{Modern Setting} The Whispering Cave (Entrance)

[tdsprouse]

OUT OF CHARACTER

Brad also changes to a full clip. Has 7 shots remaining the partial for 43 total shots left.

 

[CGM3]

Through clenched teeth, Eric Lightner asks the question that had occurred to him just moments before: “When was the last time wolves attacked human beings?”

[tdsprouse]

“Well, Damned if that's not a good question. One was bigger, maybe they felt threatend or cornered, or there are pups nearby.”

[klakxor]

“Hmmm, well I guess I could do some research. But I would think that while uncommon, it isn't completely unheard of. Wolves are territorial animals and these ones do look a bit malnourished. We are 4 men entering into what they believe is their home. Chances are they were protecting their home, or as Brad has said, perhaps their young.

Which brings up another rather disturbing thought. If these three are part of a pack and the young are in this cave, we could be in a lot of danger if more come back.”

[patransom]

Dr. Alexander comments, “I agree. Wolves are territorial and this is likely their den. These also seemed hungry. It's also possible these were rabid, although I saw none of the obvious signs. I suppose I should take some samples of brain tissue to be sure. Mr. Laskin and Mr. Lightner will require additional treatment if the samples test positive for rabies...” As, he collects his samples, he adds, “As for what to do now, that should be up to you, Mr. Lightner. In your current condition, do you feel comfortable with a quick examination of this room or would you like me to help you back to the van right away?”

[CGM3]

“Give it a quick once over,” Eric Lightner responds tersely, adding with a lopsided grin, “but don't linger at the souvenir stand. You know how these back country bumpkins love t' overcharge us city folk!”

[tdsprouse]

“Heh, yeah, We'll make it quick, take some pics and get out of here.”

[patransom]

A thorough search with the flashlights reveals the following features of this large chamber:

Across the chamber to the north yawns a twenty-foot-wide open arch draped from top to bottom in translucent cobwebs. The eerie green light you noticed before flickers from somewhere beyond the arch, but the cobwebs completely cover the arch, blocking any view of whatever lies beyond. a flickering green light that seems to be a good distance to the north. Approaching within 5 feet of the cobwebs allows you to see through the mess enough to notice that a short flight of stairs descends from the arch, but more detail than that is impossible to make out. The green light seems to come from some distance further still, perhaps beyond the bottom of the stairs.

A wide dais spanning the back half of the western wing calls attention to a faded fresco upon the south, west, and north walls. From a vantage point at the center of the dais, the wall painting makes it look like you stand within a massive room with seven short hallways radiating outward from a central point. In the painting, a chain dangles from the ceiling at the end of each hallway, and each chain bears a gleaming colored lantern. Clockwise, the colors are red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet.

Huge slabs of cracked masonry and irregular piles of scattered debris choke the eastern wing, giving the appearance of complete collapse. However, a casual inspection reveals that the east wing is not as collapsed as it first appears. There is a low, 10-ft.-wide opening in the middle of the debris, making a sort of tunnel to whatever lies beyond.

[klakxor]

Sahid takes detailed photos of the Frescoe.

“Interesting. That green is directly across, kind of like how that glow is straight out from the cobweb doorway.”

He also takes pictures of the archway with the conwebs and the small path through the rubble.

“This way when we can return, we will know what was here to compare.”

[tdsprouse]

“Yeah, good plan. Lets boogie on out outta here. Not looking forward to going through those cobwebs, that's for sure.”

[CGM3]

“Maybe a weed whacker is what we need,” Eric Lightner jests as they leave the chamber.

[tdsprouse]

“ooh, I like the way you think.”

[klakxor]

“Yeah, good idea. Maybe some bug repellent too.” Sahid laughs.

Once he has all his pictures “Lets get moving and get Eric out of here now”

[patransom]

After investigating the big room and taking many pictures, the team escorts Eric back down the hill. There is a minor snafu when you discover the van is missing, but a call to Linda Thompson's cell phone sorts it out: it appears she left to go shoe shopping. Once she returns, Dr. Alexander sets about performing field surgery on Eric in the back of the van. This takes 6 hours and Eric still isn't too healthy, but no longer on the verge of immediate collapse. Dr. Alexander recommends at least a couple of days of bed rest...

OUT OF CHARACTER

Surgery heals Eric 6 hp, putting him at 1 hp and fatigued for 24 hours. It is now late night. Up to you guys what to do now. Some options might be: - Everyone returns to town, takes rooms at the motel and hunkers down until Dr. A can get Eric back to full health -- with long-term care plus daily first aid and surgery, it might take 1-2 days. - Send Eric back to town with Dr. A and continue investigating the cave immediately. CGM3 could play Linda (now that she has the proper shoes) in the 1-2 day interim. - Send Eric back to town alone. CGM3 could play Dr. A or Linda, but Eric would be out for quite some time without Dr. A's care.

 

[CGM3]

OUT OF CHARACTER

I vote for the second option. Will need Linda's character file, of course. Or, I could wing it...

 

[tdsprouse]

OUT OF CHARACTER

#2 sounds fine for me as well, since CGM is down with it.

 

“Dr. Alexander, Unless Linda or Sahid has any objections, i'd suggest you take Eric back to town, get a room at the motel, perhaps under false names, and we'll stay here and investigate this cave. I'm not sure that we much time to waste.”

[klakxor]

OUT OF CHARACTER

#2 works for me as well.

 

[patransom]

Dr. Alexander and Eric take off in the van, while rest of you hike back up the hill. Now that it's night, getting back up to the cave is much slower going than it was in the late afternoon, but you use the time to fill Linda in on what's happened while she was out getting some sensible hiking shoes.

Re-entering the cave, you find things exactly as you left them...

OUT OF CHARACTER

I'm assuming either Sahid or Linda has Eric's flashlight. Let me know who's carrying it.

 

[klakxor]

OUT OF CHARACTER

Sahid would prefer that Linda carry the flashlight so he has his hands free for the camera

 

Sahid, remembering the spiderwebs, tries to find a lrge stick that he uses as a walking stick on the way to cave (should be eas enough). Once inside the cave, Sahid looks to the others “Should I try clearing out some of those cobwebs?” He holds up his new walking stick and points it at the webs.

[tdsprouse]

“i'd rather see if that tunnel is stable and leads somewhere. Cobwebs kinda freak me out.”

[CGM3]

“Oh, ick, spiders,” Linda Thompson grimaces. “Be a dear and get rid of them, Sahid.” Her attention is caught by the faded fresco and she mounts the dais to examine the scene depicted with interest. “I look pretty good in blue,” she remarks casually, poking at the section of the fresco showing a blue lantern dangling from a chain.

[patransom]

As Linda wanders over to examine at the section of fresco with the blue lantern, Brad bends down to shine his light into the low tunnel on the opposite side of the room. Fortunately, the green glow provides enough light that Sahid is not left in the dark as he brings his tree branch to bear against the cobwebs.

Linda pokes at the fresco, with no effect.

Beyond the pile of rubble, Brad can see a small open space that has apparently not completely collapsed. Irregular piles of rubble litter the area beyond the tunnel, as do hundreds of bones and bone fragments. From his position at the mouth of the tunnel, Brad can pick up the rank smell of wild animals. It's obviously the wolves' den back there. To reach it through the tunnel would require crawling on hands and knees.

Dozens of tiny spiders scatter as Sahid easily sweeps away the cobwebs that cover the archway. There are indeed stairs behind the webs. They descend at least 20 feet into a very large chamber. From the top of the stairs, Sahid can't make out many details about the chamber, but the source of the green light is clearly somewhere at the far end.

[CGM3]

Linda fishes her Sorian counter out of her Prada handbag and applies it to the fresco.

OUT OF CHARACTER

Putting the arcanobots in the van does indeed reduce her encumberance to Light.

 

[patransom]

The Sorian Counter registers a dim background magical aura (less than 1 Sorian, but greater than 0) wherever Linda points it, but it does not ping any higher when she sweeps the sensor over the fresco. The background reading marks the whole cave as unusual, but should not interfere with picking up anything of importance.

OUT OF CHARACTER

The Sorian scale goes from 0 to 10 and most normal places, people, and objects should register zero. Linda's not entirely sure on the math, but it is an exponential scale sort of like the Richter scale, so a reading of 10 is actually much, much greater than 10x a reading of 1.

 

[tdsprouse]

“Hey, guys it looks like there is a small chamber back here. I'd like to take a closer look”


I'd like to do a Listen check for any more critters in there, and a spot check to look for any looseness in the structure, does it look 'stable'?

[patransom]

OUT OF CHARACTER

Brad doesn't hear anything other than the eeiry whispering voices of the chamber. He doesn't see any signs of imminent collapse, either.

 

[tdsprouse]

“I dont hear anything, looks stable, I'm gonna go forward a little, and check the next room. Smells like the wolves were using it as a den. If it does go any further, i'll come back and fill you in. Either way, I'll keep talking so you know i'm ok.”


Brad belly crawls forward a bit, gun in one hand, flashlight in other, both pointing forward. If he hears anything he'll pause and re-evaluate moving forward.
Once in the Den, he'll search the area for anything interesting.

OUT OF CHARACTER

Sorry, dont have my sheet with me or i'd post the roll.

 

[patransom]

Brad belly crawls into the wolf den without much difficulty and without encountering any danger. His search turns up a couple of things:

- in the northern half of the den he finds an old leather backpack half-buried under a pile of human bones. The bag contains an elaborate lantern of indigo metal inset with indigo glass panes.
- on the opposite side of the room he finds an intricately carved armband bearing a repeating leaf motif.

[CGM3]

Having examined the fresco, Linda will move to the "burrow entrance" and shine Eric's flashlight into it in case Brad needs the extra light.

[klakxor]

Having cleared out the cobwebs, Sahid will move over to where Brad went into the tunnel with Linda.

“There is a stairway built that goes down. Can't really make out what is down there without the light. Hurry up in there Brad”