March 4/5 Descent into the Under City - The Dwarven Pipeline

[Fulci]

Ballar Uh, fighta'-'ssin

Do the dimensions of the tunnel allow movement and the re-arranging of our ranks? Is it a bigger place than the one we came through before?

Ballar Uh readies his weapons.

Can he attempt an assassination roll on the goblin?

[Mister-Kent]

Zachariah Rat
The rats chatter excitedly--their own form of laughter. "Ohh, tourists! Do let's go tell King Rat then, he likes a good larf! You come too, worldly ratsy!" the lead rat tells you. "We'll discuss yourself over din at the Inverse Spire!"

The pair scurry off into the cracks. Meanwhile, the argument of the little men grows louder.

"We ain't leaving! The Guild of Caverners is free to explore as we liken!" the goblin in the hat squeaks.

Ballard Uh
The cog room between tunnels would be the best place to rearrange, as the pipes would be close space. If you go in before Tobias, you may attempt an assassination.

[Fulci]

Ballar Uh, fighter/assassin

A metallic, acidic feeling emerges in Ballar Uh's throat: the taste of killing. But, strangely enough, he has second thoughts. He murmurs to his fellow Delvers:
"The dwarf doesn't like intruders. We are intruders. Like the goblin. If I kill the goblin, the dwarf won't like us anyway."

But it's visible (judging from the weird spark Ballar Uh's eyes) that he just needs an order and a confirmation to kill. So if his companions insist, he enters the tunnel and silently moves closer to the quarreling pair.

Move silently (37%) [1d100] = 3

[Grognardsw]

Biblo, apparitionist

Zachariah Rat"We ain't leaving! The Guild of Caverners is free to explore as we liken!" the goblin in the hat squeaks.

"And there may be more goblins by the sound of it," adds Biblo. "We may have to convince the dwarf one way or another. Perhaps Ballar stays back and we move in to parley, but give Ballar the signal and he can follow through on the assassination?"

[Pulpatoon]

Zachariah Rat
The rats chatter excitedly--their own form of laughter. "Ohh, tourists! Do let's go tell King Rat then, he likes a good larf! You come too, worldly ratsy!" the lead rat tells you. "We'll discuss yourself over din at the Inverse Spire!"

The pair scurry off into the cracks. Meanwhile, the argument of the little men grows louder.

Zacharias Rat takes one look over his rodent-shoulder at the rest of the party, decides that they can handle themselves just fine without him, and scurries off to learn what he can from King Rat at the Inverse Spire.

[LtTibbles]

Tobias

"Perhaps, but we may just end up giving away our advantage." Tobias gets into position and ready's himself for a fight. "But if that's what everyone thinks should be done I won't push the issue."

[Marullus]

Gul-Marach rumbles. "I don't think death is a first resort, here."

He shifts his position to the front with Tobias and begins to walk down into the other chamber. He speaks bluntly as soon as he enters. "Don't think the Guild of Caverners has much to say here. This isn't a cavern." He stands up to his full height, now out of the pipe. His voice is deep and ominous. "Get out."

[Fulci]

Ballar Uh, fightssin (but definitely not an asster)

Ballar Uh emerges from the shadows as well, to give Gul-Marach's words some extra weight.

[Mister-Kent]

The gob backs up, pressing himself against the far wall of the round room. The dwarf remains composed for now, sidestepping towards the far wall as well. The sight of the imposingly built Gul Marach is enough to make the goblin whimper, and he almost dives into the nearest pipe when Ballar Uh emerges.

"Caverners tis just a name! Ain't what all we being! You humies and you dwarvens is alike in what names is so important!" the goblin squeals.

"Us Caverners claim all what lies below as ours to delve! Him murderous jealous of our freedom, cuz all dwarvens think is structure! Build! Preserve!" the goblin explains with accusatory looks to the dwarf.

Zachariah Rat
You follow the rats down crevices in the earth, mostly through rocks and dirt, occasionally crossing through other pipes.

You reach a partially buried statue, a gargoyle with a gaping mouth that seems to be a pipe. The rats turn to you. "We ride down the water now. Jump in when ready, ratsy!"

[Pulpatoon]

Zacharias Rat follows his guides down the pipe, another bot of flotsam carried down by dark currents.

[Grognardsw]

Biblo, illusionist

"Tell us good dwarf of your tunnels," Biblo asks the dwarf discretely as others confront the goblin. "We are in search of the urchin queen."

[LtTibbles]

Tobias

Entering in from the tunnel, Tobias takes spot next to Gul-Marach and Ballar Uh, but stays silent.

[Marullus]

Gul-Marach stands between the imposing forms of Ballar Uh and Tobias. "If you have freedom to steal or break what he has built, than he has freedom to kill you for trying. Now flee, vermin, before I get creative." He reaches up, gripping his massive sword to draw it.

[Mister-Kent]

Dwarven Pipeline
Noon-time

Biblo
Poe inspects the central cog in this room as you approach the pipe-worker. The dwarf's mouth is tight, his eyes darting nervously as you address him.

"My pipes are as ancient as the city itself," he says. "They may be creaky and cracked in places, but I keep the up best as I can. They are solely for the care and maintenance of Vornheim's cistern's and aqueducts! Not for delving!" he grunts defensively, and pats a dwarven scrawl etched behind him. "Property of the Caligarian Empire. Official Use ONLY!"

He hesitates when you mention the queen. "The urchin queen? She's that leader of the vagrants. She's elsewhere--under and further over." He grumpily points down the pipes. "Normally her vagabonds have the smarts to stay clear of the pipeways. They know they won't be welcome if they intrude on my work…"

"I am the last of my order," he explains, cracking his knuckles. "I take my work very seriously."

Gul-Marach, Tobias, Ballar-Uh
The goblin huffs, and straightens his hat. "I--but he--you can't really take his--"

His expression grades from sheer bewilderment to scorn. "So be it, so be it!" he says with a nod as he draws back up to an exit pipe. He extends his long thin fingers towards you as he creeps into the tunnel. "The Caverners shall withdraw our presence, and our assistance as well! Best of luck with that one!" he snickers, and waggles his tongue at the angry dwarf before slipping away into the dark.

The dwarf looks over at the group of you once the gob is gone. He has an expression look akin to relief, but his eyes are still stern. "I really don't like folks in my pipe-ways, you know." he grunts.

Zachariah Tar
You follow your new guides down the rat-hole...

[Grognardsw]

Biblo, reasonable

"I am the last of my order," he explains, cracking his knuckles. "I take my work very seriously."

"As you should good dwarf," responds Biblo, hoping a reasonable approach will make the demi-human more cooperative. "We seek expeditious passage and will not damage the pipeline. You seem to know the best route to the queen. Perhaps you could provide directions, or accompany us on the way while checking pipeline integrity?"

[Fulci]

Ballar Uh, fighter/assassin

After the goblin's disappearance, Ballar Uh takes a less threatening stance.

But the creature's last words are echoing in his head: "The Caverners shall withdraw our presence, and our assistance as well!" What might be this assistance? Ballar Uh wants to ask the dwarf, but then he changes his mind and stores this information for later.

[LtTibbles]

Tobias Gifford

Tobias leaned against his halberd as he watched the goblin make it's way off into the pipeline. "Hmmm...a lot more civil than I expected from a goblin though no less ornery, best to keep in mind that those things are down here."

[Mister-Kent]

Tobias
Acolyte Gachard nods in agreement, his eyes still wide from the encounter. "You're…you're a warrior, right? You've received martial training, as a Delver? You ever tangled with the likes of them--goblins, I mean?" he asks you.

Biblo
The Dwarf mutters something into his beard. "Ergh…I, uh, I can walk a ways with you 'til you leave the pipe-ways. I guess I'd rather not leave you unattended," he grumbles.

"This way, then," he says, shuffling off to another tunnel.

Gul-Marach
Sister Krystyn leans close to you, the dour paladin wrinkling her nose. "I don't trust that little man," she huffs.

***

The Dwarf goes ahead of you all into the pipe, walking upright while the rest of you are required to crawl. It looks like another circular chamber up ahead of him. He taps the pipe wall with his fist every few paces, seemingly approving of the system's structural integrity.

"If you're going to treat with the Urchin Queen, it's your own trouble, though what do you hope to get out of it? Being Queen's not so grand a thing anyway," your angry guide says. "Everyone's a 'King of This', or 'Queen of That' down here, where no one can argue otherwise. I could call myself King of Dwarves if I so choose--ain't no dwarves 'round to say otherwise!"

He leads you through a circular room with three cogs in the center and begins turning one by its handle. "I dunno if I'd want to be a King of Dwarves anyway," he mutters. With the turning of the crank, a low rumbling travels through the pipes.

[Marullus]

Gul-Marach murmurs to Sister Krystyn, "If we follow him, there is a chance of us finding the right path... and if he leads us wrong, it is no worse than we'd have blundering through his traps alone. Sometimes we trust the iron, other times the rust."

He grunts and contorts, notably unhappy to all before and behind him, as he passes his massive frame through the miniaturized passageways.

[LtTibbles]

Acolyte Gachard nods in agreement, his eyes still wide from the encounter. "You're…you're a warrior, right? You've received martial training, as a Delver? You ever tangled with the likes of them--goblins, I mean?"

Tobias adjusted the angle of his hat up so that he could get a better look at the acolyte and asses his bearing. "Aye a few times, you stick your nose anywhere near this profession you're gonna come across at least one goblin dirty little buggers the lot of them, short stabby and vicious you don't want to underestimate them either they're real cunning as well but if you keep your wits about you they're easily dealt with...usually. This your first time delving sir...?"