IndyPendant's Sunless Citadel

[JimAde]

Jerek pauses in what he is doing and looks at Ydyr carefully. "Ydyr," he says, "I know this isn't exactly a stroll through the garden, but you seem extra nervous. Is there something we should know?" He gazes levelly at his companion, trying to discern what might be troubling him.

[OOC: Jerek's got that whole military "gotta be able to rely on my guys in a pinch" thing. ]

 

[IndyPendant]

Ydyr continues poking through the room absentmindedly while he waits, and after a few minutes he's surprised to see the pile of grimy coins has grown to around a hundred silver coins, over a dozen gold coins, and there's even a small gem in there. And he doesn't even think he's found it all, although getting the rest of it would be almost as bad as digging through pure sh--feces.

The liquid is pale green and very slightly viscous; unfortunately it is not a liquid Heirmund or Lehko have ever seen before. ((Spellcraft: 6+8=14.)) Without a full alchemical lab, they can not know what it does, if anything.

Karakas very obviously died by viscious animal bites; there does not seem to be a single wound from a weapon on him. It's hard to be certain however, because the rats have since used his corpse as a source of food...

 

[Mithran]

Heirmund slips the potion into a sufficiently padded area of his backpack "To be identified later, I imagine I'll be more likely to be spending time with an alchemists lab later on than any of the rest of us so I may as well take it."

 

[jayaint]

Jerek. Its okay. A very short time ago, I was a dockworker. No more. No less. And I dockworker I was to be until the end of my days. Until I tried in vain to stop a robbery, and was left to die on the side of a road. A new path has opened before me.

However, this is all very VERY strange to me. Maybe time will cure me of these feelings, but for now, I am uneasy at every turn. By Illmater I shall not show cowardice or weakness, but I will tell you that I am ill at ease in this dark, vile place.

[[Diplomacy check?]]

Ydyr looks at his companions and maganges a tired smile. He shrugs his shoulders.

I know that I will prove myself to them. It will take time.

 

[JimAde]

Jerek smiles ruefully. "Well I was looking to spend the rest of my days milking cows and hunting deer. Then one day it was a club over the head and 'You're in the army now, lad!' " He chuckles darkly and shakes his head. "Everybody's life is a twisted path. And nobody knows where it comes out." He stands up from Karakas' body. "Let's get on with it. The others might still be alive."

 

[Voadam]

Jair turns to Ydir "You are doing fine lad. But yes, it is time to continue on. With Heirmund's spell in place and his tracking nose I want Terrek in the lead with Jerek so he can smell out any new ambuses while Jerek does his sweeps for traps. Then Kuma and myself followed by Meepo and Heirmund with Lekho and Ydir as rear guard."

 

[Voadam]

"But first, Karakis was the ranger companion the lady Hercule mentioned." Jair goes over to make sure the eyes of the corpse are closed and to intone an invocation of Mielikki for the fallen ranger. He will then detect magic to see if any of the ranger's gear was magical, including the flask that might be a potion or some alchemical concoction. Once done he is ready for the party to move on.

 

[IndyPendant]

As you all get ready to leave, Jair does what little he can for the corpse of Karakas, and then casts his spell, determining that none of his equipment is magical--except for the vial of liquid, which gives off a faint magical aura of some sort.

Ydyr ventures out cautiously into the echoing darkness, using the lantern Lehko holds for light, as he watches Ydyr from the opening. He very quickly discovers that he has left the Citadel completely, and is exposed in the ravine itself. The floor here is made up entirely of crumbled masonry, and is extremely unstable underneath him. And in fact, Ydyr hasn't gone more than ten feet before he feels a large piece of rubble shift beneath his feet, dumping him into the darkness below! The slab slides down with him, narrowly avoiding crushing him underneath it, as he finds himself in a small debris-strewn cavity in the floor. He is unhurt, but it will take some skill--or luck--for him to climb out. And, as you all freeze in your sudden startled silence from the way Ydyr just seemed to vanish from your sight--you can hear faint, multiple squeaks floating out there in the void...

Apparently, the ravine is inhabited after all.

((Jair does not have spellcraft, so cannot id the vial's magic school. Ydyr's balance check: 1+2=3.))

 

[JimAde]

Jerek mutters a curse under his breath and starts uncoiling the rope. "Someone spot me," he says, holding the rope out for one of his companions to hold.

[OOC: As soon as someone can belay, Jerek will start down quickly on the rope to retrieve Ydyr]

 

[Mithran]

Heirmund moves up near Jerek and peers out into the darkness to watch for rats while the other stronger people try to get Ydyr out of the hole.