Chapter 2: The Highway and Silver Spring

[gurusql]

In the Jotens - Just after mid-morning
Sunday, 16th day of Planting, 597
11th day since leaving Loftwick

Qleceec (AC 1, HP 60/63)
Androgost (AC -6, HP 62/65, Armor 26/26)
Nah Olos (AC 4, HP 53/53)
Siouxsie (AC 2, HP 48/48)
Garrant (AC 8, HP 47/50)
Hex (AC 0, HP 26/27, Armor 8/8)
Raffi (AC -1, HP 21/21, Armor 8/8)
Boff (AC 5, HP 59/61)
Frannie (AC 4, HP 26/26)

Androgost and Boff initially go forward with Siouxsie collecting flowers. Gimbrek examines the seal on the scroll case and then breaks the wax seal. He opens and reads the letter. After a moment he says "This is whom we have been expecting, let us head home." There is a small group cheer from the dwarves, "Yeah!"

Siouxsie finishes collecting her flowers, but the dwarves do not seem interested in wearing her crown.

Assuming the group follows the eleven dwarfs lead the party down the trail for another 2-2.5 miles. The group is hoping to see a bustling town with a tavern and bath, but is instead greeted with a tunnel entrance that could be an entrance to any number of places.

Everyone please include a 1d100 with your next post.

Cave Entrance

SilverSpringEntrance.gif (794.62 KiB) Viewed 35777 times

Gimbrek gives a smile and says "We made it to The Highway! The town is four miles inside the heart of the mountain. Say goodbye to the sun you will not be seeing it for sometime."

Actions from the party?

[Rex]

Qleceec

To the dwarves, "Do you have light sources for us to travel by?"

Does her sword +2 shed light when drawn?

Unknown roll [1d100]=9

[shaidar]

Garrant

If needed Garrent will light a lantern.

[1d100]=34

[Storm11]

Hex will pull forth his continual light coin and wrap it around his wrist.

A tunnel. Exciting he says eagerly.

Raffi sidles up to one of the dwarves as they enter the tunnel.

Do you know what’s causing the earthquakes? Are you having any of them down here in your town? he gulps nervously.



First roll Hex, second roll Raffi

[gurusql]

Qleceec
Does her sword +2 shed light when drawn?

Yes, a 20' radius at your command.

[cybersavant]

Nah Olos falls in with the group, keeps his weapons sheathed, and watches in silence to gauge the reactions of the Dwarfs to his presence.

[Rex]

Qleceec

Qleceec will use her sword as a light source if needed.

[Spearmint]

Siouxsie

Walks along, observing her surrounds.

[ravenn4544]

Androgost also follows along, proud to have succeeded in the quest that was sworn. He, too, uses his sword to shed light as needed in the dark tunnels. He listens to the discussion on earthquakes and is eager to learn more about them. "Any thing indeed you can tell us would be of benefit. We have orders to return in short order with our findings."

[1d100]=78

[redwarrior]

Boff and Frannie follow along.
[1d100]=51

[gurusql]

In the Jotens - Just after mid-morning
Sunday, 16th day of Planting, 597
11th day since leaving Loftwick

Qleceec (AC 1, HP 60/63)
Androgost (AC -6, HP 62/65, Armor 26/26)
Nah Olos (AC 4, HP 53/53)
Siouxsie (AC 2, HP 48/48)
Garrant (AC 8, HP 47/50)
Hex (AC 0, HP 26/27, Armor 8/8)
Raffi (AC -1, HP 21/21, Armor 8/8)
Boff (AC 5, HP 59/61)
Frannie (AC 4, HP 26/26)

Just as the group is about to get started there are a series of questions

Qleceec asks "Do you have light sources for us to travel by?"

The party uses multiple light sources Androgost's and Qleceec's sword, Hex is continual light coin and Garrant uses his lantern.

Gimbrek says "We often travel down the Highway in darkness, but with several you not having infravision, our front and final ranks will carry torches."

Raffi nervously asks one of the dwarves "Do you know what’s causing the earthquakes? Are you having any of them down here in your town?"

Androgost also follows along, proud to have succeeded in the quest that was sworn. He, too, uses his sword to shed light as needed in the dark tunnels. He listens to the discussion on earthquakes and is eager to learn more about them. "Any thing indeed you can tell us would be of benefit. We have orders to return in short order with our findings."

Gimbrek says "We should be as quiet as a large group of us can be. We are not the only beings that use these tunnels. We definitely feel the earthquakes down in our home. There have been several deaths. Our town elders wait to talk to you."

Nah Olos stays quiet, almost expecting a negative comment from a dwarf and the others walk in silence.

With all the light the group of twenty brings to bear and given that the tunnels are as narrow as 7.5 feet and as wide as 15 feet at times the space is well lit. The floor is uneven, but mostly flat. Hex and Boff catch each others eyes and there is a mutual nod, the tunnel named the Highway is trending down slowly deeper. Moss grows on the damp walls and the large group comes to the first intersection. The Highway seem to continue in a generally easternly direction, but sometimes NE or SW and sometime slightly up or slightly down (but that is only detectable by the dwarves and gnomes). Two times there are major branches and the dwarves take you to the right-most passage.

At the second split, Gimbrek whispers, "We are about half way there. We recommend a ten minute break."

Actions?

[Rex]

Qleceec

Qleceec stops and rests with everyone else.

[shaidar]

Garrant shutters his lantern to a minimum amount of light and quietly rests.

[cybersavant]

Nah Olos watches in the direction of the closest intersection. "Why do you not make your own private road?"

[Spearmint]

Siouxsie

Shrugs. Ten minute break after a two mile hike. Toilet break anyway. She wonders as we go along why dwarves and others are content to live below ground. I mean it is very dark, bleak, lightless, fetid, no fresh air, the only creatures being rats and bugs and cave critters. No trees, or clouds, rain and sunshine, flowers, snow upon the mountains, wind upon your face,

extra druid and female incessant chatter.

"The horses? Yes, my fault. They got eaten by the dragon and his horde."

We are not the only beings that use these tunnels.

"Beings? Goblin-kin or creatures?" she makes sure not to wander off.

[ravenn4544]

Androgost moves to post guard, if not already done, at the various tunnels to keep watch on the darkness.

[Storm11]

Hex & Raffi huddle together, whispering softly between them as they slump upon the cold rock flooring.

in case this turns out to be a trap, I want you to be ready to run back along this tunnel. Mark the way quietly with this chalk the illusionist says to the halfling, handing it to him. At the bottom there where wall meets floor. You carry the light coin for now too.. Raffi nods and gets to surreptitious work.

[gurusql]

In the Jotens - Mid-day
Sunday, 16th day of Planting, 597
11th day since leaving Loftwick

Qleceec (AC 1, HP 60/63)
Androgost (AC -6, HP 62/65, Armor 26/26)
Nah Olos (AC 4, HP 53/53)
Siouxsie (AC 2, HP 48/48)
Garrant (AC 8, HP 47/50)
Hex (AC 0, HP 26/27, Armor 8/8)
Raffi (AC -1, HP 21/21, Armor 8/8)
Boff (AC 5, HP 59/61)
Frannie (AC 4, HP 26/26)

Much of the group rests quietly and a few such as Nah Olos and Androgost help the dwarves in watching the three passageways. Raffi works on secretly leaving chalk marks.

Some chit-chat starts mostly Siouxsie talking about it being very dark, bleak, lightless, fetid, with no fresh air, etc.

Nah Olos asks "Why do you not make your own private road?" to which Gimbrek replies "We need to mine the silver and items of the mountain to feed our families, it would take a very long time to mine a tunnel this far into the mountain."

Siouxsie asks "Beings? Goblin-kin or creatures?" Gimbrek replies "Yes, all sometimes. We eliminate what we can. For example, there used to be a lair of goblins down that tunnel", he points down the branch you are not going to take. "We cleared out the goblins and held it for a while, but we gave it to a small group of fire-dwarves that came from deeper in the mountain. The fire-dwarves are currently waging war with the hill giants that wander outside these days." Back to Nah Olos "As a representative of The Yeomanry League how about a private road back to the league, I suspect the answer would be the same."

"Let us complete the journey, please make sure you have not left any evidence of our passing through the Highway, our towns safety may depend on it." says Gimbrek as he motions the group onward.

Unless there is an action that someone wants to take before departing (feel free to put in the next post), the group gets back going. Another branch is reached and for the first time the dwarves take the leftmost branch. After what seems like roughly the same amount of time as you had walked before Gimbrek stops the group and says "The lead four will move ahead for a moment, everyone be very quiet and listen for the signal that it is safe to move forward."

Actions?

[Spearmint]

Siouxsie

Stays quiet.

[Storm11]

Hex and Raffi remain still as well