RED OAK: Return to the Pass of the Hounds

[Woe]

Nope. No noise. Most important is to be very quiet and let that skeletal snake thing go off and fight the golems. No noise. They'll hide in their little area and hope to be unnoticed.

[Longman]

OK. Sorry for steering you a bit there, but I figured it was better that way. Also, I admit I have never really been sure what spiking a door shut actually was.


Anna offers to pick the door lock closed. (This door was found open. The lock is still passably OK so that might work.)

In other news - - both Anna and Freya can no longer hear the creature. Freya is sure it has either left silently, or is lying dead still near the secret door on the lower level. You haven't heard it move since then.

If one of the thieves wants to pick the door lock closed, let me know. Otherwise we can move on with the night, and see what happens.

[Woe]

Let's leave it unlocked. I doubt a skeletal snake would use the doorknob anyway. There is only one entrance and I don't want to get trapped in later due to bad rolls.

[Longman]

I get you. But, if it's unlocked, it is slightly ajar. There is no 'closed but unlocked' function with this type of door.

Anyway...all remains clear for another few minutes until Anna hears the sound of something - the creature, almost certainly - in the upper 'mess' area with the big table. It seems like it has gotten up the stairs without you hearing it.

Anna can hear scuttling feet and a slithering tail. It sounds like it is quite close - maybe in the area where the big table is, about 10 feet outside the door.

Here's a map. It is where the word 'mess' is.

[Woe]

And just to make sure, I am in "store" correct?

The two dwarves will dig in with their backs to the door, their {mace|axe} drawn. The remainder will draw their bows in case something goes crashing into the room.

[Longman]

You are in the store - a.k.a. the kitchen.

Oddly, the creature does not attempt to enter yo room - at least not yet. You can hear a lot of scrabbling around the door of the weapons room. You are not sure what it is doing, after that. Then, the noise stops. You don't know where it is.

You can keep resting or go check it out.

[Woe]

You seriously think we can rest when there's a giant undead snake slithering around outside?

But eventually, if nothing else happens, they'll swap watches and everyone else will go back to sleep.

[Longman]

No sleep for the terrified. It comes back...

It's outside the door. It even scuttles all over the door. The dwarves can feel the door moving around through their backs as they lean up against it. Everyone else tries to stay as still as possible and hopes it goes away.

Eventually, all is quiet. You are not sure if it has gone away, but the night passes and you can't hear it.

It is Thursday the 28th of August. Tiana has full spell points. Freya makes her death ray save - which means she does get the extra hp back overnight even though she was a bit distracted. She is now on 2 down from her max.

You've been underground for a while now and it's time you had a wash, especially Kilian. Bruce has soap and a hand towel in his kit and manages at least a partial scrub.

As far as you know the snake thing has gone, but maybe not.

[Woe]

In the morning...

"Psst Freya, go scout and see what that was." says Kilian.

"What? I'm an elvish scout." says Freya.

"Exactly. Go skulk out there and tell us what that was." says Kilian.

"Skulk?!" says Freya.

"Ssh... it's dwarvish for scout, that's all." says Tiana quickly.

"I'm not an underground skulker. Anna would be better at that." says Freya, mollified by Tiana's definition.

"I am definitely not a skulker and I am not skulking out there first." says Anna.

Kilian starts to look like...


He looks at Talin, who shrugs. Talin says, "It's one of us then. I'd go, but you can see better in the dark than me." Kilian glares one last time, then draws his axe and with only a wee little bit of trepidation, slowly opens the door and steps into the gigantic slithering jaws of the skeletal anaconda.

[Longman]

Pretty much true. Except it's not skeletal.

It looks like a giant earthworm with a rather rough bony carapace. It is about 25 feet long and about 5 feet wide, with a much larger opening at the head, which is full of rows of teeth. It looks like it could do you a lot of damage with a bite and maybe even swallow you.

It was coiled up near the table. It springs into action as soon as it sees you.

Kilian is unsurprised, but loses initiative anyway. The monster lunges at him, missing, and bangs into the door.



It's Kilian's go. Only he can act because he only opened the door a little way before it lunged at him.