Laughing as the last creature falls, Emil smiles and then walks over to the side tunnel. [b]"Ok Bigguns I will go scout some more! Be back in a bit!"[/url]
With that he slinks off into the darkness, looking to see where the tunnel goes.
Nieve turns away as Harry mauls the second creature; even if it was clearly hostile and out to draw their blood, it made him feel uncomfortable to watch any life being snuffed like that. When Emil decides to sneak further into the tunnel, he grows a little anxious. "Be careful," he calls after the kobold.
"Are any of you hurt?"
@ Emil:
You follow the tunnel for about 30 feet where it slightly widens into a small room. The original purpose of this chamber remains unclear, but large mounds of rubble lie strewn on its floor. The walls and floor of the room are entirely made of a very smooth, light-colored stone that was not shaped by tools, it rather looks like it was shaped with a giant smoothing plane. There is also a door that leads further north.
The rubble lying on the fllor was once the wall which closed the room to the west. So someone has broken into the room a long time ago.
"Are any of you hurt?"
"No Mr Nieve, all well thank you"
"No, I'm fine." Karlan says. Picking up the head of the one he slew he made a disgusted noise. "This isn't a goblin. What are they?"
Harry looks at the dead bodies at his feet and shrugs, "No idea, but I don't think they will be surrendering to you Sir Karlan, so we might skip the part where we ask, if you please"
Emil glances around at the rubble, picks at it for a moment and shrugs. He then examines the door, and then without thinking grabs the handle and opens it just a peek.
If he sees nothing, he will continue to sneak down past the door.
If he sees something, he will close the door and rush back to his friends.
After about three minutes Emil returns.
The corridor behind the wall led to a crossing, thinking it was safer to approach together, you returned.
After Emil's scouting, the map looks like this:
"Ok so there is a man made tunnel that way. You guys want me to go further?" Emil asks once he returns.
"I reckon we should head north sticking to the rough hewn rock and flank around..."
Karlan nods and leads the way.
To the north your corridor ends with a pile of rubble, yet you think it was manageable to climb over it.
The newly discovered room to the east is dominated by a red marble statue of a strinkingly beautiful, yet at the same time monstriusly enraged woman, whose stony expression is twisted in fury.
The woman wears flowing robes, and her long hair is held back from her face by an intricate headdress of hooks and blades. In her left she carries a large book, the face which is inscribed with a seven pointed star. Her right hand holds a glittering metal and ivory ranseur.
The statue shows Alaznist, one of the seven ancient Runelords of Thassilon. Her domain was wrath.
As they get a glimpse of the eastern room, Nieve is immediately taken aback by the statue - and the quality of the craftsmanship. "That is...beautiful. And intense."
He peers into the room. "There appears to be a stairway over there... I... I don't like the feel of this place. First horrible creatures and then this statue?"
Elyn squeaks.
"I think that must be a statue of a girl I met in Riddleport this one time, of course thats the expression she had the next day when I thanked her for her company and said I'd be on my way"
"Speaking of Riddleport, Mr Nieve, this place reminds me of it well. Take no care for its inhabitants, keep your blade handy, and don't bother getting too caught up in moral considerations"
Harry wanders over to the statue...
"Remind me to bring Brodert Quink down here soemtime when thigns are a bit less hazardous." Karlan said looking around. "I think these were the runelord ruins he was mentioning to me a few days earlier."
Emil follows along with the rest of the group, keeping an eye on everything around him. He waits to see if they need him to scout any further.
"I have no idea who that statue is but from the look on her face and that bladed spear thing I would not want to meet her in person."
Kanyk moves carefully into the room, keeping a wary eye on the statue as he approaches, half expecting it to jump down and attack at any moment.
Seeing everyone being enamored with the statue, Emil sneaks off towards the left to see if he can see anything down that way. He goes until he hits a door or until he sees an enemy, at which point he will return to the group.
This place is strange. I wonder if there are any good stories about this place...
Seeing everyone being enamored with the statue...
@ All: After you have searched the room and gave the statue some admiring glances, you also notice a door at the northern end of the room.
The ranseur is in fact a piece of real value-but would you steal from such an infuriated girl?
@ Emil: As you sneak northwards, you come to the pile of rubble I mentioned earlier. Upon climbing on it, you notice that the rubble was also the back wall of a small room, or rather a cell. Since it's northern end is shut close with a prison door.
The ranseur is in fact a piece of real value-but would you steal from such an infuriated girl?
Harry looks at the Ransuer, making a mental note to take it on the way out.
Nieve peers into the southern corridor; he even dares to walk a couple of feet in.
Emil tries to find a way to peek through the jail cell door.
About 15 feet further north you can spot another cell opposite of the one you're in.
"Lets decide on a direction and push on, North?"
Emil hops on back and informs the group of what he found.
"That works for me. I'm not entirely sure what we're seeing down here. We came here for a group of goblins waiting on allies not." Karlan made a sweeping gesture. "This. We should take a great deal of care."
"Agreed. Mind you they seem to die fast enough, though I can only imagine how nasty it could turn out if they got a hold on us and how bloody and messy the final moments might be, so lets stick tight and not give 'em a chance"
"Also, tht tower above us that's supposed to be lighthouse is actually a watchtower according to the sage in town. That means this place would have to be a fortress. Fortresses have defenses. I think you get where I'm going with this."
"I believe my sails are catching your breeze..."
"Emil, how are you with locks and traps?"
The large chamber was obviously once a prison, as testified by the nearly two dozen cells that line the room's perimeter. A rickety wooden platform overlooks the room, with two flights of stairs descending to the prison floor ten feet below. A five-foot wide wooden walkway runs from the northern edge of the platform to a passageway to the east.
Harry pauses at the doorway and looks through...
Perception -
If all clear -
Harry and Thumper carefully lead into the room keeping cautious for traps in light of Karlans warning.
At first sight the chamber is empty, yet after entering it, you notice the bodies of two sinspawns lying below the plattform. It appears they were dancing a waltz of death: They lie in a pool of blood and gore and both have clawed open the back of the other one and bitten at the other's face...not a nice sight, yet, you are happy that they killed each other instead of you.
Harry moves forward with Thumper, trying to peer into the cells from the walkway on the very distant chance there might be someone trapped down here and still alive.
Besides the weird and disturbing fact that nowhere in these corridors are cobwebs, moss or insects, the cells are empty...
Besides the weird and disturbing fact that nowhere in these corridors are cobwebs, moss or insects, the cells are empty...
Noticing that the others are pressing north rather than in his direction, Nieve hurriedly walks over to them to provide light. When he sees the large room and the platform, he takes half a step backwards."Is that wooden platform safe?"
Harry has already stepped onto them before Nieve finishes his question. "Do be careful, Mr. Harry."
"Never can tell, but I don't see any traps so far, just dead bodies"
"What...what manner of bodies? More of those creatures, or...?"
"Two of whatever those things are Mr Nieve, seem to have turned on each other, can only hope that is a good sign, little bit of mutiny helping us is a fine thing"
"I wonder... maybe they were hungry?"
"I would not like to get near one of them while they were peckish, I'm going to go take a closer look."
Kanyk moves slowly down the stairs, bow still drawn and edges closer to the two mutilated things in their pool of blood. He crouches down next to them to examine them a bit closer and try to get an idea for how long they've been dead.
The blood is still lukewarm, they can't be dead for long, yet you can't say anything more about the fight or why it broke out.
"Those two haven't been dead long, probably more of them somewhere nearby so we should be careful."
Emil gawks at the room they find themselves in, and then starts smiling.
"This is truly adventure Bigguns! Truly! I wish I had time to write some notes!"
"Emil, you any good at drawing? Be a good idea for someone to do a sketch of these monsters and we might be able to ask someone more knowledgeable to identify them."