Ch. 1: Rescue Penelope Primrose!

[GreyWolfVT]

Dax eyes Geoff "Yah think? Yeah them are o' me kin. But now durned well erery one an there durned brother knows we're ere"

[The_Wanderer]

Cy
"Indeed...so much for a quiet approach." Cy urges the others to push forward from his spot in the rear.

[Rex]

Finn

Finn will continue to advance, on the alert for anything that may be coming in response to the noise.

[Rusty Tincanne]

Twiddle rolls his eyes when the dwarf starts shouting, thankful, at least, that it didn't go on for longer. I guess it could've started shouting dwarf names and lineages. So not the worst. Let's see if the dwarf kings left anything worthwhile behind, eh? Best watch out for more spiders and snakes and whatnot. He assumes his place near the head of the line, holding the lantern.

[Zhym]

"Well he didn't go this way," muses Geoff after your ears stop ringing from the dwarf-busts's announcement of your presence.

"Durned well erery one an there durned brother knows we're ere," adds Dax.

Twiddle, ever the optimist, is thankful that the announcement didn't include any recitations of lineage.

You proceed cautiously forward. Unfortunately, the first dwarf was not the only one to make an announcement. As you pass each bust, it calls out something in dwarvish. Dax doesn't bother translating it all, but he tells you that it boils down to a combination of "Hooray for the King!" and each of the dwarves memorialized here in stone bragging about his own accomplishments.

The hallway turns out to be 90' long, with a sturdy wooden door at the end, bound in iron (all the doors seems to be sturdy, you've noticed. You can't wait until you find a nice, flimsy door).

Map:

ZRDC UL - Current.png (10.81 KiB) Viewed 756 times

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Status: Finn (½1): 5/5; Grond (F1): 7/7; Twiddle (½1): 4/4; Molly (½1): 3/3; Cy (C1): 2/5; Geoff (T1): 4/4; Iliro (E1): 6/6; Dax (D1): 9/9
Light Sources: Lantern (Finn, carried by Twiddle): 19 turns

[Captain Kinkajou]

Molly

Following along in her position near the rear, Molly cringes at each announcement. It feels like the longest 90' she's ever walked.

[GreyWolfVT]

Dax in an after thought tells the others what the magical talking dwarf skulpture said....otherwise just follows the group.

[VonAlric]

Iliro lets out a sigh, hearing the inane natter of the dwarf heads is wearisome. He grips the javelin firmly as he awaits the action at the door to be resolved.

[Rex]

Finn

Once Finn gets to the door he will try and open it.

[Starbeard]

Geoff checks the door frame and latch for traps, does his best to remove them if found, then shoulders the door open with Finn.

"If you aren't prepared yet you must be deaf or stupid, so ready or not, here we come!"

Geoff open doors (STR 13): [1d6+1] = 3+1 = 4

[Zhym]

Geoff checks the door for traps. Finding none, he and Finn put shoulders to the door and force it open.

It opens into a room that is 30' wide and extends 50' ahead of you. It is filled with more rotting furniture that must have been very fine once. The walls are decorated with a tile mosaic mural depicting the exodus of the Big Stone Mountain dwarves from the Old Dwarven Home, including depictions of battles along the journey. A golden door is set in the north wall. At least, it looks golden, but it's hard to imagine that it's really made of gold. Even if dwarves would have wasted good gold on a door, the metal is far too soft and heavy to make an effective portal. But it looks impressive anyway. It shines in the light of Finn's lantern, untarnished by the centuries.

As you are taking in the mural, you hear a booming voice from the far end of the hall behind you. You no longer need Dax to translate them:

"ATTENTION! VISITORS HAVE ARRIVED TO THE ROYAL CHAMBERS!"

Map:

ZRDC UL (Current).png (12.81 KiB) Viewed 716 times

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Status: Finn (½1): 5/5; Grond (F1): 7/7; Twiddle (½1): 4/4; Molly (½1): 3/3; Cy (C1): 2/5; Geoff (T1): 4/4; Iliro (E1): 6/6; Dax (D1): 9/9
Light Sources: Lantern (Finn, carried by Twiddle): 18 turns

[VonAlric]

Iliro winces at the newest announcement. "Think we should have smashed all of those heads so we could be less conspicuous?" He will enter the room and walk around the west, south and east walls, looking for any possible secret doors (it is the royal chambers) and using his javelin to prod the floor in front of him.

[Rusty Tincanne]

Naw, they'll warn is if someone was trying to sneak up on us. Let's check out the door a bit! Twiddle walks to the door and eyes it from 10' away before moving closer. Sure looks like gold, don't it?

[GreyWolfVT]

Dax chiming in "Aint no time fer gold time ta get tha hell outta ere them heads er making it hard fer a quiet entry."

[Starbeard]

"I think those statues are telling us that we have visitors," says Geoff.

He hides behind the door to the hallway and attempts to blend into the shadows, readying his silver dagger.


(Do I make the skill roll? Can never remember. If I do:)

Geoff hide in shadows (10%): [1d100] = 49

[Rusty Tincanne]

Twiddle smacks his forehead. Of course! He throws caution to the wind and tries opening the faux-gold door. He hopes he doesn't die.

[Rex]

Finn

Finn will back up Twiddle as he trie to open the door.

[Captain Kinkajou]

Molly

Geoff's words gradually sink in. After the long sequence of booming announcements, Molly had found herself a little slow on the uptake. Darn it! He's right, she thinks. Surely someone else must be coming. She swiftly covers her lantern and slips into the shadows. Being a halfling, she's small and not that easy to notice. Hiding was always a good bet for gaining an advantage.

[Zhym]

Iliro winces at the stone dwarf-head's announcement. "Think we should have smashed all of those heads so we could be less conspicuous?"

"I think those statues are telling us that we have visitors," says Geoff. And sure enough, the first bust's announcement of your presence is quickly followed by the litany of bragging making its way toward you down the hallway. He hides in the shadow of a large wing-back chair, its once-fine velvet now looking more like burlap. Molly covers her lantern (which, as far as the DM can recall, is not lit—see the status line below) and ducks behind a moth-eaten settee that was probably really fancy back in its day (but never comfortable).

Meanwhile, Twiddle and Finn try to open the fancy faux-gold door. There's a doorknob on this one and everything—a gold pitcher-handle shape with a little lever on it. Twiddle pulls the handle. The door doesn't move.

But the other one does. It slams shut with a thud. You hear muffled cries of "Oy," "What the...?" and, "Oh, bother," from the hall, still mixed in with dwarven bragging (Dax thinks it may be Thinkin Son of Dinkin telling of...the strong job growth, low interest rates, and increase in warren ownership during his reign? That can't be right, can it?).

There's also another sound, this one from inside the room: a hissing from tiny holes you hadn't noticed along the bottom of the walls. A bluish-green gas seeps into the room from the holes.

DM rolls saving throws...

Save v. poison (FGrTM): [1d20] = 20 [1d20] = 17 [1d20] = 17 [1d20] = 12
Save v. poison (CGeID): [1d20] = 6 [1d20] = 3 [1d20] = 3 [1d20] = 18
STR penalty (CGoI): [1d6] = 3 [1d6] = 4 [1d6] = 4

Finn, Grond, Twiddle, Molly, and Dax save. Cy, Geoff, and Iliro do not. Cy loses 3 str points; Geoff and Iliro each lose 4.

The gas smells bad—like rotting feet. You feel momentarily lightheaded. Finn, Grond, Twiddle, Molly, and Dax quickly cover their mouths and noses with something, or are hardy enough to avoid any effects. Cy, Geoff, and Iliro, however, feel weaker (Strength is at -3 for Cy (now 9), -4 for Geoff (9) and Iliro (9)).

"Hullo?" you hear someone call from outside the western door.

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Status: Finn (½1): 5/5; Grond (F1): 7/7; Twiddle (½1): 4/4; Molly (½1): 3/3; Cy (C1): 2/5; Geoff (T1): 4/4; Iliro (E1): 6/6; Dax (D1): 9/9
Effects: Cy, Geoff, Iliro weakened (STR:9 each)
Light Sources: Lantern (Finn, carried by Twiddle): 17 turns

[Starbeard]

Feeling foul and woozy, Geoff does his best to remain quiet and hidden, at least until he knows who is on the other side of the door.