Lukas sits on the ground and comes up with a deck of cards
Do you guys have anything to bet?
"One day...." - Akkramar mutters to himself, or maybe to the others - "One day to reach the next light" - and continues peeking outside.
Lukas played solitaire during that time
He gets up when the door opens
Finally! let's get the stuff and get out of here
"The elements still rage outside - the spirits are restless" - Akkramar warns Lukas - "We should wait out the storm"
Nothing's magical, what a dissapointment. Well, I'l check the axe then
Lukas sits down and studies the axe's magic until it's time to sleep
..well, you've heard him, the spirits are restless. You know I have a serious deslike for spirits
From his watch post, Akkramar stares at Lukas for a few moments - "I have seen you talk to the air Lukas - why do you that? You talk alone? To yourself?"
Lukas Laughs No worries mate, I just like to speak to myself, it helps concentrating, you see?
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Lukas analyzes the axe after concentrating and analyzing all the subtleties of the magic aura of the object Lukas figures out that this axe does:
- Swing+4 cutting damage (from being an exceptionally crafted weapon, not magic)
- Requires a minimum ST 12 (from the weapon weight)
- It's enchanted with a Seek Earth spell [Power 20, 3 to cast, time to cast: 10 seconds], with a particular affinity for dwarf-dug deposits.
As the snow keeps on falling you all start to appreciate very much how lucky you were to find this cave ...
Akkramar goes to the entrance from time to time, in one of those trips he spots a dwarf walking slowly thru the path, still far away.
Something seems odd in the way he moves, but you can't really say what at this distance.
"Someone approaches" - Akkramar grunts and hunkers down at the entrance to the cave - "Seems like a dwarf, but its movements are... Unusual" - he adds.
"You should douse the lights for safety - maybe it will lose track of where we are" - the half-orc adds - "I will go and try to gather more information" - and bolts off, pulling the wolf skins close to himself for protection.
The half-orc stays hidden, observing the dwarf approaching - is he wounded, or perhaps disguising...?
"Hail and well met!" - Akkramar shouts, bow in hand and ready - "Are you friend or foe?!"
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Meanwhile Seamus and Lukas's friend manage to remove some rocks from the collapsed tunnel.
It is clear that you cannot just take stones out, you have to be careful to prevent rocks falling over you.
So far, you were able to move 3 or 5 yards more or less. In the beginning, there were some "easy" rocks to move but now it's starting to take longer and longer and you are starting to believe that there is a risk of a new collapse if you remove too many rocks. You probably should reinforce the tunnel if you want to dig much deeper.
After Akkramar greets the dwarf he stops, looks up and squints his eyes and says Akkramar, is that ya?
He clears the blood from his eyes and continues By the beard of Reorx! If it ain't ya slag! ya survivin' that massacre dindn't ya?!
You recognize Ott Z’orto, a stubborn old dwarf from your party he's bleeding from a head wound.
Assuming I went close to Akkramar when he said someone was coming:
Akkramar, maybe you should go down and help him climb up. We grab the rope here and help you come up.
A smile crosses Akkramar's lips as he recognizes the hardy dwarf, and the half orc sets to work finding a place to tie, and then lower a rope in case it is needed.
"Well met to you master Z'orto - use the rope to brace yourself as you come up"
Akkramar, maybe you should go down and help him climb up. We grab the rope here and help you come up.
"We are not yet sure if he may be deceiving us" - Akkramar whispers back at Duncan - "Let us just meet up with him up here" - he adds - "Also, I am not sure how I can aid someone with a climb, unless we run another rope... Best is to just help by pulling him up?"
"Alive and well" - Akkramar nods, offering a supporting shoulder to the wounded dwarf and bringing him inside - "I could swear we had checked the field for survivors, but it seems not well enough... Come inside and let me take a look at those wounds"
Lukas keeps his distance, judging the new arrival
I know, I checked for survivors too - He whispers
Of course master Z'orto.
Make yourself as comfortable as you can in your current situation.
We'll watch over you until the storm is done, and when you feel a bit more rested you can tell us all about your plight.
Seamus subtly stresses those words with his gaze, just enough to make the dward slightly uncomfortable and soon resumes his pleasant manners.
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Z'orto enters the cave moving pretty slowly as you would expect from a badly wounded dwarf...
He gives the first steps inside the cave and then stops!
He looks around, clears the sweat and blood from his face and squints his eyes again ...
Gordul! but where are we! Dwarven runes?
He moves towards the wall clearly interested in the runes on the wall.
Well I'll be a bearded halfling! Could this be!
He moves as fast as he can clearly getting more excited and it almost seems his eyes glow with each rune he reads ...
He touches the walls and the runes as read thru them ... he mumbles and talks half worlds as he explores the tunnel all the way up to the collapsed passage ..
As he touches the stones he says Sandstone! They collapsed this entrance then gets back to the main tunnel and walks towards the entrance and says
Lads do ya know where ye are?
We figure it's a mine of some sort.
That's the Snownstorm Beacon right there. - Seamus points proudly to the beacon.
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A mine? Not a just a mine lad!
This seems to be an entrance of the Davihn-Karr mine complex. Davihn-Karr was a legendary platinum mine of the Zarakian dwarves. According to the old stories, dwarves would haul out platinum without end from Davihn-Karr.
Herrr, herrr lad, look, look he points to some runes "Three carts of three dwarves’ worth of platinum. Every third week, leave here for third crew to haul to the Halls of Davihn-Karr"
A cart per week of platinum from this entrance alone? That's amazing!
We have discovered one of the old entrances to the lost, legendary mine of Davinn-Kahr, this entrance has been collapsed and it will take a lot of hard work to clear it. And the tunnel needs reinforcement.
Arrg if we can clear it or find another entrance, a vast pile of platinum awaits us lads!!
"Yep, we already knew that" - Akkramar pipes in - "And master Z'orto, not to be harsh on you or anything - WE have discovered the entrance" - he grunts at himself and his companions - "And if it comes to that, WE intend to claim its finds" - then moves off to return to his watchpost at the entrance to the cave.
"You are obviously welcome to join us here in the cave, and we have already shown our good will. But do not let your enthusiasm jump ahead of what is fair" - he winks.
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He grumbles something and then says Lads I'm to hurt to discuss anything. But ye lads will need a dwarf that knows about the old dwarf ways to guide you thru the tunnels.
Unfortunately, me knows where me stands. There's a good chance me is not makin' it thru the night.
I'm gonna stay rright here a few days, me cannot go walkin' in this cold as me stands.
But lads, if the legends are true, there's enough riches in the mine for all of us and more.
"Like I said - as far as I am concerned, you are more than welcome to join" - Akkramar nods - "And I will tend to you overnight, so you will make it through"
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Akkramar, first aid heals small amounts:
+ 1HP and stop bleeding for the initial Bandaging
+ 1d-3HP for the 1st prolonged (30 mins) care
+ 1HP per week
This is for creatures with 1-19HP, if the creature has 20-29HP multiply this by x2 if the creature has 30-39HP multiply this by x3...
Z'orto clears up a piece of the ground and starts preparing to rest.
He lays down his bedroll and lays down.
He then takes a waterskin from his backpack and drinks a bit from it...
Lads I've seen a lot in me life. I thought me was dyin' tonight, but now! Me got to hold on a bit longer, till me eyes see Davihn-Karr ...
I guess our little experiment is done so let's douse the beacon and keep a smaller fire, something that doesn't light up the entire mountains.
Lukas, do you want to check out the liquid from the exploded cask?
Maybe it's a healing potion... Seamus looks intently at the injured dwarf...
Guys, while you take care of the fire and Z'orto, I'll be keeping the watch till is to dark for me to see anything.
Lukas replies but his mind is on another thing as he stares at the collapsed tunnel
I don't think the potion's salvageable Seamus, forget it
He lick his lips eyeing the tunnel No, thats stupid, we have to find a way to secure the tunnel - he paces back and forth - Good ideia, I'll check it
He approaches the rocks and concentrates again
So master Z'orto are you feeling any better today?
Any thoughts on how to proceed? Is there another entrance besides this collapsed tunnel?
Maybe we should check around this area, to see if we've missed anything
Lukas starts exploring the cave thoroughly
If the door is only my (player) imagination - which wouldn't be that strange in this party if it where my char :) - I help Lukas to explore the cave.
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Thank ye fer takin' care of me thrru tha night! I'm better but I'll only drag ye down until I recover.
If ye want to go after the bounty ye should go without me, I'll be here for a few days.
The entrances to the mines didn't used to have hidden doors, probably what we see is what's fer seeing.
That brazier, it says it's a beacon, dwarfs uses to light fires for orientation on the surface, specially if they had to travel during snow storms.
You don't find anything else of relevance.
Well then, I guess we're in for a bit of diggin'...
Seamus shrugs.
Master Z'orto, can you guide us on how to reinforce the tunnel as we keep digging?
Seamus gets to work, taking care to heed his instructions, if any.
Without guidance from either him or someone else who knows about digging and non-collapsation-of-tunnels-on-his-head, Seamus doesn't dig.
Thank ye fer takin' care of me thrru tha night! I'm better but I'll only drag ye down until I recover.
"No need to thank us. It is the code of the Wild"
Master Z'orto, can you guide us on how to reinforce the tunnel as we keep digging?
"Yes, that matters" - Akkramar grunts - "No point in digging, if no one knows how to shore up the area as we go" - he adds - "Our fate is not to die under the earth"
Do we even have the required materials? I'm no expert but we cant build a support structure with bones and straw...
I'll look for some easier entry
Lukes the spends a few... hours I would say, checking the walls, the ceiling and the floor with his clairvoyance. He's trying to find a side tunnel or cave that's nearer than the tunnel. He checks 5 yards deep, then 10.
When his fatigue gets low, he'll sit on the floor concentrating to recover it
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Ye I can guide us to clear tha entrance to the mine, ba if the Davihn-Karr mine complex stories are true this is just a secondary tunnel. If we can get tha beacon to work it probably will guide us to the main entrance.
Ay, ye right Lukas, the boards and wood in here will not allow us to go very far. Many of them are old and will not take the load.
I'm more tha glad to help us reach Davihn-Karr in any way ya choose.
Z'orto moves slowly thru the mine while checking the collapsed tunnel and the boards around and explains what rocks should be removed, by what order and as you advance he explains when and how to secure the tunnel.
The beacon seems to work fine. We had it lit before but doused it not to attract attention.
Since you're in no condition to travel and we have nothing much better to do here, I say we can keep clearing this tunnel until we run out of proper wood.
Hopefully by then Z'orto will be ready to travel and we can follow the beacons to another entrance.
What do you say?
"I will be out searching for a few - see what plant life exists around here which may speed Z'orto's recovery" - Akkramar informs the others, then moves off for a short search of the closest areas around the cave mouth.
I explore around the cave mouth also, with Akkramar, while I keep an eye on the watch.
Explore:
Watch
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Lukas you explore the cave and it does seem that the tunnel you are digging is the only exit.
Z'orto is more than willing to explain how to secure the tunnel, his eyes seem to glow whenever he talks about mines and mining in general. And does he talk! He doesn't stop talking about old mine stories, the hardships of mining ...
But with only Seamus doing the actual digging the progress is slow ...
During the day Seamus does notice that although Z'orto is clearly still badly hurt he seems to be healing quickly.
It stopped snowing but searching for herbs after a full day of snowing is not easy, you do not find any herbs.
You do not see any movement apart from the occasional eagle, rabbit and mountain fox.
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When Seamus mentions that the beacon seems to work, Z'orto gets ecstatic!
It works!!! the main entrance to the Davihn-Karr it's said to be one of the biggest mines. If the beacon works we should follow it. A lot of secondary tunnels where collapsed, especially the ones that were no longer viable.
But the main mine should still be open.
And for the looks of it, I should be able to walk tomorrow!