Into the Odd (IC)

[Awful]

Sitting, staring miserably into the fire, the sound of gunfire coming from inside the Coral caused Cruel's ears to prick up. She exchanged a view with Bragg. Perhaps someone else inside was doing better than they had, and it was worth a look.

If nothing else, perhaps they could pick over their corpses for goods.

She cast a look at the other pair sharing the fire.
"Well, Captain," she began dryly. After all, neither of them had their rank anymore. "I'd say those gunshots are worth looking into. Strength in numbers, eh?"

[LarsWester]

Rakash drops into a defensive crouch, longaxe ready, eyes alert: Elf? What elf? Elves are evil, wicked creatures - if there are elves here, I say we turn back while there is still time!

Hare shrinks back a bit at Rakash's outburst. Smirk laughs at the goblin. Elves be no more dangerous than goblins my friend. You can't believe the stories you read. Hare here is an elf and she hasn't kilt you yet. Through she is just tall enough to make that crack a challenge.

[Kaptin Keen]

Rakash whirls on Hare like he only just noticed her for the first time. Maybe it's the hair? Or the hat? Is she even wearing a hat? Rakash promptly - and propably accurately - reasons that the foul, wicked elf has used unnatural sorcery to conceal her true identity up until this point. He pales, turning - some might say - the color of vomit.

The axe wobbles in his hand, and he mutters, barely coherent: We .. we're surrounded! Elves everywhere! Rabble, we must fight back-to-back!

Rabble, being of somewhat sounder mind, merely shakes it's head, and puts a calming hand on Rakash's.

It are just un elfs. She are prop'ly only slightly evils.

Rakash turns on Rabble - wild-eyed - disbelieving. But then realisation dawns on him. Yes. We must be cleverer than the elves. We must pretend to believe their lies. The elves are haughty and arrogant - they believe their beauty makes everyone fall for their murderous plots.

Yes - yes, you are right, Rabble, he babbles. Yes, the elves are our friends. I .. I worry too much. Just stories, is all.

[LarsWester]

Thank you Rabble. Hare says softly and then to Rakash Don't worry I won't use any of my "dark powers" on you. She actually makes air quotes with her hands. I will save them for our enemies.
Smirk grins at his friends playing with the goblins lack of sensibilities. Right to the crack then and see where it leads Hare why don't you stick in the rear and let us know if it gets too tight for you to follow.
Smirk walks towards the crack in the eastern wall.
Rakash I think you should lead with your mighty axe. For two reasons I have the musket and more room between you and the elf.

[LurkytheDwarf]

Allison Cruel

You and Bragg march up the Iron Coral's crude steps to its yawning entrance once again. As before, it echoes with the waves beating on the metallic surface. It nearly drowns out all sound, but carried with it now just barely audible are voices from down the long, sloping passage to the first cavern. Their words are indistinct but the accents and inflections are those of the Common Trade Tongue, the one so frequently heard in Hopesend. The tone seems to be one of debate—a sure sign of calm and rational thought!

Rakash and Smirk

The crawlway at the base of the crack in the eastern wall looms ahead. Only three feet in height at its most spacious, aquamarine water drips from the hairline fractures in its roof.

[Kaptin Keen]

Rakash doesn't argue, but proceeds to step into the crawlspace - but now clearly more focused on what's behind (definitely an elf) than what might be in front (possibly man-eating rust coral).

[Awful]

Cruel and Bragg came up to the door cautiously. They exchanged wary glances, before Bragg opened the door and hammered on it.
"Hey!" Cruel called. "If there's anyone with wits, we're coming down!"

[LurkytheDwarf]

Rakash's lantern shines the way forward into the crawlway. It goes 20' before turning south. It also noticeable slopes downward.

You make it to this bend and see that the crawlway actually almost completely makes a U-turn back towards the west, continuing to descend deeper. Again, with the light of your lantern you make out another turn back toward the south further along the tunnel—if it keeps this up, the crawlway could take you a great distance deeper into the structure with very little horizontal movement, probably depositing the party a little ways southeast of the first chamber.

Either way, with Rakash's goblin ears still tuned to what's behind, you along with Rabble, Smirk, and Hare hear the words shouted of the metallic echoing of the waves from up the ramp back towards the front entrance of the iron coral, "Hey! If there's anyone with wits, we're coming down!" spoken in the Common Trade Tongue of Hopesend.

[Kaptin Keen]

Rakash is frozen with indecision. They could be elves! But then they could be goblins! But then, although Rakash has convinced himself that goblins are the 'good guys' - throughout his life, they've proven to be rather untrustworthy. Whoever they are, they could make a nice addition to the group - more bodies between Rakash and terribly, bloody demise. On the other hand, they'd be wanting part of the loot!

Rabble, for it's part, just perks up it's pointy ears, and cries out Hulloo!

[LurkytheDwarf]

"Hulloo!" echoes up from the darkness to reach Allison Cruel and Bragg's ears. Which seems friendly enough. Taking the long, sloping passage down into the Iron Coral you emerge in the first chamber you remember from previously. Though the foam-filled passageway is the same, but this time the patch of red coral along the western wall has been broken into... blood stains and chunks of tentacles lay about the debris at the base of the hole.

Rakash, Smirk, and company stare across the pit from the crack in the eastern wall to see a stocky, androgynous figure and a blond-haired woman appear. Both wear slightly frayed military uniforms devoid of rank or insignia.

Allison Cruel and Bragg come face-to-face with a short, wild-bearded maybe-dwarf with a long musket, a slender blond half-elf woman, and a greater and lesser goblin; the latter of which is heavily wrapped in stained bandages.

[Awful]

Oh, goblins. How delightful. Nonetheless Cruel raised a hand in greeting.
"Explorers. Me and a few others tried exploring here earlier, got turned back or perished by a monster. But if you're exploring, perhaps you'd prefer another pair of blades?"

She smiled and tapped a hand to her chest.
"I am Corporal Cruel, and this is my assistant and friend, Private Bragg. You are?"

[LarsWester]

The shorter bearded fellow offered a wave an introduction Smirk at your service. That there be Hare. And those two shorter greener ones be Rakash and Rabble. Rabble is the one a little worse for the wear right now. We were just about to explore this here crack a bit when we heard your call. Smirk is smiling a warm greeting to these new comers.

[Kaptin Keen]

Rakash, already shaken, looks ready to simply run and take his chances with the hostile ... 'things' in the cave, when he sees yet another elf. Instead, he pulls Rabble close, and whispers something heard by no one else. Rabble whispers back, a short reply. Maybe someone picks up the word swored.

[LarsWester]

Ignoring the goblins side conversation Smirk turns to the newly arrived pair of adventurers. You say you were here earlier with some others. They wouldn't have happened to be eaten by the corral? Or did the tentacles get 'em? How far in did you manage before being turned back? We were just about to explore this crack which seems to descend and wind a bit. Do you know where it leads Corporal?

[Awful]

"Snail, actually," Cruel replied ruefully. "We didn't even gt past he first room before some kind of snail with a lantern on its back incinerated the great lot of us."

[Kaptin Keen]

Rabble is explaining to Rakash that it's not actually an elfs, it's just an humans with blond hairs - but Rakash's attention has already shifted from one terror to the next:

A .. a giant, firebreathing snail? A snail dragon of some sort? Oh, Darkness preserve us.

Resigned to the fact that horrible (likely flaming) death awaits, he turns to press on deeper into the crack in the wall.

[LurkytheDwarf]

As the group finishes their introductions and banter, Rakash and Rabble take the lead into the narrow crawlway at the base of the crack in the eastern wall of the first chamber. The two follow the downward-sloping path. It crisscrosses not just twice but four times before a length of more level floor. The whole while the weight of the iron coral above you becomes more noticeable. The drips of aquamarine water more frequent from the hairline fractures all around you.

A rough guess would put the goblins 60' feet deeper and roughly southeast from the original pit chamber.

The crawlway eventually opens up into another metallic chamber, one with sharp right angles and roughly square—clearly more a finished room than the cruder caves before. A few distinct things immediately catch your eye: glowing alien runes in the center of the south wall; a ventilation grate 10' up in the north wall, from which a pale blue light glows; several boxes of the iron coral metal which have had their locks pried apart; and a larger, glossy, ceramic box set apart from the rest and untampered with.

[LarsWester]

Upon entering the more finished room Smirk runs forward towards the one of the boxes of iron coral metal. He checks inside the box to insure that its contents were taken as he suspects. As he does this he calls out to Hare. Can you read that script with your magical elvish eyes? he then snorts a quick laugh.

[LurkytheDwarf]

Smirk enters the room and throws open the nearest of the metal boxes. Its contents have been thoroughly rifled through but a few items still remain, namely strips of some strange anemone? jerky. A few pieces bare probably human bite marks.

When Hare approaches the south wall, the alien runes glow faintly brighter. She cannot read them.

[Kaptin Keen]

Rakash is aghast at this display of incaution. He stalks carefully forward, and pokes the ceramic box with his longaxe like he expects it to explode. He also eyes the size of the vent, then looks at Rabble, appraisingly.

[LarsWester]

Smirk holds up the "jerky" Don't intend to be around long enough that this starts looking appetizing. Hare what did you find?
Hare shrugs her shoulders Not much. Can't read it but it glows when I get close. Probably not safe to get too close.

[LurkytheDwarf]

Rakash pokes the glossy ceramic box with his longaxe. There is a hollow thud from the impact of the butt of the weapon and perhaps the faintest tinkling from within like glass clanking against glass. Either way, you are surprised to find just how heavy the container is overall. There doesn't appear to be a lock or handle, just a heavy lid with a lip one could grab to lift it up and off the box.

Rabble guesses that the vent 10' up in the north wall would fit both goblins on hands and knees but the larger folk would have to crawl or shimmy along their belly—a much tighter squeeze than the crawlway they just exited. As the goblin youth studies the vent though, Rabble sees that the soft blue glow emanating from beyond it is not constant. It ripples from time to time a little brighter and a little dimmer.

[Kaptin Keen]

Shrugging their shoulders at each other, Rakash and Rabble form the worlds smallest goblin pyramid - not tall enough to reach the vent 10' off the ground. With a mix of desperate scrabbling, amateur acrobatics and sheer luck, Rabble manages to get his dirty little claws on the edge, and shimmy into the vent. He edges forward, curious and cautions in even measure*, through the vent.

For his part, once Rabble moves out of sight, Rakash returns to the ceramic box. Ceramics are brittle, so it should be possible to get this open, even if the lock isn't proving cooperative. He fiddles with the box first though, trying to shake it to determine what might be inside, and also looking for a way to open it. Particularly, of course, he's cautious of traps.

If no other way to open it presents itself, he will try to pick the lock (without any tools to do so, that may not be possible). If that fails, he'll attempt to break it.

[LurkytheDwarf]

Rakash

The glossy ceramic box has no latch or hinges. Attempting to shake it is surprisingly difficult as it is exceedingly heavy. If you didn't know any better you would think the ceramic was just a glaze over the top of a stone chest. Still, from inside there is the same clinking of glass on glass.

After a thorough examination, Rakash just attempts to lift the lid off like the top of a sarcophagus. And while heavy, you do raise a corner—enough for light to peer inside revealing six large glass jars which completely fill the box. Each jar is loaded to the top with a couple of dozen shiny green marbles (or maybe strange pearls?)

Rabble

Once inside the vent, Rabble can see at the end of the long length of ductwork another vent from which the blue glow originates. As Rabble crawls closer, the blue glow periodically waxes and wanes.

At this new vent, Rabble looks out over a new square chamber. The top half is made of the same metallic walls but the bottom is perfectly transparent. It looks out over the ocean water beneath the iron coral structure. The sunlight shining through the seawater is what is generating the blue glow. Dead fish float in the sea and weird eyeless worms are suckered on to the outside of the see-through walls.

There is a sliding metal door in the east wall and stairs leading up to a tunnel in the west wall.

One more thing: a pale, wrinkled and wretched humanoid lies prone in the room. It does not move and it does not seem to be breathing.

[Awful]

"Jars, hmm? Lift the lid up a bit more and Bragg can lift one of the jars out."

[Kaptin Keen]

Thin arms straining and shaking, Rakash shoots Cruel a murderous glance: How about ... you help ... and then your pet human ... can grab a glass.

Despite the evidence, Rakash still isn't convinced Cruel isn't an elf.

[LarsWester]

Smirk walks over to the box and helps Rakash lift the cover. Smirk not wanting to press the Goblin's intellectual power says nodding On the count of two. One. Two. and begins lifting one corner.

[Awful]

Cruel, for her part, merely gave an amused smile and gestured, and Bragg reached past Rakash and Smirk to carefully and quickly retrieve the jars, carefully avoiding touching any of the 'pearls'. Bragg simply placed the jars down on the floor for now rather than trying to pocket anything.

With that done, Cruel kneeled down by them to inspect them more closely.

[LurkytheDwarf]

Smirk and Rakash lift off the lid and Bragg retrieves the first of six jars. In so doing the former private does notice that the foot-tall containers are very heavy.

Once out in the open, Allison Cruel begins her inspection. Just the movement of being carried out of the ceramic-glazed box has caused some of the green marbles to roll about in the glass jar but not how you would think. They merely, casually spin in place like they produce no friction against one another.

For all in the party, the green marbles' worth is hard to determine. But a silver apiece wouldn't seem an outrageous price. And there are more than two-dozen in each one of the six jars.

[LarsWester]

Smirk opens a jar and removes one of the green marbles. He rubs it between to fingers trying to get an idea of its physical properties. Its weight, texture, and if it is just as slippery to his fingers as they appear to each other.