DeepBlue's Vagabond - Act 1

[Deepblue706]

"Well..." Titus starts slowly. "Seeing as this moving floor was already at the bottom, my guess is that someone is down there." His voice grows a bit frustrated. "I'd tell you to find some courage and come immediately, but considering your attitude to your missing magician friend, I'm guessing the only way to get you to cooperate is to appease your fancies."

Without really waiting any kind of reply, he turns to Len with a snap. She moves the lever back and the platform with Titus, Shimar and Drahlo begins to descend slowly. The screeching noise continues.

Once they're no longer in sight, Len turns to Harold with a troubled brow "Shark pit?"

The three who descend watch as the light from above grows small, and their sight begins to diminish. Drahlo's heritage allows him to make sight of his surroundings - which aren't much. The only distinctions on the walls are the chains that move up and down to lower the platform. The only particular detail you can all make out clearly is the horrible noise your hear as you descend, coming from all-around. Thankfully, it stops once you reach the bottom - where you find a small, open area that opens into a semi-circle, with a small pedastil at the center that seems to hold a flame in place. It is enough to light the room, and reveal a plain door opposite where you stand. The air is a bit dusty, and there are no furnishings on the walls. Overall, it's fairly typical for a cellar.

[The Great Skenardo]

Harold Betruger
Harold sniffs at the challenge to his courage and judgement.
"I may not be much good in battle, m'lord, but may I remind you who here successfully talked a golem to death? When everyone here hid, I stood my ground. Call me foolish if you must for that. And as to Flare, well, I'm sorry if I gave you the impression we were ever friends." Most of this is by way of parting shot, and the last comes only as the others dip below the surface and descend.
Crossing his arms, Harold broods a little. He shrugs as Len speaks.
"I don't know; something dangerous anyways. A moving platform suggests that either he didn't want whatever is at the bottom to get back up easily, or that he routinely has to move heavy things up and down. So it might be a prison or a storehouse. But the plain fact of it is, we're dealing with a brilliant mind; there's no telling what forces he may be dealing with."

It occurs to the minstrel that this would be a fine time to examine more closely some of the contents of the lab.
Search - (1d20+4)[21]

[Proven_Paradox]

Drahlo informs the others of what he sees with his darkvision as they descend, showing no real response to the conflict between Harold and Titus before they are lowered. Once the platform is lowered, he sets about looking for a possible lever or other such device to raise the platform up again.

[Deepblue706]

Harold's closer inspection of the room first leads him to the shelves containing the odd liquids and other materials. There are a few that hold old worn labels, usually marked with one-or-two words such as "Preservative", "Intensifier" and "Corn Syrup". Quite a number of them are hinted to be fatal by tiny pictures of skulls, crossbones, and other symbols considered to be omens of death in the realm. Oh, another notable one with words: "Rock's Cough Medicine", nestled between a jar of a liquid called "Purple Worm" and a black, clay jar with a label that reads "Arsenic". The rest are unintelligible or completely unlabelled.

Upon the table at the center of the room there are a few leather fastenings, made to, presumably, bind wrists and ankles.

There's nothing else in the room that went previously unnoticed.

[Deepblue706]

Drahlo's seach proves fruitful - there happens to be such a lever just outside of the small nook where the platform now rests (well, presumably, considering how there's not much else present in the room).

[Proven_Paradox]

Drahlo reaches for the lever, then pauses--recalling that the last time he'd touched something in this place, he'd had a very near death experience. Thinking better of it, he looks back to the others and says, "Here, a lever. Might be to rise the floor again, might be trap. I don't know how to check, and I am out of healing prayers until dawn."

[Deepblue706]

"I doubt the magistrate would go at such lengths to trap everything we might cross paths with - surely, we were not expected to get far beyond that golem. Perhaps that book you tried to claim was something important - like a spellbook. This..."

He steps off the platform and reaches for the lever. He pulls it, and it begins to slowly move upward once more - thankfully Titus need only but take a step to climb back on.

"...is just as I thought. No deception here. Truly, if the magistrate had the sense to be so cautious, he might make his exploits less obvious, would he not?"

The platform eventually returns to the top. Titus steps off again, and asks a bit impatiently, "Are you ready now, sir?"

[amanodel]

Shimar

The barbarian didn't dare to touch anything while they were in the lower room, for such items are obviously cursed by the blackest black magics, and are not created for humans to use, or even look at without serious consequences.

[The Great Skenardo]

Harold Betruger
Harold spreads his hands.
"I'm satisfied. Our wolven friend has shown that it's dangerous to rush here."

[amanodel]

Shimar

Are we going back down? - he asks - Whatever, just let's get over this quickly as possible.

[Deepblue706]

Len pulls to lever again, and squeezes herself onto the platform as it slowly decends once more. Finally stopping at the bottom, you spread throughout the dim room. Titus then walks forward, and opens the doors that stand before you.

The way opens up into a long corridor, its walls and floor blanketed with shadows that extend for about twenty feet until they reach the first torch. There are three torches here, all about-evenly placed, leading the way to another set of identical doors. About halfway down the corridor, it also turns left.

"uuhhhhhhhhnnnnn" moans a very distant voice.

Titus and Len begin to step forward slowly, ready to fight whatever might cross their path. They both stop after moving a few feet inward, and look over their shoulders. "You coming?"

[amanodel]

Shimar

Carefully avoiding any furniture containing suspicious materials, he follows Titus with a readied weapon.

You are already injured, stay behind me this time! - he calls out to Titus and Len, and then passes through them to the front. He continues forward in a slow, but steady pace.

[Proven_Paradox]

Drahlo quietly takes a place near the rear of their formation.

((How wide is this hallway?))

[Deepblue706]

((Perhaps that should have come with the initial descrption. Sorry. I suppose you could say 10 feet wide))

[The Great Skenardo]

Harold Betruger
Harold rubs his hands together, a little nervously.
"What a lovely hellhole. What exactly are you hoping to find down here, Sir?"

[Deepblue706]

"I have a feeling this is the magistrate's true haven. Stand close, now."

The party continues down the hall, and stops halfway, at the branching of the corridor. Glancing down the way reveals a set of plain wooden doors, three to a side, and a larger one at the very end of the corridor. They are each spaced only about ten feet from one-another.

"uuuuuhhhhhnnnnnn...." the same moan appears to be coming from this direction.

"No..." Titus turns back to the other path. "I sense something in this direction." He hesitates a moment.

"He is beyond this door." he declares, glaring onward. "Is everyone ready?"

[amanodel]

Shimar

I was born ready, sir. - replies Shimar, and prepares to storm the door, ordering whsper to stay low.

[The Great Skenardo]

Harold Betruger
Harold considers carefully his role in the conflict to come.
Skill with a blade: minimal.
Ability to take hits: Slight.
Maybe I'll just stay out of the way...
Harold nods silently at Tidus' inquiry, but stays resolutely towards the back of the group.

[Proven_Paradox]

Drahlo simply sifts to wolf from and wait for the paladin to open the door.

[Deepblue706]

Kicking the doors inward, Titus nearly knocks them off their hinges. As they give way, you follow the knight's charge into the next chamber.

It is a strange, circular room. There are shelves of books that line the walls, with a tall humanoid statue at the center. Its design looks similar to that of the golem you found in the hall.

Standing before the statue is a short, balding man with a short red beard and thick glasses. He quickly pulls a wand from beneath his dark robes, and looks about at your party nervously. "Who the hell are you people??!"

[The Great Skenardo]

Harold Betruger
Harold smiles. This one was quick, at least.
Stepping forward, Harold bows shortly.
" My name is Harold Betruger, my good sir. My card. Am I right in supposing I address his Honor the Magistrate of this fief?"

[Deepblue706]

He blinks in disbelief for a moment. "uhh-"

Titus interjects, stepping forward with his sword drawn. "Yes, of course this is the magistrate!" He turns to Thaddeus. "We're here to end your tyrannical reign over this town, and to cleanse the lands of your unholy creations! Your servants fell before us like wheat to the scythe! Even your golem proved too little a challenge for our skill! You stand no chance! Do you yield?!"

The magistrate looks a bit puzzled. "Wait a minute - you...broke my...golem? How?! And my "servants"? You mean, those mindless things I have work the fields? Why would you do that??! What the hell did I do to any of you pricks?!"

[Proven_Paradox]

Drahlo shifts back into orc form as the conversation begins, and he speaks before the transformation is quite complete. "Undeath is an abomination against nature. The land does not allow bodies that should return to it to continue toiling for civilization's base needs lightly."

[amanodel]

Shimar

Not really understanding the manners of Harold, when the group is standing in front of a black magician, who most likely consorts with demons as well, the barbarian is surprised and lowers his weapon, looking at Titus for guidance.

[The Great Skenardo]

Harold Betruger
Harold raises his hands, as if to still the air of other voices.
"Now, now. I'm sure we can keep things well within the bounds of civility here as we all look for the answers to our burning questions. I wonder, sir," he says, nodding to the Magistrate, "If you could expand a little on the 'mindless things' you were talking about earlier. I imagine my companion here is a little sore about an encounter we had with some of your kitchen staff, but I'm inclined to think it's rather impressive work."

[Deepblue706]

The magistrate looks as if he is about to reply angrily to Drahlo, but hushes and lets Harold speak his piece.

"They're called dead people. They don't do anything. They lie underground, they decay, and they fall apart. I dug them up, and got them contributing to society. Now, if you don't get the hell out here right now, I'm going to use you to replace any of the ones your delusions of morality told you to destroy!"

Titus pushes his way through Harold. "I will not say this again, fiend! Yield, or die!"

[Proven_Paradox]

In the very unlikely event that the magistrate looks as though he will yield, Drahlo simply waits and watches.

In the much more likely scenario of the magistrate continuing to resist the group, however, Drahlo, having had enough talk, will heft up and throw his spear at the man, then shift into wolf form.

Rolls:

Spoiler

Show

Attack/Damage: (1d20+1=21, 1d8+6=8) ((Oooh, crit threat.))

Crit confirm/Damage: (1d20+1=3, 1d8+6=11) ((Baah. At least he'll hit.))

[The Great Skenardo]

Harold Betruger
Harold nods, mulling that over.
"Useful enough. So you take people who are already dead through whatever avenue and then...magically animate the corpse? I must say, having them as kitchen staff is a marvelously bad idea; No one likes finding bits in the stew which weren't in the pantry, if you take my meaning. How do the citizens of your fief feel about ol' Grandad getting back up and doing a day's work alongside them? I've noticed they're a bit...hostile to the living. But-Hey!"
Harold is shoved aside by Tidus.
"My lord! I counsel patience in this matter. The Magistrate here clearly isn't going anywhere, so why not talk to him and better understand his activities? At worst, we shall all grow a bit older, but at best we'll preclude any misunderstandings, wouldn't you agree, sir? Threats can wait until after we understand each other clearly. I don't want this to be a big mistake made of flames, screams, and pointy sticks."

[Deepblue706]

Titus glares at Harold ominously. He does not speak, but he does not move upon the magistrate.

"Well, to be honest, my two idiot sons were the ones who thought it'd be a grand idea to let them replace our long-retired staff of cooks and maids - I usually just make my own food and feed what those things prepare to the horses. And...well...they're really not that hostile if you don't..." His eyes flash, as if he remembers something. "Wait a minute, why the hell am I talking to you? Just get out! Leave! You're tresspassing, you know!"

[The Great Skenardo]

Harold Betruger
Harold scratches his chin. Clearly this needed careful handling.
"Well, let me put it this way; how fare the inhabitants of your fief which are not, in fact, dead? Concerns have been raised, you know, back in the city. Our expedition here is an informal inquiry to make sure all is well. Frankly, cooperation will make everyone's life easier here, and I don't think it's unreasonable for you to answer a few of our questions. If it turns out that all is well, then I believe remuneration for what incidental damage to your property has occurred is quite reasonable."
Harold pauses to let this sink in, and to lend gravity to his next point.
"The consequence, you understand, is directly a result of what report we bring back to the authorities. I'd rather bring back a favorable report, because it means a lot less paperwork for myself. I don't think I'm being unreasonable here."