Burning Plague

[Mangles]

"Welcome to Duvik's Pass. You must be the adventurers I inquired about." Last week you all received a letter from a Merchant named Doverspeak asking you to search for his missing son. He stands before you trying to be polite. Suddenly he bursts out "Please you must find my son, he went into the mines trying to make me proud, but there is a curse on this town and sickness follows us all around. I'm afraid he might have succumb. Please you must find him. I will pay as well as I can."

You are all in the town of Duvik's Pass a small village mostly full of miners who work to the east. This place seems glum and hollow and the people are joyless. Half of the houses in this town are empty and boarded up. The party heads east up into the mountains to find the mines.

A cool breeze drifts down from the towering peaks of the surrounding Mountains as you behold the entrance to the mines. The frost-rimed ground is littered with tools, picks and shovels, some of which protrude from soft banks of snow. A single darkened shaft leads into the depths of the mine ahead. The dirt path beneath its wooden support structure is covered with stone debris, a few pieces of which occasionally glint with the slightest hint of ore. No light issues forth from the tunnel. Burnt-out torches are strewn across the floor, their brackets torn from the shaft walls. Aside from the quiet whistling of the wind, complete silence fills the small clearing within the mountains.

[mickeysofine]

I pick up and old burnt out torch and cast light on it.

[Mangles]

The mineshaft heads north into the mountain and slants downward at a gradual incline. Its 15 feet wide and 10 feet tall. The tunnel is too deep for your light to reach the end.

[Scoot]

"Wow, I can't believe I'm actually getting paid for something" I mutter under my breath, "I'd better be thorough".
I then proceed to search the immediate area around the opening of the shaft for anything of interest.

Roll:

Spoiler

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(1d20+4)[20]
Search

[Saintjebus]

You look like you need some light, Oiseau

I cast Dancing Lights in it's 4 torches form. One I set to assist Oiseau in his search, the other three I send 50 feet down the tunnel in a 10ft spaced line; 10 ft between each light, so the first light is at 40 ft, second light is at 50 ft, and third light is at 60 ft.

Dancing Lights

[kirbsys]

Toron checks his gear, making sure that everything is packed in well so that nothing will fall off during combat. He then draws his blade, keeping it at the ready and observes the others' actions, keeping an eye on the tunnel to be prepared should anything emerge.

[Mangles]

Thanks to the dancing lights you can all see a doorway In the distance.

@ Oiseau:

Spoiler

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In the imediate area you can see signs of a recent fight, but there are no bodies to be seen.

[mickeysofine]

i declare onwards into the cave, my dear fellows. and move at walking pace (30ft) down the corridor lighting the corridor ahead of me with my torch.
+ draw crossbow (preloaded)

[kirbsys]

Toron hefts his shield in front of him and moves along side next to the sorcerer (assuming he's willing to slow down a bit, my armour encumbers me to 20ft per round) at a walking pace, keeping an eye out for trouble.

Eyes sharp, I don't like this place in the least, and the last thing we want is for our spell-slinger to go down right off the bat, especially without a healer.

As we descend into the tunnel Toron casts detect evil as a standard action.

[mickeysofine]

Aladdin, my eccentric sorcerer slows his pace and regroups with Toron and says "meat shield, you do love me!". and casts shield on him and walks 5ft behind him

[Scoot]

"Thanks for the help Colin, it looks like there's been some fighting going on here. I'd tell you all to be careful, but by the looks of those weapons, I don't think it's necissary"

I then procede to ready my bow, and follow the party, trying to stay towards the back.

[ColonelFuster]

Dave looks distastefully at the dark tunnel, but settles down a bit when light is cast. He trots up to the front of the party and draws his rapier. He speaks with a slight scottish accent, though he tries to hide it.

"Well, this is a fine bit of adventure. If we come to a door, let me search it for traps. This whole thing might have been caused by goblinfolk."

[mickeysofine]

but what about the curse and the sickness? i think there could be something else, more sinister behind that. Aladdin says

[kirbsys]

The savage races are easily swayed by those who wield even a modicum of power, it could easily be both the work of goblins and some fouler servant of evil.

[Mangles]

After travelling for a short while the party come to a wooden doorway. Its hinges slightly rusted and on this side of the door allowing it to swing towards the group.

[Saintjebus]

No problem, Oiseau.

I walk down the corrider with the rest of the party, staying slightly in front of Oiseau. As I walk, I gather the rest of my dancing lights into a rotating circle around my body.

We won't know anything until we get further in.

[mickeysofine]

i walk in through the door first casting resistance and ask for the rest of the party to follow.
c'mon guys last one in's a dragon's egg

[Mangles]

The tunnel opens into a small, roughly rectangular chamber. Scattered chunks of silver ore surround an overturned pair of wooden carts. The lower half of what appears to be a human body juts out from beneath one of the cart’s edges. It shows no signs of movement. Dried blood is smeared across the northern wall in several places. There are two corridors one leading to the west with a door at the end and a long tunnel heading east. The dancing lights are still with you (30 seconds since casting), easily lighting the entirety of this room.

[mickeysofine]

IT'S A TRAP! THE SILVER IS EVIL, someone else touch it...

i begin listening and looking about for anything of interest with my torch with light casted upon it

[kirbsys]

"We ought to let the rogue check doors before we move through them," Toron says to Aladdin, "evil creatures are full of treachery."

Toron then looks over at Colin, "Can I get one of those flames over here?" he inquires, moving towards the corpse. Toron moves slowly towards the body, sword at the ready. Assuming no signs of movement, he tries to move the cart off of the body to investigate further.

[mickeysofine]

remember these mines have been built by good hardworking humans, so we can assume anything like doors probably won't be trapped and the traps will be more like alerting traps rather than the lathal kind i say pointedly

what hallway do we want to go down?

[mickeysofine]

i go to the northern wall and examine the blood on the wall, trying to determine what races it is.

[Mangles]

Examining the blood stain does not show which race it is from. It is too old to tell anything from.

[Saintjebus]

Here you go Toron. It won't last much longer, though.

I send one light over to assist him.

I go over the the northern wall and assist Alladin in examining the blood.

Can the blood tell you anything?

[ColonelFuster]

Dave searches both doors to see if anything, natural or unnatural, will be triggered by opening one of them.

(Taking ten on both, for a total of 16. No reason to be overly suspicious.)

[mickeysofine]

no it's too old to tell what race it is from... but whenever this happened it happened a while ago, whatever did it has probably moved deeper into the cave. we should be careful.

[Saintjebus]

Agreed. Careful is good.

[Mangles]

There are no traps on either of the doors but as the cart is moved a thunderstone falls from the ceiling above. As it strikes the ground it lets out a deafening blast.

Everyone please roll a fort save.

[AssassinKing]

I'm gonna stick with Dave.
(1d20+4)[24]

[Scoot]

"Is.. Is that a man? Disgusting"

I'm going to cover our backs, staying as near to the beginning to the chamber as possible, while still following the party once they move.

Also stearing clear of the body.

Roll:

Spoiler

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(1d20+3)[15]
Fort