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

[fromage67]

Lars says, "Well, it looks like the way to go is ahead. I will take a look."

Lars advances cautiously, wary of the corpses, knowing that not all the dead remain so. He will progressively peak into the cells as he goes forward, and if he has no reason to stop before then, he will make it all the way to the southern door, and take a peak beyond, again using his light and crossbow trick if needed.

OOC: Potions of water breathing might get VERY useful in the near future. We only have 5, but maybe Hrimr can do his salmon trick.

 

[Gregor]

Lars, you slosh through the waist deep water and gaze into the cells as you make your way across the long prison and head for the adjoining chamber.

The corpses are bloated and putrid and small crabs crawl upon them searching for loose bits of meat. Upon inspection they appear to be Elves, but despite being dead and in various stages of decomposition, something about them is fundamentally wrong: misshaped ears, strangely shaped skulls, sometimes webbed feet or slitted noses. The skin on some of them are blackish-green and slimy and various bodies have reddish-yellow eyes.

You enter the adjoining chamber by slipping through the open iron door. In its day it probably made a formidable obstacle to anyone attempting to escape the prison. Today it is a rusted husk of a door that looks as if it will crumble to red dust at the slightest touch. The room you now stand looks as if it served as a hallway and stair access. One spiral stair case is completely caved in with broken masonry and stones, but you can also see that a broad stone stairwell also leads down to lower levels - all deep under water now. The water is significantly warmer near the stairs down.

 

[funkmamagoat]

Kirio follows Lars, growing distaste plain on his face as he passes the misshapen elven corpses... "Seems arriving at the final product took some... experimenting."

Seeing the stairs going down "well, I'm up for a swim. Should be easier with those potions, and Hrimr can become something... aquatic?"

 

[The Bashar]

Hrimr is sickened by the sight of the misshapen elf corpses that litter the rusted iron door.

When he hears his name he looks away from the corpses and up to Kirio.

"Yes, I can. I have enough strength to change form once more. It's probably best that I scout a head then."

Hrimr changes shape into a squid and begins to swim down the stairs.

 

[Gregor]

Hrimr, the water is murky as you start to swim down the stairs. The stairs continue down rather sharply until you reach a landing where the stairs switch back but continue downward. The water gets progressively warmer as you swim down until you reach the end of the stairs at about 30 feet of descent. You find yourself in a stone room cluttered with crumbling and algae-covered wooden furniture, oxidized wrought iron torch sconces on the walls, piles of deteriorated barrels and crates encrusted with aquatic growths. One door way leads to a small room, from which a hazy orange light emanates from a shaft in the stone floor. A strange pulley assembly appears to have been rigged over the shaft and a rope leads down. The temperature in here is like a luke warm bath.

 

[The Bashar]

Hrimr swims over the shaft and looks down as far as he can.

 

[Gregor]

Hrimr you can see that the shaft descends about 100 feet down and ends at a strange glimmering translucent pane of water - almost as if you were looking at the surface of a pool or lake when swimming up from beneath. Orangey-red light flickers up the shaft, illuminating it completely and the long ropes from the pulley go all the way down and pass through the pane. The water is warmest here and you can feel the waves of warmth, almost like the beating of a heart, passing over you.

 

[fromage67]

As the seconds tick by after Hrimr's submersion, Lars' level of anxiety grows.

Lars starts unstrapping his armor and gear preparing for the likely dive up ahead. "I guess I will only keep my dagger and some rope. Weapons are almost useless underwater."

 

[Bannock]

Bannock waits patiently for Hrimr's return.

"Go down if you like Lars. No way I'm swimming down that hole unless a kraken shows up outside. Even then, maybe I'd rather fight a kraken."

 

[The Bashar]

Hrimr believes that the bottom of this shaft is where the party needs to go. He swims back to where the party is waiting. He surfaces at the top of the drowned stairwell. He motions with his tentacles for the party to follow. He also points at the rope Lars is holding.