Chapter 03 - The Vaults of Altaerein

[pringerbeam]

11:00 am the next day

     Late the next morning, Alak seeks your group out. "I see you all made it back from the woods alive." He says, with a smirk. "Well, my investigations of the keep didn't turn up much in my own quest. I think the best place to look for my family ring would be down in the vaults. The library was a mess, most of the books that were left behind had rotted but I found some information that would seem to corroborate the goblin's information about the keep. The main stairs down to the vaults have collapsed but with enough time and effort they can probably be cleared. What's odd is that there is mention of the stairs going deeper down from the vault but no information about what lies down there. I'm not sure if this was intentionally hidden or if it was simply lost to time and mildew." Continues the armiger with a shrug. "Regardless of what lies down there, we will need to go down into the vaults to see what is going on I think. I considered doing some reconnaissance but uh..." At this he made a gesture with his gauntlet that emphasized the squeaks and clanks of his plate armor. "I don't think I could do that particularly quietly."

[Throndir]

"Hello again mister Stagram!" Melody greeted the dark knight when she saw him. ... of the most evil at the top of the evil chart! The priestess thought in her head. "And of course we made it out alive! We have the power of Sarenrae after all. Because she's a good goddess." Melody explained.

"And it's okay if you're not very quiet mister Stagram. That is why we have mister Bel. For all the sneaky and quiet things."

[pringerbeam]

     "Ah but who needs divine protection when you have fine steel as your shield?" Replies Alak with a wink. "While I was at the citadel, I had the goblins show me the secret entrance to the vaults below. Those things sure can eat. I'm pretty sure they've chewed their way totally though that giant lizard we killed. There were some other beasts still that I had to slay in my search and I'm pretty sure the goblins are already cooking them... if you could call it cooking anyways."

[Asta]

"I for one am appreciative of their... robust appetite. If we're returning to the citadel, it will be some small blessing that we don't have to wade through rotting corpses." Spira said while checking her pack. "I am ready to go, once the rest of the group is as well."

[pringerbeam]

     "Excellent, I'm ready when you are." Replied Alak before you once again returned to the citadel. This time, upon returning to the citadel, you find that outside the front door the goblin tribe has established a surprisingly well developed camp in the intervening two nights. They've erected a number of crude tents made of scavenged wood and cloth while a large fire pit has been dug and what looks to be several large bats, skewered like rotisserie chickens, roast on a spit. Unfortunately the goblins neglected to do much of the normal work to prepare the meat and as such whatever roast bat might have smelled like, it was overpowered by the smell of singed hair and boiling blood. A large shell of some kind of turtle-like beast sits next to the spit and something that might be analogous to soup bubbles away. The goblins themselves exist in a chaotic state and run around the camp throwing rocks at each other or wresting. The goblin dogs from the foyer join in the "fun" and headbutt any goblins that they manage to catch unaware.
     "Anarchy..." Says an exasperated Alak under his breath as you draw closer to the camp. Helba and her goblin dog mount spots your approach up the grassy hill and bounces up to you. "Heroes!" She yells in greeting, waving her arms back and forth over her head as she gets closer to you.

[Throndir]

"Hello miss Helba!" Melody called out waving back towards the goblin.

[pringerbeam]

     "Mister Alak killed lots of food! After so many days on the roof everyone was soooooo hungry! But now we have lots of meat! Want some?" Asked Helba as she pointed to the fire and the meal cooking there. "I'd caution against eating anything. We can't be catching dysentery before we go down into the vaults." Whispers Alak.

[Asta]

"Your hospitality is appreciated Helba, but I will have to pass..."

[pringerbeam]

     "Okay, more food for Bumblebrasher!"  Replied the goblin as she turned to back towards the fire. Alak clears his throat at this. "Ahem, the escape tunnel? You said there was a secret entrance to the vaults." He said, getting Helba's attention. "Oh right, yes Helba can show you the way!" With that Helba jumped on the back of her goblin dog and beckoned you to follow. With her mount choosing to leap and run circles around you, Helba guided you around the back of the citadel to a pile of boulders and exposed bedrock jutting out of the highest point of the hill.

     The goblin dismounted and began to scrabble up on of the larger boulders and stuck her head down onto the stone surface and began tapping  the butt of her horse chopper on the boulder. Seeming satisfied, she circled around the boulder to a stone outcropping behind it and called her dog back over to her, climbed on top for some additional height, then pulled on what looked to be an old tree root but was apparently a very well disguised lever. With the low grinding of some hidden gears, a segment of the stone outcropping swung inward on hidden joints to reveal a dark passage cut into the rock. Alak looked impressed. "An old escape tunnel for the event the citadel was put under siege. I'm impressed you goblins found it." Helba looked proud at this. "Bumblebrashers are experts!"  Alak looked down into the gloom and pulled out a torch which he then lit and held in his off hand while he pulled a mace from a ring in his belt. "So, shall we?"

[Mysticsage]

While the others were talking, Riven waved down Helba for a portion of meat, knowing that his eating habits at this moment might get him in some social trouble, but he was never one to pass up a free meal. He couldn't afford to as a child and now he refused to as an adult.

After all, he had probably swallowed a good portion of the things he ate during his rages regardless, but he knew his stomach was stronger than most.

As the group followed Helba to the tunnels he took a deep breath. It had been a while since he swam in his own blood and emotion this long. "I'm always ready to find some trouble," he said as he stepped beside Alak with a tusky grin

[pringerbeam]

     Taking a bite of one of the bats, your stomach lurches in protest at first but settles down as you take your next bite. You find that, despite a lack of any seasoning, the goblin's cooking isn't too bad. The goblins eagerly let you take as much of the bat as you like.
     
     Your group descends the stairs in single file, the passage only just wide enough for one of you at a time, until the spiraling stairs end. From the base of the stairs a short hallway extends up to a stone door. The door appears to be a similar mechanism to the one above but viewed from behind where the gears and hinges are visible and a bronze handle appears to be the means of opening the door. Alak, raising his torch over his head, tries to listen at the door before shaking his head. "I don't think I hear anything." He whispers. "Anyone else want to try?"

Perception check to try and listen through the door

[Throndir]

"I'll check!" Melody declared in a fierce whisper as she moved towards the door.

Perception 1d20+8 : 10 + 8, total 18

[pringerbeam]

Perception 18
     It's a little difficult to hear through the door, its construction apparently designed to muffle sound, but you are able to make out a strange cooing sound. Perhaps a very large pigeon?

[Throndir]

"It sounds like... a large pigeon?" Melody said quietly to the rest with an unsure tone.

[Mysticsage]

"I can go first, even if there is trouble I doubt it will be anything I can't handle, especially if it's some massive bird," Riven smirked.

"Why don't you ready a counter-attack and we'll try to catch whatever the thing is off guard?"