Expedition: Fingers/Treasure of Yoldessi Plains- 30 Aug 2021

[DavetheLost]

Hengist will cast Cure Light Wounds on Buttercup. Cure Light Wounds [1d6+1] = 1+1 = 2

Well, that was really useful. Maybe Baudh has something against mules?

Hengist transfers 6 torches and his crowbar to his backpack. Well, Fingers got the door open, we may as well look around. Is anyone staying up here with jimmy and the mounts? Hopefully the gargoyles won't trouble them more today.

[Rusty Tincanne]

Seeing Buttercup's wounds barely close, Winnie asks Heingst if he thinks it is, perhaps, because pack animals don't have any money. She looks around when he asks about someone staying with Jimmy. Though she hired him, none of the animals belong to her. I came to help with the exploring and prefer to go below, she replies.

She looks around to see if there is any better shelter nearby for Jimmy and the pack animals.

Marullus, how difficult would it be for Winnie to carry Mrs. Dash down? Could she and Fingers rig up harnesses for the dogs easily?

[Marullus]

Jimmy doesn't much like the look of the city, but the alcove is strategically placed to be as concealed as he could hope. He begins rigging a makeshift awning with a bedroll and rope, disguised by thatch and sod, to extend it enough to cover the mounts. "I don't intend to advertise myself as anyone's dinner," he comments to the group.

If you want to rig mount harnesses, you could do the dogs with rope and the mules with the floating disk - it will be a factor of time (which incurs encounter checks). Each attempt takes an hour and requires a passed morale check by the animal. On a fail, you need to spend more time retrying.

[Zhym]

Fingers grabs a rope and kneels down by Sprinkles. "C'mon, boy, we're going to go on an adventure," he says in a soothing voice as he ties the rope around his dog. "It's in a hole. You like digging holes, right? Well, this is like that. I bet there are bones down there!"

"Lower him down next to me as I climb," he says when his dog is sufficiently harnessed.

I'd suggest leaving the mules here. Leaving the dogs isn't an option.

Also, a friendly reminder that allies get +1 to morale from Fingers's sword.

[onlyme]

I agree, though the agony of watching Halfpint's pony get devoured by a trog keeps me squeamish.

[Rusty Tincanne]

Winnie follows Fingers' lead, tying a harness for Mrs. Dash. After she has convinced one of the others to loan her some. She asks Heingst to lower Mrs. Dash in the same way, constantly reassuring her canine friend that everything will be okay.

[DavetheLost]

An interesting question of theology, Winnie. Hengist will lower Mrs. Dash carefully paying out the rope. He will descend the ladder in his turn.

[Marullus]

It takes the efforts of several to keep the dogs calm as they are trussed with ropes and lowered down. The canines do remarkably well, though, brave in service to their masters.

The bottom of the ladder is about 20' down, only the faintest glow coming from the open door above. You find yourselves in a rough-hewn, practical chamber about 15x15, a stone door outlined on the wall before you.

(Light?)

Date: 3:40pm, 03 September 2021
Light: ?
Effects: None
Injuries: Elmer (moderately injured); Buttercup (critically injured)

Morale rolls [2d6] = 7[2d6] = 5[2d6] = 7[2d6] = 5[2d6] = 2

[Alethan]

Bandy looks about the room as if it is properly lit by a torch and not just the feeble light of a candle.

"Sorry... its rather useful for the person holding it, but... not so much for anyone else, I'm afraid," Bandy says with a shrug, glancing at his candle.

[onlyme]

Markd will light his lantern.

[Marullus]

The dogs whimper, not liking the dark hole they've been lowered into.

The bottom of the ladder is about 20' down, only the faintest glow coming from the open door above. You find yourselves in a rough-hewn, practical chamber about 15x15, a stone door outlined on the wall before you.

Bandy's candle illuminates the door while Markd gets his lantern going, brightly illuminating the whole chamber. It is empty, save the ladder bolted to the wall and the stone door's outline.


Date: 3:50pm, 03 September 2021
Light: Bandy's magic candle (until 4:30pm), Markd's Lantern (until 7:40pm)
Effects: None
Injuries: Elmer (moderately injured); Buttercup (critically injured)

[Zhym]

Fingers tries to comfort his dog. "Easy boy. It's okay." I hope it's okay, he thinks to himself.

He checks the door and the space in front of it for traps.

[Marullus]

Fingers carefully inspects the door and doesn't find anything suspicious. The door has a pull-handle on this side, but no lock mechanism, either.

Date: 4:00pm, 03 September 2021
Light: Bandy's magic candle (until 4:30pm), Markd's Lantern (until 7:40pm)
Effects: None
Injuries: Elmer (moderately injured); Buttercup (critically injured)

[Zhym]

Fingers steps back to the rear so someone else can open the door.

[Rusty Tincanne]

Winnie also comforts her dog. Shhh, girl. We might find a nice bone or two in there, even. She mulls over the melody and lyrics needed to conjure another web, or a magic missile.

[DavetheLost]

If someone will cover me, I'm willing to try and open the door, says Hengist.

[Marullus]

Since success for Hengist is automatic, I am going to move you ahead a few steps at once.

Hengist opens the door - the stone portal rotates open on it's hinges, grinding from the gravel and grit beneath. On the other side, the door blends with the wall, concealing itself from the casual observer.

The door is at the end of an alcove, ending at a passage that goes both left and right at the far end. The alcove has half-circle niches on both sides in two rows, one high and one low. Some, but not all, have human-size bodies within, the top of the skull and plain linen shift on the shoulders visible as you peek in.

There is a scraping sound in the hallway at the far end - a shambling skeleton wearing a decaying white linen shift opens it's jaw in an inaudible protest at your presence! Hengist raises his holy symbol and the reliquary around his neck flares - the skeleton's malevolent eyes go blank and it crumbles slowly to bone dust, collapsing before you. Peeking into the hallway, three more skeletons similarly react and similarly cruble before the raw power of Hengist's invokations to Baudh.

With all four skeletons destroyed the hallway appears safe. There are six alcoves in total, all on the one side of the hall, all similar to the one you entered through, except that they have alcoves on the end instead of the blank wall and concealed door. One alcove is further to the right, the other four are to the left. At the far left end of the hallway is another plain stone door similar to the one you just passed through.

Date: 4:10pm, 03 September 2021
Light: Bandy's magic candle (until 4:30pm), Markd's Lantern (until 7:40pm)
Effects: None
Injuries: Elmer (moderately injured); Buttercup (critically injured)

[Rusty Tincanne]

As they begin through the doorway, Winnie works an ornate clasp on her staff and flips back the engraved covering. LIght, as bright as the day, floods the area. Sorry. I had forgotten about that when Markd was lighting his torch.

As the pass through the tunnels, Winnie uses her silver dagger to shift the linens covering the interned bodies, looking to see if anythign of interest - or value - lies hidden. She marvels at Heingst's handling of the walking dead. You do a great service to the balance of the world by setting these poor souls to rest. Thank you. When the rooms appear empty, she continues searching the alcoves, starting with those on the right, Mrs. Dash by her side. I find it fascinating that these people wanted to be preserved like this, rather than feed the worms and plants. hey chose to set themselves apart, rather than be a part, if you will.

[onlyme]

Markd will extinguish his lantern to save fuel.

[Alethan]

Bandy frowns at the welcoming party, and is immediately relieved to see Hengist is on top of things.

He puts away his candlestick after extinguishing the candle and draws his long sword.

"Seems like we'd best be prepared right off the bat. Let's not forget to search every hallway and alcove for secret passages. Often times tombs are laid out symmetrically, so if you see something that looks unbalanced, call it out."