[TheLongRoad] The Road to Thustrata

[Catodon]

Sainrith

Between crunching bites Sairith turns to Var “If the tunnels are tight I should be at the van. In the rear I will be trapped unable to fire my bow  and Epsiyr would be unable to take advantage of his great speed and maneuverability. In any fight we are the wasp, fire first then flank and fire again and again.”

[Jigger]

Wallace Turned Grim

Wallace bites down on his pipe and stuffs a few apples into his bag, "Var's right, we don't know when well get a chance to eat again. Everyone take grab some food while I have a look around. Someone, check the supplies Var wanted a lantern, and I tried to grab some extra rope, food and canteens from the quarter master before we left. Make sure Marrakt, didn't get stingy on us, and pocket the extra.".

Shouldering his pack, Wallace stalks down to the ruins. With the flick of his hand he produces the full length of his well heavy staff from beneath his cloak. With a practiced swing and he brings in front of him as guard, as begins to poke around.

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Search
Check out the excavation, and look for signs activity around the ruin. (Old fire pits, garbage, scat, trail markers, guild signs, graffiti, possible natural chimney's. Basically anything that might point to who has recently been here, or might be living here.)
1d20+6

1d20+8=20

<Once I can see what were up against, I'll cast a few detects around to see what lies here magically>

[LordKruelos]

As Wallace searches about the ruins around and near the excavation, he curses the carelessness of the patrol of guardsmen that the Sheriff sent into the cellars. The careless stomping of booted feet makes it difficult to determine what else might have passed. Older signs, more than a week old, point to the work of laborers excavating and removing debris to the nearby piles.

[Catodon]

Smiling Sainrith watches Wallace with interest as he chews and finishes filling Epsiyr's saddlebags with juicy apples.

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Sainrith has eaten to his fill and stuffed as many apples as he can into his mount's bags without slowing horse and rider down. If required I could calculate how many pounds of apples this is

[foproy]

shadefire will move up to the entrance and look for a trail besides the soldiers to follow.

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survival 1d20+11=27

[LordKruelos]

Shadefire recalls a fragment that had been mentioned about the Evil dwarven spirits come down from their haunts on Eagle’s Eyrie while contemplating the ruins and the mischievous Sainrith gorging himself on the temple's apples.

What was it the guard had said?

Guard Chorus

Easy to say for an elf. You and the fairy can live as long as someone don't kill ya. If it was so easy to kill a fairy, wouldn't be any left.

A fey of some sort, that much you're sure of, or at least Vár thinks so, or could have made that part up bluffing to the captain.

A sprite perhaps? No, it seemed more substantial than that. A boggin? A Wose of some sort?

Whatever it was, something inspired the sheriff to suddenly order digging up the ruins -- an endeavor that has reportedly failed a few times over the last 10 years.

[foproy]

more questions than answers here, only one way to go now, and that is deeper.

[Fiendbasher]

Vár tells Sarinith, "Very well, you take point then... I'll take rear guard with Grimmar, I can get around him or the rest of you easily enough if I have to. I'm the safest to move around Grimmar when he gets agitated anyway."

He signals the vargyr to follow him, and moves to join Shadefire near the entrance, pausing to light up the lantern.

[LordKruelos]

Stairway to Heaven Wine Cellar
Temple Cellars


Down the Stairs

At the base of the stairs is a small wine cellar, with oaken casks lining the walls on either
side of you. Wooden beams are draped with spider webs and white nitre; a pale, flickering
green light illuminates the room. A portcullis blocks your path to the left; beyond it you see crypts.

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I took the order as described in actions, assuming anyone who doesn't choose tends to be grouped toward the middle by default.

Next turn advances Sunday. What do you do as you descend the stairs?

Soundtrack:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_5kv8QeBBc

[foproy]

shadefire calls khelos to his side, and once down stairs looks to see if the gaurds went any further then this. he also starts to think if maybe this may be some kind of undead.

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survival:1d20+11=15
knowledge:1d20+1=19
just in case i rolled for khelos and got the same on survival so i let it be.

[Catodon]

Sainrith

Sairith whispers “we can tread softly can you? No need to announce our presence. Perhaps I should go ahead 20 feet or so?”

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unshod hooves placed softly (1d20+6=23)

Reaching the cellar Sainrith pauses to quickly glance about for anything unusual.

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1d20+5=13
Also where is the green light coming from?

Seeing the portcullis he slips down from Epsiyr’s back and pads over to inspect it

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Has the portcullis been used recently?
Are there signs of anything passing this way?
How is the portcullis raised? Is it locked?
1d20+5=23
Survival (track) 1d20+5=15

Sainrith is 2feet6inches tall and has an elfin build, he might be able to squeeze through bars intended to keep out men and portly hobbits. Can he slip through the portcullis?

[LordKruelos]

shadefire calls khelos to his side, and once down stairs looks to see if the gaurds went any further then this. he also starts to think if maybe this may be some kind of undead.

(click to show/hide)

survival:1d20+11=15
knowledge:1d20+1=19
just in case i rolled for khelos and got the same on survival so i let it be.

The room is larger than it appears, with what would appear to be small holes or cracks along the edge of the eastern wall.
The casks of wine show one reason the temple was popular -- fine wines for holy sacraments.

As Sairith nears the portcullis, his fey senses detect something set into the wall then covered with plaster.  A stone door, with the plaster as an obscuring cover and a seal

The flickering light is dancing from the ceiling itself and familiar to the Fey -- faerie fire.
Not an unreasonable trick for the priests of the god of morning

Sainrith

Sairith whispers “we can tread softly can you? No need to announce our presence. Perhaps I should go ahead 20 feet or so?”

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unshod hooves placed softly (1d20+6=23)

Seeing the portcullis he slips down from Epsiyr’s back and pads over to inspect it

(click to show/hide)

Has the portcullis been used recently?
Are there signs of anything passing this way?
How is the portcullis raised? Is it locked?
1d20+5=23
Survival (track) 1d20+5=15

Sainrith is 2feet6inches tall and has an elfin build, he might be able to squeeze through bars intended to keep out men and portly hobbits. Can he slip through the portcullis?

The portcullis is mostly down, but about 2' off the floor and by your estimation came down recently and perhaps was later raised a small amount. While it might be more difficult for the larger members of the party to get through, it would be easy for the diminutive Fey to pass beneath.

Clearly in the middle of the passageway on the other side of the portcullis are several bloodstains, several days old.

[Jigger]

Wallace Ex-Raven

"Let's see if we can get this porticulus moved. Unless we do, it looks like the wolves will have to stay out here and guard our flank. Even if it doesn't move we should use rocks and debrise, to brace it open. This is probably a trap, and I don't want to caught on the wrong side of the exit.", Wallace says, testing the gates weight.

[LordKruelos]

While Wallace examines the gate, testing it for weakness, Sainrith slips easily under the partially-raised portcullis. Sainrith stands back up in the semi-darkened room, only faint light from Var's lantern spilling past the opening.

Long, narrow alcoves are stacked three high along both walls of this tunnel, and the floor is covered with graves. The graves are covered by large slabs of stone and bronze depicting the deceased and listing their titles and accomplishments. All of them seem to be
priests and warriors devoted to the service of the god of morning.


Location Map: Turn 2

[Fiendbasher]

Vár moves up to join Wallace at the portcullis, setting the lantern down so that its light reaches through the bars and better illuminates the tunnel beyond.

Vár Blackshield

"Here, I'll help you with that."

Crouching down, he gets his fingers under the lower crossbar of the gate and attempts to wrench it upward.

Further back in the wine cellar, Grimmar descends the stairs and shakes out his fur once again. He begins padding around and snuffling about the room and floor, using his sharp sense of smell to pick up anything the others might have missed....

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Grimmar: Tracking - 1d20+9=23
Grimmar: Notice - 1d20+4=15

Vár: 1d20=12. Not sure what to add to that.