Btw, thanks for waiting up for me. I do like the way non-pressure way this is playing out for everyone. It really works for me, and I’m getting the feeling that it works for those of us in school as well
Having gathered your party together, you venture forth into the limestone cavern. Korb and Hek take the lead, while Ave searches for any traps or hidden secrets. Inside it is strangely dark and eerie, with Vidar's makeshift torch being the only source of illumination. There is no sound, save the monotonous ceaseless dripping of water from the cave ceiling, and an occasional whoosh of cold wind from the outside. The floor is slippery, and you have to slow down your pace to prevent yourself from slipping over and injuring yourself.
(Note: Being a Kobold, Korb can see even without the light. This fact can be useful in planning your strategy.)
After moving on for some time, you find a small lane diverting from the main pathway. Out of curiosity, you take the side-lane and soon reach a locked door. Ave tries to pick the lock, but the locking mechanism is not a conventional one. Vidar flashes his torch-light on the door, and a panel is visible displaying the following:
I am going to just try writing the letter L in the 2nd slot. I want to see if it functions like the previous riddle did where it only holds a correct letter.
I am going to just try writing the letter L in the 2nd slot. I want to see if it functions like the previous riddle did where it only holds a correct letter.
You write the letter, but nothing happens. It just stays there. Perhaps you need to fill up all the blanks first before something happens.
@RVNS This time you must place all the letters together. The difficulty will increase gradually as we progress further.
Then he writes, filling in the blanks: “SOAPS GIFT IS” Then underneath he writes: “DEATH BY HALLUCINOGENIC VINES”
“Aye, that should do it. Send a good, clean message ter all ye bathers out there. Ye needs a good dwarven layer of grime ter work as another armor. Aye.”
He walks up to the panel and writes down several letters to form the word ‘stalagmites’.
As soon as Grem (@Nimran ) writes the word, you hear a faint click in the lock and the door swings open with a jerk. You wonder who could have made these kind of intricate locking mechanisms in a cave like this.
1. A scroll of Charm Person 2. A bundle of thick, sturdy ropes 3. A pick-axe 4. A Teddy bear 5. 30 GP 6. 10 s 7. And lastly, a strange unidentified artifact. To identify it, unscramble the following:
DAWN FO IIMNNO MMNNUSIOG
What do you do next?
Hint:
You can investigate the room further, or you may choose to go back and continue along the main path.
"That's a WAND OF MINION SUMMONING, if i'm correct."
Francesco (@lolien ) identifies the strange artifact.
Wand of Minion Summoning
This powerful artifact is rumoured to have been created by Vanilla Forummaker. It enables the wielder to summon the mighty @Minion to aid them in their adventure. However, the kind of assistance that @Minion shall provide is unpredictable, hence discretion is adviced for the judicious use of this artifact, lest the wielder invokes great danger upon themselves.
"Well, I say we might as well continue to search around a bit while we're at it."
Vidar then proceeds to scan the area closer. He lights his path with the flare too see clearly. He proceeds with utmost caution, taking care to not step on or trigger any traps by mistake.
Vidar picks up the old Tome, and even though he cares nothing for necromancy and considers it a travesty on the natural order of life and death cycles, he is likes to study any and all.
"Anyone of you interested in this subject? If not, I'll skim it and stash it. Maybe it'll come to use later."
Vidar then proceeds to pick up the sturdy rope and examine it. The gold, cookies and pickaxe he leaves for the rest of the team.
"Stale? Or has the cookie been magically preserved? I wonder who has placed it here, seems almost childlike in nature, leaving a teddy bear and cookies next to a small gold cache, heh.. "
Vidar picks up the old Tome, and even though he cares nothing for necromancy and considers it a travesty on the natural order of life and death cycles, he is likes to study any and all.
"Anyone of you interested in this subject? If not, I'll skim it and stash it. Maybe it'll come to use later."
Vidar then proceeds to pick up the sturdy rope and examine it. The gold, cookies and pickaxe he leaves for the rest of the team.
“The only good thing about the dark arts is ye get yer kill yer enemy twice! Ye keep it, I’ve no need. The Silverbearded One wouldn’t approve o’ me raising ye lot or others ter do my bidding, even if it was just ter get me a butterscotch milkshake.”
Hek is going to examine the Teddy Bear. “I wonder where this came from? Sitting next to a pickaxe of all things!”
You examine the Teddy Bear, but apparently there is nothing special about it. You squeeze it, and it gives a "Paah-Pooh!" sound like all normal soft-toys.
Vidar then proceeds to pick up the sturdy rope and examine it. The gold, cookies and pickaxe he leaves for the rest of the team.
The rope is quite sturdy and flexible. You stretch it hard, but it doesn't break. It can prove highly useful in many cases.
So, are you folks taking all the loot, or are you leaving something back?
You continue examining the room, but don't find anything special. Nevertheless, you wonder how this room came to be in the first place. Maybe someone intelligent lifeforms dwell in the darkness of these caverns.
After collecting the required things, you go back to the main path and continue. It is dark and still as before. However, after progressing a bit further, you find that the cavern floor slopes down in a depression.
Korb notices something huge moving slowly faraway in the dark, at least a fifty foot away in the depressed region. Whatever it is, it doesn't appear to have noticed your presence yet. You don't know what it is. It can be anything.
What do you do?
Hint: The Dungeoneer's First Rule of Thumb: "Brute force is not always the best solution."
Creeping slowly towards the large creature, Korb reaches nearly twenty feet away from it. Now, he can see what it is. It's an.... OGRE!!
But wait! There's something different about it. You see that the ogre is wearing a large diaper, and has a big, pink bonnet tied with laces on his cheeks. Suddenly he notices Korb, but oddly enough, he doesn't attack. He gazes at Korb intently for some time, and then says in a playful voice: "Aagoo! Aa-gu-gu-gu-gu-gu-goo?"
*Korb creeps back to the party* "So, you are not going to believe this. Incidentally, I believe I have found a use for the teddy bear. We have a baby ogre, or really, an ogre dressed like and acting like a baby. It noticed me, but didn't seem hostile."
@Rik_Kirtaniya I was thinking either an Umber Hulk, or a creature I didn't know of.
“Bah! Ye wants ter baby an ogre?? What kind of sissy world do ye live in?! Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t go over there right now and bust its kneecaps into powder!”
Finally, after much unsurety of what to do, you decide to give the Teddy bear to the strange ogre, along with a . You approach him carefully, taking care not to scare him. He looks at you as you come closer, and as you lift up the Teddy Bear, he stares at it with astonishment, his mouth open (with thick drool oozing out of it), and he says, "Booga! Teddy! Aa-gu-gu-gu-gu-gu-goo…"
Taking the Teddy Bear from your hand, he scampers away joyously, jumping in excitement at having found a new toy. This causes the cave floor to shake dangerously, and there is an avalanche of heavy boulders. You barely dodge them as they come rolling down the slope from where you descended into this depression. They hit the cave wall on the other side with a tremendous crash! Surprisingly, that causes a part of the wall to collapse, opening a new passage.
You think you can hear some mechanical sounds coming from the newly collapsed path. You must approach with caution.
As you move on, you hear an otherworldly voice whispering in the wind: "You must gather your party before venturing forth."
Well everyone, I think I'll now have to temporarily cast Timestop on this adventure for some time. As I told you all earlier, my Entrance Exam is on this Sunday, and I must focus on it now. I might have been able to just make the story move on, but it wouldn't be enjoyable if I do it half-heartedly. If I'm doing something, I'd like to deliver my best efforts in it. I'll continue our adventure immediately after my Exam gets over on the 6th of May. I trust you'll have patience. You've all been wonderful, and I must thank you all for making this adventure a success.
Comments
(Note: Being a Kobold, Korb can see even without the light. This fact can be useful in planning your strategy.)
After moving on for some time, you find a small lane diverting from the main pathway. Out of curiosity, you take the side-lane and soon reach a locked door. Ave tries to pick the lock, but the locking mechanism is not a conventional one. Vidar flashes his torch-light on the door, and a panel is visible displaying the following:
S __ A __ __ G __ __ T __ S
Maybe this is another password?
What do you do?
“Hmm... scare... seal... seat... shade... shame... shake... share... shape... shale... sharp... shave... soap... SOAP!!”
Then he writes, filling in the blanks: “SOAPS GIFT IS”
Then underneath he writes: “DEATH BY HALLUCINOGENIC VINES”
“Aye, that should do it. Send a good, clean message ter all ye bathers out there. Ye needs a good dwarven layer of grime ter work as another armor. Aye.”
He walks up to the panel and writes down several letters to form the word ‘stalagmites’.
Inside, as expected, you find a number of items:
1. A scroll of Charm Person
2. A bundle of thick, sturdy ropes
3. A pick-axe
4. A Teddy bear
5. 30 GP
6. 10
7. And lastly, a strange unidentified artifact. To identify it, unscramble the following:
What do you do next?
"I feel we do either big harm or big help with disturbing these items. It would be good to know which. I don't want to became a mundane thief."
Wand of Minion Summoning
This powerful artifact is rumoured to have been created by Vanilla Forummaker. It enables the wielder to summon the mighty @Minion to aid them in their adventure. However, the kind of assistance that @Minion shall provide is unpredictable, hence discretion is adviced for the judicious use of this artifact, lest the wielder invokes great danger upon themselves.
Now, you must decide what to do next.
Vidar then proceeds to scan the area closer. He lights his path with the flare too see clearly. He proceeds with utmost caution, taking care to not step on or trigger any traps by mistake.
Necromancy for Beginners
by Dr. Ogbefun
M.Wiz., D.Nec., Fellow of the Association for Twisted Magic (ATM)
“I wonder where this came from? Sitting next to a pickaxe of all things!”
Then Hek will assist Vidar in examining the room, studying the construction for hints of its origin.
"Anyone of you interested in this subject? If not, I'll skim it and stash it. Maybe it'll come to use later."
Vidar then proceeds to pick up the sturdy rope and examine it. The gold, cookies and pickaxe he leaves for the rest of the team.
Francesco bites in one of the cookie.
"Grem, a nibble?"
You continue examining the room, but don't find anything special. Nevertheless, you wonder how this room came to be in the first place. Maybe someone intelligent lifeforms dwell in the darkness of these caverns.
After collecting the required things, you go back to the main path and continue. It is dark and still as before. However, after progressing a bit further, you find that the cavern floor slopes down in a depression.
Korb notices something huge moving slowly faraway in the dark, at least a fifty foot away in the depressed region. Whatever it is, it doesn't appear to have noticed your presence yet. You don't know what it is. It can be anything.
What do you do?
The Dungeoneer's First Rule of Thumb: "Brute force is not always the best solution."
*Korb drops into a near crawl and quietly and very slowly scouts ahead to get a better view*
But wait! There's something different about it. You see that the ogre is wearing a large diaper, and has a big, pink bonnet tied with laces on his cheeks. Suddenly he notices Korb, but oddly enough, he doesn't attack. He gazes at Korb intently for some time, and then says in a playful voice: "Aagoo! Aa-gu-gu-gu-gu-gu-goo?"
“Korb, maybe handover a cookie and the teddy bear to the ogre ? Let’s see if we can all be friends with the baby ogre.”
“If that doesn’t work then maybe we can find a way to tie it up with this strong rope. I wouldn’t want to have to end its life, baby or no baby.”
Taking the Teddy Bear from your hand, he scampers away joyously, jumping in excitement at having found a new toy. This causes the cave floor to shake dangerously, and there is an avalanche of heavy boulders. You barely dodge them as they come rolling down the slope from where you descended into this depression. They hit the cave wall on the other side with a tremendous crash! Surprisingly, that causes a part of the wall to collapse, opening a new passage.
You think you can hear some mechanical sounds coming from the newly collapsed path. You must approach with caution.
As you move on, you hear an otherworldly voice whispering in the wind: "You must gather your party before venturing forth."
You are getting used to it.
*grumble, mutter, curse, swear...*
We'll continue immediately from the 6th of May!
"Praeses, Alia, Fero"