The Mouth of Doom (Inactive)

Game Master Grimmy

The gnolls are easily bypassed. Only fifty feet further and the party has rounded a bend and broken line of sight. The sounds of their frenetic yapping recedes soon thereafter.

Another two miles and the hill looms close. A thick band of hoary pines wraps around the foot of it, but where it rises above the tree tops nothing else grows.

A clear path ramps up it's side, cut into the rocky edifice too perfectly to have been a natural occurrence.

Stepping under the trees to reach the ascending path is like entering a dark cathedral, silent and still. A large raven perched on a low, massive branch eyes you indifferently, unperturbed by your presence.

The ground starts to rise, and abruptly you re-enter the light of day.

The ascent is anything but treacherous. There may as well be a stairway. As you spiral around to the far side of the lesser peak you glimpse a demonic visage carved in stone, it's gaping maw an opening ten feet in height, a ram's horns protruding from it's head.

A bridge of natural stone connects the smaller peak to the precipice into which this graven portal is carved.

With an almost feral grin, Eli points to the demon's face, commenting "I think we've found it. Who wants to be the first to test this bridge?"

"Yep, it seems we have arrived" - Raziel nods - "Allow me" - he adds, using his already familiar spell to establish communication with Eli, and moving forward to the bridge, as careful as he can.

Casting Message.

Stealth: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (13) + 14 = 27

As he arrives there, he takes time to make sure the bridge is safe, both structurally and as far as traps are concerned.

Taking 20 on Perception for a 28 - I gotta find some way to improve this :/

Hey are you forgetting to give yourself a bonus for Trapfinding?

Actually I am - it should be +9 to find traps. Thanks Grimmy :D

The DC was 30! Rocks fall you all die!

In this place that would not surprise me at all.

Aaaaaaahhhhh, so close... We almost managed to enter the first tunnel...

How about a nice game of chess?

Might be safer for our abilities :D

The bridge is featureless. Solid stone, wide enough for even the most wary of heights to traverse without so much as a quickening of the pulse. There is no indication of illusory magic at work, no fault in the stone, no discoloration, no seams, no magical glyphs.

Raziel is satisfied that crossing this bridge is no more dangerous than crossing a country road.

Nodding back to the group, Raziel plods onwards as they approach, crossing the bridge into the next area, and again scouting the area with a similar approach as they go.

We're starting to get to that part of dungeon delving that always gets me wondering how it should be played out - ideally, Raziel would be moving up front scouting - how do we translate that in such a way that will not bog the game down, or clog it with Stealth and Perception rolls in every one of my posts? :D

Hound silently follows along

Short answer, basically when initiative is rolled we switch to tactical gridded combat but the rest of the time we go freeform. Good topic though, let's head to discussion and have a discussion.

Raziel cannot help a grin as he approaches the gaping maw - We are finally here - the tiefling thinks to himself, his eyes darting through every shadow and recess.

Raziel and Hound pause on the bridge for others to find courage.

Edit: Ninja'd!

Q follows, trying to retrace the past few days.

Just inside the mouth a jet black spiral stir descend's vertically into nothingness.

Raziel plods on, knowing his position should be on point, his senses fully alert, and the entrance eerie familiar...

*Tromp tromp*

Torin stares into the blackness and with a shrug, he begins to descend the staircase.

Eli has to mentally calm himself as the group descends the staircase, hoping that is anxiousness is taken for nerves or adrenaline. Slowly, he thinks to himself. A few more days to reach my prize is nothing.

Ogrim determines that the stairs descend 40 feet before spilling out into a chamber with six alcoves.

Eli, Hound, don't forget there's no light source down there.

Hound lights a torch

From the entranceway, Raziel peers into the alcoves.

Lumbering undead coming right at us? :D

Q takes point and stalks ahead of them, bow at a ready.

If you need a perception roll from me, roll it at a +10. I'll check back in tonight.

Raziel grins as Q decides to move ahead all of a sudden, but makes no move to follow, sitting tight, and hidden.

The stairs spill out into the very center of the room. The edge of the torchlight reveals walls with ten foot alcoves, two each on the west and east walls, and one each centered in the north and south walls.

Those with darkvision can see that at the back of each alcove a door is set.

"Anyone feeling lucky?" - Raziel jests, then moves to the closest door on the right, checking it thoroughly before giving the 'ok' signal to his more 'burly' companions.

1d20 + 9 ⇒ (7) + 9 = 16

As Raziel steps into the alcove the ground beneath his feet gives way, a trapdoor opening to deposit him in a pit!

Reflex: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (18) + 6 = 24

Raziel deftly sidesteps the trap avoiding a 20 foot fall.

Eli chuckles at Raziel's quick-step, "Is it better to be lucky, or good? I've got a ladder, anybody happen to pick up a collapsable pole? This seems like the type of place we should be going blind-man style." Eli pauses at the edge of the hole and calls Hound over to borrow the torch.
Perception: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (18) + 9 = 27

A draft of stale air rises from the pit, causing Hound's torch to sputter but not go out.

Eli's eyes adjust to the dim light in the alcove.

There is enough of a ledge around the pit to enter the alcove and get to the door.

Hound adjusts so the torch stays lit.

"What a welcome" - Raziel snickers, peering down the pit - "I wonder what's down there..."

Perception: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (18) + 8 = 26

Some debris, maybe bones..

The door is wood reinforced with iron. The doorknob breaks off when it's turned. Raziel's inspection reveals a glimpse of the same flagstone as the dungeon walls behind the door where someone has hacked bits of it away. It appears to be a dummy.

"It seems this one is just a trap - friendly place, no doubt" - the tiefling chuckles, moving over to the next door on the right, but more carefully this time, inching along, examining the floor and ceiling.

1d20 + 8 ⇒ (15) + 8 = 23

The southeast alcove has a skull carved in the stone. The alcove and the door seem to be trap free and the door is unlocked. The hinges of the door look rusty and swollen.

"This one seems open" - Raziel comments to his companions, while taking a closer look at the skull.

Grimmy, any knowledge, or this is simply a decoration?

Very simple skull like on a pirate ship flag.

Cool :D

After deeming the door 'safe', Raziel steps back, allowing one of the groups' 'frontliners' to open it.

Hound opens it up

Q raises his bow ready to attack anything that looks unfriendly on the other side.

Perception: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (2) + 10 = 12

The un-oiled hinges shriek as Hound opens the door, the sound reverberating down a long hall.

SO much for stealth.

1d20 ⇒ 9

The hall leads east. At the edge of the torchlight hound see's a 4-way intersection.

The hall is ten feet wide.

Raziel up front? We then follow behind as he keeps a look out for hazards.

Eli observes all of the commotion diligently, ready to spring to the aid of anybody that runs into trouble. Fortunately, this antichamber's primary obstacle was avoided with no real issue. A lesson to remain on one's toes.

"Works for me. Pause at the crossway so I can mark our path. Also, if anybody has a pole or a weight, I'd recommend giving it to Raz to minimize any more traps being triggered." Eli pulls out his chalk and marks a very large X inside the corridor to the antichamber once he enters the intersection.

"Deal" - Raziel agrees, after grimacing at the loud screech from the door's hinges, then plodding along.

Here's a map of the area Raziel scouts

Not wanting to leave any chances to be flanked, Raziel makes a turn on the first to the left as he leaves the six alcove/door room, and then faced with the two doors, checks the one on the left carefully.

Taking 20 for Perception this time ;)