Doom of the Savage Kings - IC

[cailano]

Tabitha

The pit floor is only about twelve feet down, and the spears are each six feet long, so you can easily reach them with the pole. The spears are real and feel just as bronze as they look. Tapping them with the pole gives a metallic clink.

The floor also seems solid. It's definitely wet, but the flood waters don't get to them as much as one might think. The blood on the floor probably just dried between "washings." Definitely no blood on the spears, though. There are two daggers on the pit floor, which seems strange.

[cailano]

Lyra

Once you have your pole back, you scout out the stairs. They are made of stone and lead to a hallway that goes south. It makes you more confident in your guess that they connect to the hall you all saw on the east side of the pit.

** OOC - Updated the map

[cailano]

*** OOC - Exploration of an area takes ten minutes. This can be any sort of exploration. Searching a sarcophagus, tapping around the floor with a pole, or scouting out a hallway. Obviously, some things take longer than others so this is an abstraction. Also, most combats are assumed to take ten minutes, which includes a little time to catch your breath after. This is the classic D&D Turn. You'll want to be aware of it when you tell me you're exploring something and strike a balance between gathering information and continuing to make progress. In active dungeons with a lot of wandering monsters, this can be even more important.

It's also possible to work in parallel. IE Lyra can scout the hall while Tabitha is checking out the pit.

Time Underground: 40 minutes.

[Draidden]

 

Lyra, Level 1 Thief, Ostler, Chaotic

AC: 15, HP: 5/5, Speed: 30, Initiative: +3

 

STATS

Abilities

	Strength:	12 (+0)		Personality:	14 (+1)
	Agility:	18 (+3)		Intelligence:	14 (+1)
	Stamina:	8 (-1)		Luck:	18 (+0)Base is 10 for Thief purposes.

Saving Throws

	Reflex:	+4
	Fortitude:	+0
	Willpower:	+1

Weapons

Weapons	Attack Bonus	Damage
Staff	+0	1d4
Shortbow	+3	1d6
Short Sword	+0	1d6

Equipment: See Character Sheet

Trade good: Bridle
Money: 6 gp, 7 sp, 25 cp
Lucky sign: Resisted temptation (Willpower saving throws) (+0)
Languages: Common, Kobold
 

Lyra walks down the hallway and into the pit and waves at the others. She then bends down and picks up the 2 daggers.

What is it with you people that you always want to do things the hard way?

She then goes back up the stairs and joins the rest at the top and heads for the next hallway.

 

 

[cailano]

Lyra

From down on the pit floor the bronze spears seem to be old. You're no historian or archaeologist, but decades old at least. The daggers, however, seem new. A little worn, maybe, but new enough. Both daggers have dried blood on their edges.

[Excior]

Molly discreetly signals to Llore to follow, whispering, "Quiet steps, my friend." As Lyra cautiously descends one set of stairs, Molly takes the opposite side, turning to Llore with a confident nod. "Our duty is to ensure a safe passage, free of traps." With a keen eye, he inspects the walls and scrutinizes each step for any potential dangers.

 

Reaching the bottom, the bard halts abruptly, prompting Llore to collide with him. "Watch your step, my friend. Awareness is key." Molly notes a disconcerting detail—the tunnel winding back towards the pit room. "What trap maker leaves an escape route for its prey?" he muses, glancing around, “She was right.”

 

In their journey down the hall Molly scans for more clues, a blood trail from the pit room is chief among his quarry, as they enter the pit room the bard keeps an eye out for any signs of danger. He takes it upon himself to dismantle some of the spears then turns his attention to the walls, searching for concealed passages that might lead them to the spear they sought. “Lyra can Llore have one of those daggers, so far he only has a mace, the dagger could come in handy in a tight spot.”

 

OOC: GM I forgot did you want us to roll for that stuff or did you want to roll in secret?

Edited September 30, 2023 by Excior (see edit history)

[Shocker]

 

Bernard D'Ambresi

---

 Level 1 Warrior/ Noble

AC: 15, HP 14/14, speed 25 Initiative +1

Bernards Stats

Strength:	12(0)		Personality	13(+1)
Agility:	10 (0)		Intelligence	11 (0)
Stamina:	13 (+1)		Luck:	9 (-1)

saving throws

Ref.	Fort.	Will
1	1	0

Weapon: Longsword 0 (1d8)

Chainmail AC +5

Deed Die: d3 applicable on each roll to attck and damage roles.

Mighty deed of arms: succeeds on d3 roll better than 2

Critical hit: occuring on natural 19 and 20

Weapon training, battle axe, club, crossbow, dagger, dart, ail, hand axe, javelin, longbow, long swrod, mace, polearm, short bow, short sweord, sling, spear, staff, two-handed sword and warhammer.

Equipment: Chain 10' (30 gp)
Trade good: Gold ring worth 10 gp
Starting Funds: 43 cp, 7sp, 6,gp
Lucky sign: Pack hunter (Attack/damage rolls for 0-level weapon) (+0)
Languages: Common

Bernard is the never do well second son of Count Dargolin, and has sent to manage his father’s estate in an out of the way village. In the counts words to stop him from getting into duels with other men all the times, especially not over the wenches. 

He still isn't the shining Champion his father would wish for, but the experiences in the starless sea, have increased his martial skills and sensibilities.

 

---

 

Bernard looks at his options, there is a stairway leading down on his left and apparently another branch to the right further down the hall. Doing this methodically, he ought to take the way down. He thinks about it
“So this is the first door after another stairway leading to the bottom of a trap. If it was meant as an easy way to bypass further traps, they likely would have dug all the way on the lower level. So this must lead somewhere else. With this being a tomb, the body should be on the lowest level.”

he looks at the doorway really carefully to see if it is different in any form, or if it might have been concealed at any point if time. His gut tells him not to use this, but his mind still searches for a reason not to.

Edited September 30, 2023 by Shocker (see edit history)

[cailano]

Bernard

The hall of the starwell that leads to the west has walls inscribed with runes. You do not know what they mean, but there are hundreds of them on either side. It must have taken a long time to carve them.

Other than that, you don't notice anything that strikes you as dangerous or unusual about the stairs, walls, or ceiling. The construction is of the same type of stonework you've seen in the areas behind you.

The stairs end as a doorway, but it is too dark to see inside.

[cailano]

Molly

Llore follows along behind you, careful to follow your instructions.

"Maybe it wasn't originally a trap," Llore suggests, but he doesn't sound very sure of himself. "Maybe the Water Serpent was something they summoned later, or it could be a spirit of the woods. Some kind of primitive god, maybe. Those packages you found in the pool... could they have been offerings?"

You don't find any additional traps in the room.

** OOC: It's find for you to make the rolls for your thief skills. I don't like secret rolls and always roll where players can see it, even in IRL games. I don't always tell you what the roll is for, however.

 

[Tecumseh]

Helge Haisley

"Perhaps, Llore," Helge says. She's not sure she believes it; bards - as a professional requirement - have active imaginations.

"Let's press on." She continues to tap as she advances.

 

[Shocker]

 

Bernard D'Ambresi

---

 Level 1 Warrior/ Noble

AC: 15, HP 14/14, speed 25 Initiative +1

Bernards Stats

Strength:	12(0)		Personality	13(+1)
Agility:	10 (0)		Intelligence	11 (0)
Stamina:	13 (+1)		Luck:	9 (-1)

saving throws

Ref.	Fort.	Will
1	1	0

Weapon: Longsword 0 (1d8)

Chainmail AC +5

Deed Die: d3 applicable on each roll to attck and damage roles.

Mighty deed of arms: succeeds on d3 roll better than 2

Critical hit: occuring on natural 19 and 20

Weapon training, battle axe, club, crossbow, dagger, dart, ail, hand axe, javelin, longbow, long swrod, mace, polearm, short bow, short sweord, sling, spear, staff, two-handed sword and warhammer.

Equipment: Chain 10' (30 gp)
Trade good: Gold ring worth 10 gp
Starting Funds: 43 cp, 7sp, 6,gp
Lucky sign: Pack hunter (Attack/damage rolls for 0-level weapon) (+0)
Languages: Common

Bernard is the never do well second son of Count Dargolin, and has sent to manage his father’s estate in an out of the way village. In the counts words to stop him from getting into duels with other men all the times, especially not over the wenches. 

He still isn't the shining Champion his father would wish for, but the experiences in the starless sea, have increased his martial skills and sensibilities.

 

---

 

Bernard eyes the runes suspiciously, he has never seen anything like this, the alphabet had not been part of his classical education. But he isn’t traveling alone “Molly, Llore could you have a look at this for a moment, have you seen in your travels something like this before?”

[Draidden]

 

Lyra, Level 1 Thief, Ostler, Chaotic

AC: 15, HP: 5/5, Speed: 30, Initiative: +3

 

STATS

Abilities

	Strength:	12 (+0)		Personality:	14 (+1)
	Agility:	18 (+3)		Intelligence:	14 (+1)
	Stamina:	8 (-1)		Luck:	18 (+0)Base is 10 for Thief purposes.

Saving Throws

	Reflex:	+4
	Fortitude:	+0
	Willpower:	+1

Weapons

Weapons	Attack Bonus	Damage
Staff	+0	1d4
Shortbow	+3	1d6
Short Sword	+0	1d6

Equipment: See Character Sheet

Trade good: Bridle
Money: 6 gp, 7 sp, 25 cp
Lucky sign: Resisted temptation (Willpower saving throws) (+0)
Languages: Common, Kobold
 

Lyra rejoins the others as they start gathering to stare at the strange symbols on the walls. She has no idea what they are or mean, and is pretty sure no one else in this group will either, so she moves past them down the western hallway to the doorway and uses her lantern to see what is in there. She moves cautiously, checking for floor stones that look out of place or holes in the wall or trip wires. She really wishes she had had someone who could teach her more about locating traps and avoiding them. But she does the best she can.

 

 

[Dixi]

As indifferent to the murals as he was, Thugnar did pay some attention to the runes. Since the walls themselves told him nothing he walked forward and looked closer at the carvings.

"Can be a warning or the story of the man."

He squinted, thinking if he ever met that writing. And after a while stepped down the stairs.

[Malkavian Grin]

HP 10/10 | AC 17 | Init. +1 | CP -6
Ref. +2 | Fort. +1 | Will +0

The embarrassment of her hunch being completely wrong left Tabitha silent. She hefted her shield and flail back into her hands as she followed the group quietly.

 

Coming to the tunnel filled with runes, the jeweler gazed across them with a bit of wonder. "There's a story here, if anyone can read it. I think Thugnar's got the right of it. This being Ulfeonar's tomb, I'd bet this tells about his greatest deeds or his family--maybe both." She ran her fingers across the markings slowly as she walked past them.

 

Looking at the darkened tunnel, she called, "Llore, bring your torch this way. There's a doorway most of us can't see through."

[cailano]

Llore inspects the rune-inscribed walls of the stairwell.

"These are Karthak Runes. The Druids used to write with them long ago, and you can find them on standing stones near here. I've never seen this many in one place! I can't read much... something about Cave Bears.... no, wait, I know! It's about the Warriors of the Cave Bear. They were berserkers from different clans who fought alongside the Ulfheonar. They were all killed in battles, I think. I wish I could read more of the runes."

The Catacomb of the Cave Bear

When you bring light to the doorway at the bottom of the stairwell, you can see the chamber beyond. It is a circular room of the same stone-slab construction as the rest of the tomb, but in this room, the wall slabs are carved into the likenesses of massive cave bears and warriors wearing the skulls and pelts of the bears.

There are spacers between the stabs that are inscribed with more Karthak Runes. There is also a series of slabs carved into a a sort of stone mural. They depict a battle scene, with the bear-warriors battling against dozens of foes. The craftsmanship is impressive.

Thugnar

The Karthak Runes and the art style in this chamber reminds you of dwarven work. You don't think it actually was dwarves, but perhaps these people were allied with dwarves and learned from them. That would also explain the quality of the stonework you've seen so far. This tomb was well made. Maybe they even learned writing from the dwarves. The runes don't make sense to you, but their shapes are familiar.