Colden talks in a hushed tone to Nareth, "I don't for a second doubt your courage, friend Nareth, but sometimes it's better that a more.. nimble and skillful observer is sent forth to check for any contraptions planted before we enter with the force you so obviously possess in abundance. Hence, why I asked for Lagrord to do the examination and inspection. But perhaps you are also talented in these areas?"
Since we do not really know much about our respective characters I figure we could RP it as questions to get to know more about eachothers skill sets, strenghts and weaknesses.
The captain is used to take the equal risk together with his soldiers, but Colden was right here. Combat skills are probably useless when it comes to traps and this bloody sorcery.
" As you say, me Liege! ", says Nareth and stops observing the passage.
Lagrord examines the doorway to find it to be relatively unremarkable. It is an archway with the stone door fallen at his feet and laying in a crumbled heap. Black dust is piled in the corners where the floor meets the walls.
The door enters to a hallway where it turns 90 degrees. Lagrord does not notice any traps.
"My spectroscopic analysis reveals that the wards on this door have not been refreshed since the last time I set them off, well, I mean, disabled them. You may pass through, my minions. But before you do, you should knock on the door. Yes! Good manners are an utmost priority in this wretched world!"
Colden walks up to the door after seeing Lagrord and Crazygnome saying it's clear and gently knock on the door.
Knock. Knock. Knock. Three knocks in a steady rhythm.
"Now, should we enter my friends? One perceptive person up front and one strong rearguard, the stretcher with Garta in the middle, or what do you suggest Nareth?"
The captain never liked caverns. They smell, dark and quite often humid and slimy. No doubt, he is going to catch a cold. Again. Nareth clears his throat and straightens the helmet. He quietly raises his sword, lights the torch and answers:
" Off we go, M'Lord! Follow me, lads, and be careful with the Scout. " , he walks forth into the passage, gazing into the opened mouth of the darkness within.
You proceed down the hallway in marching formation with Garta in the middle on the stretcher making superstitious signs of supplication to her gods.
The wind dies down a little, but as you round the bend of the hallway, it opens up into a spacious, worked, square cavern. Giant pillars, cut directly from its mother stone, rise from the floor like naked trees. They hold up the smooth, heavy ceiling and, subsequently, the mountain’s weight. Some of the pillars have long since fallen, and parts of the ceiling are cracked. Water damage is visible in the stone as the ice expansion has spread the smooth surface apart. Flooding, now frozen in large puddles, is obviously a common occurrence in the spring.
The wall on the left, the leeward side in relation to normal weather patterns, once housed giant windows and beautifully worked frames. The glass has long since been blown apart, letting in both light and gusts of wind. Black dust is piled up at the base of the windows. The window panes, some of which are shattered, cast tangled, skeleton-like shadows across the floor and frozen flooding in the room.
Old furniture, long molded and crumbled, is set in the room, no longer recognizable for what it once was. A giant, circular booth that rests at chest height stands in the middle of the room. Several unrecognizable contraptions rest on it, covered in black dust and damaged from the flooding. It appears that the floods must get very high in here at times.
What seems like a main passageway leads away from the center of the room.
There is a side passageway over by the window where an ancient stone door lays on its side, fallen. Another side passageway is near the party that looks like it leads into a small room. And a fourth passageway is on the other side of the frozen flooding.
Kefto puts the stretcher down for a few minutes and looks around with awe. “Is this how kings used to live before the Darkening?” he asks.
" Kings of old, perhaps. The one can hardly meet such halls nowadays... The evil curse of this Winter has changed the World, may the Refiner protect and guide us all. Kefto, shut up and stay alert. " - the captain was certainly not in the mood to discuss architecture and wealth of the days past.
As usual, Nareth felt uneasy in dungeons, either in natural or artificial. We may call it intuition but he sensed evil somewhere deep within. Or maybe it was just an anxiety ? They have the Lorekeeper by their side, he should understand such things. God damned sorcery!
I love how Nareth bosses around his soldiers, it’s just awesome!
Kefto, another pointless question getting ready to leap from mouth open wide enough to catch flies, shuts his lips together with a loud clop!
Garta grits her teeth, either against the pain of the awkward position Kefto carelessly let her down in or in an effort to warn off bad spirit, you can’t tell which. “Where do we go, oh nameless gnome?” she asks, her teeth still clenched.
Kefto quickly picks up his side of the stretcher. He looks rather sheepishly at Jirt who is eyeing the gnome apprehensively. It seems strange to many of you that a babbling, bossy gnome would make one as flippant as Jirt nervous. It is undeniable, though.
Colden stands in awe, embracing the magnificent sight. His eyes are large as mead kegs as he let his gaze sweep from side to side, taking it all in. He says nothing, just stands there in silence for a while. He hears Kefto, Nareth and Garta speaking but doesn't really listen to them.
He comes to his senses after a while and turn to the gnome. "So.. there are more than one way ahead. Which one is the right one?"
The gnome seems to finally heed the words of his minions.
"We will go through one of the side passageways. There is always something there that is necessary for safely passing through the main path, for the naughty automatons have set up all kinds of silly antics all over the place. You don't want to be retracing your steps every now and then, right? Then heed my words. However, since you are new here, I'll let you choose the path you want to go out of these three side paths. But, do not go down the main path now, no, not at the moment!"
Don’t worry about who is and who is not a thief. I believe I communicated to all of you separately that there will not be negative consequences for failing to fill the standard D&D four classes (thief, fighter, cleric, mage)
It’s one of many reasons I stipulated that you don’t share your classes with each other: i didn’t want you to “take the class no one else wanted.” This isn’t a typical general-built D&D campaign module where every class’s abilities is represented to help each player feel useful. I’m writing the challenges on the fly based on your character’s personalities and abilities.
In other words, just a reminder to not worry and have fun with it.
"Very well, let's check out the closest, small room first. I'll go ahead and check, I've got some skills I've read about that might come in handy.. Anyone care to back me up?"
With this said, Colden approaches the closest room, his eyes sweeping back and forth, up and down, in search of traps or other dangerous things..
(.. and though he hardly admits it to himself, also for.. gold. )
Colden leads the group into the closest room. The light from the broken windows outside does not reach in here.
Your spitting torches cast flickering shadows and a warm glow on a gray stone floor and walls. Flooding damage has reached this room as well, slightly over head height to a dwarf. The room is square shaped with a chest high booth, similar to the one in the main room, that runs along the walls. The remnants of several stools, crumbled and chewed on by age and flooding, are scattered around the room. None of you see any traps or anything else that looks out of place.
Colden's dwarven sense of direction tells him that directly on the other side of the wall in front of you is the hallway you just came down, where the entrance lies. Now that you are looking more closely, you can see that the stone wall between this room and the entrance appears to be some sort of stone window shutter which can be slid open and shut on old rusted wheels. There is a pane of cracked glass on this side of the stone window shutter.
On the booth is what looks to be a small chest, though it is not one like any you have seen. It is made of some strange metal and is a little larger than a jewelry box. Despite the flooding that has reached it, there is no rust on it.
The gnome adjusts his visual contraption, flows one hand down his beard, and speaks to Colden:
"Well, my minion, you have not made a bad choice, but it looks like there's nothing useful here. That toy box, well, it's a toy box. You may keep it if you want to play with it. Yes? I know you need something to keep you engaged on this picnic trip."
Nareth makes a warning gesture with his hand and whispers Colden:
" Careful, Master Colden! It is not known what traps and dangers lie ahead. The chest might be trapped... Or cursed! Or both! Let me go first... ", he follows Colden further, trying to cover his right flank.
" I sense the dark magic everywhere around! Unusual, unknown and evil sorcery, indeed! "
Is it his sharpened senses? Or is this just a simple phobia of magic, that became worse in years? Nareth did not know. He covers himself with a round shield and moves forward with his sword at the ready.
"Nareth, I applaud your diligence, but my eyes and wits are well adjusted for this search and I neither see nor sense anything dangerous. Hmm.. this box may contain something we need, let's check it out."
Colden moves to the small box and starts to fiddle with it, trying to open it. Taking it very carefully, both to not damage it and to make sure there's no spring traps or worse, magic seals, protecting it. He tries to sense for magical energies, being an avid reader of the arcane and a novice practitioner himself, he believes he should be able to identify if there is.
The box opens fairly easily without any squeaking. It is about 1/4 full of what looks like water in the twinkling torchlight.
There are 3 identical red square plates within the box. They are about the width of a pane of glass. There are strange looking arcane patterns on each of them and a circular, fine steel chain attached to each of them.
Written on each of them in bold, golden letters is the word:
Nareth stared blankly at the plates. It was rather strange that the old chest, filled with rotten liquidity, contains such a weird objects. He brushed aside this annoying prejudices:
" M'Lord Colden! There is only rubbish here. A strange chest with strange plates! I knew it, there won't be anything useful. How can these pieces of iron help us open the passage? "
Nareth was illiterate and, of course, could not read the inscriptions on the plates. The situation itself seemed odd to him, he did not like dungeons and felt uneasy in the dark. To his shame. For him, it is so hard to solve riddles, much harder than surviving on the battlefield. Nareth would rather leave this to those smarty-pants like the Lorekeeper. His business is to swing a sword, not to solve puzzles.
Colden ignores Nareth's superstitions and swipes the red plates into a pocket. "Who know, they might come in handy in the future. Perhaps it's some kind of old currency or even jewelry from the past? They don't look very fancy though, but I can't identify the material they are made off.. Humm.. I must ponder on this. " Colden hides his exaltation, but he's in his prime now - adventuring, finding new and interesting objects. He already has enough material for one book, nay TWO books, and they had only just begun!
"Let's take a look at the next passage way. Let's follow the gnome's advice and leave the main hallway to last. "
" Ya going to loot every crate or chest here, Master Colden? ", says Nareth and cuts his speech roughly, "I mean, we have huge luggage to carry already. And the things... The things might be cursed!", it is obvious that he does not support any sort of looting or plundering at this place.
"Master Cramnoch is unlikely to hear you, master Nareth. He always gets like this when something interests him. If there is anything I can do to ease your worries, don't hesitate to let me know."
"Ahem.. I will only take what I deem necessary, Nareth." Colden tries to sound somber and sincere, but something in Nareth's comment do indeed poke him in the ribs, like a little pointy nail striking true.
Hmm.. what was Nareth's title? Can someone remind an old dwarf with only gold on his mind?
" Thanks laddie! This place gives me creeps, I got to check this thing next... ", the captain approaches a pane of cracked glass on side of the stone window shutter. He tries to examine the mechanism and the pane itself.
Hey @Skatan ! He was a senior guard and Patrol captain. Not really a very high rank in Patrol, frankly, guys like Gressick are ranked way higher. Basically, Nareth is permitted to command a small squad of soldiers of 10-20 men. We did not really discussed any rank system and patrol structure before.
Comments
" As you say, me Liege! ", says Nareth and stops observing the passage.
The door enters to a hallway where it turns 90 degrees. Lagrord does not notice any traps.
What do you do?
"My spectroscopic analysis reveals that the wards on this door have not been refreshed since the last time I set them off, well, I mean, disabled them. You may pass through, my minions. But before you do, you should knock on the door. Yes! Good manners are an utmost priority in this wretched world!"
Knock. Knock. Knock. Three knocks in a steady rhythm.
"Now, should we enter my friends? One perceptive person up front and one strong rearguard, the stretcher with Garta in the middle, or what do you suggest Nareth?"
" Off we go, M'Lord! Follow me, lads, and be careful with the Scout. " , he walks forth into the passage, gazing into the opened mouth of the darkness within.
"Master Babble, you never told us this was your home! It would be exceedingly rude of us to enter it before you."
The wind dies down a little, but as you round the bend of the hallway, it opens up into a spacious, worked, square cavern. Giant pillars, cut directly from its mother stone, rise from the floor like naked trees. They hold up the smooth, heavy ceiling and, subsequently, the mountain’s weight. Some of the pillars have long since fallen, and parts of the ceiling are cracked. Water damage is visible in the stone as the ice expansion has spread the smooth surface apart. Flooding, now frozen in large puddles, is obviously a common occurrence in the spring.
The wall on the left, the leeward side in relation to normal weather patterns, once housed giant windows and beautifully worked frames. The glass has long since been blown apart, letting in both light and gusts of wind. Black dust is piled up at the base of the windows. The window panes, some of which are shattered, cast tangled, skeleton-like shadows across the floor and frozen flooding in the room.
Old furniture, long molded and crumbled, is set in the room, no longer recognizable for what it once was. A giant, circular booth that rests at chest height stands in the middle of the room. Several unrecognizable contraptions rest on it, covered in black dust and damaged from the flooding. It appears that the floods must get very high in here at times.
What seems like a main passageway leads away from the center of the room.
There is a side passageway over by the window where an ancient stone door lays on its side, fallen. Another side passageway is near the party that looks like it leads into a small room. And a fourth passageway is on the other side of the frozen flooding.
Kefto puts the stretcher down for a few minutes and looks around with awe. “Is this how kings used to live before the Darkening?” he asks.
" Kings of old, perhaps. The one can hardly meet such halls nowadays... The evil curse of this Winter has changed the World, may the Refiner protect and guide us all. Kefto, shut up and stay alert. " - the captain was certainly not in the mood to discuss architecture and wealth of the days past.
As usual, Nareth felt uneasy in dungeons, either in natural or artificial. We may call it intuition but he sensed evil somewhere deep within. Or maybe it was just an anxiety ? They have the Lorekeeper by their side, he should understand such things. God damned sorcery!
Kefto, another pointless question getting ready to leap from mouth open wide enough to catch flies, shuts his lips together with a loud clop!
Garta grits her teeth, either against the pain of the awkward position Kefto carelessly let her down in or in an effort to warn off bad spirit, you can’t tell which. “Where do we go, oh nameless gnome?” she asks, her teeth still clenched.
Kefto quickly picks up his side of the stretcher. He looks rather sheepishly at Jirt who is eyeing the gnome apprehensively. It seems strange to many of you that a babbling, bossy gnome would make one as flippant as Jirt nervous. It is undeniable, though.
He comes to his senses after a while and turn to the gnome. "So.. there are more than one way ahead. Which one is the right one?"
The gnome seems to finally heed the words of his minions.
"We will go through one of the side passageways. There is always something there that is necessary for safely passing through the main path, for the naughty automatons have set up all kinds of silly antics all over the place. You don't want to be retracing your steps every now and then, right? Then heed my words. However, since you are new here, I'll let you choose the path you want to go out of these three side paths. But, do not go down the main path now, no, not at the moment!"
It’s one of many reasons I stipulated that you don’t share your classes with each other: i didn’t want you to “take the class no one else wanted.” This isn’t a typical general-built D&D campaign module where every class’s abilities is represented to help each player feel useful. I’m writing the challenges on the fly based on your character’s personalities and abilities.
In other words, just a reminder to not worry and have fun with it.
Huh, aren't you a thief!? hahaha, I was sending you to check for traps at the door etc!
With this said, Colden approaches the closest room, his eyes sweeping back and forth, up and down, in search of traps or other dangerous things..
(.. and though he hardly admits it to himself, also for.. gold. )
Your spitting torches cast flickering shadows and a warm glow on a gray stone floor and walls. Flooding damage has reached this room as well, slightly over head height to a dwarf. The room is square shaped with a chest high booth, similar to the one in the main room, that runs along the walls. The remnants of several stools, crumbled and chewed on by age and flooding, are scattered around the room. None of you see any traps or anything else that looks out of place.
Colden's dwarven sense of direction tells him that directly on the other side of the wall in front of you is the hallway you just came down, where the entrance lies. Now that you are looking more closely, you can see that the stone wall between this room and the entrance appears to be some sort of stone window shutter which can be slid open and shut on old rusted wheels. There is a pane of cracked glass on this side of the stone window shutter.
On the booth is what looks to be a small chest, though it is not one like any you have seen. It is made of some strange metal and is a little larger than a jewelry box. Despite the flooding that has reached it, there is no rust on it.
"Well, my minion, you have not made a bad choice, but it looks like there's nothing useful here. That toy box, well, it's a toy box. You may keep it if you want to play with it. Yes? I know you need something to keep you engaged on this picnic trip."
" Careful, Master Colden! It is not known what traps and dangers lie ahead. The chest might be trapped... Or cursed! Or both! Let me go first... ", he follows Colden further, trying to cover his right flank.
" I sense the dark magic everywhere around! Unusual, unknown and evil sorcery, indeed! "
Is it his sharpened senses? Or is this just a simple phobia of magic, that became worse in years? Nareth did not know. He covers himself with a round shield and moves forward with his sword at the ready.
Colden moves to the small box and starts to fiddle with it, trying to open it. Taking it very carefully, both to not damage it and to make sure there's no spring traps or worse, magic seals, protecting it. He tries to sense for magical energies, being an avid reader of the arcane and a novice practitioner himself, he believes he should be able to identify if there is.
" A simple dull wooden crate it is. Maybe you are right, M'Lord Colden. "
There are 3 identical red square plates within the box. They are about the width of a pane of glass. There are strange looking arcane patterns on each of them and a circular, fine steel chain attached to each of them.
Written on each of them in bold, golden letters is the word:
VISITOR
" M'Lord Colden! There is only rubbish here. A strange chest with strange plates! I knew it, there won't be anything useful. How can these pieces of iron help us open the passage? "
Nareth was illiterate and, of course, could not read the inscriptions on the plates. The situation itself seemed odd to him, he did not like dungeons and felt uneasy in the dark. To his shame. For him, it is so hard to solve riddles, much harder than surviving on the battlefield. Nareth would rather leave this to those smarty-pants like the Lorekeeper. His business is to swing a sword, not to solve puzzles.
"Let's take a look at the next passage way. Let's follow the gnome's advice and leave the main hallway to last. "