Game Posts

Ulfren points out areas where it seems the rocks fell from, lending eyes to Phineas' investigation.

Gunnar has been conducting his own investigation at the same time as Phineas, running his hand over the felled stone, feeling for magical residue.

Phineas struggles to translate his findings into Dwarven. In the end, he shrugs.

"I can't imagine it was natural, what with the vigilance of the Engineering Corps, but there's that possibility. Either that or something magic, but I can't say what.

Ulfren grumbles, "It's getting late. Let's set up camp and a watch. We'll poke around some more in the morning."

He pulls out his light hammer. "Phin, where's the closest spot to the doors that I can get to? Maybe we can't get in, but there's a chance the tunnels ain't collapsed. And if them tunnels are open, maybe someone's down there that's got ears to the ol' dwarvish mine code." Ulfren smacks one of the rocks with his hammer as an example of his intent.

"Hey, great idea Ulfren!"

After finding the closest spot, he pulls out his bag of still-fresh goodberries and pops one in his mouth.

"How come you guys never want to eat these things? It's like a meal and a health potion wrapped up into one tiny, delicious package! And you remember they just turn to ash in the morning, right? That's why we can't make alcohol out of them."

He lets out a quiet, satisfied burp.

Later on, when everyone's gathered around the camp, he asks the team for guidance on what spells he thinks he should prepare for tomorrow morning.

"I mean, that whole Pass Without Trace spell went to waste today. Are we not doing the whole sneak around the enemy thing? 'Dwarven honor' and all that? If so, I'll drop it. But it's pretty damn strong, and can turn us all sneakier than a halfling in a pie shop."

"I also prepared this spell - Locate Object. It lets me sense the direction to an object familiar to me. I think I can push the range out to about 1000 feet, give or take. Anyone think of a use for that tonight?"

"Anyway, I've been preparing all this utility stuff. You think I should I scrap for more, you know, like 'firepower' type spells tomorrow?"

"You figure we'll do a lot of fighting? Expecting more driders?"

Ulfren listens patiently, wordlessly accepting one of Phineas' berries (perhaps because there's been a lack of time for hunting). When Gunnar asks his question, Ulfren turns and responds, "Which was that? The dead-elf-thing in the outpost?"

Without waiting for a reply, he looks back at Phineas. "We don't know what to expect. I only knows the land is familiar, but different, and I ain't seen any other bearded short-stack since the trip started. Whatever fiddly magic stuff you think is useful, you use it. I trust your judgment to know what it is the rest of us does best, and since this ain't no competition to see who can do it better, you figure out what your best is that can work with ours.

"As for your object finding thing, I guess if you knows something somebody always has, you can use it to see where they are. Or where they dropped it, I suppose."

Ulfren lets the others know of the old mine as they rest. "We can head there in the morning. If it ain't caved-in like the main gate, we can at least get inside."

He will return to tapping against the stone to hopefully send signals into the chambers beyond.

"No, it was the spider thing with the elf torso, the one whose head you jellied. I dunno, but Driders aren't solitary creatures by nature. Where there are Driders there are Drow."
Phineas is both uplifted and shamed at the same time. He has spent his whole life defending his unorthodox 'elf magic' that his knee-jerk reaction was to assume his abilities were being undervalued. But he should have known this wasn't the case with these Dwarves.

He's not sure if Ulfren can read all this in his eyes, but he figures actions speak louder than words in his present company. All he says is a humble "I understand," accompanied by a curt nod and a confident smile. He vows to do right by this new philosophy

"You figure out what your best is that can work with ours."

OOC:

Phineas is going to take this so deep to heart I'm adding it as a Bond.

"I can think of a million things, but it seems a bit of a waste at the moment. If I were to search for my father's spell book, for example, what would it mean if the spell didn't locate it? Perhaps it is just elsewhere, and it would just make me worry needlessly. Perhaps when we are in a better position to search, it will be time. I feel the earth calling out to us, happy to feel Dwarven feet upon the soil again, and it would provide us with a channel to accept its help."

Ulfren does not expect a response. However, should there be dwarves within that might hear, they ought to recognize the pattern and know that their kin are about. He's willing to take that chance, even if his hammer goes unheard.

"I guess a thousand feet kinda seems small when y'got an entire kingdom to look through," Ulfren says between taps.

After camp is up and secure, Phineas prepares for bed to get some shuteye before his watch. He leaves out the remaining goodberries in case anyone gets hungry, and then drains his remaining magical power into four more castings of goodberry before heading to bed.

"Come on, let's check out that back path," says Ulfren, breaking down camp and preparing to venture forth.

Phineas wakes up with a smile on his face, very rested.

"I feel like I've been asleep for weeks!"

Nothing like sleeping on home soil, he reflects. He rises and assists taken down the camp, and follows behind Ulfren swiftly.