T'bitha lays down in her makeshift bedroom she has made. Dimitri, you look around up here for any quick exits and, with the windows being as boarded up as they are, the only easy exit is the front door. This building seems to be a single entrance / exit building. (OOC: or it was before the hole in the cellar was made) You finally move downstairs, Dimitri, to join Khessa and check out the cellar. You see the large hole in the wall and the two of you crawl into it. (OOC: It's up to you who crawls in first, but the tunnel isn't tall enough to walk in, it's just big enough for a medium-sized creature to crawl through) The two of you crawl about 20 feet before you come to a T intersection in the tunnel. It continues going straight, but it also drops down about 10 feet to, what appears to be another tunnel. The hole is large, but you could safely crawl across it to continue going straight if you wished.
Hadi, your detect magic doesn't detect anything. There is nothing magical in the tavern, not even your allies. (OOC: I don't think anyone has anything magical, because the stake and the urns are the only magical things you've all found so far. Correct me if I'm wrong!) You send Laza outside to perch on the roof of the tavern, and you remember the ring you had picked up while in the Veiled Forest and stuffed in your pocket. You pull it out, examining it's obsidian-like color and onyx and ruby gems embedded in it, and slip it on your finger. As you do, you feel a sharp pain, attempting to remove or move the ring, you find it is stuck, and won't budge.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Khessa tries to determine which way seems to be used thee most, looking for eventual traces: "Well... I hope it does not get too maze-like. We do not have the time to explore a full maze right now. Although, at least, eventual pursuers would have a hard time chasing us here, should we need to flee".
Survival: 21
If she can determine which way is used the most, she goes for it (planting pitons for climbing back easier, if it is down). Else, she continues straight.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Feeling the pain from the ring ((and no ping from detect magic on it right?)) Hadi winces and sits down to give the ring a better look and see what might cause be causing it ((investigation 24)).
You inspect the ring that has seemingly clamped itself around your finger, Hadi. You study it closely and looking you can see there are some sort of prongs that have ejected from the ring and pierced themselves into your finger. You also notice the onyx gems in the ring seem to have some sort of red swirl in them now. (OOC: There was no magical ping from the ring, that is correct. Roll a d100 for me Hadi)
Khessa, it's hard to tell which path is used more often, because both look like they haven't been used in a while. (OOC: Wanting to head straight then?)
Khessa, you crawl over the hole that goes down, and follow the tunnel straight. It seems to continue on for another 20 or so feet, before it begins to curve slightly. You stop for a moment as you begin to hear what sounds like conversation happening around the bend of this tunnel. It just sounds like a couple of people talking smack to each other, sounds like maybe they're playing cards or dice. You're not 100% sure at the moment. You can also see a very faint light dancing on the curve as well. (OOC: I'm going to assume Dimitri is directly behind you)
'Maybe it's time to make new friends?' thinks to herself ironically Khessa 'Busy as they are speaking to each other, they might not hear me coming'.
She hides her light in her backpack (or under her cloak, if reaching backpack would be impractical at the moment) and heads toward the faint llight. If she finds a room, she enters and greets the people she finds in there as if it was the most natural thing in the world: "Hi guys, well met!"
Hadi, as you're studying this ring that has locked itself to your finger, you begin to realize the ring is alive, and has attached itself to you. The worst part of all is this feeling you're getting. It's a weird feeling to have, because it's not common at all, but you can feel that the ring has connected itself to your vein, and is circulating your blood through it, which is where that strange crimson swirl in the onyx is coming from. It doesn't seem to be draining you of blood or life, just circulating your blood through itself. It actually has you feeling a little more invigorated and at alert. It's about this time, you realize the door to the tavern has opened and your alarm is going off. Looking up, you notice there are five drunk young folk stumbling into the tavern. They're most definitely too drunk to notice the table that is hovering over the doorway, and they don't notice you, Hadi, nor do they notice T'bitha sleeping in her makeshift bedroom, nor Tristan who is hanging out with you. They instinctively move towards the corner of the tavern where the bedrolls are, with the exception of one, and the open grate to the cellar.
Khessa, you begin crawling closer to the voices, moving around the bend. You see four rough looking fellows dressed in leathers, with patchwork metal added as extra defense. They are in fact playing cards. Before you attempt to move any closer you hear a voice in the back of your head "I wouldn't. Your friends are in trouble, you best return." the voice is soft and broken, getting quieter the longer it speaks in your mind.
Loud enough for everyone in the group to hear, fiddling with his ring, Hadi says to the group of drunks, "Evening gents! You didn't happen to bring any back with you by chance?"
'I was complaining about the dilapidated tavern leaking like a sieve,' thinks Khessa, as soon as the mysterious voice delivers the message 'but I have to admit that my mind does not fare much better... Malekith before, this voice now... How many are able to come in my head and speak uninvited?'
Anyway, she chooses not to ingore the warning and starts coming back. But the blonde arcane warrior, quite curious, tries to reply to the telepathic voice: "I go and check. And if you told the truth, thank you, I'll also try to help you if I can. In the meantime, should we not know each other better? I'm Khessa, and you? Who are you? And how it is that you can communicate with me in this way? Are you in the ornated sword?"
You announce your presence loudly, Hadi, in an attempt to alert Dimitri and Khessa to the existence of these drunken folk who have stumbled in. Though, unfortunately, they've gone too far into these tunnels and don't hear you. "What--" the young man speaking begins leaning forward towards you "are yous doin' ins our house?" he continues to lean until losing his center of balance and falling forward onto his face. The next sound out of him is a soft snoring, while he lays face down on the dirty tavern floor. A few of the others laugh and snicker to themselves at the sound of the man hitting the ground and instantly snoring. Another one of the young men speaks up "Yeah, what Marcus said. We claimed this tavern. Find your own place to sleep."
Khessa, there's no immediate response to you. You're not sure if when you spoke back into your mind if whoever or whatever spoke to you, heard you or not. You and Dimitri bend and shift to get turned around in this tunnel, and then shift some more as you squeeze past each other, allowing you to lead again in the other direction. The two of you eventually get back into the cellar, allowing you to fully stretch out. Heading back up the stairs and peaking into the ground floor of the tavern, you see Hadi, four young men standing, and another body laying on the floor, unmoving, and you hear the tail end of one of the men saying "--place to sleep."
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
"It's not so much that my friend..."Hadi says, adding, "But we heard that the guards are coming this way, and we wanted to give you you all some time to get your things." ((persuasion 19)) Hadi then fingers his new ring and suggests "And it'd be really helpful if you could help us convince your friends to leave peacefully." ((wis 14 save))
not really sure if the persuasion is needed along with suggestion... but gave the roll just in case.
Khessa comes back just in time to hear the young men speaking of sleep. From what Hadi replies to them, it is clear that they are the guest.
'I did well to set the trap with manual activation... else those fools would have sprung it in drow's place'
The blonde arcane warrior, wearing her chain mail and with her greatsword ready, comes to the side of the noble elf and adds: "It is as my friend says, you know? Here there will be troubles pretty soon. Believe me, you'll NOT want to be there"
"Who were you talking to?" Dimitri asked Khessa when they were backing out the tunnel. He eyed her ornate sword askance, fearing some sort of spirit will suddenly jump out. Finally they came back to the tavern and faced the drunken men. He really didn't want any more trouble this night. He stood behind Khessa, looking menacing, hoping they would just turn away.
While still in the tunnel, Khessa answers Dimitri: "A voice in my mind... Told me the others are in trouble. First time I heared it, this is why I thought it might be related to the sword, that is the last thing I acquired. I tried to communicate, for I'd like to know more... but it does not speak anymore. Guess I'll have to investigate later; now we better come back and check if our friends really could use our help".
"Guards? Thank you for the warning, we're out!" Then Hadi, you suggest to one of the others to help convince his friends to leave, though you're not really sure it was necessary. "Let's get out of here, someone grab Marcus." As they step back out of the tavern, you can hear them muttering to themselves.
Dimitri, as you asked Khessa about the talking and as you eyed the sword she has, you don't notice anything. There's no reaction from the sword, no ghost or any form of spirit reveals itself to you.
"Well, that wasn't so bad,"Hadi says looking around the now empty room. "Though they really do need a bath..." He then get's back to resetting his alarm on the tavern for if their actual foes come to them.
Khessa locks the entrance door with the key (it would be suspicious to leave it unlocked!) and thinks to herself: 'Whoever that voice was, sure it was way too apprehensive! My firends in danger... because of a few drunken deranged lads?'
The blonde arcane warrior then tells her companions what she has found in the cellar and in the passage, adding: "It might be a good emergency exit, especially if we take the time to clean it... Or do yu fear that the drow might come while we are busy with the cleaning?"
Finally: "If we don't clean the passage, then we could prepare some more trap to welcome our main guests. Somebody has new ideas? I have some oil... Could we setup some oil pool, maybe concealed by cloth or debris, with trickles of oil so that we can light them even from distance, as soon as someone steps on the proper place... If we make ponds not too big, we shouldn't risk setting fire to the whole building... especially if after the fight we rush to try to put out the fire. Or too risky?"
As you go to lock the door, Khessa, give me a perception check. Hadi, I don't think you actually have to reset alarm. It doesn't say it ends when it goes off, it will continue to go off until the 8 hours are up.
T'bitha lays down in her makeshift bedroom she has made. Dimitri, you look around up here for any quick exits and, with the windows being as boarded up as they are, the only easy exit is the front door. This building seems to be a single entrance / exit building. (OOC: or it was before the hole in the cellar was made) You finally move downstairs, Dimitri, to join Khessa and check out the cellar. You see the large hole in the wall and the two of you crawl into it. (OOC: It's up to you who crawls in first, but the tunnel isn't tall enough to walk in, it's just big enough for a medium-sized creature to crawl through) The two of you crawl about 20 feet before you come to a T intersection in the tunnel. It continues going straight, but it also drops down about 10 feet to, what appears to be another tunnel. The hole is large, but you could safely crawl across it to continue going straight if you wished.
Hadi, your detect magic doesn't detect anything. There is nothing magical in the tavern, not even your allies. (OOC: I don't think anyone has anything magical, because the stake and the urns are the only magical things you've all found so far. Correct me if I'm wrong!) You send Laza outside to perch on the roof of the tavern, and you remember the ring you had picked up while in the Veiled Forest and stuffed in your pocket. You pull it out, examining it's obsidian-like color and onyx and ruby gems embedded in it, and slip it on your finger. As you do, you feel a sharp pain, attempting to remove or move the ring, you find it is stuck, and won't budge.
Khessa tries to determine which way seems to be used thee most, looking for eventual traces: "Well... I hope it does not get too maze-like. We do not have the time to explore a full maze right now. Although, at least, eventual pursuers would have a hard time chasing us here, should we need to flee".
Survival: 21
If she can determine which way is used the most, she goes for it (planting pitons for climbing back easier, if it is down). Else, she continues straight.
Feeling the pain from the ring ((and no ping from detect magic on it right?)) Hadi winces and sits down to give the ring a better look and see what might cause be causing it ((investigation 24)).
PbP 🎲: Tyekanik; Moneo Noree; Korba Muris; & occasional DM:
You inspect the ring that has seemingly clamped itself around your finger, Hadi. You study it closely and looking you can see there are some sort of prongs that have ejected from the ring and pierced themselves into your finger. You also notice the onyx gems in the ring seem to have some sort of red swirl in them now. (OOC: There was no magical ping from the ring, that is correct. Roll a d100 for me Hadi)
Khessa, it's hard to tell which path is used more often, because both look like they haven't been used in a while. (OOC: Wanting to head straight then?)
Yes, straight then
Khessa, you crawl over the hole that goes down, and follow the tunnel straight. It seems to continue on for another 20 or so feet, before it begins to curve slightly. You stop for a moment as you begin to hear what sounds like conversation happening around the bend of this tunnel. It just sounds like a couple of people talking smack to each other, sounds like maybe they're playing cards or dice. You're not 100% sure at the moment. You can also see a very faint light dancing on the curve as well. (OOC: I'm going to assume Dimitri is directly behind you)
'Maybe it's time to make new friends?' thinks to herself ironically Khessa 'Busy as they are speaking to each other, they might not hear me coming'.
She hides her light in her backpack (or under her cloak, if reaching backpack would be impractical at the moment) and heads toward the faint llight. If she finds a room, she enters and greets the people she finds in there as if it was the most natural thing in the world: "Hi guys, well met!"
Hadi, as you're studying this ring that has locked itself to your finger, you begin to realize the ring is alive, and has attached itself to you. The worst part of all is this feeling you're getting. It's a weird feeling to have, because it's not common at all, but you can feel that the ring has connected itself to your vein, and is circulating your blood through it, which is where that strange crimson swirl in the onyx is coming from. It doesn't seem to be draining you of blood or life, just circulating your blood through itself. It actually has you feeling a little more invigorated and at alert. It's about this time, you realize the door to the tavern has opened and your alarm is going off. Looking up, you notice there are five drunk young folk stumbling into the tavern. They're most definitely too drunk to notice the table that is hovering over the doorway, and they don't notice you, Hadi, nor do they notice T'bitha sleeping in her makeshift bedroom, nor Tristan who is hanging out with you. They instinctively move towards the corner of the tavern where the bedrolls are, with the exception of one, and the open grate to the cellar.
Khessa, you begin crawling closer to the voices, moving around the bend. You see four rough looking fellows dressed in leathers, with patchwork metal added as extra defense. They are in fact playing cards. Before you attempt to move any closer you hear a voice in the back of your head "I wouldn't. Your friends are in trouble, you best return." the voice is soft and broken, getting quieter the longer it speaks in your mind.
Loud enough for everyone in the group to hear, fiddling with his ring, Hadi says to the group of drunks, "Evening gents! You didn't happen to bring any back with you by chance?"
PbP 🎲: Tyekanik; Moneo Noree; Korba Muris; & occasional DM:
'I was complaining about the dilapidated tavern leaking like a sieve,' thinks Khessa, as soon as the mysterious voice delivers the message 'but I have to admit that my mind does not fare much better... Malekith before, this voice now... How many are able to come in my head and speak uninvited?'
Anyway, she chooses not to ingore the warning and starts coming back. But the blonde arcane warrior, quite curious, tries to reply to the telepathic voice: "I go and check. And if you told the truth, thank you, I'll also try to help you if I can. In the meantime, should we not know each other better? I'm Khessa, and you? Who are you? And how it is that you can communicate with me in this way? Are you in the ornated sword?"
You announce your presence loudly, Hadi, in an attempt to alert Dimitri and Khessa to the existence of these drunken folk who have stumbled in. Though, unfortunately, they've gone too far into these tunnels and don't hear you. "What--" the young man speaking begins leaning forward towards you "are yous doin' ins our house?" he continues to lean until losing his center of balance and falling forward onto his face. The next sound out of him is a soft snoring, while he lays face down on the dirty tavern floor. A few of the others laugh and snicker to themselves at the sound of the man hitting the ground and instantly snoring. Another one of the young men speaks up "Yeah, what Marcus said. We claimed this tavern. Find your own place to sleep."
Khessa, there's no immediate response to you. You're not sure if when you spoke back into your mind if whoever or whatever spoke to you, heard you or not. You and Dimitri bend and shift to get turned around in this tunnel, and then shift some more as you squeeze past each other, allowing you to lead again in the other direction. The two of you eventually get back into the cellar, allowing you to fully stretch out. Heading back up the stairs and peaking into the ground floor of the tavern, you see Hadi, four young men standing, and another body laying on the floor, unmoving, and you hear the tail end of one of the men saying "--place to sleep."
"It's not so much that my friend..." Hadi says, adding, "But we heard that the guards are coming this way, and we wanted to give you you all some time to get your things." ((persuasion 19)) Hadi then fingers his new ring and suggests "And it'd be really helpful if you could help us convince your friends to leave peacefully." ((wis 14 save))
not really sure if the persuasion is needed along with suggestion... but gave the roll just in case.
PbP 🎲: Tyekanik; Moneo Noree; Korba Muris; & occasional DM:
Khessa comes back just in time to hear the young men speaking of sleep. From what Hadi replies to them, it is clear that they are the guest.
'I did well to set the trap with manual activation... else those fools would have sprung it in drow's place'
The blonde arcane warrior, wearing her chain mail and with her greatsword ready, comes to the side of the noble elf and adds: "It is as my friend says, you know? Here there will be troubles pretty soon. Believe me, you'll NOT want to be there"
"Who were you talking to?" Dimitri asked Khessa when they were backing out the tunnel. He eyed her ornate sword askance, fearing some sort of spirit will suddenly jump out. Finally they came back to the tavern and faced the drunken men. He really didn't want any more trouble this night. He stood behind Khessa, looking menacing, hoping they would just turn away.
-- a little flashback, if allowed
While still in the tunnel, Khessa answers Dimitri: "A voice in my mind... Told me the others are in trouble. First time I heared it, this is why I thought it might be related to the sword, that is the last thing I acquired. I tried to communicate, for I'd like to know more... but it does not speak anymore. Guess I'll have to investigate later; now we better come back and check if our friends really could use our help".
-- end of flashback
"Guards? Thank you for the warning, we're out!" Then Hadi, you suggest to one of the others to help convince his friends to leave, though you're not really sure it was necessary. "Let's get out of here, someone grab Marcus." As they step back out of the tavern, you can hear them muttering to themselves.
Dimitri, as you asked Khessa about the talking and as you eyed the sword she has, you don't notice anything. There's no reaction from the sword, no ghost or any form of spirit reveals itself to you.
"Well, that wasn't so bad," Hadi says looking around the now empty room. "Though they really do need a bath..." He then get's back to resetting his alarm on the tavern for if their actual foes come to them.
PbP 🎲: Tyekanik; Moneo Noree; Korba Muris; & occasional DM:
Khessa locks the entrance door with the key (it would be suspicious to leave it unlocked!) and thinks to herself: 'Whoever that voice was, sure it was way too apprehensive! My firends in danger... because of a few drunken deranged lads?'
The blonde arcane warrior then tells her companions what she has found in the cellar and in the passage, adding: "It might be a good emergency exit, especially if we take the time to clean it... Or do yu fear that the drow might come while we are busy with the cleaning?"
Finally: "If we don't clean the passage, then we could prepare some more trap to welcome our main guests. Somebody has new ideas? I have some oil... Could we setup some oil pool, maybe concealed by cloth or debris, with trickles of oil so that we can light them even from distance, as soon as someone steps on the proper place... If we make ponds not too big, we shouldn't risk setting fire to the whole building... especially if after the fight we rush to try to put out the fire. Or too risky?"
As you go to lock the door, Khessa, give me a perception check. Hadi, I don't think you actually have to reset alarm. It doesn't say it ends when it goes off, it will continue to go off until the 8 hours are up.
Perception: 5