Chapter 2 - The Coal Pits

[Deleted]

"Are we done here yet? It was no joke when I told anus-face here that I get bored real fast."

[kwll]

His curiosity aroused by the goblins speech, Owynn turns to Medwort and asks: "Do you know if they speak the truth? Do you have any more information?"

[monstermike]

[Interstitial]

Medwort runs his fingers through his beard. "Aye. 'Twas horrible. Many of usn's was here when yon demon was discovered. Started killin' everything - dwarves, goblins, didn't matter. All in blackness, it were, wi' a great chokin' cloud of coal dust around it, an' two red eyes glowin' out o' th' darkness. I was able to make it ta th' gong an' sound th' alarum before a bunch of us made it up to safety. We held it at bay wi' lit torches until Salazar came down and did some sort o' magyck ta subdue it."

"As fer a girlie prisoner, I dunno. I never seen one, but that don't count fer much. I reckon' you done scared these two enough wi' yer little mirror that they're tellin' yas th' truth."

Game time: 4/4 14:40

[kwll]

Still curious, Owynn presses on with more questions: "How big was the demon? What did it look like?"

[monstermike]

[Interstitial]

Medwort ponders for a moment. "Weel, it be hard ta say. See, it would only move about where there was no light - no flame. An' everywhere it went, 'twas surrounded by this big cloud o' coal dust, so ye couldnae really see it, like. All ye could see was them red glowin' eyes. But iffn it was built sorta like a man, with th' eyes in th' usual place, like, I guess he mighta been ... seven, eight feet tall. Bigger than him at any rate." he jerks his head toward 'Nasan. "And powerful fierce."

Game time: 4/4 14:40

[kwll]

"Mhmmm..." Owynn scratches his neck thoughtfully after hearing the description from Medwort. He stays like that a few seconds, then suddenly turns to Pan' and says: "You are probably right, Pan', let's move on!"

Then he starts walking in the direction of the slope leading to the next level.

[ProfGremlin]

Bitsa regains his feet, closes the mirror and pockets it. "I'm not all that sanguine with leaving a potential danger behind us but there's nothing else for it. Perhaps we can clear it out later when Salazar has been defeated - the gnome or whatever it is along with the trolls in the winch house. As for now, I agree with the others. We're on a time table and need to be moving." He looks at the others, "So, we have Kweiraye to rescue, a magic box to steal and a damsel in distress," here he throws a grin at Herman, "Good adventure stories always need a damsel in distress. Remember that part when you're telling tales in the tavern later on. So, have I missed anything?"

[Deleted]

"Not so fast, friend Owynn," Pan muses. "That demon might be fun to go and kill..."

[kwll]

Owynn turns back to Pan', a bit concerned: "As much as I like to kill monsters, I believe we don't have that much time right now to do what we must urgently do! All these dwarfs around us are in greater danger now than they were before we arrived. So it's our responsibility now to move as fast as possible to save their lives." Thinking a few seconds before continuing, he adds: "Besides, freeing the demon right now might very well warn Salazar of our presence. And that's something we might not want to happen right now..."

Sure of his reasoning, the warrior resumes his walk toward the second level with an assured pace.

[Deleted]

"That's very sensible. I'll go along with it regardless."

[tenkar]

"Alright then. Off we goes. My brethren will keeps eyes on the 'new slaves'. Turnabout tis fair play, aye?" Tenkar says with a grin before falling in step with the others.

[monstermike]

[Posting for Gaptooth]

Aonghasan turns to Bitsa. "Although your talents for legerdemain are impressive, I require the return of my mirror. It is not merely an indispensable instrument to confirm and maintain the magnificence of my presence. Little do you realize that I have also endowed this mirror with great power - equal to or even greater than that in my staff. Power which will assist me in the continued preservation of your undistinguished lives."

"Medwort," the loremaster says, turning abruptly to the dwarf. "A brilliant thought has come to me, as they often do. I know not what muse or personal genius whispers to my mind these scintillating flashes of insight, but they come as regularly as the rising of the sun. Please to have a detail of your dwarven laborers dismantle or disable the gong. I'm sure you handy fellows will be able to work out the mechanical aspects of such a trivial task without the benefit of my direct oversight."

Medwort nods. "Easy enough. I can have a crew o' six raise it an inch er so by pryin' with their pickaxes, while another fella unhitches th' chains from th' supporting ..."

"Yes, yes. Quite. Very well, then. Now, I believe you will all concur with my order for us to proceed to the next higher stratum of this nightmare of excavated drabness. Let us proceed."

[monstermike]

[GM comment: It seems like we have a concensus here to move up to the next level. This would be your chance to spend your AP on attributes. General AP can go to any attribute you wish. Everyone take 50 general AP now for surviving the coal pits. If you choose to boost an attribute or two at this time, I would like a brief explanation, no matter how flimsy, that justifies the improvement. For example, Herman reflects on the amazing array of new experiences he has had in the last several hours and realizes he is smarter and more worldly than before (if I were to boost his intelligence by a point). We will resume the action in Chapter 3 - Digging for Gold.]

The dwarves offer handshakes and wishes for good fortune to all of you, and begin to attend to the business of disabling the gong. The others go back to digging coal, eager to set a new production record if necessary in order to keep the mine's overseers from becoming too curious.

You step out into the decline shaft, dodging between the slow-moving ore wagons. Looking to your west, you see the shaft continue downwards for another 70 meters or so, terminating in a large, well-lit open room. Two dwarves are at work unhitching the empty carts coming down the shaft, turning them around, and hooking them to the next empty loop on the cable going up the shaft. Some distance beyond them, you can make out the bottoms of four enormous pairs of legs, walking round and round in an endless circle around a huge capstan.
Clearly, these legs belong to the cave trolls Medwort mentioned. The speed of the carts seems to be much slower than the speed of the walking trolls - You guess there may be a large reducing gear between the capstan and the cable pulley that increases the torque the trolls are able to deliver at the cost of a slower rate of movement for the ore-carts.

Looking east up the decline shaft, you see two long lines of ore-carts. The northern row moving down the shaft, and the southern row moving up the shaft, all at much slower than a slow walking pace. The tunnel is lit with lanterns hung on opposite sides of the wall every 30 meters or so - not enough to provide full illumination, but more than enough to guide your way up the tunnel.

[Bookkeeping: 'Nasan regains 1 WIZ, everyone takes 50 general AP for surviving the coal pits.]

Game time: 4/4 14:50

Continued in Chapter 3 - Digging for Gold

Edit: More bookkeeping. You each made an idea check for disabling the gong. Take the following APs toward INT. Tenkar - 16. 'Nasan - 4. Herman - 12. Pan - 8. Bitsa - 14. Owynn - 14.

[monstermike]

[Summary of missing post by Bitsa]

Bitsa returns Aonghasan's mirror/focus and tells 'Nasan off a bit - "We are not just rocks to be kicked from your path."

'Nasan replies via PM. Takes the mirror back, his hand trembling. I don't remember much from this post, but it gives a hint that 'Nasan may be starting to crack under the strain.