Dragon of Icespire Peak - Campaign 1

Mr.Dark, levered up so he's peering just over the wall watches all this.  Then he rolls his eyes, and climbs down, and walks in behind the others. His eyes scan the area as he nods to the two dwarves, "It's just the two of you here? You're the 'dwarven prospectors' we were sent here to warn? Hunh. Alright. What sort of oozes we talkin about?"

     Kaemgen walks up to the two dwarves and offers his hand. “How you do?  Sorry if we threw a worry into you as we approached.  We’d have called out if we’d seen people out and about but the place seemed a bit deserted and that had us a bit wary…”

     After introducing himself and pointing out those who not also done so, Kaemgen scans the area to see if perhaps there are more dwarves hiding about or any obvious work these two were up to.  He’ll wander a bit further in to gauge their reaction, if anyway, curious if they’re hiding something…

Attacked by slime? Ew! How revolting! Hansel pulls a face of disgust, which quickly gives way to a gasp of horror. I've even heard of adventuring folk being scarred by such things! But seeing as Auric and Mr. Dark seem willing to help, he adds quietly: I suppose... for the sake of others... eliminate the threat of disfigurement. But... perhaps it would be best if I guard the rear...

"Dragon!?" Norbus scoffs. "Says who!?"

"He just said the Townmaster. Don't you ever listen?" Dazlin shoots back.

Norbus mumbles and mutters mockingly to himself before choosing to answer Dr. Darko. "Yeh. Jus' us. Wasn't plannin' on sharin' treasure." He'd tear off a piece of his jerky and go back to muttering to himself as he'd chew. "Sore... Dusty... Eatin' dirt..." Kaemgen, you think he may be muttering a respond to your 'how do you do?'. His eyes would follow you, but showed no concern. More or less, he was just wondering if you were going to brave ahead on your own first.

"What he's trying to say is..." Dazlin would exhale a breath and lift one of two matching Sending Stones. "We will give this to you with it's matching pair, along with half of what we find, if you help us search and rid the tempt of threats. We've been guarding the entrance since we finally cleared the rubble to get in." He'd shoot his partner a look before he could cut in with any objections. "It's a yellow like ooze."

"Fricken earwax..." Norbus would grumble.

Mr.Dark's sour attitude shifts, a smile plays across his face, "Well then, I feel like Auric is about to say, 'then we have an accord'...or some such thing! How far in is this thing?"  He walks over to them and past, peering inside from a safe distance. "We're a whole buncha heroic type, I'm sure it should be no problem. We came all the way out here just to warn you all didn't we. Fella's? We goin?" 

He waits for the others to approach. As Kaemgan gets near though, he says in a quiet tone to him, "So...I been hearin this tap tap tap sound, round and about, since we left town. What's that all about. And what sorta mysterious old man sends five adventurers to warn two grizzled dwarves about a potential dragon in the area? This all ain't addin up to me yet. But, whatever, we're here and you're lookin for treasure so lets do this."

     Kaemgen pauses outside the temple.  He strained to follow the conversation behind him and looked back at the dwarves.  “And what would we be wanting with two rocks?” He calls back, not knowing a sending stone from a skipping stone, specially at a distance.

     Like Mr.Dark, Kaemgen tries to peer inside the entry and see what he can see.  Kaemgen approaches a few feet further than his companion but still isn’t ready to cross the threshold yet.

     “So you’ve been hearing it to?  Thought maybe it was just nerves or something.  I’d be living pretty comfortably til lately and just thought…” Kaemgen shrugs instead of completing his thought.  

     “Was it an old man who laid down the cards?  I honestly didn’t get much of a look. I just caught a hint of jawline and some cloak, as if he was a character from one of those stories told to scare children at bedtime…  I never did quite understand that,” Kaemgen adds, getting off topic.  “Why do we tell kids such stories when we know they’re going to fall asleep long before the happily ever after?”

     “Torches?” Kaemgen calls out abruptly, back to the dwarves.  “Or is there windows and light inside?”

Auric:

”Burned.  The figure who laid down the cards had burned hands as well.  Perhaps frost burn from the white dragon, but more likely true fire.  Indeed, good folk, let us proceed and deal with this foul ooze that thy investigations have uncovered,” says Auric, stepping forward and lifting a strange, iridescent golden orb from his vest.  With a word of arcane power, he causes it to flare into a bright golden Light that nearly perfectly matches the color of true sunlight.

”All will be revealed by the holy illumination of Bahamut—perhaps even the source of this mysterious tapping,” adds the golden-scaled Dragonborn as he lights the way for the party to proceed.

Hansel peers up at the statues disapprovingly as they pass underneath. How grotesque! Why would anyone spend such time to carve something so ugly? I certainly hope the entire structure isn't so macabre! Hansel follows along at the rear, his highly-polished shield reflecting Auric's light back along the tunnel to further illuminate the way.

DM BOTTING: 

You defeat the ooze and discover a magical fountain that grants wishes. Everyone gets three wishes. 

Mr.Dark looks at the stones, and says, "Those are sending stones. The matching faces carved on them give it away. They're used all the time in the army to pass messages between units and command. Magical and well worth risking a trip against this giant moving ear wax."   He waits for others to proceed, and then follows behind 15 feet, covering them and keeping his eyes moving both up and around.

     "Can anyone confirm they are real sending stones though?" Kaemgen asks.  "If they're part of the payment we should at least make sure they are genuine...  I could carve a face into a rock and sell it to the gullible if I was so inclined."

     Once the items are proven to work (which I assume can be done easily enough) Kaemgen will ask if the dwarves are joining us.  "I suppose you could wait out here like a couple of elves," Kaemgen taunts, flying tossing Hansel a wink lest he get offended. "But could be this slime is quicker than expected and slinks past us right out here after you two...  Your call though."

     With Auric providing the magical light, Kaemgen well walk up to the entry and take a deep breath.  After the briefest of pauses he then steps over the threshold and heads inside...

Scott follows shortly after McScáth, thanks to Aurics light he is able to see. He does his best to keep an ear out for danger and his eyes peeled for any treasure.

perception: 22

How far in is this thing?
“I dunno. Like 10 of me?” Norbus would mutter before casting a nasty glare Kaemgen’s way for questioning their stone. “If it ain’t good enough fer you fancy folk, I’ll keep it!”

Dazlin would then give Norbus the same glare. “What he’s trying to say is...” Inhaling a breath he’d continue. “It’s very real. And if you have no interest in the completed pair, we will keep it.” Taking a few steps forward to point towards the foyer, the dwarf continues. “We discovered a secret door in the foyer prior to running into the jelly.”

With Auric’s brightened scales illuminating the way, the group proceeds forward with casual chatting. The original inhabitants of this temple relied on their dark vision to navigate, therefore the light was was quite necessary.

(E4) Down the dusty foyer, spikes hammered into the floor hold open two sets of double doors. A once-secret door to the north stands open, with a room beyond it holding nothing but rubble. 

(E5) The foyer opens up into a much larger room with four pillars that hold up the ceiling. There appears to be an alter that stands at the far end of the room.

     “Now now, no need for wounded feelings, gentlemen,” Kaemgen says soothingly.  “Surely you cannot begrudge me a bit of caution.  It’s not like I’ve ever met a dwarf who didn’t double check the value of stone or gold involved in a transaction.  Trust but verify?  From what I hear that’s originally a Dwarvish expression…”

     With tempers avoided, hopefully, Kaemgen walks into the foyer with a note of caution but no hesitancy.  He glances at the walks and ceiling as best he can, considering the lighting, but heads for the alter.

     “Floor slime?  Wall slime?  Or did it drop down at yas?” Kaemgen asks…

Auric:

Holding up his glowing dragon orb so that it sheds light on all the surfaces in the room as Kaemgen suggests the slime could be on floor, walls, or ceiling (or pillars or rubble, etc), Auric observes carefully as he walks, looking for any telltale glistening reflections or undulating motion…

Perception:  8

Mr.Dark stays 15 feet back from the others, staying with them while they advance, but also watches his own back...his eyes darting around, looking for any spot an big yellow blob might be able to ooze out of. 

Perception : 4.  (wow...we all suck)

Hansel hangs back, a little wary about the oozes and the damage they might do, and half-hoping they don't actually find it. Instead he examines the structure itself, hoping to find some sculptures or other types of artwork that are more savory than those at the entrance. Besides, if there is one secret door, then there might be more!

Perception: 7 (not all!)

Norbus being the gruff and grumpy older Dwarf that he was would just continuing mumbling and grumbling. “Hoity toity… snot nosed… think they’re better than…” He’d cross his arms with a huff in response to Kaemgen.

Dazlyn on that other hand is just forthright and honest to a fault. He was doing his best to smooth out communications and bridge the gap to make up for his partners attitude. With a sheepish smile the dwarf would gesture for the group to proceed.

Kaemgen enters the room first, bravely making his way over to the alter after a quick scan. Naturally, Marblebeard remained close to him. Auric follows, diligently lighting up the area while Mr. Dark advances cautiously at a distance. Bringing up the rear, Hansel too kept his distance and rightfully so. 

“Floor slime?  Wall slime?  Or did it drop down at yas?” Kaemgen asks…
At that moment, Hansel hears something resembling the sound of suction letting go. What looks like a giant ball of earwax falls from the ceiling!

The ooze steadies itself at the backs of Kaemgen, Scott and Auric, putting itself between them and Mr.Dark with Hansel himself. Not only did he see the ooze fall from the ceiling, he spots one clinging to the right as well. Even more so, the half-elf’s attention to detail sees beyond the threats, spotting many hidden secrets! Not one… not two… Five potential areas of interest.

FIGHT!
(Hansel’s eyes and ears for specific sounds and details saved you from quite the shocker! No surprise.)

Initiative time

Roll call: All

Ooze 1: 1 
Ooze 2: 10 

Kaemgen initiative: 20

     “Is it just me, or is there a mustard smell about this place?”

İnitiative: 3

 Alert but jittery about these oozes that could potentially mar his beautiful face, Hansel squeals in horror as one drops from the roof. "Ew! Get it away! Get it away!" he shrieks, and considers running back out of the tunnel, but soon realises that his help may be needed...

Auric:

Initiative:  7