Action Thread #12: The Lower Valley

[ragnboneshopper]

Day 8, Early Morning: A new day dawns...

The new day dawns with heavy clouds in the sky that muffle the sun's progress, but Andrin's sharp weather sense tells him that the day will hold only minor showers and that the sun will break through the clouds much like it did the day before. After a brief meal, the party considers its next action: to continue following the river, or some other course? Swilbosh informs his companions that a lower valley awaits them, filled with bogs and mires, though his own knowledge of it is only from tales told to him as a young one.

One thing is sure: the river passes over another fall, and by the mists that rise further down the valley, it must be a significant drop. The river itself winds along past the burial mound, and the land seems to drop more sharply as the river descends to the edge of the cliff.

Map:

BurialMoundArea-1.jpg (83.13 KiB) Viewed 1732 times

Ok, so I need to know what your plans are exactly and how you want to proceed. The falls lie to the east where there is a cloud of mist. You are on the north side of the river, the burial mound being located roughly at the dot marked #25 on the map. To the north of the burial mound is mountainous, quite impassable without extreme effort and the right equipment.

We're up and running once more!

[saalaria]

East is as per traditional orientation - to the right as you look is it? Did we come from 'southwest' or 'northwest'?

[Sir Clarence]

Andrin has spent most of the night meditating, only sleeping for about two hours before sunrise. Filled with knowledge of unveiled mysteries that were sent to him during the meditation and the brief sleep, he feels refreshed as wakes up. Full of good spirit, he joins his comrades, informing them about his nightly revelations and his newly gained powers.

"Now do you think we should already leave to look for a way further down? Or should we search more closely around these parts for further clues about this prophecy that might help us?"

[onlyme]

Malone, a bit more rational after a night's sleep (more probably to do with it being light once more), pipes up.

We best move on or else that spirit thing might change his mind. I can't quite tell from here whether we should cross back now, or continue down stream... Can anyone else tell?

[zebediah]

I prefer to leave as soon as we are ready. says Ogirdor However, if you think there could be some use exploring this area any further Andrin I suggest the group does so while I scout ahead following the river to see what lies ahead. What do you say?

[Stonjuz]

Stonjuz, although anxious to get moving, knows that his rituals are of utmost importance. With eyes closed, he raises a fore-finger to the group as if to signal that he will be with them in a moment. His lips move as he memorizes an additional spell to the earlier, now familiar, that the party has witnessed before.
When he eventually does join the group, he knows not which direction to venture, so he will leave that decision to the others.
"Looks like we ready."

[Grognardsw]

Thurinor sleeps well that night. He awakens the next morning not feeling particularly different. As he looks in a hand mirror the elf of Hornwood Forest wonders if he is less appealing to the elf women than his cousin Legolas. Bah, enough of such concerns, we must get to the Serpent's Eye.

"I vote we follow the river," says Thurinor. "Hopefully it will lead to this 'serpent's eye.'"

[ragnboneshopper]

East is as per traditional orientation - to the right as you look is it? Did we come from 'southwest' or 'northwest'?

You've prompted me to look more closely at the map. Old module, had assumed up was north, but the compass rose and indeed the whole key to the map is on the very bottom of the page AFTER the map itself. It indicates that north actually points toward the upper left corner of the map. So think of the compass as pointing more or less toward the corners of the map, and directly right on the map is thus approximately southeast.

You've come down the mountain more or less from the north (upper left on the map), and the dwarven mine that you came from most recently is northwest of your current position at the burial mound. The river runs southeast as it passes the mine (right on the map), then bends to the southeast as it goes by the burial mound, and finally appears to straighten back out to the southeast as it disappears over the edge of the cliff...

Anyone tell me that's not confusing and I'll just laugh at you...

I'll wait for Og's CLW spells from the night before and for Saalaria to chime in again, in case the directions on the map matter to Swil's actions. Also haven't heard from Chubby yet, so I'll give it one more day before a full update, but in the interest of time and giving you more info to make decisions...


Ogirdor scouts along the river for about a half mile and finds that the stream bubbles along at a good clip until it turns southeast to plummet over the cliff. At this point it can be forded if care is taken as before to have Swilbosh swim across to secure a rope over the stream. There does not seem to be an obvious way down the cliff on this side, but Og is still a good mile from the cliff itself. All is mist in the direction of the falls, but from this vantage Og can see an unusual low half-ring of hills -- or is it an earthen bulwark to keep the river at bay during flood? The ring is on the other side of the river, to the right of the falls (i.e., to investigate this ring you would have to cross the river).

River_w_ringcliff.jpg (65.63 KiB) Viewed 1705 times

[zebediah]

Og returns to the others to report his findings.

CLW rolls posted in the OOC thread.

[saalaria]

Swilbosh is more than happy to swim the stream if needed.
"Ssshall we check the moundsss firsst and then the fallsss after?"

[ragnboneshopper]

I'm going to give it one more day and then assume you're going over the river unless I hear something different...

[onlyme]

Malone encourages everyone to head across the river, using the rope method that worked so well last time.
It gives them more room for error, and doesn't paint them into an ambush spot.

[Stonjuz]

Stonjuz attempts the rope ferry. He inspects the quality of the water too.

[Grognardsw]

Thurinor, elf

The elf carefully follows Stonejuz across the rope.

[zebediah]

Ogirdor will stand by as the others cross, his bow ready to shoot any eventual threat.

[ragnboneshopper]

Day 8, Morning: Across the river

With Malone's especial encouragement, perhaps still remembering his fright from last night and not trusting the lay of the land on this side, the party decides to cross the river. Swilbosh swims across the river where it widens and the current is a bit slower. As before, the lizardman has no trouble navigating the stream and soon has a line stretched taut from bank to bank. The party crosses while Ogirdor keeps watch, but the ranger and priest of Python sees nothing more than the usual meadow animals one would expect, going about their business in the young spring. Stonjuz studies the quality of the water and notes that the river is in a fairly early flood stage still, the snows from higher up the mountain having yet to thaw completely. The water is full of debris from upstream.

Once across, you can see that the half-ring of hills is indeed a low raised mound or dike, about 10-15 feet high in most places, somewhat lower in other places where erosions seems to have done its work. Though there is no clear sign that the mounds are dwarven work, Stonjuz indicates that such an earthwork is clearly within dwarven ability and interests. It appears to be a sort of dike or levee intended to keep the river's flood waters from overwhelming whatever lies beyond. Not only this, but those with sharp eyes can make out an arched doorway in the cliff some distance to the right of the dike.

Cliff_falls_way-1.jpg (102.53 KiB) Viewed 1667 times

Next move? The hexes are 1/2 mile across. I'm assuming you're just on the other side of the river, pretty much right up against the levee. The arched doorway is visible because it is higher than the levee. It is further up the face of a low cliff face where a spur of the mountains reaches into the valley. Sorry for poor quality map, but unfortunately there's a lot I need to hide on this one or else I give a lot away...

[zebediah]

To the door!

[Sir Clarence]

Agreed.

[Stonjuz]

"A good time to update our maps, friends? Yes, to the door."

[ChubbyPixie]

As they approach the door, Ozborn keeps an eye out for any signs of traps, though in his gut he doesn't expect to find any. Particularly, he looks for any strange runes that might trigger a fiery and magical electrocution of his face. He's still a bit jumpy from the door to the tomb. He asks the magic types to keep an eye out, too.