Ardana tries to follow the recitation, and has one question. "It sounds like the marble arch itself might be interesting? Do you want to take a look at that before we go down? It may be good for us all to check it out. We may want to consider blocking the entrance in some way in case someone else wanders by. It does appear that Martha's vision tells us that the item is below, though." Ardana waits for anyone who will join her and then goes back to the main hall and walks back out the main tunnel, which we haven't explored yet, to see what there is to see.
(OOC: did we short rest before the next step or not?)
Tarysaa will follow along with Ardana to investigate the marble arch near the front entrance to the den. Perhaps it will be the final puzzle piece that helps complete the puzzle of this spot.
( OOC: Perhaps we get that short rest upon our return? )
Nim folds his arms in a huff and follows outside to the Marble Arch.
(OOC: A quick inspection of the arch followed by a rest once the entrance is barricaded is a great idea. Perhaps using the beds and assorted furniture to block the way?.)
You reach the marble arch without problems; examining it closely, you notice that it is decorated with bas-reliefs (now ruined)... Now that Tarysaa has pointed out to you the carved symbol on the throne, comparing you understand that carved in marble there must have been the same symbol - it's just more difficult to be recognized because the arch, having remained exposed to the elements, has been more affected by the passage of time.
(OOC: How long is the corridor from the main hall to the marble arch?)
After we inspect the arch, and are back in the main hall, Ardana reinstalls the barricade the Zhentarim were using to guard the main entrance, and keeps watch there while others take their short rest.
Helper of Create a World thread/Sedge is Chaotic Neutral/ Mega Yahtzee High: 34, Low: 14/I speak English, je me parle le Francais, agus Labhraim beagan Gaeilge
Nim takes a good long, ponderous, thoughtful, philosophical look at the Marble Arch. for a few minutes and all he comes up with is… definitely probably marble.
(OOC: History check 5)
He gives in with the arch and heads I side to rest for a while with the others, spending his time jotting notes on the adventure so far and uses these to try and compose his next piece.
The corridor from the main hall to the marble arch is 40'. The watch by Ardana and Ilwythe seems to discourage any intruders! An hour goes by without anything noteworthy happening. You can take the benefit of the Short Rest.
Tarysaa is disappointed in how little the marble arch could offer, however, she did plan to note what she did deduce in her notes before settling in for her short rest. While munching on part of a ration and finishing her notes, she tossed the chewier bits the wolf's way. Satisfied, she slips into her meditative state.
[ OOC: Using a short rest, Tarysaa can gain back 1 spell slot. Studying her spell book, she invokes ARCANE RECOVERY which allows her to regain 1 spell slot. ]
“Right you lot! Up we get come on we’ve got a mysterious staircase to be exploring! No time to dally!”
Nim then makes his way to the staircase, hoping to bump himself up a few places in the agreed marching order without anyone noticing by getting there first.
Clas finds a moment to pull Daisy aside privately. "Daisy," he begins, lowering his voice, "I heard the Tiefling mentioning something to you about catching 'them' with a good horse." His brow furrows with curiosity, and he leans in closer, eager to understand the significance of the Tiefling's words and how it may affect their current quest.
"I've got a riding horse. If we left our gear behind, it might carry both of us, with your wolf running alongside, perhaps!" His mind buzzing with ideas, Clas continues, "And you know what? We might have enough coin to purchase more horses for the party. Two more should be enough, with two horses doubled up with riders." Clas's voice brims with excitement as he shares his plan, eager to find a solution. I believe we can always come back to this Harpell lair.
"Thanks! But as much as I want to go running off for Gare, doing so half-cocked would do him no good if I can't make it. We'd need some supplies to make it on the long journey to Najara. Besides, Martha said she would give us some horses when we return. "
Clas gets up and holds Nimblestep in place while everyone gets ready to descend, once ready he pats Nim on the head with a smile and joins Ardana for the descent. Hahahaha!
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Never underestimate the power of a finely crafted barrel, my friend! It is both a vessel of strength and a symbol of resilience.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
As we depart, Ilwythe will check behind us quickly: 12
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Helper of Create a World thread/Sedge is Chaotic Neutral/ Mega Yahtzee High: 34, Low: 14/I speak English, je me parle le Francais, agus Labhraim beagan Gaeilge
Rested from the short break, you face the descent of the wide spiral staircase. Its circumference has a radius slightly greater than 10'... in practice, you can go down by staying in pairs - and therefore you do so, following the steps until you descend 30'.
Ilwythe sees nothing suspicious behind it—no one seems to be following you.
The spiral staircase terminates in a very large hall, measuring 35' x 35', and whose dimension is extended by two 10' x 10' alcoves, one to the east and one to the south, from which exits branch off. Said exits are heavily obscured by what it seems to be fog. Both alcoves have mosaic floors.
Each wall you can see here has a bas-relief decoration (in the band that goes from the floor to the first 5' of height) of a series of copies of the same man in long hooded robe, seen from the front. Each figure extends its hands to the sides to hold those of the figures alongside.
You realize that you have reached a new, probably more mysterious, level of this dungeon. Who knows how long no one has set foot in these halls? It was no small ordeal, being able to get this far... and this instills unprecedented awareness and confidence in your abilities!
(OOC: Gratz! You all can level up! Welcome to level 2! Feel free to roll HP for the new level If the new level makes you choose new skills, features or whatever go ahead and choose them - let's say, after the short rest you have done, you realize that you have perfected these skills or features, in which we can imagine that you have already been training for some time. Even if in the game to gain a level is an immediate act, we can imagine that from the characters' perspective the process appears gradual. If someone gains the ability to prepare a new spell, exceptionally, you may prepare it — although normally you can only do this at the end of a Long Rest. And whoever gains new spell slots has them available right away - even if they don't recover the spent ones; you'll need to take a Long Rest for that.
After you have advanced your character to level 2, feel free of course to resume declaring your characters' actions...).
Ardana feels Helm's blessing while moving down the stairs, she feels like she is doing something right. That greatsword worked pretty well against the Zhentarim leader, she will continue with it.
Ardana stands guard, standing where she can keep an eye on all 4 foggy passages, while those with better investigation skills do the looking around.
As Ardana and Nim descend the stairs and set foot in the room (albeit with different intentions), a pretty halfling boy (perhaps around 13 years old?) with dark hair, a chubby build, tanned skin, a smiling and deferential demeanor and dressed as a butler appears out of nowhere. The symbol of two wolves facing each other on opposite sides of a horse with particularly elongated legs is embroidered on his robe (same symbol of the arch and the throne).
The young halfling butler promptly introduces himself: "Hello esteemed visitors. I'm Elky and I'm here to serve you. Would you like something to drink or eat, by any chance? I could have you brought some tea, water, wine, eggs and bacon, a few bites of game, horse meat... Or would you prefer to decline the offer?"
Ardana tries to follow the recitation, and has one question. "It sounds like the marble arch itself might be interesting? Do you want to take a look at that before we go down? It may be good for us all to check it out. We may want to consider blocking the entrance in some way in case someone else wanders by. It does appear that Martha's vision tells us that the item is below, though." Ardana waits for anyone who will join her and then goes back to the main hall and walks back out the main tunnel, which we haven't explored yet, to see what there is to see.
(OOC: did we short rest before the next step or not?)
(OOC: No, you did not take the short rest yet... So are you doing it here? In the secret corridor?)
Tarysaa will follow along with Ardana to investigate the marble arch near the front entrance to the den.
Perhaps it will be the final puzzle piece that helps complete the puzzle of this spot.
( OOC: Perhaps we get that short rest upon our return? )
Nim folds his arms in a huff and follows outside to the Marble Arch.
(OOC: A quick inspection of the arch followed by a rest once the entrance is barricaded is a great idea. Perhaps using the beds and assorted furniture to block the way?.)
You reach the marble arch without problems; examining it closely, you notice that it is decorated with bas-reliefs (now ruined)... Now that Tarysaa has pointed out to you the carved symbol on the throne, comparing you understand that carved in marble there must have been the same symbol - it's just more difficult to be recognized because the arch, having remained exposed to the elements, has been more affected by the passage of time.
(OOC: How long is the corridor from the main hall to the marble arch?)
After we inspect the arch, and are back in the main hall, Ardana reinstalls the barricade the Zhentarim were using to guard the main entrance, and keeps watch there while others take their short rest.
Ilwythe will keep watch with Ardana
Helper of Create a World thread/Sedge is Chaotic Neutral/ Mega Yahtzee High: 34, Low: 14/I speak English, je me parle le Francais, agus Labhraim beagan Gaeilge
Dream of Days Lore Bard 9/Wizard 4 Baulder's Gate: Descent to Avernus (In Person/Over Zoom)
Saleadon Morgul Battle Smith Artificer 11 Tyranny of Dragons (In Person/Over Zoom)
Hurtharn Serpti Ghostslayer Blood Hunter 7 Spelljammer (Over Zoom)
Ex Sig
Nim takes a good long, ponderous, thoughtful, philosophical look at the Marble Arch. for a few minutes and all he comes up with is… definitely probably marble.
(OOC: History check 5)
He gives in with the arch and heads I side to rest for a while with the others, spending his time jotting notes on the adventure so far and uses these to try and compose his next piece.
The corridor from the main hall to the marble arch is 40'. The watch by Ardana and Ilwythe seems to discourage any intruders! An hour goes by without anything noteworthy happening. You can take the benefit of the Short Rest.
(OOC: want to propose a new marching order for the descent: Ardana and Clas up front, Daisy and Tarysaa in the middle, Nim and Ilwythe rearguard.)
Tarysaa is disappointed in how little the marble arch could offer, however, she did plan to note what she did deduce in her notes before settling in for her short rest. While munching on part of a ration and finishing her notes, she tossed the chewier bits the wolf's way. Satisfied, she slips into her meditative state.
[ OOC: Using a short rest, Tarysaa can gain back 1 spell slot. Studying her spell book, she invokes ARCANE RECOVERY which allows her to regain 1 spell slot. ]
“Right you lot! Up we get come on we’ve got a mysterious staircase to be exploring! No time to dally!”
Nim then makes his way to the staircase, hoping to bump himself up a few places in the agreed marching order without anyone noticing by getting there first.
"Thanks! But as much as I want to go running off for Gare, doing so half-cocked would do him no good if I can't make it. We'd need some supplies to make it on the long journey to Najara. Besides, Martha said she would give us some horses when we return. "
Clas gets up and holds Nimblestep in place while everyone gets ready to descend, once ready he pats Nim on the head with a smile and joins Ardana for the descent. Hahahaha!
Never underestimate the power of a finely crafted barrel, my friend! It is both a vessel of strength and a symbol of resilience.
As we depart, Ilwythe will check behind us quickly: 12
Helper of Create a World thread/Sedge is Chaotic Neutral/ Mega Yahtzee High: 34, Low: 14/I speak English, je me parle le Francais, agus Labhraim beagan Gaeilge
Dream of Days Lore Bard 9/Wizard 4 Baulder's Gate: Descent to Avernus (In Person/Over Zoom)
Saleadon Morgul Battle Smith Artificer 11 Tyranny of Dragons (In Person/Over Zoom)
Hurtharn Serpti Ghostslayer Blood Hunter 7 Spelljammer (Over Zoom)
Ex Sig
Rested from the short break, you face the descent of the wide spiral staircase. Its circumference has a radius slightly greater than 10'... in practice, you can go down by staying in pairs - and therefore you do so, following the steps until you descend 30'.
Ilwythe sees nothing suspicious behind it—no one seems to be following you.
The spiral staircase terminates in a very large hall, measuring 35' x 35', and whose dimension is extended by two 10' x 10' alcoves, one to the east and one to the south, from which exits branch off. Said exits are heavily obscured by what it seems to be fog. Both alcoves have mosaic floors.
Each wall you can see here has a bas-relief decoration (in the band that goes from the floor to the first 5' of height) of a series of copies of the same man in long hooded robe, seen from the front. Each figure extends its hands to the sides to hold those of the figures alongside.
You realize that you have reached a new, probably more mysterious, level of this dungeon. Who knows how long no one has set foot in these halls? It was no small ordeal, being able to get this far... and this instills unprecedented awareness and confidence in your abilities!
(OOC: Gratz! You all can level up! Welcome to level 2! Feel free to roll HP for the new level If the new level makes you choose new skills, features or whatever go ahead and choose them - let's say, after the short rest you have done, you realize that you have perfected these skills or features, in which we can imagine that you have already been training for some time. Even if in the game to gain a level is an immediate act, we can imagine that from the characters' perspective the process appears gradual. If someone gains the ability to prepare a new spell, exceptionally, you may prepare it — although normally you can only do this at the end of a Long Rest. And whoever gains new spell slots has them available right away - even if they don't recover the spent ones; you'll need to take a Long Rest for that.
After you have advanced your character to level 2, feel free of course to resume declaring your characters' actions...).
Ardana feels Helm's blessing while moving down the stairs, she feels like she is doing something right. That greatsword worked pretty well against the Zhentarim leader, she will continue with it.
Ardana stands guard, standing where she can keep an eye on all 4 foggy passages, while those with better investigation skills do the looking around.
Nim inspects the reliefs of the men closely.
(OOC: Investigation 5…)
As Ardana and Nim descend the stairs and set foot in the room (albeit with different intentions), a pretty halfling boy (perhaps around 13 years old?) with dark hair, a chubby build, tanned skin, a smiling and deferential demeanor and dressed as a butler appears out of nowhere. The symbol of two wolves facing each other on opposite sides of a horse with particularly elongated legs is embroidered on his robe (same symbol of the arch and the throne).
The young halfling butler promptly introduces himself: "Hello esteemed visitors. I'm Elky and I'm here to serve you. Would you like something to drink or eat, by any chance? I could have you brought some tea, water, wine, eggs and bacon, a few bites of game, horse meat... Or would you prefer to decline the offer?"
The boy speaking unannounced and unnoticed scares Nim witless and he screams aloud and jumps before looking angrily at him and shouting.
”WHERE THE **** DID YOU COME FROM?!”
He then turns red as he realises his manners and pats the boy on the head.
”Um excuse my Gnomish, that was very uncouth of me. But I’d still like to know where you come from little one.”