Chapter Three: The Last Dream of Mirza Horgul

Feb 26, 2016 8:14 pm
Zangua was the first to rise, before the sun, and the party made swift progress on a brisk and cloudy morning toward the hills west of Five Stones. They did not wake the Pulras, having said their goodbyes to the goat farmers, Saad, and little Aylie the night before.

"Please don't get killed by the metal man," she said as she gave Mordred a farewell hug.

The party stands now on a brown and windswept hill crowned by a cluster of jagged boulders, half-buried in the ground, leaning in toward each other. It seems to some of you more suggestive of a grasping, short-fingered hand than a cradle.

It takes a bit of searching to find the promised entrance to the Badgerways, but at the base of one of the boulders, partly hidden under a protrusion of stone, you find a hole going straight down, hardly more than two feet wide. Some piled earth and large stones nearby suggest that this entrance may have been sealed off until somewhat recently.
Feb 28, 2016 2:06 am
(Bumping to let you all know the post has been updated and the thread is unlocked!)
Feb 28, 2016 2:10 am
Zangua looks into the hole, to see if there is a means of descent and a light source below. If either aren't available, he takes the rope from his pack, and prepares a torch.
Feb 28, 2016 3:01 am
It's dark down there, and it looks like quite a drop from here. If you hold a light to the entrance, you can see a narrow shaft going straight down.
Feb 28, 2016 3:02 am
Zangua looks for a secure anchor to tie the rope to. Once that is complete, he lights a torch and drops it into the hole; not only to light the bottom, but also to see how deep it goes.
Feb 28, 2016 3:11 am
There's plenty of rock to secure a rope to near the hole. The shaft seems to run about 30', opening to a larger chamber with a floor at about 40' down.
Feb 28, 2016 11:38 am
OOC:
Just for future reference, Mordred's got darkvision, which might come in handy for scouting and sneaking up on things down here.
Mordred is ready to climb down, but he will wait until some of the tougher members of the party go down first, in case there is anything waiting for them down there.
Feb 28, 2016 3:02 pm
Shamush gets down on his hands and knees at the edge of the hole and watches Zangua's torch flicker down and hit the bottom. He seems thoughtful and then sits up and thumps his chest, saying earnestly to the air, "Selves, I'm crossing a new boundary. Give me the strength to gain wisdom from viewing this new horizon." He then flashes a crooked grin to the others, saying, "I'll go first." He gives the rope Zangua placed a tug, shrugs, and goes over the edge.

Rolls

Athletics - (1d20+4)

(19) + 4 = 23

Feb 28, 2016 5:06 pm
Not eager to climb down a rope into the unknown Vad says "Uhhh.. I'll stand watch while the rest of you have your turn and climb on down last. That way when I fall I'll at least have you lot to land on."
Feb 28, 2016 5:11 pm
Zangua assists anyone heading down by pulling his own weight on the rope, adding to the anchor.
Feb 28, 2016 5:13 pm
It's a tight squeeze for Shamush, but he manages to get himself down through the shaft to drop into an ovoid subterranean chamber, about 30' long from east-west and 20' wide, made of smooth, hard-packed earth. He picks up the torch burning on the floor.

A narrow passage, about 5' wide, leads west, with a steep decline.
Feb 28, 2016 9:56 pm
As long as there's nothing down there, Mordred will head down. Can we tie off the rope such that we can retrieve it once we are all down, to avoid leaving a completely obvious trail?

Rolls

Can I use Acrobatics for a rope climb check? - (1d20+5)

(4) + 5 = 9

Feb 28, 2016 10:23 pm
Tell me how you'd do that with the rope!

Mordred slips a little but makes it down in one piece.
Feb 28, 2016 10:36 pm
Don't adventurers just know these things? I'm thinking we can use two ropes, one tied to the rock to climb down and another tied to the knot that secures that first rope, such that when we pull on the second rope, the first rope unties, and they both drop down into the hole. Does that make any sense? I'm not a rock climber.
Feb 28, 2016 10:41 pm
Felor says a cantrip under his breath, and with a wave of his hand, the tip of his spear begins to glow. He then straps the spear to his back before climbing down the hole. That accomplished, he surveys the area at the bottom for any tracks while waiting for the rest of the party to descend.

Cast Light on my spear.
Can I use Survival for tracking? If not, Investigation is +1 so deduct 3 from the roll below and use that.

Rolls

Athletics check - rope climbing - (1d20+2)

(5) + 2 = 7

Survival check - checking for tracks - (1d20+4)

(20) + 4 = 24

Feb 28, 2016 11:00 pm
Zangua is perfectly fine with abandoning the rope. He is not enthused with the idea of having to free climb his way down as the last one in. "Come on, let's move it," he says to those remaining above-ground as he leans back against the weight.
Feb 29, 2016 12:52 am
Mordred: your rope trick would require a difficult Sleight of Hand check and if it fails, you're out two ropes. Otherwise, you're just out the one.

Felor has a rough landing, falling the last ten feet from the end of the shaft to the floor of the chamber, but suffers no more than having the wind knocked out of him. Recovering, he examines the ground, warning Shamush and Mordred against making any more fresh tracks.

There are faint, muddy bootprints on the ground, leading out toward the west passage.
Feb 29, 2016 1:24 am
Once everyone else is down Vad will make his attempt to join them.

Maybe we can burn the rope if we're worried others will use it to track us.

Rolls

Athletics - (1d20+1)

(6) + 1 = 7

Feb 29, 2016 2:15 am
Zangua waits until everyone finishes their descent. He then follows, squeezing through the narrow opening to join the group, bracing himself against the walls for added support.

Rolls

Athletics - (1d20+6)

(20) + 6 = 26

Feb 29, 2016 3:35 am
Maybe we should just leave the rope, in case we need to retreat.
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