"We don't know how much water is behind the door," Silas says, looking over the rusted portal. "And if it's more than just a pit-full then we're just making it harder on ourselves." He looks back at Pontia. "But magic to make me stronger would help. Thank you, Miss Canario."
Once everyone that isn't assisting moves back a safe distance, Silas stretches out his arms and flexes them a little. The leather straps on his bracers creak just a little as the muscles tighten. "Ok, here we go," he says, planting his feet against the stone stairs and placing his hands carefully against the rusted iron.
He takes a few deep breaths and then pushes.
Before she casts the spell, Pontia removes a large book from her shoulder bag and studies it intently for a couple of minutes.
Niculaie checks that the rope is tight around his own waist, then confirms everyone else is tied together as well.
Once he is confident everyone else is secure, he slides his lute into his handy haversack to protect it from the water and closes the magical bag securely. When Silas is ready to begin, Niculaie lifts his bow over his head to protect it from the potential deluge.
”I am ready when you are, Mr. Womarsh.”
Could you create a hole in the wall so the water could escape?
Between some magical enhancements, a bit of engineering, and some brute force coordination, you manage to force the door open. Water pours out, but not with enough force to give you any issues. However, the hall beyond is flooded to a depth of about 3 feet (meaning it will be difficult terrain).
A stairwell across from you has been collapsed and some 20 feet of broken rock now blocks the stairwell. The flooded catwalk leads both east or west.
Tying the rope around her waist, Tara grasp the rope tight enough to cause her fingers to turn white. "I think I am as ready as we can be for this?" she stutters out, terrified of the scare from earlier. At the mention of the door opening, Tara taps Silas's shoulder, granting him guidance from Pharasma.
Silas slowly begins descending down into the water, drawing his sword as he goes. "Mind your footing," he calls back to the others. "You never know when you'll find more stairs or something worse."
The large man indicates to the right . "Miss Deberth, if you would be so kind to keep an eye peeled for any booby traps." The stone moving about his head casts odd shadows as he moves down the flooded tunnel.
"Damn, that's cold," he mutters to himself.
You surely mean "bobby traps", Mr Silas?
says the Redhead with a wicked grin, pressing her cleavage on the muscled man's torso
She gets on the tip of her feet and whisper to his ear
Silas sputters a none-response as he fixes his eyes forward. In spite of the cold, several shades of red are visible on the large man's face in the magical light.
Niculaie steps off the stairs into the water, gasping at the sudden cold. He listens to Vivian bantering with Silas for a moment, then whispers to Pontia,
"I know we have only just met our new companions, but I begin to suspect that Ms. Deberth has sharper fa... teeth than I do."
Pontia nods sagely, one corner of her mouth twitching up. Wading through the chilly waters, she taps ahead with her quarterstaff to make sure she doesn't step in a hole.
Heading to the right , you start to get a feel for the layout in here.
Made up of four interconnected towers, this building stands 200 feet above the falls. It appears that Caromarc designed this private zoo to contain and study living creatures, and built iron catwalks above the containment chambers to view his specimens in safety.
Unfortunately, Vivian misses the existence of a trap in the corner, and Silas and Vivian drop into the water.
Below them, the water becomes turbulent as something heads toward them!
Silas seems just about to respond to Vivan's suggestive comment when the the floor drops out from underneath them. Weighted down by his armor, the large man vanishes from sight along with the glowing ioun stone.
He feels the shape moving through the water and, ignoring his bodies demand for air, readies his weapon.
Feeling the movement below him, Silas strikes out with his sword at the partially visible figure.
Pontia begins to cast a spell, intoning words that seem to echo into a vast distance.
As they splash into the cold water
Maybe I should keep my mouth shut and my eyes opened more often..Sorry "bout that, Silas!
And maybe a lighter armor should be a good idea too! you should really become wiser soon, or someone could get killed by your foolishness, Vivian!
Silas's first attack does some damage, but not what appears to be a significant blow.
Two grab for Vivian and two for Silas, trying to pull them down further. Silas is able to pull free, but the undead grab Vivian and pull her further down.
Niculaie takes a step back, away from whatever hole Silas and Vivian have fallen into.
"Mr. Womarsh! Ms. Deberth! Quick - if they're still tied to our rope, perhaps we can help them pull themselves out!"
Niculaie grabs onto the rope and begins to sing one of his works in progress, a lamentation for General Arnisant of the Shining Crusade .
Arnisant was a warrior
From the Empire of the Setting Sun
A paladin of Aroden
The Last Azlanti's will be done...
Sophie begins murmuring a prayer...
Frantically, Vivian tries to get free from the clutching hands
Vivian manages to break free, and Sophie casts a spell summoning a chain of force. She commands it to grab Vivian and pull he up and out of the water.
Tara releases a gasp as Vivian and Silas vanish under the water. "Uh, Mr. Silas, Ms. Deberth?" Tara weakly calls out, before watching the water begin to churn. Taking a deep breath, Tara plunges under to try and aid Silas in escaping.
Sinking lower in the stagnant water, Silas slashes at one of the creatures holding Vivian, hoping she can free herself and swim to the surface.
Pontia completes her spell. Fingers trailing light, she brings a hand down into the water and traces a glowing circle. In response, the water inside the circle mounds up before her, taking on a faintly humanoid form. She addresses it in a language filled with pops and clicks, pointing to where Silas and Vivian went under.
The swirling section of water that Pontia seems to be speaking with immediately rushes past Silas to attack one of the creatures fighting with him, the one most heavily damaged.
It is enough to destroy the creature!
The other three attack - 2 against Silas, and one now tries to deal with this new watery foe.
The elemental takes a severe hit, but it still manages to hang tough.
Sophie commands the chain to pull one of the creatures up, trying to get it out of the water.
She then murmurs another prayer and a nodachi of force appears in the water by the other undead.
Niculaie's song trails off, the haunting melody echoing through the flooded hall.
Niculaie hums a few low notes, then chants, "Cred că ești confuz, prietene. Mai gandeste-te."
Vivian feels herself pushed up towards the edge of the pit as Silas continues his assault.
Surfacing for a moment, Tara takes a large gulp of air before sinking back under the water. Slashing out to distract one of the creatures, Tara attempts to help Silas by providing aid.
Tara and Silas are in the water, Vivian has been pulled to safety.
Tara makes sure Silas has the best chance to succeed, and it pays off.
Sophie wraps up Orange in a chain, and can try to move it next round. Then she conjures a weapon that cuts a leg off of green. Nic continues his inspiring song, and manages to cause green to be quite confused.
Two quick slices, and the Silas removes the head of red, and using Tara's assistance jams his sword deep into the chest of green.
Pontia's elemental presses the attack on Green, but only churns the water around it.
The wizard draws a wand and invokes its power, sending a dart of force at Green
Niculaie recognizes the creatures attacking Silas and Vivian, and calls out a warning to the group. "These are draugr, disgusting unliving creatures who may disable you with nausea, and they appear stronger than the specimens I have encountered in the past! Avoid piercing weapons if you can - their flesh is resistant to punctures, but they are susceptible to the trauma inflicted by other weapons."
Thankies for the information, Nicolae. You're a fountain of knowledge.
Vivian swaps weapons, taking her little-used morningstar, and readies herself for the undead dragged by Sophie's chain
That's an impressive and clever tactic, Sophie, nice trick.
Green is destroyed, only Orange remains. It attacks Silas again, but with all of the activity in the small space, it fails to connect.
The large man begins flagging as the environment begins to weigh in on him. However, he still manages to strike a telling blow against the remaining undead.
Sophie concentrates on the scene in the water, while her summoned weapons continue to work. The nodachi of force slashes at the creature and then the chain attempts to drag it up and out of the water.
Silas hits the creature once, and Sophie does not... but the chain wraps around the creature and pulls it up out of the water.
[ooc]Not sure if sneak attack can apply (opponent unable to defend himself effectively), but if so add following dmg /ooc]
Morningstar in hand, Vivian waits until the creature is dragged out of the water by Sophie's chain, and smashes her weapon on the undead skull before it can react.
The blow is a sure hit... But even with her hate of undead, the morningstar doesn't do much damage, to the redhead dismay.
Pontia calls on the power developed through her conjuration studies. A black haze coalesces around her hand and flies at the draugr.
The elemental emerges from the water and hammers at the pinned undead, but its blow glances off of the creature's armor.
As the last echoes of his song reverberate through the flooded hall, Niculaie pulls a blunted arrow from his quiver and places it on his bowstring, draws back his bow, and lets fly at the last of the attacking draugr.