(035) The Secret Stair

[waysoftheearth]

waysoftheearth wrote:
Dorgan, Highbough and Desmond/Mondes are here.

Dorgon opens a secret hatch in the back of the grand ballroom fireplace, and shows Highbough and Desmond/Mondes the secret stair therein... it is very narrow. However, all three are smallish in size, and none are wearing bulky armour, and so they can just squeeze, one abreast, into the narrow space. Dorgan leads the way...

The stair descends steeply in line with the front of the house... Dorgan soon reckons he must be directly below the foyer. The air is damp and musty, and the way tight, but lo! It is hardly a minute before Dorgan finds himself at a junction; ahead of him and to his left a cramped and musty chamber extends further back into the darkness. There is a strange, acrid smell to the place, which doesn't bode well...

Directly across the chamber, not 20ft away, another narrow stair climbs up toward the dinning hall. Farther back, there appears to be a clutter of old crates and such. Is that another stair back there..?

Highbough and Desmond/Mondes are still on the stair behind Dorgan.

What now?

[waysoftheearth]

sulldawga wrote:
Dorgan will walk forward until there's enough room behind him for Highbough and Desmond to enter. He's looking at the floor, trying to see if there's any sign of recent movement.

Once his companions have room to maneuver, he will turn and give the lantern to Highbough.

"I 'magine the other stair up goes ta the other fireplace. Let's check out the back of this room. Think I saw another stairwell down."

The dwarf will affix his new shield to his right arm and slowly walk toward the crates at the back, axe at the ready. He will move slowly enough that Highbough can follow with the light.

"Mind yerself. Don't like that smell at all."

[waysoftheearth]

ehiker133 wrote:
Desmond warily enters the room behind Highbough and Dorgan, axe at the ready.

He moves towards the crates to examine them further...

[waysoftheearth]

mushgnome wrote:
Highbough is very impressed by Dorgan's hidden cellar. "I wonder, do you know how to close the entrance behind us, so we can hide down here?"

He takes the lantern and illuminates the area with the crates.

[waysoftheearth]

waysoftheearth wrote:
The trio, led by Dorgan the Dwarf, make their way into the cellar.

It is a narrow, musty space, and none like the look of the thick, crystalised snail-trails over much of the walls... nor the smell.

Dorgon proceeds ahead, and finds that the cellar extends much deeper than he at first imagined... what might have been another stair, some 40ft farther back, turns out to merely be a great block of roughly hewed stone covered in clods of earth. But, hidden behind this block, is a great dark hole descending deeper... and there is an old, rotted ladder clinging to the side.

But Dorgan has hardly a moment to take all this is, for right away his eye catches a movement, and looking beyond the hole in the ground he spies and the bloated white carapace of an enormously centipede. It must be at least a foot thick; it slowly, cautiously uncurls its fore-sections as the feeders quest toward this disturbance...

The thing is above Dorgan's head on the wall, but not more than 20ft away.

What now?

[waysoftheearth]

mushgnome wrote:
Highbough holds up the lantern and tries to ward it off with the bright light. "Dawn has come to this dark corner of the world; back to your hole my little friend!"

[waysoftheearth]

sulldawga wrote:
Dorgan freezes in place for a moment.

"If we're gonna kill it, here's the place with the most room, so's we all can get our licks in. If not, best be backing up right quick."

If Highbough hasn't backed up by the time the centipede is 5 feet away (or sooner, if the "feelers" give the giant insect extended reach) he'll attack. The dwarf will withdraw if his companions do so.

[waysoftheearth]

ehiker133 wrote:
Desmond whispers, "It doesn't seem aggressive yet..."

But he grips Mads' Cold Iron Axe tightly all the same and immediately scans the surrounding ceiling and walls for any other centipedes.

[waysoftheearth]

waysoftheearth wrote:

Desmond whispers, "It doesn't seem aggressive yet..."

But he grips Mads' Cold Iron Axe tightly all the same and immediately scans the surrounding ceiling and walls for any other centipedes.

With Desmond/Mondes' combined eye-sight, it is apparent that there are many dark crevices and holes about a foot or so across, positioned around the tops of the walls that might easily be refuges for more of the crawly things...

[waysoftheearth]

ehiker133 wrote:
Desmond points out the other holes to Highbough and Dorgan and whispers, "Watch out. There might be more than one... How about we go get some reinforcements? We could use more light sources... and some ranged weapons."

He slowly and quietly backpedals to the stairs, silently urging the others to do the same.