Chapter 24 - The Expedition to the Barrier Peaks, part 1

[Zhym]

"Huh," says Ulster. "Guess we'll have to pick the lock the old fashioned way. Here's to craftsmanship!"

"I don't suppose any of you fine folks know how to read strange languages?"

[GreyWolfVT]

Algrim looks at the portable hole "huh that's never happened before. Lemme check something." picking up his portable hole the dwarf sticks it on part of the rock rather than the metal door then takes a small rock and tosses it at the hole it it doesn't slide off the rock.

[badams30]

Grimes -fighter

Grimes raises an inquisitive eyebrow and touches the glass again saying firmly "I am Grimes of Poseidon! I command you to open this door immediately! We'll be having a word with the man in charge!"

[greyarea]

Algrim puts the portable hole on the rock, where it stays as expected, and then throws a small stone within.

Grimes commands the glass square. The lights relight when he touches it, but it does not react to his command. Apparently, it is not a fish.

Actions?

Hit points and marching order
Grimes 69/69
--Dandy 40/40 < Cure Light Wounds x7,Bless, Hold Personx2, Find Traps, Augury, Silence 15'r,Glyph of Warding, Remove Curse, Dispel Magic, Speak With the Dead,Protection from Evil 10' radius, Cure serious woundsx3,Raise dead,plane shift >
Castinus 39/39
--Furuk 78/78
Ulster 62/62 < Animal Companion, Entangle x2, Faerie Fire, Pass Without Trace, Speak with Animals x2, Barkskin, Charm Person or Mammal, Cure Light Wounds, Heat Metal, Obscuring Mist, Stumble, Warp Wood, Call Lightning, Hold Animal, Insect Swarm, Plant Growth, Stone Shape, Protection from Electricity, Repel Vermin, Speak with Plants, Summon Animal I, Animal Growth, Summon Animal II, Wall of Fire, Conjure Fire Elemental, Control Weather, Transmute Metal to Wood >
Dieter 42/42 < Magic Missile x 2, Otiluke's Smoky Sphere, Sleep, Auditory Illusion, Continual Light, Flaming Sphere, Stinking Cloud , Fireball, Monster Summoning I, Slow, Charm Monster, Evard's Black Tentacles, Rary's Mnemonic Enhancer, Monster Summoning III , Otiluke's Radiant Sphere, Teleport >
--Algrim 70/70

[spanningtree]

Dieter - Mage

Yes, that is odd Algrim... whoever built this place thought of that. Hmmmm...

Watching Grimes: Good idea Grimes. Looking over his shoulder at Ulster's efforts: Ulster may be onto something, something that may get us through this door. Castinus, can you take a look at the lock there?

[badams30]

Grimes - Fighter

Grimes smiles meekly at Dieter and shrugs. "That's all I've got, Deets. I was hoping they'd heard of me. Apparently not. Or at least not fans of the sea..."

Grimes paces about anxiously, deep in thought.

[Craigers07]

Furuk - Fighter

Furuk shrugs at the runes.

"I don't know. I've never seen anything like them before."

[tumblingdice]

Castinus smirks at Grimes' antics. He'll attempt to read the characters on the panel (read languages, 80%) for some clue on how to open the doors.

[GreyWolfVT]

Algrim happy his portable still functions properly packs it away safely where it wont work its magic on his pack dropping all items out. "Was fraid of that yup they protected the place from magics of a portable hole."

[greyarea]

Castinus examines the panel read languages 80% [1d100] = 28 and notes that it appears to be a countdown of some sort. He deciphers a word: "OPEN" just at it lights up green.

The doors before you open with a smooth, well-oiled sound and those behind close with a deep grinding noise, sealing you in.

The area ahead of you opens and you can see what appears to be a metal room with halls leading left, right, and straight ahead. There are what appear to be metal doors located in various places. There is debris on the floor. The air here is a bit stale, but you also smell mustiness with metallic overtones.

In the center, there is a large opening, like a well but made of metal and without a rope or bucket.





Actions?

Hit points and marching order
Grimes 69/69
--Dandy 40/40 < Cure Light Wounds x7,Bless, Hold Personx2, Find Traps, Augury, Silence 15'r,Glyph of Warding, Remove Curse, Dispel Magic, Speak With the Dead,Protection from Evil 10' radius, Cure serious woundsx3,Raise dead,plane shift >
Castinus 39/39
--Furuk 78/78
Ulster 62/62 < Animal Companion, Entangle x2, Faerie Fire, Pass Without Trace, Speak with Animals x2, Barkskin, Charm Person or Mammal, Cure Light Wounds, Heat Metal, Obscuring Mist, Stumble, Warp Wood, Call Lightning, Hold Animal, Insect Swarm, Plant Growth, Stone Shape, Protection from Electricity, Repel Vermin, Speak with Plants, Summon Animal I, Animal Growth, Summon Animal II, Wall of Fire, Conjure Fire Elemental, Control Weather, Transmute Metal to Wood >
Dieter 42/42 < Magic Missile x 2, Otiluke's Smoky Sphere, Sleep, Auditory Illusion, Continual Light, Flaming Sphere, Stinking Cloud , Fireball, Monster Summoning I, Slow, Charm Monster, Evard's Black Tentacles, Rary's Mnemonic Enhancer, Monster Summoning III , Otiluke's Radiant Sphere, Teleport >
--Algrim 70/70

[spanningtree]

Dieter - Mage

Smelling the air and looking around: Strange... almost seems deserted. Let's take a look.

[merias]

"Aye, strange," Dandy says. He peers down the hole and also examines the rest of the room with Dieter.

[Zhym]

"That's a lot of metal," says Ulster.

[badams30]

Grimes - Fighter

Grimes glances about and nods at Dieter's comments. "It does look deserted. Or at the least poorly kept." He points at the metallic surfaces and scratches his chin "never seen a place like this before. Must not be from Bissell, I'd venture to guess."

Grimes carefully approaches the area that looks like a well, looking up and down and in the well area, being careful to keep one hand firmly planted on the wall should he slip.

[tumblingdice]

Castinus is right behind Grimes, looking into the well. He chuckle's at the halfling's worldly, astute observations.

No, this most likely isn't from Bissel.

Once his curiosity is satisfied, he'll investigate the hallway beyond the well.

[GreyWolfVT]

Algrim "Huh well nothin like I was expectin thats for sure. The maids oughta be fired otherwise yeah this place must be deserted."

[greyarea]

Indeed there is a lot of metal. The area is mostly dark, but somewhat lit by lights set into strange sconces on the wall at regular intervals.

Dieter examines the room itself. It is more of a crossroads than a purposeful room, he notices, as there are neither work surfaces nor furniture. The doors on the "south" side of the room, near where he came in, are different than the doors he normally sees. They are also metal (like those that just opened, and those that enclosed them):

There is a slot next to the doors and a colored square although the color cannot be determined in this light.

Dandy, soon joined by his friends peer down the shaft, the "well". Down the "well" it is dark, abysmal. There are what appear to be ladders leading downward, on spongy, black tracks of a different substance from the shaft walls themselves, which are of the same unidentified metal Ulster commented on. Castinus' remarks to Grimes echo off of the hard surfaces.



Castinus glaces down the side corridors and looks more carefully down the highway across from the "well". The hallways are unlit other than the regularly spaced sconces but he can see more doorways. There is dim light coming from a room down the hallway to the "west" and another from the hallway "north"...

Actions?

Hit points and marching order
Grimes 69/69
--Dandy 40/40 < Cure Light Wounds x7,Bless, Hold Personx2, Find Traps, Augury, Silence 15'r,Glyph of Warding, Remove Curse, Dispel Magic, Speak With the Dead,Protection from Evil 10' radius, Cure serious woundsx3,Raise dead,plane shift >
Castinus 39/39
--Furuk 78/78
Ulster 62/62 < Animal Companion, Entangle x2, Faerie Fire, Pass Without Trace, Speak with Animals x2, Barkskin, Charm Person or Mammal, Cure Light Wounds, Heat Metal, Obscuring Mist, Stumble, Warp Wood, Call Lightning, Hold Animal, Insect Swarm, Plant Growth, Stone Shape, Protection from Electricity, Repel Vermin, Speak with Plants, Summon Animal I, Animal Growth, Summon Animal II, Wall of Fire, Conjure Fire Elemental, Control Weather, Transmute Metal to Wood >
Dieter 42/42 < Magic Missile x 2, Otiluke's Smoky Sphere, Sleep, Auditory Illusion, Continual Light, Flaming Sphere, Stinking Cloud , Fireball, Monster Summoning I, Slow, Charm Monster, Evard's Black Tentacles, Rary's Mnemonic Enhancer, Monster Summoning III , Otiluke's Radiant Sphere, Teleport >
--Algrim 70/70

[Zhym]

"I mean, where do you get that much metal?" continues Ulster, fixated on the topic. "What forge is big enough to work it?" He shakes his head. "It's not right. It's not natural."

[GreyWolfVT]

Algrim agrees "Yer right it aint right an aint natural. I'm wonderin if that shaft aint more of a mine shaft than a well. That or maybe there's a platform an rope er chain in which to lower it by. Seen an heard of some using such devices."

[Craigers07]

Furuk - Fighter

"It's not natural at all Ulster."

Furuk approaches the first door to the left in the north hall.

"Look at the slot on the door. I wonder if the Combat cartridge will fit in there?"