IC - Mad King's Monkey II

Day Four, afternoon, inside the residence of Herr Borne

ghostcat said:

Addressing the steward, Libros says "So is it safe just to open the door?"

Click to expand...

The Steward looks slightly non-plussed.

"I don't know. I wasn't attacked ... um, yes attacked until I was some way in. I don't really remember much of my escape. I couldn't tell you if they ... it ... whatever it was followed me back to the portal.

"The portal itself is actually behind the door," the Steward adds. "The door itself is just to keep it hidden. You can open the door if you wish."

Doing so reveals a portal behind the door itself. The portal structure is constructed of some form of pale stone and is circular, although the door in front of it is a standard shape. Behind the portal is a wall, the rear wall of the building, meaning that to pass through the portal one has to walk straight at the brick wall visible behind it.

[sblock=Those who have experienced the Netherworld]To all intentional purposes, portals appear to be just an open door, or arch or whatever. You can see whatever is on the other side right through them. If you walk around to the other side, you could see where you were just standing. However, if you push your arm through the portal, it will disappear as it passes through the plane of the door. There is no sensation when passing through the plane of the door from one side to the other.[/sblock]

"So is everybody ready" say Libros the excitement in his voice making it obvious he is rearing to go.

Eban bows slightly at the Stewards thanks, but shakes his head at the notion of needing more healing while they are through the portal. He scribbles quickly, displaying, "We'll manage. We've got a Bayar!" with a grin.

Looking at the group, Eban nods at Libros' statement and moves to the portal, glances back a split second, and walks through with shield in hand and no weapon in the other... He would have to face his ghosts one day, and it might as well start now.

OOC - Are we still allowed to use the Four Oracles option from the beginning of the game? Just thought I would ask..

"If we wish to save Herr Borne, then we must go now. Whether he is in a tower or no, the Netherworld, it seems, has become far more dangerous." Ullara mildly laments the fact she had left most of her weapons at home, her armor too, but Bran is both her shield and sickle. They would do all right.

Ullara will walk up to the door, intending to go in the middle of the group as they traverse the gate.

Jan gets nervous as the memory of when he was young comes to mind, "Wait! there are some things you must know about the land beyond!" he says a bit forcefully. He then gives an account of his knowledge of the netherworld, personally and lore wise.

Knowledge: Netherworld

1d20+7=23

Bayar had stood around confused for most of the conversation. Why does Borne have a personal portal? Who is he? Where was the Steward going?" are all questions that swirl around his head. He barely takes note of the conversation, right up until he saw "Bayar" written on Eban's chalkboard just before the deaf man charged through the portal.

Suddenly he felt very naked. And exposed. No armour, no shield... This will end badly. . Deciding to go before he could think himself out of the situation Bayar drew his sword and went through the portal after Eban.

Libros intended to be second in line but before he even had a chance to move Bayar pushes passed him. Following close on Bayar's heels Libros walks through the portal and stops as he gets to the other side; gawking. This causes whoever is behind him to walk into him.

Day Four, Herr Borne's path, in the Netherworld


The Netherworld. If you asked someone to draw a picture of the Netherworld, this is what most people would draw - a flat lifeless landscape under a flat featureless sky. Of course, the landscapes of the Netherworld can be as varied as the landscapes of the Reaches. But this is as good as any visual shorthand for the Netherworld. It is a good representation of the landscape usually found between the Great Portals, and they are the most commonly travelled routes.

It is nothing much like what lies on the other side of Herr Borne's portal.

The party find themselves standing at the entrance to a shallow wide valley. All around are low rocky hills. The ground is rough and broken, mostly rock and hard dirt strewn with loose rocks and boulders. Through the clutter of rocks and stones winds the path, a narrow tenuous animal track that meanders up the centre of the valley.

The sky overhead is pale grey, but dark with thick black clouds that seem to crowd the ground below. The air is completely still. With the exception of the small noises made by the party, the place is silent. Small clusters of small scrubby bushes dot the sides of the valley on either side of the path. The nearest is some 100 yards from where the party stands. There is no sign of anything living.

There is no sign of the other portal. But that is not unusual. Rarely can one be portal be seen from the other, even if the time taken to travel between them is but a few minutes. Distance, and time, work differently in the Netherworld.

[sblock=Knowledge Netherworld DC15]Rocky hills are not unheard of in the Netherworld, nor, of late, are clouds in the sky.[/sblock]

[sblock=Knowledge Netherworld DC20]Clouds are a relatively new phenomena in the Netherworld. But so far they have been generally of the light and fluffy variety. Dark black clouds? Turbulent sky? Nothing that you have seen or heard of. The path is also unusual. There is always a path, and it is always easy to see and secure underfoot. Not like this rocky animal track, treacherous underfoot and barely visible in places.[/sblock]

Li Thuan, male human monk

Thuan nods to Ullara and Jan. "Go. Me last."

Ullara had been on a Netherworld path exactly twice in her life, for short times, and while this doesn't look much like the ones she saw, well, she certainly hasn't seen all the Netherworld, has she? A rocky, overgrown animal track, on the other hand, is quite familiar to her. She's walked along such things nearly every day of her life, and doesn't give it a second thought. Her attunement to nature means that the thorns and brambles no longer impede her, so at least one of them would be able to reach the Baron without tangles and rips. Bran presses against her side, nearly knocking her over. He never did like the Netherworld, but would go wherever she led him.

"This rather looks like the Witchwood," she pronounces, and settles herself in the middle of the group. "I'll help keep your trousers from getting ripped, lads." She's eager to get going, an eye and ear cocked for trouble.

OOC - Ullara does have woodland stride as a druid ability, for what that's worth. She'll also use her Survival skill to help anyone who's a bit more ham-footed in rougher terrain. 1d20+12=31 - For Survival.