[Continued] - Quirin/Dwarves II - 5 April, 1 VC

[KingOfCowards]

Bertram removes his makeshift hood, he might have looked better with it still on. He is visibly shaken by this series of events. "It would be madness to venture in again without knowing where those creatures are. Perhaps we can draw them out. Have them get close to the entrance and fire arrows at them. They might catch on after a while, but if they can be harmed, we might take down a few of them. Poor Crivit. He was a good man, no matter what anyone can say about him."

Only down 1 hp. 6/7.

[sulldawga]

Quirin shakes his head vigorously.

I have zero interest in facing those shades. Too many, too powerful. I'll be out here in the sunlight if that's your plan.

If we camp, Quirin should recover his lost hit point.

[Spartakos]

Galen nods slowly to Bertram and Quirin's words, but looks troubled. "I agree, our knowledge is not what it could be...yet I don't see how we'd gain more knowledge of our foes without venturing back within, at least in some way."

Turning back to Quirin, he adds, "While recovering Crivit is the real goal, I am not yet discarding the idea of facing whatever killed him, should it prove feasible. Perhaps you saw better than I, but we do not know what they are, how many they are, or how powerful they are...only that they can bring down and kill a single man who was fleeing them. And while Crivit was a good soul, he was only moderately armored and was not a man of war."

"Though it seems ironic and grim to say it, fire may be our best weapon against creatures of darkness, apart from the power of the gods." Here, he looks to Krysta.

By my count--from the character sheets--we had 11 flasks of oil and 19 torches; we should be able to illuminate enough that we won't be fighting these things in the dark, and Bertram's idea of luring them has merit...if we can get them to chase us, perhaps we can draw them into a pre-poured pool of oil and then light them up, in addition to having archers ready.

I say we wait at least a few hours, though...plenty of daylight left, give them time to go hide back in a hole, if they wish.

[GTan_Baq]

Abi says, "Guys, don't forget this is a tomb. We may have only been chased by just a handful of what all may be lurking inside."

[KingOfCowards]

"I think daylight is all that's keeping us safe right now. Is there some way we could use that against them?"

I like the oil idea, but maybe we can create the pool such that the fire would trap them in between the flaming oil and the exit. They would need to retreat through the flames or face our arrows. Any who hesitate take a round of missile weapons and then still need to make it back through the flames.

Keehnelf, how close did the monsters come to the exit? Just out of range of daylight I gathered, but how far would that be?

[Keehnelf]

Because of how the entrance is constructed the sunlight doesn't go far in, especially in late morning. The signs of movement were visible right at the exit, though in the afternoon the sun should penetrate perhaps ten feet.

[sulldawga]

Quirin says, I'm not going back in there unless all the shades are gone and we have a lot of torches lit. And as soon as we find Crivit, I'm taking him out. That's it for me, sorry. I'm an adventurer, not an avenging angel or a martyr.

[KingOfCowards]

Bertram grunts, obviously unimpressed with what Quirin considers an adventurer to be.

Bertram pulls out his bow and moves closer to the entrance, being sure to stay in the rays of the sunlight for now. He'll listen for any footsteps from whatever these ghoulies are and then return to the group.

"Is that how the rest of you feel as well? You'd be happy to bring back Crivit's body just so long as it doesn't involve risking your own necks? I think if we worked together, we'd have an easier time of it."

It sounds like Galen is on board for at least trying something. Wasn't it Quirin who first suggested recovering Crivit's body? Where do the rest of you stand? And if we aren't trying this, where to next? The black tower? At least I know something about what's in this place. That tower could be twice as dangerous.

[Keehnelf]

How long is the group planning to wait before enacting whatever plan they settle on?

[GTan_Baq]

Abi says, "I want to recover Crivit but honestly, what can we do? We don't know exactly what got him nor how many so we really don't know how to fight whatever they are. For all we know they could have raised him as undead and we could end up fighting against Crivit and our effort to recover his body would be wasted."

[sulldawga]

Quirin's plan is as follows:

Wait an hour, then enter.
Light torches and drop them along the way, perhaps every 50 feet or so.
Find Crivit's body and retrieve it.
Head back to daylight, picking up the dropped torches along the way.

Anyone who wants to go back in after Crivit is retrieved is welcome to do so. Sounds too much like a high risk/low reward job for me.

[Keehnelf]

Bertam hears no footsteps.

[Keehnelf]

Torches every 50ish feet would give at least dim light the entire way, and probably only take 6 or 7 torches until the best estimate of where Crivit fell.

[KingOfCowards]

Now we're talking
Let's have a few people do the torch placement, and a few stand guard with bows (I'm thinking Buryl and Quirin). If we hear any footsteps, we run well ahead of the time where it should come down to a foot race. For now, we have the advantage that these things seem overly aggressive and we can hear them coming.

For what it's worth if we don't loot this place, one of the other groups will. So I am all for taking these things down if we are able to.

[Keehnelf]

April 13, 1 VC - 10:50am

After the party has been waiting about a half-hour, they are suddenly startled by the distant sound of crashing stone from within the tomb. It sounds as if something large and heavy has fallen and shattered.

[sulldawga]

Quirin says, Hmm. How about we go now, before anything else collapses in there?

[OGRE MAGE]

Buryl

I am for going back in to get the priest but I believe we need to use the utmost caution. I don't want to lose another person from our group.

He readies his bow and torches, following the others.

[Keehnelf]

OK, lay out the marching order and roles for me.

[GTan_Baq]

Abi will remain outside readying her sling. She figures these things are undead so her sleep spell will do no good.

[KingOfCowards]

Bertram will be a "runner"