The World's Pinkest Dungeon (IC)

[Inspectre]

"Huh. Well, *that's* worrisome." Kallond remarks as he gives several experimental tugs on the rope, causing the rope still on his side of the wall to grow taut.

"Hmmmm."

Bracing his legs against the floor, Kallond tugs back harder on the rope, although he is careful to gauge how much strain he is putting on the rope stretching between him and the wall of darkness. It wouldn't do to stress the rope enough for it to break.

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Strength Check: (1d20+2)[6]. Definately stopping before the rope is strained to the breaking point.

[Pink]

((this is too good. As for spoilers, well, In the future it would be good to use them when you're separated from the party. For right now though it is fine since you started without them))

As Kallond tries to put more force behind his pulls, he's suddenly pulled forward and lands on all fours...and with his head going into the darkness and the rest of his body staying behind.

Other side:

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((Inspectre, feel free to check back on these comments to get the description of the room.))
With a decently strong pull, the monk brings not only more rope into the room, but the cleric's head with it. The Kallond's head looks very strange to say the least, susppended in the middle of the dark barrier. Another possible snicker and cough is heard from the far off darkness.

[Dreamshifter]

On the far side:

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Being both Lawful and Good, Teebeay, does his best not to chuckle, with some degree of success. he does, however, have the decency to look embarassed slightly at having trapped another person on this side. "Well, this isn't what I planned. Greetings once more, Kallond, and welcome to the dark side. I don't suppose you can pull back? I failed to go through the darkness earlier, so I suspect it's a one way thing."

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I'll spoiler it, just for consistency.

[Inspectre]

On the far side:

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Kallond does his best not to panic as he is pulled headfirst into the wall of darkness. Fortunately, he hits the ground without injury, and upon opening his eyes finds he is on the other side with Teebeay and Zil. Or at least his head is.

"Yes, this is a most disturbing sensation to say the least. Considering what happened with the rope, I'd rather not try and pull myself out too hard. I'm rather attached to this head, and loosing it would be a same."

For a moment, Kallond is surprised at his capacity to find humor in the situation, although his expression quickly turns grim.

"I think I shall join you two then."

So saying, the cleric first attempts to direct his hand to make a waving motion towards the portal - hopefully the other two would see the signal and get the message that it was all clear - relatively so at least. Then the cleric crawls forward the rest of the way through the darkness, dragging the remainder of the rope with him. Standing up and brushing himself off, Kallond begins to wind his grappling hook and rope up again and tuck them back into his backpack. As he is doing so, he nods off into the darkness.

"So who are your friends?"

The near side:
(Depending on Pink's ruling, the cleric may or may not deliver a waving motion to the other two members of the party).

The cleric, his head lost somewhere in the darkness, suddenly crawls the rest of the way through the portal, dragging the rest of the rope with him.

[Pink]

The cleric does indeed give a waving motion.

[Dreamshifter]

Come, join the Dark Side:

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"Yes, I don't imagine you would be the same, but lets not lose our heads over it. Though, you'd never have to worry about shaving or haircuts again..."

Looking back toward the darkness, Teebeay shrugs. "Our mostly friendly hecklers, for whom we are putting on quite the show, haven't shown themselves yet. Or for that matter, said anything, just coughed a few times."

Rubbing the back of his head, he says quietly "Nice throw, by the way. Care to check if I'm bleeding back there?"

[Frosty]

On the near side:

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Base just observed Kallond throwing a grappling hook to the other side, trying to pull the hook back, and then get dragged into the darkness. "There may be danger afoot. Base must help Base's comrades! We go now." he says with his deep, timber voice as he rushes forward into the darkness, weapon and shield at the ready, preparing to defeat whatever threat is on the other side pulling Kallond through.

[Pink]

The far side

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((Welcome over, feel free to look back for room description))
Possibly about to check out the monk, Kallond is suddenly rammed into by a charging warforged, spilling the cleric onto the ground with no small amount of noise.

Once again, you can almost hear the laughter.

[keilyn]

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OOC: Okay, edit to the post, now that I've lived and learned... and slept.

::Moving forward (G8), against the wall, Nkruma moves away from the group and into the dimming light of the torch, hoping that by doing so, he will evade the attention of whatever it is that seems so very amused by their antics. There seemed to be a very good chance that something else was here with them, and while the others seemed to be having a merrily good time, Zkruma had no desire to end up as breakfast for some hungry beast. His Javelin held at the ready, he intends to make his way to the corner and peek around.::

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Alright, It shoudl be one more turn of movement before I can make it to the edge, and then I'll roll another search.

---

* post roll count doesn't match database

[Gnorman]

Well, Svante... it looks as if we have no other choice but to rescue our erstwhile compatriots.

Zil crouched low and crept through the darkness, counting on his darkvision and keen ears to allow him to see the dangers beyond.

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Hide:(1d20+15)[35]
Move Silently:(1d20+11)[18]
Spot:(1d20+3)[23]
Listen:(1d20+3)[18]

[Frosty]

Base helps Kallond up gently. "Base apologizes for the mishap. Base's spatial calculations and extrapolations appear to be slightly inaccurate. What happened?"

[Dreamshifter]

Far Side:

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The same mischievous grin crosses Teebeay's face. He pulls his rope out of his pack, and holds it out to Base. "Base, do me a favour and hold the end of this, about ankle height, would you? And maybe stand next to the door? As for what happened, it appears the darkness in a one way door or portal or something. Fascinating, really."

[Shades of Gray]

Svante will go into the darkness, carrying his sunrod, keeping his eyes peeled for... things.

spot - (1d20+3)[7]
listen - (1d20+3)[17]

[Pink]

As Zil and Svante take their own steps through the black portal, they quickly fall onto each other as they are tripped by a piece of rope. After everyone has entered the room, the Iron door slowly swings closed with a sound that finalizes the feeling of being trapped on this side more than the unyielding surface of the darkness ever could.

Map

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Map Note: Just putting the whole map out there for completeness sake, you cannot see this whole area yet. You emerged from the door at A8

The light of the ever burning torch and Svante's sunrod gleam feebly in this complete gloom, lighting up only a small region of what appears to be a large room. Two iron doors, one straight ahead of you and the other several feet to its right, are the only things that break up the unending mass of worked stone. The chill and damp air clings to your body, and you are not the only one feeling it judging by the hoarse cough coming out from the darkness to your right.

Zil:

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Your eyes are able to make better use of the limited light source than your companions. You are able to grasp the full size of this room, as well as be able to see three figures of medium size, huddled up in the northeast corner of the room (U1, V1, V2), but are able to identify no more than that. You are also able to see that the room seems to continue southward after turning a corner.

Nkruma:

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As you start to skulk out of the light source, your own ability to see without light starts to come into use. As you move further into the room, you're able to grasp that not only does it continue east, but it turns a corner and heads south as well. You are still not able to see the perpetrators of the coughs though, however another cough tips you off that they are probably in the northeast corner of the room (V1).

[Frosty]

Base helps any fallen companions up before looking over to the right. "Listen..coughs. Base believes other beings are nearby. Pinpointing impossible without further illumination. Be on guard."

[Dreamshifter]

After tripping the others, Teebeay bows to them. "I apologize for that, but felt it necessary maintain consistency in out entrances. Plus, no doubt it helped entertain our hosts, assuming they be natives to this place. They don't talk much, but they do like to laugh, and we have managed to put on quite the show."

Looking back out to the darkness, he addresses the people in the shadows. "Potential friends, now that we are all here, our meeting is in truth inevitable. You might as well accept that, and come into the light, or if you are not comfortable in the light, at least converse with us from a distance. Have we not offered you some entertainment, however brief it may be?"

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(1d20+5)[18] Diplomacy check (just in case)
(1d20+1)[3] Listen check

[Inspectre]

Finished stowing his rope and grappling hook, Kallond leaves the negotiations with these denizens of wherever it was that they are now to Teebeay. He had already made prior contact with these individuals before Kallond arrived, and thus had the best chance of getting them to react favorably to the adventurers' presence.

"Follow the left wall." He mutters, more for his own benefit, as he examines the two northern doors in the light of the sunrod and everburning torch.

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Moving to A1 to examine that door.
Spot:(1d20+4)[22]
Search:(1d20+0)[16]
Listen:(1d20+4)[15]
Survival(1d20+4)[20]

Then on to G1 to examine that door.
Spot:(1d20+4)[9]
Search:(1d20+0)[14]
Listen:(1d20+4)[15]
Survival(1d20+4)[5]

Note that if all doors quickly prove to be largely featureless, Kallond will not bother with such examinations in the future.

[Pink]

Teebeay's attempts at conversation seem to yield no results. No sounds of movements, no return conversation.

Both doors are made of sturdy wood heavily bound in iron. Each door has a pull ring as a handle, as well as a iron lock embedded in the door. There is roughly a half-inch gap underneath each door, and while Kallond inspects the first door (A1) he notices that a strong smell of decay permeates from this gap.

[keilyn]

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OOC: Alright, away from home, so I don't have my exact post I saved when the servers were down, but here goes.

::Walking forward slowly, Nkruma feels exposed for the first time, hoping that whatever it is that is beyond his range of vision is indeed friendly - it may only be laughing at their antics, but if he was much larger than his current size, he would likely be laughing at the fools he was about to eat as well. Creeping forward as quietly as he can (J1), he hopes to move within range of vision of whatever it is out there, ready to bolt back to the others if it proves to be as hostile as he fears.::

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Alright, so, J1 should put me within range of the far corner, as far as his darkvision is concerned, so let's make some skill checks, shall we?
Hide:(1d20+12)[23]
Move Silently:(1d20+8)[18]
Search: (1d20+8)[20]

[Pink]

Nkruma

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You carefully move forward, making not even a sound as you slip from the sight of your companions (most of them at least) and truly begin to enter the darkness. With your black and white vision you are able to make out three shapes sitting at the far corner of the room (U1, V1, V2). They appear to be orcs, crudely armed with Studded leather armour and battle axes. Already looking in the direction of the party and yourself, it seems their own darkvision is perfectly functioning as one of them gives you a glare and bare their teeth, a reaction that orcs usually reserve only for their hated enemies the dwarfs and elves. However it seems half-hearted and even from this distance you can see they look haggred, as the smallest one of the group tries to stifle his coughs. They just sit there, huddled together, and make no move for their weapons.

[Gnorman]

Zil, having tripped ever so inelegantly, picked himself up and dusted off his coat.

Hmph. Seems to be a bit of a tricky step there.

Seeing the figures in the distance, began to call out friendly greetings in a number of languages.

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Common: Greetings, good sirs! We mean you no harm!
Goblin: Cave-blessing upon you, goblin-kin! We mean no harm to your warrens or your young!
Giant: Tall fellows! Please do not squish us beneath your heel, for we bring gifts for your lofty prominences!
Terran: Stone and soil, earth-friends. We do not wish to disturb the earth beneath our feet - we ask your permission to tread lightly through your demesne.
Gnome: Garl's chosen, greetings! This gnome brings you good tidings and peaceful offerings.
Orc: Dwarf blood and elf hide, brothers! We beseech the great One-Eye for your passage.
Diplomacy:(1d20+5)[18]

[Pink]

((Dude...that was pretty awesome. 10 more exp for you.))

There remains no outright response from the figures in the corner, however after Zil's last greeting ((the Orc one)) those party members closest to the east can hear a muttering or two.

[keilyn]

Nkruma

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::Tilting his head slightly to the side as he watches the orcs, Nkruma tenses for a moment, knowing that their own vision allows them the same veiw of him that they have. He considers retreating to his fellows for a moment, but then lowers his weapon when they don't attack. His stands motionless for a moment before coming to a decision, and stepping forward, speaking quietly in Orcish.::

"Greetings Children of One-eye the destroyer. Though my companions are acting like drunken, bleeding dwarves while they fall over themselves, I see you have chosen to spare us your fury. Perhaps with an offering of tithe to you, you will let us pass without harm and tell us where we find ourselves, what say you to this offer?"

::While he speaks, he reaches into his pack and pulls a couple of his bars of rations out, as well as his waterskin, waiting for their response.::

Diplomacy (Ouch) (1d20-1)[7]
OOC: Darn that low charisma. I think I may have made things worse....

[Pink]

Nkruma

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As you approach the orcs you can see the bags under their eyes and even in the colorless vision their skin has a pale tone to it. They only give you an occasional glance, before returning to their gloom, not even a care for the offered rations
((Here's where I say, make a sense motive. Just to speed things up though I'll roll for you if you dont mind, cause I'm assuming you'd give it a try))
"Kobold Motive Sensing Power" - (1d20-1)[15]
((Heh, you're lucky))
You slowly begin to realize that the orcs have just given up, for what reasons or because of what trials you do not know. They appear to be waiting for the inevitable to happen.

[Gnorman]

Zil, not really realizing that one of his attempts at communication worked (somewhat), crouched low and skulked towards the northeast corner of the room to determine just with what exactly he was dealing.

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Hide:(1d20+15)[34]
Move Silently:(1d20+11)[22]
Spot:(1d20+3)[7]

OOC: Let's say I'm aiming for about M1, N1 or so

[Shades of Gray]

Svante follows close behind Zil, making sure his jacket is tight enough to not cause his chains to jangle.

hide - (1d20+8)[14]
moveSilently - (1d20+8)[21]

[Pink]

((Just as a reminder, to hide, you need to actually have something to hide behind. You also don't have to make hide checks if you're counting on darkness to hide you, only dim light. True darkness is full concealment, so you don't have to worry about sight))

As a light source moves forward, the party is able to see some of the revealed darkness. There are three shapes sitting at the far corner of the room (U1, V1, V2). They appear to be orcs, crudely armed with Studded leather armour and battle axes. In general they now keep these gazes lowered, only occasionally looking up to see the actions of the group. You notice they look haggred, and have an ashen paleness to their skin with deep bags under their eyes. They just sit there, huddled together, and make no move for their weapons.

[Gnorman]

OOC: There's something about having +15 to Hide at level 1 that just makes me want to roll Hide checks all over the damn place.

Zil examined the orcs in silence for a while, attempting to discern their attitude.

They haven't attacked us yet... and they look quite ill. Perhaps they have been inflicted with some sort of wasting illness?

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Sense Motive: (1d20+3)[6]

OOC: After attempting to determine what their issue is, Zil tries diplomacy.

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Orc: Brothers-in-battle, why do you sit placid and listless? Why do you despair? This is no way for a son of One-Eye to act! You are mighty orcs, chosen to grind the world beneath your heel, selected from on high to drive the dwarves and elves before you and watch them run in fear. Does this no longer please you? Do your hands no longer enjoy the crunch of dwarven skull beneath your axe? Do your tongues no longer crave the acrid sting of elven blood pooling at your feet? You sit, tired and ill. Perhaps you have abandoned hope in these darklit halls. Perhaps disease has claimed you, causing you to believe that you are no longer true and fit warriors. Perhaps your enemies beset you on all sides, and you can see no victory. But I tell you, you are mistaken. There are still battles to be fought, brothers! Battles to be won! Enemies to be crushed! Join with us, as we harbor none of your hated foes amongst our ranks. We shall sweep through these walls and come down like a furious storm, a virulent plague upon any and all who stand in our way! We shall slaughter them like dogs by the fire. We shall cull the weak from their ranks and pluck the eyes from their skulls, as candied delicacies for our mouths! Come with us, and we will feast on their bones! One-Eye calls for your axes, calls for you to join unlikely allies. Together, we shall annihilate the denizens of this accursed place. We shall break down the walls that bind us. We shall destroy that which holds us in bondage. Above all, with the blessing of the Destroyer, we will not despair! Are you with me, brothers? Let us go forth and make war upon this place! We may die, but our enemies will have a place in the hells, and we shall join One-Eye in the eternal hunting grounds, where dwarves are dug out of the ground like turnips, to be gutted and flayed with glee, and elves grow on trees, there to hang and rot until the searing wind of Gruumsh's breath tears the flesh from their very frame! Havoc and godsblood, brothers! No walls can hold the fury of an orc!

Diplomacy:(1d20+5)[21]

[Pink]

((...Dude...It's such a shame that you used that awesome speech on these particular orcs))

"You...You see...You will see soon...Soon enough." Says the largest of the orc in broken Common. He gives the party a meager glare, though there's some real fury in it as he looks over the kobold, before lowering his head again, keeping only half an eye on the party.

((Except for Gnorman and Kei, the rest of you may make sense motive checks.

[Shades of Gray]

senseMotive - (1d20+3)[4]

See what? What will we see? Svante asks.