Bründir joins the others as the farewells are finishing. His load seems a bit smaller, but no less lighter. He stares for a moment at the congregation before breaking, "Look at y'all actin' like she's ne'er t'be seen ag'in. She's not set'lin' down on a farm with children or goin' away fer somewhere far away; she's stayin' in town an' watchin' roofs mendin' and stones rollin' while we go pull somethin' nasty from way under. Soon as we're back, she'll be right 'ere like always." Somehow, the dwarf manages to make this all sound more like comforting encouragement rather than abandonment and certain doom.
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Characters:
Grishkar Darkmoor, Necromancer of Nerull the Despiser Kelvin Rabbitfoot, Diviner, con artist, always hunting for a good sale Bründir Halfshield, Valor Bard, three-time Sheercleft Drinking Competition Champion, Hometown hero
About half the village has gathered at the edge of the ravine to watch their heroes descend into black abyss. There are cheers and whoops of adulation as the party arrives, especially from some of Sheercleft's younger folk.
"They say Thurston knocks goblins' heads from their shoulders with a single blow!"
"I used to work shifts with Bründir and Hurrig down there!"
"I saw that Galestone lad fry a greenskin like a piece of meat!"
Brynja and Ringrut are waiting by the lifts, one of which has been prepared for the group's descent. A small cadre of miners stands ready to lower them down.
"Ye ready lad?" Brynja asks, as Ringrut goes round shaking each of their hands. Even Seid gets a grudgingly firm grip.
"Then let's get to it."
The aging gears groan as the party is slowly lowered into the depths. Other than Bründir and Hurrig, only Vark has made this journey before, and he didn't see much through his protective cushion of fog. The walls of the ravine are ragged and worn from years of mining and erosion, and there are clear hollows where the most easily accessible veins of ore were extracted long ago. After a few minutes of the rickety, clanking descent, the platform grinds to a halt in front of the gaping darkness that Vark escaped from the day before. It's eerily silent, but for the wind howling through the ravine, disturbing the crusts of snow that have built up on the outer ledges of rock.
The descent was nostalgic, almost as if from a long-lost life returning to his senses. He felt the weight of his pick, heard the laughter and banter of his fellow miners around him ij the whistling wind. For a moment, just a long blink, he held himself in that moment, pretended it was still true. In vain hope, when he opened his eyes again, the world was the same. Thurston's breastplate still gleamed before him like a storied knight, Vark and Seid seemed total opposites despite their ubiquitously queer ways of magic, and Jex was the strangest of all seeming one part nomad and another part dangerous mercenary. Only Hurrig seemed familiar anymore, but he was changed as well. Gone was the green miner from a dwarven stronghold. Now he was beginning to look a proper priest of Moradin.
The sheen of the metal bracing around Bründir's shield reminded him of the gifted mirror from Hurrig's blessed wonders. He wondered, with all the scrapes and cuts, does he look anywhere the same as when he left home? The thought was noth terrifying and inspiring; the death of youth, but the coming of a hero. For a bried moment, he smiled with swelling self confidence until a hand fell on his shoulder.
"Like I showed ye," Brynja nodded down to Bründir's splintered shield, "Just trace an' think. Sometimes a prayer, sometimes a rhyme, sometimes nothin' at all. Just 'ave to mean it."
A steadying breath escaped Bründir's lips and he touched his four fingers to the shield's back. Drawing them down the shield in a waving pattern, he imagined a campfire and gypsies telling stories. Their fire wove with the intensity of their tales until it seemed to be people dancing on coals and flying on embers. In reflection to his imagination, the shield's boss grew a pinpoint of light that swelled until it engulfed the whole metal shell. Brynja gave a proud pat on Bründir's shoulder as the elevator lurched to a stop.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Characters:
Grishkar Darkmoor, Necromancer of Nerull the Despiser Kelvin Rabbitfoot, Diviner, con artist, always hunting for a good sale Bründir Halfshield, Valor Bard, three-time Sheercleft Drinking Competition Champion, Hometown hero
Valaith escorts everyone to the ravine and watches them as they go below, pushing others to the side to be the one to operate the winch and lower them down. She waves farewell with a forlorn look. “Kill them all for me!”
Seid was quiet on the descent into the ravine, looking around at this group. He’d never really worked with others outside the Mabinogi this closely before. It felt strange, but comfortable; it was nice having someone to watch your back. He sends a mental command to Ignatious and the raven flaps down to land on his shoulder. “My friend, perhaps we could find a better suited form for you in these mines? A mole perhaps?”
As the lift reaches the right floor, Jex peers keenly into the darkness ahead. Seeing nothing, he glances over his shoulder. "Try not to make too much noise." He leaps from the platform into a graceful roll, and comes up swords first in the darkness. After a few seconds nothing comes to face him head on. Sheathing his swords to take a quieter approach, he melts into the shadows, expertly finding the shapes in the rock that will hide his movements, and allowing the elven cloak to take care of the rest.
Hurrig steps off the platform staring at the entrance to the mines. He walks over and places his hand on the wall. “Never thought I’d be fightin’ ‘ere in these mines.” He pulls out his shield and axe, flourishing the axe a few times. “Well let’s get to it. I’ll lead the way, been down these tunnels enough to know some of ‘em, though Vark saw this door.”
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Mavi Göz Mal - Half Orc Monk Level 1 Not Another Lost Mine of Phandelver
Drita - Aasimar Hexblade Warlock Lvl 3 Tomb of Annhilation
Set deep into the ravine wall are a series of cedar-wood joists that support a broad platform built to accommodate and 'dock' the lift when it arrives. The opening off of the platform and into the cliff-side has been enlarged in both directions, and was clearly intended to support a lot of traffic. Inside the chamber it is eerily quiet, and pitch black, but for the soft glow of Bründir's shield. This first area was originally a staging ground for mining efforts, and is strewn with various equipment, as well as long benches for waiting workers and a couple of tables for the foremen.
The entire cave is strewn with dead hobgoblins and kobolds, and has clearly seen battle recently, but otherwise seems empty.
At the back of the room three tunnels lead off in different directions; left, right and straight out the back.
“Uhm... y-yeah it was...” Vark stammers as he looks around at the carnage, reliving the chaos of the day before. He didn’t realize there’d been other tunnels in here, he’d just seen the hobgoblins and ran for the light. He continues retracing his steps, but he was far more focused on fleeing the inhabitants of the mines than making a mental map. “Well it was kinda... downward. There were kobolds. And water.” He looks to Hurrig hoping that sparse description would ring a bell in the dwarf’s head. Matthew, uhm... you remember which way we came? He asks sheepishly.
Thurston fights against the urge to ask Hurrig about the ore and the smiths and their techniques, but as they descend he aknowledges that there will be plenty of time after their mission to learn from the dwarven smiths. Perhaps a time with the elves will be interesting too seeing the quality of his armor.
When they reach the bottom he grabs his shield and warhammer, check his arrows and reposition the bow on his back again. Giving thanks to Thor for making him big he curses Hela and her darkness for not seeing much in that tunnel. He then, in silence, follows the cleric and his shield through the darkness.
Hurrig steps up to the tunnels, Brundir right behind him. Hurrig looks at the other dwarf and gestures to the tunnel on the right, Brundir to the one in the center. “No way! This is definitely the way.” The party can see the two dwarves bickering back and forth about the two tunnels. Words in dwarvish are shared at a large volume that one can only assume are swear words.
Eventually the 2 return to the rest of the party. “We know we can follow the stream, it’s a narrow and treacherous pass but it should bring us to the door Vark is talking about. The other option is to go through the tunnels and figure out which way the wizards went through....” Hurrig looks at his companions, “I vote we take the safer way through the tunnels.”
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Mavi Göz Mal - Half Orc Monk Level 1 Not Another Lost Mine of Phandelver
Drita - Aasimar Hexblade Warlock Lvl 3 Tomb of Annhilation
Jex's voice echos softly from the shadows beyond the dwarfs. "I said try to be quiet, not have a row. Why go the way they are expecting to be followed from? I say hit them from above, drop down from the rocks. Which way is it?" Even hearing his voice and knowing roughly where he is coming from his form is impossible to make out against the rockface on the dim light of the shadows, and as he sees the party struggling to look towards him, his confidence in the cloak grows and another idea came to him. "Better yet, why not send those kobolds down first?"
"Not the dead kobold. I am sure if some were here, that more must remain in the tunnels. They will want the wizards out too and may be willing to help."
“Well if there are kobolds here, they weren’t here before the wizards got here. I don’t know if they are the helping type Jex.” Hurrig looks around inspecting the bodies of the kobolds.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Mavi Göz Mal - Half Orc Monk Level 1 Not Another Lost Mine of Phandelver
Drita - Aasimar Hexblade Warlock Lvl 3 Tomb of Annhilation
Seid looks at his companions and nods. “I feel we should take Vark’s path. I trust his decision making and he feels this is a safe path. If not, I have magic that will save anyone from a long fall.” He looks at Jex and gestures for the elf to proceed first. “I shall have Ignatius follow you on your shoulder if that is acceptable? He will come back and get help if you run into trouble.”
The tunnels wind on for several minutes. Eerily quiet, and strewn with the occasional fallen hobgoblin or kobold, but otherwise lifeless. Dust and old mining equipment is all that is to be found.
Eventually Jex reaches another turn, and another, but with Vark's guidance the path finally leads the party to the crack in the wall that their sorcerer clambered through to follow the hobgoblin patrol. The air inside is damp and still, and the only noise is the constant trickle of running water. The passage beyond is smooth and slippery, worn flat by the stream over decades and centuries. Keeping one's footing on the incline will be tricky.
Bründir follows close to the front, illuminating the stones with his glowing shield, "Been round longer'n most, but I don' remember these very well...familiar, but not."
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Characters:
Grishkar Darkmoor, Necromancer of Nerull the Despiser Kelvin Rabbitfoot, Diviner, con artist, always hunting for a good sale Bründir Halfshield, Valor Bard, three-time Sheercleft Drinking Competition Champion, Hometown hero
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Bründir joins the others as the farewells are finishing. His load seems a bit smaller, but no less lighter. He stares for a moment at the congregation before breaking, "Look at y'all actin' like she's ne'er t'be seen ag'in. She's not set'lin' down on a farm with children or goin' away fer somewhere far away; she's stayin' in town an' watchin' roofs mendin' and stones rollin' while we go pull somethin' nasty from way under. Soon as we're back, she'll be right 'ere like always." Somehow, the dwarf manages to make this all sound more like comforting encouragement rather than abandonment and certain doom.
Characters:
Grishkar Darkmoor, Necromancer of Nerull the Despiser
Kelvin Rabbitfoot, Diviner, con artist, always hunting for a good sale
Bründir Halfshield, Valor Bard, three-time Sheercleft Drinking Competition Champion, Hometown hero
Thurson is waiting for the others outside, checking the bowstring of his massive bow.
"Let's go witch hunt"
PbP Character: A few ;)
About half the village has gathered at the edge of the ravine to watch their heroes descend into black abyss. There are cheers and whoops of adulation as the party arrives, especially from some of Sheercleft's younger folk.
"They say Thurston knocks goblins' heads from their shoulders with a single blow!"
"I used to work shifts with Bründir and Hurrig down there!"
"I saw that Galestone lad fry a greenskin like a piece of meat!"
Brynja and Ringrut are waiting by the lifts, one of which has been prepared for the group's descent. A small cadre of miners stands ready to lower them down.
"Ye ready lad?" Brynja asks, as Ringrut goes round shaking each of their hands. Even Seid gets a grudgingly firm grip.
"Then let's get to it."
The aging gears groan as the party is slowly lowered into the depths. Other than Bründir and Hurrig, only Vark has made this journey before, and he didn't see much through his protective cushion of fog. The walls of the ravine are ragged and worn from years of mining and erosion, and there are clear hollows where the most easily accessible veins of ore were extracted long ago. After a few minutes of the rickety, clanking descent, the platform grinds to a halt in front of the gaping darkness that Vark escaped from the day before. It's eerily silent, but for the wind howling through the ravine, disturbing the crusts of snow that have built up on the outer ledges of rock.
The Chronicles of Arden: Sheercleft - DM for Aiden, Bründir, Jex, Thurston, Valaith and Vark
The Chronicles of Arden: Hunters - DM for Alaris, Astrid, Caio and Shiva
The descent was nostalgic, almost as if from a long-lost life returning to his senses. He felt the weight of his pick, heard the laughter and banter of his fellow miners around him ij the whistling wind. For a moment, just a long blink, he held himself in that moment, pretended it was still true. In vain hope, when he opened his eyes again, the world was the same. Thurston's breastplate still gleamed before him like a storied knight, Vark and Seid seemed total opposites despite their ubiquitously queer ways of magic, and Jex was the strangest of all seeming one part nomad and another part dangerous mercenary. Only Hurrig seemed familiar anymore, but he was changed as well. Gone was the green miner from a dwarven stronghold. Now he was beginning to look a proper priest of Moradin.
The sheen of the metal bracing around Bründir's shield reminded him of the gifted mirror from Hurrig's blessed wonders. He wondered, with all the scrapes and cuts, does he look anywhere the same as when he left home? The thought was noth terrifying and inspiring; the death of youth, but the coming of a hero. For a bried moment, he smiled with swelling self confidence until a hand fell on his shoulder.
"Like I showed ye," Brynja nodded down to Bründir's splintered shield, "Just trace an' think. Sometimes a prayer, sometimes a rhyme, sometimes nothin' at all. Just 'ave to mean it."
A steadying breath escaped Bründir's lips and he touched his four fingers to the shield's back. Drawing them down the shield in a waving pattern, he imagined a campfire and gypsies telling stories. Their fire wove with the intensity of their tales until it seemed to be people dancing on coals and flying on embers. In reflection to his imagination, the shield's boss grew a pinpoint of light that swelled until it engulfed the whole metal shell. Brynja gave a proud pat on Bründir's shoulder as the elevator lurched to a stop.
Characters:
Grishkar Darkmoor, Necromancer of Nerull the Despiser
Kelvin Rabbitfoot, Diviner, con artist, always hunting for a good sale
Bründir Halfshield, Valor Bard, three-time Sheercleft Drinking Competition Champion, Hometown hero
Valaith escorts everyone to the ravine and watches them as they go below, pushing others to the side to be the one to operate the winch and lower them down. She waves farewell with a forlorn look. “Kill them all for me!”
Seid was quiet on the descent into the ravine, looking around at this group. He’d never really worked with others outside the Mabinogi this closely before. It felt strange, but comfortable; it was nice having someone to watch your back. He sends a mental command to Ignatious and the raven flaps down to land on his shoulder. “My friend, perhaps we could find a better suited form for you in these mines? A mole perhaps?”
Valaith "Rimehand" Kalukavi - Chronicles of Arden
As the lift reaches the right floor, Jex peers keenly into the darkness ahead. Seeing nothing, he glances over his shoulder. "Try not to make too much noise." He leaps from the platform into a graceful roll, and comes up swords first in the darkness. After a few seconds nothing comes to face him head on. Sheathing his swords to take a quieter approach, he melts into the shadows, expertly finding the shapes in the rock that will hide his movements, and allowing the elven cloak to take care of the rest.
Hurrig steps off the platform staring at the entrance to the mines. He walks over and places his hand on the wall. “Never thought I’d be fightin’ ‘ere in these mines.” He pulls out his shield and axe, flourishing the axe a few times. “Well let’s get to it. I’ll lead the way, been down these tunnels enough to know some of ‘em, though Vark saw this door.”
Mavi Göz Mal - Half Orc Monk Level 1 Not Another Lost Mine of Phandelver
Drita - Aasimar Hexblade Warlock Lvl 3 Tomb of Annhilation
Iznik Sylnithas - Half Drow Blood Hunter Level 2 Precipice of Voids
Set deep into the ravine wall are a series of cedar-wood joists that support a broad platform built to accommodate and 'dock' the lift when it arrives. The opening off of the platform and into the cliff-side has been enlarged in both directions, and was clearly intended to support a lot of traffic. Inside the chamber it is eerily quiet, and pitch black, but for the soft glow of Bründir's shield. This first area was originally a staging ground for mining efforts, and is strewn with various equipment, as well as long benches for waiting workers and a couple of tables for the foremen.
The entire cave is strewn with dead hobgoblins and kobolds, and has clearly seen battle recently, but otherwise seems empty.
At the back of the room three tunnels lead off in different directions; left, right and straight out the back.
The Chronicles of Arden: Sheercleft - DM for Aiden, Bründir, Jex, Thurston, Valaith and Vark
The Chronicles of Arden: Hunters - DM for Alaris, Astrid, Caio and Shiva
“Uhm... y-yeah it was...” Vark stammers as he looks around at the carnage, reliving the chaos of the day before. He didn’t realize there’d been other tunnels in here, he’d just seen the hobgoblins and ran for the light. He continues retracing his steps, but he was far more focused on fleeing the inhabitants of the mines than making a mental map. “Well it was kinda... downward. There were kobolds. And water.” He looks to Hurrig hoping that sparse description would ring a bell in the dwarf’s head. Matthew, uhm... you remember which way we came? He asks sheepishly.
Chronicles of Arden: Sheercleft - Vark Galestone | Half-Orc | Storm Sorcerer
Chronicles of Arden: Hunters - Caio Cypherien | Shadar-Kai | Inquisitor Ranger
Thurston fights against the urge to ask Hurrig about the ore and the smiths and their techniques, but as they descend he aknowledges that there will be plenty of time after their mission to learn from the dwarven smiths. Perhaps a time with the elves will be interesting too seeing the quality of his armor.
When they reach the bottom he grabs his shield and warhammer, check his arrows and reposition the bow on his back again. Giving thanks to Thor for making him big he curses Hela and her darkness for not seeing much in that tunnel. He then, in silence, follows the cleric and his shield through the darkness.
PbP Character: A few ;)
Hurrig steps up to the tunnels, Brundir right behind him. Hurrig looks at the other dwarf and gestures to the tunnel on the right, Brundir to the one in the center. “No way! This is definitely the way.” The party can see the two dwarves bickering back and forth about the two tunnels. Words in dwarvish are shared at a large volume that one can only assume are swear words.
Eventually the 2 return to the rest of the party. “We know we can follow the stream, it’s a narrow and treacherous pass but it should bring us to the door Vark is talking about. The other option is to go through the tunnels and figure out which way the wizards went through....” Hurrig looks at his companions, “I vote we take the safer way through the tunnels.”
Mavi Göz Mal - Half Orc Monk Level 1 Not Another Lost Mine of Phandelver
Drita - Aasimar Hexblade Warlock Lvl 3 Tomb of Annhilation
Iznik Sylnithas - Half Drow Blood Hunter Level 2 Precipice of Voids
Jex's voice echos softly from the shadows beyond the dwarfs. "I said try to be quiet, not have a row. Why go the way they are expecting to be followed from? I say hit them from above, drop down from the rocks. Which way is it?" Even hearing his voice and knowing roughly where he is coming from his form is impossible to make out against the rockface on the dim light of the shadows, and as he sees the party struggling to look towards him, his confidence in the cloak grows and another idea came to him. "Better yet, why not send those kobolds down first?"
Thurston,Looking five feet to the left of Jex’s real position says
“The dead bodies? They are dead... what good are them to us? Apart for stick their stench to us for a week?”
PbP Character: A few ;)
"Not the dead kobold. I am sure if some were here, that more must remain in the tunnels. They will want the wizards out too and may be willing to help."
“Well if there are kobolds here, they weren’t here before the wizards got here. I don’t know if they are the helping type Jex.” Hurrig looks around inspecting the bodies of the kobolds.
Mavi Göz Mal - Half Orc Monk Level 1 Not Another Lost Mine of Phandelver
Drita - Aasimar Hexblade Warlock Lvl 3 Tomb of Annhilation
Iznik Sylnithas - Half Drow Blood Hunter Level 2 Precipice of Voids
There is a slightly disconcerting chuckle that echos around the tunnel. "Everyone is the helping type Hurrig, if you apply the right incentive."
Seid looks at his companions and nods. “I feel we should take Vark’s path. I trust his decision making and he feels this is a safe path. If not, I have magic that will save anyone from a long fall.” He looks at Jex and gestures for the elf to proceed first. “I shall have Ignatius follow you on your shoulder if that is acceptable? He will come back and get help if you run into trouble.”
Valaith "Rimehand" Kalukavi - Chronicles of Arden
"I don't get into trouble, but it will be useful for you to know when to join me."
Jex holds out an arm from the darkness to take the bat onto his shoulder, then turns back into the shadows and vanishes down the tunnel.
The tunnels wind on for several minutes. Eerily quiet, and strewn with the occasional fallen hobgoblin or kobold, but otherwise lifeless. Dust and old mining equipment is all that is to be found.
Eventually Jex reaches another turn, and another, but with Vark's guidance the path finally leads the party to the crack in the wall that their sorcerer clambered through to follow the hobgoblin patrol. The air inside is damp and still, and the only noise is the constant trickle of running water. The passage beyond is smooth and slippery, worn flat by the stream over decades and centuries. Keeping one's footing on the incline will be tricky.
The Chronicles of Arden: Sheercleft - DM for Aiden, Bründir, Jex, Thurston, Valaith and Vark
The Chronicles of Arden: Hunters - DM for Alaris, Astrid, Caio and Shiva
Bründir follows close to the front, illuminating the stones with his glowing shield, "Been round longer'n most, but I don' remember these very well...familiar, but not."
Characters:
Grishkar Darkmoor, Necromancer of Nerull the Despiser
Kelvin Rabbitfoot, Diviner, con artist, always hunting for a good sale
Bründir Halfshield, Valor Bard, three-time Sheercleft Drinking Competition Champion, Hometown hero