Since Lureene had suggested her team be the last one to separate, sort of, Mithra chose to take one of the middle caves.

It, too, was empty of Orcs... living ones, at any rate. She recognized it as the one she ran out during the initial assault.

There were two dead Orcs, one against each wall. The table at the back no longer had any papers on it.

There's a passage at the rear that splits off left and right. To the right was where she'd come from the first time.
This message was last updated by the GM at 15:06, Fri 08 Oct 2021.

She'd been focused on disrupting the Orcs the first time she'd been in this cave both to keep them from getting organized to attack back and to get them to chase her and the others. As such, she'd only been paying slight attention to her surroundings... at least, anything that wasn't an Orc.

Apparently, all the other Orcs that had been in here had chased after her, so that part had worked. And none of those survived the trap they'd laid for them. Thus, none had made it back.

She supposed the corpses and bedrolls could just be left here to rot, but it might be better to take them outside and burn them all.

She recalled that there had been two tunnels out of the back of this cave. The one to the right had been the one she came out of from the adjacent cave. The other one seemed to lead deeper into the mountain.

She wasn't all that good at being stealthy, but she also wasn't trying to make any noise. At the back, she stopped and listened at the tunnel entrances.

Theresa stands nearby waiting on Mithra to lead us in a direction. She is also not good at stealth but light armor and trying to be silent helps.

He'd be the first to admit that he wasn't very good at combat. He simply didn't have the training to wear armor or wield weapons effectively. Both his armor and his weapons were magical spells, so he hung back a bit to give himself the time and space to cast his spells.

"Don't know whether I wish the rest of the Orcs had been eaten by the wyverns or not," he whispered.

You hear some sounds from the right-hand tunnel, and quickly realize that it's the other team that went into the second tunnel.

After waiting for a moment to confirm that, you turn your attention to the left-hand tunnel. You can see that it slants downward, but you don't see any Orcs or hear any noise from it.

"Looks like these caves are more extensive than we realized," Mithra whispered to the others, though it didn't seem like there were any Orcs nearby to overhear her.

She pulled a piece of chalk out of a belt pouch and drew an arrow on the wall of the tunnel going down.

"Let's go see what we can find."

She then led the way down the tunnel, pausing every ten feet to listen.

Even to Mithra, it becomes clear that this was a man-made tunnel rather than one that occurred naturally.

It mostly goes straight, though there's a slight curve to it... until it suddenly makes a turn to the right.

About ten feet ahead is a dark opening, presumably into another cave.

Cunaar reminds Mithra to mark the wall when she stops to listen.

He also listens, especially when they come to another cave. If he doesn't hear anything, he'll pull a silver piece out of a pouch, casts Light on it, and then send it sliding across the floor into the darkness.

The coin slides across the floor into the room, reaching almost to the center of its 30 foot square dimensions. Its path isn't exactly straight, though, as it caroms off of several bones belonging to half a dozen skeletons laying on the floor.

However, there are two other items immediately noticeable: a pair of chests against the opposite wall and a statue standing between them.

"I don't like the looks of this," Mithra comments to the others.

"I'm not seeing any immediate cause of death of those skeletons. No arrows, no broken bones from swords and axes...  Of course, it could be poison. I can't help wondering why they were left here."

"That statue looks kind of odd, too."

"Yes, it does look strange," Cunaar agrees. "Wait! Is it wearing clothes? And I think it's made of metal."

"Ha! You think like a fighter! Any number of spells could have killed those people. And without leaving any trace."

"And I feel the same... I don't like the looks of this room. Maybe it's just because it's a cave in a mountain. I'm not sure it'd feel odd if it was in a building."

" and some creatures. Although, if it was one of those it should be around here. "

"I suppose," Mithra responded to Thressa. "Nothing comes to mind at the moment that would account for these skeletons. Can't be sure, but I don't think they are the skeletons of Orcs."

"Whatever killed them, it would seem to have happened a long time ago."

She cautiously steps into the room even though she knows that doing so could spring whatever trap killed the people whose skeletons still remained.

Perhaps it was moving closer or perhaps it was just a change in the angle of light, but she now saw that the statue appeared to be made of metal.

"I don't know anything about iron golems, but I think that statue might be one! Could it have killed these people?"

" if that is true, that doesn"t explain how clean these bones are. But yes an iron Golem could throretically kill this many."

"I am most definitely not a Iron Golem, they are a powerful but simple magus construct.  I am much more than that.  I have a abilities that far outstrip there mundane bludgeoning mayhem.  My name is Kassan, gentleman gambler and sometimes thief."

He brushes his top hat and places it a top his head just slightly cocked to the left, snatches up his cane and grabs the lapels of a rather fine coat.

"You clearly lack caution entering a room such as this with out a cursory look for traps.  The statistical chance that you made it this far is staggering.  I will assist you in your endeavor's as we continue on."

Kassan looks to the three people, a soft glow of green eyes peering at them all as if the decision had already been agreed upon.

"Shall I search for traps?"

"Oh, my gosh! It talks!" Cunaar exclaims when the iron golem who wasn't an iron golem speaks.

"Wait! I've heard of this! You're a Warforged, aren't you? Supposedly, they come from another world. I've heard wizards have been trying to recreate them here, but, so far, without success!"

"Tell me, sir, if you would please... are you from another world... or are you, in fact, created here in the Realms?"

"I am Cunaar Clothar the Fourth. These are my companions, Thressa Wildflamme and Mithra Stormraven."

"How did you get here? And... how long have you been standing there? Are you the guardian of these chests? No, I guess you wouldn't be if are willing to look for traps for us. Unless that's a ruse. Don't you know if there are traps in this room?"

He had at least a dozen more questions, but maybe now wasn't the time to be asking them.

"Rats could have cleaned the bones," Mithra suggests.

"Greetings, Kassan. I echo pretty much what Cunaar said and asked."

"We have entered these caves to root out a bunch of Orcs that have fled into them. You wouldn't happen to know anything about them or these caves, would you?"

" Ah, a living Construct, how interesting. Yes my inquiries are in line with those spoken by Cunaar. "

As Cunaar, Mithra and the quite one Thressa finished their tirade of question, Kassan is almost on their heals with his response.

"Of course I can speak, I am fluent in Common and well that is it really.  As to what I am, I am me of course, I have never heard this word Warforged.  As for wizards and what created me, I just woke up here, I am from here.  I do not know how long I have been standing, I have guarded no chests.  I will perceive no traps, but if there are I can disarm them for you.  Perhaps if I travel with you I can find answers to your inquires."

Kassan proceeds to investigate the room looking for any traps, should he find any he will disarm them with mage hand L.


19:42, Today: Kassan rolled 18 using 1d20+3 with rolls of 15.  Investigate (+3int).
19:48, Today: Kassan rolled 9 using 1d20+7 with rolls of 2.  Disarm (Expertise Thieve's Tools).

Clearly, this creature... person... Warforged... iron golem... she was acutely aware that he could be all four of those things. She sure didn't know the difference between a Warforged and an iron golem, though, based on the current conversation, she hazard a guess that Warforged were intelligent beings whereas golems might not be. She didn't have time to consider where the dividing line be.

"As strange as you may be to us, you clearly are not an Orc," Mithra addresses Kassan. "You may join us; we welcome your company."

"By all means, look for traps on these chests."

Thressa understanding that this isn't a golem, smiles.

" Yes, may the light of Aumanator shine on you. Welcome to our band of adventurers. "

"Well thank you, I am confident that I will be an asset to your team."

Taking a tour around the room again to look for any traps or hidden compartments.

Kassan readily finds that there are at least one trap on each chest. It appears to be a poisoned needle trap on the lock and two hasps on each chest. He has no problem disabling the needles on the hasps... simply by flipping them up with his spell.

The lock is another matter. However, without a key, the easiest way to neutralize the lock and thus the poisoned needle is to simply force the lock with his dagger.

It's not that sturdy or sophisticated a lock, which is no doubt why the trap was put on it.

In Kassan's case, it's not about strength but finesse. A twist, a jiggle, and a light tap springs the lock and the trap.


Still  using his spell, Kassan opens the chests one at a time.

Inside each one you can see that there are a stack of clothes on the left with a small box set atop the stack, and 5 books on the right, spines upright.

"Well there we have it, just as I suspected nothing to worry about.  I will leave the perusing of someone's personal effect's to other's as I am not sure what you are after.  What exactly are you guys after?."

Kassan stood somewhat at attention looking like a stuck up gentlemen.

" yeah, looks like student's foot locker. "
Thressa waits.
This message was lightly edited by the GM at 18:48, Wed 22 Dec 2021.

"Good point, Kassan," Mithra replies. "We're hunting Orcs. I doubt if any are hiding inside a locked and trapped chest."

"Still, we probably shouldn't leave behind anything that the Orcs could potentially use against us or anyone else."

"A student? Or perhaps a traveling wizard? It does kind of concern me that these have been left behind in what is clearly an abandoned base of some kind."

"I suppose these bones belong to the owners of the chests. I wonder what killed them? Any chance, Thressa, you can tell the cause of death?"

Mithra then starts looking around the room for... anything, really. As near as she can tell by the downward distance they traveled along the tunnel, they are probably a level below the main caves. Seems like an odd place and way for a dead end.

Other than the expected dust of years if not centuries that would have made its way into this room, all Mithra notices at first is that the room looks like it started as a natural cave, but then was worked into its more regular shape.

At some point, though, as she disturbs the dust, she notices that it seems to move towards the wall rather than just swirl about and settle back to the floor. With a little bit more effort, she's able to tell that there's a faint draft pulling the dust to the wall. And that turns out to be the seams of a secret door. She then finds a loose 'stone' to the side of the door. Pressing it causes the door to be released, though she still needs to push the door fully open to get through it.


Due to the desiccated state of the bodies, Thressa can't really tell what caused their deaths, but she can say that it wasn't from a weapon, as there are no broken bones that would have accompanied such a death blow. While she can't rule out magic, she gets a vague impression that it might have been a poisonous gas.

While the others check out different things, Cunaar decides to examine the books in the chests.

"If you don't remember... or don't know... anything from before you just woke up here, Kassan," Cunaar says to the Warforged, "there might be information in these books about how you came to be."

"I find it very strange that you can be fully functional the instant you wake up. Somehow, you had to have been given that information and training. I suppose what concerns me is that some event may suddenly trigger a resurgence of those memories--if you have them--and that may change who you are."

"In any case, while I check out these books, would you mind seeing if there are any secret compartments in either of these chests?"

Mithra goes over to the wall and examines it the best she can.

"There's an airflow over here," she informs the others. "I think there may be a secret door here."

"Are you any good at finding and unlocking secret doors, Kassan?"

"Yes I could, I apologize for not noticing it earlier, clearly I am not a one hundred percent yet."
Going over to wall where Mithra had mentioned air flow, Kassan could find nothing.  His eyes narrowing becoming pin pricks of green in concentration.

"Well I can not find what it is you are looking for."



09:46, Today: Kassan rolled 5 using 1d20+3 with rolls of 2.  Investigation for hidden passage.
Terrible

" No weapon used. Interesting and Terrifying. "
This message was lightly edited by the GM at 21:23, Sun 02 Jan 2022.

Even with the knowledge that there might be a secret door there, and with the assistance of the others, Kassan can't quite spot it. He didn't spot it the first time because he hadn't stirred up the dust as much as Mithra did, and he probably wasn't sensitive enough to detect the airflow on his own.

There's clearly not a regular straight seam that marks the door, though it could be disguised as the workmanship if there were several similar lines.

Kassan did find the small slots near the bottom that were hidden in the design. Since the airflow is going into them, rather than coming out, it would see as if the temperature on the other side is slightly higher so that the colder air in the room flows in that direction.

Since Mithra carries a crowbar, she can use it to tap the wall and try to determine where the door actually is.

That does the trick, since just the tapping causes some of the dust to cascade off the irregular seams.

It also shows the pattern in the center that is probably the release for the door--a horizontal stone 'bar' in the bottom of a half-circle. Moving the bar to a vertical position might release the door's mechanism... or do something else nasty.

While it didn't look like any Orcs had gone this way... through the secret door, that is... she had enough battle savvy to realize that you didn't leave a potential enemy behind you. However slim, there was still a chance that other Orcs were lurking behind this secret door. She certainly didn't want them bursting out to attack them when they weren't looking.

"Once you know it's there, it's kind of obvious," Mithra comments as she reaches forward and pushes the horizontal bar to the upright position.

Although it looks easy enough, it turns out to require a bit more effort to move the lever. As Mithra forces it into the vertical position, she can hear the faint grinding of metal on stone. When it's finally fully vertical, the right edge of the door suddenly springs forward into the wall.

That appears to be as far as it will go on its own. It needs to be pushed all the way open in order to get through the opening.

The passage beyond is in darkness, but you can see that it curves off to the left.

"Ah excellent, I was sure that it would be easy enough for you guys to find."  Peering around the edge of the door.

"I shall proceed ahead and make sure the way is safe."

As he reached for a torch to light, Kassan accidently backed into one of the open chests spilling it contents on the ground.

"The element of surprise is still on our side, only a strong party would be so bold as to make this much noise.  All very strategic"


10:48, Today: Kassan rolled 15 using 1d20+3 with rolls of 12. Perception
Checking for Traps

10:47, Today: Kassan rolled 6 using 1d20+5 with rolls of 1.  Stealth check. oH dear.

Kassan leads the way down the tunnel, lighting the way with one of the torches.

After curving off to the left for about 20 feet, the floor gives way to stairs going down for another 20 feet before they make a sharp turn to the right.

Once you turn that corner, you can see that the stairs end at an open door to a room. The torch light doesn't give any clear image of the room, but then there's a sudden bright flash of blue light with which you can see shelves with books on them, and half a dozen Orcs surrounding the source of the light flash--a human.


Sala was going about his business when he felt a sudden spot of warmth that he quickly realized was coming from where he kept the talisman. A second later, the talisman started to glow, there was a bright flash of blue light, and Sala suddenly find himself... somewhere else.

The flash of light let him see that he was in an otherwise small but dark room--a library, based on the books he saw on the shelves. He also saw that he was surrounded by Orcs, though they seemed as astonished as Sala was. They conveyed the appearance that their focus was on the single doorway out of the room.... at least the only doorway that you saw.

Then the darkness closes in once again.
This message was last edited by the GM at 21:04, Sat 08 Jan 2022.

"Here hold this"

Handing the torch to his Mage Hand Legerdemain Kassan pauses and relays quickly to the others what he saw.

"Six orcs surrounding a humanoid down there, I believe he requires assistance.  I think rushing in maybe our best option, the element of surprise is gone."


Kassan sends the mage hand ahead 30 feet from himself with the torch into the room raising it to a height that will be hard to strike while staying in distance so as not to loose the spell.

"That's what we're here for--to smash Orcs!" Mithra whispers, and then charges ahead into the room right behind the floating torch.

She attacks the first Orc she runs across!

15:53, Today: Mithra Stormraven rolled 22,14 using 1d20+7,1d8+6 ((15,8)).

That should be a hit and may even kill that Orc!

She'll take her extra action to attack a different Orc.

16:01, Today: Mithra Stormraven rolled 9,13 using 1d20+7,1d8+6 ((2,7)).

Pfui! Miss! Would have been good damage!

"I hope you don't mind us barging in," she says to the Human (Sala) in the room, "but I believe these are our Orcs."

Sala, who was actually in the middle of musing about the relative density of several alchemical substances, was caught off guard by his appearance in the middle of a library dominated by orcs. The fact that he had no clear way to see in the dark was surely a hindrance, so he did what any self-respecting wizard did in these situations.

He hid.

Given that he was in a library, and with no other reference to consider, a block of library book shelves appeared around him as he ducked down. He cautiously waited as the help that was so vociferous engaged the orcs.

Casting Minor Illusion in the square I'm in. Looks like a cube with shelves and library books lining the edges.

He'd been wondering about everything that had been happening since the initial group had left Neverwinter. It had started as a simple escort job, soon turned into a real adventure, and had then escalated into... well, he wasn't quite sure. There seemed to be a confluence of events happening in the area now. At first, it had seemed like the mine had been the focus. Something had transpired to make it leap to prominence once again.

And then came the Orcs. Lots of them. There didn't seem to be any overlying organization to them... yet. They'd run across at least three groups now. Yet, they didn't seem to be interested in the mine. So, what was bringing them here? Was it just some sort of bizarre Orcish cycle?

Whatever it was, interest in the area had increases a hundredfold. Maybe it was the refounding of Phandalin that was the trigger. There was no way of knowing if people had left well enough alone with Phandalin if the Orcs would have come any way.

Seeing that the room ahead was a library full of books, Cunaar decided a firebolt spell wasn't the best option. Instead, he chose to cast his last Magic Missile at one of the Orcs not immediately in combat.

8:20, Today: Cunaar Clothar IV rolled 15 using 4d4+4 ((2,1,4,4)).

OOC: just waiting on Thressa?

Thressa points at one of the orcs not in melee with her friends and casts Flamming Sphere.


17:40, Today: Thressa Wildflamme rolled 10 using 2d6 with rolls of 4,6.  Flamming Sphere.
DC 14 Dex save for half.

Mithra's attack didn't quite kill the first Orc she hit, and she missed the second Orc.

Cunaar's spell kills the one Orc he targeted.

Thress's spell damages a third Orc but doesn't kill it.

With only one Orc down, there's only 5 left, but only one of them is in melee with Mithra.

Sala's illusion and Thressa's flaming sphere are enough to disorient three Orcs so that they don't step up to fill their dead comrade's place.

The Orc Mithra hit tries to attack back, but he's in bad shape, and his attack is practically half-hearted. He misses.

14:23, Today: StarMaster rolled 8,12 using 1d20+6,1d10+4 ((2,8)). Orc attack on Mithra.

The second Orc that Mithra missed is encouraged by her miss and swings back at her. He's not nearly good enough to hit her.

14:24, Today: StarMaster rolled 14,5 using 1d20+6,1d10+4 ((8,1)).

The brief flash of blue light, Kassan's torch, and Thressa's flaming sphere provided adequate light for everyone to see more detail now. The back wall and the two side walls are covered in shelves full of books and assorted knickknacks, though it isn't immediately clear that these things might not be 'books' unto themselves.

Two of the remaining Orcs pull out javelins in preparation for throwing them at those currently out of reach.

Sala can see more clearly now, and from his position he can see a few orcs that seem to be injured. Quickly, he commands his owl familiar to help Mithra, whilst he targets one of them with a Mind Sliver spell, knowing full well that flinging fire around in a room full of books is a perfect storm for a conflagration.

Staying well under cover, his arcane chanting would be easily heard by any orc within range.

You drive a disorienting spike of psychic energy into the mind of one creature you can see within range. The target must succeed on an Intelligence saving throw (DC 14) or take 5 psychic damage and subtract 1d4 from the next saving throw it makes before the end of your next turn.

HP: 29/29 | AC: 18 | Spd: 30ft. | Arcane Recovery 1/1 (SR)| Chronal Shift 2/2 (LR)
Spell Slots: | Level 1 | 4/4 | Level 2 | 2/2 |
Action: Cast Mind Sliver for 5 damage | Move:  N/A  | Bonus: N/A | Free: Owl help action for Mithra
09:48, Today: Sala Menes rolled 5 using 1d6 with rolls of 5.  Mind Sliver (DC 14 save for nil). – [roll=1642729713.58184.364018]
This message was last edited by the player at 07:10, Fri 21 Jan 2022.

Moving with haste Kassan flanks an orc to the opposite side of Mithra.  A flash of glistening steel from what just appeared to be a cane at the orc.  With a flourish the blade disappears back to it scabbard.

18:15, Today: Kassan rolled 11 using 1d20+5 with rolls of 6.  atk.roll.
18:16, Today: Kassan rolled 9 using 2d6 with rolls of 5,4.  sneak atk. dmg.
18:15, Today: Kassan rolled 8 using 1d8+3 with rolls of 5.  attack dmg.

He'd just given it his best shot, but there were still more Orcs to deal with. His only option now was to whittle away at them by using his cantrips. He targeted one Orc with a Ray of Frost.

22:28, Today: Cunaar Clothar IV rolled 16,6 using 1d20+4,2d8 ((12,3,3)).

Well, he hit, but it wasn't much damage.

An owl suddenly starts attacking Orc #2, the one Mithra is fighting. It doesn't really hit him or do any damage, but the claws and beak scratching at the Orc's hair and head distract enough to keep it from attacking Mithra again.

Sala attacks another Orc #3 as his owl aids Mithra and manages to hit it and do damage.

Kassan doesn't hits Orc #4 that he attacked. The combined damage is just enough to kill it!

Cunaar's spell hits Orc #6 but doesn't kill it.

Thressa sends her Flaming Sphere towards Orc #4 and does 10 points of damage to it, but it's not enough to kill it.

At this point, all five of the remaining Orcs have been injured.
This message was last edited by the GM at 21:29, Tue 01 Feb 2022.

She'd fought enough Orcs already to know that they were tough creatures--it took more than one hit normally to kill one, but she and the others were getting better. She could tell she'd almost killed this Orc with her first attack.

"What the frell?!" she exclaimed as an owl suddenly attacked the Orc she was fighting.

She almost laughed when she realize it was distracting the Orc and kept it from attacking her. It probably wouldn't have hit her, but it could have gotten lucky.

"Well, Nasty Orc! You're luck has just run out!"

She swung at it again.

23:18, Today: Mithra Stormraven rolled 22,7,13,7 using 1d20+7,1d8+6,1d20+7,1d8+6 ((15,1,6,1)).

The damage she inflicted wasn't much, but added to what she'd already done, it was enough to kill it.

She was then able to direct her bonus action attack against the next closest Orc, which was #1--the one that had suffered from Thressa's flaming sphere. She just barely hit it, and while the damage wasn't great again, it was enough to finish off the Orc.

As Kassan's blade looks likely to miss, Sala influences his timing, causing his attack to shift in his favour and strike the orc which he had been attacking instead (Reaction: Use Chronal Shift to reroll Kassan's attack, hitting AC 19 instead of missing.)

From where he was at, Sala could see that five orcs stood. Once again, he called upon his familiar to aid Mithra in battle, while he used his own cantrips to deal a meagre amount of damage to the orc originally targetted by the first Mind Sliver spell he had cast.

You drive a disorienting spike of psychic energy into the mind of one creature you can see within range. The target must succeed on an Intelligence saving throw (DC 14 -1d4 on the roll as he would still be affected by Mind Sliver) or take 1 psychic damage and subtract 1d4 from the next saving throw it makes before the end of your next turn.

HP: 29/29 | AC: 18 | Spd: 30ft. | Arcane Recovery 1/1 (SR)| Chronal Shift 1/2 (LR)
Spell Slots: | Level 1 | 4/4 | Level 2 | 2/2 |
Action: Cast Mind Sliver for 1 damage | Move:  N/A  | Bonus: N/A | Free: Owl help action for Mithra | Reaction (last round): Chronal shift on Kassan, causing his last attack to hit for 8 damage and 9 sneak attack damage
18:12, Today: Sala Menes rolled 19 using 1d20+6 with rolls of 13.  Kassan Reroll for last round attack. – [roll=1643191960.04891.364018]
18:04, Today: Sala Menes rolled 1 using 1d6 with rolls of 1.  Mind Sliver vs damaged orc. – [roll=1643191449.90943.364018]

Thressa holds the sphere on the orc.


14:20, Today: Thressa Wildflamme rolled 2 using 2d6 with rolls of 1,1.

Flamming Sphere.
DC 14 Dex save for half.

There's a blur around Kassan, and while at first he thought he missed, he manages to catch the Orc on his backswing. It's enough to kill that Orc.


The Orc that was hit by Thressa's flaming sphere is now dead, as is the one next to it, both thanks to Mithra, so she can only direct the sphere to the next one (#3) in line, which is the one that Sala has been focusing on. Two more points of damage still isn't enough to kill it.


No one is within striking range yet of Orc #3, but when Mithra moves to attack it, it gets a readied swing at her.

16:37, Today: StarMaster rolled 14,10 using 1d20+7,1d8+6 ((7,4)).

It misses her, but her attack finishes off Orc #3, but only because Sala's 1 point and Thressa's 2 points dropped it low enough! Good teamwork, people!

That only leaves Orc #6 who was on the extreme right and which hasn't taken much damage yet.
This message was last edited by the GM at 03:58, Wed 02 Feb 2022.

With the combat over, Sala is pleased to find that he is free from harm and injury. "Glad to see some who feel the same way about orcs as I do." he says, greeting them. "The name's Sala, do you have need for a wizard on your travels?" he asks.

Suddenly, a secret door in the book shelves on the right hand wall swing away and Prizzard throws a magic stone at the last Orc.

Behind him is Cinnabar and Stonecrow.

He easily hits the Orc, but it's not enough to take him out.

It's now getting rather crowded in the small library, and footing is a bit tricky from all the dead Orcs.
This message was last edited by the GM at 05:41, Wed 02 Feb 2022.

Small enough to easily fit into the library, even as packed as it is starting to be, Cinnabar steps out of the now open shelf and to the side a bit to clear a shot at the last orc and throws another one of her little pebbles at it.

The impact isn't overly impressive, but it is a lot more than any pebble has a right to be, cracking off the things extra hard skull like a heavy mace would, clearly something gave way and probably something even an Orc wanted to keep and use.

The remaining orc was a surprise to Sala, he must have missed it.

He used the same spell he had used previously on all the orcs to cause the orc's mind to warp.

09:51, Today: Sala Menes rolled 2 using 1d6 with rolls of 2.  Mind Sliver. – [roll=1643853069.57686.364018] DC 14 save for nil.

The last Orc had only take some minor damage, so Stonecrow's throw with the magic stone didn't quite finish it, and even Cinnabar's stone doesn't--quite--finish it off. Sala's spell, however, delivers the last point of damage to kill the Orc.

NOW they are all dead.

"Fantastic. I didn't notice that one. Thanks for the help everybody." says Sala, introducing himself "I'm actually at a loss as to what I'm doing here. Does anybody know where we are?" he asks.

Kassan takes his time and goes from orc to orc investigating for any booty and pocketing it.



20:34, Today: Kassan rolled 20 using 1d20+3 with rolls of 17.  Investigation.
20:36, Today: Kassan rolled 11 using 1d20+5 with rolls of 6.  Slight of Hand.

"It did seem unlikely that these six caves wouldn't all connect somewhere deeper in the mountain," Mithra says to Stonecrow, Cinnabar and Prizzard as they join everyone in the library. "Did you run across any of the rest of our group?"

"Anyway, I'm not that familiar with this area, so it makes sense that I didn't know about these caves... other than that the wyverns had once made their home on the mountain. Don't know if they used these caves or not."

"Clearly, though, someone else did. There's no way the wyverns or the Orcs kept this library."

"Let's start hauling these Orc bodies outside. No point in leaving them to rot here in the caves. The rest of you... see if you can find any more secret doors. If any of you can cast Prestidigitation, see if you can clean up this mess. Then start examining the books. We don't have the resources to take them with us, but if they say here undisturbed for a dozen years or so, I don't see why a few more days would make a difference."

With that said, she grabs the nearest Orc body by the feet and starts dragging it out of the caves.

The first thing Cunaar does is pull out a small crystal from his pouch and then cast Light on it. The room is now lit up.

"I can take care of the Prestigitation, too. Prizzard and Stonecrow... didn't you say you were sages of some sort? You can join me looking over the books if you want."

He then uses his spell to clean up all the blood and dust from the library, examining a few books as he does so.

"If we have time to spare, I can create a servant who would clean this room. The ritual takes but ten minutes to perform, and the servant would be here for an hour." suggests Sala.

"If we had no other option, Cunaar replied, "that would be most appreciated. But, as you can see, my spell can do the job in a mere minute."

"At the moment, I cannot see any need for your servant, but if we are to move these books, he might be needed then."

"By the way, if I didn't mention it before--after all, we were rather business slaying Orcs, were we not? My name is Cunaar Clother the Fourth."

"Our fearless leader if Mithra Stormraven. The Halfling is Cinnabar. Then there's Thressa and Prizzard and Stonecrow. Oh, and Kassan. We found him in the other room. We're not sure if he's lost his memory or just never had any until we found him."

After muttering a quick spell of some kind over another set of three pebbles she pulled from one pouch, Cinnabar retrieves a handful of berries from another pouch and holds them out in an offering gesture.

”Was anyone in your group injured by the Orcs, now would be a good time to heal yourselves before more of them get involved.

"No, but thanks for the offer," Mithra replies to Cinnabar when she returns from dragging the first body outside.

"Orcs are only tough in number or for the novice fighter. We also had the advantage of being in these caves where they couldn't come at us except from one or two directions. And, we were lucky. We may not be so lucky the next time."

She goes back to dragging another Orc body out of the room.

Prizzard casts as requested, waves as hes introduced, and cleans his allies first, accepting a berry from Cinnabar. He'll then start on the room.

"We shall have to put our heads together and learn from each other." says Sala to Cunaar. "I'm sure we can learn a thing or two."

He leaves the mage to work via his prestidigitation spell, but decides that he might try to cast the ritual himself for the unseen servant. If the others were ready to leave before he finished, it would be a waste. If he managed to have it in place while they explored deeper though, it could be a boon.

Not so robust in the strength category, Kassan helps by making the bodies lighter by removing any personal effects and helping tidy up the library.  When introductions are going around he tips his top hat in respect.

"It would seem I am not sure how I arrived here, but I will assist where I can.  Should you need anything please let me know."

Found on Reddit

https://reddit.com/r/DnD/comme...attlemaster_fighter/

"As near as I can recall, we haven't overlooked any passages," Mithra says when all the bodies have removed and the library has been cleaned up.

"I didn't see anyone else outside, so we should probably go look for them. In case they need assistance."

"I only just arrived. If you're confident we are done, I for one would be delighted to return to somewhere more hospitable." says Sala. He did cast the Detect Magic spell before he left, however, just in case there was something of note to take along with them.

"It does seem odd that there's no table or chair in here," Stonecrow comments, "but then you'd also need a light, which is probably not a good idea among a bunch of flammable books. Since these seem to be mostly journals, I'm guessing this is more of an archive."

He'd only glanced at a few of the tomes, but the names on them seemed to indicate that's what they were.
This message was last edited by the GM at 05:28, Mon 14 Feb 2022.

Once done helping removing the Orcs, Kassan spends some time perusing over the books for any information as to his arrival to the place. Also possibly any hidden passages.


16:40, Today: Kassan rolled 19 using 1d20+3 with rolls of 16.  Investigation.

Sala's Detect Magic spell reveals three books that are magical.


Kassan spends some time going through the books, and does, indeed, find that most of them are journals kept by at least 10 different people. He quickly discovers that they are generally in order by year, and after finding the most recent ones (which are over a hundred years old), he turns to the back to read the last entries. In the third such book he examines, he finds mention of something called a Living Construct, then a Warforged, and finally a Stealth Walker.

One Brother Sheen was apparently a War Machine Warforged. When Kassan was damaged in an attack by two Ogres, he sought out the Monks of the Brotherhood because he knew that Sheen was there and hoped that Sheen could repair him.

The last entry mentions working on repairing Kassan, but there are no other entries.


When Mithra hauls out the last Orc body, she spots other members of their group coming out of Cave #5.

(Emerging through a secret door)

Willem greeted Thressa and Cunaar, then smiled as Mithra also joined them. Ne nodded politely at those he didn't recognise, figuring that they could do formal introductions later.

He turned to his small group. "Come, let us retire outside and see if our other companions have returned.They may require our aid."

----> To Beyond Wyvern Tor thread