Turn 7: More like Turn 34, amirite?
Elenor:
Move the cabinets, search behind and inside them. Move the paperwork from the tables and search for anything suspicious.
(4) Rummaging through the surface's paperwork won't help anything... the secret of this room is far more likely to unravel if one searches it thoroughly! Starting with the cabinets.
There are only spider webs behind the cabinets. And... a scrap of paper taped to the back of one of these? But there is only gibberish written on it. Whatever, potentially useful. Let's take it.
Next up, the inside of the cabinet... as Elenor opens the cabinet number one, a flood of paper descends upon him, throwing him off balance. He gets his act together again and glimpses upon the paper...
YUCK, RATMAN PORN.
For the first and likely last time of his life, Elenor wishes that he was a wizard so that he could cleanse this abomination with righteous fire. But, he is out of luck. Still, after this experience, he dares not open the other cabinets. Too much risk of severe need of
more brain bleach. What's left is the tables. He sifts through the stacks of paper less thoroughly that he would have otherwise, his eyes still being scarred. Even so, he stumbles across two documents of note: The first one being a ration listing, showing that... exactly eight ratmen, plus minus two more, dwell around here, plus something else which doesn't quite match up. Mysterious. Who eats the remaining food?
The second document is a map fragment. It doesn't really match up with anything encountered so far, showing an intersection of three ways in a T shape. At the upper left part, some red ink is to be seen. Is it part of a... circle?
The mysteries continue!
Apollo:Apollo thinks of a way to expand the helmet. He yells "I can grow the helmet, but it'll weaken in a bit, do you still want me too?"
(5) You feel up for this. They shall remember you as
Apollo Anderson, Expander of Helmets!, in boldface and with exclamation mark. Because you have successfully expanded a stinking ratman helmet. Ahem.
First, you gather some metal from the bureau. Paperclips, and such. After carefully spreading that metal over the helmet, you slowly, very, very slowly make the thing grow, and at the same time trying to meld the assorted metal into the growing helmet. It's an extremely tricky task and requires absolute concentration, which, through some miracle, you keep through the chaos and party squabbles around you. Mostly.
After what seems like an eternity, you are finished with the task. The helmet still seems stable, although you doubt that. This task essentially was beyond your capacities, which means that there will be faults and breaklines and the thing seems to smell even worse than before. But even if you failed, this was good practising, and you feel like you learnt something.
Taren:Retreat back to the loot place, claim the buckler as mine while strapping it to my right forearm. Proceed down the other hallway.
(5) Thankfully, nobody else has been claiming the buckler so far. And so, the buckler becomes property of Taren
Crownguard Creyn. Now, and forever. Or until it breaks or is sold. Or until it has failed him, in which case it will be swiftly disposed of.
Either case... into the unknown!
Ratherio:Ratherio draws on the energy of Remy and Apollo using my ring. Remember to say thank-you afterwards.
(2) It appears that your ring does not work like that! It works automatically, apparently, and gradually drains energy little by little, at most causing mild inconvenience or a weak flu. Still, Remy does not appreciate your efforts.
Helskaya:Follow Taren down the hallway at a safe distance.
(3) There isn't much to be said here. Helskaya follows Taren. This is not exactly a road movie or something.
Remy:Shoot Ratherio a dirty look as I follow Taren, ready to back him up.
(2) Apollo proudly gives you the helmet he has finished working on. It looks completely ridiculous and still stinks, but also seems solid and is more or less exactly your size, so you take it.
Then you see Ratherio doing his usual stuff... you feel evil energy, so you shoot him a glare. It appears to be completely ineffectual, though. Better to get away from this madman before he does something... and so, you get into a swift jog through the hallway, through the circular room, and then finally into the second hallway. Let's see that squishy wizard do that!
--
The following loot still remains:
Small crossbow x1
Worn shield x1
Wrecked scalemail x1
--
Apart from the way you came in, there is a locked door (now in substantially worse condition), and two other ways. It is to be assumed that the key is somewhere around in those two ways.
At the end of the right hallway, there is what appears to be a... ratman bureau? There is paperwork and drawers and more paperwork and in-trays and out-trays everywhere. Ratmen don't seem to be particularily orderly though... the "first horizontal surface" system of storage seems to have been applied. There's everything lying around here. Something useful, too, maybe?
Bureau ASCII map:
------
|TTTT|
|.c..|
|...C|
|...C|
D....|
|...T|
|CCc.|
------
D = Door/Entryway
C = Filing cabinet
c = Chair
T = Table
. = Ground, with some paperwork on it
At the end of the left hallway, however, Taren, Hel and Remy find... an Y intersection. Left or right? A stench wafts in from the left one.
Character sheets.
Helskaya Arkut (lawastooshort)
Status: Normal.
Injuries: None.
Equipment: Pair of knives (one large, one small),
northern white bear jawbone on necklace, northern white bearskin.
Inventory: Wet stone, firestone, pot, spoon, three leather pouches varying in size, pestle and mortar, dried meat rations for several plus more days, filled waterskin, flour, Lesser Herbal Medicine, Lesser Blade Poison, Rusty Axe x2, 0 cp.
Skills: Herbal Medicine; Shamanic Magic; Knowledge (Legends of the North)
Spells:
Shining Shamanic Healing Finger!, Transform: Raging North Bear
Elenor Warsen (Caellath)
Status: Can't unsee.
Injuries: None.
Equipment:
Masterwork Armor, Longsword, Crossbow,
Dragon Crest ShieldInventory: Medical kit, small supplies bag, 5 cp, Potion of Lesser Healing, Painkiller Potion, Gibberish Paper, Map Shred, Rations Listing.
Skills: Swordsmanship, Dodging, Marksmanship, Medical care.
Spells: None. He's notoriously unmagical.
Apollo Anderson
(Spinal_Taper)Status: Normal.
Injuries: Bruise, right shoulder.
Equipment: Reinforced lab coat, cheap leather armor,
Dagger,
Rudimentary Rifle, Officer's Scimitar,
Inventory: Bullets, Gunpowder, various pouches and bags, Experimental Painkiller (?) Potion, 4 cp.
Skills: Alchemy: Chemistry, Alchemy: Potion brewing, Alchemic Magic: Rudimentary Enchantments (quantum amount +1), Metal Working (quantum amount +1).
Spells: Enchantment: Better wearability!
Taren Creyn (Tiruin)
Status: Normal.
Injuries: None.
Equipment: Broadsword, Crossbow, Longbolt ammunition (quantum amount -4), white cloak, grey tunic, belt, solid holey leather boots, buckler.
Inventory: Whet stone, one filled waterskin, Cloth, lots of rations, ratman cloth, 3 cp.
Skills: White Magic: Healing, Anatomy, Swordsmanship, Marksmanship
Spells: Menscur, Fogili, Nonsens, Mendia, Leonic Cleanse.
Ratherio Houston (borno)
Status: The bestest wizard ever just nobody understands
Injuries: Scratches on face. Cut on left leg.
Equipment: Purple robes of death!
TM, Wand of death!
TMStaff of death!
TMDagger of death!
TM Ring of death.
Inventory: 0 cp,
Debt notice, Scrolls of: Leaden, Monovolt, Lesser Silence, Flare Arrow.
Skills: Black Magic: Death Magic, Black Magic: Chaos Magic, Agility
Spells: None, at least no explicit ones. He probably knows quite a few... we haven't seen them, though.
Remy Maelle (Remaelle)
Status: Good enough to go.
Injuries: None.
Equipment: A spirit talisman, knife, leather armour, traveling clothes, a backpack, Vintage pair of Chain Revolvers, buckler, 14 cp.
Inventory: Bedroll, rope, tinderbox, enough food to last a few days,
Debt notice,
officer's helmet.
Skills: Shamanistic Magic: Elementalism, Agility, Quick Reflexes, Hand-to-Hand Combat.
Spells: MEGA BRAND
Author
Topic: Roll to Explore the Dungeon: Ch.2 T.38: Do you even praise the King? (Read 121166 times)