D&D Beginner's Game: Act 1, Scene 2(b): The Hammer and Tongs

The Dungeon Master

Malik and Fector crashland into a monstrous, cavern like room.

Malik looks around but the light is too dim for him to make out anything.

Fector, however can see most of the room with his Infravision.

Three of the four walls - North, East and West - are covered in glowing glyphs that he cannot comprehend, from here at least.

The South Wall is blank, save for a door in the centre. A large pillar lies collapsed across it, blocking the way.

duffman13

Fector approaches the north wall to try get a better look at the markings on the wall.

The Dungeon Master

duffman13 wrote: »

Fector approaches the north wall to try get a better look at the markings on the wall.

OOC: Roll Wis: (#d20+1) You need to get under or equal to your stat to succeed, in your case that would be 8

https://rolz.org/dr?room=The%20Meatgrinder%20Boards.ieD%26D

The Dungeon Master

duffman13 wrote: »

Fector approaches the north wall to try get a better look at the markings on the wall.

Fector cannot comprehend the runes. They seem to glow a little brighter as he approaches.

duffman13

Fector looks towards his new room mate.

"What's your name? Can you see these strange markings on the wall? I can't make head nor tail of them"

Mollyb60

'The name is Malik my friend and I cant see a damn thing. I can barely see the hand in front of my face here. Although....' Malik moves closer to the runes on the wall that are glowing.

[Ooc: will pop in if i can but assume you'll hear nothing from me till tomorrow afternoon at the earliest. ]

The Dungeon Master

OOC: That's fine, responses will be sporadic over the weekend, RL stuff

duffman13

The Hammer responds,

"Fector, well met my friend. It looks like we've a big challenge to get out of here. What's your knowledge of symbols like, I can see a lot of them but cant make head nor tail of them. Perhaps I can describe them to you?"

The Dungeon Master

OOC: If you wish to try this, Molly I'll need a roll against Wis. Just d20, no modifiers.

https://rolz.org/dr?room=The%20Meatgrinder%20Boards.ieD%26D

Mollyb60

duffman13 wrote: »

The Hammer responds,

"Fector, well met my friend. It looks like we've a big challenge to get out of here. What's your knowledge of symbols like, I can see a lot of them but cant make head nor tail of them. Perhaps I can describe them to you?"

The Dungeon Master wrote: »

OOC: If you wish to try this, Molly I'll need a roll against Wis. Just d20, no modifiers.

https://rolz.org/dr?room=The%20Meatgrinder%20Boards.ieD%26D

'I'll try my best Fector, describe them to me'

[OOC: rolled 19 on rolz]

The Dungeon Master

Malik cannot make head nor tail of the glyphs either.

The ones on the north wall begin to glow brighter than the ones on the east and west walls.

Mollyb60

[OOC: is it bright enough yet for me to see anything?]

The Dungeon Master

Mollyb60 wrote: »

[OOC: is it bright enough yet for me to see anything?]

OOC: You can see the north wall glowing and the area closest to it. It's a big room

duffman13

Having looked at the North wall, Fector had no clue as to the symbols meaning and so far Malik had proved to be unable to see them clearly. Fector heads towards the west wall to inspect it and see if the markings are the same as that of the North wall

The Dungeon Master

duffman13 wrote: »

Having looked at the North wall, Fector had no clue as to the symbols meaning and so far Malik had proved to be unable to see them clearly. Fector heads towards the west wall to inspect it and see if the markings are the same as that of the North wall

Same markings. These ones glow a bright red as Fector approaches and Malik can now make them out as well.

duffman13

The Dungeon Master wrote: »

Same markings. These ones glow a bright red as Fector approaches and Malik can now make them out as well.

As Fector approaches the wall he can almost feel heat radiating from the wall. He approaches the was and touches the markings to see if anything happens. Fector turns to Malik

"Any bright ideas?"

Mollyb60

Malik follows Fector across the room. 'Maybe we should try to read these ones? Is there any way out of the room that you can see?'

The Dungeon Master

duffman13 wrote: »

As Fector approaches the wall he can almost feel heat radiating from the wall. He approaches the was and touches the markings to see if anything happens. Fector turns to Malik

"Any bright ideas?"

The room lights up immediately, Malik can see all around him now.

The north wall opens and a band of dwarves with a bar on wheels roll out.



'Hey there now laddies! Come, we have a test for youse!'

They motion to two empty barstools.

duffman13

The Dungeon Master wrote: »

The room lights up immediately, Malik can see all around him now.

The north wall opens and a band of dwarves with a bar on wheels roll out.



'Hey there now laddies! Come, we have a test for youse!'

They motion to two empty barstools.

Fector looks at Malik, thinking in his head that this might be trouble. His favourite thing in the world is a bar, but populated by the the type of people he trusts least in the world, his fellow dwarves. With little else to do he decides to pull up a seat and see what the dwarves have in mind.

He motions to Malik to follow him, at least giving the dwarves a semblance that they are a team as opposed to two strangers.

Mollyb60

Malik nods at Fector and follows him over to the bar. He surreptitiously loosens his axe.

The Dungeon Master

The dwarves look at Fector and Malik eyeing them suspiciously and laugh heartily.

'Look at ye, so pent up and mad! Come here, sit. We dinnae want ter figh' with ye laddies!'

The leader of the five dwarves pulls out a cask of ale.

'Just a wee test fer ya, brother' He says, and pours a rather red looking drink into a glass for him.

'A test to see how ye can hold yer ale - be ye man or dwarf?'

He looks at Malik, shrugs and pours a glass for him too.

'One for ye too, laddie... but ye dinnae have to take it. Tis our kin we wish to test.'

Mollyb60

[OOC: DM is there anything we can do to check this for poison?]

The Dungeon Master

OOC: Roll Int

duffman13

Fectors trust issues rise straight to the surface, he leans forward and grabbed the cup along with two empty cups while pulling a flask from his backpack. He takes an obvious sniff of the drink and and turns his nose up at the stench.

"Dwarf Ale" he yells, "more like elf piss to my nose." He fills two cups of Ale from his flask and hands one to the lead dwarf and one for himself.

"Its not nice to be a guest of someone and not bring a good drink to the party" Fector throws the two cups, one his own and one his hosts, down his gob whilst eyeing Maliks drink.

What no one noticed was Fector pulling up the short sword and tucking it under his right leg, ready for action should he need it.

The Dungeon Master

OOC: Roll Con, Fector, d20

The Dungeon Master

Malik sniffs the drink and is able to gauge from his time spent in taverns, that the drink is dragonsblood elixir, a potent drink that can cause the consumer to vomit it back up if their stomach is unable to handle it. No whiff of any poisons he knows.

The dwarf swallows both cups Hector forced down his gob, belches and laughs.

'Ye be the mistrusting type, I see!'

The Dungeon Master

OOC: Fector, did you down the drinks or force them down your hosts gob? Just to clarify for my next post

duffman13

The Dungeon Master wrote: »

OOC: Fector, did you down the drinks or force them down your hosts gob? Just to clarify for my next post

OOC: I downed two cause I'm mad and like a drink, don't judge, edit: I gave him a cup of my good stuff to drink too

Mollyb60

The Dungeon Master wrote: »

Malik sniffs the drink and is able to gauge from his time spent in taverns, that the drink is dragonsblood elixir, a potent drink that can cause the consumer to vomit it back up if their stomach is unable to handle it. No whiff of any poisons he knows.

The dwarf swallows both cups Hector forced down his gob, belches and laughs.

'Ye be the mistrusting type, I see!'

Malik politely pushes the cup back from in front of him. 'Beggin your pardon and with all due respect and gratitude for the offer, but considering how we came to be in this place, I'll not be eating or drinking anything that isn't in my best interests to ingest.'

He looks at Fector in horror.

The Dungeon Master

The dragonsblood elixir is too much for Fector to handle, he falls off his stool and vomits onto the floor.

The dwarves all laugh heartily.

'And ye, fighter - ye think ye're stomach be better than this laddie?'

Mollyb60

The Dungeon Master wrote: »

The dragonsblood elixir is too much for Fector to handle, he falls off his stool and vomits onto the floor.

The dwarves all laugh heartily.

'And ye, fighter - ye think ye're stomach be better than this laddie?'

Malik helps Fector off the floor and back onto his stool. 'sorry lads, I'm only a human. If a dwarf can't handle it, I definitely can't. And I need my wits about me for the trials ahead.'

The Dungeon Master

The dwarves harrumph.

'Very well, we were only tryin' ter be friendly laddie. Anyhap, good luck on yer travels.'

The dwarves roll the bar back out through the north wall, which promptly closes again.

The room stays lit, but the red runes on the West wall grow dull and unreactive.

Mollyb60

Malik sets Fector onto the floor to recover and heads over to inspect the door.

The Dungeon Master

The passage to the door is completely blocked by a collapsed pillar. It is in one piece.

Mollyb60

[OOC: does it look like Malik could lift it or roll it?]

The Dungeon Master

OOC: You could attempt to lift it. Strength, but +3 to the roll

The Dungeon Master

Malik uses his brute strength to roll the pillar out of the way.

The passage to the door is now clear.

duffman13

The Dungeon Master wrote: »

Malik uses his brute strength to roll the pillar out of the way.

The passage to the door is now clear.

The East wall still had to be examined but impatience was getting the better of Fector especially after being foolish enough to drink the elixir. He approached the door to see if it was open or if if he could wedge his crowbar in enough to force it open

The Dungeon Master

Door seems to be unlocked.

duffman13

Fector, a bit wounded from his earlier humiliation looks at Malik "What say you Malik, should we look around some more around the East wall or head on into the unknown?"

Mollyb60

'Well we both seemed pretty useless at trying to decipher what the markings mean so I say we forge on and see what's ahead'
He takes his axe out and heads through the door.

The Dungeon Master

Malik enters a tiled corridor. It is pitch black within and bar the entranceway giving a small bit of light, he is unable to make anything out again.

Mollyb60

'Fector, can you go in front, I can't see a thing' He waits for Fector.

duffman13

Fector pulls his war hammer out and enters the corridor in front of Malik, he sees a long narrow corridor and begins to move forward while scanning the ground his field of vision for any potential obstacles

Mollyb60

Malik keeps as close to Fector's back as is reasonable.

The Dungeon Master

duffman13 wrote: »

Fector pulls his war hammer out and enters the corridor in front of Malik, he sees a long narrow corridor and begins to move forward while scanning the ground his field of vision for any potential obstacles

Fector discovers one of the tiles is actually a pressure pad. On further inspection he can see a crossbow linked to the pad which would go off if stepped on.

OOC: Ok, congrats guys, you discovered a trap! Well, not actually but this part of the dungeon was designed to show the dwarf being useful for discovering traps.

For other classes (thief excluded) when a player checks for traps the DM rolls a d6, and a trap could be discovered on a 1.

For the dwarf class traps can be discovered on 1 or 2. Now, I actually rolled a 3, so NORMALLY the trap wouldn't be discovered, but as this is a beginner game it was designed that a dwarf needed to check, as Fector/duffman did.

The Dungeon Master

Back in the cavernous room, the runes on the walls grow as bright as the sun as a portal opens, and Echtrae tumbles to the ground.

Malik and Fector hear a massive bang from behind them as the portal closes again.

Guffy

"Ugh, my head, that portal craic will never catch on", mutters Echtrae to himself.

Echtrae jumps to his feet and scans for any danger and what is new surroundings hold.

Inspects his contents amd then checks what information the scrolls contain.

The Dungeon Master

The room is cavernous, but well lit. Green runes glowing brightly line the North wall, and a set of less bright runes are on the east wall.

Echtrae can feel the magical energy pulsing off the east wall in particular.

As Echtrae examines the scrolls, he realises they contain spells he can note within his book for later use.

The first one talks of making items or people as light of a feather... OOC: Feather Fall

The second mentions the ability to speak with all types of creatures. OOC: Speak with Animals

The third talks of conjuring the powers within into a massive blast and defeating empires with it. OOC: Magic Missile

An open door, with a pillar rolled away from it leads south as well.

Guffy

Echtrae notes the scrolls in his book using the ink and hops over for a look at the north wall before investigating the east wall more closely.

The Dungeon Master

The North Wall contains writings in a language not commonly known... although Echtrae may be able to understand them.

OOC: Intelligence roll if you wish to try and read the runes. d20 the command. https://rolz.org/dr?room=The%20Meatgrinder%20Boards.ieD%26D