Expedition - Lug/Exploration - May 20, 1 VC

[hedgeknight]

Krysta gladly supports Galen. She can't stop looking at him. She doesn't care who notices...that she leans her head against his chest from time to time as they walk along.

[KingOfCowards]

Bertram follows along, nodding with enthusiastic agreement at mention of finding Adrienne. He occasionally steals envious glances at the seemingly happy couple but concentrates his attention on the road ahead.

[Marullus]

Niles limps forward, oblivious to the lovey-dovey-ness surrounding him, instead grousing quietly to himself about his wounds, his fragile body, his lack of muscles. "...next time... make notes... more attention to form... skip puberty..." he grumbles to nobody in particular.

He follows behind Lug and Orrin, examining the walls as well for anything his wizardly eyes might tell him.

[Keehnelf]

May 26, 1 VC - 12:30pm

The party forms up and regains its feet, and heads into the passage. As the darkness retreats ahead of them (though the air is still murky and close due to the vapors off the lava below), they see that after eighty feet it takes a hard turn to the right. The only other exits revealed are the two doors on the right side and one on the left that were previously noted.

Orrin spends some time investigating the carvings on the walls and sees that these are traditional decorative inlays generally used in wealthier residential districts within dwarfholds. Some of it is inane recordation and recitation of banal historical happenings, but a lot of it is stylistic presentations of poetry and myth intended simply to beautify the area. In some areas, it appears to have once been inlaid with actual gold, but the inlay seems to have been removed from those sections with some kind of sharp instrument.

[Marullus]

Niles looks to Lug, overlooking the other party members who are snuggling or mourning their lack of snuggles. "So what will it be, Lug? Door number one, door number two, or door number three?"

[Zhym]

"Gosh, I dunno," says Lug. "Some of us are still pretty banged up. If anything on the other side of those doors wants to fight we might not be ready for 'em." He glances quickly past the canoodling clerics to Bertram. "If this were a normal outing I'd open every door to look for treasure. But my quest ended when the evil sword went kablooey. Bertram, this is your quest now. What do you think?"

[Spartakos]

"I am willing to follow Bertram's lead, but would suggest that when we lack knowledge about any of these doors, one is as good as another. We are indeed in need of rest, but we should probably find a more secure spot in which to do so...and one of these doors may lead to such, a room that we could make defensible."

[hedgeknight]

Krysta Kane, Servant of Pelor

For a few minutes, Krysta's only thought is to get Galen to safety. Once that is achieved, and she sees the glances from her companions, she flushes crimson and steps back. "Are...are you well enough to stand on your...on your own?" she asks, clearing her throat and returning the glances, somewhat nervously.
She agrees with Lug. "We need to be careful about opening doors. If one were to bar the way for creatures, and we free them, we might not survive. And yet, we need to find sanctuary and rest. So..."

[KingOfCowards]

Seeing the chance to take the lead, Bertram cuts through the indecisiveness. "We'll check the door on the left. If its a defensible position, we can make camp there."
He draws out his magic sword and prepares to open the door.

[Keehnelf]

May 26, 1 VC - 12:40pm

Bertram steps forward and leads the way boldly into the chamber beyond the door, which appears to be the entryway to a once-lush residence. The party finds itself in a ten-foot square opening that widens out into a room thirty feet wide and twenty feet deep. Wide archways open on the opposite wall of that room into two smaller rooms. Moldering splinters of furniture litter the large chamber, and tatters of rotted tapestry hang from the walls. On the floor under the archway on the right, a dented metal coffer lies open and overturned.

[Marullus]

Niles hangs back behind the warriors, holding Ferris at-hand as he sniffs for trouble. He stands ready to cast sleep if a horde of vile little things emerge.

[Zhym]

"Guess that's what we'll find in most of the rooms," says Lug. "Stuff that's already been looted by the dragon man." He uses the tip of his sword to turn the cover over to make sure nothing is hiding under it.

"You all wanna rest here? Anyone got spikes or something to seal the door closed?"

[Keehnelf]

A small enameled earthenware jug lies under the overturned coffer. It is colored in bright white with vibrant red and orange floral accents encircling it.

[Zhym]

Lug picks it up, opens it, dips a finger in, and takes a slight taste. Unless it burns his finger or something.

[Keehnelf]

The jug appears long since empty. Lug makes out a light residue within, and the interior smells dusty.

[Zhym]

"Drat," says Lug, disappointed. "Hey, maybe if we add water and swirl it around in there the dried stuff will still do whatever it did!"

[hedgeknight]

Krysta enters the large chamber, amid glances at Galen, and looks for a place to put her bedroll. With her mace in hand, she steps into the smaller rooms, trying to make sure they are not occupied.

[Keehnelf]

May 26, 1 VC - 12:50pm

The party moves into the residence, beginning to unpack and make camp as makes an inspection of the rooms beyond. Both seem to be sleeping chambers, with stone beds covered in the decaying remains of straw mattresses and moldy blankets. A fireplace dominates the wall separating the two bedrooms, actually offering a small crawl space to pass from one to the other under a sooty flue rising up through the mountain stone. These chambers, like the outer ones, appear long-since denuded of valuables.

[KingOfCowards]

After surveying the area, Bertram nods with the group's assessment. "Alright, let's make camp and rest up. We'll get moving again once the clerics are recovered. I'll take first watch."

[Zorroroaster]

"Second."