Return to the Barrow Mounds:

[Spearmint]

the labyrinth corridors are generally as depicted, 10x10 with arched ceiling above, supported by wooden buttresses in places.

To create a gap, you are going to need Isvand the halfling to stand on someone's shoulders (Orgoth) and pry bar the stones loose, work them to a place he can grab and manipulate one free then pass it to another to put on the floor. Then try to dislodge any further back than he can reach.

So if you try this technique, I would like:

Isvand roll [4d6] vs str please.

[redwarrior]

Sorry, busy day, just catching up

Looking at Sven, Isvand replies I've been hurt worse, I'm good for now. But I thank you for checking.
With bow at the ready, he proceeds into the room and corridor as directed. Isvand pries with all of his might, which is not much.


vs STR target 13 [4d6]=19

[Spearmint]

May 3rd 1066.

Barrow Maze.

Exploring the corridors.
4.20pm. Firebrand torchlight (Bro Fab) Lantern light (Gerdal) Candlelight (Sven).

Conditions: Steban -7hp, stuck in pit trap. Isvand -4hp.

While Amos and Gerdal each take a guard by a door, Sven savours the aroma of hops from the room behind the third door. If there is alcohol, it sounds like it is being poured out the barrel but no one drinking. No raucous noise, Brazen Strumpets or bardic anthems.

There is noise though. Coming from the blocked up portion of corridor. The trio of Bro' Fabian, Orgoth and Isvand tackling the masonry. The looser stones are at the top but they are heavy. Too heavy for the halfling to wield without dropping and after prying them some loose and manipulating one free, the block he pulls drops from his hands to crash with a thud on the floor. Thankfully not crushing anyone's toes.

You create a small enough gap with the crowbar to fit the lizard through. (Chameleons unlike geckos can't climb straight walls or upside down on ceilings) but grasping a rope to mimic as a vine gives them a foothold.

Just barely seeing through the gap, another wall is 10'ft away. It would take another turn and more pushing of stones to drop the other side to allow a halfling (not in chainmail) to get through.

So you can 'send in the lizard' or do more excavating or exploring.

actions please.

[Rex]

Orgoth

Orgoth will try to help Isvand.

[sastaz]

Gerdal leaves this decision (Harkazz or Isvand through the hole) to the group by the wall, keeping guard until they come for her or wave her in.

If Sven wants Harkazz to enter, we have to put a rope through first and secure it so that he can climb.

[OGRE MAGE]

There is noise though. Coming from the blocked up portion of corridor.

Does this mean there is noise coming from beyond this wall? Or is the "noise" you mention from the dropped brick?

Looking to Gerdal, Sven asks for her thoughts.

"If you don't mind putting your little friend at risk, it might not be a bad idea to lower Harkazz through the hole on a rope so we can get an idea why this wall was constructed in the first place. Once we know what is beyond the wall, we can decide what to do next."

[Spearmint]

yes, the noise is made by the trio chipping away mortar, stabbing at the masonry and moving, dropping the larger stones. It is in contrast to the quiet heard by those at the doors and the trickle of water pouring somewhere beyond the other.

ok. So the way I will describe the familiar exploration is by Gerdal verbally repeating what she sees. While that happens, Isvand could continue another turn to widen the gap enough for himself to sneak through.

May 3rd 1066.

Barrow Maze.

Exploring the corridors.
4.30pm. Firebrand torchlight (Bro Fab) Lantern light (Gerdal) Candlelight (Sven).

Conditions: Steban -7hp, stuck in pit trap. Isvand -4hp.

The bricked up wall, solidly built and two layers thick with looser manoeuvrable stones only in the arched section at the top. The largest stone drop and another pushed through on the other side. A gap, wide enough for an arm but not a leg made. A rope is fed through and then whispering some directions, Harkazz the chameleon slowly climbs the rope and with a last look back on his rotating bug eyes, flicks a tongue and enters the darkness beyond.

"A wall opposite, stone like the halls. Look left, look right, look left again. Only darkness. Climb down rope, keep to floor sides.

Observe, look, sniff. Large stone figure to south. Kneeling, one arm raised, head of bird. Bird no eat me today! Bug running, tongue snatch, hmmm scrummy beetle."

Gerdal gives you a little running commentary of the Familiar's vision. (and tastes). The lizard searches and sniffs around the statue, climbing on it, before going to the other end of the corridor. Here the space opens up. Burial alcoves in wall, shrouds of cloth covering bones. Sound of metal moving. Wheel on wall. "Brzzzzt, click, click, click." Sniff, check, search. Sound louder and nearer. Not wheel, something else, unseen. "Brzzzzt, click, click, click,"

Shiny brass snake, coiled, rising, hooded, fangs ....

At this point Gerdal screams, clutching the side of her neck, spasming violently, frothing at her mouth, rolling on the floor, her heart beating faster, gasping for every breath. Her skin changes into bright colours as a lizard does under stress then around her neck, shoulder and cheek, the colour darkens black as life ebbs away.

actions please

Critters [1d6]=1 oops [1d20]=15
Hark lookout [1d6]=6
Harkazz damn [1d3]=1 [1d20]=5

[OGRE MAGE]

I really dig that image! (Sorry sastaz!)

Sven watches the situation develop, hanging on every word from Gerdal. He grins slightly when he hears about the burial alcoves, but panics noticeably once the woman goes into spasms. He whispers to whoever was holding the rope to pull back on it to see if the lizard is still clinging onto it, doing it himself if that person was Gerdal.

"We need to see if we can get Harkazz out of there. I am not quite certain how this all works, but I think the only way to help Gerdal is to help her familiar first!"

Turning to the clerics in the group, he asks them if they think a healing prayer would stop the worsening condition.

"There must be a crypt behind this wall, and whatever attacked the lizard must be some kind of magical guardian or something."

I know we have the magical mud that should help here, but I would think that needs to be administered to the victim of the bite, not the person suffering the after effect. Anyone else have any thoughts about this?

[Spearmint]

Gerdal would nod in agreement if she could

[redwarrior]

Upon hearing the hubbub and looking down Gerdal and hearing Sven's words Isvand redoubles his efforts to break through, with the idea of climbing down, grabbing the familiar, and climbing back up. STR Check?

[Rex]

Orgoth

Orgoth pulls the rope back carefully trying not to jerk it to hard. "Be ready in case it tries to come through the hole Isvand."

[Spearmint]

Just barely seeing through the gap, another wall is 10'ft away. It would take another turn and more pushing of stones to drop the other side to allow a halfling (not in chainmail) to get through.

So I pictured the halfling balancing on the shoulders of Orgoth while he delves into the wall recesses. I noted the above caveats to be able to create a space he could wriggle through. So I figured he would continue prying at least while the familiar explored.

I rolled a choice of the familiar going south or north; south and the statue winning which therefore gave you enough rounds of time to create a hobbit sized gap.

The rope simply dangles to the floor at the foot of the wall, the familiar in the chamber to the north.

So, if Isvand wants to rescue a damsel (and lizard) in distress, he might have to brave a chamber of poisonous cobras to do so.

Amos confirms that Gerdal manifests all the symptoms of a poisonous wound but has no marks of a bite herself.

If Isvand is happy to proceed we can duel the next round's action.

[redwarrior]

Isvand is down for it.

[Spearmint]

Isvand, stripped from his encumbering armour, wriggles head first through the narrow gap and then, head over heels lands on the other side of the wall the the others. The falcon headed statue in the south impassive to your intrusion. Your aim is to find the dead or dying chameleon hopefully not camouflaged as stone against dark infravisual background.

You receive a flaming torch tossed through the gap from Bro Fabian, urgency in his voice as Gerdal froths necrotic puke and Amos ministers her last rites.

You run to search and see a trio of hooded snakes, reticular and swaying. A buzzing chime of unwinding cogs replacing the usual serpent hiss. Two have nests in the alcoves, one wanders the floor. Nearby that one a lizard staggers a couple of steps before keeling over. It is bright orange on its underbelly and legs, the eyes dilating, black ruined skin around the fatal bite mark.

roll initiative and either an attack action vs the snake or a grab action [3d6vs Dex] to pick up the lizard.

[redwarrior]

Isvand worms his way through the hole as quickly as possible, and surveys the dim little room with his infravision, theres' a lot of cold in here, but he can just make out the lizard. Considering for a moment, saving the animal is my goal. He takes a deep breath, fixing its location in his mind. He leaps down the last few feet, dashes over and grabs the chameleon, slides it into his pouch, and runs back to the rope to start climbing. If he gets that far, he yells PULL!


init [1d6]=1
grab the lizard target 16 [3d6]=8

[Spearmint]

Cobra initiative [1d6]=2 attack [1d20+2]=20+2=22 dam [1d3]=3

Isvand runs in hope, spying the two creatures. He makes a mad 'dash and grab' for the one. His fist closes on the body of the lizard, only breathing intermittently and in the throes of death.

The cobra though is not giving up and strikes with supreme speed and agility. It fastens its fangs upon the other wrist of the halfling and sinks in hollowed teeth which inject venom into his veins.

Isvand shakes it loose and runs back, uncoordinated and staggering along the walls.

-3hp and save vs poison please

[OGRE MAGE]

Fearing the worst, Sven takes the pack with the clay jug from Orgoth as he tries to remove Isvand from the hole. He readies about 1/3rd of the healing mud, in case one or both of them need to be saved from their maladies, hoping that one dose will work on both of them, since one of them is small and the other tiny.

"Come on Isvand. You totally got this, right?" He mumbles to himself, wondering if he just put another member of his group in grave danger.

[sastaz]

the GM is going to have to up his game!

GAME UPPING: CONFIRMED

[sastaz]

Updated map, no key changes.

[sastaz]

Gerdal

"Hhhhhhhhhzzzz...hzzzz..."