Chapter 02: Aquifers & anaglyphs

[sastaz]

Thorelf seems to come to his senses again.

"Sorry guys I was thinking about our friend Vivella who helped us escape. Those cultists butchered her, as they surely would have done with us."

He shakes his head.

"I did not see any monsters besides those cultists though. Let's try that dooor carefully?

[Rex]

Tiny

Tiny tries to open the doors slowly.

[Nordbo]

Tiny

with one hand easily swings open a door, and the view that opens up in front of the group is this (see image):

Oath_Ch02_08.jpg (338.29 KiB) Viewed 557 times

- it is the water-filled hall, again.

The water looks the same. Across the surface you see that the doors to the jailer's room are still open. No movement, sounds, or bubbling right now.

Actions!

[Gebex]

Eaton

I see two options:
1, We leave this and go back.
2, We use the ruble we have found to build a path through this so we can pass without having to go in the water. The creatures in the water will probably react from the sent of humans in the water so this would be possible. Then we go back and kill the evil balded cultist and have a clear passage when we go back.

[sastaz]

Been clearing out some map things, will post soon.

[GreyWolfVT]

Korin "Kinda strange aint it? Why have a room filled with water eh? Less yer keepin somethin nasty in it."

[Rex]

Tiny

"Goldfish maybe?"

[Nordbo]

Noting the green, algae-like area just near the waterline all around the hall, Gebex, Korin and Thorelf come to the conclusion that the water level probably isn't static; it might possibly recede - or get higher - from time to time. But at the moment it's at the same level as when Thorelf waded through it last time.

The humid dank stillness is broken only by the occasional <plip, plop.....plip>

DM open roll [1d6]=5

[GreyWolfVT]

Korin speaks his mind "Eh, I got a bad feelin' bout this room, lets not go through it yeah? Could have some sorta mold er oozy critter in there. Er some vile livin' mold. I dun wan't none o' it." the dwarf backs away from the room ready to turn around and go back the way they came.

[Rex]

Tiny

"I agree, lets try somewhere else." Tiny follows Korin.

[sastaz]

Thorelf pops out of his absentmindedness after sketching a few strokes in the air in front of him.

"Agreed. Who knows what sunken evils lie in wait in that horrible chamber. Also, I'd rather not disturb the watery graves of our former companions."

Gesturing again in the air in front of him.

"Alright, so... we could either visit the unfriendly ruffians again or follow the corridor they assigned for us. Or. We could go to the cave at the other end of the harbor and look there? Or even back to the door by the cells, where the cultists fled. What say ye?"

[sastaz]

Also, Thorelf follows Korin back while they're discussing.

[GreyWolfVT]

Korin "Well we be armed a bit better. Maybe tha way they dun fled earlier." the dwarf indicates the cultists fled.

[Rex]

Tiny

"Good idea Korin." Tiny leads the way.

[sastaz]

So basically we backtrack the entire way to the cells and fom there go to the door "south" of the guard room. Marked (2) on first map.

[Gebex]

Eaton

When we pass the sunken boat we could at least check it out.

[sastaz]

Thorelf

"We can do that, but we need to stay on guard in case the fish people show up again."

[Nordbo]

After walking back the same way, the moment the group leaves the 'goblins round a fire' room and is about to step out into the 'burned undead hall with mystic floor symbols', they observe some commotion right across the hall.

On the opposite 'northern' wall, in the doorway (of the room marked "Al-Yez chavs" on Thorelf's map) where the black-clad ruffians with bows & arrows earlier told you to move on, there is some kind of scuffle. Or rather, the end of a scuffle. Shouts of "Take that, berk!" and "Oi, watch yer khyber!". Bodies clash and tumble inside the room.... A goblin, peppered with arrows, staggers backwards out, gurgles and collapses on the floor of the ' burned undead hall'.
Then it all seems to stop - the dust settles. What you have just taken in was the last clangs, grunts and groans of an armed fight inside the 'chavs' room that seems to have involved goblins and the black-clad ruffians, and which must have been over very quickly.
None of the involved noticed your entry on the 'scene'.

But wait! Suddenly there IS some movement in that room. Someone else, further back in the 'chavs' room peers out, looking around, startled... then catches sight of you across the hall.

Actions!

[SirOwen]

Richard Firehand

Noting yet a third group approaching, and hopefully one that doesn't also want to kill him, Richard calls out from behind the battered remains of the door, "Wait! Wait! Don't kill me!! I'm... well, I guess you'd say I'm a prisoner here now!" Looking out through the wooden planks, you see a human, about six feet tall, with dark hair and a short cropped beard and mustache. He shows no weapons at this angle and his hands are open.

[GreyWolfVT]

Korin turns towards the shouting "Eh? What? Prisoner? Hey! Who yah takin prisoner in there!?"