D&D 5E The Kalarian Precipice - Chapter Two

97mg

Explorer
Annit: Second Landing

Annit caught Carthum’s gift of a jerky in one hand, smiling in thanks before nibbling on a corner.

“Thank you, not bad if I say so myself. What is this flavored with? It's not a herb I'm used to.”

The young rogue had spent most of her years in the township of Kalair, so opportunities to taste distant, more exotic morsels, was a rarity.

They were speaking freely it seemed, which was a good sign.

Metea had asked about magic and the anonymity of their underground entrance, to which Annit replied, “I don’t know if gifts were used. The fields are very rarely patrolled, as most believe there is little here of interest, except for a nice view from the cliff tops. Maybe some kind of simple distraction was used, or possibly magic, I really don’t know.”

They might gather from this that Annit was in a similar position. A mere thread in a web that connected a quiet and patiently active assortment of anti-Dolstian organizations. Like them, her knowledge was limited, but she was willing to share most of what she did understand as truth.

“We aren’t alone. I think the threats from The Sands will eventually draw more gifted people to the surface, some that we ally with in this task could be mages as you say. I’ve never knowingly met any of them in person though. My father is very quiet on such matters and would give me only the minimum details when doing their bidding in some small way.”

She looked to the priest then, to respond to his inquiry about previous exploration.

“Until this morning I didn’t know where this mine entrance was,” she admitted. “The earth looked undisturbed before father took to it with the shovel, a map sure would have been nice though.”

Who had been here before? Anyone since the mine’s closure? It was certainly something to think on, but not for too long. Otiroth had some interesting ideas.

“Maybe that is something we can discover,” she said, “if magic was once transferred to the crystals, or if they are the source of it.”

Where did that leave the divine arts though? Had the gods at first, left small fractions of their power within the earth? It was easy to see how varied and opposing opinions might have led to the bloodshed of the past… but Dain moved the conversation back to the present. He appeared ready to move on.

“I’ll try the lock then, if we are all rested and ready.”

Metea had been doing some investigation of her own, the resting room sadly fruitless to her search. She was up close and personal with the other door by now. The door was well built, that was for sure, but aside from its quality construction and strength, not much more could be gleaned from it.

Annit winked to her, and produced a few lengths of metal from a pouch. Some were hooked, others straight, and a few appeared to be notched like the tips of common keys. Biting her lower lip, the rogue chose one and slowly slipped it into the old brass plated keyhole. With great care she moved it around, exploring the tiny slot of shadow.

“Dammit,” she whispered under her breath.

“It's refusing to budge.”
 
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Metea

First Post
Metea: The second landing

Metea was listening. Really! But she was also quite intrigued. She'd tap out a brief, rhythmic beat with her claws on the door, before deciding it wasn't worth it to try and get it open herself. She didn't know anything about picking locks! "Let's just wedge a leg of the bed frame against it or something," she said.

Metea hated to admit it, but sometimes, a secret wasn't worth finding out. Dain was right.

She'd turn back towards the others as Annit went on- it sounded like her father had expected her to help, but kept some secrets from her still. "Typical, isn't it? Hide something for long enough, and soon nobody will know it."

"We going to head on, then?"
 

Carthum One-Tusk: the second landing

It seemed strange, that Annit's father would not fully prepare her for what they would face down here. But perhaps he did not know, either.

He'd nod grimly at the idea of just barring up the door once more, though he knew Metea was disappointed even as she suggested it. "We are not here to 'loot' or find prizes- just what will help us help Kalair," he replied. After all, they could not make much good of 'riches'.

The crew was becoming quite good at barring up entrances by now, no doubt.
 

Jeovanna

First Post
Jeovanna- the second landing

Jeovanna, standing guard on the stairwell leading downwards, glanced back towards the others. "Shall we?" She'd press. "Or shall we try battering down the door?"

While an axe might've been better for that sort of job, she figured a few blows from her greatsword could probably take down the wooden door, no matter how well it was built. But that would guarantee attention, if there was anything sentient in these mines to listen.

Either way, she was eager to move on; she was beginning to miss sunlight and tree canopy.
 

Otiroth

First Post
Otiroth: The Second Landing

Otiroth stretched, and watched the two women prod at the door for a moment. They'd been pretty thorough, and if they couldn't hear anything on the other side, well...

Carthum was right, as sad as that was to admit. They were not here to loot. But they were here to find something that could help them- something that they didn't necessarily know where it was, except for probably further down into the mine.

He was all for a bit of smashing, though. If it was trapped, that would surely set it off.
 

daindarkspring

First Post
Dain - The Second Landing

Dain looked from the locked door to the descending pathway. He had retrieved his torch and was holding it aloft in his left hand. "What we are looking for is not behind that door, or one or more of you would have sensed its presence. If you desire to loot, you are free to either linger here and have a go at it or come back another time...perhaps after we have obtained what we were tasked to obtain."

Their very lives were at risk with every step they took towards their goal. It seemed foolish to risk them more by looking for trouble that was not looking for them. But then again, he was in a goal-oriented state of mind at that moment. Maybe it was just that he wanted to keep moving, to keep his mind off of other things.

He moved towards the descending tunnel, taking a few steps down so that his torch could illuminate what lay ahead. A second later he drew his sword, clutching it in his free hand.
 

97mg

Explorer
Annit: The Second Landing

The young rogue took a few steps back from the door, sighing and clearly disappointed in her failure to wiggle the lock open. Shrugging, she decided to let the rest of the team determine its fate, either to let it be or take a more direct approach.

So Dain wanted to push on, and was already beginning to survey the next row of steps. Strange, Annit thought, how he'd moved on from the idea of leaving no route unexplored.

"Friends, just because the gems are rumored to connect with the gifted, doesn't mean it is a given that we will know when they are close, or how far away we might need to be to feel their presence. There may be answers behind that door, or nothing... who knows."

She didn't completely agree with the thoughts about "loot" either, but chose to keep that to herself. It was in her blood, that unquenchable desire to challenge oneself and pocket a few mysteries...

Dain's torch illuminated the next forty feet ahead, more steps chiseled into dark surrounding stone which looked to end at another landing. From then on, it seemed there were no further steps to walk. A dark pit in the center of the floor down there swallowed his light, and to each side a passageway had been cut into each wall.
 
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97mg

Explorer
Landing2.jpg
 

Otiroth

First Post
Otiroth: The second landing

"We move on," Otiroth said finally. "If for no other reason than I wish to see sunlight some time before next season."

He'd watch the others put together the door stop, and then would join them in their descent.
 

Metea

First Post
Metea: The second landing

A final pout back at the door- all that was undiscovered and all that- and Metea would be off, figuring the others had the right idea.

Her tail feathers had a bit of a floof in them, when she scurried in a certain way that made it look like she might be up to no good. And indeed, she was right on Dain's (metaphorical) tail, heading down into the stairwell.

She even cut Jeovanna off...
 
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