"I was saying that I doubt we could afford a fine brunch," Kallie laughs, but allows herself to be nudged towards the indulgent brunch.
To Oldon, she says, "I'll tell you what, brother - you don't have to dig. But if we do find something worth the digging- you've forfeited your share." She winks before popping a last bit of toast into her mouth.
Though she is not precisely EAGER to dig in the crypts, she's willing. She tells herself it'll be like digging in the garden, just with less hot sun bearing down. Sure! After their brunch is finished and tools have been picked up, she is ready to start for the dungeon, and rolls up her sleeves en route, donning her gardening gloves to spare her hands some blisters.
"I'm okay with an afternoon of digging. I wish we had our approved paperwork beforehand, but it seems unlikely it will matter much."
”No worries," Hamarr says between bites. "I suspect Voslet and company are as reliant on us in this matter as we are on them – with the ‘family rates’ and all. Speaking of which – no need to drag our parents into this business at the moment.”
"Digging? Gah. Are we sure that's necessary? Ain't no one been down there in forever, I'm sure of it. And there might be nothing down there at all anyway."
He pauses on chewing his dark rye bröd to glance in concern at his eldest brother, but says nothing. Hamarr does however use his purposefully chewed toast to point and nod at Olden in agreement when the half elf starts speaking about pickaxes and shovels (his mouth too full at any point to actually speak).
"I was saying that I doubt we could afford a fine brunch,"
”Oh, I have a feeling there are more brunches like this to be had in the near future,” Hamarr states after dragging his forearm across his mouth as he finishes his mead. ”I daresay this bunch risk was worth it. If not, 'Allain' and I will have our work cut out for us.”
He takes up a toothpick and taps it on the table as if it were a pickaxe. ”Well, are we ready? Shall we?”
"I'll tell you what, brother - you don't have to dig. But if we do find something worth the digging- you've forfeited your share."
Olf says, looking at his teasing sister.
"Look, you say that, but I always end up doing most of the work," Olf replies fishing around for some ends of toast not eaten off his sibling's plates. "And I guess it seems 'fair' because you did most of the library research, but also, you *like* stupid books, and no one likes digging. I bet if we were a family of dwarves, we'd still be grumbling about digging. Digging sucks and is hard work. It's different than reading a stupid book."
”Well, are we ready? Shall we?”
"Yeah, let's go," Olf follows Ham's lead, wiping his mouth on his sleeve and leaving his napkin untouched. "Let's go get dirty."
"Look, you say that, but I always end up doing most of the work," Olf replies fishing around for some ends of toast not eaten off his sibling's plates. "And I guess it seems 'fair' because you did most of the library research, but also, you *like* stupid books, and no one likes digging. I bet if we were a family of dwarves, we'd still be grumbling about digging. Digging sucks and is hard work. It's different than reading a stupid book."
Kallie quirks a brow at Oldon's feelings on the subject. "I think you're confusing me with Gertie," she deadpans. "I don't much like being stuck inside libraries and I'm... indifferent to books, I suppose. They're useful, of course, and you can learn a lot from them. But I'd much rather be outside in the sun and the wind, cursing at the aphids eating my vines, than inside thick walls squinting to try and read... no offense, Gertie.
"I spend most of my leisure time weeding and tending a vineyard, Olf- I assure you I get my hands dirty too. I'll grant you that it's less back-breaking labor than the sort of digging we'll be doing today, but I promise you I'll try to do my fair share of it and not leave it all on your shoulders, however broad they may be."
She smiles at Oldon to take any sting from her words, and gives him a companionable punch on the shoulder. "Here, have the rest of my toast, I can't eat another bite."
A short time later, after some brief shopping, you again make your way into the Cypress Academy, and again into the Educator’s Guild wing. You loiter, briefly, as a student scurries past, her nose in a book, before again opening the secret panel. Closing it behind, you descend beneath the structure and into the prison. The worst stench really is coming from the decomposing zombies. Why, clear that out and the air might just be breathable.
Anyway, you make your way through to the stairwell, and get to work, with pick and shovel, buckets, and bare hands. You haul away the larger rock, and pick away at the smaller blockages, shoveling them to the corners. Eventually, near supper, you break through! Do you break for dinner and the night to continue tomorrow, or proceed immediately, stomachs lightly growling (though brunch was a large meal)?
Halvar peeks into the room or hallway beyond the blockage.
"We've opened the stable door so to say. I don't think it would be wise to walk away now and let a horse, or zombie, or worse escape."
"Let's go," Olf says, trying to get this over with. "Let's get to work." He looks around to see if anything has changed since the place was last dusted, first tho.
Perception
Survival
""We've opened the stable door so to say. I don't think it would be wise to walk away now and let a horse, or zombie, or worse escape."
"I was hoping you'd say that," Hamarr agrees, wading forward if nothing untoward is spotted by any of his wiser kin.
Oh, and I’ll note you still haven’t identified the fine masterwork cloak the sergeant was sporting. Much too fine a garment to have survived the ages down here - although perhaps it too was doused with unguent of timelessness, which is your current working theory on the chest, though that too is unconfirmed. A detect magic and two seperate spellcrafts if anyone has it - otherwise you could reach out to the Thaumaturgist Guild (link). There are usually any number of petty magicians who will do what they can for a bit of coin.
Gertrude gives her best shot at identifying the magic herself.
With a little magical sight, and clear understanding, Gertrude is able to determine the cloak is a Shield Cloak (link), but this one is a heavy wooden shield when tested. She’s also able to confirm that the chest (when you get back to it) is in fact being affected by the Unguent of Timelessness. So for each year that passes, only one day passes for the materials of the chest. Nice.
When you return, Olf reminds the party to check for tracks before entering. He, and possibly others assisting, examines the floor carefully. However no marks of anything substantive are found. Likely just some insect marks and maybe a rat or two.
The staircase is cleared, or cleared enough to get by anyway though there’s a little climbing involved. You descend further into the ground. It’s colder here, as it often is underground, and somewhat clammy - many of the walls are moist and covered in various underground growths.
The spiraling staircase ends in a small-ish room, 15’ across, with a passage heading further south. Down here, yours are the only light sources at least so far.
For no particular reason, when there needs to be a marching order, who’s in front and who’s in the back? I can muddle the middle bits around as needed, but the front and rear are sometimes special.
When the digging is complete, Olf readies his shield (or hopefully, his shield cloak) to lead the party down. He will cast Light as needed and keep an eye out for danger. Sunstroke will be in hand.
Perception
Olf will be in front.
Halvar tends toward the middle of the pack and is happy to have the front of the group wearing the shield cloak.
Aelin takes the rear position, allowing some space so as to avoid as much of the growing claustrophobia as possible. He bookends the WanderKin with his own Light, cast on a pendant dangling around his neck on a leather strap. The pendant itself is a crudely-shaped firefly.
Kallie stands before Aelin - not quite in the back, but near to it. She licks her lips nervously as they start forward, glad that Aelin has light to share.
Gertrude takes the middle, as close as she can get, leaving the van to the vanguard and the rear to the rearguard. Those most fragile in melee should always cleave to the center.
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"Oh, uh --" Hamarr says when the cloak is identified, slowly backing away from it waving it off. "That's probably best looking on someone else. Or Oldon."
~~~
Hamarr "leads" behind Oldon. "What is it? Do you see anything? Are we there yet?" he queries impatiently.
"That's probably best looking on someone else. Or Oldon."
Olf will explain what he sees, his left hand on his new cloak and activating the magics within.
Oldon rounds the corner, and sees a longish tunnel ending in a door with a pair of alcoves about half way along. There does appear to be some light coming from under the far door as if whatever lies beyond it is lit. In each alcove are beautifully done (well, they look good from here anyway) statues, though one of them has fallen from its high perch and broken.
You quickly discover two things. One, they're very, very small - just a couple of feet tall. The hallway and their perches make them look larger than they are. And two, that one half of each statue is carved as a beautiful woman, while the other half looks almost skeletal and rotting.
- - -
Once Halvar turns the corner, "The goddess Hel? Strange indeed. I've never heard of any temples to her. I think I would have been just as happy to have found this place belonged to a lich."
Halvar treads more carefully and observantly as they enter the space of the daughter of Loki.
"The goddess Hel? Strange indeed. I've never heard of any temples to her."
"I'll take your word for it," Olf says, moving up so others can have a gander at the god-ner.
He keeps his eyes open.
Perception
”’Hel’, you say... Figures…” Hamarr mumbles. ”I suppose that one just fell over by itself.” he says, pointing to the broken statue.
He moves forward with Oldon and inspects the door.
”Well, history being a guide, it isn’t trapped.”
He readies a gladius in one hand and the light mace in the other, then reaches around his eldest brother to open the door when everyone is ready.
Aelin hits the bend, and waits for his siblings to file pass, while also watching the front for signs of sudden activity. He is curious to set eyes on the statues himself, but he is patient, and will wait his turn to proceed down the hall.
"The plot thickens. Do we think that the statue worshippers were the same skulkers making zombies? Is House Tafaj home to a cult?"
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Gertrude is too busy admiring the statues to put much thought into who they depict. The news that they depict a god leaves her feeing much less admiring. ”The possibility, Aelin, has jumped up significantly. Whether it will bear out remains to be seen. The world is old enough and crowded enough that one group might inherit another’s former abode, or perhaps even share it. We may never know for certain, but we can always take on new information, adjust our odds, and always shoot for most likely. You can get through most things in life on most likely.”
As Gertrude examines the statue, and Halvar opens the door, the statue starts to move (because of course it does). Well, they both do, but the broken one is having trouble as a little stone arm tries to reassemble the whole. Without mortar of some kind, that's going to be hard! Too bad its fractured skull is haphazardly pointed at the wall so it can’t even see to attack with its one good arm. Instead, the arm flails around, trying to find something to squeeze. Easy enough to avoid.
The other however, attacks Gertrude - or plans to!
- - -
Oh, there’s a hallway, well lit with continual light, beyond the door, but as nothing is attacking you from there, I’ll leave a fuller description to later.
You all saw this coming, and react more quickly than the statue. Remember, tiny creatures do not have reach out to 5' - they must be in your square to attack or make an AoO.
Round 1, Init 15
Olf spins on his heels, dropping his cloak/shield, as he moves back to help Gertie.
"Ah crap! I didn't see that!" he says as he strides into position and swings forcefully with Sunstroke. "Get back, Gertie!"
to hit;
damage;
AC 16, touch 12, flat-footed 14 (+4 armor, +2 dex, sometimes +2 shield)
hp 10/10
Spells:
Combat:
to hit;
damage;
to hit;
damage;
Olfactions:
Good feet 3 per day
Anti-Law 3 per day
She'd tell her sister to get back, but Oldon's already done so. Kallie settles for drawing and loading her sling instead.
Round 1
I really should just walk around with the sword in here.
Halvar drops his bow, draws his longsword, takes a 5' step and swings at the non-headless statue. It's a strong swing but likely only takes a chunk out of the pedestal or wall.
Gertrude retreats from the battle as carefully as possible.
HP: 9/9
AC: 20/16/14
Saves: F2/R2/W4
Arcane Bolts Used 0/7
Spells Active: mage armor, total defense
0: (Detect Magic, Light, Spark, Prestidigitation)
1: 1/4 used (Burning Hands (DC 16)x0, Mage Armorx1)
Round 1, Init 15-
AC = 18/12/16
HP = 10/10
Weapon Equipped = None
Condition(s) = Irked
Aelin slips by his sisters, interested in getting a better look of the guardian statue. He looks over Halvar's shoulder to see it for himself. "Why is it always a shin-kicker? That's not an angry teapot. I wonder if the broken statue came to life, and someone like us snapped it in two." The half-elf claps his blocking brother on the shoulder. He realizes he's in no position to help.
"You've got this. Let your inner stonemason out."
”Aw..” Hamarr says. ”Why can’t they pick on something their own size?” Harmarr asks rhetorically.
He steps up and tries to shatter the pottery with his mace.
for
Halvar steps up and swings strongly but, as anticipated, all he manages is a chip in his sword for his trouble. Kallie prepares her sling for action. Olf connects, but only takes a small bit off the statue. Aelin also moves into position and shares an encouraging word. Gertrude falls back before the statue can get close enough to harm her. Hamarr delays and steps up, hitting, and a bit of masonry crumbles.
The statue 5’ steps into Hamarr’s spot, and tries to smack him with its non-shriveled arm - grabbing at his kneecaps.
And though the statue does OK, it doesn’t connect as Hamarr dodges out of the way.
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Round 2, Init 15
Olf tries again, attacking the wounded statuette.
to hit; +flank
damage;
to hit; +flank
damage;
AC 16, touch 12, flat-footed 14 (+4 armor, +2 dex, sometimes +2 shield)
hp 10/10
Spells:
Combat:
to hit; damage;
to hit; damage;
Olfactions:
Good feet 3 per day
Anti-Law 3 per day
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Round 2
Halvar wonders if he should just step out of the way and let someone else try. And, that's what he does. He moves to the back of the queue.
"Nice one, Olf!"
Hamarr watches in horror as Halvar chips anything but the statue with his sword again.
”Do you think maybe it is the scale mail? I mean – are you encumbered?!”
He takes a five foot step to fill the void Halvar has left and falls into flank with Oldon.
He swings.
Chip!
for
and
Kallie frowns. Throwing rocks into the tangle of bodies before her seems pointless. She'd need to be very lucky to hit-- and even if she did hit it, it looks like her stones might bounce right off.
Round 2, Init 15-
AC = 18/12/16
HP = 10/10
Weapon Equipped = None
Condition(s) = None
Aelin steps back to make room for Halvar's repositioning, before returning his attention to the new brother in front of him. "Alright, Hamarr, second verse, same as the first." The half-elf claps the younger brother on the back, a gesture of both encouragement and reinforcement.
"How hard can it be? Seems like it was meant to vex. Now if the rest of this place has statues every ten to twenty feet, well then..."
Olf hopes there are not more of these annoying statues around.
Halvar continues his bad luck, but steps back to make room. Kallie also retreats to give the fighters more room to maneuver. Olf hauls off and smashes the little statue and brings its short reign of terror to an end. The other statue, well arm, is easy to then crush as well. The statues have no valuables.
The door shows you the top of a long hall, ending in another pile of navigable rubble at the far end. Between here and there though are two more sets of stairs leading down. The first is packed with rubble. You're not sure how long it would take you to get through - it's pretty bad. There might not be a way through. The second... shimmers. The third hall ends in stairs down, once you're done climbing over the rubble of course. But there are two doors right next to you, so we'll get to the stairs when you are ready.
Where do you go from here?
"And don't you touch my sister," Olf growls at the smashed statues, a bit too late.
"You guys okay?" he asks the family, and then moves to open the door and examine the intersection.
Perception
"Okay now, which way next? And no one is allowed to say 'dig'. We're *not* digging."
"Good job, boys!" Kallie says, with a squeeze to Olf's shoulder once the threat is dispatched. She chuckles at his.... dig... about digging, then tilts her head to the side at the stairwells revealed in the room.
"Gerty, do you see that? What is it?" she asks her sister, knowing the arcane is much more her area of expertise.
Halvar retrieves his bow but keeps his longsword out.
"The shimmering doorway is interesting but shall we start with the closest door??
"The shimmering doorway is interesting but shall we start with the closest door??
Olf will open the northern door after giving the WanderKin time to examine the shimmering and get into position.
Kalendra walks down to the stairwell that shimmers and takes a closer look. From the smell alone, she can tell the pool is acidic - strongly so. The acid and water swirl together under a layer of scum, causing the shimmering in the flickering light of the everburning sconces on the walls. Likely not something you want to touch, but not pure enough to flask up and use.
You open the northern door to a well lit chamber with two more statues to Hel in the far corners. Though you're immediately on your guard, they don't seem to be moving - so maybe these are inert. The room itself was very fine once, but now it's rather worn and old. A once beautiful rug leads up to a lectern atop which is an ancient text. No doubt some powerful wizardry, or the knowledge of the ages, lies atop that pedestal.
But there's a problem. Some sort of flying creature - like a giant pale jellyfish with two long eyestalks extending from either side of its puckered mouth - is hovering over the book. It glances up at you in total surprise as you open the door! It rises up swiftly from the book and puffs out to look larger - though even then it's only about three feet across, and looks to be made mostly of air. You're having a hard time taking it seriously as a threat.
Come from distant stars to protect unprepared worlds from cosmic horrors, flumphs are jellyfish-like creatures that float in the air and hunt with acidic spikes growing from their undersides. Gentle at heart, flumphs understand that their appearance often terrifies viewers, and thus conceal themselves and observe neighboring settlements from afar, only revealing themselves when absolutely necessary. They also know full well the limitations of their fragile forms, and rather than directly opposing the horrors they seek to defeat, they prefer to recruit and advise heroes to tackle these dangerous tasks instead.
- - -
We’re not in initiative, but keep your actions to about a round to start.
"What the smurf is that?" Olf says, looking at the non-threatening creature. He moves up, activating his shield cloak.
”Alright, Hamarr, second verse, same as the first."
”But next time,” Hamarr quips, ”let’s make it even more terse brief.”
"Okay now, which way next? And no one is allowed to say 'dig'. We're *not* digging."
”Yes. But later maybe we can do some excavating. Digging is for criminals. And I don’t like the way that acid looks or smells.” He wrinkles his nose.
~~~
~~~
”Oh, look!! – an Airjelly Scholar. They’re even cuter in person. I knew I should have paid more attention in the 'Creatures that Inhabit Unconventional Architectural Spaces' class.” He approaches carefully with Oldon, his gladius drawn.
Halvar switches from longsword to bow and stays where he is.
"An Airjelly Scholar you say? Have I mentioned lately that I prefer being above ground?"
Aelin enters the intersection, giving a decently steady gaze in most directions, until he lays eyes on the jellyfish.
"It's puffing up. Isn't that usually a sign of defensiveness? Or is it more like when Oldon sucks in his gut when Flora passes by?"
"What IS that?" Kallie says, blinking at it, then at Hamarr. "A-- a what? an airjelly....?"
"....Hammar, if you don't know what something is, just say so!" she says, shooting Hamarr a little glare. Cautiously, she says to the floating.... whatever it is... "Ah.... hello?"
The creature turns a shade of color - a bit more pale if anything with a tinge of blue - before suddenly deflating a bit and bobbing up and down in the air very much like it's catching its breath as it largely deflates.
"I am not an Airjelly!" it proclaims forcefully in a soft wispy voice. "But I am a scholar." it bobs.
"Who are you? And do you have any meat? Jerky is fine... it's been an age since I had anything to eat!" it continues to float though it has shifted behind the book a little for cover.