The Rock's Hunger by Ilya

[achinca]

Alyana follows Taliea, amazed how her sister elf can easily find broken twigs, scratched leaves to be able to find out where the apprentice went. When they see the big clearing she asks " Any new idea of where we are going ? "

[nodaisho]

"Down there, I bet," Barrend says, gesturing towards the hole. He sticks with the tracks, in case the apprentice was hoping to trick them into thinking he went down there when he didn't.

---

Track check: 1d20+8=27

[She-Elf]

"You may well be right, friend Dwarf," Taliea says to Barrend, as she crouches to examine the opening and surrounding area for more tracks before leading the others down.

---

Survival again
1d20+5=15

[puffthemagicdragon]

Theo follows the others, now watching the trees and sky for birds.

[Ilya]

The dark cave entrance this path has lead to is a dark, horizontal crevice -or one that appears to be dark with the sun starting to set and shining brightly between the trees above it- in solid rock, topped by mud. For as far as the eyes can see, the floor leads down sharply, but it does not seem to be difficult to descend due to the large number of protrusions jutting out from the cave's floor. Though it is quiet, the silence is no greater than anywhere else in the forest, with birds occasionally flitting past carefully.

After great difficulty to follow the tracks, things appear to have come in much greater focus for Barendd. Suddenly, he gains a deeper insight into the footprints, and notices a few tracks leading off the apparently quite well-traveled road into the cave, further through the forest.

---

That's a nice roll. I had stopped hoping you'd get past 20...

[nodaisho]

Barrend tries to tell if the tracks he has found are the same as they have been following, that they assume to belong to the apprentice.

---

Survival check (not sure what DC that would be): 1d20+8=22

[achinca]

Alyana looks at the rest of the group. "Although my adventurer disposition is pulling me toward teh cave, I think we should still focus on the mission of finding the apprentice. If the tracks are is, we know were to go

[puffthemagicdragon]

Theodrre listens to Alyanna, and agrees, "I agree, totally. The cave probably needs exploring," he says with a sly smile, "but, if it seems the apprentice has moved on, we should try and catch him."

[Ilya]

After a quick inspection, it seems that the tracks leading way from the main road into the cave are the same as the ones leading into it. Ignoring the animal tracks, of course.

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Feb 12, 2010 5:33:16 GMT 1 nodaisho said:

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Survival check (not sure what DC that would be)

Would've given you that one with no roll...

[achinca]

Alyana smiles "I guess it is time to go into the cave and have some fun.

It has been a while since she crushed some evil skull, since the adventure in Icelandia. The group was bigger then but she is confident in Barrend, Theo and Taliea abilities. As long as she has a sister elf with her, all is good.

She raises her mace and her bucker and her smiles get wider.

[nodaisho]

Barrend takes point going down into the cave, checking for tracks if they come to a fork. He keeps his guisarme at the ready, and listens carefully for any sounds echoing through the caves.

---

Listen:1d20+10=19

[She-Elf]

Taliea follows the others into the cave, she feels a sort of nervous excitement building up from her stomach, then her heart pounding as she wonders what lies in wait for them in the cave.
She draws her bow and an arrow ready for nocking and moves forward as quietly as she can, also keeping eyes and ears open for sight or sound of enemies.

---

Move Silently 1d20+3=8
(-5 penalty as I'm moving at normal speed)
Listen 1d20+6=9
Spot 1d20+6=17

(I've put Taliea at the back as I was the last to post, I'm happy to change the marching order if someone else wants to be at the back.
Sorry if you've told us before, but how wide is this cave - do we have to walk in single file?)

[Ilya]

A few steps into the cave, the adventurer's eyes get used to the darkness inside and their noses get somewhat accustomed to the damp, heavy air that fills it. The large opening narrows quite rapidly into one corridor. Following it beyond a corner, the adventurers enter a room.



A line of stalactites and stalagmites make the passage further difficult, but there's an easier way around them. The room appears to be empty, and the adventurers hear no sounds in the caves, as if nothing alive is in here.
The elves' keen eyes discern a pattern beyond a row of stalagmites near the wall, almost like a defensive wall, which looks like it could open. A closer inspection reveals the two rock slabs' shapes allow them to be moved so that they open like door.

Taliea's elven eyes discern even more: the rocks are covered in faint, telltale signs of scraping, as if the entire walls have been scraped past something, or, more likely, something big has been moved past them, causing these signs.

---

I'll make the Listen and Spot checks from now on. If you're looking for something in particular, just tell me and I'll do the rolling.

Also, if you're trying to open the doors, roll Str. Aid another is allowed from any space within 5ft. of the door itself, forcing one of the doors open is two full-round actions (unless you leave them half-open, so it's only one full-round action, in which case you can try squeezing through).

EDIT: I've adapted the image so it's visible. That should answer your question, She-Elf. Also, the scraping marks are everywhere.

[She-Elf]

OOC: How do the doors open - do we have to push them away from us? If they slide, that might explain the scraping marks.
Alternatively, it could be that something large and heavy was dragged through the room, catching the walls on the way.

---

Taliea examines the scratch marks more closely and points them out to the others. She wonders if they were caused by an object or creature being dragged through the room - the latter putting up a fight in the process.
If there's nothing more to examine in the room, she'll suggest they try and get the doors open.

---

Search +5, Spot +6, Str +2 (I'll probably be aiding someone else, namely Barrend)

[nodaisho]

"See if it's trapped," Barrend suggests, "Might'a put a spell on there for anyone got too curious."