(004) The Dunjon Door

[waysoftheearth]

heartless wrote:
After taking stock of the situation around her. Crystin says, €œIt appears that the way to go is down as I don€™t want to go back up as I just got here, and going further in to where you just battled seems undesirable. I€™m not scared of any hole in the floor. Kind Sirs please help lower me down the hole and I will investigate the chamber? Who will follow me in next?€

Crystin ties a rope around her and with the aid of the others in the party will let herself be lowered down into the hole in the floor. First she drops her torch down the hole to have one last look at what is below. If it looks safe she will be lowered down slowly and gently with mace in hand ready.

[waysoftheearth]

waysoftheearth wrote:
The situation is presently thus;

.............Undead
................?
..............#..#
..............#..#....................Barred
..............#..#.....................doors
..............#..#.....................?.....?
.............##..#####################(=)###(=)#######
. Closed --> ()........R..M..U..O..C..V..D..A........ --> Back toward stair,
.. door .....##..#####################(.)###(T)####### and surface
..............#..#...................#...#.#.K.#
..............#..#........Empty -->..#...#.#..@# <-- Hole to below...
..............#..#.........Cell......#####.#####
................?
............Fountain

C = Caine.
K = Crystin.


Despite her good intentions, Crystin can scarcely hear Rodrick and Mads muttering to one another at the rear of the file as she and Taines figure the logistics of lowering her down through the opening in the broken stone.

Olaf, on the other hand, is nearby and soon has a pair of 9" iron spikes on hand, which he passes to Mads, who could easily pass them back to Rodrick...

Meanwhile in the cramped cell, Crysin has the rope made fast about her slim waist, while Taines graps the other end and sets himself firmly in the low, open doorway.

"So Elf, are ye going down the hole or not?" Taines grunts impatiently, already taking up the slack on the rope.

Crystin gives an amazingly rational explanation for her unimaginable bravery, before skipping lightly into the pitch blackness of the hole -- one leg and one hand grasping the rope, and her sizzling torch held aloft in the other.

She drops a short distance into the cold, pitch dark before Taines takes the hard jerk of her full weight (as dainty as an armoured butterly with a full backpack). "Nine Hells!" the Dwarf swears in his mother tongue, as his miner's helmet is almost knocked from his head by the sudden impetus. Then he rather awkwardly regains his balance and hurriedly belays out another 20ft of rope until Crystin eventually reaches the floor below...

[waysoftheearth]

waysoftheearth wrote:
Down Below.

Crystin alights with the natural elegance of her race. If it were not for all the Dwarfish racket above, she may have thought her entrance subtle. Despite this, she quickly decides that she is alone.

Crystin's torch illuminates but a part of what must be an immense cavern. Its flagstone floor is smooth and regular, and aside from the minor litter of rubble from above, covered by nothing other than thick dust. All around, Crystin sees a network of broad stone columns that support the ominous arches of the ceiling, two dozen yard overhead. The stonework is all graven with strange glyphs of some unknown meaning.

This air around her is cool, if not cold, and so still it seems ominous...



////////#.
////////#..#
/////####..######
////...............
@"....@......@......@.
........................
...........K............
........................
@.....@......@......@...
........................
//....................
////................
//////@......@....

# Wall
@ Column
/ Darkness

[waysoftheearth]

danhem wrote:
Ulric has a hard time seeing what is going on ahead of him. He heard the sound of a new voice, a female voice, and discussion of a hole in the floor. Had someone actually descended into the hole? Sheer madness he thinks to himself. He dares not image what horrors live deeper in this cursed place.

A set of iron spikes are passed back toward Roderick.

"Roderick, it seems we are stuck here for the moment. Perhaps you Mads and I can go secure the door from where those walking corpses came? The room itself may be worth investigating before we do so."

[waysoftheearth]

eris wrote:

Ulric has a hard time seeing what is going on ahead of him. He heard the sound of a new voice, a female voice, and discussion of a hole in the floor. Had someone actually descended into the hole? Sheer madness he thinks to himself. He dares not image what horrors live deeper in this cursed place.

A set of iron spikes are passed back toward Roderick.

"Roderick, it seems we are stuck here for the moment. Perhaps you Mads and I can go secure the door from where those walking corpses came? The room itself may be worth investigating before we do so."

Olaf hears Ulric's speech and nods to himself, he says to Caine, who is front of him in the passage, "I'm going back with Ulric, Mads and Rodrick to spike the door shut behind us. Keep an eye on the rear of this group."

With that, Olaf, bow drawn turns to follow Ulric and the others.

"Let's not get too far from the others." Olaf says, "Splitting up down here is not a good idea."

[waysoftheearth]

tombowings wrote:
"We're better off spiking the door than not, Olaf" Whispers Rodrick. "Alright, men, let's make this quick."

[waysoftheearth]

heartless wrote:
"Many thanks Taines for the gentle ride. Your show of strength is to be commended. This place is large down here. Please secure the rope so others may climb down while I have a quick look around."

Crystin reports up the hole in the ceiling what she sees below. She looks for any signs on the floor for recent movements through here. She unties the rope and carefully explores in a clockwise circle from the hole for a 2 column diameter firstly, keeping a constant look behind your back, looking also into the visible corridor opening to the north. She will have a close look at the graven glyphs in the stonework to see if they make any sense to her. Then she will report back her findings.

Crystin will hold her mace and torch while exploring.

OOC : Can I use a torch as a light weapon, if attacked?

[waysoftheearth]

waysoftheearth wrote:

OOC : Can I use a torch as a light weapon, if attacked?

Yes, of course. You may do as you please.

However, a torch is not designed to be an effective weapon (though Rodrick may disagree after his recent good luck) -- nor is any such improvised tool "worthy" of a Templar's consideration.

[waysoftheearth]

tombowings wrote:

However, a torch is not designed to be an effective weapon (though Rodrick may disagree after his recent good luck) -- nor is any such improvised tool "worthy" of a Templar's consideration.

OOC: Sir Rodrick wound disagree on both accounts.

[waysoftheearth]

waysoftheearth wrote:
Rodrick, Mads, Ulric and Olaf turn about, and head back to the intersection with iron spikes with which to jam the door. At the intersection, they turn right into the cramped passage from whence the undead emerged, and by the dancing light of Ulric's lantern they see the door still hanging ajar perhaps a score of yards ahead.

The intrepid Men move as quietly as they are able -- only the creak of leather boots and an occasional ding of Rodrick's mail shirt accompanying them to the portal.

The door stands widely open into the passageway. It is of ancient timbers as thick as Rodrick's palm is tall, and that bound in massy, rusted iron. By Ulric's amber lamp-light the room beyond can be discerned...

A ring of broad steps descend to the chamber's cold, dusty floor proper. It is oriented diagonally relative to the passage, but seems to extend much further than the fountain chamber did. Within, rows of hulking stone sarcophagi can be seen along the walls, and bunched together haphazardly on the sunken floor.

"Whooo daresss disssturb my ressst?" rasps a chilling, lifeless whisper from the inky darkness within...