Day 15, Gozran 16
The sun comes up on a slightly overcast day, cooler than the last few days, but calm and quiet. In Newspring, work continues on various projects, and the foraging parties set out with a bit of desperation. The settlement's supplies are running low, and the discovery of Valentin's body has made everyone nervous.
Sandra Thayer joins Tatya with the children, later, teaching them songs and then leading them through the camp and the forest singing, raising spirits everywhere.
The adventurers wake to a beautiful spring morning, after passing an uneventful night.
While the priests pray and the Manari meditates, Cueta makes her way to the beach and watches the flight patterns of the flocks of birds, the motion of the waves and feels the wind. Gozreh, give us clear weather these next few days, I beseech you.
As the group breaks fast, a serious look comes over Cueta's face. Standing and facing everyone, she holds her palms up, as if in supplication. "Friends, I have something weighing on me. I know that as we have discussed, some of us are... less enthused than I about the prospect of scouting the island. I would like to see us all in agreement, and rather than split our forces, if anyone wishes to go home, I will support that - though I hope that it won't be the case."
"There is a practical reason, I think, for us to head east. We are but a day away and it takes three, in good weather, to get here. It seems a waste to turn around now when we are so close to our objective. And I worry that those at Newspring will question our ability, when they find out we came so close and then didn't do everything we could to keep them safe."
"But even more so, this trip east calls to my soul. You see, this, this idea that the sharkteeth have some of our people won't leave my head. I fear that if we leave without knowing, doubt will always be with me and weigh on me, chains upon my very being, that I condemned some souls to fates worth than death through my own inaction. I know that the proposition and possibilities in front of us are terrifying, and I wouldn't ask your help if this wasn't the most important moment of my life. And I won't forget your help. When that time comes, when a path of action calls to your soul, I will support you in every way that I can. You only need say to me, Cueta, this is important to me, as the island was to you, and I will go into the hells themselves with you. I hope that you will consent to scout this island with me, and that we will find no prisoners and few sharkteeth, and we can simply turn around and go home. Please, come with me, everyone, to the east. I can ask no more from my friends than this."
Gair nods at Ceuta's impassioned speech, "Like you I will abide by the wishes of the group but I for one would join you in this task. Knowing the level of threat to afford these creatures will be invaluable in the days to come and there is no price that can be put on any lives we might save in the attempt."
His face pulls into a grim smile which he shares with both Ceuta and his son, "I would make one amendment to your plan however. If we find that there are few of these shark-teeth remaining on the island I would have us land and break them here and now. We have well the measure of their warriors and it is lacking. I would cut down those that remain and drive them into the sea for what they have done to our fellow settlers."
"I can agree to scouting, but would need to be pretty convinced of their low numbers before landing on the island."
"I am willing to scout out the island." Ben says as they discuss their next step in the morning. "I am even willing to go ashore and sneak around to see whats what if that is what we need to do. I think there are probably too many Kuru for us to deal with on our own. If there were just a few wouldn't the Dwarves of this place have exterminated them long ago?"
Ben gathers several dozen small stones about the size of a sling bullet and puts them the Canoe. "I just had a thought." He says as they are packing to leave. "If we were to burn the canoes they have there on the island it would make escaping the area much easier and restrict the Kuru's activities for awhile. I can't think of a way to burn the canoes though."
Cueta manages to persuade the group to take a scouting run around the island, and the seven load themselves into the canoe. The calm day is a blessing, as Cueta struggles to guide the overloaded boat through the surf at the shoreline. Once out on the open water, though, it moves awkwardly, but safely enough.
A couple of hours hard paddling later, and the group is gliding through the water off of the island. The portcullis is massive, and seems designed to prevent ships and individuals from entering, as the space between each of the massive iron bars is cut by smaller bars. From a distance of 100 yards (I'm calling that your scouting distance, close enough to get a good look but not so close that you run too much risk of running aground or being recognized as not kuru) it looks like Ben could squeeze through, but none of the others.
The island is a little over a mile long, and it slopes gently downward as you follow the shore east, so that the cliffs at the eastern tip of the island are only 100 feet high. You are able to get a relatively good look at the island by paddling out from the east side, and it is covered with scrub and brush, with only a few trees of any size. There are no visible structures other than the tower, and the smoke seems to be venting from somewhere underground.
Swinging around to the north side of the island, you see the only break in the shoreline. It is a narrow gap, 200 feet wide, with a rocky beach. The cliffs surrounding the beach are still sheer, but about fifty feet up is an opening. It is perfectly round and five feet across. A crude rope ladder made from vines hangs down to where three canoes are pulled up on the beach. Two are more or less similar to yours, but the third is at least three times as long, with outriggers on both sides and a roughly made throne in the middle.
Completing a circuit of the island reveals nothing new, though both Vallen and Kal'Tos are convinced that the gate, at least, is dwarven work, though neither of them has seen anything very much like it. The tower seems a little on the tall and slender side for a dwarven aesthetic, though there's no denying it is well made.
"I would appear that the Kuru have at least 20 more warriors. Far too many for us to risk landing on the island."
Gair shakes his head, "I disagree, I find those numbers very encouraging. They post no scouts, such an island is large. If we are cautious and well planned we can take them in smaller numbers. They will be too diminished to retaliate with true force by the time they realize our presence."
"I favor going ashore. We can find a place out of sight and Ben can act as our scout."
"So far we have engaged them with us having superior numbers and they usually badly injured several members of our party, perhaps we could burn these vessels and consider returning with stronger numbers now that we have the boats to do so? I am fine with fighting the Kuru at equal strength, outnumbered at least 2:1 is asking for serious trouble.
"You have never been a raider Kal'Tos. Only a fool would engage their number at once. We take them in groups, they need not even be too far apart. We need only seconds between engaging them to even the odds again. Returning here in greater strength will take many days and we have not the warriors to commit ourselves in larger numbers. We have a chance here, we should grasp it with both hands."
"We should go ashore." Ben says. "We should find away to burn those canoes at least. To be honest though I would like to steal the big one. Do you think there are enough of us to be able to handle it? It looks about 3 times the size of this one so it could hold about 15 people Gairs sizes."
"I am not as confident as Gair in our ability to kill all the Kuru, but we could go take a look and if there are too many we can burn the boats and leave."
As the group passes the kuru's canoes, Cueta squints hard into the round hole containing the rope ladder, trying to discern any figures within.
@ Cueta, you don't see any figures inside the tunnel. (but 100 yards away, 50' over your head, dark, etc.)
Vallen looks at the island, both marveled and disturbed by the dwarven construction. Where did these dwarves go, and why did they let such splendid construction fall in the hands of beasts? Torag, are these my kin? Do they worship you? Have they failed to follow your guidance, and now their plans crumble to ruin?
As he finishes his pondering, the dwarf looks to the others conspiring to assault the island. Shaking his head, Vallen looks at Kal'tos glumly. "We're outnumbered here, brother. Until they decide we're going home, we're stuck patching them up between fights. Let's get this over with." He begins checking his equipment, giving his crossbow a dry fire.
"They don't post any scouts because they assume nothing would be crazy or strong enough to attack them. Last thing they'll see is Gair's axe cutting them in half, and they'll think "We probably should have put someone on watch. My, I wish my throat was still connected to my lungs so I could tell someone." On top of that, you see that throne? I'm sure as Torag's defensive plans whatever animated the Harpy victims rode over in that gaudy craft. Simply dreadful..." He rambles to himself about poor ascetics in an attempt to distract himself from the inevitable carnage.
"I am not so sure the necromancer is among their number but we shall see. Would they not be more inclined to simply take the bodies with them to fill their larder? If the necromancer does reside here there will surely by more of the cursed creations on the island to give us warning."
Both Gair and Bern put their shoulders into the paddling at the canoe heads for the small beach, anxious to be off the water and have the battle be joined.
In a few minutes, the canoe scrapes the bottom, and the party wades onto the beach, pulling the boat behind them. The silence is thick, broken only by Vallen's muttering. Bern takes a position at the base of the rope ladder, and looks ready to meet anyone coming down, and Manari stands near the waterline with her bow in hand, ready to fire at any kuru that appear.
Cueta crouches and runs up to Bern, and holding out her bow and quiver, whispers, "Bern, take this weapon and ammo. If any kuru come down the ladder shoot them dead before they get to us." Then, sprinting back to the group's canoe, Cueta takes her pack and tools and lays them on the beach, and taking a saw, chisel, and drills, sets to work dismantling the large canoe, placing herself between the canoe and the entrance hole as much as possible, and working as quickly as she can.
Vallen glances around the beach, and sighs. Looking behind him, he wishes a massive dwarven Ironclad, filled with an entire Phalanx of Torag's Holiest Dwarven Defenders were about to come around the cliff's bend to purge the captured island.
Knowing his most fevered prayers will not make this become reality, he instead loads a bolt in his crossbow and looks over to see Cueta beginning to work on the gaudy monstrosity of a canoe. He collects his carpenter's tools, leaving the rest of his gear in their canoe.
"Watch this, Cueta. Torag not only smites our enemies- woe to any work of gaudiness!" He mutters to her. Energy crackles at his fingertips, and he attempts to carve jagged swirling holes in the bottom of the large canoe.
Satisfied with his work, he steps out of the large canoe and lets Cueta handle the rest. "I'll get this other small one." The dwarf whispers, glancing over at the hole with the rope ladder nervously. Sitting inside one of the smaller canoes, he bores holes in it similar to his work on the large canoe.
Whipping out a saw, Vallen puts all of his muscle into sawing other large, triangular chunks out of the canoe, starting from the holes he made. Looking up at the hole again, the dwarf marvels at its roundness, before its purpose hits him. The priest tells anyone that is nearby enough to hear his muttering. "You know... if dwarves lived here before, I bet that hole could have been the outlet of their privy. If we're lucky, it's just storm runoff drainage, maybe. If I designed this place, it would be both! Gotta wash out all that crap somehow. And I'd put a grate on it, so Kuru couldn't climb up the literal arse of my keep!"
As soon as the canoe touches the sand Ben leaps from its prow and scampers across the sand to the ladder. He carefully climbs the ladder checking each rung for strength before trusting his weight to it. When he reaches the top he slowly raises his head above the edge of the tunnel.
Kal'Tos positions himself so can throw an acid orb into the opening if needed.
Cueta smiles at Vallen's enthusiasm. "Torag is indeed a powerful and wondrous god, and his people's ingenuity never ceases to amaze me. One day, when our people are plentiful and Newspring is a powerful city, we'll have to talk about what Torag's people can do for our navy - they can do much better than canoes, I'm sure!"
@ Ben ... are you bringing anything to light inside?
Ben climbs the ladder uneventfully. Though rough, it is strong enough to hold at least two or three kuru at a time, and the weight of a halfling barely makes it stretch. Reaching the top, he sees that the hole is the mouth of a tunnel, that remains almost perfectly round as it disappears into the darkness. A few feet from the mouth, there is an iron grate blocking the tunnel. The upper half appears to swing outwards, and the ladder has been lashed to the bars on the lower half. It would be possible for a person to squirm through, but it would take a move action to do so. The passage slopes up slightly as it vanishes into the stone, and it seems that someone has made an effort to keep it clear.
The slope is not enough to necessitate a check or give any kind of advantage in combat, but would be enough to encourage water to flow.
In only a matter of minutes, Cueta and Vallen are able to cripple the large canoe and one of the smaller ones. (Leaving you two ... one that was here and the one that you came in.)
Bern and Manari watch as Ben climbs up the ladder and peers into the darkness.
As he finishes his work on the smaller canoe, Vallen waves Cueta over. "We can work on this last one together." He peers up at Ben, cupping a hand over his head to block out any glare. "Well he's not screaming, so I suppose they don't know we're here."
Ben climbs back down the ladder and walks over to where the others are working on the boats. "I couldn't see very far into the tunnel it is too dark. The tunnel slopes up slightly and there is an iron grate a few feet in. The ladder is tied tot he grate. The ladder seems pretty strong though it shouldn't have any trouble holding our weight. Kal'Tos could you cast that light spell you used before on something like a pebble or something like that?"
Making her way with her tools over to Vallen, Cueta follows the dwarf's gaze up to the halfling at the top of the rope ladder. "Aye, he's making me nervous hanging on the edge up there." The Mwangi then looks at the surrounding cliff face, trying to judge the sheerness and smoothness of it.
"I've got a torch, Ben, but let me go up with you. Is the grate locked? I'm nervous any sharkteeth will cut the ladder down on the way up."
Vallen shakes his head. "Bah. Don't waste your torches." The dwarf glances around before picking up a rock, whispering a prayer to it. The stone begins to cast a pure light light. He casually tosses it to Ben before starting to tear apart the 3rd canoe.
Ben catches the rock and holds it up. " This will do nicely master Dwarf. Thank you."[b] he says and starts back towards the ladder. [b]"The grate was unlocked and hanging open. I prefer this glowing rock to a torch Cueta. I can't put a torch in my pocket if I need to hide the light." Ben returns to the ladder. he puts Vallen's glowing rock in one of his pouches so he has both hands to climb with. He climbs up to te tunnel mouth and carefully pulls him self over the lip of the tunnel before taking the stone out of his pouch.
Gair takes up position at the bottom of the ladder next to his son, sling in hand while Ceuta and the dwarves disable the canoes.
As Ben passes by with the rock he whispers to the halfling, "Be wary Ben. If the entrance proves to be clear wave the rest of us up."
He looks at Manari, "Whatever that sorcery you displayed before was, I cannot deny it's potency. Save it until we run into trouble."
"I fear such a narrow passage will be our downfall if we have underestimated the Kuru numbers. Let us finish these two boats and depart with the others."
Gair chuckles, "The narrow passage is a boon. If their numbers are greater than expected they will not matter in such a confined space. If we meet resistance, Ben can retreat behind us. I will lead the the bulk of our group, followed by Ceuta who can stab with her bill."
The light allows Ben to see further up the passage (normal light for 20', dim for another 20') but all it reveals is a length of tunnel sloping steadily upwards. It is clear that the kuru use this tunnel frequently, as the bottom is clear. Moss and fungus grows along the sides, thriving in the damp darkness.
Vallen shakes his head at Kal'tos, sawing away at the 3rd canoe. "They're not going to listen, they're in too deep now. I must admit I'm curious about the dwarves that built this place. Hopefully we will learn something about them."
Ben leans out of the tunnel and waves at the others indicating that it is clear and they can come up. He then turns and climbs through the opening in the grate to make room in the tunnel mouth for the others.
"It is clear so far. I am going to go ahead a little ways and see what I can see." he says softly to the first one up. Then turns and start moving cautiously up the tunnel.
Hanging his sling once more from his belt, Gair ascends the ladder with an almost eager speed to join Ben in the tunnel. He chouches and moves further back as the others join them before motioning them forwards and following the light from Ben's stone up ahead, axe in hand.
After he finishes punching at least a few holes in the third canoe, he looks over to see Gair and Ben start their ascent up the rope ladder. Waiting for the others, the dwarf decides to take up the rear, unloading his crossbow for the ascent and hooking it to his belt.
Kal'Tos is one of the first up the ladder and stays a few feet back from Cueta while moving down the tunnel.
Cueta takes her place behind Gair, bill in one hand and javelin in the other, keeping her eyes on the tunnel in front of them.
As Ben squirms through the gate and advances up the passage, only the bobbing light gives the rest of the group any indication of where he is, he moves so silently. One by one, they follow after him, all but the dwarves ducking their heads in the low passage.
The halfling travels maybe 100 yards, the passage steadily sloping up, so that he would guess he has come up maybe 50' or so. Ahead, he sees a flickering of orange light, as if from a smokey torch, and creeps a bit closer before realizing it comes from a hole in the ceiling.
Vallen is slightly distracted by the stonework as they move through the passage. It feels as if it's been forever since he's been this close to cut and dressed stone. As much as he wants to touch it, the dwarf still suspects this tunnel was the outlet of a privy. No matter how long ago it was last used he's still not interacting with the walls.
The dwarf whispers to Kal'tos, who is ahead of him. "Are Cueta and Gair just following the halfling's light? Hopefully they don't slip on some moss and slide down into us."
Ben slips the glowing rock into his pouch and creeps closer to the hole in the ceiling. He looks up through the hole in the ceiling.
As he reaches the hole, Ben hears the sound of voices whispering the ugly tongue of the kuru. He looks up through the hole and sees he is at the bottom of a rough pit, about 3' wide and about 10 feet deep. The sides of the pit are rough enough to be climbed easily (DC 5, though medium characters will have to squeeze at half speed) and the light is indeed from a torch that is set into a sconce just above the pit.
All of this is just a momentary impression, because as he looks up, he sees a kuru face looking down at him.
The players win the initiative.
You know there are at least two, one of whom is looking Ben in the eye. There is no way of knowing what is above except that there is a torch and a wall.
"Hello Pig F#@€*!" Ben calls cheerfully to the Kuru at the top of the hole then steps back into the darkness of the tunnel. He draws his rapier and prepares to defend himself from the Kuru he is sure are coming down the pit towards him.
"We have company coming!" He shouts over his shoulder at the others.
Vallen jumps a little as Ben's greeting to the Kuru echoes through the tunnel, immediately going for his shield. Gulping down the knot in his throat when Ben says they're going to have company, the dwarf breathes out slowly- the walls of the tunnel surrounding him soothing his nerves.
He touches a hand to his shield and whispers a prayer to Torag, light springing forth from the wood. Vallen shuffles forward as the rest of the line behind him gets anxious, and he moves aside for any that wants through.
Kal'Tos will move up with Vallen.
Round 1
Taking quick stock of the situation as Ben calls out, Gair shuffles down the tunnel, keeping low to avoid scraping his head. Pressing himself against the wall he slides past the ready halfling and places himself opposite the hole in the ceiling, his axe ready for the first Kuru to descend.
"Move up, we can hold them here!"