"Did we forget anything?" asks Lanliss, in jest, eyeing the considerable entourage they are now bringing along with them. For all his humor the elf is ready for adventure.

The journey out of Esbach doesn't take particularly long, but it is more than an hour before the city can no longer be seen behind the group as they travel to the west, along paths that are significantly less well-traveled than those which brought them to the city.  Three days' time bumping and jouncing over ever-worse roads finally has the party pulling up in front of a low rock face, where a local crofter directed them when asking about the caves which have been the source of monstrous attacks.

Night will have fallen in the next couple of hours, and the hired guards are a bit nervous about the idea of making camp so close to the source of violent incursions in the area.

Hamburg rode along, often looking back over his shoulder at the huge city sprawl growing ever smaller behind them. It had certainly been the highlight of his life to experience the many sights, smells, wonders and mayhem of city life. He was now regaled in an entirely new costume, one which certainly did not appear to be a costume as had his previous garb.

The odd wizard seemed eager to reach their destination and begin the delve. There was a part of him that had missed the stygian depths and the stale air of deep underground chambers. He was also eager to explore new places and continue honing his magical craft.

"It's all darkness below, is it not? The day is a surface world phenomenon. The sooner we get started the better!"

The stuffed raven wired to his shoulder, a macabre prop to be sure, said nothing of course, though it might have seemed odd to the new hires that Hamburg often spoke to it. The rubies it had for eyes did tend to glow oddly from time to time... or perhaps that was just a trick of the light.

As the others made plans for where and how to camp, Hamburg gave the rocky area a cursory examination.

OOC: Any tracks, trails, runes, warning signs, dreamcatchers, or souvenir stands out front?

Roak stops the group and turns to his companions. "Let's backtrack a few miles away, then make camp. We can tackle this in the morning after we've had a good rest."

The group backs off a small handful of miles and makes camp, having just enough light left to do so without rushing, and to get a hot meal in the process.

Night passes without apparent incident, with the guards taking turns on watch throughout the night, but the morning reveals an unexpected and disturbing sight: the guards killed a large, long-legged, scabrous rodent the size of a mid-sized dog.  They report that it had been nosing around the edges of the camp, about 150 yards out, and the one on watch had managed to kill it cleanly with a single arrow, due to a fortuitous shaft of moonlight illuminating it.

The creature looks to have mange or similar, and none of you are familiar with anything quite like it.

Hamburg, eager as ever, and driven by the opportunity to be back underground and exploring, had prepared for the day by meticulously cleaning and arranging his new garb. From head to toe he'd remade himself, retaining the style of his old costume, but now in the finest cloth, leather and craftsmanship his money could buy. Even the bedraggled stuffed raven wired to his shoulder seemed to have been touched up.

The odd wizard approached the dead creature and began to examine it carefully. Instead of touching it himself, he employed the use of a macabre, disembodied, skeletal hand which skittered over the corpse like a huge spider composed of bleached bones. He examined the teeth, feet and anything else that might give them clues as to the origin and state of the wretched thing.

"That was quite a shot," he said to the archer, tipping him a handful of silver pieces. "Are you quite certain it was alone?"

"From the simple fact one alone has been slain and no others, I would guess that it was unaccompanied. But given the filthy state of the creature, and the reports we have had of vicious beasts emanating from the caves, we must surmise that our task ahead is fraught with danger. Hardly news I know, but we should tread carefully none the less."

There was little else to do in Lanliss' mind, other than get on with matters.

Voran also examined the creature from a distance. "Be wary. I cannot cure diseases yet, so limit your contact with the things."

Roak grunts, hefts his sword and says, "Let's go."

He defers to Lanliss to lead the way, given the elf's infravision.

Onwards and downwards!
This message was last edited by the player at 00:29, Thu 29 Feb.

The camp is secured, and the body of the creature dragged off several dozen yards and buried, at least shallowly.  Provisions and water, along with other gear, are stowed, and one of the guards stays with the drivers and quartermaster, beside the wagons, as you proceed up the meager little track toward the rock face.

Upon arrival you find the marks of regular traffic in and out of the area, but the ground is rocky enough that it's impossible to get clear prints.  A bit further out you see tracks of several animals with which you are familiar, and a few which you are not.

The mouth of the cave is small and tight, only a couple of feet across, but high enough that all but Roak only have to bend down a bit to enter.  The opening into the rock face quickly bends down, and appears to be a slight widening in a natural seam in the rock.  Foul odors faintly waft past you on a cool and moist breeze.

Hamburg lifted his newly refurbished lantern and crept into the mouth of the cavern. The sickly green light was the same as it had always been, and it cast eerie shadows about. He held it aloft and breathed in the cavern air, a smile on the face beneath the odd Cynidicean mask. He waited patiently for his companions to enter, petting the stuffed raven on his shoulder absently.

With an easy manner Lanliss crouched slightly and made his way into the cavern, taking the lead as requested. The sickly green light from Hamburg's lantern obscured his infravision somewhat, but not as bad as a normal lantern or torch might have done. The elf trod carefully, keeping an eye out for tripwires or traps as best he could - and for any fiendish beast ready to jump out at him, for that matter.

Voran follows Hamburg, keeping his eyes peeled.

Roak brings up the rear.

The natural seam in the rock twists and turns, but still allows careful passage, although it requires that hands be placed on the walls here and there to continue to move forward without resorting to crawling.  After some 30 or 40 feet it opens into an irregularly-shaped cavern that defies your ability to get a sense of its size.  Most of its walls are well beyond the range of Hamburg's meager lantern.  While the light from the lantern fouls the elf's eyes somewhat, Lanliss can still see a multitude of small, warm bodies above him, likely clinging to the ceiling.

The stench is much worse in this place, and there is an animal muskiness that adds itself to the sharp and disagreeable smell the party has been dealing with.

Roak and Elder Voran emerge into the space, and the halfling soon realizes that there is what appears to be a faint path worn through the rubble on the uneven floor, and that it appears to split several ways, just at the limit of his vision.

Fearing bats (or worse) overhead, Lanliss tries to communicate with hand signals as to their next move. He points to the faint path, indicating they should take that, but waits to see if anyone prefers any particular split in it to follow.

Roak leans around the others to give the thumb's up indicator that he agrees with the elf.

Hamburg notices Lanliss' gesturing and seems confused for a moment as he raises his sickly green lantern up high and squints at the ceiling.  His puzzled gaze returns to the elf before comprehension dawns on a face totally concealed from his fellows.  He makes exaggerated "walking-slowly-and-quietly" motions as he starts to laboriously move to the path.

OOC:
NPC'ed
This message was last edited by the GM at 22:19, Sat 09 Mar.

The faint path winds between scatterings of stone and upthrusts in the uneven cavern, past mounds of odoriferous guano, and around piles of scree and detritus.  Careful attention to the path keeps the group from making any mis-steps, keeping their passage quiet and without any fouling of their footwear.

Several long minutes of careful travel bring them beyond the first cavern, and the ceiling becomes lower, with the walls pulling in.  Just as there is some concern that this might not actually be a path, and that the cavern just narrows to impassibility, a crude stone arch in the far wall comes into view at the limit of the party's light, appearing to be at the end of the path.

Just for a moment, Roak's keen eyes catch twin flashes, just a couple of inches apart, and just about on the level of where his head would be, beyond the arch.  He quickly glances away and back, but is unable to see the glimmers again.

Roak moves to the others, pulling having them lean in. "I saw two flashes of light, from over there, about my height," he says quietly. "I think they were eyes reflecting light. Lanliss, can you fire an arrow over there to see if we can flush whatever it is out?"

"With pleasure," remarks the elf, drawing his bow and immediately letting an arrow fly to the spot where a hobbit might have stood in the darkness of the arch. And a fine shot it is too.


14:46, Today: Lanliss rolled 20 using 1d20+1.  attack roll, longbow.
14:46, Today: Lanliss rolled 1 using 1d6.  dmg.

A high-pitched cry of pain in the distance is followed by enraged yowling, and a creature launches itself out of the darkened archway.  It travels on four feet, moving fast, patchy fur interspersed with areas of pale flesh that is riddled with weeping sores, and leads with sharp and ratlike teeth bared.  A second creature is just a few yards behind the first, but doesn't have an arrow sticking out of it like the lead animal.  Shouts in a high, rasping language come from the archway, and it sounds like a plurality of speaking creatures are excitedly calling out to one another.  Multiple sets of reddish eyes appear inside of the arch, reflected in the dim light.

OOC:
You guys have initiative.  I'm going to discard the BECMI initiative and just have you guys take turns with me.  Lanliss got the first shot in, in a surprise round, and there's quite a bit of distance between you and the archway, so you'll have another round of missile attacks available to you before the quadrupeds get to you, and first strike when they do get there.

"Looks like Hamburg's family and pets are here!"

Lanliss switched immediately from jokery to casting his Sleep spell upon the space beneath the archway.

Cast Sleep.

Voran's eyes go wide and he raises his holy symbol, uttering an intercession that wraps the group.

Cast Bless, giving everyone in the party +1 to hit, +1 to damage and +1 to morale for 6 turns.

Roak chortles and, picking his target, fires his bow...

Fire short bow at a creature that remains standing after Sleep, preferably an injured creature. Hits AC 2 (note: I forgot to add +1 for Bless, so total should really be 15) for 4 hp nonmagical damage.

17:21, Today: Roak The Quick rolled 4 using 1d6+1.  Damage. – 4
17:20, Today: Roak The Quick rolled 14 using 1d20+2.  Short bow, preferably on damaged creature. – 14