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under-citified

K’ehleyr’s Journal

We climbed back to the market, hauling the semiconscious Jin. Gib fast-talked us through the crowd, and Jak cast something that cleaned us all off quickly - many thanks, Jak! We walked back to the Broken Anvil, keeping an eye out for a house of healing. We found one, and it was open! We paid for healings, discovered that Jin had “lost” his coin pouch (surprise!), and chipped in to pay for his healing as well. The hostess at the Broken Anvil was happy to sell us another meal, and helpfully found a messenger to take a note to the Lady at House Cannith while we ate. We then went to our various resting places.

The next morning, we met at the Anvil, and found a package with the journal and a note asking us to return it when we’re done. Some of the pages now stay visible, so Jak read them while we ate breakfast. Jin went off to “change” and returned as a half-elf named Enaliis or something. We descended to the same place as the previous day, finding the market gone and the room empty. The stairs were still smelly and loud, but no one attacked us this time! The bodies were gone, too... and the glowing blue door did not react to the presence of the book.

After some time and much talk, I offered to try actually touching the door with the book - and everyone else scattered! Thank the ancestors, when I touched the door with the book, the sigils matched up and the door swung open without incident. The others looked around the corner, and I looked inside the door.

There was a passage, about five feet across, and full of crawling bugs. It went straight up and down as far as the eye could see. I looked for a ladder - found the rotted remains of supports, but it was gone long ago. I found out that goblins have a taste for centipedes, as Gib picked through the bugs... then offered to go ahead and climb down our ropes as far as they reached. Off he went, despite Jak and Jin’s help, and I held the rope until he slowly climbed back to us. He said that the shaft went down even further than our ropes tied together, but the sides are rough enough to climb down slowly. So, I took his armor to lighten his load, and we all set off down the shaft.

Five hundred feet down, and the shaft began to angle. We balanced carefully, and continued. After what seemed like forever, the shaft leveled off and Gib was able to re-don his armor. Quietly, we set off down the tunnel, Gib leading well ahead of the glow from Jin’s lantern. After walking a while, we all heard an “oof”! We hurried up and found the tunnel ended in a dropoff, exiting into a large cavernous room full of ruined buildings and the sound of slithering and chittering. There was a six-foot drop to the floor, and no sign of Gib. Not for long. Suddenly, Gib came screaming out of the darkness!

Without a second thought I threw myself down at the edge of the tunnel, holding my hands down to grab Gib and swing him up to us. As he leaped for my hands, I could see a swarm of bugs following him in a wave by the glow of Jin’s lantern! Poor guy... he crawled right into my backpack while Jak and Jin made an oil bomb to prevent the bugs from swarming up into the tunnel after him. As they smashed it below us, he threw a finger at the bugs - I know THAT wasn’t in my pack! - screaming about Bad Things. Apparently, there were too many to eat.

Jak and Jin tried whipping and slinging at the bugs, but anything they killed was quickly replaced by more. Gib and I looked out into the cavern at the buildings and ceiling. Gib tried climbing along the wall, finding it rough enough to do so safely, and headed off toward a ruined wall while we watched. The swarm followed along beneath him but was unable to climb, thank the ancestors! Plus, by the time the fire burnt itself out, the swarm had dissipated. I don’t know what set it off, but we were able to drop down to the floor unmolested. Carefully, we picked our way around the rubble to Gib.

He was looking out over the cavern, and described seeing a less-ruined building, so we followed his lead. We were almost there when two giant rats came around a corner and advanced on us. The things had bony armor, and caustic saliva dripping from their jaws. One leapt at Jin, Jak whipped at it, Gib dropped his rope and a pot (which would have made me laugh any other time, I thought he was joking about dropping heavy things so as to fight more effectively!), and we attacked the second rat together. Next thing I knew, Jin was trying to hide from the rat attacking him - behind me! As he dropped to the floor, Jak kept up her attack, and when Gib and I killed ours I was able to turn and attack the second easily.

Unfortunately, Jak ended up on the floor, too, before I could kill the second rat. Gib and I found ourselves dragging Jak and Jin to the less-ruined building, hoping we could block ourselves in long enough for them to recover. The building’s outer walls were highly decorated, making it look like a temple. The ceiling was collapsed inside, but there was still some peaceful power within the walls. Gib blocked up the door a little against the bugs, we set Jak and Jin against a wall, and we took a quick look around. Gib found a font, with a little liquid left in the bottom. Hoping against hope, he scooped some into Jak’s mouth - and her wounds healed! She was soon awake, and we used the rest on Jin to get him back on his feet as well.

Jak was able to identify the place as the temple of the god of the foundry, which led us to hope we were in the right place to find the seven-pointed star. The temple itself was empty, so Jak set a detect magic spell on herself, and we began to search the rest of the buildings. We found two more tunnels out, and, finally, another building that was still whole - and its doors still closed! The symbol etched on the doors matched the book’s, but we couldn’t get it unlocked. Gib climbed onto the roof, however, and found another way in: a hole had been smashed in the roof, ages ago. He could see “bad puppies” roaming around inside, but it seemed our best bet, so we all climbed up after him.

We could see a big furnace and forge at one end of the room, and things on shelves all around the walls. Sure enough, there were two dog-shaped constructs roaming around, growling at Gib when he chucked rocks at them. We tried a few things to deal with the dogs - first, lowering Gib on a rope (quickly hauling him up when the dogs charged), then, usnig him as bait so Jin could lasso one when it went for Gib (which didn’t work, the dog bit through the rope and dropped to the floor again). The dogs learned fast, refusing to come close enough to be shot at or roped, but waiting out of range for us to hit the floor.

Finally, Gib stayed on the floor, holding out the book with its symbol while I lowered Jak. No luck - he was attacked as soon as he looked away from the dogs. Jak was there to help, and I lowered Jin as fast as I dared, then pulled the rope up and thought about how to get to my associates without falling on my head. Finally, I tied the rope to the handle of my scimitar, balanced it across the opening, and lowered myself into the thick of the fighting. This left me with just a dagger to fight with, but better than nothing! Jin was already out on the floor. Again. Jak killed a dog, but Gib went down, and I helped Jak kill the last dog. I was able to stop Jin’s bleeding, and we found different shapes popped out of the dogs’ heads that matched holes in the front of a vault in the foundry. We cleared stones off a third dog that had been crushed by the ancient ceiling fall, and opened the vault.

Two sacks, four gold ingots, four vials, a fragile roll of parchment, and - the seven-pointed star! I put the plate in my pack, while Jak discovered that the vials were healing potions, and we got Gib and Jin back on their feet. The bags held ancient silver and gold coins - probably worth even more than usual due to their age and rarity. The ingots are probably worth fifty gold each as well, and the parchment looks like a map. Jin searched the room, and found weapons and armor wrapped in oilskins and still useable. Some of the armor fit Gib, and I decided to keep a masterwork mace (in case my scimitar is left on a roof again) and a sunrod (for when folks with me can’t see in the dark). I climbed back up the rope, and pulled everyone and the loot up onto the roof.

We had just reached the floor again and were ready to head back to the surface and House Cannith when a crossbow bolt bounced off the wall above our heads. A voice shouted out, telling us to give up the heirloom and no blood would be shed. Methinks I smell a battle brewing...


Posted by Kate on September 8, 2005, 21:24 | K’ehleyr’s Journal