Ling gives Caio a quick nod, her eyes and mind focused on the approaching fight. She readies her broom and twirls the fingers of her other hand unconsciously, playing with a few tendrils of shadow. At the front of the group, she moves to the side of the tunnel to let the front team pass, planning to stick to the rear alongside Nick but keeping somewhere between him and Shiva as usual. Warily, she eyes Astrid again, wanting to put as much distance between them as possible. As Alaris approaches, she makes way for them to pass, but is surprised when they stop and lay a hand on her shoulder instead. Her eyes light up at the praise and she breathes a small sigh of relief before she whispers back: "I can do that! And yes, I don't trust her. She's got no reason to be nice to us." Feeling reassured, she sits side-saddle on her broom, hovering just a few feet above the ground and holding on with one hand. She waits for Nik to tell give them instructions.
Nikolai shrugs. "That entirely depends on what we find here. Maybe there is a door we can close? Or bars we can use. This is why we scout it out, to get our options. Once we know more I can make a more decisive call on closing the gap. If it's a 40' corridor, then this is a moot point, but if it's just a narrow path we can easily choke it out with stones and boards. So, let's see what we see."
Ling drifts inside and finds herself in a twenty by twenty foot vestibule, the far side of which opens out into another larger chamber. The second area is forty feet across and twenty-five feet deep, with a pillar supporting the ceiling near each corner. On the far side of the room a ten foot wide corridor extends for as far as she can see, and another ten foot wide passage leads fifteen feet off to the right, before making a sharp left turn. The one remaining exit from the room is in the back left corner and is only five feet wide.
Inside these tunnels the stench is nearly overpowering, and is accompanied by an undertone of decaying offal. The walls are crumbling and ruined, and the entire place is in a state of disrepair.
When Ling returns from scouting ahead Astrid wanders over to to listen to her report. She stays behind some of the others so as to try to not provoke the bad taste the tiefling has for the mere presence of the dwarf. She offers nothing to allow the others the lead the group deeper through the catacombs.
"Whew! Smells worse than a goblin's kitchen down here!"she exclaims as the group makes their way to the vestibule. She watches as the other lady-tiefling checks things out for any potential threats and once she declares things as relatively safe, Astrid decides to wander out to the larger area ahead.
Her attention is first to the pillars hoping to find a way to perhaps cutoff the monster's escape. She steps over to the nearest one, places her fists to her hips as she looks the stone up and down. When gets gets to the top something above catches her eye. Concluding her examination of the area, she returns to Alaris and Nikola. "Well... If we're wanting to bring this place down, taking those down would surely do the trick. However, I can't tell how much force we're going to need."She motions to the ceiling and continues, "Looks like those things have been trying to tear out chunks of the stone up there."
Sticking close to Shiva, Ling watches Astrid carefully as the dwarf inspects the pillars and ceiling. "So are you going to be any help with closing off this tunnel? Isn't that what dwarfs do?" She folds her arms, not intending to be of any help herself: "Brute force isn't why you keep me around. I'll stay back and keep watch. Someone has to admire you at work, right." Her last statement is directed at the rest of the group, regaining her usual cheeky tone.
Alaris makes their way forward, out of the vestibule and into the chamber while Astrid inspects the construction. The paladin's concern is aggressive rather than architectural - clearing the corners and setting themselves at the most obvious choke point.
"Ling... Shiva..." they hiss back. "What's down this passage?"
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Eshuvenniel Kazander Ravid,Valor Bard and Acolyte of the Goddess of Luck Caradoc Langham, Halfling Rogue - Lost Magics - Epic of Pre-made Proportions! I'm not looking for heaven or hell... just someone to listen to stories I tell...
"Dwarfs do a lot."Astrid lets the reply hang for a moment, before deciding not to add anything further on that point and focuses on the task ahead. "And I'm no sapper, but I will do what I can to help."
She turns to Alaris as the paladin comes up behind her. "Before we bring of these down we need to figure out which one leads to those beasts and make sure that their only way out."
Ling grins mischievously: "Not a lot of fun stuff, though, am I right?" She leans around Nick for a quick glance and replies to Alaris: "Just another tunnel, can't see anything noteworthy. Do you want me to go take a look?"
"I'm worried there's another chamber like this on the other side leading to a different area of the catacombs. Take Shiva or Caio and check it out - I don't want anyone alone against these things. Nik, would you ask your patron to share their Guiding Wisdom with Ling before they go scout?"
The paladin rubs their silvered glaive with a frown and peers into the corners, not liking the feeling of slowness, of unreadiness that is left with Hope's Edge resting in the Frejan armory.
Eshuvenniel Kazander Ravid,Valor Bard and Acolyte of the Goddess of Luck Caradoc Langham, Halfling Rogue - Lost Magics - Epic of Pre-made Proportions! I'm not looking for heaven or hell... just someone to listen to stories I tell...
“Come Ling, you can torment Astrid later.” Caio holds out a noble arm for the lad to take and begins to head towards the unexplored tunnel. Ghoul departs from the elf and finds his typical alternate perch on Alaris’ shoulder.
Moving with slow, calculated steps, Shiva continues on into the malodorous space
"I'm not seeing much either." She says as she leans back slightly to address Alaris.
"I'll move with you all as well, I don't like the feel of this place." Shiva shivers slightly as she moves in close to Ling and Caio, eyes trained on the passage before them.
As Ling and Shiva move deeper into the chamber, they can see that the passage is a little over one hundred feet long. At the far end is a closed door, and about half way up stairs branch off down to the left and right.
"Mh I think I'll have both." Ling says with a smile like the cat that got the cream, taking Caio's arm and reaching for Shiva's hand on the other side. Both in tow, she checks out the tunnel and finding nothing suspicious, moves on further to inspect the little alcoves. She moves quietly and glances back over her shoulder every now and then to keep an eye on Astrid. Everybody else appears to be slightly on edge, but the pale tiefling feels comfortable down here, eager for the upcoming battle.
As she makes her way through the dark passage, the statues in the alcoves stare back at her. They all seem to be human, but Ling doesn't care to look too closely. Whatever, statues. With a shrug, she tiptoes a little further and peers down the stairs.
Skulking at the foot of the right-hand flight of stairs, a single fleder is hunched, sniffing at the air. It lets out a bestial screech and tilts its head to the side as though listening. The room beyond it is strewn with the rotted remains of dining tables and long benches. Some of them appear to have been smashed.
Ling lifts her foot to take another step forward - and moves it back instead, throwing out her arms to alert Caio and Shiva. Without turning, she motions behind her to Nik and Alaris, signing: enemy ahead, on the right! Tapping her index finger against her thumb, she quietly calls up a knife which hovers in the air next to her head, glimmering slightly in the darkness and pointed at the staircase.
"Dammit," Alaris snarls under their breath. "She never looks back for a response when she's already decided what she's going to do. Get ready to move, you two. Whatever's down there, she's attacking it."
Eshuvenniel Kazander Ravid,Valor Bard and Acolyte of the Goddess of Luck Caradoc Langham, Halfling Rogue - Lost Magics - Epic of Pre-made Proportions! I'm not looking for heaven or hell... just someone to listen to stories I tell...
The muscles in Ling's cheek tense as she grinds her teeth in frustration. The blade flickers and disappears as she turns to look at Shiva, taking another step back from the stairs. She glances at Caio and then turns to look and searches for the faces of Nik and Alaris.
Heavy footsteps and sound of claws on stone can be heard from around the corner as the fleder turns and slowly climbs the stairs. The foul stench intensifies and the heavy sound of the monster's breathing can be heard from just around the corner.
Alaris twirls her finger twice above her head and then jerks it backwards, pointing towards the chamber where Nik and Astrid and the paladin stand ready.
- Rally up - here! -
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Eshuvenniel Kazander Ravid,Valor Bard and Acolyte of the Goddess of Luck Caradoc Langham, Halfling Rogue - Lost Magics - Epic of Pre-made Proportions! I'm not looking for heaven or hell... just someone to listen to stories I tell...
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Ling gives Caio a quick nod, her eyes and mind focused on the approaching fight. She readies her broom and twirls the fingers of her other hand unconsciously, playing with a few tendrils of shadow. At the front of the group, she moves to the side of the tunnel to let the front team pass, planning to stick to the rear alongside Nick but keeping somewhere between him and Shiva as usual. Warily, she eyes Astrid again, wanting to put as much distance between them as possible. As Alaris approaches, she makes way for them to pass, but is surprised when they stop and lay a hand on her shoulder instead. Her eyes light up at the praise and she breathes a small sigh of relief before she whispers back: "I can do that! And yes, I don't trust her. She's got no reason to be nice to us." Feeling reassured, she sits side-saddle on her broom, hovering just a few feet above the ground and holding on with one hand. She waits for Nik to tell give them instructions.
Nikolai shrugs. "That entirely depends on what we find here. Maybe there is a door we can close? Or bars we can use. This is why we scout it out, to get our options. Once we know more I can make a more decisive call on closing the gap. If it's a 40' corridor, then this is a moot point, but if it's just a narrow path we can easily choke it out with stones and boards. So, let's see what we see."
Valaith "Rimehand" Kalukavi - Chronicles of Arden
Ling drifts inside and finds herself in a twenty by twenty foot vestibule, the far side of which opens out into another larger chamber. The second area is forty feet across and twenty-five feet deep, with a pillar supporting the ceiling near each corner. On the far side of the room a ten foot wide corridor extends for as far as she can see, and another ten foot wide passage leads fifteen feet off to the right, before making a sharp left turn. The one remaining exit from the room is in the back left corner and is only five feet wide.
Inside these tunnels the stench is nearly overpowering, and is accompanied by an undertone of decaying offal. The walls are crumbling and ruined, and the entire place is in a state of disrepair.
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
When Ling returns from scouting ahead Astrid wanders over to to listen to her report. She stays behind some of the others so as to try to not provoke the bad taste the tiefling has for the mere presence of the dwarf. She offers nothing to allow the others the lead the group deeper through the catacombs.
"Whew! Smells worse than a goblin's kitchen down here!" she exclaims as the group makes their way to the vestibule. She watches as the other lady-tiefling checks things out for any potential threats and once she declares things as relatively safe, Astrid decides to wander out to the larger area ahead.
Her attention is first to the pillars hoping to find a way to perhaps cutoff the monster's escape. She steps over to the nearest one, places her fists to her hips as she looks the stone up and down. When gets gets to the top something above catches her eye. Concluding her examination of the area, she returns to Alaris and Nikola. "Well... If we're wanting to bring this place down, taking those down would surely do the trick. However, I can't tell how much force we're going to need." She motions to the ceiling and continues, "Looks like those things have been trying to tear out chunks of the stone up there."
Sticking close to Shiva, Ling watches Astrid carefully as the dwarf inspects the pillars and ceiling. "So are you going to be any help with closing off this tunnel? Isn't that what dwarfs do?" She folds her arms, not intending to be of any help herself: "Brute force isn't why you keep me around. I'll stay back and keep watch. Someone has to admire you at work, right." Her last statement is directed at the rest of the group, regaining her usual cheeky tone.
Alaris makes their way forward, out of the vestibule and into the chamber while Astrid inspects the construction. The paladin's concern is aggressive rather than architectural - clearing the corners and setting themselves at the most obvious choke point.
"Ling... Shiva..." they hiss back. "What's down this passage?"
Eshuvenniel Kazander Ravid, Valor Bard and Acolyte of the Goddess of Luck
Caradoc Langham, Halfling Rogue - Lost Magics - Epic of Pre-made Proportions!
I'm not looking for heaven or hell... just someone to listen to stories I tell...
"Dwarfs do a lot." Astrid lets the reply hang for a moment, before deciding not to add anything further on that point and focuses on the task ahead. "And I'm no sapper, but I will do what I can to help."
She turns to Alaris as the paladin comes up behind her. "Before we bring of these down we need to figure out which one leads to those beasts and make sure that their only way out."
Ling grins mischievously: "Not a lot of fun stuff, though, am I right?" She leans around Nick for a quick glance and replies to Alaris: "Just another tunnel, can't see anything noteworthy. Do you want me to go take a look?"
"I'm worried there's another chamber like this on the other side leading to a different area of the catacombs. Take Shiva or Caio and check it out - I don't want anyone alone against these things. Nik, would you ask your patron to share their Guiding Wisdom with Ling before they go scout?"
The paladin rubs their silvered glaive with a frown and peers into the corners, not liking the feeling of slowness, of unreadiness that is left with Hope's Edge resting in the Frejan armory.
Eshuvenniel Kazander Ravid, Valor Bard and Acolyte of the Goddess of Luck
Caradoc Langham, Halfling Rogue - Lost Magics - Epic of Pre-made Proportions!
I'm not looking for heaven or hell... just someone to listen to stories I tell...
“Come Ling, you can torment Astrid later.” Caio holds out a noble arm for the lad to take and begins to head towards the unexplored tunnel. Ghoul departs from the elf and finds his typical alternate perch on Alaris’ shoulder.
Chronicles of Arden: Sheercleft - Vark Galestone | Half-Orc | Storm Sorcerer
Chronicles of Arden: Hunters - Caio Cypherien | Shadar-Kai | Inquisitor Ranger
Moving with slow, calculated steps, Shiva continues on into the malodorous space
"I'm not seeing much either." She says as she leans back slightly to address Alaris.
"I'll move with you all as well, I don't like the feel of this place." Shiva shivers slightly as she moves in close to Ling and Caio, eyes trained on the passage before them.
As Ling and Shiva move deeper into the chamber, they can see that the passage is a little over one hundred feet long. At the far end is a closed door, and about half way up stairs branch off down to the left and right.
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
"Mh I think I'll have both." Ling says with a smile like the cat that got the cream, taking Caio's arm and reaching for Shiva's hand on the other side. Both in tow, she checks out the tunnel and finding nothing suspicious, moves on further to inspect the little alcoves. She moves quietly and glances back over her shoulder every now and then to keep an eye on Astrid. Everybody else appears to be slightly on edge, but the pale tiefling feels comfortable down here, eager for the upcoming battle.
As she makes her way through the dark passage, the statues in the alcoves stare back at her. They all seem to be human, but Ling doesn't care to look too closely. Whatever, statues. With a shrug, she tiptoes a little further and peers down the stairs.
Skulking at the foot of the right-hand flight of stairs, a single fleder is hunched, sniffing at the air. It lets out a bestial screech and tilts its head to the side as though listening. The room beyond it is strewn with the rotted remains of dining tables and long benches. Some of them appear to have been smashed.
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
Ling lifts her foot to take another step forward - and moves it back instead, throwing out her arms to alert Caio and Shiva. Without turning, she motions behind her to Nik and Alaris, signing: enemy ahead, on the right! Tapping her index finger against her thumb, she quietly calls up a knife which hovers in the air next to her head, glimmering slightly in the darkness and pointed at the staircase.
"Dammit," Alaris snarls under their breath. "She never looks back for a response when she's already decided what she's going to do. Get ready to move, you two. Whatever's down there, she's attacking it."
Eshuvenniel Kazander Ravid, Valor Bard and Acolyte of the Goddess of Luck
Caradoc Langham, Halfling Rogue - Lost Magics - Epic of Pre-made Proportions!
I'm not looking for heaven or hell... just someone to listen to stories I tell...
In the moment between catching sight of the fleder and watching Ling's blade levitating beside her head, Shiva reaches out and grabs Ling's shoulder
Leaning in, she very quickly whispers "Wait, alerting one might alert others."
The muscles in Ling's cheek tense as she grinds her teeth in frustration. The blade flickers and disappears as she turns to look at Shiva, taking another step back from the stairs. She glances at Caio and then turns to look and searches for the faces of Nik and Alaris.
Heavy footsteps and sound of claws on stone can be heard from around the corner as the fleder turns and slowly climbs the stairs. The foul stench intensifies and the heavy sound of the monster's breathing can be heard from just around the corner.
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
Alaris twirls her finger twice above her head and then jerks it backwards, pointing towards the chamber where Nik and Astrid and the paladin stand ready.
- Rally up - here! -
Eshuvenniel Kazander Ravid, Valor Bard and Acolyte of the Goddess of Luck
Caradoc Langham, Halfling Rogue - Lost Magics - Epic of Pre-made Proportions!
I'm not looking for heaven or hell... just someone to listen to stories I tell...