2. The First Delve

"Yeah, I was wondering the same thing and if it'll be a traditional forest or something more ominous. But it seems like it may be the 'visitor's area'- where we can set up camp with the kobolds instead of leaving every time we find something."

That option of setting up a camp is inviting Fenwick (MinMin).

The passageway south continues for 40’ before arriving at a third crossroads.

To the east: a corridor extends beyond the range of your lantern’s light, although you can see a door in the northern wall 30’ ahead. At the start of the corridor, a message is scrawled on the wall:

Open Sore Tribe - Keep Out!

To the south: the corridor continues for 10’ before reaching a corner section and turning to the west.

To the west: a corridor extends beyond the range of your lantern’s light. You can hear the sounds of dripping water and activity coming from the darkness beyond.

You pause to take your hourly rest (unless you tell me otherwise).

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Day 2, 10:50 am
Fenwick, Elf 1: 5/5
Gabbro, Elf 1: 7/7
Lanhkmer, Thief 1: 4/4
Ricard, Fighter 1: 7/7
Swan, Fighter 1: 5/6
Tiberious, Magic-User 1: 5/5

Link to Gabbro's mega-maps ...
Link to Tiberious' mega-maps ...

Swan says, "I hear water. Lets go that way and gets some water and take short break. East probably heads into the Orcs." Swan motions to go west.

Ricard agrees the water sounds promising and moves to head West with Swan, testing the floor all the long.

Fenwick finds herself a bit confused as she doesn't see anything here that matches with the dwarves' description, but the passage no longer continues south and to the east where they were supposed to turn it doesn't look welcoming and the sign implies it's not a neutral zone. Have they gone too far, did one of those dark rooms they passed contain a forest?

Regardless, Swan's suggestion that they refresh their water and get their bearings sounds like a good one. She follows the party, also tapping the butte of her spear on the ground as she walks

You head west from the third crossroads. After 40’, you reach a corner section at which the dungeon construction changes from one of worked stone to natural cave. Directly ahead of you, to the north, the route opens out into a larger cavern. You can’t see its full extent from your current position, but you’ve arrived at the easternmost section of the southern wall, and it appears to be roughly 20’ wide in the north-south direction.

It is from this cave that the sound of dripping water is emanating. The cavern is generally damp and bedecked with stalactites and stalagmites. Unusually, the stone has a definite blue tint to it.

From the west, but not yet in view, you hear the sounds of a sizable group approaching. They are not making any attempt at being stealthy, and are conversing in a language that none of you understand.

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Day 2, 11:00 am
Fenwick, Elf 1: 5/5
Gabbro, Elf 1: 7/7
Lanhkmer, Thief 1: 4/4
Ricard, Fighter 1: 7/7
Swan, Fighter 1: 5/6
Tiberious, Magic-User 1: 5/5

Link to Gabbro's mega-maps ...
Link to Tiberious' mega-maps ...

Swan says as she backs up to the good stonework, "We can't hide well. Let's fall back to good stonework. Perhaps they will go away." Hopefully they will not see our light as they must be using infravision.

She adds on, "If we go back to the previous crossing and go west on it. We might be coming up on their backside. If not, then we find a spot to rest a bit."

Gotta love mappers.

Yeah, sorry, the layout wasn't easy to describe, but your map should look something like this (sorry for the blurry photo!):



You're currently in the small cave-like section at the end of the western corridor.

And, no, the stalagmites/tites aren't really big enough to conceal anyone.

"If we have to hide we must leave all right now, we don't know with whom we're dealing yet, and probably trying to hide ourselves here won't work"

"Yes, hurry. Lets do as Swan suggests, go back to the north/south corridor, and retreat slightly north in hopes they'll pass us by--I don't think these are kobolds."

Swan says as we are moving, "Doing all these turns should loose them and give us a safe spot for a bit."

Swan is going back to the 3rd intersection and then proceeding north to the 2cn intersection and then making a left going west about 30' in if possible, to shelter out our light from hitting the second intersection making us harder to follow. I suggest no checking for traps on the way as we need to move fast to lose who ever might be following us. Besides most of the way we have already checked for traps.

Hopefully the way we move to is clear and safe. Or at least something we can deal with. Korner would be nice but not happening. Going eastward probably heads into Orc country.

And WOOT. More mapping!

By the way is there a spot that tells us how many EXP we have each and how many to next level. I just feel the need. :) Avoiding combats give some exp too? Don't they? It is solving the combat situation. I have heard it is only half the full exp but better than nothing.

You retreat quickly to the second intersection and then proceed 30’ due west before halting. A further 30’ to the west (i.e. 60’ from the intersection) you can now see a side passage leading off to the north.

From the noise that they are creating, it seems that the group that was approaching you through the Blue Cave heads east along the Open Sore Tribe corridor.

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Day 2, 11:10 am
Fenwick, Elf 1: 5/5
Gabbro, Elf 1: 7/7
Lanhkmer, Thief 1: 4/4
Ricard, Fighter 1: 7/7
Swan, Fighter 1: 5/6
Tiberious, Magic-User 1: 5/5

Link to Gabbro's mega-maps ...
Link to Tiberious' mega-maps ...

"I say we wait to be sure they've passed and go all the way south past the corridor they came from to where the passage turns and see if it keeps heading further south." whispers Fenwick.

(Game wise we have a 10 minute break right here) Can do that in the middle or so of this 60' corridor.

After rest, "We can take a looksie further down this passageway while we are here before we head south again looking for Korner." Take the turn and head north.

You already took your hourly rest @ 10.50.

So, we have one suggestion for returning to the third intersection and heading south. And another for continuing west down this corridor to investigate the passageway heading north.

What's the group decision?

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Day 2, 11:10 am
Fenwick, Elf 1: 5/5
Gabbro, Elf 1: 7/7
Lanhkmer, Thief 1: 4/4
Ricard, Fighter 1: 7/7
Swan, Fighter 1: 5/6
Tiberious, Magic-User 1: 5/5

Link to Gabbro's mega-maps ...
Link to Tiberious' mega-maps ...

Swan would just like to continue the way we are moving right now as we left the unknown others behind. It hasn't been very long so, going back eastward might well run into them (our neighborhood orcs are her thoughts there.) is her thoughts. She doesn't care to let them know we are around just yet. Gotta love new mapping.

Also, may well head us to the other side of that portcullis room area.

Gabbro likes that idea; we originally went into the Dwarven Art room with the idea of finding a way to go west and get behind the portcullis...

"Let's just take a look at that passage over there" (pointing west) "and see where it goes."