Perception:
Germon you are able to successfully calm the boy down enough that he will look at you but he is still terrified of heading back into the water. You suspect that you will need to either magically remove the fear from him or drag him bodily back through the tunnel.
"We've got the boy... let's be off... whatever be down that tunnel ain't be another thing we need to take this lad into... if we do, he may get hurt, or killed..."I say to the others.
You all make it back into the other side of the tunnel heading back towards the exit. The water has risen significantly and you are having to wade back through hip deep water. All of a sudden you hear a rushing sound and the water sweeps you off your feet.
Everyone gets swept off their feet and carried down the tunnel you just left into the branch you bypassed under water. The water rushes down the tunnel and out into a very large chamber. Whoever had the boy is able to keep hold of him fine.
The wall breaks through into an immense cavern. The freed flood waters from the mine are spilling away down the sides of the cave, lost in the darkness below. As you begin to take in the details of the place, you realise that this is not a natural cavern. There are the marks of tools on the walls and floor. This place was dug out – from below. You are standing at the top of a set of steps, hundreds of them, descending into absolute blackness. You have no idea how far down the cavern extends, or how far away the opposite wall is. As the rushing waters ebb away, the silence of the place is absolute.
You all make it back into the other side of the tunnel heading back towards the exit. The water has risen significantly and you are having to wade back through hip deep water. All of a sudden you hear a rushing sound and the water sweeps you off your feet.
Everyone gets swept off their feet and carried down the tunnel you just left into the branch you bypassed under water. The water rushes down the tunnel and out into a very large chamber. Whoever had the boy is able to keep hold of him fine.
The wall breaks through into an immense cavern. The freed flood waters from the mine are spilling away down the sides of the cave, lost in the darkness below. As you begin to take in the details of the place, you realise that this is not a natural cavern. There are the marks of tools on the walls and floor. This place was dug out – from below. You are standing at the top of a set of steps, hundreds of them, descending into absolute blackness. You have no idea how far down the cavern extends, or how far away the opposite wall is. As the rushing waters ebb away, the silence of the place is absolute.
"Gods damn me eyes... That look propper nasty..."I say with a sputter of water from my mouth. Swimming never really bothered me much, but in either case, I don't fancy trucking through a darksome dungeon leading into "pits of despair" with a young boy and much of party still recovering from the battle, on some capacity.
"This needs exploring propper, I'd warrant, but now ain't the time fer it. We need good gear, and someone to be getting the boy home bloody quick safe. And while we be at it, let the townfolk know they got the making of a nasty maze o' tunnels undert their very feet."I say the last with a whisper, doing my best NOT to let my voice echo into the tunnel too much. If WE could hear voices, they may hear ours... but it needed to be said.
"Let's take the lad back now, then, if ye want, we can come back here. Personally I'd rather be off this gods damn island with a deck tilted under full sail and a score of bully-boys ready for action... but I'll settle on finding the truth to the mystery on what brought us here... like as not we'd be brought back by magic right quick wither we like or no, even if we LEFT this bleedin' island..."
I take the boy gently, and offer him a bit of food and lead him away from the series of stairs and the glowering darkness.
You all make it back into the other side of the tunnel heading back towards the exit. The water has risen significantly and you are having to wade back through hip deep water. All of a sudden you hear a rushing sound and the water sweeps you off your feet.
Everyone gets swept off their feet and carried down the tunnel you just left into the branch you bypassed under water. The water rushes down the tunnel and out into a very large chamber. Whoever had the boy is able to keep hold of him fine.
The wall breaks through into an immense cavern. The freed flood waters from the mine are spilling away down the sides of the cave, lost in the darkness below. As you begin to take in the details of the place, you realise that this is not a natural cavern. There are the marks of tools on the walls and floor. This place was dug out – from below. You are standing at the top of a set of steps, hundreds of them, descending into absolute blackness. You have no idea how far down the cavern extends, or how far away the opposite wall is. As the rushing waters ebb away, the silence of the place is absolute.
"Gods damn me eyes... That look propper nasty..."I say with a sputter of water from my mouth. Swimming never really bothered me much, but in either case, I don't fancy trucking through a darksome dungeon leading into "pits of despair" with a young boy and much of party still recovering from the battle, on some capacity.
"This needs exploring propper, I'd warrant, but now ain't the time fer it. We need good gear,...
You can see that this is no natural cavern. It has a flat floor and you can see markings on the floor but cannot really make out what they are from here. The outer rim of the room is in darkness because the lights don't go that far.
I nod sagely at the suddenly appearing coins... I thought so...
"In any case I be takin' the boy back now. Who be comming with me? I'd just assume let the town know what crawlin' nasties they got under their very feet, and get this lad safe... and; take care of the other,"I add softly, almost to myself.
"And fer them that be desperate to see what down here... there be time fer that later; mayhap after a hot meal and some rest, and the buying of decent gear to be walking the trek in the darkness below the earth,"
I nod sagely at the suddenly appearing coins... I thought so...
"In any case I be takin' the boy back now. Who be comming with me? I'd just assume let the town know what crawlin' nasties they got under their very feet, and get this lad safe... and; take care of the other,"I add softly, almost to myself.
"And fer them that be desperate to see what down here... there be time fer that later; mayhap after a hot meal and some rest, and the buying of decent gear to be walking the trek in the darkness below the earth,"
I nod sagely at the suddenly appearing coins... I thought so...
"In any case I be takin' the boy back now. Who be comming with me? I'd just assume let the town know what crawlin' nasties they got under their very feet, and get this lad safe... and; take care of the other,"I add softly, almost to myself.
"And fer them that be desperate to see what down here... there be time fer that later; mayhap after a hot meal and some rest, and the buying of decent gear to be walking the trek in the darkness below the earth,"
I nod sagely at the suddenly appearing coins... I thought so...
"In any case I be takin' the boy back now. Who be comming with me? I'd just assume let the town know what crawlin' nasties they got under their very feet, and get this lad safe... and; take care of the other,"I add softly, almost to myself.
"And fer them that be desperate to see what down here... there be time fer that later; mayhap after a hot meal and some rest, and the buying of decent gear to be walking the trek in the darkness below the earth,"
When you start to go back you notice that the hobgoblin women and children took the lift up and you have no way to go up the shaft currently. Hopefully there is a way out in the large cavern.
"It seems whatever gods or great powers in the universe are guiding us... they want us to travel across this cavern..."I muse to myself.
"Very well,"I say in a louder voice. "In that case I shall then continue with you all for a time... But, in the interest of keeping everyone pleased good enough, I shall be staying near the back with the lad... if ye got stealth or such, be my guest, move forward; I'll be following ye when ye give the go-ahead... And also stay up here to offer ye cover fire, if a villian attacks on the stone below,"I add as an afterthought and begin to reload my pistol.
The Slice muttering under his breath, squeezes the worst of the water from his hair, and cloak, and looks about for the sunrod. When he finds it, he picks it up and after making sure all his daggers are in the right place begins to walk about the chamber, as Lance speaks.
perception
Caels eyes grows astonished but then it fades, if questioned he says he merely saw something from his past. Since no one else has claimed it Cael will have grabbed the child and protected him as best he can. When landing in the big cavern Cael will kneel down as to be only a little taller than the lad and will say simply Boy, do you know how to handle yourselfas he offers his dagger to him. He then unsheathes his family blade and states, Stick close to me and i'll make sure we get out of this alive!
Cael will also look at the rock face they descended so rapidly from, Is it an easy climb back up?
Caels eyes grows astonished but then it fades, if questioned he says he merely saw something from his past. Since no one else has claimed it Cael will have grabbed the child and protected him as best he can. When landing in the big cavern Cael will kneel down as to be only a little taller than the lad and will say simply Boy, do you know how to handle yourselfas he offers his dagger to him. He then unsheathes his family blade and states, Stick close to me and i'll make sure we get out of this alive!
Cael will also look at the rock face they descended so rapidly from, Is it an easy climb back up?
Caels eyes grows astonished but then it fades, if questioned he says he merely saw something from his past. Since no one else has claimed it Cael will have grabbed the child and protected him as best he can. When landing in the big cavern Cael will kneel down as to be only a little taller than the lad and will say simply Boy, do you know how to handle yourselfas he offers his dagger to him. He then unsheathes his family blade and states, Stick close to me and i'll make sure we get out of this alive!
Cael will also look at the rock face they descended so rapidly from, Is it an easy climb back up?
Finding the child:
"Ah, excellent, child are you hurt?" Germon calms the child down, and Darnail quiets down seeing it working fine without his involvement.
Agreeing with Lance and heading to the exit, only to be swept away by the rush of water.
"Bloopbloopblooooopbloop"
Trying to be a dignified fish flopping on the ground when the waters recede
"well, that was entertaining."
Lance's desire to return the boy first Darnail nods agreement to, but the discovery of the missing lift is a bit of an unexpected turn of events.
"Amazing, a handful of hobgoblin women and children could work what two grown men were incapable of. They truly are a surprising race."
Resigned sigh, Darnail will stand in the back near the boy as well, once more using his Medallion for illumination as we tread back to the newly revealed hewn cavern.
"Shall we ask Logarth to look ahead, as he can see in the dark? Also, did anyone understand those words that were echoing faintly before? Thirdly, maybe all of you who stripped off armor may wish to put it back on, since it appears our swimming days are over for now?"
"Bout time you saw reason stay close and follow me!" Logarth pushes ahead of the rest.
Perception:
As you all enter the cavern you can hear the water receding away towards one corner of the room where what looks like drains were placed into the floor. They are much too small to enter in case anyone had the sudden urge to go down a creepy drain. You can see on the floor are written numbers in the undercommon language. Anyone with military training recognize the marks as mustering guides for army formations.
Along the back wall is a massive door. It is an arch 20 feet high, closed off with two immense doors of worked stone. These are engraved with ornamental scenes of battle. The craftsmanship is amazing, depicting rank upon rank of bald-headed warriors storming up from the bottom of the doors towards castles and other buildings at the top. You realise that this is meant to represent an army rising from below the earth to attack the surface world.
The doors are thrumming with magical power for any who look upon them with detect magic. You get the impression that these doors will only open from the inside.
Continuing around the room, you find a raised platform at the front of the room next to a small tunnel leading up into darkness. Upon the platform is a table with several papers on it.
Germon is able to translate the document that you find there.
Master Overseer, ensure that the following are in place:
All special weapons crates from the smithy, laid out according to division and commander
Chisel assembly zone markings into floor to indicate mustering points (remember, each enclosure to hold at least five hundred of our warriors)
General Ulsnurr’s personal throne (fetch from his chambers)
Complete access tunnel to surface
Prepare holding cells for important human prisoners
Make ambassadorial suite ready for the Most Honoured Allies
Attend to this with all haste. We have only ten days to prepare until the Legions of the Chthonic Alliance are destined to march on the upper world.
Darnail will stare at the papers that Germon translated, his expression growing grim.
"This is grave news. An invasion from the underdark bodes ill for this region. We need to find our exit quickly, and return to town to warn them."
Darnail will hold his hand out for the papers, since he is not a front rank combatant, though will not argue with anyone over who needs to carry what is someone takes issue of it.
"The small tunnel next perhaps? Logarth take a look?"
As you all enter the cavern you can hear the water receding away towards one corner of the room where what looks like drains were placed into the floor. They are much too small to enter in case anyone had the sudden urge to go down a creepy drain. You can see on the floor are written numbers in the undercommon language. Anyone with military training recognize the marks as mustering guides for army formations.
Along the back wall is a massive door. It is an arch 20 feet high, closed off with two immense doors of worked stone. These are engraved with ornamental scenes of battle. The craftsmanship is amazing, depicting rank upon rank of bald-headed warriors storming up from the bottom of the doors towards castles and other buildings at the top. You realise that this is meant to represent an army rising from below the earth to attack the surface world.
The doors are thrumming with magical power for any who look upon them with detect magic. You get the impression that these doors will only open from the inside.
Continuing around the room, you find a raised platform at the front of the room next to a small tunnel leading up into darkness. Upon the platform is a table with several papers on it.
Germon is able to translate the document that you find there.
Master Overseer, ensure that the following are in place:
All special weapons crates from the smithy, laid out according to division and commander
Chisel assembly zone markings into floor to indicate mustering points (remember, each enclosure to hold at least five hundred of our warriors)
General Ulsnurr’s personal throne (fetch from his chambers)
Complete access tunnel to surface
Prepare holding cells for important human prisoners
Make ambassadorial suite ready for the Most Honoured Allies
Attend to this with all haste. We have only ten days to prepare until the Legions of the Chthonic Alliance are destined to march on the upper world.
"Perhaps we can disorient them by destroying their markings and collapse their tunnel to the surface as to go down there a man short and with this young lad would be suicide indeed. But should everyone want I am just as ready to jump down as ever. I suggest that we look for away out."
Perception:
Germon will read the papers. He will study the names to identify their origin.
Knowledge:
"Perhaps we can disorient them by destroying their markings and collapse...
I was assuming that the huge doors with magical sealing would be where they came from/through, and that the smaller tunnel poking upwards off to the side from the platform would be worth investigating/seeing if it led outside.
I call down from the stairs...
"Is everything okay down there? Is it safe to bring the boy down yet, or found a way out?"
Again, stealth is forgone at this point. Noise has already echoed in these caves as they advanced... my shouting won't add to it at this point, or I don't think it will. Based on their repsonse I will either wait at the top with the boy, or bring him down to the rest of the group.
"Come down for now, there's another tunnel."
"Very well,"I respond, and the boy and I move cautiously down the stairs to the party.
Logarth once again takes the lead as we head down the other tunnel. "Hope this takes us out seems like we have a bit o' preparin to do to take out these drow invaders."
Perception:
You all progress down the tunnel and make your way up. The tunnel twists and turns a bit around large boulders and solid rock, seeming to follow a natural seam of softer material. Eventually you reach a large door approximately 20 feet in diameter. It is extremely heavy but after a moment you are able to open it and find yourselves overlooking the entrance to the mine you previously entered. You see the outside of the door you just left is cunningly camouflaged to resemble the rest of the hill.
As we exit the now "hidden entrence" I will take a moment to make markings on the side of the entrence and the entrence itself with a dagger. Just scratches, really. Even though we know it is here, such doors may not be easily discovered later.
I am not pleased, for we were forced to leave the body of the young boy behind in the caverns. But now, seeing the entrence to the mine, I supsect another party could enter that shaft and travel down and reclaim the body.
I turn to the others.
"I'm more for the sea and the city... but does any of ye lads have a talent for tracking? If them hobgoblin folk rushed from the cave, they may have fled to another hideout somewhere near by. And though we be taking the boy back right soon and mark what done happen with his folk, if there be another little nasty "surprise" hideout in them hills it may be worth knowing where the hobgoblin's fled to... But as it please ye, just making a suggestion to any with woodcraft."
Cael will say a short prayer and then lower himself to the earth checking for signs of passage, be they bent leaves, trails of blood, or impressions in the ground.
Cael will say a short prayer and then lower himself to the earth checking for signs of passage, be they bent leaves, trails of blood, or impressions in the ground.
1d20+5+1
You do not see any signs of tracks up here but as Lance said there may be some down by the cavern entrance. You do find the tracks of the women and children hobgoblins. They seem to be heading off away from the village and going south. You also spy another set of horse tracks that had come up to the mine entrance, stopped, milled around a bit and then moved off back towards the village.
Germon and Barrett will follow the others. "We must be cautious. I am curious to meet the authors of these notes. I wonder if they are reasonable folk. Maybe, if were lucky, they are at least civil. I'd like to at least try and talk to them."
"Daylight, a welcome sight, even overcast as it is."
Darnail will survey the scene after exiting the tunnel.
"We should look into returning to the town. However, i would like to recover the two bodies first and bring them with us as we go. It should not take long at all."
"Daylight, a welcome sight, even overcast as it is."
Darnail will survey the scene after exiting the tunnel.
"We should look into returning to the town. However, i would like to recover the two bodies first and bring them with us as we go. It should not take long at all."
"Alright, but we should give the village as much warning as possible. Also I need to show this badge around see if anyone recognizes it."
I hope it isn't the mayor that was out....
You are able to recover the bodies and make your way back without much trouble. The rain has started to abate, reducing to a light drizzle and you begin to see patches of setting sun through the clouds.
Once you get back to the village where are you heading?
Germon will turn to the group. "We should get the boy home first and then deliver the bodies to the local morgue and inform the families. I don't feel right showing up at someones door with the body of a child. If someone will assist me, I will take the bodies. We should regroup at the tavern to plan our next move. Germon will take one of the bodies and if no one objects, he will move on.
The Slice follows along behind the group, seemingly distracted. He keeps consulting a small leather tome, and then looking away and reciting things to himself, as though he is trying to memorize something.
"Lance, would you escort the child to his home while we take these two to the chapel?"
Darnail will carry the wrapped child's body and head with Germon to the chapel.
"After these two errands are taken care of, we should go as a group to the Mayor."
"Lance, would you escort the child to his home while we take these two to the chapel?"
Darnail will carry the wrapped child's body and head with Germon to the chapel.
"After these two errands are taken care of, we should go as a group to the Mayor."
Logarth will go to deliver the boy that is alive back to his family. While there he will show the badge to the family and ask if they recognize it.
(i see no reason why both could not go.)
"Nay worries, I'll get the lad home safe as can be, if he shows me the way... And any who want to come with me are welcome to as well..."
Cael will deligate himself the duty of recovering the other bodies as well as the gear that was left behind.
"Nay worries, I'll get the lad home safe as can be, if he shows me the way... And any who want to come with me are welcome to as well..."
"Perhaps you are right, after all you are a big boy."Logarth bellows out a laugh then with sterness in his voice and determination in his eyes says,"I think I will go as well perhaps they know who this badge belongs to and I myself do not know who to trust in this town as of yet, but figure someone just getting their child back may be a little more open than I have found many in this god-forsaken town."