Story II: City of Shadow

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Jul 26, 2017 10:28 am
Neph flutters up toward Ameera, whispering as quietly as she can, while still being heard above the rushing water. "Is is safe? Did you find someone inside?"
Jul 26, 2017 1:44 pm
As Devanis steps into the cave, sword and crossbow drawn, he sends through the telepathic link, "I see nothing, Seraph. Guide me--where are they?"
Jul 26, 2017 10:13 pm
"We didn't see anybody inside, Neph, but something is in there. The sword Devanis has told us there are two like it in there. So maybe there are more sentient swords in there. I'm gonna follow."
Ameera puts her hand out in front of Neph, like a parent in a braking cart, and moves up about 10 feet behind Devanis with the intent to maintain that distance and keep him in sight.
Jul 26, 2017 10:38 pm
Evendur will drink from his waterskin, and then walk carefully over to the edge of the lake to refill it. Having been lost underground without water, he is in no rush to pass up clean water. After that, if the caves have widened out, Evendur will carefully secure the maul to his pack, and get his halberd into his hands.

Evendur will then follow Neph towards where Ameera and Devanis have moved off to.
Jul 27, 2017 4:18 am
Pyrrah grips her bow tightly and knocks an arrow against the string. While Evendur gets water and the others leave one by one, Pyrrah waits by the water, reluctant to move into yet another small cavern where - surprise, surprise - her horrible human eyes of complete worthlessness will be of no use.

She didn't like the idea of any more sentient swords, or sentient armor - who knows, maybe even a conniving sentient fork for all of the luck they'd been having. Seraph was already one too many. Rather than progress, Pyrrah chooses to listen closely over the sounds of the water and protect the groups rear.
Jul 27, 2017 4:28 am
Neph is the first person that Evendur sees upon approaching. She looks nervous, and points toward the waterfall. Behind the rushing waters, a dark outline hints at a cave entrance lingering behind. "They went in there," she says, her voice just barely coming through over the sound of splashing.
Jul 27, 2017 4:47 am
Devanis and Ameera

Ameera moves up, beneath the waters, and approaches Devanis somewhat silently. The ranger, by this point, had maneuvered to the entrance of the first room that this hallway opens into. Within is an impressive-looking room, exquisitely structured and grand compared to the claustrophobic environments you've grown accustomed to. Large statues of stocky, armored warriors sit within most of the alcoves around the room. To the right is a hallway that extends into darkness.

In the center of the room there is a large cube structure, which does not reach high enough to support the ceiling. Instead, it appears as though it is a work of art. Though it is difficult to judge from this distance, there appears to be carvings upon its surfaces.

At the far end of the room, it looks like the floor has sunken and cracked. As a result, there has been some flooding, and stagnant water has pooled up about knee-high. On the right end of the room, the ground is broken up and split, almost like a miniature Rift occurred, like in Bracklewhyte.
Jul 27, 2017 4:49 am
Seraph whispers as quietly as he is able. He sounds timid, and somewhat frightened. "They have gone quiet," he says with barely a breath, if he is capable of such, "I think they heard us."
Jul 28, 2017 10:12 am
Devanis flits forward to one alcove and then the next, trying to stay hidden in the shadows.

Rolls

Perception

Stealth

Jul 28, 2017 7:07 pm
The ranger moves silently into the room, with no sound louder than a gently whish of the air. As he draws further into the room, he can spot some more detail. One of the sides of the stone carving in the center depicts some sort of scene with a man in the sky, set upon a black circle. There are people beneath, and floating in the skies above. It is hard to make out more detail from this distance with darkvision, however.

Then there it is again; coming from the hallway that leads out of this room, there is a sound of metal scraping on stone. Only briefly, but noticeably.
Jul 28, 2017 7:30 pm
Evendur glances towards where Flare is, listening at the rear. Looking back at the tunnel Devanis and Ameera entered, Evendur will advance just to the other side of the water, hopefully to where he can see the two that have moved ahead, but can hear if help is needed by Neph or Flare back through the water.
Jul 28, 2017 8:42 pm
Carefully, Ameera edges around the corner to her right, hugging the wall. She moves towards the corridor, and toward the rift, to investigate.

Her devilsight peering into the darkness of the corridor, Ameera searches for the source of the scraping sound.

Rolls

Perception

Investigate the rift, if i get close enough

Jul 29, 2017 9:06 am
Devanis resists the urge to come in for a closer look at the stone carvings. He edges closer to the hallway to investigate the source of the scraping sound.
Jul 29, 2017 10:23 am
Devanis and Ameera

The rift appears to be some old, broken section of the ground. Perhaps, at one point, there was a split here that led deeper into the ground, but no longer. Now, it was filled in by dirt, rocks and bits of the carved stone flooring. Still, the damage done to the structure of the Hall of Gems remained, as one would expect.

As either of Ameera or Devanis approach the hallway, the scraping stops. It is coming from ahead. The hallway looks as though it extends about thirty feet, ending in another room similar to this one. Along the sides of the hallway are more artistic carvings. These seem to depict odd scenes, of lands filled with dead bodies, and people - or perhaps the spirits of these bodies - ascending to a great celestial body in the sky. Oddly enough, for carvings that are now found within the Underworld, this is undoubtedly depicting the surface.

There is still no sign of any threat, especially now that the scraping has stopped. Seraph whispers as lightly as he can, "I was wrong. I do not think they are like me. Not anymore. I think... I think they have lost their minds."
Evendur

Unfortunately, it is impossible to see Ameera or Devanis without passing the waterfall. And now that they have gone deeper into the Hall, you would need to as well to maintain visibility. Regardless, once you pass the waterfall, the noise and echo is so great that it would be unlikely that you could hear Pyrrah if the need arose.

Neph appears nervous, perhaps for this very reason.
Jul 30, 2017 1:15 pm
Devanis peers down the hallway without actually setting foot in it, studying the floor, the ceiling, the carvings.
[ +- ] Telepathically, to Seraph
Jul 31, 2017 8:46 am
[ +- ] Devanis
The scraping of metal on stone occurs once more. This time from the room just ahead, yet out of sight from the hallway. With the rhythm in which it occurs - starting when you stop walking, stopping when you approach - it feels very much like a naive attempt at luring you in.
Jul 31, 2017 2:33 pm
The lure works: against his better judgement, Devanis begins stalking cautiously down the hallway. He listens intently for the scraping sound, eyes scanning the floor, the walls, the ceiling.
OOC:
I don't know if Underdark Scout (3rd bullet point) factors in here.

Rolls

Stealth

Perception

Tracks?

Jul 31, 2017 3:19 pm
Pyrrah looks around as soon even Evendur and Neph begin to follow in Ameera's and Devanis's steps. She curses under her breath and stares into the passage for several more long, hard seconds. She can't hear anything past the tumultuous roaring of the water, but no doubt they were naively stumbling into something else that they shouldn't. She curses to herself, something about the follies of the old and young, and carefully approaches Neph, her fingers still poised with the arrow against the string. She whispers to their little companion.

"Neph. This all just seems to be rock and stone. Why is this place called the Hall of Gems? "
Last edited July 31, 2017 3:22 pm
Jul 31, 2017 5:50 pm
Evendur steps through the waterfall into the cave. His initial idea of being able to hear if Flare and Neph needs assistance is quickly dashed by noise from the water. Evendur looks carefully down the hall, hoping to see a trace of either Ameera or Devanis. Whether or not he sees them, seeing as how this area doesn't seem to just be a small cave, he thinks for a few seconds, before making his way back through the flowing water he had just come through. Once he is out, he shake himself off slightly, before approaching Flare and Neph.

"Flare, Neph. It might be better for you two to wait on the other side of the water. The area back there seems fairly large, and there would be no way to tell if something was happening in there from out here. Or the reverse I suppose."

Looking to Flare, Evendur adds, "Besides, if you were watching the rear from in there, you might be able to hear when someone was coming through the water there. Might well be easier then trying to hear something with the waterfall drowning out the noise out here."
Last edited July 31, 2017 6:23 pm
Jul 31, 2017 9:29 pm
"Oh. Not out here," Neph whispers to Pyrrah, looking glad to have someone there with her. "Just past the waterfall is the Hall of Gems. There's tons of them in the walls and statues. Big, red, blue and yellow."
OOC:
Going to give Ameera a moment to react as Devanis continues into the hallway.
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