Chapter 2 - Getting to the bottom of it?

[Squirrellord]

That sounds like a wise idea. Jim nods approvingly.

[Nocturno]

"Right, let's go."

[Chris1234]

The group set off: Jim, Woody, Darren and then Sue, all of whom have knees fully bent, back doubled over; each virtuially sitting on their calves and waddling along.

Calf muscles tell the four unfortunately tall folks that the four foot wide tunnel is stretching on forever.

***
Jim announces that the tunnel has reached a T-junction and that it's a two foot step down into a somewhat wider [six foot diameter] sewer tunnel that continues to the left and right. Both hold a steady trickle of unpleassant, sludgy liquid flowing from right to left. The width of the stream of liquid is maybe one and a half foot.

Perhaps a dozen foot to the right the tunnel narrows overs maybe a dozen foot into a narrower [four foot diameter] shaft. The base of the right hand shaft is about one foot above the floor of the wider [lefthand] tunnel and one foot below where Jim stands.

======
The four foot diameter cylindrical RH shaft merges into the six foot diameter cylindrical LH tunnel as a concentric truncated conical section.

Would everyone please make:
One Survival skill check (Jim has advantage),
Your choice of one of Hard Perception skill check or Average (but disadvantaged) Investigation skill check,
Two Constitution saving throws,
Another survival check (disadvantaged for everyone apart from Woody who has advantage)

[counterkid]

Survival: [1d20+2] = 2+2 = 4
Investigation disadvantage: [1d20+4] = 13+4 = 17
[1d20+2] = 13+2 = 15 + 2 =17
Constitution: [1d20+2] = 2+2 = 4
Constitution: [1d20+2] = 13+2 = 15
Survival: [1d20+2] = 2+2 = 4

[Nocturno]

Survival(Wis)(2): [1d20+2] = 1+2 = 3
Perception(Wis)(2): [1d20+2] = 2+2 = 4
Investigation(Int)(0): [1d20] = 20
Con Save: [1d20+2] = 2+2 = 4
Con Save: [1d20+2] = 4+2 = 6
Survival (Dis)Advantage: [1d20+2] = 19+2 = 21 [1d20+2] = 16+2 = 18

[Squirrellord]

Survival(3): [1d20+3] = 16+3 = 19
Survival(3): [1d20+3] = 14+3 = 17
Perception: [1d20+6] = 10+6 = 16
ConSave(1): [1d20+1] = 17+1 = 18
ConSave(1): [1d20+1] = 19+1 = 20
Survival (Dis)Advantaged(3): [1d20+3] = 4+3 = 7 , [1d20+3] = 2+3 = 5

[Chris1234]

Jim counted their progress as one hundred paces (double steps) in more or less a straight line and Woody agrees when the momk adds that it was slightly but steadily uphill.
Emerging into the wider tunnel where most of the group can almost stand straight is a relief and a welcome opportunity to straighten cramped muscles! Unfortunatley both Woody and Sue's muscles retain some level of cramp.
Sue assesses that the narrower tunnel to the right heads east whereas the wider, tunnel to the left goes westwards, and that the pair slope down from eeast to west with the tunnel from which the group have emerged being some sort of overflow. Woody's stone confirms the directions to be east and west.

***
The rendezvous should be getting close now; somewhere to the west!

Turning west along the six foot daimeter tunnel, the group assume the synchronised gait of a weird catapillar, all left legs advancing on one side of the narrow stream of sludgy liquid followed by all right legs moving in unison. After another hundred paces the tunnel ends abruptly in a dead end; the unpleasant liquid passing through three inch high arches in its base.
Jim's sharp eyes spot some runes on the northern wall. They are at chest height and about seven paces from the dead end.

Sewer Runes.png (1.78 KiB) Viewed 6369 times

What next?

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Woody and Sue have one level of exhaustion.
Jim, Woody and Sue recognise the runes to be Dethek, the script of literate orcs.

• Characters making a successful History check will recall more.
  Difficulty is Easy, increasing in steps of +5.

[counterkid]

History at disadvantage due to exhaustion:
[1d20+7] = 2+7 = 9
[1d20+7] = 6+7 = 13

[Nocturno]

History(Int)(0)(Dis)Advantage: [1d20] = 6 [1d20] = 3

Sue is not a history buff.

[Squirrellord]

History(0): [1d20] = 1
=================================
Yep.
Runes.

[Chris1234]

Darren looks around as the blank faces and offers, "I have studied primordial, the precursor languagage of elementals, and this uses the same runes. But in view of this place being built in ages past by dwarves, perhaps this is dwarven." He looks around at still blank faces, only Woody showing any recognition that multiple races use common alphabets. The aasimar Lights the area. "I think this says 'Fire' and 'Stone'."

======
Darren History, Insight [1d20+2] = 13+2 = 15, [1d20+5] = 10+5 = 15
Any relevant skill check can have Guidance.
Sue would have racial advantage

[counterkid]

Woody wants to investigate the stones and the area around the stones.
"Maybe their is a secret door around here." "This engraving might be an indicate."
Investigation disadvantage:
[1d20+4] = 3+4 = 7
[1d20+4] = 10+4 = 14
+ 1d4 : [1d4] = 2
so = 9 and 16

[Chris1234]

Darren moves the Light to assist those looking at the stonework.

[counterkid]

"Goblins and dwarves use this alphabet, albeit to form different words with radically differing pronunciations."

[Nocturno]

"Hmmm." Sue seems to really try to see some deeper meaning.


Insight(Wis)(4): [1d20+4] = 8+4 = 12
Guidance: [1d4] = 2