The chute deposits you into a short hallway that leads to a wooden door.
Uhtred doesn't see any traps.
Vetch casts light on any item of Uhtred's that he'd prefer.
Uhtred doesn't hear much of anything on the other side of the door,Uncle Good Good eases it open quietly, and you see that is opens into a larger underground room lit by a single, flickering torch. Through the gloom you see piles of small crates and more than a few barrels stacked up haphazardly on the south side of the room. Opposite you is a stout wooden door with iron bands, while the north side of the room is bare save for an iron gate set into the middle of the wall. The stench of smoke and damp dog hangs heavy in the air.
You hear a low chuckle from behind a wooden door on the far side of the room, followed immediately by a metallic clanking sound from the west side of the room. You see a metal grating begin to rise into the wall. Behind the rising bars, three emaciated dogs growl and snap, lunging at the bars as they draw up into the ceiling.
~+~Combat Round 1~+~
Vetch
Yellow
Blue
Uhtred
BGG
Red
Guldun
Vetch slides into the room, going to the far side and attempting to climb up on some crates to get a commanding view.
Vetch scoots across the room and successfully climbs the boxes.
Yellow and blue have to expend some effort to get through the raising bars, and use the rest of their actions to close with you as you enter their domain. They seem to be starving!
~+~Combat Round 1~+~
Vetch
Yellow
Blue
Uhtred
BGG
Red
Guldun
|
If that crate provides Cover, I will Sneak twice to hide myself from Red (Very Sneaky lets me Sneak even if I only have cover at the end of my movement.) It's a +6 if you want to roll in secret.
I'll feint at yellow when I get there. A critical success means it's flatfooted against all opponents until the end of my next round.
Feint
The last dog escapes from its pen and runs up to Uhtred. It nips at his exposed flank.
for
~+~Combat Round 1/2~+~
Vetch
Yellow
Blue
Uhtred (2 temp HP)
BGG
Red
Guldun
Vetch zaps the dogs with a jolt of electricity.
Vetch's attack scorches both of the dogs. Guldun moves into the room, Hunts the red dog and fires her crossbow at it.
for
The bolt skewers the dog, severely killing it.
Cornered, the remaining dog lashes out futilely at Uhtred.
for
for
for
~+~Combat Round 1/2~+~
Vetch
Yellow
Blue
Uhtred (2 temp HP)
BGG
Red
Guldun
That spells the end of the line for the last dog.
Uhtred, you find that door locked. Through a viewing slit in the door, you see a short hallway beyond.
It seems the companions have come through the encounter unscathed. Among the crates, you see the glint of 2 vials of lesser alchemist’s fire, partially covered by a burlap sack.
"Mr. Goodgood, please use your particular set of skills on this next door. I want to find who was laughing at us before unleashing the hounds on us."
BGG manages to spring the lock in less than a minute.
Beyond the door, a short hallway (remarkable only for the iron wheel set into its western side) leads to an area that appears to be a living quarters.
The living area is a mess, with a cot in one corner and a crude firepit in the other. A simple chimney leads up from this room, disappearing in the ceiling above. Bits of trash and a few pieces of gear can be found with a simple search, including a whetstone, a dagger, 15 feet of rope, a hammer, 2 candles, and a coin purse with 2 gp, 8 sp, and 14 cp.
All of you spot a sturdy chest hidden under the bed. It is made from stout wood, banded in iron, closed with a simple lock, and--to your trained eyes--obviously trapped.
This area connects to the larder, to the north, where scraps of old meat, a third of a wheel of cheese, a sack of turnips, and a barrel of
weak ale. There is also a crate of empty wine bottles in one corner. They are all of a good Chelish vintage and were probably quite valuable.
To the south is a lavatory, it is little more than an open pit, though are scraps of moldy food and bits of junk in the corners of the room.
Several of you spot a number of small, identical bottles scattered among the trash. Examining the bottles reveals they all have a silvery
residue in the bottom that smells strongly of iron and something else terribly acrid.
An open passageway leads off into darkness to the north.
A poisoned spine, spring-loaded into the lock, zips out toward BGG, but the goblin nimbly snatches his hand away.
With the trap sprung, it's no trouble getting the lock open.
Within are of 14 receipts that list transactions with Bort, though there is no detail listed about what merchandise was delivered. The box also contains 21 gp and 37 sp.
As you are examining the receipts, you find a scrap of parchment that lists each transaction along with a value slightly higher than that listed on the corresponding receipt from Bort. On the back of the transaction list is a crude map. It depicts a cave helpfully labeled “HIDEOUT,” next to a shape that might be a pond; from there, a winding
path passes through a strange V-shaped chamber before ending at what appears to be a clearing with a tree stump labeled “DROP POINT.”
Beyond the living quarters is a system of natural caves. Although the path is far from level, it has been worked to allow for easy travel; stalagmites have been cleared away in some spots and small wooden footbridges have been stretched over pools of stagnant water no more than 5 feet deep.
After about 10 minutes of travel, the passageway opens up into a large natural chamber, the center of which is occupied by a pool of brackish
water. Stalactites and stalagmites occupy much of the room, but a path between them leads around the pool and to another corridor on the opposite side of the cave.
When you enter the room, a strange blue glow emanates up from the pool, sending a cascade of shimmering light to the ceiling above.
Seconds after Uhtred enters the room, the head of a giant blue snake rises from the pool with sparks of electricity dancing between its fangs, while a metal, rattle-tipped tail pokes out of the water behind it, audibly building up a charge with every flick of the rattle.
~+~Combat Round 1~+~
Vetch
Blue
Uhtred
Guldun
BGG
Vetch strides into the cavern and fires a ray of cold at the “snake.”
Vetch's cold strike skips across the surface of the water, leaving a small line of frost on its surface.
The snake slithers out of the pool, lining up several of the party members. It flicks its rattling tail in your direction, and a huge bolt of electricity flies out, headed straight for the confines of the tunnel!
Just as the hair begins to rise on Uhtred's arms, the bolt suddenly grounds itself into the floor, leaving a charred, trident-shaped stain on the cavern floor.
~+~Combat Round 1~+~
Vetch
Blue
Uhtred
Guldun
BGG
Guldun Hunts Prey, attacks the snake.
for
She then commands Telly to move in to flank and attack the snake.
for
The ranger and her companion savage the creature, but it's still barely alive!
~+~Combat Round 2~+~
Vetch
Blue (-28)
Uhtred
Guldun
BGG
Vetch fires more cold at the snake:
The blast of cold from Vetch's hand strikes the snake and saps the last of its vitality. The strange reptile collapses to the floor.
You notice the body of a long-dead explorer at the bottom of the pool in which the snake was coiled. The body is coated in limestone deposit, trapping it in the pool. The pommel of a sword is visible at the belt of the unfortunate--it would take about 20 minutes to free the sword.
Vetch reaches out his magical senses into the water . . .
"No magic. But maybe it's a nice sword? I think we should come back for it if you're interested. We have someone to catch!"
The tunnel beyond the snake’s lair twists and turns for a great distance; it takes you 10 minutes to traverse it before you can detect a faint natural light up ahead, and the air becomes notably cleaner, smelling vaguely of grass. After another 5 minutes of travel, the tunnel opens up into a cave mouth.
The tunnel you have been traversing opens into a cave, and you can see a forest beyond the cave’s mouth. The roots of a large tree block the middle of this entrance, as if the tree had grown into a hillside that has since eroded away. Beyond the tree is a large pond; a path around
the water begins to one side beneath a curtain of moss hanging from the tree. The cave itself is piled high with two rows of neatly stacked crates and boxes.
In the cave stands a rough-looking man, bald and with a prominent scar running down his face. He is wearing filthy leather armor and wielding a nasty-looking kukri. You recognize Hallod from your encounter with him at the inn on the first night you were in town.
When the you enter the room, he hops up on a berm formed by the tree roots, aims his crossbow at you, and says, “I wondered when Bort’s lackeys would arrive. Let’s do this!”
Hallod pulls a small flask from his belt and drinks it. You can see his muscles physically swell and distend. He grunts in pain, then gives a satisfied sigh and fires his crossbow at Guldun.
for
Guldan hunts prey, returns fire, and commands Telly to attack.
for
The wolf rings into action, running toward the enemy.
The wolf triggers a tripwire just before it reaches the foe!
for
A spear flies from the wall and slams into Telly, tumbling the wolf. He lies on the ground.
~+~Combat Round 1~+~
Hallod
Guldun
--Telly (dying 2)
BGG
Uhtred
Vetch