Wildwood Red in Tooth and Claw [IC]

[Fenris]

Noni waves the group ahead and grabbing the rope to test if it will hold his weight, uses it to help him navigate down the slope.

 

[Voadam]

The thick rope easily holds and Noni begins to proceed downwards. Tur anticipates arrows at any moment to fly at them while they are exposed going down but as Noni begins his descent none comes. Alan's mindblade illumination reveals that the tunnel opens up into a vast inner cavern with large stalactites hanging from the ceiling and stalagmites growing from the floor. Well worn thick paths are clear of these stony obtrusions, leading off in two directions into the darkness. A second set of ropes head off to the wider left path while the right hand path holds none. A glance down shows Noni that the left hand path is more heavily trodden and there are small ruts from carts. There is a faint trace of occasional slime drippings though that heads down the right hand path.

Noni believes the sound he heard earlier came from the left.

 

[Fenris]

Axe in hand Noni creeps quietly down the left hand tunnel.

 

[Voadam]

Alan's mindblade illuminates a vast cavern filled with stalagmites as big as tree trunks.

Noni creeps out along the left hand path with the party following behind. At the edge of the shadowy illumination Noni can see the rope paths leading to a wall with carts at its base and more ropes leading up the wall.

A rumbling sibilant string of interrogatory utterances comes from up high in the darkness about 20 feet above the base of the ropes.

Tur
[SBLOCK]It is draconic with an odd accent "Stay where you are or my archers will drop you all where you stand. What do you here scaled one? Why are you and the pink skins in my mine?[/SBLOCK]

 

[Watus]

Tur curls his lip and growls in surprise at being addressed in his own tongue. Without turning, he addesses the others.

"He says he has archers. He wants to know why we've come."

Forumulating his own particular response to that question, Tur chokes down his grip on his axe.

 

[D20Dazza]

Cursed's looks up, his 'blind' eyes taking in the 'scene', as he watches the words to a spell sit powerfully upon his tongue.

OOC: prepping sleep and casting at the first sign of attack.

 

[Voadam]

More sibilant interrogatories issue forth from the darkness above

Tur
[SBLOCK] "Did you come on your own or were you sent? This mine is under the curse of the Moonspeaker. Nothing but ill shall come to you down here, even if it was he who sent you. Can you not feel it? Arrows and magical death await you up here. However if you seek blood and plunder, go down that other path. One sickly goblin waits down there with treasure. Kill that traitor, take what you want from his stolen hoard, then leave and we need have no feud. Your axes cannot reach us before my demons tear you apart and my archers' fill you with shafts. He holds a valuable book the Moonseeker wants. Kill him, take it, and leave. One goblin with treasure versus a horde with nothing but weapons. Do you understand me scaly one?"

[/SBLOCK]

 

[Watus]

"More lies and threats," Tur translates. "If he actually had half the power he claims, he would have already attacked. Instead he blusters and tries to send us down the other path."

OOC: Can Tur determine how far away the speaker is? Listen: +5.

 

[Voadam]

The shadowy illumination at the edge of Alan's psychic light reveals the base of a wall with ropes hanging down along the wall in three places spaced about ten feet apart each. The voice sounds like it comes from about 20 feet up from the base, Alan's mindblade does not reach that high that far out.

 

[Voadam]

Looking over the tactical situation it would take climbing the ropes to get to the voice. Tur and Noni have their axes in hands while Alan has the goblin shield in one and his mindblad in the other. The stalagmites go up to the base of the wall. You could dive behind them here or at the base and receive cover from anything coming down from where the voice is.