The Caravan [1st Leg]

[homeskillet]

Stone looks at the door with contempt. He turns to Sull," Sull," Stone asks," Could you please go back up and get the key?"

[Game Master]

Sull's head tilts to the side in thought. His brows visibly furrow and he begins to bite his lower lip. Hesitating at first the gully turns to head out the door. Getting halfway there he turns again and gives Stone a look of confusion. "Really?" the dwarf asks in obvious disbelief and bewilderment.

[homeskillet]

" Of course Sull," Stone begins," We can't just very well destroy our host's door, that would be very bad. We need to get inside, so we need a key. That is, unless you know of another way to get inside." Stone's raises an eyebrow and braces for Sull's answer.

[Game Master]

Sull walks up to within two feet of the locked door and stares at it for three minutes without moving.

"Whats he doing? Willing it to open?" Briggs whispers to Stone.

Before Stone can respond Sull reaches into his pouch, pulls out a huge set of dozens of skeleton keys of various sizes and shapes strung together on a black iron ring. Without ever taking his eyes off the door he holds the large iron ring in his right hand down at his side and thumbs through the keys slowly. After a minute or so of this he stops and inserts one of the keys into the mechanical pad lock. It opens with a barely audible 'click'. The chain falls loose and pools on the floor before Sull's feet. While putting the keys back into his pouch the gully reaches up and unlatches the bolt and pushes the door open with his other hand.
The smell of rot and decay waifs up at the heroes. A set of stone stairs lead down into total darkness.

[homeskillet]

" Thank you Sull," Stone whispers," You are a good dwarf of many talents." Stone smiles. Stone pulls out his owl lantern, wipes off any carbon or soot from past use, adds some oil inside and lights it. Yes, he does all this as before, showing off his prized possession. He puts the light out before him and begins step inside.

[Game Master]

Briggs was right behind Stone, sword at the ready. Glancing over his shoulder Aiko noticed the rest filing onto the staircase as well with Par-Nax taking up rear guard.

The stairs were stone and felt solid under Aiko's feet. After ten steps the left side wall ended revealing the cellar proper. Aiko once again had an odd sensation nagging at him. The earth....the earth wasn't healthy down here. He'd have to worry about that when he had a chance.

The Cellar was cavernous. The light from the owl's eyes didn't come close to illuminating the entire room. Wooden crates, barrels and burlap sacks lay broken and split everywhere. Rotting food, mostly vegetables and small bits of salted meat could be seen scattered here and there haphazardly. It was refreshingly cool down here. A nice relief from the hot and humid spring air above. Not a sound could be heard but an overpowering rankness filled the air so thick it was palpable.

[Game Master]

The nagging feeling wouldn't go away. Unable to ignore it any longer Aiko wondered if the creature was somehow responsible. Relaxing Aiko closed his eyes and let his senses roam his surroundings. Sure enough Aiko could sense a danger to the entire keep. The creatures burrowing could be sensed in all directions including beneath his feet. The massive and haphazard tunnel network had weakened the foundation of the keep. The structure was no longer sound. If something wasn't done soon....

[homeskillet]

"This is no good," Stone suddenly announced," This creature has borrowed itself throughout this foundation. We must find this beast and stop it before it causes anymore damage. The foundation must be reinforced or the fort shall fall." Stone begins searching for any access to this network of tunnels he sensed.

[Game Master]

"Spread out." the elven archer commanded in a tone born to superiority. "We'll find it faster."

Unable or unwilling to argue most of the group split up. The elf, Leknora headed West with bow at the ready. Lighting a torch, Par-Nax headed North-West while the dwarven merc headed North. The little gnome Shyar began searching around both sides of the stairs to the south. Even Sull was compelled and began to head do East without making a sound holding his weapon out before him. Only Briggs stayed with Stone.

"You got the lantern Brother. Besides, you have my back. Right?"

North East appears to be left for the two companions. They search high and low for holes, tunnels, tubular masses that could be the creature. The floor is covered with supplies, long since destroyed. Whatever did this was thorough or persistent in its hunting. Not one box or sack lay undisturbed. Stone locked his arm straight out when Briggs almost stumbled into a pit within the earthen floor.

"Found something." Briggs called out in a way that attempted to be both loud and quiet simultaneously yet failing both miserably.

One by one the heroes called back. Sull and Leknora had both found similar holes while Par-Nax and the grumpy dwarf had yielded nothing. From Shyar there was no response at all.

[homeskillet]

"Shyar!," Stone calls and quickly runs to the south stairs. Avoiding any holes of course.

[Game Master]

After wandering around the room the group now estimates the large root celler to be about 200 feet square. Searching the area around the stairway the group entered by, they discover another hole. This hole however unlike the others is in the wall not the floor. It is a roughly round hole aprox. five feet in diameter. It is dark and goes well beyond Aiko's lamp range. Shyar is nowhere to be found.

"Good Lord whats that smell?" Briggs whispers aloud. Aiko recognized the smell of death. Not old, musty death like a tomb but, the rank smell of rotting flesh. Aiko would never forget that smell. He had experienced it before when a plague had overcome a large village near his mountain home. The bloated bodies were piled high in a ditch and left to bake in the sun.

[homeskillet]

"Death," Stone explains," That is the smell of death." Stone begins to crawl inside the hole.

[Game Master]

The tunnel was tight. Ironically only the lady Shyar would have little difficulties traversing the hole. Aiko had to hunker down in order to walk and wielding his Naginata in the narrow tube would be severely hampered. The Lord only knew how Par-Nax was fairing. The sharp curves of the walls made it impossible to travel even two abreast so the group entered after the Earth Master in single file. The floor of the tube like tunnel was littered in small pebbles and stones. Here and there as they walked ever deeper large clods of dirt would fall from the ceiling intermittently. The tube curved this way and that making most of the group lose there barrings of direction. Many small tubes branched off from this main one but they were only a fraction of the size being mere inches in diameter.

"I don't see any slime. Don't worms leave slime trails?" Briggs inquired in a hushed voice. Aiko could sense a nervousness in the mercenaries tone. "And what about all these little holes? I thought this thing was big?"

A grunt came as a response from someone in the group. Apparently no one thought they need answer him. Just then the group reached an intersection of sorts. Another five foot tube intersected with this one but at an odd angle. It crossed at almost 45 degrees. with the left side tunnel heading up and away from the party while the right side tunnel slid downward almost back the way they came. Either would be difficult to traverse and even the tunnel they were currently in would require a five foot jump to clear the intersection. Easy enough if there was head room.

[homeskillet]

Stone tries to cross to see how easy it is. He is heading toward the left side which arcs up.

[Game Master]

Before making the jump Aiko leaves his pole arm and lantern with Briggs behind him. With a mighty leap he lands in the upward tunnel but bangs his head on the journey. Scrambling for a hand hold his bulk begins sliding downward. An instant later an axe head slams into the earthen tube and Aiko grasps at it desperately. The blade bit deep and holds as Aiko grips it by the hilt. Now facing back he can see the dwarven mercenary who pushed Briggs aside.

ooc: My timeshare has free internet!