Jesselle Wesmere |
Jesselle takes the time to enjoy the short voyage. She engages much of the crew in conversations and tales using her skill at telling stories, but she also wishes to learn the duties aboard the ship. If they let her she willing to participate in the physical duties to understand them herself. All around she wishes to present Adipem Aquilae and herself as good peoples as she helps where she is needed.
The woman also has the Adipem Aquilae crest she quickly had commissioned prior to the groups departure on her shield
(( Perform (Oratory) 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (12) + 8 = 20 ))
As Adipem Aquilae meets with the experienced Salsa Venator she listens carefully to the plan of action. At Seven-Foot Dan's comment she adds, Do not underestimate the Duchess' allies. We witnessed a large creature that took her off the Coaltongue."
GM Olmek |
"If you are called to act in our stead, you can do so with complete autonomy. If we fail, and you fail, then our boys in the navy have to do a lot more heavy lifting." Tanya replies. "If this doesn't work, a lot more people will die. And the Duchess could escape."
---
A first-quarter moon hangs silently overhead as Salsa Venator prepares to go over board. The RNS Impossible floats in the shadow of the cliff walls of Axis Island, anchor away, waiting for the operation to begin. Tanya checks her cell's gear once, twice, thrice, before handing out potions of water breathing. Seven-Foot Dan gives a huge grin and thumbs up before he jumps overboard, trailing a reinforced silk rope. Tanya follows, then Letmas, and finally Burton, the goblin rogue.
Once the entire infiltration team is under water, Captain Rutger Smith starts the clock. Salsa Venator should be able to enter the cave and send a signal within five minutes. Allowing five more minutes for unforseen circumstances, Adipem Aquilae is to follow the rope and link up with the others.
Waiting in the dark and knowing that the Duchess and her army of loyal soldiers allied with enigmatic fey makes the first minute seem to stretch for an hour. After the second minute, a strange vibration ripples through the water, coming from the island. The Impossible's hull shudders for a moment and then all is still. The rope, held by a pair of sailors and attached to a winch goes rigidly taut and then limp. You share an uneasy glance with Captain Smith. Before he can say anything, one of the sailors cries out in alarm. "Captain! We've got movement." Indeed, the rope is now jerking fitfully.
Captain Smith turns to look at Adipem Aquilae. "Well, I do believe that is your signal."
Nishoh |
Well that was even faster than expected. Nishoh double checks that his guns and powder are sealed in his waterproof pouch, then taps the longsword on his belt. "Now or never ladies." Nishoh gets up on the lip of the boat and prepared to jump off once the others are ready.
Jesselle Wesmere |
Jesselle takes up her potion of water breathing as she moves up to the edge. She reaches into her spell componet pouch for what appears to be a small insect and speaks some arcane words. Instantly a small ball of light appears upon the buckle of one of the straps to her backpack. "Ready to go... " As the others make ready and move up she drinks her potion and jumps into the water.
Once into the water she finds the rope and starts to pull herself along.
Aurlia |
As the team prepares to jump Aurlia finishes shoving her things into the waterproof bags she picked up in town. Bags packed, she copies Jesselle and sets a light spell on the small key she wears as a necklace. The water breathing potion tastes awful but she forces it down with a grimace. Once she's in the water she follows her team along the rope.
GM Olmek |
The water is surprisingly warm, likely a product of the tropical climate. Inky blackness pushes in on all sides, but the light provided by Jesselle and Aurlia reveals the entrance to the sea cave. Following the rope, it quickly becomes apparent what happened to Salsa Venator. The ceiling of the cave has partially collapsed. Burton sits on the floor of the cave, his leg pinned under a boulder. White bone juts from a compound fracture and his blood is slowly gushing out in crimson clouds. Of Dan, Letmas, and Tanya, there is no sign except for more blood billowing out of the rocky pile. The goblin is barely conscious, gently tugging on the rope.
Alyssia Winthrope |
Alyssia downs her potion of water breathing in one gulp before diving into the warm water and pulling herself along. Seeing Burton's predicament, she dives down, attempting to clear the boulder.
Strength: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (7) + 4 = 11 Yeep.
Jesselle Wesmere |
"Fortinbras, use the wand," Jesselle calls to him by instinct and for a brief moment considers it strange that she can speak underwater.
She than moves to help move the boulder off Burton's leg.
Strength Check 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (5) + 1 = 6
Fortinbras Rousseau |
Fortinbras stays back, analyzing the boulder for the best method to begin to move it. After watching the others attempt to move it, he swims up and attempts to give it a go himself.
Strength Check: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (9) + 2 = 11
Could I perhaps use Fortinbras' knowledge (engineering) to see if he knows the physics to get leverage on the boulder and make the strength check easier?
If so:
Knowledge (engineering), free inspiration: 1d20 + 8 + 1d6 ⇒ (1) + 8 + (5) = 14
GM Olmek |
Aurlia's spell heals the goblin enough to bring him back into consciousness. Almost immediately, he grabs on to Aurlia. "Please," he begs. "Cut my leg off before the sharks come."
Jesselle Wesmere |
"Would a scroll of passwall work to free not only goblin but the others as well? We could take their items once we get to them, as it looks like we are up."
Take 10 on Knowledge (Arcana) = 17 to know if the spell could work that way to free those trapped or at least retrieve the fallen?
GM Olmek |
There are about 40 minutes remaining on your potions of water-breathing.
GM Olmek |
Using a stone as a fulcrum and the re-purposed lightning rod as a lever, you are able to lift the stone just enough to pull Burton free. Aurlia's healing spell stopped the bleeding, but the goblin's leg is still broken. He needs medical attention if he is to walk again.
"Thank you so much. This is no way to die, in a tunnel on some gods-forsaken island. Did anybody else make it?" Burton asks, somewhat delirious from the pain.
Fortinbras Rousseau |
Fortinbras takes on an austere, stern expression, attempting to hide any traces of sentiment.
Bluff (orator feat): 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (11) + 12 = 23
"We can send word back of the others that are trapped. If we do not complete our mission, they will have been put in danger for nothing."
GM Olmek |
You're fairly certain nobody else survived the cave-in.
As Adipem Aquilae pushes forward, Burton slips in and out of consciousness. He speaks, but it's mostly incoherent. "We were just swimming, you know? And then I was in a swamp under a purple sky. There were yellow frogs everywhere. That's when the ceiling cracked."
The mine, when you finally reach it, is unlit but pleasantly warm. With the light shining from Jesselle's spell, you can vaguely make out the interior of the cavern. Wooden platforms anchored to the walls create a makeshift dock and scaffolding rising out of your visibility. Iron spikes are hammered into the walls at regular intervals. Directly in front of you, rising out of the pool, is a pillar of dull grey granite, it too reaching up and above your line of sight. To the right is a wooden dock, although it seems difficult to clamber up onto, as it sits 5 feet above the current water level. To the left, the pool gradually shallows, although where it leads is outside of the light.
Jesselle Wesmere |
Jesselle looks back one last time as she tries to put what befell her fellow Constables. There was a mission to complete and now it was up to her and the others. She looked to around to her team and then started forward.
Hearing Burton's tale she warns before they emerge from the water, "We should expect that they know that someone is coming. What Burton says sounds like sentries and a trap of some sort."
Emerging from the water the woman immediately takes up a new bow string from a small sealed container and strings her bow. She then looks around to see if any danger awaits them.
Perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (17) + 6 = 23
Aurlia |
"Hmm." Climbing out onto the dock seems like a bad call for her in this armor. But they need to find somewhere out of the way to leave Burton. The eladrin keeps her arms around Burton for support.
"Alyssia? Do you think you could get onto that dock?" she says, keeping her voice low. "We need a safe spot for our Goblin friend. Maybe we could hide him on the dock? I could pass him up to you if you get up there."
Fortinbras Rousseau |
Fortinbras sits back, taking a drink from his flask. His eyes look much more tired than they should be, perhaps as a result of having to push on ahead.
"Indeed. The dock looks like a good spot."
A bit of life returns to him, as he seems to realize that they have another person in their care that he can help.
"I have been practicing my climbing, so I can help as well."
Alyssia Winthrope |
Whoop, sorry. Spaced on this one for a while. Life's been a bit hectic.
"Wonder what they're there for?" Alyssia wonders aloud, looking up at the iron spikes as she habitually cracks her knuckles. Despite the warmth of the cavern, a chill runs down her spine.
Aurlia's words addressed to her snap her out of her pondering. "Pretty high," she shrugs, "but let's see what I can do."
Can I take 10 on Climb for a 17? If not, I can roll at 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (5) + 7 = 12.
GM Olmek |
Alyssia and Fortinbras manage to climb up the side of the dock and bring Burton with them. The goblin has fallen unconscious again, but doesn't seem to be in mortal danger. On the other side of the cave, Aurlia, Jesselle, and Nishoh follow the gently sloping rock to a wooden platform. It appears to be the lowest level of a series of scaffolding that circles the outer rim of the cave and half of the granite pillar. Thirty-five feet above you, a tunnel leads out. A number of barrels sit at the entrance as well as a crane arm with a series of ropes and pulleys.
Perhaps the most interesting feature of the cave is the pillar. A dramatic splinter of white marble extrudes from the grey stone, 5 ft. wide and 17 ft. above the water. Something at the top of the splinter catches the light of the spell and glitters like gold, although you'd have to get closer to inspect it.
Updated map here. I placed you based on your character's description.
Jesselle Wesmere |
Jeselle is looking about catching site of the pillar wondering what it could be. That is when she catches something abive them, "There was a someone above us. They just moved into the tunnel." She points in the direction.
Alyssia Winthrope |
"You see something, Rosseau?" Alyssia mutters to Fortinbras, glancing in the direction of his gesture. She eyes up the pillar, trying to determine how easy it would be to scale.
-Posted with Wayfinder
Jesselle Wesmere |
"Well... let us see what this," she points to the white marble splinter, "is before we start up there."
Jeselle will make for the ladder and start climbing up before making her way across to the middle to stand before the white marble.
GM Olmek |
Super sorry about the delay, guys. Back on track!
Aurlia: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (13) + 1 = 14
Nishoh: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (19) + 4 = 23
Alyssia: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (1) + 3 = 4
Fortinbras: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (19) + 1 = 20
Jesselle: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (17) + 2 = 19
DuPiers: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (13) + 1 = 14
S: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (4) + 2 = 6
E: 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (10) - 1 = 9
The room flashes briefly with bright light as a pistol barks from the tunnel atop the cavern. Jesselle has just made it to the top of the ladder when a bullet tears into the wood in front of her, spraying her face with splinters. Luckily, they cause no serious damage.
A white-haired man at the entrance to the tunnel waves his pistol around. "Filthy dirt-worshipers! You killed my men!" he shouts. "Now you've come back to kill me! Weren't they enough?" You catch the glint of something golden in his off hand before he ducks back behind the barrels.
"Dirt-worshiper" is a common Danoran insult for Risuri.
Combat begins! Party up!
Jesselle Wesmere |
jeselle lets out a yelp of surprise as she is surprised at the blast of light throughout the cavern and then the splintering wood before her. "Damn, that was too close."
She considers her options as Nishoh returns fire on the Danoran hiding behind some barrles above them. She moves towards the next ladder and start up (Climb check DC 0, 1/4 speed: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 1 = 4) She makes it to the top and waits to see how the situation plays out.
(double move to and climb up the ladder)
Fortinbras Rousseau |
Seeing that the man's attention was focused on the other side of the room, Fortinbras sees an opportunity to make a move. He rushes out from behind his cover, drawing his sap as he runs right up to the man.
In Common which I believe is the official language of Danor?, he speaks to the man.
"We have not killed any of your men. We do not wish to harm you. Please, cease this shooting."
Double Move
GM Olmek |
1d20 + 4 ⇒ (8) + 4 = 12
1d4 ⇒ 3
For movement, each 5' you move up counts against how far you can move. I adjusted Fortinbras to follow these rules. Apologies. I should have posted them earlier.
[spoiler=Moving Around in the Cave]Ladders stretched horizontally between platforms can be crawled across safely, or walked across with an Acrobatics check (DC 12). A character who fails makes no progress; one who fails by 5 or more falls off.
Normal vertical ladders lead between levels of the scafflding. A rope dangles from a wooden crane at the tunnel at the top of this chamber. The rope can be climbed (Climb DC 12), or a creature at the crane can raise or lower the rope 20 ft. as a move action.
A pair of ropes stretch between two sides of the scafflding. Normally the miners hung lanterns from here for light, but a daring character could try to walk (Acrobatics DC 19) or climb (Climb DC 12) along the ropes.
Alyssia follows Fortinbras up and over the ladder, keeping close to the wall to stay out of the line of fire.
The man grunts in pain after Nishoh's bullet hits him. He raises his left arm and the gold glints again, but this time you can see it more clearly: it is a gold disc. He gestures with the object and the stone next to him lurches into life, forming the rough shape of a man.
The freshly formed elemental grabs a barrel and flings it at Jesselle. The barrel soars over her head and slams into the wall above her, exploding but doing no real damage.
At the same time, Alyssia's shadow, cast by the explosion of the thrown barrel, twists and writhes before reaching out with a shadowy claw. Its touch is ice cold and leaves the brawler weak and slow.
Alyssia takes 3 points of Str damage, so that's a -1 to all things using Str. Party up!