Todd's FR adventure: On the Merchant Road. Part I

[reapersaurus]

Immediately upon seeing that there isn't a force of nasties directly below, Killian would say to those nearest , "I be going in!" and would follow the tumbling torch, descending down the stairs with his chain in hand.
When he gets to where the torch stopped rolling/falling, he'll pick it up and continue forward if he sees no threat immediately around him.
(In other words, he'll follow the sounds if they or he doesn't attack)

 

[Festy_Dog]

Saxon gives a quick whistle to Mzarem to follow as he too descends into the gloom.

 

[Jalon Odessa]

Hral and Kjata follow Saxon into the darkness.

 

[ToddSchumacher]

Krug's crossbow bolt and Aravalir's arrow sail true and kill the little goblin dead. Killian, followed by the druids and their wolves, (and everyone else I assume) climb down the narrow stairs, so narrow, in fact the party is forced to go one at a time, and the bigger folk (over 5'6") have to scrunch a bit at the shortness of the stairwell. Killian gets to the bottom of the stairs and retrieves his torch. The stairs open to a corridor 20' wide that travels to the west. You cannot see the end as it is beyond the light of your torch. You are about to follow the corridor when a gutteral shout is made and half a dozen javalins are launched out of the darkness, some shattering wide against stone wall and floor, one comes within a hair's width of you, but all miss.

Right now I'll put initiative based on order of decent into the stairs as only the person in front has to act first. ie no room to maneuver otherwise.

The new map is up as well, thoes not shown are either above ground still, or in behind Killian and Saxon.

 

[Festy_Dog]

Saxon quickly switches weapons back to his club which he finds can be used as a substitute missile weapon until he buys another sling to replace the one he lost a while back.........

 

[reapersaurus]

Killian doesn't assume there's not 6 more javelins waiting to skewer him like a shish-ke-bob, and moves back up the stairs to a location that is not in range of the completely hidden javelin-force.
(Unless there's some cover down there I can't see - great map, BTW! Nice shading)

"Thare be nasties down here in a fortified position.
Suicidal heroes or mages, get ye to tha front!"

 

[Torillan]

Once the goblin falls to the floor of the forest, Torillan proceeds down with the others.

OOC: - I assume I'll be last, which is fine. He still has his bow out.

 

[Krug]

"Damn gob," Krug says. "Always a stupid race."

Krug wonders what is going on in the tunnels. He doesn't step in but looks from below. We'd be walking right into an ambush, he thought. "Maybe we can smoke them out."

 

[Festy_Dog]

"That is a tempting idea, but what with?" says Saxon after he emerges back to the surface.

 

[ToddSchumacher]

Hral reminds everyone that starting fires of any kind within the High Forest, especially in this area, is likely a very bad idea.

The Ents don't think too highly of it.

Just something to think about.