Call of Colthulhu: Team One's Adventures

"I can disorient her, and anyone else in there, but that defeats any 'non-hostile' tactics we might try." Flashpoint adds. "Plus I wasn't the quietest coming in here. Good chance they know we're here, and are either waiting for us or in the process of bugging out. We should move quick."

"Right then. We'll try the easy way first, talking and seeing if she's feeling reasonable. If she doesn't comply, then we'll escalate. Let's get moving." Torque decided to lead the charge, running down the stairs and opening the door to see what lay behind.

Rolling Perception... + 9 = 10.

Turns out Torque may have miscalculated the strength of the stairs; he puts a hoof through the first step, the one with an INCREDIBLY OBVIOUS CRACK, and the old wooden steps snaps into flinders. Torque flounders as he tries to steady himself, but the momentum he built up was too great and his hoof skitters across the next step, sending him tumbling down the stairs, cracking and breaking many of the steps until he bowling-balls through the battered door, faceplanting into springy, damp soil.

Dazed from the fall, Torque just manages to catch a growled, "Hello, pony."

"...Note to self: Entrances are not my thing." Torque shook his head and got up to his feet. "Um, hello, there. What's your name?" he asked, looking for the speaker. From the growling voice, he suspected a Diamond Dog. Given that the other options popping in his mind were more monstrous, he HOPED it was a Diamond Dog.

Rolling Perception...8 (1d20) + 9 = 17 (w/ Nightwatch)

"Flawless." Flashpoint sighs and trots down into the room to meet whoever was there.

Aurora followed behind, stifling the urge to facehoof for now, figuring that if they were lucky, Torque's 'dramatic' entrance had bought them a moment.

Torque looks up, still groggy, in time to see a dark shape slink into the shadows. Inky darkness seems to cling to surfaces, more than what should be possible given the light coming down from the stairwell. A soft rustle sounds to the left, and immediately after, a crunch of dirt to the right.

"Pony comes to the den." Raspy breathing, from all around the room. Green eyes show through the darkness, slitted and glowing faintly, before once more fading away.

Torque feels something rough and scratchy brush against his back, but he only sees his companions coming down the stairs when he turns to check. "Why ponies come to the den?"

"...Magically-induced darkness. Interesting." Torque tried to compose himself after standing up. "Yes, we were looking for a pony called Deep Secret. We have a few questions that we need her to answer. You probably know this area rather well, would you be willing to lead the way?" He tried to give a disarming, friendly smile. The Diamond Dogs probably were going to give them trouble anyway, but it couldn't hurt to at least make an attempt.

Rolling Persuasion... + 11 = 12 (RNG, what did I do to you?)

Unfortunately, Torque realized too late that his smile had, in fact, become a Smile.

Torque hears an alarmed hiss, before burning green eyes flash before him. "You cannot go past. The Alpha has ordered this, no pony will disturb the den."

"Now, pony give reason why pony not be dinner for den."

Aurora glanced at Torque for a moment, then back towards the source of that voice. They were going for intimidation, then? Well, she could roll with that. "It's a simple reason, really. See, we don't particularly have any grievance with you, personally, it's Secret we're looking for. But if you decide to try and start trouble...Well...There's gonna be fire, and explosions, and magic flying everywhere...It would be...Simply tragic if your den was to be utterly destroyed with you in it simply because of one bad decision, wouldn't you agree? I mean, we've already tangled with a pretty big fish and came out on top before, so..." While she spoke calmly, she tried to project a bit of menace with her body language...To imply she was actually kind of eager to go through with the threat. "But I mean, none of that has to happen, if you just cooperate." She glanced around...It was interesting...She could probably dispel the darkness if need be. For now, though, she wanted to see if the hissing voices played nice.

---

Persuasion roll to be the scary mad magician.
1d20+5 = 14+5 = 19 ...Probably not enough, but Heart of Courage and all.

"Oh, oh, the fire. There will be an especially large amount of fire." Flashpoint adds, sparking his hooves for show.

---

Again, keeping pyrotechnics prepped.
Persuasion assist: 5+11=16 (I think that's enough... been a while since I've done assist rules.)

"You think you can destroy den? Den has stood for many moons. The oldest alpha made den before pony princesses were even born." The eyes melt back into the darkness. "You can collapse tunnel, seal cave, but the earth will endure. And we children of the earth will endure with it."

"You think this house is our den?" The earth around the ponies shake, dust falling from the ceiling, a deep rumbling like a loud growl filling the room. A loud crack, like a stone being split, and the darkness clears away, revealing a cleave in the ground that leads to a passageway downwards. "If you wish to brave the eternal earth, then come: enter its embrace."

"...How gracious of you to invite us in." The Diamond Dogs had opened a passage...but was it the way forward, or merely a distraction so Deep Secret could escape? Before descending, Torque took a quick look around the room they were currently in to make sure that there was no other way out.

Rolling Perception...18 (1d20) + 9 = 27

Flashpoint takes a step back from the hole. Outwardly, his passive look is betrayed by his wings, extended in agitation. Inwardly, he's sweating. As a proud, natural flier, he happens to be intensely claustrophobic, and terrified of being underground- no room to fly, easily trapped, buried. "I think I'll wait out here, actually."

Lyntermas wrote:"...How gracious of you to invite us in." The Diamond Dogs had opened a passage...but was it the way forward, or merely a distraction so Deep Secret could escape? Before descending, Torque took a quick look around the room they were currently in to make sure that there was no other way out.

Rolling Perception...18 (1d20) + 9 = 27

It appears to be the only way, and by referencing the mental schematics of the building Moon Gazer gave him, he can tell that's where the stairwell down to the last floor should be.

"You're seriously gonna pass on this, Flashpoint? C'mon, I figured you'd be first in the hole. It'll be fine. I mean, what's the worst that could happen?" Aurora started towards the hole, pausing to glance back at Flashpoint. What was keeping him?

Flashpoint tucks his wings back, peering into the hole again. "A Basement, with stairs and a regular room, is one thing- that has structure, built to be inhabited. Cave tunnels are unpredictable, unsafe, dark, cramped, no air..." He coughs nervously, clearing his throat. "If this is the only way in or out, then it makes sense to have someone guard it."

Torque gave a puzzled look at Flashpoint, not quite grasping the reasons behind Flashpoint's reluctance. "...Guarding it from what, exactly? Nopony's expected behind us, and if the Diamond Dogs wanted to collapse the tunnel behind Aurora and me, they could do it well out of your sight. Anyways, this is where the stairwell to the last floor should be, so the bottom should look, well, relatively like this, structured and inhabited. And if...oh, who am I kidding, WHEN things get messy down there, I'd prefer to have you at my side rather than you...staying up here looking at a hole in the ground."

Flash gives another nervous cough, and steps forward. "I mean, if somepony tries to make a break for it.... whatever, let's go."

---

If I were a glutton for punishment, or a mean DM, I'd be suggesting phobia penalties while in there. Fortunately, I already thought of it, so by DM code it can't be used against me. Probably.

Keeping Pyrotechnics prepped, still.

"Right then, off we go." Torque turned and started heading down towards the hole. "Hopefully the Diamond Dogs craft sturdier stairs than those other ones."

The cleave in the ground leads down to a set of stairs, the ones indicated on the floor plans. Once past the crack itself the passage widens considerably, leading down into inky blackness - there's no illumination, but Torque's equipment helps him pick out the shape of the stairs and what seems to be the beginning of some sort of bar area - long table, tall stools, bottles - on the far wall of the bottom of the stairs. The stairs are made of stone this time, so Torque has good reason to believe they won't collapse on him.

Flashpoint sparks his hooves with each step, giving brief flashes of light against the blackness. His wings are fully outstretched, partially due to agitation, partially to keep balance and judge the size of the room around him. "...Let's try and finish this up as soon as possible."

"I concur."

As though in response to the sparks cast up by Flashpoint, a ghostly blue flame fires up a short distance away from the party, lighting up a small wooden table and bathing the pony sitting at the table in an ethereal blue glow. The earth pony mare sitting at the table smiles at the group. She has a dark purple, almost black, coat, and an off-white mane that seems slightly purple. Her cutie mark is obscured by a fairly ornate black dress.

"Well, that was quick. I suppose you know why we're here?" Aurora looked at the pony, watching the flame for a moment. It was an interesting take on a basic illumination spell, but most likely just for show. "There's no reason why things have to get hostile, you know. By the by, neat trick with the darkness."

"I try." the pony smirks.