PBEM - Episode 259. Rehashing Old Ground.

TWO HUNDRED FIFTY NINE

(I/C)

Looking very uncomfortable, Lannis shook his head and pointed further west. "I say we try to sneak past, we don't know how many there are, or if they're ready to alert someone. If they don't know where we are, let's keep it that way."

 “Agreed. Let’s move,” Kovid whispered. Wyn was nodding yes.

Stepping off, Brendon agreed with the group. “With the constant roaming groups looking for us,” he mouthed quietly, “we should get to where we need to go. We’ll ignore these guys for now, I’m sure we’ll see them again.”

The party moved on (Enemy Hear Noise -2 penalty distance, Black 7 – no), moving past the area and proceeding westward beyond the Beekeeper’s chambers. Lyra was anxious to get to our destination. “We’re in no position to pick a fight right now. If we make too much noise we’ll just attracted the upstairs squad. Let’s keep going and just get to the sulfur pool.”

As they approached the former wolf chamber, Kovid asked the party, “After the Sulfur Pool, what else do we need to check? Aquifer for fresh water? Destroyed oil trap for any usable residue? Butcher’s room?”

Voice rumbling from the back, Abraxas offered quietly, "I'm all bueno with either path. However, we could use mas candles, pero stealth may be our best option por ahora. I think we should avoid una lucha until we are closer to una place to rest. But yes, the Butcher’s should be one of the places we go to."

The elf was watching everything with exaggerated care. “Allons-y to de west side. I tink after the Sulfur, we check de Butcher room first to see how bad tings be? 

At the former wolf room, one of the changes here was rather jarring. The stink of urine was gone and the room had been stripped of everything. Instead there were a row of cages on the east wall, 3 rows or 4 cages – each about 2’x2’. They had doors that opened in the front and latched closed. Currently there was nothing in them and there was no sign of what might be in the wire mesh cages later except the entire situation seemed avian in nature.

They moved on to the major turn south and after listening (no roll) and hearing nothing, the party turned in that direction and pressed on. The passage was clear but there were signs that the party had been here before including some of their exploits (faint odor of something burnt in the air). The door on the eastern wall that lead to the elven guardsmen was open and the mummified bodies had been obviously disturbed, turned over, moved about, and stacked unceremoniously in the corner. Shaking their head at the needless disarray, the group continued south.

At the stairs just below Travis’ room (WMC: Red/Black 5 – no) Brendon stopped to listen again (no roll) but was comfortable we are ok. The group went up the stairs carefully and looked around. The door to the secret chamber was gone, leaving only the pivot holes in the floor and ceiling. The goblins that were once here long gone as well. Travis’ room the door was open and there had been a serious tossing of the room. Bed was dumped over, sheets torn, mattress slashed, pillows burst, cabinets ripped open, nothing in the chamber was spared and the place was a mess and a danger to walk through – but no one was here now.

Brendon led the group onward down the hall to the last set of stairs going up and he took them with care, bow out and eyes peeled. He stopped about6 steps up, hand raised and motioning the group to stop. The party could hear faint movement (# Appearing: 1d4+2 = Blue 3 = 5), as if something being dragged up there. Brendon (<Hear Noise +20, Red 17) tilted his head and then stepped back one step and whispered to Kovid and Lyra (closest to him), “5. Orcs. Just beyond the top of the steps. Hollow sound to their movement. I’d guess, they’re in that room with the dead Robert hanging and all the dead orcs we stacked in there.”

“What are they doing?” Kovid whispered back as Lyra passed the information to the rest of the group.

“Don’t know. Moving something. Furniture? Do I go up and take a look or do we fade back? Do we attack or what?”

(Enemy Listen: <Green 3 – yes). Brendon turned back to the top of the stairs. “Shit, I think they might have heard us. Fade back to Travis’ Room or what?”

Time is now Day 7, 2:50 PM

(OOC)

5 Orcs – can’t tell what type or what they were doing exactly, 20’ past the top of the stairs in the hanging hobgoblin room, something/someones are heading to the stairs to check on a “what was that? Dunno, strange noise I heard.”