As Chi hits the deck and lets out a loud sigh, as the air is pushed out of her lungs, she gasps for breath. Between the breaths, she cries out "Please help, a rope, let it down so I can get out of this pit." Her bones, her body bruised and battered by the fall, she starts to sob, but quickly stops, knowing she is trapped in the pit with no-where to go, but be rescued by her friends.
As she waits for the rope to appear, she mutters words of a spell to aid her from further disaster.
CHI!
Seeing the elf wounded but alive, Marcus lays his weapons on the ground and quickly retrieves his rope from his pack, throwing one end down.
Chi grab the end and I'll pull you up. Can you do that?
Ambroze mentally directs the Dancing Lights to move over the pit to provide illumination for Chi.
As Marcus lowers a rope for Chi to ascend, Ambroze studies the trap mechanism from his side of the pit. "I wonder if there is any way to close the trap and make it safe to cross once Chi is out," the gnome scholar muses aloud. "Otherwise we'll all have to climb down and back up the other side to rejoin Marcus and Chi."
Seeing the rope come dangling down, Chi limps towards it and ties one end around her waist, talking up to Marcus she grabs the rope with all her might. "Pull me up Marcus, I feel weak after the fall, just get me out of here. I'm ready, NOW!"
With the light showing the small tunnel, a sweat comes on her brow, "Quick, there's a hole big enough for enormous rats or something."
Using all his strength Marcus hauls Chi up with long pulls on the rope. When she is within reach he reaches down with his right hand and grabs her firmly.
I've got you elf girl. Gave us a bit of a scare there.
1-50 sd 51-100 gbm
Marcus hoists Chi out of the pit. Including pulling her out, the process has taken about 30 seconds.
Gwen runs for the gap, closes her eyes...and jumps.
Chi studies the trap doors, wafting the hair out of her eyes as it falls down as she bends down. She sees if she can reset the trap and jam the mechanisms, so the floor would be stable and the group can cross it without fear of falling. But in the dim light, she can't quite make out intricacies of the trap. "You know, this is just too difficult for me, other than using a rope to climb down, then crossing the floor, before using another rope to climb up this side. Or perhaps, dropping down to the floor, then use Marcus' rope to get up, but I don't know." She shrugs her shoulders in resignation as fate will guide her friends across.
Although both Chi and Ambroze are able to determine that the trap reset is manual, neither of them are sure of how to operate it. Wih a great leap, Gwenyth just barely makes it across the pit and Tun'ada follows with practiced ease. This leaves only Ambroze and Mawj on the other side. The goblin waits for Ambroze to cross...
Ambroze marvels at Gwen's bravery and Tun'ada's skill as the oracle and barbarian both make successful leaps across the yawning opening of the pit trap.
"Well, here goes nothing," Ambroze comments to Mawj as he backs up a bit. With a silent prayer to Desna the plucky gnome runs toward the pit, launches himself into the void...
... and crashes into the unyielding stone floor at the bottom of the pit with a whimper and a groan.
Marcus is unable to haul Ambroze anywhere but a few feet forward of where he was due to land on the ground anyway, his woeful attempt at jumping across betraying him. He lands hard with a whimper and a groan of pain, falling prone in the middle of the pit. However...
You spot a disturbing looking doll lurking in the shadows of the narrow tunnel to the north. It appears to be made up mostly of bones and is snarling at you. The tiny creature has a dagger drawn as its head slowly turns to focus on you, raising its dagger in preparation to attack.
You may act in the surprise round, roll initiative.
You hear a slight whisper of movement coming from the tunnel below you, and the glint of reflected light from cold steel inside it.
You may act in the surprise round, roll initiative.
Mawj perception roll is irrelevant as he cannot pass.
Perception:
Chi suddenly calls out in alarm, "Ambroze, get away from the tunnel, something's on it's way, I can hear it shuffling down, its got something metal, that is glinting in the lights. Markus pull him up quick!"
Chi, seeing something in the dark, coming out of the tunnel, with a glint of steel, she opens her eye, sending down the blackness and despair of her eye at the creature as it leaves the tunnel, so it is just in range as it comes out.
Surprise Round
Posting from phone, so I'll just make the roll.
Ordered Initiative-
Gwen
Chi
Strange Dolls
Strange Dolls- 18
Gwen- 9
Chi- 5
Map, Map Features & Notes-
Link
Active Effects-
The two strange, tiny dolls of bone both surge forward out of the narrow tunnels and lunge at the prone and wounded Ambroze with equally tiny daggers- both stabbing the Gnome in his shoulder.
+4 for prone, hit
+4 for prone, hit
Please make a DC16 Fort save VS poison or suffer strength damage.
Surprise Round
Chi realizing the creatures are too far to use her magic, so strings her bow with an arrow and shoots.
Marcus's action will be to pull Ambroze up and out of the way.
Cringing, Gwen fires off a bolt from her light crossbow.
(Includes firing into Melee)
Chi's arrow is dodged by the agile dolls, while Gwen's shot glances off the ribcage of the other without penetrating it.
Ordered Initiative-
Ambroze
Tun'ada
Mawj
Ambroze- 23
Tun'ada- 22
Strange Dolls- 18
Marcus- 18
Mawj- 11
Gwen- 9
Chi- 5
Map, Map Features & Notes-
Active Effects-
"Gwenyth, switch places with me. I likely have a better chance to damage this damned things."
Round One:
Ambroze yelps in pain as the tiny bone dolls stab him with their tiny daggers. With no other options for getting away from the strange creatures, the gnome scholar quickly mutters the words to a spell and vanishes from sight.
These creatures are soulbound dolls and are likely used to maintain the traps and structure of the building. They could be thousands of years old, judging from their creation. As constructs with souls inside them, they are vulnerable to mind-affecting magics, unlike other constructs. They are both quick and tough, if rather weak, and such ancient dolls often employ some spell-like abilities as well as eternally poisoned daggers. Their vision is exceptionally good, they are incredibly stealthy and they understand Aklo. Most soulbound dolls are 3HD, and have strong reflex saves but weak fortitude and will. Aside from the vulnerability to mind affecting spells, they have the standard construct traits.
With Ambroze vanished from sight, the two dolls waste little time in moving to the eastern edge of the pit and eerily waving their tiny, free hands. They are now only currently targetable from Marcus' and Chi's current squares.
They both just cast a form of Levitate.
Chi realizing she has little chance of hitting the small things, moves back and allows Tun'ada to come forward for an easier shot. She gets behind Marcus to help him pull up Ambroze.
Marcus grunts with exertion and uses all of his strength to pull Ambroze to safety. Creepy doll things..... Gods I hate this damn island!
Mawj! Burn the damn things! Fire and oil!
Tun'ada moves into postition and fires an arrow at the closest target...
Attack:
Damage:
Gwen reloads her crossbow, but havign little else to do at this point, she settles on communicating with Ambroze.
Ambroze, if you're OK, you should think about heading down that tunnel! Be careful, though!
Marcus yanks the rope up, aided by Chi. The invisible Ambroze finds himself yanked rather painfully into the wall and dragged up it fifteen feet.
Mawj ignores Marcus' command as usual, yipping and making a superb shot with his shortbow that doesn't quite penetrate far enough into the doll's chest to do more than a little damage.
Gwen reloads her crossbow, and Tun'ada takes a shot from his new position which is narrowly dodged by the tiny dolls.
Ordered Initiative-
Ambroze- 23
Strange Dolls- 18
Marcus- 18
Mawj- 11
Gwen- 9
Chi- 5
Tun'ada- 4
Map, Map Features & Notes-
Link
Active Effects-
Letting Ambroze down, Marcus pulls a flask of oil from his pack and throws it at one of the dolls.
Throw
Miss if required
Letting Ambroze down
Round Two:
Aided by Marcus and Chi, Ambroze struggles to scramble up the pit wall to escape the bone dolls.
"They're souldbound dolls," Ambroze gasps to his friends. "They're constructs, but vulnerable to mind-affecting magics, Chi. And they're about to levitate up here."
Ambroze struggles to make any headway climbing, not finding any handholds on the smooth wall. The rope does prevent him from falling though. Meanwhile, the soulbound dolls eerily begin to float up in front of the wall, rising 20 feet. A little off balance, the two bone dolls cut the rope with their tiny knives, severing it and sending the poor, invisible Ambroze falling once again.
Round 2
Chi feeling the rope go limp, as Ambroze falls, moves forward enough to see the first of the dolls over the lip of the pit, staring at the first of the dolls with her evil eye, sending thoughts of blackness and despair into the mind of the doll. Then she moves back several feet to watch as the dolls come into view.