2. The First Delve

Swan who obviously isn't happy about coming back so soon considering she is still lesser from that pit trap that killed Druin has been a touch quiet.

"I'm not sure that was another party or just more of those beetles. Either way it appears that mouth passage is looking good. Considering we couldn't bypass it."

She adds on, "Who gets the pleasures to carry my lantern for light today? Tess is gone. And I have it nicely refilled."

Tiberious holds out his hand for the lantern. I can carry that. It's the least I can do for the group. I cannot thank you enough for allowing me to join your troupe. I had thought I would be traversing these tunnels alone, most assuredly to my death.

Tiberious holds up the lantern and shines the light towards the passage framed by monstrous faces and shudders. He looks across the room to the south. Have you tried this door directly across? It appears to be a bit more inviting.

"Great then. We check the mouth's passage today." Swan will lead off into the mouth's passage. She moves with caution and not terribly fast. Testing the space before her with her foot for a trap door.

As you approach the threshold of the first ogre mouth archway, you notice that the walls between this archway and the second one (which is 30’ ahead of you, as per Gabbro’s map) are covered with murals of cavorting imps.

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Day 2, 8:20 am
Bea, Thief 1: 3/3
Fenwick, Elf 1: 5/5
Gabbro, Elf 1: 7/7
Ricard, Fighter 1: 7/7
Swan, Fighter 1: 5/6
Tiberious, Magic-User 1: 5/5

Link to Gabbro's mega-maps ...

"This place used to be a prison so I wonder what the point of carving these mouths was? Seems like more work than one would want to do for such a place."

Ricard advances slowly next to Swan, probing the walls and floor with his sword as he goes.

Gabbro waits for a bit, and then belatedly realizes that the light isn't getting any closer. ::What are they doing...?::

Hearing them talk about 'the mouths' again, he realizes that the rest of the party stopped back in the Grand Foyer for some reason. ::....maybe Fenwick told them there was nothing of interest over here after all, and so they changed the plan?:: He shrugs, skirts back to the other side of the pit (making a scratch on the wall to mark the eastern edge of the pit, too), and hurries back north through the tunnel to take his position in the second rank as the party is beginning to head north through the mouths. ::I am interested in this corridor, after all...::

"Maybe it was to mock the poor lumps they kept down here? Nice little reminder about what they won’t get to do for gods know how long!" Bea says, leaning on her spear and looking at the imps flicker with the torchlight.

She sees the others advance slowly forward and she laughs to herself.

"Why not let a professional take a look at it for you?" she says, lurching up off of her spear and stepping forward. "I have to earn my keep somehow, don’t I?"

As you creep down the corridor between the two fanged archways, it’s as if the frolicking imps on the murals are mocking your caution. But you make it through that section without further incident.

Beyond the northern archway, the corridor continues for 10’ before arriving at a crossroads. A rusted metal signpost reads "Da’ Dragon’s Den". It points westward.

To the west of the crossroads, a corridor continues for 10’ before the worked stone construction ends and the route continues as a natural rough stone tunnel. This continues for a further 10’ before opening into a larger cave that extends beyond the range of your lantern’s light.

To the north, the passage continues straight beyond the range of your lantern’s light.

To the east, there’s a 10’ long corridor that opens into a larger area that is filled with debris - piles of filth along with broken furniture and other junk. There’s also a noticeably unpleasant smell of rot and decay coming from that direction.

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@Swan - forgot to mention previously … if you haven’t already done so, please deduct a flask of oil from your inventory due to the refilling of the lantern.

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Day 2, 8:30 am
Bea, Thief 1: 3/3
Fenwick, Elf 1: 5/5
Gabbro, Elf 1: 7/7
Ricard, Fighter 1: 7/7
Swan, Fighter 1: 5/6
Tiberious, Magic-User 1: 5/5

Link to Gabbro's mega-maps ...

"Maybe the Dragon's Den is the prison bar, and the mouths and imps are just... advertising?" Fenwick wonders aloud as she takes in the scene. "I kinda vote west. Might as well check out the action first."

After the passage of the mouths is done, so is Swan's caution. She is more than ready to move. Swan smiles with some enthusiasm, "Yes. Lets go to Dragon Den for treasure." and she leads off that direction. Westward we go.

Tiberious wrinkles his nose at the smell of death from the east. Well, I definitely don't want to go that way. I would prefer to avoid obvious death if at all possible. He lifts the lantern and attempts to get a better view of the cavern to the west. Are you sure we should head into a place called the "Dragon's Den"? He immediately reddens at the quaver in this voice. Maybe the route to the north would be safer. It may seem craven to the rest of you, but I was hoping to avoid contact with anyone down here."

Swan interjects, "Dragon is dead. Don't you think Dragon Den sounds like treasure."

"We’d be a lucky bunch if we could pull that off!" Bea remarks, clapping Tiberius on the back in a friendly manner.

"Though, putting up sign posts does suggest a certain amount of foot traffic, doesn’t it? We may not meet a dragon, but we’ll surely meet something!"

Dwarves, she hoped but more likely it would be some of the darker denizens that kept their homes down here.

"Probably the diggs of the gang that runs this place, the tax collectors. Still, I do hope it's treasure."

Ricard keeps up his cautious advance, letting any who wish to go first do so.

"If it’s taxes they collect, it’ll be nothing but treasure." Bea says, almost licking her lips at the idea.

"Say we take a percent of the percent they take…" she says, imagining herself swimming in a small pool of coins.

"Let's keep going, but keep two things in mind," Gabbro adds, keeping his voice low, "We heard those voices earlier, so there's likely to be other people around, like Bea said." He pauses, then remembers that he had two points..."...and keep checking the ground in front of us. Signs in a dungeon make me think of traps, and we've already hit one pit."

Swan taps on Ricard shoulder and motions forward as she does too. Her sword & shield ready for action. She isn't about to be surprised. "Let find some treasure." She leads off down the western way.

Cave
The tunnel from the crossroads opens into a natural cavern whose irregular walls are damp and covered in curtains of flowstone. You can see three other exits - one heading north, one heading west and one heading south. However, from your current position at the entrance to the cave, you can’t get a good look down any of these exits.

Coming from the northern exit, you can hear a chittering and fluttering sound. Also from the north, and separately, you can hear approaching footsteps. Multiple footsteps ...

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Mapping information: obviously, mapping becomes a less precise art when we’re dealing with irregular natural tunnels and caverns. However, I’ll do my best to describe the cave layout and correct any meaningful discrepancies in your map.

Natural cavern, approximately 30’ x 40’. There are four exits in total:
1. You enter from the crossroads in the northernmost section of the eastern wall.
2. The exit that heads north is in the centre of the northern wall.
3. The exit that heads south is in the westernmost section of the southern wall.
4. The exit that heads west is in the southernmost section of the western wall.

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Day 2, 8:30 am
Bea, Thief 1: 3/3
Fenwick, Elf 1: 5/5
Gabbro, Elf 1: 7/7
Ricard, Fighter 1: 7/7
Swan, Fighter 1: 5/6
Tiberious, Magic-User 1: 5/5

Link to Gabbro's mega-maps ...

Swan without a word taps on Ricard and motions to the northern passage as she ready herself for a fight. She advances on the northern passage.

Fenwick peers around the cavern, she was inclined to keep heading west since there isn't another sign here to the contrary, but she shrugs at Gabbro and scurries forward to keep pace with Swan and Ricard as they head north. She clumsily tries to imitate their advance and only step where they step to avoid any traps.