The Colony - In the Unknown Depths

Start Date: August 23rd, morning
Start Status: Gem Temptation
Start Location: ???

Adventuring: Rennard, Jinx, Brigg, Smoke, Zenobe
At the Tulip: Castor, Hagan, Xon, Aaron

The Turn

"I knew we should have taken those jewels before trying this!" says Smoke as she paces back and forth in the pedestal chamber.

"Relax and have patience," answers Brigg. "It worked once, it'll work again."

"How do you know? Are you a secret wizard or something? Maybe we drained whatever magic powers it."

Brigg shrugs. "It's been at least five minutes. Should we try again?"

While the rest of the party was ready to press on with exploration in the newly discovered tunnels, Jinx was more interested in ensuring the group could return to their starting point. He offered to test the platform by himself, but the others, seeing the wisdom of his suggestion, joined him on the platform. Jinx touched the pyramid, which did the same glowing/golden lights routine as the sphere pedestal. The group spent a minute reassuring themselves that they were back in the Silverstream before returning to the platform to continue their exploration of the space beyond. This time, however, the platform didn't work, leaving the party waiting for... something.

After Brigg voices his suggestion and with varying degrees of enthusiasm, the party returns to the platform and Jinx touches the sphere. This time, the light show starts as expected. "See?" *fwoomph* "It just has some sort of delay, perhaps a recharge cycle," says Brigg as the group reappears in the mystery caves.

"Right, let's get moving. Time is passing," says Zenobe.

Brigg takes point, followed by Jinx and Rennard, then Smoke and Zenobe. As the group passes the strange statue with fire opal eyes, Smoke eyeballs the pool, which is filled with murky water. "I hope there's nothing living in that," she mutters as the group continues to the double doors that showed signs of use at the end of the hall.

Brigg takes a few minutes to listen, then shrugs and pulls out an oil flask. He dribbles a bit on each hinge of the door panels, reaching high to reach the topmost. "You know, the size of these doors suggests this place was built by the tall ones. Look how high and narrow they are." Finally, he grasps the pull rings and gives a gentle tug, followed by a harder pull. The doors finally start to open, hinges grinding and edges scraping on the frame and floor.

"Not exactly quiet," whispers Jinx.

Brigg shrugs, "You can open the next set."

The chamber beyond is octagonal, roughly 20 x 30 feet. Like the hall, it appears to have been carved out of solid stone. There is a heap of rubble in the center of the room and another set of double doors in the north wall, and one of these is ajar. Thin lines of mold follow damp trails from ceiling to floor and puddles of discolored water mark the floor, and the air is dank and chilly. Scuff marks show where someone or something moved between the doors and all around the room.

"Look here Rennard. I think this might confirm your theory that there was some sort of rebellion or uprising." He points to the rubble, which, after a few moment's study, everyone can plainly see was once a statue of a (possibly tall) humanoid figure.

"Someone took a serious dislike to this," says Rennard, as he studies the shattered fragments. While it's easy to spot the bigger sections of the body, shoulder, leg, torso, the statue's head is either missing or hammered into gravel. A thick layer of accumulated muck and dust indicates this damage was done long ago, but some of the pieces have been moved recently.

"I don't hear anything here," says Smoke at the north door. "Looks like more corridor."

The group moves into the north passage, which is 10 feet wide and carved through solid stone. "Hang on a second," says Jinx. "Something here. I can see some faint lines in the stone." He points out details to the others and eventually discovers a hidden catch that opens a tall and narrow panel in the wall. Beyond is a narrow corridor that bends south after 10 feet. A search of the far end reveals a similar panel and latch.

"Tricky," mutters Smoke. "We really need to be careful here."

Everyone backtracks to the main passage and, with Brigg back on point, heads north. And north. The corridor is at least 150 feet long, and at the north end it turns west and continues. The group is about to start down the west passage when Rennard hisses a warning and dims his sword, "Quiet!"

Everyone stops dead and Rennard gestures at his ear, indicating the others should listen. Smoke is the first to nod, then the others follow suit. They can all hear the faint echoes of a single voice speaking in a regular cadence. Brigg gestures back toward the corner and the group backs up as quietly as possible. The monk keeps watch at the corner, and Rennard whispers, "I don't like the feel of this."

"Can you sense evil?" asks Zenobe.

The paladin shakes his head. "It may be too far away. Can anyone make out the words?"

No one can, but Brigg says, "It sounds like someone reciting something. A ceremony or ritual maybe?"

OOC: Brigg can barely make out a pair of pillars or facades in the corridor around the corner and ahead.

End Date: August 23rd, morning
End Status: Voices in the Dark
End Location: ???

The Colony - Time for a Ride

In a bold move, the party tries out the pedestal they found on the lower level of the mine.

Start Date: August 23rd, morning
Start Status: Push the Button
Start Location: Silverstream Mine

Adventuring: Rennard, Jinx, Brigg, Smoke, Zenobe
At the Tulip: Castor, Hagan, Xon, Aaron

The Turn

Left with the mysterious pedestal as the only potential exit (the party believes it to be a teleportation device), the group decides to go for a ride, somewhere. Zenobe leads the group onto the platform and, once everyone is in place, puts his hand on the sphere. As before, the sphere begins to glow and golden sparks of light flow out and surround the group on the platform. The light takes on a certain thickness that obscures the room, then... *woompfh*.

Once the lights fade and the party can see, they are disappointed to find themselves in the same rectangular room with pillared alcoves along each side. "It didn't do anything!" exclaims Smoke, stepping off the platform.

"Didn't it? Look!" Zenobe points to the pedestal in the center of the platform. The sphere is no longer there. In its place, there is a three-sided pyramid of the same polished black metal.

"Maybe we did go somewhere," says Brigg. He steps off the platform and heads for the opening that led to the stairs in the original room. There are stairs here too, but they only go up a short distance before they meet a broad hallway running left to right with double doors across the way. "Definitely a new place."

The group forms up in their usual formation, with Brigg out front scouting. While the pedestal chamber is made of the same stone as the one back in the mind, the hall is a different matter. Its walls, floor, and arched ceiling have been carved from the native granite and have a rough finish (think concrete sidewalk). The double doors across the 20-foot wide hall are heavy iron and have a thick coat of rust on them. The floor is coated in damp dust that shows many footprints running both left and right. Many are human-sized, but some are smaller and appear to have been made by clawed feet. The air is dank and there is a metallic taste to it that catches in the throat.

Leaving the doors, which appear to be firmly rusted shut, the group heads right. The passage immediately opens into a rectangular chamber with a square water-filled pool in the center and rusted double doors north and south.. Smooth black stone pillars support the room's domed ceiling and a statue cut from the same stone graces a small platform that rises from the center of the pool. It depicts a 3-foot high creature with a barrel-like body and three frog-like heads. Three stubby legs support the body, and three pairs of dangling arms that end in three-fingered hands sprout from between the heads. It's a fairly hideous thing, but the statue's eyes are all set with brilliant fire opals.

"Shinies!" whispers Smoke, who appears ready to wade through the murky water of the pool.

"Let's... not play with the demon statue just yet," says Jinx.

"It's not evil," says Rennard, "but I agree." We should get our bearings before we try to retrieve those gems.

The group continues down the hall, which dead ends at yet another set of rusted double doors. These show some signs of use, and the damp dust on the floor is disturbed here as well. "More tracks, all kinds," whispers Brigg.

"Let's backtrack and check the other direction," suggests Zenobe. The others agree, so the group walks back past the pool, the stairs and continues down the corridor. It continues for 80 feet or so, passing another set of double doors on the right before it intersects a natural cave. Beyond the large cavern, it continues another 25 feet and ends in another set of rusty doors.

The cavern is little more than an indentation in the wall to the left, but to the right, it extends out of sight. The cave floor is slick and wet and a few stalagmites and stalactites rise from the floor and hang from the ceiling.

There's also a crude stone statue, this one of a tall and slim humanoid figure. Brigg moves a bit closer to check it out and can see that most of the features and details have been broken off. Bits of stone lie scattered around the statue's base, all covered with damp muck and debris indicating this defacement happened long ago. The cave splits but continues beyond the statue. The floor bears no marks, but water dripping from above would quickly obscure any footprints.

End Date: August 23rd, morning
End Status: Wandering in the dark
End Location: ???

PBE Games - Year End Wrapup

It's the last day of 2017 and time for a final update on PBE Games releases. December saw ten new products hit the virtual shelves, starting with six new Dungeons in Blue Complexes.

Complexes Eight Preview

• Complexes Four - A traditional dungeon complex with two entrances. Perhaps it's a secret way to cross an impassable mountain ridge.
• Complexes Five - A mix of dungeon rooms and chambers and natural caverns. This dungeon has a single fortified entrance.
• Complexes Six - These vast caverns feature altars, statues, and magic circles. Perhaps they seal away creatures or powers best left where they are.
• Complexes Seven - This grand hall should be familiar to anyone who reads my Colony PBEM game.
• Complexes Eight - A small temple connects to a  collection of caves that lead to a sizeable underground lake.
• Complexes Nine - This map depicts a mine complex and also features prominently in my Colony PBEM game.

As usual, these products are available in discount bundle form. Triple Pack #2 includes Complexes Four to Six, and Triple Pack #3 contains Complexes Seven to Nine.

The final products for 2017 are two Hexed Places:

• The Sharp Hills are a patchwork of dry and rugged terrain in the middle of an area of scrubby rolling hills and green plains. The Red River, which takes its name from its iron-stained water, splits the region into roughly equal halves. Prospectors seek gold, silver, and gems in these barren lands, but often find death instead.
• Bitterblack Forest is a treacherous stretch of mountainous forest that offers a convenient shortcut between two trade routes. Rangers maintain a camp for travelers on the edge of the wood, but the ruin of Broken Ridge Tower serves as a grim reminder of the dangers hidden in the densely forested region. Despite rumors of a lost mine full of gold and silver, few dare to leave the road and risk the wrath of the powerful summoner said to live in the depths of Bitterblack Forest.

These two Hexed Places round out Hexed Places Five Pack #2,  which also contains Crescent Lake, Denshi Ferry, and the Sand Coast, products released earlier this year. If you don't know what Hexed Places are, the free Compendium provides an overview of these overland sandbox mini-settings and includes a full map key and a brief summary of each product.

The Sharp Hills Player Map

With that, 2017 comes to a close for PBE Games. As always, thanks for taking the time to read this update. Have a safe and happy 2018!

The Colony - Secure Searching

After a night's rest, the party heads back into the mine to finish exploring the first level before heading downstairs to revisit the pedestal room. Back in town, Mendel takes his leave and Castor (a.k.a. Candle) returns to rejoin the company. Chance, a newcomer to the colony, also continues her efforts to join the group, but so far the others have pretty much ignored her.

This will be the last turn for a bit, due to the holidays.

Start Date: August 22nd, late afternoon
Start Status: Watching the Robots
Start Location: Silverstream Mine

Adventuring: Rennard, Jinx, Brigg, Smoke, Zenobe
At the Tulip: Castor, Hagan, Xon, Aaron

The Colony - Glowy Lights

The party does some fiddling about with the pedestal before heading back upstairs to make sure they clear the area behind them. There's been a fair bit of debate about what it's going to take to fulfill their contract with Lady Vine. Some characters believe they should not include the newly discovered area in "the mine".  Of course, they haven't really eliminated the threat they were supposed to eliminate, so...

Start Date: August 22nd, afternoon
Start Status: Deep scan
Start Location: Silverstream Mine

Adventuring: Rennard, Jinx, Brigg, Smoke, Zenobe
At the Tulip: Castor, Hagan, Xon, Aaron

The Turn

The Colony - Words of Wisdom

The party grows [more] paranoid as they continue to explore the area around the statue room. They're a bit worried because they haven't found any sign of the many not-zombies they saw several nights ago.

The Colony - Beyond the Doors

The group finds some incongruous bronze doors in the depths of the Silverstream Mine. Perhaps this is the source of the crystal-infested not-zombies?