IC V

[frobozz]

Lanny the elf

Lanny shakes his head as he addresses Saul.

"We don't know what's down there. Splitting up could result in one of us becoming a permanent member of this crypt. I strongly advise against it, but it is up to you of course."

Lanny walks over to Thordin and speaks quietly to the dwarf.

"I had to say that, you know... Saul's fearlessness borders on recklessness at times... However, if he insists on going down without us, perhaps you can accompany him. The servant's journal speaks of alterations made to the lower levels made by some strange dwarves... perhaps you can spot these alterations in the stonework. We elves can deal with the deceased."

Not knowing how deep these tower levels go, Lanny is starting to think that a good stopping point for the day might be reached after clearing the first two lower levels of the tower.

[Luis]

Saul is eager to see what's bellow them but listens to Lanny and waits for the rest of the group.

He suggests carrying what's left of the girl upstairs and burying her since Semele says it's all the same.

He addresses Bregalad: "Are you sure you're alright? We put the girl down, if you don't get any better after we put her body to rest we really should find some help for you quickly. It's not like this place is going anywhere..."

He doesn't hear Lanny's conversation with Thordin.

Ha, loved that reaction, Frobozz. Saul is coming across just as I hoped he would

[riftstone]

Thordin the dwarf

"Saul, if you want to go down and scout around, I am with you. Not sure who is going to carry the light..."

[Luis]

"Well..." Saul starts "Lanny has a point, it may be too dangerous to go while the others are dealing with the girl's corpse outside, we should wait for a bit."

He considers the offer for a second.

"Oh, if your offer still stands after our duty to the girl is done what I suggest is this: while we put the body to rest I get my lantern from Castanha and then the both of us can go down. I'll go ahead with my goggles and if it feels safe you can light the lantern so we can do some proper scouting. Two people won't make much noise and we'd stand a better chance against anything we find."

[thirdkingdom]

With Saul on point the companions ease down the stairs to the sub-basement. They find themselves in a long corridor that stretches off beyond the range of the lanternlight. A pair of closed stone doors face each other about twenty feet from the base of the staircase. Twenty feet beyond that, another pair of closed stone doors face each other. A faint, damp breeze blows from the far end of the hallway.

The adventurers continue down the hallway, finding yet a third pair of facing stone doors spaced the same distance as the other two. Twenty feet beyond that the hallway ends in what looks to Thordin to be a natural rock face. An arched doorway has been carved into the wall; the corridor on the other side of the arch leads off into the darkness.

All six of the stone doors, upon a closer inspection, open inwards and are featureless save for a keyhole and simple, carved door pull.. There is no sign that any of the doors have been opened recently. A thick layer of dust covers the floor of the hallway. The abomination's tracks can be seen coming from the archway and leading straight down the hallway towards the stairs.

Random encounter (1 on 1d6): (1d6=4)

[Bouv]

Tratiln scans the tracks. "Well, it seems they head towards the archway...I guess we are heading there then."

[sulldawga]

Marodin

"Are the side doors locked? We should secure our route of escape. Let's see if Saul can get the first one open."

[frobozz]

Lanny the elf

Lanny glances from left to right at the six doors as the party passes them in the hallway.

"I would assume these side rooms are chambers for the eternal rest of the dead. I am not keen to disturb them unless we must."

Lanny continues to the end of the hallway and calls for some light as he peers through the archway.

Are the walls of the corridor past the archway made of finished stone or natural rock?

"Very strange, this damp breeze blowing through here... I wonder if there is a water source nearby..."

After peering through the archway with light, Lanny will suggest that the party shutters their lantern for a brief moment so that they might be able to use their infravision to see any coldness that could indicate a pool of water further down the corridor.

[Luis]

Saul hears conflicting opinions so he only listens in on one of the doors, motioning for silence from his friends.

After listening in he will check for traps near the door but not open it until he has an order to do so and if so he will do it slowly, if possible and not without oiling the hinges before.

I'll be away for most of the morning, well... my morning, so I left the foreseeable actions Saul could take.

[zebediah]

Drudsa the dabbler

"I would not go ahead without checking these doors first. Specially if they might be the someone's final resting place... We should expect to see the dead rising back down here and we should avoid having our only escape route blocked from us."

[frobozz]

Lanny the elf

"Tis a good point, Drudsa. It may also be true that one of these chambers was reserved for Sasha, and that her remains belong here..."

If the area past the archway appears to open into a small enclosed chamber that can be quickly searched, then Lanny prefers to check that chamber first before checking the other doors. If it appears to open into a vast expanse of tunnels of indeterminate size and length, then Lanny prefers to just stay on the second floor and check the doors one by one.

[thirdkingdom]

Lanny advances and peers through the archway. He is no expert on stonework, but is able to tell that the passageway beyond has been carved from the mountain itself, whereas the stonework in the tower consists of laid and mortared blocks. The passageway continues farther than his heatvision can see.

Saul picks the furthest door on the left hand side and presses his ear against it. He hears nothing. The dust on the floor in front of the door appears undisturbed. The door appears to open inwards.

Random door, Hear Noise: (1d6=5, 1d100=21)

[Bouv]

Tratiln looks around. "I wonder how long that thing was down here for. And did it just recently become more active. The amount of tracks don't indicate a lot of moving around."

Posting during the day is going to be sporadic for me. I used to have 2 computers on 2 different networks at work - one would sometimes block Unseen Servant, one wouldn't. Well I'm back down to 1 on the network that sometimes blocks US. Today was a blocking day...

[frobozz]

Lanny the elf

"The creature's lair cannot be much further past this arched doorway... Remember that it was close enough to be able to hear Saul kick a stone down the corridor. I am eager to see the lair, but I understand the concern about checking the side doors first. Perhaps we should first determine if the doors are locked. If they are, I would suggest leaving them locked for the moment, to keep us safe from anything that might be resting on the other side..."

If the doors are unlocked and the party wishes to check all of them in turn, Lanny will suggest they start with the doors closest to the stairs and then work their way down the passage.

[Luis]

Saul will carefully try to open the door but will not unlck it as Lanny advises.

[rremedio]

Meagnor the Elf feels uneasy with this place. He keeps his bow up and ready, watching the back of the company against unexpected enemies.

[thirdkingdom]

I'd like to hear from a couple more people as to the plan, so I'm going to give it 'til tomorrow morning before I update IC.

[zebediah]

Drudsa the dabbler agrees with the approach proposed by Lanny and Saul.

[Finglas]

Bregalad the elf

Bregalad lights his torch. With his spells expended and combat abilities impaired, oil and flame may be the only weapons he has left. "The danger of exploring further may prove too great for us. Semele and Marodin are holy priests. If they feel they can free Sasha's spirit with prayer and fire, then I would rather follow their plan instead."

[sulldawga]

Marodin

"Let's not lose our nerve just yet. A quick look behind these doors will ensure we aren't cut off and then we can explore the creature's lair at leisure. Once we're sure there's nothing down here that would help restore friend Bregalad, we'll go back up and help that poor girl on to the next life."