Jason was unavailable for this session, so Karnak was left out of play.
<DM> Now, where were we? :)
<11: Liatus> Just to note, I woke up, and it may take me a little bit to get back up to speed.
<DM> That's fine, BA. We'll rev up.
<11: Silana> Clerical Turbines to speed!
<Meridius> I think we're about to go down the hole to level 2, after an evening's rest and recuperation at our normal camp.
<DM> That sounds right to me.
<DM> I want to offer a mechanics suggestion, by the way.
<11: Silana> (This as distinct from a mechanic's suggestion, such as 'Use a 3/8" deep socket.')
<DM> We've established that you guys are playing with due attention to alertness. I can simply assume that you're taking 10 on listen and search checks at points of interest - doors, rooms cleared of opposition, and so on - unless you clearly indicate some other priority, and save us some time.
<Meridius> What if we run into something where taking 10 wouldn't be good enough to spot it?
<DM> Hmm. A good question, that.
<Liatus> Besides, I've felt that our alternating bumbling/exceptional results on search rolls has been fun.
<DM> Okay, then. :)
<DM> I don't mean to deprive you any fun, certainly.
<Silana> (Unlike some GMs, who seem to make that their goal.)
<DM> In any event, folks are resting up. Anyone needed healing before rest got it, I'm assuming?
* Meridius is in good shape.
* Silana is at full.
<Liatus> IIRC, we all healed up the night before.
<DM> And spellcasting types can get their spells in a row for the new day.
<DM> (Checking log, I see that you're right, BA.)
* Liatus cleans up the remains of the shaved fennel salad he made for breakfast.
* 11: Liatus just likes saying shaved fennel.
<11: DM> Sounds naughty, but it's not!
<11: Silana> 'Shaved ferret?' Wot?
<DM> The closest part of the Citadel remained quiet throughout the night, and the rats are keeping well away from you ever since you did in their queenie rat.
## DM rolled 1d10 = 9 (9).
<DM> Yes, it _does_ stay quiet throughout the night. :)
<DM> From your encampment in the tower courtyard, you can see that it showered on and off all night, but very little of it made it down into the ravine.
* Liatus peers up the ravine walls, hoping that perhaps Karnak might be joining us today.
<11: DM> Oh, I'm also trying an experiment of a different sort today. I'll tell you what it was when we're done. :)
<DM> Alas, no word from Karnak this morning.
<DM> Apparently he's continuing to explore the exciting adventure of food poisoning some more.
<11: Karnak> "Is this [blarg] *urp* 'adventure'?" [Liatus]
<11: DM> Like that, yes.
<DM> Any preparations to make before proceeding on in?
<Liatus> Only the usual. Checking armor and weapons, securing gear, wishing for a hot bath and a shave, that sort of thing.
<Meridius> I imagine we'll just break camp, arm up and head for the pit.
<DM> (If anyone later thinks of things that would be perfectly sensible morning prep, just say so.)
<Silana> The usual best-as-can ablutions, etc.
* DM nods.
<DM> Okay, it's the usual route in, I presume, unless you're breaking through walls or something. :)
<11: Liatus> "Hulk SM-er, nevermind."
<11: Silana> And we'll trudge on in, due to my continuing failure to invent rollerblades.
<DM> You don't have to make much effort to hear, as you approach, Calcryx making a racket in his cage. He's banging something against the bars.
<Liatus> "I wonder if he's 'playing' with Meppo."
<DM> Opening the door, if you do...
* Silana shakes her head ruefully. "On our way out when we're all done here, we really should free him."
<Liatus> "If this citidel is more than two floors, he may well free himself before we are finished."
<Liatus> "Though, if we return to town again before we are done here, I may well purchace a sheep to give the poor creature. I doubt it's diet of rats and goblins are of its own choosing."
* Silana nods to Liatus. "That would be a kindness, I would think."
<DM> As you come in, Calcryx looks up with a little snarl. He's got most of the leg of a goblin in his jaws, and has been swinging this at his cage. The leg's now broken in several places, as well as thoroughly gnawed.
* Liatus raises an eyebrow.
<DM> Meepo isn't in at the moment; Calcryx has been left to his own devices. From down the hallway toward the kobold temple hall, you can hear surprising good antiphonal chanting in many little voices.
*** Maya has joined channel 10 [Sat. D&D].
*** Maya has joined channel 11 [Sat. D&D Chatter].
<DM> Much of the rest of the goblin lies along the back of Calcryx's cage. It looks like one of the ones you killed the other day, actually.
* 11: DM waves to Maya.
<Liatus> "Perhaps we shouldn't tarry here for too long."
* Meridius leads the way out of the chamber and onward to the pit.
<DM> You can go see what all the chanting is about, or take the eastside route, as you wish.
* Meridius isn't moving toward the chanting.
<11: Liatus> Can I attempt to ID the chanting with a Religion/Arcana roll just from listening?
<11: DM> Sure!
## 11: Liatus rolled 1d20+5 = 17 (12).
<11: DM> The rhythms are vaguely familiar - it owes something to old liturgical music of various cultures - but the details aren't coming through.
<DM> The passage to room 25, then, remains dark and undisturbed. No fresh tracks in the dust since the last time you were through this way.
* Liatus presumes Meridius is taking point, with Silana in the middle and me in back.
<Meridius> Yes.
<DM> Sounds sensible to me.
* 11: Maya waves, watches. ;)
<DM> Calcryx gives another parting bang or two and then quiets down as you leave.
<DM> http://www.baugh.info/citadel1.jpg , for those needing the link.
<DM> Holler when it's time to do some rolling for listening or searching or whenever; otherwise I'll assume that you're proceeding with due caution.
* Meridius requests that, as a time-saving measure, we fast-forward directly to the pit that goes down to level 2.
<DM> Sure. :)
<DM> There are in fact no complications along the way, so that's cool with me.
<DM> You can see that it's quite a ways down the shaft in the northwest tower room, but the vines are thick, and some have been knotted into crude ladders. The climb is going to be an easy one.
* Meridius will go first.
<DM> You also get a whiff of what's down below, and it has the distinctive bouquet of compost.
<Liatus> "My, how pleasent."
<DM> The Climb check is DC 0, which means just "don't fumble".
<Meridius> "I've smelled worse."
<11: Silana> Oh, an RP bit I forgot at the very start. At the end last week I mentioned Silana taking out her flute after dinner and starting to play. After a little warming up, she played a slow, sad, sweet piece of some length, probably easily recognized as a lament for the lost man the goblins killed. If this gets any reaction from anyone, it's a scene we can back-edit in later.
<Liatus> "Yes, I'm sure you have. That rotting fish paste you seem to enjoy eating, for example...."
<11: DM> That's cool, Dan, I like that.
<Meridius> "No taste for garum, eh?"
<DM> Meridius, a Climb roll, if you please.
<DM> Likewise for the others, when you descend.
## Meridius rolled 1d20-2 = 12 (14).
<DM> That's more than sufficient to descend safely.
* Silana wrinkles her nose at the odor. "This smells like a consignment that went bad in one of Father's warehouses two summers ago."
<DM> From just within the mouth of the shaft, you can look out at the room below, too.
<11: Silana> Since we're not being hurried by anything, can we take 10 on the climbing?
<DM> It's low-roofed, and mostly filled with compost covered by a layer of luminescent fungi. Two animated skeletons are methodically raking it over, and two more twig blights like the one in the goblin chief's throne room are growing in pots alongside one wall of the room. The room itself is big - 60 feet square or so.
* 11: Liatus comments that its a very touching piece.
<11: DM> The take 10 rule is that you can't do it when there's a risk of harm for failure.
<11: Silana> Ah. okay.
<11: Liatus> What attribute modifies climb rolls?
<11: Liatus> Dex?
<11: Silana> Let's save anything to do with the music for later, so we're not intercutting a flashback here? ;)
<Meridius> When I reach the bottom I'll try to assess if the skeletons have noticed me. If not, I'll remain very still and wait for the others.
<11: DM> Climb is based on Dex, yes.
## DM rolled 1d20+3 = 6 (3).
<DM> Meridius, you emerge from the mouth of the shaft to see the twig blights rattling faintly. They've been caught off-guard by your arrival, but are obviously working themselves loose to come at you. The skeletons seem oblivious to your presence, for the moment.
<DM> You have a surprise round in which to do something. :)
<DM> There's an irregular hole in the north wall, and doors in the east and south walls, by the way, both closed.
<Liatus> Can I try to turn the skeletons from here?
<DM> If you make a successful climb roll, yes, you certainly can - that'll get you down to within range and line of sight.
<DM> Rolling for initiative might be good, too.
## Meridius rolled 1d20+4 = 19 (15).
<Meridius> There's my init.
## Silana rolled 1d20+2 = 12 (10).
<Silana> And mine.
<Meridius> And I'll use the surprise round to attack the twig blights.
## Liatus rolled 1d20+1 = 3 (2).
<Liatus> oops.
<DM> Righto. Meridius may attack when he's ready.
<DM> The twig blights are close enough for a half-move and attack to work just fine.
* 11: Liatus presumes he either falls or gets his foot caught in the ladder.
* Meridius moves up and attacks one of the twig blights.
## Meridius rolled 1d20+5 = 24 (19).
<11: DM> But you didn't mess up badly enough to fall - you just scare yourself for a moment ont he way.
<DM> Hey, your threat range is 19-20 with that, isn't it?
<Meridius> That was a critical strike with my gladius. Here's the roll to see if it comes through.
## Meridius rolled 1d20+5 = 25 (20).
<DM> Man. That's a critical.
<Meridius> Here's damage:
## Meridius rolled 2d6+4 = 8 (1 3).
<DM> The twig blight explodes in a shower of bark and dry wood. You can Cleave on through.
<Meridius> Okay, here's the Cleave attempt on the second twig blight:
## Meridius rolled 1d20+5 = 14 (9).
<DM> That hits the second one.
## Meridius rolled 1d6+2 = 5 (3).
<DM> And it breaks apart as well.
<DM> Meridius now strikes a dramatic pose as his theme jusic plays.
<DM> Silana, you may act if you wish, or wait for Liatus to do something.
* Meridius restrains himself from pressing forward and attacking the skeletons, waiting for Liatus to make his way down.
* Silana prepares for humiliating disaster, a.k.a. a Climb roll. -1 mod for STR 8 and no ranks in it. ICly, she knows she's not very good at this sort of thing, and lets Liatus go first. Having her fall and hurt herself into the middle of a fight would not be productive.
<11: Liatus> another climb roll then?
<11: DM> Just one climb roll. You're now in position to turn from where you are, or to make it the rest of the way tot he ground and then turn, as you wish.
* Silana spends the time instead casting Mage Armor, sharing it with Gnaea. The air around her does the momentary shimmering thing that by now is familiar to the others.
* Liatus brandishes his Imperial Seal from the ladder and commands the skeletons to cease their animations in the name of the Imperial Presence.
<DM> Roll 1d20 + Cha mod to see the toughest undead you can turn.
* Meridius ponders a tactical error that's about to be made. :)
## Liatus rolled 1d20+1 = 12 (11).
<DM> More than sufficient. Roll 2d6 + level + Cha mod to see how many hit dice worth you turn.
<11: Liatus> Meridius: eh?
## Liatus rolled 2d6+4 = 9 (4 1).
<DM> With a soft puff from an unseen wind, the skeletons do cease their animations, and crumble into dust that drifts down on top of the glowing fungi.
<11: Meridius> If you turn the skeletons and allow them an avenue of escape, we may not have a chance to destroy them and they may end up in a position to let others know we're here.
<11: Meridius> Fortunately, that doesn't appear to be a problem now. :)
<11: DM> You destroy rather than turn undead whose hit dice is less than your level.
<11: DM> 400 xp to divide among yourselves for that.
* Silana calls down from above, "Um, guys, would one of you be ready to catch me just in case?"
* Liatus reaches the bottom of the ladder and looks up. "Certainly."
* Silana begins her descent, a bit nervously.
## Silana rolled 1d20-1 = 4 (5).
<DM> Like Liatus, you have a few tricky moments, but you make it down in perfect safety.
* Silana smiles at the cleric once her boots are on solid floor again. "Thanks."
<Meridius> Once I see Silana's safely down I'll search this room.
* Liatus looks about the room to see if there is anything of note (or of value).
<Meridius> Here's a Search roll:
## Meridius rolled 1d20+2 = 10 (8).
* Silana will search as well, poking around ahead of herself with the butt of her staff.
## Silana rolled 1d20+2 = 16 (14).
## Liatus rolled 1d20+2 = 20 (18).
* 11: Meridius flashes back to the "combing the desert" scene from Spaceballs.
<DM> Mostly you find a lot of compost. The closest thing to a valuable or interesting item is a fairly well-preserved battle flag of red and black silk, bearing the emblem of the Kingdom of Cay, one of the small principalities the empire conquered when it came into this area. The silk's apparently treated with something that makes it unusually resistant to decay.
<DM> Apart from that, it's pieces of clothes, scraps of uneaten and/or digested meals, what are probably twig blight trimmings, and so on.
<11: Meridius> Bruce, are you going to put up a map of level 2 as you did for level 1?
* Liatus rolls up the flag and keeps it as a historical curiousity.
<11: DM> I am, but I haven't scanned it yet. I'll do that pronto.
<DM> You have two doors and the opening to listen at or otherwise examine, too.
* Liatus listens at each door and opening in turn.
## Liatus rolled 1d20+3 = 19 (16).
## Liatus rolled 1d20+3 = 20 (17).
## Liatus rolled 1d20+3 = 22 (19).
<Liatus> And clearly gets better at it with each try.
<DM> Indeed. :)
<DM> It's quiet to the north and south. You can see that there's a cave chamber ot the north, only slightly reshaped from its natural condition. Behind the east door you hear methodical hammering and other craft shop sounds, and occasional comments in goblin.
<DM> http://www.baugh.info/citadel2.jpg
<DM> As before, thin lines mark five-foot grids, thicker ones ten-foot grids, just so you have the scale.
* Liatus whispers to Meridius. "There are goblins behind the east door. But I can not tell how many. Should we try to eliminate them now?"
<Meridius> "No, we'll search other areas first. Best to do as much as we can without rousing the place."
* Liatus nods.
* Silana nods. "Though I dislike leaving enemies where they can cut off our escape, you're probably right."
<Meridius> "The door to the south seems more worthwhile than the cave to the north if we're going to find those we're looking for."
<Liatus> "The usual method of door opening then?"
* Meridius says to Silana, "We know too little about this place as yet. Lets gather some intelligence before we go picking fights." :)
<Meridius> "Aye, Liatus."
<11: Liatus> That being I open the door and step aside leaving Meridus to take first crack at anything that comes through, with Silana covering him with the crossbow.
<11: Meridius> Yep. :)
* Liatus checks the south door for possible traps before opening.
<11: DM> Gotcha.
## Liatus rolled 1d20+2 = 10 (8).
<11: Liatus> Boy I hope it's not trapped.
<Meridius> I'll try a trap check as well.
## Meridius rolled 1d20+2 = 16 (14).
<DM> It doesn't seem to be trapped...
<DM> ...and in fact it isn't. :)
* Silana sets her staff aside and readies her crossbow, loading it with an ordinary bolt, then takes up her firing position.
* Meridius gives Liatus the go ahead to open the door, and stands ready.
* Liatus readies his morning star and opens the door.
<DM> The door opens onto a hallway thickly covered with the luminescent fungi. About 30 feet ahead, the fungi suddenly stop; as you take a few steps into the hallway, you can see that there's a rift in the ground here. The corridor south of it has been shifted to the west some. The rift itself runs northeast to southwest, and its bottom is two feet lower than the level of the corridor. I've updated the map.
* Liatus looks at the fungi. "This place unsettles me."
<DM> Your tread leaves some of the fungi crushed and dimmed - it'll be easy to see if anyone else has been walking on it lately. And, of course, for others to see that you have.
<Meridius> Does the rift look passable?
<DM> The floor of the rift is a fungus-free mixture of loose stone and gravel, that looks like it can support you just fine. It's riddled with holes a foot in diameter, with smooth even sides, running down further, but they don't seem to have seriously weakened the surrounding material.
<Liatus> (Just to be clear, this rift does not appear to be part of the original architecture, yes?)
<DM> Correct. It's very obviously the result of a later earthquake or comparable shock.
<DM> YOu can look up and down the rift quite a ways; it seems to maintain more or less the same diagonal course allt he way.
<Meridius> Lets proceed south, crossing the rift and continuing on for now.
* Liatus pauses to listen at the rift to see if anything seems to be coming from either way of it.
## Liatus rolled 1d20+3 = 21 (18).
<DM> All quiet.
<DM> You make your way across the rift - which does support you just fine and along the hallway. It takes a couple of corners before terminating in a stone door carved with draconic images.
* Liatus follows Meridius
* Silana proceeds warily, her staff slung on her pack, her crossbow at the ready.
<DM> Map update again.
* Meridius stops at the stone door and gestures at it. "What do you make of this?"
* Liatus investigates the draconic images (and makes an Arcana roll)
<DM> Righto.
## Liatus rolled 1d20+7 = 24 (17).
<DM> Man, the dice are good to you guys today.
<11: Liatus> I'd forgotten my +2 Intel modifier when I rolled earlier for the kobold song and dance number.
<Liatus> "This appears to be some sort of shrine. This star decending toward the image of the two dragons in prayer is significant but I'm not certain what it might represent."
<Liatus> "Shall we open it?"
<Meridius> "I'm game."
<Liatus> "Same as before then."
* Liatus readies to open the door.
<Meridius> "Hold a moment."
<Meridius> "Lets look it over first."
* Meridius searches for traps, locks, all that good stuff:
## Meridius rolled 1d20+2 = 9 (7).
<Meridius> Bah.
<DM> It looks like a simple latch.
* Liatus checks for traps also.
## Liatus rolled 1d20+2 = 7 (5).
<DM> You don't find any.
<11: Liatus> "I think it's a door, Meridius!"
* Silana raises her bow and stands ready.
* Liatus readies his morning star and will open the door when Meridius is ready.
<11: Meridius> "A door? Jolly good!"
* Meridius is ready, gladius in hand.
* Liatus opens
<11: Silana> "Are you sure it's not a badger?"
<11: Silana> "They can be very tricky, you know."
<DM> The door proves to be stuck - its frame is somewhat askew. You'll need to give it a shove (Strength check) to open it.
<11: Liatus> Str check is what? 1d20+ Str mod?
<11: Meridius> Yes.
## Liatus rolled 1d20 = 15 (15).
<DM> That does it. The door creaks loudly and then becomes much quieter as it opens.
<DM> Map update again. The room is empty except for a statue in the middle, a waist-high iron sculpture of a rearing dragon holding a tray in its mouth. The dust is thick and even.
<DM> Nothing rests on top of the tray except more dust.
* Liatus searches the room for traps and treasure.
## Liatus rolled 1d20+2 = 19 (17).
<11: Liatus> See, when there's treasure at stake, I'm Johnny on the spot, but if it's just traps, I can't find my ass with both hands.
<DM> The room seems otherwise empty. You notice that the tray itself is somewhat peculiar - it's a slice of some unfamiliar stone, polished on top, left rough on the bottom. It looks like someone charred the rock's exterior, then split it open like a geode.
<11: Meridius> If you do find your ass, watch out for the trap planted in it. :)
* Liatus makes an arcana roll to see if he recognizes it.
## Liatus rolled 1d20+7 = 8 (1).
<DM> No, but you're sure you're unfamiliar with it. :)
* Liatus calls Silana over. "Silana, dear, what do you make of this?"
<11: Liatus> Hey now, there's be no planting of traps in my ass.
<11: Silana> Looking something up, just a sec. The new version of HeroForge choked on importing my file.
* Silana comes over to take a look...
## Silana rolled 1d20+5 = 11 (6).
<DM> You're also unfamiliar with it.
<Liatus> "Do you think we should take it with us? It looks valuable. And important."
* Silana hmms. "I could try detecting magic."
* Meridius says to Silana, "Good idea," and then to Liatus, "Not right now."
<Silana> "And it also looks clumsy and heavy to carry. If it's worthwhile, we can take it on the way out, but I don't think carrying it around will be useful." She then concentrates, her hands making a few passes in the air as she recites a short phrase.
<11: Meridius> So this detect magic bit is happening right during the map room music from Raiders of the Lost Ark. :)
<11: Meridius> I hope that doesn't bode ill.
<11: Liatus> I clearly need a bag of holding to cart off all the statuary and knicknacks.
<DM> It is indeed magical, rather strongly so, with an aura of conjuration magic.
* Silana's eyes widen a bit in surprise as the statue's aura makes itself seen to her. "Guys, it's /something/ all right... Conjuring power, it looks like..."
<DM> It's the stone tray that's magical, by the way. The statue holding it isn't.
* Silana adds, "The power's in the stone, not the iron statue..."
<Liatus> "Lets just make sure we don't forget it before we leave."
<Meridius> "Aye."
* Meridius makes to exit the room.
* Silana nods, as she slowly turns in place, maintaining her concentration on the spell as she scans the rest of the room with it.
<DM> The rest of the room is also not magical, as far as you can tell.
* Liatus also makes to exit the room.
<DM> It doesn't take you long to get back to the rift. Its top is somewhere high overhead, with plenty of room to stand up - you could follow it, if you were so inclined. Or you may continue back to the compost room.
* Finding nothing more of interest in the room, Silana makes her way back out. (The spell will run for up to 3 minutes, if she keeps concentration on it. Range is 60 ft, not counting things that block it.) [Silana]
* DM nods to Dan.
* Meridius heads up the passage and, upon arrival at the rift, turns left and heads down the rift to the southwest.
* Silana gestures for a halt as she reaches the rift. "Wait. I'm sensing some magic from these holes." She indicates the gaps in the rift's floor. "It's faint, like an aftereffect, but it's there."
* Liatus inspects the holes.
* Meridius will pause at Silana's request.
<DM> It looks like something melted them, to get the rock so smooth and consistent. They're all at ambient temperature.
<Liatus> Can we tell how deep they go?
<DM> Out of sight, at least, if you shine a light down them. They're not striaght shafts; they twist and curve at the limits of your illumination.
<Liatus> I presume they're too small for us to fit down?
<DM> That's correct. They're a foot wide.
* 11: Silana laughs. Okay, that's a choke. Loaded Silana's file into the new version of HeroForge, and it warned me that some stuff from an older version might not import correctly. Her light crossbow, halfspear, quarterstaff, and dagger became a gyrspike, fukimi-bari, heavy pick, and blowgun.
<Liatus> "Perhaps this is a mystery best saved for later?"
<11: DM> Ninja!
<Meridius> "Aye."
<DM> Okay, turning to the southwest, the rift continues as is for several dozen paces. There's a crack in the southern wall where the rift just pierced some preexisting cave chamber, and a faint red glow from inside. The rift itself peters out not far beyond.
* Meridius moves to check out the red glow. Carefully.
<DM> Map update. It's a more or less round chamber with rich mineral veins of different sorts in the walls. The glow is coming from within one of those holes, a bright red light shining upward and reflecting off shiny rock overhead.
<DM> Make a listen roll here.
## Meridius rolled 1d20-1 = 1 (2).
<11: Meridius> It's some guy in a helmet!
<DM> Meridius has gone deaf! :)
<DM> The others can make listen rolls as well.
## Liatus rolled 1d20+3 = 6 (3).
<Silana> (For me, then Gnaea)
## Silana rolled 1d20+2 = 12 (10).
## Silana rolled 1d20+14 = 25 (11).
* Silana looks a bit fearful as her familiar relates to her what she's hearing. "Something hot -- Very hot, like at a smithy's when they dunk hot metal into water..."
<DM> The holes, you'll notice, are clustered around the exposed mineral veins, and much less frequent in the rock that isn't so rich in ore.
<Liatus> "Perhaps we should go now?"
<Silana> "It's... /eating/ the minerals, whatever 'it' is...?"
* Meridius gestures at the others to go back the way we came, and will bring up the rear for the moment.
* Liatus takes point, moving back down the rift to the passageway.
<DM> The glow fades somewhat as you leave, and by the time you're back at the intersection, it's all dark behind you.
* Meridius takes the lead again, and heads up the rift to the northeast.
<Silana> "I hope we didn't attract that thing's attention. If it likes the ores out of the rock, it would probably love our metal belongings."
<11: Silana> And we don't have Karnak's cookpot to throw at it to keep it busy!
<11: Liatus> Can I make an Arcana roll to see if I've heard of the metal eater before?
<11: DM> Certainly.
<11: Silana> I probably should, too. It's clearly a magical beastie of some kind.
## 11: Liatus rolled 1d20+7 = 13 (6).
## Silana rolled 1d20+5 = 20 (15).
<11: DM> Liatus isn't placing. Silana recalls her father's guests speaking of the thoqqua, a fire-breathing worm-like creature that infests some mines.
<DM> Map update. The northern end of the rift terminates with a gap into an unlit obviously artificial room beyond.
<Silana> "If I'm guessing right, I think I might know what that was, not that it will help us if we have to deal with it. I've heard tell of a creature called a 'thoqqua' that does things like that."
<Liatus> "Can such a thing be killed?"
<Silana> "According to what I know, it is difficult, but yes, they are mortal creatures."
* Liatus nods. "Always good to know."
<Liatus> "Shall we search the other end of the rift, or back to the other doors?"
<11: Meridius> We already are. Look at Bruce's last comment.
<DM> Minor map update to make the north end of the rift and its circumstances clearer.
<Meridius> I take it the gap you mentioned is easily crossed?
<11: Silana> 15 minutes until I have to bail.
<DM> I meant "gap in the wall", not "gap in the floor", sorry for the confusion.
<Meridius> Okay.
* Meridius presses on into the room.
<DM> The room beyond is at the same level as the corridor and compost room at all, so it's a step up.
* Liatus follows Meridius.
<DM> The room is 20' square and hst he look of a storeroom - there are shelves on the east and west walls, none of them holding anything at the moment. There's a wooden door in the north wall.
* Meridius conducts a search of the room.
## Meridius rolled 1d20+2 = 18 (16).
* Silana searches as well.
## Silana rolled 1d20+2 = 7 (5).
## Liatus rolled 1d20+2 = 21 (19).
* 11: Silana doesn't bonk into the walls or knock the shelves down on herself, but only because Gnaea nudges her at the right times. :P
<DM> The shelves prove not entirely empty - there's a stack of blank paper with a peculiar waxy sheen. The top sheet has been gridded into rectangles that would make convenient labels for chests or boxes.
<DM> (Map update to fill in the rest of the room.)
<DM> There's a thin coating of dust, and none of the luminescent fungi.
* Meridius tries listening at the door in the north wall.
## Meridius rolled 1d20-1 = 7 (8).
* Liatus also listens
## Liatus rolled 1d20+3 = 21 (18).
<DM> You hear more of those craftsman sounds from somewhere beyond.
* Liatus whispers. "T'would about that we will have to deal with those goblins sooner rather than later."
<Meridius> "Not just yet. We still have the cavern to the north of the room we originally landed in to explore. I'd like to see where that may lead before making a foray against the smiths."
* Liatus nods.
* Liatus makes his way back into the rift.
<Silana> "Very well. Let's get away from here before we're discovered, then."
<Meridius> So how about we go back to room 42 and then pause the game...
<DM> Sounds good to me. This is a reasonable stopping point.
<11: Silana> Thanks for another fun session, everyone. :)
<DM> Well, you guys have made an excellent start on the second level. It's smaller than the first.
* Liatus whines. "But I didn't get to kill anything!"
<DM> It's true. But for good roleplaying, good thinking, and the like, I'm giving you guys a "progress toward goals" reward of 100 xp each.
<DM> Playing the session well is equivalent to killing a monster in a fair fight. :)
<carter@q7.com>