Previous -- NextOkay, we're good. Just one thing:
Louis (dustywayfarer) said to pitch the wheelbarrow at the "old" woman, but I never used that adjective. I note this because existing players might actually recognize the woman (not that they can see her, but whatever), and I didn't want any oddities in game information.
The group seems very businesslike; perhaps this is heartening; perhaps you'll work well together down here! Look on the bright side of permanent exile!
Tohil agrees to the help promised by the older man and throws his backpack out of the scaffold. Fortune is on your side, and you get his backpack in return without a fuss. He seems thrilled with the exchange.
Louis, logically, takes up the other offer, being to pitch an ungainly object of wood and metal across open space towards a living target. It seems to take her somewhat aback, but she nonetheless is prepared: she drops the pack into the depths ahead of you, freeing up both hands to brace for impact. Incredibly, she manages it, and cries out in what you presume is victory and not pain.
You are beyond the lip of the pit when the old man shouts after you. "Splitter wands are one-use. The pointy end goes into the shale! Just watch out for firedamp; glowstone is better than coal anyway!"
"Good luck." the woman adds, and you can hear her setting down the wheelbarrow as she vanishes from sight. "It never does stay the same down there . . . "
And then, on some unseen cue, the metal floor of the scaffold opens and you drop into nothingness. Which rapidly becomes somethingness as you hit the ground. It's a miracle you suffer no injury. You pick yourselves up and examine your surroundings, not to mention your backpacks of varied origins.Here is the inventory for two of the new players:
Total weight: 14/50 kg
Pick (iron): 2 kg, held
Mine 1 tile per day; you avoid unarmed penalty; piercing
Lantern (iron): 2 kg, held
Waterskin (surface leather): 0 kg by itself, on belt
--Water, one day: 1 kg
Tunic (surface fabric): 1 kg, worn
Mining helmet (iron): 1 kg, worn
Avoid "missing helmet while underground" penalty
Backpack (surface leather): 2 kg, worn, 5/40 kg capacity
--Food, one day: 1 kg
--Blanket (surface fabric): 2 kg
--Surface kit: 1 kg
The kit contains a stick of graphite, rolled parchment, flint, sewing needles, thread, and a mirror, all in a narrow wooden box
--Bandages (surface fabric): 1 kg
The backpack-traded-for-a-backpack is made of some strange
olive-colored leather with scales on it. It contains a lot of bones, approximately turkey-thigh-size, with a blue streak down the middle and one pointy end; surely the "splitter wands." There is also food and an iron knife:
Total weight: 12/50 kg
Pick (iron): 2 kg, held
Mine 1 tile per day; you avoid unarmed penalty; piercing
Lantern (iron): 2 kg, held
Waterskin (surface leather): 0 kg by itself, on belt
--Water, one day: 1 kg
Tunic (surface fabric): 1 kg, worn
Mining helmet (iron): 1 kg, worn
Avoid "missing helmet while underground" penalty
Backpack (scaled turkey leather): 2 kg, 3/40 kg capacity
--Knife (iron): 1 kg
Butcher animals; you avoid unarmed penalty; sharp
--Splitter wand (sparkstone, scaled turkey bone): weight 1 kg for several (8x)
Mine very quickly; one use
--Food, one day: 1 kg
The backpack-traded-for-a-wheelbarrow is also a weird leather, contains fewer splitter wands, but has an iron war hammer instead of a knife. (I've labeled the item as "held" for now; will you want me to roll up this spare backpack and stuff it in your original backpack for transport?)
Total weight: 20/50 kg
Pick (iron): 2 kg, held
Mine 1 tile per day; you avoid unarmed penalty; piercing
Lantern (iron): 2 kg, held
Backpack (scaled turkey leather): 2 kg, held, 4/40 kg capacity
--War hammer (iron): 2 kg
You add Succeed; blunt
--Splitter wand (sparkstone, scaled turkey bone): weight 1 kg for several (4x)
Mine very quickly; one use
--Food, one day: 1 kg
Waterskin (surface leather): 0 kg by itself, on belt
--Water, one day: 1 kg
Tunic (surface fabric): 1 kg, worn
Mining helmet (iron): 1 kg, worn
Avoid "missing helmet while underground" penalty
Backpack (surface leather): 2 kg, worn, 5/40 kg capacity
--Food, one day: 1 kg
--Blanket (surface fabric): 2 kg
--Surface kit: 1 kg
The kit contains a stick of graphite, rolled parchment, flint, sewing needles, thread, and a mirror, all in a narrow wooden box
--Bandages (surface fabric): 1 kg
The main sound now is the splash of a waterfall, heretofore unnoticed as you had been distracted by hyper-barter. It's almost beautiful here. This pool of water, surely created by rain from the surface and condensation formed within the sinkhole, has some sort of cavereed growing in the crumbling rubble along the banks. It all rustles in a gentle breeze; hmm, is air flowing through those cracks in the northeast wall? Also of note is the stone itself: it is predominately a striped, layered sort of thing (shale, probably), but there are a lot of orange-colored patches along the south wall.
. . . Wait! What's that new sound? You think you hear a snake hissing somewhere.. . . Now. In the background, I have acknowledged
Dwain (Starver)'s request to get more water. If you older exiles would like me to toss the dead hoarding wastrel's dagger or anything in a wheelbarrow, I can handle that. But I won't ask for lots of actions or narrate for you until one more turn passes . . . for some reason . . .
Author
Topic: Magical ASCII Mine-diving Adventure, Day 20 - At Rest (Read 237728 times)