Below the Undercroft (Solo)
Below the Undercroft, Delve 16 - by Lilliaquil We returned to the barn in which Dargo was holed up and divided the coin. What seemed a fortune in the darkness of the undercroft, divided between the six of us, turned out to be a paltry sum. Still though, it was a start and proof that there was wealth below.
The spear we had found was quite unwieldy for the dwarves but suited Denby at 6'5". He was fair pleased that the dwarves let him keep it in addition to his share of coin. We decided to keep our finds a secret for the time being and Denby stashed his spear in the rafters of the barn. Despite his height, Denby still had to stretch to place the spear out of sight. As he did so, his tongue poked out the side of his mouth and he squinted his eyes with the strain. It was then that I remembered just how young he was; not even twenty summers old. He and I were the youngest of this motley group, I forty-eight.
Though our wounds were healed by Berronar's grace, we decided to rest for a few days before returning to what we were simply calling the undercroft now.
I saw Denby the next morning talking to the party I tried to hire to escort me and Dalielquin home. A moment later, the mother of the boy who died in Rockmound's service, Oddy, approached Denby meekly. The young man was suddenly sheepish and, after a brief discussion that I couldn't hear, he pulled a couple of silver from his purse and gave it to the woman. I could see the mercenaries take notice of Denby's purse. In that moment, a chill crawled up my spine and I was relieved that I was unable to procure their services. As I approached Denby to caution him, he held the woman's hands in his for a moment then she marched off. Denby turned back to the mercenaries as I sidled up to him. "Pity what happened to the woman's child." one of them said casually. I put my hand on Denby's arm and replied before he could "Indeed, dangerous creatures abound these days, especially in dark places." I turned deliberately to Denby "Would you escort me to the mayor? I wish to inquire about the caravan schedule." He smiled at me and obliged. As we walked, I warned him about the mercenaries and flaunting his coin purse. He blushed in embarrassment then glanced over his shoulder at them, now suspicious.
After a few days we were set to return to the undercroft. We met at the barn and set out. We passed a patrol of the militia. They greeted Denby and warned us about goblinoids in the area and then moved on.
We decided to descend the stairwell at which Daliequin, my poor brother, Rockmound, and their now deceased companions had first encountered bandits. The bandits were ascending the stairs and caught Dal and Rockmound's group off guard, but luck was on my brother's side THAT day. The faction lines were materializing. Whomever is coordinating the nefarious activities in the undercroft has enough coin to attract and pay human bandits, kobolds and hobgoblins. All of whom are, for some reason, opposed to the orcs. The gnomes, however, are still an unknown. Fortunately, we've had positive interactions with the kobolds and, though tense, we had a non-hostile interaction with the last group of bandits we encountered. We were cautious and allowed them to believe that we were allies.
The approach to the stairwell was without incident, though we had to force a few of the doors open again. Perhaps the giant insects and the creatures that crawled along the ceiling have been cleared out by the necromancer's minions. Good fortune for us regardless.
At the foot of the long flight of stairs was a short hall. "This makes nae sense." said Rockmound to no one in particular. "I saw ten er mare men come up fae doon here." he said softly. "There's barely enough space fer uz." Dargo took the point and started tapping the walls and looking for any suggestions of hidden doors or passages. Sure enough, twenty minutes later I found a small slot at the base of a section of wall. "Take care, lass. We don't want to trigger any mare traps." Dargo said in a hushed voice. I stepped back and let him search the area. Once he was convinced it wasn't trapped, he slid his dagger blade into the slot and was greeted by a click. He pressed the wall and a section yielded, revealing a small room about 10 feet in width. There was a door to the left. Dargo and I had a listen but couldn't hear anything beyond. The door opened easily. Perhaps a sign of frequent use, I thought.
The paths to the left seemed to narrow. We thought it best to stick to the main corridor and proceeded to the right first. Lifting a trap door in the floor revealed a ladder. "One floor at a time" said Rockmound and we pressed on. The air became moist and a faint trickling sound could be heard down a corridor to the right. A few paces down revealed a stream of water bisecting the corridor. About 10 feet wide, it was moving quickly. Surely it must feed the pool in the cavern where we saw the scaly green head flee from our lantern light. Both Dargo and I noted it on our maps and then we continued down the main corridor.
Another door blocked our way. Dargo insisted on checking every portal for traps. Nothing. Having had too many surprises recently, we decided to be extra cautious and listened at the door. Nothing as well. Denby and Rockmound forced the door open. The corridor just continued ahead. An odd place for a door. Whoever designed this place must have been mad. A few feet on and there was another door on the right side of the hallway. Once again Dargo searched and we both listened. Nothing.
The door opened easily and beyond was a large room with several wooden tubs and sheafs of straw that were clearly makeshift beds. In the far corner stood a large water pump and several buckets. The room had two doors opposite each other. Dargo and I went through our routine as Caedwilla, Breccia and Rockmound investigated the straw mats, the tubs and the pump (which worked after Rockmound primed it) then set about searching the walls for more hidden passages. All the while Denby stood watch at the door, peering down the corridor. When Dargo finished his search, I pressed my ear to the door. The sound of squeaking and squealing was beyond. I guessed rats, lots and lots of rats. We left that door alone and checked the other. No traps and no sound beyond. Despite the oddity of the tubs and pump, there was nothing of interest in this room so we forced the door open to reveal yet another corridor and another door on the right wall. As we moved forward we saw a faint light at the far end of the hallway. A stair well was illuminated ahead and someone was coming up. Hoping to avoid whomever was ascending the stairs, Rockmound forced the door open on the right side of the hall. Before we could slip in, he stopped dead in his tracks. The familiar kobold tongue babbled from within. Immediately a short cheer went out as the kobold's recognized Rockmound. Every time he encountered the beasts in the past, he plied them with coin. I shot a glance down the hall just as a troop of men crested the stairs. They didn't break stride and didn't seem concerned by the presence of our group, walking right up to us and stopping. Eight of them in total. Two of them, a man in leather and a woman in plate, were in a hushed discussion while a third was muttering to himself. The mutterer was a mage. My breath caught in my chest. Could this be the necromancer we have been speculating about? He took note of me as well, stopped muttering and raised a brow questioningly. "When you can no longer bear the stench of kobolds, join me in the baths with some mulled wine." At this, the other two stopped talking and finally took notice of us. Rockmound stepped forward smiling, leaving the door to the kobold room open. The woman in plate snapped at Rockmound, "There's barely enough space in the tub room for us. You can bunk with the kobolds, or in the hall for all I care." Then they all proceeded down the corridor to the tub room. The woman stopped at the door and fiddled for a moment, "Alick, you didn't set the trigger properly... again!" The male in leather protested "I did as you showed me." Then the eight filed into the room and closed the door behind them. Despite the tension amongst our party, Dargo looked more embarrassed for missing the door mechanism which was surely a trap of some sort.
The kobolds were tugging Breccia and Willa into the room as Rockmound turned back to them and smiled. He was about to go into the room when he caught my stare. There is no way I'm staying in this hornet's nest any longer than I have to. Rockmound made excuses for us before doling out a silver to each of the six kobolds in the room. If the vermin were being paid in copper, then Rockmound was giving them ten times their wage.
We made a hasty retreat back up the stairs and to the village for fear of being caught out. Maybe this encounter was a blessing in disguise. Perhaps, now that our faces are known amongst the bandits, we can bluff our way into the lower levels.
Alas, none-the-wealthier, but a bounty of questions. What purpose could this strange subterranean structure have served? And who built it? And when? There is much for us to discuss.
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