M4: Under the Volcano [Nimisgod judging] -CONCLUDED

[Manzanita]

Marching forward, and rounding a bend in the tunnel, the party comes to a weird sight. Razh describes it as follows. A 20 foot wide chasm blocks further passage. Beyond the chasm, the corridor widens into an oval room, the walls of which are pierced by numerous one-foot-wide openings. Giant ants are moving all about on ther other side of the chasm, on the floors, walls, even the ceiling. Some are darting in and out of the holes. They are carrying food, larvae and other nondescript organic material. At any given time, there are at least a dozen giant ants in view, all occupied with their own business and ignoring the party.

Two worker ants are working industriously at the wall right across the chasm, apparently carving a new tunnel. One holds a shart stone in its mouth, the other is using what appears to be an iron spike.

The walls on either side of the chasm are slick, porous rock. A continual film of water runs down their surfaces, feeding a slimy algae which lives on the rock.

There is a slim bridge across the center of the chasm, of astounding construction: it is made entirely of dried giant ant bodies, linked together by locked mandibles, clawed legs and some dried mortar-like substance.

Razh cannot see the whole room from where he stands, some 20 feet from the chasm, but he can't see any exits from his current position.

 

[Velmont]

"They are using tools? Hogarth, do you know these creature? If they use tools, they most have some kind of intelligence. Can we communicate with them? Imagine if we can convince all these ants to help us... after all, this island will get destroy, there home at the same time." asks Rinaldo.

 

[Erekose13]

"Ants? thats not what I expected. Whether or not their are intelligent and friendly is the question I guess." adds Tenebrynn.

 

[Manzanita]

It's using an iron 'spike', not a 'pike.'

 

[Velmont]

[SBLOCK=OOC]It's still a tool, which can let Rinaldo hope for some intelligence from these ants. I've edited my ost to reflect that.[/SBLOCK]

 

[jkason]

Eanos, human monk

"I think Rinaldo's logic is sound," Eanos adds, "But do any of us have the means of communicating with insects, giant or otherwise?"

 

[Rae ArdGaoth]

Rasereit Vundinn, Dwarven Barbarian

Razh coughs quietly. "Eh... Ah kin speak a bit o' Undercommon. Dan'nae if... if they'll un'nerstand meh." He pauses and shudders. Staring ahead, he wonders if the others would be so hopeful if they could actually see the mindless efficiency with which the ants were going about their duties. For a brief moment, he is actually glad the others can't see. First to spare them the true horror of their predicament, and second because of the terrified look Razh has plastered on his face.

"Ah hate bugs," he whispers.

 

[Knight Otu]

"Ants?" Hearing the description, Ashnar wished he could see them. "I kind of... I'm not sure... if tools are necessarily signs for intelligence... I'm sure I read something about that once. It must have been before..." Ashnar's voice trails off, his face an unseen angry sneer.

 

[Velmont]

"Ok, if we can't speak with them, it will be useless, I don't plan to go in there territory without knowing more about them."

[SBLOCK=Goblin]"Hogarth, do you know these creature? Do you think we can communicate with them?"[/SBLOCK]

 

[rln]

Ogrin shudders. "The only good bug is a dead bug!" he says, a slight tremor in his voice. "I'd rather not fight a horde of little critters in the dark. Let's see if we can find something out by moving down the other fork in this tunnel."[sblock=Ogrins memory map]

               ?
               |
            ?--+------- receding light, bugs
               |
               |
              / \
             /   \ Ants

(not to scale, obviously)

[/sblock]