Ander silently leans against a nearby wall, simply observing the conversation.
Nik forgoes any formalities, having himself never engaged in the combat, therefore believing he has nothing to apologize for. Instead he performs a more in-depth version of Ura’s precursory look into the different cells.
After checking the final cell; the one. Or Gil had claimed was his, the dwarf made his way towards the newest companion. “So what’d they bring ya here for, fancy boy?”
"My apologies, how rude of me not to address you. Hello. And I haven't a clue. One minute I'm sharing a drink with that knave, Anton. The next, I'm stripped of all but my clothes and tied up in a cell."
“Sounds just like Anton.” Ander replied to Virgil. “Same thing happened in Cathaan. Fortunately, I was only taken as far as a dungeon under their estate.”
“None tha less. Look no further. I’m tha leader o’this group. We’re here lookin for loot n life, and gonna take as much a both til we had our fill.” Nik let’s out a hardy laugh. “Don’t suppose ya know where that’d be down here, do ya?”
" 'Self-proclaimed’ leader" emphasizes Anearis. The elf stows his bow away and gives a respecful bow to the newly-met companion. He smiles as he hears him speak his language.
"You may call me Anearis. And though the dwarves are here for personal gain, most of us have more important matters. We are trying to stop whatever the Berossus are attempting to do."
„I‘m Atalura,“ Ura says by way of introduction, putting out her candle - but not before giving it a good, long sniff. „You can call me Ura for short. For now,“ she adds wearily. „So you‘re still missing your things, huh? You see which direction they took ‚em?“ She pauses. „Or any flow of movement down here whatsoever from your cell, for that matter?“
As if just remembering for the first time, since leaving the campsite, earlier that morning, Nik chimed back into the chorus of questioning directed at Virgil. “Oh, an’ did ya see a book type, an elf in robes? No hood like tha robed ones we seen already, tho”
"I've only witnessed the silent hooded ones. In terms of where my belongings went, no I have no indication as to where they are. I was in the process of trying to determine the flow of traffic and a proper exit from this room when you violently introduced yourselves. If you didn't see three hooded figures dragging a very vocal, portly noble then it would imply that the pathway you came from is the wrong one. Hmm...something isn't adding up. The other obvious pathways are blocked by either rubble or flooding. A hidden entrance perhaps?"
Observing the room, Virgil can confidently say that there is no ‘hidden entrance’ at least not one from this specific room.
The stairwell blocked by rocks is definitely impassable, however the long stairwell in the northwest corner of the room simply ends because it runs into a flooded pool Of murky, thick ‘water’. It is entirely possible that it is still physically possible to continue in that direction.
Additionally, the large horizontal stone slabs in the cells appear as though the tops could be removed, like lids, but there is no indication that they had been so, from a great length of time.
"Hmm, perhaps that was the direction they went, although I don't recall hearing any splashing. As to your seeking of treasure, perhaps there are some under those stone slabs, now that I have some light, it appears as though the tops can be removed but haven't for some time. Although given your statement of dealing with undead, we may find more trouble than treasure. So your pick, either we stick around and see what we find or we press on into the muck and perhaps rescue Duke Schart from his fate."
Ura shakes her head. "What an incredible name. But you know, we should try to rescue this Schart anyway, because if we don't, he'll turn into one more undead we'll have to fight later. Better a sniveling Schart than a zombie standing inbetween us and Zelda or Anton."
She looks at the others. "So... back down the way we came, then? I've got no interest in crypt diving right now. Or finding out just how dirty that water is if I hold my breath."
No matter the decision, Ura will, as always, try to travel in the safety of the shadows. Stealth: 14
Ura successfully hides in the shadows, from any unknown enemies that could come upon the party in the room.
Upon Virgil’s mention of treasure potentially in the stone slabs, Nik beelined straight back towards Virgil’s cell, eyeing the crack between the lid and the rest of the stone.
"Alas, though I am in agreement, it seems that unless there were other pathways you left unsearched before your arrival to my prison, Duke Schart is likely through that dirty water. Else you likely would've come upon him and his dead keepers. He wasn't gone for more than a minute or so before you arrived."
Virgil makes his way to the water and gives it a harder look and a sniff to see just how bad it is.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Virgil Perception: 18
The water was a murky brown, with some sort of thin film sitting on top, possibly a mold or algae of some sort, that grew on biological matter, but in subterranean surroundings.
There was a faint smell, only really present when nearly immediately in the water. Virgil has to stick his face right next to the surface in order to truly smell the odor. It smelt, for lack of a better word, like death. A combination of rotting flesh and blood mixed with the contents of ones bowels; strong and clear enough that the source of the smell may very well actually be rotting flesh, blood, and the content of the bowels belonging to the same once living person or people.
Viilgahan was quick to join Nik in the back of the cell. "What do you think master Dwarf?" he asked with a casual tone, nodding his head toward the stone slabs. "Worth giving a once over?" The dragonborn was keen to make up some of the lost ground this expedition had forced upon him. He idly scratched a horn. "Nothing is ever easy is it..." he glanced over at Nik.
"Seven Hells!" Virgil stumbles backwards, covering his face. "If they took him through there, death would be a mercy. Upon further consideration, I'm with..." He looks around for Ura."...the jump-scare Elf, wherever she is. No matter your motivation, it seems we must go back to move forward. Uthal, Austin? Would you kindly lead us forward?" Virgil says presenting the doorway they just broke in from.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Austin pulls out her crowbar once more and approaches one of the lid-like stone slabs. “Ready to see what is under one of these then?” She asks, waiting for at least a few of the gorup to be prepared before she starts to pry one aside.
Ura slinks up behind Austin, hands ready on her weapons depending on what might pop out of the crypt. She was honestly hoping for nothing to pop out, but considering the group's luck so far, she wasn't going to hedge her bets on a thin hope.
"Unconcerned with gaining the perks of a grateful benefactor? You lot are of a different adventuring sort indeed. Curious. Very well, if we are to pause here and recover, and Uthal is willing to share more of his food, I shall make the time pass faster with a rousing story."
Virgil takes as comfortable of a seat as possible in the most lit part of the room without being in the way of things.
While Nik and Viilgahan crowd around the slab in the northern most slab, and several of the other party members brainstorm their next actions, Austin takes a more proactive course of action heading straight to the slab in the next cell south from the dwarf and dragonborn, crowbar in hand. By now, the gift Uthal had bestowed upon Austin, had since faded and she relied on the currently lit torches from party members to see what she was doing.
Ura positioning herself at the ready behind Austin, Austin pries the lid of the slab. As she does so, the second that the lid is moved the lightest bit out of position, a high pitch shrill scream escaped from the slab. If members of the party had thought the 'giant bat' creature shreiks to have been ear shattering, this was doubly so. However, it only lasted for a split second, just long enough for a rush of air to blow past Austin's face. Then, there was silence again.
Having slid the lid aside, Austin now faces an open compartment, the bottom of which is layered with a fine blackish gray powder or dust of some sort.
"My apologies, how rude of me not to address you. Hello. And I haven't a clue. One minute I'm sharing a drink with that knave, Anton. The next, I'm stripped of all but my clothes and tied up in a cell."
“Sounds just like Anton.” Ander replied to Virgil. “Same thing happened in Cathaan. Fortunately, I was only taken as far as a dungeon under their estate.”
“None tha less. Look no further. I’m tha leader o’this group. We’re here lookin for loot n life, and gonna take as much a both til we had our fill.” Nik let’s out a hardy laugh. “Don’t suppose ya know where that’d be down here, do ya?”
" 'Self-proclaimed’ leader" emphasizes Anearis. The elf stows his bow away and gives a respecful bow to the newly-met companion. He smiles as he hears him speak his language.
"You may call me Anearis. And though the dwarves are here for personal gain, most of us have more important matters. We are trying to stop whatever the Berossus are attempting to do."
„I‘m Atalura,“ Ura says by way of introduction, putting out her candle - but not before giving it a good, long sniff. „You can call me Ura for short. For now,“ she adds wearily. „So you‘re still missing your things, huh? You see which direction they took ‚em?“ She pauses. „Or any flow of movement down here whatsoever from your cell, for that matter?“
As if just remembering for the first time, since leaving the campsite, earlier that morning, Nik chimed back into the chorus of questioning directed at Virgil. “Oh, an’ did ya see a book type, an elf in robes? No hood like tha robed ones we seen already, tho”
"I've only witnessed the silent hooded ones. In terms of where my belongings went, no I have no indication as to where they are. I was in the process of trying to determine the flow of traffic and a proper exit from this room when you violently introduced yourselves. If you didn't see three hooded figures dragging a very vocal, portly noble then it would imply that the pathway you came from is the wrong one. Hmm...something isn't adding up. The other obvious pathways are blocked by either rubble or flooding. A hidden entrance perhaps?"
Perception 22
Observing the room, Virgil can confidently say that there is no ‘hidden entrance’ at least not one from this specific room.
The stairwell blocked by rocks is definitely impassable, however the long stairwell in the northwest corner of the room simply ends because it runs into a flooded pool Of murky, thick ‘water’. It is entirely possible that it is still physically possible to continue in that direction.
Additionally, the large horizontal stone slabs in the cells appear as though the tops could be removed, like lids, but there is no indication that they had been so, from a great length of time.
"Hmm, perhaps that was the direction they went, although I don't recall hearing any splashing. As to your seeking of treasure, perhaps there are some under those stone slabs, now that I have some light, it appears as though the tops can be removed but haven't for some time. Although given your statement of dealing with undead, we may find more trouble than treasure. So your pick, either we stick around and see what we find or we press on into the muck and perhaps rescue Duke Schart from his fate."
Ura shakes her head. "What an incredible name. But you know, we should try to rescue this Schart anyway, because if we don't, he'll turn into one more undead we'll have to fight later. Better a sniveling Schart than a zombie standing inbetween us and Zelda or Anton."
She looks at the others. "So... back down the way we came, then? I've got no interest in crypt diving right now. Or finding out just how dirty that water is if I hold my breath."
No matter the decision, Ura will, as always, try to travel in the safety of the shadows.
Stealth: 14
Ura successfully hides in the shadows, from any unknown enemies that could come upon the party in the room.
Upon Virgil’s mention of treasure potentially in the stone slabs, Nik beelined straight back towards Virgil’s cell, eyeing the crack between the lid and the rest of the stone.
"Alas, though I am in agreement, it seems that unless there were other pathways you left unsearched before your arrival to my prison, Duke Schart is likely through that dirty water. Else you likely would've come upon him and his dead keepers. He wasn't gone for more than a minute or so before you arrived."
Virgil makes his way to the water and gives it a harder look and a sniff to see just how bad it is.
Virgil Perception: 18
The water was a murky brown, with some sort of thin film sitting on top, possibly a mold or algae of some sort, that grew on biological matter, but in subterranean surroundings.
There was a faint smell, only really present when nearly immediately in the water. Virgil has to stick his face right next to the surface in order to truly smell the odor. It smelt, for lack of a better word, like death. A combination of rotting flesh and blood mixed with the contents of ones bowels; strong and clear enough that the source of the smell may very well actually be rotting flesh, blood, and the content of the bowels belonging to the same once living person or people.
Viilgahan was quick to join Nik in the back of the cell. "What do you think master Dwarf?" he asked with a casual tone, nodding his head toward the stone slabs. "Worth giving a once over?" The dragonborn was keen to make up some of the lost ground this expedition had forced upon him. He idly scratched a horn. "Nothing is ever easy is it..." he glanced over at Nik.
Exitus Acta Probat
"Seven Hells!" Virgil stumbles backwards, covering his face. "If they took him through there, death would be a mercy. Upon further consideration, I'm with..." He looks around for Ura. "...the jump-scare Elf, wherever she is. No matter your motivation, it seems we must go back to move forward. Uthal, Austin? Would you kindly lead us forward?" Virgil says presenting the doorway they just broke in from.
Austin pulls out her crowbar once more and approaches one of the lid-like stone slabs. “Ready to see what is under one of these then?” She asks, waiting for at least a few of the gorup to be prepared before she starts to pry one aside.
Athletics: 24
Uthal places his Dwarven package on the ground and begins to pray a bit while he waits for the others to be ready to head back.
(Attempt at short rest depending on how long the others take)
Gronk in Bastion, Kingdom of Medrin Elixisys in Talaveroth (Team 2) Uthal in Lost Continent of Theviranne
Ura slinks up behind Austin, hands ready on her weapons depending on what might pop out of the crypt. She was honestly hoping for nothing to pop out, but considering the group's luck so far, she wasn't going to hedge her bets on a thin hope.
"Unconcerned with gaining the perks of a grateful benefactor? You lot are of a different adventuring sort indeed. Curious. Very well, if we are to pause here and recover, and Uthal is willing to share more of his food, I shall make the time pass faster with a rousing story."
Virgil takes as comfortable of a seat as possible in the most lit part of the room without being in the way of things.
"Have you heard any of the tales from the Edda?"
If a short rest occurs, Virgil uses Song of Rest.
While Nik and Viilgahan crowd around the slab in the northern most slab, and several of the other party members brainstorm their next actions, Austin takes a more proactive course of action heading straight to the slab in the next cell south from the dwarf and dragonborn, crowbar in hand. By now, the gift Uthal had bestowed upon Austin, had since faded and she relied on the currently lit torches from party members to see what she was doing.
Ura positioning herself at the ready behind Austin, Austin pries the lid of the slab. As she does so, the second that the lid is moved the lightest bit out of position, a high pitch shrill scream escaped from the slab. If members of the party had thought the 'giant bat' creature shreiks to have been ear shattering, this was doubly so. However, it only lasted for a split second, just long enough for a rush of air to blow past Austin's face. Then, there was silence again.
Having slid the lid aside, Austin now faces an open compartment, the bottom of which is layered with a fine blackish gray powder or dust of some sort.
"DID WE LEARN NOTHING FROM THE DOOR!" came a shout from the first cell, followed by a grumbling and a muttering of hushed words.
Exitus Acta Probat