Travels amongst the Border Princes (WFRP 2e) IC

[rax]

Severin

"I...I'm sorry. I was sure I saw two figures jump down behind you. I think it's this place, you know? It's getting to me." Severin pauses and glances around the area suspiciously. "I haven't seen Alyssa. Torendil is down there with the Sirs and their soldiers. The mutants broke and ran - the last I saw of our bold young knights was them riding down the survivors. We should probably find Alyssa and get down there."

Spoiler: OOC

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Bah, one day Severin will be right and then...vindication!

[Ionbound]

Alyssa jogs gently back to Gabriele and Severin, replying, "I'm here, and the canyon looked clear from up here. I think we should be okay, for now. The ones that survived have been driven off." She glances around, adding, "I hope. Anyways, I agree. Let's get back down there and join up with the people with big swords and heavy armor."

[rs2excelsior]

"I ah... I didn't see their camp personally. At least not up close. One of the others might have a better idea about how many there are in total." Torendil glances over his shoulder to see if the rest of the group is catching up. He does his best to hold his breath as he passes the corpses, averting his eyes.

At the end of the canyon, Torendil stops short for a moment, taking in the sight. He gathers himself and moves over to the knights. "Well... If they are sheltering in there, it's not going to be easy to dig them out. Maybe if we collapse the entrance?"

Spoiler: OOC

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Academic Knowledge to attempt to ID who created this?
vs Int (48)
(1d100)[48]

[Haval]

'No harm done. Lets get out of here before someone else tries to kill us.'

On the way back Gabriele will do what she can to recover her arrows.

Spoiler

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Arrow recovery rolls (1 to recover / 2 it's broken)

(5d2)[2][2][1][2][2](9)

Wounds: 8/11
Fate: 0/4

[dojango]

Gabriele gleans her arrows from the area. Most are unusable, but one is still intact. Alyssa, Severin, and Gabriele find a spot to carefully pick their way down the canyon's cliff to the floor below. They approach to find the soldiers, the knights, Torendil, Albrecht, and the servants all milling around, trying to decide whether to pursue the mutants into the cliffside structure.

Sir Laurens and Leclair, of course, are all for leading a charge deeper inside, but the soldiers and servants are proposing caution. "We ain't got enough torches, I reckon" says the sergeant. "Hate to fight in the dark." As far as collapsing the structure is concerned, nobody has any idea about how to begin. There aren't any tools, and the pillars are far too thick and solid to be pulled down by mere hands.

Spoiler: Torendil

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Torendil is not a student of history or engineering, but his tutor back in Altdorf had tried to instill some knowledge of magical theory into his head. He's pretty sure this isn't elven or dwarven work, and it strikes him suddenly that many of the carvings and decorations on the facade appear to have some sort of arcane purpose. It almost appears as if the building itself was a magic spell of some sort...

[Haval]

Gabriele is going to try to get a closer look at the carvings on the outside of the structure. 'Some sort of temple maybe? But what's it doing out here in the middle of nowhere?'

[rax]

Severin

"Sirs," Severin addresses the knights. "The choices here seem simple enough to me. Either we pursue the cannibals inside in an attempt to finish them off once and for all, or we retire and bank on having taught them a harsh enough lesson already that they will move on and trouble your lands no more."

"The only other argument I can see for continuing inside is that this is indeed an unexpected and impressive find. While it may not conceal gold or other treasure, to secure it for Duke Radulf would surely bring him glory in the eyes of the scholarly. But perhaps such is of no concern to him..."

[rs2excelsior]

"This was done by magic." Torendil speaks suddenly, still staring up at the massive facade. "Those markings--they appear to be channels of a sort, the kind one would get from harnessing magic at this scale. Whoever made this was incredibly skilled... incredibly powerful..." He stares for a moment more, then snaps his attention back to the knights. "If you decide to pursue, I will go with you. I want to see this more closely." He regretted the words as soon as they were out of his mouth--chasing the mutants into the cave was going to be extremely dangerous--but he had to see what was inside. If a powerful wizard had created it, perhaps they'd left secrets inside. He was willing to risk death to find out.

[Haval]

Gabriele will step back from the structure hurriedly. 'Magic. So not dangerous in the slightest than.' She'd only heard the odd story, but thought it was probably better to be very careful around something like that. 'Maybe as long as you keep your eyes open Wizard. If we're going in I suppose they might be less likely to hear a smaller party coming. Maybe we find out where they're hiding or at least find out that there are so many tunnels down there it would take all year to track them down.'

[dojango]

Gabriele examines the statuary in front of the door. A statue of a bull-headed man, seated on a throne of skulls. A raven-headed man, holding a staff and reading a book. A naked woman with clawed feet, dancing with a sword in one hand, and a heart, dripping blood in the other. And finally a fat man with a beard, a sack over his shoulder. He is reaching inside, pulling a out some sort of box, grinning. To the sides are strange grotesque forms, dancing, capering, some holding tools or weapons. Below the statues, a line of hooded figures, supplicating. Hooded figures leading rows of figures tied together. Hooded figures with knives atop fallen bodies. Atop the door, in the center, there is a statue of a crowned man, holding a scepter in one hand and a cup in the other. His hand is slightly raised in a gesture that almost seems one of benediction. Beneath his feet is a scarred and battered patch of rock, as if someone had taken the time to chisel out whatever was once there. The other writing on the facade is in an unknown language, where it hasn't been defaced, but there is a message in simple Reikspiel carved above the door, below the man's feet. "Clear-sighted friends are welcome at my hearth".

When Severin mentions Duke Radulf, the two knights nod in agreement. But when Torendil mentions magic, the soldiers audibly gasp and take a few nervous steps backwards. Even the two knights look a little paler in the noonday sun. Finally Sir Leclair says, "If those mutants had magic they would have used it on us, surely? They are brigands and beasts, fit only as vulture food."

Sir Laurens nods his head in agreement. "Set up camp here. Dispose of the carrion. Leclair and I will go in with the master elf and his guards." He points to two servants. "Carry torches for us inside. Albrecht?" The barber-surgeon shrugs. "I will stay here with the wounded. Although... I think I've seem this place before. In a painting. 'Heraklon and the Red Temple'. The Imperator has it in his palace in Monteche."

[Ionbound]

Alyssa looks back and forth at the threshold, then frowns when Torendil mentions magic and takes a smart step back, replying, "If it's magic, I for one, want nothing to do with it. Either the mutants made it, in which case it's a deathtrap, or something scarier than the mutants made it, in which case it's a deathtrap set by something else. Either way, shall we return to town?"

[dojango]

"The young lady's right, sir," says the Sergeant. "This place ain't fit for proper fighting. We've bled these bastards, taught them a lesson. Might be time to returning home."

[rax]

Severin

"So this place has a name," Severin responds to Albrecht's revelation. "And it was visited recently enough for there to be a painting of it. Master Albrecht, Have you ever heard of Heraklon or the Red Temple other than them being the name of a painting?"

[dojango]

"I forget, you aren't from around here. Heraklon is... was... a legend around here. He was an adventurer, a mercenary. A hero. Had a magic sword and everything. Defeated evil wizards, slew giants, the like. He unified this area a few centuries ago as a supreme warlord. There are statues and paintings all over of his adventures. I suppose some of the stories may even be true... the painting I saw was supposedly commissioned by one of his sons. It's hanging at the palace at Monteche. I know Duke Bremcote has a few paintings of him as well."

[Haval]

'So he built this? Or more than likely he came through here at some point and thought the experience was worth remembering. Wouldn't that make this the sort of place where the hero survives in spite of how dangerous it was?' Gabriele is managing to talk herself out of going inside. 'If we don't go in it's not like this place will be difficult to find again.'

[dojango]

Albrecht chuckles. "No, he killed whoever built this place. Or whoever was living here at the time. The painting showed him and his allies fighting monsters in front of the entrance. You spend much time here, you'll hear all about him. Supposedly the painting is one of a set, and if you put them together you can find a map to his last treasure. That's probably just another legend, though."

[Haval]

'So maybe the mutants are living in the ruins of someone else's house?' Maybe that made it a little less dangerous. Gabriele will see if she can see anything through the entrance without actually going inside. 'I suppose we came all this way, so I'm don't mind taking a look around. If there's any actual magic in there we let the wizard deal with it.'

[rax]

Severin

"My folks always said to steer well clear of mutants and magic, but if you're game to go in I guess I'll go too. It wouldn't do to let a lady face danger all by herself," Severin replies a little gruffly.

[Ionbound]

Alyssa frowns and replies, "I don't intend to let you two go in alone. Just let it be known that I think this is a terrible idea, and if it comes to it, I do vote no."

[Haval]

Gabriele looks guilty, 'I'm not going in to map the place or anything. If we see anything we can't handle I don't intend to hang around.'

[dojango]

Gabriele and Severin carefully move up to the entrance and peer in. Sunlight illuminates the first dozen paces or so, but beyond that, the tunnel leads back into darkness. Although there is some trash and rubble around the entrance-way, Severin can clearly tell that there is a cleared trail through, swept clean by constant traffic. In the distance, in the darkness, Severin thinks he sees a hint of light.

Sir Laurens and Sir Leclair can hardly contain their excitement. "So, we're walking in Heraklon's footsteps? This is where he defeated the Red Priesthood?" They look every inch the excited teens they are. The servants bring torches up. "C'mon, let's go!"

The Sergeant whispers to Torendil, "Watch out for anything weird, yeah? Master? Don't want anything to happen to the young lord." He picks two soldiers and orders them to form the rearguard of the party. "We'll be outside if you need reinforcements."

[rax]

Severin

"Well, unless there's a back door out of there, our cannibal bandits are in there somewhere," Severin mutters. "I see a clear path beyond this rubble, and what may be a light ahead," he speaks softly to Gabriele. Selecting a new stone from his pouch, he loads his sling and prepares to slip inside the temple, eyes open for any trouble.

[rs2excelsior]

Torendil nods to the sergeant, attempting to look more confident than he appears. "I shall do everything in my power to ensure no harm comes to them." Squaring his shoulders and doing his best to push away the fear nagging at his mind, he follows after the others into the temple. His eyes flick from point to point in the darkness, hands ready to cast in case something should attack.

Spoiler: OOC

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Perception test as we advance?
vs Int+10 (58)
(1d100)[33]

[Haval]

'Torches maybe? Or they have a fire going.' She'll try to move ahead of the others with her bow at the ready. If she was away from the party's torches her eyes might adjust to the darkness. Hopefully there was enough cover along here that they could hide their shapes from anyone that might be watching in the distance.

Spoiler: ooc

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Perception vs. Int 33 (+20 if Acute Hearing counts)
(1d100)[93]

Concealment vs. Ag 43
(1d100)[99]

[Ionbound]

Alyssa sighs as she steps over the threshhold into the cavern and sticks to the shadows at the rear of the party, trying to blend in with the darkness as best she can.

Spoiler: OOC

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Concealment: (1d100)[22] vs 30

[dojango]

"In radiance, may we find victory," mutters Laurens, and the party sets off inside. The pathway is big enough for two to stand abreast, and so the knights stand together. Gabriele leads the way, trying to preserve her darksight, Torendil and Severin stand with the torch-bearers, while two soldiers take up the rear. Behind them, Alyssa skulks in the shadows. The light of the torch sends Gabriele's shadow dancing crazily all over the hallway. The walls are smooth and un-ornamented, in comparison to the ornate exterior. Torendil spots two dark holes in the wall; one on each side. Doorways into darkness.

[rax]

Severin

"Gabriele, any signs of which doorway has been used most recently, or at all?" Severin is no tracker, but perhaps Gabriele can interpret any signs, he reasons. As for himself, he strains his senses to catch any motion or noise from either doorway.

Perception test (1d100)[53] vs. Int 34

[dojango]

Gabriele can tell this area has been used a lot. Too much for her to learn anything specific. Constant traffic keeps the trail clear. Cautiously peeking around the corners of the darkened room, they see piles of rags and plants all around the far wall. This must be where the mutants sleep. The other room has a number of sacks piled up in one corner, and food stored in another. In the center of that room there is a stone well. A bucket is tied to a rope and rests by the well. Both rooms are devoid of enemies at the moment. The mail corridor leads deeper into the mountain.

[rax]

Severin

"Coast looks clear to me, what about you?" he whispers to Gabriele. "They were in a serious hurry when they ran into the temple - doesn't feel like they'd have had the time or the inclination to set up ambushes in either of these rooms. Shall we press on?"

[Haval]

Gabriele will try not to look at whatever the mutants considered to be food for too long. She'll whisper back, 'Maybe. Or there's another way out down here somewhere.' She'll continue on into the main corridor.