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Post by Spwack on Mar 23, 2022 14:02:44 GMT
With a rattle and a clank, several minecarts full of kobolds and their equipment pull into the station near Cell Block Zero. The leader, Helnelya, steps out carefully and bows to you. "Delver Popsss. I have heard much about you from my Empressss. My sscoutss and I are at your sservice." Six scouts clamber out of the carts, strapped with ropes and bandoleers of all sorts of interesting things. Each of them carries a larger more specialised tool: - a grapple-hook launcher - a spotlight lantern - a steel-barrelled rifle - pitons and even more rope - bags of caltrops and razor-wire - assorted javelins
"Thesse are my compatriotss. Cunning and courageous, each and every one of them. For your convenience, you should refer to them as Grapple, Lantern, Rifle, Pitons, Caltrop, and Javelin." each of the kobolds nods seriously as they are introduced.
Then Helnelya goes back to the minecarts and helps out the eighth member of their group. They are smaller than the other kobolds, and wrapped in a dark cloak. You see a flash of pale, dreadfully pale skin. "This is the Artefact you were promissed by the Empress, a way out of the Upper Floorss should an escape be truly necessary. You will sssignal to me if this is required. But, if we would return this Artefact back to the Empress without needing it, it would be beneficial to everyone. Do you understand?"
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Post by fifthdragon on Mar 23, 2022 17:10:18 GMT
"I do. Your group is prepared and organized well. You have my respect. I am Pops, and this is Blade and Porter, also sensibly named. Together we will explore where no others have tread. Our primary mission will remain finding the teleporter to allow us to return safely, as any other goal can be achieved on another delve once a safe return route has been secured. This will be immensely dangerous, as you know. It is impractical to carry corpses with us should one of us fall, but warriors who fall in bravery deserve respect- is it your wish that we make the attempt to return your fallen to your home, or attempt a retrieval after our retreat is secured?
Pops will also show them the tools they possess, the scroll of glibness, the boots, the crowbar, and the compass.
I believe we're ready.
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Post by Spwack on Mar 25, 2022 5:48:36 GMT
Helnelya nods. She approves of sensible names, and looks over your gear with a practiced eye.
Grapple steps forward when you ask about bodies. "All us scoutsss know how dangerous these chambersss are. Before we are sent out for the firssst time, we has a Dungeon Funeral. Lotta booze. Good food. After that it'sss no trouble if we have the Dungeon Burial, you ssee? And of course, if there'sss a real dissaster and way back is hard 'n hungry, we's all approve of the Survivor's Feast. Dungeon takesss. Dungeon givess back."
Porter seems a little pale at the discussion, but Blade has an expression of grim determination.
You're ready as you'll ever be. What's the plan?
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Post by fifthdragon on Mar 26, 2022 23:29:50 GMT
```Alright pops, go west from cell block zero, take the minecarts up to floor +1, go south until you reach the spiralizing lichen then west through the weakened magical barrier, south past the throne room and many small side doors. There you will find a maze. If you traverse it you will eventually come upon a room with a great chain leading up or down. Instead of the chain head north into a room of pipes and acid, from there go west into the endless loop. Keep walking until you reach a tear in reality. Focus on the tear and aim it as high as you can go (floor +5) this is a one way teleport to the unexplored floor +5. search that floor until you find one of the black and purple portals and dial on it 243 to bring you back here. I will pay you twenty gold up front and a further 30 for detailed maps on what you find in floor +5 and the number on the portal you find there.” ```
Following these instructions, stop me when something happens, presumably either the magical barrier or the maze.
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Post by Spwack on Mar 30, 2022 7:00:25 GMT
The kobolds pack back into the minecarts, along with a set for yourself and your followers. Across the Abyss, again, you can hear clanking sounds coming from the engineering works atop the Kobold settlement. South, past an ornate trickling fountain, and south again until you reach a larger chamber floor with dirt. Huge stones covered with green fuzz form an immense spiral. There are various corridors off to the side of your journey, but you ignore them with a determination to get to your target as quickly as possible ((and with as few encounter checks as possible)).
Check: arG25cL61d6
As you head west from the lichen room, you pass a wide hallway leading straight south. It's a weird structure, missing a floor apart from a narrow band of glass leading into the darkness. Helnelya stops and stares down it, before shaking her head. "A ssmell. Bad ssmell. You know of green sslime? Narssssty. Very bad. Do not go that way without fire."
Keeping on heading west, away from the scent of green slime, you pass a large circular chamber. The centre is dominated by a huge stone altar, blocky and cut with channels for fluid to flow. The ceiling above the altar is covered with a huge mirror. Everyone keeps a wide berth from the reflection...
The path curves north slightly, until you reach the magical barrier. The nigh-invisible arcane shield has been ripped and torn time and time again, it hangs in tatters, swaying in some unfelt thaumic breeze, refracting the light of your torches in strange ways. You pass through it easily, and push south.
You pass a large set of double doors, and arrive at a site covered with ancient crumbling bloodstains, and the remains of a campfire. The kobolds seem really quite nervous. "We go fast" says Grapple. The rest nod. There's safety to be had in scouting carefully, but sometimes there is also safely in going as quick as possible.
This bloodstained chamber is large, and littered with fallen pillars. There are three exits from it: a large avenue curving to the south-west. A narrow hallway straight south that looks like a huge sledgehammer has been smashed a hundred times in a line down the middle of it, cracking tiles and tearing up some kind of mechanism beneath the slate. And a third to the south-east-ish. Javelin takes a sniff, and beckons Helnelya over. "Is burnt rock. But not fire. Is burn of..." she looks to be struggling to remember the word of it. "Is burn of storm...?"1d6
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Post by fifthdragon on Apr 2, 2022 20:32:26 GMT
"Lightning, probably. Or electricity. Only difference is the source. Do we know which direction this maze is, or are we in it?"
If the kobolds have no direction suggestion, we head through the south-west avenue.
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Post by Spwack on Apr 6, 2022 8:33:22 GMT
"It mussst be close."
Heading down the south-west avenue, it curves around to your left. On either side of the path are assorted doors, some open, some closed, some completely smashed to pieces. But more importantly, at the end of the avenue, the hallway splits into a maze of twisty little passages, all alike! You've found the maze, which your character will have to explore and map, rather than you, the player.
What's your plan? March in a straight line to where you think your preferred destination is? Labouriously map out every single turn and passage?
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Post by fifthdragon on Apr 10, 2022 5:13:09 GMT
Listen to the advice of the kobolds, if they have more experience with mazes, but otherwise, slow and steady mapping, prioritizing not getting lost over speed. Its painful but its still faster than getting lost.
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Post by Spwack on Apr 11, 2022 6:02:34 GMT
Alright! Two encounter rolls: cLpm2RMc1d6 1d6
A torch burns all the way through while you are exploring the maze, having to backtrack several times. The kobolds spot when you've been looped around, which helps a lot. In the distance, you can hear the sound of stone thumping on stone. Something else is moving around in this maze, and it's big. "I think that issss the way," says Helnelya, pointing down the tunnel, towards where the noise is coming from. "Maybe there is way around though."1d6·1d6
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Post by fifthdragon on Apr 18, 2022 21:42:06 GMT
"No- if we try to circle it, it likely knows the maze better than we. Let's approach where we have the initiative."
Combat ready, let's go down the path forwards carefully, weapons drawn. Javelin is in the second tier with Porter and his blow pipe, and Pops and Blade are heading the group. Does Helnelya have a weapon?
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Post by Spwack on Apr 19, 2022 13:27:27 GMT
Helneylya nods briskly. She carries no weapon, her true armament is her mind. Blade steps by your side with practiced ease, and Javelin gives Porter a friendly nod and toothsome smile. Porter grimaces in response.
Down the hallway, round the corner, round the other corner, and you see the source of the noise: An immense cube of black stone, at least 9 feet to each side, is floating in mid-air and tapping away at a chunk of masonry with one corner, taking out chunks of the softer wall material with each blow. It seems preoccupied, at least for this exact moment. What do you do?
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Post by fifthdragon on Apr 19, 2022 16:37:08 GMT
Approach carefully, with scroll of glibness in hand as my weapon is my feet, at the first indication of hostile attention unroll it and attempt to pass peacefully. Stone cube seems difficult to damage with regular weapons.
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Post by Spwack on Apr 21, 2022 6:36:36 GMT
You approach, and it turns towards you. One of it's side has a single massive red eye, built out of a huge ruby. It has "eye-lids" made of thin stone, which it narrows at you. It doesn't seem to have a mouth, or anything else apart from the eye. It floats in exactly the way bricks don't, but you can feel how heavy this thing must be...
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Post by fifthdragon on Apr 27, 2022 5:06:44 GMT
Reading the Scroll- not gonna risk it with this thing. What advice does the scroll have for us to pass without incident?
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Post by Spwack on Apr 29, 2022 2:33:49 GMT
So, how the Scroll of Glibness works, is during a conversation that is already in progress, it will give you the best next thing to say. You'll have to strike up a conversation first.
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