Module 1: What Lies Beyond – Ch.1

[OGRE MAGE]

Bigsby squints through the painful effect, glad he could keep it together in front of the others as he carefully backs away.

“Fascinating,” is all he says initially.

Seeing Denny and a few others choosing to investigate the rest of the nearby buildings, the elf decides to leave the strange bee alone for the moment and join the search.

“Left their items just lying around you say? Well, we know that isn’t normal. Perhaps it wouldn’t hurt to do a quick search of the town before going any further.”

[Nemesis]

Rand does not want anything more to do with the Bee Thing and decides to take Denny's suggestion and search the village.

[SilverBen]

Tore shakes his head scowling incredulously, "The village? Bah! This 'ere sinkhole is our biggest clue ta what's happened ta all the villagers. And I heard water at the bottom, which don't scare me none. I'd go searchin' the sinkhole first before ya head off."

Tore will scan the room to find something sturdy to anchor a rope to that at least appears capable of holding his weight to descend into the sinkhole.

"How 'bout this, lads? Just give me a few minutes ta peek down inside before ya go searchin' for lost villagers elsewhere. I'll just climb over the edge. Not far down. I'll be back before ya know it and probably wiser ta findin' where all the villagers went before you go searchin' every nook and cranny."

[dice_monkey]

Bowb's been quiet, clearly thinking to himself. He's had practice. There wasn't much for a shepherd to do but think. "A curious thing," he says, breaking his short lived silence. "A village without villagers. At least that is what it appears to be. A quick search would be wise as there might be someone still around, a witness to what happened here."

Then Bowb looks at the dwarf and gives him a worried smile. "My friend Tore, always so brash. If you are so eager to get down into that hole, I would suggest for your safety to give yourself only a peek. I'll sit here and mind Tore here while the rest of you explore the village. After which we will all come together and exchange what we have discovered and perhaps a direction for a course to take." With that Bowb searches for a suitable spot, nay, a comfortable spot to rest his considerable bulk and close enough to watch Tore lower himself into the hole.

Quickly, Bowb makes a prayer to his god under his breath to watch over his compatriots and especially for Tore. Things were getting much more...disconcerting now.

[Paladin]

Christian remains beside the great hole with Tore and Bowb, crouching near the edge to be near in case the sailor needs a quick hand climbing back out. Or a rescue if he should fall.

"I've got you, mate," he mutters as he peers into the gloom. "I only hope there aren't more of those critters lurking. That wing-flapping is a tad unpleasant."

[Monsieur Rose]

Silky

After Silky gets past the wave of dizziness from the bee-thing, he gets to his feet and shakes his head. "Whoa! That was a rush! Like a good dwarven ale, without the hangover." He seems satisfied with the experience, nodding at the bee.

As the group splits, he seems torn. On one hand, there is a hole. On the other, is a chance to rescue damsels in distress. He pats the hole crew on the back, and moves to explore the town. "Hey! Wait up!" He calls to the others.

Silky heads outside. "Maybe we would have some luck at the keep? Sturdy place. People run to security when they get scared."

[DexterWard]

Day: Sept 9th
Time: 2:00 pm

The Hole:
Tore quickly sets about anchoring a rope to a well placed sturdy table, lodged as to not give way under his weight, while Bowb scouts out the best vantage point from the most comfy positions available and offers Tore a silent prayer. Christian acts as spotter and moral support, encouraging Tore to keep a watchful eye for lurking “critters.”

Griping the rope firmly, Tore slips over the edge of the sinkhole and down into the inky darkness. After about 15’ he locks off and gives his eyes a moment to adjust to the darkness. A moment later shapes begin to form in the darkness. The sinkhole opens up about 20’ down. The sharp outlines of timbers from the tavern floor and roof loom out of the darkness, heaped and piled in the junction of two subterranean tunnels. A 5’ wide tunnel runs north-south, bisected by a 10’ wide tunnel running east-west. Both tunnels appear to be 10’ high and set 90 degrees to one another. The tunnel walls have clear signs of having been mined by man-made tools. The tunnel floor is filled with a muddy brown water; the depth of the water can’t be discerned.

Before ascending back up Tore notices something out of place among the timbers. Slumped and pinned half in, half out of the water, is the torso and head of a human body. There is no sign of life, no movement of any kind, from the body or otherwise. There is no sign of the bee-things either, just silence and Tore’s own breathing.

Map1: Below Sinkhole (each square = 5')

Sinkhole_2.png (105.51 KiB) Viewed 1265 times

The Village:
The rest of The Party begins their search of the village with the houses just south of The Salty Tusk. Opposite the main entrance of The Salty Tusk are two modest houses flanking a small one-room cabin. They look well kept, as do all the houses in Windham Village. Every yard and path groomed, clean, and well kept, except for Windhammer Keep, which seems to have been left to the elements. Perhaps Windhammer’s contributions to the island have fallen out of favor in the 900+ years since his disappearance. A long time in Human years for sure, long enough for rumors to grow, facts to be twisted, truths to become clouded and distorted.

The silence in Windham is unsettling given the bright sun, high in a cloudless sky, its hard shadows highlighting the stark demeanor of the village. Denny approaches the first house, its earth toned roof pristine, and its front door solid as the day it was built. He raps firmly on the door, and calls out for anyone inside…

After a long moment of silence a feminine and somewhat unsure voice calls out from the other side of the door: “Ye…Yes, who…I mean, Hello! Who is there?!” Her voice quivers with both fear and hope. Clearly something has startled her, no doubt something tied to the event at The Salty Tusk. She eventually opens the door and shews the party into her abode without delay, her face full of glee and apprehension. She tells the party of a loud crash at The Salty Tusk one evening just before dusk a few days back. One of the other villagers, a farmer, had come to check on her some time in the night and told her to remain indoors until he came for her. She tells the party she heard screams sometime during the first night but was too afraid to leave her home. That is all she knows. She has plenty of food and water to manage for another day or two.

A search of other homes in the center of the village produce similar results.

A stable, just east-southeast of The Salty Tusk produces a stable owner eager to talk. He tells The Party: “You are brave lads, or stupid. I haven’t decided yet.” He smiles softly, unsure what to make of The Party. “Sinkhole opened up under the Tusk. Caused such a ruckus nearly scared all my horses out of the stable. Cook and his soup-hand both been missing since. Guess they’re lyin’ dead bottom of that sinkhole. Too bad. I known Tabias my whole life. Best cook you’d find anywhere, friendliest too. Jeb and Silas, the blacksmith and beekeeper here, both went to Portsmith, next village over, yester morning to get help. Haven’t heard anything from them since. Things take time around here though. The first night we was attacked by some alien giant bees, couple folks got bit by big fat white ants too when they was trying to help clean up the Tusk. It was just coming on dark, hadn’t lit any lamps yet. Several of the townsfolk got stung by those bee aliens and fell over shakin’ from head to toe. They’s fine I guess, but got a weakness in’em now. John Talvers, farmer just next house up, he grabbed up several of them white ants, said he’d keep them for the officials. They were fat plump little things, two of’em fill up the palm of your hand. Never seen nothing like’em. We’ve been hunkered down ever since the collapse, feared those alien bugs would come after us again, but haven’t heard or seen a thing since that first night. Good thing that, these poor townsfolk aren’t used to such crazy happenings. This whole thing’s got rumors stirred up again too. Folks are saying its Windhammer’s doing. That he stirred up some ancient evil in the ground all those years ago and now it’s finally got out! I can’t say if that’s it, but it makes a man think I tell ya! My great great great grandfather used to tell stories of the earth rumbling beneath this village. He was a bit crazy in the head so no one ever believed him. Lots of kids and old men have come searchin’ that keep up on the hill there (he points toward Windhammer keep) but they never found a thing, not one of’em. Just an old keep is all. If there ever was something, it’s long since buried and forgotten. Just my opinion of course. You take it for what it’s worth. I think things are safe now, but we’re still waiting for Jeb and Silas to return before we go pracin’round after dark. I suggest you lads do the same, if you’re smart. The Stable owner nods, tips his hat, and closes the door swiftly. You hear a bolt rammed into place and then footsteps receding.

Potential Options:

1. Enter the Sinkhole
2. Continue searching the Village
3. Give the Stable Owner a piece of your Mind!
4. Ask the Farmer about the White Ants (NE most farm)
5. Search Windhammer Keep
6. Retrieve the cook from the sinkhole for the townsfolk
7. Twiddle your thumbs and sing “Hey Diddle Diddle” til the cows come home ☺

Actions!

[Nemesis]

Rand listens carefully to the stable owner's tale carefully, growing a little more uncomfortable at the idea that there might be more l bigger-than-they-need-to-be bugs are potentially roaming among the village.

He catches the Farmer's attention.


What can you tell us about the white ants?

[Bluetongue]

'Denny' Denilarsen

"Need some kind of pest control. 'Buzzquitoes', albino ants, whatever next?"

He figures that a search of other houses may find equally nervous townsfolk sheltering behind locked doors. Seems the best action to determine the fate of the tavern cooks. He returns to the tavern. "Thirsty work searching." he states and takes a bottle or two of spirits from behind the counter, leaving a few silver by way of payment.

He waits for the report from those exploring the hole and offers any practical help he can with the ropes.

[SilverBen]

Tore heaves himself back up from the rope to the ruined tavern floor. "Thanks, mates." he murmurs solemnly, "It's grim down there..." and proceeds to describe the scene below:

... among the timbers... slumped and pinned half in, half out of the water, the torso and head of a human body... no sign of life, no movement of any kind, from the body or otherwise... no sign of the bee-things.

"Now, I ain't no dwarf but I know it was an odd site ta see

... timbers from the tavern floor and roof ... heaped and piled in the junction of two subterranean tunnels... a 5’ wide tunnel running north-south, crossed by a 10’ wide tunnel running east-west. Both tunnels were about 10’ high and set square to one another. The tunnel walls had clear signs of having been mined by man-made tools. The tunnel floor was filled with a muddy brown water; the depth of the water can’t be discerned.

"If we only got one thing ta do next, I say we lift the body back up here. Every decent human deserves a proper burial. But, he's for sure stuck in those timbers. Anyone willin' ta free him from that pile of rubble with me? Or have any of ya got a better idea next?"

Player Edited at 1:59PM 11/29/2020
Tore's plan to retrieve the body consists of

1. lowering the rope
2. descendning by the rope
3. prying out the corpse from the timber
4. attaching the rope to the corpse
5. climbing up the rope, anchored by corpse
6. pulling the corpse up by rope with assistance

[DexterWard]

Rand catches the Farmer's attention.
What cab you tell us about the white ants?

Day: Sept 9th
Time: 2:10 pm

Rand & the Farmer:
Having been tipped off by Werner the Stable Owner, Rand quickly jogs over to the Farmer’s house and inquires about the White Ants.

John Talvers, A burly, bright, intelligent eyed man answers the knock at the door enthusiastically: “Why hello there! Did Jeb and Silas send you? Are they back? Never mind, if you’re here to help I’m willing to assist. Those damn creatures from below have caused a serious ruckus in this village and I aim to exterminate every one of them.

John ushers Rand into his spacious home and produces an open top wicker basket. Inside Rand finds three plump opaque white grub-like creatures 1.5” long and ½” in diameter that look like a cross between ants and termites. They immediately begin to squirm and writhe and chew on the basket with their two opposing sets of beefy ash black pincers. They look like they could chew through sold stone, and seem determined enough to do just that. They start making short work of the basket before John produces a candle. The light seems to paralyze the bugs. They immediately become still.

“Hah! Take that you little buggers! They seem to hate the light. We found them chewing on the floor timbers of the Tusk just after dusk. I snagged several of them. They chewed through three baskets before I figured out the trick with the light. Powerful creatures they are. I can’t tell if they’re some kind of termite or carpenter ant. They look a little like both. That’s all I know really. It appears as though they came up through the sinkhole and chewed through the floor timbers. They came back a second night in smaller numbers and several of us kicked and broomed them back over the edge. After an hour they stopped coming. A couple of the villagers got bit by them, knocked them out for several hours. When they woke they said it was like being stung by a cow sized bee. They said they felt like they were going to die. They're alive though, just weak in their bones, hard to move about, say their muscles are all stiff. If you and your friends got any ideas I’m all ears. Just let me know what you need and we’ll see what we can do for you. I do know they don't like fire one bit. Get a flame anywhere near one and it will tear ass the other direction.

John shakes Rand’s hand vigorously, rubs his hands on his pants, and gives Rand a big hopeful smile as he shows him out.

[Paladin]

Christian frowns when Tore describes the grisly scene below. "Aye, every man deserves a proper burial. I'll go down with you and see if we can get him loose. Yeah?" If his companion(s) agree to the idea, Christian will proceed down the hole.

[Monsieur Rose]

Silky

"Huh." Silky remarks as the door is shut in their face. "He seems afraid. Those ants must be horrible."

As he watches Rand race away to the aforementioned farm, he turns to Bigsby. "I want to see those ants! Coming?"

Silky gets up to the farm just as the farmer is letting Rand in. "OOh. Nasty looking things! Has anyone killed one?"

"Maybe we should go check on some of the victims. To comfort them."

[OGRE MAGE]

Following Rand and Silky to see the farmer, Bigsby shudders at the sight of the strange bugs.

"So tell me, Mr. Talvers, since the town has seemingly been abandoned, can we expect to find more of the villagers hiding in their homes? We were a little concerned that you had all simply vanished into the hole, you see. Are there any other people of interest or witnesses to this event around here that you think we should speak with before exploring down below?"

"Oh, and do you have any extra torches or candles we could have to take along with us? Your light experiment on these creatures is truly something, sir."

[Nemesis]

"Thank you for taking the time to speak with us, John. The light trick is an interesting discovery. It sounds like you're aware of the sinkhole that appeared inside the tavern. Do you remember hearing or seeing anything unusual before the sinkhole appeared?"

[DexterWard]

Day: Sept 9th
Time: 2:30 pm

Rand, Silky, Bigsby & the Farmer:

John listens intently to all of the questions in turn. Then with a thoughtful expression says: “Yes, most of the villagers are safe in their homes. The Cook and souphand are the only two missing. The other’s that got stung by those strange bees and bit by them ant-things are doing ok. They’ll live I guess. Werner and I, after that first night, told ever one of them to stay in their homes. After some got attacked, the rest complied easily enough. We check on them daily and bring any news we have, which hasn’t been much. We’re still waiting on Jeb and Silas to return with some help. We thought you were that help. No matter, we’ll take help where we can. I recon if you wanted to check on some of them it wouldn’t hurt too much. It might confuse some, but give others hope. You never know. It was me, Werner, Jeb, and Silas who dealt with the critters. Those that got stung or bit were looky-loos. We told them to git, but you know how villagers are, gawkers and stubborn the lot of’em.

He looks at the plump ant-critters for a moment, frowning the whole while.

“Those nasty critters are faster than they look. Those fat little bodies can really move when they aim to. We stomped a dozen or more that first night with our boots. They pop like an over-ripe cyst. Yellowish white guts flying nine feet in every direction. Yes, we killed some, but they keep coming for a time. Seems like they send out a certain number each night, like a scouting party, or mayhap like a work party I guess. They die easy enough. The problem is when they swarm you. You can only stomp so fast. I recon fire would do them in just as easy as yer boot though.

John considers Rand’s question for a minute…”Now that you mention it, some of us were hearing creaking sounds inside the tavern the week before it collapsed. Most of us just thought the old Tusk was getting old. The Cook assured us it was as solid as the day it was built. I guess in hind sight we did have warning, but none of us could have guessed what it would have come to.”

To Bigsby John says: “Absolutely, I think we can wrestle up a few things for you. Anything to help exterminate those foul creatures so we can get back to normal, easy life.” John smiles big and waves you to follow. He takes you out the front door to a large barn. Inside he produces the following:

• (5) Torches
• (1) Hooded Oil Lantern
• (3) Flasks of Oil
• (4) Candles
• (2) Hooded Candle Lanterns
• (2) 30’ lengths of Hempen Rope

“I also got some tools you might use as weapons. If you want to use them you can. If you can’t bring them back I will understand. The village fellowship will most likely replace them given the circumstances. I have no doubt in that.”

• Hand Scythe
• 3-Tined Hay Fork
• Shovel
• Spade
• Broad Axe
• Forest Axe
• Parang
• 14” Butcher Knife
• Long Handled 14” Pork Cleaver

Developments at the Tusk

Awaiting further posts by that group. No hurry, just don't want you to think I forgot about you guys. Two parties tackling the village dillema.

[SilverBen]

Meanwhile, back at the Salty Tusk, Tore gives a nod of gratitude to Christian and swiftly anchors another rope. He reviews the plan...

1. lower the rope
2. descend by the rope
3. pry out the corpse from the timber
4. attach the rope to the corpse
5. climb up the rope, anchored by corpse
6. pull the corpse up by rope with assistance

..
Tore concludes with some hesitation, "You take this rope, and I'll take this other one. It's a deep hole, so...

1. if any flyin creature appears, then slide down
2. if any slitherin or swimmin creature appears, then climb up

"If both," he smiles feigning confidence, "pray hard!"

[Bluetongue]

'Denny'

The dwarf contemplates the options and decides he might be best used with helping those exploring the hole and body recovery.

"I'll go down too if you need. Help shore up the timbers from collapsing."

[dice_monkey]

"Aye, every man deserves a proper burial. I'll go down with you and see if we can get him loose. Yeah?"[/dialog]

"Verily, good man. And a burial he shall receive," Bowb replies with a gentle hand on Christian's shoulder and a sad smile.

"You take this rope, and I'll take this other one. It's a deep hole, so..."

"Oh, do be careful," whispers Bowb, clearly concerned.

"I'll go down too if you need. Help shore up the timbers from collapsing."

"A good idea, Master Dwarf," the sheepherder replies. "Perhaps you might be able to glean something important with regard to the tunnels. Were the tunnels dug by humans or dwarves...or something else? How old are the tunnels? Perhaps you might divine the purpose the tunnels as well."

Bowb gives the dwarf and the others a wan smile. "I would join you. Please don't think me as afraid, but...," he says, his pudgy hands taking hold of the considerable girth of his belly, "...I would only plug up yonder hole." He allows himself a soft chuckle, his jowls quivering.

"But I will make myself useful, eh? A burial needs the proper tools; a shovel and or a pick. I shall go look and I will compose a proper liturgy and rite of committal. It is the least I could do. I am a layman of my chapel."

[Monsieur Rose]

Silky

He looks at the pile of equipment and fire, then shrugs and starts picking things up. "I guess this means we have to take care of this problem, eh? Can't take help then walk away. Maybe they'll throw a parade or something after we are victorious." Silky gathers what he can hold while thinking of his victory speech.

"No, no. You're too kind. My fellows helped some. But yes, my thighs are sore and I do believe I pulled my groin..."