Into the Caves

[klakxor]

As you search through the shattered tables and chairs and past the zombie corpses, the room is immense, easily able to sit one thousand dwarves comfortably. You notice some torches along the outside wall and along 2 columns that stand in the center of the room. Lighting these allows you to see the room.

The floors and walls are carved smooth and you can see the signs of battle throughout the room. There are bones littered about and large spots of brown on the floor and walls where pools of blood have dried up. There are two large caverns leading out of the room, one to the north and one to the south.

[rednetra]

“What way do we take now.”

[CGM3]

"I'd guess Reef's Edge is still to the north," Ethan opines. "Do dwarves put 'You Are Here' diagrams in their mines? That'd be handy."

[rednetra]

DOmnick will head north then. trying to make sure to watch were he steps.

[klakxor]

Jaamus agrees that North seems like the most logical choice, although he is not familiar with these caverns he does notice symbols that say that North leads deeper into the mountains and surmises that would be the route to go through them.

Ween will take the lead again, with Dominick. Assuming you continue in the same order as before.

As you travel up the polished hallway, it seems wonderous how far the ceiling above you is. The walls here are dusty and dirty but you can make out the large scale paintings that once adorned this hall. There are battles between dwarves and goblins, dragons and men, wondrous creatures that do not even bring a name to your mind.

The hallway winds left and right for several hundred yards before opening up to another room. This room is not as large as the one you were previously in. Upon entering, the walls are lined with volumes of books that strech up as far as the eye can see. There is a spiral staircase in the center of the room that goes up out of your sight. About 60 feet up, there appears to be a landing that the staircase lets off to.

The sound of the howling wind from the mess hall is quieted here.

[Benji]

Squeaking slightly, Kaht will go over to the nearest bookshelf and have a look at some of the books to see if there are any interesting topics there.

[Nargath]

OUT OF CHARACTER

Apologies guys if I don't nail Ween off straight away, gonna take me a while to get in to the groove, it's smaller than I'm used to

 

From the shadows ahead of the party you hear Ween's voice.
“You squeak for books? Why doesn't THAT surprise me.”

Ween will then make a Search check on the parts of the staircase that he can see and reach from the floor, just to make sure it is still stable after all these years, and to make sure that no nasty surprises await the group.
Search check on spiral staircase ( 1d20+12=25)

[Duniagdra]

“That chamber would have sat a thousand Dwarves. How many of them are zombies now?”, Jaamus asks no one in particular still gripping the enormity of a whole dwarven civilization beaten in their own mine. Realizing he said that louder than he intended, he started looking about for any intelligence that could help them.

[CGM3]

OUT OF CHARACTER

Are there any other exits from this room, especially to the north? (We may have further to go in that direction to reach Reef's Edge. 8) )

 

[Duniagdra]

“That chamber would have sat a thousand Dwarves. How many of them are zombies now?”, Jaamus asks no one in particular still gripping the enormity of a whole dwarven civilization beaten in their own mine. Realizing he said that louder than he intended, he started looking about for any intelligence that could help them.

Jaamus is still looking around to find any dwarven writing that myay help in directing them in the right direction.

OUT OF CHARACTER

Stonecunning: +2 racial within 10' of unusual stonework as if actively searching as rouge can.

 

[rednetra]

DOmnick will follow behinde Ween makeing sure to watch the littel ones back.

[klakxor]

Looking through the books, Kaht finds most of the books are about building, caving, spelunking, rock formations, and other things that may interest a dwarf. At leats that is what he finds on the sections near the entrance that you came through.

Ween and Dominick move forward and start searching around the staircase, checking it's structural integrity and seeing if it might hold any nasty surpises. It is well built out of stone and still is smooth and unbroken. There is dust settled on it, but it is most certainly still a very sturdy staircase.

Ethan and Jaamus look around the staircase to the other side, where there is roughly a 10 foot area of bookshelf that is not there. Instead that are 2 stone slabs next too each other that reach about 20 feet up. Upon closer inspection, Jaamus see's some dwarven writing on the stone.

SpoilerShow

Beware. Passed here is the depths from which the dead have returned to the living. It is forbidden to remove these stones.

[Benji]

“Yuk!” Kaht will exclaim, spitting his tongue out at the unsavory books. Regardless, he will move around the room, checking over what books he can to see if there are any more interesting topics.

[Duniagdra]

Reaching a hand to the stone slab before him Jaamus says, To what end have my brethren fallen? He recoils his hand, closing it in a loose fist remembering where he stands. Jaamus points to the writing and reads it to Ethan, “Beware. Passed here is the depths from which the dead have returned to the living. It is forbidden to remove these stones.” Jaamus studies the slabs for traps.

OUT OF CHARACTER

Stonecunning: +2 Racial when within 10' of unusual stonework as rouge actively searching.

 

SpoilerShow

1d20 2=6

[CGM3]

Once Jaamus has translated the dwarven writing, Ethan will opine, "Well, I may goin' out on a limb here, but I think we can assume that through here isn't the route to Reef's Edge, unless the local Chamber of Commerce had some very perverse notions of what constituted appropriate local color. So it looks like we'll be climbing the stairs to reach our goal, unless one of you fellows spots a convenient hidden door or teleportal."

[rednetra]

Domnick will fly up as high as he can and try and listen up above were they can see from the stairs.

[Duniagdra]

Jaamus glances to Ethan with slight bemusement, “I will have to agree with you Ethan.” Jaamus looks back to the stairs to notice a figure lifting into the air. To Ethan he says, “We should let the others know what we found. Up would seem the most logical choice. Behind these slabs could very well be hundreds of zombie dwarfs and who knows what.”

[Nargath]

Ween will come away from the stairs, muttering under his breath, and skirting around the lights.

He will start poking around the room, taking 20 for his Search action, which gives him a 32 in total. Looking for anything that may be hidden away, or out of sight.

[klakxor]

Kaht, checking the books around the room, finds books on many different subjects involving mining and mining equipment. Near the stone slabs that Jaamus and Ethan were checking out he finds books about different types of undead.

Jammus studies the slabs and although there is no obvious traps that he can find, he can tell that they are at least 10 feet thick.

Dominick moves up into the air by the stairs, and although he does not see it, at about 80 feet he is stopped. He can see that the the staircase and room continue to go up at least another 100 feet, maybe more, but he seems to have hit some type of ceiling. He cannot hear anything coming from above him.

Ween searches around the room, looking for anything hidden. Near the base of the stairs, he does find a small slot that is big enough to fit the blade of a dagger in. There is a circle around the slot.

[CGM3]

Examining the slot that Ween found, Esias ventures, "I may be spittin' in the dark here, but this may be the way to unlock that barrier Dominick bumped into. Let's see if we can find the big ol' key that fits this hole; failing that, we can try stickin' a dagger into it."

[Duniagdra]

Hearing about the discovery at the stairs, Jaamus rushes over, “A slot you said? Let me see this. This is my domain after all.” Jaamus looks closely at the slot in the wall and none too quietly says, “An some would say we Dwarves live in the dark!” Jaamus reaches to his side for something, but apparently doesn't find it. He then perks up.

“Anyone see my shield?” He begins muttering under his breath realizing he lost it. Again he pats himself down looking for something at his side. Snapping his finger in remembering he then opens his haversack.

Now what good would this do in here? Jaamus removes a set of gauntlets and a belt. He then dons them and seems somehow stronger. He reaches back into his haversack and removes a dagger. Shaking his head in wonderment he inserts the blade into the slit. His head comes up and he says, “Everyone cover your eyes!” He turns it clockwise.

[rednetra]

Domnick will cover his eyes

[Benji]

Kaht looks over at the others with a vague sense of disinterest. He will then reach for one of the books on Undead. Opening it to a random page, he will see what he can find out in it.

[CGM3]

At Jaamus' warning, Ethan promptly scoots to 0201 and ducks behind what appears to be a desk (hopefully, a massive and stoutly built specimen of dwarven craftsmanship, suitable for use as an impromptu bomb shelter should the occasion arise. )

[Nargath]

Ween will run for cover behind the closest large bookshelf and covers his eyes as well.
As he is running, he mutters under his breath
Damn fricking dwarves, always causing more trouble than anyone else

[klakxor]

As everyone runs and ducks as Jaamus makes his statement, Kaht continues to try to make out the pages on the book he has in his hand. Somehow, as everyone is running and making noise the book is getting easier and easier to read.

As for everyone else, as Jaamus twists the dagger in the slot to the right, a dull glow starts at the top of the cavern, which seems to be a little more then 300 feet up. As he continues turning it, the dim glow becomes brighter until the entire room is full of light. You can all notice that about every 80 feet or so up the wall, the book shelf appears to have about a 3 foot break before it continues up the wall.

The staircase in the center of the room seems to lead all the way up into the ceiling past where the light is coming from.

SpoilerShow

Why was everyone so afraid of the lightswitch?

[rednetra]

OUT OF CHARACTER

Because sometimes a Gazeeboo is just a Gazeeboo

 

[Nargath]

OUT OF CHARACTER

Well, Ween doesn't really like the light, messes with his shadow mystique. And really screws with his vision. Not much of a sneaker if you can't see properly

 

[CGM3]

"No boom today," Ethan observes conversationally as he rises from behind the desk and walks towards the base of the spiral stairs. "Boom tomorrow; there's always boom tomorrow. D'you think those insets between the shelves have anything to do with that barrier Dominick encountered on the steps? The lowest one looks to be at the same height."

[Benji]

Glad of the light, Kaht continues reading his book.