Chapter 4: Gluttons for punishment

[drpete]

Date: Eurale 9, 9:10 am
Season: Mid Fall
Weather: Cold and Clear
Moon phase: First Quarter
Location: Red Door

After a day moving things back to the camp site, and getting ready to go, the group settles down for a night at their campsite. The mercenaries are happy to see you returned, and they cook up a nice dinner on the camp stoves. Everyone settles in for the night, with the mercenaries taking shifts keeping the fire going and watching for trouble.

The next morning, you head up the stairs again. It's been almost a month since you last climbed these stairs, and the weather is somewhat colder, but not so much that it makes the journey difficult. You pass the tower occupied by the giant ape-man, Nilus. He watches approach from his tower. The ground around the tower is littered with bones, now. You see various animals, but you also see a handful of human remains, including various ruined bits of adventuring equipment scattered around. As you approach, he stands in the doorway with a serious look on his face, but he does not attempt to stop your ascent, or otherwise engage with you, though his eyes linger on Solaine as the group goes by.

Finally, you reach the top of the stairs climbing the mountain. The pair of massive red bronze doors at the top are closed.

[sulldawga]

Zim pulls one of the red doors open.

[drpete]

The massive door opens easily and quietly. Beyond the door is a stairway that leads down into the darkness. Everything seems quiet.

[kalstone]

Solaine slips on one of the war masks. As the red door opens, she can feel her panic rising. She silently whispers, "Lord Mavors, shed down a kindly ray from above upon my life, and strength of war, that I may be able to drive away bitter cowardice from my head and crush down the deceitful impulses of my soul." Her knuckles go white on her swords as she starts toward the entrance.

[Stirling]

Quinn Coburg

Last to enter, Quinn, scans the sky and horizon. Though the staircase leads to the door, are there any other signs of people ascending further up or around the mountain?

Wary of the ape-man, Quinn will make a note of his stare at Solaine. "Could be eyeing you up for a mate. Must be cold and lonely in that tower. The group may need to address his continued presence there. Either drive him off or use his skills. Perhaps he will spot and track that wyvern for us if it comes hunting carrion again?"

[sulldawga]

Once someone lights a torch or lantern, Zim heads down the stairs.

[kalstone]

Solaine shrugs her shoulders. "Fortunately, I have a lot of experience being leered at by sub-human beastmen. Most of them were dressed in merchant's robes, though."

At the mention of the Wyvern, she says, "If it's a quick death you're looking for, you won't need Nilus to find one for you. There will be plenty of opportunity for you beyond these doors."

[drpete]

Solaine dons the war mask and prepares for battle. The mask disguises her face, giving her a monstrous appearance like some kind of warrior demon. It's definitely creepy.

Quinn looks around. In a brief look, he doesn't see anything that looks like a path leading up the mountain by another path. It might be possible to move sideways along the wall of rock, but going off the stairs here would more likely lead to a fall. He recognizes that this entrance would be hard to approach in any way but up the stair.

Before Quinn can do a more thorough search, Zim pushes the pace of exploration, and moves to go down the stairs into Dwimmermount.

Lemme know if we're going down the stairs or searching up here for features/paths, etc. A search would take some time.

[barkman]

Lighting up his lantern, Randolph replies to the question about the ape man "If we wanted to be bastards about it, let's grab a bolt of cloth, or a cloak, throw it over his shoulders, then use the scarab as the cloak pin or broach and let it take care of him, if he continues to stare at Solaibe, certain bitter irony there, eh?"

[Zorroroaster]

"Seeing as we've reached an...accord with the man, that would seem unusually cruel."

Torgyr checks his weapons and equipment one last time before descending into the darkness.

[drpete]

Lighting the lantern, you head down into the dungeon.

The stairs go down about 60 feet. A short hallway leads from the stairs, south into a large, irregularly shaped room full of statues. The entrance to the room is flanked by statues of bearded men. The torchlight illuminates statues of a bearded man and a woman flanking a set of double doors to the south. To the west, there is a door, as well. The space to the east is lost in shadow, but the returning members know that there are doors going east and north over there.

The room seems quiet.

[Stirling]

Quinn Coburg

There have been battles here previously, vs orcs. What has happened to the bodies? Any signs indicating groups went a certain way? "Perhaps they are all heading to the same place?"Quinn assumes this to be the room with the altar and pressure traps.

[sulldawga]

Zim says Someone tell me which way we're going.

Note that I've been in a couple of Dwimmer games so I know the first level pretty well. Thus, I promised to keep my mouth shut and follow the party; someone point us in the right direction.

[kalstone]

Quinn Coburg

There have been battles here previously, vs orcs. What has happened to the bodies? Any signs indicating groups went a certain way? "Perhaps they are all heading to the same place?"Quinn assumes this to be the room with the altar and pressure traps.

Solaine answers, "The bodies disappeared after our first combat. The room with the altar is off to the southeast."

Zorroroaster has a really good map of what we've explored so far in the "Maps" topic.

[Zorroroaster]

Torgyr waves his hand eastward.

"In that direction, there's that locked door, and then the door further southeast past the room with the dwarven 'statues.' We could continue on that way, or change course and explore to the west. Barring anything telling us which direction to follow, I'm ok with either approach."

[drpete]

As you discuss which way to go, a sword floats serenely out of the space behind the statue to the west. A moment later, you notice that the sword is held by a bony arm, though there is no body attached. It glides slowly toward the east, pointing toward the locked door.

[kalstone]

IIRC, those statues were of the gods. Which god's statue did it emerge from?

[drpete]

IIRC, those statues were of the gods. Which god's statue did it emerge from?

The statues all have the same bearded head, but that statue's body is of Caint, god of medicine, poetry, and music.

There seems to be a shimmer, a glow, in the area around the sword and arm.

[Zorroroaster]

Torgyr scratches his beard.

"Do we dare follow it?"

[sulldawga]

Do the sword and arm look ghostly or real, just detached from a body and levitating by themselves?