<strong>Inspiration:</strong>1 (Everyone)<br/><br/>The men remained behind within shouting distance, although for the most part they and the women were more or less two separate groups. There was little need for torch or lantern light, for even the human Anezka could make out shapes and details in the cavern. Only Lioran was saddled by the limitations of her race, the sole one in the group with a lit lantern.<br/><br/>“This brings back old memories,” she said, “of when Anezka and I took the Underdark to the North. I’m thankful that her eyes were sharper than mine, else we wouldn’t have made it.”<br/><br/>Lioran tightly held the hand of her sister as she said this, the humans returning smiles to each other.<br/><br/>Syrrak did not move, instead kneeling on the ground as she tied strings to bits of wood. A bat materialized on her shoulder as she conducted the ritual.<br/><br/>“Zeekos will fly ahead,” the drow said, “and my spell will open any doors. Or touch things you. Should. Not. Touch.”<br/><br/>“Does he ever get bored?” Anezka asked. “Wherever he is when...gone?”<br/><br/>“He is cared for,” Syrrak said. “Don’t go out. Of our sight.”<br/><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">Resources</div><div class="spoiler_body">Anezka used a slot to cast Goodberry, Syrrak cast Unseen Servant as a ritual and called her familiar to her.</div></div><br/><hr/><br/><div align="center">(https://i.imgur.com/TNDgtVO.png)</div><br/>Scene Music (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tdoCTQ-E200)<br/><br/>The underground complex consisted equally of artificial and natural caverns, the former being flat and uniform before ending abruptly at the foot of uneven tunnels and earthquake-borne rubble. Occasional pockets of light from the surface shone through, from where windblown seeds gave root to unusually large trees sprouting from the stony foundations. The buildings had doors, albeit most were prison bars torn off their hinges, lying broken in the ground. Syrrak’s invisible conjuration moved aside rubble blocking their path, while Anezka drew a picture of a tree emerging from a stone in the pseudo-plaza area. Hers was not the only graffiti here; other writings and symbols from prior adventurers marked the place, easy enough to recognize with markings such as skulls and crossbones, treasure chests, and other such chalk marks. A few were crossed out, indicating eventful changes in circumstance.<br/><br/>The underground confines felt constraining to those not born in the earth, even in the larger places. To a drow such as Syrrak she betrayed no discomfort, although the human sisters remained close by, practically hugging. Fresh Quill was the least-adjusted, fidgeting as her claws reflexively retracted as Syrrak’s spell dislodged a colony of beetles scattering away from Lioran’s lantern.<br/><br/>“Haven’t been here long, and already I don’t like it,” the catgirl muttered.<br/><br/>“Even the worms come up to the surface when it rains,” Anezka said immediately, as though waiting to recite such a phrase. “And even us humans need the dark to sleep.”<br/><br/>Regis’ party caught up with the group. “Alright, we’ll patrol the western side, you all take the east. Most places should be marked; monsters don’t have access to the kind of colored chalk you can buy back in Lethadar, so the markings should be accurate. Give a shout if you spot anything unusual or see trouble.”<br/><br/>The women nodded, Fresh Quill answering affirmatively “yes sir” while Lioran wished “fair winds” as she made a waving motion with one hand to the men.<br/><br/>It wasn’t long before the eastern patrol found trouble; as the women explored an alleyway Syrrak’s rubble-clearing happened to pull a stone loose from one of the tree-roots. Unfortunately the delicate tangling of rock and root contributed to the stability of the nearby ground, setting off a chain reaction as portions of the ground fell away at an alarming rate.<br/><br/>“Oh no!” Lioran gasped.<br/><br/>“Regis, guys, help!” Fresh Quill yelped in rapid succession.<br/><br/>The now-loose stones fell down in a sloping angle rather than straight, mitigating the descent but not so much the many smaller boulders and pebbles that fell in after the would-be adventurers. None of them were quick enough to outrun the collapse, although most were nimble enough to dodge the worst of the debris.<br/><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">OOC</div><div class="spoiler_body">Roll me a DC 12 Dexterity save to avoid taking 8 falling damage from the collapsing floor. Of the DMPCs only Syrrak failed her save. Zeekos the familiar was easily able to fly to safety.<br/><br/>As this trap occurred without a roll for detection, the entire party gains Inspiration to compensate for it. Said Inspiration can be spent on this very Dexterity save.<br/><br/>https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=151144<br/>https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=151145<br/>https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=151146<br/>https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=151147<br/>https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=151148<br/></div></div><br/>Slowly the women stood up groaning, dusting themselves off and helping the others to their feet as they got a sign of their surroundings. Syrrak bore the worst of the fall, covered in scrapes and bruises. The area they fell into was flat, with stone tiles bearing runic designs on the floor and walls. Lines of cell doors remained shut, a few containing fungal-eaten corpses, not all of them humanoid in shape. The hall extended beyond the sight of Kayna’s darkvision, ending in formless black.<br/><br/>“Can you hear me?!” Syrrak exclaimed from beneath a small pile, finally dropping her slow mode of conversation. “I think I broke something!”<br/><br/>Anezka fed her 4 of her berries, which the dark elf took with a nod in gratitude. “Zeekos managed to get out of the way. I can...hear his surroundings.”<br/><br/>“I can climb back up,” Fresh Quill said. “Toss you down some rope-”<br/><br/>“I don’t think that’s an option right now,” Lioran said as she picked up her lantern; the collapse also upset the large subterranean tree, now lying on its side over the hole.<br/><br/>“Oh no!” Anezka moaned as her hands covered her face. “It’s like the exile all over again!”<br/><br/>“Girls, are you okay?!” Tellick called out.<br/><br/>“We are,” Fresh Quill called back as she hurriedly scaled the cave wall. “Can you move it out of the way, somehow?!”<br/><br/>“Good news, I think I know where you fell!” Regis shouted. “You should be in the former prison complex; there’s a lift on the southern side you can use to get back to our level!”<br/><br/><div align="center"><span class="bbc_font" style="font-family: Monotype Corsiva;"><span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 24pt;">The Dreadlord's Remnants</span></span></div><br/>The prison extended straight south before turning west at a 90 degree angle. The place was oddly sterile, bearing no traces of fungal growth or insects, and the stonework was smooth and free of dust. The cell doors remained, although they bore signs of orange-tinted rust.<br/><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">OOC</div><div class="spoiler_body">If Kayna grew up in the Underdark then she recognizes that this portion of the complex is the recent home of an ooze. If not, then she can recognize this via a DC 14 Nature check. A 20 or higher can identify the specific type. Succeeding on either check counts as a passed Perception roll for ambush/surprise round purposes.</div></div>