The Keep IC

[SterlingBlake]

After compulsively sniffing the well and hoping no one noticed him do so, Alastair taps shoulders and signals to follow. He examines the stairs for any traps then leads the group up if no one has indicated otherwise.

Those are stairs up, just outside the room at 10, correct?

[Tamerlaine]

After compulsively sniffing the well and hoping no one noticed him do so, Alastair taps shoulders and signals to follow. He examines the stairs for any traps then leads the group up if no one has indicated otherwise.

Those are stairs up, just outside the room at 10, correct?

No, they go down.

[SterlingBlake]

OK, change, "up" to "down" and Alastair's actions stand.

[Tamerlaine]

Duin peers into the dark maw from atop the steps and glances at the halfling and humans. "'Tis darker than a ogre's arse-crack down 'ere."

OOC: It's darker than Hades down there. Torches? Lamps?

[Tamerlaine]

Alistair finds no traps and as he makes his way down the stairs, it gets darker until he can't see without the aid of some sort of artificial light.

[SterlingBlake]

Alastair stops and holds his hand up to indicate everyone to stop. He may not be able to see his own hand, but he reckons at least a couple of those behind can. Once the group has stopped moving he listens carefully for few moments. If he hears nothing, he hisses over his shoulder, "Leaf, come have a look would you please? Alfri or Sammy, has one of you a torch? Get ready to light it if you please."

[Jack]

Alfri's feeling of dread increases as he stops and tries to look down the dark stairway, with the walls feeling closer than before. He reaches for the silver sun symbol around his neck and says a silent prayer to compose himself again.

Sammy hunches down, reaches back, and takes out his hooded lantern, oil flask, flint, and steel.

[Tamerlaine]

Leaf nods and nimbly takes the stairs until she is swallowed up by the darkness. She pauses as she nears the bottom of the steps, letting her eyes adjust to the darkness. Moving slowly and quietly she reaches the end of the steps and is faced with a wide hall 20’ wide running east and west, The stone floor is damp yet not slick. There is condensation on the walls and Leaf is aware of a biting chill to the air.

OOC: Leaf is the little diamond at the south.

To the west, right on the edge of her vision are three shallow lumps on the floor. To the east is what looks like a large statue. To the north is a door and a hallway leading north. After a long pause of listening and peering from her spot, she slowly backs away and makes her way back up the stairs. Rejoining her comrades the elf informs the group of her observations.



Actions?


Alfri 6/6
Alistair 5/5
Daro 4/4
Duin 9/9
Leaf 8/8
Sammy 8/8

[Jack]

Sammy lights his lantern (30-foot radius in all directions) and sets is down to the west of their entrance. He takes his halberd in his left hand, a dart in his right, and squints at the lumps.

[SterlingBlake]

Assuming the light reveals no surprises, Alastair quietly, and keeping lower than usual, slips across the hall and presses his back to the wall, bow ready.

[Tamerlaine]

Sammy lights his lantern (30-foot radius in all directions) and sets is down to the west of their entrance. He takes his halberd in his left hand, a dart in his right, and squints at the lumps.

OOC: The squares on the map are 5' each. Leaf's darkvision let her see 60' from the entrance and she saw the lumps at the end of her vision, roughly twelve squares away. The lantern only lights up half that distance so Sammy can't see the lumps.

[Jack]

Alfri lights his bronze lamp from the lantern, beckons to Duin to bring the lantern, and walks towards where Leaf explained she saw the lumps, setting down the [lamp 35] feet from [where they entered].

Sammy follows, but stays just outside the lit space.

Edits: I initially wrote that Alfri put down the lantern - should've been his lamp. I mistook the first "1" of "11b" as a door in a western wall - rewrote distance now to be relative to where they entered from instead.

[Tamerlaine]

As you approach the lumps, one notices the light goes further west. There is no wall at the west, yet. The lumps upon examination are three humanoid skeletons. What they once were is speculation but their bones have been shattered into splinters. Duin spots an entrance to the south, a short hallway 10' wide that stops at a door.

[Jack]

Alfri looks up, inspecting the roof, and then moves his lamp to 5 feet east of the new southern entrance, careful not to cross it.

Sammy follows, but stays just outside the lit space.

[SterlingBlake]

Alastair lowers his bow and rushes forward to grab Alfri's sleeve, tugging him back before he gets too close to the area with the crushed skeletons. He carefully examines the ceiling for a dropping section and the floor and walls for a triggering mechanism.

"Sammy, fish out those spikes from your pack, would you?" Alastair says quietly.

[Jack]

Sammy walks to Alastair, and keeping his halberd and a dart ready, pushes his cloak back with an elbow and juts out his right hip where the 2 spikes are in dart holders on his belt.

[SterlingBlake]

Thank you, sir.

Alastair takes the spikes from Sammy's belt and continues looking for a trap mechanism with an eye toward jamming either the trigger or the fall if it appears there is such a trap as suggested by the piles of crushed bones.

[Tamerlaine]

There is no trap here.

[Jack]

Alfri puts down his mace, takes out and lights a torch, and holds it across the hallway entrance to see if it's splintered.

[mumble]

As the others pause to examine their surroundings, Daro wipes the sweat from his brow. He realises the need for caution, yet he burns to make a pithy comment on their situation. Fortunately he is well aware of his limited ability to contribute in any altercation. This makes it easier to guard his tongue. He never thought adventuring could be this tense, stressful and rather unsuited to someone with scholarly inclinations.

He keeps a close watch on the others, marking their behaviours, hoping to learn from them and be able to contribute at a later stage.