The trail steadily slopes upwards and vegetation becomes more sparse, going from pines to moss to hardscrabble and occasional weeds. The air grows colder and even a bit thinner.The party pauses as they hear sounds echoing from higher up.

Brodd gasps for air in the thinning atmosphere, saying nothing, as he continues to trudge along with the party on their mission. He prayed quietly to the gods to give him strength as he continued the march onward.

Einhard heard the sounds echo down the mountain and pulled his steed to a halt. "You all hear that? Anyone recognize it?" He paused as he looked at Brodd, "Do we need a short rest here? I guess I haven't realized the difficult climb from atop old Dora here," as he patted the horses muscled flank.

"Per-fect-ly-fi-ne... Con-tin-ue-on-ward..." Regdoc said between gasps. He was keeping up fine, but just didn't have the air capacity of the younger men and horses. Of note was the sudden appearance of a leash from Chomper and tied around the oldster's waist...

Taking a big gulp of the thinning air, Regdoc strained to listen for a moment.

Amalrik pauses with the rest. Some water, swishing about in the mouth before swallowing. He leans in the direction of travel fo4r a listen ...

Creston found a lot to sit on and dug an apple out of his bag. As long as we're resting, he figured, may as well make use of the time.

"Hey, Harald," Creston asked the Bard, "Do you know how to sing Commandment 12592? The last bard I rand into didn't know that passage."

Any of you with Hear Noise abilities, you may roll.

OOC - I only hear Harald

Thud is chuckling at the old human's antics when the others stop. He strains to hear something...

Hear noises 2 in 6, rolled a 3.
21:14, Today: Thud rolled 3 using 1d6.  Hearing noises! (maybe).

Thud can't make out anything besides Harald dulcet (dolcett?) tunes.

Einhard thought to himself ~Surely the Baron would respect me for taking charge of this expedition.~ and then said aloud  "Well if none of you know what that sound is I guess there is only one way to find out..." He climbed back on Dora. Listening to Brodd huff and puff he said "I can ride out a bit while you all catch your breath. Surely if there is trouble, old Dora here can outrun it so I can come back for help..." He didn't sound very confident about that last statement.

[Make a roll against Einhard's Intelligence]

11:27, Today: Einhard rolled 4 using 1d20.  Intelligence roll. (Intelligence 12)

Before riding off, Einhard took a moment to scan the horizon. "Is that a dwarf? What in the hell is he shouting abou..." Looking north, his eyes widened as he sees boulders tumbling down the mountain toward the group. "What th... Look out! Follow me!" he shouts. He bends over and tries to hoist the wheezing Brother Brodd onto the horse and then spurs Dora to a full sprint toward the dwarf in the distance.

Brodd climbs on board!

"Chomper! Go!" Regdoc howled at his large mutt. Still tethered to the hound, the old cleric put his countless years of Pathfollowing to use, his legs churned like a windmill in the face of a tornado as the dog pulled him along after the fleeing knight.

Sasar moves as quickly as he can, but even before the avalanche he was wheezing. He trips on a rock and falls as the sound of crashing rocks gets louder.

"Sasar! get up and run!"

Manaku throws off his backpack and pulls Sasar up over his shoulder. He struggles to keep going while arguing with Sasar.

"No, I'm NOT leaving you here and that's FINAL!

Boulders !! Amalrik looks about quickly, can they be dodged ?? Does anyone need a hand ?? He then sees Manaku wrestling with Sasar ... And runs over to assist ...

Thud shouts, "ALMARIK! LEAVE THEM ALONE! FOLLOW ME!"

He begins running as Brodd instructed.

The uphill climb did not bother Yagi in the least as small as she is or Mistah Wong for that matter.

Yagi was in her own world until the boulders started flying and someone was yelling "RUN!", by all the spirits why did they have to be so loud.

She figured it would be prudent to run and pumped her legs as fast as they could go.

Mistah Wong was right behind her.

Dwarghar was waving his arms wildly pointing up. "OI!!! DA MANTICUR BE MAKIN DA ROCKSLIDE! DIS WAY!" He was jumping and waving pointing at the cave moUTH. "DIS WAY 'URRY! MANTICUR!!!! ROCKSLIDE!!!! RUN DIS WAY!!! COME ON!!!!!! 'URRY UP OR YA BE DEAD!!!!

Manaku reaches Sasar's mule. He lays Sasar over the mule's back and slaps the mule's backside as hard as he can. The mule brays and back-kicks Manaku in the stomach, but rushes towards the cave entrance with its master on its back.

Manaku groggily gets to his feet. He quickly realizes his chances of survival are slim and casts a Magic Shield to hopefully protect him from the avalanche.

Creston stood up and started running toward the cave, slapping the bard on the shoulder as he went past. "Come on, Harald," he said. "Time to move."

With Brodd on board, Dora ran as fast as she could with the  two men on her back. As they approached the mouth of the cave, Einhard heard the dwarf a bit more clearly. To Brodd he said, "Did he say manticore? Isn't that what Regdoc said killed Eron? Maybe he isn't as crazy as I though!"

Then he shouted back toward the others that were still scrambling "Come on! Hurry!" And quietly added, "I think the rocks are the least of our worries..."

"Man," Regdoc gasped, "ti-cor-Eron-warned..." For being close to the same age as many of the smaller rocks hurtling down the mountainside at them, the oldster was still moving, every other step being skipped due to Chomper's strong pull.

"Agreed! Thank you for the lift, and thank you Dora." Brodd says to the man and horse as he scrambles to get down when they arrive at the cave and head for the cover that it offers from the rock slide coming down the mountain side.

Dwarghar hopped and bounced waving his hands towards the cave mouth."'urry long legs! Manticur piss.... Dwarghar caught it. Smart.... strong... trapper! 'urry or die."

Dwarghar kept waving now dodging stone.

Sir Einhard, Brother Brodd and his steed reach the cave entrance.
Sasar and the Mule will get there in the next round.
The rest of the party will (hopefully) get there in the third round.

"Run! Lift your knees and run!" Brodd shouts to the party still making their way to the cave!
This message was last edited by the player at 14:20, Sat 06 Apr 2019.

Harald turns around, sprinting as quickly as he can away from the cave.

Chomper pulled, Regdoc followed. He really had little choice in the matter due to the tether, but he would contend personal prerogative if confronted on it.

Second verse same as the first...

Torn between actions, Amalrik follows Thrud.

Ali was scampering for safety, toward and preferably into the cave, fast as she possibly could.    Cursing under her breath all the while...

I knew coming up here was stupid!    These people aren't professionals!   Never go *anywhere* where the rocks are *above* your head...everyone knows that!
This message was last edited by the player at 20:31, Mon 08 Apr 2019.

Dwarghar was still waving for them to come. "Long legs 'urry. Manticur... makin trouble. You go mush.. ifn not 'urry. Safe 'ere... den go kill manticur. Dwarghar make strong trap." Theses last words were said with pride.

When Creston reaches the cave, he turns and looks, to see if everybody is going to make it. Seeing Harald running the wrong way, he shouts, "Harald! This way! Over here!"

Dwarghar shook his head when he seen the feather head running the wrong way. He ran out after him dodging as he went. He lived in theses mountains and knew the terrain. He knew that he was heading towards an area with even looser rocks."Feader 'ead you die goin dat way. Bad... rollin rock. Slide off... go mush. Come ta cave or ya die. Dwarghar live 'ere no place good. Come feader 'ead or die."

Manaku grabs Harald's arm.

"You can't outrun the boulders!" he shouts over the growing din.

The pale elf pulls Harald beside him in a crevice with inches to spare. The elf winces as larger rocks clatter against his floating transparent shield, throwing magical sparks everywhere.

"How am I supposed to prepare to meet my ancestors when you people keep making worse mistakes than I do?"

Uphill, Amalrik runs as best he can. dodging whatever, one eye on Thrud ...

[If Dwarghar insists on running out there I'm going to need a roll against his DEX. It's great RP but his career might be very short-lived.]

Thud runs for all he's worth....

Going with the rest of the party on this one.

Dwarghar, see the DM's post above.

Dwarghar stops dead in his tracks as a large bolder bounced down. "Dwarghar not dumb like feader 'ead. Run feader 'ead...run."

"Harald! Stay to my right and run TOWARDS the cave!"

Manaku sees an opening, and pulling the bard along makes a break for it. Rocks continue to slam against his magical shield, and the floating runes in the energy pattern grow hazier with each impact.

"Run Harald, run Manaku!"

Having ushered his horse in to the cave's entrance, Einhard turned to look at the manticore. "You trapped that thing?" he asked the dwarf. His eyebrow raised in doubt. "How long do you think that is going to hold?!" The knight kept a close watch on the creature looking for any sign that it is about to break free and charge the group.

Amalrik appears just as Einhard makes his comments. He stands close to the edge so that others may have cover.

Yagi peers into the back of the cave, letting her eyes adjust to the darkness.

"You see anyting Mistah Wong?"

Mistah Wong doesn't answer, but there does seem to be a wooden cart sitting in the passageway further down.

 "Hey guys, deres' sumtin in this cave.", as Yagi points into the darkness.

"Of course there is, Yago," responds Creston. "Big old cave, plain to see, mouth facing a road, you think nobody ever uses it?"

How did that cart get in here ?? Amalrik tries to see if there is anything in the cart ... Could we set it on fire ?? he says partly to himself.

Manaku finally drags Harlan into the safety of the cave, only stopping to slap the bard once when he broke away to recover his floppy hat when it fell to the dusty ground.

He rested one hand against the wall while he stopped to catch his breath.

"Come on Amalrik, you're not that thick," Creston said to the barbarian. "There are only two reasons why a cart would be in a cave. Either somebody was using it in here, or somebody hid it in here. If you want to know which, look inside and see what they left in the cart. I bet it's dirt and rocks." Creston gave Amalrik a nudge toward the cart. "Go ahead. The cart probably won't bite."
This message was last edited by the player at 14:52, Fri 12 Apr 2019.

Brodd moves into the cave to the cart and peers inside to see what is inside.

When Regdoc finally reached the cave, he considered the odd dwarf while gasping to catch his breath. Chomper panted a little, but didn't seem overly worked. The old cleric untied the tether and coiled it back on the hound's pack. He scratched Chomper head and patted him on the chest, whispering something in the dog's floppy ear, the response to which was a juicy lick. Regdoc tried to dodge it, but Chomper's tongue was amazingly long and agile, connecting with the oldster's upper lip and nose.

"Bah!"

"You, dwarf, yes you. You say you CAUGHT the manticore or were trying to catch it?" Regdoc asked.

Then, turning toward the cart and the interior of the tunnel, he nodded his affirmation to Creston's suggestion to the warrior. Regdoc allowed his eyes to adjust to the gloom a little and tried to make out what was further in.

"Somebody'd best break-out a torch. Looks like we're subterranean again."

The ground continues to tremble as hobbit-sized boulders are chased by dwarf-sized boulders, which are immediately set upon by human-sized boulders, all rolling away from a few hillgiant-sized boulders.

You feel quite relieved to be watching this destructive scene without being trapped in it.

Thud heaves a sigh of relief. "Good idea, there, guys." He looks around the place they're in, generally curious.

"Dees hoomans wid de torches, you see anyting Mistah Wong?"

Yagi peers into the dark past the cart with her infravision as she moves closer to the cart to avoid being blinded by the torches.

The dwarf ambles over and examines the cart.

”Eh? Is a mining cart! Big Enuff to trap MANTICUR in Maybe?”

He leans over scrounging through the rocks and spots a hissing lizard. He reaches for it  in, and tips end over end and falls in.

”Mom’s Cave Lizard Stew!  We eats good tonight!”

The cart starts rolling down the cave.

”HA HA YOU GONNA BE JUICY!”

His laughter turns to screams as the cart tips over at the end of a mine shaft.

His scream echoes and fades.

The lizard peeks its head up as the cart tilts back up, looking both relieved and confused.

[DM’s note: Dwarghar, we hardly knew ye.]

"Look out! There is a pit back there! By the gods of Law I think he just died!" he said. "He just saved us from a manticore and lost his life over a lizard for supper!"

Yagi stands there for a moment then blinks her eyes,

"Mistah Wong, what just happened?'

Mistah Wong stares back at the goblin with empty eye sockets wishing he had shoulders to shrug.

"The dwarf that just saved us from the manticore just fell to his death is what just happened, stay away from the edge or you may join him."

So much for that cart ... He moves ahead to join Brodd looking into the darkness. I have some torches if you want to light this place up ...

Yagi uses her infravision to carefully inspect the cart and the surrounding area, careful to avoid the pit, cart and anything else dangerous.

"That might keep us from going over the edge." Brodd replies to Amalrik. "Thank you."

Yagi sees the lizard and a few rocks left in the cart. On the opposite side of the cart there’s a hitch and a lever of some sort. There’s also a narrow ledge to the right with just enough space for the cart. The ruts in the rock in that direction seem to match the wheels of the cart.

As the dwarf went over the edge, there came a light smacking sound, which was Alietra slapping her forehead.

Ye Gods!   A drunk guy at the pub once slurred something about the stupid dying out, and how it was to the benefit of a species!   Guess the dwarves are a little better off, now!   

She adjusted her sword belt a little, making sure her blade was readily accessible, as well as her quiver of arrows.     They might be saved from the manticore, yet surely there was something just as gory, lurking in some moldy cavern, somewhere...

"If de mantiwhatis is still out there den mebbe we go down dat ledge and follow dem wagon tracks?"

The Seeker of the Wandering God, having caught his breath - finally - after a frantic sprint at the end of an arduous climb, approached the cart, lifted one of the stones and took a good look at it, with an eye toward catching something sparkle!

"I, for one, am inclined to ride in the cart and save the soles of my boots a little. If we hitch up that horse of yours Einhard, we can explore this tunnel in relative ease!"

Chomper sniffed the wheels for any messages that might have been left there previously.

OOC: Inspect rocks, if nothing interesting, then Regdoc will begin emptying the cart or trying to figure out how to dump it and make room for the next train to the Abyss!

"HISSSSS" says the lizard, climbing to the safety of the far side of the cart as Regdoc approaches.

The rocks seem to be pieces of broken statues.

Einhard moved further in to the cave with the others. "I don't think Dora would like spelunking very much. One missed step and she'd break an ankle, or worse..." he said as he looked at the deep dark void where the dwarf had disappeared. "We shouldn't idle here too long, but I suppose if we are not going to confront the beast outside, then we may as well explore a bit. Then perhaps the beast outside will grow bored and move on so we can continue our journey to find my niece."

"Could be that this is a shortcut too Einhard... The Wandering One may have trodden this place once-upon-a-time and perhaps we might follow a path that will bring us closer to our quest! As well as save our legs a bit... Why go over the mountain when you can simply go through the mountain?"

"I'll volunteer to ride in the cart and hold a torch..."

Brodd laughed and replied, "I'm sure you will volunteer for that job Regdoc!"

Thud stands back, taking this all in, not quite sure what to do with all this. He keeps his eye on the lizard in particular, his bow in his hand, not confident of the beast's intentions.

Amalrik lights torches, one for him and one for Regdoc.

In the torchlight he sees its tail quickly flop over the side and three of the lizard’s claws clutching the edge of the metal cart, confident in its skill in not being seen.

Creston watches the parade of boulders rolling past. "Some of those rocks are the size of houses," he says. "A manticore large enough to roll them I don't imagine could fit through this entrance. We should be safe enough, for now."

"Do we explore the mine? It appears safer than going back out there it appears, unless you fall."

"Ha!" Yagi lets out a snort.

"Don't go trying to eat dem lizards, they'll kill ya!"

"It's poisonous to eat Yagi? Why didn't the dwarf know that too?"

"If you think there is a good chance that this is a pathway through the mountain, I guess I can try to bring Dora with us. I can't leave her behind," Einhard sighed.

"Just be warned, she is probably noisier than I am, so don't plan to sneak past anything. I am also worried about small passage that she wouldn't fit through." Einhard takes a closer look at the ledge to determine if it is wide enough and stable enough for a horse. "Shall we get moving then?"

In reply to Brother Brodd (msg # 79):

"Good point, Brodd. The footing must be especially treacherous, if even a Dwarf can fall." Turning to Einhard, Creston continued, "Do you really think a horse can manage?"
This message was last edited by the player at 20:07, Wed 17 Apr 2019.

"He did not stumble, he was dumped by the cart. He failed to take care, which is something we can ill afford to do. We must take special care if we explore in here."

Regdoc's eyes grew very wide, the bushy white eyebrows normally worn in a steep downward slope raised nearly a handwidth from their normal, stern orientation.

"The eh? Cart spat him down? Well, ahem, I was just checking it for lost items, never know when they might turn up..."

He exited the cart very gingerly, taking the offered torch.


OOC: Einard, lead on! Adventure awaits!

"Yes, the cart tilted up and dumped him into the pit."
This message was last edited by the player at 11:46, Thu 18 Apr 2019.

Amalrik gives the cart a wide berth as he walks past it. He lets Einhard take the lead, but gives the horse some distance before following along. Trained or not, he does not want the horse moving towards him ... Or the others.