The Reconquista: Part I (Shadows over Istivin)

[Hypersmurf]

Wrinkling his nose Morley suggests, "I think the most agile climber among us should go first and secure a line further up the pipe. I down fancy a dip in that pool." He takes out a leash and attaches it to Beau's armor. "I don't want to have to give you a bath either."

"That'd be me," Reivik replies, with no false modesty. He goes through the slightly-involved process of securing Bar on his back, and produces a small rock-hammer from his haversack. "I fit in that tunnel the easiest, too, and I see in the dark; I'm the obvious choice for point man."

He checks that his axe and whip on his belt are easily accessible.

"I have fifty feet of rope," he addds. "Another coil or two might be handy, if anyone's carrying."

 

[Scotley]

Morley Human Ranger

Morley pulls out a 100' of silk rope and passes it over. "I can cast Cat's grace on you as well if you think it will be needed."

 

[Thanee]

Latalya

After a while, Latalya had finished her preparations and put the spellbook into her backpack again. As Reivik asks for rope, she replies after a moment: “I also have some rope in my pack, if we need more, but I really hope we do not have to travel in there for long.” A slight look of disgust spoils her elven features as she peers into the sewer.

Before climbing into the tunnel, Latalya will take the time to drop most of her equipment into her magical backpack, including both her weapons, cloak, tunic and gloves. The elf also makes sure, that her chain shirt is underneath some clothing to be protected against the worst, and a traveler's cloak is worn above her backpack for similar reasons with the wide hood covering her head. She also puts a bandana over her nose and mouth, looking like some kind of venturous bandit with her black outfit.

Right before entering, she casts two spells, then takes a last deep breath of clean air and heads inside.


OOC: Casting empowered False Life and Magic Circle against Evil.

 

[Ranger Rick]

"That'd be me," Reivik replies, with no false modesty. He goes through the slightly-involved process of securing Bar on his back, and produces a small rock-hammer from his haversack. "I fit in that tunnel the easiest, too, and I see in the dark; I'm the obvious choice for point man."

He checks that his axe and whip on his belt are easily accessible.

"I have fifty feet of rope," he addds. "Another coil or two might be handy, if anyone's carrying."

"Revik, If you come across any locked gates, call me to come up, I can probably open it faster than if you muscle your way through. If you are unsure if the way is blocked by age or locks, call me anyways. Godspeed and ....well godspeed."

OOC: George will be in the middle of the marching order.

 

[Branding Opportunity]

OOC: Casting empowered False Life and Magic Circle against Evil.

OOC: Casting empowered False Life grants you (1d10 = 10 + 10) x 1.5 = 30 bonus hit points for the next 11 hours (good roll, eh?).
Casting Magic Circle Against Evil grants you and everyone within 10 ft. of you a +2 deflection bonus to AC, and a +2 resistance bonus to AC against Evil creatures, and increased protection against summoned creatures (see Protection from Evil spell), and protects you from possession as well. It will last for the next 110 minutes. Note that the deflection bonus to AC does not stack with Rings of Protection (same bonus).

 

[Hypersmurf]

Morley pulls out a 100' of silk rope and passes it over. "I can cast Cat's grace on you as well if you think it will be needed."

"The tunnel isn't that steep," Reivik demurs. "Besides, that damned spell doesn't last long enough to be that much help."

He slings the rope over a shoulder, and sets off up the tunnel, leaving one end of a fifty-foot length with George. At about the forty- or fifty-foot point, assuming no issues, he'll hammer a spike into the tunnel wall, attach the rope, and give a tug for George to get the others following.

 

[James Heard]

"'Into the black maw of Hells Corbius Pintas went and proclaimed, 'he first, I following— until I saw,through a round opening, some of those things of beauty Celestia bears but suffers,''" Eshanna intoned sagely, looking into the pit-dark tunnel and turning to the others unhappily. "If it's all the same to you, I wish t'were giants now as fore." Her hand went to her face. "I feel like the sage Pintas seeking to retrieve his lover, except no sweet kisses end for me afterwards." She paused -

"And the smell's worse too, I imagine. Else demons would war this world more often to flee from it."

Ever the optimist, Mavic included, "Perhaps they are one and the same, and this be but the vehicle of their slaughter? Which man designs works as this with a gentle stream but a few stones thrown away? I'd always suspected, but maybe madness runs deeper than veins in Istivin."

OOC: Which reminds me, does Mavic know anything about this place? Why it's here, who built it, and what purpose it serves when you could fairly easily move this...crap... to the river?

 

[Scotley]

Morley Human Ranger

"Yes, I don't think I'd want to kiss anything we find down here either." Morley smiles at the references made by his more well read and learned companions, having little clue as to the topic. This is a familiar situation to him and he counts his knowledge of plowing and reaping more valuable than their obscure readings. He focuses on getting up the tunnel without falling and helping Beau make the climb as well.

 

[Branding Opportunity]

Reivik trudges off into the cramped darkness of the tunnel, quickly disappearing from view. The spool of rope continues unwinding as he makes his way further and further under Krelont Keep.
The dwarf’s plan ends up working spectacularly well as you make your way along the gently sloping, yet slippery sewer pipe. You notice numerous sharp metal and stone protrusions that you could have seriously injured yourself on if you hadn’t had a stout rope to hang on to. And the gods only know what disease you would have caught in this filth from such a wound.
After approximately 15 minutes (and about 500 ft.) of climbing in this matter, Reivik returns to you and reports that the pipe seems to end in a collection pool up ahead. Letting you know that he has secured the rope up ahead you move on to the chamber.
Once you all arrive you see that this round room is about 30 feet wide and vaults to a moss- and mold-encrusted ceiling some 30 feet overhead. Hideous demonic statues roost on the stonework walls 20 feet above. Steady streams of foul water and sewage drain from their open mouths into a pool below. Decades, if not centuries, of debris and detritus have accumulated into large rotten clumps of vegetation and less-identifiable substances spaced through out the circular chamber. A stone platform rises a foot above the water level to the southwest (you came in from the northeast), providing access to an iron-banded door.
The water in the pool is a dull-brown and is so murky that its depth can not be ascertained by sight alone. If you thought the smell was bad before, it is truly revolting here, reminding you of the time you came across a hill giant’s “vittles” which he had stored in his lair and then forgotten about.

 

[Hypersmurf]

Hideous demonic statues roost on the stonework walls 20 feet above. Steady streams of foul water and sewage drain from their open mouths into a pool below.

OOC: First check - are there steady streams from all of them? Or are there some statues that aren't streaming? /OOC

A stone platform rises a foot above the water level to the southwest (you came in from the northeast), providing access to an iron-banded door.

OOC: So we can walk to the door from our tunnel without getting our feet wet? /OOC