4. The First Expedition

Zacharias turns to the assembled group. Geronimo and I only descended for a few minutes and turned around. If we are all together, I would like to descend all the way, if possible.

"Let's," Jacky says. "We've been here for hours now and haven't found so much as a piece of copper. At this rate, it won't be a house I'm saving up for but a fancy coffin!"

"We go down, find rich stuff! Thurdmarr chop any spiders!"

Ellagel was unhappy with the idea of struggling with wand-wielding arachnids, but seeing her companion’s eagerness to descend further, she decided to follow.

Our dwarven fellow acquiesces and descends the stairs. Waddling in marching order with his friends.

It’s another long descent. Not quite as long as the original trip down from the pyramid, but easily another 200-300’. By the time you reach the bottom of the stairs, Grim estimates that you’re 500-600’ below the ruined city on the surface. To put that into context, that’s over a third of the height of the cliff face.

It’s therefore something of an anti-climax when the stairs terminate abruptly at a solid stone wall.

Mapping information: the final section of stairs runs in a north -> south direction. So the solid wall is to your south, and the way back up is to the north. The stairs are 10’ wide. On my map, they straddle a vertical grid line (i.e. 5’ either side), so I recommend you reproduce that to make it easier for both of us.

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12:20 pm, Basilsday 2nd Lucreon (April) 2993 AEP
Ellagel, Elven Fighter/Magic User 1/1: 6/6, 90’
Grimidek, Dwarven Cleric 1: 9/9, 60’
Jacky, Halfling Fighter/Thief 1/1: 6/6, 60’
Thrudmarr, Wiskin Fighter 1: 5/5, 90’ (Lantern)
Zacharias, Archontean Fighter 1: 10/10, 60’

Link to Jacky’s maps …

"All that climbing for nothing? I don't believe it," Jacky declares. "There must be some kind of trick here!" So said, the halfling begins to prod and poke at the apparent dead end.

With her natural propensity to find hidden things, Ellagel helped to look for any mechanism that might activate a door, and tried to identify the likely position of the hidden passage, if one existed.

Jackie’s instincts are correct. Ella spots a suspicious-looking crevice in the face of the wall. By jamming her hand into it and pulling, with a bit of effort she’s able to swing the wall open via a hinge mechanism on the left-hand side of the secret door.

Stepping through, you find yourself in a natural cavern. It’s utterly dark and the atmosphere is oppressively damp and humid. The sense of tomb-like stillness is broken only by the sound of running water and the occasional chirrups of cave crickets. From the echoes created by those noises, you get the sense that the chamber is vast.

From the light cast by your lantern, you can see that the floor of the cave is littered with stalagmites. Approximately 10’ ahead of you can see the shore of a dark pool. To your left (east) the cave wall extends for about 10’ before turning to the northeast. To your right, the cave wall heads roughly southwest beyond the range of your lantern’s light. However, in that wall, about 20’ away from you, you can see a ledge that is 20’ above the floor. The roof of the cavern is lost in darkness.

Thrud’s lantern would have run out of oil whilst you were searching for the secret door. Please can someone cross off another flask of oil from their inventory, or else pull out a torch.

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12:30 pm, Basilsday 2nd Lucreon (April) 2993 AEP
Ellagel, Elven Fighter/Magic User 1/1: 6/6, 90’
Grimidek, Dwarven Cleric 1: 9/9, 60’
Jacky, Halfling Fighter/Thief 1/1: 6/6, 60’
Thrudmarr, Wiskin Fighter 1: 5/5, 90’ (Lantern)
Zacharias, Archontean Fighter 1: 10/10, 60’

Link to Jacky’s maps …

Jacky's eyes light up at the sight of the pool. Rummaging in his pouch, the halfling pulls out a fish hook and twine. "I knew there would be a chance for a spot of fishing!" he crows. Affixing hook to twine and twine to 10' pole, he swings and sends the hook flying into the water.

Thrud approaches the pool with Jacky and holds his lantern up in the darkness.

Are we camping here or are we exploring?

I say we camp here fer the time being. We need our rest, eh?

Happy to take a watch. Any luck with the fishies, Jacqueline?

The pool extends to the southwest and northeast as far as you can see. You can, however, just about make out the far shore directly across from you. You can also see a definite current - the water’s flowing towards the northeast.

Assuming there’s anything in the pool, I’ll say Jacky has a 1-in-6 chance each turn of catching something. For how long does he intend to fish?

You are, of course, free to make camp, but there’s no mechanical need to do so. It’s early afternoon and although I’ve not been narrating your hourly rests (they’re not very interesting!), I have been accounting for them in my timings. Also, bear in mind that time = wandering monster checks.

Ellagel let the halting to his fishing, and decided to explore the area directly under the ledge. Was there any apparent way to climb up without being an experienced mountaineer?

Grin examines the cliff face. Running calloused hands along the wall facing him, checking for secret doors!

Ella and Grim investigate the area of the cave wall beneath the ledge. A few things are apparent:

1. The ledge, 20’ above you, is carved into the rock and appears to be the start of a 20’-wide passage running northwest. Jacky could attempt to climb to reach it unaided. The rest of you would need some sort of assistance - ropes and/or pitons for example.

2. Up close to this section of the wall, you both get a strong sense of magical dread (even Grim who, as a dwarf, would normally be the last to notice such things). It appears to be radiating from the passage above you.

3. You can hear the occasional high-pitched call of some sort of creature coming from above.

4. Grim finds no secret doors in the cave wall below the ledge.

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12:40 pm, Basilsday 2nd Lucreon (April) 2993 AEP
Ellagel, Elven Fighter/Magic User 1/1: 6/6, 90’
Grimidek, Dwarven Cleric 1: 9/9, 60’
Jacky, Halfling Fighter/Thief 1/1: 6/6, 60’
Thrudmarr, Wiskin Fighter 1: 5/5, 90’ (Lantern)
Zacharias, Archontean Fighter 1: 10/10, 60’

Link to Jacky’s maps …

Jacky spends 10 minutes fishing but doesn't get a bite. He does, however, catch the occasional glimpse of pale fish swimming in the water.