|
Post by Adminenkainen on Oct 17, 2016 15:20:42 GMT
It was Tuesday, after dawn, and the four Heroes (and Agent Lane) had been following a country road through tiny rural townships ever since Duluth. The road followed the shoreline of Lake Superior fairly closely and -- though the lake was often obscured by trees, there had been a beautiful moment earlier when the trees parted and they had seen the sunrise over the lake. Now, according to The Leading Man's map, the rise up ahead to the northwest must have been Carlton Peak. They would be able to take the cars no closer; from here, they would need to carry whatever they planned to take with them as they hiked into the Sawtooth Mountains, to find the spot on the map where the Deselles had seen the cave. Captain Avenger regretted having no assault rifle; the Army lieutenant had made it clear that Agent Murphy's FBI credentials did not give him clearance for requisitioning Army ordinance. (( roll: 5))
|
|
|
Post by dtspurrier on Oct 18, 2016 0:01:05 GMT
Howard brings his compass and a pair of handcuffs with him. He has his wand and sword cane available. He is dressed in a warm shirt, boots and winter coat along with gloves and a hat. He also has a first aid kit just in case.
|
|
|
Post by Adminenkainen on Oct 18, 2016 15:01:45 GMT
((This is your last chance to edit your equipment lists with anything else hiking/camping/spelunking-related that The Leading Man could have bought for you yesterday.))
|
|
|
Post by majorvictory on Oct 19, 2016 2:14:59 GMT
(Well I guess some rope, grapnel hook, maybe some climbing equipment. A couple of flashlights, with some extra batteries).
|
|
|
Post by Adminenkainen on Oct 19, 2016 4:02:01 GMT
Captain Avenger, The Cabalist, Orpheus Jack, The Leading Man, and Agent Lane were ready to start looking for the cave.
The whole range was generally close to the same altitude, so there were no truly impressive mountains to be seen. There were plenty of peaks that looked like rocky or forested hills to search around, but they had The Leading Man's carefully prepared map to follow.
It was about 50 minutes later, just before 10 am, when Captain Avenger spotted the cave first. The cave mouth was 10' wide and 8' high, opening onto a rough tunnel that sloped unevenly downward, and -- as they could see by flashlight -- extended 50' into the mountainside before widening...
((rolls: 1, 6, 5, 4, 5. Marching order? Single file or double file?))
|
|
|
Post by theleadingman on Oct 19, 2016 13:28:14 GMT
"Lem" drew his pistol and took one of the flashlights in his other hand.
"I'll take point," he said.
|
|
|
Post by dtspurrier on Oct 20, 2016 5:37:22 GMT
Howard will go in the 4th or 5th rank if single file. He carries his wand in one hand and his flashlight in another.
|
|
|
Post by Adminenkainen on Oct 20, 2016 14:52:37 GMT
With The Leading Man in the lead and The Cabalist in the rear, the party moved into the tunnel. Their footsteps sounded loud in the tunnel, as if amplified.
For those first 50', the tunnel looked like it could have been natural. At that point, though, it became a worked room, 20' x 20'. The floor and ceiling were level. The walls were smooth and the wall to the left (north) was curved outwards. There were faded figures painted on the curved wall under a hole maybe 6" in diameter that daylight filtered through. There was also a wooden bench here. The tunnel continued on the opposite side of this room.
|
|
|
Post by theleadingman on Oct 20, 2016 19:37:04 GMT
The Leading Man swept his flashlight beam around the room, especially into the corners. Then he shined it on the figures painted on the wall and approached to get a better look at them.
|
|
|
Post by majorvictory on Oct 21, 2016 12:25:36 GMT
His Colt.45 ready Captain Avenger will be in second place, waiting for the time to strike!
|
|
|
Post by Adminenkainen on Oct 21, 2016 14:28:31 GMT
There was nothing to strike at. Yet.
The Leading Man examined the figures. They looked like crude paintings of abstract, sideways-facing men in a line moving from left to right, in the same direction the tunnel was going. Mixed in with the men, though, were other men -- strange, green men with lizard-like faces and tails.
The paint was faded and worn. The stone they were on appeared to have long ago been chiseled out of the living rock and then worn down by age, and then painted on.
Because the hole in the wall was right there above the figures, The Leading Man got a glimpse through that too. The hole bore through 10' of solid rock to the outside, serving as a barely observable peephole to the north side of the mountaintop.
|
|
|
Post by theleadingman on Oct 24, 2016 13:32:48 GMT
"Sheesh," "Lem" said. "Alright, we follow these marching guys."
He returned to his position at the front of the line and headed down the tunnel.
|
|
|
Post by Adminenkainen on Oct 24, 2016 19:07:13 GMT
Moving on down the tunnel, they found it only proceeded about 20' further before opening into another room of the same size and shape.
This room was different in that it had an unfinished floor, or a floor that worn down by water, for there was a depression in the south half of the room almost 10' in diameter, filled with water covered in green scum. Sitting in this pool (about 3' from the closest edge) was a rotted wooden box, 2' wide and 4' long, with the top rotted off. This room had no bench, but there was a continuance of the tunnel on the far end (and another spy hole to the outside).
|
|
|
Post by dtspurrier on Oct 24, 2016 23:33:05 GMT
Howard says quietly " maybe there is something in the box? Wonder what those lizard creatures were? Native American pictorials? "
|
|
|
Post by Adminenkainen on Oct 25, 2016 15:18:35 GMT
If the pictures were as old as they appeared to be, then only native Indians could have painted them. The Cabalist, examining the paintings in this room, noticed that there were more lizard men in the line this time than there were in the last room.
|
|