Cauldron - To the Lower Levels
Rest and recover during the night. Jenya briefs us on what they learned from the Dark One. The Creepers were given Jzadirune by a bearded one in trade for slaves they capture from the city. When the Cuthbertians learn this, they place guards in the areas we have explored and cleared. The dark one thinks the lower enclave is a working slave market. Time appears short to recover the captured children. The creeper has been to the main gate of the under fortress. Many of the fortress guards may be hobgoblins.
We debate what to do and how well into the early morning. Decide to try disguising ourselves as Drow or entourage and sneak into the slave market as customers. Head back to the shop after breakfast. The city watch is guarding the streets around the shop. One Cuthbert guard is by the stairs in the shop. Several more are in the explored areas underground. Two more skulks are dead in the mask room. At the map room are four skulks and three dark creepers in addition to the ones we killed earlier. The guards report they came in two different attacks. The shaft down should be a couple of rooms away. Proceed toward where we think the shaft is. Go thru a room with pillars carved as gnomes, then up some stairs to a hallway with an N door partway down and a D door at the end. Elwin checks the N door and I look at the D door. Elwin is his slow thorough self. He finds a gas trap and I find an electrical trap. Elwin tries to remove the gas trap and fails twice as the trap keeps resetting while we wait for the hallway to clear of the poisonous gas. The third try is successful. Open the door. An odd shaped 30x30 room. A large chest sits in the center of the room with a silver cage on top. A rat is in the cage. I resist an urge to shoot the rat that has caused so many problems. Snorri approaches the cage, trying to placate the rat. The chest grins and starts waving pseudopods about. Snorri leaps back before he gets hit. Go back and retrive a dead skulker and feed the chest. It gives us the cage in return. Damn rat! Door in other corner is an R door. Use my R key and open the door. Small room. D door at other end. The D door is closing as the R door opens. Some kind of humanoid shape is momentarily visible before the door shuts. I check the D door. Show Elwin the touch electrical trap I find. He tries to disable the trap while we wait in the mimic room. Snorri retrieves another body while we wait. The mimic is pleased. Apparently it is used to being fed. Elwin hears clanking from the other side while he works on the door. We let the Cuthbertians know what we think is going on. They move up to support. I think the chain may be the elevator going down. Elwin finally gets both the lock and trap undone. Open the door.
It is a down elevator, now about five feet down and descending. Four hobgoblins are there. Several of us jump into the room, waiting for the hobgoblins to attack or not. A half-hearted attempt by Gracie at a Drow type deception fails and they attack. A brief tangled combat before all four are dropped. Elwin provides comic relief by playing with a rope tied to the top and trying to keep adding rope as we go down. Wind up about thirty feet short. Some attempt is made to cut open a hobgoblin and use entrails as rope but the slimy mess is doubtful as a climbable item. Elwin spots a hidden door similar to one at the top. A second iron door is there as well. The stone is now dark and polished. Elwin opens the hidden door. A cool dark room. An iron lever on the far wall in the down position. Stonework looks Dwarven to Snorri. He ought to know. Snorri flips the lever up. Platform begins a slow rise. Back at the top, we drag the four hobgoblins to the mimic. Wonder how much that thing can eat? Flip level in small room at the top. Ride back down.
Examine the iron door. Don’t find anything. Brak lifts the iron bar and we open the door. High vaulted ceiling. Two cages hang from the ceiling about five feet above the floor. A strange sculpture is between the cages. Cages look empty. Snorri thinks the cages may have held fire beetles for light. He moves toward the center statue. As he gets close, four crystal appendages move to point at Snorri. Combat starts. It moves to Snorri. “More carrion for my larder” bellows from behind a door at the far end. An ogre charges out of the door and attacks Gracie. After the crystal critter falls, move to the ogre. It is soon backed into a corner and surrounded, before being quickly dispatched. The ogre’s room is full of refuse and very smelly. A dung encrusted chest is in the middle of the room. Aerrion tries to open it but slips. Elwin manages to get it open. Many coins and a few gems. Plus a fungus covered flask that Jian thinks is a cure potion. Snorri finds a hidden door in the side of the cage room. Looks like a long time since it was used last. Snorri opens the side door. A long hallway, right turn, another door. The dust is undisturbed. I examine the end door but find nothing. Open the door. Weapons and armor. I also find another hidden door opposite the first.
Oosana
Action halted due to time - No rest or reset before play resumes.
We debate what to do and how well into the early morning. Decide to try disguising ourselves as Drow or entourage and sneak into the slave market as customers. Head back to the shop after breakfast. The city watch is guarding the streets around the shop. One Cuthbert guard is by the stairs in the shop. Several more are in the explored areas underground. Two more skulks are dead in the mask room. At the map room are four skulks and three dark creepers in addition to the ones we killed earlier. The guards report they came in two different attacks. The shaft down should be a couple of rooms away. Proceed toward where we think the shaft is. Go thru a room with pillars carved as gnomes, then up some stairs to a hallway with an N door partway down and a D door at the end. Elwin checks the N door and I look at the D door. Elwin is his slow thorough self. He finds a gas trap and I find an electrical trap. Elwin tries to remove the gas trap and fails twice as the trap keeps resetting while we wait for the hallway to clear of the poisonous gas. The third try is successful. Open the door. An odd shaped 30x30 room. A large chest sits in the center of the room with a silver cage on top. A rat is in the cage. I resist an urge to shoot the rat that has caused so many problems. Snorri approaches the cage, trying to placate the rat. The chest grins and starts waving pseudopods about. Snorri leaps back before he gets hit. Go back and retrive a dead skulker and feed the chest. It gives us the cage in return. Damn rat! Door in other corner is an R door. Use my R key and open the door. Small room. D door at other end. The D door is closing as the R door opens. Some kind of humanoid shape is momentarily visible before the door shuts. I check the D door. Show Elwin the touch electrical trap I find. He tries to disable the trap while we wait in the mimic room. Snorri retrieves another body while we wait. The mimic is pleased. Apparently it is used to being fed. Elwin hears clanking from the other side while he works on the door. We let the Cuthbertians know what we think is going on. They move up to support. I think the chain may be the elevator going down. Elwin finally gets both the lock and trap undone. Open the door.
It is a down elevator, now about five feet down and descending. Four hobgoblins are there. Several of us jump into the room, waiting for the hobgoblins to attack or not. A half-hearted attempt by Gracie at a Drow type deception fails and they attack. A brief tangled combat before all four are dropped. Elwin provides comic relief by playing with a rope tied to the top and trying to keep adding rope as we go down. Wind up about thirty feet short. Some attempt is made to cut open a hobgoblin and use entrails as rope but the slimy mess is doubtful as a climbable item. Elwin spots a hidden door similar to one at the top. A second iron door is there as well. The stone is now dark and polished. Elwin opens the hidden door. A cool dark room. An iron lever on the far wall in the down position. Stonework looks Dwarven to Snorri. He ought to know. Snorri flips the lever up. Platform begins a slow rise. Back at the top, we drag the four hobgoblins to the mimic. Wonder how much that thing can eat? Flip level in small room at the top. Ride back down.
Examine the iron door. Don’t find anything. Brak lifts the iron bar and we open the door. High vaulted ceiling. Two cages hang from the ceiling about five feet above the floor. A strange sculpture is between the cages. Cages look empty. Snorri thinks the cages may have held fire beetles for light. He moves toward the center statue. As he gets close, four crystal appendages move to point at Snorri. Combat starts. It moves to Snorri. “More carrion for my larder” bellows from behind a door at the far end. An ogre charges out of the door and attacks Gracie. After the crystal critter falls, move to the ogre. It is soon backed into a corner and surrounded, before being quickly dispatched. The ogre’s room is full of refuse and very smelly. A dung encrusted chest is in the middle of the room. Aerrion tries to open it but slips. Elwin manages to get it open. Many coins and a few gems. Plus a fungus covered flask that Jian thinks is a cure potion. Snorri finds a hidden door in the side of the cage room. Looks like a long time since it was used last. Snorri opens the side door. A long hallway, right turn, another door. The dust is undisturbed. I examine the end door but find nothing. Open the door. Weapons and armor. I also find another hidden door opposite the first.
Oosana
Action halted due to time - No rest or reset before play resumes.
posted by okcgamers at 6:36 PM
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