Into the Deepest Darkness (Inactive)

Game Master kamenhero25

Xarann watches as the tiefling chooses a corner for himself, before setting his pack down on a bed. He rummages around within it for a while, before pulling out a few sticks of incense and a bowl to contain it in, before gently setting it aflame. The sweet smell of the burning incense slowly wafts through the room, as the smoke unfurls from the holding pot and sits low around the floor. Xarann sits cross-legged in front of the incense burner, his sword in his lap and his hands resting upon the blade. He breathes deeply once, before repeatedly chanting something in Elven quietly, his breathing remaining steady.

"وسوف حماية حلفائي في حياتي. فهي بلدي الضوء وقوتي، وأنا على ضوء وقوتهم. نرتفع معا.

كل يوم هو خطوة أخرى نحو الكمال. وأنا لن تتحول إلى الظلام."

The mantra continues for several hours, his monotone voice never changing or faltering as he recites the lines over and over again. Finally, he breathes one last large breath before dousing the flames of the incense with his fingers. "Each day is another step toward perfection. I will not turn back into the dark," he whispers, before packing his things together and going to sleep.

Rissi looks around at all the others. "No? No planning? Just me? Ok then..." She swallows nervously as Tlugos and Xarann retreat into their separate corners, and retreats to a bunk of her own. She stows her implements under the pillow before curling up to go to sleep with her head resting above them.

Urf was obviously disgruntled as the party was led away again, constantly trying to pry off that band around his arm as he steered Itchy Butt with his knees. His attempts to free himself didn't distract him from the rest of the city, however, his eyes trying to get a good grasp of what was around the place. It seemed quite a lot like a surface city, with what appeared to be shops, homes, and other such buildings. There was certainly a lot more forges than most other towns, he thought, due to the smoke off in varying directions.

Then his eyes spied that big clock with markings on them. He didn't understand a whole lot of them, but that didn't matter; it was obvious to him what it was for. There could only be one conclusion to draw.

He started to look through his pack after talking to himself, taking some extra time to look at his crowbar as if trying to unravel a mystery. He then looked at his flint and steel, then back up to the stone clock, then grumbled and shook his head. "Urf might need hammer..." he muttered in Common, brow furrowed in contemplation. Looking back up to the clock, he grunted, and added, "Probably big hammer."

After arriving at their destination, Urf looked at the drab room, lips curled in a snarl. "Urf deserve better room than this!" he claimed without any substantiation. "There no glory in room! Make look epic!" His demands most certainly would have fallen on deaf ears, and he knew it, but he just had to keep up appearances.

As Rissi spoke up, though, Urf was already claiming a top bunk, and Itchy Butt was cozying up on the bed underneath. "What need plan for?" Urf asked. "All need do is charge in, beat up bad guys, get ships, then find water to sail out! Dwarves fat, so they don't swim! Is easy!" Laying down on his back, the goblin didn't bother to take off his armor; no telling if the duergar would attempt to take it from him again, which was the same reason he still held onto his lance. "Why wait 'til tomorrow, anyway? We still got all day to find bad guys and get them! Not been long since fight! Just need naps so magic guys get magic back, since they seem need it lots!"

Rissi shrugs. "I guess...that would do, yes. Why don't you play the quiet game while the rest of us nap to get our magic back? I bet you're pretty glorious at the quiet game!"

Didn't realize it was that early. Xarann doesn't go to sleep, but does meditate the entire time.

Xarann opens one eye as the goblin rants about wanting to fight, and begins to open his mouth to say something until Rissi suggests the 'quiet game'. He closes his eye and nods, resuming his chanting.

'That was quite smart.'

Urf let out a groan when the quiet game was brought up. "Rat need make up mind," he snarled, shifting around in his bed, obviously restless. "First want talk of plan, then want quiet? Which you want?" With another groan, he added in, "And why people always want play quiet game? Is boring game!"

A few more tosses and turns, a thought finally came to the goblin's mind, brought about when he put pressure on the arm that was bitten by the wolf during the arena fight, a twang of pain shooting up his short appendage. "Anyone got that magic to fix Urf's arm?" he asked, suddenly hopping down from his top bunk. "Stupid cave dwarves not fix Urf up after fight!"

Rissi just shakes her head, though she looks regretful.

Urf looked around at the others in the room, and it seemed to him that no one was either able or willing to help him out. "Who put group together that not have heal person?!" he angrily voiced as he stomped around, grumbling. "Urf need arm to stab bad guys! What do if Urf get arm bitten off?!"

Obviously irritated, the goblin grunted, then gave a quick whistle. Within seconds, Itchy Butt lept off the bed and ran to his master's side. "Urf go find heal guy somewhere in city," he proclaimed as he got onto his mount's saddle. "Be back whenever. Don't die while Urf gone!"

Unfortunately, Urf had very little in the way of an idea on where to go for magical restoration, so he had to ask around for directions. It seemed to him that being a goblin mattered about as much down in the Darklands as much as it did on the surface: there seemed to be few that were willing to talk with him.

Gather Information: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 1 = 5

Hours spent: 1d4 ⇒ 4

During that time of frustration, though, Urf had another idea: he could ask around about what people knew of the ambushes, seeing if he could get a lead. There had to be at least one person that both knew and was willing to talk to him, after all. He hoped it would at least be worth it while still feeling stinging pain in his arm while riding Itchy Butt around the city.

Gather Information: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (18) + 1 = 19

Hours spent: 1d4 ⇒ 3

When approached, Illiana regards the rat with practiced impassivity. It offered to translate their surface babble, but in her experience, in wasn't wise to become too reliant on others, and trust (at least in mortals) was most certainly a foreign concept to the priestess. Rather than decline, though, she simply ignores the offer and instead moves to accept her armband with a hint of contempt.

Once shown to their quarters, Illiana finds another corner in which to pray. She sits quietly, considering the circumstances. Escape would be ideal as she has no desire to become a citizen of the duergar city, and even if they did complete their task, she had little faith that citizenship would actually allow her to go as she pleased.

Eventually her thoughts are interrupted by the little goblin and his inane ramblings. When he finishes his tantrum and rides off, Illiana asks in undercommon, "What is he on about?" When informed that he left to find a healer, Illiana simply shrugs. She hadn't prepared any curative magic that day since she had no materials at the time, but her wand was back in her possession. He should have asked.

Trying to find a healer is rather difficult. Most of those who wield divine power in the city are the duergar and they don't particularly care about a new slave's injuries so long as they're not immediately life threatening. However, a helpful slave discretely points Urf to another of the slave barracks where an alchemist does his best to try to keep the other slaves in healthy enough condition to appease their masters. The party will be restored to full health.

In the barracks, Urf hears a few whispered rumors about the attacks, but they are all hearsay. A common belief is that the drow have grown tired of paying the duergar for surface slaves and are simply taking ones they want. A few others claim that some great beast is simply eating everyone whole.

By the time he returns to the quarters they were given, he finds a small group of the grey dwarves about to enter, along with a lanky man with odd grey skin. "Where's the sorceress?" one of the dwarves asks. "We just found something interesting in the records and she's been transferred to a different assignment. We brought you a replacement so you can get on with your task." He roughly shoves the skinny man forward before they escort Melaina out.

"Well, this was unexpected, to say the least," Mika offers, looking around the room and taking in each of the others in turn. He holds his bag tightly against his chest as he regains his balance.

After a moment, presuming the guards to have left completely, he continues, "And we have a task? Nothing as satisfying as being useful, I suppose..." He trails off, clearly facetious, and continues, introducing himself awkwardly. "Well, I'm Mika. Lovely to meet you all."

Having done that, he retreats to the corner of the room with his things, and gets as comfortable as he can, considering. Pulling a well worn book from his pack, he opens it, and begins studying the pages.

"It's good to meet you," Xarann replies simply, as he begins putting out his sticks of incense with a few wet fingertips. [b]"My name is Xarann, it's... hopefully a pleasure to work with you. What is it that you do, exactly?" His question doesn't seem rude, just forward; it seems that the half-drow doesn't have much of a sense of tact.

"I am Kayal- a Fetching," Mika offers, looking up from his book.

"And like many of my people, I work illusions, and manipulate the shadows. It seems our captors intend me to replace your group's sorcerer. It's been a while since I've worked with others, too long. You all appear a...'competent' group." Mika smiles, and though it's strained, it is indeed genuine.

"I see," Xarann replies, before packing up his things into his bag. "I've been of the opinion that there are quite enough shadows being cast about down here, natural or otherwise, for quite a while; still, I suppose I'm a bit of an outlier in that regard. Few people worship the Dawnflower where Her radiance is so hard to observe, so I shouldn't be surprised," he continues, his hand reaching up to the Sarenite pendant that dangled around his neck and rubbing it between his fingers. "Regardless, another mage amongst our ranks is hardly a bad thing. I believe I've meditated long enough, if the rest of you are quite ready to go?" Xarann hikes his bag up over his shoulders and heads towards the door, before stopping. "Oh, except for that damnable goblin. Where has he gotten off to?"

Eventually I'm going to need to learn Taldane, but as he's in the Darklands addressing a room with mostly people who look like drow, can I assume Mika spoke Undercommon this time?

Yup, He's speaking Undercommon

Tlugos grunts, as to if it means he acknowledges or agrees with anything who can say.

"One sorcerer for another. Your tricks only work on the weak minded at that. Shadows and illusions, may fate grant us someone useful."

The words flow with little enthusiasm. As an after thought.

"I am Tlugos, known as the obsidian dragon among my people."

The fetchlings were not a mystery in his homeland, yet they were not a common sight ether.

"No need to be rude, Tlugos," Rissi says, sitting up on her bunk to greet the newcomer. "My name is Rissi. I'm, uh. I have a few different skills...but in any case, you're welcome here."

For the most part, I would think we'd be speaking Undercommon. I'm honestly surprised so many people in this party even speak Common.

"She's right, you know. It does us no good to be rude to one another, considering we're not in much of a position to request any sort of reassignment. Moreover, fighting amongst ourselves is foolish." Xarann locks eyes with Tlugos as he speaks, the half-drow either feeling self-assured or simply not realizing the lack of social grace in doing so--perhaps a bit of both. "We'll be stuck together for quite a while, I would think, so it's in our best difference to at least attempt to live with one another in relative peace. I for one have no intention of remaining a slave to the Duergar any longer than necessary, but for the moment our only means of attaining freedom is leveraging our current position to attain the gold to buy it for ourselves. The more we bicker, the longer that takes. Somehow, I suspect you don't wish to remain chained either."

"If they or you are so thin skinned, you will remain pawns of the grey ones. They will use it against you, they are more watchful then you think and cunning. Our mere presence is testament to that."

Granted the grey ones thought him a brute and easy to maneuver if dangerous to some, while their was a shade of truth in one their was none in the other. He thrived on the perceptions of others, it was more often an advantage given. He looks over to Rissi.

"I do not pretend to care for anyone who is unproven. Considering our last battle, your no different then this one."

He tilts his head over to the newcomer.

"You want value, earn it or take it. Do not bother me with your mewing to that which does not matter."

The grey ones were of the same mind, value over nicety. He had picked up on that aspect of them early. They did not care about his manners, they cared about his ability to complete the task. All the pleasantries in the world would not stop them from disposing of the useless, but the useful would be overlooked. Suffer the vulgarity of the brute for his abilities and take comfort in his simplicity, their is little cunning in him. That was their perception of him in all likelihood.

Alot of us came from the surface in our background or have a dominant surface race. So having common is normal I guess, got undercommon cause of skill point rather then race or bonus.

"Well, I for one bear the Dawnflower no ill will. Not many shadows with out$ a light, at least that I've seen. Well met." Mika says, responding to Xarann.

Then, as Tlugos and Risi get involved, he watches the exchange with great interest.

"Well..." he says, finding a spot to rejoin the discussion.

"Let's just assume I'll earn my value, shall we? I know some tricks yes, but I also know some very GOOD tricks. And it seems our interests align, at least for the time being." Mika flicks his slave band with an obvious distaste. "Let's make the best of it."

"And did someone mention a Goblin?"

When Tlugos's back is turned to her, Rissi rolls her eyes and makes a rude gesture at it, winking at Mika.

Aloud, she says, "He's, uh...quite a character. You'll meet him soon, I think."

O.O I saw that. O.O I see everything.

Hey man, you don't have All-Around Vision! That's a mosnter ability!

"Yes, a goblin. He goes by Urf, and apparently believes himself to be rather important. I believe he wandered off in search of a healer... strange, considering we had one here already." Xarann shrugs, now ready to go. "He's a rambunctious little creature. Surprisingly enough, he isn't entirely full of bluster; the little creature can fight."

Urf, of course, attempted to claim the alchemist as his new underling to bring him with him to his own party, but quickly abandoned the idea when it seemed the duergar would have none of that. Despite that setback, his arm wasn't hurting anymore, and he gained at least a little insight into his task. He wasn't paying attention at all times while the slaves talked, however, so he only got half of each theory.

He was gone for almost the eighth hour by the time he got back, right as the grey dwarves were taking away their original sorceress. He thought little of it, thinking that she had hardly done anything, anyway, and proceeded to ride Itchy Butt to the room he had left his party from. He could hear them talking, but since he didn't speak undercommon, he had no idea what was being discussed. This annoyed him, so he sucked in a breath, preparing himself.

"Urf back!" he announced irritably, and Itchy Butt gave a small hiss in greeting. "Urf find heal guy, but cave dwarves not let Urf take him back with Urf. Urf hear that maybe cave elves behind attacks 'cause they want not pay beast that eats things whole. Sound funny to Urf, but--what that thing?!"

He pointed to the fetchling, and Itchy Butt crouched, ready to leap if it turned out that he was a threat. Urf narrowed his eyes, then asked, "Who you and what you do?! And speak in language Urf understand! How Urf supposed to glory respond if Urf not know what you say?!"

"Ah yes, here he is now." Xarann gives the fetchling a knowing look, his eyebrows raised as if to express his sympathies. "I was just telling our newest companion about you, actually. I was telling him about your... unique talents."

As Urf walks in, Mika stands and deftly sweeps his spellbook back into his bag, hoping the Goblin didn't see it. He'd had a few experiences before with the creatures, and was familiar with their 'distaste' for the written word.

"Mika is my name, and I'm not a 'thing'. I'm Kayal, or Fetchling if you prefer. Suffice to say, I'm of the shadows. And I 'DO' magic with them. And I 'DO' plan on helping you all with whatever it is our captors so desperately need of us, because I 'DO NOT' plan on being a slave for the rest of my existence and it's obvious that the same goes for all of us."

Mika glances over at the Goblin Dog, almost an afterthought.
"Uh...lovely creature, that is."

What Tlugos said. Also, most of the conversations have been started by Urf, who doesn't know Undercommon.

Illiana finishes her prayers before acknowledging the newcomer, though the only sign at first that she even does that is a look of disdain at his assessment of their competence. He seems too friendly. Hopefully that won't prove the same as being foolhardy. She remains content to watch the exchange until the thinblood begins to pontificate.

"Politeness is merely deception in pretty packaging," she states plainly, though whether she says this to support a particular side of the argument is difficult to tell. "You would both do well to remember that for different reasons."

"... My name is Illiana," she adds after a brief pause, looking at Mika. She then contents herself to return to her meditations while they wait for Urf.

When the raucous little creature finally does return she gives him a moment to settle down and make introductions before making an announcement to the others.

"Now that we're all here together, I would like to make something abundantly clear; someone please translate for the goblin. The thinblood referred to me as a healer a moment ago. While I am quite capable, I warn you all now not to rely on my abilities to keep you alive during a battle. I am not a battlefield medic and I will be using my talents to dispatch our foes before I use them to ameliorate the consequences of your mistakes. In other words, try not to die and I will tend to your wounds after combat unless I deem it prudent to do so sooner."

Rissi blinks, startled to hear so much from the drow woman who'd been silent for so long. She listens intently and then nods, saying in Undercommon, "That sounds reasonable."

Realizing no one has translated for Urf yet, she adds in Common, "Um, Illiana--that's the uh, the...drow...she says that she can heal you in the future, but probably not during fights. So your glory will have to do until after the fight's over."

Rissi is good to rest and head out whenever the rest of the party is.

As the conversation wraps up, Mika yawns, and looks around the room, determined to trust these people eventually, but maybe not tonight.

'They wouldn't risk hurting me: nothing to gain, everything to lose. Still...

"While I'm sure you're all lovely, and I'm looking forward to our 'partnership', I think I'll choose 'not' to sleep this evening. If anyone cares to join me, please speak now. The spell is quite harmless, I assure you."

Gesturing and speaking a few soft words in Shadowtongue, Mika weaves a shadow into a real-looking material in front of him. After a second, the shadowstuff moves towards his head, where it's disappears- seemingly into his body. The same happens for anyone else volunteering to stay awake.

Up to 3 others can join in if they like. Casting Shadow Enchantment to mimic 'Keep Watch'.

With that, he'll settle in for the evening and keep himself busy with his book, assuming everyone else is sleeping, and taking care to keep the book out of Urf's sight.

Urf's eyes were narrowed as Mika explained himself, and Itchy Butt seemed poised to spring into action at a moment's notice. Something seemed lost on him, though, when Mika said he was Kayal, also known as a Fetchling. "Which is it?!" Urf asked after that point. "You Mika, Kayal, or Fetchling?! You can't be all three! There only one of you, so you only one of them! Pick one!"

After Mika continued to explain that he was a mage of sorts, Urf gave him a rather...frightening look, especially for a goblin. "You not one that steals souls, right?" he asked in a low, slow tone. "Ask them what Urf do to soul stealers. Urf make example of magic guy with soul stealer in last fight." Itchy Butt even started to hiss and walked forward, putting Urf that much closer to the Fetchling. "Urf keep eye on you," he warned him. "You steal even one soul, and Urf make sure you regret it."

Almost immediately after that threat, Illiana spoke up in undercommon, making Urf feel frustrated again. About to burst out with something after she was done talking, Rissi explained just what she had said. "You mean naked lady do healing?!" he groaned, pointing to his arm. "Why not do that for Urf earlier?! And make her talk in language Urf understand!"

Mika spoke up again after that, and spoke of how he was looking forward to their partnership. "What with everyone wanting ships?!" he groaned again, hopping off Itchy Butt and leading him outside the room. "First king give us ship, now you want ship? How you even afford ship?! Urf gonna make sure Urf's Itchy Butt ready before beating up bad guys. Come get Urf when ready."

With that, Urf waited outside the building, running Itchy Butt through various drills of tricks, going through each one to make sure he hadn't forgotten any in the few hours they had been apart.

"Urf, they are not all his name. He is a Fetchling, much like you are a goblin. And relax, he won't be stealing any souls." Xarann sighs, looking down at the little man as he left the room. "In truth, I'm quite rested, I can leave whenever you all are ready. Should we head out now, then?"

I'm a little confused as to how much time passed before Mika joined...only reason I'd voted to rest was to be able to imbue Rissi's implements. If she can do that, I'm good to go.

Sorry for two OOC posts in a row, but that's really all there is to say now. :P

That's partially my fault. You're rested and your spells and any class features are good to go.

Well then, away we go! ;)

Rissi rolls out of her bed. "Why not? We can leave now. I'll be fine. Just, uh...give me a moment."

She turns to face the wall and, slightly furtively, starts taking out small objects and fondling them, staring at them as she does so.

Investing 4 points of mental focus in abjuration, 2 each in necromancy and enchantment. Awaaaay!

When she stands and turns back to you, she seems more solid and...somehow...more confident. "Alright, let's go," she says.

Sounds good to me. Gonna assume I didn't burn that spell then. But I'm ready!

Rested and prepared, the group gathers their somewhat meager belongings and moves out. The gate is easily visible from the barracks they were assigned, so it is no trouble for them to find their way to the front gates. There is a significant duergar presence at the gates, with a full dozen guards simply standing ready. "Hold!" their leader says. "You're... the king's men yes? You're clear to pass. A message has been sent ahead so you should be welcomed at any of our cities. The Walk heads straight west from here."

Illiana eyes the guards with open contempt as they pass through the gates. Once they have made it a reasonable distance and appear to be alone, she brings up what seemed an unusually large presence at the gate.

"What do you think that was about?" she asks in undercommon. "A dozen guards hardly seems necessary."

Rissi is eager to be off, and darts out of the gate as soon as it's opened. As the group proceeds along the Long Walk, she steps quickly to avoid slowing anyone down.

When Illiana raises her question, the ratfolk cocks her head, nose twitching. "That is interesting," she says, sounding intrigued. "Oh, Urf: Illiana wants to know why there are so many guards at the gate." Switching back to Undercommon, she adds, "Perhaps it is because of the attacks? True, they have all been on the Walk, but it is not unreasonable to be careful. Or maybe the duergar just like guards!"

"Whatever the reason, it's a reminder we ourselves need to stay alert, and take the appropriate cautions to stay safe," Mika adds.

Xarann, finally out of the duergar city, finally seems to be more in his element. Without a word, he takes a place at the front of the group and quietly takes stock of the area. "I don't know that I've ever been here before," he comments, trying to wrack his brain for everything he knows about this particular area of the Darklands. "Still, that shouldn't be much of a problem; I know most of the paths through the Darklands, even if I haven't traveled them personally. Let's see if we can't find some evidence of these attacks, see what we can track down."

Survival: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (11) + 10 = 21
Lore (Darklands): 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (15) + 13 = 28

When the leader told the party to hold, that prompted Urf to respond with, "Hold what?!" as he looked around what whatever he was supposed to grab. The rest of the party stopped while the guard talked, which distracted the goblin enough to abandon his search and notice just how many guards there were. He tried to count how many there were, but he ran out of fingers and didn't have the time to move to his toes before the conversation ended. Miraculously, he was paying enough attention to get the gist of what the gray dwarf was speaking of.

"Wait, that mean Urf have to walk west, or can Urf ride Urf's Itchy Butt west while Itchy Butt does walking?" he asked, obviously a little confused and not wanting to break some law; that would be quite a dash upon his record in the Order for sure. He was then about to ask about why there were so many guards, but it seemed the rest of his party were eager to set out and find the ambushers, so he prodded Itchy Butt to dash ahead with them.

Rissi translated what Illiana had said again, and though he was visibly irritated for being out of the loop again, Urf just nodded. "Maybe they having some big party," he suggested. "Normal dwarves like drinking, so why cave dwarves different?" Then the rest of them started to speak in Undercommon again, and he waited as long as he could to hold back his frustration: that was all of about a minute.

"What part of 'speak in language Urf understand' is hard?!" he yelled, turning backwards in his saddle to face the party, having taken point next to Xarann despite not looking for the trail. [b]"If not speak in Common, speak Goblin! Urf need know what say if Urf gonna help with plan!"

Tlugos stays to the back and remains silent for the most part. He did not track or draw attention to himself in the wilds. Simply observing and letting his sense extend outward. Ambush by enemy or predator was all but guaranteed.

Taking 20 on perception.

"We take no chances with our greatest stronghold," the officer says. "But that's hardly your business. Slaves have no need to understand the defenses around of citadel."

"I wouldn't expect to find anything for the next several days, until then we'll be too close to the city. The duergar patrol this area heavily, so we shouldn't need to be too concerned until then. Typically, they're searching for intruders, but I have a feeling these--" he says, gesturing to the bracer magically attached to his forearm "--will serve well enough as the necessary paperwork. There are other caverns marked as off-limits to anyone without direct permission from the king, and... well, I don't exactly know if these would count for that or not. I'm going to with no, err on the side of caution. Let's go, shall we?" Xarann pauses every couple words to repeat himself in Undercommon for Illiana to understand, and then to assure Urf he's simply translating, before he heads off onto the Walk. "We've got a long way to walk!"

Unless we encounter something worth talking about, I'm fine with moving forward until we're outside the area of duergar patrols. Xarann will cast Keep Watch every night and will accompany anyone else on each shift. I'll roll a couple Perception checks for this as well.

Perception: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (10) + 10 = 20
Perception: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (15) + 10 = 25
Perception: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (1) + 10 = 11
Perception: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (18) + 10 = 28
Perception: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (7) + 10 = 17

Rissi nods reluctantly. "I suppose we've no choice but to venture out to an area where we look like...uh, prey," she mutters. Scurrying along with the others, she keeps her eyes peeled.

I'm with Xarann. Keep moving until we find anything noteworthy. A few Perceptions, I guess, if they're needed.

Perception: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (3) + 10 = 13
Perception: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (5) + 10 = 15
Perception: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (13) + 10 = 23
Perception: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (10) + 10 = 20

The next few days are surprisingly peaceful. The caves are, comparatively, open and spacious, with wide passages and paths that are easy for anyone with the proper skills to navigate. They encounter duergar patrols every few hours, but it only takes a few minutes each time to confirm their identities and they move on without incident. The group continues to move west, away from the duergar citadel until they're traveling alone along the Long Walk. A side caves branch out every now and then, offering other potential paths for them to explore, or hideaways for vicious creatures or potential bandits. Or the party could continue along the Walk and look for the last ambush site and hope to pick up a trail from there.

Anyone can roll an appropriate Lore or Knowledge Local to identify nearby points of interest, or you can just explore where you'd like.

Finally having traveled far enough to be free of the duergar patrols, Xarann looks around for a moment before scratching his chin. "Well, I'm fairly certain I actually know where we are now, so that's more than a bit relieving. That said... I don't know that any of these places scream 'supply ambush' either, so I suppose that's just sort of a wash. Shall we just continue until we find the latest ambush site and see if we can track them from there? That seems as good a plan as wandering about like fools."

Lore (Darklands): 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (19) + 13 = 32

Rissi nods eagerly. "Yes. I prefer having a plan to just wandering! I still don't...really like these caves." She glances about warily.