Mists over the Musarde [IC]

[ewancummins]

"One moment," Benn says, fumbling in his pack for a scrap of blank paper from his journal. Tearing it loose, he pulls out a stick of black chalk, and draws two arrows, one pointing left, one right, on the scrap before sticking it to the wall with whatever filth is handy, indicating the direction of their passage. "Alright, see you in a moment."

Benn tries not to let his hands tremble as he proceeds down the right passage.

"!...2...3..."

...98..99..100...

The tunnel is wet. Water flows away from the intersection where Benn began counting. The walls are slick with moisture. Little fingers of nitre hang down from the vaulted ceiling, Here and there, water actually drips of leaks out of the massive stonework overhead. Benn senses a slight tremble in the stones, and a faint murmur seems to be coming from above him.The air is even more thick and humid than elsewhere in the sewer.

Benn has spotted no sign of the kidnappers or Evangeline.
He's quite alone, this far down the tunnel, and cannot see Sir Cirdan if he turns back to look. He does hear faintly echoing footsteps from back towards the intersection, but that could be someone else...

[ewancummins]

Dorgio and Norzak...

The return journey proves easy enough, as Norzak knows the way well by now. Nothing impedes your progress as you return to the place where you left your companions.

They were both running down the tunnel towards the spot where your guide had been taken by whatever that thing was. Perhaps they found something? There's a faint glimmer of light from down that way and you can hear the echoes of footsteps from somewhere up ahead.

[Adam]

Bennedict breathes a sigh of relief that no horrible tentacles have attacked him thus far. He pulls out the piece of chalk, writing "100" on the left wall of the tunnel, before turning back towards the intersection. Hopefully the footsteps belong to Norzak and Dorgio, or maybe Cirdan.

[Le Noir Faineant]

Tramping through this mess, Sir Cirdan makes his way down the tunnel a good distance, counting as he goes. Along the way, he notes drag marks in the muck, as of something man sized being pulled further down the tunnel. There are a few indistinct prints of some large animal, perhaps a large dog?

Cirdan will stop for a moment, and pull out a silk handkerchief he has had with him since he left Nevuchar Springs. He'll look for a stick, twig, or even a bone in the mud, wrap the handkerchief around it, light it and lean it onto the wall.

This might work as a waysign for the others.

Pushed on by the fear for Evangeline, he'll then walk on into the darkness...

Cirdan will walk 150 steps more, then finally turn around and look for his friends.

[Brock Marsh Runoff]

Dorgio holds his illuminated spear towards the filthy scrap of paper plastered onto the wall. He tilts his head, his face a rictus from trying to breathe through his mouth in the stench.

He moves the point of his spear from one arrow mark to the next. "They have split up, perhaps. You have a preference?"

[steveflam]

"Nah not really. Eenie meenie mynie mo, catch an elf by that toe. Ok I'm goin' left. Good luck in bashin' them baddies!" Norzak turns and heads down the passsage on the left.

[ewancummins]

Norzak walks down the tunnel for a fair distance, the light from Dorgio's spear rapidly dwindling to the point where things become quite dark. Norzak's vision shifts to the black and white of a dwarf's 'miners-eyes'. He can see well now, to a distance of perhaps sixty feet. He's able to spot the grossest waste and move around it with ease.

The tunnel is of similiar construction to what he's seen of the rest of the sewer. The passage is inclined slightly. That would account for the sluggish backward flow of the shallow water. Relatively recent repair work has been done in spots along the walls- the stonework looks newer or different from the older material and the mortar is not the same blend.

Norzak hears tramping down the hall, and the muffled clank of armor. Soon eneough, he sees of a man in armor with a sword. A little closer...yes, it's definitely Sir Cirdan!

[ewancummins]

Tramping through this mess, Sir Cirdan makes his way down the tunnel a good distance, counting as he goes. Along the way, he notes drag marks in the muck, as of something man sized being pulled further down the tunnel. There are a few indistinct prints of some large animal, perhaps a large dog?

Cirdan will stop for a moment, and pull out a silk handkerchief he has had with him since he left Nevuchar Springs. He'll look for a stick, twig, or even a bone in the mud, wrap the handkerchief around it, light it and lean it onto the wall.

This might work as a waysign for the others.

Pushed on by the fear for Evangeline, he'll then walk on into the darkness...

Cirdan will walk 150 steps more, then finally turn around and look for his friends.

Cirdan has gone far enough away from any light source that his nightvision is beginning to fail him. It's grown very dark indeed, and touch is of more use than sight.

He reaches his count of 150 steps, but he finds nothing of note. As he walks back down the tunnel towards the intersection where he parted with Benn, his nightvision slowly returns, and he begins to make out dim shapes and blurry outlines. He passes the spot where he placed his hankerchief [which is still there].

Cirdan spots a stout figure up ahead. Squinting, he recognizes it as Norzak.

[steveflam]

"Cirdan, 'tis me. Any luck in finding missy? Lil' Anja is safe with Sancerre 'n' that new guy, Dorgio is in ta other tunnel. I'm a hoping we kin find some action cuz these her kidnappers deserve a fate far worst than death." Norzak keeps his ears and eyes open for trouble.

[Le Noir Faineant]

"Nothing over here, Sir dwarf" Cirdan shortly greets the newcomer. "I hope you can fight."

"Either we bring torches, and split up again, or we all go after Ben. On this side, it was too dark even for my eyes..."

[Brock Marsh Runoff]

Dorgio hoists his spear in salute when he sees Benn coming the other way. “Ah yes, the clever one! My charge, she is safe with your patron, and the day is young, so I say to myself, perhaps there is more fun down here. You find any yet?”

“Dwarf went the other way,” he adds, “with the man in odd armor.” He pauses then, remembering something the armored man had shouted at his prisoner. “Speaking of such," he adds in a lower voice, "your friend, he swore by the Eternal Order?”

[Adam]

"I saw very little of note down this passage," Benn answers, trying not to sound too relieved. "Perhaps we should go see if Herr Cirdan requires more assistance."

Benn pauses after hearing Dorgio's question. "Yes, I have gathered that he is of Darkonian origin, as is Norzak. That I assume is the cause of Cirdan's obeyance of the state religion." He quirks an eyebrow at the priest. "Is that a problem? Outside of a few superstitions it does not seem to overly influence Cirdan's judgement."

[steveflam]

Norzak agrees with Cirdan. "Nothin' here eh? All right then. Let's go join tha others 'n' get missy back. They be really grinding me gears, Elf. Me blade 'n' dagger need their blood. 'N' I am gettin' tired of fightin' these dimbulbs when we could be concentratin' on their bosses stead 'o' their lackeys. What do ye think?"

[Brock Marsh Runoff]

Dorgio nods soberly at Benn’s confirmation. Time to tread lightly, he thinks to himself. On one hand, the Eternal Order seems to Dorgio to be burdened with regulations and an eschatology completely opposed to his own faith. On the other hand, he has not yet met a Darkonion who held any love of von Zarovich. If if the knight was not a friend, then perhaps at least they shared a common enemy.

“Ha, nothing that won’t sound better when debated over pipes and pints when we’re done here!” He shrugs, hoping to look noncommittal. “We should join them, yes.”

He turns and heads back toward the fork with Benn. “Now, you mentioned a, how did you call it, plague cult?”

[ewancummins]

You all arrive back at the the intersection. Everything is as you left it- the paper with the arrows, the hatch set into the low ceiling overhead, etc.


At this time, you all hear soft scuffling and spashing sounds echoing down the tunnels. Bobbing lights are coming from all three directions, all converging on the intersection! Someone is coming, and the party is surrounded on all sides.