Giantslayer: Battle of Bloodmarch Hill [IC]

[lostsole31]

The cot is moved out of the way and Aasgar opens the trap door. A ladder descends to a chamber below.

[BuckGodot]

Down we go.

[lostsole31]

Embedded into the floor of this chamber is a ten-foot-diameter granite emblem of a faded gold and white longsword. Four passages lead out of the chamber in different directions. A portcullis blocks the southern exit, and a sturdy wooden door leads west. A ladder in the southern corner of the room leads upward, and a small chest and decrepit bookshelf face one another from opposite walls.

[BuckGodot]

"Let's have a look around... But be cautious."Aasgar says in a low voice.

Does the room appear to have been occupied recently?

[lostsole31]

A quick look ... without doing a search ... doesn't point out something glaringly obvious. And yet, your (collective) instinct tells you that there has been recent activity down here.

[BuckGodot]

"Let see what we find." and he begins a more thorough search.

[lostsole31]

The wooden portcullis to the south is currently closed; a lever on the wall adjacent to the portcullis (on this side) likely is to raise or lower the gate of the portcullis.

The circular seal on the floor is a depiction of Iomedae's holy symbol.

The bookshelf holds little of value—only the mostly destroyed pages of Iomedae’s holy text, Acts of Iomedae, and several other weathered scriptures.

There is a chest, however, that Abenor and Imrijka check as carefully as you can. Not detecting any booby-traps, it is opened. This chest contains the following:

• 1 ounce of some pale amber liquid that is thick and viscous**
• 2 doses of some thick oil$$
• 50' of silk rope
• a disguise kit (6 uses remaining)
• set of thieves' tools
• Noble's outfit (worth 75 gp)
• Signet ring (worth 50 gp)
• Coins, totaling: 118 gold, 80 silver, and 27 copper

** = Imrijka is unable to determine the aura, but it is a strong aura. She has never seen a strong aura of magic from an item outside of special relics.
$$ = The oil has a faint aura of transmutation. Once that is known, Cici and Aasgar confer as they study it, and determine it is universal solvent.

There is nothing else of notice here.

[BuckGodot]

"I'm thinking we check the doors and see if they are rooms or passageways... Then decide where to go from there."Aasgar says in a low voice and heads to the door to the north to inspect and open.

[lostsole31]

Actually, it was easy to overlook but when you get to the north, there are actually two doors ... one is directly north, the other is east. (Sorry about that.) Which one does Aasgar check first?

[BuckGodot]

He will check the eastern door first.

[lostsole31]

The door is fine and unlocked. When opened, Aasgar sees that this once-grand flagstone hall is filled with statues of different celestial creatures in every corner. An old fire pit in the center of the room is bordered on all sides by moth-eaten bedrolls, while shovels, picks, and other digging equipment lie strewn about a shallow tunnel bored into the northeastern wall. The ceiling above the tunnel has collapsed, leaving a hole open to the sky above a pile of burnt rubble. You feel the terrible chill of the cold air from outside, but without the addition of wind chill except for a draft.

[BuckGodot]

"Let's check this room... What are your opinions about how to proceed? I feel like the tunnel could be a lead but I want to make sure we don't miss anything. I'm open to suggestions."Aasgar says as he begins to search the room.

[lostsole31]

"Well, it's pretty obvious that the chilly wind tunnel is the big hole in the ground we saw on the surface," says Imrijka, shivering some as her previous resist energy seems to have ended. "Still, I recommend--"

S22: "Aasgar, look out!" calls Cici. In a flash she is right beside the dwarf, with a strange, small type of blade in one of her hands.

S17-6: Something closes on Aasgar, something small, but Abenor cuts it down with his sword. Something else closes and he does the same thing again. In both instances, whatever was at Aasgar's feet seemed to erupt - not burst into flame - so much as heat from inside, turn to ash, and leave a vague silhouette on the ground.

Combat Ended.....

It really is over that quickly.

Cici bends down to the look at the charring on the ground. "They looked like really mangy rats ... not the big kind, either. Just normal-sized rats but with diseased-looking. I don't know why their bodies disappeared and left charring behind."

Imrijka comes a little closer, asking Aasgar to back up. "I know why, but I don't know what. I didn't get a good look at them? But what you saw is what happens when undead are destroyed. These were, what .... some type of undead rats from your description."

[BuckGodot]

Aasgar steps back as requested.

"Thanks guys. Imrijka, what were you about to say?"

[lostsole31]

She shrugs, still marveling at Abenor's reflexes. "I - I honestly don't remember. But it looks like there is a dead half-orc over here."

She puts her bow away and then pulls the body out from under the partial rubble. The macabre corpse still wears a sturdy suit if chainmail, and his pockets hold:

• a wand: Imrijka can't read the aura type, beyond that it is "weak."
• a fine silver dagger: Abenor values at 100 gp
• a red-gold amulet or symbol (see below)
• (3) black onyx gems: Abnenor values at 25 gp each

Imrijka says, "That red-gold amulet is an unholy symbol of Nulgreth, the Blood God. He's an orc deity of bloodlust and fighting. He believes in slaughter as its own end, and loves seeing his followers drench themselves in the blood of their enemies."

The rest of the chamber is searched. The surface is 20' above, and would be a moderately challenging climb for Aasgar in his armor if he dared. There are shovels and other digging equipment. It also appears that there was some more digging done at this level towards the north, but it didn't go far at all (edge of map).

There is a door to the south (towards the east), or you can go back the way you came. Are you done in here, or leave?

[BuckGodot]

"We should check that door to the south."Aasgar says and approaches it, looking it over before he gives it a try.

[lostsole31]

There is a passageway heading south 10' from the door before it turns east.

[BuckGodot]

Looking back at the others, Aasgar asks, "Shall we check this out or mark it as unexplored and come back?"

[lostsole31]

Abenor shrugs and says, "We're here now, aren't we?"

[BuckGodot]

Aasgar shrugs back and heads cautiously down the passage.

[lostsole31]

Aasgar travels a total of 25' along the passageway (which had gone south, east, and south again) until he gets to where the passageway continues south, or there is a branch-off to the west.

[BuckGodot]

Aasgar turns to the west.

[lostsole31]

He turns west, but he instantly senses ... something out of place ... that there is danger here.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Let me cut you off at the pass for the most commonly asked question, "Tell me exactly what I see and the nature of the danger." Sorry, no can do, because this is one of those abstractions, and if I fed you anything, it would come down to real-world knowledge, and not character knowledge so ... just understand that Aasgar senses that the first corridor in (at least) appears to be trapped.

[BuckGodot]

Aasgar stops and waves the others back. He slowly steps back from the corridor.
”Anyone good with traps? Otherwise we’re done this way…”

[lostsole31]

"Outside of maybe avoiding them?" asks Abenor, "yeah, no."

Same thing with Imrijka and Cici, who have no mechanical or engineering skill or insight.

15' south, the passage turns west for 10' before facing south and opening up into a chamber. A set of stone stairs leads up from this stark subterranean chamber. Doorways to the northwest and southwest offer egress from the room. Around the corner to the south, a lone statue has been relegated to a dusty corner behind the stairs.

[BuckGodot]

"Let's give this room a going over and then decide which way to go."says Aasgar heading to the lonely figure behind the stairs.

[lostsole31]

The full going-over of this chamber takes nearly a half hour.

The statue depicts Iomedae in a pose of peace, with both her hands wrapped loosely around the hilt of her sheathed sword, which looks oddly askew.

The statue’s sword is a masterwork longsword! (It is not magical.) That is quite a find, actually, and amazing that whomever was camping down here didn't recognize its value. Nothing of value or notice in this room.

You have stairs upwards, the door to the west, and the portcullis (currently closed).

[BuckGodot]

Aasgar gestures to the door to the west and heads that way. Inspecting it, he then opens it.

[lostsole31]

The walls of this chamber are pocked with skull-sized cubbyholes, each containing a single brass or clay urn—some long since shattered or dented, others still intact. You seen nothing else of the room from this point. What now?

[BuckGodot]

Aasgar turns and heads west, carefully feeling out the way.