Cauldron, Part 7
12/12/07
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Ethkin sits with his back to the corner of the wall. He awakens, sences his companions, and tries to sense through the walls at his back...
Jiona continues watching the opening, wary for any of those other creatures, but in the meantime uses her spear to drive away any of the spiders that attempt to cross through that she can spot.
* The room holds fifteen cots and fifteen small chests, all covered in cobwebs and dust. None of the chests appear to be locked.
* There is a small opening in the wall on the west that Jiona made, and a door on the northern wall bearing another strange rune.
Rayne breathes in and out in a deep rhythmic pattern, sound asleep.
DM says, "Ethkin wakes first."
Calico meditates, and purrs like a very relaxed kitty.
DM says, "... to find Rayne standing watch."
DM retcons.
DM says, "So.. everyone konked out except Jiona."
Ethkin is trying to sence through the walls at his back, regardless of what order he awakens in.
DM says, "Her watch passes rather uneventfully. You hear noises as of creatures moving about distantly. But nothing you can see from your position."
DM supposes that should have been paged.
DM says, "Man, two weeks go by and I forget how to run game."
Calico finishes her daily meditation, and takes second watch.
DM asks, "Calico is an elf?"
Calico says, "cleric."
Jiona's ears flicker slightly this way and that as she picks up faint noises of things moving in the distance, but nothing that appears to be an immediate threat. After she judges the right amount of time passes, she goes to awaken Calico, only to discover that she's already awake. "Pretty quiet," she tells the cat, keeping her voice low. "Stuff moving far away, but nothing nearby. I can block the hole, but I'm having second thoughts, despite the spiders. The air in here is still rather stale."
Calico says, "I also like to breath."
Calico takes up a position by the hole.
Jiona shows a faint smile. "Can't argue with that," she replies with a nod, then moves her cloak-turned-bedroll farther away from the hole, and soon dozes off, leaving the opening as it is.
Calico stumbles over to wake Ethkin, "something's outside."
Calico shakes Ethkin, trying to wake him without making noise.
Ethkin nods, "Two of them, at least."
Ethkin whispers the last.
Calico returns to the hole and watches and listens.
Calico considers casting 'comprehend language'.
Ethkin follows Calico to the whole, and spends a Spirit point to focus his senses a bit...
- to the hole
Ethkin whispers just loud enough for Jiona to hear, "Get ready."
Calico wakes the others.
Jiona's tail and ears begin twitching some time after she falls asleep, and shortly afterwards she begins shifting around rather more restlessly.
Calico gently shakes.
Rayne sits up abruptly, sword instantly in hand and pressed against Calico's torso, eyes wide but unfocused.
Rayne stares groggily for a moment as his eyes readjust, and then lowers his sword from Calico, muttering an apology.
Calico hisses in surprise.
Calico says, "we have company."
Tillandor yawns as he sits up, and starts, "Wha-?" before catching the tenseness of the room.
Ethkin mutters, "Next time, just toss a peble at him..."
* An exclamation comes from the other room in a language most of you don't understand. There is some shuffling and another exclaimation.
Jiona seems to calm down just the tiniest bit when Ethkin speaks, but she only awakens when Calico shakes her with a soft noise of surprise. Her eyes are also wide, and touched with more than a bit of panic, but she starts visibly calming down almost immediately, except for the rapid rise-and-fall of her chest as she tries to get her breathing back under control. "...Uh? Where... What?" she asks, rather disjointedly.
- pebble
Calico says, "company outside."
Rayne looks around warily and as the noise enters the room, he gets up quietly off the cot, sword still in hand.
Tillandor whispers, "Sounds like they've found our handiwork."
DM says, "Initiative."
* Calico rolls 1f20+dex: 9,5 = 14.
* Tillandor rolls 1f20+2: 16,2 = 18.
* Rayne rolls 1f20+3: 3,3 = 6.
Jiona manages to get most of a hold on herself, and readies her spear, nodding to Calico. Only the agitated twitching of her tail gives away how on-edge she still is.
* Jiona rolls 1f20+3: 15,3 = 18.
* Ethkin rolls 1d20+3: 3,3 = 6.
DM says, "Go Jiona"
Ethkin sighs, "Well, I DID just wake up, but really!"
- Perhaps it's the manner in which she woke up, but Jiona manages to move first, moving up alongside Calico to determine what is approaching. She also makes sure to leave space for Rayne, in case whatever it is crosses through the narrow tunnel. She also readies herself to stab at whatever tries to come through first.
* Some light is shining in through the hole from a torch in the other room. The light is dim, and wavering, but is enough to not stumble over a cot.
* One of the two creatures (the one with the torch, the light purple square) looks up into Jiona's and leaps back five feet in surprise, shaking.
- eyes?
* The second creature looks up to it's companion, then pulls out a dagger and looks around.
DM says, "Yeah, eyes. Whoops."
DM says, "Tillandor, go."
* The first creature shouted when leaping back, by the way.
Tillandor moves along the wall near to Calico and whispers, "They've seen us!" Then holds his action.
Calico casts Summon Monster 1, Celestial Cat.
DM says, "As a note... the grid on the map is 5 feet per square."
DM says, "Go Rayne"
Calico directs the monster to attack.
DM says, "Ah, sorry. Thought the summon was the action. Forgot you can make it do something."
- the Celestial cat charges through the hole and makes a full attack on the nearer enemy.
* DM rolls 1f20-2: 11,-2 = 9.
* The cat leaps at the creature, but the creature manages to dodge out of the way and the cat lands on a cot.
Calico says, "weapons finess on the claws."
DM huhs, and looks at the character again.
DM says, "Ah, sorry. And two attacks, even."
DM says, "Read the wrong spot."
* DM rolls 1f20+4: 5,4 = 9.
DM says, "Eesh. both miss anyway."
DM says, "Rayne and Ethkin go."
Rayne, holding his sword with one hand, moves his other in an unnatural gesture and a faint mystical light envelops him as he says something in a strange tongue, "Maen'ae, artifice!" Rayne then moves over to the opening and shifts the position of his legs to assume his fighting pose.
* A shimmer seems to hover in front of Rayne, flitting in and out of reality.
Ethkin spends a Spirit point and tries to make the darker purple cube next to the (cat) fearful.
Tass has connected.
* DM rolls 1f20+2: 3,2 = 5
DM says, "Thought I'd share that."
* The creature looks at the cat and prepares to back up...
DM says, "Roll initiative."
* Rayne rolls 1f20+3: 4,3 = 7.
* Tillandor rolls 1f20+2: 16,2 = 18.
* Jiona rolls 1f20+3: 8,3 = 11.
* Calico rolls 1f20+dex: 18,5 = 23.
DM says, "Calico go."
* Ethkin rolls 1f20+3: 8,3 = 11.
- Celestial cat makes another claw attack.
* DM rolls 1f20+4: 4,4 = 8.
* DM rolls 1f20+4: 16,4 = 20.
Calico holds behind the hole.
Tillandor backs away from the hole, to make room for anyone else who might actually plan to go through it.
* The cat hisses at the creature and gets in a nasty slice on it's arm. The creature yowls in pain, clutching at the bloody scratches.
DM asks, "That your action, Tillandor?"
- Calin says, "Yep. Not much else to do."
* DM rolls 1d2-4: It doesn't really matter. It will always be a 1 because it is the minimum damage.
Ethkin will be holding his actions untill anything comes through that hole that we don't want.
DM says, "Go Ethkin... oh. Okay."
DM says, "Go Jiona."
Jiona decides she's waited long enough, and steps through the hole, confident of being able to hold her own for at least a little while. She also uses the opportunity to take a closer look at these creatures, as they seem different in mannerisms from what they have encountered thus far. She holds her action after moving into the corner, not wanting to interfere with anyone else that wants to pass through, but prepared to retaliate if attacked.
Rayne noting the creature's distance from the hole, quickly vaults himself through the opening using a free hand to steady himself as he makes his way through. He stands next to Jiona with his sword at the ready, and gives her a nod of assurance.
* The creatures are small dark-skinned humanoids, about halfling height. They wear baggy, loose-fitting black cloth, worn as wraps. Both of them have a dagger in hand, and wear a crossbow on their backs. Their heads are small and wrinkly with piercing orange catlike eyes. They have no hair.
* As Rayne prepares to step through the hole, the farthest creature draws his crossbow, apparently already set and ready, and fires at him.
* DM rolls 1f20+3: 8,3 = 11.
* The bolt whizzes by Rayne's arm, clattering into the wall near Tillandor.
Tillandor starts, eyes wide.
Ethkin notes that the 'bowman' is on the fringe of his range...
Tillandor edges out of range, and continues holding unless anything comes through.
- Else. Anything else.
* The second creature backs away from the cat in fear, then looks up to see the new arrivals in the room. It bares black encrusted yellowing teeth and growls.
DM says, "New initiative."
* Calico rolls 1f20+dex: 9,5 = 14.
* Rayne rolls 1f20+3: 3,3 = 6.
* Tillandor rolls 1f20+2: -10,2 = -8.
* DM rolls 1f20+2: 5,2 = 7.
* Jiona rolls 1f20+3: 19,3 = 22.
* Ethkin rolls 1f20+3: 15,3 = 18.
DM says, "Go Jiona"
Jiona, seeing one fire at Rayne, and fortunately miss - unaware of Tillandor's close call - decides holding back is no longer necessary. Moving down a few feet, she then charges the one that is not occupied with Calico's summoned cat.
DM says, "You'd have to either hop over some cots, or risk AOEs."
DM says, "Er... AoOs."
Jiona wasn't aware there was anything else in the way there. All right, then she'll just move up and make a standard two-handed attack.
DM paints in cots as green squares.
* Jiona rolls 1f20+3: 7,3 = 10.
DM says, "Ethkin go"
Ethkin takes a five foot step back.
DM asks, "Okiedoke. That it?"
DM says, "Calico go."
Ethkin says, "Untill something attacks in here, yes."
- the cat, here for 2 rounds already, disappears.
Calico slips through the hole, stands, and throws her dagger at the wounded enemy.
* Calico rolls 1f20+dex+1+1: 30,5,1,1 = 37.
DM says, "Roll damage."
* Calico rolls 1d3: 2.
* Calico rolls 1f20+dex+1+1: 6,5,1,1 = 13.
* The dagger flies and hits the creature while it reels in surprise from seeing the cat vanish. The dagger strikes the creature in the thigh and it staggers a little.
* The second dagger skitters across the floor after the creature manages to sidle out of the way.
Calico was trying to back a critical.
DM says, "Oh."
DM says, "Well, that missed."
Tillandor approaches the opening, and peers out.
* The creature drops it's crossbow and steps to the side drawing it's dagger and swiping at Jiona.
* DM rolls 1f20+2: 9,2 = 11.
* The creature nearly stumbles on the cot it didn't see and its swing goes wide.
* The other creature makes a run for the tunnel.
DM supposes there
DM says, "is a torch lying on the floor at the x."
DM says, "Go Rayne"
Rayne yells out, "Oh no you aren't getting away that easy!"
Rayne puts his head down, touches his holy symbol, and charges headfirst at the opponent in the tunnel.
Rayne may need to retcon.
Rayne retcons his action.
Rayne moves forward with graceful ease and shoves his sword forward at the creature attempting to impale it.
* Rayne rolls 1f20+4: 19,4 = 23.
* Rayne rolls 2d6+6: 6,1,6 = 13.
Rayne thrusts the sword through the creatures ribs and lifts it off the ground with a yell. He holds the creature at length the the breadth of a second then smashes the creature into the cot with a swing shouting, "Out of my way!"
Rayne corrects at length for the breadth of a second.
* After the creature's body falls to the floor, an eerie silence fills the air.
Tillandor peeks his head out of the opening. "Is it over?"
Calico says, "for the moment."
Calico digs the dagger from the hand of the fallen enemy.
Tillandor fetches his backpack from the cot where he slept, and emerges into the battlefield.
Rayne takes off running down the tunnel.
Calico follows Rayne, a bit more cautiously.
Ethkin follows his senses, and the wall, squeezes through the hole, and asks, "Where's Rayne?"
Tillandor picks up the fallen torch and holds it high, peering after Calico and Rayne. "He took off after a fleeing..."
Tillandor asks, "What the heck are those things?"
Ethkin asks, "And Calico?"
Tillandor says, "Her too."
Jiona looks on in amazement as Rayne demolishes the creature in front of her - it'll take her a while to get used to that - then, as Rayne runs down the tunnel after the fleeing one, she tilts her head, her ears visibly perking up. "...Odd," she says after a few moments.
Tillandor inspects the remains, searching his memory for any clues as to its species.
* Tillandor rolls 1f20+9: 18,9 = 27.
Tillandor frowns. "Huh."
Ethkin pipes up, "You guys notice that?"
Tillandor says, "Not what I expected. Dark Creepers don't usually speak Undercommon."
Jiona shakes her head, then focuses on what Tillandor is doing. "Any idea what those things are?" she asks him, propping her spear back up into its normal walking-stick position.
Jiona also looks puzzled, then glances over at Ethkin, guessing, "You mean the sounds stopping? I just did."
Tillandor asks, "Sounds?"
Calico returns to the rest of the group.
Ethkin nods, "Yeah."
Tillandor says, "The magic music boxes."
Tillandor says, "Hmm."
Jiona details, "The children-like sounds we heard when we first came in. They stopped."
Ethkin says, "Right when Rayne clobbered that one Creeper."
Tillandor turns his eye upon the creeper again, looking for magical traces.
DM says, "The Masks were making sounds earlier and all through the night... you had just kinda started tuning it out, really."
* Tillandor rolls 1f20+11: 13,11 = 24.
Jiona takes a moment to scent the fallen creature again, so it will stick in her memory, then looks up when Calico returns alone. "Where's Rayne?" she asks, sounding just a touch worried.
Calico says, "fork in the tunnel."
Tillandor says, "Well, it was through no property of this creature, that I can determine."
Calico says, "trying to chase down the one who got away."
Ethkin puzzles, "Rayne is stuck to a fork? In the tunnle?"
Calico elaberates, "I left him at a fork, suggesting we get the rest of you."
Tillandor says, "I'd like to take a look at the masks in the other room before we proceed, if you don't mind."
Ethkin blinks, "Oh... Sorry."
Ethkin fumbles his way to the tunnle.
Ethkin bumps a cot, "Ow..."
Jiona nods to Calico, then to Tillandor. "I'll wait here for you," she says to her friend. "Ethkin, Calico... make sure Rayne doesn't get into trouble while waiting. Those creatures may well have accomplices in there."
Ethkin picks up the torch...
DM checks something....
DM says, "Hold on."
Tillandor already picked it up.
Ethkin says, "MN"
Ethkin moves to the tunnel and follows Calico.
Calico heads to where she left Rayne.
Tillandor heads into the larger room, and inspects the late source of the sound again.
- spellcraft again.
Tillandor says, "Oop... Supposed to be a page, that."
* Tillandor rolls 1f20+11: 2,11 = 13.
Ethkin marvels at his ability to detect the rock around him as he goes...
Calico wonders at Rayne running on, and waits for Ethkin.
Tillandor returns to Jiona, wearing a frown.
Calico says, "Probably went south, the direction I tracked the one who got away."
Tillandor says, "It was a spell of permanency. But... it expired."
Ethkin navigates the turns in the tunnel 'almost' like a sighted person. He gets to Calico, "Where's Muscles?"
Tillandor asks, "Well, a mystery for later I suppose. Where have those others gotten off to?"
Jiona meets Tillandor's frown with her head curiously tilted, having stood ready and waiting for him. "You seem perturbed," she comments. "What'd you find?"
Tillandor says, "Permanency spells do _not_ wear off."
Calico pauses at the next fork, "where'd the muscled fool get to?"
* Rayne, Calico and Ethkin all meet at the fork.
Ethkin asks, "Rayne. What ya find?"
Tillandor asks, "Shall we?" and proceeds down the corridor.
Rayne says, "Nothing. I need at least a little light to navigate."
Rayne says, "And I left my pack and armor in the other room."
Calico heads back to the first fork.
* Some light comes from the corridor to the west... but seems like starlight.
Ethkin chuckles, "Welcome to my world, as of ten years ago."
Rayne heads back to their resting place.
Jiona scratches contemplatively at the side of her muzzle. "I'd think not," she agrees. "Very... curious." She nods again to him, and starts walking down the corridor, moving a bit faster than usual to try to catch up.
Ethkin stays at the new fork and tries to scan the area with his new found senses.
Tillandor ponders more as he walks, and suddenly looks up in surprise. "I need to talk to Rayne."
Rayne answers, "Yes?"
Rayne walks around the corner.
Tillandor starts. "Oh, there you are."
* Tillandor rolls 1f20+11: 4,11 = 15.
Tillandor glances at Rayne's sword.
Rayne raises an eyebrow in puzzlement.
Rayne asks, "What is it Till?"
Jiona waits expectantly, nodding to Rayne when he shows up, and clearly wonders what Tillandor suddenly thought of.
Calico is torn between yelling after Ethkin and not attracting attention.
Tillandor asks, "Huh. Rayne, I need to ask you... Is there any reason I would want to keep my magical items away from you?"
Rayne suddenly rubs his eyes with his free hand, still holding his sword in the other, the apparent excitement of the situation melting away.
Rayne yawns.
Ethkin whispers to Calico, "More baddies to the South. Something, odd, about that passage to the West."
Rayne gives Tillandor a very puzzled look. "Not that I am aware of."
Rayne asks, "Why do you ask?"
Tillandor asks, "So you had nothing to do with dispelling or otherwise negating that magical sound?"
Calico walks to the others and relays, "Ethkin says more company south, and something curious in a tunnle forking west."
Rayne frowns and thinks for a moment.
Rayne says, "The only thing I did was kill that creature."
Tillandor nods, with a suspicious look on his face. "Ok."
Jiona is a bit surprised by the sudden change in Rayne, but continues listening quietly to their conversation. Their voices also drown out any chance she might have had at hearing the distant whisper.
Rayne says, "Excuse me, I will be right back. My armor is still in the other room."
DM chuckles.
Rayne begins walking past Tillandor and Jiona to recover his equipment.
Tillandor moves aside and lets Rayne past.
Jiona does the same, giving Tillandor another puzzled look.
Tillandor explains to Jiona (and anyone else overhearing), "This is not the first time we've observed magical effects when that sword is used."
Tillandor says, "Or more precisely, when Rayne uses his sword."
Ethkin hmms at Till's theory.
Calico rummages her knowledge of spellcraft, suspecting some divine enchantment on Rayne's sword.
* Calico rolls 1f20+1: 7,1 = 8.
Jiona idly runs a hand through her hair while thinking that over. "Hmm," she muses. "Something worth keeping an eye out for, although you notice that sort of thing far better than I do. My talents lie in different directions, as you well know."
Rayne grabs his things, dons his armor, and then returns to the group.
Tillandor nods. "Oh, I will keep an eye on it. Two eyes, as often as I can spare them."
Jiona nods to Tillandor, then very obviously looks over as Rayne begins to return, before he can wander into typical earshot. To Calico and Ethkin, she changes the subject, asking, "Did you find anything else down those tunnels?"
Rayne comes back up the tunnel, chainmail on and pack resting comfortably on his shoulders.
Calico's tummy rumbles a bit, "anyone for breakfast?"
Rayne yawns uncontrollably. "I would prefer to finish sleeping if these creatures would give us a moments rest."
DM says, "You're all still a bit tired, as you didn't get a full night's sleep... rather only about 3-6 hours."
Tillandor says, "I have to agree with you."
Ethkin is actually feeling fine. "I'll take a single watch if ya'll need a few more winks," he suggests.
Calico says, "if we rest, I suggest not the same place."
Rayne ponders all of this groggily and then suggests, "Well we could have Jiona seal up the hole only partway until we are done resting. Then reopen it when we are ready to proceed."
Jiona looks interested at the sound of breakfast. "I wouldn't mind eating a bit and then catching up on the remainder of our sleep," she replies. "But I could use a bit more myself. I... didn't sleep quite as well as I'd hoped," she admits. "As far as safety goes, I can still seal up the wall this time."
Jiona realizes only an instant later that Rayne said the same thing, and she gives him a quick smile. "Right."
Rayne nods and grins saying, "Well if we are all agreed, lets go back and finish our rest. We are going to need it." he finishes with a glance down the corridor.
Ethkin remembers something from his own days at an orphanage, "Snack and Nap Time, kids"
Calico says, "Fair enough, as I haven't had any real sleep yet."
Rayne turns and begins walking back to their 'room.'
Calico takes up the rear of the line.
Jiona laughs softly at Ethkin's statement, then follows after Rayne.
Rayne steps carefully back into the room, sets his pack next to his cot, and removes his armor once again making ready for sleep.
Ethkin offers 'ladies first' to Jiona when Calico takes the rear.
Tass has disconnected.
Jiona grins to Ethkin, and gives his shoulder a companionable pat, taking the offered lead.
* You all make it back into the room rather uneventfully (barring maybe having to hop over the bloodstains.)
DM says, "Tillandor still has the torch, yes/"
Tillandor does have the torch.
Rayne wipes his sword clean, sharpening it with a whetstone before he sets it near his cot and climbs into his bedroll.
Calico resumes her former cot, curls up, and sleeps.
- As does Tillandor.
Ethkin'looks' at the torch. He can 'see' it. He tries to feel any power coming from it.
Tillandor must have put the torch down at some point. Perhaps handed it to an interested companion?
DM asks, "Why would you have?"
Jiona waits for everyone else to return before partially sealing the entrance with a one-foot thick wall of melded stone. Only afterwards does she take up her original position on her cloak, which she left here, and settles back in to sleep again.
Ethkin keps much as he did before, only in the opposite corner near the hole, and he has no intention of sleeping.
Tillandor says, "Because I went to bed, DM."
Tillandor says, "And I am not that sort of wizard."
DM blinks... OOC.
Ethkin says, "I'll take the torch Tillandor. I wanna try something."
Tillandor handed off the torch before crawling into his cot.
Ethkin takes the toarch and settles where indicated.
Rayne is quickly asleep again, this time snoring lightly.
DM says, "Unless Ethkin wishes to do anything in particular..."
Ethkin keeps an ear open for movement in the tunnles, and his 'Life Force' sense. Meanwhile, he focuses on the torch.
DM says, "Your watch (~3 hours?) passes uneventfully... except that eventually you notice the giggling started again."
DM says, "You aren't too sure when it started up, but it's going."
Ethkin hmmms to himself about that.
DM asks, "Whatcha doing Ethkin? Waking up folks? Doing anything before end of watch?"
Ethkin tries to focus on the power in the flames. It feels, 'intersting'. He tries to dose it at one point, then relight it with any power he gained.
Calico grumbles, "I already took a watch."
Ethkin is taking a 'watch'.
Calico asks, "morning already?"
Ethkin says, "Take a cat nap Calico. I'll keep an eye on ya'll... so to speak."
Calico rolls over and waits for everyone else to be ready to get up.
Calico is not a morning person.
Tillandor blinks his eyes.
Jiona awakens from a considerably more restful sleep, and stretches with a yawn at the nudging. "Time to get up?" she murmurs to whomever nudged her.
Rayne blinks his eyes and opens them slowly this time to see Ethkin standing over him.
Tillandor asks, "Ethkin? What's up?"
Ethkin asks, "It's been a few hours, who wants to find orphans?"
Rayne eyes pop open fully awake at the sound of rescuing children.
Calico's stomache rumbles.
Rayne sits upright in his makeshift bed, pulls his feet out and sets them on the floor.
Rayne says, "Alright, we have waited long enough I suppose. We should get a move on."
Jiona stretches again, then nods, sitting up and gathering her cloak back into her backpack. "Agreed. Breakfast would be wonderful, but it might be best to snack on the way."
Calico mumbles, "breakfast."
Tillandor gathers his things. "Indeed. Let's not have any more fights in the next room."
Ethkin hears a kitty's tummy rumble and gets out some of his rations, "Good idea." *munch-munch*
Rayne says, "Rations for me, the sooner we get a move on, the sooner we can come back with children in tow and at our leisure."
Rayne opens his pack, grabs out some trail rations and begins munching quickly.
Calico rummages rations from her pack to nibble on.
Jiona starts to reach into her own pack before realizing she doesn't actually have any rations with her. She puts her pack back on, looking slightly embarassed as everyone else begins eating.
Ethkin still has an apple, and offers it to jiona.
Calico looks at Jiona without food, "think the way back through the lock shop is clear?"
Jiona brightens, and thanks Ethkin for the apple, happily accepting it.
Rayne seeing the exchange, digs out a few days worth of rations and hands it to Jiona. "Wouldn't do to have you go hungry during our expedition now would it?"
Rayne seeing Tillandor not eating, asks "Tillandor did you bring any supplies with you?"
Jiona looks embarrassed again at Rayne's charity, but not unappreciative. "Thanks. I admit I'm not really prepared for an expedition like this one. I never had a great need for money, and most food I could find out in the woods easily enough."
Tillandor laments, "Alas, I understand too well. While I do have money, food was always plentiful in the city."
Rayne nods slowly, taking full measure of Jiona's words.
Rayne shakes his head and says, "I know you studied well, but I thought for certain you would have remembered lessons on supplies on logistics for battle."
Rayne hands Tillandor a few days of rations as well.
Tillandor abashedly says, "Thanks buddy. We didn't really take much time to plan this expedition."
Rayne says, "I understand, I always kept it in case of emergency."
Rayne says, "I can't feed all of us for a week though, so either we wrap this up in a few days time or we are gonna have to go back for more supplies."
Calico says, "I could always go for roast rat if we caught any."
Jiona nods to Rayne, "That's a good idea. We'll want to be careful, though. Ghelve was going for the local law last time, if they haven't seen the signs and carted him off by now."
Rayne makes a slightly disgusted face at the sound of roasted rodent.
Tillandor says, "Let's move on for now, but keep in mind our limits."
Ethkin glances at Calico, "Nah, rats are better stewed, ya ask me."
Calico says, "hm, whatever."
Rayne glances at the remaining portion of his rations, clearly losing his appetite.
Calico continues munching.
Ethkin muches as well.
Rayne puts his food away in his pack, carefully wrapped as to not fall out, and then starts getting ready to move out.
Tillandor packs the remaining gift-rations in his pack, and also prepares to go.
Jiona quickly chews her way through the apple - clearly, the discussion of rats doesn't affect her appetite at all - and she stands up with her spear in walking-stick position. "When we're ready, I'll open the passage again."
Calico puts away what she hasn't eaten, ready to snack later.
Ethkin stands, "I'm ready."
Rayne stands up and nods to Jiona. "Lets go."
Jiona nods to the party in general, then moves over to the wall and makes a gesture. The entranceway clears once again.
Calico sits facing the hole, and nods to Jiona.
Rayne holds the handle of his sword with his right hand, ready to face whatever might be out there.
Tillandor heads into the death room.
Rayne follows Tillandor, surprised at his willingness to take the lead.
Calico follows, deciding Tillander should not take the lead and get almost kiled again.
* The remains of your previous battles litter this room of cots.
Calico glances at the dropped crossbow.
Rayne asks, "Calico, can you pick up the scent from where we left off?"
* The crossbow lays on the floor, with just a little bit of blood on it from the most recently demolished creeper.
Calico says, "I can try.", and takes the lead down the tunnel.
Rayne follows closely behind Calico, eagerly anticipating a direction.
Calico hefts the crossbow, and leaves it as a bit too heavy at the moment.
Tillandor follows.
Calico heads down the tunnel towards the first fork.
Jiona follows after Calico into the first room. Hearing Rayne's suggestion, she also practices at following the scent of these creatures, trailing after Tillandor.
DM whoopses and repaints.
Ethkin follows the lights in his darkness down the tunnel he only just learned to precieve...
Calico pauses and sniffs, "Ethkin, how would you describe what you saw down this west tunnel?"
Ethkin pauses, and considers, "I... Well, I don't quite know how to describe it. There's something... er... 'broken' about it... "
Calico looks and listens, "birds, starlight?"
Tillandor asks, "About this tunnel?"
Rayne raises an eyebrow in puzzlement and curiosity, mixing at the same time. "Broken?"
Tillandor peers down the tunnel.
* Tillandor rolls 1f20+11: -10,11 = 1.
Calico says, "I think the creeper went south, but I want to check this side tunnel first."
Tillandor shrugs a bit. "Seems fine to me."
Jiona also takes a look, and a sniff.
Tillandor says, "Though maybe if I got closer..."
Calico tries to identify the bird calls, knowledge nature.
* Calico rolls 1f20+4: 30,4 = 34.
Rayne accompanies Tillandor, also curious as to the nature of the tunnel.
Jiona looks rather taken aback. "It smells like... forest. Almost exactly like where I generally live."
Calico says, "immitation bird calls. I'm guessing like the laughter."
DM reluctantly puts on the parking brake.