[Ptolus/AD&D] IC Thread #2 - Underground (part 1)

Benoist · February 21, 2011, 12:17:16 AM

Quote from: skofflox;441500Nimten will take a quick look at the condition of the lock and door. Placing one of each ball into a pouch, will then go back out to the dias area....avoiding the candle trap accordingly!

The lock seems intact, to the point it must not have been tempered with for quite a long time. It would require some type of thin skeleton key with a rather long, blade-like bit to open. The door's condition is similar. It is a very tight fit indeed. No wonder it was hard to notice.

thedungeondelver · February 21, 2011, 10:26:53 AM

Ylarum will call Tarm and Json over, and order them to carefully separate the bodies, dragging them off one another using their polearms. Once they're un-stacked, he'll use the point of his sword to cut away any belt pouches, probe any obvious bulges in pockets, tap at clothing seams for hidden loot, etc.

skofflox · February 22, 2011, 01:16:15 AM

Pushing the captive down to a seated position on the lower step of the dias I draw my lonsword and rest on my right shoulder as I lean in close to the orc and jerk my thumb towards Tudd"See,my brother here will twist yer neck a bit if he thinks yer lyin' so lets not have any muk'n about. (raising voice) Now lets hear all about those 'Qauun' ya mentioned and anything else these folk ask." as I sweep my left hand to indicate my companions.
Then louder still... "If they can leave off marshal'n the area fer a moment that is!"

Sigmund · February 22, 2011, 09:04:19 AM

Tudd grins and taps his morningstar on the floor.

Cole · February 22, 2011, 02:19:08 PM

Quote from: skofflox;441772Pushing the captive down to a seated position on the lower step of the dias I draw my lonsword and rest on my right shoulder as I lean in close to the orc and jerk my thumb towards Tudd"See,my brother here will twist yer neck a bit if he thinks yer lyin' so lets not have any muk'n about. (raising voice) Now lets hear all about those 'Qauun' ya mentioned and anything else these folk ask." as I sweep my left hand to indicate my companions.
Then louder still... "If they can leave off marshal'n the area fer a moment that is!"

Ulas looks over his shoulder for a moment and shouts at the captive orc,

"What're you rat-bastards doing down here in the first place? And what in hell was that monstrosity we just killed?!?"

Benoist · February 22, 2011, 09:39:14 PM

Quote from: thedungeondelver;441569Ylarum will call Tarm and Json over, and order them to carefully separate the bodies, dragging them off one another using their polearms. Once they're un-stacked, he'll use the point of his sword to cut away any belt pouches, probe any obvious bulges in pockets, tap at clothing seams for hidden loot, etc.

Json and Tarm join Ylarum in the north-western storage room. They do not seem very excited at the idea of manipulating the orcish and goblin filth, half-expecting the corpses to animate on the spot, spirits to attack them or whatever other deviltry this place might be capable of unleashing next upon them, but they proceed nonetheless, slowly and conscientiously.

It seems the bodies have been searched already. You see straps of leather on belts that have been cut by knife blades and pockets turned over, but just as you are losing faith, you notice some sort of wad in one of the goblin's mouth. You test it with the tip of your blade and quickly determine this is something solid, and quite large, by the looks of it.

Quote from: skofflox;441772"(raising voice) Now lets hear all about those 'Qauun' ya mentioned and anything else these folk ask." as I sweep my left hand to indicate my companions.
Then louder still... "If they can leave off marshal'n the area fer a moment that is!"

Nimten joins back with the group by the dais as Runch speaks.

Quote from: Cole;441867Ulas looks over his shoulder for a moment and shouts at the captive orc,

"What're you rat-bastards doing down here in the first place? And what in hell was that monstrosity we just killed?!?"

The orc snorts loudly. "Some demon awakened by the spirits of this place, maybe? I know nothing of that creature you slayed. Only that it must have been much weaker that we first thought, since one of the elves is still standing." He throws a mean, defiant look at Nimten.

"I am but a lesser son of the Toruk-Rul." He looks carefully at Runch and Tudd. "Just like you."

"As for my allegiances. I serve the Quaan, and followed Gohruel and Moghool, our Chieftains, to retrieve the secret hidden within these walls, though I do not know what that is."

He looks at the lot of you suspiciously. He seems (and sounds) a lot brighter that you first assumed. "My life is forfeit. I cannot go to the surface. They will kill me. You know it. I cannot go back to the Quaan. I have been left behind. What are you going to do with me?"

Cole · February 22, 2011, 09:43:13 PM

Quote from: Benoist;441964He looks at the lot of you suspiciously. He seems (and sounds) a lot brighter that you first assumed. "What are you going to do with me?"

"Not yet decided, I think. What's north of here?"

Benoist · February 22, 2011, 09:46:40 PM

Quote from: Cole;441965"Not yet decided, I think. What's north of here?"

He seems hesitant. "I am not sure..."

Cole · February 22, 2011, 10:08:21 PM

Quote from: Benoist;441966He seems hesitant. "I am not sure..."

"But you have an educated guess?"

Benoist · February 22, 2011, 10:56:33 PM

Quote from: Cole;441970"But you have an educated guess?"

The orc looks straight at Ulas Xegg for a moment, as if trying to decide whether to answer or not. Then, he finally answers: "I think this place is alive."

Cole · February 22, 2011, 11:11:01 PM

Quote from: Benoist;441974The orc looks straight at Ulas Xegg for a moment, as if trying to decide whether to answer or not. Then, he finally answers: "I think this place is alive."

Ulas turns to give the orc a cold stare through the eyeholes of his mask.

"Holding something back? Scarce a minute ago you were crying 'kill me now.' Now would be a very, very good time to explain why you were so very, very afraid."

Benoist · February 22, 2011, 11:55:48 PM

Quote from: Cole;441978Ulas turns to give the orc a cold stare through the eyeholes of his mask.

"Holding something back? Scarce a minute ago you were crying 'kill me now.' Now would be a very, very good time to explain why you were so very, very afraid."

The orc gulps. "Have you seen what this .. thing you just killed did to my brothers? I thought you too were going to get killed. Or worse. I didn't want to become one of them. I wanted to die before the creature got a hold of my soul!"

He sighs and spits. "Look. I don't know how you managed to get the better of it, but it did overcome us before. I was one of the few who made it out of this area, but I was... I was judged a coward, and left in here with a few others to fight until the creature devoured us. We managed to barricade ourselves in the room where you found us, and now... now I don't even know what's going to happen to me."

Cole · February 23, 2011, 12:08:19 AM

"Good that you're a coward. If I took you for a braver man I'd have cut your throat already. And if you prove to be an honest coward you may get to die in bed someday."

Ulas goes back to watching north for the moment, leaving the questioning to his comrades.

thedungeondelver · February 23, 2011, 01:06:36 AM

Ylarum will put his boot on the neck of the goblin, and try to pry out whatever is in said goblin's mouth.

Benoist · February 23, 2011, 01:40:37 AM

Quote from: thedungeondelver;442001Ylarum will put his boot on the neck of the goblin, and try to pry out whatever is in said goblin's mouth.

The muscles of the goblin's jaw are shut tight. They resist at first, but ultimately relax. It is dry in the goblin's mouth. Ylarums reaches inside and grasps something large. He pulls it out. Some of the goblin's rotten teeth break. Ylarum is finally able to extract the item: it is a fist-sized, perfectly spherical, black jewel of some sort.