2. The First Delve

With a nod and a bow, Gabbro leaves with Ricard to reclaim their weapons on the way out.

Luther follows the others to get weapons and get the heck out of there. It is hard for him to contain himself around such evil.

Orc Chieftain’s Room
Pickles stands on his hairy tippy toes and cranes his neck, desperate to get a glimpse of what else might be in the chest apart from the gnome’s boring book. Frustratingly, the guard’s bulk obscures much of his view, but he’s sure there’s a definite golden glow emanating from within. He also notices that the guard dons a full-face helmet and some thick leather gloves before opening the chest.

With Johann’s spellbook recovered, you return to the Guard Post, collect your weapons and prepare to leave.

What’s the plan?

---
Day 4, 11:30 am
Gabbro, Elf 1: 7/7, 90’, Sleep
Horath, Cleric 1: 4/4, 90’
Luther, Cleric 2: 6/9; 90’, Cure Light Wounds, (Torch)
Pickles, Halfling 2: 10/10, 90’
Ricard, Fighter 3: 16/18, 90’
---
Johann, Gnome 1: 3/5, 90’

Link to Gabbro's mega-maps ...

"Back to the goblins, then?" Gabbro says to the others. "There's probably a bit more to explore there. In for a copper, in for a gold."

Pickles checks his bow, arrows, and handaxe. Once satisfied he looks at the big angry guard leader, "Glad you’re honest as you are big, but I got an eye on you." Giving a smile he turns and skips away toward the Goblin’s secret door.

Leaving the Open Sore’s compound behind, you make your way west towards the site of yesterday’s goblin slaughter.

Which route would you like to take? You can follow an already explored (but probably longer) path that you know to be relatively safe (Chamber of the Woods -> Chamber of the Mountains ("Feet Statue") -> Ruined Chapel -> Chamber of the Jungle).

Or there are other, as yet unmapped, routes west that you might want to explore.

---
Day 4, 11:30 am
Gabbro, Elf 1: 7/7, 90’, Sleep
Horath, Cleric 1: 4/4, 90’
Luther, Cleric 2: 6/9; 90’, Cure Light Wounds, (Torch)
Pickles, Halfling 2: 10/10, 90’
Ricard, Fighter 3: 16/18, 90’
---
Johann, Gnome 1: 3/5, 90’

Link to Gabbro's mega-maps ...

Pickles pulls a copper coin from a pocket looks it over and flicks it high in the air, "Heads West, Tails Usual path." He catches the coin and slams it down onto the back of the other hand. Raising his hand up slightly he peeks under, "Heads, it is." He calls out and slips the coin back into his pocket.

Ricard nods, accepting the western path that the coin of fate had decided upon, and takes out his spear for the slow, tapping walk west.

Gabbro helps lift the portcullis heading west from the Chamber of the Woods.

Horath shrugs and helps lift the pocullis.

Pickles adds his prodigious might to the lifting of said Portcullis . . .

And of course Ricard puts his back into the effort.

You return to the Chamber of the Woods, collectively raise the heavy western portcullis, and pass through into the corridor beyond. After 30’, the corridor opens into a large dilapidated hall that extends away to the north, beyond the range of your torchlight. The room’s cracked ceiling is held aloft by four pillars, the floor littered with crumbling masonry.

Directly opposite, on the far side of the chamber, a corridor continues west. You can see two other doors leading out of the hall - one in the eastern wall and one in the western wall. However, the eastern door has been broken down and lies smashed on the floor.

Mapping information: rectangular chamber 30’ x more than 30’ (the north end of the chamber is in darkness). You enter through the southernmost section of the eastern wall. A corridor leaves the chamber from the southernmost section of the western wall. 25’ from the southern wall there is a door in the western wall and a smashed door in the eastern wall.

It seems ages since we last did any proper exploration - it’s good to be back to it!

---
Day 4, 11:40 am
Gabbro, Elf 1: 7/7, 90’, Sleep
Horath, Cleric 1: 4/4, 90’
Luther, Cleric 2: 6/9; 90’, Cure Light Wounds, (Torch)
Pickles, Halfling 2: 10/10, 90’
Ricard, Fighter 3: 16/18, 90’
---
Johann, Gnome 1: 3/5, 90’

Link to Gabbro's mega-maps ...

If only to get a sense of the room's dimensions, Gabbro will spear-tap his way north into the room until he can see the northern boundaries or what lies beyond the smashed eastern door (whichever comes first).

Ricard moves north with Gabbro, aiding in the tapping and watching his back.

He looks around at the floor, checking for footprints in the dust.

Pickles moves into his usual position of following Ricard, drawing his bow and an accompanying arrow, covering the tapping fighter. The Halfling’s eyes scanning the vaulted ceiling, suspicious of the fallen masonry . . .

Dilapidated Hall
Gabbro only needs to tap 20’ north into the room to gauge its full extent; it is 50’ long in the north-south direction. A further exit, a corridor leading north from the centre of the northern wall is also revealed.

Ricard cannot see any footprints in the dust. However, by the way the floor debris is disturbed, there seems to have been traffic of some sort around the broken-down door in the eastern wall.

Although the ceiling is in a poor state of repair, the pillars appear to be doing their job. Pickles can see no obvious sign of imminent collapse.

---
Day 4, 11:40 am
Gabbro, Elf 1: 7/7, 90’, Sleep
Horath, Cleric 1: 4/4, 90’
Luther, Cleric 2: 6/9; 90’, Cure Light Wounds, (Torch)
Pickles, Halfling 2: 10/10, 90’
Ricard, Fighter 3: 16/18, 90’
---
Johann, Gnome 1: 3/5, 90’

Link to Gabbro's mega-maps ...