it better. For now, let's get Sunshine as safe as we can, and take what supplies we can carry, as you suggest." Rikar then sets to masking any evidence of their passing here, focusing particularly on any tracks heading to and from the ankheg's chamber.
Misha nods, and follows behind Rikar double checking the trail.
Sunshine is lead back to the kritter lair, where Misha helped by others removes the saddle bags, hides them, and leaves Sunshine with just the harness on. Rigging up a basin to hold water, and leaving a pile of food next to it in the southwest corner of the room, there is some old mine tracks that a lead rope can be tied to, restricting the mules movement to that corner thus keeping her out of sight if anyone looked town the tunnel leading to that room.
Everyone takes a couple of days rations and water, and head back to the room with the well hole in the floor, while Misha and Rikar cover up all tracks leading into the kritter lair hoping that those who know the mine area and the lair will keep out, thus keeping Sunshine relatively safe.
Back in the well room, Josef's dancing lights show that the shaft is about fifteen feet deep, but the rungs continue down the north wall to the floor of the tunnel below and from the angles that you can see, the tunnel probably only leads south from the bottom.
Rikar studies the hole leading down, and notes the goblin tracks that lead to the ladder. He says "I'll go down first and take a look around, then maybe Borris can lower Goma down on a rope? We'll keep an eye on the hallway down there while the rest of you come down. Only other thing that comes to mind - Sezira, care to take a look at the ladder and area around it up here, make sure the gobbos haven't left us any unpleasant surprises? I'll do the same."
Sounds good or if your dog doesnt mind i could carry it on my shoulder aswell. as long as it doesnt bite my ear off borris smiles and pets goma.[/b]
Borris can also carry 10 days worth of trail rations.
Misha takes the shovel, crowbar, and miners' pick out of the saddlebags, and packs and straps them as appropriate to her backpack. They may not be food, but they may be needed as well.
Redona makes sure she has about 5 days worth of rations, herself, hoping it would be enough, and hoping even more that they wouldn't spend that long in this horrible place. "I'm ready." she says simply as they prepare for their descent.
I can carry a bit more weight
A plan is formed and agreed upon. Sezira checks the top several runs and declares them to not be trapped. Rikar then climbs down the rungs on the north wall of the ten foot diameter well, testing each carefully to make sure that each will bear his weight. When he reaches the bottom, he sees that the observations from above are correct, and there is a ten foot wide tunnel leading south out of the bottom of this well. In the distance, perhaps seventy or eighty feet away there is a light source. It looks like several torches. This tunnel is of finished worked stone, instead of the unfinished walls in the caves above.
Borris lowers Goma after he ties the rope around him in a harness. The dog safely reaches the bottom where Rikar unties him. Signalling the others to come down, Rikar proceeds slowly and stealthily down the tunnel for thirty feet, and he sees that the tunnel continues south for another twenty feet and then appears to open up into a room, where the torch light is coming from the far side of the room.
Everyone else safely climbs down the rung ladder, and once at the bottom you form up in your normal marching order with Rikar and Sezira in front.
|
"Let's forgo additional light, since that glow ahead suggests non-goblin eyes. Be on guard, and lets try to maintain as much stealth as possible."
Edward looks to our heavily armored members as he says that last part, shrugging. Gripping his quarterstaff, he takes up his customary spot in the marching order.
stealth
perception
Rikar nods at Josef's suggestion. When the others are ready, he holds his sword before him, and gestures at Goma to follow, then sets off down the hallway towards the light.
Borris follows longsword and klar at the ready trying to make as few a sound as humanly posible with his armor. But apertently doesnt do a good job.
Climbimg down as gracefully as possible Sezira is careful to not make a sound and descends slowly. She motions for everyone to stay back while she and Rikar scout forward.
She uses Comprehend Languages on herself before moving forward.
Redona nods, but knows she has no talent for sneaking and is in restrictive armor, so rather than endangering the group, she stays put for the moment.
Perception
Misha takes her time climbing, as she gets used to the weight of the additional tools she is carrying. "Next time I'm hiring a porter instead of buying a mule..." She mutters to herself.
Keeping up the rear as usual, she does her best to follow quietly, despite the additional materials clanking about on her pack, and stays on the alert, particularly for anyone coming up from behind them. She becomes so fixated on making sure the mining pick doesn't clatter against anything, however, that she makes a poor rear guard.
With Rikar and Sezira leading, and no lights other than the torch light from the room ahead, you move down the corridor till just before the room. From where you are, the room looks to be about forty feet wide by fifty feet deep with an exit out the other end. You can not see the north wall or much of the side walls, so you can not say exactly what the room shape is. As Goma growls softly, letting Rikar know that someone or something is ahead, Sezira with her low-light vision notices that at least three dogs appear to be sleeping near the southwestern wall.
Sezira holds her hand up indicating to stop then moves over to Rikar. "Three dogs in there so far. Sleeping, keep Goma quiet or they will wake before we can deal with them." She continues forward slowly again, listening for anything else In the room besides the dogs. If there is nothing else she will advance slowly towards the dogs.
Borris stops moving and signs he wil wait here untill those with more stealth have a chance to get the drop on those sleeping dogs.
Rikar lays his hand across Goma's muzzle, silencing him. He whispers "Heel" to the dog, then follows Sezira, with Goma following close on his heels.
He will enter the room as quietly as possible, following Sezira's lead and looking around as he enters from the corridor.
Sezira creeps upto one of the dogs and silences it with a dagger to its chest.
As Sezira silences one of the dogs, Rikar holds the tip of his greatsword just above the throat of another. With a quick, gentle pressure, he drives the point home.
When he can see rikar and sezira killing 2 of the dogs Borris tries to stealthy charge the remaining dog.