"No mister - the well leads down, into the caves"
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Just need to ask you a few more things to make sure, ok Kimi?
When Savram ran the wrong you and you guys separated, was it on this level or below in the caves?
Also, do you know another way down besides the well?
I wait for the answer to the first question before asking the second one.
Then, I continue:
Thanks Kimi. You're a very brave girl by the way. You all are.
Just one more. How did you guys end up in this place? Did the kobolds grab you near the orphanage?
Guys, kids let's align ideas.
Jurin is now with us, it means we are only missing Savram, right?
Where exactly did you lost Savram and in what direction did he went?I also want to know how did you end up on this cave and how did you go down?
And what's down there?
”I am Savram mister” - the kid with long black hair replies - ”We are missing Hollin sir, shouldn’t you know that..?” - the kid looks worriedly at the others, then back at you - ”I thought you were here to save us... We were taken by creatures like him!!” - the child points at Keebo, who shuffles uncomfortably - ” Dragged down below... Who’s down there...? It was dark, but I could hear more of them!!!” - he begins crying and seems very agitated - ”I don’t know!!!”
Just need to ask you a few more things to make sure, ok Kimi?
When Savram ran the wrong you and you guys separated, was it on this level or below in the caves?
Also, do you know another way down besides the well?
I wait for the answer to the first question before asking the second one.
Then, I continue:
Thanks Kimi. You're a very brave girl by the way. You all are.Just one more. How did you guys end up in this place? Did the kobolds grab you near the orphanage?
Kimi runs to and tries to calm Savram down - ”I know, I know... I think so, I think they are... I know...” - then turns to Tsin still holding her friend in her arms - ”We got separated from Savram on THIS level, we just went to get him back there, do you not remember?! And no, I do not know of any other way down... Yes, they caught us near the orphanage...”
"When we ran from the underground - him and another mister got caught... And we couldn't go back to get them" - Savram adds, still crying.
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Edrin, we should have had this talk last night, but with all the fighting and everything ... Well what has passed, has passed.
Tell us, who are you?
What are you doing here?
How were you captured?
How long have you been a prisoner?
I'll give him time between questions to answer and trying to feel how sincere he is.
Depending on the answers I'll move on to question regarding what's down there.
The others (kids) didn't see much down there due to the lack of light, how about you, what did you see down there?
Did you see any creature besides kobolds down there?
Do you know how big is that floor?
How many kobolds did you see?
What else can you tell us from the second level?
"My name is Edgrin Galesong.
I am a bard, member of the Gray Eagles.
The Gray Eagles are an adventuring troupe based in Falcon’s Hollow.
We ventured into the vale a week ago seeking treasure.
We were swarmed by a large hunting party of kobolds.
Most of my companions were killed.
Me and a half-elf wizard named Tyran Moonsliver were captured alive.
We were dragged back as captives destined either for eating or sacrifice.
Originally dejected by the death of my friends, I had consigned myself to my fate, but when the children were hurled into the holding pen with me, I grew determined to help them escape.
Me and Tyran overwhelmed the guards with more than a little help from the courageous Kimi Eavewalker.
As we sprinted for freedom, Tyran and Hollin were felled by spears, but the other children and I made it up here"
"I did not see much since it was dark.
Mostly they seemed rough-carved tunnels with low ceilings and gaping caves full of jutting stalagmites below and loomings talactites above.
The passageways between most areas here, while comfortable for kobolds, are tight quarters for Medium creatures such as yourself, and several access ways will require you to squeeze.
I saw about ten kobolds, but I believe there are more.
I saw some sort of gigantic frog like creatures some kobolds use as mounts, but nothing more.
I know there is a room with an altar, and another room with some sort of throne.
I do not know how big the floor is.
I do not know anything else"
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Ok then, I'll climb down through the crevasse to avoid alerting whoever is down there.
You can wait in the room with the well. If all is clear I'll tell you to come down through the lift.
Is the message spell active? Ok, off I go then.
I approach the crevasse, take another listen and if all is quiet I start climbing down as quietly as I can.
As soon as I'm close enough to the end that I can peek into the downstairs level I do that, even if it requires that I cling to the wall somehow.
Climbing down the crevasse, Tsin finds it opens out to a yawning cavern, filled with gigantic stalagmites, some standing six feet in height. Closeby there is a stalagmite which can be used to climb the last ten feet (three meters) down to the floor of the cave.
As soon as he pokes his head out the hole to peer into the cave, in the distance he sees a gigantic furry bat nearly the size of an ox, with dark leathery wings that open wider than two men with arms outstretched. It seems to be looking straight at the ninja!
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I do a quick examination of the cavern.
It's clearly quite big...
Are there any life forms other than the giant bat?
Are there other exits? How about light sources?
Do I see the well/lift coming down into the cavern floor?
Once I check out all these things really fast, I want to look at the bat and if it's getting ready to move I climb back up the crevasse.
The cavern is quite big yes.
You don't see any life forms other than the bat.
You see an exit to the Northeast.
You don't see any light sources.
You don't see the well/lift.
The bat begins to move, so you get back up.
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If I make it safely back up I want first of all to get my bearings and calculate where that NE exit would lead.
I believe if the room it leads to would connect to this level it would be somewhere we haven't explored, NE of the forge itself.
If that's right, the well lift entrance would be opposite and doesn't lead to that big cave directly.
When that's done I go back to the rest of the group and tell them what I saw.
... so maybe it's best if we take the well lift down and try to avoid that cave if we can.
What do you think?
How about you little ones, do you remember seeing a cave like that?
You make it safely back up.
As far as you can tell, if there is an immediate adjacent room where the NE exit leads to(as opposed to a tunnel for example, or a dead end), it either does not connect to this level, or connects to somewhere you have not explored.
"No sir, we never saw a cave like that" - the little ones reply.
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Leave them in a room or right here would be more or less the same.
In here if they see something coming up the elevator then at least know they should flee.
Let's try to figure out how the elevator works.
Any chance Tsin can go down between the elevator and the walls so that down there no one listens the elevator working?
How does the elevator work?
Any space between the elevator and the walls?
What's the "platform" of the elevator like?
- is it like a "square" of boards?
- or more like a caldron where one could "duck" and not be seen and have some kind of protection from arrows and other stuff?
A ten-foot-diameter pit occupies the center of this chamber. Directly over the pit a long chain feeds through complex pulley system before disappearing into the depths.
The kobolds used a large cauldron, several lengths of chain, and pulleys to construct a rudimentary pulley-operated elevator for ease of travel between the two levels.
The Elevator is on this floor.
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Ok then let's go.
It's probably smoother and stealthier if you just lower me down.
Take this end of the rope and brace yourselves.
I'll tie the other end around me and climb down the first couple of feet until I'm clear of the cauldron.
Then I'll tug on the rope and you guys pull. When I feel the tension I'll let go and you lower me the rest of the way ok?
If there's danger I'll pull frantically on the rope and you pull me back up.
I put the plan into action, tie the rope around my waste loosely so that I can release the knot easily and climb down around the cauldron.
Once I'm clear I tug on the rope, etc.
The descent is mostly uneventful as Lokeemon manages to lower Tsin Tao quietly, and the ninja only scrapes against the wall once...
As he continues his descent, Tsin Tao realizes The shaft drops down into a large, mostly square chamber. A doorway opens in one wall, while two other walls have been broken through from the outside. Cramped, narrow tunnels beckon from beyond the breached walls.
From his vantage point he sees also two kobolds mounted on the backs of some disgusting toad-like monstrosities.
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I'm betting there's nothing else on this floor.
Just in case, Edgrin stays with the kids while we go down.
I say we 4 and keebo go down!
- We 4 duck on the cauldron so that they do not see us.
- Keebo will lower the caldron.
- The idea is that if someone looks they see keebo and they won't shoot him.
- when we are down Duncan and I, each one run to 1 of them
- saktar and Tsin focus on the furthest one
- saktar if you can knock him out would be perfect, if not do what you can to him
- Duncan will run to the closest one
- I'll run to the furthest one
Sounds like a plan?
After some debate, the companions finally settle on a strategy to assault the lower levels - Keebo will be operating the 'crank' while the heroes crouch down inside the cauldron so as not to be seen from below.
Slowly the contraption begins to lower them all into the bowels of the earth - the whole contraption creaks and groans, protesting under the weight of the armored adventurers, but Keebo is able to operate the elevator without much difficulty. After all, he has done it before.
They hadn't gone very far... When suddenly the whole structure begins shuddering and breaking apart!! As it does, Duncan is still miraculously able to react, and jumps out, grabbing the lip of the pit.
However the remaining of the companions plummet down like a comet!
The brutal fall seems to be too much for poor Keebo, and he lays sprawled on his back, unresponsive and bleeding from his mouth and ears.
Likewise, Tsin Tao has the wind completely knocked out of him, and lays on the ground, unmoving.
The tremendous racket resounds through the tunnels, and the kobolds yap in fury, urging their mounts to attack - the splosh of thick liquid heralds the disgusting creature’s sloppy approach. The oozy abominations resemble pale, slime-slick toads, their back dripping thick mucus-like secretions as they effortlessly hop back and forth, spattering secretions as they move.
The creature’s huge walrus-like tusks drag along the ground, however they are quick to respond, and squirt a jet of slime from one of multiple nodules they have on their backs.
One of them targets Lokeemon, leaving the warpriest entangled in the goo.
The other one stupidly targets its closest target - Keebo - leaving the kobold completely enveloped in quickly hardening mucus. This prompts the kobold riding the monstrosity to hit it over the head with the back of his spear, barking some unintelligible orders, and pointing at you.
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Sensing the urge of the situation Lokeemon calls for the aid of his god Gorum help me on this battle and ridding this cave of all the kobolds!
I fervor with the last of my magical reserves ...
I hope I don't need a concentration check? But if I do:
Then I move to the closest kobold + toad and attack the kobold
Lokeemon tries to heal himself, but the sticky goo is in his eyes and mouth, and the warpriest finds he cannot focus enough to cast the spell, the divine energy dissipating into nothingness...
Not deterred by it, the valiant holy warrior plods onward, and proceeds in slicing the kobold in two without a second thought.
Saktar slightly shifts his position, conjuring an illusion aimed at putting his opponents out of the fight. Both kobold and mount immediately fall asleep where they stand, in a bed of mucus...
The toad creature who has just lost its rider simply ignores that fact, and tries to bite Lokeemon - yet the attack is clumsy, and misses its mark.
The muck and goo limiting Lokeemon's movements cause him to miss his attack on the disgusting toad thing, as it easily steps aside.
Without hesitation, Saktar plunges his dagger in the creature's neck, which gurgles unintelligibly and expires, a large pool of blood forming all about it.
Again the toad monster tries to bite Lokeemon, but again it misses.
Lokeemon swings and hits - it is a strong blow, but it does not fell the creature. Scared, it awkwardly hops away, out of sight and into one of the tunnels.
Saktar tries to cut the kobold's throat, but is unable to grip the dagger correctly for some reason. The creature wakes up in a panic, its eyes still empty and unseeing from the effects of the Color Spray...
It screams and wails, trying to back away blindly, but it is still somehow attached to the slime of the toad it was riding before, and unable to move away.
The acid hits the wretched, pathetic creature on the face, and its features begin to melt away. The screams become a moan, but incredibly it still stands.
Lokeemon moves up to the severely wounded kobold, and decapitates him, ending his suffering and miserable life.
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Saktar surveys the situation, looking at where the toad fled
I'm thinking that the toad might set some alarms but fortunately it can't talk so they won't know whats coming.
Checking the area, he looks at Tsin
Can you help the ninja?
And then up, from where they come
Duncan, tie a rope somewhere up there and get down here
With his last shred of divine power, Lokeemon heals Tsin Tao.
"Be there as soon as I can lads!" - Duncan shouts from high above.
The kids peer at you from the lip of the 'elevator shaft' up top - "You ok Misters!?"
And then you all hear several noises coming from the tunnel to the Northeast (right side on the map) - loud yapping, high pitched voices, and metal scraping on rock.
