Storms of Change, Part 2

[silentspace]

Zanock (autopilot) nods at Manzanita, chuckling softly. "No worries, I will pull you up."

The huge orc slings Dunathar's pack over his shoulder and rubs his palms together, surveying the climb for a few seconds. Then he starts to ascend. You've seen his falchion cleave the bodies of your enemies cleanly in two, so you have some idea already of how strong Zanock is, but seeing him power his massive form up the slope is still an impressive sight. It's not just his strength, either. He clearly is a very skilled climber, despite his restrictive armor. In a matter of seconds, Zanock is standing next to Dunathar, handing the dwarf his pack.

Dunathar retrieves some rope from his pack and ties up the half-orc, gagging him with his own cloak.

Taking a silk rope from his own pack, Zanock tosses an end down to the others. With no difficulty at all, Zanock pulls the others up one by one, his biceps bulging as he lifts, one hand over the other. In short order, everyone is pulled up. It’s a tight squeeze, but everyone fits, rubbing shoulders together.

Mirena is last, pausing to tie the horses up some distance away, behind a nearby hill. She returns about ten minutes later and is pulled up by Zanock.

The half-orc sentry comes to his senses, bound and gagged, his eyes filled with alarm as he looks up into your faces.

Behind you is a small door.

The mists are dissipating. Sunlight will fill the valley soon.

 

[Manzanita]

Manzanita Sparrow

"Personally," she says softly, "I don't think we should take the time to question him, & risk his shouting. Let's proceed inside." Manzanita, since she's not going first, takes a moment to search their prisoner. (search +6)

 

[Seonaid]

Rowyn nods. "It would be best to leave him and continue."

 

[silentspace]

Manzanita searches through the half-orc’s things, and finds 9 silver, 16 copper, a pair of bone dice, and a lumpy piece of wood. The young half-orc sentry looks flustered as Manzanita finds the piece of wood, and blushes a deep scarlet as she examines it. On further inspection, the lumpy piece of wood looks like it might be a sculpture. Of a woman. In a lewd position.

It doesn’t look like the half-orc has had any art training. At all.

 

[Verbatim]

Chuckling at the mage's "discovery" for a moment, Dunathar turns to face the door behind them. Sliding the morningstar back into its loop, he begins searching the door looking for any traps before opening it for the others.

 

[GPEKO]

After the tense and dangerous last few days, Filbert enjoys the humor of the moment. "Seems like someone was lonely up here. Hehe ... Alright, seriously, I think we have stumbled on some sort of hidden base. It probably worth checking it out and this door is a more inviting place to start than those snakes. Leaving someone here to keep an eye on the prisonner and the valley might be a good idea, however. Any volunteers ?"

 

[Seonaid]

Rowyn hides a smile and then turns to Filbert. "I would be willing to stay . . . but I don't know how effective I would be alone, if a force came upon me." She shrugs slightly.

 

[silentspace]

Mirena, Zanock, and Alyssa also volunteer to stay, if the party wants them to…

The small door is untrapped and unlocked. Beyond the door (which everyone but Filbert and Rowyn has to duck low to pass through) is a narrow 5’ wide x 8’ high corridor, going into the hillside for ten feet before ending in a T-intersection. The corridors are roughly worked and uneven, nothing at all like the halls of Clan Steelhammer. Ignoring the shoddy craftsmanship, there is something about the look and feel of the place that seems new to Dunathar, as if the place were just recently built. There is no light, and no torch holders on the walls. The right hand passageway ramps upward, curving left. The left hand passageway ramps down, curving right.

[Single file here folks…]

 

[Seonaid]

When Mirena, Zanock, and Alyssa volunteer to stay behind, Rowyn accompanies the group into the tunnel. She will hopefully be third or so in line, but as long as she's not first, she's happy. [Can Sabala and the other mounts come, or no?]

 

[Manzanita]

Manzanita

Manzanita returns the small figurine & the dice to the half orc, without any display of emotion on her part. Standing, she says to Zanock. "Please accompany us. We could certainly use your strength. Alyssa, why don't you stay here w/Mirena. If you see trouble coming, one of you can come get us while the other keeps an eye out. Kill the bound one if it looks like you must leave your position." She raises her voice so the half orc can hear, "And kill him if he tries to escape."

Bow and arrow in hand, Manzanita follows the others, near the rear, preferably.