Absence of Empathy IC

[PolkaBear]

TPP

Above

The girl doesn't catch your address at first, so you repeat yourself. She turns the second time, brushing an errant strand of hair out of her face and tucking it back under her hat. "Yes? What do you need?" With a gesture toward her plumed cap she adds, "I have a message to deliver, so I can't chat long."

Below

Willem grunts and then leans against the far wall of the corridor. "Just hurry it up. I got things to do."

[tgva8889]

Kayte Mursai

She looks at him meaningfully, as if willing him to leave. "You don't have to stay if you don't want to. I won't tell anyone." Turning back down to the others, she says, "He's far enough away, think we can push through this rock or not?" She stares towards Willem with the sort of look that could pierce metal.

[Irrealist]

Arfondt

Arfondt shrugs and makes his way back to Ulf. "I'll go a little further ahead to see if I can find something. Would you care to accompany me?" He whispers to him, then moves further into the ice-packed corridor, scanning the walls, floor and ceiling ahead of him.

[Mr the Geoff]

Ulf

Ulf is in two minds for a while, finally answering "Well, yer relying on me to hack a hole in thil her wall, might be better if you get <pause> Linn here to lend you her lights for a while"

He then moves back to the crack and calls through "Willem was it? You'd best stand back in case some stone chips fly out. If yer hanging around ye'd best be making yerself comfortable too, this is no five minute job" then starts to work on widening the crack, building the kind of rhythm he can keep up all day.

[PolkaBear]

.

[Note the earlier post for Chaim]

Below

Ulf makes better progress than he at first estimated: instead of an hour, it should only take forty-five minutes or so to widen it enough to get everyone through.

Willem throws up his hands to protect his face; but after being pelted with a few flying rock chips, he steps out of view in the direction he had exited earlier.

As Arfondt crawls down the shaft, his hands and knees smart with the cold. The ice builds up on all surfaces, narrowing the tunnel gradually.

His blue-lit eyes dart back and forth, searching for the source of the cold. Just before the spell expires, he detects an aura ahead and to his left. It appears to be coming from a section of the wall that bows outward slightly; but were it not for the aura, he would have paid it no mind. His magically enhanced perception of auras fades before he has a chance to study it further.

[The Vorpal Tribble]

Chaim

"Is there any word on the search for those who fell when the road collapse, do you know?" Chaim questions.

[Irrealist]

Arfondt

Feeling none of the cold, Arfondt excitedly crawls on towards the section of the wall that showed the aura only seconds before. Shortly before reaching it, he starts chanting in a similar way to before and makes the same gestures. His eyes show the same faint glow as before.

Spoiler

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Casting detect magic again, concentraiting on the aura. Spellcraft 35 to determine school and maybe other stuff

[PolkaBear]

TPP

Above

The teenage girl nodded. "Yes, sir. It was an amazing thing: a magician called some sort of flying horse to rescue them. They pulled two people out. One of them was the Lady Ferah; can you imagine that? I've got to deliver a message for the Seat of Agriculture, so maybe I'll find out more. I'm sure their entire house is buzzing with it; somebody will have news to trade. But that's all I know, sir. Will you excuse me?"

Below

Mystical awareness returns to Arfondt as the glow once again lights his eyes.

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The auras--there seem to be several--do not emanate directly from the ice itself; rather, they seem to glow from some spot on the other side of the ice, beyond where you judge the wall to be. Moreover, your ability to detect auras in that direction is restricted to a channel about three feet wide and two feet high. (You remember these to be the approximate dimensions of the stone blocks.) There are at least four auras, perhaps a fifth just barely within your ken.

The intervening ice makes it difficult to identify the auras precisely, since it distorts a clear view of the auras. Nevertheless, you judge their character to most closely match the evocation school.

[The Vorpal Tribble]

Chaim

"But there were more within that were not rescued first thing. Any word on them?" Chaim presses.

[PolkaBear]

Above

She chews her upper lip, then responds, "Didn't hear about them, sir. Marko was there when the road collapsed, so he told me that part; but I haven't heard anything else. You'd be best off going to an admin building and asking. Who would be in charge of that sorta stuff? Mm, I think it might be Mining. Or maybe M 'n' E.* They might be able to tell you more. If I'm not working the posts, I'm usually running for Ag; so I'm not sure about that stuff. Sorry. Good luck!" She turns and starts again in her previous direction.

*Maintenance and Engineering

[Irrealist]

Arfondt

Arfondt looks back to the rest of the group- Should I go back and tell them? Time on my spell is running out and there might be more to find. He furrows his brows, then cautiously proceeds deeper into the shaft, looking for more auras. He still takes care not too venture too far beyond where he can see the last member of his group. After he reaches that point, he makes a few more steps, straining his eyes to detect anything, then makes his way back to the group.

"Is Willem still here?" he whispers to Ulf.

[PolkaBear]

Below

Arfondt fails to find anything more of interest in that direction.

If Ulf pauses in his stone-removal work and looks to see if Willem is around, he sees:

Spoiler

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There's a minor amount of stone dust in the air, but not enough to obscure the fact that Willem is out of sight. You remember that you had seen him step to the side earlier, to get out of the way of the flying stone chips.

[Mr the Geoff]

Ulf

Ulf pauses briefly in his work to whisper a reply "I can't see him, he ducked aside so he didn;t get pebble dashed and I haven't seen him since. He could have scarpered, or he could be just a few feet away for all I know"

He then goes back to work eidening the crack.

[tgva8889]

Kayte Mursai

Kayte positions herself in the shaft in the most comfortable manner possible and waits for everything to get done. Unable to cast even the simplest magic while she's masquerading as Linn, she decides to look at the rock rather closely, knowing absolutely nothing about it but trying to find it interesting nonetheless.

[The Vorpal Tribble]

Chaim lifts a hand in thanks. He collects his thoughts, trying to recall where the mining or maintenance buildings would be.

[PolkaBear]

Above

Chaim turns around and directs his steps toward plaza outside The Rise (for the third time today). He finds the Maintenance & Engineering administrative building without much difficulty.

OOC:

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Was I too subtle with the function I intended the messenger to fulfill? Or did you just choose not to take the bait?

It's fine, BTW.

Below

Kayte's fingers search the rock. On the right side, it's the roughly finished surface of the block wall; on the left, it's a more natural texture. You don't know enough about geologic processes to venture a guess about its origin, however.

Ulf hits a pocket in the stone which diverts the point of the tool and causes it to twist unexpectedly in his hands.

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Ulf, I need you to roll a d20 vs. DC 5. If your pick is masterwork, add 2 to your roll.

[Irrealist]

Arfondt

Arfondt sits down and leans against the wall, awaiting the situation's further development.

[The Vorpal Tribble]

Chaim proceeds within to find someone who looks like they might know the answers to his questions, removing his hat as he enters this time to cool his head.

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OOC: Sorry, missed the post again. Anyways, wasn't sure if it was a hint or not, but he's not a particularly suspicious person so didn't think it in his nature to be 'too' paranoid

[PolkaBear]

TPP

Above

The receptionist from earlier recognizes you and asks what you need.

Below

Ulf inspects his pick for any sign of damage, but finds none.

"What did you find?" Erwin asks Arfondt from farther back in the shaft. "An exit? An icebox? A magic portal to a wintery wonderland?"

[Irrealist]

Arfondt

Arfondt turns to the direction the question came from and answers, trying to keep his voice in a normal tone. "There really wasn't much to see, just some ice lying around. I have no idea how it got there, but it's not helping us any."

Arfondts stomach grumbles and moves closer to Ulf. "Ulf, do you think you can break through the wall? Do you need any help?"

[Mr the Geoff]

Ulf

Ulf stops mid swing and turns to Arfondt "I can, but not if I keep getting interrupted" then carries on chipping away, now accompanied by a constant low mutter...

"What does it ruddy well look like, does he think I would be hacking away at this here wall if I thought I couldn;t get through? why would I do that? sure as hell aint for my own health. Humans! I ask ye! never been a race like em fer asking irrelevant questions" (...and so on)

[Irrealist]

Arfondt

"Oh. Sorry for interrupting you." Arfondt sits back down, pouting a little bit and letting the grumpy dwarf continue his work.

After a while he has pulled himself together enough to try again. "It was just... You know, I was thinking that maybe back where I was... there was this ice, and it had frozen over a hole in the wall. But if things are going well here, I guess that doesn't matter." Arfondt makes a short break, waiting to see if he had angered the dwarf again.

[Mr the Geoff]

Ulf

"So let me get this straight, rather than spend a half hour or so hacking a hole in this here wall, which we know has nothing the other side of it but an acquaintance of Linn's and a definite exit, you want me to go poking my pick into some wierd magic ice wall instead? Strikes me walls of ice don't just show up here by accident, so someone put it there for a reason. Do we really want to know what's on the other side? If it's bugging you that much we can come back tomorrow with the proper equipment, and preferably armed"

[Irrealist]

Arfondt

"Yeah, I guess we could do that." Arfondt sits back down and waits for Ulf to get finished.

[The Vorpal Tribble]

Chaim

"I know I must seem a right pest, but I'm wondering if there has been any word since before on the rescue effort?" inquires Chaim.

[PolkaBear]

Above

The woman nods. "I thought that was you. You were here earlier, right? I'm glad to see that you had a chance to change into some clean clothes. You looked positively miserable earlier."

"Anyway, the rescue team. Well, I haven't heard anything yet; and I probably would have if word came in. Want me to go back and check for you? I'll do that."

She disappears for a couple of minutes and returns shaking her head.

"They reported about twenty minutes ago that they hadn't found anything. They're about halfway between the Salt Street bulkhead, where they went in, and where it joins the Addenour line. We're not making any public announcements yet--their poor families and such, you know--but I'm sure it's alright if you know." She gives you a conspiratorial wink. It's not at all flirtatious, but rather a signal from one 'insider' to another.

Like many cities, there are occasional similarities between different street names. Salt Street, for instance, is a completely different avenue than North Salt Street (on which is located the Agriculture Exchequer).

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Ironic, isn't it?

Ironic that an Agriculture building would be located on Salt Street? (Er...North Salt Street.) 'Cause too much salt can prevent crops from growing, and...oh, never mind.

[The Vorpal Tribble]

Chaim

"Thank you very much for your help. It may seem strange but I feel an odd kinshipment with those who were not able to escape." he responds, and runs his thumb over the brim of his hat. He then looks thoughtful.

"I've always been a curious sort, and was wondering, how is it they report back? Messengers I'd guess?"

[PolkaBear]

Above

"Oh, no. That would be far too cumbersome. The team underground has one half of a pair of speaking stones; the other half is here. They check in every half hour."

[The Vorpal Tribble]

Chaim

"Would it be alright do you think for me to listen in on the next report? Then I'll be out of you hair for the day, swear upon the sun above." he says without a smile, though it can be sensed by the tone as easily as if it were.

[PolkaBear]

TPP

Above

The woman's brow furrowed in thought. "That would be highly irregular. I don't know if I'd be allowed to take you back to the dispatcher. Not that I mind personally, of course; it would just need to be approved. If it's idle curiousity, I can probably arrange a tour for you some time."

Below

With sufficient work, Ulf plies his trade and creates an opening large enough for each member of the party to pass through. Rach gags and splatters a section of the shaft with the contents of his stomach--mostly acid and a few unidentifiable chunks. With the close confines restricting airflow, the smell of his vomit combines with those of rat excrement and of sweaty dwarf to create a noisome heaviness in the dusty air.

Spoiler

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I'll leave you to choose the order in which you pass through the opening.

The first of you into the room sees that this is an unfinished (and apparently abandoned) section of tunnel. You are unsure if it was intended for maintenance or some other purpose. To the right (oriented according to your entrance from the shaft) the room extends for perhaps ten feet before ending in a wall of rock. To the left, where Willem had stepped out of sight, you see a rough stone hallway. Of Willem there is no sign.