Our heroes find their way through the Kaer entrance.
Score: 644 | 2/16/19 |
6th Veltom, 1517
The group slowly advances down the dark tunnel that is the Entrance to Kaer Ungada, the only light from the torch in Vyktor Wyvernjack's hand. Boris Hillmens, with his heat vision, leads. Soon, he's stopped short as a massive square pillar of stone slams into the tunnel floor directly in front of him.
The group is stymied a moment until Boris and Sean Shamshara realize their blood charms from the Orichalcum Doors warm whenever the trap triggers. Vyktor realizes that the trap is triggered through some illusion magic and remembers that a poweful Illusionist was in charge of the trapped tunnel construction.
Using the charm to help with timing, Boris Tiger Springs past the crushing stone trap. Unfortunately, he stumbles and does not quite make it the whole 8 feet across. The stone rapidly falls, stopping a mere fraction of an inch before hitting Boris. At that same moment, his blood charm flares hot. The trap the recedes back into the ceiling. Moments later it slams down, again stopping short of hitting any of the group.
While they all careful pass under four crushing stone traps, Vyktor finds himself overwhelmed by the sensation of almost being crushed. Valteri Tomser flies up to the ceiling, with the trap barely moving before being stopped by his blood charm, so that Vyktor can walk comfortably beneath the last one.
Around a corner, Boris warns that he sees some creature up ahead. As the four adepts approach yet another corner, spears jab out from the walls, floor, and ceiling. Again, they all stop moments before impaling any of the heroes. Sean looks over the body, using Creature Analysis to ascertain that it is in fact quite dead.
Directly ahead of them is a large circular shaft and a ladder. Valteri takes the torch and explores the top of the 100 foot tower finding only a short path and a dead end. The group, one by one, ascends the ladder with no troubles. At the top, Sean finds a loose stone in the wall. Once everyone has caught up, he presses the stone and the dead end slides out of the way revealing a chamber beyond filled with more of the dead creatures, though these are all charred.
They all enter and the wall closes behind them, Valteri recognizing a sulfurous smell to the air. Across the way is a wooden door and a larger grouping of the dead creatures. The lower half of the door is covered in scratches; the group surmise that these creatures attempted to get out when some fire trap triggered.
With warm blood charms indicating to them some trap triggering, the group explores the walls, unable to find any way out. Boris suggests hacking the door down with his ax, but Valteri wisely points out that they do not want to disable any of the traps. Soon after, Boris takes his blood charm out and touches it to the door. The door swings open, to which Boris notes, "There was a key. It was inside us all along."
The group finally leaves the room, and behind them it bursts into flames. They all walk away, never looking back as the doors swing shut, cutting off the massive heat.
From here, they move forward into an area of uncut stone. Looking back, they realize they have been transported into a whole different cave system. The wooden door behind them is completely gone. Or perhaps they have always been in this cave, Boris surmises. They press on looking for an exit to the cave.
Soon, though, Valteri notices something is wrong. The cave system dissipates in front of his eyes. He finds himself back in the original area with the wooden door behind him once again, and his comrades walking in circles, lost. None of the group are convinced by Valteri's attempts to tell them they are bewitched. Boris even shakes him gently asking, "Quick, how many fingers am I holding up?"
The group continues forward in the cave, with Valteri pressing them to see what it truly is, though even now his begins to question his own eyes, wondering if he is not actually the bewitched one. He agrees to rest on Boris's shoulder while the group trudges forward. Then Boris shakes free of the illusion, at least from Valteri's perspective. Vyktor notes that he must have caught whatever Valteri had, that the magic was spreading.
They argue, back and forth. Boris points out that his and Valteri's discs are cool while Vyktor and Sean's are both warm. No one is truly certain if that means the trap has already triggered on Boris and Valteri or if the charms are trying to save Vyktor and Sean.
Valteri asks Sean to begin Tracking himself. When Sean uses the tracking magic, his steps are revealed to be in circles and finds himself back in the original tunnel network. Vyktor, still unsure of all this, attempts to use Wizard half-magic to study the cave, to see if there really is some magic going on. His intense study breaks him, the last one, free from the Infinite Cave.
Taking no time to rest, the four men find yet another dead end ahead of them. Sean searches for another stone button. Successful, he presses it and the wall swings outward. Before them is a wide cave.
And a big bear. And a smaller bear.
Sean looses an arrow at the mama bear, missing, while Valteri says, "Let's not kill her!" Boris runs up and swings his ax, missing her as well. Vyktor steps up behind Boris and casts Mage Armor. A purple glow wraps around Boris, feeling like the warm embrace of his mother. Everyone in the cave, the door closes again.
The mama bear swipes at Boris, wounding him despite the extra armor. The baby bear runs a few yards away, frightened.
Valteri swoops in and hits the mama bear, attempting to only stun her. Sean succeeds in hitting her with an arrow, deeply wounding her. This time the baby bear runs up and tries to bite Boris. Boris responds by striking the mama bear hard on the head with the flat of his ax, stunning her. Sean rushes up and makes sure she is stable while the baby bear runs to the far wall. Valteri leaves some dried meat for the baby bear.
They then push through the bushes at the cave entrance and out into the cool air. The earth rises around them in what must be small hills, covered in green grass. They look up and vertigo overtakes them. Above them is an endless canopy of small lights embedded in a black expanse. And then they hear a noise; a weird chirping sound is filling the air, loud and distracting after the silence of the Kaer.
Sean feels like he's falling up and grabs a tree to keep from being sucked into the sky.
Valteri immediately flies to the ground.
Boris spins in circles, overwhelmed and tries to take it all in.
Vyktor drops to his knees and lays flat on the ground, looking around.
Legend Points Awards:
- Navigating the Tunnels: 300
- Escaping the Infinite Cave: 200
- Defeating the Berenstain Bears and Leaving the Cave: 300
- Total: 800