The Barbarian shrugs at Memnon's statement, "Hmmm, my head is effective, but a warhammer would be better".
Alessia stalks down the hallway ahead of the group. She doesn't verbally acknowledge Justin's question, but she does angrily smash her shield into the wall, obliterating a large section of the mural in a shower of ancient plaster.
Alessia stalks forward, smashing her shield into the frescoed wall. A large section of the plaster sloughs off, scattering along the floor. Alessia walks on, but suddenly feels the floor give way under her.
"So is it safe to head on down or what?"
"So is it safe to head on down or what?"
Mel glances at Merle as he finishes up his self-healing. The ragged bloody scarab tunnels in his flesh have faded to pink dots on his seamed skin
“Safe is a relative term. But we should keep the party together “
He begins climbing down, followed by Manhayth
"So is it safe to head on down or what?"
Justin is busy staring in surprise at Alessia doing a vanishing act into the floor. So Memnon's voice pipes up from below.
"Well, It WAS,..." The crystal Skull manages to sound both amused and concerned at the same time.
Hamar pauses so as to not fall and holds up his bow to fire if necessary...
Alessia tries to grab the edge of the pit as she falls, but her guantleted hands can’t find purchase. She falls down a deep shaft
Her trajectory seems fairly deep, and something awaits her at the bottom. A row of rusting spikes await on the floor.
ignoring the damage, Alessia pulls herself awkwardly upright. She finds herself in an intersection. Four hallways shoot off from the cardinal directions.
There is thw sound of impact, of metal armor connecting with floor and other metal.
"ALESSIA!" Justin cries, after the fact.
"Heh, a day late and a Gold piece short!" snickers Memnon from above Justin's shoulder.
THIS time, the wizard manages to make his patented 'Wizardly Glare' connect, and Memnon clacks his jaw shut and floats back a bit.
Giving Memnon one last dirty look, Justin calls out, "Alessia?! Are you OK?" The wizard rises off the floor, and floats over to the pit opening.
Hamar looks for something to tie the rope to in this ha;;way but he gets the sense it may be a lost cause.
There is nothing in the hallway visible. Hamar notes that there is a skinny ledge around the sides of the trap that should be enough to safely skirt to the other side.
"Alessia? You alright?" Justin calls again.
"I watched her shrug off hugs from an over amorous construct octopus, and walk through a swarm of undead beetles. The PIT should be afraid of HER." The wizard mutters.
He refocuses and steers his floating candle-lights into the hallway. He keeps a couple up top with him and Hamar, and sends the rest down into the pit,...
Hamar turns to Justin, "Wizard, have you a spell that can hold this rope?"
The pit falls down some 60’ to a mass of rusted spikes. The spikes in turn are seated in a raised dias of some sort which occupies the center of the intersection. The dias is about three feet above median ground level. Alessia stands atop it, checking her armor to assure nothing was crushed in the fall
Once the rungs cool, Blayze climbs down to the chamber previously occupied by the scarabs.
Blayze descends to the blasted room. The smell of burnt chitin lingers in the air. She hears the group beyond the cracked large door. They seem agitated.
Hamar turns to Justin, "Wizard, have you a spell that can hold this rope?"
Justin pauses from peering down the shaft trying to check on the still silent Alessia, and glances at the barbarian waving the end of a rope back and forth.
"Ah,... No. Sorry. I didn't memorize my 'Wizard Glue' spell today. I do have this though."
Justin reaches over his shoulder, sticking his hand into the top of his magic haversack. A moment later he pulls it back out, holding a bundle of silk rope and a small grappling hook.
"Haven't needed this since I started using my long-term wizard's flight spell. Almost forgot I had it in there." Justin says, tossing the bundle to Hamar.
Justin then peers back down into the pit, making his candle-lights go to the bottom, until he can see Alessia standing in the midst of a pedestal of spikes.
"I TOLD you the pit should be afraid of her,..."
Manhayth calls out as he heads towards the door
"I've got climbing gear, rope, pitons, even cleats. I can toss the gear to Alessia if she wants"
Alessia pries herself off the spikes and stands up, mummified bones popping back into position. Hissing, she fishes a length of rope out of her belt pouch and tosses it into the air. The rope magically snakes its way up the wall of the shaft and secures itself to the floor above. She begins to slowly climb back out of the pit.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Alessia swarms up the rope, her armored form seeming to flow up the rope in a disturbing fashion. She climbs out of the well, grabbing the magic rope and snarling a command that coils it neatly
Justin observes the magical ropes' action, and Alessia climbing up it. The wizard 'Humphs' approvingly.
"I,... Think she's got it. Thanks Manhayth."
Hamar blinks as the rope comes shooting UP the shaft and Alessia clibms up, he's not sure if she is pissed or not, her face always looks like that...
He holds two sets of rope with his bow slung around his shoulder, "Anything down there or just doom? Well doom for most".
The party can see that the pit isn't just a simple shaft. It looks as if another whole section of tunnels are beneath
The Barbarian turns back to the Wizard, "This place appears quite large hey?
I will retrieve the others while you decide which way to go next?"
Hamar goes back and finds the rest of the group, "This place is much larger than it originally appeared. The Wizard is using his magic to decide which way to go next".
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
At Hamar's words shouted to the rest coming up behind, Memnon and Justin glance at each other.
"Weeeelll?!?" The floating crystal skull says smugly.
"Go ahead. Use your magic to decide which way to go next!" Memnon all but chortles gleefully.
Justin looks at the Mimir. Then, the wizard's eyes locked on the floating purple crystal skull, he points to the left and says,
"Eenie,"
Points ahead and says,
"Meenie,"
POints to the right and says,
"Mienie,"
And finally, points down into the new lower section creatively 'discovered' by Alessia, and says,
"Moe!"
"Wise-Arse!" The mimir huffs.
"Father always said. If your going to be an arse, be a WISE one, not a DUMB one!" Justin verbally ripostes.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Alessia, still brushing dust off her clothing after her fall, stalks back to the shaft and utters the command word that causes the rope to uncoil and slither back down the shaft.
The Barbarian eyes the rope tied to seemingly nothing warily, but shimmies down to the ground floor anyway avoiding the spikes with a slight swing and drop to one side. He then loosens his bow in case anything comes charging down one of the hallways at him. Certainly sneaking is not an option now after the armored warrior fell crashing into the spikes...
Justin watches the barbarian descend the trapped shaft and make it down safely.
The wizard shrugs, lifts back off the ground with his flight spell, sticks his tongue out at Memnon, and floats down the hole himself.
Hamar lands softly on the stone floor on the side of the dais festooned with spikes. Justin floats down after him, his purple crystal sidekick close behind, orange hat firmly affixed to his dome. They are at a four-way intersection. The halls stretch off into the darkness, no doors visible from this vantage point
… Certainly sneaking is not an option now after the armored warrior fell crashing into the spikes...
… Certainly sneaking is not an option now after the armored warrior fell crashing into the spikes...FOOL OF A TOOK!!!
Hamar lands softly on the stone floor on the side of the dais festooned with spikes. Justin floats down after him, his purple crystal sidekick close behind, orange hat firmly affixed to his dome. They are at a four-way intersection. The halls stretch off into the darkness, no doors visible from this vantage point
Justin decides to err on the side of caution, and remain flying. He floats around the dais of spikes, examining each of the hallways as far as his conjured candle-lights will allow him to, without sending them INTO the hallways until the rest of the party arrives. Memnon bobs along behind him, also peering down the hallways, his orange hat tassels swaying as he spins one way then the other.
The hallways are bare of any decoration and debris. There is a slight smell of rot coming from the western hallway, but other than that, nothing viewable without moving
Hamar turns to Justin, "I say we wait for the others. I smell death from the west".
Justin nods emphatically.
"Yep. Wait for the others. Wouldn't want them to miss the party!"
Blaze completes the climb down, drawing Honor reflexively as she looks around.
Mel and Manhayth also head down, Mel looking much better after getting his healing and restoration sorted. They take a look around, Mel frowning at the smell to the west
“That smells an awful lot like those gods-be-dammed beetles. Keep your flames ready, Justin” He says grimly
Justin nods. Emphatically.
"Yeah. I suppose that's as good a clue as any for 'Where oh where could my MUMMY be?!?"
Justin casts another defensive spell from his repertoire, and floats off the ground again.
"If we DO see any more of those creepy undead-beetle-bugs, or heck, ANYTHING that resembles those mummies from last night, try to keep your distance. I don't have any more close range fire spells prepared, and I can only memorize so many enhanced Fireballs. BUT, I can baby-fireball whatever we run into ALL day long!"
With a gesture, Justin sends his conjured candlelights floating down the hall to the West. Where the stench of decay is coming from.
Karrin climbs down to join the others.
"I'm thinking this place is less and less likely to have anything to eat in it, and even if it did, that smell: almost enough to put you off your supper. I mean I could still eat but damn if that smell isn't off putting. Anyone ever have Surströmming? It was vile. I could barely get though 5 cans of the stuff."
Justin's brow furrows. He glances at Karrin.
"Yeeeeeaaaaah. Probably not the best place to set up a restaurant." The wizard agrees cautiously.
Justin translates the name of the dish Karrin just mentioned in his head.
IF he's translated it correctly, The wizard updates Karrin's STOMACH to a lethal weapon.
Surstromming is only classified as edible by races that have a food category labeled, 'Eat it, before it eats you!'.
Merle clambers down next to the rest of group "Maybe try a hallway thats not filled with the delightful smell of death?"
Hamar grunts in response, "I would not want to face one foe with those things at our backs.
I can rush headlong down the hall and draw them out, while you fire down the hallway if they appear Wizard? If you burn me, so be it".
This is what passes for long term planning by Hamar.
Justin looks at Hamar, and blinks.
"Um. Maybe we'll call THAT 'Plan C'? Or maybe 'Plan Z'? I think we can stick with the less dras,... erm,.. exciting measures. For now." The wizard smiles at the barbarian.
Merle clambers down next to the rest of group "Maybe try a hallway thats not filled with the delightful smell of death?"
"I'd vote for that. But I think we're in the wrong tomb for 'Hallways filled with the smell of Posies and Gingersnaps'." Justin grins at the feline sorceress.
"At least THIS way, we know which way to go." Justin nods down the 'aromatic' hallway, watching his lights float further into the gloom.
"Not too many things smell bad enough to be mistaken for mummies remains."
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
"At least THIS way, we know which way to go." Justin nods down the 'aromatic' hallway, watching his lights float further into the gloom.
"Not too many things smell bad enough to be mistaken for mummies remains."
Assuming this means a decision has been reached, Alessia follows Justin's lights down the hallway.
This is what passes for long term planning by Hamar.