Go ahead and do the survival/navigation rolls for the day, if you agree with Eldeth. You've been on the move for quite a while since the dwarven ruins this morning.
Cade, in a short amount of time you strip off some sections of the tapestry to make foot wraps for yourself and...
others.
"Hey guys from the left overs of the fabric we can wrap our feet. Its not true boots but it is some protection."
”Me runic tattoos keep me feet good. But aye, the rest o’ ye should wrap yerselves up.”
"Cade, you're amazing. Let's stop here until everyone who wants shoes get them. We need to be prepared to run down here." Edlethron suggests.
"Cade! You're a genius! Thanks for the foot wraps!" After wrapping his feet, Froog pulls out a chunk of wood and starts picking pieces off of it and using his dagger to carve little chunks out.
”Me runic tattoos keep me feet good. But aye, the rest o’ ye should wrap yerselves up.”
Gael was confused, "How does a tattoo keep your feet from being shredded by the sharp stones?"
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The warlock then called upon his patron's power to shield him from damage, perhaps it would work to keep his feet whole.
A subtle second-skin covered hi body, barely perceptible to others but very noticeable by the half-elf. The feeling was invigorating; his power was growing.
Gael, ecstatic at first sombered up quickly thinking what te ultimate rice would be for his revenge.
---------------
Khaz grinned. ”Runes! Ye have nay idea how much it hurt to have these. I be a tough fooker, lemme tell ye. Made me want to weep like a babe. Felt like the priest was fillin’ me skin with lava it did. Took the bugger eight hours it did. Would have bit me tongue off iffin’ it wasnae for the leather strap they put in me mouth. But was worth it! Whose feet be bleedin’ now?”
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Kriv kindly rejects the offered makeshift shoes.
"Thank you but my are well protected as it as, you will be better of giving them to someone who needs them."
Much thanks, Cade. These will be needed, for certain.
"Glade I could help."
Kriv, you certainly can attempt to reconstitute the vials contents using water. With a *splosh* the liquid swirls and glows a bright pink briefly. After giving it a little taste, you are pretty sure its curative in nature.
With the soles of the group restored, you push on for a few more hours. The temperature increases noticeably as the cavern ceiling overhead again lowers to only a matter of feet. Suddenly, the ground rumbles and a steam vent bursts with a billowing white emission. Then another just nearby. Apparently you are in another geologically active region.
"FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THATS GOOD, JUST GIVE US A BREAK!"
”Keep yer voice down. We’re in the underdark, not some fey forest fondlin’ faeries or huggin’ trees, or what’e’er knife-ears do. We’re lucky we haven’t died yet in some horrible manner. Ye should feel blessed.”
*rumble rumble rum*
A steam vent bursts just in front of you...
...ungulfing Ront with full force...
"Nooorrrghh..." he cries pathetically as his skin blisters and burns horribly, dropping to his knees.
”Oh shyt! Look what yer moanin’ did. Run!”
Khaz went to go pick up his fallen comrade.
"Staying here is more dangerous than volume levels or lack of gratitude in the Providence of the gods."
"Grrrrr DAMNIT, I am feeling really damned blessed right now Khaz!"
Kriv runs to help Khaz with Ront.
With Khaz and Kriz on either side of Ront, Edlethron starts pushing everyone, "run, you fools! Let's get out of here."
Froog looks around, shocked that the very ground is attacking them. With Edlethron's encouragement he starts running.
Gael did not have to be told twice about running.
He looked back to make sure everyone was following and none were left behind.
he even slowed down to the pace of the slower in the group and encouraged them on, "C'mon, let's get out of here!"
Vic follows on the heels of Ed.
You start running through the low ceilinged passages as the ground tremors rattle the sharp cinders all around. Akin to slipping and sliding on a pile of dirty razors, the unpleasantness really starts to increase when the chamber funnels into a single, 2 ft diameter hole that for most, can only be traversed on your stomach. Midway through this new hell, the ground finally buckles and the party falls in a minor avalanche. Luckily, it isn't a drow trap, and it isn't a pit of lava that gravity sends you towards...*splash*
One by one you surface in a warm pool of blackest night. Shuushar delights "Kaaah...I knows these waters. I think we've found it...Darklake. Only a few more days to Sloobludop."
Sputtering, Khaz shakes his head. ”Bloody hell. Well, at least we know this will throw the drow off our trail iffin they still chase us.”
Cade looks frightened Don't think about what lives in the water. Don't think about what lives in the water. Don't think about what lives in the water. He begins searching for sight of the shore. "Where's the shore?"
Through the dim light, you spot the shore a few tens of feet nearby. Jimjar and Buppido excitedly chatter back and forth about Darklake, and an interested listener might pick up a few details:
Though its name might evoke images of a single subterranean body of water, the Darklake is a network of underground rivers, natural tunnels, and canals that connect innumerable water-filled caverns and chambers. This vast waterway stretches over a hundred miles across, with ceilings that are miles high in some places and depths that are unfathomable.
Long ago, duergar engineers extended and widened many of the interconnecting passages of the Darklake. They also constructed locks for raising and lowering watercraft to different levels within it, opening up large portions of the network for travel. Many Underdark creatures are experienced in navigating the Darklake, including the kuo-toa — fishlike humanoids known for their insane obsession with unraveling the secret patterns of the Underdark. Still, better to trust a kuo-toa guide than attempt to traverse the Darklake alone and become lost within it forever.
One thing is a given though, you're going to need a boat.
Edlethron runs with his companions like a startled herd. Down a slope into a funnel into tunnel, then free fall among the other debris.
When he breaks the water and breathes deep, his first thought is to the gnoll longbow hoping they waxed the string and boned the wood. Much more swimming, and his newly prized possession will be destroyed.
"We cannot swim for days, Shuushar. Please lead us to the shore." Ed suggests.
Gael resurfaced and whipped back his hair, "Glad you recognize the place Shuushar but we'll need boat."
He looked at his companions, "They're right; we can't swim to your village."
The half-elf looked about to see if they were lucky enough to find a boat and find materials to make something that floated.
-------------
Clearly not expecting the ground to give out, Froog tumbles head over heels into the water. He starts trying to swim but the tumbling leaves him disoriented. He thinks he's swimming up but runs into the rock slide that dumped him and his companions into the water. Following the rocks up to the surface, he finally emerges, gaping and sputtering. Seeing people swimming to shore he weakly follows. Finally climbing up on the land he lays there panting while the others figure out where to go.
Gael, nothing immediately.
All, can roll int for hints on crafting a boat.
Khaz doesn’t even bother. Instead he just openly marvels at Edlethon, remarking ”Look! I knew that the tree huggers were good for somethin’ besides ticklin’ beasties with daggers. Ha! Oi, elfling! Ye need a hand with that?”
Kriv looks around to see if theirs anything of use to us to use as material.
Disadvantage
Gael, nothing immediately.
All, can roll int for hints on crafting a boat.
,
Vic surfaces and makes his way to shore.
Edlethron has the bright idea to use an upside-down mushroom cap as a little raft...similar to a coracle. Its no zhurkwood, but might do for the time being.
edit: Froog, as your holy symbol floats in front of you, you don't understand why its not sinking. ;)
The shore is intersparsed with large ancient looking rocks and pools of mysterious slime. Hopping from one to the next you make it to a greater bank, bones of creatures washed ashore clank and clatter beneath your feet. You find a decent lean-to that looks previously inhabited. By luck there is even a small box of tinder with a flint and steel smashed into the mud nearby.
Come morning, Derendil, Topsy and Turvy volunteer to help Edlethron with the raft construction while the others forage.
"I know some creatures suck the marrow out of bones . . . but these look old. I am not finding much."
Froog gleefully snatches up his holy symbol from the water and cradles it like a baby before moving on with the rest of the group. He seems really uneasy when they find the bones. "Are you all sure we are in the right place?"
Shuushar reassures Froog, placing a fishy hand on his shoulder awkwardly "Oh yes. This muck only grows on the southern banks. Sloobludop is a ways east, through the water tunnels...once we pick up the runes I can get us there."
Buppido slops the soupy biomass through his hands "He's right. And Gracklstugh to the west...the north shore's rapid, not stagnant like this."
When Edletrhon finds a sizable Zhurkwood to decap, Topsy and Turvy hold hands and climb the stalk like a machine rapidly, before gnawing into the shaft like beavers. The cap quickly cracks and drops, sliding gently down the stalk into Derendil's huge hands. "Shouldn't take long to hollow this out...maybe use the scraps for oars."
Meanwhile the others foraging come across a cropping of Torchstalks. These 1 to 2 foot mushrooms have a combustible cap, and burn for 24 hours. However, there is a small chance that the cap could explode when ignited. As the group mulls over whether its worth harvesting or not, it hears a low "Mmm...whaanaf......fg...." coming from an indiscernible location.
Gael once more gathered some food, even if it wasn't very tasty. There would be enough time for good food once they were well away from the drow, maybe even in the kuo-toa village.
His ears tried to focus on where the noise was coming from while he brought his finger to his lips to signal everyone for silence.
------------------
Kriv seeing Krivs signal crouchs down immediately while unsheathing his swords and looking around.
Disadvantage
Alas Kriv can't see much due to the darkness.