Tavien (4e) IC: Knowledge is Power

[Great Dane]

At the sound of Vardin's worried dialogue, Erano retreats back to the mess hall, or what was left of it. Hearing him out, he mutters, All the more reason to fully flush this compound out before we report back.

Taking point, he once again continues down unexplored hallways which seemed to take them around the perimeter of the facility before presenting them with two options. At the T, Erano took the group south, then west before the hallways took the group north once again.

The drow felt he was drawing near to doorways, and the potential for sentience once again. He halted the group before checking the nearby door for traps as well as potential movement behind it.

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Stealth while sneaking around: (1d20+16)[22]
Perception on the door at CC14, followed by the door at Z7: (1d20+16)[27] and (1d20+16)[31]

[Ridai]

Anara's statement hits it's mark, cracking Mila up and laugh heartily. "Oh wow. I can totally see them looking at the corridors and saying 'so purty'!" Even as Vardin calls after them, Mila still checks out of room at the end, looking for something useful or shiny, before returning swiftly with her beloved friend.

"Yup, something's fishy." Mila doesn't look like that perturbs her in any way, though. Still, she nods to Vardin as he mentions sticking together and catches his eye with a encouraging smile as he worriedly looks into empty space. "Hey now, hun, we'll be alright. Come what will, we'll all get through this and then we'll sing and dance and laugh 'til the morning comes." Mila says with gentle confidence, her faith seemingly unshakable.

Staying close to Anara, the redhead follows Erano's lead down the long, sort of nonsensical corridors, briefly whispering to her friend ("Oh yeah, they sure love it in here.") and giggling quietly before turning her attention back to where they are going.

[Irish Musician]

Vardin Wildlore, Ranger & Cleric of Ioun

Vardin manages to crack a small smile at Mila's words, and look, and nods in agreement. Though he doesn't really seem to relax any. Before heading down the hallway, Vardin combines his axes together again and also picks up a torch that is still lit. He waits for his allies to head into the hallway and follows them in, last, to watch their backs.

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Perception down the hallway, JIC (1d20+16)[17](33)

[Sierim]

Erano

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The hallway off the barrack appears to be a large closet, with clothes, shoes, and trinkets being the primary belongings. The areas near the edge of the closet contain many damaged items, but beyond the first ten feet or so, the area seems to have simply been left in an unattended state, with a very light dusting.

Close to the center, you find several pitch casks (3).

Mila and Arana

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After leaving the mess hall, you find the way quickly appears ignored by the trolls. The only footprints in the dust are human and elven in size. The hallway leads to a small set of stairs with a shrine at the bottom. Upon the shrine are two removable sigils, and a small shard of silver. A wooden plaque sits on the front of the shrine: "In Memory of the Lost."

Helios

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You notice several oddities about the room. First, none of the weapons have any hint of blood on them, but neither do they appear polished. Instead, they appear to be splattered merely with dirt. Even a broken longsword nearby (apparently crushed by a troll's foot) shows no sign of drawing blood, though the print upon it indicates the troll stepped on its edge.

In addition, several holes, like those you saw in the main hallway, can be seen in the walls along the floor. Also worthy of note is the lack of any weapon smaller than a dagger. Given the number of beds, as well as the location of the outpost, pocket knives would be a given, and you haven't seen any thus far.

After the groups rejoin:

Erano, Mila, Vardin, and Anara (and Helios?)

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The hallway west and north from the mess hall is long and uneventful, save for a few carvings placed here and there (perhaps to break up the monotony), you reach the record room door. Here you find a small makeshift fire trap on the door. Given the lack of signs of entry, it would appear it has been sealed from the inside for some time, and the trolls made no attempt at entry.

[Paperscrap]

Mila's response - and subsequent laughter - seemed to spur a minor philosophical event within Anara's noggin. "Oh, I would like to hear a troll say such a thing! You know, Mila, I find them to be something fascinating. They are single minded and brutish, but still intelligent. I wonder if it is possible to strike peace with such creatures?"

As the pair neared the ending point, the archer quieted in preperation - at least until what lay at the end came into her sight. "Ah... it is a memorial?" Anara questioned of Mila as they came upon the small plaque , head bowing slightly out of respect to those lost. "Perhaps the path we walked had some meaning, then. It makes greater sense than architect trolls who design hallways too tiny for their size. At any rate, I think we should be doing the returning now - Vardin sounds worried."

Now that the party was moving into slightly more troll friendly territory, the ranger seemed prepared and alert - though not quite seriously enough to refrain from cracking an amused smile at Mila's comment. "For what it is worth, it does not seem as though they have made it into this room. This would have probably gone off if they had."

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If we're going to try and enter it and someone wants to attempt to disarm it, I'll use Crucial Advice if you get a less than desirable roll to let you roll again with a +5 modifier.

[Ridai]

Mila nods confidently at the prospect of peace. "Sure! Show them your strength to make them listen, give them a place of their own with enough food and go on from there. Very difficult, but not impossible. Though you shouldn't expect them to necessarily want to understand more 'cultured' concepts of thoughts. Baby steps." Mila makes air quotes at the word 'cultured', well aware that culture is just something the 'civilized' beings agreed upon.

"Yup." The redhead nods at seeing the shrine, briefly folding her hands and bowing her head in silence. "I don't think this was constructed before the shrine. Let's not keep the boys waiting. Well, more than is customary," she answers, briefly joking at the end. That is a concept that has come up a couple of times since they have met and Mila has been open about that there is indeed not much in a way of deeper meaning, sense or function to it.

"Could be." Moving to the front, Mila lays a hand on Erano's arm. "I'm pretty good with my fingers. Allow me." Mila retrieves her various tools and gets to work, probing the trap with them, working swiftly to find that sweet spot to disable it.

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I'd like to say that Crucial Advice is a great power name.

Thievery check with thieves' tools (1d20+15)[27] vs. 20
Crucial Advice reroll if Mila doesn't hit 20 (pretty much auto-success) (1d20+20)[23]

[Surrealistik]

Helios' visage darkens with apprehension the more closely he studies his surroundings in the barracks; it is clear the Mul finds something very much amiss about the place. After several moments of silent rumination, the templar's lips part to articulate his judgment.

"This just doesn't make sense. There's no struggle, no blood, no pocket knives or utility items that would be native to a place like this. Even the broken sword in the barracks clearly lacks blood despite its edge having been crushed underfoot... And these holes..."

He points out an array of recesses similar to those seen prior in the hallway; these ones are level with the floor.

"Just like those we'd noticed earlier. This place merits closer examination; I should agree with comrade Vardin's misgivings, for they are echoed in my own thoughts. Unless caught midst some illusion, there seems little doubt the outpost was abandoned, not assailed. I don't imagine any among us are capable of sensing arcane deception?"

The warrior does not wait on an answer, briskly moving adjacent to this latest set of holes. Once in position, Helios kneels adjacent to more closely investigate them, an everburning torch providing the necessary illumination.

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Perception vs Holes: (1d20+14)[32] (modify/increase accordingly if anyone's assisting)

[Sierim]

Mila
You disarm the trap with ease, and scavenge a vial of alchemist's fire in the process. Given the hasty nature of the trigger, clearly whoever made this trap had very little time to set it up, or very little concern that any would attempt to disarm it. With trolls about, it was likely both.

Helios

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As you peer into the hole, you hear the scuttling of claws against stone, and for a moment glimpse a tiny green humanoid creature standing erect. Seeing the torch, it scampers away with a squeak. You notice a small blade in its hand as it rounds a corner: a human sized hunting knife.

[Ridai]

"Nice," Mila says to herself as she retrieves the vial. With the trap removed, she just heads into the door, weapons sheathed.

[Surrealistik]

Helios seems arrested by his flitting observation, evidently equal parts pensive and stunned at what he had glimpsed, lips furling in reflection.

"Trollmites... Fascinating; I had almost thought them a myth, some far out scholar's theory; imagine them being real. I suppose it certainly does make sense..."

The templar's expression takes on a quality of amusement, a quizzical smile echoing the jovial wonderment of his inner thoughts. Those in attendance, he turns to, elaborating the nature of his findings.

"The absence of stray troll blood and flesh might be explained by their method of reproduction; you see, their ah..."

He pauses for a moment, eyes narrowed and contemplative, as though briefly unsure of the word or descriptor to use, forehead wrinkling with apparent disgust.

"...spawn grow from these remnants; this also seems to suggest some prior conflict to give rise to the mites. I had seen one peering out through the holes, grasping a knife. Presumably this is where all the smaller weaponry has gone to. Ware the gaps; they doubtlessly mean to spy on us from them... or perhaps even assail us should we present an opportunity or be adequately divided. We must regroup at once!"

[Sierim]

Inside the room is much like the hallways and areas apart from the mess hall and larder: void of signs of battle. However, unlike the other rooms, this contains a multitude of faint tiny footprints. These begin at holes like those earlier along the walls and lead toward or away from the northeast corner. There they jumble together around a pile of clothes.

This clothing appears to be remnants of robes, breaches, and shoes. Each piece is lacerated as if by hundreds of tiny claws or knives. The pile lies next to the corner of a table, as well as a heap of books strewn across the floor. Atop the table between toppled books is a pitch cask with a cracked side.

In the distance down the hall to your west and north, you can hear the scuttling of tiny claws on stone.

[Ridai]

"Poor guys," Mila says, picking up some of the cloth with the tip of her rapier for a moment. With her dagger-hand, she picks up the pitch cask so that the cracked side points upwards. "I'm having the most heartwarming ideas right now." She grins, knowing trouble is brewing.