Down in the room before, the third, rebellious zombie was impetuous enough to scratch you, and it hurt bad. You've a nasty trio of lacerations on your forearm that bleed slowly but steadily into your hastily-slapped-on bandage. The wound continues to burn in your arm faintly as you follow everyone up the stairs to the Skaven's nest.
Meanwhile, in the room, after being stumped by the treasure chest, Morley cautiously approaches the crack in the wall. Peering into it, it's difficult to tell where it goes. You think you can hear something...
The walls on the inside of the crack are slightly warmer than the walls surrounding it. This might have been the effect of a warm body squeezing through the space recently, conceivably. Skaven are known to make use of such through-ways to ambush their victims.
Something may have squeezed through here recently. What do you think Archepex?
I don't know what he thinks, but I know we have Dhice, who, until recently, could have sealed this hole behind us so we can continue down the stairs after we're done in here.
"Hello... dwarf. Nice... weather? We are having?"
"Ha! 'Tis indeed perfect weather for a dwarf, mild temperatures and not a chance of rain...though there is a foul odor upon the air, but that will be cleaned up soon enough!"
"M'names Emma," she mumbles "How's, uh, priest...ing... doing for you?"
He chuckles. "A pleasure to be meeting you Emma, I have a niece named Emma, quite the rambunctious little girl."
"Priesting is keeping me busy as ever! This lot keeps me conferring with Valaya on a regular basis, so I hope she doesn't get tired of me any time soon!"
"You seem to be a quite capable warrior yourself, I'd simply love to hear how you came to be a guest of the unwelcome inhabitants of this mine."
....
Myk-Myk looks at all the old familiar hiding places and finds nothing...
"Oh well, worth a shot anyway!"
The group turns their attention to the crack in the wall...Myk Myk doesn't like the looks of it. No Dwarf would abide such shoddy maintainance.
"Killed a bunch of 'em. I was expecting to go down swinging, but the big one told them to bring me in and started doing... stuff... with the shard thingummies. They didn't seem too please about it, to be honest. Why are you lot- ouch!" One of the 'shard thingummies' gave another twitch. Considering Emma is a paladin, it still hurt. A lot. "Myk-myk... do you think you could get these out of me?" Emma seems almost in greater pain having to ask for help, so it must be kind of serious.
The wounds look very deep, Myk-Myk. Emma's still in fighting shape due to her obviously indomitable spirit, but the stones that were forced under her skin by her rat-man captors has done severe damage. It's plain to you that this Emma woman has suffered a great many injuries that she's not admitting to, as well. To get her to heal, she would need to accept Valaya's embrace through confession. This you know as an experienced Priest of the Goddess. The cure to her sorrows is not beyond you; if you had some time to spend in a relatively safe place that you could relax. Hardly feasible here...
I wonder what's in this box? No time to look, especially after that issue with the thrall.
Olaeus absently wanders into the bunkroom and nearly walks into the priest and paladin. "Oh, Myk-myk, sorry. Thralls take a bit out of you." He raises his injured arm, "can you take a look at this for me? That disobedient vermin got me."
Morley, as you lean closer to the crack in the wall, you begin to hear a soft-voiced woman singing far off in the tunnels. Archepex's concerned expression says he hears it too. It's drowned out when Orlaeus begins talking to Myk-Myk further back in the barracks.
Do you hear that? A woman is singing down this way. Perhaps it is this Witch-Mother. Or it is another prisoner. Either way she needs to be rescued or slain.
They would have to drag their supplies alongside them and move single file. Anything bulkier than tight leathers would have to be stripped off to fit.
Emma looks extremely distressed when she realises she would have to take her armor off again. "Maybe we could... I dunno, lure the whatever's down there up here?"
"Sounds too soft for it to be one of the rats, but they've surprised me before," she says before realizing, with much the same reaction as Emma, that she'd have to take her armor off.
"You aren't really going to have us go down that way are you," she asks Morley.
Morley senses the hesitation of the more heavily armored members of the group. Mule could scout it out. I will act as a lure if necessary.
He's a bird, not a mouse. Archepex scolds. If we want it scouted, I'll go. That is my job, after all.
Morley hands the Monacle to Archepex. This might be useful.
Archepex takes the monocle and perches Mule on top of one of the bunks. He then crawls into the hole to see what he can find. His newly acquired sword leads the way.
"Killed a bunch of 'em. I was expecting to go down swinging, but the big one told them to bring me in and started doing... stuff... with the shard thingummies. They didn't seem too pleased about it, to be honest. Why are you lot- ouch!"
"Myk-myk... do you think you could get these out of me?"
Myk-Myk gazes deeply into her eyes, what he sees there troubles him greatly and the smile fades away from his face.
"It can be done, but not here and not now. Those are no mere surface scratches, the wounds are much deeper than I normally reach."
"Perhaps later we will find a place with the privacy and the means to find your cure. I wish I could be more help, I really do, but sometimes the cure is worse than the disease."
He no sooner says that than Olaeus barrels into the room.
"Oh, Myk-myk, sorry. Thralls take a bit out of you." He raises his injured arm, "Can you take a look at this for me? That disobedient vermin got me."
"Well, you know what they say, lay down with rats and you'll wake up with pestilent scratches!" he responds, the cheer suddenly back on his face as he casts a glance back to Emma.
"You'll be excusing me Emma, it was very nice to be making your aquantainance"
"Come now Olaeus, I think we're disturbing the scouts..."
He leads Olaeus out into the hallway and looks over his arm.
"That's a nasty scratch, better make sure it doesn't get infected."
"Valaya, blessed protector, cleanse this wound. Remove any filth and curses in it and in the body and soul of friend Olaeus. I pledge my soul to thee." Myk Myk holds one hand over the scratched area and makes the sign of the mountain home with his other.
The necromantic magic that was infecting your wound is purged, Olaeus, and your scratch heals. The dwarven priest's murmured prayer is answered. The ranger notes this, nods, and agrees to scout ahead.
Archepex, no sooner are you 5 feet in the crack in the wall before a loop of rope is wrapped around your leading wrist, ankle, and neck, and you are yanked rapidly forward. The stone on either side of you is rough and scrapes hard against your exposed skin as the ropes, which lead off into the darkness and are being pulled by agents unknown, drag you inexorably through the crack until you fall on your face. You hear Mule screaming through the rock, but the sound is muffled. Your sword clatters to the ground just outside the other end of the crack-passage, that the ropes yanked you through. You have deep cuts on the backs of your arms and on your face - take 1d6 damage that ignores armor from your rough treatment!
This new room that the crack in the walls led you to is vast. There's a gulf in the center of this cavern, and on either side are abandoned mining carts on rails. Some of them lead across the gulf on a natural stone bridge formation. Rapidly taking stock of your surroundings, you see dwarven mining structures left behind by their former owners scattered about. There are pillars that reach halfway to the vaulted ceiling, and you appear to be on top of one yourself. Nearby and below you, some 60 feet below at the base of the pillar you're trapped on, you see the culmination of a staircase. On the other end of the pillar you're trapped on, three giggling Skaven are preparing to push a heavy stone off of the pillar. The heavy stone is tied to the three ropes tied to you, elf. Even as you realize this, the huge boulder tumbles off of the edge of the pillar. The Skaven don't stick around in case your allies are coming - they open gliding wings from their backpacks and jump off the pillars themselves, using their momentum to cross the gulf in the center of the room and rush off to the exit on the other side.
Meanwhile, you're tied to a rock trap that's about to fall off the pillar and yank you with it. What do you do?
Those of you back in the barracks watch Archepex enter the crack, progress inside it a short way, then shout in surprise as he's ensnared. What do you do?
Gods damn it!
Morley tosses his bow to the floor and moves as fast as he can through the passage. He draws his daggers on the move.
Shouting curses, Hjalmar dove into the crack, squirming after the ranger as fast as he could "I told you, we should go down, but would you listen!" He shouted as he did so.
Emma turns to Dhice. "Get this open."
"Get this open right now."
Is there another route past the wall?
"Oh boy," Bathilda says, a look of not-amusement on her face.
"Try not to enjoy yourselves too much," she mutters as she quickly begins stripping off her armor and padding to follow Morley and Hjalmar.
Once she's down to the clothes she wears underneath her armor, she takes her new favorite toy and wiggles her way after the other two.
All right, I'll give that a success for 1 Hold. Good enough!
"Stop," the channeler says to Bathilda. He had been quietly watching up till now, but he can wait no longer, with Archepex in mortal danger. Stepping up to the stone wall, he places both hands on it, working its shape as if he were doing his duties as a stonecarver. It takes supreme effort and concentration, making sweat break out over his neck and forehead, but the crack widens just enough for you to squirm slowly though with your armor on. Meanwhile, Morley and Hjalmar are both already in the crack-passage, moving as quickly as they can to save their ranger friend.
The passage widens around the two of you through Dhice's magic, allowing you to move at top speed without taking damage from the stone scrapes, but unless Archepex acts to save himself in some way, he'll be already pulled off the pillar's edge by the time you can reach him! Let's see what our elf friend does...
Thankfully, his armor took the abuse well and he had nothing more than a few scrapes. But he is caught. Caught and tied. Like an animal in a trap. Exactly life that, actually. Archepex thinks quickly and looks for any jagged crevices in the stonework wide enough to catch on the rope.
Morley, Hjalmar, you both emerge from the other side of the crack passageway in the wall just in time to see your friend going over the side. His eyes are wide as he is pulled from your view, off the edge.
Archepex, you cast wildly about yourself, trying to find some way to escape the trap, but to no avail. The heavy stone's weight is too much, and you lose your footing and fall after it. It makes a loud BANG sound when it impacts on the stone floor. You make a smaller THUD when you land on top of it.
Take 3d6+3 damage as you land, hard.
Archepex does not move after the impact. Something was broken, he was certain, but all of him hurt so much be couldn't tell what it was. A gash in his forehead from his ride through the hole has also decided to start bleeding. All he can do at the moment is moan, so he does.
Bathilda comes out of the passage just after she hears the crack of stone and then the softer thud of Archepex hitting the ground. She rushes over to the edge of the chasm and begins making her way down as fast as she can.
A little faster than that actually.
Emma makes absolutely no noise as she smashes and grinds her way through the narrow channel. Her armor shrieks and whines at the abuse, but she remains deadly silent. Is that the exit she can see up ahead?
After confirming Archepex lives, Morley rushes back to Dhice and his discarded bow. He grabs the bow. That's enough Dhice. Morley waits for the passage to return to normal and together they rush back to the pillar, Morley dragging Bathilda's gear (if any).
At the edge, Morley pulls a rope out of his pack, secures it, and nimbly clambers down after his Monacle ... I mean after his friend.
I also try to climb down to Archepex.
Defy Danger (Dex)
It looks like I might be landing on Bethilda.
Just a PSA before you all fall off the pillar like lemmings - if you wait until Morley secures his rope from his adventuring kit, you can rappel down the pillar safely without a roll needed.
"By The Holy Throng!" Hjalmar half whispered half shouted as he reached Archepex just in time to see him tumble to what Hjalmar could only assume was his demise. Then the stone impacted below, well before he would have expected. Moving to the edge, he spared a glance at the rangers prone, yet thankfully twitching form below. "Someone get to him." He practically commanded, crouching at the edge and swiveling his gun around, looking for any targets in the cave.
"Valaya save them, here we go again! Never a dull day Emma! He says cheerfully as he goes chasing after them down the crevice. Once upon the landing he waits for Morley to set the rope before descending, he's well aware of the limits of his dexterity.
Once upon the floor of the cavern, he assesses the patients. This may take all they've got.
Archepex lands awkwardly on his side, making pain thunder through his whole body. He groans for a moment, his body barely holding it together atop the rock that the Skaven used for a trap. Mule immediately flies down to him after Dhice helps him through the crack in the wall (with difficulty).
Shouting with concern for her friend, Bathilda lowers herself off the edge of the pillar, hoping to get closer to the ground before she lets go. Unfortunately, her rigid armor gets in the way, and she loses her grip, tumbling down to hit the ground next to the huge boulder. She intended to fall, so it's not quite as jarring a drop as for Archepex, but it still feels like you broke something...take 2d6+3 damage, Bathilda.
Morley stares down at Archepex a moment, focusing everything he has on staring at the ranger's chest. After a tense moment, he sees it rise and fall - the elf lived. Racing back through the tunnels, the thief sets up a rope to lower down on and secures it to an outcropping on top of the pillar.
As he is making his way back to the crack, Grigor is looking down, but the sudden sense of vertigo hits him unexpectedly and he slips on a loose stone, falling down after Bathilda and Archepex. Take 2d6+3 damage, Grigor.
Morley, Emma, and Myk-Myk, with Hjalmar and Dhice bringing up the rear, rappel down the thief's adventuring rope to the bottom and immediately move to their friends' sides. They're all still breathing, but definitely banged up.
Archepex, ya think ya got enough wind in ya to tell that bird to watch my back?" He called down, warily checking his rear every so often.