Pt. 5: The Journey to White Mountain

No one is currently in combat, so don't worry about initiative.

Feel free to make knowledge-based checks, or just state what your characters are doing to explore the area. Be specific.


Traveler knocks on the door. He hears no reply.

MAS wrote:John Henry wanders into a position to support the others, his railroad hammer perched casually over one shoulder.

"John, go grab the cyclops club in Oli's wagon, he said it was enchanted with extra bone-breaking might."

Arcturus2 wrote:Traveler decides to investigate the area. Something inside him warns him to be wary of the henge, so he will start with the cabin.

Quietly to Virgil,

"Sheriff Virgil, please cover me."

Activate bracelet of DR+4

Traveler slowly approaches the cabin door. Although it appears abandoned, he will knock just in case..

"Hello? Anyone home?"

to Traveler, "I got a bad feeling about this, but I got yer back."  LaFett has his Spencer drawn.  He pulls down his wolf mask and circles the outside of the cabin, inside the fence, keeping the door and Traveler in his sights.

Robyo wrote:
Feel free to make knowledge-based checks, or just state what your characters are doing to explore the area. Be specific.
Traveler knocks on the door. He hears no reply.

Virgil tries to get a look at the small cemetery behind the cabin, while keeping LOS on Traveler.

Perception
Roll(1d20)+14:
10,+14
Total:24

Arcana
Roll(1d20)+8:
12,+8
Total:20

Detect Evil at the end of his movement, since it has a 30ft range, and he moved 30ft, this would be a new area.  ideally, he is scanning an area before he walks into it on the following turn.

Robyo wrote:No one is currently in combat, so don't worry about initiative.

Feel free to make knowledge-based checks, or just state what your characters are doing to explore the area. Be specific.

Traveler:

"Thank you, sherriff."

Traveler knocks on the door. He hears no reply.

Monk listens carefully at the door. He hears nothing. He turns and gives Virgil a shrug...

Monk will carefully walk around to the back of the cabin, staying LOS with Virgil.

He looks for a back door to the cabin. Does he see one?

He examines the small cemetery.  What is the condition of the cemetery?  Are the stones broken? Is the general appearance run down or unkempt, or is it well tended? Any flowers or tokens present? Are any of the graves fresh or obviously disturbed?

Who is buried here?

Is anything unusual?

Perception check: 1d20+11 (14+11)=25

Oli will use detect magic in similar fashion to virgil's scan.  

Virgil will move with Traveler closer to the cemetery, pinging ahead of his path with Detect Evil  

"one ping only, Vasily"

Arcturus2 wrote:
Are any of the graves fresh or obviously disturbed?

hopefully not from the inside   

"Oh yeah....that fancy hammer might suit me fine. Maybe Ill try them boots too."

John retrieves the hammer, and puts on the boots of flying.

Chirs2 wrote:

Arcturus2 wrote:
Are any of the graves fresh or obviously disturbed?

hopefully not from the inside   

That was kind of my concern..  

Religion Check:

Roll(1d20)+2:
16,+2
Total:18

John Henry retrieves the crusher club (it's not a hammer) and the winged boots.

The cabin does not have a back door, or any windows. There is a small stable attached to the side of the cabin.

Traveler and Virgil Perception checks yield a speck of movement behind one of the cemetery stones. The grass is long and the area does appear unkempt. In fact the whole area has the look of abandonment.

Virgil still has not detected fiends or undead.

The stone circle appears to Oli to have faint magical properties.

"You guys ready to mosey yet?" Klandor asks, somewhat nervous.

Bluetwig watches the sky with interest. "There appears to be the onset of a solar eclipse," he remarks. "Such odd weather and phenomena lately. Perhaps, Klandor is right. We should be going, before it gets too dark."

Traveler Monk is still curious about the scene.. he wonders who lived here, and why they left. Could their disappearance be linked to the happenings at White Mountain?

However,  the standing stones make him leery, and the onset of a solar eclipse is, to him at least, an evil omen..

He dismisses the slight movement he detected as probably just a small animal in the grasses.

Turning to the Sheriff, he says

"Perhaps our new friends are right. It may be best to be away from this place before darkness falls."

After one last quick glance around, Traveler will retreat to the wagon formerly owned by the late JP. He will take a seat on the bench and offer his hand to Klandor and Vyrm, to help them up if they wish to join him.

Louder, to the party in general:

"This eclipse is a bad omen. Darkness invading the realm of Light. We should depart this place before the shadows grow any deeper."

Looking towards the henge across the road, he says a short prayer to himself..

Esmariah preserve us. Let your light be with us and guide us safely. Let no evil befall us here.

"Did you see anything unusual on the gravestones?" Klandor asks, walking up to monk's wagon. "Wait a tick, where's that badger? Vyrm, Come along now!" There is no response. "Where could he be?" mumbles the gnome.

A cold wind begins to blow from the south.

Bluetwig holds his chin with pointy wooden fingers. "I foresee the eclipse not occurring for another hour or so. In your human time, it's currently about 3 o'clock in the afternoon."

Robyo wrote:"Did you see anything unusual on the gravestones?" Klandor asks, walking up to monk's wagon. "Wait a tick, where's that badger? Vyrm, Come along now!" There is no response. "Where could he be?" mumbles the gnome.

A cold wind begins to blow from the south.

Virgil shivers at the cold wind and flips up his duster's collar against the chill.  Virgil will continue towards the gravestones and the flick of movement.  

Detect Evil as he approaches.

Robyo wrote:
Traveler and Virgil Perception checks yield a speck of movement behind one of the cemetery stones. The grass is long and the area does appear unkempt. In fact the whole area has the look of abandonment.

"Vyrm.   tsk, tsk, tsk.  Vrym, is that you?  Get over here."

Virgil walks into the cemetery approaching the flick of movement. He sees that many of the stones bare the name Horden. They all seemed to have died in the same year: 1883.

From behind one gravestone scurries Vyrm, squeaking excitedly.

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Virgil realizes now that it was Vyrm that he'd noticed earlier, sniffing around the tall grasses. Then it occurs to Virgil (and Neraka) that there is a distinct lack of wildlife in the vicinity. No sounds of birds at all. Only the eerie hollow of the wind.

The marshal then notices what it was that Vyrm was investigating. Hidden in the grass, beneath the shadow of a tree, is a large hole. It has steps downward, chiseled out of stone.

[Only admins are allowed to see this image]

"A...an e...ee...clipse is nothing to fear, folks," in a voice reminicent of dave chapelle imitating a white guy, "wh...why its just an astronomical coincidence of the moon passing between aerth and the sun where their mutual trajectories intersect at the same axial line..." Going on in astrophysics jargon talking with his hands.

Wandering over towards the Virgil, swinging the club to warm up and get the feel of its balance...


"Trouble coming. I can feels it in ma bones."

Before entering... If that's the plan. Oli will use wellspring from his prayer book and infuse magic armor into his silkweave.

DR:5
Vit: 39

Monk doesn't like this...

He dismounts his wagon and goes to Virgil's side.

"What is your plan?"

Robyo wrote:Virgil walks into the cemetery approaching the flick of movement. He sees that many of the stones bare the name Horden. They all seemed to have died in the same year: 1883.

From behind one gravestone scurries Vyrm, squeaking excitedly.

Virgil sincerely says, "Apparently, we do need those stinkin' badgers.  I am not sure that investigating here is our mission......"

Virgil reflects on Stolgar silently for a moment, recalling his vision....

Robyo wrote:
In a fog appears Stolgar, the tough warrior of the cold northern lands. He points to a mountain in the distance.

"Find the road to the dark ones," the deity says. "There, your puzzle will be solved."

Virgil opens his eyes and continues, "Stolgar specifically told me to find the ROAD to the dark ones.  He pointed to the mountain, I believe as a marker, to give me a direction.  The Dark Wizard used the metal worm to burrow through the earth and attack Pestilence.  The Wardens here have lost track of the Dark Ones and have recently felt a disturbance under the ground."

Virgil looks about this strange site as a shiver runs down his spine, "The dirt path here is our road, but not the Dark Ones' road.  I think we should explore this subterranean entrance and at least see if it connects to any larger tunnels or underground passages."

Virgil looks at Traveler, who seems the most intuitive of the bunch, "You seem hesitant to enter. What is your gut telling you?"  Virgil looks at all the others inviting their feedback, "Opinions?"

Chirs2 wrote:
From behind one gravestone scurries Vyrm, squeaking excitedly.

Virgil sincerely says, "Apparently, we do need those stinkin' badgers.  I am not sure that investigating here is our mission......"

Virgil reflects on Stolgar silently for a moment, recalling his vision....

Robyo wrote:
In a fog appears Stolgar, the tough warrior of the cold northern lands. He points to a mountain in the distance.

"Find the road to the dark ones," the deity says. "There, your puzzle will be solved."

Virgil opens his eyes and continues, "Stolgar specifically told me to find the ROAD to the dark ones.  He pointed to the mountain, I believe as a marker, to give me a direction.  The Dark Wizard used the metal worm to burrow through the earth and attack Pestilence.  The Wardens here have lost track of the Dark Ones and have recently felt a disturbance under the ground."

Virgil looks about this strange site as a shiver runs down his spine, "The dirt path here is our road, but not the Dark Ones' road.  I think we should explore this subterranean entrance and at least see if it connects to any larger tunnels or underground passages."

Virgil looks at Traveler, who seems the most intuitive of the bunch, "You seem hesitant to enter. What is your gut telling you?"  Virgil looks at all the others inviting their feedback, "Opinions?"[/quote]

Traveler considers this.

After some moments have passed, he replies

"My feelings tell me this is a tainted place. Since it is evil we seek, this is likely the right track. What you say rings true- all the evidence points us underground. Though I do not wish to enter such a place, I will accompany you to whatever end this trail may lead us"

He pauses, regarding the wagons, Klandor and Blue Twig, Oli...

To himself:
We cannot ask these others to go with us here. This road can lead nowhere good, the peril is too perilous... In all probability, we will never return.

These wardens have their own tasks; Blue Twig could not follow even if he wanted to. And what about Oli? If we do survive, we will likely never see this place again. He will lose his wagon and all he possesses. Such things matter not to men like Sherriff Virgil and myself, but for him it may be different.. We must offer all the chance to turn back.

"Sherriff Virgil,  I will volunteer to go underground with you. Of course we must leave our horses and wagons behind. There is a chance we will never return. The men who accompany us must understand the risk and choose to go freely, or to return to Pestilence if they wish."

We could secure the cabin and stable. Use it as a forward base camp. Leave the Wardens (if they wish to stay) to watch over things up top.

"By Gyana's grace, I have become your guide," says Klandor. "And as such, it is my duty to accompany you gentlemen wherever your path leads. Though I have known you for only a short time, I feel it was destiny that brought us together. I will go with you."

Vyrm squeaks in agreement.

"Uh, well if that's the party's decision, I will stand by it," shrugs Bluetwig. "Guess I'll just stay here and keep watch. Looks to be an intriguing eclipse, at any rate."


"Beep... Models... X-23... and... Z-14... must... also... stay... behind... beep," says Jay.

With a wave of his hand oli's wagon collapses and folds down into a small suitcase.

Just kidding Rob...

Oli parks the wagon behind the stable unless it will fit inside with the horses.

"M...mr. B...bluetwig? I know my electromechanical friends are foreign to you and have been used against you in the past. H...however t...they are n...not eeeevil. They have been made and trained for indifference; b...but i have found them to respond eagerly to kindness and consideration when it is shown to them. It is only a working hypothesis for now, but i believe them to be capable of sentient will."

"Jay, Candy, Ray, Please adhere to bluetwig's instructions in my absence. I believe you and he can learn a lot from eachother and become friends as we are friends. Oh... You must also go indoors during storms. Jay, if there is trouble you must hide so you can repair candy and ray afterwards. This is an important duty."

"Bob, will you come with me? I may need your knowledge and skills if we come across others of your kind."

"Workin is workin, aint got no matterin where its done. "

Traveler Monk will explore the stable and cabin and make sure they are in fact abandoned and secure.

Perception check: 1d20+11 (12+11)=23

Does he find anything interesting or important inside either structure?

Robyo wrote:"By Gyana's grace, I have become your guide," says Klandor. "And as such, it is my duty to accompany you gentlemen wherever your path leads. Though I have known you for only a short time, I feel it was destiny that brought us together. I will go with you, to whatever end."

Vyrm squeaks in agreement.

"Uh, well if that's the party's decision, I will stand by it," shrugs Bluetwig. "Guess I'll just stay here and keep watch. Looks to be an intriguing eclipse, at any rate."

"Beep... Models... X-23... and... Z-14... must... also... stay... behind... beep," says Jay.

to Blue Twig, "Perhaps you could entreat your Green Goddess to visit this place and cleanse it?  It is within her realm after all."

to Klandor and Vrym, "We are glad to have you with us.  Do you or Vrym have any experience underground?"

To the rest, "You are all brave men.  Let's take a moment and consider our strategy while underground.  It is likely to be dark with tight corridors.  My mask gives me a wolf's vision in low light, but not total blackness.  If anyone can see without light, they should go in the lead, perhaps others like myself who can see in low light next and any with normal vision should go last carrying a light source.  In this way, the light is behind the forward scouts and won't immediately reveal our position or interfere with their darkvision.  Ideally, the forward scout should also be an expert at Stealth."

Virgil makes a series of quick gestures with his left hand

- he raises his hand to shoulder level and closes his fist "stop, quiet"
- he opens his hand, parallel to the ground and pushes down, as if telling a dog to sit "down, hide, quiet"

"the forward scout should use easily recognizable hand gestures to communicate with the back ranks silently.  We used similar hand gestures in the army.  Expect a slow pace, it is better to move at even half speed, but move safely.  The last thing we want is to get trapped underground.  The lead scout and rear guard should keep a bit of distance from the main body.  In that way, if they spring some kind of trap, it only catches 1 or 2 people and the rest can release them."

Virgil gestures to the supply wagons, "Let's take extra supplies, there is no telling how long we will be down there.  I don't have much experience underground, so if anyone else does, please feel free to lead us from your experience.  I was a scout for the army and I am willing to go first, unless anyone else is more capable."


****meta check****
virgil has low light vision, +14 perception and +22 stealth in shadows and Evasion for traps

The door to the cabin seems to be locked. There appears to be no windows or back door to the small building.

The adjoining stable is empty, except for some rotten hay on the dirt floor and a pile of large bones in one corner. The horses rebel and snort when they are escorted anywhere near the place.


"I will watch over the mechanons and the wagons," agrees Bluetwig. "Lady Gyana is certainly no goddess, only a steward of this realm, but I will attempt to commune with her. Perhaps she will offer more guidance."


"In a tight spot, I can be useful," replies the gnome. "Though I prefer not to go down in that cold, dark place. I still think this isn't a good idea, but you can trust and depend upon me!"

Vyrm squeaks in agreement.


"Beep... This... one... will... serve... to... whatever... end... beep," says Bob.

"W...well sherrif, I ah... Well I don't mean to toot my own horn but i can see in the dark, turn invisible, and have studied the ancient egyptian art of trapmaking...ah...as well as far eastern traditions and... Uh... Modern security traditions..." Trailing off, "though I will admit I don't have much experience sneaking around..."

navyik wrote:"W...well sherrif, I ah... Well I don't mean to toot my own horn but i can see in the dark, turn invisible, and have studied the ancient egyptian art of trapmaking...ah...as well as far eastern traditions and... Uh... Modern security traditions..." Trailing off, "though I will admit I don't have much experience sneaking around..."

Virgil stares blankly for a moment, continually impressed at the unusual little man that he originally took for a snake-oil salesman and peddler of junk.

"Impressive knowledge.... but hopefully there is actual experience and not just "study". You seem to have preferred hanging back in our encounters so far. Do you want to take point or would you prefer to be called up if we spot a trap?"

Monk isn't very stealthy (+4) but has low light vision, perception +11, Dodge, Evasion, Deflect Arrows, and Reflex save 19.

He's also +20 to Grapple/resist, +5 disarms, + 5 trips, +5 feints, +5 sunder, and I think +15 to resist all those combat maneuvers.

He's pretty solid at CQB.

"I think I can be useful towards the front with my senses and training. I cannot see in total darkness, but I see very well in low light. Or if you wish, I can guard our rear as we go."

He nods to Olistaff.

"Perhaps Master Oli has a spell of illumination he can aid us with?"

Oli infuses continual flame into a small piece of firewood and activates it. "Bob can hold the light in back. He is also pretty handy with tools aren't you Bob? I suppose the trick with traps is spotting them. I probably oughta be near the front."

Oli packs extra tools and supplies for bob to carry.

Sounds like most everyone wants to be in the front, except Bob? The ergo is fine carrying the torch and extra supplies. He is rated for a heavy load.


Candy approaches Oli, and respectfully bends down and begins detaching her canon arm. Ray speaks up then, "No, Z-14, Master does not want your canon in the tunnel." The ray-golem grabs her by the shoulder roughly. "It is too large and overpowered of a weapon. Do you wish the tunnels to collapse all on top of Master? Think!" He turns to Oli and whispers, "Forgive her dullness Master. She is not programmed to analyze clearly."

"It's alright Ray, thankyou." Oli says with a firm friendly patience he never has with people.  "Candy, your offer touches me, but you will need your canon to guard this entrance so we can safely retreat if needed."

"Ray, I'm counting on you to make friends with bluetwig. The world musn't fear technology."

Robyo wrote:Sounds like most everyone wants to be in the front, except Bob?

Jonh Henry is fine in the middle or the back.

we haven't heard from Neraka yet, but how about the following marching order for when we need to go single file:

Virgil
--
20ft
--
Oli
John Henry
Bob with light
--
10-20ft
--
Traveler on rear guard, checking our 6 regularly with his low light

Cool -

We'll wait for Josh to respond, but I think he prefers Neraka to be near the front. He also has darkvision.


In the meantime, no one has responded to what will be done with the horses. They refuse to be close to the cabin. Just have them tied to a tree, then?

Robyo wrote:The door to the cabin seems to be locked. There appears to be no windows or back door to the small building.

The adjoining stable is empty, except for a pile of large bones in one corner. The horses rebel and snort when they are escorted anywhere near the place.

"Uh...sh...sherrif?" We should have a look in that c...cabin..."

Oli will examine the bones in the stable.

navyik wrote:"Uh...sh...sherrif?"  We should have a look in that c...cabin..."  

Oli will examine the bones in the stable.

"Probably a good idea to cover up backs. Maybe we can figure out a way to help the horses relax. Traveler, you want to take the door, with John Henry? I'll cover you while Oli checks the bones in stable. "

"Awright then..."


John Henry positions himself 20 ft in front of the door.

Point for Neraka, yes he has Darkvision...

how big is the entrance from what he can see of it?

Chirs2 wrote:

navyik wrote:"Uh...sh...sherrif?"  We should have a look in that c...cabin..."  

Oli will examine the bones in the stable.

"Probably a good idea to cover up backs.  Maybe we can figure out a way to help the horses relax.  Traveler, you want to take the door, with John Henry?  I'll cover you while Oli checks the bones in stable.  "

Traveler nods in agreement.

He moves to the cabin door and tries the handle. Since it is locked, and he doesn't posess any lockpicks, he'll try to force it.

To force open door with his shoulder: 1d20+5 (18+5)=23

Shouldn't be too tough of a door on a rustic cabin, will that do it?

whit10 wrote:Point for Neraka, yes he has Darkvision...

how big is the entrance from what he can see of it?

we are going into the cabin and stables first, then we can talk about it more.

I still think the point should have stealth to avoid alerting anything we run into down there, but we'll see what the consensus opinion is. We could just walk through the dungeons shaking a bag of gold and calling out, "Here monster, monster, come and get my big bag of gold."

The underground stairwell is tight, 10 feet diameter, or so. The tunnel is only wide enough for medium or smaller creatures.


Oli determines them to be horse bones. They are old and in a jumble, as if piled up. It's hard to determine how the horses might have died.


Traveler forces the door with his shoulder and it pops open without much effort. It appears to be a small one-bedroom cabin. The inside is functional and clean and no one seems to be home.

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Traveler will enter the cabin and take a look around.

He's looking for anything written, like a journal or ledger, maps, any letters, something like that. He still wants to know who lives/lived here, what happened, and if they are returning.

Does hr find anything?

Are there any weapons or strange looking items that may be technical and interesting to Oli and Virgil?

Also, if he finds a lantern or some tindertwigs he will take them.

Before we get too far ahead of ourselves, Virgil will take a quick scout down the tunnel.  If this is just a bomb shelter\storage, we are getting all worked up over nothing.

He moves slowly and deliberately.  He uses Detect Evil before each move, a Perception check and then a Stealth move, which I think would let him move 1/2 speed or 15ft in 1 turn.  (DE is standard, Perception swift, Stealth move 1/2 spd)

Spencer drawn and ready, no light source, using Low Light from his armor

   Detect Evil

Perception
Result of the throw of dice "1d20 +14" :

17 + 14 = 31

Stealth
Result of the throw of dice "1d20 +22" :

3 + 22 = 25


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Traveler enters the cabin and a quick look around reveals the following items:
~Rectangular wooden table with quill & ink, a book, & a few loose papers. The writing is in a language Monk doesn't recognize.
~Bearskin rug.
~Wooden bed-frame with mattress and pillows.
~2 wooden chairs.
~Circular wooden table.
~Armoire (wardrobe) that is locked.


Virgil stealthfully moves down the winding stone staircase and reaches the bottom. He is no dwarf, but he determines he's about 30' below ground. There is a tunnel, but blocking it is a door made from a stone slab. Protruding from the wall adjacent to the door are three wooden levers. They are currently in the down position. Virgil sees nothing else out of the ordinary and detects no fiends or undead.

Robyo wrote:
Virgil stealthfully moves down the winding stone staircase and reaches the bottom. He is no dwarf, but he determines he's about 30' below ground. There is a tunnel, but blocking it is a door made from a stone slab. Protruding from the wall adjacent to the door are three wooden levers. They are currently in the down position. Virgil sees nothing else out of the ordinary and detects no fiends or undead.

Virgil ascends to the surface and reports. "Oli, what do you make of the levers? A trap or a lock intended to keep something from the tunnels on the other side?"

Robyo wrote:Traveler enters the cabin and a quick look around reveals the following items:
~Rectangular wooden table with quill & ink, a book, & a few loose papers. The writing is in a language Monk doesn't recognize.
~Bearskin rug.
~Wooden bed-frame with mattress and pillows.
~2 wooden chairs.
~Circular wooden table.
~Armoire (wardrobe) that is locked.

Monk doesn't feel right about breaking into the wardrobe, so he picks up the papers and exits the cabin.

He will take them to where Oli and Virgil are talking and show them.he briefly describes what he saw inside.

"The cabin doesn't appear to be abandoned. I believe we simply came when no one is home. Master Oli, can you decipher these papers I found?"

Any tracks around the cabin?

Survival

Roll(1d20)+16:
10,+16
Total:26

"Ok, s...settle down fellas, th...there's only one of me..." Taking the papers.

I never really adressed languages with oli. He has draconic and lieracy 10. If he should have more languages, Rob, which are the more widely known archaic languages? Greek, egyptian, celestial, abyssal, infernal?

Ok abyssal, celestial, ancient, dwarven, elven, draconic.

If its not one of those i have a 17+10=27 litteracy roll.