City of the Spider Queen - The Adventure

[AmorFati]

Day 1 - Outside the crypt

Cade, deciding to look around, first aproach the empty shells. And they are indeed empty.
He the looks at the northernmost building. Great stone double doors bar the entrance to this ancient mausoleum. The doors on the lintel may once have borne an inscription or crest, but centuries of wind and rain have erased any such markings, just as they have slowly eroded the structure of the building itself, leaving cracked walls and crumbling mortar in their wake.

The southern building is in better shape, but only just. A single, massive, stone door bearing a weathered but still visible family crest marks the entrance to this crumbling mausoleum.

Lastly he heads for the niche in the hill. Here another large pair of stone doors is set into the hillside. These are flanked by a pair of columns carved to resemble skeletal warriors in full plate armor, their visored helmets open to reveal their leering skulls. The doors are unadorned except for two stone handles, although gouge marks indicate that heavy tools dealt some damage to the doors in the past.

 

[silentspace]

Cade thinks for a moment.

"Sorry, I just remembered there's somewhere else I need to be. Good luck with your mission."

Turning Fang around, Cade rides off.

 

[Tyreus]

"I think we should venture into the crypts a ways and set up an ambush. I expect the drow surface at night, and although it would be prefered to fight them out of thier element, we could still use the element of surprise. Now the problem remains of being undetected long enough to spring the trap and detecting the drow in time to do so. Any suggestions?"

 

[Ranger Rick]

OOC: As soon as we got to the cyrpts, Donedal would have been tracking around and looking for where the drow would have emerged.

Track (+15) Track drow (+19)

I agree the ambush should be in the cyrpts. We may need a day or so to figure out which one is most likely. Patience all, we may want to have a base camp up hill a ways and not spend our first few nights inside.

 

[Nephtys]

"I think we should venture into the crypts a ways and set up an ambush. I expect the drow surface at night, and although it would be prefered to fight them out of thier element, we could still use the element of surprise. Now the problem remains of being undetected long enough to spring the trap and detecting the drow in time to do so. Any suggestions?"

"I am unskilled in the ways of stealth, if one of you is not it would be simple for most of us to hide in a side-chamber while the one watches the passage. When we have ventured below we will know the proper place."


She watches the departing halfling blankly with a small sneer on her lips. Speaking silently to herself: "Yes, better to let him run... A battle might raise too much noice and the Daggerlord might not approve. Though I wonder at his loyalties..."


Ionna turns to Donedal, "It is the nights that we must spend inside. Only then will the Drow venture on their paths to the surface. The Sun is ours to enjoy in the day, though I am content to wait below I realise you might not. But nights we must live as the Drow. "





ooc: Am I being too vague? I'm trying to show that she doesn't quite think the way most people do, that she's a bit twisted and alien in her mindset. But I don't want to cause any more tragic misunderstandings.

 

[Ranger Rick]

"Uphill, would put us above the cypts, therefore we can better watch and guard our sleeping comrades.

The drow are hiding during daylight in the cyrpts and will spring forth at night. If we where to sleep in the crypts, we would surely be found and trapped. The drow would turn around and ambush us. Let us scout and determine if the drow are creatures of habit, leaving via the same door every night, or never taking the same route twice."

 

[Nephtys]

Lastly he heads for the niche in the hill. Here another large pair of stone doors is set into the hillside. These are flanked by a pair of columns carved to resemble skeletal warriors in full plate armor, their visored helmets open to reveal their leering skulls. The doors are unadorned except for two stone handles, although gouge marks indicate that heavy tools dealt some damage to the doors in the past.

Ionna caresses a column absentmindedly, seemingly unaware of what she's doing, while she speaks, "Death shows us the way to Darkness. The path of conflict leads below...

Others have walked this path before us. This should be significant."

 

[Nephtys]

"Uphill, would put us above the cypts, therefore we can better watch and guard our sleeping comrades.

The drow are hiding during daylight in the cyrpts and will spring forth at night. If we where to sleep in the crypts, we would surely be found and trapped. The drow would turn around and ambush us. Let us scout and determine if the drow are creatures of habit, leaving via the same door every night, or never taking the same route twice."

"True, we do not know that the crypts are not connected, though I have assumed there is only one exit. And the Drow might indeed be hiding in the crypts, though they are creatures of pleasure and comfort, known for their decadence. We will only know if we explore, and exploring will risk exposure...
Indeed, maybe it is better to wait above, though the Drow could easily escape an amubsh here while an ambush in the crypts should be designed to trap them all. Even one fleeing Drow could inconvenience us greatly. The options seem of almost equal value.
Perhaps the wisest choice would be to wait above until the Drow have left for their raid, then explore the crypts while they are away, and prepare an ambush when they return. They would then be tired and depleted and we would know the terrain. A compromise, combining the best of both worlds."

 

[Ranger Rick]

Donelan looks around to see if he can find any activity to confirm the 'feeling'.

 

[gabrion]

Listening to the different options presented by his colleagues, Chance responds top Ionna’s comment about stealth, “If we decide to venture into the crypts and set up an ambush, I could try to hide and warn the group if drow approach. Although at the moment I am quite incapable of seeing in the dark. Tomorrow I may be able to remedy that, but I wasn’t really planning on anything like this when I woke up this morning.”

Perhaps the wisest choice would be to wait above until the Drow have left for their raid, then explore the crypts while they are away, and prepare an ambush when they return. They would then be tired and depleted and we would know the terrain. A compromise, combining the best of both worlds."

After hearing the proposal to hide and ambush the drow on their way back into the crypts, he seems concerned. “While that would minimize the chance of one of them escaping back into the crypts, I wouldn’t feel right just letting them carry out a raid while we set up an ambush. After all, Randal wanted us to stop this kind of thing from happening again. I think Donelan may have the right of this. We could at least watch this night and see if the drow have established a pattern. Then on the morrow, while the drow will most likely have returned to their comfort below, we can better investigate the crypts."

OOC:
[sblock]If this still holds...

It's about midday. You can travel to the crypts and still have some time before dark sets in.

...and there is still light left, Chance will continue with the following...[/sblock]

Conditional actions:
[sblock]"Whatever we decide to do, I think we should make the most of the light we have left, since I doubt their will be drow around till deep night comes. I'm going to see if these crypts are open, and what the immediate interiors hold." With that, if no one tries to stop him, he will seach (+16) the doors on the two buildings and the niche in the mountainside, and if they seem to be safe he will try to open them (open lock +19 if needed).[/sblock]