DreamLyrics™ Play-by-Post Forums Hall of Fame - Latest Top 10 completed games LMP: Lost Mines of Phandelver Z-1.2.2 Cragmaw Hideout

DM

Searching thru the crates and barrels most of you find typical trade goods. Bolts of leather. Mining equipment. Tarps. Rope. Raw materials and such. Most marked with the Blue Lion symbol.

It occurs to Lumimorn that while your group has little use for this stuff, the original owner of the supplies might be quite willing, and eager, to have them back. And as they were taken by the Goblins on the road to and from the town of Phandalin, it is possible the owner is in Phandalin or someone there knows who that is. And, you happen to have a wagon just a few miles away.......

As Lumimorn is ruminating on this idea, his foot kicks a tarp off to one side and a small chest is revealed, tucked away in one corner. It is clear this is not part of the supplies and likely belonged to the occupants of this room.

<Bern>

After his search of the area, he stood and reported to the others. "It looks like at least one got away."

Returning to the others, he continues. "This is a better place to rest ... more easily defended with only one real entrance and what appears to be an escape route back down to where we found the wolves", he said indicating the 'hole' in the corner of the west.

Lingo

"The ones that get away are the ones that get you into trouble," he stated dryly as he continued to rummage through things.

<Bern>

"Agreed. That is why I am going after it", he told Lingo. "I am still in pretty good shape. But for those that are not up for it, this is a good place to rest, easy to defend. Anyone feel strong enough to come along", he asked the others.

Luminmorn

The dragonborn gets his companions attention and says "chest here. And I can help hunt. Then we can rest." He considers using his heal but doesn't yet.

Ryssa


"I am fit enough to accompany you," she said to the ranger. "I can fight... I just cannot cast healing magicks until after a long rest."

DM

OK. It's been about 5 minutes of searching, bandaging, and talking since the battle ended.

You have a bunch of crates and barrels and a small chest. Are you looking to open the chest before you go anywhere?

Lingo

"I'm fit too, but my legs are short. I'll see if I can open the chest. You all can go. I'll be OK here. We killed all the goblins. Just come back for me...and leave a torch!"

`Balthazar

He tosses the light stone over to the Halfling, picking up another stone and casting light on it to provide illumination.

"I can cast one spell of the first power but I am fine to use my cantrips."

Lingo

"Thanks. Now go! We can't let whatever that was get away!"

<Bern>

"Just be careful Lingo. All the goblins up here now might be dead, but something ran away, so something ... or several somethings are still wandering about."

Ryssa


She paused and turned to look at the Halfling, frowning her concern. It was one thing to split the group 2 to 3, but 4 to 1? It worried her to leave Lingo alone.

"Yes, you be careful, Lingo. And make sure you check that chest for traps."

She clasped her holy icon and murmured a brief prayer that Lathander would watch out for their diminutive companion, then pulled her expended arrow from the corpse of the wolf and nocked it to the string of her short bow.

She followed the others, thinking it would be a shame to waste such a lucky arrow.

GM

Just a reminder that there is at least 1/3 of the cavern unexplored, so the statements about "all the Goblins are dead" are being made prematurely. All the Goblins in this room are dead, but that's about all you can say.

Now, how are you getting down? Going back around the long way thru room 7 or trying to climb down the steep chute filled with loose rock and trash to room 3?

Luminmorn

"I can stay with the halfling. Better to not split up completely. "

Lingo

"Luminmorn, How good are you at hiding? I'll be safer without your intimidating form standing guard. Nobody's gonna attack what they can't see. If I get into trouble, I'll slide down that secret exit we just found."

[[ exactly the point I was making in my post, Zeim <wink> ]]

<Bern>

He nods his thanks to Luminmorn.

"Well if Luminmorn stays, Lingo, that will make it easy for you to hide and surprise anyone that decides to come up for a visit."

Balthazar

"Okay, don't dwaddle long. We are going to go back through the water room back there and take the bridge." he said to them, turning and moving back the way that they had come.

<Bern>

With a nod, he headed back out the way they came toward what passed for a 'bridge'.

"One at a time", he cautioned as he moved carefully across, looking for 'rotten' boards and frayed ropes.

(OOC - So you are not following the fleeing creatures tracks? You are going to explore the rest of the cave? Just trying to get an idea of plans.)

OOC: Balthazar sure isn't. If I was the bugbear I would be sitting at the bottom of the chute with my weapon ready to kill us one at a time as he slowly made our way down. Besides, Balthazar isn't strong. He would just end up falling down the chute

Lingo

"He's probably far away by now. You all talk too much and don't do anything."

With that the halfling turns his attention to the chest. After rummaging in his backpack for a moment he retrieves a set of tools he has in a small black pouch. In there he has a small file, a set of picks, a small mirror mounted on a metal handle, a set of narrow-bladed scissors, and a pair of pliers. He checks for traps and if there's one he'll see if it's locked and if it is, he uses the tools to pick the lock.


Lingo Find traps (perception) on chest
Neptune rolled 1d20 and got 13

Lingo Remove trap if he finds one
Neptune rolled 1d20+7 and got 19

Lingo Open chest if locked
Neptune rolled 1d20+7 and got 15

(OOC - Yes, but you know where the chute comes out so you could go around through the stream and back to room 3 the long way. Crossing the bridge heads you into new and unexplored areas. I think Lingo's commentary about not being able to keep up with a pursuit assumed you were going to be running full speed to catch up to the foe (and you don't actually know it's a Bugbear, except thru lurking in the other thread. ), so if you are instead going to continue exploring I think some people need to double-check their actions. IOW I don't see why everyone wouldn't go together, pending Lingo opening the chest.

For the sake of moving things along, were you to get down to cavern 3 Bern would find signs of someone entering the cave from the chute and then fleeing out the main entrance back to the woods outside. The foe has a decent head start by this time (i.e. you can't catch him).

Also for the sake of a DM note to players, you cannot take a Long Rest here. A Long Rest presume 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep. No matter where you choose to rest, and no matter how defensible that spot is, you will be disturbed before 8 hours passes, by occupants of this complex moving around and checking on their companions.

You can try a short rest (1 hour), but even that is a little risky (i.e. a DM roll to see if anyone comes by). I recommend you complete your searching here, open the chest, and then proceed as Bern planned, i.e. across the bridge, together........., cross posted with Lingo, but no issues. Will add the chest opening resolution here in a minute........)

DM

Lingo finds no traps on the chest, and with precise movements of his tools the latch pops open. Inside you see a small pile of coins and two stoppered bottles.

Lingo

"Lookey here! All kinds of stuff and these two things. What do you think they are? Some kind of drink?"

He holds up the two bottles.

"Let's split the loot and get going."

(OOC - Not that you want to take the time to count, unless you do decide to take a Short Rest, but there are two bottles of unidentified liquid, 600 copper pieces, and 110 silver pieces. Divided by 5 = 120cp & 22 sp each).

[[ ooops .. my bad, I was thinking the bridge took us back down. Sorry. Yes Bern is headed back to the 'wolf' room to see if he can find the straggler ... or pick up it's trail. And we know ... out of character ... that it is a bugbear because you mentioned it <weg> ]]

<Bern>

"I can see how that is unfair to you, Lingo. So, tell you what, we will let you take out the next group of bandits we come upon", he said with an evil grin.

After determining that the creature ... probably not a goblin based on the tracks ... had left the area, there was just one task left to accomplish.

"We still have more of this cave to clean out."