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

[Benoist]

Tudd peers curiously into the hole, snorts and chuckles, "That looks like a privy...", and he sniffs cautiously, glances around thoughtfully, then shakes his head and begins poking around the storage room saying, "Naw Bug, don't hafta go yet"

The smell coming off the hole is awful. Smells like rot, or sewers, or both. It feels wet, damp, like the saturated air trapped within is slowly being released in the storage room around Tudd.

There are many pieces of equipment here. Poles, pikes, pickaxes, shovels, rope, bags filled with potatoes and grain, hooks, pitons and so on.

Ylarum, to Runch: "Runch, bring that...thing in here."(indicating the orc)  "Does it speak?  Can it understand common?  And for Gods' sake, bind its hands or cut its arm tendons!"

The orc turns, stunned, and gets behind Runch by reflex. He does not speak, and looks back and forth, from Ylarum to Runch, unsure what is going to happen next.

[skofflox]

Ylarum, to Runch: "Runch, bring that...thing in here."(indicating the orc)  "Does it speak?  Can it understand common?  And for Gods' sake, bind its hands or cut its arm tendons!"

The orc turns, stunned, and gets behind Runch by reflex. He does not speak, and looks back and forth, from Ylarum to Runch, unsure what is going to happen next.

contemplating my answer to Erarhts question as Ylarum comes up I turn my head slightly towards the Orc and speak in Orcish.
"Stay calm now Erarht. Theres no danger from these folk as long as you play nice see!"

Placing my right hand on the haft of my blade and the left on my hip as I widen my stance a bit..."I believe he knows a'touch common tongue, but I am happy to translate. His hands stay free for now Ylarum and don't forget he is my captive, a spoil of war so's ta speak and under no ones sway but mine! Now what do ya have in mind with my property?" as I fold my hands across my chest.

 Nimten hands the key back with a "Thank you Othos." and pauses in thought as the bell tolls...he then gets up and strides towards the room with the slain tentacled creature. He will throw a bit of debris to check the trap and then proceed into the room accordingly.

[Benoist]

contemplating my answer to Erarhts question as Ylarum comes up I turn my head slightly towards the Orc and speak in Orcish.
"Stay calm now Erarht. Theres no danger from these folk as long as you play nice see!"

Placing my right hand on the haft of my blade and the left on my hip as I widen my stance a bit..."I believe he knows a'touch common tongue, but I am happy to translate. His hands stay free for now Ylarum and don't forget he is my captive, a spoil of war so's ta speak and under no ones sway but mine! Now what do ya have in mind with my property?" as I fold my hands across my chest.

Erarht keeps his mouth shut and waits for Ylarum to answer Runch's query. He tries to follow with great anxiety, partly because he does not seem to completely understand the exchanges not using the Orcish dialect, and partly because he still seems very concerned about his own safety.

Nimten hands the key back with a "Thank you Othos." and pauses in thought as the bell tolls...he then gets up and strides towards the room with the slain tentacled creature. He will throw a bit of debris to check the trap and then proceed into the room accordingly.

Testing the trap shows it to be still very much active. Nimten then crawls under the candle and reaches the room without problem.

[Sigmund]

The smell coming off the hole is awful. Smells like rot, or sewers, or both. It feels wet, damp, like the saturated air trapped within is slowly being released in the storage room around Tudd.

There are many pieces of equipment here. Poles, pikes, pickaxes, shovels, rope, bags filled with potatoes and grain, hooks, pitons and so on.

Wrinkling his nose and snorting, Tudd hurriedly grabs 5 pitons, a length of rope, a shovel, a pickaxe, and a pike, and then heads back out to Runch.

[Benoist]

Wrinkling his nose and snorting, Tudd hurriedly grabs 5 pitons, a length of rope, a shovel, a pickaxe, and a pike, and then heads back out to Runch.

Tudd proceeds without trouble. He leaves the room and catches up with the situation by the dais.

[Cole]

Ulas once again takes up a position in the dais room south of the floor trap and watches out for trouble at the debris barricade.

[thedungeondelver]

Ylarum, to Runch: "Stay your blade, fellow adventurer.  We found a hatch or a trapdoor or something in the room yonder.  Let's say we tie a leash to it, throw it down the hole.  If nothing eats it, then no harm no foul.  If it dies or escapes, I'll pay weregild."

[skofflox]

Ylarum, to Runch: "Stay your blade, fellow adventurer.  We found a hatch or a trapdoor or something in the room yonder.  Let's say we tie a leash to it, throw it down the hole.  If nothing eats it, then no harm no foul.  If it dies or escapes, I'll pay weregild."

Raising an eyebrow and snorting at Ylarums query, I jerk my thumb towrads the Orc..."Things name is Erarht."

Turning my head a bit and continuing in Orcish..."Howzya feel bout doin a bit o' explor'n for the lads here?" as I sweep my hand towards the others. "My companion thinks we should dangle ya inta some pit yonder. Watcha say?, feel'n brave?"

Nimten counts the yellow oily balls and then picks up a piece of detritus and throws it into the candle trap room...will then recount the yellow balls.

[Benoist]

Ulas once again takes up a position in the dais room south of the floor trap and watches out for trouble at the debris barricade.

Ulas stands by the southern edge of the plate trap. Everything is quiet to the north. Too quiet, maybe.

DM: Roll 1d100.

[in Orcish] "My companion thinks we should dangle ya inta some pit yonder. Watcha say?, feel'n brave?"

Erarht looks back and forth between Ylarum and Runch once more. You can see the conflicting urges fighting within. The deep-seated cowardice that expelled him from the Toruk Rul surely is one of them. It is hard to tell what the others might be. [in Orcish] "Do I really have a choice?"

Nimten counts the yellow oily balls and then picks up a piece of detritus and throws it into the candle trap room...will then recount the yellow balls.

You count the balls. There are 43 of them.

You throw a piece of rubble through the corridor and once more, the trap is activated, the candles each blasting their ray and wisp and blob of magma at their target, which is ultimately disintegrated by the process.

You then count the yellow balls again. 43 of them, just like before.

[Benoist]

Just as these events unfold, you notice that the platform resting on top of the dais is being raised once more, though you have not given any signal to the people above to do so.

[Cole]

Ulas stands by the southern edge of the plate trap. Everything is quiet to the north. Too quiet, maybe.

DM: Roll 1d100.

14

[Benoist]

14

Ulas Xegg notices some lights on the other side of the huge pile of clutter, through the mess of beams and dust and boulders beyond the red lantern. These might be refracting off a mirror, so faint and brief their flickering seems to the Assassin.

[Cole]

Ulas silently waves over the nearest PC in the room, makes a "quiet," gesture with his finger, then points to the flickering light.

[Benoist]

Ulas silently waves over the nearest PC in the room, makes a "quiet," gesture with his finger, then points to the flickering light.

DM: According to my map, the dwarves and Tudd are closer to Ulas, but anyone in the room might very well notice his gestures.

Here's an updated map for clarity's sake:

Click for higher resolution

[thedungeondelver]

Ignoring matters of orc-bait for the moment, Ylarum will cry "Oi!  The platform!" and jump forward to grab ahold.