[Game Thread] Chapter 2: The Haunting Horror

[DukeofTuring]

"If Lunigen's Lady thinks this place to be foul, I for one am inclined to trust her on the matter. It seems, however, that we have little choice but to spend the night in here. I have a tent, but it's only for one man, and I don't know if it would be wise to leave the horses in the rain for the night. I for one say we search the tunnels back there, seeing if we can find whatever is causing Lunigen such distress. We'll destroy anything corrupt we find, do our best to sanctify the place, and then spend the night here with the horses."

[Quadra Wield]

As Holly opens the door she feels relief that she wasn't proven wrong. She then turns back towards the party, "See? Told you didn't I. There was no monster behind the door trying to cut off my head." Holly makes a cutting motion with her hand across her neck. "I was probably wrong about it being some peasants' dwelling, gathering from all this dust and worked stone, but it's probably just some mine shaft, or maybe some old abandoned dwarf hold."

Holly looks at Marcus and frowns. "Still going on about that are you. Look, these tunnels are...probably safe. I'll prove it, seeing as how we are stuck in this cave all night." Holly takes a step through the door, into the tunnel, and

Dice Perception:

d20+4

(12)+4

Total = 16

observes the stone worked surroundings.

[Insacrum]

OOC Face Palm!

Ollona looks on as Holly reaches, and then subsequently opens the door. 'Why is it that when the magic users in the group say that a place is evil, a non-magic users has to try and prove otherwise!' Chompy reacts in kind, by trying to burrow further into Ollona's clothing.

"Holly, where did this need to prove us wrong come from?"

[dbaque]

As Holly opens the ominous door, Lunigen draws his magic blade & braces himself for whatever they may find. When no immediate peril seems intent on leaping upon them, the Bretonnian knight relaxes, but only slightly. He spares a glance at Holly, equal parts glare & confusion, apparently seconding Ollona's question.

"As he is wont, brother Marcus speaks wisely. The elements have trapped us here for now, & 'twould be folly to simply sleep here with this," pointing at the passageway, "beside us. We must be spelunking then; it's too long & dark to make anything out from here." Lunigen suggests as marching order: OOC: as if he'd ever recommend anyone else walking into danger before him himself, Grimnash, Marcus, Ollona, & Holly. Before they head inside, Lunigen pulls out a javelin & stabs it into the ground near the door to brace it open.

[DukeofTuring]

"I'm in agreement with Lunigen," Marcus blandly notes. Tying his powerful but cumbersome two-handed warhammer to his backpack with a leather thong, he draws a shield from his backpack and a dagger from his belt, equipping both. "Even if it is an old mine shaft, Holly, that's no guarantee some creature or being hasn't turned it into something else. Just get in the back of the column and we can go down there and check in force."

[Quadra Wield]

"Look, I just think you guys are over reacting that's all, but fine, we can play it safe." Holly frowns before nonchalantly placing herself in the the marching order, expecting no resistance down the tunnel.

[Insacrum]

Ollona gets up from the illusionary warmth provided by the fire, and gets herself ready for a fight, real or not. She manages to get Chompy out from within her clothing, and back into his usual perch atop of her backpack. "Perhaps I should be closer to the middle. If something manages to get behind us, it would help to have a solid body, like Marcus, able to intercept easily."

She just didn't want to say out loud that she currently didn't trust Holly, so Ollona tried to find a valid excuse to not be the one next to her at the back of the line.

[punkrockguy]

Letting out a sharp chuckle when people mention possible dangers Grimnash walk through the door way to take the lead. "I'll take lead, i've most likely forgotten more about being underground than you lot will ever learn." With that Grimnash takes a look at the walls either side of him and then sets off down the passage way.

[dbaque]

At Ollona's & Grimnash's counsels, Lunigen reluctantly nods in agreement. The knight was none too keen about letting others brave dangers before him, but: "Aye, a vanguard would behoove us." He lets the dwarf take lead & puts himself in between Ollona & Holly, close enough to move to support front or back as needed. Lunigen leaves his fine sword in its scabbard & draws one of his javelins, following down the dark tunnels.

 

New marching order: Grimnash, Marcus, Ollona, Lunigen, Holly.

[darthcharon]

You walk down the narrow tunnels for about five full minutes, the narrow walls seeming to close in on you constantly. Strangely, the structure seems to be getting newer as you travel down. Though the architecture doesn't seem to change, as you go down the wood seems less worn by time, there are fewer spiders, and moss becomes almost nonexistent. By the time you reach the end, it looks almost as if the supports were installed yesterday. At first, upon arriving at this point, you believe it was a dead end, but then you notice a small wooden trapdoor just above you.

[dbaque]

While the tunnel's gloom was of little concern to the dhampir's nightvision, the enclosed spaces were oppressive & made the knight long for the open fields of his country. "What the dwarves see in this, I'll never know," he wonders. Tack on that prickly feeling of malice about him, & you had a very unhappy knight.

Once they reach the trapdoor, Lunigen

Dice Perception:

d20+2

(5)+2

Total = 7

peers at the trapdoor for anything of interest & turns on his Detect Evil (sp)magical senses in its direction to try to discern anything beyond the pervasive, lingering malevolence. "Well, master dwarf," he addresses Grimnash, "'tis your call."

[DukeofTuring]

Marcus was clearly bothered by the strangely recent work on the tunnel, but the priest still seemed passive in his behavior, if ready for danger. Occasionally calling on his god for aid, the priest glows with a stark and unusual light, although perhaps a comforting light to some in the unfamiliar confines of the tunnels. "If nobody else wishes to attempt it, I'll open and pass through the trap door," he offers. "If not, I think Grimnash or Lunigen should go through, made of stern stuff as they are."

[Insacrum]

Ollona was not happy with the situation she was currently in. Elves were not enthralled with being underground. Chompy was even less happy, as he continued to paw and scratch at Ollona's backpack. "I'm not really sure who is best suited to going through unknown holes, with little preparation." Ollona remarks somewhat sarcastically.

[punkrockguy]

Running his fingers along parts of the wall as they move down the passage way a sensation of un-ease settles upon Grimnash hmmm, not dwarf workmanship, thats for sure, but there are hints of dwarf styling, perhaps a dwarf was hired to draw up the blueprints. "This certainly the handywork of humans, plans are dwarven but the stonework isn't."

Once the group reach the trapdoor Grimnash offers to go through first, as he has most fighting experiance underground and may be the best choice.

[dbaque]

Ready to be out of these tunnels, Lunigen urges him on: "Go ahead, Grimnash; let's see whither this leads."