The party awakes in the morning with Maqej on watch, nobody saw anything during the night. As the party is eating breakfast there is an earth tremor, a few small rocks fall in the cavern around you, but there is quite a bit of dust in the air. This is going to make finding old tracks more difficult, but should make new ones easier to find if you come upon any.
Let me know of any special actions you want to take, if any.
Perception and Survival rolls for the day please.
Despite looking, Dol and Char cannot find discernible tracks of any kind. However, after several hours of travel they both see something broken laying in the dirt near the side of the cave. As they approach they realize it is an arrow, upon closer inspection it looks like the shock arrow found by Maqej outside your complex only this one has been expended. You also see what can only be bloodstains in the dirt as well.
Any other actions before moving on?
Looking at the arrow thoughtfully, Maybe this is the calling card of Deadeye? Looks like he killed whatever he hit and there is no corpse. Curious.
Moving on...
"Or maybe something he hit got away or scavengers ate the corpse?"
Always the optimist Char; I like that about you.
You take a short break at mid day for some food and water but then press on trying to re-locate Ben's trail. The trail is dusty and you dont find any new tracks in the afternoon. As it approaches time to set up camp the cavern ends in a sheer drop off. The party can see a ledge about 50 feet below, then it another drop off, even with his superior darkvision Dolgrin can't see the bottom.
Whooo! That's a LONG way down.
See anything of interest on the first ledge?
On watch:
Next day looking for tracks:
The night passes and you find yourselves in the same situation you were the evening before. You don't see anything on the ledge. You find no tracks but your own.
If I could see a way back up, I'd almost be tempted to throw myself down there and see how far it goes. What do you think Maqej, Char? We could try the Halls again, maybe you could sweet talk Kiff and kin, or we can continue to track about in this cavern. Your call.
Why don't you drop down and check out that ledge. We'll pull you up if there's nothing there.
Do you have any rope? I only have 30'.
"I have 50' of rope. Don't worry we won't leave you stranded down there on the ledge." Char says with a grin.
Hands Char his 30' of silk rope.
Desna's watch over me..., he says and leaps down to the ledge some 50' below.
Dolgrin sees what appears to be the bottom about another 55 feet below his position on the ledge. Char lowers the end of her rope down to Dolgrin's position.
"What do you see?"
Doesn't look like much. It's about 55' more to the bottom. I don't see anything interesting. Do I?
Secure the rope; I'm coming up.
Nothing of interest, just looks like more cavern from the ledge. Dolgrin makes it back to the top without a problem.
Char to Dol: "So Maq and I climb down to the ledge, then you untie the rope and come down using your ring?"
Char makes it down to the ledge and looks up.
"Your turn Maq, just take it slow and you'll be fine."
~Before Char begins her descent~Hold on there lightning bug! Where are you going and why? I told you I didn't see anything of note down there and once we get down, it's going to be the devil to get back up. Unless you have had one of your 'visions' in which case let's get going. I was still hoping we'd find a sign of Ben or Deadeye or Maqej could go back and see the cave hillbillies. Heck, I'm still thinking about working through the undead in the Halls.
"No visions Dol, but I thought we were going after Ben? After Kiff sent us on our way, we found another one of those arrows like the one Maq found outside our complex where Ben was taken. Have you seen any side passages off this cavern since we found that arrow? I haven't so that leads me to think that Deadeye or whoever took Ben had to come this way, and either Ben is with him or he's dead. Either way I mean to find out. So unless you've got a better theory I'm gonna go down and look for Ben."
Looks at the hobgoblin dubiously, Well you must be a fair hand at math then, cause I sure don't see how all those things add up. What with all the dust coming down, who's to say anything came this way? We haven't seen a fresh track since Kiff and his people a few days ago and there are still at least eight or nine passages out of here that we don't know where they go. Maqej, what are your thoughts here?
I'd say, if Ben's our goal, the arrow is our best clue. I think it's too early to go back to Kiff/Keff. Let's see where down leads us.
Follow the team down, trying to help as much as possible and if I see anyone falling, grab them and fall with them so my ring can buffer the fall.
Need a climb roll Maqej.
Ok, Maq and Char make it down to the ledge. Dol unties the rope and jumps down.
There is nothing to tie rope to on the ledge. Dol can wrap rope around his waist and brace himself while others climb down. Need 2 strength checks from Dol and climb checks from Char and Maq. Char will climb first.
Not sure on mods?
Will add your CMB to your rolls Dolgrin.
Char starts down the rope and it is harder to hold than Dolgrin imagined as he constantly has to adjust to Char's shifting weight but she makes it to the bottom without any major difficulties.
Maq needs to make a climb check.
Hate it when it doesn't post my roll
Maq makes it down to the bottom next to Char. Dol quickly follows, jumping down with the rope.
The cavern is very similar to the one your traveled up above and continues in the same general direction.
You still have the better part of the day to travel if you want.
Perception and survival rolls.
Boy, climbing is not my favorite thing to do. I'm getting better though.
"Mine neither Maqej, my hands get all sweaty and I always feel like I'm gonna lose my grip on the rope and fall."
At Maqej-You are turning into a regular cave monkey! Next thing you know you'll start growing a tail and start eating lots of fungus.
At Char-Maybe if you lost some weight it wouldn't be so tough on you. Lowering you down this last time made me feel like I was back in the smithy shifting around wagons of pig iron. Whoo!
Dol and Char spot a few humanoid tracks during the afternoon march, nothing small enough to be Ben, but they were made in the last 24-36 hours.
As you set up camp for the night you all realize that the cavern has started to open up a bit, the ceiling is getting higher and the cavern is getting wider. There are also lichen on the cavern walls that are giving off dim light.
Char, any idea how deep under we are now? I'm guessing we are at the edge of the first layer of the Dark but these caverns are newly opened after all of the earth shakers. Where abouts was your tribe's domain?
"All I know is that we are somewhere in Nar-Voth. I think the quakes have changed everything, I do not know this place. Normal watches tonight? Me, then you Dol, then Maq? I don't know why but I feel uneasy, be vigilant."
Im ready!
Gives Char an appraising stare, YOU feel uneasy? That's not good...
Sleeps in his armor tonight.
here's mine
The night passes without any encounters but Dol and Maq heard the faint sound of drums in the night during their watches. Dol recognizes the distinct sound as those of Orc drums. Given the acoustics of the caverns the sound could possibly carry a long way but Dolgrin suspects that you are in the territory of an Orc tribe or very close to it.
As you move forward in the morning, Dol confirms his suspicions as he sees a tribal marking on the cavern wall, painted on the wall is a giant red Orc fist with blackened fingertips.
At this point the cavern completely opens, it is probably a 200 feet to the ceiling and a good mile wide.
Ooh, the Manicurist Tribe!
"Ha! We can hope Maqej, but I suspect the fists are red cause they are covered with blood and the fingers are black cause they've licked the blood off or some such sadistic nonsense. That's the way orcs think, if they take the time to think at all."
After a good chuckle at Maqej's jibe, Let's hope those orc scum are as tired as I am today after banging those dang drums last night. Tongs how I have that sound!
After sleeping in his armor, Dolgrin is fatigued -2 STR/DEX and can't run or charge.
Do I know anything about the clan markings?
Looking for signs of our quarry:
Dol can't come up with a better explanation than provided by Char.
Just past the orc symbol In the section where the cavern starts to open Dol is able to locate a partial humanoid track that is consistent with what you believe to be Ben's captor. This track is very near to the East side of the cavern. The cavern is basically running North/South with the group traveling
Cavern is too wide (a mile) to get good coverage while tracking. Glowing lichen allows you to about a mile as well, you see walls and ceiling of cave all the way across its width, you can see as far ahead as well but there is no end in sight. However the light is dim so it would be easy to go right by something or somebody at a few hundred feet without noticing them. This is bad for your searching but useful if you need to get past some orcs or something.
You wanna travel up the middle of the cavern or stick to East or West side?
Let me know and perception and survival rolls for all.
here they are
Up the middle.
The party heads up through the center of the cavern, as you advance for several hours you see that the cavern floor eventually becomes covered in boulders, some larger than Dolgrin. The cavern is also filled with pits, some of the pits contain smoking lava, some contain foul looking water, and others are empty looking. You all note that the smoke, the boulders and the pits make the area very easy to hide in.
Dolgrin has seen several sets of orc tracks over the last couple of hours as well as a few sets of worg tracks. All the tracks are within 24-48 hours old.
Do I have any idea about where the boulders came from?
How many orcs/worgs do I think are active in the area?
+2 only for the orcs.
No sign of this Deadeye character or Ben. Maybe we should hide out for a while and see where all the traffic is coming and going from? Hate to get caught up in an ambush out here.