Shards of Knowledge: Unearthing the Signs [3.5][Eberron]

[Gunhaven]

Hammer stirs for a moment and adds "I don't require food and have room to spare in my pack." It then paused and seemed to contemplate something before eventually adding "What arrows would be best against our foes?" It double checked that it had a set of normal arrows, cold iron arrows, and silver arrows.

[Amanil]

Leianna Talldorn

"Denizens of the dark are mostly vulnerable to the same as the surface," Leianna replies to the warforged. "Any remnants of the necromancer's work - the undead - could be cause for concern, as they can be particularly resistant to physical strikes, regardless of material." The common knowledge was not something she felt uncomfortable sharing "Of course, the local fauna might be a little different, especially in areas with such a history. Having a diverse set of tools to apply to a "problem" cannot hurt. We should bring excess oil and the like, too." Spoiler: OOC Show Hope I didn't overstep my bounds with regards to the blanket statements above, Leianna has some of the skills needed to back that up but I haven't made rolls. Leianna's going to go and buy a light mace (5gp) so she has some bludgeoning ability, and will get a short sword treated with alchemical silver if possible (10gp+20gp). I'm assuming she has most of a day here to do woodworking, as we're just sitting around and buying a couple of items. General aside: 40 days of food and water is a lot. 40 lbs of rations, and 40 lots of 1 gallon of water (2 waterskins worth each), meaning 8 lbs per day or 320 lbs of water!

[adso]

Nivane Dekker

Nivane nods in agreement with Leianna. "Indeed, most arrows will be rather ineffective if these tales of necromancy are true. Though I believe your namesake will suffice," he adds with a slight smile at Hammer. "I should be able to pick up all that I need quite easily, then I'm off to bed. It'll be a long day tomorrow and I want to be well rested." With that, Nivane returns the documents to his room before heading out to purchase supplies. Spoiler: Tabletop Show I was just looking at the food being 1 lb/day and didn't think about it too much... Whoops. Is it possible to get an eternal wand of create water? That would be enough for four people every day. Eternal wands are arcane only and create water is divine, but there must be some artificers/wizards somewhere who have researched an arcane version, right? Otherwise a wand of create water (25 days for 4 people) would be 375 gp. Seems a bit pricey for water but better to be safe than sorry I guess?

[FlamingKobold]

Verik arrives the next morning at dawn and beckons you to his cart, bidding you to hurry so you can be out of Krona Peak before the morning rush. Rather than the fine clothes to which you are accustomed to seeing him wear, Verik now sports studded leather armor with a shortsword in a scabbard on his hip. Pulled by House Vadalis magebred horses, the cart travels quickly on the dirt road. The road becomes evidently less travelled as you continue eastward, and by the early afternoon you are traversing a trail so overgrown that the cart barely fits between the trees. Throughout the journey, Verik is uncharacteristically quiet, keeping a single-minded focus on steering and responding to any questions with single words or short sentences.

The trip itself is quite picturesque, with plenty of panoramic views of the forest-covered Ironroot Mountains. Once Krona Peak is out of sight, there are no more visible signs of civilization, but it is impossible to tell whether there are dwarves inhabiting the tunnels and caves hidden by the verdant landscape. The last hour or so of the journey must be completed on foot, as the trail becomes so steep that even the magebred horses cannot climb it, though it is not particularly difficult for humanoids. Just as dusk is setting in, you come over a ridge between two mountains and find yourselves on the top of the pass — a relatively flat area perhaps 100 feet across before it begins to start sloping downwards once more on the east.

To your south, there is a massive stone door set into the side of the cliff face. At least fifteen feet tall, the door is covered in glowing blue runes that resemble the pattern of the Mark of Warding. Speaking for the first time in several hours, Verik gestures towards the doorway and say, “Here we are. The entrance to the caverns of Krigam’s Pass.” He walks over and puts a hand on the stone. Immediately, the runes fade away and the massive slab of stone serving as a door lifts slowly upwards, disappearing into the mountain above. Inside, there is a stone staircase that leads downwards into the darkness, creating an ominous ambiance in the waning light.

Verik then turns back to the group. “I know you are persistent, but I want to give you one last chance here. If you want, we can turn back now and you can lie low in the Kundarak outpost in Krona Peak for a few days. We can tell Glimmik that there was nothing there, we all get paid, and no one will be in any danger. Is it ethical? Perhaps not. But would you rather have your honor or your life?”

After a short pause, Don glances around before saying, “I think Verik is right here. From what we know, this place seems like a death trap and we don’t even know what we’re looking for. Of course, if you do make it out, I won’t attempt to claim any part of the reward. But this isn’t what I signed up for. I signed up to go find some artifact in an old cave, not sacrifice my life in some necromancer’s lair.”

Nodding at Don, but not seeing anyone else come forward immediately, Verik adds, “Anyone else? If you do choose to go on, we will wait outside for three days, but after that I will assume the worst and you will be on your own to make it back to Krona Peak.”

Spoiler: OOC

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Eternal wand of create water seems fine to me. I’m sure some crafting wizard would have taken alternative source spell to take advantage of that market.

If anyone wants to buy anything else or do anything specific overnight, feel free to let me know at it can be done post hoc.

[Kymme]

Tycho grins broadly at the yawning mouth of darkness that lies before him. Breaking his silence during the journey, the khorovar turns to Don and claps a hand on his shoulder. "I can see reason in your eyes, along with trepidation and concern. You are a veteran of the Last War, no? I have no doubts that you've seen your share of death and darkness. Enough to last one a lifetime. I wouldn't dare insult your memories or your fears. However..." His eyes slowly turn to Verik and he lets his hand slip from Don's shoulder. "I have to refuse your offer, sir. My honor is my life, and one without the other is death to me."

He takes a step closer to the entrance, turning back to face the party with a hand resting lightly on the hilt of his sword. "I'm ready."

[adso]

Nivane Dekker

Disappointed in Don's absence but not altogether surprised, Nivane simply nods solemnly in agreement with Tycho. "Verik, we truly appreciate your concern, but I will go on as well. And Don, should worst come to worst, it was a pleasure to get to know you these past few days and I wish you the best of luck in your future endeavors."

[Gunhaven]

Hammer remained silent during the entire journey. He didn't break it when the offer to turn back came, instead slowly getting his maul out and swinging it a couple times as he closed the distance. Satisfied with the weight of the weapon he swung it up so that the shaft rested against his right shoulder and gave Don and Verik a salute, stating simply "The job called for an exploration.". He then waited to confirm the group before heading in proper.

Spoiler: Preparation

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I'm away from books due to terrible weather. I have a feeling there's some random infusion that I'll probably need to do before we properly delve into the cave and I'd like to do that now versus waiting a minute+ right before combat.

[hoverfrog]

Lyssa d'Orien

"I couldn't possibly lie," Lyssa answers at the offer to hide out, "The reputation of my House would see me excoriated if such a ruse were ever discovered. Besides, I'm quite eager to explore somewhere that hasn't been opened up in....I don't know how many years. We'll take all precautions that we can, I assure you."

[Amanil]

Leianna Talldorn

Leianna was less than thrilled with the suggestion that they don't go through with the job, and from her slightly measured tone was perhaps a touch insulted. "Like Tycho, I'm afraid I must decline, Verik. What may start as skipping on one task may end in others not being offered and, as I'm sure you know, brave souls with little to lose are not hard to find after the war." She nodded at the rest of the group's sentiment. "I'm sure there are risks, but that is why we are paid. Most importantly, while we are looking to unlock its secrets, we are not doing so for personal gain, something that those before us could not claim. Our curiosity is tempered by caution, not by greed, and I think we should prove to be more than up to the challenge of a brief foray. If the going becomes too arduous, naturally we will return to the surface. If not... well... perhaps you'll speak your warning with a little more conviction to the next group foolhardy enough to head down?" she says the last sentence with a somewhat wry smile. Spoiler: OOC Show Stocking up on rope seems important. I looked briefly into a Spool of Endless Rope but that's out of Leianna's budget right now, so going to just get some more silk rope to make sure they have plenty, and a spare grappling hook. 21gp for 100' of rope plus a grappling hook. I also get the sneaking suspicion that we might be a little out of our depth down here, so, from a meta point of view, worth noting that Leianna will be intending to fall back to the surface if things go sour.

[adso]

Nivane Dekker

Nivane struggles to stifle a laugh at Leianna's forthrightness and is pleased to see that the spirit of the majority of his companions has not wavered. "Right then, after you," he says, gesturing to Hammer before turning back to Verik and Don and adding "See you soon!" with a cheery wave. Spoiler: OOC Show I get that suspicion as well. And Nivane is honestly not super capable offensively in combat situations, so my plan is basically going to be to turn invisible and try to shoot things with a bow. But he has pretty crazy knowledge skills so I can at least probably help identify weaknesses/strengths of almost anything we encounter, for what it's worth. Also very down for running.

[FlamingKobold]

Spoiler: OOC

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I assume that you have some light source out, like the everburning torch or similar

As you enter through the doorway, the tunnel immediately starts to slope downwards at a steep angle and you're met with a gust of wind blowing outward. As you descend further down the winding path, the updraft gets continually stronger and the sound of the wind rushing through the tunnel makes it impossible to discern any other noises besides the sound of your own footsteps. Once half an hour has passed of walking through the darkness, the wind suddenly slows to a light draft and silence feels foreign and somehow disarming.

After descending for at least two miles, the tunnel turns and opens into a large cavern. To your left and right you can see the walls slowly curving inward, but they quickly disappear at the edge of the torchlight. The ceiling is perhaps fifty feet above you, though it appears to continue sloping upward beyond the edge of your vision. The terrain is relative uneven, with rocky debris on much of the ground and several natural-looking pillars of stone between five and fifteen feet tall rising from the ground. There is a well worn path that is cleared of obstacles from the entrance to the tunnel that heads straight into the cavern before disappearing into the darkness. There is a slight breeze in the cave, but no other movement that you can detect.

Spoiler: Tycho and Nivane

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With your low-light vision, you can see twice as far as the humans and warforged. This does little good for you: the walls seem to continue to curve and you estimate that the cavern is perhaps 120 feet wide and at least 60 feet tall. About 75 feet in front of you, the path seems to briefly leave its straight path to go around a large rock.

Spoiler: Leianna

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As you enter the cavern, you hear a soft flapping noise that reminds you of bats, though maybe that's just due to the context. It's hard to place the source, but it sounds to be decently far from you, perhaps 200 feet straight ahead and up a bit.

[Amanil]

Leianna Talldorn

Spoiler: OOC Show Safe bet. At the moment I'd assume Leianna has her everburning torch out. She likely hasn't got a weapon drawn, because she'd rather have her hand free, plus it's a long journey and swords/bows are heavy. Leianna doesn't pick a set spot in the marching order, walking faster on occasion to get to the front of the group, and dropping back now and then. Sometimes she appears to be running the fingers of her right hand along the rock, and tests the surface for grip, boosting herself up a few feet. Oddly, unlike the social situation a couple of nights previous, she seems much more relaxed, comfortable in her stride and moving smoothly. As any in the group displayed any amount of difficulty, they'd find Leianna at their side helping them with their footing or adjusting their load. As the group entered the caverns, she instinctively moved a little off to one side but still close enough to see the cleared path, holding her torch high to get a better look around - not that the light offered her much. She cocked her head to one side, as if listening carefully to something. "Careful, our light might startle the bats ahead." she uttered to the group, voice a little above a whisper, as she moved her torch underneath her cloak a little, shielding the light to keep the effect more localized and moving back towards the cleared area. If able to get in front of the group for a few moments, Leianna would crouch to the ground and run her fingers over the path, not expecting to find anything but looking to confirm that no creatures had passed this way recently without Verik's knowing.

[hoverfrog]

Lyssa d'Orien

"Remember that we aren't in a hurry," Lysa warns as she tries to look everywhere at once, "So we'll take it slow and try not to fall into any pits or get a spear in our heads."

Spoiler: Tabletop

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Search (1d20+5)[16]
Spot (1d20)[19]
Listen (1d20)[10]

[FlamingKobold]

Spoiler: Leianna

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The rock all feels natural and structurally stable. The ground in the tunnel down was full of loose rubble that all shifted as you walked, creating a cascading effect that made it quite difficult to ascertain whether it had been recently traveled. However, once Leianna gets ahead of the group on the flat terrain, she is able to find several slight, subtle impressions in the loose rock in a fairly regular pattern with her trained eyes. Though the wind here is weak (and quite bizarre to Leianna —*she is used to much more stagnant air in places like this), if these stones had not been touched for centuries, then surely these sorts of semi-regular impressions would have been evened out by shifting debris. Perhaps reading too far into it, Leianna notes that the impressions could certainly fit the pattern of footsteps, although it is impossible to tell too much information. The pattern looks to start at the mouth of the tunnel and travel along the path ahead.

Spoiler: Lyssa

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Lyssa hears nothing over the constant, quiet rushing noise of the breeze. It is difficult for her to see too far in these conditions, and she does not notice anything particular beyond the immediately obvious pillars, path and rubbled ground.

Also, Lyssa recognized the runes on the doorway outside as being those of a greater glyoh of warding.

Spoiler: Nivane

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Nivane recognized the runes on the doorway outside as being those of a greater glyoh of warding.

[Amanil]

Leianna Talldorn

Leianna's brow furrowed slightly as her hand lightly traced indentations that perhaps she was imagining. "Something feels a little wrong about this place... but it's possible that there is someone, or something, ahead of us." she advised, eyes squinting into the darkness ahead. "I realise how vague that sounds, but all I can say is that, despite what we've been told, we may not be the only ones down here..." she trailed off, somewhat dramatically. Her discovery filled Leianna with some unease; if one of their assumptions about the state of the caverns were already seemingly incorrect, what else could they have underestimated? "Be on your guard," she warned as she stood, her left hand now resting lightly on the pommel of the short blade at her hip.

[Kymme]

Tycho keeps his cool as the party descends deeper into the earth, but he keeps a hand on his sword and his back to the party's lights - it's a bit easier for him to see out to the creases and edges of the tunnels if he doesn't have to look into a torch at the same time. When he speaks his voice is soft and measured.

"It's quite possible we might be the only living things down here, disregarding the wildlife." He exhales softly. "The wildlife might become a bit of a problem too. 'The closer to Khyber,' and all that."

[adso]

Nivane Dekker

At Leianna's warning, Nivane takes out his longbow and knocks an arrow. He then nods at Tycho, adding, "I'm not sure if I'm more concerned about the living or unliving at this point, honestly." Nivane starts slowly walking forward, keeping on the lookout for movement or signs of traps, but staying to the side of the main path so as to not interfere with Leianna's tracking. Spoiler: OOC Show Nivane is moving half speed and constantly looking for traps. Also, if we encounter any creatures, assume that he uses his knowledge skills to attempt to identify it, specifically looking for information regarding its combat capabilities.

[hoverfrog]

Lyssa d'Orien

Lyssa mutters some arcane phrases and a field of force surrounds her for a moment before fading from sight. She continues her chanting and her eyes glow briefly, "I'll look out for obvious magical emanations and warn you in advance. It will last as long as I concentrate."

Spoiler: Tabletop

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Cast Extended Mage Armour (10 hour duration) and Detect Magic.

[Gunhaven]

Hammer takes up a position in front and eventually holds the maul at the ready. He maintained an even, if somewhat slower than necessary, pace as they descended. Each time someone made mention of pausing he did so, shifting his body slightly so that those behind him could get a better view, before he continued marching ever downward. At the cavern and call for there being potential dangers Hammer gave a curt nod and whispered back "I apologize but is everyone's gear suited for the coming battles? Or do we need enchantments?"

[adso]

Nivane Dekker

"My bow is not enchanted, but it has served me well so far. I think I am prepared," Nivane responds, his eyes still focused on spotting potential dangers. Spoiler: OOC Show I have a masterwork bow and wear no armor, so it's unlikely that there are many enchantments that will help.

[FlamingKobold]

Spoiler: OOC

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So is anyone willing to lead the way into the cavern? Or is there anything else that needs to be done first?

[Gunhaven]

Hammer sighed slightly before he grasped the maul and began to slowly march forward. For now he didn't enter a stance, focused more on finding out what the unknown danger could possibly be before launching recklessly into his attacks. He kept his pace slow and his eyes searching for potential danger from anywhere in front or to the side of him, relying on his comrades to protect his rear.

[Amanil]

Leianna Talldorn

"Why would there be a path?" Leianna mused silently to herself. "Who, or what, is keeping it clear?" Keeping her thoughts to herself for now, Leianna trusted her ears more than her eyes, turning her head often at any faint sound to try to better identify and locate it as she moved to a few steps behind Lyssa, keeping an ear out towards the rear of the group and an eye over the spellcasters. "We don't know that there will be a battle, 'forged, while we should be prepared we should also not go looking for a fight. If there is trouble I would appreciate someone taking the light, or wielding their own," she requested, quietly. "I am quicker with a bow than a blade."

[adso]

Nivane Dekker

Nivane follows a few paces behind Hammer, continually scanning the surroundings for traps or other items of note in the rubble as well as occasional glances beyond the edge of the light of the torch. "I'm afraid I can't be of much help there," he responds to Leianna, gesturing to the bow in his hands. Spoiler: OOC Show Is it possible to tie the torch to a backpack or something? Or could Lyssa carry it given that she primarily casts spells?

[hoverfrog]

Lyssa d'Orien

Lyssa lights her bullseye lantern and directs the beam of light ahead, "I can carry a torch too but I'll need to put it down if any spells need to be cast." She joins to group near the back, well aware that she's in no position to face a threat head on.

[FlamingKobold]

As you continue through the cavern, the wind seems to get gradually stronger as it blows against your progress. The path curves slightly around a large rock 300 feet from the entrance. Up until then, the surrounding was relatively consistent with what you observed at the start. Upon rounding the obstructing rock, the path curves back to continue its original trajectory but as it does you see a pile of still-clothed skeletons behind the rock, perhaps a dozen or so in all.

Spoiler: Tycho and Nivane

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You see up ahead that the ground suddenly drops off about 90 feet past the large stone, with only the path continuing straight ahead on what looks to be a twenty foot wide natural bridge. You cannot see the other side of the chasm. The walls of the cavern slant back in and the cavern has a width of about 80 feet at the start of the chasm, centered on the path.

Spoiler: Tycho

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The skeletons are obviously dwarven based on their thickness and proportions. You see some movement up ahead in the air past the edge of the drop from dark shapes.

Spoiler: Leianna

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The skeletons are obviously dwarven based on their thickness and proportions. Without closer inspection, these bodies appear to be fairly old — at least a century based on the state of their clothing and lack of flesh. As you round the rock, the sound of wings flapping becomes more clear. The noise comes from about a hundred feet in front of you and you can tell that there are at least three sets of wings, perhaps more. The ambient whistling of the wind makes it difficult to tell the exact number.

[adso]

Nivane Dekker

"Careful up ahead, there's a drop," Nivane announces to the group, gesturing directly in front of them. Then he turns and sees the skeletons. "Well, that certainly doesn't bode well. Be on your guard." With that he takes a step back and pulls an arrow from his quiver, scanning the surroundings for any sign of movement.

[hoverfrog]

Lyssa d'Orien

"Do you think it might be a trap that went off or that they are some sort of undead guardians?" Lyssa can't help but feel paranoid but concentrates on her detect magic spell in the hopes that it will reveal any magical traps.

[Amanil]

Leianna Talldorn

Leianna was not so worried about the dwarves - the dead posed no immediate threat, at least while they remained that way - and turned her attention once more to the ground. She scoured for signs of whatever creatures were ahead - droppings, scratches, shed skin - that might indicate whether they were residents or something more temporary. Hundreds of years of being home to some living creatures had a way of shaping the place. She strained her eyes as Nivane called out the drop ahead, but nothing revealed itself for now. Perhaps he had a little elf-blood in him? It didn't matter for now, but an interesting topic for later. While the others looked at the dwarves in somewhat more detail, she kept her eyes and ears ahead, left hand settled on the grip of her bow. "Do they bear any house markings?" Leianna asked those wishing to look the dwarves over. "Whatever they died of, if we can discern why they were here we may be able to avoid such a fate."

[adso]

Nivane Dekker

Nivane shifts closer to the skeletons to do a more thorough investigation. If there is no immediate threat, he returns the arrow to his quiver and uses his free hand to investigate the skeletons. He is specifically looking for recognizable markings as per Leianna's suggestions, but is also interested in method and time of death, if possible.

Spoiler: OOC

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Search check on the bodies: (1d20+12)[29]