Academics
WD
Brother Silvers heartrate finally begins to return to normal, and he takes a moment to look at the mushrooms, wondering if they might be edible. He always liked a quick snack after all the excitement... but found them to be of some species he wasn't familiar with.
Better leave those alone. I'm not that hungry yet.
He nods after a brief consideration, and reaches into his snack pouch for a handful of nuts.
As they're walking along the caves, MWG approaches Isagoras and tentatively asks him "You said my throwing stars were made of dark magic? But I only use them for good! How can that be?"
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Isagoaras takes up the question. eagerly musing upon his favorite topic of arcane arcanum. "The purpose for which the magic is used has very little effect upon its origin. One might use a sword to defend a farmer from marauders, as easily as one might use that very same sword to put the farmer's children to death.
But the sword itself is still made of steel; its blade is still sharp by use of a whetstone. Hence, just as the steel cares not a whit for how it is used, the dark magic that you use to slay thy foes cares not if the are good men or bad, simply that you have conjured it, and that it is injurious to soft, fragile flesh."
The scouts carefully move the caravan through the flooded chamber and out through the exit next to the waterfall. The purple mushrooms remain unidentified.
The passage soon widens out to nearly as wide as a road and you can begin to sense that you are very slowly moving uphill. You continue without interruption in this manner for the rest of the day.
Just as you are beginning to get tired several hours later, Grakkus calls a halt to the caravan.
"We're going to have to find a place to rest for the night soon. Everyone keep your eyes peeled for any side passages or chambers that might be big enough to let us rest while staying out of sight from the main road we're on".
After answering any questions, he motions for the caravan to continue, but is constantly scanning the occasional passages leading off to the left and right.
= 9, a Raise
Notice
XD
WD
Brother Abraham rises with a groan. He is not used to all this physical exertion, and is feeling the effects.
Lord Belros thinks about the purple mushrooms, wracking his memory.
And then he looks up...
Bizzle, scratching his head at Isagoras' last claim, glances down at his feet in surrender, before shrugging. Stretching his arms as he walks, his attention seems everywhere except the current moment.
The thought of sleeping underground for another night does not thrill Quresha, but it was what it was.
You find a side passage that leads to a small chamber that looks like it will serve you well as a place to bed down for the "night". Once you have moved the caravan into the chamber, Grakkus and Amelius immediately order you to take the packs off the mules and feed them, while ordering others to stand guard or begin putting a cold dinner together from the packs and backpacks for everyone.
MWG does as she is told, without comment.
Lord Belros very nearly swears openly at a realisation.
"D... Those purple mushrooms, I now recall them! They are Healer's Blessing. If mixed into a healing potion, they strengthen it considerably. Alas, they are behind us now."
Looking at the hiding place, he looks around as he helps get the camp in order.
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9
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At Lord Belros' enlightening statement as to the nature of hte mushrooms, Isagoras taps Moves With Grace and THE BIZZLINATOR and says to them,
"Beseems to me that we might fail for lack of proper sustanence and re-vigorating tonics, as much as through death by wounds. Hence, I would suggest the simple plan that young Moves might leap the chasm and gather the healing mushrooms, while Bizzle could hold a securing rope.
Thus anchored, even a fall would not prove fatal, and we would have a secret cache of good healing did misfortune fall upon us.
What say ye?"
"If they believe themselves swift enough to not endanger themselves, I say aye. But only if thus."
Brother Abraham assists with the unloading and walks about giving everyone encouraging words.
"We made it through another day... and one step closer to our goal. All is good and we shall soon arrive on the other side much smarter for the experience".
Performance 11
XD1
XC2
WD
"Grakkus and Amelius, could we pause for maybe 10 minutes to try and get some of those mushrooms? They could really help us if one of us gets wounded. And the more wounded we are, the less help we can be to you. Doesn't that make sense?"
= 9
"Let's get that rope around me! And I'd like several people holding on to the other end of it, just for security."
"Just a little bit of luck," Allysen says as she places her hand on Moves with Grace's shoulder.
You feel a surge of energy flow through you. Your feet feel more secure on the floor and there's this feeling that you could walk on the ceiling if you wanted.
Grakkus grumbles but waves you on to proceed.
"Hurry up, Lady, we don't have all day!"
Moves with Grace jumps across with ease and sticks to the slick wall, barely even needing to hang on as if her hands and feet were covered in thick tar or resin.
Less than 30 seconds later, she is back with the rest of the group with a large handful of the purple mushrooms.
Father Silver's words fill you with hope, especially when you realize that his is your last night in the caves and you should be reaching your exit the following morning.
The night passes with a few strange noises in the corridor, but no sign of your pursuing enemy.
Grakkus is already awake when you wake up the next "morning".
"I don't like this," he mutters, "they should have caught up to us by now. Everyone, let's get moving! Grab something quick to eat and let's be out of here and see the light of the sun again as swiftly as we can."
Allysen moves quickly as she readies the mule she'd been given to guide. Her hurried breakfast is just a piece of stale bread and some dried fruit. Grakkus' muttering does little to ease her own uneasiness about what may be in store for them before they reached the surface.
Leave it to a stubborn dwarf to think taking an abandoned road through this place was a good idea.
Grakkus' constant prodding and obvious concern make Quresha nervous, and she opts to eat her breakfast as they walk, chewing on pieces of jerky and dried fruit. She quickly ties the loads to the mules again, leading one towards the front of the caravan.
Lord Belros nods at the words.
"I too would see sunlight and trees again soon. These tunnels can turn deadly far too quickly for my liking."
You quickly pack up the mules and your belongings and head back to the main tunnel to make your final trek along the Old Dwarf Road.
As your caravan moves through the darkened passages, Grakkus quietly passes the following message through the group: "We will only be traveling for a few hours this morning to reach our exit at the Sunset Gate. The Gate is in a large chamber, a natural cave that was expanded upon by the dwarves who built this road several centuries ago. The chamber itself is split by a deep chasm, but there is a bridge across it; this is known as the Last Bridge. The Sunset Gate was the center of a small dwarven community back in the day, and the walls of the chamber are honeycombed with rooms and tunnels that once were homes and businesses. It is my guess that this area might be inhabited by the enemy. If it is, we should be able to surprise them as they aren't expecting anyone to be coming down the Old Dwarf Road. If we do, let us move as quickly as we can to the Sunset Gate. The Gate locks from the outside, but can be opened by a dwarf from the inside with the proper command phrase. Any questions?"
Yeah, I have one. Why in the hells did you think this was a good idea?!
Allysen manages not to glare at her employer, but it was hard not to let what was in her head come out of her mouth.
"None from me," she mutters and wonders if any of them are going to survive this trip.
"Are there any well-known ambush points on the way?", inquires Lord Belros from the rear.
A last stand? Only if I must.
"We should all stay very alert once we enter the large chamber."
Devouring a surprising (or unsurprising) amount of jerky for someone his size, Bizzle raises his thick arm upwards. A moment later, he realises his arm still barely extends over the saddles of the mules. Jumping a couple of times, he waves his hand energetically before the dwarf turns towards him.
"I got a question!", he announces, finally settling down. His brows furrow. "Are we expecting the Omani, or someone else? Kobolds? Trolls? Dragons?"
"Better pray it's not trolls. We might be able to reason with a dragon or fight our way through kobolds, but a troll or a whole troop of them is going to be big trouble for us."
Grakkus shakes his head. "As far as I know, the tunnels on this end of the Old Road are the domain of tunnel goblins, nasty, degenerate creatures with none of the refinements of their surface kin. Let us all be on the lookout."
With no further discussion he moves everyone to quickly continue your journey.
"You're joking, right? I mean, we're talking about goblins. They pretty much define unrefined, at least the ones I've run into," Allysen says as she keeps an even sharper eye on their surroundings.
The rest of the journey along the Old Dwarf Road go without a hitch.
MWG whispers "Everyone, I think we should halt! I smell smoke coming from up ahead. Shall I try to sneak further on to see what's going on?"
"I smell it also. Scout ahead, Moves With Grace, but be cautious and do not hesitate to bring us in."
"It's at least 100 feet away, if my nose doesn't deceive me." Quresha adds.
"Before you go..." She closes her eyes in concentration for a moment, calling a blessing of protection upon Moves With Grace.
Nothing happens.
"Ah, umm, I think he's busy." Quresha looks sheepish.
"It's okay. I'll be there to help if she gets into trouble," Allysen says as she hands the lead of the mule she has been responsible for to Isagoras and follows Moves with Grace.
Once they are close to the source of the smoke, Allysen draws her sword and a dagger. A few more steps go by, then her foot slips on some loose stone and she lands hard on the floor with a solid thump. Her blades clatter on the stone and their ringing echos through the tunnel even as the young half-elf begins to pick herself up with a sheepish, apologetic look at her fellow scout.
MWG slowly and carefully advances towards the source of the smoke :
= 11
And she sees...???