Sands of the South - Game Thread

A'mryl wrote:*I just was checking to see if there was anything I may have recognized... Being an elf race I knew or had read about.*

Nope. No elf that you know. Elegantly high cheekbones, though. Not much else.

"Well, Young One...stay near the others. I am going to check on them." I head towards the bubble.

(Yaay crappy dagger!)
"Enough wasting time, let us pick a path and go, who knows what secrets these ruins hold up ahead, I will take the hallway to the northwest." (2nd left from the entrance) I make my way there and investigate for a way out.

Jamros Mageblood wrote:(Yaay crappy dagger!)
"Enough wasting time, let us pick a path and go, who knows what secrets these ruins hold up ahead, I will take the hallway to the northwest." (2nd left from the entrance) I make my way there and investigate for a way out.

The hallway Olo & A'mryl first poked their heads down?

They went down the first one, I want the next one.

Jamros Mageblood wrote:They went down the first one, I want the next one.

That's what I thought. So that's Northeast. FYI.

Roll a d20 please.

Gotcha, Rolled 13

JAMROS

The tunnel is only about 10 feet itself, but then opens into another room, about 20 feet square. It has two tunnels leading out of it, one to the north, and one to the west. The west passage is a staircase that goes up another 15 feet or so before turning right out of your sight. The north passage goes to a smaller room, more rectangular, with a recess in the rear.

The room you're in has many stone shelves, along the walls. Rubbish is scattered about. Clearly the lantern beetles have made themselves at home here. Gross.

"Disgusting..." I say to myself, I make my way up the stairs and round the hallway.

I will go to the armory alcove and grab several of the bronze weapon remnants (spear heads or whatever) and then head to the other alcove where A'mryl is. Are the lantern and spear made into the statue or able to be removed? Do I know anything else about this alcove or find anything worthwhile on the ground?

Olo wrote:I will go to the armory alcove and grab several of the bronze weapon remnants (spear heads or whatever) and then head to the other alcove where A'mryl is. Are the lantern and spear made into the statue or able to be removed? Do I know anything else about this alcove or find anything worthwhile on the ground?

You obtain several weapon items, spear heads, javelin pieces, hand-axe-thingy. No swords or daggers.
The statue lantern & spear are of the same stone piece as the rest of the statue.
You know nothing else. Not... exactly.

Int(History) = 19.

This place reminds you of something you'd heard once during your researching into tales of high adventure for your latest ballad. In the formation of the world, the first race to walk the earth were the Dragons, and it was they who created the Elves. This is, of course, nonsense. But that's the way with legends. These particular Elves, the Dawn Elves - ya know, dawn of the world and all - were of the highest caliber being, and served as loyal soldiers and emissaries to the dragons. The Dragons and their servants did battle with the 'false dragons' - a race of serpents whom the Gods breathed life into amidst the muck and rubble of the primordial sands, for the Gods were jealous that the dragons had usurped their creation. The serpents were cast into the depths, destroyed, and life continued blissful for eons. So sayeth the stories.

At least until the Dragons withdrew from the world, and the Sundering began. The Dawn Elves were scattered about, lost to time, or devolving to the High, Wood, and Dark Elves the world now knows. Maybe even other brands of Elf. Wonderfully high fantasy nonsense, but... that lantern. It is said one of the Dawn Elves gathered his people in the Darkness and led the way into the deep south, away from the rising seas, shattering mountains, and boiling lakes. It is said he led them into the wastes, never to be seen again. His name, poor as your Elvish understanding is, was something to the tune of 'torch-bearer' or 'light-blessed' or somesuch. Might it be the Lantern guy in front of you?

But that was many millennia ago. And it was just a story. And those Elves disappeared from the pages of even the wackiest of lore. Excepting maybe some crappy fanfiction.

Jamros Mageblood wrote:"Disgusting..." I say to myself, I make my way up the stairs and round the hallway.

You make your way up and around. The hallway isn't long, or steep, and opens into a wider room, about 20ft by 30ft. To your right (east) is a large hearth built into the stone, with faint ash and burns still marring the stone. Here, too, there is little of use, mostly rubble and rubbish, but was clearly a place of some social gathering. Almost like a tavern, perhaps. Past the fireplace on your right (also east) is a slanted tunnel, leading down and meeting back with the room you saw before. You came up steps, this is a ramp. For wheeled travel, but to the same locations. Handicapable. How ingenious.

Everything in this room, like the one below, is smashed and useless and giving evidence of heavy lantern bug infestation. To the west, behind you, the tunnels continue on into a similar room with more offshoots and the same fireplace, though on the south wall. There is a room extending from this room to the north, another to the south, and a long, long hallway continuing further west, this tunnel also flanked by more rooms. This hallway, however, is much, much smaller, and looks to be blocked in several places. You'd have to crawl to get through it.

Map incoming.

And Map.

Troyer wrote:And Map.

Ewwww the refuse

I stealthily make my way towards the north room and investigate it to see if there is anything of interest.

You are a sneaky bastard. The lantern bugs don't seem to mind you, much less notice you. Entering the large room to the north, you spy a large... something in the middle of the room. It appears to be a very large lantern beetle. About 10 feet across, 4 feet high. It's pretty darn large. There are none like it, just the standard little 8-inch guys all around.

It does not notice you.

I wipe my eyes and hear a few thuds coming our way. I assume it is our big, headstrong friend Tolr'ax.

I enter the bubble and listen for any more thuds from the ants.
If I hear none, I ask Dook (Since Oridrys is all Tranced out) how long the thuds have been gone.

There are no thuds.

Best not to bother any more large bugs..I think to myself, and sneak past the large beatles room towards the rubble filled hall and look through to hole to see if it may be an exit.

Jamros Mageblood wrote:Best not to bother any more large bugs..I think to myself, and sneak past the large beatles room towards the rubble filled hall and look through to hole to see if it may be an exit.

You see a long, dark tunnel. There are very few lantern bugs down this way.The hall seems to be filled with various obstacles and tight passages.

Tolr'ax wrote:I enter the bubble and listen for any more thuds from the ants.
If I hear none, I ask Dook (Since Oridrys is all Tranced out) how long the thuds have been gone.

"Since I walked up and started meditating. It's grown quiet. Unsettling even"

"Do you think they gave up?" I walk over to the entrance side of the bubble. "We found a room, there are glowing bugs. They can be eaten and can be used for light. Pocket Patter is scouting ahead. the place is old...old as the mountains. We should be safe in there...for a time."

I look to Oridrys. "Is she...conscious? We need to retreat to a safe distance into the tunnels. she can set up another barrier in there if she wants. but this spot is....too far from the others."

"Should we take a look to see if the ants are waiting out there? To see if it would be safe to continue down the tunnel without the barrier?"

Tolr'ax wrote:"Do you think they gave up?" I walk over to the entrance side of the bubble. "We found a room, there are glowing bugs. They can be eaten and can be used for light. Pocket Patter is scouting ahead. the place is old...old as the mountains. We should be safe in there...for a time."

I look to Oridrys. "Is she...conscious? We need to retreat to a safe distance into the tunnels. she can set up another barrier in there if she wants. but this spot is....too far from the others."

"Should we take a look to see if the ants are waiting out there? To see if it would be safe to continue down the tunnel without the barrier?"

The barrier suddenly becomes transparent. On the far side the wind rages and sand fills the sky. There are a few mounds nearby, what you can easily see are the large ants hunkered down against the sands. They seem mostly unaffected, but they are unmoving. Oridrys speaks.

"They cannot see us. We can risk moving farther in, if you'd prefer, but there's no immediate need. If there was another way in, they'd have moved on from here or already made it in to us by now. I can keep this entrance sealed for several more hours. Although... I am unsure of that magic doorway which vanished. Will it suddenly re-materialize? If so, will we be sealed in permanently?"

"Hmmm. We can wait longer. These ants are tenacious. If neither of you need anything, I will move back with the others....the door....I hope it does not reappear with us on opposite sides. I do not know how far it goes. But I am sure there is another way out...maybe close to a town."

I head back to the large chamber and look for any sort of wood to make a fire with. "I feel we will be here for a while."

I check to see if the bug poop is flammable.