"If it's the story about the dwarf and the honeypot, I've heard it," I say with a straight face.
Avinar lets the hood of his cloak fall to his shoulders and his honey blonde hair casecades down his back after it. He chuckles at the Dwarf and the honey Pot remark, "Now-Now, lets not take this gift for granted its not too many times you get serenaded on your walks, I know a song, its an Elvish lulluby, come on my elf maidens sing it if you have heard it, Tristan I am sure your talent with music you will pick up the beat, Sasha you as well, lets celebrate the warmth of the sun!" Avinar lets loose a baritone voice singing a haunting elvish ballad about two lovers who force the stars to stay so their night of love never ends....
"If it's the story about the dwarf and the honeypot, I've heard it," I say with a straight face.
Tristan blushes, "Now that's not a story I would care to tell in mixed company, m'lady!"
When Avinar begins to sing, Tristan pulls out his lute and listens for a few bars before beginning to play. Even with the unfamiliar song, he manages to provide a complimentary performance to the elf's deep voice.
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Your footsteps lightened by the song and Tristans playing you step out towards the escarpment. The land here is level and,now that you have passed the headwaters of the river, much drier.Heather crushes beneath your boots as you walk towards the sharply defined ridge.
No encounters mar your progress as you move over the moorland and finally stand at the bottom of the escarpment.the ridge line stands some 200 feet above you a few badly defined trails running from where you stand to the top.
It being late summer thee are still a good few hours of daylight remaining
Tristan looks up at the daunting hike to the top of the ridge and decides this is going to require all of his attention. Putting away the lute, he waits for someone who knows what they are doing to lead the way.
Now that the weather has cleared up and everyone is singing (not that I understand a word), things are indeed looking brighter. Sasha braces himself to climb the hill.
Tristan gives Sasha a sidelong glance and with a little smirk gestures towards the ridge "After you."
I smile at the song Avinar has chosen, although I don't join in ... singing is not my strong-point. Instead I concentrate on keeping an eye on the surrounding and for signs of any other's passing.
"You are a skilled musician, Tristan," I compliment him when it is over.
Our singing should have declared our presence to anything within a mile, which is not a bad thing; surprised animals tend to attack. I eye the escarpment carefully.
"Our orders are to patrol the escarpment, not necessarily climb it," I point out. "We could do that as well from down here, and look for signs the dwarves have been trafficking up and down. What think you all?"
I'm not really a very good climber, and I don't fancy the sight of that ascent.
"Something else I should point out, we are on the borders betwixt their lands and ours. A few lookouts from up there could see everything below, and we wouldn't want to provoke them by seeming to invade their territory," I add thoughtfully.
Survival roll for Gashelle:
1d20+1: [4,1] = (5)
"Our orders are to patrol the escarpment, not necessarily climb it. We could do that as well from down here, and look for signs the dwarves have been trafficking up and down. What think you all?"
"W- w- we could s- st- s-* begin around h- here," replies Gashelle, really trying to plough through what she wants to say, "but I th- think w- we'll need to g- g- get up there and l- look around, e- ev- e-* too. At least o- one of u- u- us."
"Something else I should point out, we are on the borders betwixt their lands and ours. A few lookouts from up there could see everything below, and we wouldn't want to provoke them by seeming to invade their territory."
"N- Nor provoke M- Magister Ryg- Rygard." Once she says it. Gashelle smiles ruefully.
"I suppose, Gashelle," I sigh. "I think if the Dwarves had a trail up and down the escarpment, it would be more obvious. Perhaps a tunnel through it?" I hazard.
"At any rate, these are just game trails. Unless any of you is a skilled climber, I wouldn't recommend it. Why don't we press along the escarpment? Then we can find an easier way, and maybe a sheltered place to camp tonight."
Gashelle nods and continues on along the escarpment, looking up every so often.
Tristan looks back up at the escarpment again. "I support any plan that negates or delays us having to climb up that!" he declares.
Tristan looks back up at the escarpment again. "I support any plan that negates or delays us having to climb up that!" he declares.
"Seconded."
"Agreed then, let's go west for an hour or so, then double back east," I muse. "Tomorrow we can push further east, and then turn for home around midday, if the weather is good enough."
"Eltariel, I hope after that hour we are going to have something to eat, I am in need of sustinence!"
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For Eltariel
You proceed Eastwards the escarpement looks no easier to climb as you progress along its base nor do you see any obvious tunnels or gateways.
Tristan walks along, seemingly lost in his own thoughts.
"Well if anyone is skilled enough at climbing they might make an ascent here, but I'd rather pass on it myself," I point out the larger game trails. "I have a good fifty feet of hemp, and pitons, did anyone else bring climbing gear?"
Avinar keeps a keen eye on his surroundings
Perception Check.
I snap bolt upright.
"Did you hear that?" I ask of the others sharply.
"A rumble ... not thunder, something else ..."
I try to orient on the source of the sound.
"It's from this way," I face eastwards intently. "Something is happening ... I don't know what, but something."
"hmmm, what?" Tristan takes note of Etariel's concern. He takes out his short bow and nocks an arrow. "You think it's trouble?" he asks the Druid.
"Only one way to find out," I start back eastwards the way we came, attempting to keep to the bushes and to move quietly.
If Eltariel decides to go sneaking off , Gahselle isn't going to argue.
Gashelle catches Avinar's eye and motions to a position between the noise and the human party members. She unhooks her glaive and sets herself in a complementary position, closer to the escarpment. (In sparring with Avinar, Gashelle has recognized that he wants to move around his opponents, dodging their blows. His style needs more space than hers, so she's positioning herself closer to the side wall.)
She almost --but not quite-- forgets to check for opponents up the escarpment-side.
Sasha takes out his crossbow and loads it carefully, glancing around nervously. For the first time, he might actually have to kill something - or someone.
As the others take up positions for a fight, Tristan moves over to the treeline and finds a good place to hide.
Avinar's eyes glint mischevieously and he draws his exquisite blade, he performs a flourish and a semi kata like dance, hoping fo rsomething worthwile to fight....
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You head back east about a quarter mile and see a hole in the side of the escarpement about 60 feet up. Dust devils play around the hole which is about 6 feet in diameter..
It's obvious that something burst out of the ground here recently but what it was you can't tell. Whatever it was it's gone now.
"Everyone!" I bellow back. "Come take a look at this!"
Gashelle stares at the hole.
"I hope that w- wasn't our last member."
"Everyone!" I bellow back. "Come take a look at this!"
At the sound of the Druid's call Tristan, followed closely by the others ( ), runs over to see what she has found. Upon seeing the large hole in the side of the cliff, Tristan is taken aback for a moment. "Whoa, that is a big hole!"
"Lets take a look," I take the grappling hook from my pack and a length of rope. "Did anyone bring any more rope?" I ask, "I don't think this is quite enough. Avinar, you're better at this than me, do you think you can get this snagged in that hole?"
I offer him the grappling iron, a light-weight three-pronged hook.
"Did anyone bring any more rope?" I ask, "I don't think this is quite enough."
Glad to be of assistance, Sasha produces a length of rope. "Here you are, madam", he says with a smile.
Gashelle is scanning the escarpment face, the sky, and the area behind us.
"If something ... burst out of th- there, and it's not on the ground around here, then wh- where is it now?"
"Thank you Alexander," I knot the two ropes together, giving us a length of nearly a hundred feet in length. "There looks to me like there's a tunnel up there, leading into the escarpment. I think we need to know where it came from."
"Who's up for throwing?"
Gashelle is scanning the escarpment face, the sky, and the area behind us.
"If something ... burst out of th- there, and it's not on the ground around here, then wh- where is it now?"
That is an excellent question! Tristan looks around (Preception Check (1d20+5=13)).
Maybe it wasn't a creature though. Perhaps there was just some kind of explosion?
"Who's up for throwing?"
Gashelle shrugs and hold out her hand.
"Maybe it wasn't a creature though. Perhaps there was just some kind of explosion?"
Gashelle feels so much better now. Thank you.
Wisdom check:1d20+1: [5,1] = (6)
Nope. She hands the rope back to Eltariel. (Should Gashelle have tried a Perception check instead?)
Perception check: 1d20+3: [17,3] = (20)
Aha. There: above and to the right. Gashelle sets down her glaive and swings the grapple-and-rope over her head.
Strength check: Take 10+3 = (13)
Dexterity check: 1d20+2: [14,2] = (16)
And there we go. She holds the rope in her open palm and looks around the party.
"I'll go first", Tristan volunteers. "Does someone good at stabbing things want to follow me?"
Tristan climbs up the rope to the tunnel opening and peers in.
If there is no immediate threat apparent he will climb onto the lip and search the area inside the opening for traps.
"I'll follow second behind Tristan, I am a good climber, and better with my blade, we will need someone to guard while the rest climb up, Gashelle, maybe you come last so you can guard the bottom in case we are assulted from that end, what do you think?" Avinar scrambles up the rope right behind the bard.
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Tristans roll
The opening is definitely not natural as wooden props sit to both sides of the entranceway
The entryway is mostly cleared of rocks, though a few are still scattered down the passageway.Scrambling over one of these is a fairly large spider. It is headed toward the opening of the cave.
Initiative rolls for Tristan and Avinar please and your actions for this round.It will be a minor action to shout a warning to the others
Spiders initiative