Previous -- NextHaving finished this update, I realize that the placement of the map conflicts with the chronology of the events. But that's just too darn bad, as I want you to see how the region looks while you're reading the rest.
It seems quiet for now. Seeing the availability of more pretty minerals, Gary raises the noise level by commencing mining in the northeast. You were, allegedly, given these mining picks in order to mine; why not get to work?
While he's at it, Tohil continues praying in hope/despair, and a number of exiles head to the northwest. You immediately feel a breeze. The hematite is one end of a longer vein: you can see two ends of it on separate walls of a chamber beyond. This new chamber, beyond the tunnel, is open to the air above. And, hey . . .John and Dustan soon realize that this is where you were first exiled! To the west is a route you opened to some coal deposits, while north is where you hunted tasty scaled turkeys and tangled with nefarious standing jellyfish. A few carcasses were left behind to rot, and the rest you carried with you on the way to the Halfway House.
Seeing the general migration, Bob tries to finish the carving.Bob's results table, carving; chisel and hammer, on shale; actually a mason:
1: Fail
2: Succeed weakly
3: Succeed
4: Succeed
5: Succeed greatly
Bob's roll: 3, Succeed!
And I've been giving a sort of either/or description for the quality level your carvings get, in part because I'm unclear whether I should be letting you complete them so quickly, and in part because it's not too critical to pin down (unlike with equipment). But I'll just say that having a draft saves you from a lower-quality result at your success level.
Nice! It's pretty much as you'd hoped; you'd call it a fine depiction of several human figures eating a hunted rock hydra. All those necks are really fiddly, but the texture of the shale worked in your favor so you didn't have to spend too long on making it believable. You nod to yourself and head off.
With local noises reduced to intermittent pick sounds, Tohil hears someone--not sure who--comment in the distance about how the ceiling "opens up" over there. Immediately your panicked mind clears. The sky?? You rush to the far chamber and peer into the heights. There isn't much light, being little more than a diffuse glow, but you can imagine it is the last burst of your god's fire at day's end. It is no worse than the natural cycle of any day--right?
As you stand there, twitching, Dwain walks up and gives you a supportive pat on the shoulder. The former aspirant monk, in quiet tones, explains that in the depths there is light and darkness, and that's just the way it is.Some commentary. You may recognize the shape of this room from
the very first map, and you can use the full version in the "known maps" section of the
opening posts so you're not wandering blind. Please do! I put all this stuff up there for your use!
Gary (Coolrune206): you will be aware that mining ("the slow way") takes all day, and so you won't get anything interesting unless the rest of the group hangs out to spend a full day alongside you. Therefore, I'm just having you stand there until something else happens.
Speaking of things happening,
Dustan (Dustan Hache): you, too, spoke of stopping to rest, and I repeat that I'm trying to encourage the action along. You've got all evening before you're "tired," and you could use that time finishing up here and moving to a new area (or whatever else you do).
Louis (dustywayfarer): I noted the backpack.