New Paphos (The Base)

load previous
Jan 10, 2024 12:51 am
Ha! But did you see those sailors with their mouths agape!? Grin turns to Gus and imitates a surprised face, laughs and nudges Gus in the ribs gently with his elbow. He nods his head at the bartender and moves to collect his crossbow from against the bar. This time, his cloak is a bright red with a silver clasp.
Last edited January 10, 2024 12:53 am
Jan 10, 2024 2:05 am
A human of medium build, slightly above average height and unusually green eyes looks at his two companions, a dour armored dwarf with an axe at his side and a crossbow on his back, and a slight Duende with a goblin sword at his side and who is showing off his new short bow, and shrugs his shoulders. He gets up and approaches the three boisterous newcomers and says, "Hello, my name is Skeeve. My companions are Blornvid," motioning toward the dwarf, "and Ealdwig," motioning to the Duende. "We are about to head out to a Manor that is in the process of being recovered. If you would like, I am sure we could use the help cleaning things out."

He continues, "To get there, we have to go down into the dungeons to reach a magic teleporter pad that gets us out to the Manor. If you'd rather, I know they are also exploring more down there and you can join them instead. Either holds the promise of finding coin and the occasional magic item. With either one we will gladly take you down to let you choose your direction."
Last edited January 10, 2024 2:07 am
Jan 10, 2024 2:34 am
Blornvid nods his head when Skeeve introduces him and raises his mug of ale in salute.
Jan 10, 2024 3:23 am
Ealdwig, looks at the group smiles and nods. Calling out just loud enough for the group to here welcome!
Jan 10, 2024 1:51 pm
OOC:
once Gus tags in we can head straight to the tunnels and underdark unless someone needs/wants something in town first

Oliver and grin plan on the underdark

Skeeve, Blornvid, and Ealdwig are intending to head back to the Manor

Gus can tag along and decide to either the Manor, underdark, or head over to the Eldergrove over we get to the Matrix where everyone can split up if they have different destinations
Jan 10, 2024 7:23 pm
You all enjoy the company and the beginners are shown the clerks office to register with the expedition. You all then go to bead with the understanding you will head to the underground in the morning.
You awake refreshed, gather together, have breakfast, and bread down to the tunnels that lead into the dark expanse below the surface that is the world of the Underdark.
OOC:
post anything you need to do in town here
I will finish up the town and move into the tunnels / underdark later tonight
Jan 10, 2024 7:55 pm
"What does the underdark look like?", asked Oliver to the three veterans during breakfast. "You know, besides being gloomy, and dark... and under. Are there exotic plants? Is there running water down there? Any prickly monster?" He chomped down a good chunk of bread, and the rest of his question was muffled into unintelligibility.
Jan 10, 2024 8:05 pm
Chomping down on some soup and bread. Aye, I’ve always believed the darkest ruins hide the greatest treasures. Tell us about it!
Jan 10, 2024 8:45 pm
Skeeve replies, "Well, immediately under the base is a simple dungeon. Some of us, including Blornvid and others, cleaned it out entirely and the settlement is starting to make use of the space. There is an exit from immediate underground area that leads into a network of caves. We then explored that cavern system, most notably did not clean it out, and found two big things of note. The first was a tunnel that leads even farther down. We briefly met someone who explored it a little and the main thing he mentioned was a huge subterranean lake that a ship of friendly undead was sailing." He lets that sink in for a moment. "Yes, I don't get it either. Anyway, the other idea big thing is a thirty-foot square teleportation pad.

"The teleportation pad is part of a network of such devices. We did a little investigation and found some interesting areas, including a city completely overrun by plants and a subterranean fungi forest adjacent to a city inhabited by intelligent spiders. Independently of our work, Ealdwig and his winged friend found out about a mostly abandoned manor. (That's where we're off to.)

"Getting back to the underdark, the encounters we didn't defeat were a very nasty cave fisher (a giant spider-like creature), a cave full of darkmantles, another cave full of innumerable normal spiders, and a tunnel that leads to a huge slime. From what I understand, there is a group down there that defeated the cave fisher and were hunting down the darkmantles. Don't know if they have designs on either the slime or spiders. And there is always the chance to just skip them and check out that subterranean lake and what lies beyond."

With that, Skeeve finally shuts up and lets Blornvid and Ealdwig add whatever they want, and for the newbies to ask questions.
OOC:
Skeeve skips going into details on all of those who disappeared and were lost along the way. He intentionally skipped the high mountain valley. He also doesn't go into anything on the manor, as they don't seem interested. I assume Edair told us about the subterranean lake. I assume whomever is at the base camp by the teleport pad told us about the dead cave fisher and darkmantle hunt.
Last edited January 11, 2024 4:25 am
Jan 10, 2024 9:27 pm
Ealdwig, having heard none of Skeeve's story before, listens in awe and fascination. Wow! Did you say "friendly undead sailing on an underground lake"? That's a phrase I haven't heard before.

All that is down there? Pretty amazing!


He looks at the "new" guys, I arrived here not too long ago, spent the day, basically. Met a few interesting people in town, then went off on an errand to the manor and haven't been back since. I did get to use the teleportation device a few times. That's an interesting experience.

Pausing to eat and take a swig of his breakfast ale, he wipes his mouth on his sleeve. He smiles widely, remember the meeting, I did get to meet Guflis. They are a shaman who lives in the swamp. Very cool. First shaman I've ever met. They made this amulet for me. I hold it out. It'll ward off insects for a few years, I was told. Thinking and muttering to himself, didn't seem to work with the insects in the shed though, hum..., Ealdwig trails off.

So, what brings you guys here?
Jan 10, 2024 9:34 pm
Skeeve says, "I don't really don't think whatever was in that shed counted as 'insects'."
Jan 10, 2024 10:01 pm
Yeah, maybe not. Ealdwig give a small shiver thinking back on the experience.
Last edited January 10, 2024 10:02 pm
Jan 10, 2024 10:13 pm
Seeing Ealdwig take a swig of ale, Grin eyes his own small mug and thinks: it comes in pints?!

He clears his throat and says: Well, I was looking for a shortcut to Paphos as I’d heard there might be some treasures here for Aeth… he catches himself… for us to find. And our boat got ambushed, but we escaped. Well, there was a fight with hobgoblins and we helped the sprites, and now we’re here.

I will admit, this lake sounds interesting… and dangerous. And there are others down there fighting darkmantles? It all sounds very curious to me.
Last edited January 10, 2024 10:46 pm
Jan 10, 2024 10:43 pm
"Holy hollies, you sure have one or two things to tell. I am in a search for alchemical knowledge and exotic ingredients. Fungi, plants, some good old monster mucus, that sort of stuff. Oh, and large bodies of water are definitely my friends. Plants would be around, that's why. I'm not just asking because I'm an otter." And he laughed at that, after which he took a long sip from his mug of morning broth.

After a moment's thought, Oliver put the mug down. "I like this place, it smells cozy. I will want to remember that later when I'm feeling gloomy from the underdark." And he retrieved from his pouch the spherical flask with a wavy rune, opened it, made a gesture to capture some of the air, and closed it again. "This is as close as it gets to home for now", he said, putting it away.
Last edited January 10, 2024 11:06 pm
Jan 10, 2024 11:25 pm
Skeeve replies, "Well met! An alchemist? Do you make potions? That'd be very cool! I'm a sorcerer that also plays with scrolls, but potions are an absolute mystery to me!"

Getting back to the question, "Let's see ... I think they still had the cave fisher's head down there, though I don't know if it has any mucus left in it. That ooze I mentioned is still down there. Water? Well, I have you covered on that! In the dungeon part, before the caverns, there is a room to one size that has several pools of varying magical-ness that you can experiment with. And down by the teleportation platform there is a definitely magic pool I don't think anyone has tried to drink from yet. You can be the first!" Skeeve gives off a good-natured laugh at that.

"As for plants, I think there is a group exploring the overgrown city I mentioned before. If you want plants, that place has so many you can actually hear them move and grow! Seriously, you can hear the plants grow."
Jan 10, 2024 11:31 pm
OOC:
wow, there really are so many options of cool places to explore!
Jan 10, 2024 11:41 pm
OOC:
And I am not even touching half of it. I am purely restricting myself to what Skeeve knows or could know. There is other stuff out there that is pretty cool, too. There are so many hanging threads to pull on. Plus some big ones that we've never even though to check out that are listed in the setting information.
Jan 10, 2024 11:48 pm
OOC:
Very cool! I’m happy to keep this conversation going as we move down to the underground. Sounds like that’s where you’re all headed anyway and there are magic pools for us to start with ;)
Bunt, what do you think?
Last edited January 10, 2024 11:48 pm
Jan 11, 2024 12:21 am
OOC:
Agreed! Also, thanks for sharing all the lore!
Jan 11, 2024 1:25 am
After breakfast the much larger party heads to a guarded room with both thick and solid doors as well as a portculus at the top and bottom os a wide set of stairs. Those how have been here longer remark that security has gotten tighter and tigher as exporation of the area buth above and below ground level has brought in riches, rufians, adventurers, and merchants. You descend through a series of rooms and halls below the buildings of the base and arrive at another guarded gate to the extensive natural caverns beyond. The guard here gives you a lantern and you make your way, with Blornvid in the lead and the lantern in the middle of the groupo.

After scrambling over the rough cavern floor, that is begining to show traces of a path worn by frequent use, for tens of minutes does the passage open into larger caverns. Blornvid points out marks made with a thick waxy chalk like material that are easily followed. The passage down to this point has been entirely plain stone and a bit disapointing to oliver anbd Grin. However these caverns begin to show signs of moisture, minerals, and tiny plants, fungus, and lichen.

Psybermagi sent a note to ForeverDED,daryen
[ +- ] Caverns Map
As you walk some of the caverns features are pointed out to you. You pass the desceent to the Underdark (B) and move towads the magical tiles (D) passing by the large cavern where they darkmantle are suspected to be. As you walk you hear some shouting and see light flickering about in the distance. (C)
OOC:
Discus/declar your aproach to the darkmantle cave and I will put a link to move everyon over tomorrow
I hoped to get some of the others who have been a bit inactive to join in but this wil be the last delay.
load next

You do not have permission to post in this thread.