Part 4: Tomb Raiders Adventure Notes
"The horse and cart will be here in the morning" says the Admiral.
Dakota and Kaden state they are going back into the forest to find their friend in the morning.
Dakota says they have lost their best tracker and asks When to join them.
Mara asks if we go to find Dakota's friends then will we be paid and our contract fulfilled.
The Admiral says he can go to town and sell the stuff and there will be festivities.
Lioniel asks who the leader of the secret organisation is and the Admiral tells him its Papa Nihlas. Tsara may have heard of him. Lioniel hasn't.
Mara asks what is the pay to help the other boys.
"It wouldn't provide money" Says Dakota.
"Think of the story!" Cries Lioniel.
"Think of the glory!" Cries Nigel.
Mara protests that this is a very dangerous mission.
Lioniel insists that they need her as she is the most able person here.
Nigel agrees that he cannot do this alone.
"We still have to protect the sheep." says Lioniel.
"Should we just go for the standard rotation - we've already written it down and handed it in" asks Nigel.
"Should we wash the sheep?" Asks When.
"You should definitely wash!" says Lioniel.
"I said watch!" cries When, "Watch!"
The watch goes by very quietly. The two new guys get a lot of rest/sleep.
The sun rises on a beautiful Summer's day. It is the harvesting time and they are worried that they will have no crops over winter. Yellow washes over the fields blah blah...
Dakota is already awake and wakes up Kaden.
"Travel light and don't take anything with you that you won't need in the next 24 hours" he says.
Tsara tucks a weird necklace away.
Mara notices that Tsara is doing something weird.
Tsara has never been into the woods.
Lots of space between the trees but you can't see far. Not heavy undergrowth.
Lioniel points out interesting things in the wood to Tsara:
"These are the sticks where the giant rats lived. Here are the spider webs! And over here, past that tree, you can see the skeletons that Mara killed... I mean, Nigel killed!"
"Everyone be very quiet" says Dakota.
"What's happening?" shouts Lioniel.
"There could be traps and spiders over here. Be careful what you are doing!" whispers Dakota.
When cries out that she see's tracks.
Dakota tells her to be quiet.
Mara defends When and Dakota Tells Mara to be quiet with her shit ears and tells When to lead the way.
When continues spotting signs on the track and keeps following it for 50m and finds herself in a clearing with low grass. No trees. The footprints get lighter and continue through the clearing.
"Where does the trail go?" ask Dakota
"It continues on but much lighter. Should we continue?" replies When.
"Wait here." Dakota replies and walks out into the clearing and looks around then signals everyone to follow.
When finds the trail again and it leads across and into the forest.
Everyone makes a Perception check!
When and Tsara notice to one side of the wood there is a lot of web and a human shape is in the web and he says in a loud whisper "Don't move". When immediately moves to face us.
Roll initiative!!!!
Lioniel and Tsara delay their actions.
Spider descends and bites When (1 point physical 3 points poison)
When responds slashing at it with her short sword but misses.
Mara runs up and slashes twice for 9 damage.
Nigel runs up and slashes the for 9 damage yelling "Fiend!"
Tsara does a magic missile yelling "Magic missile" and kills it - Tsara quietly casts the spell and the magic missiles fly through the air striking the spider in the eyes and mandables.
And of course Sir Nigel thinks he murdered it himself.
"And he does it again!" shouts Lioniel.
Nigel stands over the corpse with smoldering intensity to ensure that it is dead.
The party frees the man who turns out to be Alonzo. The spider had grabbed him and wrapped him up. He has no idea why it hadn't killed him. Lioniel says "See Mara! We needed you. He would be dead if you hadn't come."
"No it was the magic" replies Mara.
"We saved Alonzo!" says Nigel.
"The way you ran in and struck the beast was the most combat I've seen you do so far" says Mara to Nigel.
"What did you mean about that magic?" Tsara enquires.
"Yeah the spider has been burnt it was obviously a spell" Mara replies.
"She saw the magic spell when I cast it just before" says Lioniel.
"I wouldn't be so sure it was a spell the burnt it as my sword has been empowered by the mighty power of Kelemvore" states Nigel holding aloft his weapon.
"Like he has nothing else to do today?" replies Mara dryly.
Alonzo says he is exhausted and just needs some rest and some water but he has found something back past through the clearing.
"What is it?" asks Dakota.
"An entrance to what we have been looking for" replies Alonzo.
"What have you been looking for?" enquires Lioniel.
Alonzo says that there are rumours of a hidden church up here in the forest where at some stage it was occupied by an evil cult and we usually find these type of things get revived now and then and that cult seem related to the other happenings in the area: crops dying, animals killed and missing people.
Dakota says to him "We were worried about you. Being one of our best trackers and historians."
When states that she knows a lot about spiders and she doesn't think that anymore are coming. They are very territorial creatures.
Tsara suggestively lays Alonzo on the ground holding her cloak around him. She talks to him while laying her hands on him and healing him. Finially she asks him if has seen her holy symbol before. He has!
After emerging from the strange shroud Alonzo says that there is a shaft in the clearing under some stones that leads into the unknown Lioniel asks "How did you find the shaft?"
Alonzo says "I saw it while I was going past and was then attacked by the spider".
"But if it was hidden under rocks how did you see it?" asks Lioniel.
"I'm good at that stuff" he replies.
"Well let's go!" says Lioniel.
Nigel says "We will be like treasure hunters!"
Mara says "We are going to end up dead like treasure hunters".
Lioniel replies "We're so close. This won't take long. Nigel, you go first!"
Dakota says to Mara "You needn't worry about your reward. If money is all you want then that is what you recieve."
"So there is an agreed upon rate then?" asks Mara.
The three guys walk to the shaft and show you some stone lattice leading down. Nigel picks up the rocks and moves them aside with ease.
Alonzo looks unwell and Kaden says that he will return him to the farm.
Lioniel says "I think you should! He does not look well and I don't know what that web will do to his outfit."
"We will continue" says Dakota.
Nigel lights a torch, and throws the other one down the perfect shaft.
The perfect shaft goes down with stones that are missing to use as footholds. It's about 8 feet down.
Nigel uses Divine sense and senses nothing and see no threats. He is in an open room made of slate with carved pillars holding up the roof. Door at the other end of the room that is closed.
A poison dart trap suddenly goes off and misses Nigel. He doesn't even notice. When comes down and looks around the room.
Tsara casts thurmaturgy and the door opens with explosive force.
Lioniel heads down the perfect shaft.
Mara says "After you Sir Elf".
Dakota starts his way down and says "Hurry up Fey touched". Mara has a sad moment and then shakes it off.
Nigel strides through the door and sees lots of tiny holes in the wall and a door on the other end of the room. There are a bunch of mechanisms on the front of the door. (Sliding puzzle with writing and shapes that we can't make out yet).
Tsara casts thurmaturgy to change the appearance of hey eyes so they appear to be glowing.
Lioniel examines the inscriptions on the poles and finds they are from a place far away called the Desert of Desolation. It talks about their great culture and that they have a plan that even if they are defeated they will live again.
Tsara walks into the room and is suddenly and obviously is hit by a huge swinging blade as she walks into the room knocking her aside Lioniel stiffles a laugh. "Is she ok?!?! Because that really was funny!"
Nigel runs in to assist torch held high. "What has happened here?" Do you need help?"
"Don't touch me." Tsara says abruptly. Then she puts her hand on his shoulder and says "Kelemvor is with you." Nigel is confused as fuck.
Nigel moves the swinging blade back. "Look at this thing I've found and there are holes in the wall."
The puzzle has writing on it written in Dwarvish that When reads:
"Once in a minute, twice in a moment and never in a thousand years"
When shouts "The letter M!"
The door opens and there is another room. Two pillars on each side with giant piles of bones between them. There would be at least 20 people worth of bones in each piles. There is an alter in the middle of the room with a small blue scarb in it. A degraded case sits on a stand behind the alter and there is the remains of a person wrapped in bandages.
Nigel reads the inscription and it says this person was a warden of this area and they are to lay in wait until they are ready to take over.
Lioniel reads the inscriptions which speak of a symbol of Martek *something* *something* Desert of Desolation.
Tsara sees the piles of bones and feints. Mara pours water in her face to try to awaken her.
The blue scarab is very blue but angle it has gold in the blue.
Lioniel says "Hey Mara, you might have found some treasure here."
Mara says "I don't think you should touch it but it's not my mission."
Mara starts to poke a crossbow bolt into Tsara's arm and try to wake her up and it works.
Tsara wakes up exasperated and shouts the name of her brother scaring Mara.
Lioniel wanders over to the stand and puts his hand in the tomb and shakes the skeleton. Nothing happens. He then pulls off its arm and says "This is all about you When!" and points the skeletal arm at her.
"I'd say this guy is dead! Hmmm... I could put on the best performance here. Look at this atmosphere!"
At that Mara throws a torch on the corpse and Nigel smites it as Lioniel pulls his lute around and starts strumming it with the skeletal hand. It's a very METAL moment.
Dakota looks around at the party with incredulity.
"We have found some information here and we need to get it to the admiral. He'll know what to do. He picks up the blue scarab and heads out."