Jammers: Turn 19, Chapter 7 Summary

The Ongoing adventures of my Spelljammer PBEM game.

Here's the Jammers web address:

http://jammers.s5.com/

Comments, questions always welcome:)

----------- = Meanwhile, elsewhere...
*********** = Later...

IC:

After borrowing Dhebun's ax Ferric and Ives cut a large hole in the door.

The room on the other side is dry, likely because the door's wood
appears to have swollen sealing the room. There are no exits
apparent, and the room seems to be unoccupied. There is a small altar
stone but no statue or icon upon on it. Hanging from a stone hook
there is a war club similar to those seen at Panitubi, but it is very
old and it's handle is bone. Despite it's age it appears useable.
Otherwise, only a few stone benches are in the room.

The hole is largest enough for any of the smaller members of the
party to enter and explore the room more closely.

Holland muses aloud to no one in particular, "The door in the right
passage may be the same, we need to be careful when opening doors."

Holland asks, "Dhebun, Freneth, would you two please investigate this
room? Ives can give you a leg-up."

Freneth nods at Holland's instructions. "This one can manage." He
clambers up and through the hole, dropping lightly to the floor. He
waits for just a moment, then slowly starts to check the room out.

Dhebun looks over to Ives then at the entrance dubiously, he lets the
big Giff lift him up and into the room. Looking all around, he feels
the walls and floor, searching for hidden passages or doors.

Holland says, "Please check the floor, walls and altar for secret
passages or panels. Once Talus catches back up with us, he can check
the ceiling."

"If they cannot locate any secret passages we can always finish this
door off." Ferric says as they wait.  "At worst it will clear this
pasage a bit. If we are lucky it may even expose a secret door by
draining through such an opening."

Returning Dhebun's axe Ives says "Thank you for the loan of your axe.
No lets get you through the door."

The dust in the room is undisturbed, it's obviously been a very long
time since anyone used it. The only thing that Freneth finds of
interest is a secret compartment on the side of the altar. Hidden
within he finds two coral statuettes of the same creature the earlier
statue depicted, and a large pile of  golden coins, octagonal in
shape, with odd symbols on each side that don't resemble any writing
system Freneth recognizes. He estimates there are perhaps five
hundred coins.

As he finishes Talus' voice sounds nearby, "I couldn't find any secret doors."

Freneth nods toward where the voice was, after nearly jumping out of
his skin. "This one found little also," he calls out toward the
openning. "Some carved people, and what looks like coins? They are
oddly shaped though."

"Gold's gold" Ives booms as he reaches in with a long arm to lift
Freneth up and out. "Though it will make for a fine night of
celebration when we get back what!"

Holland nods and says, "I bet that the coins are worth more than just
their weight in gold. If they are from a ancient civilization, there
are sure to be some other races or scholars who would be very
interesting in getting their hands on them to study. The statues as
well. We need to take very good care of them, to keep them in one
piece."

Raken nods.  "Seekers come to mind immediately, along with dozens of
sages and noble collectors."

Freneth nods and says, "If both think it is wise," he begins placing
the coins and statuettes into his bag.

The inspection of the room finished Ferric says, "Well shall we get
to the other door then and see where it leads? After we finish up
here and we do have the small matter of regaining our ship and
dealing out some retribution.  A task to which I am most anxious to
attend." So saying he makes his way back through the ranks and
proceeds back down the corridor, dagger in hand, to carefully repeat
the process at the other closed door.

"Right then lets get that door open at the other end. Hopefully the
way deeper into this laybrinth is there what!" Ives booms out.
Borrowing Freneth's axe again Ives leaves a wake behind him as he
strides back down the hall to the other door.

"Or a way to the surface," Sekeht adds. "It's very musty in here."

Ives works on opening at hole large enough for Freneth and Talus to
get through.

Holland says, "Ives, be careful, enlarge it just enough to give Talus
enough space to enter but don't flood the room."

Spitting out water from a wave caused by Ives' movements, Raken asks
"Having problems, Sekeht? If these halls are too confining, you could
always go back and watch over the prisoners. It's a bit more open up
there."

"What? No, no problems," Sekeht answers quickly. "I'm just not used
to so many walls."

After coughing up a bit more water, Raken responds "very well. Do not
let these walls get the best of us Sons of the Stars!" Raken says
encouragingly.

It is quickly obvious that the room on the other side is also filled
with water, and after a few blows Ives opens the door easily. The
door is easily large enough for the canoe and riders to fit through.

The room is large, perhaps seventy feet by seventy feet. Far enough
that the far walls are shadowing from the door, just a bit beyond the
radius of the light stones. Despite it's size the room appears rather
nondescript. There are no visible bits of furniture, nor any wall
paintings or murals.

Holland says, "Talus, please enter the room and search the walls and
ceiling for any secret panels."

Talus' voice says, "Right."

After a few moments he flies back. "There is a secret door, I think,
in that corner to the left. The trigger must be below the water."

"Hmm, I think we know where the blocked stairwell upstairs ends up.
Talus if it's safe I'll just try and force the door open what! Rather
silly looking for a trigger under the water." Ives booms out.

Holland says, "Talus, please check the floors for trip wires before
we head down in there."

"I can't really do that, Holland." Talus says in an amused voice,
"The floor is covered with four feet of water, remember? You're
walking through it?"

Holland replies hesitantly, "I thought maybe you could skim the
water, using the goggles to see and carefully using the pole, to do
at least a preliminary search. You are certainly better equipped to
look than those in the canoe or us walking with water up to our
necks." Holland shrugs his shoulders, causing them to pop up out of
the water for a second, "But if you don't think that is feasible, we
will just proceed ahead and see what happens."

"I'm not sure what these googles will do, since I'm not sticking my
head under the water, but I guess I can poke the ground with a stick
as well as the rest of you. Wait there and I'll do that quickly."
Talus answers. "I'm really not much of a swimmer and this ring
commands air, not water."

One of the sticks in the boat rises up ad drifts back into the new
room, where it can seen poking down into the water. It seems to sink
very deeply into the water in most places.

"This is odd." Talus says, "There seem to be steps going down from
your door, and very soon the water gets too deep for the stick to
touch bottom. But that secret doors is at the same level as your
door, just the trigger seems to be underwater. There is a platform
there, perhaps, because the water isn't as deep by the secret door.
But there is deep water between your door and that corner."

"I do not like this."  Ferric says shaking his head and watching the
waters.  "Anything could be lurking beneath the surface in those deep
areas. Does anyone here have any skill at swimming? If not then
perhaps one of our smaller members might be flown across to the door
by Talus. In any event I suggest a pair of ropes be tied around our
volunteer so that Ives, Nilaroo and myself can pull them to safety
should it be required."

"Look why don't we get everyone on the raised ledge then Ferric you
and I take the canoe over to the door, I'll bust it open and we can
start ferrying people back and forth what!"  Ives booms out as he
looks over the water filled room.

Holland frowns as he looks at waters with Ferric and then asks, "Does
anyone with infravision see anything in the water?"

Talus says, "The water masks temperature better then air, and besides
the light stones we are using ruins our infravision."

Holland says, "Talus would have to hold his passenger up the entire
time if the water level is the same as out here, that would deprive
him of his hands."

"And your point would be?" Ferric asks. "I think carrying a burden
would be preferable to having someone swim across unknown depths but
perhaps that's just me. Though I have no skill at swimming I'll go
myself if no one else cares to volunteer."

Freneth starts stripping off his leather armor, and grabs up one of
his javelins with the rope attached. "Talus, please help this one to
the secret door, and one will do his best to open it."

Holland looks at Ferric with an arched eyebrow, "Why does anyone have
to swim?  They can stay in the canoe.  If Talus can set up another
rope-bridge, those of us walking can cross via the rope-bridge and
then those in the canoe can paddle across."

Holland waves a hand at the dungeon as he continues, "It is obvious
that this dungeon wasn't originally flooded. From the amount of dust
in that dry room this area has been vacant for a long time and I
would hazard to say that it has been flooded for a long time as well.
If there were any creatures that somehow got in when the place
flooded, then they are more than likely quite dead by now due to
starvation. We need to be alert for traps and magical or undead
guardians."

"Blaring Bombards!" Ives exclaims "Its only 50ft of water to paddle
across."  Pulling his sheath and shield off his back Ives says "Hear
Nilaroo take my shield, Talus hold onto my sword if I need it be
ready to drop it down to me."

"Be ready to pepper any guardians of the room with mage fire, arrows
and javilins what! That is of course if I leave you any to deal with"
Ives booms out as prepares to start making his way across the 50ft
span.

Holland raises his hands above the level of the water, fingers spread
out, "Got you covered Ives, be careful."

"On second thought, I think it might be best if I go check on the
prisoners," Sekeht says, eying the waterfilled room warily. "After
all, my scimitar's  not much use in these passages. Perhaps someone
would come with me? Allagan? Kain?"

Holland frowns, "We shouldn't be splitting up now. Hang in there Sekeht."

Sekeht sighs. "Well, perhaps you should try to open the secret
passage before we all get over there. The platform there may not be
able to take the weight of all of us."

"Right, lets see if there's any trouble what!" Ives says as he starts
paddling in a slow but determined fashion towards the other corner of
the room.

He reaches the wall in a moment. Talus says from above him, "Should
be good there."

Feeling the ground beneath his boots again Ives surges up in a spray
of water.  "Holland break down the door or get everyone over first
what?" Ives bellows out across the room.

The consensus is open the door first, so Ives does so while standing
in the 5' deep water. It opens onto another corridor, ten feet wide
and also submerged beneath five feet of brackish water.

The canoe is floated across the deeper chamber with those walking
clinging to the sides but nothing reaches up from the dark water to
attack the adventurers' feet.

Returning to their marching order the group follows this new
corridor, which takes a right turn almost at once and then goes
straight for sixty feet or so.

About halfway down this dark corridor (the only light comes from the
groups light magics) there are several large, rough holes in the
walls just above water level. Red, glowing eyes from the holes reveal
the presence of large rats, and the group scares them off with some
splashed water and stabbing of weapons into the holes. Their
chittering is disconcerting, however, even if it does only indicate a
half dozen or so rats back in the warren.

The door at the end of this corridor is already open, it opens onto
another room thirty by twenty feet and rectangular. This room has no
obvious use, and another door is closed on the wall opposite to the
groups entrance. There is also a hole in the ceiling just above that
door.

"There was a trip wire." Talus says from above the water. As always
he had been scouting ahead with is staff, flying invisibly above the
water. "It caused some sludge to pop out of the hole when I disarmed
it. I think it used to be an oil trap but it is so old it is no
longer dangerous."

Date/Time: 2:50 pm, 7th day of the 11th Month, 5049 OC
--
"...And nobody is to be killed at all, if it can be helped. Keep your
tempers and hold your hands until the last possible moment!"
"But if there many of these ruffians," said Merry, "it will certainly
mean fighting. You won't rescue Lotho, or the Shire, just by being
shocked and sad, my dear Frodo."

Paul Westermeyer,  pwestermeyer@????????.??.com
Phd Candidate, History, Ohio State University