A Candlekeep Mystery (IC)

[FitzTheRuke]

While they hadn't killed every last bat in the cave (some fled here and there or clung from cracks in the ceiling, while others returned to one or another of the three fissures), they had broken the swarms. Dozens of the flying rodents lay mercifully dead. The chamber was safe enough to search, though there seemed to be little to discover.

OOC: Fight is over. Not much here, other than guano, broken tools, and rocks.

 

[Steve Gorak]

Ethian says laconically: “companions, I need to meditate a bit to regain my strength”

OOC: Ethian needs a short rest to regain his channel divinity, which he blew on a minor combat mainly to remove the condition those that failed the save were subject to

 

[Neurotic]

Cairn stands still waiting for others to clean themselves.

OOC: did the background noise quiet once we stopped the cart?

 

[FitzTheRuke]

The strange noises still echoed from the main shaft of the mine, though Crock Jon and Hawthorne found their heads were somewhat clearer from Ethian's light. While it would be nice to allow Ethian to rest, the idea of spending an extra hour in the mine appealed to no one.

 

[Steve Gorak]

OOC: Dm’s “subtle” way of saying: you don’t get to have the temp HPs for the next fight ;-)

Ethian read his companions reactions, and it was clear no one had an apetite to wait in this dreadful place. Breaking the silence, he said: “alright, I will meditate later, let us go back to the main shaft and to the cart”

 

[FitzTheRuke]

Spirits were lower than they had been as the group climbed out of the first side-tunnel. They had found nothing useful, and had been forced to kill many small animals to little gain. Still, this was only the beginning, and there was no sense giving up now. They returned to the cart, and the question of where to go next was raised.

OOC: 1) Leave; 2) Mad Bat Tunnel; 3) Main Tunnel split (north); 4) Main Tunnel (forward); 5) Second Side Tunnel (no cart track)

 

[Leatherhead]

"I think we should explore the tunnels as we come across them, if only so we don't get ambushed by more bats on the way back." Argenti offers her opinion with a hint of repulsion as she avoids stepping on the dead bodies.

 

[DEFCON 1]

Hawthorne 's eyes squint at Argenti's suggestion, but as the pressure between his eyes continues to pulse he can't help but want to move as quickly as possible. "There could be any number of small tunnel off-shoots as miners dug in. But the longer we explore, the more noise we'll make and alert anything down in what is probably main chambers further ahead. After what we just found, I'd rather we just follow the tracks straight to our next main mine hub, as anything in this place would most likely congregate there."

He closes his eyes fully and waits for a small bout of nausea to pass. "Most mines should have a main hub chamber where we could find tables, chairs, lanterns, racks of equipment, other carts and so on. That's where we will most likely get indicate of wherever our potential quarry is. Just my feeling on the matter. The sooner we can get to the source, the sooner we can get out of here and clear our heads."

 

[FitzTheRuke]

Everyone deferred to Hawthorne's expertise and they moved up the main passage, with Crock Jon again pushing the cart, which squeaked along the tracks, giving them something to listen to other than the strange noises. They came to the split in the tracks where it appeared that the track ended but the tunnel continued on to the north-west.

Passing it by, they came upon the second side-tunnel. The opening of this tunnel was unlike the others: nearly circular and covered in a thick black moss. The moss also covered the the walls, floor, and ceiling of the tunnel until it hung so thickly that further into the passage could not be seen. From what little could be made out, it appeared like the tunnel branched in several directions.

From deep within, there was the sound of a child's muffled cries.

Hawthorne had intended to move further ahead, but not far from the entrance to the strange side-tunnel, mounds of broken rock blocked the main corridor, piled from ceiling to floor. The other parts of the cave-in were passable after the mine's collapse, but this seemed to be an impenetrable wall of earth.

From under and behind the rock, a voice sounded gasping, "Huhh.. huhh... help me. Tuuuh... trapped."

 

[DEFCON 1]

Hawthorne turns and looks back at the rest of the group. "Methinks this might be one of the spirits we've been talking about."

He ignores the audible figments coming from behind the collapsed tunnel ahead, then glances into the moss-covered tunnel. He sees that this one has no tracks for the cart, thus giving them only the previous tunnel Argenti had recommended originally if they wished to continue keeping the cart with them. But with this tunnel overgrown with this strange flora and the sounds of a child's cries from within, he wonders if perhaps this might be an indication of where they actually would want to go.

Despite the nausea still having a hold on him, he steps up and examines the moss to see if there's anything he notices or knows about it. He wasn't a trained botanist, but had read enough books about the mining industry to think that maybe he'd get lucky.

OOC: WIS (Nature) check to identify the moss and its properties: (13)+3=16