The Colony - Turn 7 - Tunnel Crawl

Having secured the permission of their landlord to open the grate in the cellar of the White Tulip, the main party spends some time exploring the tunnels and chambers of the old city. They hope to find whatever is troubling the hostel's owner and guests.

Start Date: July 20, 1027, Morning
Start Status: Exploration
Start Location: In the Old City

The Turn

The current party: Rennard, Nogg, Hagan, Javiera, Smoke, Aaron, Candle, and Brigg

After a quick conference, the group sends (randomly selected) Nogg and Smoke to search the west room, which seems as likely a place as any for rats or other critters. The search reveals nothing unusual so the party begins a methodical exploration of the exits, starting with the north passage out of the east room. It opens into a narrow tunnel of worked stone and a side passage marks the exit back into the northeast chamber that connected to the L-shaped room.

After another 15 or 20 feet, the passage intersects a slightly wider tunnel with worked stone walls and an arched ceiling running east-west. About 15 feet to the east, the passage ends in a smooth wall. To the west, it extends at least 60 feet, with a narrow opening visible in the north wall 40 feet down the corridor. A small dirt tunnel, 3 feet wide and high, leads north directly across from where the group entered. Rennard bends down and peers through the opening. The tunnel opens into a boulder-clogged cavern and his vision is blocked beyond a few feet.

"Leave that for now," whispers Hagan. "Let's stick to the larger passage. Keep an eye on this as we pass!" Rennard nods and moves west along the corridor. At the first branch, he pauses and Brigg says, "Let's cover lights and listen." Once everyone complies, those near the front can see faint illumination trickling down from above and west and hear a few faint sounds, dripping water and a faint moaning noise. "Is that something living, or just wind?" asks Candle.

During the wait, Nogg seems uneasy. After a few moments, he says, "I have a bad feeling about this." Rennard uses his ability to detect evil but sees nothing. "Let's get the lights out and keep moving. Pay attention at the back!"

He leads the way north along the narrow stone passage, which quickly opens into a room that's about 15 x 15 feet in size. Another small earth tunnel leads east from the southeast corner of the room, and the narrow passage the group was following continues north. The room itself has stone walls that are mostly intact. The flagstone floor is cracked in places, and smears in the mud and dust show that someone or something passes through the area from time to time. No one can really make out what might have left the marks, though.

"This place is a maze," mutters Javiera, who is trying to map the corridors and rooms as the group advances.

Rennard waves at the dirt tunnel, "Skip it for now," and heads north. The corridor continues about 50 feet, another dirt passage branches off southeast, then opens into a 10 x 15 room. The narrow passage resumes its journey to the north on the far side of the chamber. The room itself is fairly non-descript, stone walls and ceiling and a flagstone floor. Two statues stand in opposite corners of the room. Each is made of pale stone and about 4 feet tall. They depict hunched humanoids wearing flowing robes. The work is crude (or has been defaced). It's impossible to make out any fine details.

"Far enough this direction," says Aaron. "Let's go back and see what we see along the other passage." The others agree and shuffle positions to reverse their marching order. At the main east-west corridor, they turn west and continue about 30 feet to a 15 x 15 room with four exits, one in each cardinal direction. Near the center of the chamber, a 5-foot wide vertical shaft cuts through both the ceiling and floor. Foul water drips down from above, and the floor near the shaft is slick with algae. The smells of sewage, mold, and rotten food fill the room. Nogg looks up the shaft and says, "There's a grate up there, heavy bars."

"Maybe it's a drain leading down from someone's basement or the street," says Javiera. "It smells like a privy." She holds her light stone over the shaft and looks down. A line slimy-looking iron rungs winds down the side of the shaft, into the blackness below. "Nope," she mutters, then reviews her map. "Let's try the south passage. I wager it connects back up to where we started."

Rennard nods and takes the lead again. There's a small chamber to the east clogged with dirt and debris, then a short and narrow passage that leads back to the first collection of rooms. The north-south passage extends a few feet further before it deadends at a smooth stone wall.

End Date: July 20, 1027, Morning
End Status: Ooh that Smell!
End Location: In the Old City