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Post by waysoftheearth on Oct 25, 2012 15:56:36 GMT -6
Mads bolts for the rabbit hole just as the vault door is heaved wider and at least four grim looking fighting-Men rush in to capture him.
Alas there is not a moment to grab the note, for he only just squirms into the hole with strong hands grabbing and clawing after his feet, and it is only with the loss of his shoes that he gets into the hole!
"The vault's empty!" observe the Men.
"Bring that crossbow!" barks a harsh voice among them.
Mads is only thankful that their bulky mail and helms mean they cannot easily follow... for now.
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Post by waysoftheearth on Oct 25, 2012 15:57:19 GMT -6
Meanwhile, upfront, Rufus is confronted with the eerie cocoons.... what to do?
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heartless
Level 1 Medium
Kill monsters, take the treasure
Posts: 12
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Post by heartless on Oct 27, 2012 20:07:24 GMT -6
Rufus calls back,"I see cocoons ahead, be on your guard for anything!"
How may cocoons does Rufus see in this 3ft wide and high tunnel? How big are they, do they block the tunnel much or can the company still crawl through?
Rufus will stop to investigate the first cocoon for a moment. He checks how hard it is, does anything move within? Rufus has his dagger at the ready, and torch to see what is ahead.
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verhaden
Level 5 Thaumaturgist
Posts: 308
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Post by verhaden on Oct 30, 2012 6:08:27 GMT -6
Mads the Shoeless, but Enlightened
"Come to the catacombs, we'll get together, have a few laughs..." Mads growls.
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Post by waysoftheearth on Oct 30, 2012 16:02:59 GMT -6
Up front, Rufus sees that the cocoons vary in size up to water-melon sized. There are a few dozen of them, all along the floors and walls. It might be possible to wriggle between them, but certainly not without coming into contact with them.
Upon initial investigation, they seems to be quite soft and pliant; they seem like fluffy balls of super-fine silk, but that have an insidious pong about them.
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heartless
Level 1 Medium
Kill monsters, take the treasure
Posts: 12
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Post by heartless on Nov 1, 2012 4:51:02 GMT -6
"Spider eggs", suggests Rufus. "I hate spiders, we need to get out of here".
"Well we need to clear a path through them; any suggests back there?", asks Rufus. "Do you have any spells else I will burn this first catacomb with my torch, with my dagger ready to squash/kill anything that moves".
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verhaden
Level 5 Thaumaturgist
Posts: 308
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Post by verhaden on Nov 1, 2012 5:00:23 GMT -6
Mads the Enlightened
"What's the hold up?" he asks, pushing forward. "They're going to fill this hallway with crossbow bolts if we don't get moving!"
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Post by waysoftheearth on Nov 6, 2012 21:03:39 GMT -6
"No spells that will go through a Halfling's backside," grumbles Dugel.
"I can hardly breath, or see," coughs Wendel, "and I am not accustomed to crawling upon my hands and knees through filth!"
Rufus shrugs off their complaints and pushes his torch into the first of the melon-sized wads of silk. The flame is subdued for a moment, but then the silk quickly takes and an impassable conflagration of flames shoots up all of a sudden, forcing Rufus to shield his face and back into his fellows as hard as he is able.
Those behind him complain bitterly of the inconvenience, and the acrid, choking smoke that churns all around them, threatening to suffocate.
Behind, Mads hears the Men working busily at getting someone out of his helm and mail, and worse yet... someone muttering that he has sighted them, and the distinct thwack of a crossbow being fired [1d20=19!] and scorching pain as a bolt penetrates him between the shoulders for [3dd=1,2,2] 4 hit points of damage.
Alas Mads II is slain by that fell missile.
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heartless
Level 1 Medium
Kill monsters, take the treasure
Posts: 12
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Post by heartless on Nov 7, 2012 5:06:51 GMT -6
"Lets go, we are dead if we stay here", says Rufus. Rufus will push by the cocoons hoping for safety ahead. He will have his dagger and torch in front ready for anything he may run into.
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Post by waysoftheearth on Nov 7, 2012 16:14:51 GMT -6
The fire burns intolerably hot for a some 30 seconds, and then quickly dies down. Allowing Rufus to pushes his way through the choking ashes and glowering embers. There must have been at least a dozen of the cocoons, possibly more, but they are all char and ash now. Ahead, Rufus sees a very narrow stair ascending steeply.
Behind, he hears Dugel and Wendel coughing and complaining.
[OOC: How nice it would have been to wriggle past the cocoons and then set them afire as the pursuit was among them...]
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heartless
Level 1 Medium
Kill monsters, take the treasure
Posts: 12
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Post by heartless on Nov 10, 2012 5:48:37 GMT -6
[OOC: How nice it would have been to wriggle past the cocoons and then set them afire as the pursuit was among them...] OOC: In hindsight I wish so too... I mourn for you Mads II  |
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heartless
Level 1 Medium
Kill monsters, take the treasure
Posts: 12
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Post by heartless on Nov 10, 2012 5:59:09 GMT -6
Rufus says to Dugel, "If you still can use your enchanted shield it may be a good idea to use it in case arrows come up behind us".
Rufus moves on to the narrow stairs, looks around for any danger and climbs upward on them carefully using his thief senses to ensure the footing is safe, and to stay alert for spiders and traps.
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Post by waysoftheearth on Nov 10, 2012 19:42:57 GMT -6
Rufus scales the narrow stair as quickly and cautiously as he is able... it seems to go on and on and on. The Halfling's short legs are aching long before the stair ends.
Behind him, Dugel and Wendel seem to be falling further back. No matter, they can catch up in their own good time.
By the time Rufus reaches a new flat section his torch is beginning to burn low. There comes the echo of voices cursing and the sound of a struggle from somewhere off behind him... but he can't even see that far back in the darkness now.
Besides, a long way off ahead, he sees a tiny patch of brightness that might even be daylight? Is that a faint breath of fresh air on his face?
What now?
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Post by waysoftheearth on Nov 11, 2012 20:16:16 GMT -6
Rufus makes good toward the light, and after twenty minutes of variously crawling, wriggling and otherwise scurrying through the dark, narrow passage, passing other openings to who know where, Rufus at last forces himself out of a rusty, long disused iron grate and into the morning light.
He has apparently emerged half way up the side of the rocky knoll upon which Ket squats. The town wall looms high above high, while arrayed before him he sees the sludgy sewers of Ket draining into the choked up waterway that irrigates the surround patchwork vista of farmsteads and fields.
From within the tunnel there still comes the distant echo of pursuit. But from his vantage, Rufus sees the tiny farm folk beginning their day, and also spies several small groups of men who seem to be moving across the fields to converge upon a run down barn in the middle of nowhere... interesting.
With no need to wait here to be captured, and no better plan, Rufus decides to follow them...
(Rufus, please go to thread 44. Call it a bit of "refereeing" in order to bring the planets into alignment! )
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eris
Level 4 Theurgist
Posts: 150
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Post by eris on Nov 12, 2012 12:21:45 GMT -6
OOC: Ways, seeing as Olaf has those "sharp eyes" of his, and he is keeping an eye out for anyone that might be trailing us to that barn, does he detect any sign that Rufus is trailing along behind?
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Post by waysoftheearth on Nov 12, 2012 15:37:17 GMT -6
OOC: Ways, seeing as Olaf has those "sharp eyes" of his, and he is keeping an eye out for anyone that might be trailing us to that barn, does he detect any sign that Rufus is trailing along behind? Of course does! He spots a funny little fellow scurrying down the slopes of Ket, and hurrying after. Looks like he will make it to the barn just after Josiane, Dorgan and the mule. |
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eris
Level 4 Theurgist
Posts: 150
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Post by eris on Nov 12, 2012 18:07:54 GMT -6
OOC: Ways, seeing as Olaf has those "sharp eyes" of his, and he is keeping an eye out for anyone that might be trailing us to that barn, does he detect any sign that Rufus is trailing along behind? Of course does! He spots a funny little fellow scurrying down the slopes of Ket, and hurrying after. Looks like he will make it to the barn just after Josiane, Dorgan and the mule. OOC Cool! Olaf will respond over in the other thread.  |
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heartless
Level 1 Medium
Kill monsters, take the treasure
Posts: 12
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Post by heartless on Nov 15, 2012 5:03:59 GMT -6
Rufus is so happy to see light again, alive but still poor.
He hopes his friends below get out, but thinks its time for him to move on quickly..
OOC: Off to thread 44
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