Cairenn Bell |
"What?" Cairenn calls back in bemusement to Ronen's words. "How are we meant to lower the wagon when we're all clinging to the rope down near the bottom? Also, I think you possibly overestimate the weight one rope can be expected to hold at once!"
Cairenn Bell |
Yes, I understand that. But Ronen is telling us "Do not fully lower it in the water until the majority of you are down here!" Meaning... we'd have to climb back down? With the wagon not fully lowered? Which I'm not sure how that would work.
Ronen Carst |
hey Ronen isn't looking it that way he sees what will happen. boat hits water. big baddie sinks boat a la 10,000 leagues under the sea!
Cairenn Bell |
If that is what happens, I'd rather the 'boat' got sunk when nobody's in it rather than we are all trying to get on it, so I don't see if it makes much difference whether we're down at the bottom of the rope, than up at the top, other than the whole issue of 'logistically we can't be both down at the bottom of the rope while simultaneously lowering the wagon from the top'.
I mean. Unless Grimmy corrects me as to the cart's badass structural integrity, this is not, nor was ever intended to be, a waterproof watercraft. It's wood that will float, that's all. I was not intending us to be able to ride it like a boat, I was thinking more of 'it's something to cling to to aid to our swim checks'. So, if whatever it is in the water breaks it up when it first touches down, then... we'll just have a bunch of smaller wooden pieces floating around, rather than one intact one. In neither case do we really have a true boat, and if we do try and use it as a real boat, the thing in the water can probably capsize us and dump us all overboard just as easily.
We could use the 'boat' as bait. Readied ranged weapons, and if something does pop up out of the water to smash it, we fire. *shrug* Honestly, it's an awful situation all around, there's no clearly good way to land in a lake that has something probably-dangerous swimming in it with the layout as described. But, logistically, we literally cannot both all climb down to the bottom of the rope, and at the same time, lower the wagon the last few feet. I mean, I guess if you tied some knots in the very bottom-most section of the rope, then had everyone climb down there, and undo those last few knots to drop the wagon the rest of the way.... which still means a lot of people, and a cart, hanging from a single rope at one time.
Actually, let's try and test that: Grimmy, I'd like to make a kn check to see if Cairenn can make a safe guess as to the 'safe weight' of that rope we're trusting to-- exact number not needed, just trying to figure it out if it could realistically hold all the rest of us, and the cart too.
Kn Engineering: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (18) + 2 = 20
One other question: does anybody else have ANY more rope? As I understand it, we're using two 50' pieces right now (Urrnir's and Ares'), tied together, and that's still 20' short of the water's surface. If we could actually get it all the way down to the water that would be a lot better in many ways, like for when we need to... leave.
One other thing: the demon faces 30' down. I rolled Kn checks on them (and failed I think) but didn't do anything else on them. I'd like to check them for magic, Grimmy; assuming I can see them from the top, I'll just det. magic from there; if not, I'll climb down those 30'. I might climb down anyway, because I want to see if there's anything in the 'mouths', which you said were large enough to stick a hand into. There might be a switch or something inside; it's worth shining light inside to see.
Pardon my enormous OOC block of text, y'all.
Ronen Carst |
Priscilla had a 50 ft silk rope which i wanted to use to zip line or ar eorst create a safety line so people in water could use it to hold on to while going through water (i.e like a suspended cable). Everything you said makes perfect sense however Cairenn.
Cairenn Bell |
Ah, okay. Of course, you're over there, and we're over here. :P If we do have another length with our 'side' we might want to knot that rope so the DC is only 5 to climb it, because that will be the rope that leads directly out of the water-- and if we need to climb it in a hurry a DC 5 is better than a DC 10. Eh, anyway, I'll see what Grimmy says to the stuff I posted before actual actions.
DM Grimmy |
Ok so, basically...
The first line dropped down the shaft (Uurnir's and Ares ropes married together) makes it all the way down to the water surface (100' of rope, 70' foot shaft, 20' cavern ceiling= 90' needed). Cairenn's knowledge engineering check reveals the rope is strong enough to lower the raft and still be safe for the party to descend.
Priscilla's rope is tied to the other line at the mouth of the shaft, and Ronen has swum the other end of it over to the island. So there will be a zip-line for folks to zip down to the island, once Ronen ties off the line (but there's nothing to tie to but the levers). So someone with disable device or knowledge engineering needs to get on that island to figure out how to tie off the zip line without tripping the levers and finding out that way what the heck they do.
The "boat" is, as Cairenn says, basically glorified driftwood. The good thing about it is it just keeps you above these choppy waves and undertow. So you can lower it, climb down to it, untie it, paddle it over to the island a little more safely then swimming. And it's an alternative way to get back to the rope to leave, for those who would have trouble climbing the zip line.
DM Grimmy |
The three demon faces in the shaft do not radiate magic when Cairenn detects for it. However, inside each of the mouths, he finds a transparent, violet gemstone the size of an egg.
Ares passed this Knowledge DC on these faces by the way, so he knows the info about the demons represented here.
Cairenn Bell |
Oh, okay, don't know where I got the idea that our ropes didn't go all the way down to the water. Is this an accurate representation of the rope situation? (Pardon my badass artwork)
If so, then I imagine Priscilla could climb down to where the other rope branches off, then climb that one to Ronen, without needing it secured to a lever-- as a halfling, she probably weighs no more than fifty pounds max, and Ronen's own physical strength and weight could probably serve as a counterweight against that much tug, no? Please point out if there's something wrong with that that I'm not seeing.
(Not trying to tell you what to do, Priscilla, but you're definitely the best person at trying to figure out what weird levers do)
Cairenn brightens at seeing something gleaming in the bottom of the mouth. "Ooh," he says, Abraxes hovering in the air next to him to show him what the shinies. He reaches inside to try and fish one out, calling up as he does so, "Priscilla, Ronen should be able to hold your weight, I'd think-- you might go down the ropes and make it to the island to help him figure out those levers..."
Appraise: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (4) + 5 = 9 Well, it's a shiny gemstone anyway!
Ronen Carst |
If Priscilla is going to zip line I could also tie the rope around my waist, sit down with my heels dug into the ground far enough back to make sure the line is taut enough for her to zip line in.
Lilia Stinisen |
Lilia was glad to see the teamwork amongst the group going so well. She didn't butt into the discussions as things had started going swimmingly.
DM Grimmy |
The three levers seem to control different features of the chamber.
Causeways: Hidden beneath the lake’s water, two causeways constructed of long stone slabs supported by slender stone pilings set into the lake’s bottom lead away from the island.
When the requisite lever is pulled, the causeway emerges from the lake ending its movement a few inches above the turbulent, blood‐red waters.
Lever A: This lever controls causeway A.
Lever B: This lever controls causeway B.
Lever C: This lever controls the bone portcullis
Cairenn Bell |
I'll see what happens when the raft touches the water, first. ;) Though honestly I'll probably try the zipline with acrobatics, because.... it looks cool, and Cairenn can't pass that up! (Though if he flubs his roll it will look very uncool.)
Acrobardics!: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (8) + 5 = 13
Cairenn is... possibly competent?
Did Cairenn retrieve the shiny mentioned here?
DM Grimmy |
Yup, three of them, one in each demon mouth. But they need to be appraised.
Everyone else weigh in on your mode of transport and throw the relevant skill checks.
Ronen can see no sign of the water creatures as his companions descend the ropes and begin boarding the raft and testing the zip line for strength.
We'll save Cairenn's acrobardics check for after Priscilla gets to the island and helps Ronen tie off the zip-line. Tied to Ronen's waist, the zip-line is only sturdy enough for a halfling at this point.
Lilia Stinisen |
Lilia will take the first raft run, assisting someone better at swimmin than she.
Aid another Swim 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (9) - 1 = 8
Lueck |
Lueck will take the rope across, wanting to get over so he can use his bow to cover those coming by raft.
Climb 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (5) + 4 = 9
Um, not sure if that is a climb check to catch the rope and keep from falling in, or a swim check when he hits the water. Either way, it is a +4 roll for him.
1d20 + 4 ⇒ (3) + 4 = 7
Um, not sure what's next.
Ares Valorn |
Ares will take the raft as well.
Ares sticks by his companions and gives it all his effort.
Swim check:1d20 + 3 ⇒ (19) + 3 = 22, same as Urrnir if there is a higher I will aid.
DM Grimmy |
Priscilla deftly zips to the island to join Ronen. She finds herself faced with the three levers that seem to control different features of the chamber.
What we need here is a perception check and disable device Priss, see here for DC's and results.
Perception: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (16) + 11 = 27
Disable Device: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (5) + 10 = 15
Priscilla spots the causeways leading from the island to the bank, where the gate and portcullis of fused bone loom.
Causeways: Hidden beneath the lake’s water, two causeways constructed of long stone slabs supported by slender stone pilings set into the lake’s bottom lead away from the island.
When the requisite lever is pulled, the causeway emerges from the lake ending its movement a few inches above the turbulent, blood‐red waters.
Priscilla is able to determine that the three levers in turn control the two causeways, and the portcullis. Unfortunately, she makes a mistake determining which direction the levers pull, and she is left uncertain as to which lever controls which of the three mechanical features.
She secures the zip line using her best estimation.
Cairenn goes first across the zip line and reaches the island, but his weight causes the lever to be depressed. A sound like the grinding of gears comes from beneath the blood lake.
Lever: 1d3 ⇒ 2 lever b was chosen
The causeway on the right hand side rises to a height a few inches above the blood lake, connecting the island to the bank at the edge of the cavern.
The causeways are slick and only 2 ft. wide. Characters moving along them at half speed can do so without penalty, but those moving at full speed must make a DC 12 Acrobatics check. Failure means the character cannot move that round; failure by 5 or more indicates the character falls prone.
Even as the causeway is raised, and Cairenn is safely across the zip line, Lueck follows his companion, hand over hand, but loses his grip and falls from the zip line into the waters below.
As he splashes into the murky blood hued water, Uurnir, Ares and Lilia are just embarking on the raft towards the island, and paddling along on a steady certain course.
DM Grimmy |
Woops! Ok so Priscilla does know how to operate the levers now.
Lever A: This lever controls causeway A.
Lever B: This lever controls causeway B.
Lever C: This lever controls the bone portcullis in the arched gate on the far bank.
Once raised, the portcullis or causeway remains in position for two minutes unless a PC returns it to its original position. (At this time, the lever will return to its original position)
Ronen Carst |
did the scenes with Lueck and Cairenn still ooccur?
Cairenn Bell |
Assuming that they do:
Cairenn brushes off his hands when he reaches the island, feeling semi-satisfied with himself-- until he hears the splash. Wheeling around, Cairenn cries out, "Lueck!"
Lilia Stinisen |
Lilia, noticing one of her mates had fallen, advises the others. "Can we get this raft over to Leuck? No telling what'll happen to him in that water!"
Ares Valorn |
"Let's keep our eyes peeled for that creature Ronen told us about. Hopefully were distracting it for him. As long as he doesn't swallow too much of this perverse water he will be okay." The aasimar stares to the area that the half-elf fell, and watches to see if he's closer to them or the island as well as keeping any eye out for any creatures.
Perception:1d20 + 4 ⇒ (17) + 4 = 21
Ronen Carst |
As soon as Lueck hits the water Ronen springs and rushes to the edge of the inlet. Watching Lueck trying to maintain control in the choppy waters his eyes dart back and forth looking for any signs of the demon spawn.
Perception: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (12) + 8 = 20
DM Grimmy |
Yup, everything still happens the same way, the only new development is that Priscilla has now figured out what each lever does.
Ares and Ronen spot the water being. It seems it was headed for the raft, but has re-routed to intercept Lueck! What's worse, there is a second one circling the island.
Monster ID:
It is an unparalleled swimmer (Swim Speed 90)
Immune paralysis, poison, sleep effects, stunning, critical hits,
flanking and precision‐based damage
Water Mastery (Ex) The water elemental gains a +1 bonus on attack and damage rolls if both it and its opponent are touching water. If the opponent or the elemental is touching the ground, the elemental takes a ‐4 penalty on attack and damage rolls. These modifiers apply to bull rush and overrun manoeuvres, whether the elemental is initiating or resisting the attack.
VortexA water elemental can create a whirlpool as a standard action, at will. This ability functions identically to the whirlwind special attack, but can only form underwater and cannot leave the water.
Anyone can attempt the check with the creature pointed out by Ares and Ronen.
Cairenn Bell |
De planes, boss, de planes: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (20) + 6 = 26
Cairenn squints towards the disturbance in the red water, then his already pale complexion pales further.
"Lueck! Get out of there! It's water elementals! They can suck you down in a vortex in the water, and you'll be no match for them while in it!"
He makes a mental note to buy a rope, as he cannot fling one out to Lueck now. Though it's not that far out to him...
Are we in initiative/combat rounds?
Cairenn Bell |
Cairenn begins to sing!
"Water flows and water goes
"But where it goes nobody knows
"But if you'd get to where you'd go
"You must learn to ride the flow!"
Inspire Competence: Swim. Granting Lueck a +2 to his swim check.
He draws his bow as well.
Lilia Stinisen |
"Keep paddling and get us to that island, Ares! Let us try to keep the creatures off of you" Lilia asks, reading her magic, to cast a spell if they are attacked.
Prepare to cast Magic Missile. 1d4 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 1 = 4
Urrnir Drahaenn |
Round 1
Urrnir draws her bow and knocks an arrow, letting it fly against the elemental closest to the raft when it appears.
Attack: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (7) + 4 = 11
Damage: 1d8 + 2 ⇒ (1) + 2 = 3
Urrnir: Move Action to draw longbow, Standard Action to attack water elemental (readied if necessary). If the elementals go after Leuck instead of the raft then I'll target them.
Lilia Stinisen |
My bad, DM, forgot to properly format my early morning post. I'll make sure to get it right hereafter!