Chapter 20: The Forbidden City

[Inferno]

The Temple Ruins, the Dead City of Thracia, Pictland, the World of Hyboria
Day Nine. Dawn. 19th day of the month of Qrot, 1280th year of the Age of Aquilonia
Partly cloudy, cool






Accustomed to subterranean darkness, Zahra descends without hesitation into the black abysses below.

Kiri summons forth the spirit of his ancestor to bear a torch, but the pale amazon is already gone from sight, consumed by the shadows of the cold, dark pit.

Iago readies to board the rope ladder next into the unknowable netherworld beneath the doom-haunted temple. Eerily, Kiri's torch hovers beside him as if borne by a ghost!

Far below, Zahra snaps two rotten ladder rungs on her descent but manages to hang on. By the time she reaches the bottom, she's counted sixty rungs. Then she gets a candle alight.



By its warm glow, she sees that somewhere in her journey through the dark, the natural chasm had become a smooth-walled chamber cut into the rock, no larger than a priest hole.

The small room is empty except for a single stone door showing a black iron handle and hinges.

Zahra feels Iago on the ladder, but she knows they can't all fit in this tiny cell.


Actions?


Map:






PC Status:

Amethu: Verulian Grand Magus Cleric/Magic-User 3/3: Move: 9", AC: 4, HP: 15/15, Spells: 7/7 1st lvl, 4/4 2nd lvl
Cruloc: Cimmerian Northman Barbarian 3: Move: 12", AC: 4, HP: 44/45
Dahinna: Zamoran Southwoman Thief 4: Move: 12", AC: 4, HP: 17/19
Grigor: Zamoran Nomad Cleric/Fighter 3/3: Move: 9", AC: 1, HP: 29/29, Spells: 4/4 1st lvl, 2/2 2nd lvl
Iago: Zingaran Southman Fighter 4: Move: 12", AC: 2, HP: 30/32
Kiri Khutan: Kambujan Easterner Fighter/Magic-User 3/3: Move: 9", AC: 3, HP: 21/21, Spells: 2/3 1st lvl, 1/1 2nd lvl, Torch
Zahra: Verulian Amazon Fighter 4: Move: 12", AC: 3, HP: 26/29, Candle
Gnasher: Grigor's Hound: Move: 12", AC: 5, HD: 2+2, HP: 11/11, AT: 1, D: 1-4

PC Magic:

Unseen Servant (Kiri): Duration: 88 rounds.

Player Resources:

The Struggle To Survive (the story so far)
Mysteries Strange and Deadly (player clues and notes)
An Age Undreamed Of (maps and realms of the World of Hyboria)

[Urson]

Zahra
In a low voice, Zahra calls up to warn the others about the rotted ladder rungs. She listens for any noises beyond the door, then attempts to open it.

Yeah, I know- but Zahra doesn't have any thief skills, so she's kinda forced into being bold.

[ChubbyPixie]

The best map ever.

Kiri directs Grandfather to go 30' down the ladder next to illuminate the way for the others. He himself will wait at the top until there is more room below.

[ravenn4544]

Amethu also waits until the time is right to descend to the bottom. The anticipation of what mysteries they will uncover is almost palpable beneath his mask.

[Bluetongue]

Grigor

Lowers Gnasher as far as he can and follows him down. At the bottom he draws his scimitar as it will shed light also.

[Yrkoon]

Cruloc

Cruloc waits.

[Inferno]

The Temple Ruins, the Dead City of Thracia, Pictland, the World of Hyboria
Day Nine. Morning. 19th day of the month of Qrot, 1280th year of the Age of Aquilonia
Partly cloudy, cool






The dead, invisible hand of a specter carries a torch to light their way as the explorers descend the ladder beneath the floor of the ruined temple of forsaken gods.

58 rungs below, Zahra holds her breath and listens at the stone door of the candlelit priesthole. Hearing nothing, she pulls its black iron handle and the door opens onto the middle of a steep stairwell cut into living rock!

The pale amazon cautiously peers out and discovers the door is ingeniously crafted to be unseen on the other side when shut.

The adventurers and the haunted torch join Zahra at the bottom of the rope ladder. The air is thick, cold and damp.

To the east, the steep stone steps plunge down into hungry darkness. To the west, they rise some hundred feet into daylight!




Actions?!


Map:






PC Status:

Amethu: Verulian Grand Magus Cleric/Magic-User 3/3: Move: 9", AC: 4, HP: 15/15, Spells: 7/7 1st lvl, 4/4 2nd lvl
Cruloc: Cimmerian Northman Barbarian 3: Move: 12", AC: 4, HP: 44/45
Dahinna: Zamoran Southwoman Thief 4: Move: 12", AC: 4, HP: 17/19
Grigor: Zamoran Nomad Cleric/Fighter 3/3: Move: 9", AC: 1, HP: 29/29, Spells: 4/4 1st lvl, 2/2 2nd lvl
Iago: Zingaran Southman Fighter 4: Move: 12", AC: 2, HP: 30/32
Kiri Khutan: Kambujan Easterner Fighter/Magic-User 3/3: Move: 9", AC: 3, HP: 21/21, Spells: 2/3 1st lvl, 1/1 2nd lvl, Torch
Zahra: Verulian Amazon Fighter 4: Move: 12", AC: 3, HP: 26/29, Candle
Gnasher: Grigor's Hound: Move: 12", AC: 5, HD: 2+2, HP: 11/11, AT: 1, D: 1-4

PC Magic:

Unseen Servant (Kiri): Duration: 80 rounds.

Player Resources:

The Struggle To Survive (the story so far)
Mysteries Strange and Deadly (player clues and notes)
An Age Undreamed Of (maps and realms of the World of Hyboria)

[Urson]

Zahra
Zahra uses her dagger to mark the wall beside the door, so that they can find it again, if need be. I suppose we will be heading down?

[ChubbyPixie]

Kiri nods in agreement. "Grandfather, please, if you don't mind," he says gesturing eastwards down the staircase. The hovering torch hesitates for a moment, then moves smoothly 30' down to light their way, its base rising to about 8' in height as if the old man were carrying it with arm raised.

[Yrkoon]

Cruloc

Cruloc looks up the stairway to the daylight at the top and wonders where it leads.

[hedgeknight]

Dahinna

The rogue thanks Mitra for not breaking her neck on the ancient rope ladder, and like Cruloc, she looks up the stairway. Seeing the light at the top, she sighs. Perhaps we can use this stairway to get out when we're done down here.
With that, she follows her companions deeper down into this forgotten city.

[Paladin]

Iago Vazquez de Quesada

The landlocked pirate looks longingly up toward the daylight, then sighs and looks down. "A wise woman once told me that a good man always goes down..." His brow furrows as he proceeds deeper into the gloom. "I don't think this is what she meant."

[ravenn4544]

Amethu studies the walls and floor for any clues as to what is to come before heading down.

[Inferno]

The adventure continues in... Chapter 21: The Caverns of Thracia