Hawk sat hunched over the table with the rest of the motley crew of adventurers. "Meh name's Hawk" he said uncomfortably. 'Hawk...' he thought, such a silly name to be given to him by the Ranger-Knights. I guess it could have been something worse... like butterfly. Well, it was his name for now and he'd better get used to it.
Peering over the scribbled map he noticed creature names identified by the Cartographer; bats, flies, mushrooms, and possibly giants.
Dugal stopped in the doorway of the tavern before entering and slowly took stock of the tavern room and its occupants. Just a bunch of lost souls, he thought grimly before he relaxed and entered.
He hesitated a moment before sitting, waved to a server, and called in a voice as dry as a desert, "Ale!" A low grumbling comes from his stomach and he quickly added, "and a bit of stew if you got it."
Taking a seat, he nods at the sergeant then leans back nonchalantly, looking around the table, "Nice to be meetin' you all. I'm called Dugal."
The server, a stooped, slightly disheveled wall-eyed young man brings Dugal an ale along with a large bowl of steaming mutton stew with lots of root vegetables.
"Jus' made fresh yesterday," he mumbles as places it in front of Dugal.
The ale is a bit thin and has a strange aftertaste, but that's what you've come to expect from Fort Enterprise; everything done on the cheap and with not quite all the necessary ingredients. Out here on the edge of civilization, that's all you can really expect, and you wonder when you'll be eating so well again in the future.
Oothu gets up from where he was sitting by the fire and leans his spear against the hearth. He then makes his way over to your table and places a hand over his heart in greeting. "Hello, I am Oothu. I've been expecting you. We leave tonight?"
Buster on the way to Tavern makes a quick stop at the plaza. See If he can find Smelly Pete, and ask him about the beetle thing with the Governor.
Dugal grunted his thanks to the serving lad and quickly swallowed a mouthful of the watery ale. He is lost in his own thoughts when the Sergeant appeared at the table.
Nodding his head in agreement, "Tonight, works for me." He looks around the table to his companions, "If no one else has any objections." With a crooked smile he offers, "Why don't you grab a seat, have a drink? It may be the last one we get for a while."
Oothu nods to Dugal and pulls out a chair, adjusting his armor and weapons as he sits down. "Best leave at first light. It is full day journey to Underworld entrance and we should avoid travel by night, especially during mammoth migration season. "
Buster ambles over to Pete once he spots him, "Hey buddy. Sooo, is the governor and his vizier some weird bug worshipers or something. Cause the bee thing was kinda weird. I mean there are some holy warriors, down the way, but wanted to know what's up."
"Anyway, the governor seemed pretty straight forward, but I'm guessing you know a few things I don't?"
Pete shrugs at the question about the vizier. "Who, Galandigrius? He's a wizard, as far as I know, they are all strange. Or maybe the bee thing is just a southern fashion. A few years ago people were wearing dead birds as hats, live bees doesn't seem to be that much of a stretch."
As the conversation turns to the subject of the Governor, Pete chuckles, and looks around to make sure no on else is in earshot.
"Yeah, he's a mean sort. Would sell his own mother to Germite slavers if it profited him. When you get to get to the Underworld, by the way, just follow the trail of bodies. The Prince didn't sell his life for cheap, you know."
Hawks wipes the froth from his chin and looks up from is empty mug of ale. "Aye, our big friend is r-right. Tis best to not be travel'n at n-night whilst the herds are moving, don't want to run into any f-frightened wildlife unawares." Hawk says motioning to his bow. "Nasty varmints out there..."
Hawk raises his glass, getting the attention of the wench, "I'll be hav'n one m-more for the night, Missy." He then turns his attention to the buzz of conversations the locals are having, listening for anything regarding the Underworld.
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The definitely male server returns with Grayshadow's second beer, giving him an annoyed look before heading to another table to take their order.
The ranger hears a man talking about the Underworld in another corner of the bar, something about the old Beetle cities there and all the riches that can be found therein. Judging from his speech, he's already had several beers today.
After speaking with his superior, Bernum walks into the tavern to inform the others.
"The Captain seems to think this 'adventure' will be anything but, however, he has given me permission to join you. He feels that this will be a 'teachable' moment...whatever that is suppose to mean!"
Hawk raised an eyebrow at the word Beetle. He remembered the vizier's description of the rod and how it had Beetles engraved at the end. Hmmm. He thought to himself, I wonder if this rod belongs to the original inhabitants below. Perhaps the Crown Prince wasn't a bad seed after all. Maybe he was trying to return it... For ransom perhaps? Hawk shook his head at the nonsense and finished up his beer.
”Well vicar I hope you’re a fast learner,” Dugal remarks to Bernum between bites of stew.
"If switching out your eye for a bug one is fashion, count me happy to be dull and ugly."
When Pete mentions the princes selling himself, he perks up real quick. "Wait, wait. What do you mean by the Prince selling himself. Wasn't he chasing after his girlfriend's killer or new boyfriend or something?'
Pete shakes his head. "No, I meant that he hired serious muscle to escort him down there to kill that thing. He is not going to be easy to be killed, even by the creatures that inhabit the depths. You should be just able to follow the bodies of the things that tried to get in their way."
”Best be getting my gear together first light will be here before we know it,” Dugal announced as rose from his chair. ”Might look into picking up some supplies too.”
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"Aww, I thought this was gonna get juicy. Pete, come on. You got get me the good stuff", He complains as he was a hoping for something more. "Okay, I'll loot you something nice from one of the bodies that we find. But come on buddy, you got to let me know if someones hiding something interesting or at least if someone was banging one of the poor saps we gonna find dead. Anyway catch ya."
Buster walks into the bar and sees Dugal talking to the bruiser of a guide. He walks up to them and hears them talking about grabbing gear. "Hey, Buster. Running to our doom with you. So we grabbing gear? Are we raiding the guards stash? I could use a bow and a couple arrows..."
"Not sure we be n-needing any extra help. This journey is supposed to be of the sneaky-sort. Since we be the only ones that have these m-magic cloaks, any hirelings might d-draw attention to us.' Hawk said rubbing his two-week stubble that was now almost a short beard.
"Well f-fellas, I best be getting some sh-shut eye." Hawk said rubbing his sore back. "Two weeks s-sleeping on those jail cots will do a n-umber on you." Hawk got up from his chair. "See ye here all at dawn!"
Your dreams that night are filled with vague images of benighted caverns and eyes watching you from the dark. You seem to be alone, slowly walking toward a distant light far in the distance, but never seen to arrive. Just before you wake, you hear a growl from behind you as something jumps at you from the shadows.
You enter the main room of the tavern shortly before sunrise to find Oothu already waiting for you. He nods at each of you as you come in, holding his spear in one hand and a mug of beer in the other.
"I have been given a proper funeral by our wise woman. I am ready to go."
After a restless nights sleep Dugal wake before sunrise making himself ready for the journey. He arrived at the tavern and was surprised by Oothu’s words. ”Funeral?” Dugal asked with a weak laugh. ”A bit premature don’t you think?
Oothu shrugs. "I like to be prepared and few people return from the Underworld alive. Also can watch the women wail for me, which is something you don't normally get to see."
Hawk walks toward the tavern with his cloak wrapped around him trying to remove the morning chill. As he approaches the tavern door he lets out a deep sigh that carved strange shadows in the winter mist.
"Were you here all night?" Hawk says looking at the Barbarian with a crooked smile.
Oothu shakes his head and finishes the beer he has been drinking. "No."
Dugal smiles at Oothu's remarks, "Well, hopefully they will be just as excited when you come back alive Oothu."
After a night a raucous drinking, and another cavern nightmare that has plagued him since he arrived in this world. Buster crawls out from under his bed, and drags himself off the floor again.
He goes to meet the rest in the tavern, walks past everyone to get to some water. He chugs down a couple mug fulls, then turns to Oothu.
"So are we walking?"
Oothu nods at Buster's question. "Yes, it is a day's travel on foot to get there, and we won't be able to take any pack or riding animals into the Underworld with us. So we walk."
Having gathered all your gear, you walk through the massive palisade gates of Fort Enterprise and enter the wilderness, Oothu leading the way.
As you pick your way along hunting trails that lead through the low fir tree forest that surrounds the outpost, Oothu regales you in his low bass about his past interactions with the Underworld entrance.
"The area around the entrance is plagued by strange beings that have emerged from below, so keep your eyes open on our journey. Once, an invisible giant routed an entire patrol and devoured the soldiers one by one as they fled. The half-digested dead men returned to the fort the next morning. They nearly overran it."
“Did they tell you about the patrol sent to survey the cave we’re going to? Found itself face to face with a huge, floating, writhing ball of snakes. That’s a newly born Chaos godling. After scaring them all to death or something,"
Why do I feel like a condemned man walking toward the gallows, Dugal wonders as he trudges forward listening to Oothu. Finally he asks, "There must some who have returned from the accursed place?"
Having carefully stored the holy artifact he was entrusted with and grabbing a few more vials of Holy Water, Bernum is ready to go.
"The Underworld is a place unto itself! The chaos taint makes almost anything possible, so we best keep alert at all times!"
OH, this sounds a very lovely vacation spot...
Buster listens intently and tries to calmly run contingency options through his head as they trudge along.
"As someone who has been there Dugal, mercifully brief as it was, I'm with the holy man on this one. We don't even know what kind of magics that could be going on as we slip down into the deep. I just hope these fancy pills we got actually do something for that."
Oothu calmly guides you through the wilderness of Upper Mastadonia, a mountainous region of fir trees and countless lakes left behind by the last ice age. You summit a low mountain pass around noon, taking a short break to look down on a valley spread out before you that is decorated by what look to be the fossilized rib bones of a colossal creature (IMAGE).
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Hawk gazed at the valley's boney horizon while taking a bite of dried jerky.
"The valley of Tabor. I've heard tales of this place... never thought I would see it." Hawk blurted out in amazement. Turning his head to look at Oothu, he could see a solemn, almost saddened face on the barbarian that was usually hidden from emotion.
"Word is that an ancient barbarian tribe existed in these mountains long ago, perhaps before the great ice age. They flourish until one of their own tribesmen did the unthinkable. The story goes something like this. A young tribesman named Tabor, was not your typical barbarian. Rumors say that he was only 5'2" and very small-boned. He would be teased and bullied by the other tribesmen, until one day Tabor disappeared. Many years later a rumor surfaced in the tribe that they had seen Tabor living in the nearby caverns. Some thought they saw him gathering herbs from time to time. Many thought that the constant torment from other tribesmen drove Tabor mad. So mad in fact, that the insanity drove away his fear and superstition of magic. He was determined to find a way to make himself accepted... He would become just a big as the other barbarians... even bigger." Hawk looked backed to the bones that protruded from the valley's horizon. "One day, after many years had passed, a great earthquake shook the entire valley. The barbarians were astonished to see a colossal creature coming toward their village. The creature resembled something of a rabbit. Although the giant creature seemed gentle, this rabbit-creature's movements would wreak havoc on on the land, nearly destroying the barbarian tribe. Luckily, the creature was so large it did not have enough sustenance to live, and soon died of starvation. The remaining tribesmen, now saw this curse as a blessing from the gods. This rabbit-creature would provide meat, fur, and weapons made of bone for years to come. Some say Tabor's alchemy experiment on a rabbit went awry, and he was never seen again".
Hawk turned away from his companions so that they couldn't see him chuckle. His tall-tales were getting more far-fetched the older he got.
"Ha, fat rabbits huh. So do these tribesmen still roam these parts, or just oversized cuddly creatures with a penchant for dying?"
Buster chuckles himself, as they soldier on underneath the behemoth bones.
The group spends most of the day moving through the Valley of Tabor, reaching the gigantic rib-like structures just before the lunch break. Even though some of you are beginning to get hungry, Oothu urges you to press on until you are clear of them, looking over his shoulder more than usual.
Luckily you pass through the valley without any major sightings of giant rabbits, although Grayshadow does spot several normal hares in the distance.
Just as the sun is beginning to set you arrive at what Oothu proclaims as the entrance to the Underworld: a yawning opening at the base of a lofty cliff face that is fully 50 feet across and 30 feet tall. The area around the mouth is partially clogged with wickedly spiked briars that seem to thrive in the cool, damp, and peculiar-smelling breeze that comes from the cave. The briars are parted in two areas, obviously stomped down by the passage of at least one sizable group into the cave. Booted footprints can be found here, along with three-toed claw prints in various sizes.
Dugal slowly strokes his beard while he considers his options. Finally he recommends, ”Best we set up camp and descend in the morning. If ther be no objections I’ll take first watch.”
Finally he recommends, ”Best we set up camp and descend in the morning. If ther be no objections I’ll take first watch.”
"I will need some time to complete my morning prayers and observances. Perhaps I should join you on the first watch?"
”As you wish Vicar... as long as you don’t try to keep me awake with your preaching”, Dugal responded with a grin.
Oothu agrees that spending the last night above ground might be a good idea and agrees to take second watch.
The night passes without incident, although you are alerted when wild animals pass you suspiciously, but leave you alone.
The morning dawns cold and with fog, limiting your view to under a hundred yards in all directions.
My last look above gound for a bit, Dugal thought as he gathered his gear and peered at the fog covered countryside. Eventually, he muttered a curse and looked to his companions, ”Who wants to be first down the hole?”
"I shall lead if no other is willing. The favour of The Great One on us all and may HE watch over us on this, a holy endeavour."
With the prayer said, Bernum moves forward into the darkness. He stops just before entering and lights a torch before moving onward.
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After a quick meal to break the fast, the group moves into the cave ahead of you. The cave is natural, and quickly narrows and begins winding into the darkness beyond. As you turn a corner you briefly look back to catch a last glimpse of sunlight as you fully enter the permanent darkness below the mountain.
The twisting natural corridor continues for about 50 feet and ends in a large cavernous room with a high ceiling. A small colony of bats can be seen crawling across its roof, but seem to be busy with their own necessities and not in the least interested in you.
A six-foot-wide shaft occupies the center of this chamber, iron ladder rungs embedded into a roughly hewn wall. There appear to be no other exits.
”Looks like we only have one option, Dugal remarks. But a little light might be nice, he lights a torch and drops it down the shaft waiting for it to hit the bottom before he tries to descend.