TWO HUNDRED TWENTY NINE
(I/C)
“Just so you know,” Lannis shrugged affecting an uncaring attitude, “It wasn’t anything you said, it was most likely something I had done that had resolved the illusion trap.”
“Whatever gets you to sleep at night,” the dwarf replied good naturedly.
“So what’s the plan?” Brendon asked, twirling his short sword. “Hang out here and ambush them if they come by or move forward?” He glanced at Wyn and added, “And by forward I mean the door.”
"Stand around just outside the literal dragon’s lair hoping someone bumbles into us?” the magic user scoffed. “I don't think so, we should push on. We're here to explore, let's explore.”
"To de door at first, Du Lac” Wyn suggested, “I be a bit more curious bout what dat powder smell be.”
“Sounds good,” he replied and the party proceeded walking down the stairs with slow care.
“Keep your eyes peeled,” Lyra offered, “I agree with Lannis, strange as that may sound, but preferably no ambushes. We still don’t know what’s around well enough to willingly fight.” She picked her way down the stairs slowly, flail swinging absently. “Personally I’d like to know my surroundings a bit more in case we need to fall back. I second just exploring for the moment, fighting necessary. We can always take them out later.”
"Sorry,” Lannis replied, “Listening to Brendon rendered me temporarily stupid. We should check the door first, then go north. A powder smell you said?”
“Herb and powder smell,” Kovid corrected.
“Whoa, herb?!” the wizard exclaimed excitedly.
“Not now,” the dwarf chuckled. “Maybe another store room? Is it worth checking out now? Arik’s map indicates Gobs may be down there. I hate those little green pukes, but maybe we should do as Lyra said and do some more recon before ringing the alarm bell up here.”
Outside the door, Brendon spent a few minutes giving it a once over while Wyn took out his bag of grain. Once the Scout (>Find Traps, Red 57) was comfortable that he didn’t find any, he gave the group the all clear signal. “Not locked, opens away from us and to the right.”
Meanwhile Lannis (>Half Int Check Wizard, Pink 18) and Wyn (<Half Int check Elf -1, Orange 2) were in the hall outside the door sniffing deeply now and again as Brendon checked it over. There were a medley of scents of various herbs and powdery smells coming through the closed door but it was the elf who began nodding his head and smiling. “I gots it,” he said.
“Crabs?”
“Ugh,” he mocked. “No. De smell. It’s de same smell you would smell at an alchemy lab.”
“You know alchemy?” Lyra asked.
“No I don’t,” he replied, “But I did spend some of me apprentice time in de lab and it smelled like dat.”
Lannis frowned. “I don’t hear any cursing or breaking glass. Might not be a real lab.”
“Mayhap. But it’s wot I tink.”
Abraxas smiled, “That works for me, mi amigo. Laborometer it is. Sounds good.” He looked past the door to the “T”. “If we go in, that’s ok, but it not, check puerto to the south, then head norte. Can just the scouts check the puerto south? Do we need everyone to check it out? Yo creo the party should stay at el "T" while the scouts check el puerto. Then we regroup and head Norte."
“Allons-y,” Wyn moved to the front of the group and pointed to Kovid to cover the lantern. The dwarf nodded and the blocked off most of the light with his body and cloak, allowing Wyn to step a bit forward and his infravision to flare mostly to life. He quickly looked both north and south. North the passage went for some distance and kept going, and to the south the passage went again for some distance with a side passage running west about 20 paces away, and another side passage running east perhaps 6 paces past that.
As for the goblinoid voiced, they were definitely coming from the south but there were no heat sources save the yellowy/orange-yellow temperature of the level and air currents itself. Brendon who was at the corner with him, tilted his head (<Hear Noise, Red 21) and nodded. “Lots of goblins, Wyn.” He muttered.
“Oui. ‘Ow many you tink?”
Brendon sighed and backed up. “Ten at least, but I would guess double that easily.”
“Twenty?” Lyra asked. Kovid turned back around, illuminating the concerned looks of the group at the thought of that many greenskins.
“That’s my guess. And maybe then some.”
“Hmm,” Wyn dug out his chalk and stole into the intersection, getting a number of the group making excited squeaks that he waved them to be silent for now. He scrawled low to the floor “Blessed Corfard” in crude block letters, trying to make the words look like a goblinoid had written them, and then turned around and wrote it again in the Goblin tongue. From there he drew out his pouch of grain and drop some in three equal length lines, along the bottom, middle and top of the two "prayers" (reduce grain from 25 to 20 weight). After cinching the pouch closed, he took out his water skin and dripped a few drops of water along each of the lines, wetting the grain only slightly. While all that was going on, Kovid took out a flask of oil (reduce to 2) and refilled the mostly empty lantern with care.
As for Wyn, satisfied he walked out of the intersection and back to the group where Lannis asked sarcastically, “It’s not gonna grow there regardless of the prayers.”
“Silly bugger,” the elf replied. He pointed to the hall, “H'ok, we just step ova de grain lines, or else de grain will stick to yer shoes en show dem what direction you go. If one of de gobs find it, hopefully dey don't have light and step in it to let us know where dey come and go. Den when dey look at da ground, dey just tink it be an innocent bit of praise for dat "Blessed" C-Word and not someone tracking movements. As Salazar put it, gobs do graffiti for fun, oui?”
“Ah.” The party replied.
“Ok! We go nord now? If we do, remember step ova de grain.”
Time now is Day 6, 3:48 PM
(OOC)
Ok! You know what you know. North? South? Goblins? Door to the Lab? What’s the plan?
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