(004) The Dunjon Door

[waysoftheearth]

waysoftheearth wrote:
Crystin.

You only stayed in Ket a few days, for the stink of Goblin corruption there was not to your taste.

You decided to follow after the party of "adventurers" whom it were rumoured to have headed south into the hinterlands at noon on the previous day. With Heledd's Grace and a measure of common luck, you figured you might catch sight of them by evening.

So you set out south at dawn, and despite the intermittent drizzle, you made reasonable time. By mid afternoon you spied a smoke pall ahead, and veered toward it to investigate. Soon it became apparent that a ruin had been set ablaze, but by whom was not apparent. As dusk descended, you elected to camp quietly a few miles distant... just in case.

Morning arrived after a cold, wet night. You made your prayers, and then completed the trek to the tower. Arriving there, you saw clear signs of a recent fire, and the remains of a make shift camp. You caustiously hoped that you had caught up with the dungeoneering party who departed Ket ahead of you, and soon descended the into the tower dunjon to see search for further evidence of them.

Lo and behold, not a dozen yards into the dunjon, you see the passage way busy with Dwarf, Elf and a file of armed Men...

[waysoftheearth]

waysoftheearth wrote:
Anwyn, Taines, Dieter and Victor see an Elvish maiden approaching them from the direction of the stair to the surface. She carries a mace in one hand and burning torch in the other.

"What have we here?" Victor mutters under his breath...

[waysoftheearth]

heartless wrote:
Crystin spots the group of adventures, makes eye contact with each of them in turn and smiles and puts away her mace and says, "Well I hope you have left some hobgoblins for me?".

"Do not be afraid, my name is CRYSTIN HEILWIG and I am a noble knight in search of those who would join me to rid this land of the filth that roams it. I can stand the stench of goblins kind no more. What say you all to letting me join you for some spring cleaning down here?" [img]images/smiley/wink.png[/img]

[waysoftheearth]

eris wrote:
Olaf calls out from near the back, "What's going on up there?"

"Sounds like you found a woman by her voice."

[waysoftheearth]

tombowings wrote:
"Better than finding some of those walking corpses," Rodrick whispers.

[waysoftheearth]

eris wrote:

"Better than finding some of those walking corpses," Rodrick whispers.

"True, that, brother!" Olaf says with grim nod as he thinks about the walking abominations he was recently fighting.

[waysoftheearth]

Harry wrote:
"Aye well met lass, I'm Taines", says Taines turning to the door behind him "Get yer mace ready, we are just about to see what's behind door number 2"

Taines spins around to the barred door behind him, rests his axe against the wall, and attempts to remove the timber barring the cell door.

[waysoftheearth]

waysoftheearth wrote:
After a brief round of introductions, Taines hefts the second bar aside -- it is no lighter than the first.

With the bar removed, Taines again pulls the door open with an awkward creak -- while Anwyn stands ready with her bow.

Within is another grim cell very similar to the last one. It is again empty of any prisoner, but the floor in the far corner seems to have collapsed, leaving a rough hole about a yard and half wide opening into inky blackness below...

[waysoftheearth]

heartless wrote:
Crystin with her mace in hand says, "I may help here since my vision at night is good and may be useful to look into that hole." She ties a rope around herself and gives one end to Taines stating, "You can't be to careful. You look strong dwarf, can you hold this end while I go in for a look."

Crystin with Mace and torch in hands, enters the room slowly, looking around, and testing the floor and if nothing happens moves to look down the hole then around the room.

[waysoftheearth]

waysoftheearth wrote:
Taines grasps the rope in his firm hands, while Crystin boldly enters the squalid cell -- the flame of her torch rippling through the dark air as she moves.

The air within is distinctly damp and stuffy, for the cell door may not have been opened for many years. In a moment Crystin is overlooking the hole at the rear...

...the cell floor has apparently collapsed into a much larger chamber below. Crystin can dimly make out an evenly paved stone floor some 20ft or 30ft below, and appears there are some tall stone columns in that seemingly endless vault.

It should be possible for even an armoured Man to fit through the hole if he was so included...