2. The First Delve

"I'm not very strong, so I couldn't hold the rope, but I do have a bunch of spikes for just such occasions." Gabbro replies, "But I don't know how you're going to see down there. I suppose we could do something with one of the fire beetle glands - something you could wear, maybe? Or I can climb down."

Fenwick will sling her spear across her back, planning to keep watch on Bea from the well rim and target a spell down on anything that threatens her.

Swan says as she watches and guards with her sword handy, "With all the extra rope. Why don't you just loop around the well itself for an anchor."

Ricard, already having unspooled his rope, joins the end to the other length with a Weaver's knott. He loops one end around the well as Swan suggested and wraps the proximal portion around his waist and arm to hold it even more steady.

Ready for the climb, Bea just wants to get started and get it finished with! Nothing worse than the wait:

"Ill take the torch! It’ll make the climb a pain." she bemoans. "Might as well see what’s able to see me!" she quips, figuring that most things could probably spot her in the dark down there anyway. Might as well even the playing field!

"Is there a way we could lower a light down on another rope to keep your hands free?" Fenwick asks. "Without stuff breaking and getting set on fire, that is."

Yes, Bea can't climb with a lit torch ... she will need to keep her hands free.

"I thought you elves could see in the dark," Ricard mumbles as he removes an unlit torch from his pack along with his tinderbox.

"Here, you can light it once you hit the bottom."

Tiberious watches with confusion as the group struggles to figure a way down into the well. Maybe we should just move on. The elf doesn't see anything of interest at the bottom of this well. The longer we sit here, the more likely we'll attract attention. There is much of this level that has yet to be discovered. This well can wait until we run out of easier locations to search. He looks at the glow from the tunnel to the south. I recommend we take the western tunnel in the previous room. That glow gives me pause.

"You’re a charmer, aren’t you?" Bea says to Ricard as she takes the torch. "First time I’ve been mistaken for an elf! That one usually work?" she says, with a wink.

Then she turns to scowl at the wizard, and motions the heap of equipment she had thrown off herself and to the floor. All that effort…

"Oh yeah, you do? You waited long enough to say so! Too late for that now! I’m going in! Watch out for Kobolds!"

If I've given the impression that this would be a difficult climb for Bea, then that is definitely not the case. With Ricard's unlit torch and tinderbox, she's good to go if she chooses. The climb wouldn't even require a roll.

I'm only asking the party to be specific about their use of equipment because of the game's resource management meta.

"I can see in the dark, well sort of, and I don't see anything moving down there," Fenwick points out defensively. "I'm just pretty clumsy at climbing down what I'm seeing."

Well Bottom
With the two ropes joined and secured around the whistling well’s stone parapet, Bea makes her descent. The climb presents no problem to the thief and she soon reaches the bottom. Despite the darkness, she manages to light Ricard’s torch with Ricard’s tinderbox and scans her surroundings.

Bea finds herself in a small hexagonal chamber. In contrast to the natural caverns immediately above, she’s back in an area of constructed stonework (although it generally seems to be in far worse repair than the level above). The oilskin tarpaulin is stretched across a low wooden frame that sits immediately beneath the well opening in the ceiling. It looks like it was put there to catch items falling from the well, but it certainly doesn’t look sturdy enough to save a plummeting adventurer.

Corridors lead to the east and west.

To the east, the corridor continues for 20’ before arriving at a crossroads.

To the west, the corridor continues for 20’ before opening into a larger area. There are a variety of noises coming from this direction, including moans, shrieks, manic laughter and murmurings. This area also seems to be dimly lit.

Bea and Ricard - please remove your ropes from your inventories. You can add them again when you retrieve them.

Mapping information: hexagonal chamber, 20’ x 30’. The hexagon’s "flats" are to the east and west, with the "points" to the north and south. The well opening in the ceiling is in the middle of the chamber.

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Day 2, 8:50 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 looks momentarily down the well as Bea the rogue finally lights up the place. Swan is surprised to learn the well isn't a well for water but a means to deliver stuff down to the lower levels she thinks, "If we go down someone might remove our rope to get back." She says, " Not sure someone could climb back up here to fix later if someone does. And I have only my fifty feet of rope then too."

"I'm sure our "not elf" could make the return climb, she barely needed the rope to go down. Seems nimble."

"Best to take the rope with us so we have enough to get back out. We risk being trapped down there."

"Agreed."

Ricard climbs down the rope after Bea and draws his sword when he hears the sounds below...

Swan follows Ricard and after landing put shield and sword in hands as she looks about for trouble.

Tiberious looks from Gabbro to Fenwick. Are we to follow, or to wait? He looks down the well and sees the light from Bea's torch flicker far, far below. Tiberious gulps and looks at the other two again. I'm good to wait for them to return ... they are going to return, aren't they?