Dungeons and Dragons Game

[Dragyn]

Ssiran frowns, and shakes his head slowly.

"It doesn't bode well at all.  Let's just hope that those of us who remain can still achieve our goals."

((How many of us are left, anyway?))

[Tvorsk]

(( Should be the five of us... IIRC Geary's on a vacation trip right now or something like that, tho. Also, yay, a gold coin for everyone ))

[Geary]

((Don't count on me reliably being on until I get back on Tuesday, but I'll try to pop in every day))

"Well, it appears our band is two men down, though I feel as if that encounter was of the worst we'll experience for the time being." The Raki began pilfering the deceased mage of his armor, switching it out for his own. "The armor seems to be unharmed, take need, replace what is broken, and we'll continue on."

[William Swiftfoot]

Krim nods "That is the safest path" he says before he prepares himself for the journey ahead. Once he is sure he is ready, he draws some find dirt from his bag, and casts it to the winds, before he begins to play.

(Restarting Travaler's Chant)

[Kampkraft]

Picking up the necklace that made Aleph so shocked the wizard tries to identify the necklace, following the group while making sure that he isn't very close to the members of his party.

((Take 10 on Perception))

((Edit: What are the chances of a 3 on the same roll? Seems like I'll have good luck next time :p))

[Digital Vulpine]

Andre recognizes the etching on the necklace as being an abstract representation of Orcus, the Demon Lord of the Undead.  If an Orcus cult is active in the area it could be trouble indeed.

In the meantime, your travels take you to the ruins of the Keep.  Ahead, the narrow track widens into a clearing. Great piles of shattered stone blocks and scorched timbers dominate the clearing, sprawling out from its center to the edge of the woods. No plants grow among the ruins or within the clearing. The ground is bare dirt, and although the forest has begun to reclaim the path leading here, it has not intruded into the ruins of the Keep.  Yet clearly someone has tampered with the ruins. In the center of the debris, stone blocks and timbers have been gathered into a pile. Someone has cleared a path through the rubble and pulled aside the wreckage to reveal a stone staircase. The stair-case descends into darkness.

[William Swiftfoot]

"I do not like the look of this place. How long ago was this place abandoned?" Krim asks as he puts his ocarina away for now.

[Geary]

"It matters not how long it was abandoned, only that somebody appears to have inhabited it, making the inquiry now as to how long ago this was preformed." The raki placed his left paw on his rapier, readying it in case they ruins were just discovered.

[Tvorsk]

"Just great..."
I grind my teeth and look around.
"... looks really appealing, isn't it? Makes all of my tail fur stand up... hmm, you think there might be anything interesting under that pile?"
((...or is that just a leftover from the rubble cleanup?))

[Digital Vulpine]

There is nothing in the rubble, it seems to be nothing more than debris.  The air around the keep is unnaturally still, as if the keep's foreboding aura has driven off any living creature.  The silence is only broken by a faint skittering sound that seems  to echo up from the stairwell...

This is certainly the keep you were hired to map out though, so now is the time to plan how you will approach it.

[William Swiftfoot]

Krim takes a deep breath and relaxed. Creepy place or not, this was the place tasked to check out, and get payed for so he had a job to do. Looking to the others he says "I guess we better setup whos here in a way to best protect us from whatever is down there. Any ideas?"

[Geary]

Naito thought for a moment before answering Krim. "Perhaps I should go first and ensure that it's safe, as I am the stealthiest of us, and would be least likely to be seen."