Traveling to Larlben Estate, after leaving the Boar's Tusk ruins.

"How close are we to the Larlben Estate?" asked Taisiya. "Not far now, according to this map," responded Herr Johannes, "We've just crossed the twin bridges, so we're... here!" Standing on a pier overlooking the bay, they were clearly in the wrong place. "Great job genius, we're lost," muttered Adwonus which evoked a nasty glare from Lady Jacqueline. "Don't be rude Trapper... but he is kind of right Johannes; we're totally lost."

Looking across the Bay of Andor from the Upper District, they saw the Bazaar far away, on the tip of the Lower District; the water was filled with ships and white sails. A couple men, who were most definitely pirates, walked past carrying a large trunk between them. "Hey, get out of the way!" snarled one. Marching around the party, they continued down the pier. Jacqueline watched them leave when she noticed something important.

"Uh...guys. I think there's a person in that trunk," said Jacqueline.

"What!?" responded Taisiya in surprise. "Yea, I saw it moving, like someone inside was trying to escape." Without even needing to contemplate it, Johannes said, "Alright, we're rescuing them." Adwonus predictably contested, "No way bud, we're marching straight to Larlben to see what this fool wants." "Larlben said meet him for lunch, right? We have an hour or two til then. Besides, I'm not leaving someone locked in a trunk; rescuing them is the right thing to do!" Realizing it was futile to argue with Johannes, who was obstinate in his paladin-ness, he sighed in resignation. Johannes spoke, "Alright, follow me."

Stealthily tailing the pirates, the party followed. A short ways down the dock, the two pirates - with their trunk - disappeared inside an old house; the building clearly needed to be condemned, having taken a beating from the sea winds. Johannes led the others to a pile of crates on the dock, from where they spied on the house. After a few minutes, the two pirate walked out the front door – without their trunk – and left. "Alright," said Johannes, "Taisiya, Jacqueline and I will go inside. Everyone else, stand guard and make sure no one goes in." Everybody nodded in agreement.

Taisiya, Jacqueline, and Johannes crept up to the house and stepped inside through an old doorway. There was only one, large room with a single door on the opposite wall; it was completely empty except for a rug in the center – no trunk in sight. "It must be behind that door, onwaaarrd!" said Johannes enthusiastically. The three stepped into the center of the room.

Crack

Floor gave way underneath. The three fell straight through a hole of broken wood, taking the rug with them. Landing with a thud (softened by the rug, but still not pleasant), they hit the ground. Taisiya looked upward and saw a light at the end of a tunnel; her head stopped spinning, and she realized it was just the hole they fell through. Everything else is black – it's really dark in here. {Balance or Tumble Checks folks}

I land from the sudden fall and react to reduce the impact.

{23:38, Today: Herr Johannes rolled 11 using 1d20+2. Jump Check to avoid fall damage in Side Quest #1.}

"AHHHHH- OOHFF!" I land with a thud. "OWWwww. What happened?"
     I feel my back and butt, and my backpack. To my relief nothing is broken... not bones, not stuffs in my pack, from what I can tell. I shake off the dust and bits of wood after sitting up slowly. I look around to access what just happened. As I sit up, I reach out to feel the floor we are on and for the others around me. "Taisiya, Lady Jacqueline, Are you all alright? How far did we just fall?" I look up to the light and access this as the dust clears.

{23:56, Today: Herr Johannes rolled 2 using 1d20+1. Spot Check; Side Quest #1; to assess the height of the fall we just fell and how far the hole we fell through is away. the results of this roll suggest I apparently got some sticks and dust in my eye.} "Could someone see how far we fell and how far that hole is above us? I just got some dust in my eye."

"Ouch," I say, as I bring my feet under me cautiously and sweep myself off while crouching. "Where are we? The cellar of this place?" I pull my pack off and set it in front of me closely, after checking that the floor I am on now will not also fall and is at least a few feet around me on all sides. I open my pack and pull our a torch and my flint and steel and light it so we can see better.

{A torch burns for 1 hour, clearly illuminating a 20-foot radius and providing shadowy illumination out to a 40- foot radius. If a torch is used in combat, treat it as a one-handed improvised weapon that deals bludgeoning damage equal to that of a gauntlet of its size, plus 1 point of fire damage.}
This message was last edited by the player at 05:14, Sun 14 Sept 2014.

Lady Jacqueline tucks her shoulder as best as she can and tumbles roughly forward, landing kind of clumsily next to Herr Johannes. "Umm..." She looks up to see how far they've fallen. "Looks like we fell a few yards. It may take us a while to find a way back up." She brushes dust off her shoulders and looks around a little bewildered. "Where... are we?"

{14:53, Today: Taisiya Northwood rolled 17 using 1d20. Tumble check.} Taisiya let out a yelp as the floor gave out below her. She felt weightlessness take over as she fell, the only light coming from the hole the small group had made. She felt lucky as when she hit the ground, she managed a fairly graceful roll to save herself from pain. She shook her head out to regain a sense of balance. Taisiya stood and took a look around where they had landed. {15:05, Today: Taisiya Northwood rolled 13 using 1d20+1. Spot Check.} Taisiya rubbed the grime that came to be on her face off, getting off what fuss had come on it in her roll. "Where ever we are, we ought to move, right? We can't very well just stand here now can we?" she asked Herr Johannes and Lady Jacqueline. "Someone will probably have heard it, we should at least try to move from the immediate area."

Herr Johannes landed on Lady Jacqueline's legs, or was it the other way around? Either way, it didn't look pleasant {Johannes takes 1 Dmg; Jacqueline takes 2 Dmg – no effect on Main Quest health}. They untangled themselves and stood up, rubbing their bruises. Taisiya on the other hand landed with catlike reflexes in an acrobatic roll.

Brushing off the dust, they examined the hole above them; it appeared 12 ft. high. Ouch! They peered into the black room, but couldn't see anything until Johannes lit a torch.

Finally with some light, the realized they were in a damp stone room. They stood on the carpet that fell with them. North was a rusty iron door, directly beneath the door in the house above them – it must be the way out. To the West was a hall, and to the East was a closed wooden door. On the south edge of the room, there was a grate along the floor with rushing water underneath; a dingy smell rose from it. Jacqueline saw this and said, "We must be in the Aqueducts. They're built underneath all of Herrod like a maze."

Also, shoved in a corner of the room, were several barrels with fungus growing on the sides. The air is humid; no wonder the floor above broke...


This message was last edited by the GM at 16:53, Mon 15 Sept 2014.

"You are right Taisiya, we ought to move to the sides to avoid being seen by anyone we do not want to see us, we should speak quietly and be at the ready for someone to burst through any door. Keep an ear our for trouble. If anyone comes we go to the sides... Alright to review, our main objective was to rescue this person in chest somewhere beyond the house's front door above us" {I point to it, up and to the north} "Where is the chest most likely? Upstairs?" "Oh and wait, nobody move yet! Not that our fall ruined any chance of this already, but can we check if there are any tracks around the doors in the dust/mud residue on the floor, maybe that would give us insight into if the men came down here with the chest. Could you all help listen for 'visitors' and help me search for tracks. Feel free to light another torch if you think you need the light."
{I walk toward each door, then the barrels, then the hallway, then the aqueduct as I search for tracks. I search in each place, each door, in the beginning of the hallway, on/around the barrels and on/around the aqueduct. I am cautious to not walk on the bars above the aqueduct in case they too would give way. I make an effort to look everywhere I walk, lest I ruin fresh tracks with my own. (did you need more checks for this Ryan? Can I take a 20 for this thorough search?) I draw my light mace from the side of my pack. If I find nothing on the barrels, I pull open the lids with the mace if possible. }


{23:55, Today: Herr Johannes rolled 17 using 1d20. Search Check; Side Quest #1; for tracks.
23:55, Today: Herr Johannes rolled 4 using 1d20+1. Spot Check 2; Side Quest #1; for tracks.
23:54, Today: Herr Johannes rolled 16 using 1d20+1. Listen Check; Side Quest #1; for people approaching .}

Taisiya gave Herr Johannes a nod. "I hope we can find something at least..." She murmured and began looking around, not catching anything anywhere. "I'm not sure if they've even been down here." She said, absentmindedly as she saw nothing on the ground. Nothing but dirt Taisiya thought to herself. Her eyes were consumed more by the darkness of this place.
{00:14, Today: Taisiya Northwood rolled 4 using 1d20+1. Search Check SQ.
00:17, Today: Taisiya Northwood rolled 5 using 1d20+1. Spot Check SQ.}
Her ears, however, were on high alert. Listening for feet. She listened for conversation, paying special attention to the doors. The hall would echo far more, and be much easier to hear than from behind a door after all.
{00:20, Today: Taisiya Northwood rolled 18 using 1d20+1. Listen Check SQ.}

{00:23, Today: Lady Jacqueline Raynelde rolled 24 using 1d20+6. Listen Check.
00:20, Today: Lady Jacqueline Raynelde rolled 21 using 1d20+6. Spot Check.}

Lady Jacqueline takes her rapier out in the event she needed it immediately. Her eyes adjust quickly and scan everywhere and her ears scope out anything her eyes may not pick up at mere sight. "Hmm..." she hums softly to herself.

Looking upon the ground, Johannes found a fresh pair of tracks going to and from the North door and the East door {Search Check - Success}. They couldn't have been made more than a few minutes ago. There were older tracks around the room as well, but they're you know... old.

Taisiya stared at her feet trying to find something {Search & Spot Check – Failure}, but that didn't really work out.

Johannes examined the barrels. There was a gross green fungus growing on the sides; using his mace (not wanting to touch that fungus), he pushed off the two lids. Both barrels were filled to the brim with soggy, old grain – an awful, yeast-y smell climbed into his nose.

The sound of rushing water from the grate made a constant background noise, and it was the only discernable sound in the room. With some helpful torchlight from Johannes – who walked in a circle around the room like a crazy person – Lady Jacqueline could study the area with sharp eyes: the only objects of interest were the two barrels, North door, East door, grate, and dusty rug.

"The rug stinks, the barrels stink, that sewer grate thing stinks – why does everything have to stink!?" said Taisiya. Jacqueline responded, "Well, it IS the Aqueducts; what'd you expect??"

"Well, did either of you find anything?" Taisiya asked after giving up on her own fruitless searching. She hadn't heard anything, and hoped it was safe in the area. She turned towards the two people with her, a bit of hope, a bit of worry in her eyes. If they had found tracks, who knows, they might be close and quiet. If they didn't, that must mean that there would be no exact direction for them to go.
This message was last edited by the GM at 19:52, Fri 19 Sept 2014.

I look at the grate intently, not wanting to miss any detail.

Search Check, SQ#1; search grate: I take a 20
22:48, Today: Herr Johannes rolled 4 using 1d20. Spot Check, SQ#1; Grate.

     I then point out the tracks I noticed whispering excitedly. "Look here! tracks between the NORTH and EAST door. They look really fresh too! I would posit that these tracks are from those men, if they came down here. They could not have gotten far in the short amount of time we waited outside. They were carrying a trunk after all! That also limits the places you can walk carrying something that large and cumbersome. Unless there was a fairly direct route to get down here I would say that trunk could easily be upstairs. If we need to get back up there, I have a grappling hook and rope.
     Also, we may want to light another torch.
     I think we ought to go through one of these doors to check if these pirates brought that chest down here. Being these are pirates we are dealing with, be on your guard for traps.
     Also, we are in hostile territory, check your targets and keep your guard up."

"Can you check this grate, and these 2 doors for traps Lady Jacqueline?
Next, we need to listen at each of these doors and then enter, with the possibility of finding a scared prisoner or a hostile enemy. Have your weapons ready. I will go in first. Keep an eye out for traps any place you think there could be some Lady Jacqueline. I expect Lady Jacqueline has the best ears and eyes among us so I will aide her. {Can Taisiya do and aide another with us as well?}
     Oh and I ought to ask, Taisiya, what skills are you adept at? Like what are your specialties? I do not wish to overlook your unique skills and abilities and what they add to our group in this situation." I say this last paragraph with a kind smile. The earlier words I say in a kind clear manner, excited about the clue we found!

If Lady Jacqueline finds no traps on the grate I try to lift it off or open it if it has a door, using my mace to hook under the metal. Maybe there is a switch or lever under it? I make an effort not to touch it, being it is likely covered in feces! Gross!

I aide Lady Jacqueline in her searching and listening by providing the light of my torch. :)
Listen Check, SQ#1; Aide another at the 2 doors x2
Search? Check, SQ#1; Aide another for traps (each door and the grate) x3
This message was last edited by the player at 03:12, Mon 22 Sept 2014.

Lady Jacqueline checks the doors as carefully as she might. "It.. doesn't appear to be trapped..." she says tenatively. She wasn't sure, but she couldn't bring herself to admit it aloud. Even so, she keeps her ears open as best as she can.

{07:47, Today: Lady Jacqueline Raynelde rolled 18 using 1d20+6. Listen Check.
07:46, Today: Lady Jacqueline Raynelde rolled 11 using 1d20+6. Spot Check.}

The party stood around, listening to the sound of rushing water from beneath the grate. Just imagine a brook or stream... and water moving... that's it. Suddenly, Herr Johannes felt the urge to pee!

Mentally suppressing nature's call for the moment, Johannes approached the grate. Old metal bars ran crisscross over a murky blue stream beneath it; the bars were a foot in distance from eachother, creating wide enough gaps that he could stick his head through! But don't do that – seriously, that'd be disgusting.

Johannes placed his mace through a gap and tried to use it as a crowbar, but the grate wouldn't lift nor budge – it's permanently attached to the ground. Giving up, Johannes leaned over the grate, peering into the water, which steadily moved eastward. Although he could barely see through the murky-grossness, something shiny reflected his torchlight from the bottom, which was apparently in arm's reach!

Meanwhile, Lady Jacqueline walked between the two doors and stared at them closely, as if she knew what she was doing. "Well, did you find anything?" asked Taisiya. Jacqueline enthusiastically responded, "Elementary my dear Watson!" "Huh – what?" Tasiyia shot her a perplexed expression. "Err.. I mean... uh, no."
This message had punctuation tweaked by the GM at 16:55, Mon 22 Sept 2014.

"Hey! I think I see something under the water here! I think I am going to get it..." I speak to the party quietly, yet excitedly. I cringe a moment, laughing to myself about the filth in the aqueduct.

Before I go fishing in this stream, I review some of the questions I had:
"If there are no traps on the doors, We should check if either of the doors are locked? Did you guys hear anything beyond the doors? Did you see any traps on the doors?"
"Did you say what your specialties were Taisiya? I did not hear if you mentioned them."

I consider a for a moment sticking my head through the grate covering the aqueduct. It is tempting, I have this sense that some distant narrator will be grossed out by it. I decide to refrain however, after realizing the level of filth on there I pull off my armor on my arm and pull up my sleeve. Reassuring myself with the soap in my pack I plunge my arm into the water grabbing for the shiny object. {Do I need any checks here? Like an touch AR? DM Ryan - Nope, you're good}

{results? DM Ryan - Available in upcoming post!}
This message was last edited by the GM at 02:50, Thu 25 Sept 2014.

"Um.." Taisiya was slightly thrown, stumbling for an answer to the question. "Well, I, um, I have a very specific skill set." She finally mumbled out, trying to dodge the question. "What on earth could you have found down there?" She finally asked in an attempt to change subjects.