Naras' Vignette

[JadedDM]

(OOC: Not charging, just moving forward.)

[JadedDM]

Naras clutches her spear in two hands, ready, adding "You're going to show me the mine?"

[JadedDM]

Naras stands her ground as the half-elf approaches, sword drawn. "Are we...what are our orders?" asks Leena, confused as to what to do. She hefts her morning star and shield, ready to defend herself. Pearl draws a dagger from her belt and waits to see what happens.

The guard is now 60 feet (20 yards) away from them. He doesn't bother answering Naras' question.

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Initiative
Naras (N/A)
Leena (N/A)
Pearl (N/A)
Guard (1d10): 8

Round 1!

Naras readies her weapon.
Leena readies her weapon.
Pearl readies her weapon.
Guard moves 60 feet toward them.

(OOC: Her magical spear or her mundane one?

Actions for Round 2?)

[JadedDM]

"Defend yourselves, girls," Naras says as she continues forwards to meet the half-elf.
She ties to stab him with the new spwar, using a two handed grip.

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OOC: I'd previously slipped in the sentence: "Without looking at her, new spear in hand, Naras quietly asks Pearl, "Recognize him?" slowing but continuing forwards all the while.", so yes, its' the new, magical spear.
OOC: How does combat work in this PPEM? Do you do all the rolls? Or do you want me to mzke them for Naras? Or..? (I don't mind whichever.)

[JadedDM]

"Die, Gontorians!" the guard shouts as he moves towards them. He swings his long sword in an overhead swipe, but Naras throws up her spear to block it, then pushes forward to knock him back a couple of steps. Pearl then throws her dagger, which cuts into his shoulder as it spins by, causing him to cry out. The distraction is all Naras needs, and she rams the spear into his chest, piercing his armor completely.

The half-elf stares at her in shock, then coughs out some blood, before slumping to the ground. His sword drops from his hands, clattering at his side.

Leena, who had been prepared to attack, lowers her weapon and looks down at the dead man in surprise. Her already pale skin seems to grow paler.

Pearl goes to retrieve her dagger and wipes the blood off on his clothes. "That was easy enough."

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Initiative
Naras (1d10+5): 8+5 = 13
Leena (1d10+7): 10+7 = 17
Pearl (1d10+2): 9+2 = 11
Guard (1d10+5): 4+5 = 9

Round 2!

Guard moves 60 feet south and swings his long sword with great skill (+1 hit/+2 dmg) at Naras in banded mail (-2 hit) [TN 16] (1d20-1): 13-1 = 12, miss.
Pearl throws a dagger with great aim (+1 hit) and halfling skill (+1 hit) at Guard in studded leather armor (-1 hit) [TN 13] (1d20+1): 20+1 = 21, critical hit! for (2d4): 2 damage. Guard is now moderately wounded.
Naras stabs with her magical (+1 hit/dmg) spear at Guard in studded leather armor (-1 hit) [TN 11] (1d20): 14, hit for (1d8+2): 6+2 = 8 damage. Guard dies.
Leena has no target.

(OOC: Normally players do their own rolls, but as Invisible Castle is down, I'm doing all rolls until it's back up.

Combat ends.)

[JadedDM]

Naras quietly recites a prayer over the fallen for about the souls of the misguided being received in the afterlife and whilst dragging him out of sight behind a convenient bush, boulder or long grass (failing which behind the cart or behind a barrel will have to suffice. Adding, "Keep a look out, ladies," she very quickly examines the cart and pair of barrels before patting him down for 'stuff',
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OOC: Ignore the armour, so longsword + any of Keys, maps, valuables, documents, other weapons, tools?
Is it a handcart? Are the barrels on it? Are they empty? (Might hide the body in a barrel).
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She then follows Pearl's lead and cleans her spear on the half elf's clothing before heading closer to the mine entrance.

[JadedDM]

The barrels are not on the handcart, but next to it. Both are about half full of water. Likely they were used to collect rain. The handcart itself is empty.

Checking the half-elf's body, she finds that in addition to his long sword and his studded leather, he also is carrying a small belt pouch that contains 3 gold coins and a small red gemstone.

[JadedDM]

Tha dwarf pockets the contents of the beltpouch, leaving the latter on the body.
After hiding the deceased, if the longsword fits into the cart so that it's out of sight on a cursory glance, the dwarf puts it there, otherwise it will be placed out of sight behind the chopped logs.
"You girls ok?" she asks, having noted Leena's whitening.

After a moment or two longer, the group move up to approach the mine entrance from the side. After having a listen, Naras carefully pops her head round the edge of the entrance and peers inside.

[JadedDM]

Naras notices Pearl watching her like a hawk as she pockets the coins and gemstone. "Don't forget our deal," the halfling says. "I'm getting a fair share of anything we find here."

Leena nods, trying to maintain her composure. "Yes, I just...I've never killed anyone before," she admits.

"Don't feel bad," Pearl says. "You still haven't killed anyone. You were too slow."

Leena grimaces. "It all happened so fast...I wasn't ready."

Naras peers down into the mine's entrance. It's just high enough for a short human to pass through. (A taller human would need to watch they don't bump their heads; luckily Leena is only 5'9".) There are lit torches placed in braziers strategically down the mine shaft, so one can see where they are going. This is helpful, because a cloud of mist has settled inside the entrance, swirling about lazily and obscuring vision. The tunnel starts out level, but a few feet in it sharply declines, leading down and deeper into the ground. To the right is a wooden walkway, built to help make it easier to drag the handcart up and down the steeper parts of the tunnel. Indeed, there's another handcart sitting just before the decline, filled with chopped lumber.

It's all quiet inside. It's also very cool within, especially compared to outside in the sun.

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Naras adds 3 GP and a small red gemstone to her belt pouch.

[JadedDM]

Naras nods to Pearl, "Agreed."
She turns to Leena, "I understand. We didn't start this. Hmmm would you want to borrow either of these?" and offers the human her old spear or sling (& bullets).
If Leena doesn't want the sling (& bullets) she offers them to Pearl.
Pausing every so often to listen, the group proceed into the mine until something changes.
**
OOC: If there is a branch in the mine, in the absence of anything to indicate otherwise, e.g. tracks or something revealed by her mining skills or dwarven senses, Naras will follow the RH wall.

[JadedDM]

Leena turns down the weapons. She doesn't know how to use a spear, and she already has a sling and bullets of her own. Pearl accepts the bullets, but not the sling. "I'm better at pitching them than slinging them," she says.

As they reach the second torch, the ground levels out again. Naras stops suddenly when she realizes there is a tripwire in front of her. Following it with her eyes, she sees it leads up to an overhead compartment someone has built between the wooden support posts in the mine. The compartment appears to be filled with large rocks. If the tripwire were to be broken, the trapdoor swings open and drops the rocks on the intruder.

The trap is easy enough to bypass, if one simply walks along the wooden path instead. At the end of the tunnel, it branches to the left. There's a third handcart at the corner, also filled with chopped lumber. There's also a patch of white mushrooms next to it, growing out of the ground under the light of the third torch.

The sound of falling water can be heard up ahead.

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Naras gives Pearl 8 sling bullets.
Naras makes a WIS check [TN 17] (1d20): 14, pass. She notices a tripwire.

[JadedDM]

Naras points out the ripwire, then squints at the mushrooms, trying to recall if she's come across these before in her years studying & practicing herbalism.
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OOC: Thinking albino variety violet mushroom.
How loud is the water? Stream? waterfall?
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If nothing comes to mind she advances up towards the corner a few feet ahead of the others, with an eye on the mushrooms in case they start to quiver.
If nothing untoward occurs, she advance to the corner and has a listen, allowing the others to catch up and then pops her head round the corner, thereafter advancing until something significant or different occurs or comes to view (ok noises too, e.g. voices).

[JadedDM]

Naras, Pearl and Leena avoid the tripwire. It was lucky they were moving so slow. Had they been walking at a brisker pace, they likely would have missed it.

On closer examination, Naras recognize the fungus as phallus indusiatus an edible mushroom that is often found among the islands. The water sounds like a small waterfall splashing down.

Turning the corner, Naras hears something more than water. She hears two male voices talking about something. They're close, but too far away for her to make out exactly.

[JadedDM]

The group continue until either they seewho is talking or they can hear what is being said (or something else changes).

[JadedDM]

Naras creeps forward and can hear the two voices, both male, speaking more clearly.

"Aren't you worried that someone's going to walk in here? The entrance isn't exactly hidden, you know."

"This again? I told you, we have someone standing guard out there. And don't forget the rock trap we rigged up. So, stop your worrying and get some rest. Your shift is coming up and I don't want you dozing off again like last time."

The tunnel opens up into a large cavern that is mostly flooded. A wooden bridge has been constructed to cross the water to the other side, but also as a set of stairs leading down to the highest (and dry) section of the cavern. On that patch of land is a small campsite. There's a roaring fire with a couple of pots nearby and a stack of chopped lumber. Leaning against the lumber is a pickaxe and on the wall across from the fire is an exposed vein of iron ore. There are two sleeping rolls in the northwest corner. There are also more white mushroom patches growing down there. Two men are also down there. One is a half-elf male wearing hide armor and carrying a mace on his belt. He is picking mushrooms and putting them into one of the pots. The other is a human male, also wearing hide and carrying a mace, but has a small shield, as well.

On the south side of the cavern is a small waterfall dropping from above. There must be some mountain river draining into here. The water level remains constant, though, so it must be draining out somewhere. The pool looks to be about 7 or 8 feet deep at its deepest. There's another bridge to the south, but it has been drawn up, like a castle drawbridge, making reaching it difficult.

There's also a small balcony to the west, south of the bridge. A lever of some kind can be seen there.