[Completed] - Lars/Finger of Doom - 19 March, 1 VC

[Zorroroaster]

Orrin also sets down his bundle of ingots and takes up his axe. He stands next to Lars as they edge forward towards the cave mouth.

"I'm with you."

[Zhym]

"Yeah, sure. Let's see what's in there!" says Lug.

[GTan_Baq]

Naila try's to peer into the cave hoping it's dry inside.

1 days rations deducted

[Keehnelf]

What's your order, since the entrance is single-file?

[Zorroroaster]

Either Lug or Orrin? Lug has better AC, but Orrin has more HP! Either way is good with me.

[Zhym]

Given that whatever strikes at us might not need to roll to hit (like a trap), I think HP at the front is better than AC.

Says the player with a low-AC, low-HP character.

[KingOfCowards]

Orrin & Lug at one and two.

Naila, do you want third spot or rear-guard?

[Zorroroaster]

Sounds good, but I want heroic ballads written of my deeds should I bite it.

[Keehnelf]

Sounds good, but I want heroic ballads written of my deeds should I bite it.

Sorry, the troubadour-cleric just died in another thread

[KingOfCowards]

We would greatly lament your loss, and double-so for the loot that you would not carry home. So do be careful.

[Zorroroaster]

Hefting his axe and shield, Orrin steps carefully towards the mouth of the cave. Before entering fully, he stops to smell the air. Is there any hint of foul odour? While paused, he will also listen very carefully before moving inwards. Does he hear anything unusual? Looking down, he examines the earth at the cave mouth. Any sign of tracks, humanoid or animal?

[Keehnelf]

March 23, 1 VC - 11:40am

The heavy rain is masking any scents that might be present, but it's a good sign by Orrin's reckoning that anything in there can't be smelled over the damp air.

The ground is similarly rain-washed right at the entrance, but just after the rock cleft closes overhead Lars's torchlight illuminates a few scattered marks in the gravel and soft earth like someone has come through with a walking stick or pole. Moss grows thick on the walls in patches, and tattered scraps of cobweb flutter here and there from small rock protrusions along the passage.

The cave is obviously natural, following the course of the waterway as it has eroded down into the native stone over time. As a result, the passage is of somewhat uneven height, usually between four and six feet, and features a number of abrupt downward steps and lips of stone the party must slow in order to navigate. Anyone who has brought a strap full of ingots along quickly finds the going impossible if they do not leave t behind within the first ten or fifteen feet of cave.

What is the plan?

[Zorroroaster]

I'm ok with continuing on in this order, going slowly and stopping to listen regularly. What does everyone think?

[Zhym]

"We came here to get out of the rain," says Lug, who doesn't want to drop his ingots. "We're out of the rain. Why not stop here?"

[KingOfCowards]

"If we end up resting here, I'd like to know if we're the only ones here or not."
I say continue on, but if the group disagrees we can stop here. Let's keep looking for tracks in the torchlight, it could offer some clues about what's inside.

[Zorroroaster]

Orrin mutters a little Dwarven curse under his breath.

"I had a feeling you were going to say that. Come on then, let's get this over with so we can get a proper rest."

I agree with Lars. Curiosity...something...something...cat.

[Keehnelf]

March 23, 11:50am

That's two of four, so moving forward...

The party continues onward, deeper into the eroded cavern, surrounded by the steady trickling of the small creek across the stones that grows into a flowing that echoes into a mind-filling flowing. The sound of water is everywhere, and as the tunnel descends in uneven zigs and zags, every surface is coated with water and the footing becomes slow and treacherous.

The party is just about to give up on the cavern as too difficult for anything to traverse and a safe haven when Orrin comes upon a drop that turns the tunnel into something like a chute for eight or ten feet, the water rolling of the ledge in a short fall out into a wider area below. In the flickering torchlight, Orrin swears he can see the reflection of something that looks very much like coins under the surface of the pooled water below.

[Zorroroaster]

Orrin looks at the others and grins widely.

"Someone should go down there and check that out. Why don't we hammer some spikes in somewhere, tie a rope to one of us and lower them down?"

[KingOfCowards]

Lars looks around to each of his companions, and realizes all eyes are upon him. "Alright, I can climb. Its one of the skills I picked up while surviving in the city. Tie this rope around me just in case I slip."

Does anybody have a lantern? it would be easier to lower than a torch.

[Zorroroaster]

Orrin ties a makeshift harness out of the end of his rope and passes it to Lars. He wraps the other end around his back, and sits down, wedging himself between the cavern walls. He hands the remainder of the rope to Lug.

"Lug and I can belay you down, just in case you slip. It looks treacherous. Naila, keep an eye out, ok?"

i think Naila has a lantern.