Drac and Merc go here.
North. What does this choice portend? The three stand in a large half circular room, with a door directly sound. Torches line the walls, making the air unpleasantly smokey-steely. The walls are polished iron, solid and tough. You stand in the back of the room against the back wall, a small, ten foot platform jutting out. Around you, past this platform, is a pit ten feet wide in all directions, save to the north where the slick iron wall holds dominion.
A single stone walkway that is five feet wide allows one to cross this pit, straight ahead and unremarkable.
http://img404.imageshack.us/my.php?image=ghettomap1aw5.png
Fear.
"Well, this looks simple enough," Varian mutters as he looks upwards, trying to see if there's anything of worth up above. Like a slowly decending ceiling of spikes, or some such. Or maybe just some bats or something else he could feed to the familiar he's gained. It wasn't the same as back home, but no reason not to take care of the snake while it could still prove useful.
Varain sees that the roof is about twenty five feet up and more or less flat, with a slight dome that meets in the center of the room. It's very plain, made of smooth iron. There's nothing of immediate note about it.
"An easy walk relaxes one for the spear at the end," Shadow ...agreed in his own way, glancing over the edge down to see just what was down at the pit.
The pit is very dark and dank. Very dark - however, Shadow's darkvision allows him to see the bottom, perhaps fourty feet down. Some sort of white, steamy liquid lies at the bottom. Whew! Shadow gets a whiff of it as he peers over, it smells quite strong and foul.
Varian decides to check how sturdy the platform appears to be, pressing his foot on it to see if it makes a stressed sound from the slight weight, or some such.
The platform appears to hold Varian's weight quite well. No sign of any obvious collapse.
"If you fall, you're done, be careful." Shadow stuck his ten foot pole out over the pit...and then swung it through the area above the platform, tapping the platform as a finisher.
The pole swishes through the air and hits the platform with a solid thump. Nothing of note occurs, nor any crumbling or anything odd.
"I'll go first," He said simply, rather curt so far, but not harsh. He walked across keeping his eyes peeled. When he gets to the other side he quickly takes a look around the room, carefully making his way closer to the door.
Shadow crosses the footpath!
OH NO! It crumbles beneath him, his screams as he falls down below echo-ah hell, that's nothing. Despite a momentary vision of doom, Shadow crosses the stone walkway without incident. On the other side he looks about the room.
No dicebot, using a take ten on your spot check for 18.
It's a pretty plain room. Past the pit it's almost unremarkable, the door ahead a single pull ring affair and made of sturdy iron.
Glancing back, he waved Valrian foward. "What's your name?"
Seeing that it all seems safe, Varian follows after the other man. "Well, that was exciting. Almost wonder what -was- in that pit. The name is Varian, by the way."
Varian crosses the pit safely as well! Both stand in the main of the room, away from strange pits and platforms and with a door to the south.
"Shadow," He said simply, listening at the door.
<Kobot> Kotono rolled 1d20+8 --> [ 1d20=2 ]{10}
Shadow listens at the metal door. He doesn't hear much of anything. Granted, a metal door does muffle sound pretty well...
Right?
"Hmm, I don't hear anything," He said softly, eying the metal ring, he carefully tied a rope around it and the pole. "Stand back. He walked a small distance, tying about ten feet and pulling using the pole.
The door is yanked open! With a squeal of metal the path ahead is opened! Ahead lies a short hallway, perhaps five feet long, that connects to what should be a dead end, a solid rock wall. However, quite a bit has been gouged out of the wall, a path curving to the southwest, and a small pit a little ahead of it, a dead end via drop. The back wall of this is polished iron again.
Retrieving his equipment, he looked carefully at the floor before heading into the hallway, first taking the route to the pit and looking down it, gently prodding the carved up wall with his pole.
The pit goes down twenty feet or so. The sides are very rugged, several pocks and jutting handholds in it. It turns back to smooth iron at the bottom, a path curving to the southeast glimpsed.
The stone wall is prodded. It's quite stony and hard as is logical.
"So, what, we're supposed to be climbers now?" Varian asks as he looks along with Shadow. The spellcaster casts a spell, causing four glowing balls of light to appear, which he begins to manipulate so they're going down the pit to give them a clearer view of below, sending them as far as possible to either ground or the range of the spell.
OOC: Casting Dancing Lights, can't go more than 130 ft from me.
"I think it wise to take the less obvious path."
With dancing lights Varian peers down! It's not much better than darkvision, the angle not letting one see far ahead into the tunnel. However...
> roll 1d20+8
<Kobot> Kotono rolled 1d20+8 --> [ 1d20=20 ]{28}
Shadow notes something below. It's hiding against the wall opposite the doorway at the bottom the pit. It's small and humanoid, white-blue skin hissing and a faint, almost invisible cloud of steam surrounding it. It's gaze travels to the lights, leaning forward from a sweet hiding place and making itself relatively visible.
He pulled out his bow, shifting and aiming, two swift shots flying into the small monster silently.
OOC: +5/+5 (Or +4/+4 if he's outside of 30 feet.) 1d8+1 on each.
> roll 1d20+5
> roll 1d20+5
<Kobot> Kotono rolled 1d20+5 --> [ 1d20=7 ]{12}
<Kobot> Kotono rolled 1d20+5 --> [ 1d20=9 ]{14}
Taking the initiative, Shadow shoots down into the pit immediately! The arrows rain down in a pair, one hitting the hard ground and shattering, while the other grazes but does not seriously penetrate the creature's tiny shoulder! It looks up in Shadow's direction, a hiss coming! "Yyyyyooooouuuu sssssneaaaakkkyyyy sneaaaaakkkssssss!" Steam hisses from it's head as it glares at the both of you!
Calling initiative here.
<Kobot> Kotono rolled 1d20+5 --> [ 1d20=1 ]{6} enemy
<Kobot> Kotono rolled 1d20+3 --> [ 1d20=1 ]{4} shadow
<Kobot> Kotono rolled 1d20-1 --> [ 1d20=6 ]{5} varian
Order is Enemy>Varian>Shadow in the saddenst initiative ever. It's acting in the next post.
"You wouldn't happn to be the Knight of the Marshes, would you?" Varian asks as politely as one can when their companion just shot first, leaving him to ask questions later.
Leaping up, the small, steamy creature lets loose a torrent of steam from it's mouth! It gushes out at Shadow, before it skitters and runs down the hall!
<Kobot> Kotono rolled 1d20+4 to beat DC 12 --> [ 1d20=20 ]{24}
<Kobot> Kotono rolled 1d4 --> [ 1d4=2 ]{2}
1 damage to Shadow, HP is 14/15. Owwies.
Shadow gets his arm in the way of the steam, blocking it from scorching his face! While his forearm has some painful steam burns, it's far better than it could have been! As it runs down the hall, the creature makes a most obscene gesture to Varian! "Ssssshooooveeee offff yooooou ssssneaaaaak!"
The creature has ran down the passage below and out of sight. Varian, you're up.
"What a rude bugger," Varian growls at the gesture but hesitating with reacting with a chase. He was more suited for support rather than combat right now, and traps could be waiting, and he had no desire to be the one to trigger them because he'd been insulted.
OOC: Holding action for now. If Shadow chases, I'll follow behind.
"Seems I'm a poor shot," he brushed off his arm wincing. "Let's go the other route."
Varian nods. If his companion has no desire to seek battle, that sounds good to him.
Heading down the curving path to the southwest, they find it goes perhaps thirty feet. At the end of it there is a chasm about 15 feet wide. On the other side rests a silver and white rod, just lying there on the ground. In the middle a rope hangs from the ceiling, as if inviting one to jump on it and swing across.
"...That seems far too obvious," Shadow looked down to see what was at the bottom of the chasm.
The chasm goes down a hard thirty feet, ending in a solid steel bottom. You don't see much of note besides the end of what would likely be a painful plummet.
Shadow eyed the wall on the other side of the chasm pit. Did it look climbable?
"It does, doesn't it? Still, that rod's probably useful for something..." Varian muses as he digs into his own supplies and taps his own 10-ft pole against the ground. "Think between the two of us we can loop the rope and give it a good yank to test its weight holding ability?"
Both sides of the pit look reasonably climbable - there's enough handholds to make it viable, though it won't be easy either.
"Why, it's so obviously a trap. Let's just go along the pit. Here, hold the rope," Shadow helped get a rope lowered down and then carefully made his way down using it. He then took the way up to the rod far more carefully, but didn't touch it.
<Kobot> UGUU_HARDER rolled 1d20 to see if the mod will be relevant either way, DC 5 --> [ 1d20=18 ]{18}
With the aid of the rope and a wall to rappel down with, Shadow easily reaches the bottom of the chasm. It's kind of dark down here, not that it bothers him. There isn't much of note here on a casual glance.
"Everything alright?" Varian asks.
Looking over the wall, he considered and pulled back, fiddling with the rope to get a small noose for catching on objects, spinning it around a bit and aiming carefully before flinging it up, repeatedly trying to bring the rod safely down.
This takes several tries. However, nothing really bad happens on failure. Eventually Shadow brings the rod rolling and falling down in a controlled rope plummet. It's not too hard to catch it - it feels metallic to the touch, shivery cool.
Heading back, he climbs back up, showing it Varian. "Any ideas? I don't know how to use it."
"None, honestly," Varian admits. "Let's just hope it proves useful in some way later on though."
<Kobot> Kotono rolled 1d20-1 climb DC 5 --> [ 1d20=9 ]{8}
Shadow climbs back up without incident, the rope making the ascent far more palatable than doing it bare handed.
OOC: Hope you've got use wand. ^^;
IC:
"Well, let's hope it's something nasty...this way is a dead end, so we're stuck heading down that pit," He returned to the earlier pit, using the rope to help Varian down and then very carefully going down himself and looking around.
<Kobot> Kobrb rolled 1d20 check for varian pending ACP, just seeing if the DC 5 check is in any danger of being failed --> [ 1d20=7 ]{7}
Kobrb rolled 1d20-1 check for shadow pending ACP, just seeing if the DC 5 check is in any danger of being failed --> [ 1d20=9 ]{8}
Varian has -2 STR modifier and a -2(Varian, you could have selected a masterwork chain shirt, but this hardly matters since even with that you'd be a 4 instead of 3. Anyway, rotten luck.
Shadow climbs down without incident! Varian is not so lucky, his grip slipping and leading him to a short, partway fall down to the hard ground!
<Kobot> Kobrb rolled 1d6 --> [ 1d6=5 ]{5}
Current HP is 10/15, Varian. Owwies.
As Varian gets a serious bruising from his fall, Shadow looks around! It's a long, dark corridor - it branches off at several points, about nine of them in total, as well as continuing ahead. It's very quiet down here, besides an occasional hiss. It's also a little warm.
Ouch. Okay, note to self, focus a bit more on physical abilities when the chance comes up.
Varian grumbles lightly as he casts another spell, this time seeking to repair some of the damage he's taken from the fall. He had no desire to hobble after Shadow, especially if another creature decided to be rude.
OOC: Casting cure light wounds
<Kobot> Kotono rolled 1d8+3 --> [ 1d8=1 ]{4}
Sauled. 14/15 HP for Varian.
Varians wounds heal most of the way, his magic enough to stop the pain and suffering.
"Any preferences on routes?" Varian asks as he joins Shadow and looks at the branching paths.
OOC: Nine huh...mm.
IC:
"Assuming it is a wheel and the goal is the center and we moved somewhat east with our route through the pit, we'd want a south western route to get toward the center," He looked over the routes, choosing the first one that moved in a south western direction. Shadow keeps a sharp eye out for any sign of that creature returning down one of the paths.
* Hatbot --> "Ko_in_a_box rolls 1d20+9 and gets 19." [1d20=10]
Total of 18 instead of 19, small typo.
The paths are small and somewhat cramped, the roof only coming up to six feet away from the ground. There's a bit of a clinging mist here and there and it's rather dark. There's a path to the southwest found - but as you look about, you notice something shiny in the path besides the southwestern one, going more west than south. It's quite a ways down, just catching a bit of light to gleam.
Moving a bit closer to get a better look, Shadow went slowly, pointing it out to Varial. "Let's keep our eyes open...it could be a trap."
About thirty five feet ahead lies a dead end! At it lies a skeleton, it's hand outstretched. Lying besides it's hand is a golden key, about the size of a dagger. There is a backpack lying next to the skeleton.
Raising an eyebrow, Shadow ties a knot around the ten foot poll...and tosses it over to thump next to the skeleton.
The stick lands silently on the floor near the skeleton. Nothing seems to immediately happen.
He tugs it, hoping to dislodge the skeleton and send it moving some distance on the floor.
The stick silently scrapes against the floor! It hits with a dull thunk against the skeleton, but fails to move it at all. It barely jostles, but not much at all.
"Well, nothing's been seriously trapped so far, but no reason not to be cautious. Something did this guy in, obviously," the gnome replies as he approaches a little closer to the skeleton, trying to see if there's any sign of what killed whomever that was.
How close are you getting to the skeleton? You're about 35 feet away, Shadow's a hair over ten.
5ft close! =D
Varian advances forward! He goes a few feet past Shadow; to Shadow's eyes he melts down into the floor in a swift second! Varian realizes he is falling for a second, before he has a VERY painful impact with a hard, cold floor!
* Hatbot --> "Ko_in_a_box rolls 2d6 oh merc-chan and gets 5." [2d6=4, 1]
9/15 HP.
As Varian's eyes clear, he finds he's in a dark, shadowy and large room. His low light vision lets him see something ahead - something dark and humanoid in the shadows with red eyes! Whatever it is, it's hurrying his way!
Shadow quickly yanks back on the rod to where Varian fell down into the floor hoping to drop the poll down there.
"Okay! Definitely trapped!" Varian yells upwards to let Shadow know, yes, trap, but not fatal trap...right now anyhow. "Something's here with me!"
That said, the gnomish caster uses another healing spell on himself. Ugh, out of healing magic now.
ooc: CLW for lazy DM =p
* Hatbot --> "Ko_in_a_box rolls 1d8+3 and gets 9." [1d8=6]
15/15. Ah, better!
Varian heals his wounds! As he does he can see that there is a rising pillar of stone below where the skeleton should lie, but otherwise the floor above has no support. Indeed, he can tell from experience that it's very not-solid! A pole pokes out from one point of it, ten feet above Varian!
However, the red eyed creature is coming closer!
Initiative.
* Hatbot --> "Ko_in_a_box rolls 1d20-1 Varian and gets 1." [1d20=2]
* Hatbot --> "Ko_in_a_box rolls 1d20+3 Shadow and gets 11." [1d20=8]
* Hatbot --> "Ko_in_a_box rolls 1d20+1 hostile and gets 12." [1d20=11]
Hostile red-eye>Shadow>Varian. Initiative doesn't like you guys!
Before Varian can act again, the red eyed creature is on him! It has red eyes and angry red skin, studded leather armor worn and a rapier wielded!
* Hatbot --> "Ko_in_a_box rolls 1d20+3 and gets 12." [1d20=9]
Whiff!
The rapier thrust comes close to Varian's arm, but his reflexes save the day!
Shadow, you're up. Talking is generally a free action too if you want to gab a bit, as long as you don't overdo it.
Shadow looked carefully at the floor, trying to quickly discern where the pit opening was...or maybe there wasn't a floor at all.
Calling a disbelief attempt a move-equivalent action off the cuff. You've seen direct evidence that the illusion is bullshit, so no roll is required.
Focusing on the impossible seen, Shadow finds that the floor in a five foot radius around the skeleton vanishes! A pillar of stone rises up in the center to suppor the skeleton, but the rest ia pit! Varian is down there, fending of a dark, red skinned humanoid in leather from trying to skish-kebob him!
You still have your standard action left, Drac.
Shadow dropped the rope, stepping on it hard and pulling his bow free.
OOC: ANd that's the end of my action since I don't have quickdraw.
"Drop that weapon!" Varian commands the creature, putting some magic into his voice. "You don't want to fight us!"
ooc: using command "drop", DC 13 will negates.
Varian can see a rope slowly fall down, forming an escape path up...as he commands the humanoid directly!
* Hatbot --> "Ko_in_a_box rolls 1d20-1 and gets 5." [1d20=6]
At Varian's words, the creature drops it's rapier! It blinks before it's face twists into fury, stunned by the droppage, before tackling Varian!
It's trying to grapple you. You can AoO it if you wish. Do you?
"Hey now! No touching!" the gnome yelps as he tries to kick off the offending creature.
ooc: +1 attack roll. 1d2 damage if it hits. +500 damage if it crits and I hit it in the nads.
* Hatbot --> "Kotono rolls 1d20+1 and gets 10." [1d20=9]
AoO failed. Grapple time!
* Hatbot --> "Kotono rolls 1d20+2 enemy and gets 7." [1d20=5]
* Hatbot --> "Kotono rolls 1d20 and gets 9." [1d20=9]
The creature tackles Varian, but Varian is able to fend it off with a shove backwards, keeping himself unentangled!
Shadow is up.
Shadow rapidly fires into the creature with his bow, seeking to drive him back.
OOC: 2 attacks at +5, 1d8+1 damage.
* Hatbot --> "Tiny_Ko_Army rolls 1d20+5 Dr. Acos and gets 22." [1d20=17]
* Hatbot --> "Tiny_Ko_Army rolls 1d20+5 Dr. Acos and gets 14." [1d20=9]
* Hatbot --> "Tiny_Ko_Army rolls 1d8+1 and gets 4." [1d8=3]
*Twang!*
Shadow's bowmanship serves well, an arrow slamming into the chest of the dark creature! It survives, albiet staggering wildly from the wound!
Merc.
Varian dives for the rapier. While he lacks the knowledge to use the weapon, he can at least keep it away from the creature, and limit it's actions that way.
Varian moves and grabs the rapier! He holds it in his hand, a sharp and pointy thing to stick into unwilling people! The red creature lunges to simply PUUUUUUNCH Varian, even as something catches his eye! Another set of red eyes can be seen in the far darkness!
You can AoO him since he's unarmed striking you without the proper feats. Will you?
"Shadow, it looks like there's another one of these creatures!" Varian warns, even as he futely attempts to fend off the creature with its own weapon.
ooc: -7 attack roll for using unfamiliar and medium sized weapon.
* Hatbot --> "Tiny_Ko_Army rolls 1d20-6 and gets 14." [1d20=20]
* Hatbot --> "Tiny_Ko_Army rolls 1d20-7 crit confirm? and gets 0." [1d20=7]
* Hatbot --> "Tiny_Ko_Army rolls 1d6-2 and gets -1." [1d6=1]
Minimum of one damage per successful, non DR'ed attack.
With a desperate lunge, Varian impales the dark warrior! It's not much, but it's enough to make him crumple up!
Free action for the moment, but there is another set of eyes in the dark, remember.
With the creature dead, Varian scrambles for the rope now, tossing the rapier to the side as he plans to climb his way out of this pit trap. "Help me up, Shadow!"
OOC: SHould've thrown it up!
IC:
Shadow shifted his grip, holding onto the rope. "Climb!"
ooc: I didn't want to roll a 1 and impale you through the eye!
Varian does so!
* Hatbot --> "Kokokokokoko rolls 1d20 DC 15 and gets 19." [1d20=19]
Fiat strength check of 15. Passed with flying gnomish colors!
With a mighty bulge of his muscles, Shadow pulls poor Varian up! Below he can see the figure come into view as Varian flops back up on the top ground! He scowls up and shakes a gloved fist, before motioning to something back out of sight!
Shifting back to his bow, Shadow quickly tries to send a set of arrows into that figure as well!
OOC: +5, +5 again. 1d8+1 on damage.
Drac, I'm ruling that you don't have time to full attack here. Your hands were full dragging Varian up, so the most you have time for is a single shot. Move action to get your bow ready and then a standard to shoot. You okay with that or do you want to do something else?
OOC: Fine with me. Thought we were around the circuit again. +7 then on the single attack.
* Hatbot --> "Kokokokokoko rolls 1d20+7 Shadow shoots! and gets 17." [1d20=10]
* Hatbot --> "Kokokokokoko rolls 1d8+1 and gets 6." [1d8=5]
Twang-foosh-thunk! With a single shot Shadow pierces the heart of the vile creature-thing, dropping him like a bad habit!
Shadow looked further, stringing another arrow up. "Are you okay?" He asked while scanning for whoever the creature was gesturing to.
"Yes," Varian says with a tired gasp. "What -were- those things? Didn't even seem to want to reason or anything."
"Did you expect they would?" Shadow seemed unsurprised at everything trying to kill them.
As Shadow stays on guard, a third one comes! This one is a bit bigger and has a longbow in hand!
Shadow, you have the proverbial jump him and are ready, so you can attack in a surprise round if you like.
OOC: +5/+5, sure thing. 1d8+1
IC:
"Hush," Shadow crouched, aiming and firing right into the bigger one, hoping to drop him before he even realized there was a threat.
* Hatbot --> "Kotono rolls 1d20+5 and gets 22." [1d20=17]
* Hatbot --> "Kotono rolls 1d20+5 and gets 23." [1d20=18]
* Hatbot --> "Kotono rolls 2d8+2 and gets 9." [2d8=2, 5]
Thunk! Thunk! Two arrows penetrate the creature below, but this one is tougher! It withstands both arrows, readying it's bow as it glares up!
Initiatiave.
* Hatbot --> "Kotono rolls 1d20+1 enemy and gets 18." [1d20=17]
* Hatbot --> "Kotono rolls 1d20+3 Shadow and gets 6." [1d20=3]
* Hatbot --> "Kotono rolls 1d20-1 Varian and gets 14." [1d20=15]
Baddie>Shadow>Varian. Pretty clean cut.
The creature is not amused! It's squares itself and fires a pair of arrows in return at Shadow!
* Hatbot --> "Kotono rolls 1d20+5 and gets 6." [1d20=1]
* Hatbot --> "Kotono rolls 1d20+5 and gets 24." [1d20=19]
* Hatbot --> "Kotono rolls 1d8+1 and gets 2." [1d8=1]
12/15, Shadow.
One of the arrows grazes Shadow's neck, drawing a tiny bit of blood and coming close to being an instantly fatal wound! But by fortune it is instead only a flesh injury!
Shadow.
OOC: Ah the classic use one's own build against you :D Same 5/5. :)
IC:
Shadow had looked death in the eyes before more than once and the arrow barely phased him as he continued his steady assault of arrows into the creature.
Purely coincidence. Seriously. Blame the low levels.
* Hatbot --> "Kotono rolls 1d20+5 and gets 13." [1d20=8]
* Hatbot --> "Kotono rolls 1d20+5 and gets 24." [1d20=19]
* Hatbot --> "Kotono rolls 1d8+1 and gets 6." [1d8=5]
Shadow fires again! An arrow buries into the shoulder of the vile creature, yet it survive on, even as it bleeds profusely!
Merc.
"No, but it never hurts to try. Who knows, we might have gotten some allies if they weren't such stubborn foolish creatures," Varian replies as he pulls out his crossbow, and loads a bolt on it.
Varian loads his crossbow, as the nearly suicidal creature fires two more arrows at Shadow!
* Hatbot --> "Anastasia rolls 1d20+5 and gets 17." [1d20=12]
* Hatbot --> "Anastasia rolls 1d20+5 and gets 9." [1d20=4]
* Hatbot --> "Anastasia rolls 1d8+1 and gets 8." [1d8=7]
4/15, Shadow. Ow.
An arrow flies forth from the archer, getting Shadow right in the leg! A heavy river of blood comes from the puncture, agony blinding Shadow's mind! Thereafter the creature quickly limps backwards but not far enough to be out of Shadow's range!
Shadow.
Shadow winces, falling to one leg but still lifting his bow and sending another flurry of arrows hoping to drop the creature and give them some respite.
OOC: +5/+5, 1d8+1. Merc, pull me back if you would if I don't drop him.
* Hatbot --> "Anastasia rolls 1d20+5 and gets 24." [1d20=19]
* Hatbot --> "Anastasia rolls 1d20+5 and gets 21." [1d20=16]
* Hatbot --> "Anastasia rolls 2d8+2 and gets 11." [2d8=2, 7]
With everything on the line, Shadow bravely stands his ground and snipes again! Two arrows riddle the foe; one in his arm and the other right through his skull! The creature collapses, dead and unmoving!
Free action.
"Could you go down and see if there is anything valuable there...? Possibly a potion or two of healing?" Shadow leaned back against the wall, glancing down either route and taking a look at how far away the bag and the key is, swinging his rope around once more to try and drag it down into the pit for easy collection by Varial.
There is a 5ft pit between the end of the floor and the stone pillar that the skeleton and backpack rest on. It's within reach of Shadow's favorite pole. The skeleton seems pretty well and truly stuck on - it's just not budging, however. The bag isn't so much, the backpack moveable with time and effort if Shadow wants to keep it up.
Shadow, seeing that this isn't skewering him with arrows, tries to hook the backpack with his pole and simply pull it over to himself. Having no rush, he's fairly careful about it.
Varian nods, as he goes back down, hoping there aren't any more enemies planning to show up, planning to do a thorough search if it looks safe.
This isnt' really any sort of skill that I can peg to this, so I'm going to call it a DC 10 dex check to see if you manage it without dropping it.
* Hatbot --> "Anastasia rolls 1d20+3 and gets 17." [1d20=14]
It takes some work, but Shadow is able to get the backpack over, despite the bleeding wound in his leg.
How are you going down, Varian? Rope and climbing? Jumping?
Shadow looks in the bag...hoping for bandages.. or healing potions. He also then tries to knock over the key for Varial.
Inside the backpack Shadow finds the following:
A kit of bandages, medicines, splints and other items a healer would just love! A healer's kit!
A stoppered iron bottle, faintly warm to the touch.
A wrapped up scroll.
Healer's kit has been added to your possible starting gear!
Shadow tries to patch himself up!
OOC: Yay patching up!...I have no chance even with that. :)
* Hatbot --> "Anastasia rolls 1d20+1 and gets 9." [1d20=8]
Shadow binds his wounds without much skill. At least it stops the bloodflow from staining his clothes any more.
Shadow opens the flask and takes a whiff.
UGH! The flask smells horrible, of acid and agony! The mere scent is enough to lightly sicken Shadow, but the feeling passes as he pulls his nose away from it.
* Hatbot --> "Anastasia rolls 1d20+2 and gets 18." [1d20=16]
Passed the saving throw not to be temporarily sickened.
Vial of acid has been added to the starting materials list!
ooc: rope
* Hatbot --> "Anastasia rolls 1d20-2 climb dc 5 and gets 11." [1d20=13]
With Shadow's help Varian climbs down easily enough. It's quiet down here now and still dark - some light would help.
Varian touches the side of the wall, concentrating until the spot begins to glow brightly.
ooc: Casting Light.
Light floods into the room! You can now see the creatures better - things with the marks of fiendish ancestry, vile half mortals. Tieflings.
Beyond that, you notice there is a level on the side of the pillar that supports the skeleton and key. Below the lever something sits, a small dark pottery jar. IT's shut tight.
Congratulations, you have defeated the trio of tieflings! You can now select tiefling as a starting race. Watch out for that +1 ECL!
"There's a level down here, and some kind of jar, Shadow," Varian calls up to his companion as he begins to check the corpses for any items on them or anything else of note in the room. "Well, and the three corpses, obviously. Checking if I can find anything else of note."
There are far off walls - plenty of space, but most of it's more or less empty. A quick search doesn't turn up much. The bodies have rapiers, with the last having a longbow and arrows as well. They wear studded leather armor.
"Hrm...Nothing really interesting on them, just their armor and weapons," Varian notes after doing his search of the bodies. With that, he goes towards the jar, trying to see if there's a label or something saying what might be in it.
There is! Written on the jar in plain letters: DO NOT APPLY TO SKIN. DO NOT CONSUME. APPLY ONLY TO TRAPS.
"Hrm...poison? Wonder why they didn't seem to coat their weapons with it...." Varian mutters as he looks from the jar towards the corpses.
Looking upwards, he calls out "Anything interesting in the skeleton fellow's backpack?"
"Some bandages...something foul, probably acid. And a scroll...Want to take a look at it? I've bound my wounds, but I won't take another hit like that."
"Might as well. Only thing left here is the level,and not sure if we want to pull it and face any new surprises with you as hurt as you are," Varian comments as he moves to grab the black jar before he makes his way up again.
* Hatbot --> "Kotono rolls 1d20-2 climb DC 5 and gets 1." [1d20=3]
Uh oh, George.
Varian goes to climb up! The only fly in the ointment is that as he does, he misjudges the grip and tumbles on down! On one hand, he's lucky. It's not far enough to seriously hurt him. On the other, he hears a ceramic cracking and breaking sound as he lands. Like he fell on something small, like oh say, a pottery jar he just picked up.
"Fiddlesticks!" Varian exclaims in annoyance as he picks himself up and quickly checks how badly the jar is broken and if any of it can be recovered. For that matter, to make sure none of it is on him, and if it is that it isn't eating into his clothing or something requiring him to undress or something embarassing. "Bleepin' Fiddlesticks, I say!" he curses again for good measure.
As Varian tries to get up, he realizes that there is a problem! He can't get up! It's like pulling against the most perfect, sticky suction in the world! He can't get himself off the floor, the back of his chain shirt and clothing stuck hard!
OOC: Ouch.
IC:
"You okay?" Shadow hauled over toward the edge to look.
"...somewhat. Apparently, the black stuff was crazy glue, not a poison. It's almost as annoying though!" Varian replies. "Ugh, going to have to try to wiggle my way out of this, I think."
Carefully, the gnome attempts to pry himself off the clothing, not wanting to get the goop on himself and -really- finding himself in a sticky situation.
* Hatbot --> "Infinite_Ko_Loop rolls 1d20-1 calling this a DC 10 dex check and gets 6." [1d20=7]
Admittedly a DM fiat judgment, but I don't feel it's an unreasonable one.
Ooops.
Shit.
Varian's line of thought is quite likely repeating those words. HE wiggles a little too much and waggles - not only is he still stuck, but the small of his back gets a bit out of the armor. Not a problem, right? Weeelllll... a bit of the glue seems to have smeared onto his back. Said small of the back is as attached to the floor as his armor is.
"Fiddlesticks!" Varian swears again. "I'm definitely going to need you to help, Shadow. I'm stuck but good."
Shadow steadies his leg and nods. "I'm coming," Shadow looks over the area first, taking good note of where the glue had smeared and picking a spot well away from it to carefully climb down.
Once down, he moves closer and sees if he can pull Varial free, making very sure that he's not getting his hands near the glue and if he was suddenly successful he wouldn't fall back into glue behind him.
* Hatbot --> "Kotono rolls 1d20 DC 5 climb and gets 19." [1d20=19]
Climbing down goes without incident for Shadow. There isn't much glue that isn't beneath poor Varian, so Shadow has plenty of room to work with. He tugs and pulls and rips!
* Hatbot --> "Kotono rolls 1d20 DC 15 str chechk and gets 11." [1d20=11]
No good. He's stuck from small of the back and chain shirt and clothes and all. While the amount of skin that is stuck is minimal, it's painful for Varian when Shadow goes atugging at it.
Shadow tries dropping a drip of the acid onto the glue.
The acid and glue let out a few whiffs of a horrible smelling smoke! However, they more or less seem to have canceled out.
"This may sting a little..." Was shadow's only warning as he pulled Varial up, as carefully as possibly spreading the acid around the caught portions.
* Hatbot --> "Infinite_Ko_Loop rolls 1d6 you can only be so careful when splashing acid around and gets 6." [1d6=6]
OUCH! While it does work and get Varian free, the acid is still highly potent acid. It leaves several burns on Varian's skin and the fumes are horrible. While he's free now, the back of his armor has several scorches and weakened points thanks to direct acid application. But still, freedom!
9/15
Your armor's hardness has been reduced by 3 points. Note this in case your armor happens to take damage later on.
"Bleepin' Fiddlesticks..." Varian curses. "Who created this ridiculous magic system where a magician can only cast three spells a day? What kind of cockamimi person is able to call himself a magician under those ridiculous restrictions?"
The gnome shakes his head as he tries to calm himself over the inability to heal their wounds now that his spellcasting ability is horribly restricted. "Okay, seeing as we're both wounded, you moreso than I, do you want to rest until I can scrounge up some of this meager magical power I can tap into and heal us...or do we brave meeting more things desiring to kill us?" he asks Shadow.
"Let's retrieve the key, climb up and retreat to our entrance, and recover until you can cast spells," Shadow agreed, both with his complaints on the weakness and with the retreat. He went to pick up the gold key that should've been knocked down earlier (and if it isn't, pokes it down with the pole or rope), and then climbs back up, lowering a rope for Varian.
"What about the lever? Think it's for anything important?" the gnome eyes the lever. His curiosity really is getting the best of him...
"What about it? We can always pull it later and if it say..let's out a horrible beast, we won't be slaughtered by it."
"A convincing argument. To the entrance and recovery then!"
The key is retrieved without incident. Thus the trio return to the way out, needing to sling the rope back up to climb out!
It's here that I remember that I forgot to apply ACPs to your climb modifiers. Oh well, oops. Lucky you guys. I will now.
* Hatbot --> "Kotono rolls 1d20-1 Shadow climb DC 5 and gets 11." [1d20=12]
Shadow makes it up, then it's time for Varian!
* Hatbot --> "Kotono rolls 1d20-4 gnomish climbing is a go! and gets 13." [1d20=17]
Varian makes it back up as well! They return to the entryway room they started in. However, they find something has changed. The stone walkway is gone, making no direct path over the chasm. However, a treasure chest now sits dead in the center, cracked slightly open and waiting. Ten feet of chasm separate you from the platform and it's newly found treasure.
"Well, that's certainly intriguing...and worrisome." Shadow first closed the door behind them. "...I'm going to try for it. Let me borrow your rope and pole for a moment."
He took off his armor and lightened his load, taking one rope and tying the rope thoroughly around it, taking his time and tugging at it to be sure it would hold together. He didn't know how to tie ropes, but he wasn't in a rush with it and wanted to make sure he had something stable to walk on. Carefully he put the tiny bridge out, stabilizing it across the chasm and testing it a bit to make sure it wouldn't slide or fall right in. He then tied a rope around his waist and handed it to Varial. "Stand about twenty feet back...and hope I don't fall."
He tried walking across the pit of death, hands out to balance, ready as he could be to catch himself by the sturdy poles if he falls.
OOC: Balance is +10. Here's for 5 or higher. Go Go Go. Take 10 on use rope.
* Hatbot --> "Kotono rolls 1d20+10 DC 15 balance and gets 21." [1d20=11]
Creeping across with his lightened load, Shadow balance superbly! The wooden poles creak and groan under his weight, but they hold as he crosses safely to the other side! Made it!
Shadow quickly flips open the lid, pulling his hands back rapidly in case of a trap.
It's not a trap! Three things lie within the treasure chest! The first is a heavy mace, designed to look like a baby's rattle. The second is a baby's bib, made of thin, protective metal. The third is a baby's bottle, full of a soft, blue glowing liquid. Written on the inside of the chest's top is: "Courtesy of the Dark One. Try harder."
Shadow opens the bottle and tests the smell...then with a finger if it seems safe.
It smells of almonds and fruit and is kind of warm to the touch.
Shadow takes a quick taste of it.
It tastes like fruit and nuts, his body's pain dulling with the sampling.
"So apparently, the one in charge of tormenting us has a bad sense of humor to boot," Varian notes with a distasteful expression.
"A pretty bad one," He picked up the items and made his way back across.
You have unlocked the following items:
Baby's Rattle: Heavy Mace+1. -2 diplomacy/intimidation penalty while on person due to the fact that you're carrying a giant baby's rattle.
Baby's Bib: Bib of Protection+1; functions as a ring of protection+1. -2 diplomacy/intimidation penalty while on person due to the fact that you're wearing a baby's bib.
Thus Shadow carefully begins the balancing act back! However, as he does...
* Hatbot --> "Kotono rolls 1d20+10 DC 15 balance and gets 11." [1d20=1]
Hatbot is a son of a whore.
His balance slips about halfway! He wobbles, trying to self correct, but it's too late! He keels over to the side, falling!
You can take a reactive measure here if you want - try to grab the sticks to hold on, leap ahead, whatever.
Shadow tries to grab the sticks to catch himself.
OOC: Dex check of +3.
* Hatbot --> "KotonoIbis rolls 1d20+3 DC 10 dex check and gets 16." [1d20=13]
Woah! Even as Shadow falls, his hand snakes up! HIs hand grabs a hole of the wooden pole, only his one handed grip preventing him from a fatal fall! The tied up poles groan and bend downward, the weight of Shadow a clear and obvious burden!
Shadow winces and hand over hands over to grab onto the ledge, using the rope and ledge and Varial's help to get up. He keeps a hand on the poles until they're off so they don't fall over.
* Hatbot --> "KotonoIbis rolls 1d20 climb check calling this DC 10 climb check to see if you can manage to hand over hand to the edge and gets 14." [1d20=14]
With some arm work and time, Shadow is just able to get to the edge of the steely floor! With good time, for the twinned poles crack and break as he does! Even as Varian helps him climb back up, the shattered poles fall down into the chasm and it's acidic doom far below!
-2 poles, obviously.
OOC: sadness.
IC:
Shadow pulled himself up, glaring a bit back at the pit. He sat up and took a drink of half the potion, handing it to Varial for the other half.
* Hatbot --> "KotonoIbis rolls 1d8+2 and gets 10." [1d8=8]
14/15
Shadow feels much better after drinking the potion.
Varian looks at the potion, sighs, and uses the hem of his clothing to rub the lip of it clean, before chugging the remainder.
* Hatbot --> "KotonoIbis rolls 1d8+2 and gets 9." [1d8=7]
15/15, I think, Varian.
Drinking the potion makes Varian feel much better as well. Whew!
"Well, we're healed up, but do we want to wait until I can refresh my magic?" Varian asks.
ooc: still want to time skip if possible, but up to Drac and so on. Notably, I'm out of level 1 spells though and just have lv 0 spells, so...
"That chest was also a warning. Clearly the dark one will make things more difficult the longer we take. We'll just have to bear it and continue on," Shadow lead the way back to the many corridors, looking in the next one.
Assuming take 10s on the clims, which I forgot about since it's routine and relatively safe now. D'oh.
Shadow and Varian return to the corridor, this time going back to the southwestern they were originally going to look down. It goes on for a ways, curving slightly. It's ever so faintly misty down it. You don't see any immediate threads in it's vicinity.
OOC: Oh god, clothing monsters! If you want to pull the lever, bring it up now.
IC:
He frowned a bit at the mist and checked the nearest adjacent one.
The nearest adjacent corridor has a short, twenty feet range. It ends at a single wall - though even from here you can see that there is some tiny writing on the way. However, you can't read it from here. You'd have to get closer.
Shadow makes his way cautiously over there, poking near the floor and the wall with the butt of his spear before proceeding.
10 feet away from the writing, the floor begins to sound different, very hollow.
Shadow doesn't walk over the hollow part, testing the whole width of the floor. "It's a trap." He tried giving a hard thump against the hollow floor to see if it would break.
The floor seems solid. It's hollow, but quite solid.
Shadow sees if he can read the writing from here.
* Hatbot --> "Kotono rolls 1d20+8 and gets 22." [1d20=14]
Squinting, Shadow can just make out the text. It says 'Going down?'.
"Trap floor, certainly... Let's see..." Shadow took out his iron pot, wrapped the rope around it and handed the rope to Varial to hold, then took his spear butt and pushed the pot along the floor slowly until he got to the end, then shoving the cookware along the floor toward the wall. If nothing happens, they pull it back with a rope.
The pot is pushed! When it gets close to the end, the entire five foot of floor next to the wall falls open! The pot plummets down the trapdoor a few feet, before you hear a horrible whirling sound! Shards of metal are burped up, the trap door then closing back upwards! Bits of metal land around the two, quite considerably torn apart.
"It's like gau's eating time," Shadow mentally marked off three routes, and checked route four.
The fourth path looked at is rather barren in appearance. It goes twenty feet and goes to a flat dead end.
Shadow didn't treat it differently, checking floor wall and ceiling with the butt of his spear...along with the wall when they get there.
> roll 1d20+8
* Hatbot --> "Ko-LavaKappaTorment rolls 1d20+8 and gets 14." [1d20=6]
> roll 1d20+8
* Hatbot --> "Ko-LavaKappaTorment rolls 1d20+8 and gets 28." [1d20=20]
> roll 1d20+8 crit?
* Hatbot --> "Ko-LavaKappaTorment rolls 1d20+8 crit? and gets 14." [1d20=6]
Unfortunately for Shadow, these go against his flatfooted AC. Uh oh.
* Hatbot --> "Ko-LavaKappaTorment rolls 3d6+6 and gets 16." [3d6=5, 3, 2]
-2/15
A pair of darts fire from the rear wall as Shadow taps about! They go right for him, long, nasty things that penetrate into his flesh! One gets into his leg, and the other is aimed at his chest, going dead in! Blood comes from both wounds as he keels over, collapsing and mortally wounded!
Merc, you're up.
"Ack! Shadow!" Varian exclaims as he sees his companion become a huma...well, elfish...pincushion.
Quickly he grabs him and pulls him to safety so he can administer some immediate first aid if he's not dead. And he's really hoping he's not.
ooc: sorry about not posting yesterday. I just zonked out asleep when I got home yesterday from work. Heal +8
* Hatbot --> "Kotono rolls 1d20+8 and gets 15." [1d20=7]
Attending to Shadow, Varian is able to staunch the worst of the bleeding. His condition, while grave, is now stable!
"Alright, at this point, I'm of the firm belief that we're waiting for me to have spells that can be useful if something like this happens again and to get you in moving condition in the first place too. Gurgle once for agreement, one hundred and four times if you disagree. Gurgle a number between that if your heart feels like it's going to go out at any minute and you need more immediate first aid. I'll know by the stopped gurgles to do something."
Shadow, being in a state of nearly dying, doesn't do much but gurgle. He looks to be rather out at the moment. Being stabbed half to death tends to do that!
Shadow, you're out cold for the moment.
Varian takes the gurgling as an affirmative and does his best to provide some long term care during the time they're waiting, while using some of the remaining supplies of bandages and medicines from the healer's kit.
ooc: I'm just gonna wait unless something happens for spells to come back. Also providing long term care with heal skill, which grants 2hp per 8 hours of rest.
After a few minutes, Shadow stirs. He's in agony and dazed, but he's awake.
"What was that?" He looks around, trying to get his bearings.
"Your trap detection method wasn't very safe, it seems," Varian answers. "You got hit by a bunch of darts."
Shadow thinks he's in the passageway he was in when he got darted half to death. My, isn't that a bad place to be? Of course, getting up and moving doesn't seem like the hottest idea either.
http://www.d20srd.org/srd/conditionSummary.htm#disabled
Drac, you're disabled. Read the rules here; you can take move/standard actions but some of them risk you re injuring yourself and finishing the job.
"I see...I don't think I'm going very far. You should try and go on ahead..."
For the moment I'm going to fiat bump you up to 1 HP, Drac. Hit zero again and you'll die, I'll have more concrete rules soon.
"Are you nuts? I saw you getting done in," here Varian snaps his fingers, "just like that. I'm already dead weight right now with no magic. Being alone in a trap infested place with other things out to eat me doesn't strike me as the smartest thing to do."
"Look, I'll support you and get us both back to that starting area. Maybe we'll get lucky and we'll find more embarrasing yet useful stuff," he proposes instead. "Hopefully some more of that healing potion."
"Not the beginning...knowing that creature...he'll probably just squash us if we go back...let's try that lever," Shadow ulled himself weakly to his feet, leading down to the lever they crossed earlier...and helping varial down, keeping an eye on their backside.
Just so that I'm clear here, you mean the lever by the stone pillar, in the pit where you fought the tieflings?
Yes.
The duo returns down there without incident. On yanking the lever, they find it lowers the stone pillar down, the stuck skeleton brought on floor level to the pit. It's quite easily accessible now.
"Well...that was anticlimatic," Shadow helped Varial back up... the two going down... um...any of the passageways they haven't determined to be trapped.
OOC: 7-9 routes from a split point gets hard to refer to by ^^;;
Fair enough.
Fortunately, the rest of the passages are incredibly non descript. Almost non existent, easily forgotten once checked. This just leaves the main path now at last!
"How're you holding up so far?" Varian asks his companion.
"Alive... I doubt I could take another hit...but I can move alright," Shadow headed along the main path.
"Well, let's hope we don't stumble another trap, then, at least before we encounter something to help us along the way," is the grim reply.
Thus the two go down it. It's relatively quiet, until coming to a ladder that leads up. It goes up a fairly good ways, but looks fairly easy to climb.
Shadow gives a careful yank to it, making sure it wouldn't fall apart at the blink of an eye. If it doesn't, he lets Varial up first.
OOC: Varial, unless you oppose, you have point by virtue of being able to take 1 hp of damage.
"Well, given your shape, guess I'm up first..." Varian mutters as he puts himself through the exercise of climbing the ladder. "Let's hope I do't end up a pincushion too..."
The ladder is quite solid and not falling apart! Thus, the two begin to climb up! With a ladder it's quite easy, climbing higher and higher and higher! Closer to the top, closer, closer---!!!!
* Hatbot --> "Kotono rolls 1d20+2 gnome spot and gets 15." [1d20=13]
As the two get closer to the top, Varian spots something. The last several rungs of the latter are smeared with a greasy looking substance.
"Careful, the last few rungs have something smeared on it. Not sure if it's more of that glue, or just something to make us slip," Varian warns below. Hooking his arm around one of the safe rungs so he has a stable hold, he ponders what to do.
ooc: Is the ladder a metal ladder, wooden, or what?
The ladder is made of a sturdy wood.
ooc: there goes the idea of setting the grease stuff on fire.
Grabbing an arrow, Varian presses the arrowhead against the substance on the rungs to see if there's any reaction, like the arrow getting glued, and if there's no reaction, trying to scrape it off to the sides.
It's hard to get the arrow to rest against the coated ladder rungs. It's very slippery, smearing about quite easily. It doesn't seem to have any damaging effect on the arrowhead. Try to scrape it off is hard - it tends to smear and make more of a mess.
"Okay, not working..." Varian mutters as he makes a sharp swishing noise with the arrow until the gunk gets off it, and he can put it back with the rest.
"Careful, going to take out blanket, so some stuff might slip out," the gnome warns Shadow below him. Digging back into backpack, he pulls out the winter blanket. Once it out, he'll wrap a corner of it around the closest wrung and try to clean the gunk off with the blanket as a sponge.
It does take some time. The blanket absorbs it, but it's a slow process. BUt eventually the rungs go from slippery to merely a little bit slippery. Stuff's incredibly slick, but it should be safer to climb now.
"Okay, got as much of it out as I could. Still, let's play it safe and use rope for support," Varian tells Shadow as he throws the blanket out to the side. Not going to get any more use out of that, certainly not when sleep time came about anyhow. Instead, he pulls out the rope from his equipment and begins to tie one end around his waist as best he could before giving the other end to Shadow. "I'll start climbing again when you're ready."
"I'm ready," Shadow remarked, steadying himself, one hand on the ladder, one hand ready to stab against the wall if the ladder seemed to fall backwards.
Giving a nod, Varian starts to climb. "I'll give three sharp yanks once I'm at the top. Well, that or if the rope is getting too taunt, in which case I'll secure myself, and we can alternate climbing until we're up top."
I'm going to handwave this, since it's a good plan and it's time to introduce Ranmaru anyhow.
The climb to the top goes quite well! There's a little recess here, a door ahead! However, as the two get up, the find a woman(?) appearing by the door!
You're up, Gate. Describe yourself if you want and your form, ect.
As he(?) materialzes next to the door, Ranmaru blinks rapidly and puts one hand on the wall to keep her(?) balance from the sudden disorientation of appearing out of nowhere.
Appearing much as his(?) spirit form did, only much more heavily armored, she(?) is a tall human with black hair hanging loose to the shoulders and a fair face that is nearly impossible to discern the gender of. Thankfully, the gender confusion is rendered moot a moment later as he puts on the helmet that was tucked under one arm and is now covered nearly head to toe in metal.
Looking over at the two who climbed up, he eyes them wearily for a second, then nods slowly, "You're two of the others who were out there in that void, aren't you? I apologize for my tardiness. I am Ranmaru Mori, soldier of Wu."
Noticing the hammer on his belt for the first time, Ranmaru chuckled, "So I am to borrow the power of the devil Shimazu, am I? Very well then."
"Devil Shimazu?" Shadow was a bit baffled by his strange manner. "Take point... Both of us have taken damage already so far."
"Well, better late than never," Varian grumbles, even if he is somewhat relieved at a, well 'familiar', face so to speak. Agreeing with Shadow, he nods. "Probably a good idea. You look like you can take a good few more hits than us right now. Just be mindful of traps."
Ranmaru nods, "Very well. Taking hits is my specialty, afterall. Though those who would stand against us will find I can return them with equal fervor."
As he turns to open the door, he continues to converse with the men behind him, "I do not believe I got your names, sirs?"
ooc: open the door!
"Shadow," He replied curtly.
Ranmaru notices the door can be locked on this side, should it matter.
The door opens! A misty corridor is ahead, with a door opposite this one on the other side. It goes up and down, tending to fade into haziness after a bit going in either direction. The door opposite you is open - you can see what looks like some sort of vast junk room on a glance.
Ranmaru advances into the corridor at a careful pace, and if nothing stops him, proceeds all the way to the door on the other side and takes a peek into the junk room.
"Shadow? An interesting name. Are you some sort of ninja?"
The junk room has several paths winding into it. Down one of them, you can see a few bodies lying on the ground. The scent of blood is in the air.
"Huh, I had thought we'd introduced ourselves earlier, but maybe not? Well, I'm Varian," is the reply from the small caster.
Ranmaru moves over towards the bodies, wanting to see if it's anyone they know.
It looks to be armed men. They're quite dead and unfamiliar to Ranmaru. Theys till have their weapons and armor left behind; whomever killed them wasn't too subtle.
As they are checked, there is a WHUMP in the rubbish! Some of it falls away, revealing a smooth metal platform therein. It glows with white energy.
Turning his attention away from the corpses, Ranmaru looks over the platform, though he doesn't touch it. "Glowing? Hmm, any ideas on what this might be?"
"Your guess is as good as ours," Varian answers with a helpless shrug. "If I had to guess though, it probably can't be something good if the corpses are any indication."
Shadow took some of the rope swinging it as a noose and landing it on the glowing platform. "Well, let's see then."
The rope touches the platform and vanishes away in a wink!
-1 rope, Shadow.
"Well, I'm starting to run low on testing materials," Shadow frowned. "But that makes for a pretty good test of not being safe."
"I don't know, you sure it destroyed the rope or some such? These corpses didn't exactly die from vanishment..." Varian comments with a thoughtful frown.
"Well, if it is a warp gate...someone just has to go step on it...to find out."
Varian pauses in caution, then looks at the new guy. "So...Ranmaru...." Varian starts lamely, not sure exactly how to make the request to do something he'd most certainly not do.
Ranmaru actually laughs, "Worry not about asking me to place myself at risk, sir Varian. Such has always been my duty."
Handing his pack to Shadow for the moment, Ranmaru boldly moves forward and steps on the platform!
To the others, Ranmaru vanishes away into nothingness!
----
Ranmaru finds himself standing in waist deep water. He is in a flooded hallway...except, after a moment, he realizes something! This isn't waist deep water, he just hasn't started to sink! Down into the drink he goes, his surprised eyes getting a glimpse of something - a few feet away, a large chunk of wood floats, alluringly ready to grab onto.
Ranmaru attempts to grab the chunk of wood and hold on for dear life!
* Hatbot --> "Kotono rolls 1d20 I'll call this a flat dex check since you're just reaching outa nd not really trying to swim yet. Half plate armor and swimming don't mix. I should know, I tried. and gets 11." [1d20=11]
With good reactionary skills, Ranmaru is able to grab a hold of the debris! It bobs up and down under his weight, but he is able to stay clinging to it and above water! His heavy armor makes it bob a little bit, but it looks to support his weight clinging to it just fine.
Using the chunk of wood as a makeshift bodyboard, Ranmaru looks around for anything anchored to hold onto, perhaps something attached to a wall or the ceiling, and then tries to paddle his chunk of wood over to it so he has a more secure hold(also, he's rather glad he's the only one there so nobody sees him looking silly trying to doggie paddle on a chunk of wood in heavy armor).
Once he manages this feat, or if there is simply nothng to secure himself on, he takes a more careful look around for exits/strange objects/anything else of interest.
"So..." Shadow eyed slightly.
"Are we moving along some other way or waiting...even if that is not a death trap, it may not actually provide a two way road."
"We should wait a bit. It -could- be a two way path. Though I'm surprised he actually went and did it," the gnome mutters somewhat astonishedly. "Say...five minutes?"
"Five minutes works."
Drac/Merc, I'll let you two know when 5 minutes pass.
Looking around, Ranmaru sees he's about five feet from the ceiling. It's plain, rusty iron, pitted and wet. There is water all around, the flooded hall stretching a fair ways in either direction. He can't really see much without peering down, but the water's dark and rather impenetrable to a casual look. There's really not all that much light here. Enough to see, but not much else.
Undetered by his current situation, Ranmaru picks a direction and starts paddling his chunk of wood that way, figuring that he'd have to find something eventually. "Hmph, wouldn't lord Gan Ning laugh at me right now, paddling about like some child who can't swim."
* Hatbot --> "Kotono rolls 1d20-1 listen check for Ranmaru and gets 15." [1d20=16]
Ranmaru begins to swim! As he does, he hears something from below! Something's moving in the dark water he treads atop of! It sounds close!
Hearing sounds below him, Ranmaru keeps a grip on the wood with one hand and draws his hammer with the other. Thinking for a second, he takes a look at the wall to see if it looks like something he could work his way back up if he went underwater...
The wall's rather rusty. It's pitted in several places, giving it ideal holes and handholds.
"Ah, fortune smiles for a change." Paddling his chunk of wood over to the wall, Ranmaru sees if there's a way for him to wedge it in one of those holes to keep it from floating off while he contimplates doing something incredibly stupid.
Ranmaru paddles over to the wall. THere's a few large holes that could have the wood wedged into it! Yet as he does, something bursts to the surface, 15 feet away at where he was just at! It is a green skinned humanoid with gills, riding a shark! It wears a samurai's armor, a trident in one hand and a wakizashi in the other! The shark snaps at where poor Ranmaru was! He speaks in insane words that Ranmaru does not understand! However, in front of him, translating words appear.
"Tally-ho! Sebastian, charge!" his words seem to take a lot longer to say than the subtitles would indicate...but no matter, for he points his trident at Ramnaru and knees his shark, who begins to charge at the warrior!
I'm calling initiative here.
* Hatbot --> "Kotono rolls 1d20+3 ???? and gets 18." [1d20=15]
* Hatbot --> "Kotono rolls 1d20+4 Ranmaru and gets 13." [1d20=9]
Shark-rider>Ranmaru. Uh oh.
The shark charges forward, biting down at Ranmaru before he can react!
* Hatbot --> "Kotono rolls 1d20+6 charge and gets 16." [1d20=10]
Yet Ranmaru just manages to dodge, his armor stopping him from being sharp teeth surprise!
Ranmaru.
The soldier of Wu is surprised by the sudden attack, though he does not flinch even at such a rediculous sight, "Hmph! A cowardly attack, but I accept your challange!"
If Ranmaru knows anything abount mounted combat, it's that one solid blow is all it takes to knock even the most accoplished horseman(er...sharkman?) right outta the saddle. As such, he attempts to brain the poor bastard with his hammer!
* Hatbot --> "Kotono rolls 1d20+4 (-2 for watery circumstances) and gets 19." [1d20=15]
* Hatbot --> "Kotono rolls 1d8+2 and gets 4." [1d8=2]
* Hatbot --> "Kotono rolls 1d20+4 ride check and gets 22." [1d20=18]
4 damage to Mr. SAMURAI
SLAM! Gate hits the samurai fishman right in the chest! He wobbles on his mount, but manages to more or less stay on his shark! This time, he attacks while his shark does the same, or tries to!
* Hatbot --> "Kotono rolls 1d20+4 attack with mount check and gets 20." [1d20=16]
Yep, he does.
* Hatbot --> "Kotono rolls 1d20+4 bite and gets 17." [1d20=13]
* Hatbot --> "Kotono rolls 1d20+6 and gets 21." [1d20=15]
* Hatbot --> "Kotono rolls 1d20+4 and gets 24." [1d20=20]
* Hatbot --> "Kotono rolls 1d20+4 crit? and gets 22." [1d20=18]
* Hatbot --> "Kotono rolls 1d8+3 and gets 4." [1d8=1]
* Hatbot --> "Kotono rolls 1d6+1 bite damage and gets 3." [1d6=2]
* Hatbot --> "Kotono rolls 2d6+2 and gets 11." [2d6=6, 3]
8/26, Ranmaru. You just got beaten like ...well, like how a water samurai beats someone. I dunno. IT's kinda like this.
Bite! Wham! Stab! Ranmaru now has holes in his chest, a bite across his arm and a stab into his stomach! Blood stains the water entirely too freely, his vision swimming from the maiming!
Ranmaru, you're up.
Such overwhelmig speed! Ranmaru had to admit, he was impressed with his assailent's skill. But this is one man who did not know the meaning of give up.
As he swung his hammer in for another blow, he addressed the samurai, "What power! Might I ask your name, samurai?"
* Hatbot --> "Kotono rolls 1d20+4 good luck Ranmaru! and gets 12." [1d20=8]
This time Ranmaru's swing is swerved aside, the shark and rider smelling blood in the water, perhaps! In captions at inf ront of him, "The knight...of the MARSHES!" he says, even as he is assailed again!
* Hatbot --> "Kotono rolls 1d20+4 DC 10 ride check to attack with mount and gets 11." [1d20=7]
* Hatbot --> "Kotono rolls 1d20+4 bite and gets 13." [1d20=9]
* Hatbot --> "Kotono rolls 1d20+6 stab and gets 7." [1d20=1]
* Hatbot --> "Kotono rolls 1d20+4 stab and gets 6." [1d20=2]
Lucky!
This time Ranmaru is able to dodge, swimming around as the wall and his woodchunk are hit and torn, yet his body stays safe from another horrible blow!
Ranmaru!
"I am Ranmaru Mori. It is an honor to cross blades with you!" he says, as he swings his hammer in, attempting once more to dislodge this man from his mount, "Or, well, whatever weapons we happen to be using!"
* Hatbot --> "Kotono rolls 1d20+4 Ranmaru swings! and gets 12." [1d20=8]
Hatbot: whore.
A swing and a miss again! The samurai rider seems unimpressed with the size of your name! It strikes again with it's triple threat of bite, stab and piercing!
* Hatbot --> "Kotono rolls 1d20+4 DC 10 ride check and gets 17." [1d20=13]
* Hatbot --> "Kotono rolls 1d20+4 and gets 8." [1d20=4]
* Hatbot --> "Kotono rolls 1d20+6 and gets 26." [1d20=20]
* Hatbot --> "Kotono rolls 1d20+6 crit threat on trident, I think those are 3x and gets 10." [1d20=4]
* Hatbot --> "Kotono rolls 1d20+4 and gets 22." [1d20=18]
* Hatbot --> "Kotono rolls 1d8+3 and gets 6." [1d8=3]
* Hatbot --> "Kotono rolls 1d6+1 and gets 3." [1d6=2]
-1/28, Gate. Condolences.
Bite! Stab! Pierce! It all goes dim for Ranmaru, save for one thing as he falls back into the water, limp! The Knight of the Marshes raises his trident in a bloody salute, words glimpsed as he speaks! "An honorable death in battle! Begone from this place!"
Gate, you're going to be dumped in the Starry Void in a moment. See that topic.
Meanwhile!
----
5 minutes have passed for Varian and Shadow. Nothing.
"Time is up... If he's still alive, he likely can't get back. Let's go down a different path," Shadow glanced down the other paths, seeing if there was anything distinguishing.
There are four paths leading in. The bodies were in the left most path. All four paths look relatively non descript to a casual glance.
"Since we have no real method to differentiate between paths...Let's try the rightmost path this time?" Varian suggests randomly.
Thus the two head down the rightmost path!
* Hatbot --> "Kosick rolls 1d20+8 Dr. Acos and gets 23." [1d20=15]
As they begin to, Shadow's sharp eyes spot something! There is a pressure plate on the floor ahead, cunningly hidden but not hidden enough to escape detection!
"Halt," He barks sharply, taking one of the bones from the nearby bodies and tossing it onto the plate.
The bone is tossed! It lands on the pressure plate, which sinks down! A clattering alarm is heard...but nothing seems to come in reply to it.
"...an alarm. Well, something will be coming soon. Shall we proceed down this or take a different route?"
"If there's an alarm, I would expect there's something this way that someone wants to keep out of our hands, correct?" Varian reasons out. "I say we proceed."
"...Alright," Shadow simply walked along the path.
The path winds for a way, before hooking to the left. No signs of any security or guards despite the alarm. It's most quiet down this path, which goes on a little way.
They continue, to the left.
They come to another intersection! This time two other paths twine together, all of the going on into a downward plunge deeper into the tall, almost wobbling stacks of junk!
* Hatbot --> "Infinite_Ko_Loop rolls 1d20+8 Shadow SPOT and gets 13." [1d20=5]
* Hatbot --> "Infinite_Ko_Loop rolls 1d20+2 and gets 20." [1d20=18]
Varian notices there are subtle arrows in the junk, pointing towards the rightmost path.
"I'm surprised we haven't -seen- any guards yet, reacting to that alarm," the gnome mutters under his breath, not particularly aiming it at Shadow or anything, rather just making the observation. The lack of reaction has actually left him a bit more nervous and paranoid than if something -had- shown up.
"It is strange...but perhaps the passage was assuming us going the other way."
"...huh, arrows," Varian comments as he points them out for Shadow.
As the two dither, they hear something LOUD coming behind them. The sound of a heavy footstep hitting the ground!
"...Let's go that way," Shadow hurried toward the rightmost path.
Varian hurries after Shadow. "Guess someone finally reacted to the alarm."
The duo hurries ahead! They find it slopes downward here, into...what look sto be a still smouldering, ruined, massive mess of junk. Something quite nasty happened here, obviously.
Behind you, you can hear the thumping again, loud!
"Ugh, I think we may have to fight our way out of this mess. Doesn't look like we can move onward," Varian mutters with some curses under his breath as he readies his crossbow to fire at whatever might approach from behind.
Varian turns around! As he does, he sees something quite unusual! A giant, shambling mound of junk has taken form, surging forward in spurts! Each time makes a lout THUMP, the strange mass about 30 feet away from the two! With lumbering speed it comes at them! The path ahead is a massive conflux of ruined, burnt rubble. It's a little smoky here and quite a dead end. Whatever happened here didn't happen too long ago, but it did a helluva number on the place.
There's plenty of space to move ahead around the heaps of refuge, though it's difficult terrain.
* Hatbot --> "Kodinner rolls 1d20-2 and gets 10." [1d20=12]
* Hatbot --> "Kodinner rolls 1d20+3 and gets 15." [1d20=12]
* Hatbot --> "Kodinner rolls 1d20-1 and gets 19." [1d20=20]
Varian>Shadow>Heap. Varian, you're up. Shadow, you can also go since both of you act before the heap.
Also.
Hatbot --> "Infinite_Ko_Loop rolls 1d20+8 Dracos spot mod and gets 22." [1d20=14]
Shadow can see that there is a lot of loose rubble amid the thing, and several clay jars of some odd material. Looks kinda oily from what little spills out.
Eying one of the clay jars near the things leg, he targeted one with two arrows, sending them flying toward it and then moving back a step, staying away from the junk behind him as best as possible.
OOC: +5, +5 1d8+1 on both.
* Hatbot --> "Infinite_Ko_Loop rolls 1d20+5 and gets 16." [1d20=11]
* Hatbot --> "Infinite_Ko_Loop rolls 1d20+5 and gets 16." [1d20=11]
* Hatbot --> "Infinite_Ko_Loop rolls 2d8+2 and gets 9." [2d8=3, 4]
Two arrows fly out, Shadow's twinned shots piercing clay jars and junk! Sparks and flames race up the heaps 'legs', catching much of it on fire!
Varian.
Varian winces but lets loose his own bolt from the crossbow, hoping it does some damage.
ooc: +1, 1d6 dmg.
* Hatbot --> "Inifnite_Ko_Loop rolls 1d20+1 and gets 4." [1d20=3]
Varian aims but simply misses! As he does, the burning heap of junk crashes over Varian, slamming him with many a heap of burning junk!
* Hatbot --> "Inifnite_Ko_Loop rolls 1d20+5 and gets 9." [1d20=4]
But Varian dives out of the way of the monstrosity!
Shadow'n'Varian are up.
Shadow moves back, clearing away from it, using the junk for a bit of cover and firing a single arrow at its other leg, aiming again for a capsule. He really wants to slow it down.
OOC: +7, 1d8+1.
* Hatbot --> "Kowork rolls 1d20+7 and gets 10." [1d20=3]
Shadow aims, shoots and misses the target completely!
Varian begins to make an incantation as he gestures with one hand, causing a small torrent of water to form above the creature, and letting gravity do the rest.
ooc: Casting Create Water to douse the flames on the creature (and rust maybe? *shrugs*).
The flames are battled back, half extinguished by Varian's application of water! Without the fire, much of the burnt debris seem to weaken, the entire thing creaking wildly! Nonetheless, it is able to make another swinging attack at Varian!
* Hatbot --> "Nikori rolls 1d20+5 and gets 17." [1d20=12]
* Hatbot --> "Nikori rolls 1d8+2 and gets 6." [1d8=4]
9/15. You two are up.
SLAM! The heaping crush leaves Varian battered and beaten as rubble rains down around him!
Shadow'n'Varian are up.
Varian gives a small scream of pain as he tries to take his distance and fires with the crossbow again.
ooc: +1 atk, 1d6 dmg.
* Hatbot --> "Kotono rolls 1d20+1 and gets 9." [1d20=8]
The whiff! Varian fires but misses the giant hunk of junk in front of him, somehow!
Shadow.
"Hope you've got another one of those," Shadow drew two more arrows, sending it at the container in his right 'leg' part and then retreated back another five feet.
OOC: +5, +5, 1d8+1 each
* Hatbot --> "Kotono rolls 1d8+1 and gets 3." [1d8=2]
With that final arrow, the burnt, wet and generally mangled heap of junk collapses into a great big pile of rubble and junk!
Free act.
Shadow does a quick search of the junk in the area, see if it was protecting anything or its previous victims had dropped anything. Including of course the junk monster itself.
"Ugh, I hate the limitations of this so-called magic," Varian declares with disgust as he looks at the mess, wincing as he grabs his side where he was hit. "I hope our beloved 'Benefactor' has some more of that healing stuff available for us somewhere amongst this junk. That or we have another ally popping up on us. Promise I won't send him to his probable death this time."
The drippingly sarcastic tone used on 'Benefactor' leaves little unsaid of his opinion of the game master making them dance like puppets.
"He likely simply has us as weaklings... That is the primary limitation of this magic as they call it."
Taking 10/20 or rolling on the search, Drac?
OOC: Take 10.
Searching the wreckage, you find the following useful things:
A longsword.
A quarterstaff, slightly charred.
Enough shards of glass and pottery to be used as weapons.
A big log.
A stained book on what looks to be religion.
A single glass bottle, red-white fluid within, like a candy cane.
Shadow swiped the sword and the quarterstaff, heading out to the nearest junction. "Are you alright? That thing hit you pretty hard," He glanced back at Varial.
"I'll live," Varian replies. "Anything interesting at all?"
Shadow showed him the stuff. "Nope, not really at all."
OOC: Junction information please?
Returning back, the two see this again:
They come to another intersection! This time two other paths twine together, all of the going on into a downward plunge deeper into the tall, almost wobbling stacks of junk! Further, Varian noticed an arrow pointing to the rightward path, which you went down and successfully slew the creature chasing you at the rubbish filled dead in there.
"Let's head down the left then...the platform is the only thing behind us back that way, and this is a dead end," Shadow heads left.
Thus the two head down the leftmost path deeper in!
<Kobot> Shadow_Ko_Chaos rolled 1d20+8 --> [ 1d20=13 ]{21} Shadow
<Kobot> Shadow_Ko_Chaos rolled 1d20+2 --> [ 1d20=5 ]{7} Varian
Within twenty feet of proceeding in and down the passage, Shadow can see a ladder leading downward in a hole in the ground at a dead end. However, he can also see semi transparent, thin wires running around it in a tight circle, usually only inches apart.
"Be careful, there's trap wires here." Shadow takes a piece of junk, tossing it down the hole.
The bit of junk hits the wires around the stairs and is sliced apart into several neat chunks. It's cut clean, no jaggedness or signs of dullness. One piece that lands in the hole falls down and you don't hear any impact sound.
"No kidding..." Varian states as he gapes at the result, and tries to see where the wires are being supported from along the walls of the hole. Maybe they can loosen them as they move, letting the wires fall to the ground below and allowing them passage?
The wires are attached to bits of junk all around you. It forms a tight cocoon around the stairway. IT might be possible to deconnect them, yes.
Shadow tries slicing the gunk out with the long sword.
Shadow cuts out the junk! Without support the wires fall to the floor, forming little cuts into the ground which they rest into. A path ahead is now open.
ooc: the fires?
ic:
"I'll start going down first, and casting a light spell at the bottom if it's too dark to see our way through."
Wires, fixed.
Shadow takes a good look down the hole now that it's easier to do so. "Alright, be careful."
It's a rather dark hole. It looks like it goes down a ways. The walls are smooth, polished steel. They'd reflect light if there was much light to reflect.
Varian pulls out the lenght of rope again from his backpack, and wraps it around his waist, letting one end loose and long. Grabbing that end, he mutters some mystic words before touching it, letting it glow brightly like a torch. Moving to the stairs, he begins a cautious descent, letting the dangling rope 'torch' light his way.
Good call.
Not even three rungs down, Varian can see the walls below have little sliding circular plates. Like little murder holes hidden, ready to thrust out and do painful things to anyone that gets in range of them. There are faint blood splatters around the edges of them.
"Oh, for the...." the gnome begins to curse under his breath in annoyance as he stops his descent and tries to search for the mechanism that might activate this latest trap.
<Team_Rat_Fangirl_Bot> Kotono rolled 1d20 search check --> [ 1d20=16 ]{16}
The murder holes are pretty well overlapped. There's no obvious, easy way to avoid them. However, on searching, Varian finds a smooth metal plate behind the ladder. It looks like it can be removed.
Varian slowly ties the rope near his waist onto one of the ladder rungs, shaking his head in annoyance at moving light from his spell. Still, it should allow him some less limited mobility without risking a fall in case there's any hidden surprises behind the metal plate.
That done, he then proceeds to try to examine his latest find, using his small nimble fingers to try and pry it loose.
The metal plate is removed! Inside there are four buttons. Each one has a drawing below it. The first is of spears, the second is of a glowing ladder, the third is of a man falling and the last is of an alarm bell.
The gnome scratches his chin in thought before he calls out above to Shadow, describing his find. "Any preference on what to press? None of the buttons really look that tempting..." he finishes up, briefly pondering if there's a possibility of hitting the buttons with an arrow or crossbow bolt from the relative safety of up top.
"Let's see... Try the spears, maybe if they're out, we can simply navigate around them. It may be an off switch otherwise."
It might be possible with a perfect angle or aim, but a miss could trigger another button by mistake.
Varian decides not to try his luck on his horrible aim, and with how hurt Shadow is, better not to rely on his aim either. Taking a deep breath, he puts a finger next to the spears button, clenches his eyes shut, and presses the button.
Eyes closed, Varian hits the button! He hears a soft clicking sound from within the wall! If he cares to open his eyes, he can see that the way ahead is still clear. No sign of spear-y death.
After a few seconds of nothing happening, he releases a sigh of relief. "Okay, hopefully that was a button deactivating all traps. I did hear a clicking sound..." he mutters, trying to convince himself. "...well. Here goes."
His heart racing, he slowly begins to go down again. However, at the first sign of agonizing pain (that isn't immediately fatal... hopefully!) though, the gnome is scrambling back up!
The stairway goes down one hundred feet! The sign of it is seeing a floor at the bottom. It looks like quite a normal floor, save for one thing. Several loose gemstones lie to the side and opposite the ladder.
Cupping his hands in front of his mouth, he bellows upwards to Shadow, "Looks safe to come down!" and waits for his companion to join him, as he looks around more carefully while he waits.
* Hatbot --> "Kotono rolls 1d20+2 and gets 6." [1d20=4]
The floor is steel and utterly non descript. There aren't any murderholes this far below.
"Alright," Shadow hurried down after his compatriot.
Shadow gets to the bottom! Both are on the ladder, not far above the floor. The gems are perhaps 8 feet away and at an angle, just lying there.
In traditional style, Shadow jabs at the gemstones with his spear.
The first jab breaks one of the gemstones into a dozen little shiny shards. No resistance at all, a simple jab broke it.
"Well, those are probably fake if they broke that easily, given you don't strike me as one of those stupidly strong sorts, no offense by the way," Varian notes before sighing. "Probably yet another trap of some sort."
"Yeah, surprising actually...it's all created...why bother with cheap traps?" Shadow shrugged, looking for other routes and shifting the gems around with the butt of his spear.
The gems break rather easily. Slamming down the butt of his spear, Shadow can notice the sound is rather hollow. Otherwise, there's nothing of note here, nor any passages.
"Huh...the floor might be hollow," He tested it a bit with his spear to see if it was a door down..or just a pit trap.
The floor sinks down ever so slightly from the repeated beats. It's a smooth motion, not something crude and giving.
"Hrm...there really doesn't seem to be anything interesting around here. Maybe we were supposed to press one of the other buttons to get a useful effect like a secret exit or such?" Varian theorizes.
"If you want to try them..." Shadow shrugged. "I suspect they are more danger than they are worth. Let's see what's under this." Shadow checks for any latch or way to slide the lowered section in to provide a way through.
The entire floor has slid down. To examine the ground floor for anything hidden, one would need to step down and search directly.
Shadow tests it with a foot.
The floor is pressed down! With a little more pressure, like perhaps a full body, it would sink further.
Shadow tests that...hands still on the ladder.
Shadow puts his full weight down onto the floor, holding onto the ladder! There is a heavy THUMP as the floor sinks down another six inches! A heavy thump, as if something just fell into place.
Shadow looked up, and then got off a second, looking around for anything that may have moved from the switch.
Looking up, Shadow sees something. A shadow of something above - something, well, big!
"Varial, get out of the well," Shadow dashed out from under the shadow.
Varian quickly scampers after Shadow, without wait for explanation.
The shadow is seen as the two scurry up! It's a humanoid holding a big old pile of junk, which it promptly drops on down the laddered path!
You have a few seconds to react as it does that. You're still several rounds of climbing to get out of the well.
OOC: Will never work.
IC:
Shadow grabs his long spear and jabs it a bit above them horizontally across the well, he tosses the winter blanket over it, taking a torch he spreads it vertically along the center of the spear to spread out the junk that would hit it to either side and then hides under it with varial
Nice thinking./
The junk rains down! Shadow's incredibly impromptu barrier deflects away the worst of the falling junk, preventing the two from harm! Of course, they can't see up now, but it stopped the rain for the moment!
"Thanks," the shaken gnome states in gratitude, as he concentrates on one of his few remaining spells, casting an illusion of voices upward that somewhat resemble those of the people met earlier. He doesn't think much about making them say anything realistic or such, just random threats at the creature and dire retribution if it does not move away from the hole. Hopefully it will understand and cautiously listen, but if not, they can only hope it still serves as a distraction as he plans on moving upwards once more as soon as the spell is cast.
ooc: Casting Ghost Sound to create four voices around the creature.
OOC: Do we hear sounds of footsteps moving away?
IC:
Shadow meanwhile shifts past the makeshift cover, hurrying for the top.
There's the sound of feet fleeing! AS shadow removes the cover, he sees that no more junk is raining down, nor is anything casting a shadow down.
Shadow rushes to the top of the well as fast as he can climb.
On reaching the top, Shadow finds it empty and abaonded! No sign of the junk thrower at all. No sign of danger, at least fo rnow.
"Hurry up," Shadow readied a shot, keeping an eye on the corridor.
OOC: Any new passages?
Nothing immediately obvious, no. Is Varian doing anything as well?
"I'm coming!" Varian replies as he scrambles upwards as well. "Is it gone? The illusion worked?" he says with a sigh of relief as he sees nothing there.
"Seems so, but that switch probably opened something," Shadow cautiously lead the way out of the dead end, keeping an eye out for new openings until he reaches the last passageway they haven't gone in.
<Team_Rat_Fangirl_Bot> Kokokokokoko rolled 1d20+8 --> [ 1d20=9 ]{17}
Shadow and Varian don' notice anything on the trip back. The last path lies ahead of them if they wish to try it.
OOC: Why not~
IC:
Shadow takes them down the last path, TO THEIR DOOM...hopefully not.
Hatbot --> "Ko-Ratisexistentialangst rolls 1d20+8 spottery and gets 27." [1d20=19]
I'd roll Varian but it's moot with that roll.
A few feet in, Shadow's eyes travel above. The junk is stacked about twenty feet tall here - and most unstably. Any motion at all might send the piles down all over.
OOC: would the route be blocked if the junk fell?
OOC: Yes, and it wouldn't be nice to be under it as it falls, either.
Shadow looks for alternate routes through the junk fillled room to see if there is a way to pass it without moving the junk, stopping Varian's forward progress. Is there a way to knock over the junk backwards?
OOC:
Was there any other routes in general? I was of the general conclusion that we've traversed all other routes except the strange platform. Is that fact?
OOC: poke?
My bad. This is the last route you see.
There doesn't look to be any easy way to avoid tipping over the junk. Not unless you can move very softly and quietly...
"Hrm? What's the matter?" Varian asks as Shadow stops him.
"If anything is waiting in trap here, it'll be able to crush us with the junk. Wait here a moment,"
Shadow stealthed as best a shadowy stealth can stealth, very carefully and quietly through the junk pile and making very careful not to touch it, his eyes peeled for traps or folks waiting in ambush.
* Hatbot --> "Kotono rolls 1d20+10 ms and gets 24." [1d20=14]
* Hatbot --> "Kotono rolls 1d20+10 balance and gets 18." [1d20=8]
* Hatbot --> "Kotono rolls 1d20+8 spot and gets 21." [1d20=13]
Shadow creeps in and along! He makes nary a noise or sound, balancing perfectly so not to upset the junk! The path slopes down for sixty feet, coming to a dead end. Lying here is a broken skeleton, wisps of clothing clinging to it. It has a backpack still surviving, clinging to it's back.
Shadow checks the backpack.
Inside of the backpack is a blue potion and a set of thief's tools.
Shadow acquires such and makes his way back.
Shadow creeps back without incident, rejoining Varian!
Congrats, you've unlocked mastework thieves tools.
Shadow takes a whiff of the potion to see what it is.
Shadow tries to identify it. However, without spellcraft training, this is a futile endevour.
Shadow offers it to varial for a sip.
OOC:I'd try it, but if it did an hp of damage, we'd be in a familiar spot.
Varian?
Varian frowns and looks at the vial, uncertainly. "Another healing potion? What'd you find over there?"
Drac, you're up.
"I think it is, but I'm not sure. I also found some thieves tools and a dead end. I think we're down to one bet, which is that disappearing platform that was stepped on earlier."
Varian scrounges up his courage and takes a taste of the vial.
The potion tastes good an dmakes Varian's wounds feel better.
"Looks like it's safe. Here, you need it more than I do," Varian hands the potion back to Shadow.
"Thanks," Shadow said simply, drinking it down.
* Hatbot --> "Kotono rolls 3d8+5 and gets 20." [3d8=5, 8, 2] Shadow is HEALED.
We resume! I ask all of you to do me a favor. Due to an error in bookkeeping I lost your current HP totals. Can you include them in your next post? I'm going to start using a throwaway IRC room to keep track of them. (#avatarhps if you care to peek or need to check.)
Thanks.
Shadow's wounds heal!
OOC: Seriously? 15 hp. That's more than my max hp anyway!
IC:
"I needed that," Shadow stood up looking better than he had in an age. "Anyhow...we were down to one bet...are you doing alright?" Shadow asked as he lead back to that platform.
Waiting on Merc to have a chance to lay a line here, since we've been on such a long break.
ooc: *huggles Ana* 9/15 HP
ic:
Varian raises an eyebrow, and points at his blood-caked chest from when that trash heap slammed it's...arm, or whatever, at him. "No, but I'll live, and at least I don't look or feel like I have a foot in the grave."
He pauses and smiles. "On the plus side, neither do you anymore, so that ups both our chances of survival. Well, hopefully."
The return back to the front of the junk-heap room is without incident. The 'vanishing platform' there awaits, where Ranmaru blinked away not too long ago.
"Well, he didn't return...so there's really three likely options. This is a death trap. It is one way. Or it warps us into monsters. So be ready," Shadow stepped onto it.
Shadow steps into the platform and vanishes!
Ack! It's dark here! It's wet here! Shadow seems to have fallen into dark waters?! This is obviously a problem if one wishes to do something besides sinking and drowning!
Shadow tries to swim to the surface, focusing on survival first.
OOC: Swim is -1 I think.
Varian scrunches his eyes shut and quickly follows after, and hopes it's not a death trap after all.
ooc: swim roll would be -2 for Varian.
* Hatbot --> "Kotono rolls 1d20-1 Shadow SWIMS and gets 19." [1d20=20]
* Hatbot --> "Kotono rolls 1d20-2 VARIAN SWIMS?! and gets 9." [1d20=11]
The two splash down into the dark waters! Shadow is able to easily keep afloat, while Varian sinks like a stone, unable to swim!
Shadow tries to grab Varian, struggling as he looks for some dry land or place to go.
Make and roll another swim check for me, Drac? IRC issues.
OOC: 12 [1d20=13]. Rolled with a java roller.
Acting swiftly, Shadow is able to grab Varian and keep him afloat. However, there's no land immediately visible. It's dark here, with lots of water all over.
Shadow starts swimming toward the north. One direction as good as another.
Varian coughs some water out. "Ugh...thanks. At least we know our other friend didn't die from that, unless he's as bad a swimmer as me."
Getting a moment to look around now, Shadow and Varian can see that it's a flooded hall. The waters are dark and there isn't much light at all. It goes in two directions as a hall tends to do. You can't see very deeply into the water at all. The walls are pitted, rusted iron. There's a forgotten, floating chunk of wood in the shadow of one of the walls.
Varian points to the piece of wood. "Help me over there? Hopefully with the plank you won't have to hold me up all the time as we find a way out."
Shadow nodded, saving his breath as he pulled them over to the chunk of wood.
"Thanks," the small caster states as he grabs onto the plank. "Wish I knew where we are in relation to our original location so we'd know to go left or right."
The wood supports Varian's weight well enough. It should be just fine to rest on safely.
After a second's musing, Varian begins to kick towards the left, using the plank as a floatation assitant. "Left is as good as any direction, I guess."
Varian swims along! He reaches a dead end here. However, his keen low light vision lets him see something far below the waters - looks like a door or a passage.
"Shadow, looks like there's a path under the water over here. Since you can swim much better than myself, do you want to dive and check it out, or just try the other way?" Varian calls out to his companion.
OOC: Hah... ready for critfail...
IC:
"One moment..." Shadow tied a rope around his waist, handing the other end to Varian. "If I give a tug, or look like I'm being pulled under, help pull me out."
And with that he breathed in deeply and dove for the passage.
You can hold your breath for rounds equal to your con score times 2. 24 rounds for you.
It takes Shadow a bit to swim downward, reaching the door. Three rounds, plenty of air left to go. It looks to lead deeper in, no sign of air ahead.
21/24
Shadow sees about tugging it open, pulling back as he does so to take a look at what's inside.
OOC: Two errata, both proof I shouldn't post while stupid. It takes four rounds to reach the door and the door is open. 20/24 air, Drac. Sorry.
The door is already open, there is no need to open it. Ahead Shadow can see a watery hall that goes on for the sixty feet, then a downward slope. All waterlogged, of course. About thirty feet ahead, Shadow can see a narrow crack has opened in the floor.
OOC: How far can I go in a round? Heh, without that I can't judge the swim distance versus rounds :)
http://www.d20srd.org/srd/skills/Swim.htm
Basically half your move or a quarter depending on the action type. Assuming half unless you want to do something zany or wacky while swimming.
Shadow heads that 30 feet in, taking a check down the crack.
18/24
Shadow reaches the crack without incident! Water is trickling down it. The sides around the crack are quite loose and damaged, almost falling apart. The crack is quite dark and narrow to see in. You'd need ot spend a little time, a round, to peer down and have a chance to discern anything.
Shadow continues on, checking the downward slant ahead.
16/24
Shadow swims further! There's a gap in the roof leading up, more swimming space in an alternate passage. The tunnel also continues onward.
Shadow checks the gap leading upward, seeing if there's air here.
15/24
Taking a round to swim up, Shadow finds no air! There is a heavy steel grate just at where the water seems to break. However, there is a small passage just below the grate, a part of the wall having slid away.
Shadow checks the passage out, seeing where it leads.
13/24
Swimming 30 more feet up, Shadow passes two empty pedestals built into the wall. It looks like something was once there, but not anymore. The new hole is four more rounds of swimming away.
Shadow takes the time to head back to Varian, "I'm going to take another look," He hung at the side for a moment catching his breath properly.
"Long path underwater?" Varian asks curiously.
OOC: ANd there's my bad.
IC:
"Yeah..." Shadow described what he'd seen. "Possibly a mid way air stop though...going to check."
Shadow headed back to the secret wall part and looked there, not stopping at all on the way this time.
18/24, air refreshed and six rounds to get there.
Shadow returns to the crack without incident!
Shadow tries to enter, seeing what's in there.
Clarification since I'm a dumbass: Did you mean the crack, or the passage under the grate as you swum up?
OOC: The passage under the grate as I swam up
Air is 16/24 then. Right-o.
It's a pretty narrow, snaking passage. Shadow can see that it'll take time and effort to swim down, and it'll also be dangerous to do so. Not dangerous in an immediate sense, but getting out could be difficult when one is short on air.
Shadow headed in, trying to get a look further down, staying only a moment before rushing back.
15/24
Shadow swims deeper! He pokes his head in and swims 15 feet! 75 feet ahead there is an upward swing in the water tunnel.
Shadow rushes toward the upward swing~
10/24
Shadow swims ahead! The passage goes thirty feet up! There is a little pull-panel built into the dead end there, as if the ceiling has a compartment to open up. However, the walls are lined with a purplish, wavy sort of plant. It lines the outsides of the small passage, making only a small center passage through it.
Shadow yanks out a sword and stabs through that center to test it.
9/24
Shadow stabs the clear center! Nothing happens in it, though the purplish strands of plants crackle and flash white when the blade comes close.
ooc: don't drown, Shadow! Varian doesn't want to have to apply mouth-to-mouth!
A-fucking-men!
Shadow tries cutting the purple stuff nearby, since he noticed it reacted to the blade, trying to hack a bit of a path.
8/24
Shadow hacks at the purplish seaweed! It's fairly tough, flashing white as his blade touches it! A bit is cut off to no ill effect, falling down and crumbling away on the slicing!
Shadow hurries on past it, trying not to touch any of it as he went on to the passage.
6/24
* Hatbot --> "XornKokokoko rolls 1d20+4 DC 10 and gets 22." [1d20=18]
* Hatbot --> "XornKokokoko rolls 1d20+4 DC 10 and gets 16." [1d20=12]
Shadow successfully swims between the purplish plants, reaching the top!
Shadow hurriedly tries to find whatever was needed to open the upward passageway.
5/24
Doesn't look like much of anything is needed. It's a little pull out panel, your hands and a little bit of oomph would suffice to do so.
Shadow does just that.
4/24
Shadow opens the panel! It's about double the size of his head, removed and pulled back! It hides a gap upward of about a foot tall and the same width of the panel. There are deeper recesses in both walls if one wishes to poke one's head in and look. Further...the water stops at where the panel was! There are lungfuls of real air just waiting inside!
Shadow tests it with his sword first. Poking all around for safety.
3/24
Shadow taps his sword around! Nothing comes out to impale it or damage it in any way.
Shadow hurries in for the healthy oxygen..and looks around above.
Air! Real, glorious air!
There are two little gaps facing each other. One has a pile of what looks to be loose paper and rubbish covering something. The other has a lever at the end that could be pulled out to trigger something, presumably.
Shadow checked the loose paper and rubbish.
Under the papers is a rod, colored black and blue.
Shadow takes the rod...then pulls the lever.
OOC: Normally I'd use a rope or something, but I'm kind of out of props. :(
Shadow obtains the ROD!
Shadow pulls the lever! The lever makes a gentle, creaking sound! The water is starting to lower - fast!
Shadow quickly glances down, what's below him?!
The water is down to his waist! It looks like the water is descending fast!
OOC: Meant am I lowering into spikes or anything? Or is it safe to just go with the water down to ground level?
OOC: It looks safe enough if one stays with the water level.
Shadow stays with the water level, keeping an eye out for things of import as he lowers down.
Shadow descends down! The water level sinks down all the way to the bottom of this little upward area, sixty feet below. Not much of interest was revealed by this.
Shadow heads back to see how Varian is doing.
Varian awaits! Not much has happened while he waits, Shadow returning safely at last!
ooc: *peeks in and sees his cue!*
ic:
"What happened? You were gone for quite a while that time!" Varian asks, a strongly curious undertone in his voice.
OOC:...eh? Hasn't he been lowered to the ground by the falling water level? Thus providing a very obvious change?
OOC: The water lowered in the upward tunnel you explored. It's still normal here. Imagine it like a tower that drained out.
ooc: heh, yeah, I didn't see anything from Ana saying things lowered on my end so I assumed (correctly for once!). Still think "What happened?" is a valid question even if water level fell though. =) And on other notes.... *gnaws*
OOC: Ah... sorry! Misinterpreted.
IC:
"Found a section inside with some air. We should be able to use it as a mid point."