Immersive Ink

waysoftheearth wrote:
In the cell passage.

Caine, Victor, Dieter and Anwyn are left in the tight passage outside the broken cell, while Taines (and his lantern helm) is inside, anchoring the rope which dangles down through the hole...

Caine decides to deftly maneuver past them all, into the cell, and to slide down the rope. Descending rapidly with one elegantly smooth twist, he alights in the chamber below where Crystin continues to conduct her search.

"This won't do," mutters Victor nervously in the gathering darkness, "Who else up here has a torch to fire?" Of those at the cell doors, only Taines (in the broken cell) has any light.

waysoftheearth wrote:
Down Below.

Crystin approaches the long corridor guarded by the hulking demon statues, noting as she does so how their cruel eyes seem to glint and sparkle in her torch light... could there be gemstones embedded in the stonework? As she gets closer, she is sure of it. The eyes are made with precious stones -- but these must be almost a score of feet overhead.

That noted, she observes the flame of her hungry torch, and decides that there is little, if any, movement of air from the passage. The air is uncannily still and silent.

Returning to the rope as Caine alights, Crystin calls up to suggest that those above construct a rope ladder of sorts. Her voice echoes alarmingly throughout the chamber as she does so...

heartless wrote:
Crystin smiles and greets Caine, "Welcome brave warrior, you are just in time to help me out over here." She leads him towards the demon statues. In a voice only Caine can hear she says, "I've found some gems that will aid our cause when we get back to equip us better to destroy the evil in this land. If I lift you upon my shoulder can ye prey the gems off the eyes of those carvings in the stone archway." They will keep a look out and listen while they remove the gems and pocket half each.

OOC: Like Dieter and Olaf I think it safer to stay together and clean out the first level before the deeper ones.

tombowings wrote:
"Thuul protect us," Rodrick whispers. "I have a bad feeling about this."

waysoftheearth wrote:
In the cell passage.

waysoftheearth wrote:In the cell passage.
"This won't do," mutters Victor nervously in the gathering darkness, "Who else up here has a torch to fire?"

"I do," whispers Anwyn, and kneels to extract torch and tinderbox from her supplies. After a few sharp strokes of flint on steel she has a torch burning hungrily, and gives to it Victor.

"Better," he mutters, and then spits (charisma 7) as the passage is illuminated once more.

eris wrote:

tombowings wrote:"Thuul protect us," Rodrick whispers. "I have a bad feeling about this."

"Me too." Olaf whispers back, "Are you going to try to spike the door? You simply can't do it without noise. Or do we just leave the door closed and retreat from here?"

tombowings wrote:
"Mads," Rodrick whispers, "I say you spike it and run. Unless anyone has any other ideas?"

makofan wrote:

heartless wrote:Crystin smiles and greets Caine, "Welcome brave warrior, you are just in time to help me out over here." She leads him towards the demon statues. In a voice only Caine can hear she says, "I've found some gems that will aid our cause when we get back to equip us better to destroy the evil in this land. If I lift you upon my shoulder can ye prey the gems off the eyes of those carvings in the stone archway." They will keep a look out and listen while they remove the gems and pocket half each.

Caine likes Crystin's idea, and is willing to pry out some gems

waysoftheearth wrote:
Down below.

Crystin (strength 12 and already encumbered) decides she would struggle to lift Caine in addition to all of their combined adventuring gear, so both unshoulder their heavy packs and rest them against the nearby wall. Then the bold Elf wedges her fluttering torch into a gap between the statue's waist and stone axe haft, and boosts Caine up onto her shoulders.

Caine balances superbly upon his precarious perch, and with his subtle dagger-craft works hard at prying the one of the two glittering red gem-eyes free -- the stone is about the size and shape of the last joint of his thumb and has a clear, crimson-red hue. It should fetch a pretty penny, Caine muses as he scrapes and scratches around it with his blade. However, it must be firmly affixed indeed, for he finds he freeing naught but stone dust as he gradually dulls the edge of his knife... but finally the stone pops free, and almost falls -- but with lightning reflexes Caine snatches it in mid-air!

waysoftheearth wrote:
At the door.

Everyone is as silent as a church mouse for a long moment -- Mads holding the hand-axe poised to bang in the iron spike as he decides...