Expedition - Fingers/Heading West - 10 May 2021

[Marullus]

Since I am NPCing folks for the weekend...

Corbin and Clay come out and sound the all-clear while Fingers picks the lock. Everyone is able to enter and begin finding a way to bag up the piles of loose coins that have fallen from the centuries of garments.

Everyone is in the scene; wrap it up.

With anxiously-held breath, you round the bend. It continues, curving about another 40' then opens up into a chamber, roughly oval, also hand-dug, and about 30-40' diameter. You see no other exits. It is filled with clothing wadded into nests and other random items, but less of the filth and bones of the other chambers. A ghoul lies dead at the chamber entryway, an arrow buried deep between its shoulder blades, the shaft snapped off, and its left arm torn off and missing.

You find roughly 12 large sacks of copper coins, a sack and a half of silver coins, and a sack and a half of electrum coins. You also find a fine longsword which is pushed into a corner by itself, given wide berth. You find a bronze dwarven warhorn with finely-detailed engraving work on it showing a succession of crowned dwarves. You find an iron-banded wooden chest with sturdy locks upon it (which are locked).

[Zhym]

Fingers takes a closer look at the fine-looking long sword, but does not touch it.

[Marullus]

The sword is of superb quality, a slender blade etched with runes along its length. It has a plain ball pommel and a black leather hilt.

[KingOfCowards]

Is there any cloth lying around that we could wrap the sword in. Corbin seems equally hesitant to touch it. After that, he'll load as much as he can into this chest and ask for Clay's help in carrying it.

[Rusty Tincanne]

Clay Weatherwax
Clay looks closer at the books in the box, careful to avoid touching them directly. We don't know what is the source of their sickness. It could be any of this stuff, or none of it. Brother Casper or I can detect it for magical energies in the morning. He helps scoop silver and electrum pieces into the chest. With a prayer for purifying the world of abominations, he will place the ghoul body into the piles of cloth and set it on fire when the group leaves the chamber. He does the same in the larder and main chamber.

What can we figure out about the books from nudging them with the staff? More dwarven tomes?

[Starbeard]

The Grizzly Woman

The Grizzly Woman shows no interest in the sword or the books. She whistles a simple tune while scooping up coins and shovelling them into sacks.

[Marullus]

Corbin wraps the sword cautiously in fabric. The chest holds the silver and electrum pieces along with the books and orb, plus the sword and horn, but cannot fit the copper coins. The chest weighs about 200lbs thus loaded. It can be moved by two people, and needs to be packed on a mount. Clay examines the books without touching them. They are clearly not dwarven, but older and of magical construction. Once has sigils to identify it as wizardly, the other dedicated to dark gods.

Clay gives "a prayer for purifying the world of abominations" over the rooms, mounding the ghoul bodies and lighting them as a pyre, with others help on the manual labor to make it faster. (Does "praying over them" mean casting Bless?)

Day: 12 May 2021
Time: 11:00 am
Light source: Sun (in main chamber). Torch held by Clay (until 10:30am)
Injuries: Mors (minor)

[Zhym]

"That's a lot better than dried fish!" says Fingers in full approval of the treasure hoard.

"So what's next?" he asks, forgetting, it seems, that he's nominally in charge of this expedition. "Do we press on to the dog-man tower, our arms full of loot? Or do we drag this stuff back to town, split shares, then maybe head back out?"

[Starbeard]

The Grizzly Woman intimates that they are only a day or two out of town, making a quick return to town feasible.

However, she puckers her lips at the heavy sacks of copper and silver coins. 'That is a big heap of metal I would not mind leaving behind, if we found shinier metal over at the dogheads.'

[onlyme]

Halfpint answers,
I have my bags full. We can always go back. trade out the coins and return shortly.

[Rusty Tincanne]

I hadn't thought of it, but casting Bless on the bodies/area makes good sense. He will make sure to leave the sword and the new chest of books within the radius of the blessing.

Clay Weatherwax
Seeing the others favor heading back to town, Clay nods. He is pleased to have cleansed this den and would not mind having the books looked at to see if they were responsible for the plague of undeath. Though my preference is to continue, I see many good reasons for returning. Having seen their use of the undead, Clay would hate for the Order of Monoc to get hold of the magical tomes if they did create these foul creatures.

After the group has managed to pull all the loot to the surface, he will find the animals and reload Asala.

Clay could go wither way, but we have a lot of weight and some of you might get to level up.

Marullus, is there enough material to create a sledge or a cart? That would make our travels easier.

Edit: Marullus: Was there anything about the ghouls to indicate they might have been some sort of cohesive group when they were humans? Similar rags? decaying tattoos?

[Marullus]

Marullus, is there enough material to create a sledge or a cart? That would make our travels easier.

Sledge yes, cart no.

Edit: Marullus: Was there anything about the ghouls to indicate they might have been some sort of cohesive group when they were humans? Similar rags? decaying tattoos?

Nope.

[Marullus]

As the group packs up to leave, review what you're taking and what you're not. Full large sacks are 60lbs each. Full small sacks are 20lbs each. Please validate what is packed on what animals, and if they continue to move at full or drop to half.

Updated Item list:

- 12 large sacks of copper coins minted with a grinning skull - (Still unbagged)
- ten large sacks full of copper coins minted with a grinning skull - (Still unbagged)
- Three sets of dwarf-sized steel chainmail, heavily damaged (Rigged as 'trap' on stairs)
- Ten damaged dwarven battleaxes

- An iron-banded wooden chest with sturdy locks upon it. (200lbs, packed.)
- a sack and a half of silver coins - (in lock chest)
- a sack and a half of electrum coins - (in lock chest)
- a massive leather-bound book, ancient with crumbling pages and Eldrich markings on its covers, with wizard sigils. - (in lock chest)
- a massive leather-bound book, ancient with crumbling pages and Eldrich markings on their covers, with dedications to dark gods. - (in lock chest)
- a large glass orb which is filled with swirling liquid darkness. - (in lock chest)

- three and a third large sacks full of electrum coins bearing a closed fist sigil - (All claimed - Halfpint 600ep; Casper 200ep; Silent 600ep; Clay 600ep)
- red-flecked green bloodstone (Fingers)
- muddy black onyx (Fingers)
- golden yellow topaz (Fingers)
- striated green malachite (Fingers)
- chipped blue-green turquoise (Fingers)
- blue quartz (Fingers)
- banded agate (Fingers)
- A silver ring with the symbol of a cloud with three lightning bolts on a shield shape and set with 7 Clear Quartzes of kingly workmanship. (Fingers)
- a platinum locket set with 6 Red Garnets. (Fingers)
- a simple but elegant limestone chess set (Clay Weatherwax)

- a bronze dwarven warhorn with finely-detailed engraving work on it showing a succession of crowned dwarves. (Packed. Corbin/Clay)
- A longsword is of superb quality, a slender blade etched with runes along its length. It has a plain ball pommel and a black leather hilt. (Wrapped in cloth and packed. Corbin)
- a dozen iron keys of various shapes (Clay Weatherwax)
** One set of dwarf-sized banded mail in good condition (Halfpint)
** A steel roundshield that is unusually light (Silent)
** A well-worn heavy spear with a elongated head (1d8, can't be thrown) (Corbin)
** A well-worn spear with remains of a banner (Fingers)
** A masterfully-made dwarven crossbow with snarling hound carvings worked in the side (Corbin)
- 20 damaged crossbow bolts (Corbin)
- An unlocked wooden chest protecting a set of leatherbound journals written in Dwarvish (Clay Weatherwax)

[Rusty Tincanne]

Clay looks at the sky. if we go back to town, we can make better time if we make a sledge for these things. We could do that, slender another night here and had out early in the morning. we could even spend the day exploring this area for clues about who lived here.

there weren't any other tunnels out of the last chamber we were in, were there? I dint want to miss any ghouls.

[hedgeknight]

Casper eyed the dwarven horn before it was put away, making a mental note to take a closer look once they are back outside.
"Ted is hauling a bunch of stuff, but might could carry a few more things. That chest...might be too heavy for him though. What do you think, Ted?" he asks the donkey, scratching the beast's neck and ears.

Currently Ted is carrying: 1 bedroll, 8 trail rations, 4 lbs of feed, shovel, crowbar, hemp rope, 5 day rations, and a sack w/200 ep. Do you think he can carry the chest? If so, Casper will load him up but, only if we are leaving and heading back to town. I agree to leave the other coin or come back for it later.

[Marullus]

Clay looks at the sky. if we go back to town, we can make better time if we make a sledge for these things.

Just to make sure things are clear - sledging increases loads but is never faster. It is always at 1/4 speed. Just to help from the rules, here: viewtopic.php?f=353&t=5467&start=20#p245719

You have a pony, two donkeys, and a draft horse.

• A pony or mule can carry a base amount at full speed (200). Carry twice that at half-speed (400). Twice that at 1/4 speed with a sledge (800).
• A draft horse can carry a base amount at 3/4 speed (450). Carry twice that at half-speed (900). Twice that at 1/4 speed with a sledge (1800).
• A donkey can carry a base amount at full speed (50). Carry twice that at half-speed (100). Twice that at 1/4 speed with a sledge (200).

You can move 750 lbs with the mounts at your current 3/4 speed.
You can move 1,500 lbs total with the mounts at half-speed.
You can move 3,000 lbs at quarter-speed with sledges.
You walked three hexes, or 32 miles, so estimate 1.3 days at 33/4 speed, 2 days travel at half speed, or 4 days travel at quarter-speed.

You need to account for the gear they already are carrying (which you did earlier in this thread, so go back and look that up). You have about 400 lbs of coins already packed in sacks and the lock-chest. Then you have 1,320 lbs of copper you are leaving behind. You can tally up the weight of any equipment collected and not worn. (If worn, update your personal encumbrance/speed.)

there weren't any other tunnels out of the last chamber we were in, were there? I dint want to miss any ghouls.

Nope, it was a dead-end.

[onlyme]

Peck should be able to carry quite a bit more, especially if we are going at half speed.

[Zhym]

The copper isn't worth bothering with. That leaves 400 lbs plus whatever the equipment weighs. Unless anyone wants to multiclass as an accountant, I'd suggest just hand-waving that the other stuff weighs less than 350 lbs and we move on at 3/4 speed.

[Rusty Tincanne]

The copper isn't worth bothering with. That leaves 400 lbs plus whatever the equipment weighs. Unless anyone wants to multiclass as an accountant, I'd suggest just hand-waving that the other stuff weighs less than 350 lbs and we move on at 3/4 speed.

My character only performs clerical duties, not the actual figuring. (See what I did there? )
Anyhow.... I'm good with that.

[Zorroroaster]

Also good with that.