Iron Gaea: The First Floor

[Silk_and_Steel]

Iron Gaea
The Limitless Fortress

Part One
The First Floor

It has been a week of rough travel through the mountains, and the tiny village of Refuge now lies somewhere far behind you. The people of Refuge had wished you best of luck when you set out on your long hike to Thorngrove Vale where the Limitless Fortress stands its silent vigil. Some even bet coin on how far you would get and when you would return. Much of it was done in jest, and many promises of drink and coin were made should you return with stories and treasure to share.

The trek through the mountains has been difficult, but the path to the fortress is a cear road of hard packed earth that winds up the foot hills. Never the less, the road is not regularly maintained, and your party encountered numerous crumbling ledges, rocky drop offs, and copses of densely packed trees blocking your progress. It was almost as if the land itself did not want you to succeed in your journey. But always the looming behemoth of the Iron Gaea marked the horizon ahead of you. No tree or mountain peak was tall enough to block it from your sight, and it served as a beacon, guiding your way.

Now, as a gray dawn breaks over the land, you stand in the bleak courtyard of The Limitless Fortress. The ground here is dry and cracked, looking parched and barren in the weak light of morning. All around you bushes of thorny brambles and twisting, emaciated trees claw up stubbornly from the ground, reaching out tendrils and branches to snag and scratch at your clothes and skin as you push through them toward your destination. The smell of dust hangs heavy in the air, and a light, dewy mist clings to the ground around your ankles like some creeping leviathan from a forgotten age.

The walls of the Limitless Fortress dominate the floor of the valley, spanning a distance out to either side nearly beyond the limits of your vision, and passing under the raised portcullis into the courtyard is like stepping into the waiting maw of a slumbering beast. The fortress itself is a massive, intimidating structure, with its dimensions easily dwarfing the grandest constructions of the current age. Thick, twisting brown vines crawl up its smooth iron walls, obscuring the foundation in a mass of thorns, and patches of dull rust can be seen marking its surface.

As you reach the base of the Iron Gaea, you find the remains of a dozen camp fires scattered around. Remnants of the last expedition to this infamous place. It doesn't take long before you are able to locate the entrance, crossing a stone bridge over a long dry moat. A large metal door, like the gate of some grand palace, is set into an ornate frame and serves as the only feature on the tower's smooth wall. The door frame displays images of men and women, adventurers by their appearance, begin impaled on spears, hung by their necks, or devoured by amorphous, featureless creatures.

The door itself is blank, with only a large pull ring at its center made of solid gold. A closer inspection of the ring shows where countless explorers have chipped and shaved off layers of the thick gold, making the ring appear as if it has been gnawed upon by some large beast. Vines have grown over the door, crossing its surface with skeletal hands of bark and thorns as if trying to hold the portal shut against intruders.

[Bobthewizard]

Ralik

Despite traveling with Ralik for the past several weeks, the others know little about him, other than he plans to look for treasure and wants to find out how the fortress was built. He is short with a wiry build. He wears well worn clothes and armor. His bow and crossbow appear older but well-maintained. He is a quiet man with poor manners, eating like it's his last meal, quickly and efficiently, not to enjoy the food but just to give himself energy. His eyes calmly look around for danger, never focusing on the rest of the party, as if he has decided the others are not a threat and that he will watch out for other danger.

He pauses at the door, takes a moment to examine the images on the doorframe, pulls out his hand crossbow and gets ready in case something comes out the door. He looks to the larger, stronger members of the party,

"Should we open the door and see what's inside?"

[deeselppa]

Kate:

"Let's get to it! If one of you swordsmen wants to cut these vines, I'll give the ring a try."

[Jaryn]

Kelwyn

Kelwyn bows to Kate and smiles roguishly.

Be my guest. As for my blade, I think in this instance it might be a little thin. Perhaps one of our other companions...?

He looks round at Cathoris and Albrecht with an arched eyebrow.

Before they step forward, however he runs a quick eye over the door looking for holes in places where they shouldn't be, or spikes on the inside of the ring.

[Auranghzeb]

Albrecht lowers the visor of his helmet and grasps his shield.

At last, some peace will be found in battle

He thinks to himself.

Then moves forward

I'll take the front while you unlock the gate

[deeselppa]

Kate is getting exasperated.

“Come on guys, I have a dagger and a warhammer. I’m not going to chew these vines off. Who’s going to cut these vines?!”

[Glitchy]

Standing somewhat behind the group and draped head to toe in a black dress and cloak, Sylvia watches the others with empty eye sockets that still see just as clearly as they did when she still breathed. The smell of dust is lost on her, but the dry, bleak appearance of the fortress courtyard feels very reminiscent of her sadly neglected manor home. She makes a silent promise to plant some flowers when she returns. Leiani would like that.

Stepping forward the skeletal wizard regards the carvings around the door for a moment, "Quite ominous isn't it?" her voice, calm and warm like a mother's embrace seems to drift from no where, her jaw never moving, "One would think visitors were not welcome," there is amusement in her words as she reaches out one bony hand to trace the lines of the carvings.

She glances at Kate and would have given a bemused smile if her skull could have displayed any emotion at all, "A bit of patience dear. This fortress has stood for untold millennia. I believe it can wait a few more moments while our stalwart companions trim the hedges," she laughs softly.

[Jaryn]

Kelwyn suppresses a shiver as the voice emanated from the skeletal frame of the wizard. All his instincts were urging him to stab her, run away, or get someone else to stab her while he ran away. Still, you didn't get to be a successful spy by sharing how you felt all the time, and he was used to things often not being what they seemed.

He covers the moment by drawling "Yes, it does seem a little uninviting, doesn't it? Still, lend me one of those handy hatchets, Albrecht, and let's get to work!"

[Auranghzeb]

During the past week of joint travel, Albrecht has learned to appreciate and even admire Ralik, Kelwin, and the Barbarian Noble. But finds Kate annoying and Silvia too Eerie and unnatural.

He agrees though, that the fortress has stood here long and there's no need to get impatient.

Besides, he's not here to serve as a garden keeper or vine cutter.

[Zero Prime]

Cathoris, last son of Tarth
^{AC: 16 | HP's: 45 of 45 | Inspiration: 0
Conditions: None.}

Cathoris snarled as the others looked from the door to him, almost laughed at the half-elf, "Nobody asked you to use your damn toothpick rogue. And my ancestors didn't guide me here to be your %^$&#*@ servant!" Despite his crass manner, the thick limbed young warrior unhooked a hand axe from his belt, and swung at the thick overgrowth clearing it until he could get a solid grasp on the ring set into the door.

His corded muscles bulged underneath his tanned skin as he heaved on the ring, "And each of you mother !@#$%^@ owe me a damn round at Refuge when we get back!" As he cursed at his companions, he exhaled, grunted and pulled at the ring.

OOC: Those of you who travel with Cathoris know that he can be crass and vulgar, but only with those whom he is comfortable with. Were he truly insulted, he would draw arms or beat the hell out of the one who insulted him. Also, Strength check vs the Door, in case it's needed. Rolling d20 + Strength. (1d20+4)[20]. Let's see how this goes.

[Jaryn]

Kelwyn stands back to let Cathoris work.

"I wouldn't be so quick to mock a toothpick, my friend. After all - I've seen you eat! And as for drinks..." he smiled wryly, "I suspect that if we go down this road then when we get out we are all going to get very, very drunk."

He looks around at his fellow companions, his eyes roaming, hoping that they would all stand here again some time later. He makes sure that his sword draws easily and that the straps on his armour straps are firm.

[Silk_and_Steel]

With the first strike of the hatchet, the vines split and black, syrupy sap bursts out from the wood. By the time Cathoris is finished clearing the door his weapon and his body are covered in the extremely sticky sap. No amount of scrubbing at the sap can remove it, and water only makes it spread and smear to cover even more of his body.

The door stands free of vines, smooth and blank except for the pull ring that has been sadly chiseled away at over the years by greedy adventurers shaving gold from it.

Despite his best efforts, Cathoris is unable to pull the door open. As warm flesh touches the golden ring there is a sound like gravel being ground beneath a heavy boot, and as the group watches, words begin to form in the featureless metal surface of the door. As each letter forms, a tiny shower of metal dust falls to the ground and mixes with the dry dirt, as if the word were being chiseled out as they watch. Slowly the words magically appear until they can be read clearly:

Axes and swords,
Will not help you through.
Yet this and a little pull will do.
Some in the road would
have fought and soon died,
Were it not close at hand,
to let them inside.

[Auranghzeb]

Albrecht thanks Cathoris for his excellent gardening:

Mostly well done my friend, that earned you a mug of ale on my tab


As he sees the words, Albrecht approaches and pulls the door handle gently.

[Jaryn]

"Damn. A riddle. I hate riddles."

While Albrecht pulls on the door, Kelwyn looks around in case he can see anything particularly close to hand that it might be referring to. He hopes that Albrecht is right, and the door just needs a little tug, but if not...

[Bobthewizard]

Ralik

Ralik lets out a sigh of defeat. After all the time he had spent exploring ancient tombs, he should be better at these riddles. Why are there always riddles? He says to no one in particular.

He looks to the others but seeing that none of them have any immediate suggestions, he throws out a few ideas. "Light, darkness, blood, fire, water? Maybe we should try each of those."

He takes a bolt and makes a small cut on his hand, smears the blood on the ring, and tries to pull.

(Assuming this doesn't work) "Any other ideas?"

[deeselppa]

Kate:
Tucking a unlit torch under her elbow, she pulls out her tinderbox. “Damn, Ralik - that’s definitely the most hardcore option. If that doesn’t work, I’ll try the fire.”

[deeselppa]

Kate continues to think about the riddle.

“What do we keep close at hand, and can save your life on the road? If it’s something like a dagger, that might explain the chips and scratches in the ring.”

Kate puts away the tinderbox and torch, and then pulls out one of her trusty daggers from her boot. Being careful and precise, she sticks it through the ring, and gently pulls.

[Jaryn]

Kelwyn spins round and sees Kate sticking her dagger through the ring pull.

"Good call!"

He starts looking over his equipment to see what else he keeps close at hand, muttering to himself as he mentally runs through his inventory in case it doesn't work.

[Silk_and_Steel]

One after another all of the proposed ideas are attempted and one after anther they fail t produce a result. The door remains locked tight with no sign of opening.

[Jaryn]

"Damn!"

Kelwyn looks dismayed as the door refuses to open.

"What might avoid a fight in the road that we keep close at hand? Boots to run away? One's mouth? I mean, mine gets me both into and out of fights on a frequent basis..."

He grimaces slightly at the thought and goes up to the ring. He wipes it with sleeve before grasping it gingerly in his mouth and pulling.