Vogh and Talin prepared all of the gear they had into their magical backpacks which seemed to never fill and barely added any weight to their back despite being nearly full.
They left the Minstrel and headed across the Square to descend into the Undercity Market for only the second time in their lives. A quick right turn took them down the long hallway into the Delver’s Guild office and the gathering hall.
They had a few moments to grab some light refreshments before Jule and the others walked in as well. All four had mundane backpacks full of supplies. Several torches were strapped to the exterior of their packs and each had a flint/steel combo dangling on a leather strap within easy reach. Clearly they were not new to the dungeons below.
All four of them went and grabbed food before coming over to where Vogh and Talin sat. Jule spoke up as they joined, “This is my brother Chule,” he was barely smaller than Jule and both wore the same heavy armor. “Then this is Otule, he’s good with the locks and traps. Finally this is Sam.”
All four of the men were weathered of skin, so they had clearly seen their days in the sun. The youngest was likely about to end his teen years and the eldest had not seen the turn of more than two and a half decades. Three wore heavier metal armor, dinged, scratched and otherwise worn but sound. The smallest of them, Otule, wore only leather armor with a small buckler shield strapped to his arm.
The three largest had two long swords and Sam carried a short sword. Otule, leather clad, seemed to only carry a couple daggers.
All wore their hair long and tied up with little facial hair. The youngest barely able to grow any at that.
Jule continued, “Since we don’t know you, and we aren’t even sure if there will be more there, we aren’t going to head to where we had our last score. There are a couple other leads we would like to chase down. Just stick close, don’t get left behind and stay on your guard. You never know what you’re going to find down there.”
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Vogh
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Vogh nodded her head at the introductions of the men. She was quite capable of doing every one of their jobs and well too. She wondered though if they brought any healing with them at all. So, Jule are any of you capable of healing if one of you get injured or something?
When she got her answer she was ready to head out. Yes we will keep our eyes peeled to make sure we aren’t snuck up on. She commented to the men as they began to move.
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Jule
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The big man seemed hardly weighed down by his armor, sword and heavy pack when he answered Vogh, “Nah. We can’t. But the church across from the Square does it pretty cheap. Why, can you do it?”
Jule lead the way down one of the main corridors and opened a large, iron gate that was well oiled. After everyone passed through he shut the gate behind again. The entire length of the hallway was illuminated with fixed everburning torches that could not be removed. They proceeded down another hall to a large wooden door banded with iron that sported a large lock and pull handle. The big man retrieved a key from his pocket and unlocked the door, swinging it open. When everyone filed through he locked it back from the far side. They moved several paces to an identical iron bound wooden door. Jule and his three companions retrieved oversize handkerchiefs, then tied them around their noses and mouths.
Only after did Jule turn the key in the lock and open the door.
Immediately Vogh and Talin crinkled their noses against the awful stench. Jule and his companions chuckled at the two bards’s reactions, then they entered the corridor.
Like most large imperial cities, Ptolus has an extensive and well-maintained sewer system, thanks to the advancements of the technological Prust and their Grailwarden dwarf allies. Most homes in Ptolus have running water and indoor plumbing, including privies that pump in water via hand pumps and drain it away into the city sewers.
The sewers are well designed and sturdily built, with carefully cut stones and arched supports to keep the tunnels from collapsing. The Empire, particularly at its height, was very proficient at such engineering and building.
The group steps out onto a three-foot ledge on one side of a ten foot wide channel with slow moving and disgusting waste flowing. The wide ledge is dry, and there is another on the opposite side of the tunnel.
The ceiling in this main tunnel were about eight feet high, except where a sewer grate offers access to the surface, at which point the ceiling is about fifteen feet high. At an intersection just up ahead a stone bridge about two feet wide archs a couple feet above the level of the walkways. The sewage flows beneath the bridge while allowing people to cross over to the ledge on the opposite side of where they stand.
No lights line the walls in the sewers. When Jule closes and locks the door back the only light comes from the torches they carry. Both Talin and Vogh have their everburning torches out while their four acquaintances carry the mundane versions.
“What under the Spire are we doing in the sewers Jule?!” Talin barks, his voice echoing between the stone walls and ceiling.
“Good place to start and almost guaranteed to earn us some coin today. I got a line on a good nest to raid. Even if we find nothing, the ears and tails will get us gold tonight, and we can see if you two pretties are of any use in a fight.”
Clearly Jule was brooking no dissent. They could leave and go back, or they could continue with the four men and possibly earn some coin…
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Vogh
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Vogh wasn’t used to the sewers, but she was used to bad smells. Some of which came from the undead she had fought at one point.
Seeing the bridge she at least had hope that they wouldn’t have to wade through the muck. So we are hunting rats then? I guess that is as good as any place to start. To answer your question, yes I am capable of healing some as well. You want me to lead too?
She quipped at the big man with a smile.
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Jule
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“Be my guest…” the big man gestured forward, “But you don’t know where we’re going.”
Talin quickly spoke up as he touched Vogh’s arm, “That’s fine, we’ll take up the rear guard. Our torches also cannot go out so you can keep track of us easily that way. Lead on sir. Let’s kill some rats, collect some gold, and get out of here.”
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Vogh
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Vogh splayed her arm out as if showing them the way before taking up the back as Talin had suggested. After you!
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Vogh
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Once the big men are out front, Vogh pulls out her blade and readies her horn to blow into when needed. Talin, I sure hope this will be fun and not a waste of our time. I certainly don’t want you getting hurt either. I couldn’t live with myself if something happened to you.
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Talin
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“Bah! We’re big kids. We can handle ourselves. It just comes with this territory.” He too held his blade and the torch as he moved out in front of her.
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Narrator
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Juel let Otule move out in front of them and allowed him a healthy distance of about 30 feet.
Otule had a torch and his dagger in hand as he proceeded swiftly.
Juel, Chule and Sam all had their weapons and a torch out and ready as well, following Otule’s lead.
Talin and Vogh took up the rear guard holding their torches high.
Their leader slowed as he reached an intersection with their line which matched their current tunnel for size. A soft whistle echoed out and bounced down the corridors. Otule immediately held his torch high and was clearly looking forward.
He turned back toward the others and nodded.
The rogue moves forward much more slowly and cautiously. He turns down the adjoining corridor and when the others turn to follow they see one of the stone bridges, which Otule already crossed over to the other side and was moving back into their current sewer line in the same direction they already were. They pass him as all five of them also cross the bridge and follow after him.
Everyone is moving as quietly as possible, but the three heavily armored men labor at stealth. Their armor creaks, scrapes and clacks as they move along, even with painstaking effort they find it impossible to be totally silent.
Once the group all crossed over the bridge and rejoined the main channel they found Otule waiting for them. Vogh and Talin could see around them as he and Jule whispered. A portion of the sewer wall has collapsed up ahead. A pile of rubble slopes down into darkness.
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Vogh
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Vogh and Talin moved silently behind the three oafs in their metal armor making as much noise as possible. It seemed to her as if they were trying to wake the dead in the near utter silence of the sewers. Any enemy they could possibly face would hear them coming from a mile away.
At one point Vogh moves close to Talin and says in a whisper barely audible to the ear, these guys must just attract the enemies and then take care of them..
When Juel whispered to the other man, Vogh strained to hear what he said. At least the man knew to not speak loudly for she couldn’t hear what he was saying. Instead, she looked to the collapse of the sewer wall wondering what had caused it.
10:21, Today: Vogh rolled 7 using 1d20+5. Listen check.
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Narrator
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The troop moved forward slowly and surprisingly stealthy. They reached the collapsed wall portion. The combined light of their torches illuminated the pile of rubble which sloped down about ten feet over a distance of thirty feet. It would take a fair bit of balance (DC 12) to descend without slipping the rest of the way.
The area below looked like a natural cavern. There were no carved stone walls, simply natural rock with a rough floor covered in garbage.
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Vogh
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When Vogh saw the rubble she wondered if the group was going to be heading down there. How in the hell would these guys pull that off without making a ton of noise?
Are we to head down the rubble to the cavern below? Vogh whispered to Juel.
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Narrator
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No one replied but Otule looked at her and nodded his head.
He went first, carefully picking his his way down the stones silently and carefully. He held his torch high and looked around the area. One cavern seemed to end off to their right, then two other tunnels went off in front and to their left.
Otule motions for the rest of the group to follow as he carefully steps forward looking around intently.
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