(048) The Undercroft

[waysoftheearth]

aquebman wrote:
OOC: Do these gantries run out and past the goblins and if so are they completely exposed visually to these goblins manning the chains?

[waysoftheearth]

aquebman wrote:
Can I see down into the buckets from my vantage and if so what are they carrying?

If Tafari can use the gantries to stealthily continue past the goblins she will otherwise she will climb down one of the ladders using the noise from the chains to cover her movements.

[waysoftheearth]

waysoftheearth wrote:
Jan hunkers down in his bucket so that he is entirely concealed within it as it continues to sway and rise thru the darkness. Who knows where this ride will end?

Meanwhile... upon a narrow gantry overlooking a larger platform, Tafari takes stock of the situation.

She is on one of many 4ft wide platforms that cling to the edge of a vast cavern wall. There are dozens more of them above and below her position, all interconnected by rickety scaffolding and ladders. The majority of the little platforms are vacant in this part of the cavern, but here and there, dotted about, there are Goblins digging and mining toward who knows what purpose?

Directly below her position is a larger platform; perhaps 80ft long and 20ft wide. There are three goblins there, at the far end; two of them are working a winch and pulley system, while the third watches a rusty steel bucket rising upon a chain from the darkness below.

Tafari reckons she could climb down onto the main platform, and even right past it to the gantries below, while the goblins are preoccupied...

She can't see into the nearest bucket (on its way up) from here, although she has earlier observed the miners depositing some kind of ore in them.

[waysoftheearth]

waysoftheearth wrote:
Jan sees the underside of a platform looming into view, then vanishing beyond the lip of his bucket before his ride comes to a sudden halt.

The bucket stays its residual swinging as a gravelly voice -- alarmingly nearby -- says; "So yer sayin' it were Jeg that et me rat, then?"

"Naysss," says another voice, a wicked hiss,
"It weresss Jeg wot kort itsss, but ee never etsssss it,"

There is a thump on the outside of the bucket and "someone" hauls it nearer.

[waysoftheearth]

Green Lama wrote:
Not the best idea but hey wisdom 5
Crouching in the bottom of the bucket Jan pitches his voice low and loud while opening the light to it's fullest extent...
"OOOooooooo Leave this place, defilers, diggers, scratchers in the earth. Leave or face your DoooOOOOOoooooom!(/b)

[waysoftheearth]

aquebman wrote:
Tafari will take the opportunity and climb down onto the main platform, and if the coast is still clear past it to the gantries below. She minds her weapons before she starts climbing just to be mentally prepared for the unexpected.

[waysoftheearth]

waysoftheearth wrote:
Tafari sees the Goblin miners jerk back from the bucket in surprise as an eerie green light shines forth and a moaning voice from within babbles something unrecognisable.

{reaction roll 2d6=9}

Jan, hunkered down in the bucket, hear's the Goblins gasp as they snatch their hands back. Then after a moment one says: "Wassat then? Eh?"

"Soundss like its got a gutfull, woteva it isss?" says another...

...meanwhile, Tafari creeps down the ladder unnoticed -- the three Goblins have their backs to her, their attention entirely on the bucket.

A Goblin dongs the side of the buck with the haft of a short pick then rasps "Oo's in there, eh? Iz that yooo Niblet? I tol' yoo ta buggeroff yoo lazy piece o' snot!"

[waysoftheearth]

Green Lama wrote:
Jan Begins to hurl his body from one side of the bucket to the other. Perhaps this movement and flickering light will startle the Goblins or perhaps the swinging motion will transform the heavy bucket into a makeshift wrecking ball.

[waysoftheearth]

aquebman wrote:
Tafari's muscles all tense in sudden shock as she sees a close green light and the unexpected sounds from the bucket. She consider investigating but when she glances over and sees the goblins are distracted she takes the opportunity.

For but a moment she looks over the goblins and their garb to see if anything stands out about them. Assuming she doesn't she will then move on down the gantries well past the goblins.

[waysoftheearth]

waysoftheearth wrote:
Jan throws his weight side to side, causing the bucket to sway somewhat, but hardly as violently as Jan would have liked (curses be to his boy-sized mass).

"Stopyer friggin' about Niblet! Yer'z in deep now.." says a goblin, as several pairs of hands haul the bucket over the gantry and tip it up.

The goblins pause and blink a moment as they glimpse of the boy in the bucket for the first time.

"Dat aint Niblet!" says one of the three Goblins in surprise.

Jan's bucket is suspended between chest and waist height over the Goblins... there's half a chance he could leap out over their heads. Or he could attempt to parley with them -- they look to be a rough, uneducated breed.


Meanwhile, Tafari creeps unseen to the ladder at the far end of the platform, and -- having descended a couple of rungs -- she checks the goblins over.

They are roughly dressed working sorts. They wear grubby miner's overalls, boots that are so worn out they are tied with string and horny toe-nails poke through holes, and utility belts that carry picks, string, nails, trowels, and pokes. Their miner's helmets are covered in burned down candle wax.

Nothing much distinguishes any of them as any more important than they others, although one of them is a head shorter than the other two. Overall, they are filthy creatures little more than 4ft tall.