Stauntram and Yamagata look through the pile of detritus, but it seems to be nothing but cave sweepings.
"A slight rise in the way ahead. Onwards we go, along this Devil's Highway."
Daivid follows behind.
The group moves ahead cautiously along the Devil's Highway. Due to its immense size, it is strange to think that this is a natural cavern, but other than a few place where the tunnel was expanded using tools long ago, it does indeed look like it was the product of geologic processes.
Twenty minutes or so later you see some kind of structure ahead that runs the entire width of the Devil's Highway. As you approach within a hundred feet or so, you can see that it is a fortified wall about 25' in height with two guard towers that poke up another 12'. Each of the guard towers is clearly manned, although by whom is unclear due to the entire area being backlit by a luminous, reddish mist that rises from behind the wall. In the center of the wall is a large metal gate with no obvious way to open it.
Due to the open nature of the Devil's Highway, it seems clear that the guards in the tower have seen you, although they have made no effort to contact you as of yet.
Daivid looks up at the guards and tries to recall what, if anything, they were expected to do before passing the towers.
We are not attacked yet... do we approach?
Daivid examines the wall, towers, and what he can see of the guards, but can't tell anything specific about the etiquette required here. Judging from the fact that the guards have not attacked, he presumes that they might be a toll point, since there seems to be no way to continue on the Devil's Highway without passing through the gate.
"It appears that we must, as we are continuing. Perhaps they know of the Prince."
Stauntram begins to move towards the towers.
As you begin to near the main gate you hear a voice call out in clear Undercommon (which Oothu translates): "Chaos storm predicted within the hour, please prepare the toll of 6 golden coins or equivalent Underworld currency and proceed to the gate."
I have the coin... should we? I have no idea regarding Chaos storms
"That sounds wise."
Stauntram ponders the matter of Chaos storms.
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"Chaos is a real threat in the Underworld. We should save those anti-chaos pills for when we have no better option."
You approach the closed gate and now get a better view of the guards in the towers. Judging from their height, they appear to be dwarves of some kind, but unlike any dwarves you have ever seen. They seem to have dark red skin the color of brick, are heavily armed and armored and sprout leathery wings from their backs!
One of the dwarves barks out a command from behind an arrow slit in Undercommon.
Oothu turns around to you and translates, pointing at a pedestal set at the side of the closed gate. "He wants each of us to put six gold coins in the slot of that pedestal to cross the bridge. Each one of us will be let through separately."
Daivid readies his coins and hands six more to Stauntram when he notices that the dwarf is short the gold.
"Many thanks, Daivid. I shall repay you when I can."
The samurai throws his coins in with nary an expression.
Lets seek shelter... quickly.
With the coins deposited, the group waits for the gates to be opened. A minute or so later another dwarf shouts down a message to the group before the doors swing open. Oothu quickly translates, "He says to move through quickly as there is a Chaos storm in the works and we should not be on the bridge when it happens."
The open gate reveals a 20-foot-wide stone bridge crossing a chasm from which foul green and purple luminescent vapors are rising. A noise like a hundred giant bees buzzing can be heard coming from somewhere far below.
The far side of the bridge has a wall and gate identical to the one you just passed through about 80 yards away. It seems to be guarded by the same dwarves you saw atop the battlements.
A group of a half-dozen humanoids seem to have just come through the opposite gate and are quickly heading in your direction. Due to the strange lighting, it is hard to make out fine detail from this distance, although they seem to be about human in height and build.
Maybe we could ask those travellers about our likely route?, he says steering their way...
"Let's go ask. Maybe one of them saw the prince," Daivid nods in assent.
As your group approaches the group coming toward you, it becomes clear that they are a dozen humans wearing some kind of brown-grey uniform that covers their entire body, including the head and has opaque goggles. They carry thin swords and some kind of device on their hips and are leading a blindfolded man ahead of them. You can tell that their uniform is designed to blend in perfectly with the rock of the local caverns. Judging by them moving to the far edge of the bridge from you, They seem to want to avoid interacting as much as possible. They do not seem hostile, but they certainly don't look friendly.
Hail!, calls the samurai taking a chance.
If you pass before the gate ahead of you, you may enter into a chaos storm... beyond there are black slimes and other creatures that you may need to avoid - perhaps we can swap information that may improve both our missions?
One of the uniformed people nods at Uchimasa as he passes and replies matter-of-factly. "Keep your wits about you ahead. Where are you headed?"
"My friend simply wanted to keep your informed. We are searching for the Prince who came by here on a mission. The rest of his party perished, and we would like to know if he is alive or dead. And what are you doing here?"
The man you are speaking with tilts his head in interest and gestures for his companions to continue ahead to the far gate while he stays behind to speak briefly with you. He stares at you for a moment from behind his opaque goggles then steps forward.
"A prince from the surface world? We have not heard of a prince and his party coming here, although this is the farthest east my team has been in nearly a month. Do you know what his purpose to descend here was?"
"He was here to lead a mission against Shaggath-Ka. One of his lovers was sacrificed in the Worm Sultan's rites."
You detect a slight change in posture at the mention of Shaggath-Ka. "Was the prince successful in his attack?"
"We don't know if he's alive or dead, and everyone else on the mission perished. Take that as you will. Do you have any particular interest in the topic?"
The man shrugs at Daivid's question. "It is important to stay abreast with what is happening in the Underworld's movers and shakers. The Worm Sultan has been a force to be reckoned with for centuries, and news of that possibly changing is always of interest."
He looks ahead to the rest of his group who are looking back and gesturing for him to catch up.
"I’ll give you one thing for free, though. If you are heading toward the Worm Sultan's realm, you're heading in the wrong direction. East of here there is nothing but miles of barren tunnel. His domain is to the west."
The uniformed man gives Daivid a quick nod before running to catch up with his companions.
Thank you for your time and information, Yamagata says bowing.
The samurai turns to his companions.
We should follow this advice, should we not?
"No reason not to. We didn't know where we were going anyway," Daivid notes. "But a pity for the gold."
The group turns around and heads back through the gate you just came through. The group of humans who passed you have already moved on farther west and are nearly out of sight.
The strange-looking dwarves on the tops of the gate's battlements barely look down as you pass through, gesturing to each other frantically as they close the gate behind you.
Moments later, the hair on your arms and legs stand on end. There are bright purple flashes from behind the gate and the sound of a great wind mixed with an unholy wailing grows in increasing intensity. It grows louder and louder to the point of being painful and shows no sign of diminishing.
"I'd guess that's the chaos storm. Let's run!" Daivid suggests, already acting on his own advice.
With your hands clasped over your ears, you run from the Chaos Gate. The Chaos Storm continues to grow to a crescendo for several minutes before finally beginning to subside. After you round a turn in the Devil's Highway, the noise lessens considerably and you are finally able to catch your breath.
As you look around, you see that you have found shelter in a small side tunnel that you had passed earlier that heads off in a southerly direction.
Good advice never hurts... West I think.
Your group makes its way down the Devil's Highway to the West, passing the turn-off to the long corridor you came in through with the body of the long-dead lizard still crawling with worms.
A short while later, you see another stone bridge up ahead. Much shorter than the one guarded by the strange dwarves, it passes over what appears to be a dry riverbed and is only 20 feet or so long. The bed connects to an entrance and an exit (on the north and south walls) that is about 3 feet in height and 10 feet wide.
The bridge appears ancient and composed of large slabs of stone held together only by their own weight.
Under the bridge, the riverbed seems to be blossoming with lush Underworld growth: mushrooms, vines, flowers, bushes, and all manner of other vegetation.
Daivid tests the bridge with his foot, and if it supports him, moves on carefully.
Despite its appearance, the bridge seems quite stable and capable of holding Daivid's weight. As he begins to move across it, he notices several plants growing in the the riverbed that look quite interesting, and that might be of use.
What do you see Daivid?
"Just some odd plants," Daivid answers. He picks one up and examines it to see if he can figure out its properties.
"Just some odd plants," Daivid answers. He picks one up and examines it to see if he can figure out its properties.
Daivid carefully climbs down into the dried river bed and takes a closer look among the many different types of plants and fungi growing there. He discovers several plants that might have some functional use: tree-trunk-thick vines that produce black pumpkins that might have nutritional value, a patch of spectacular iridescent flowers that exude a powerful fragrance, a patch of midnight-blue strawberries the size of large apples, and white lilies that produce a very stick resin. Each would take 1d4 minutes to successful harvest and might require some additional time to process.
Daivid also spots the body of a humanoid creature under the bridge. The corpse looks quite decayed, being mostly bones, but their equipment still seems to be in tact.