Into the Second Age

[4is111]

A few days ago a flyer turned up in the tavern. No one was sure who put it up but all took notice:

ADVENTURERS WANTED!

I have recently located the ancient treasury beneath the town, and I need a group of skilled treasure seekers to accompany me into the depths and return with unimaginable wealth and glory. All assistance will receive an even share of the loot. The entrance I have found is behind the hill with the willow tree by the Bree family farm. Gather there this Tuesday, and we will embark.

You all show up, out of curiosity if nothing else, and sure enough a large iron door has appeared on the back side of the hill with the willow tree. There is no handle, and who ever posted the notice is nowhere to be found.

[Narmoth]

Closest to the door stands a man that showed up in town just a two nights back. He's name was Caspian, and he was clearly nervous of something, always looking over his shoulder when he sat by the bar, sneaking around and always staying in the shadow if possible.
He's terribly skinny and sickly, and his clothes looks most of all as something stolen from a grave. At present he's studying the door, glancing around now and then for something.

[4is111]

The door is cast iron. It doesn't seem to have any normal means of openning, but at the same time nothing seems to be holding it shut. It isn't looked or barred. The craftsmanship is of reasonable quality, but it is unlikely it would stand up to any serious seige equipment. It obviously wasn't intended to keep anyone dedicated out.

[Narmoth]

I'll make a spellcraft roll (wis 14) to see any magical properties of the door
[roll0]
(remember, I need to roll under my wisdom score)

[4is111]

The door does not seem to be magical in nature.

[amanamana]

Not much later, someone appears at the hill riding a brown horse. At the distance, it looks like a child wearing a dark green cloak, with a hood. The horse slowly walks up the hill, one lazy footstep after the other. It's possible to see a longsword on the rider's back, maybe too big for him.
The horse reaches the top of the hill and the rider dismounts with an agile movement. The sword on his back needs to stay diagonally to avoid hitting the floor sometimes. You can also see that the horse is packed with a big variety of equipment, apparently ready to travel far.
The small one downs the hood, showing the face of a young elf. Anyone who lives in the city may recognize him as "The Little One", the elf who appeared around ten days ago and got a job as a city guard. Anyone who ever talked to him also knows he is not enthusiastic about the nickname. He takes his short bow on his left hand and moves his brown hair off of his face, showing a lightly tanned skin.

"So, are you the one who left the flyer at the tavern? Wait... I remember you... you just got in the town a couple of days ago. Where is the responsible for the flyer?" - He sounds not much interested, despite the questions, as if he is here because there was nothing better to do.

The elf leaves the horse under the tree, tying him on a low branch with enough extra rope for him to move a little.

[Narmoth]

Oh, you're an elf. Master... ehm, the one that called himself my master, claimed he killed all of you. I'm happy to see that that was another of his lies.
I have no idea of who put up the poster. I'm mostly planning on simply getting inside and see if it's a good hiding place

[amanamana]

"A good hiding place? From what? The tree?"
"How long are you here? Have you studied the door already?"
"Also, I have no idea who your master is... I never heard of anyone killing lots of elves for centuries. In fact, I never saw any human even near my homeland."

[Narmoth]

The door doesn't seem magical. And if that's what you'd like to think, I'm hiding from trees

[BloodyAngel]

Amelia

The note looked like a scam. An obvious scam, at that. She imagined some brigands or bandits or the like, looking to lure naive idiots out to someplace and rob them for the valuable arms and armor that the average would be adventurer thought would protect him from the breath of an angry dragon, or the claws of an irate troll. She would normally have had nothing to do with it... but the rumbling of her stomach convinced her otherwise. She'd eaten naught but thin broth for days, and what little coin she still had left wouldn't last her much longer. It was earn some coin, or sell some of the goods she'd most recently acquired.

She reasoned there might be some money to be made of this whole mess. She could watch and see what happened. If it was brigands, perhaps she could pick over what was left and scrounge up a few coin selling the things that were left behind. If the offer was legitimate, she could see how suicidal it was before she considered it.

Having little else to do with her time, Amelia arrived hours and hours before the meeting time, prowling about to get a lay of the area and secure for herself a good hiding spot. She dug in and waited, little to keep her company but the sound of the birds and a skin full of cheap ale.

The first two to arrive didn't seem like brigands. More like the sort lured in by the ploy. From her shady spot, she watched and waited for this mysterious benefactor to show himself.

Amelia would have arrived early to set up a place to hide and wait, if that's possible. If not, then she'll at least try to skulk up unseen and observe for now. She's not going to let herself be seen until she knows what's going on. Unless someone should spot her anyways.

Hide check! [roll0] 40% Chance

Move Silently (If I DO need to sneak up) [roll1]

Odds are she'll mess at least one up, but who knows... maybe everyone here will flub their checks to notice her anyway. :smalltongue:

[amanamana]

The elf comes closer to the door and starts inspecting it. He first takes a looks at the floor in front of the door. If Hyllin doesn't find anything strange, he will go up to the tree, take his sword and cut off a branch, around 10 feet long. Sheating his sword again, he will use the branch to poke the door.

[4is111]

Light poking does not disturb the door.

[amanamana]

Hyllin gets closer and starts inspecting the door, the door frame and the floor just beneath it. He then checks the wall around it.

[4is111]

Not much else to say about the door. It doesn't seem to be air tight. The door frame is made of the same kind of iron. The door is built right into the hillside, so the wall and floor are dirt earth.

[amanamana]

As the walls seem to be dirt, Hyllin takes his sword and place the point just a few inches out of the frame and make some pressure diagonally, trying to see how deep it goes before hitting some inner wall, be it stone or iron.

If nothing happens, he just pushes the door, trying to open it.

[infinitypanda]

Maksil

A rather nervous looking half-elf walks up to where the rest of the group is investigating the door. "Um, hello, my name is Maksil," he says. "My church sent me to investigate, so I'm, uh, here to... help out... I guess..." His words trail off into an awkward silence.

He looks around at the assorted adventurers. He gives a sheepish, and somewhat scared-looking, grin.

[Narmoth]

Caspian turns to him:
So... your church sent you? May I ask what church?

[4is111]

Judging by the distance you could push your sword through the dirt before hitting something hard, the inner wall isn't any wider than the door.
The door swings open with a good push to reveal as stone staircase spiralling down clockwise into the earth. As soon as the doors are open you can spell the stall air pour out of the portal.

[infinitypanda]

Maksil

Maksil seems to shrink away slightly from the question, and answers quietly, "Vastul the bloody, god of warriors and slaughter."

[Narmoth]

Sounds like a cozy fellow. The contempt is clear in Caspians voice

[infinitypanda]

Maksil

Maksil looks away from Caspian, towards the open door. He looks back at the group. "Um, maybe we should go...?" He walks over to the open doorway and looks down into it.

[4is111]

You can't see past the first bend in the stairs. There must not be a lightsource inside.

[Narmoth]

Caspian:
"So, you don't want to wait for whoever put up the poster?

[infinitypanda]

Maksil

"I just wanted a quick look. But you're probably right."

[4is111]

Hours pass, and soon the sun begins to set. No one has come.

[amanamana]

"Well, first of all, I won't go inside a hole in a hill with a bunch of people I don't know." - Hyllin's voice is rather monotonous, this seems nothing more than a formality for him. - "My name is Hyllin and I was trained as a scout."

He waits for the others to introduce themselves. He was not paying attention at their conversation so far.

While he hears them, he walks up to the door frame and looks inside with his infravision, crouching near the first step too see as far as possible downstairs.

[BloodyAngel]

Amelia

Snerk! Amelia looked up with a start.

She'd almost fallen asleep waiting on these fools. If this was an ambush, it was a poorly run one. Or the brigands simply forgot about it and were elsewhere. Or the whole thing was a joke, and someone is in town laughing at the idiots gullible enough to wait around outside all day... of which she was now one. She didn't care about staying hidden anymore. Her legs were stiff... and she badly needed to stretch.

Amelia climbed from her hiding spot with a soft grimace as she stretched sore muscles out and rolled her shoulder until it gave a satisfying pop. Flipping her hood up, she headed towards the people waiting around outside the doorway. Fools should stick together, at least.

Gods, you people are boring. She muttered snidely as she walked into view.

She was garbed heavily in tattered brown cloth, forming a makeshift robe of sorts, complete with a heavy hood that covered most of her face and more importantly, concealed it from the sun. The only weapon visible on her was a shortbow that she carried, and a small quiver of arrows hanging from her back, but the bulk of her clothes made it more than possible she was concealing other armaments, or even lightweight armor. Her voice was sharp and venomous, making even casual speech sound somewhat insulting or derisive.

I've been watching you all for hours, and nothing! If this is a trap, it's an incredibly stupid one. It's a hole in the ground! Are you really scared of a hole in the ground? She asked them, incredulously, I'm going in there. Who's coming with me... and who's going to lurk up here and watch like a damned coward?

This bitter pile of insults brought to you by Amelia's 6 charisma.... Enjoy!

[amanamana]

Hyllin

"Nice speach for someone who kept hidden while I was checking the door and the structure. Really instructive." - He don't seem really annoyed or anything, just keen to point out the hypocrisy.

"You want to go in first? Knock yourself out. I'll be right after you. After all, I was the one doing it already..."

[infinitypanda]

Maksil

"Um, if it's all the same to you, I'd rather not, er, go in front, you see..." Maksil twiddles his fingers nervously.

[Narmoth]

It's peculiar that almost everyone wants to go last.
So, anyone want to tell what they can do?
I'll start. I can cast a few arcane spells, and I'm handy enough with throwing daggers

[amanamana]

Hyllin

"As I said, I was trained as a scout. With some luck, I can sneak into all kinds of places and perform hit-and-run tactics, with bow and sword."

[BloodyAngel]

Amelia

I'd just call that smart. Amelia said snidely to Hyllin, This looked too much like a set up to just walk up and poke around like a blind idiot. But I guess it's lead you big, strong men into a dark cave with a priest of the god of @#$%ing slaughter "guarding my back" or wait around until my legs cramp up and fall off.

She strode for the cavern without much pause... taking her bow and an arrow to hold at the ready as she stepped into the dark. She almost seemed MORE comfortable in it. She didn't pause until it was almost too dark to see.

Are you "brave adventurers coming? Don't be scared... the little pale woman is going first to hold your hands. She said with a certain sense of venomous glee, And bring a damned torch or something. Or do I have to do that myself too?

[infinitypanda]

Maksil

"I know how to heal. I can also fight, um, kind of well. I'm not a very strong person, so I, er, might kind of die if I get hit. Instantly."

Maksil pulls out his longsword and shield. "I'm sorry, I didn't think to bring a torch. Infravision, you know?"

[Narmoth]

"Well... A hand to hold wouldn't be so bad."
Caspian looks into the entrance
(OOC: "Due to their intimate connection with shadow, shadow mages gain an ability to see normally in darkness." He still gets some penalty on fighting, but he can see in it)

[4is111]

The stairs continue to spiral down, and you can not see around the first bend without decending the staircase more.
Amelia decends the staircase and around the first bend so that the sun is no longer shining in, but it's hard for her to tell if there is enough light for those without infravision to see. She can see fine. The staircase continues downwards.

[Narmoth]

Caspian follows:
"So, anyone who has an idea of what we might find here?"

[amanamana]

Hyllin

"What a joke... so sad it's not a funny one..."

Hyllin walks up to his horse. He takes his cloak and his belt pouch off. Next, he takes one more dozen arrows to fill the quiver on his back. He also takes an extra longsword, 2 torches, one day trail rations, a waterskin and a large sack. Now it's clear that he uses a leather armour.
Walking back to the entrance, he throws the two torches downstairs.

"You can have them, as you seem to need them more than I do. Sometimes we have to account for other people shortcomings."

Turning to the other two, with no contempt:

"Would any of you guys carry this sword and sack? They are quite big for me to carry with the rest. It'll be easier for me to help in any fight without them and we can use the sword as a backup if any of us need it." - A rare smile shows up on his face. - "I hope the sack get it's use to carry some loot."

"I have no idea what we may find, but we won't have an answer for this up here, will we?"

[infinitypanda]

Maksil

Maksil raises his hand. "I can carry that."

[Narmoth]

Caspian
"Yeah, why ain't I surprised that you want to carry that?

[infinitypanda]

Maksil

Maksil looks down at the ground and scuffs it a bit with his feet. He looks back up at Caspian. "Because I'm helpful?"

[Narmoth]

So, your god of slaughter condones helpfulness? That's quite a surprise.

[BloodyAngel]

Amelia

Move or stand around with your thumbs up your back ends! Amelia called from the cavern.

And whether they follow her or not, she's heading inside on full sneak mode! Creeping through the dark like a good rogue should. :smallbiggrin:

[4is111]

The spiral staircase continures for about a full turn and a half before it reaches it's end and empties into a small cavern, no more than 4 feet high and 12 feet across. It looks like it was carved out; you can even see what may be chisel marks on the walls. At the opposite side of the room you see a few torn sacks and decaying crates, but their contents have long been reduced to mush. There are no obvious exits.

[amanamana]

Hyllin

The elf follows her, also sneaking.
Reaching the room, he looks around.

"So, genius, did you looked for secret doors on the way?"

He starts walking around near the walls, looking for hidden passages.

[BloodyAngel]

Amelia

Two feet into the first floor? Stupid place for a hidden door, don't you think? Amelia said in a hushed voice, I'm more worried about traps. Or about why we're all here in the first place. I must be losing my mind.

Amelia looked down the narrow corridor, a look of exasperation crossing her face that it was so very very short.

Well @#$%. She cursed, I hate cramped spots. You look like you at least THINK you can fight... why don't you lead the way? If we're attacked, it's going to be too cramped to switch positions and I doubt my bow's gonna be much good in close.

[4is111]

Behind the worthless junk you find what appears to be a hidden trap door, but there is no clear way of opening it.

[amanamana]

Hyllin

"Well, isn't that interesting?" - He opens a smile as he points the hidden passage - "Look at that, guys."
"So, do you want to have the honour?" - The elf says, looking to Amelia.

"By the way, I'm not a frontliner. As I said, I'm a scout. So, if you are worried about fighting, you should have some brains and think of carrying a melee weapon around."

[BloodyAngel]

Amelia

Amelia stares at the trap door for a moment with an exasperated look.

Yes well.... it's still stupid. She said with annoyance. And I have a melee weapon. I just dont' want to be the one to get shot in the face when this turns out to be some kind of set up. Someone with armor and nothing to live for should be doing that.

[infinitypanda]

Maksil

Maksil speaks quietly. "Um, I have armor. But I still have lots to live for, so maybe I shouldn't be in front. Also I'm very frail. I might be able to loan someone my shield, if they really need it to frontline."

[BloodyAngel]

Amelia

I thought you lot were supposed to be adventurers. Amelia said in a voice dripping with dry sarcasm, Isn't there a law somewhere that at least one of you has to be some big, strapping idiot who strides boldly to the front to block people's weaponry with his manly chest?

[Narmoth]

Well, if we disregard the part of blocking weapons, I think your chest is doing the job just fine. Caspian smiles

[amanamana]

Hyllin

"Took the words out of my mouth" - Says the elf, amused.

[BloodyAngel]

Amelia

With a sigh of disgust, Amelia pulled open the trap door.

Fine, cowards. I'll do it. She said with venom in her voice, I'll do EVERYTHING. And you big strong men can watch from here.

Amelia took a second to gaze down into the doorway before she jumped into the unknown, grumbling to herself the whole time.

A scout who doesn't scout... a priest of slaughter who hides behind women... Adventurers my @#%.

[amanamana]

Hyllin

"You really have some issues with men, don't you?" - A scorn on his lips. - "What is it? Daddy was mean?"

"I was scouting until you jumped in the front, cursing and giving more credit to yourself than you clearly deserves."

"And by the way, if someone here thinks she is strong and tough, that one is you."

[BloodyAngel]

Amelia

Go or bite your tongue then, elf. Amelia said, stepping aside and gesturing to the trap door with an exaggerated show of civility. I would LOVE to see what a big, brave man you are.

[Narmoth]

"Hey, we're on the same team, aren't we? No need for bickering then. Besides, it's hard to on concentrating to see in this darkness when you argue"

[amanamana]

Hyllin

"Oh, for crying out loud. Would you stop that? I don't have any fantasies of grandeur, you crazy human! I'm still an adolescent ELF, not a MAN, with not that much experience. I don't know from what hole did you came out, but I don't even understand nor care for that 'macho' crap all you humans seem to find so important. Not just that, but it seems out that the only one here obsessed by this is you! Grow up, damn..." - This is the first time since you met him that any strong emotion came to the surface.

[BloodyAngel]

Amelia

Human? Human?! Amelia said with anger rising in her voice, I WISH I was human!

She tore down her hood, revealing that the young woman was both half-elven... and literally alabaster pale... with pink eyes that stood out in the flickering light. An albino.

No. My father was one of your kind! She said to Hyllin furiously, Some wandering braggart who took a shine to human girls. So don't act so high and mighty, elf! As far as I'm concerned, your people prance about like you can do no wrong... looking down on everyone else for not having the good grace to be born as blessed as you were. I was "blessed" with elven blood, and it's not done me a @#$% bit of good! If my father hadn't been one of your poncy, sickly kind, and my mother had had the @#$%ing good sense to keep her skirts on, I might not be like this!

The small, pale woman paused for a moment... her body shaking for a second in anger, before her voice changed, and she took on a much more calm tone... though one that was clearly forced.

Now can we just go... and do this? If there's even a chance at a payout, I need it. She said with clenched teeth, I haven't had anything to eat but broth for days. I'm starving, and tired... and really... REALLY... not fond of elves, alright?

With that, she flipped her hood back up to cover her features again... and with an angry huff... headed down into the trap door.

[amanamana]

Hyllin

"Well, I hate to bring you the news, but elves are not a collective minded race. If your father was a @#$%er , I don't have anything to do with that. That's your problem. You're the one related to him." - He seems rather confused with all that. - "Second of all, you two are the first half-humans I've ever saw..." - He glances at the cleric. - "...So, if your life sucks, maybe that's because you were raised by humans..."

"I also don't get that blessed stuff. Blessed by whom? I was born an elf, because my parents were elves. Why would you be blessed by having elven blood mixed with the human part it's beyond me. I think you might have heard a lot about elves, but didn't met many of them..."

"Last, if you are so hungry, have some of this." - He hands her his ration. - "You won't get too far if you're weak."

[BloodyAngel]

Amelia

After a week of sparse food, Amelia's not too proud to take the offered bits of sustenance. It might just be hardtack and dried meats, but it was still food. Still, having to take charity from someone she wasn't fond of in the least didn't sit well with her. Another sharp nick in her pride.

Let's just move already... She said with a low, sullen tone, I want to be done with this.

[amanamana]

Hyllin

"Did you figured out how to open this?"

[4is111]

The door can not be easily forced, but Amelia does find a series of pressure plates under the ruined produce. On closer examination of the crates, you can make out some odd words in a language none of you are familiar with, but based on the placement it's probably a lable.

[Narmoth]

"Please be careful. I, for one, don't want a door to be my death"

[amanamana]

Hyllin

The elf crouches near the crates and tries to make any sense of what is written there.

OOC:
Just for the record, this is a Read Language roll (11% chance):
[roll0]

"Before we go on pulling and pushing things, let's take a better look around." - He mutters, already walking near the walls, looking for signals of hidden mechanisms; signs of moving walls and/or ceilings, like scratched or chipped stone; or even signs of water marks, in case this is a flooding room. - "Maybe you could take a look on the stairs and the walls around them, just in case there is something there suggesting a better approach." - He says to Amelia.

[BloodyAngel]

Amelia

Mmmnnn... sure. Fine. Amelia mutters in a low tone, adding her eyes to the mix, as she examines the area on her way back to the stairs, and then the stairs themselves. I doubt it's so far over. Maybe the thing is sealed with a passcode? Sorcery.... who the @#$%^ knows? I don't even know why someone would build a hole in the ground in the middle of nowhere, just to bring people out to it and not show the #$%@ up! If there's some scatterbrained mage down here, I'm going to stab him.

[amanamana]

Hyllin

"I also doubt it's so far. But, as the guy who hides from trees said..." - Grinning - "...I don't want a door to be my death."

[4is111]

There are no water marks on the walls, or any signs of erosion at all. The walls and floor are all made out of the same stone tiles, so tight together that a hair would not fit between them. The tiles are in remarkable condition; there isn't one crack in the entire room. The stairway is not as well kept, but other than that it is unremarkable. You don't find any exterior mechanisms other than the pressure plates.

[amanamana]

Hyllin

"Isn't that a remarkable work for a hole in the ground? Damn... that's odd. Looks like something a dwarf would do."

"So, what can you say about those pressure plates?" - He looks at Amelia as he goes take a look at them.

[BloodyAngel]

Amelia

Hell if I know. She said in irritation, This "job" is trying on me. Let's just set one off with a few thrown rocks or the like and see what happens. It's impossible to tell what it does just from looking at it.

[infinitypanda]

Maksil

"Um, sounds fine to me. Did anyone bring a ten-foot pole?"

[Narmoth]

"There's several trees outside. You could simply cut yourself a long branch"

[4is111]

The crates and bags were on the pressure plates, so it is unlikely they would be sensitive enough to detect a few stones and not have triggered as the food rotted.

[infinitypanda]

Maksil

"Okay, unless anyone can think of any reasons not to, I'm going to go cut a branch to use on these pressure plates."

[amanamana]

Hyllin

"Maybe the fact that I already cutted one in front of you and used it to try the door before oppening it? I left it in front of the door, just outside."

[4is111]

Pushing the plates with the branch does not seem to have any effect.

[amanamana]

Hyllin

"Well, **** it! If I'm gonna die, it'll be not from boredom." - The elf walks to the plates and pushes one of them, giving the others enough time to get their distance, if they want to.

[Narmoth]

Caspian get's as far as possible away, without exiting the dungeon

[4is111]

Hyllin must push a few crates out of the way to stand on the plate, and one falls on to the other plate so there are now 4 on that one and 2 on the one Hyllin is standing on. Nothing obvious happens.

[BloodyAngel]

Amelia

By now, I'm willing to bet that whomever set this up just wanted some people to come out here so he could laugh at us. Amelia said in irritation, Or he's robbing your homes while you're away wasting time here. To hell with this. The guy didn't show up, and there's nothing here. I could be somewhere else actually getting some coin, rather than wasting my time down here poking at the floor with a stick.

The pale, hooded woman seems highly annoyed, as opposed to her usual bearing of only somewhat annoyed. She'll step back to the stairwell and watch for a few more moments, strongly considering taking her own suggestion and leaving.

[Narmoth]

"What if we remove, and look through, all the crates, and see if there's a pattern to the tiles?"

[amanamana]

Hyllin

"Well, let's try this, mage."

"And you..." - The elf stares at Amelia. -"Stay and do something or go already. I won't be working here for you to loot my body later."

"By the way, if you go and I survive this, you owe me a day's ration. I was not feeding the orphans, I was giving food to a colleague."

[Narmoth]

"Well, you should feed the orphans."
Caspian starts looking through the crates and moving them away

[infinitypanda]

Maksil

"Uh, we should really stop arguing like this. It's a good way to get us all killed." With that said, Maksil begins to go through the crates.

[Narmoth]

"I guess you're not such a warmongering bloodthirsty person as I thought then..." Caspian smiles to Maksil

[4is111]

The crates are all empty except for some dirt, presumable what's left of what ever was origenally stored in them. Once all of the crates have been moved of the pressure plates, you can writting on the plates in the same script.

OOC: Thieves are entittled to a seperate attempt at deciphering these.

[amanamana]

Hyllin

Read Language roll (11% chance):
[roll0]

"Hey, I'm not arguing anymore, I'm just stating the obvious. I gave her my food because I thought she would be here with us. If she is not helping us, I'm not helping her."

"Now let's see if we can do anything here."

[infinitypanda]

Maksil

Maksil turns to Caspian. "It's, er, a common misconception." He turns back to the group. "Anyone know what these pressure plates say?"

[amanamana]

Hyllin

"No, I don't."

The elf tries to understand the mechanism better while the others try to figure out the inscriptions. He is looking for any clues about the result of its activation.

[Narmoth]

(OOC: can we get a drawing of the pressure plates or something?)

[4is111]

The plates look something like this:
http://i458.photobucket.com/albums/qq304/4is111/PressurePlates.png

[BloodyAngel]

Amelia

Yeah, yeah... I get it. No one helps without wanting something. Amelia said in irritation, Why don't we give this whole place a pass... head back to town... and sit down to talk over some other, easier way to make money, hmmm? Because that's all gibberish to me.

Read Language? You mean thieves' put points into Read Language? Since when?

Seriously though, I have no ideas. Amelia votes that we leave and seek adventure elsewhere, since our mysterious benefactor didn't even show. :smalleek:

[amanamana]

Hyllin

"No one helps obnoxious people without wanting something else, at least." - He mutters, not really paying attention. - "But let's stop arguing for now." - He looks to the others. - "Let's just try to understand this. If we can't, I agree on going away."

"Maybe we need to push them at the same time, with equal strenght. Or maybe push one and leave the other. When I tried the first time, there was some stuff on one of them."

"I have some rope on the horse out there. Let me bring it here and tie it around my waist, so you can hold it as I try the plates, just in case a pit opens under my feet. What do you guys think?"

He runs out there and goes to his horse. As he takes the rope, he looks around, checking the surroundings. If everything seems ok, he goes back inside.

[Narmoth]

"I think we should search more thoroughly for traps, and try to disarm them. Then, when we're confident that we won't get killed by opening it, we can just get a ram from the village and force the door open."

[BloodyAngel]

Amelia

If the drop is longer than a few feet, tying a rope to your waist won't do much more than wrench or break your spine. Amelia stated matter-of-factly, Not that I'm really against that idea.

She looked around idly as the group discussed their inane plans. Perhaps something down here was at least passingly valuable... that would almost make the trip worth while.

Amelia will look around the place, but with only a 5% chance at finding traps, I'm not expecting much. I take it the DM will want to roll for that, as she wouldn't know if she's succeeded or not.

Also, she'll be looking for anything that could be sold. Not even for a lot, really.

[amanamana]

Hyllin

"Not if you don't leave room for me to fall. If the rope is already kept straight when I am working on the plates, if the ground collapses under me, I will not fall enough to hurt myself."

"But if everyone gives up, I won't do this myself."

[infinitypanda]

Maksil

"I'd be glad to hold the rope for you. For, um, lack of any better ideas. Not that your idea is bad, I mean. Er, I'll just shut up and hold the rope."

[amanamana]

Hyllin

"Oh, no. It's a terrible plan. But I would rather die in a trap than out of boredom. If you guys can think of another plan, I would be glad to hear it."

The elf takes a look at Maksil, up and down:
"Are you sure you can hold it on your own? I mean, I'm pretty small, but I'm carrying some stuff here that can be a little heavy. You also seem to be carrying a load of your own... Maybe you two could hold the rope." - He says, looking to Caspian.

[Narmoth]

"I can try, but I don't think I'll be much help"

[amanamana]

Hyllin

"Any help is better than none." - The elf finishes tieing the rope around his waist. After sheating the sword back, he looks to the others.

"Keep the rope straight and hold tight." - He takes a look at the plates. - "Damn, I would like to be able to say that is the most stupid and reckless thing I've ever done..."

Hyllin walks to the first plate and take a look at both again, trying to understand them, if he can't, he press the first one hard.

[Narmoth]

Caspian holds the rope firmly.

[4is111]

The left plate compresses under Hyllin's weight, but there is no obvious effect.
OOC: This has dragged on for much longer than I intended. I assume you try the other plate next. If this was not your intended course of action you may change it retroactively.
The left plate rises when Hyllin gets off, and when he steps onto the right plate the door slides open. There is a ladder down into what appears to be a natural cavern.

[infinitypanda]

Maksil

Maksil looks at the open door. "Handy."

[amanamana]

Hyllin

"Ha! Once again, recklessness and impulsiveness win the day." - He says, with a grin - "Now, this is feeling more like an adventure."

"Well, after you guys change your pants, let's go ahead." - The elf then takes a look through the door, with his infravision, before going in.

"Of course this may still be a dangerous and elaborated trap, but no reason it can not be fun."

[BloodyAngel]

Amelia

Finally. Amelia said with a roll of her eyes, Alright then... lead the way oh reckless scout.

[Narmoth]

"So, you'll untie yourself from the rope then?"

[4is111]

The trap door leads down a shaft a good fifteen feet long before opening into a much larger, appearently natural cavern. You can hear running water in the cavern, but you can't see it from the trap door.

[infinitypanda]

Maksil

"The path might be slippery here. I can think of worse ideas than roping our trailblazer in case he falls off a cliff or something."

[amanamana]

Hyllin

"Well, If I'm going in first, maybe I should stay tied for now..." -he pauses for some seconds - "I can hear some kind of waterfall down there. This place is getting stranger and stranger..."

"On the other hand, maybe it's time for you to be useful, don't you think, half-human chick?" - He's not even looking at her when he say this.

"And by the way, whatsyourname,..." - He looks at Amelia - "... if I thought my actions in this door thing were the best way, I would have described them as boldness or courage, not recklessness and impulsiveness. So, why don't you stop trying to play my ego and shut the **** up?"

"You've been all talking and no action. Even the mage here helped holding the rope, despite his clearly powerful figure..." - He winks to Caspian - "... and you only contributed in making this environment even more unsavory."

"We don't hate you for being a half-human. We don't hate you for being a female. But we could hate you for being an annoying, whining, little bitch!"

"Let's stop this crap and do some adventuring. Instead of insults, we could exchange drinks and stories in a nice tavern, with any loot we may find here or anywhere else." - He looks through the door again - "I don't know about you, but I came here for an adventure and in the prospect of some loot, not to have some pointless argument with someone I've just met."

He looks at her again and then through the door, waiting for some action on her part. If she doesn't seem inclined to walking in first, he just sighs and goes down, sword in hand.

[BloodyAngel]

Amelia

Amelia stepped up alongside the group as it made it's preparations to descend, Taking up a spot behind Hyllin and taking hold of his rope.

Just move already... We've wasted enough time on this. She told him, clearly having trouble staying restrained after the torrent of insults, And stop insulting me...

[4is111]

Once you slip down the shaft you can see that the cave is more of a tunnel. There is is a ledge that goes along one side, and it is easy enough to reach from the entrance. You can see at the bottom of the tunnel a river, fourty feet down, flowing slowly to your left, but you can't tell how deep it is. The opposite side of the tunnel is maybe 20 feet away, and you see an arrow glowing on the opposite wall pointing up stream.

[amanamana]

Hyllin

"Would someone keep our improvised pole?" - The elf says, while he walks up to the ledge - "We never know when it could be of any use..."

Before reaching the ledge, he stops and checks the end of the shaft for traps or some other kind of hidden mechanism.

"We should be very careful from now on. If someone falls into this river, it could be really hard to climb back, if this is even possible." - He takes a look to see how wide is the ledge - "Would you help me here?" - He asks Amelia, while looking for traps.

"In fact, maybe it will be better to untie myself. If I fall, I may have a shot on climbing this wall back, but if I take one of you with me, I can't guarantee a lift."

The elf takes a look at the current, trying to see if it's slow enough so he could measure the deepness by tying a sword on one end of the rope and lowering it until it touches the bottom. If it is, he will do this, making sure the sword is secure.

He looks to the glowing arrow, then to both sides of the tunnel, trying to see as far as possible. Turning to the others, he points right.

"Should we go? Although this is clearly arranged by whom 'invited' us here, there is a friend of mine that always said, 'when in doubt, the left turn is always the correct one'!" - The elf has a sarcastic grin on his face.

[BloodyAngel]

Amelia

If this is a trap, it's a very stupid one. But I still think we're being played... Amelia said, looking down the underground river. I think the real question is... do we really WANT to work for the kind of lunatic goes to such great lengths to drag a small group of miss-matched people who've never met before into a cave?

[Narmoth]

Relax, Caspian smiles
You don't have to work for that person at all. We'll simply go down here, see if there's anything valuable here, and divide it between us. After all, whoever put up the poster didn't show up, and thus hasn't any claim to the treasure that might be down here

[4is111]

The current is slow, but if the river is deep enough it might disrupt the rope trick. Do you attempt it anyway?

[amanamana]

Hyllin

(OOC: I won't, unless I am sure the knot would hold. BTW, I have a skill for Using Ropes.)

"Of course we are being played. Everybody noticed that. The thing is: do you want to keep going? To see where are we being led to?"

[BloodyAngel]

Amelia

I say we find the jerk who thought this would be fun, at the very least. I think we owe him... something. Amelia said grimly, But I'm not jumping in there. No way. I choose life.

[infinitypanda]

Maksil

"I'd, er, also like to avoid the water, if possible. Do we have anything to lose by just, um, following the arrow? Either the arrow is the trap, or the, uh, misanthrope who led us here knew we'd think that and, er, trapped the other hallway. But either way, I'd like to avoid the river." Maksil stops and thinks for a few seconds. "Of course, he, er, could have trapped both hallways."

[Narmoth]

"I think we should assume that both hallways are trapped. Hope for the best and prepare for the worst"

[BloodyAngel]

Amelia

The jerk who set this up could have robbed us all with MUCH less effort if he wanted. Amelia said with a sigh, If anything, this is some @%#$'s idea of a test of our prowess... or skills... or patience. So I wouldn't put it past some kind of trap to "weed out the weak, or something like that.

She cursed under her breath at this figure she'd not met, seeming almost more pleasant to deal with now that her ire was focused on someone else. Looking at the river one last time, she shrugged, and stepped forward to keep moving.

I don't really do traps... so unless you do, elf... We're just going to have to blunder down here and hope no one dies. She said, So unless you have a better plan... and by all means, please do... let's press on.

[4is111]

You can slide across the ledge single file. As you progress the creaves narrows gradually, and the ledge extends until it bridges the gap completely. You can still hear the running water even though you can no longer see it. Eventually there is a fork in the cavern, and another arrow pointing to the right. There is an odd oder here.
OOC: I haven't got my PHB at the moment, so the results of NWPs will be delayed. Sorry about the inconveniance.

[amanamana]

Hyllin

"Well, once again we have to decide." - The elf looks around and then to both of the tunnels. As he starts to check for traps or hidden mechanisms on both the entrances, he looks to the others - "Besides scratching your backsides, would any of you guys do something useful? Maybe you could help me check for traps, a trail, some other sign besides the glowing arrow or even the source of this smell?"

[infinitypanda]

Maksil

"I'll help with the smell." Maksil sniffs. "That's an odd odor all right. I can't quite place it."

[Narmoth]

Caspian looks inspects the arrow:
Int: [roll0]
(OOC: If it's magical, then the roll will get's a -2 bonus (making it 2 lower, so it's easier to roll under my Int score of 15)
"I'm afraid there's not much I can help with traps. Still, we could try to roll a barrel or something down to set of any traps"

[amanamana]

Hyllin

The elf looks at the mage, puzzled.

"It just happens that I'm out of barrels in my pockets... do you have any?"

[4is111]

The arrow certainly isn't mundane, at least alchemical if not magical. It look almost like a stain on the rock, but if it was origenally painted on, the paint is long gone.

[Narmoth]

(OOC: I forgot to include the skill itself. The roll was for spellcraft if it was magical, and int if it wasn't)

[4is111]

Which path does the party take?

[amanamana]

(OOC: Please check the OOC thread.)

[amanamana]

Hyllin

(OOC: If the cleric doesn't find anything specific about the odor, I'll jump start this again.)

"Shall we take the bait?" - The elf says, pointing to the tunnel to the right with his longsword - "I didn't find any traps, but I'm not very good at this..."

[Narmoth]

"I'd actually prefer to go the other way. I don't like this arrow at all. "

[infinitypanda]

Maksil

"I'd like to follow the arrow, but I, uh, don't really mind much if we go the other way."

[BloodyAngel]

Amelia

Let's just follow the damned thing, find the mage that put it there, and break all his teeth for wasting our time.

[Narmoth]

"And what's if he isn't alive? I think it might be leading to a trap or an ambush"

[amanamana]

Hyllin

"Well, we came up to this point following the signs and marks. I just don't think there is a reason to take the other tunnel, beyond sheer curiosity. For me it's simple: we take the signaled tunnel or we go back. If you think this is nothing but a death trap, why do you think it would have something worthwhile in the other tunnel?"

"I vote on keep playing along or get out of here." - The elf says, with a plain face.

"If we go on and survive, maybe later we could explore this complex a little more." - He says, looking around.

[infinitypanda]

Maksil

"Uh, I agree with Hyllin. And whoever is, er, down here has some explaining to do."

[Narmoth]

"I guess I'm outvoted then."
Caspian takes up a stone and tosses it down the hallway

[4is111]

You see the stone land with a thump. There are no other obvious effects. As you proceed through the tunnel the smell gets worse and worse. About a hundred feet down the tunnel you see what the smell is. There is a large moss overgrowing this part of the tunnel. It extends almost complete 360 degrees around to the top of the passage at it's thickest point. It covers the entire floor for about 30 feet.

[amanamana]

Hyllin

"I have the feeling that this may be poisonous..." - Says the elf, contemptuously.

"Does anyone here knows about this kind of stuff? I'm not used to caves..."

[BloodyAngel]

Amelia

Ugh... That's the worst smelling moss I've ever seen. something must be rotting under it.

[infinitypanda]

Maksil

"This really, really just radiates, um, bad news. A lot. Does anyone here know anything about moss? If not, er, we should probably turn back. I wouldn't even feel safe just touching this."

[Narmoth]

"No Idea. But I suggest we torch it. Then go to another place and return when it's burned up and the smoke's cleared" says Caspian cautiously while playing with one of his daggers

[amanamana]

Hyllin

"When in doubt, set something on fire..." - The elf says, wondering - "Nice concept, I liked it!"

"Well, I've lent my torches to the half-human chick. And, as you guys probably are not equipped at all, here is the flint and steel." - He hands it to one of them.

"I suggest we run like hell after setting it on fire, as the smoke may be poisonous. Then we probably should lay on the ground, if the smoke goes up in the air, to avoid most of it."

[Narmoth]

"Or we could make a fuse out of the rope."
Caspian cuts 2 feet of rope from his rope.
"We might want to check the other passage for traps and wait there for this to burn up"

[amanamana]

Hyllin

"So you think that this mold is that flammable? Not all things burn like that..."

"By the way, I hope that's your rope you're thinking of cutting there." - He says, longsword in hand, as soon as the mage gets the knife against it.

"Maybe we should try to see how flammable it is before setting fuses..." - He looks back at the corridor - "Let's look for a place to get cover before trying anything..." - He points at the improvised 10ft pole - "Then we can take a piece of this and set it on fire... we throw it on the moss and see how it burns... if it doesn't at all, probably your fuse won't help. But we can try."

[BloodyAngel]

Amelia

Just get back. Amelia said impatiently, giving everyone a few moments to do just that before hurling her torch onto the pile of moss and turning to rush back the way she came herself.

Heh, sorry... impatient. These debates take forever.

[Narmoth]

It might be poisonous! Don't breath in the smoke!
Caspian runs away from it

[infinitypanda]

Maksil
Maksil takes a deep breath of fresh air and backs away.

[4is111]

The torch lands in the moss and it doesn't immediately burst into flames. It did however stur up a bunch of spores. Either the heat the light or the spores themselve set off a chain reaction, and spores erupt into the air from about fifteen square feet of moss. They float around near the moss.

[BloodyAngel]

Amelia

And look... no one's dead. Amelia said, keeping her distance from the spore cloud. Now... who wants to go and take a big breath of that, so I can take their things and we can call this a day?

[amanamana]

Hyllin

"You really don't get tired of that, do you?" - He says, not really impressed with her attitude.

"So... now we know that coming near it might be dangerous... could this be just a trap into a poisonous moss? Is that the whole purpose of this? Or is it just a test or obstacle?"

[Narmoth]

"I have a theory: There's no one waiting for us. The arrows might bee really really old. In that case, the moss simply spread over the path after people stopped going down here. Still, any moss that doesn't require sunlight to live is bad news. I'm a bit disappointed that the spores didn't make the whole thing burn...."

[infinitypanda]

Maksil

Maksil releases his breath when he sees the spores aren't drifting over. "I'm, er, starting to think that this hallway might be bad news. Want to, uh, go over to the other one?"

[amanamana]

Hyllin

"If no one is eager to try the lethality of that thing... well... maybe we could take a look on the other tunnel... or get out of here."

[BloodyAngel]

Amelia

I second the second. This is a waste of time. There's nothing valuable down here. Just mold and death.

[4is111]

The other tunnel twists and turns and branches at several points, but there are no arrows, and nothing that sets any of the possible branches apart from eachother. It wouldn't be hard to get lost if you wandered around blindly. What do you do?

[Narmoth]

"Somehow, I never imagined that I would want to have paint in such a setting. Maybe we could make an arrow mark in the wall with a hammer or mace?"

[amanamana]

Hyllin

"I don't think wandering blindly about this tunnels is a good idea. I vote on getting out of here and going back to town."

"There, we can discuss what to do. We could buy some lamp oil, come back here and burn this moss. Or we could try to discover something about who left that damn flyer or even decide to take the road to somewhere else..."

[Narmoth]

Caspian sighs: "As much as I hate to leave this place, I'm afraid I will have to support your proposition, Hyllin"

[BloodyAngel]

Amelia

Agreed! That's a majority. Let's get the hell out of here, then! Amelia said with obvious relief, Let's go and get some food. Then we can decide if we want to come back here and die in a freaking cave.

[Narmoth]

Caspian starts heading for the door
"Still hungry?" he smiles to the half-elf

[infinitypanda]

Maksil

"No sense arguing at this point," Maksil says as he goes towards the door.

[BloodyAngel]

Caspian starts heading for the door
"Still hungry?" he smiles to the half-elf

Amelia

Amelia nodded at Caspian, seeming glad that the group had finally agreed on something.

Mmhmm. It was either make coin off this or sell something for food money... So thanks to whatever jack@!# wizard set this up, it looks like I'm going to be pawning something.

[Narmoth]

"Not necessarily. I'm sure I can spare you some cash for food in stead. I have at present more than enough for my needs"

[4is111]

You make your way back to the cliff to find that the trap door to the first room has no clear way of openning from this side.

[Narmoth]

"Somehow, I fail to be surprised." Caspian sighs

[amanamana]

Hyllin

"You are not alone..." - He says, dropping his head and shoulders.

"Well... it seems like it is not our choice anymore..." - Hyllin is saying this while checking for some way to open this door or any hidden door.

If there is none, he says:
"So... anyone else has a waterskin? I'm thinking of tieing a piece of cloth to my face, close my eyes and hold my breath, and then run across the moss. At the other side, I'll wash the spores off with a lot of water, before openning my eyes and breathing again..." - He says that as if not believing the words coming out of his mouth. - "If those spores were so poisonous that even this can kill me, we'd probably be already feeling sick for being in the same tunnel."

"Of course this is the last resort. Let's first look for another way."

[Narmoth]

"Let's check out the way the arrow wasn't pointing."

[infinitypanda]

Maksil

"Yeah. Let's, uh, go through the non-arrow way. Just to give it a try. And if we find whoever, er, did this, he's going to have a lot of explaining to do."

[amanamana]

Hyllin

"How are we going to unmistakenly mark our way? Is that stone easy to mark with a blade?" - He asks this already trying.

[4is111]

You can make a mark, but it probably isn't very good for your sword.

[amanamana]

Hyllin

(OOC: I was just trying to see if it was easily marked. I don't intend to do it with my swords.)

"So... anyone has any tools to do this? Because my blades are not available..."

[BloodyAngel]

Amelia

This is bull@#$%! Amelia shouted, banging her fists on the underside of the trap door. I'm finding this mage, and tearing out his insides!

After a few moments of angry and quite useless slamming on the trap door, she returned to the group with a dark look to her face. Unlike her temper-fueled railing from earlier, the woman now seemed quiet and deadly calm.

I have two knives. You can use one. Let's just find this wretch. She said in a low, cold tone.

[infinitypanda]

Maksil

"I, um, vote that we rip his, er, legs off first. That way he, uh, can't run away."

[amanamana]

Hyllin

"Oh... come on! Keep this for your wet dreams, you two. If we find him, you can do whatever you want. But we need to find a way out of here first."

"I still think there will be only trouble down this way..." - Pointing to the tunnel without the arrow with his longsword - "... But let's take a look before trying the poisonous moss's way."

He takes Amelia's dagger with his left hand and holds his longsword in the right hand. Pressing the dagger against the wall, he marks his way into the left tunnel, longsword ready, doing some recognition.

[Narmoth]

Caspian follows, then turns to Amelia
"If Hyllin ismarking the trail, shouldn't you check for traps?

[4is111]

You wander aimlessly for near an hour but the caverns seem to continue indefinately. How long do you continue before giving up and following your trail back?

[BloodyAngel]

Amelia

Prior:

Now what makes you assume I know anything about traps? YOU check for traps. Your eyes work as well as anyone else's.


One hour in: A steady grumbling from her stomach and a lot of anger build to the breaking point. With a sudden yell, she smacks a pale fist against the wall.

Gods damn it! Why did I even come out here? She said, her voice raised in anger, Can't I catch good fortune once? Just ONCE?!

The pale woman collapsed to her knees in the tunnel, shaking for a moment.... though from despair or anger was hard to say.. before she spoke again, in a voice that's strangely, albeit shakily, calm.

Let's just turn back... and try the moss. It's either die that way... or stay down here and starve.

[Narmoth]

"Yeah, we can just as well die that way as any other"

[infinitypanda]

Maksil

"Well, it's, er, not a death in battle, but it's better than, um, starvation. Let's try the moss."

[amanamana]

Hyllin

"Finally..." - The elf says when he sees some consensus.

On the way back, he asks again:
"So... someone besides me brought a waterskin?"

[4is111]

You trek back another hour to the moss.

[Narmoth]

"Yes, but I think it's better to cut up my cloak for masks"

[4is111]

So, what is the marching order?

[amanamana]

(OOC: You ask up to the moss? Or across the moss? Because I think, if the later, we are going one at a time, probably with me first... in fact, either way I'm probably going to be the first.)

Hyllin

"I don't know if you understood me, Caspian. I don't want to cut the waterskins, I want to cut a piece of cloth. But everyone will need plenty of water to wash their faces after running across the moss, if we are going on with this plan, and that will require individual waterskins."

"If someone else have a waterkin, but it's not full, we can use the rope and lower it into the river back there."

"Any questions?"

[Narmoth]

"I see. Then we agree. I think I will go first, as the weakest member of the party. If I'm okay, then everyone else is bound to be as well"

[infinitypanda]

Maksil

"Um, heh heh, I may have, er, forgotten to bring my own water. Sorry."

[Narmoth]

"Well, I have water and Hyllin has as well. What about you?" he turns to Amelia

[4is111]

So, is anyone planning on crossing the moss, or are you waiting for something?

[amanamana]

So, is anyone planning on crossing the moss, or are you waiting for something?

You should check the OOC more often. Usually, when you make a question like this, there is already some kind of discussion in there about the issue.

cheers.

[infinitypanda]

Maksil

"I, uh, don't think she does. Let's just go. I want to, er, to go get past this moss as soon as possible."

[Narmoth]

"Ok, then I'll try first"
Caspian makes a mask out of a part of his cloak and pours some water on it, so it works as a filter. He then takes it on and walks over the moss

[amanamana]

Hyllin

"Hold your breath untill you get to the other side. Don't forget to close your eyes either. You can check the trail before starting and open your eyes only when in doubt. If the spores get close to your eyes, maybe it's a better idea to keep your eyes closed and rush the pace."

After saying this, the young elf already gets ready to do the same path, just in case of an emergency.

[BloodyAngel]

Amelia

The albino woman held up a ratty waterskin and swished it about.

Just a sparse bit of rainwater. She said before stowing the thing again amidst her bulky robes, If he makes it, I'll follow suit.

[4is111]

As Caspian crosses the moss, he stirs up a trail of spores that cling to his leggings. Behind him his footprints in the moss are clearly visable under close inspection. The spores float about, but Caspian reaches the other side safely.
Amelia follows after him, kicking up more spores herself, but she too reaches the other side unharmed.

[Narmoth]

Caspian looks farther down the hall to see what's next

[4is111]

The cave continues further than . In the distance you can make out another arrow to the right.

[Narmoth]

Caspian steps a bit away from the moss, then takes of the mask:
"All clear!" he shouts and smiles

[amanamana]

Hyllin

The young elf do the same path they did, after waiting for the spores to descend a little.

When everybody crosses, he asks, longsword in hand.
"Shall we proceed now?"

[Narmoth]

"I guess... Caspian looks over the rest to see if they're okay, paying particular attention to Amelia:
"Are you okay?" he then turns to Hyllin:
"Well, there's another arrow farther down"

[infinitypanda]

Maksil

After a few moment's hesitation, Maksil also crosses the mold.

[4is111]

Maksil crosses safely, though spores are clinging to his pants as high as his thighs.

[amanamana]

Hyllin

"Wash that up, man."

Hyllin then turns and lead the way untill the next arrow, being careful.

[4is111]

You reach the next arrow. It points to the right. Which way do you go?

[Narmoth]

"I guess we can just as well follow all the arrows..."

[amanamana]

Hyllin

"That's what I've been saying..." - He looks around and studies the terrain - "As long as we keep being careful."

The elf then proceeds to check the area, as usual.

[4is111]

The tunnels are quite for several more hours, and several hours pass. By now it is getting late, and there is no way of knowing how many miles these tunnels go for. Do you have any way of cleaning off the spores?

[amanamana]

(OOC: Washing his legs with some water wouldn't take the spores out?)

Hyllin

"So... that's taking awfully too long..." - The adolescent elf seems more bored than worried.

[BloodyAngel]

Amelia

Amelia stayed deadly quiet for most of the trip, her seething anger at the situation and whichever person she imagined was to blame fading only slightly. Her feet were sore and this place reeked, but at least it was dark. Her stomach's insistance at being heard marred the silence however, and she was getting tired of hearing it growl.

Mostly however, she was angry at her own poor judgement at coming down here in the first place. She'd known it was some kind of trick or trap for only the stupidest of victims... and here she was trapped in the dank tunnels with the rest. Only imagining the many and varied ways she could murder the one who brought her down here really gave her any comfort.

[4is111]

Water will not remove the spores on its own.

[Narmoth]

"I guess we can rest here as well as any other place. I don't have much of supplies, but I can offer you some bread, cheese and water" Caspian smiles

[infinitypanda]

Maksil

Maksil looks down at the spores covering his pants legs. "It's been, uh, several hours, and they still, er, haven't come off? Looks like this pair of, um, pants might be ruined." He looks up. "Should I got put them, uh, somewhere else? The spores still might be toxic. And no snickering, Amelia."

[Narmoth]

"I'm so hoping you've got a pair of spare ones." Also, I suggest you go away a bit and burn them"

[infinitypanda]

Maksil

"Well, I have my, uh, heh heh, long underwear at least. Those are kind of like pants." Maksil takes his pants off, and stands around somewhat awkwardly in his woolen underwear. "Burn these, you said?"

[Narmoth]

"Yes, otherwise, it doesn't matter much that you've taken them off."

[amanamana]

Hyllin

"So? What are we going to do? Keep going? Look for another way?" - The elf stands up, clearly uncomfortable - "I'm not going to do die here, seated on my ass!"

[BloodyAngel]

Amelia

I don't own any spare clothing. At least, not that I brought. Amelia said with a cold scowl, And I'm not stripping down.

She sat for a moment to rest her legs, looking further into the depth that seemed to go on forever.

Mind if I have some of that food? Just a bit? She finally said after a long pause, looking to Caspian. Then I say we keep going. I'm with the elf. I refuse to die in some dank hole.

[Narmoth]

"Sure" Caspian smiles to Amelia and hands her a black bag with macabre runes on:
"Here you go"

[infinitypanda]

Maksil

Maksil grabs a torch and walks away a few tens of yards. He sets fire to the pants, throws them on the ground, and trudges back. He too sits down near the fire. "****."

[4is111]

The pants burn as well as can be expected.
What is the watch order?

[infinitypanda]

Maksil

"I can take the first watch, guys."

[amanamana]

(DM, please read the OOC thread.)

[amanamana]

Hyllin

"OK. Wake me up later then. I wake the half-human girl later." - He holds his longsword in the scabbard with one of his hands and leans against the tunnel's wall to sleep. Before closing his eyes, the young elf says, in a cranky voice - "Let's sleep the least we can before leaving. We have limited resources and we need to get going."

[4is111]

During Amelia's watch, a few bear cubs wander into the party's camp, followed by their mother. She does not look pleased to see you. Roll initiative.

[BloodyAngel]

Ok... no offense to anyone here... but I'm out. This whole thing so far has been nonsensical and boring, and we've already lost at least one player. Sorry, but I'm going... This game feels like it already died a while ago and we're just poking it's corpse.

[amanamana]

Well, this is it, then. Half of the players out already, no point in trying to keep going with this.

See you on the forum, guys.

cheers.

[infinitypanda]

Well, I'm out. Sorry guys.