Chapter 1: Ambush - Run for your life !

[Mr. Handy]

"Ooh, hullo!" says Liz, picking up the lantern. "Just what we needed! Shall we continue?"

[royya]

After you clean the cotton coil of the lantern the mechanical switch ignites the lamp on the first attempt. You discover the room you are in is scattered with animal bones and litter, mostly rotten wood and pieces of metal. The smell of urine is strong in one corner, probably it was a den of an animal that is not present here right now.

We should leave the place. We don't want to face the mutated animal that call this place home. I heard bears and wolves wander the forests.
Natasha says, clearly she is not quite.
he roaches are kid's game comparing to a wolf or a bear but let's see where the tunnel leads before we head out.
Kevin replies

You proceed down the tunnel and a second entrance to the right is revealed 10 meters further on. The cart's rail turn into this room and further into the cave. The problem is that a sturdy rusted metal door blocks the way into the entrance and a cave-in block the way further deep.
It wont budge
Jeffrey says as he tries a gentle push to the door.

[Mr. Handy]

"We could use some oil from the lantern to grease those rusty hinges," suggests Liz. "Or is it locked?"

[Papa Gateau]

Frog examines the door frame and the hinges I dunno, maybe the doorframe is rotten enough or the screws rusted that we could pry the hinges out of the wood - all the other wood down here is rotten. Natasha go get that bit of metal you cut yerself with, bet that's sharp enough to dig out the rotten wood around the hinges

He moves over to the rockfall

Liz, bring that lamp over here love, maybe we can move a few of these rocks and I can squeeze through and see what's on the other side while Tasha finds that bit of metal

[royya]

The boulders and rocks of the cave-in are to heavy to lift, push or drag without a proper machine.

As for the metal door, the hinges were bolted to the rock cave itself and not to a wooden frame. It seems the only possible way without trying to force it is the rusted keyhole.

[Mr. Handy]

Liz brings the lantern closer to help Frog see. "That piece of metal is too dangerous to handle," she says. "What we need is something long and thin. It prolly is locked. Does anyone know how to pick a lock?"

[royya]

Both Jeffrey and Natasha nods "no".

I don't know how to handle a locks but maybe we can force it open ?
Kevin suggests

[Papa Gateau]

Yeah, there's got to be something around here we can use to force the door. That lock is really rusted, I bet it won't take much to force it if we can find a lever of some sort.

[Mr. Handy]

"I'm sure we could find debris in the junk room that could be used as a lever," says Liz. "It would be better if we could get the door open without forcing it, as then we could shelter more securely behind it if it's intact. But if forcing it is the only way to get it open, we can do that."

OOC,[b]Strickland[/b] has a high Locksmith skill, but his player has been away for several days. If that doesn't work, could Mechanics skill be used to pick the lock instead?

[royya]

NPCing Roland:

Can I borrow your hair pin Natasha
Roland says. Natasha hands the pin to Roland
Shed some light over here Liz ... OK, let's see, hmmm.... stubborn lock, come on... do it for papa ... you fuc... *Click*. YES!
With a gentle push followed by a noisy screech, the door opens.

The first thing you spot is a key, lying on the ground on the other side of the door, a skeletal remains of a man with a clear broken leg bone, dressed with torn and rotting cloth lies a meter or so from the door. A broken lantern lies next to his right hand.
The soft light from the lantern sweeps across the room to reveal a pony sized drill machine. It is automated and sits atop the rail. Thrown on both sides of the rail are old rusted carts and a pile of burnt coal. opened rations cans are thrown around and the food that was here who knows how long is already rotten, probably consumed by rodents and regular roaches.



Poor fellow
Natasha says as she takes the hair pin from Roland.
Bend and twisted
She says with a sad voice and throw the destroyed pin on the ground.

[Papa Gateau]

Frog picks up the other lantern and checks it for it oil.

He then moves over to the drilling machine and checks to see whether it has fuel.

[royya]

The broken lantern is dry up.

Frog approach the driller and finds that the key is inside, turning it one step lights up the control panel which is filled with buttons and levers, the fuel lamp blinks, not much is left, probably sufficient for one last drill.

[Papa Gateau]

There's a bit fuel left - might be enough to clear that rock fall. Not sure what going deeper into the mine will do for us though. We should fill these lamps up with a bit of the diesel too.

[royya]

I can try the driller.
Kevin says as he checks the machine
I've been operating heavy machines in the iron mines of Wales.
He goes outside to the main tunnel, asking Liz to shed some light on the cave-in.
I think I can clear the way enough so we'll be able to crawl deeper. what do you say ?

[Mr. Handy]

Liz scoops up the key from the ground. "Now this could be useful," she says. "Maybe it locks the door through which we came, or maybe it's for some other door." She brings her lantern closer to the cave-in. "Yes, let's see if we can drill through that. I've fixed machines in the mines, so I may be able to help get it working, but I've never run them."

[royya]

The rusted key fits into the keyhole of the door but the locking mechanism is too damaged to use again.

OK, let's try it out
The engine roars as Kevin starts the driller, the control panel blinks and lights up.
Move aside
Kevin calls as he successfully manage to operate the heavy machine and drive it outside the room and toward the cave-in.
Stay away!
He calls and operates the huge drill that rotates fast and into the rocks. sparks and small and medium stones are blown everywhere as the driller makes is way into the upper part of the cave-in. Heavy rocks falls to the side and other shatter like a glass. After 5 minutes Kevin pulls away as a huge rock falls from the ceiling and bends deeply the left side of the driller, a moment pass and the driller shuts down. That's it, probably out of fuel and damaged.

There is a pass on the upper part of the cave-in, wide enough to crawl on four.

[Mr. Handy]

"Nicely done," says Liz. "It's a good thing I'm so tiny, and Natasha's even smaller than I am. We should have no problem squeezing through there. The rest of us ought to be able to fit too. I'm not keen on going first, though. There could be anything on the other side."

[Dave Syrinx]

Roland raises his hand as if in class. Then he takes it down, quickly. "Eh I can have a go. Nimble as may be." He attacks the crawlspace with furious reluctance. With babysteps he advances the stretch of the hole. All the while careful not to push any rubble on the remaining team.

Spoiler:

Thanks for looking after Rollo!

[royya]

It's too dark to see anything but outlines of tunnel. Liz holds the lantern and Roland went crawling.

OOC - just tell me if Roland wants to proceed without taking the light.

[Dave Syrinx]

"Eh, doll - can I have a light?" Roland whispers. He reaches out to grab the light.