I'm sure Gildreak and I can lift it... we just don't want to do it the hard way twice. Bracing it up after? Means that even if we're injured or dead, people might be able to wriggle under it.
”Makes sense to me.” Osseus puts down his pack and begins moving what loose stones he can, doing his best to find relatively flat specimens for easy stacking.
"I will watch the darkness for anything that might try to attack as you open the gate!"
Kymil moves so he can see down the corridor. He has his bow at the ready in case something does try to attack.
Emmet and Gildreak approach the portcullis and get the best grip they can on it given the circumstances while Kymil stands guard with his bow and the others stand by with stones to shove underneath it once the others get it off the ground. The two lifters count down together and then put all their strength into lifting the rusty iron gate. At first it does not budge, but then there is a sound in one of the nearby rooms, the sound of something metal giving way and the portcullis begins slowly to rise. After they have lifted in about a foot, the others jam in the blocks to keep it from descending again. At the edge of their stamina, the two lifters let go of the portcullis and it comes to rest of the stone blocks with a dull thud.
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"Give me a lever long enough and I will move the world," he paraphrases, "so maybe a sufficiently strong piece of fallen wood can lever the gate up, using a rock or another log as a fulcrum, and then you can shove those rocks under it to keep it partway up."
"Aye Knuckles and I can try!" says the dwarf.
At first it does not budge, but then there is a sound in one of the nearby rooms, the sound of something metal giving way and the portcullis begins slowly to rise.
”Did you hear that?” Osseus asks as he shoves his stones into place. ”Sounds as if the winch for this is nearby.” He eyes the space under the portcullis, then the shadowy passage beyond.
”I can slip under and try to find it - I’m accustomed to working in dim passages.” For a moment his mind drifts back to the labyrinthine tunnels of the temple - the comforting closeness of earth and stone, the dry warmth of the flensing chambers; the cloying burnt-sulphur aroma of the Altar of Deep Marrow, where no light had ever shone, and the most honored dead were laid into the embrace of slow-bubbling tar to descend quickly and safely within that molten, transitive element, down to the caverns of the Underworld and the presence of their divine mentor…
”Though I’m afraid I have more experience with the dead than the living. If there’s guards, I’m unlikely to overpower or hide from them.”
"Let me...I can see in this gloom and am pretty good at hiding and fighting if it comes to that!"
The thin elf easily slides under the grate and quietly moves down the hall to where they think the windlass is located.
Kymil shimmies under the barely-raised portcullis, making sure not to catch his bow on the rusty spikes along the bottom. Once through, he creeps forward and looks around the corner at each of the rooms that branch off the main entrance corridor. Although it is hard to make out any fine detail in either of them in this low light, even with his heightened elven vision, he does notice a winch along the wall of the western chamber.
Kymil moves toward the winch and will start to raise it.
Judging by its overall condition, the mechanism (winch, cable, sprockets, etc) have been maintained recently, but are still difficult to move. Only by exerting all of his strength is Kymil able to slowly start lifting the portcullis outside.
The main entrance corridor seems to split into two smaller corridors about 40 feet past the portcullis. Both smaller passageways have their own portcullis, but thankfully for your collective backs, both seem to be in the "up" position.
With the portcullis now raised high enough for everyone to fit under, Osseus lights his lantern while they await Kymil's return.
"Perhaps Emmett and Gildreak should take the lead, followed by Aiden and Barnabas, then Felder and I, and finally Ariadne as rearguard.. not sure whether the elf would prefer to scout a short distance ahead, or hang back to assist Araidne? Best to ask him when he returns."
If we put Aiden or Barnabas to the rear, they're just as likely to flee as to help should our front lines run into trouble.
Emmett lights up a torch then passes it on to one of the newbies, then draws his great sword.
Emmett lights up a torch then passes it on to one of the newbies, then draws his great sword.
Just a normal sword... but it's a sword he thinks is great, and straps on his shield.
Kymil keeps his bow out and trails the group by about 5-10 feet, ensuring that nothing sneaks up on them from behind, and keeping his dark vision from being spoiled by the torch light.
Inching forward, he beckons the retainer behind him with the torch to follow.
Best get some other torches lit, he says.
While Emmett supervises torch distribution, Osseus steps into each of the side rooms and shines his lantern about for cursory inspections. If these held danger, surely Kymil would have noticed… or been attacked!
Upon closer inspection by Osseus, he finds that they seem to have been used as a makeshift camp sites over a long period of time. Trash is strewn about both chambers and the remains of various fires can be seen, but nothing looks to be of any worth until he comes across a small puch that someone must have dropped. It contains a silver bracelet with a single red gem in it.
In the room opposite the mechanism that opened the portcullis, he finds graffitti written all over the wall, some of it in the Common tongue of man, and some in other languages he does not recognize. The writing he can read seems to fall into two categories: 1) praise to something called the "Earth Mother", and 2) various forms of "I was here" messages.
Knuckles moves one of the entrances of the 40 ft corridors, grunting at the newbies to follow...
Who the hell knows? I figure it's a place to start... wanna go first?
Kymil uses his superior vision to look around and see where everyone is before he moves into the bright light of the torches.
"I can go first and use my elvish vision to examine the room first...to make sure there is no one hiding in the dark to attack us!"
If no one objects, the elf slips into the darkness and lets his sight roam the space in search of any heat emanations.
The western corridor continues on for about 60 feet before turning a corner south, while the eastern one immediately branches in two again, one branch heading east and the other south. The occasional screams you heard earlier can still be heard at this intersection, although they still seem to be quite distant and seem to be coming from all directions further within the dungeon.
"What's down there?" He whispers.
"Well, shall we use the old rubric of picking one direction and sticking with it for now? Head off to our right, then right again?" suggests Felder.
"Someone should make a map."
Thanks for volunteering Felder, the merc says, with a grin that can still be seen in the torch light.
Felder shrugs, blows out his lantern, puts it away, and says, "Who's holding the light?"
The new boys, he says heedless of any offense they might feel.
He waves his shield towards the experienced Mercenary.
Her? She's guarding you.
Osseus leaves his lantern lit. Aiden and Barnabas are more likely to need their torch-hand for fighting than I. And should we face danger behind, it would be best if Ariadne can see.
”A sound strategy, Felder.” The cleric follows as the party heads down the passage to their right. ”How long has it been since the last dwarf set foot in this land, I wonder?”
The group carefully passes under the raised portcullis to the right and follows the corridor westward. After 50 feet it turns southward and continues past where even the elf can see in the flickering light spread by the torches. There are two doors leading off this corridor (all to the east), the closest being about 15' away and the next at about 60'.
You two entroposers best listen with the elf at most doors before we go kicking them in, he says quietly. You seem to have a knack for hearing things muttered.
Aiden and Barnabas creep forward to listen at the door, pressing them up against the ancient wood. Aiden steps back a few moments later, shaking his head. Barnabas keeps listening and then holds up his fingers, indicating he can hear something.
Barnabas stays mum but makes a symbol with his fingers of someone walking very quickly.
Given the fact he’s staying put, I assume that means he hears someone running - rather than signaling for us to run!
Osseus pulls his cape over his lantern for the moment, hoping to lessen any light that may be shining through the cracks of the doorway.
, meanwhile, draws his blade, slow and quiet.
The big man motions the duo to work the handle, and slowly open the door.
The two slowly open the door, trying their best not to make any noise. The door, however, has other plans. Being of considerable age, it lets out a loud, long squeak as the two immediately begin cringing and looking apologetically at Knuckles. The room beyond looks unlit and seems to contain seveal huge wooden tables overturned in the southeast corner. It seems to have been some kind of study, classroom, or library, as it is covered in thousands of scraps of paper scattered about the floor.
The room has no other visible exits and appears unoccupied.
As he hears the long groaning from the ancient door, Kymil listens in the silence that followed for any noises.
2-in-6 chance:
Kymil hears some light movement coming from behind the overturned wooden tables in the corner, as if someone were hiding there.
Moving towards the others, the elf whispers what he has heard, then he moves to cover the area of the tables while trying to keep himself out of the open....if possible.
Osseus remains in the hallway while Barnabas, aggravated by his perceived failure with the door, steps boldly into the room, ready to take on anything that might jump out from behind the tables.
The Mercenary strides directly towards the tables, confident, boots not exactly heavy on the stones but definitely no effort made at stealth. His shield raised defensively and weapon readied.
If no movement is made from the area, he kicks a table aside.
, torch held high and sword at the ready, blocks the doorway, intending to stop whatever’s behind the tables from running into the rest of the party in the hall if need be.
As Knuckles kicks over the table, a group of five red-scaled kobolds jump out from behind it, holding their hands up in the air. Two are obviously adults, but three are young ones, although not exactly children. The two adult throw themselves on the ground and begin to scream "Mercy! Mercy!" in heavily accented Common while the three children scuttle into the corner, clinging to each other.