The return trip, as you expected, is arduous and slow, and there is little joy at your arrival. The seemingly senseless murders of Elrik's kin create a dark mood in Clan Immercleave, and Thane is so troubled that he is rendered nearly speechless by all that you tell him. "Hopeful I sent you, but grieved I am at your return. I gave you a mystery, and you bring me a riddle. I must think. Tomorrow at midday we will speak again."
Ready for a warm meal and your own accommodations for at least one night, the four of you return to your respective homes and plan to meet with Thane tomorrow.
<> - <> - <> - <> - <> - <> - <> - <> - <>
"Had you slain the grey dwarves there would be no profit from it," remarks Thane at the next day's meeting. "Right you were to allow them to live. If indeed there is an unknown evil conspiring against us, then we will fare much better in that fight without being flanked by Clan Timrizash."
Thane then goes on to explain his great surprise about the hidden stairwell beneath the sarcophagus lid. "Over two centuries I've lived within these mountains, and I've never heard a word spoken of what you discovered. Far into the night I searched the Immercleave collection of tomes, manuscripts, and maps for information..."
His voice trails off as he unrolls a thin piece of leather; upon it is a crude map that depicts the large cavern where the four of you fought the roper and encountered Riv, Pelik, and Torik.
"...and I found this map. It is here that you slew the roper, yes? And crossed paths with those from Clan Timrizash, yes?"
After you collectively nod in agreement, Thane asks pointedly, "Then why did you say nothing of this stairwell?"
As he asks the question his stubby index finger lands on the map next to a symbol denoting a descending set of steps. Your memory of the cavern is still fresh in your minds, and you are certain you could not have overlooked something so obvious. In fact, you are confident that the location of the stairwell (if it indeed exists) would be within one of the pools of water you saw within the cavern.
“Stairwell?” Ruby looks up in disbelief. She has been staring at the floor every time she has been in the room with Thane as she has no idea how to carry herself around him. But now, confusion has trumped that issue. “We were all over that cavern trying to figure things out and there was not a stairwell that we could see, just water.” She pauses, “Could it be possible that the stairs go down and they are underwater?”
Copper looks at the map closely and nods his agreement as Ruby and Douth explain.
"Who made the map?" Copper asks Thane.
(OOC - would everyone know about this archive and who has access? If not, that would be Copper's next question - Who else could have known about the map?)
"Stairs underwater?" repeats Thane mildly incredulously, looking at Ruby. "Is such wizardry possible?"
Then, nodding vigorously at Douth, Thane says, "Agreed, Douthaern. This stairwell cannot be ignored."
Thane's nods dissipate when he looks to Copper. "I cannot say who authored this map. It was buried beneath many books and ages of dust. Whoever last gazed upon it must have done so decades ago."
(The small, remote room that houses the Immercleave collection of history, knowledge, and lore is, generally speaking, open to all. Yet few visit the place because academic pursuits are uncommon among members of the clan. The writings devoted to mining, brewing, smithing, strategies of war, and histories of dwarvish wars are, unsurprisingly, the most commonly studied items in the library. Other areas of knowledge, however, garner far less interest)
“Stairwell?” Ruby looks up in disbelief. She has been staring at the floor every time she has been in the room with Thane as she has no idea how to carry herself around him. But now, confusion has trumped that issue. “We were all over that cavern trying to figure things out and there was not a stairwell that we could see, just water.” She pauses, “Could it be possible that the stairs go down and they are underwater?”
Friar scratches his chin, "Or is it an illusion to appear as water"
Ruby starts getting excited at the possibility of a puzzle to solve. "I was thinking maybe it was built, and the water came later?" she tells Thane, "but definitely something to explore if possible."
She looks at Thane and then looks at the floor, "Sir Thane? I know my past hasn't exactly been" she pauses thinking for the right word, "honorable, but I am hoping that I will still be allowed to continue this journey with your chosen three. I feel I can assist them with the qualities that I do have and hopefully work on setting myself to a better path."
Thane cracks a barely perceptible smile at Douth's comment. In response to Ruby, the old dwarf says, "Be cautious. Be guarded. They'll be mistrustful of you because you're in deep places that lie below Immercleave tunnels. Presenting the granite ring given to you by Riv may be helpful, but a suspicious duergar might conclude you've come to possess it by force or falsehood. Do not place too much confidence in it."
Thane then falls silent and stares intently at the leather map stretched across the table.
"That stairwell," he whispers, "it must be there. Where does it lead, and what will you discover?"
Looking up from the map, he gazes at the four of you and says, "It may or may not have any relevance to what has happened to Elrik's kin, but we must know for certain if it plays any part in this dark riddle. I shall eagerly await your return."
Copper, lost in thought for most of the conversation, looks up and nods at Thane's last comments.
"If the stairwell is still there, we'll find it," Copper says. "And if it isn't we'll go find Riv and see what he says now that he's gone back to his people with news of what happened."
He gives another nod to Thane before looking to the others.
"Does anyone need to do anything before we return to the tunnels?" Copper asks. "If not, let's get going."
"Let's go figure out this mystery!" Ruby says excitedly. She grabs her pack and gets it situated and then stands by the door, "Come on you fools!" Then realizing she is still in the company of Thane, "I mean masters" does a short little bow and disappears out of the room before she is berated.
Copper, lost in thought for most of the conversation, looks up and nods at Thane's last comments.
"If the stairwell is still there, we'll find it," Copper says. "And if it isn't we'll go find Riv and see what he says now that he's gone back to his people with news of what happened."
He gives another nod to Thane before looking to the others.
"Does anyone need to do anything before we return to the tunnels?" Copper asks. "If not, let's get going."
Friar shakes his head, "Times a wasting, let's go. I have all that I need"
Late the next day, the four of you make the descent and enter the massive cavern a second time. The place looks, sounds, and feels the same as you make your way to the most distant pool of water--the pool that seems to be located in the same place as the mysterious stairwell on Thane's map. As you approach the water's surface, everything seems normal.
Copper and Friar, however, begin to kneel down for a closer look, and they realize that the northern part of the water isn't water at all; it's an illusion made to mimic the real water adjacent to it on the south. Stepping downward through the illusory water proves the map is correct. Your feet touch upon a set of roughly-hewn steps that make a rather steep descent into the darkness below. The steps are wet and slightly slimy; you realize that a slip and fall is very likely...
“Whoa!!” Ruby exclaims when she watches Copper and Friar discover the staircase in the mirage. “What did you two find? I thought it was a dead end and that we would have to go back to Thane with our tails between our legs because we were duped and couldn’t find said staircase, but no! Look at your find!” She gets overly excited, kind of pushes past you and starts down the stairs. “Well what are we waiting for? Let’s find out where this leads to! Ooh! Careful, it’s slippery on these stairs.”
Late the next day, the four of you make the descent and enter the massive cavern a second time. The place looks, sounds, and feels the same as you make your way to the most distant pool of water--the pool that seems to be located in the same place as the mysterious stairwell on Thane's map. As you approach the water's surface, everything seems normal.
Copper and Friar, however, begin to kneel down for a closer look, and they realize that the northern part of the water isn't water at all; it's an illusion made to mimic the real water adjacent to it on the south. Stepping downward through the illusory water proves the map is correct. Your feet touch upon a set of roughly-hewn steps that make a rather steep descent into the darkness below. The steps are wet and slightly slimy; you realize that a slip and fall is very likely...
The return trip, as you expected, is arduous and slow, and there is little joy at your arrival. The seemingly senseless murders of Elrik's kin create a dark mood in Clan Immercleave, and Thane is so troubled that he is rendered nearly speechless by all that you tell him. "Hopeful I sent you, but grieved I am at your return. I gave you a mystery, and you bring me a riddle. I must think. Tomorrow at midday we will speak again."
Ready for a warm meal and your own accommodations for at least one night, the four of you return to your respective homes and plan to meet with Thane tomorrow.
<> - <> - <> - <> - <> - <> - <> - <> - <>
"Had you slain the grey dwarves there would be no profit from it," remarks Thane at the next day's meeting. "Right you were to allow them to live. If indeed there is an unknown evil conspiring against us, then we will fare much better in that fight without being flanked by Clan Timrizash."
Thane then goes on to explain his great surprise about the hidden stairwell beneath the sarcophagus lid. "Over two centuries I've lived within these mountains, and I've never heard a word spoken of what you discovered. Far into the night I searched the Immercleave collection of tomes, manuscripts, and maps for information..."
His voice trails off as he unrolls a thin piece of leather; upon it is a crude map that depicts the large cavern where the four of you fought the roper and encountered Riv, Pelik, and Torik.
"...and I found this map. It is here that you slew the roper, yes? And crossed paths with those from Clan Timrizash, yes?"
After you collectively nod in agreement, Thane asks pointedly, "Then why did you say nothing of this stairwell?"
As he asks the question his stubby index finger lands on the map next to a symbol denoting a descending set of steps. Your memory of the cavern is still fresh in your minds, and you are certain you could not have overlooked something so obvious. In fact, you are confident that the location of the stairwell (if it indeed exists) would be within one of the pools of water you saw within the cavern.
Cavern map:
“Stairwell?” Ruby looks up in disbelief. She has been staring at the floor every time she has been in the room with Thane as she has no idea how to carry herself around him. But now, confusion has trumped that issue. “We were all over that cavern trying to figure things out and there was not a stairwell that we could see, just water.” She pauses, “Could it be possible that the stairs go down and they are underwater?”
Copper looks at the map closely and nods his agreement as Ruby and Douth explain.
"Who made the map?" Copper asks Thane.
(OOC - would everyone know about this archive and who has access? If not, that would be Copper's next question - Who else could have known about the map?)
"Stairs underwater?" repeats Thane mildly incredulously, looking at Ruby. "Is such wizardry possible?"
Then, nodding vigorously at Douth, Thane says, "Agreed, Douthaern. This stairwell cannot be ignored."
Thane's nods dissipate when he looks to Copper. "I cannot say who authored this map. It was buried beneath many books and ages of dust. Whoever last gazed upon it must have done so decades ago."
(The small, remote room that houses the Immercleave collection of history, knowledge, and lore is, generally speaking, open to all. Yet few visit the place because academic pursuits are uncommon among members of the clan. The writings devoted to mining, brewing, smithing, strategies of war, and histories of dwarvish wars are, unsurprisingly, the most commonly studied items in the library. Other areas of knowledge, however, garner far less interest)
Friar scratches his chin, "Or is it an illusion to appear as water"
Ruby starts getting excited at the possibility of a puzzle to solve. "I was thinking maybe it was built, and the water came later?" she tells Thane, "but definitely something to explore if possible."
She looks at Thane and then looks at the floor, "Sir Thane? I know my past hasn't exactly been" she pauses thinking for the right word, "honorable, but I am hoping that I will still be allowed to continue this journey with your chosen three. I feel I can assist them with the qualities that I do have and hopefully work on setting myself to a better path."
Thane locks eyes with Ruby for a few silent seconds before he responds curtly. "You may continue. Do so with care and wisdom."
“Yes, sir” Ruby replies to Thane. And something occurs to her, “What are we to do if we run into the Druegars again?”
Thane cracks a barely perceptible smile at Douth's comment. In response to Ruby, the old dwarf says, "Be cautious. Be guarded. They'll be mistrustful of you because you're in deep places that lie below Immercleave tunnels. Presenting the granite ring given to you by Riv may be helpful, but a suspicious duergar might conclude you've come to possess it by force or falsehood. Do not place too much confidence in it."
Thane then falls silent and stares intently at the leather map stretched across the table.
"That stairwell," he whispers, "it must be there. Where does it lead, and what will you discover?"
Looking up from the map, he gazes at the four of you and says, "It may or may not have any relevance to what has happened to Elrik's kin, but we must know for certain if it plays any part in this dark riddle. I shall eagerly await your return."
Copper, lost in thought for most of the conversation, looks up and nods at Thane's last comments.
"If the stairwell is still there, we'll find it," Copper says. "And if it isn't we'll go find Riv and see what he says now that he's gone back to his people with news of what happened."
He gives another nod to Thane before looking to the others.
"Does anyone need to do anything before we return to the tunnels?" Copper asks. "If not, let's get going."
"Let's go figure out this mystery!" Ruby says excitedly. She grabs her pack and gets it situated and then stands by the door, "Come on you fools!" Then realizing she is still in the company of Thane, "I mean masters" does a short little bow and disappears out of the room before she is berated.
Friar shakes his head, "Times a wasting, let's go. I have all that I need"
Investigation: Copper 19; Douth 20; Friar 2; Ruby 6
Late the next day, the four of you make the descent and enter the massive cavern a second time. The place looks, sounds, and feels the same as you make your way to the most distant pool of water--the pool that seems to be located in the same place as the mysterious stairwell on Thane's map. As you approach the water's surface, everything seems normal.
Copper and Friar, however, begin to kneel down for a closer look, and they realize that the northern part of the water isn't water at all; it's an illusion made to mimic the real water adjacent to it on the south. Stepping downward through the illusory water proves the map is correct. Your feet touch upon a set of roughly-hewn steps that make a rather steep descent into the darkness below. The steps are wet and slightly slimy; you realize that a slip and fall is very likely...
“Whoa!!” Ruby exclaims when she watches Copper and Friar discover the staircase in the mirage. “What did you two find? I thought it was a dead end and that we would have to go back to Thane with our tails between our legs because we were duped and couldn’t find said staircase, but no! Look at your find!” She gets overly excited, kind of pushes past you and starts down the stairs. “Well what are we waiting for? Let’s find out where this leads to! Ooh! Careful, it’s slippery on these stairs.”
Copper raises an eyebrow when Ruby pushes past to start down the stairs.
"We may want to treat this the same as the shaft we came down to get her," Copper begins. "The stairs look treacherous. Let's use rope just in case."
Copper hammers a piton into the rock at the top of the stairs. Then he runs the rope through it and then around his own waist.
"Let's try one at a time until we know better what we're facing," he says and hands the loose end of the rope to Ruby. "Hold on when you go down."
Friar grumbles "Bloody thought so, an illusion!"
Friar nods in concurrence, "No need cracking our heads open at the very beginning, lets be careful but warry."