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[DerelictionOfSanity]

Thor seems sufficiently curious to stick with the party as they continue their trek.

OOC: Brains, if you want to leave him in town, that's ok too. Just post whether or not when you check the thread.

IC: It's full dark by the time you arrive at the cave. It's nearly impossible to perceive the entrance in the darkness. Without Ezmi's knowledge of the location, you would almost certainly have missed it. It's nearly six feet high, but fairly narrow, scarcely more than two feet in width. You can hear faint sounds from within...

 

[cats]

Drec

IC: "So any one else having second thoughts?"

 

[Brains123]

"You ask if its wise if I travel with you friend? If it werent for my help you might be the dinner of that monster in the woods. That spider would have gobbled you up faster then you could imagine. I came in the nick of time to save your ass and this is how you say your thanks? I'll not still in the village friend I have already come to far not to know what this trip of yours is trully about ."

With that Thor walks past him and catches up with Ezmi turning to her with a angry glance.

"The nerve of that fool!"

The group continues on intill Ezmi points out the cave in the side of the mountain. The sounds drifting from withen make Thor curious as he slowly creeps toward it. Trying to get a glimpse into the cave useing his darkvision, he listens intently hopeing to see or hear anything.


Listen:1d20(19)+0=19
Spot(Nearby):1d20(13)+0=13

 

[Ravenloft]

Ezmirylda

"Now Thor, I'm sure Drec did not mean to offend you with his candor, he simply has a penchant for placing his foot within his mouth... Often. But who doesn't? Even I have, on occasion, said the wrong thing in any given situation." Ezmi said, doing her best to keep the peace among the thinning party. "You ARE of great value to us, but you know that already."

She stands beside the entrance to the cave as Drec strides up. "Fortune favors the bold, my dear Drec. Shall I lead the way?"

 

[cats]

Drec:

IC: Well she would know where any trap happened to be placed. "Please do."

 

[Brains123]

(OCC: Cats not trying to be mean to you just roleplaying by the way. Hope you dont think I'm being mean or anything. Also dwarfs got a great ability that I can use in caves. Just read this :

Stonecunning: This ability grants a dwarf a +2 racial bonus on Search checks to notice unusual stonework, such as sliding walls, stonework traps, new construction (even when built to match the old), unsafe stone surfaces, shaky stone ceilings, and the like. Something that isn’t stone but that is disguised as stone also counts as unusual stonework. A dwarf who merely comes within 10 feet of unusual stonework can make a Search check as if he were actively searching, and a dwarf can use the Search skill to find stonework traps as a rogue can. A dwarf can also intuit depth, sensing his approximate depth underground as naturally as a human can sense which way is up.

So Ezmi can go first but i'll be 5 feet behind to try to spot anything I can see.)

Thor nods in agreement to have Ezmi go first.

"I ask only that I follow closely behind. I got a great ability in finding any unusual markings, or traps in stone."

Thor follows after Ezmi and instantly goes to work searching the walls quickly with his eyes. His darkvision lets him see out to 60ft in front of the group as well. Listening intently to the voices still trying to figure it out the group moves forward into the caves.

Search: 1d20(20)+3=23 Woo Nat 20 again!
Search: 1d20(10)+3= 13
Search: 1d20(15)+3= 18
Search: 1d20(9)+3= 12
Search: 1d20(11)+3= 14

(I rolled a few for any search checks that might pop up along the way.)

 

[cats]

OOC: Nor worries I know your roleplaying, and besides I figured out you where an asshole a while ago.

 

[Brains123]

(OCC: Gee thanks I feel so special!! WOOO!! )

 

[DerelictionOfSanity]

Ezmi: The last time you were here, there was a set of steps opening from the cave wall halfway along the length of the cave. (After that, the cave dead-ends) This time, they don't seem to be there. Instead, you find a flat expanse of wall.

Thor: You notice that the wall to your left appears to be hollow. As you prod around the edge, you come across a small stone which sinks into the wall as your fingers pass over it.

Ezmi fights to keep her balance (no roll necessary) as the wall begins to slide. It makes a horrible grating noise as it slowly opens. A set of steps, faintly illuminated by light from below, gradually becomes visible. There is ringing in your ears. At first it seems to be just a side effect of the grinding from the door, but then it becomes clear that it's coming from downstairs. You hear a deep and gritty voice shout: "Who goes there? Don't come any farther or I'll set me critters on you!"

 

[cats]

Drec:

ic: "We're here to drop off a scroll and pick up a dilvery." Funny Ezmi didn't know the entrance.

 

[Ravenloft]

Ezmirylda

"We come baring boots!" Ezmi called out, in greeting, hoping to get a laugh from the old hermit. "Its Ezmi... You've done some redecorating I see."

 

[Brains123]

Thor smileing at noticeing the obvious, to him, stone doorway takes a step back as it swings open and stairs appear. He turns to the other two with a large grin as the strange voice floats up from below. Letting the other two do the talking he rests his hands on his axes just in case he might need them.

 

[DerelictionOfSanity]

"Alright. C'mon down then. I spose it would have been too much trouble to knock? Don't touch anything or things might blow up."

The room at the bottom of the stairs is large and since Ezmi's last visit has been filled with a striking and moderately alarming quantity of alchemical equipment. Bubbling liquids flow through glass spirals into a large vat in the centre of the room with a roaring fire under it. Several vaguely humanoid forms of colored fire look up from within the flames. One of them gives you a cheerful wave before turning its attention back to the bottom of the brewing vessel.

The old man before you has unkempt black hair, liberally streaked with gray and several days growth of beard. His face is half-shadowed in the firelight, but you can see a nasty chemical burn (very old) on the left side of his face. He wears an eyepatch. He looks up at Ezmi. "I wasn't expecting you so early, girl. This batch won't be ready til mornin. If you like, you and yer friends can rest in the back room until then. Just try not to knock anything down in there." He indicates a door behind him before walking over to a table and measuring powder from a jar.

You can also see three other doors. Two on the left and one on the right. The cave complex is clearly fairly large.

 

[Ravenloft]

Ezmirylda

"Knocking, right, sorry, bit of a foriegn concept to the boys I'm partied with m'afraid." Ezmi offers as she lithely makes her way down, careful to not knock anything over, giving Drec and Thor a quick nod to do the same, or as best as their manly statures would allow...

She gives a small finger tip wave back to the lick of fire that waved to them as they pass by.

"Well, you know, early bird gets the worm... Besides, you know how much I simply love the back room accomodations, beats sleeping in the woods you know." Ezmi said as she passed by the old alchemist and gave him a flirtatious peck on the cheek.

 

[Brains123]

Thor nodding to both the old man and the fire element continues in after Ezmi. Wacthing the old man point out the back room he heads over to get a closer look. He draws his dagger and slowly opens the door as Ezmi distracts him with her flirting.

 

[cats]

Drec:

IC: I moved into the awkward room as carefully as I could. "I hope it doesn't matter but one of the girls died on the way here, but I took the boots any how. Would you like to see the scroll now or later?"

 

[DerelictionOfSanity]

The alchemist grins at Ezmi’s kiss and gives her a little pat on the cheek in response. “Y’are a kind lass to flatter an old man.” He jumps back to his table. “Ye’ll have to pardon me, but I’m at a critical stage and I’ve got to add some things to the pot quickly. T’wont take too long.” Hearing Drec’s words, he looks somewhat sober. “Tis a pity for her sake. What happened? The old harridan said none would be harmed.”

He turns and pours several liquids over the powder he measured out before. The mixture foams and turns a sickening shade of green before he takes it to the vat and dumps it in. The bubbling liquid glows briefly, before subsiding. “As for the boots, ye did well to save them. I spose ye might have a bit more trouble at the gate if they aren’t on someone’s feet, but it shouldn’t be catastrophic. Put the scroll on the table. I’ll look at it once I’m finished this step.”

Thor: You see a large, dark room. All the walls are covered in shelves, some bearing books, but most containing an assortment of vials and jars with liquids, powders, herbs, portions of monstrous anatomy and other objects not so easily identified. Everything is meticulously labeled in illegible script. The floor is empty but for a large collection of sacks lying in a pile in one corner.

 

[DerelictionOfSanity]

OOC: Since Elayne hasn't been posting recently, I'll say that Leanna is wandering about, examining the process and the equipment with an appreciative eye.

 

[Elayne]

Leanna for the most part kept up with the group of travellers, keeping mostly silent as the conversations they were having had limited interest to her.

The hermit's abode, however, was much more interesting. Leanna walked amongst the tables, examining the various braziers and vials, bubbling away. She was somewhat disappointed that the alchemist seemed to be stalling. She was eager to see what the scroll would end up doing.

"I wonder, what about the boots would have made them noteworthy to the guards?" Leanna inquired of the hermit.

 

[DerelictionOfSanity]

"Well," he answers as he takes a strange looking root and begins chopping it, "they have hollow heels in order to accomodate vials. The guards seldom bother to check anything that someone is actually wearing, but they do sometimes go through the packs of anyone who might look suspicious. Didn't the harpy tell you that this was a smuggling trip?"

He puts the roots into a sieve and hangs it to drip over the vat. "That's it for this stage. I have a little under an hour before I've got to start putting the tubes together differntly. I'll be dealin with that scroll now." Dusting his hands off, he then goes to the table and picks up the scroll. (Assuming Drec has put it there as requested). He unrolls it facedown and uses his knife to carefully cut off an inch from top and bottom which he moves to one side before flipping the scroll up and reading it. He grins. "I don't care for the woman, but she's a good one for findin unusual spells. I'll be copyin this into me book later on." He looks up and fixes Drec with a glare. "Yer friend died from acid, din't she?"

 

[Elayne]

"Smuggling?" Leanna inquired sharply. She wasn't overly concerned about the law, but she certainly was a little annoyed that she'd been put at risk for such a small reward.

"What have we smuggled you?" Leanna insisted.

 

[DerelictionOfSanity]

"You haven't smuggled anything to me. You're supposed to bring some of the mixture I'm brewing back to the city. The alchemists' guild has exclusive rights to it there and I sell it much cheaper...as long as it's possible to avoid an import tax. That old bat told you absolutely nothing, didn't she? That's her way. Act all mysterious and never reveal a thing. I've half a mind to start dealing with someone else in the city!"

 

[cats]

Drec:

IC: I had set the scroll were requested but remained quiet about my fallen comrade. When asked about the acid I nodded quietly. May pelor take pitty on her.

"Leanna would you prefer to carry the extra set or should Ezmi? I figure in the odd event of being searched you two would be less suspicous with the boots than I, seeing as I obviously can't where them."

 

[Ravenloft]

Ezmirylda

"Careful now, if she heard the way you speak about her, 'that old bat' might take a bit of exception to your comments." Ezmi teased as she looked about for a place to lounge for a bit. "Yes, sadly, we lost a most promising member of our party, to her own overzealousness, it appeared. She tried to cast a spell that was apparently beyond her skill to work."

 

[Brains123]

Thor seeing nothing of intrest returns quickly to the conversation listening in. Hearing that the group had been hired for a smuggling run he chuckles to himself.

"So I guess I helped a bunch of smugglers cheat their death. "

He shakes his head and turns to the old man.

"I ask that you give me a cut of your profits old man. Since your little group is down a member anyway. Might have been more if I hadent come along. What kind of potion are we to be smuggling anyways?"