Expedition - Amistad: Down the Morlock Hole - 06 July 2021

[Marullus]

Okay... Blackjack is ready to go, Earc is ready to go, Olaf is advocating a rest-day. Do you go or not go?

HP totals:

HP:
(AC 3) Blackjack Amistad 9 / 17
(AC 9) Earc Orctongue 12 / 12
(AC 1) Olaf Olafsonson 12 / 12
(AC 5) Achaedany 9 / 18
(AC 6) Akkara 3 / 5

[Alethan]

It was probably a reference to Earc looking really beat up (which he was). He fixed that with a healing potion and a really good roll. If they think they need a day of rest, Earc isn't opposed to that. And a full day of rest could restore Blackjack and Akkara to full and Achaedany to over half, so there is merit to the plan. What do the NPCs say?

Too bad we didn't think to bring along a healer...

[Zhym]

It was more of a reference to Blackjack and Achaedany being "majorly injured." But seeing the HP totals, it looks like injury status describes how much damage a character has taken, not how many HP the character has left. Olaf is ready to move on if everyone else is.

[Marullus]

You set out, ready to get onward and into the depths. After three hours of hiking, you find the location you desired once more, north of the riverbend along the Orctongue river.

The riverbank bends around an evenly-mitered corner of masonry, a piece of hand-built building foundation. You explore the area here at the bend and find three building foundations buried in the forest floor, the structures above long gone and forgotten, reclaimed by the forest trees, though the stone below remains. In the center between the foundations you find what you presume to be a well; a shaft straight down into the earth. Upon looking more closely, however, you notice the tell-tale marks of a Morlock hole. The well is a bit too wide - an even six feet across at the lip and maintaining that dimension extending down, a fetid breeze of air rising from it. The same pattern of lumpy protuberances covers the walls from the top edge to the depth as far as you can see.


Date/Time: 12:20pm, 09 July 2021
Light: Daytime
Distance Travelled: ~2 miles
Injuries: Blackjack (majorly injured), Achaedany (majorly injured), Akkara (minorly injured)

[Zhym]

"See?" says Olaf, pointing accusingly at the trees growing in the stony remains of buildings long destroyed. "See what them sneaky trees'll do?!"

[Marullus]

Other actions?

[Alethan]

Earc of Toll's Tower

"Is there anyone who doesn't have a continual light source? None of us should be without one, I think, in case we are separated. At the very least, we won't have to worry about light..."

He waits to see if anyone speaks up. If they do, he will cast Continual Light on an object of their desire - a stick to be used like a torch, a rock to insert into a lantern, the blade of a sword or dagger, a gemstone, etc.

[Spearmint]

Amistad lost his light stick in the fight with the dragons. He wears a bracelet of quartz stones on his left wrist. You could enhance those as it is easy to take off and pocket away if we need concealment.

before we go down the shaft, Amistad will also lighten his back, burying a store of things near one of the stone foundations. We don't need to be over burdened. eat drink, then delve.

Inventory adjusted on sheet.

[Alethan]

Earc

Earc nods and casts Continual Light on Blackjack's bracelet.

[Zhym]

"Ye humans can't see underground? Must be rough, going through life with a disability," says Olaf.

Olaf should be able to get around underground using infravision, right? If not, he could get CL cast on something. This way's funnier, though.

[Alethan]

Earc of Toll's Tower

"How well does your dark vision work, Olaf? Do you trust it to find your way if we all get split up?"

OC: How do you play Infravision, Maurulus? As good as normal vision? Just basic shapes? A certain level of detail?

[Zhym]

I searched the forum for "infravision" and here's how Marullus recently played it:

Malenor steps through the narrow cleft to peer into the cave beyond. He doesn't see the warmth of any living beings there in. There are signs of battle - a handful of goblin corpses left to rot, scattered broken stone from shattered stalagmites, burned remains of goblin bedding.

It is just tall enough for human and elf to stand upright, stalactites clustered thickly above their heads. Iron pitons hold four sets of chains to the wall on the right side. Smelly rag bedding has been burned to grimy ash in lumps around the cave, a heap of midden at the caves rear. The cave is perhaps 20' by 30' with uneven natural walls, a pool of fetid water collects the drips from above on the left side cavern, the ceiling too low for humans to reach it.

Looks like Olaf should be able to do fine without a light. He won't be able to sit down with a book and read or anything, but what are the odds of Olaf cracking a book?

[Alethan]

Earc of Toll's Tower

Earc waits patiently for Olaf to think about his answer before he verbalizes it...

OOC: We need IC posts, mate.

[Zhym]

Oh, right.

Olaf doesn't understand the question. "Whet d'ye mean? Can't ye find yer way in a cave without a light? Hunh."

[Alethan]

OOC:

Earc shakes his head, "No... my lot came out of the dark many generations ago. And learned about the greater mysteries of life, other than 'what sort of dirt is that in my beard?'"

He chuckles. "In truth, I wish I didn't have need of my magics in order to see in the dark, my friend. But... it's proven an useful spell many times over so far. I'm just... I worry how those green dragons will be affected by it, by my magics. I'm afraid we should have put them out of their misery and that letting them live will come back to haunt us later."

[Zhym]

"But ye got to know what kind of dirt's in yer beard!" protests Olaf. "Don't want to wear clay when peat be called for! Ye ken?"

He nods sagely at Earc's worry. " 'Don't make an enemy of a dragon,' " he says, as if it were a time-treasured quote. "But we had no choice. Can't go off chasing dragons underwater 'n hope to tell the tale."

[Marullus]

Looks like Olaf should be able to do fine without a light. He won't be able to sit down with a book and read or anything, but what are the odds of Olaf cracking a book?[/ooc]

That's correct - I guess I need a house rules post on the light levels. Infravision works when there's no other light and works fine for gross-motor tasks like adventuring - exploring, combat, etc. Infravision races need normal illumination for any fine-motor tasks - reading, writing, crafting, cooking, etc.

Blackjack sets about parsing his gear and hiding a portion of it in a nook of the nearby building's foundation.

Earc casts his magic, illuminating Blackjack's bracelet of quartz stones.

Achaedany and Akkara look impressed by the offer. "Best to have something small, portable, and durable, eh? How about some of those cracked stones the dwarf is holding?" They look expectantly, hoping for Olaf to share part of the loot.

(You can roleplay that out. If the other PCs can't convince Olaf, they grudgingly go get small smoothed river stones. Then they NPCs are ready to go.)

[Zhym]

"Eh, what?" asks Olaf, lost in contemplation of beard dirt and dragons. "Yeah, ye could put magical light on a gem, but why? Don't help the gem none. Any appraiser worth his eyepiece can tell it's been messed with. Like using a chalice as a spitoon. Point of a gem's to look at it. Can't much look at it if it's shining magic light at ye, can ye?"

[Alethan]

Earc of Toll's Tower

Earc shrugs, "Yeah, well, if you was gonna toss the cracked ones out anyway... or are they still worth selling for the coin? Or maybe we could dole out part of their shares now and then they could do whatever they want with their stones? Including make them glow forever?"

He looks over at the two female hirelings to see if that idea appeals to them or if they'd rather just use river rocks...

[Zhym]

"Split treasure, in the middle of a mission?" protests Olaf. "That's bad luck!"

He looks wistfully at the bag of gems, knowing he'll have to part with some of them eventually. "Ambers'll get ye some gold. There always be a sucker tallfolk who be ready to pay too much for 'em. No offense. Still no point to turn 'em into torches, though. Not right to treat gems like that—even crap ones. It be like...like...carving yer name into it. Tacky."

"Now, you get a real expert, an artist, a gem cutter and a spell caster, he can do some things. Cut the gem right and cast the light on gem jest so, what makes the light go in all kinds of colors and patterns. But ye need a top gem for that. Diamonds, emeralds, rubies, sapphires, like that. Not what we got."

For reference, here are the gems Olaf is holding. For the group.

Tree witch gems:
- Tiger Eye Agate
- Round, Polished Onyx
- Flawed Amber
- Worn, Oval Amber
- Round, Faceted Peridot
- Flawless Black Opal

Morlock gems:
- golden brown citrine (250 GP)
- tiny roundel of golden amber (25GP)
- small radiant banded agate (100 GP)
- blue-green turquoise (50 GP)
- large cracked pale green tourmaline (100 GP)