Jammers: Turn 20, 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:

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."

Holland asks, "Talus, could you please check to see where the hole in
the ceiling goes? Ives, would you please break a hole in the upper
part of the door like before?"

"The sooner we can get out of this water, the better," Sekeht adds
with a shiver.

"Nowhere." Talus says, "I told you, it was part of an old trap, it
dumped oil or such into the room. I disarmed it."

"Of course Holland" Ives booms out as he gets to work on the door.
"Lets see whats behind this door what!"

Leera nods. "Let's keep moving. The sooner we're above ground, the
better." She gathers herself in and centers her self in the canoe.
She continues to keep her hands near her spell components, ready to
cast.

Allagan watches behind him to make sure the rats don't try to attack
them from the rear.

Freneth watches nervously for Ives to move up to the next door. His
eyes dart back toward where the rats were, and into the water.

Ferric likewise waits with rapier and dagger held above the waterline.

Dhebun leans forward, straining his eyes to see past the ragged hole
that Ives is making.  "One thing is certain, no one has been this way
in a very long time, except perhaps for the rats."  Dhebun shivers
and his bushy brows furrow as he peers into the gloom, clearly
intrigued.

Once Ives has made a hole large enough invisible Talus says, "I'm going in."

The other side of the door reveals a corridor that turns into a set
of descending stairs. A closed door is to the left on the landing
before the stairs. The air is wet and steamy, the walls glisten from
the moisture. The other door, however, looks very new and a track
through the slime on the floor suggests it is used fairly frequently
by someone.

Just as Talus is relating this, however, the door Ives carved into
gives a sharp creak. there is a split second of time for the group to
worry, and then the door gives way with a splintering crash!

Water rushes into the corridor beyond and on down the stairs. Ives
alone manages to keep his feet in the torrent, but the canoe smashes
into his back even as Holand and Ferric, tumbled together and shoved
beneath the water, slam into the back of the great giff's knees. He
drops backwards like a breaching whale and the whole of the party,
save for the invisible Talus hovering above the waters, is swept
forward and into the descending corridor.

The corridor turns from worked stone to natural tunnel in seconds,
then the band is swept along in a rush of frothing water as the
tunnel twists and curves to the left and right, but always descends
at a fairly steep angle.

It's hard to judge how long the band rode the rushing waters, it
cannot have been very long. Those in the canoe manages to keep it
upright, and the tunnel's curves are to gradual for the canoe to get
stuck, nor does it shrink by very much in size.

Finally, the tunnel opens up into a larger cavern, a much larger
cavern. The party slides to a halt near the opening as the waters of
the tunnels disperse and the first, violent surge of water is
replaced by a steady stream about ankle deep flowing down the stairs.
As the sopping wet walkers stagger to their feet, and the now
grounded passengers of the canoe allow their fingers to loosen their
hold on the sides, the group looks about.

They are in a single natural cavern of great size. The air is hot,
steamy, and foul with volcanic gases. The floor of the cavern is a
field of bubbling mud pots, small geysers, hot springs, and mineral
crusts. The colors are rich reds, browns, and yellows, combined with
blacks and greys. Terraces crusted with deposits from mineral springs
extend from the sides of the cavern at several points. Stalactites
hang from the ceiling, and merge with stalagmites in several places
to form pillars from the roof to the floor. Occasional flares of
ruddy light, combined with great bursts of steam from the depths of
some of the hot springs, briefly illuminate small points in the room.

Their resting spot is a mineral terrace, almost like a landing at the
base of the stairs with a high ridge along the sides of the mudpool.
The terrace is white with calcium deposits and hot enough to be
painful, but not damaging. It is somewhat slippery.

Freneth says several words in a language no one understands, though
the tone implies a variety of cursing as he clambers out of the
canoe. Finally he glares around at the cavern and picks his javelins
up from the canoe. Finally he calms down a little, and asks, "Now
what?"

"Ives was pummeled by the canoe back there. Hoom, is he alright?"
Nilaroo asks worriedly. The grom has not yet gotten out of the wide
based canoe; rather, he sits with his bow in hand, an arrow at ready.
His eyes scan the cavern for movement.

Raken slides face first into the terrace and narrow misses a
face-full of mud.  He picks himself up and lets out a whoot.  "THAT
was fun! Let's do it again!" Raken says encouragingly.  His entire
front is covered by mud, but he doesn't seem to mind.

Slowly, Sekeht stands, spreads his arms, and looks down at the soaked
shirt hanging sadly from his shoulders. "I am drenched!" he says
angrily.

Leera looks incredulously at Sekeht, and then slowly begins to
chuckle. After but a moment, she double over in laughter.  As she
struggles to catch her breath, she gasps "He's drenched.. We're stuck
in a hole, leagues below ground, and he's drenched."

Sekeht glares at Leera, then turns his attention to trying to shake
the water off his clothes. "I had suggested we return to the
surface," he grumbles.

Raken is busy squeezing some water out of his tunic. "Sure, but then
we wouldn't have found that wild ride!" Raken says with a grin.

Ferric chuckles quietly as he disentangles himself from the others
and places his weapons in their sheaths. "Well at least there will be
no more worrying about getting dirty. Unless we need to wade through
a midden heap I'd say this is about as bad as it can get." A moments
searching in the canoe yields his quiver and elven longbow with its
metal inlays glittering in the light. "Talus," he calls softly, "are
you with us?"

There is no answer from Talus.

Gazing up and around him, Dhebun takes in the vast cavern. He quickly
checks to make sure his possessions are accounted for, then shakes
his head. "I hardly think this is so terrible Master Ferric, though I
have as much love as any dwarf for water! There is a rugged shape to
this cave that is not unpleasant to look on. Would I had but seven
more of my folk here, what a dwelling we might make!"
Still this place could be considerably dangerous and I would suggest
we make sure everyone is unharmed and then find a more hospitable
location eh? Sometimes dark and forgotten places, such as this, tend
to give shelter to creatures also best forgotten."

"Yes, well we'd best clear them out along with the bloody natives
before you bring some of your kin here to work the place and turn
this miserable little planetoid into a citadel." Ferric replies
cheerfully as he begins tromping back up the tunnel.

Allagan gets to his feet and moves to the base of the stairs. Allagan
holds his spear horizontally in front of him, "I will keep an eye out
here. Don't be too long though."

Holland stands up, adjusts his sashling, and straightens his tunic,
"Well now. That was something." Looking over the scene Holland
remarks aside, "This might account for the steam burns."

"Indeed," Raken responds. "That stuff looks nasty. Smells bad, too.
I've been in latrines that don't smell nearly as bad."

Looking up the steps Holland says, "There was still one door up
there, Talus said that it looked recently used, unlike the rest of
the rooms. We should finish exploring that area before we venture off
into this new unknown."

"Should be much easier now, given that we probably emptied much of
the water up there. Of course, we could always explore this area
first while we are strong, and recover our strength before exploring
other areas."

Talus comes flying down the stairs, visible, once he reaches the
party he says, "The door up there is unlocked. Do you want me to
scout it out?"

Holland replies, "Yes, please. We will be right behind you."

Talus turns and flies back up the stairs.

Using a bit of oil and a rag of what was once a hankerchief, now
dirt, water stained and still somewhat wet, Ives gives his blade a
quick wipe down. Looking at the ruined powder in his starwheel
pistols the giff sighs and puts them away securely in a pouch.

Looking around the group Ives booms out "Everyone ready for a battle?
If not get cracking what!" Squelching his way over to the tunnel up
Ives takes a good long look up it.

Squelching his way over to Holland Ives opens his mouth and then with
a loud growl lunges foward bringing his glaive wiping down towards
the mage as his powerful biceps flex and the muscles in his neck
tense.

Holland is struck by the glaive and flies across the room, falling to
the floor.

"IVES, NO!" shouts Freneth, spotting the giff swing. He grabs at a
javelin, though he doesn't attack, seemingly confused and unsure of
what to do.

"NINE HELLS," Raken curses, standing in shock for a second.

Turning at the growl Ferric moves for Ives, but as Ferric turns
toward the commotion, Nilaroo springs from the canoe, unsheathing his
two-handed sword in a broad stroke aimed at Ferric's unguarded back,
teeth bared, an expression of pain in his eyes.

The blow lands, driving Ferric forward onto his stomach as he slips
in the mud. Ironically the fall likely saves his spinal cord, he's
only bruised by Nilaroo's blow, rather then slashed in two by the
powerful gromman's massive blade.

 From out of the darkness a voice calls out, "AHOY, MATEYS! WATCH FOR
THE BEASTS IN THE MUCK!"

Date/Time: 2:56 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 are 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