Sparlock's Hoard of the Dragon Queen

OoC: I think Delores, Capable Weather Person should be promoted to a PC. She could be a tempest cleric, maybe. :-)

After the trek through the hills, Darvin is feeling worn out and muddy. As he spots the smoke rising in the distance he says, "That...doesn't seem good."

"Where is this entrance?" he says a few minutes later, visibly exasperated, as he and Lissandra scan the hills for an opening.

Survival: 11

Investigation: 23

"My keen gnomish senses indicate that the entrance should be right over there, and my exceptional wizarding skills agree that the smoke in the distance is not a good sign. Unless it's the dragon, which is good for us because that means it isn't here!"

Lissandra and Darvin search up and down the hills with Valji for some minutes without luck, but then with his keen intuition, Valji sees something familiar a little distance away... a rock outcropping similar to the one which disguises the entrance to the secret tunnel in the keep. They must have gotten the exact direction of the rest of the caverns slightly wrong and ended up a small distance away from the actual entrance.

The scent of old earth and stone hangs around Skiaceq, long-undisturbed air parting before him in what feels an unnatural manner. Were anyone to ask, he'd find it difficult to express this existential dread. The Aarakocran fear of enclosed spaces is not unlike groundwalkers' fear of floating in an endless, lightless vacuum; orientation impossible, panicked grasping of the feet at compassionless empty space.

To another Aarakocra, this dread might be impossible to stomach. But having grown in groundwalker society, Skiaceq possesses greater tolerance. Yet not enough to still his mind.

Keeping several paces behind Eadyan, Skiaceq visualizes the fear as a small mass which he wads into a ball and pockets. His attention shifts in its limited capacity to the environment, attempting to chart the routes as they pass. Eadyan occasionally speaks, but Skiaceq ignores him, concealing the uneasiness in his stride thanks only to interspecies unfamiliarity.

The duo doubles back from dead-ends at least a dozen times. Skiaceq tells himself their navigational failures are only due to his ignorance of spelunking, and not barely-contained panic. He can't help noticing Eadyan seems wholly unbothered by the lost time.

"Found it!" Valji calls when he spots the outcropping and concealed entrance. "Told you I knew where it was...Come one - let's not waste any time!" As they walk towards the entrance, the wizard casts a spell on himself. If one were to look closely while he was casting, they would see a shimmering field surround the gnome , quickly taking on the size and shape of armor but fading from view. (OOC: Casting mage armor!)

Once the spell is complete, Valji will move as quietly as he can, moving from rock to tree in an attempt to be stealthy! 13

Only to step on a dry branch, causing it to snap. The loud noise scares Valji, and he jumps straight up into the air, knocking himself on the forehead with the low-hanging branch, and then stumbling forward and falling down in a loud THUD, all while squealing in horror at the imaginary creature he thinks snuck up behind him...

"Alright, here goes," says Darvin quietly, approaching the hidden entrance behind Lissandra and Valji. "Let's go get this ... whatever it is." Approaching as quietly as he can, he startles when Valji steps on the branch. As the gnome whirls around to look at whatever snuck up behind him, Darvin bares his teeth and snarls, pretending to be a woodland predator. "We're doomed," he thinks to himself.

Stealth: 20

OoC: See, Rhanloi, that's how you roll for stealth! :-P

The cave is humid and dark, stretching out into the distance. A low, overhanging rock protects it from the view of the outside. As Darvin and Lissandra duck into the cave (with Valji of course being able to walk right in) a scuttling sound can be heard in the distance, like the ruffling of feathers and the occasional scared squawk. 

The gnome takes the lead, since he is the most comfortable in the confined space and can see quite well in the dark. He peers into the cave, searching for whatever is making the noises ahead. "I hear something. It may be an owlbear...we should be ready for anything!" Valji says to the others.

Even expecting to encounter his cohorts, Skiaceq's feathers stand up at a faint muttering echo. Eadyan exclaims and begins moving faster down the passage.

Skiaceq sees it first. The priest's foot comes too close to a dark gap against the left cave wall. Moving even before Eadyan stumbles, Skiaceq grabs for his arm.

Athletics: 13

The moment of panic passes as Skiaceq secures his other hand on Eadyan's shoulder and drags him back to safety. A few pebbles skitter beneath their scrabbling and rattle down into the dark space. No echo returns after their plunge.

Eadyan looks around at the gathered companions. "That was close. Can't be too careful in a cave like this. The soldiers are holding the other entrance with... minimal casualties, though Otto will regret a lot of life decisions when we wakes up. Are you ready to go over here?"

"We didn't expect to see you here," Darvin says to Eadyan and Skiaceq. "Yes, we should press on."

A few minutes into the group's progress into the seemingly abandoned passageway, a lone kobold lookout darts past them in the distance.

Perception: 19

Darvin fails to see it. However the group is fortunately moving quietly, and there's a chance that it doesn't notice them either.

Stealth: 21

The reunited party makes their way through the underground caverns, traversing the twists and side passages that all look the same. Valji is constantly scanning the route and consulting the map that they "acquired" from the cultists to ensure that they don't get lost, get caught in a dead end somewhere, or stumble into a dangerous portion of the tunnels that may collapse on their heads.

Investigation: 6

"I'm certain the lair is this way!" the gnome exclaims, leading the group down a series of twists and switchbacks that gets everyone completely turned around and consumes precious time...

(Sorry!)

As the group moves, Skiaceq steps in pace with Lissandra. Times like these, he envied the groundwalkers' ability to whisper.

Deception: 8

"Don't react... but how would Chauntea judge a cleric who neglects the wounded to indulge in violence?" Skiaceq mutters while casting his eyes subtly toward Eadyan, trying to keep his stride natural. "A mob twice their number would not merit the spells he spent. He looks about and says nothing. I believe he is hiding something.

"Either way, we need you at the entrance. Otto is stable, but severely wounded."

As the group is turning a corner to head down a long narrow passageway to the next cave chamber, a stone whizzes by Darvin's head. The kobold lookout that earlier had passed by the group, neither noticing each other, evidently heard their conversation and had perched on a small outcropping of rock in an effort to ambush the adventurers when they turned the corner.  Darvin suppresses his instinct to draw his bow and instead looks up at the kobold, making direct but not overtly aggressive eye contact, and says, simply and calmly, "I think you want to get down from there and leave this cave." Pointing back the way the group had come, he adds, "That way."

Intimidation: 15

The group continues down the dark path for a while, lost thanks to Valji's "navigating", but manage to get back on track, they think, after encountering a couple collapsed tunnels which they recognize the configuration from based on the map... Valji must have led everyone close to some of the other entrances in the city... or what remains of them.

Skiaceq tries to speak quietly, but his squawking echoes loudly around the tight corridors. "Chauntea may be a Goddess of Light, but that doesn't necessarily mean that she shows weakness to the forces of evil," comes an answer from behind. As Skiaceq turns to look at the target of his conspiring, Eadyan offers him a wry grin, seemingly unconcerned with this turn of events.

Some more time passes in quiet, during which Eadyan excuses himself momentarily to go relieve himself around the corner. As they pass the lone kobold scout, Darvins gaze terrifies it, and she sound of it hurridly skittering off into the darkness echoes through the cave.

Valji is up again. Since that Deception check didn't really do anything to help or impede progress, maybe we could get a Charisma saving throw from Skiaceq to see how he's handling this trek.

Though unconvinced by Eadyan's excuse, Skiaceq only casts him a brief, placid look. Calling out the priest's suspicious behavior wouldn't dispel the act. He had brought Eadyan into the cave to keep an eye on him, not to argue faith.

Being close to companions helps shift attention from claustrophobia, enough that Skiaceq is beginning to rely on Valji and Darvin. But in the silence following his blown cover, the narrow walls seem to close around him.

Charisma: 15

Several seconds pass before Skiaceq registers the priest has left their line of sight. Falling back, he creeps to the corner and peers around it.

Stealth: 8

On the walls of this new chamber are carved several runes and dragon-themed pictures. Valji studies them for a few moments, noting the probable meanings and practices of this secret cult. "Oh, this matches the images in my dreams. We are getting close! See these markings? This describes some of the rites the cult performed down here, and gives clues on how to access the space and avoid potential traps!"

Religion: 21

Skiaceq follows Eadyan on his toilet adventure, but as he turns the corridor, he accidentally knocks over a rock, sending it skittering in the clerics direction. Eadyan looks over in surprise, his hands already starting to work at the belt of his tunic. "Can't a guy take a piss in private?" he complains, staring at the Aarokokra until the bird backs off and leaves him alone. As Skiaceq rounds the corner once again, he hears muttering in a language he doesn't know.

Valji stares at the images intently... most of the pictures are fairly standard kobold cave drawings. One picture in particular strikes his fancy, though... a mural depicting a five headed dragon being defeated by five villainous hero of old. Two of the heroes are worn away beyond recognition, but the three that remain (a dwarf, an Aarakocra, and a human) each have murals depicting their ultimate fates. The Aarakocra is shown returning to a forest, the human to a large city which looks strangely familiar. There is an implication that they each lived long lives, and a number of angry looking draconian curses on them and their ancestors color the story told by the mural. The dwarf, on the other hand, was not so lucky. Judging from the drawing and comparing it to the map, it seems that the dwarf fell in an area not to far from where you're standing. The image shows him looking up as a shadow falls upon him, and there is a short message in draconian. You think the corridor to the left will lead you right to that spot.

OoC: Sorry, am I up? I should be able to post this pm

As the group heads down the corridor to investigate the spot depicted in the mural, Darvin steps on a loose rock, which gives way below him, sliding down a steep slope into a pit below. He attempts to push off of the rock and leap back up to solid ground so he is not carried down with it into the pit.

Acrobatics: 20

He reacts quickly, and manages to get just enough momentum before the rocks slide down to push himself backward onto the edge of the narrow pit. Fortunately the opening is narrow enough that the group can jump over it and continue without too much trouble.