Six From Gate Pass - Chapter 3: Shelter From The Storm

[The Bashar]

Hrimr calls back to the group.

"Looks like it isn't too deep for you tall folk. I may have some trouble. Let's keep moving."

Hrimr waits until the party join him and then begins to slowly head further down the stairs.

 

[funkmamagoat]

Kirio smiles... "I've always liked the ocean... glad I leave the plate mail to others though..." He follows Hrimr into the water...

 

[Gregor]

You step down into the cold salty sea and walk down the steps. When you reach the bottom of the stairs and move around the corner, you are all easily waist deep in the water and you can feel that the ground has turned to sand and small stones.

You move along the side of the structure facing the ocean and on your right stands a dark doorway, dominated by an ajar rusty metallic grate door. It clearly leads into the structure. You can hear the sloshing of the deep water inside and you can see the gargoyles from the roof peering down ominously at you, their stony forms silhouetted against the dark sky and flashes of lightning.

Without light, the inside of the structure is pitch black. Hrimr's darkvision allows him to see and communicate that the doorway leads to some kind of an old loading dock area and a long hallway that leads deeper into darkness. The water appears to remain at a constant height inside.

 

[funkmamagoat]

Kirio motions to Bannock "time for one of those sunrods I'd say". Kirio secures one from him and strikes it against the metallic grate door igniting it and then walks into the old loading dock area...

 

[Gregor]

GM: I've shared (via google) an on-the-fly narrative map to avoid confusion as I describe this place. You can all edit it if you wish to make notes or whatever.

You step into the old prison, walking westerly, the murky water sloshing around your waists as you push inside. The loading dock area is devoid of furnishings or even the expected crates or barrels. There are 4 other rooms that connect to the loading area and one long hallway that continues, westerly, deeper into the complex.

The 4 rooms are similarly empty and were likely storage areas and guard rooms when this prison was still in service. You are able to view these spaces easily by pushing open sogging and rotten wooden doors, kicking up detritus from the floor. The rooms and the loading area smell of mildew and the distinct salty fishiness of stagnant sea water.

Slow drips echo up the hallway and the edge of the light produced by your sunrod glints against the tarnished metal of a veritable forest of prison cells in the next chamber.

 

[The Bashar]

Hrimr moves up to the entrance of the next chamber and has a look inside.

 

[Gregor]

Hrimr, the next chamber is enormous - it is about 40 feet deep, but it is so long (towards the south) that your darkvision cannot see the end. The western wall is crumbled stone, as if the walls crumbled inward or the area beyond was lowered or crushed by some land movement, cave-in or some other calamity.

The room is filled with prison cells made from tarnished metallic bars that run from floor to ceiling. Each cell is probably 10 feet by 10 feet in size and they are stacked next to eachother in long rows that continue on into the darkness. There are walkways that run between each row of cells.

The air in here is putrid and heavy with mildew and humidity and the water is noticeably warmer here. A distinct and more powerful stench that is a mix of rotten flesh and putrid fish cloys at your nose and throat with each breath. You can see that piles of bloated and malformed humanoid corpses lay in some of the cells - they bob up and down gently in the water.

 

[fromage67]

Lars casts light on the feathers of a crossbow bolt, and he shoots it towards the end of the corridor, waiting to see if it reveals anything interesting.

 

[digimattic]

Arnir shivers and staggers forward, his clothes now soaked with this putrid brine. "There is not much to like about this..." he whispers "at least it's warm in here.."

 

[Gregor]

Lars your bolt slashes through the darkness, briefly illuminating the area around it as it flies. You can see the room continues on for another 30 or 40 feet to the south and then ends at a mildew-covered stone wall which the bolt collides into and then falls into the water. There is an old rusty iron door on the south wall that leads further into the prison. The door is ajar and the piles of corpses are largest near this portal.

GM: Arnir, you identify the following potions: Setales' potions are: 1 potion of cure serious wounds; 2 potions of water breathing. Brutus' potions are: 1 potion of cure serious wounds; 2 potions of water breathing. Rogue's potions are: 2 potions of cure light wounds; 1 potion of water breathing; 1 still unidentified. The scroll has the arcane spell Haste