Goblins are the masters of slap dash construction and Bupkis is no exception. He creates a floating device in record time and proudly presents it to his companions. Goblins don't have the same copnstruction standards as humans and even though Bupkis has taken up on some of the more human ways of building, this doesn't come down to boats as it never came up in Trunau.
To be fair, goblin contraptions seldom kill their users. In fact they are very sturdy constructions that last. One could tell that from experience, but not by the looks from a human - or dwarven - perspective. The floating device - roughly resembling a raft, or dense driftwood - lies peacefully in the water. On the plus side, there will be no issiue with water coming in and sinking it as it isn't leakproof anyway. On the minus side, anyone using it will probably get wet feet.
Daseem watched Bupkis work with growing alarm, he was sure boats weren't meant to look like that! "Time I p-prayed..." he muttered to Ivan. Drowning was no way for a warrior to go!
Menrozzar watches Bupkis build hiss boat with some trepidation. It didn't look particularly safe, but maybe it would be okay. He certainly hoped so, at any rate. "Well, let's test its durability now, while we're still in shallow waters. I'll get on first. Daseem, Bupkis, can you hold it steady?"
Once it's held steady, Menrozzar gets on the raft.
The boat tilts to the side a little as Menrozzar steps on it, but much less than an average rowing boat would. Once he is off the edge the movement calms down.
The goblin says, "Bupkis flies and looks for underwater temple". He propels himself through the air above the lake and heads out towards the center, careful not to go too far that he can't make it back before getting tired out. He scans the bottom of the water for signs of the rumored structure.
Bupkis flies ahead and the others follow on the raft. It is a bit unsettling, that the goblin doesn't travel on his own vessel, but once the raft is on the way almost all get used to it.
Toward the middle of the lake - the place farthest from any shore - Bupkis spots deep, dark shadows. Closer inspection shows great blocks of cut
stone haphazardly toppled into piles of rubble only a yard below the surface. The depth of the lake is about 40 feet here.
Besides the blocks of stone distributed here and there you find a larger structure. Surrounded by rubble covered in algae and it doesn't exactly look like a temple, but it is the only thing still standing.
Peering over the edge of the makeshift raft Daseem gave the algae covered rubble a dubious look. Turning to the others he remarked, "Time for a s-swim?"
"I suppose, although I suspect it will be more of a sink than a swim."
"Shall I come along, or stay here and keep the boat in position?"
The goblin says, "Bupkis ready for a swim! Thinks Amira should come." He's not used to swimming, but his newly-awoken connection with water makes him willing to try it. He ties his rope to the raft so they can hold on to it while they descend.
After completing his spell, Daseem put his legs over the edge and tested the temperature of the water.
He shrugged not liking the idea of swimming but at least thanks to Gorum's blessing he wouldn't drown, well hopefully not! "S-shall we?" he asked the others before slipping into the water and sinking down. Sinking through the lake water was a strange experience, like entering another world. As he descended he tried to make out the features of anything that might be a temple...
Amira steps close to the side of the raft, holds her nose with the right hand pressing it shut and jumps in. Which sends the seam of her dress floating over her head, and the multiple layers of her udnerskirt to from almost a sphere. Until sorted out, Amira is a ball of white cloth floating under the surface.
After Daseem said a prayer that gave everyone the ability to breathe water, Bupkis jumped in. The shock of the cold water made him gasp. Cold, so cold!
Sinking to the ground Daseem finds an entrance into the large pile of stones. This is not so much owed to his great skill or eyesight, but more to the giant gar coming out of the structure as more and more snacks hop into the lake.
When he becomes aware of the predator, Bupkis urgently tries to swim closer to Daseem.
Daseem's eyes widened when he saw a thing coming towards him from the depths. Then he grinned, this was an unusual battleground for certain but surely Gorum was watching! Still he had no idea of its abilities so caution was required. He whispered a prayer to Gorum, one that would fortify him for the coming battle.
The gar charges Bupkis and takes a bite.
Amira lets out a horrified shriek. Then she starts singing an encouraging song, about how harmless the monsters under the bed are, that used to keep her calm when she was little.
Ivan, with furrowed brow and scowl crosses his arms and sinks into the lake. As he plummets to the depths, he moves not a muscle, looking like a sinking statue. Ivan somehow manages to change his trajectory without moving to drop past the Gar. Smacking it with his hammer as he passes.
With a roar as his body warps from his draconic blood, Menrozzar leaps into the water last from the raft, and decides that since he's right over the gar, he'll just sink down, grab on, and then shred it.
The gar bites at Ivan as he sinks by and they both draw blood. But the effect of using a hammer underwater is disappointing. But it is a nice distration for Menrozzar who clinges to the huge fish.
Ingolf is not happy to have a giant gar in his face trying to eat him! He tries to maintain his orientation and punch his assailant. Bupkis not fish food!
Daseem flails about in the water but his armour was a huge hinderance and frankly he starting to panic...
The gar takes a hit from Bupkis and in return tries to bite the goblin again but bites its own tongue instead. It swims out of the fray, taking Menrozzar along.
Menrozzar attempts to wrap up the gar's tail in order to keep it from fleeing.
The gar shakes off Menrozzar and swims further away. Then it turns and attacks Menrozzar.
As the Gar swims away Menrozzar waits for it to come back in a defensive stance.
Treading water, Menrozzar rips into the gar before him with tooth and claw.
Menrozzar shows the gar who the wild beast is in this fight. He rips the fish apart until it is only a bloody mess drifting in the water.
With the threat dealt with, all sink down to the bottom of the lake. There is a hole in the wall where the gar came out that allows entrance into the structure that once was a temple.
Lake minnows dart briskly through cracks in the walls. The floor is covered with small indentations filled with silt, detritus, and pebbles. Among the silt lie some giant bones.
Daseem watched the fight helplessly, this swimming business was a terrible thing he decided. The only upside had been watching Menrozzar who was surely destined to fight among Gorum's honoured in the afterlife.
As he continued to sink he looked around to see if there was anything that might resemble a temple...
Bupkis didn't know anything about the bones. He sleoly walked along the stone floor, fighting against the drag of the water. Entering a hallway, he turned right and moved to an intersection; a shot hallway led south, while straight ahead the corridor opened up to a larger room.
An odd stone structure that looks like a set of terraced rings, stacked from largest to smallest, stands in the center of this room ahead. Inside the rings lies a pile of smooth, polished stones covered with dead leaves and sticks.
To the left is the central chamber, the largest room in the temple ruins. The western wall has completely collapsed and now consists of a pile of great stone blocks. Lake fish dart around the rubble and through the fallen stones. In the center of the room to the east, a short flight of stone stairs rises to a small stone dais. An ancient giant skeleton lies atop the dais, still wearing an elaborately wrought golden headband.
Daseem pointed excitedly at the huge skeleton, if Gorum was kind they'd soon have a fight! But then Daseem remembered he was underwater and his excitement vanished, he didn't want to fight anything down here if possible.
Still he was curious about the shiny headband, was it majiked? He bet it was. So he stared humming a chant under his breath.
Bupkis moves into the room to the west and examines the smooth, polished stones.
From looking at them Bupkis finds nothing special about those stones.
As far as Daseem was concerned they were just boring old stones. It was time to move on, laboriously he headed south and when he found the large room (J4) he stopped to look.
Since Daseem seemed more interested in examining the giant skeleton, Bupkis decided to leave the rock arrangement for now, and go and look at the fancy golden headband the skeleton was wearing.
Bupkis tries to get the attention of his comrades to alert them to what he just saw.
As she can't see what's happening, Amira waits.
Then some giant underwater ogres come swimming out of the neighboring room and attack.
Daseem's eyes grow wide as a sudden unexpected javalin strikes him in the shoulder. He waits to see what Ivan is doing and then...
Daseem for a moment forgets the water, hearing Gorum's call as his blood hammers in his veins, he surges surges forwards, swinging his holy sword in a vicious arc that leaves a trail of bubbles behind!
Bupkis powered up and blasted the nearest underwater ogre.
Amira starts singing an encouraging song. Which, due to the density of the water comes over much louder than on dry land through the air.