2. The First Delve

[Khaboom]

"Hey! Why don't you take your mate's head with you? We don't want it any more!

[coffee]

If Weeba can get one last swing on the half-orc, he will (even if it means chasing him).

[ClockworkPoltergeist]

As the half-orc turns to flee, Digsby drops to one knee and takes a last massive swipe across the attackers knees with his redoubtable shovel.

[Starbeard]

Day 1, Afternoon (turn 3, combat round 5)



Final round of combat:
Party's effect is Digsby (19) + Weeba (24) = 43 hit points!
Half-orc's ineffectual defense as it escapes is 14 hit points, scoring 1 point of spite from rolling a 6!

The party wins, dealing 29 points of damage and slaying the half-orc.
Digsby suffers 1 point of spite damage.



Several members of the party taunt the half-orc as he runs away, hacking and slashing behind him desperately. Weeba chases him out of the room and Digsby takes a swipe at his legs, causing the graet monster to fall right on top of him, crushing him under his lifeless weight. Weeba stoops down to pull the body off of Digsby and the two gather their wits in the smoke-filled hallway.

(148 experience points for everyone!)

Actions?

Rolls:

Combat round hit point rolls:
Digsby melee: [1d6] = 4 + [1d6] = 5 + [1d6] = 1 + [1d6] = 6 + 3
Weeba combat: [1d6] = 2 + [1d6] = 3 + [1d6] = 5 + [1d6] = 4 + 10

Light sources: Digsby's torch (burning for 8 turns), Doughty's torch (on ground, burning for 7 turns)

Biddle Spratt, Hypnotist Extraordinaire (Wiz, ST 6/12 LK 14 DEX 10 — Adds: -1/-1) CON: 11/11
Digsby Mudfoot, Halfling Gardener (War, ST 7 LK 12 DEX 15 — Adds: +1/+4) CON: 19/20
Doughty Doughball, Halfling Cook (Rog, ST 5 LK 7 DEX 15 — Adds: -3/+0) CON: 4/16
Garrick the Fortunate, Elven Archaeologist (Wiz, ST 7 LK 17 DEX 12 — Adds: +3/+3) CON: 9/9
Spindlethrash, Halfling Ne'er-do-well (War, ST 5 LK 13 DEX 18 — Adds: +3/+9) CON: 32/32
Weeba Zortz, Warrior in Triplet (War, ST 13 LK 10 DEX 17 — Adds: +6/+11) CON: 9/10

[Khaboom]

Biddle wants to restt to recover STR.

[Rusty Tincanne]

Doughty returns to the room and retrieves his torch. He moves to inspect the wall where the orc emerged from, seeking to know how the trap door works and where it leads to.

[ClockworkPoltergeist]

Digsby stretches and flexes trying to work out the soreness from the half-orcs rather rude flattening of the poor halfling while the former passed from this life. He takes a few moments to stomp out the flaming debris in the hallway and then retrieves his twine tripwire. No need to let it go to waste.... he thinks. Looking around he decides to follow some of the others into the adjoining room and takes in the treasure balancing over the void filled with stars. Musing out loud, "Any idea what would happen if we get rid of these bodies by tossing them into that?" he gestures at the star filled darkness.

[Khaboom]

"No, but I'd like to find out. Good luck!" Biddle grins expectantly.

[Rusty Tincanne]

Maybe let's get that treasure first? I'd hate to see it dump on accident. Could we took a rope up to swing across the hall and grab the goodies?

[sirravd]

"A most splendid idea, Digsby!" quoth the halfling gigolo. "The treasure can wait: my curiosity cannot!"

[Rusty Tincanne]

This room is very peculiar... At the very center of the room, at chest height, are two heavily laden bags resting at either end of a precariously balanced beam. Beneath the beam is a large hole that drops straight into a beautiful and mesmerizing field of stars. The beam teeters back and forth with every movement in the room, threatening to topple its contents into the starry void. Against the far wall someone has scratched a lengthy paragraph of writing, in some harsh-looking language no one in the party can read.

Curiosity might need to wait,. But I'll defer to the rest of the group.

Doughty looks into the room in question, inspecting the walls and ceiling for hold, crags, etc that might allow the group to retrieve the bags.

[coffee]

"Can any of you magical types translate that?" Weeba asks, pointing at the writing. "Might be a clue." He cleans his sword and puts it away.

[Khaboom]

Not me - but I might be able to hypnotise you into thining I could!

How close can we get to the beam and bags without falling into the void? Can't quite get the picture.

[Starbeard]

Day 1, Afternoon (turn 4)



As the party recuperates from the encounter Digsby's torch burns out.

Doughty picks up his own torch and heads into the strange treasure room, skirting the wall to avoid the big pit that empties into the starry void of space. Along the north wall the trap door is still open, and quickly finds a palm-sized stone depressed into the wall. It clicks when he presses it, and the door slides shut. Another press and it slides open again. Outside he can see an east-west corridor with dead ends on either side, 20' to the east and 50' to the west.

Digsby and Spindlethrash drag the headless half-orc over to the edge of the pit and roll him over the edge. He falls into the void for several seconds, but then begins to float through space, spinning and spraying out droplets of blood from his neck in spirals as he goes. Soon he passes out of sight past the edge of the pit. The balance beam rocks back and forth, threatening to spill the bags into the void, but soon they balance again.

Doughty sees no crags or holds anywhere in the room. Other than the hole, the bags, the open secret door and the nasty unintelligible writing on the wall, the room is entirely bare and devoid of features.

Biddle tries to measure out the distance between himself and the beam. If he stands tiptoe at the edge and stretches his arm out, he just might be able to touch the beam (or a bag) with the tip of a sword.


Actions?

Rolls:

Teetering bags roll: [1d6] = 2

Light sources: Doughty's torch (burning for 8 turns)

Biddle Spratt, Hypnotist Extraordinaire (Wiz, ST 6/12 LK 14 DEX 10 — Adds: -1/-1) CON: 11/11
Digsby Mudfoot, Halfling Gardener (War, ST 7 LK 12 DEX 15 — Adds: +1/+4) CON: 19/20
Doughty Doughball, Halfling Cook (Rog, ST 5 LK 7 DEX 15 — Adds: -3/+0) CON: 4/16
Garrick the Fortunate, Elven Archaeologist (Wiz, ST 7 LK 17 DEX 12 — Adds: +3/+3) CON: 9/9
Spindlethrash, Halfling Ne'er-do-well (War, ST 5 LK 13 DEX 18 — Adds: +3/+9) CON: 32/32
Weeba Zortz, Warrior in Triplet (War, ST 13 LK 10 DEX 17 — Adds: +6/+11) CON: 9/10

[Khaboom]

How quickly is Biddle's STR returning?

[Rusty Tincanne]

Doughty studies the room further, deciding if it would be possible to hold ropes across the pit. If so, he suggests that Biddle and Weeba head to one end of the room, perpendicular to the pole, carrying a rope each. Digsby and Spindlethrash hold the other end. Then, at the same time, mind you, you pull them ropes tight under that pole to lift it off'n the balancing part. And then the tall folk lift their end up and the pole should slide to the halflings, where Garrick and me cam get to solid ground. Whatcha think?

[coffee]

"An ingenious and elegant plan!" Weeba says. "Let's do it!"

[Khaboom]

Biddle's face breaks out in a big smile.
Splendid! It's already in the bag. Rely on me to do my part, friends!

[ClockworkPoltergeist]

Digsby listens to Doughty's idea, "It's just crazy enough to work. Just make sure we all hang on tight to those ropes. If something happens and someone gets pulled into that hole I'd like to think we could pull them back out again!"

[Starbeard]

Day 1, Afternoon (turn 5)

How quickly is Biddle's STR returning?

Biddle’s regains 1 STR each turn. Thanks for reminding me, I missed the last one. I’ve corrected it now.



The group does as Doughty suggests, with the tall folk standing on one side and the short folk standing on the other, stretching two ropes across the chasm. Carefully they hoist one end of the rope and attempt to lift and slide the wooden beam down to safety. The two sacks are sitting loose on the beam, and so any tipsy movement could spill them over and down into the void. You proceed cautiously.

The tall folk lift their ends of the ropes, and the beam begins to slide down to the hobs ever so slowly. It begins to tilt a little to the left, then the right, and there are audible gasps when the beam nearly spins on its axis and topples into the chasm! The bags shake, threatening to spill themselves over the edge.

In a panic, you stop all of your ministrations and reset yourselves before losing the plank. Several deep breaths later you resume your work of edging the plank across the rope, and it falls to the ground right at the edge of the chasm. Both bags have been saved!

Inside the sacks your find just what you expected, large handfuls of polished, scintillant gold coins. You eyeball the hoard to be well into the hundreds between both bags.

Doughty’s torch begins to sputter and weaken. Another light source will have to be found immediately.

Actions?

Rolls:

Attempting to slide the beam down…
average DEX (15), SL1 (need 20+): [1d6] = 3+[1d6] = 2+15

… 3+2+15 = 20. Success, barely!

Light sources: none!

Biddle Spratt, Hypnotist Extraordinaire (Wiz, ST 8/12 LK 14 DEX 10 — Adds: +1/+1) CON: 11/11
Digsby Mudfoot, Halfling Gardener (War, ST 7 LK 12 DEX 15 — Adds: +1/+4) CON: 19/20
Doughty Doughball, Halfling Cook (Rog, ST 5 LK 7 DEX 15 — Adds: -3/+0) CON: 4/16
Garrick the Fortunate, Elven Archaeologist (Wiz, ST 7 LK 17 DEX 12 — Adds: +3/+3) CON: 9/9
Spindlethrash, Halfling Ne'er-do-well (War, ST 5 LK 13 DEX 18 — Adds: +3/+9) CON: 32/32
Weeba Zortz, Warrior in Triplet (War, ST 13 LK 10 DEX 17 — Adds: +6/+11) CON: 9/10