The Ninth Adventure

[dtspurrier]

the coloration would be yellow.

Bilfur moves forward and searches the croc skeleton

[Bastet1002]

Robur sighs. "Got to keep working, and get the treasure later.... I would be grateful for the help Mrs. Dame. I'm trying to clear a path around this pit to the exit."

Robur continues making a narrow path around the pit working his way towards the north exit, and thinks with that job done they could "kill" the thing in the pit and then get the strange object down below for everyone to investigate...

[mushgnome]

the coloration would be yellow.

Bilfur moves forward and searches the croc skeleton

No treasure. The bones are a little bit wet. Bilfur thinks maybe the croc wandered here from the underground river to the south.

The bones must have come from a really big, strong croc. It would have been an amazing creature while it was alive. At 7HD only a high-level Druid could tame it!

[mushgnome]

Robur sighs. "Got to keep working, and get the treasure later.... I would be grateful for the help Mrs. Dame. I'm trying to clear a path around this pit to the exit."

Robur continues making a narrow path around the pit working his way towards the north exit, and thinks with that job done they could "kill" the thing in the pit and then get the strange object down below for everyone to investigate...

Robur successfully clears the path. He sees that the north tunnel connects back up with area #2 (map update coming soon).

No signs of life from the 10' pit, just some kind of inanimate lump down at the bottom, overgrown with mushrooms. Maybe a decomposing hobbet? Hard to tell from up here.

[Bastet1002]

"Hmm... is that thing dead yet?" thinks Robur to himself about the croc skeleton. But Robur with his digging task done is now very curious. Robur looks for a rope in his bag and something to tie it on so he can lower himself down to see what the Shire is down there...

[mushgnome]

Robur ties the rope to an outcropping and slides into the pit (squishing several mushrooms on his way down).

He determines the object is a round stone. It looks smooth and carved (not rough and natural). The filthy rock is too covered with mud, slime, and fungus to make out any details.

[kipper]

Dame Simonetta is watching Robur carefully, and is ready to help pull him up when he requires.

[Bastet1002]

Robur taps his dagger on the ground around the stone and finally the stone itself checking for traps. If all is clear, he will try to prise the stone from the ground and pick it up.

[mushgnome]

It's not trapped, but it's heavy! (Open Doors check 1d6=5, success). Using all his strength, Robur is just barely able to lift the stone. How is he going to climb out of the pit carrying it?? Robur puts the heavy rock down to catch his breath and think of a plan. He notices, in the process of picking it up, he wiped away some of the slime, exposing an... ear?!? Ohhhh... I get it: It's a head! The broken-off head of a stone statue.

[Bastet1002]

In a horrific realization, Robur surmises that the statue might have been another victim of whatever beast turned the other "statue" to stone. He tries to roll the "head" examine the face to see if there is the same expression of horror. After doing this, he will come back up to tell the others and that digging around will just waste time and uncover more horrors...