Dragon's Egg - Act II

[Legendary Sidekick]

I hear a snarl… and a sound like coughing. "A woman? A girl?"

I tug on the board.

It's wedged good and tight.

"Hey! Is there anyone in there?" I shout, pounding on the door.

 

[Keitsumah]

I hear something banging nearby and look up sharply, but Batos is still focused on the creature, a low growl rumbling in his throat. An ear swivels in my direction as i stand up and grasp the bars, listening.

"Hey! Is anyone in there?" a female voice shouts, muffled by the door i can now see on the other side of the room.

"Yes! I'm in here! Please get me out!" I yell, hope fluttering in my chest. Maybe they could get me out! Maybe I wouldn't be a monster's lunch!

A low hiss on the other side of the room makes me gasp and i huddle again next to Batos, who snarls menacingly, backing up and pinning me to one side of the cage to keep me as far away from the creature as possible.

If they can get to me in time. i thought, my face going pale.

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

I give the board a solid stomp with my boot!

It cracks easily!

Before opening the door, I turn to the others and almost apologetically admit, "Okay, so maybe they do take prisoners. Well, I still prefer not to surrender."

Almost apologetically again, I add, "Aliron, remember how I told you I am strongest when I act before thinking? Well… she does sound friendly." I open the door. "I am Baldhart Eisenberg of the Iron Mountain. My blade is stained with the blood of many monsters, but I am not a murderer. Whoever you are, lady, my intent is to help. Please come out calmly."

 

[Nihal]

"Oh... somehow we're stumbling on too many people down there, uh? Keep your guard up, who knows what is truly behind this door?"

Should I help? I'm tired... Well, it's a good opportunity to discover my limits then!

I nimbly move past the others and pull the wood, attempting to help Baldhart.



It doesn't even squeak at my weight.

((Ninja'd, but it doesn't conflict))

 

[Keitsumah]

Batos growls and looks sharply over at Baldart as the door crashed open, but after a split second of a guarded anger, the wolf turns back towards the corridor on the right. I managed to get myself out from beneath him, the light from my necklace illuminating us where we lay in the cage in the far corner of the room.

Another hiss makes me shrink back. "I would if i could, friend. But I am still trapped, and I fear for your life. There is an enemy nearby who has captured me. Be on guard!"

The hiss grows louder and Batos stands over me, head lowered as a rune on his forehead begins to glow, his growling taking on a deeper, more menacing pitch.

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

"A for effort, Mauve," I say with a smile. "Maybe you can come in with me and help me with her." I ask the lady, "Are you hurt? Mauve here has Good Berries."



((Gotta run… have fun, all!))

 

[Steerpike]

((Setting the scene)).

The door opens in toward Baldhart, which means clearing away all of the rubble in front of it as well. Clearly, someone didn't want the door to open. It doesn't take long to clear away enough rubble to pull the door open.

The first thing that hits Baldhart is the almost-overpowering stench of dirt, rot, and feces. The door opens into a dimly lit, roughly circular room. The ceiling is domed - or was. Much of the ceiling is actually missing, with a hole in the ground overhead to reveal the surface some one-hundred feet up. The opening is large, and you can clearly see the gray clouds of the Taint, above.

There are various stone structures throughout the room, most of which are crumbling and none of which can be made out well in the dim light. There are also numerous bones and a few half-eaten reptile corpses scattered about. Another corridor exits the room, branching into darkness directly opposite the door.

To the party's right, along the wall, is a large iron cage. It is smeared with debris and littered with the crushed remains of bones. More interestingly, a female figure crouches toward the rear of the cage. There is a wolf in there with her.

From the darkened corridor there is a rasping hiss, a flurried sound of motion, then nothing.

 

[Keitsumah]

"I don't believe so . . . just bruised when i got knocked into here, but I'll be fine." I say, then grab the bars and shake them to see if they have any weaknesses.

[1d20+0]= 9

I frown and pull back as the bars rattle but otherwise don't give. Well, I wasn't exactly the most powerful in strength anyways.

"Either these bars need to be cut or there may be a key somewhere." I call to them, and Batos stops snarling for a moment to pad around the cage, his tail swishing. He looks . . . scared.

"Batos? What's the matter?" I ask, and the wolf looks at me with ice-blue eyes as the rune fades away. Unease prickles my spine. He could no longer sense it.

"Careful! There's something else here that may intend to hurt you!" I shout.

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

((Looks like I'm here for longer than I thought…))

"Maybe Aliron can open…"

She warns me of danger! I immediately draw my sword and move close to the cage. I toss three white stones from my bag, scattering each toward a different corner in the room. I look for a potential enemy. I don't notice anything right away.

"…as I was saying, we have a man here—Aliron—whose skills are better suited for this cage than my strength. I'm afraid if I try to break this door, I'll bend it in a way it can never open." I look to Aliron. "All yours," I tell him.

Just in case he can't pick the lock, I look around for that key. As I look, I can't help but notice her pet.

((Worth noting: Baldhart is a six-foot-nine woman wearing a wolf-skull as a helmet.))

"So, lady… about this skull helmet of mine. I'm not a dog-killer. Well, unless wargs count. But this wolf-like skull was worn by a trogdolyte shaman, my most worthy opponent yet. I took the helmet to remember her by. So, record straight. Not a wolf-killer. If anything, I'm a wolf avenger since I killed the shaman and she probably killed the wolf."

I lick the inside of my molars. The taste hasn't left me, and an elf girl with an animal friend can only mean…

"Wait. Don't tell me. You're one of those people who makes Goodberries, aren't you?"

 

[Keitsumah]

"Umm . . ." I pause and quirk my head at the strange woman. Batos huffs as if he was insulted and curls up around me, resting his head on his massive fore paws, "I think he doesn't really care about that anyways. We've had to . . . deal with others of his kind at times." Batos growled as if in agreement, yawning and stretching while inadvertently revealing a jagged scar across his abdomen.

"And yes i can make Goodberries, though I haven't been able to come across any in a long time . . ." I bite my lower lip and bury my fingers in Batos's ruff.

"It's been several years since I've even been around other . . . humans, elves, you know. So you may not have heard of me before. My name is Keitsumah." I said, allowing a small smile to come to my face. Batos's head comes up sharply and his eyes focus on the dark space behind Baldart. The rune on his forehead glows again and a growl rumbles in his chest.

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

"Years, huh? Well, now that I've gone and taken that from you, you may as well stick around humans, elves, dwarves, halfli—say, where is…?" Why am I surprised he took off again? "Never mind. Anyway, this place stinks, so now that you're done avoiding human contact, we'll get you out of here. You're free to run for your life, or help us crush the lizards that trapped you here.

"Although it'll be easier to do that if you and your Goodberries are with us. I hate the taste of those, but Mauve likes them, so maybe the fresh ones taste alright. Anyway, if you have healing skills of any kind, I hope you will travel with us. We'll keep you as safe as we're able. It's the best I can promise."

I follow the dog's glare. Well… after I manage to take my eyes from his glowing forehead.

"Keitsumah… your pet senses something behind me?" I ask.

 

[Ireth]

I peer warily into the dimly lit room, wrinkling my nose at the stink that hits me. The voice of the trapped woman intrigues me, but the growls of the wolf make my neck prickle. I am almost glad it is trapped in the cage with her. Then again, if it is her companion, it is not entirely likely to attack us, especially if we identify as friends.

I step forward to get a better look at the girl. Even in the dim light I can see how young she is, and that startles me. I have not seen an elf so young in many years.

"Where do you come from?" I ask.

((EDIT: Ninja'd. XD Was going to ask her name. Oh well!))

 

[Nihal]

Following Baldhart into the room, I turn to the direction the monster would be, narrowing my eyes. I won't cast any enchantment yet, but I tension my muscles, ready to parry any incoming attack.

((Equivalent to dodge or Evade stance, who knows.))

 

[Sparkie]

Cadell and Baldhart begin to minister to the wolf-girl. I, on the other hand, draw my sword and look around. There's evil afoot here, I know it.

 

[Keitsumah]

"I'm not really sure." I said, answering Cadell's question, "I used to live in a section of the forest farther away from the main kingdom from what I know. But then . . ." I shivered and looked down at my hands, quickly hiding the left one, which had pale scars crossing the palm, "Then a forest fire took my family, and i was left on my own. That's about it, other than the story of when i met Batos."

 

[Ireth]

I nod slowly and speak again, my voice still soft and gentle. "And how did you end up here?"

 

[Ravana]

After helping Baldhart clear the junk away from the door and we enter, Algernon waves and booms a hearty "Hello!" to the girl and the wolf, then starts looking around for whatever nasty thing there is in this room that needs smacking. He assumes that if his strength is needed to help open the cage, someone will let him know.

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

I back up against the cage. I feel the tension. Something is hidden in here.

"Anyone remember that two-row formation—shields in front, archers on flanks?"

((link to formations to save the trouble of having to actually remember / third formation

Also, without knowing what the room looks like, I'm not sure which formation makes the most sense. If the attack can come from anywhere, the cage is on a side so that no attack can come from behind the cage, and the room is large and open, this formation might work. The three-row version if two rows leaves archers too vulnerable since they're outside the shield wall.))


I stand next to Mauve as she sinks into a defensive stance. Good idea.

[Dodge Stance / +4 AC vs. enemy in direction implicated by wolf]

((kinda gambling that there's one enemy, an dI don't wanna get hit by it - if more pop up, I guess dodge vs. first enemy Baldy would notice?))

 

[Ireth]

At Baldhart's words, I snap to attention and move quickly into our battle formation, keeping Rydh's shield before me. My hand goes to the hilt of my sword, and I wait for the chance to use it.

 

[Steerpike]

((A hasty map. The party is coming from the right. Positions are not yet shown so everyone can decide where they want to be. Debris is scattered around, as are bones and lizard corpses. There are large, crumbling stone tables along the walls, as though this was a work area of some kind.

Remember, the room is pretty dim, even with the white rocks and the light coming from the hole in the ceiling 100' above. The corridor to the left smells worse than this room and you can't see very far down it. Everyone let me know where you want to be - are you in formation, is Aliron trying to open the cage, etc. There was definitely a faint sound of movement from further down the corridor to the left, but you can see nothing there at this point)).