THREE HUNDRED SIXTY EIGHT
(I/C)
Feeling surprised, Wyn shook his head slowly and rubbed the back of his neck. “H’okay... so it looks like ye quatre want ta go check de locusts?” he gave the party an incredulous look. “I guess dats what we be doin’ den. If’n we do get dere dough, Wyn will stay towards de stairs... dat are very very close to de locusts... en keep listenin’ fer anytin dat be coming afta us. De rest of you kin ‘ave fun in dere.”
Laying one hand flat, Lannis pointed a finger into the palm of his hand, eyes flashing. "I think this idea sucks, and I implore you that it's not too late to just go back upstairs like we originally planned. What could possibly be in there that would make this worth doing now of all times?"
There was a bit of a pause while the party thought about it before Lyra began to speak. “Before we walk into a locusts room, maybe we should figure out what we do with the bugs first.” She held one hand up and gave weak smile. “I was just joking though, I don’t NEED to go to the locusts. It just seemed like a good area to hide out. No one would look for us there.” She sighed and went on ,”If we don’t have a plan of attack…we should just head somewhere else. Dining room – up chimney, maybe?”
Smiling broadly at the Cleric, Lannis thanked her, “Lyra, I take back ever bad thing I've said about you"
“Nevermind let’s go for the locusts. Lannis first!”
“Ugh!”
Abraxas gave Kovid a nudge, “Perhaps Señor Kovfik, si we set you en fuego, you can walk into the locustseses. Dices que quieres estar en fuego, ahora es tu... opportunity. Estas en fuego uno mas veces. Uno mas fuego. Uno mas, Kovgid Infierno!"
Looking please with the suggestion, Brendon rubbed his hands together and asked, “Well what’s the plan, Kovid are you flaming on or is someone using the invincible potion?”
Turning his head slowly to stare at Brendon, giving him the same steady blank stare the Scout had been known to give to others, Abraxas asked very slowly, “Por. Que. Would. We. Waste. Un. Potion. De. Invincible. En. Locustseses?"
"Why would we waste anything on them?” The Magic User sighed, “Especially now? It’s out of the way, too close to the stairs...why not just stay on task?”
The elf meanwhile was giving Lyra a steady glance, shifting his gaze around the hall. “Oh, Priestess I thought you was serious. Ok den just to be very clear... iffin we don’t want to do dis.... we can always just go to de dining room en proceed upstairs.” He gave a toothy smile. “Really. Don’t need to go back dere near de stairs where dey be guarding tings. We cen just make it upstairs trou de chimney en run ova to de orc room till we figure out what to do next.”
“But setting the dwarf on fire?” Brendon asked, miming fire washing over the Kovid’s head.
“Maybe Priestess shouldn’t use up one of those important spells fer something like a bunch of bugs. Maybe? Just sayin. Wyn’s vote still be to ignore de bigs en finish dis quest. Oui? Or no?”
Lannis gave the Fighter a plaintive look, “Abraxas, I promise we can check that room out before we're done here. Just not right now? Pretty please?"
Rubbing his chin in thought, Abraxas said, "Por un ‘Piece of Cake’, I will agree, Señor Lonnies."
"HA!” Lannis gave a hug. "I'll buy you a whole cake when we get back, any kind you want"
“Ahahaha Thor’s ass I gotchya good. It makes no sense to mess with the little bugs now. Haha, silly Big Brain. Let’s go back up the fireplace and fuck up a dragon.
Kovid and Brendon walked back to the front of the group and after making sure the local halls were quiet (WMC: Pink 3), the dwarf started us off. We travelled east to the “T” intersection and then turned south, coming around to the Entrance Hall. We walked by the open room that Hoots had plundered of flesh a few days easlier and continued around to the North and east hall, taking it around to the main North Hall.
We passed the doors one at a time (>Find, -10% penalty, Red 39) without issue until we came to the Dining Room. A quick listen (WMC: Green 3), let us know the room was empty and we filed in one at a time, Abraxas shutting the door behind us.
The Scout had once again unfurled his longer length of rope and whispered, “Lil Man, can you shine the lantern up the chimney for me? I’ll tie this one, and if I give a tug, it’s safe to come up.”
“Will do.” The watched and waited as Brendon scaled the walls of the chimney again (<Climb Red 18) with no problem, disappearing around the pitched part. When he got to the grate, he slid the pins free and lifted the grate up and out of the way. He climbed up, listened around the garden again (no change), not hearing anything nearby. Satisfied, he quickly tied the rope to the inset dogs and let it slither down into the darkness. After it landed, he gave the rope a sharp pull.
“Big Brain,” Kovid pointed, “You first.”
Grabbing the rope, Lannis pulled (<Dex, +4 rope, Pink 2 – can’t fail) and made his up to the Garden with ease. Once there he made his way to the side and waited patiently, eyes fixed on the garden and its potential perils.
One by one, the rest of the party made their climb (Lyra <Dex, +4 rope, White 8… Wyn <Dex, +4 rope, Orange 17 – can’t fail… Abraxas <Dex, +4 rope, Blue 14), picking their way along and then lining up as close to the chimney as they could. It was gloomy up here, rainbow tinged sunlight was coming in through the ceiling, but there were still strange sounds coming from the south end of the room, hidden through the thick alien looking foliage. “Come on, Lil Man,” Brendon whispered down the hole.”
“I’m coming, I’m coming,” Kovid replied, lantern hooked onto his belt. He grabbed the rope and began hoisting himself up. Hand over hand he made his way up the chimney to the pitched canted part, shifted one leg onto the shelf and leaned into the rope to get himself higher (>Dex, +4 rope, Yellow 20), and his foot slipped.
He brought his other foot up and hit the back side of the chimney. But his weight was off. And his hand slipped. “Thor…Shit.”
And Kovid slipped and fell 9’ down the chimney to land with a crash on the Fireplace in the Dining room, his armor making horrible scraping noises as he tumbled before hitting the flagstones (D3 Damage, Yellow 6 – Take 3 Damage!!) with the sound of cracking glass (Fragile Item Save, <White 2 – no).
“Kovid? Buddy? You ok?”
The dwarf groaned, rolling over and out of the hearth, he pushed himself to a seating position and looked around, listening. (WMC special double chance check, Red/Black 4 – no!!!) When no one came to investigate the sound, he shook his head clear and went back to the chimney. “Yeah, yeah, I’m ok. Hang on. Let me try this again.”
Going back to the chimney, he grabbed the rope and began pulling himself up one hand hold at a time. (<Dex, +4 rope, -2 just failed, Yellow 4) He made it to the canted part and then back up again to the vertical section, getting pulled through the rest of the way by the party and their helpful hands. “Wow, that was…not fun.”
“Monsieur,” Wyn pointed to the dwarf’s belt. “Your lantern.”
Unhooking it, Kovid lifted the lantern and gave it a look. The glass had a series of cracks in it, the brass housing had bent around the middle. “Wow. This would have been the end of the lantern for sure.” The continual light stone in the middle of it still shone brightly, and the lantern was cool to the touch. “Best timing on the spell there, elffriend.”
“Next time don’t fall like a fat drunk and you won’t have to worry about good spell timing,” Lannis suggested.
“What did you call me?”
“Nothing. I said ‘like’. I didn’t say you were.”
“Hmmpph,” he dusted himself off and watched Brendon as he shut the grate again and set the pins one more time. “Let’s go. Stay off the dirt.” The party followed the dwarf single file north, hugging the wall and then west to the door. Once there a quick listen (WMC: Red/Black 5) let us know the hall beyond was clear for now. “Where we off to?” Kovid whispered.
Time now is Day 9, 7:40 AM
(OOC)
Back at the Garden at the north door. Where we going?
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