Death in the Mountains - IC

Victoria nodded. She had only understood the gist of what the dwarf had said, he sounded like he had his mouth filled with smalled, angrier dwarves shouting over each other and hitting their axes against a wall. "A sort-of-mage and a crazy axe-man, tough fellows, in charge, got it" she thought to herself.

The skaven bit was interesting, though.

"This people have been kind enough to take me, and this place has seen the first progress in my quest since it started. I will gladly help you fight the skaven, and whatever comes next if you would have me. I know my way around a blade".

"Sort of..." that, she did not say.

Valgard looked at the woman with a smirk before replying with finger quotes, "Do sewing needles count as blades? Well, if ya can kill summin, good enough fer me." He says as he finishes his meal. "So, we go clean out tha skaven nest then take tha box with us? wha' ya think's are next step Reg?"

"Aye, we should be looking for the nest today then. We have two possible starting points - one being very close to home. I say we start there."

Reginald was referring to the underground tunnel system they had found.

Serestre was obviously not the first one to chime in about going after the skaven. That ordeal had been a bit more than she could handle and more than likely one of the scariest things that had happened to her in her brief life.

But she needed to make sure everyone stayed alive. She'd need the help to find her family.

"Sounds...sounds like a plan to me. Shall we set off after finishing our meal? Or do you all have other things to attend to first?"

Daemaer nodded.

"I agree. It might also be good to test out that statue and ring the note book mentions. Who is going to get the robe?"

"I guess Skavens are like the rest of things, Signore Dwarf" Serestre said to Valgard "You stab them enough times, deep enough, and eventually they stop moving" She patted the hilt of her old rapider a couple times "And my needle is good enough for that... But I'm sorry, what is all this business about a box? a ring and a note book?... a robe?" Of all the things she expected to be occupying the minds of her newly acquired companions, fashion wasn't one of them.

"Doesn't concern you - just speaking amongst ourselves." Reginald definitely didn't trust the newcomer enough to simply divulge everything they knew yet.

Those words put her on guard. That the group had some secrets was something to be expected, though she had assumed if they were confident enough to speak about it in front of her, then the box wouldn't be part of it. From what she knew of dwarves she guessed she would probably had to spill some skaven blood before earning their trust.

Fine by her.

She just nodded to the dwarf, silently.

[The crypts]

The crypt is entered via an iron gate in a fenced off area of the monastery yard, Reginald and Valgard lead the way down the winding steps. There is no light source so your torches or lanterns light the way, the light sending flickering shadows dancing over the walls. At the foot of the stairs is an open door made of heavy, rough hornbeam marked with deer-skull motifs on inlaid brass plaques. Beyond the door is a large chamber containing two rows of ten stone sarcophagi. The stone walls are covered in bronze plates, there are easily over hundred covered niches and a further fifty that are uncovered which reveal two foot wide holes in the walls – where the dead would be laid to rest. Having already explored the place the dwarves push on into a short corridor with a door on each wall. Two of the doors stand open, another large burial chamber is straight ahead but Reginald turns right into a smaller room which contains two sarcophagi of great antiquity...

Valgard goes to a wall and twists a part of the stonework which causes a hidden stone doorway to spring open. With a careful push the stone door opens fully into the end of a corridor, it is dusty and dismal and there is a faint smell of damp.  The corridor is perhaps ten metres in length and with the light of Valgards lantern you can see there is door at the end of it, about halfway along the corridor is a junction on your left.

Valgard informs those interested that the door at the end of the passageway leads to De Muscadets chambers and that those who want to look around will be in hollering distance, with that the dwarves head down the stairwell at the junction taking care to navigate a section that has fallen away. The barricade is removed with no difficulty although it takes ten minutes or so. The door carefully opened reveals the natural tunnel carved out of the rock by snow melt over millennia, the water only a foot or so deep rushes down the tunnel right to left.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

De Muscadets retreat is made up of four rooms…

Laboratory
The chamber is furnished with heavy wooden work benches, stout chairs and a table, a rough and a dirty carpet stained with blotches. There is glassware stacked on the work benches which are dirty with neglect. A few books on the table are mould spattered and mouse-nibbled. A large patch of bright red mould grows across one of the walls.

Bedroom
This room contains only a hard wooden bed, a small bedside table and a few iron candle sticks. A mildewed book rest on the small table.

Chamber
This room is bare, save for a statue of a man, made from what looks like iron which is heavily rusted. It stands around seven feet tall.

Study
The room is dominated by a large writing desk with a swivel-chair behind it. There is also a large leather chair in one corner and a pair of fine tapestries with strange symbols woven into the design hanging from the walls.

Daemaer followed them down again, curiosity about the ring and statue at the forefront of his mind.

"Before we go any further lets check out this statue. Having it lead the way might save us some drama."

"Won't fit," replied Reginald as he headed back up to the statue. "I had the same thought initially, but the tunnels narrow too much. But I am definitely eager to see if the magic works."

Reginald moved in front of the statue and stood so that they were facing the same direction and that he was not in any immediate danger of being within its reach. He gently put the ring on a finger that fit and then simply lifted that same arm...

The iron man stands still as statues do as Reginald raises his arm, perhaps a different method is needed.

Reginald thought for a moment. "Raise your damned arm."

+++

Satisfied that would work, he decided to leave the statue for the time being and addressed anyone willing to talk strategy. "We can leave the statue up the stairs by the door here. This will be our fallback point, if need be. And the stair case will draw anything on our tail into a nice, tight, kill zone."

As Reginald turns away there is a noise of iron scraping against iron as the statue raises one of its arms.

Slythe stands around watching them fiddle with the ring and a statue.

"Are you ssssssure that thissss thing works together with thissss ssssstatue? Or that itsssss magical to begin with? Maybe itsssss jussssst an ordinary piece of metal?"

"Master Slythe, did you not just hear a particular sound of iron squelch and scream from inexplicable movement? I'd say the ring works."

Reginald went over to Valgard and shared a few unheard words between brothers.

"Right. Let's get a marching order. Slythe up front I suppose. You are the sneakiest after all and have good senses. Valgard behind him. I will be behind Val. Serestre behind me. Victoria behind her and Daermaer in the rear."

The idea was to keep beings with the best sight underground at the front and rear of the column and the less-combat capable or particularly trustworthy in the middle.

Slythe shrugs,

"Hear nothing. Where do we march?"

Daemaer watched in fascination as the statue moved its arm.

Before they moved on from the statue he wanted to test it some more, once again also browsing through the journal, looking for what this statue was capable of.

"Maybe your senses aren't so great," Reginald mutters after Slythe comments on not hearing the statue.

Serestre was fascinated by everything that she could take in down in the crypts. It was all so old and antique, a lost part of a past world, probably forgotten by many and only remembered by few. Even the padre didn't know much of the retreat.

She listens to the others as they ready themselves, doing her best to steel herself.

"Ready when you all are. Let's get to it."

Daemaer flipped through the journal again.

"It seems simple commands are the way to go with the statue. For now we could just set him up to guard the entrance or a door?"

He chuckles to himself a little.

"We just cant lose the ring haha."

Slythe snarls, "You would trusssst a ssstaue to guard a door?"

The unlife he was witnessing was anathema to the magics employed by the slann and the skink priests, who embraced the life force of the dense jungles. Giving life to something that had none seemed almost as wicked as the skaven themselves.

"Better than trusting nothing." Reginald lifted the ring finger to whisper to it, as though proximity to his voice made the magic more potent.

He cleared his throat. "Ahem, uhm. Brace the door closed while we are gone. If any Skaven break through, do your best to kill them. Uh.. Good lad."

He shrugged.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

The statue remains still, its arm still raised.

Daemaer waits, standing beside Val and watching.

Daemaer frowned a little as nothing happened.

"Try something simpler? Like "hold the door" or "Let nothing pass". Something like that."

Victoria stood silent and watched while putting a bolt in her crossbow. She was on rear guard duty, all fine by her, but the statue creeped her out, as did all magic to be honest, but she kept silent, not wanting to disturb the distrustful dwarves.

Valgard ignored the statue. He wasn't one for understanding magics, he just used his brother's when it was convenient. "Try dumber Reg, like 'ey, sit in front of the door.' I bet 'is size could block the thing pretty damn well. In terms o tha skaven, I'm thinkin' downstream is more likely. Doubt tha Skaven could keep their filth out tha stream, and judging by the lack of stench I'd say there's probly none up there." He says, pointing up and down the stream as he spoke.

Reginald nodded and tried again. "Hold the door."

Assuming that worked, he nodded to Val. It made as much sense as any. "Right then we should get to it. There's no sense in waiting around."

Daemaer held up his hand and got the attention of the Dwarves.

"The Skaven we encountered were coming from the mountains and hills. We tracked them to a cave. Took care of a few and pulled out before others came. We may have more luck looking up stream."

Reginald nods his head at Daemaer “Yer may be right Elf, perhaps we should return to the cave and track from there. Was a shame you didn’t get a look in their bolthole to see if was just a deadend or if there is a wider network of tunnels and such. But, this is snowmelt or I’m a bearded goblin.” He holds up hand to halt any interjection “We’re a distance away from yer cave and from where we stand now not that much lower down the slope, so I’d be surprised if this ere’ tunnel connects to your cave. It might but I don’t much fancy going up stream at this point. Besides while we found the rat scum on the surface they like to live deep down so we’re also likely to find where they originally came up downwards. If we find nothing down stream we’d be better served returning to the cave and working from there.”

With a general agreement to head downstream you set off with the dwarves in the lead, confident in an environment more to their suiting. There is no light in the tunnel so lanterns or firebrands are lit before you step into the ice cold water and head into the darkness.



The dwarfs set a slow pace, not due to their short stature but because the rock underfoot is slippery and in parts uneven. Even with care you cannot help the odd slip amongst you, dunking the unfortunate into the cold water. After about thirty minutes of walking you enter a cavern, the stream cuts through the centre of it and continues on, there is a large pool filling the lefthand side of the cave. The ground is sandy rock around the waters edge and with little effort you also spy another exit a tunnel heading upwards which is water free and doesn’t have the same smoothness to it as the tunnel you’ve been following.

Daemaer had listened and nodded, bowing his slightly.

"I will bow to your wisdom good sir. Onward!"

He follows the others, taking up the rear, and keeping his senses as sharp as they can be, watching out behind them.

Slythe steps into the cold, murky water.

The chill was instant and complete. Somehow, Slythe's blood ran much colder-though in the dark those who could see noticed he drew his simple leather armor tighter, and he had a jerk-like movement in fits, much like when the warm bloods shiver.

"Itsssss much too dark in here, We ssssshould light a torch."

Slythe looks around for the materials required. He had exceptional night vision, but even his yellow eyes could not penetrate the gloom.

Serestre didn't much care for the tunnel. Much too cold, and much too damp. And the last time they had been anywhere near a cave, giant rats had tried to kill them. What a life outside the monastery this was turning out to be. She takes position in the middle of the group, so as best to assess their various injuries, when, not if, they accrue them. Fighting always brought the blood, but Shallya would help her help those she had grown fond of. Dwarves were a fair sight cuter than she had previously thought. Cute and also deadly.

The effort of wading through the water began to nag at the priestess. She begins to slow and have to take breaks much more often than many of the others. Obviously, caves were not her calling.

As they approach the area and she spies the smoother exit, she stops, wiping her brow which had been filled with sweat for some time.

"Let us get on to higher ground. This smoother tunnel leading up will get us to at least somewhere that might not have me so envious of the stamina of Reginald and Valgard."

"If the skaven have sentries posted they'll see our torch and be on us in a matter of moments. Might as well start screaming for them all to come out."

Reginald's face reddened at Serestre's mention of his "stamina." "Stamina comes naturally to dwarfs. Er.. that is to say, we keep going and goin... nevermind."

Truth be told he was feeling exceptionally tired, but he tried his best not to show it.

Slythe snarls, "Even my eyessssss are unable to pircccccce the dark here. Sssssshould we ssssscrape and ssssscrabble out way to the ratsssss?" he asks Reginald.

His celestite club was held firm in a one handed grip while the other hand helps his navigational sense from being overwhelmed. Unless the wall was moving, he would find himself turned around.

Reginald sighed. Slythe was right. It was quite damned dark.

"Right. Keep your pants on. I have a torch." Reginald carefully touches along the side of his pack until he touches his torch and strikes his flint and steel against it.

Serestre cast a quiet spell of light on her quarter staff, filling the area with at least a bit more light. Upon doing this however, something caught her attention. She moves slowly over to the area.

"Someone more skilled in tracking might be needed. The sand around on waters edge in disturbed...however, I can't quite tell what has disturbed it."

"I have no pantsssss." he says, not understanding Reginald's cliche.

He moved to inspect the disturbance that Serestre was talking about. She had cast some spell and a soft light glowed from her staff.
He leans in close, getting on all fours and sniffing the sand with a forked tongue.

Reginald rolled his eyes so hard that he almost fell over. He forgot how literal the damn lizard was.

He knelt down and checked the pool's edge. "Well, we're on the right track. Roughly ten to fifteen sets of feet here - all Skaven. They came from the water and went... that way." He points to a dry passageway that also serves as an exit to the caves. The water itself exited farther down as well, but the skaven didn't take that route.

"Slythe, lead the way. Valgard, back him up. Everyone keep quiet from here on. They could be very close."

Daemaer had followed on in the darkness, chiding himself for not having a light spell. But then again, most of the time his vision was sufficient...

He whispered thanks to Serestre as the magical light filled the area. He took this opportunity to check behind them, looking and listening.

Slythe nods and slowly skulks through the frigid waters towards the skaven.

He moved slowly, so not to irritae the water and give the surprise assault away. Now he understood the dwarf's concern about the light, but there was little that could be done about it.

Valgard kept a hand on the wall and another atop his axe. Though he tried for stability in the eroded tunnel, his bulky figure still splashed in the waters and slipped on the rocks. Beyond that, he continually  searched the water for snakes. When finally they arrived at a small pool, Valgard was silently relieved, trying his best to keep Serestre's words true.

He kept silent during the planning stage, his forte was far less in finding enemies and far more in what came after. Maybe learning to track an enemy would be helpful in the future, now that Ingvald wasn't around to take care of that.

Finally making it out of the stream, Valgard shook the water from his boots before lifting his axe with both hands. He gave a nod to Reginald and a smile to Slythe. He assumed Reginald wanted the less reliable fighter to lead because he didn't want his brother to die before he gained proper honor. Kind. He thought.

"Don't steal my honor." He said to Slythe with a wink before they moved.

They proceed for half an hour through the cold, water-logged tunnel. The wall had been getting closer and tighter, occasionally scraping against Slythe's wide shoulders as they passed.

Up ahead it grew wider, but something was amiss about it. He stopped the group and sniffed the air with his tongue. He saw nothing, but the spines on his back stood rigid.

There was danger and he was sure of it.

"Ambusssssssh." he hisses.

Reginald stopped and immediately took a defensive stance. "Daemaer - watch our backs. Slythe, do they know we are here?"

Slythe had no answers for Reginald, "Hard to ssssay. They have not russsshed us, but they might alssssso be afraid of what we might bring."

He turns to Daemaer, "No hosssstile spells that could aid usssss?"

Serestre stopped quickly, knowing that they might step into the thick of it at any moment. And she wasn't quite sure if she could handle herself any better than the last time. She grips her quarters tag tightly, her knuckles turning white due to the strain. A sweat continued to pour down her back, cold and fearful.

Daemaer grins.

Quietly he responds.

"Oh boy do I...If you can point them out I can send something their way...even better if they are clumped together..."

Victoria had kept silent during most of the damn trip underground. The reason had been simple, she felt clumsy, inadecuate, she could barely see until the priest had casted her angelic light from her quarterstaff, and the darkness unnerved her. The ground had been slippery and she had almost fallen a couple times, from then on she had focused all her efforts on not falling again, on not making any sound that could draw the skavens towards them.

On being actually competent, for once.

Complaining would have added nothing to the group's endeavour, and she felt she had little to say beyond that, so she opted to remain silent and learn as much as she could from everyone, from the way the dwarves moved to how the priest kept her cool. This was a new world to her, having a group, having to prove your worth, risk your life next to others... every bit of it as new as moving through the underground cave was for her.

As soon as the lizard hissed his ominous word she turned around, aiming the crossbow at the corridor behind them, trying her best to pierce the darkness while preventing the sweat from sneaking into her eyes.

Daemaer grinned again nodding.

"Just show me where they are and give me a moment i and i will get things started. You should cover your eyes too..."