Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[GiglameshDespair]

((OOC Thread)

It's cold this far south. Deep, deep south - a bare hundred miles from the Dreaming Wall, the frigid barrier between the civilised world and the god-eating horror of the Malignancy.

What's even colder is the wind. A storm is brewing - and none of you want to get caught in a blizzard. The ever-greens around you rattle their needles as if to applaud the wind. It howls between the scattered boulders of the Giant's Valley, and mockingly screams from the gaping, rock-toothed cavern ahead. Trapped in a white-out in death for most things, ice-born or not; it seems you have little choice but to head into the cave ahead. It was your target, after all. The old treasure-map had been given with assurances of it's veracity. It even bore the seal of a Blue Crow, one of the warriors of the Azure Wanderer. You don't really know what's inside, but curiosity has led you far.

The dragon shaman - Izalith's - long hair whips in the wind, as she shivers as she tries to hold it still, her atypical eyes narrowed against the wind. Beside her, the noble-born Janik Astanger shelters with his shield fro mthe worst of the wind. The mighty kobold paladin, Klikklak, bears the cold stoically. The gnome ranger Edgar Snowfoot sits next to them, warmer than the others in his cold weather gear. The strange bird-woman Thrush endures the cold, warmed by her supernatural blood.

The way ahead is open. The way back is likely to be death. But your actions - and fate - are now in your own hands...

----

The cave entrance is an irregular, gaping hole in a hill, around 10 feet wide at the base, narrowing slowly to around fifteen feet high. The trees around you are evergreens, and while it isn't snowing again, a thin white powder coats the ground. The sky - nominally around midday - is coated with turbulent, dark clouds, indicating a blizzard is on it's way. Occasionally, something moves in the woods, but it's likely only some kind of snow-deer.

You don't know what's inside the cave. You can see - through your various means - it heads in around thirty feat before curving, cutting off your vision.

[sjm9876]

'Just one second before we go onwards.'

Edgar stoops to pick up a pebble and throws it across the threshold. He then listens out for anything within the cave.

[lawastooshort]

"We go together at front? Also wait, for me to... listen..."

Klikklak Detects Evil, towards the curve, for a round, and for three if he senses anything.

[Dwarmin]

Thrush seems to be one person at least handling the cold well-she doesn't even have a heavy cloak, preferring the thick, wooly coat of the Northern Aviankind. She tends to stay very still when she can, letting the accumulated snow melt and run down her water-repellant feathers.

Of course, it's more than just that, but neither she, nor her group really knows...

"Edgar, you bring me to the nicest places! What else do you have planned for this trip? Maybe an Ice Dragon bursting from the snow, or a few dozen Giants tossing boulders at us?"

She tapped her staff on the cold, hard ground. It made a hollow sound.

"We'd best get inside soon."

The Kenku tapped her staff again, and she was infused with a bright, swirling aura of rainbow hues-after a moment, the colors became less bright, more of a halo around her, but still noticeable-like hot air rising.

Action: Activate Entropic Warding, and keep an eye out for trouble behind us

[tryrar]

Janik smiles at the entrance, the long trek to the cave over. He nods to the rest of the party and assumes the lead.

Action:Move to the front and protect the others.

[sjm9876]

'Well, blue eyes, my job as the guide of souls doesn't often take me to the sunny North.'

Edgar grins at the memory, tossing the pebble deftly from hand to hand.

[GiglameshDespair]

The pebble clatters down the uneven floor before demolishing a small clump of moss.

Klikklak checks the cave entrance. No evil is revealed.

[sjm9876]

'Well, if the locals are present then they're more cowardly then curious.'

He hesitates a moment, a look of thought crossing his face.

'Or just very quiet.'

Assuming everyone else does so, enter the cave

[lawastooshort]

"Edgar, your eyes and ears are sharper than ours, you care to lead? But Klikklak sees in dark. I lead? But Janik tall and mighty. He lead?"

Draw sword, Hide (+5) and Move Silently (+1) ahead in first or second place protecting the remaining two party members where possible.

[sjm9876]

'I see in the dark myself. Little trick I was born with.'

Edgar winks at Klikklak.

'Still, a touch of cover might be nice.'

He gestures for Janik to come forward, just behind him.

Lead, hiding and moving silently, but have Janik follow just behind/level so that he can meatshield if necessary.

[Nerjin]

"I'm... Not really fond of enclosed spaces. Makes it hard to use a bow." Izalith mutters, finally breaking her silence, as she takes up the rear position.

Activate Energy Shield Aura (2 Lightning Damage to anyone who hits someone within 30' of me) and follow the group from behind. Sticking close to a meatshield with Dagger drawn.

[Dwarmin]

Thrush hopped after them, afraid of being left behind in the creepy forest-in her claws was a monster of a crossbow, shaped into the profile of a hawk's wingspan, entirely made of thick, ornamental black bronze. She tended to use her "Peacekeeper" to initiate encounters, before relying on her more unique skills-it was a real beast to reload.

She could be quiet when she wanted to, and right now she did. The more racket their group made, the more likely anyone inside would guess their true strength...Thrush was usually at the back of the party, and her night-eyes were nearly as good as Edgars (she thought), if not as trained, so she kept a beady blue eye cocked at all times.

Action: Tag along the rear, with my heavy crossbow drawn. Use Hide and Move silent. Also, keep an eye on our flank.

Hide: +6
Move Silently: +6

[tryrar]

Janik Moves forth.

Action:Have sword and shield at the ready, and move with Edgar just in front of him

[Dwarmin]

"I'm... Not really fond of enclosed spaces. Makes it hard to use a bow." Izalith mutters, finally breaking her silence, as she takes up the rear position.

Thrush didn't like to crow (hah), but she personally thought Izalith was a poor shot with a bow even in ideal conditions. Thankfully her powers more than made up for the lack of that.

Edgar was better than Izalith, but untrained when shooting in close quarters. Thrush had more experience than them though, but not exactly with bows-she had been throwing Soulfire bolts at whatever annoyed her almost since she had hatched...

[GiglameshDespair]

Cautiously, the party enters the cave. The sharp turn seems more like the tunnel was offset to your left, following some natural crack in the earth. It's not that much further down the gently sloped cave floor - the occasional soot-stained hollow indicating the deathbed of torches long burned - until you end up in a square room, the domed roof spider-webbed with cracks. The embers of a fire smoulder in the centre of the room, next to a few small piles of bones - some kind of small creature, maybe snow-hare. No creature can be seen that made the fire, however. A few barrels are discarded in a corner of the room.

On the opposite side of the room to you are two doorways, leading to narrow corridors. The left one seems to go relatively straight - beyond the stone blocks forming the doorframe a natural looking crevice leads to a decrepit door 20ft down the natural corridor. The other is roughly hewn out of the rock, and twists away down another turn.