There is no response from Argent.
Knowing that she is likely to need to do some swimming real soon now, Edelle places her pack and most of her possessions on the ground. Leaving two daggers in her belt and looks longingly at her Bardiche, gives it a kiss and places it on top of the rest of her things.
"Good thing we have someone who can swim around . . ."
Alric recalls that the message spell may be blocked by any large amount of solid material in between targets. This would likely include water, but on top of this, you know that speech is quite difficult while underwater.
Lets try and drag him out.
Strength check to pull on rope:
Edelle grabs the rope, but her footing is bad and she slips on wet rock. She is able to keep upright only by gripping the rope itself. It seems firmly attached on the other side though.
Sumatek helps haul Edelle up from the rocks
Easy now. We don't want to be losin ya in the water too. It seems to me that he may have just made it to the other side and tied off the rope since it doesn't seem to have any play. I'll go down next but i'm gonna give myself a bit of a boost for the attempt.
Pulls out a flask and drinks it. Then checks all his gear to make sure its tied on and strapped shut. Climbing to the edge of the water he grabs the rope and jumps in. Trying to keep his body moving with the current and not fighting it, he allows it to pull him downstream. As he is moving along he tries to make use of the spider climb spell by reaching out for the ground and nearby rocks. At the point where the water goes under the rocks he takes a big breath and goes under.
perception to spot Argent and where to surface
Sumatek has no issue climbing down the rope using the force of the current to direct him rather than the pull of gravity. When he is about to reach the low ceiling, he takes a deep breath and goes underneath the water, pushing forward to speed his journey underneath the water. What he finds there surprises him.
SHIZZLE!!
Sumatek puts his feet on the ground allowing the spider climb pot to take effect and attempts to unwedge the rope without getting himself stuck as well
C'mon man break free!!
sumatek will try and find a place to get out with the body
Contemplating the long silence since Sumatek submerged, Alric begins readying himself to follow. Rearranging the contents of his pack so that all perishables are in waterproof bags, Alric notices the Belt of Strength that Thundrik once wore. We hardly knew you half as well as you deserved. May it be a long time till we meet again.
Donning the belt, Alric tightens the pack straps. Then asking the remaining party
Well, do we follow or try to haul the rope back?
Sumatek knows this is the last chance he has to try and salvage this mans corpse for proper burial or resurection if possible.
C'mon arms be strong!!
Calling out to whatever gods may be listening he pulls with all his might he feels his grip slipping
Dam you lazy gods where is my luck today!!!
Realizing that he has no chance this side of the sun to drag Argent in Sumatek searches for something to try and brace the rope against.
perception
What the hell are the others waiting for!!!
The surfaces here are much smoother, but there is a rounded stalagmite next to the waterfall. It's about parallel to the fall itself, so it does not offer much help. You have a closer look in any case and find that there are in fact stairs here. A steep moist spiral staircase next to the falls can take you down.
Casvian takes a try at pulling the rope.
strength check:
Casvian pulls on the rope, it seems to be stuck......
With most of my things in a bundle to come back for I jump in and swim along using the rope for assistance:
swim:
And looking for the place to get next breath:
perception:
Presuming those decent checks are good enough to get me to the platform next to the waterfall I'll attempt to haul Ardents body away from the waterfall:
Strength:
well okay then.
Strength check to haul the rope
Once Edelle has arrived and surveyed the situation, she pulls on the rope to no avail. Casvian puts forth an effort aswell from the other side, but it is Alric who finally steps up and summons a strength from deep within and yanks the rope limp. From this position on the rope, the feat is that much more impressive. Edelle and Sumatek are able to grab Argent before he floats down again and place him safely on the solid ground. They then tie off the rope on the other end and pull tight a couple of times to signal that all is well to the other side.
I guess we swim now
Holding the rope and swimming down.
Casvian goes into the water last.
swim:
edit:Do I need a strength check to hold onto the rope considering my low roll?
Casvian ushers the rest of the survivors under the water, ensuring that they all get started safely. Alric is not quite as fast a swimmer as Edelle and he must make a second roll to reach the surface point.
Sumatek looks down at Argents body and checks for signs of life.
Can anyone do any more for him? maybe a cure if any are available? I saw a staircase over there that leads downward. I am going to investigate it. I have done all I can to help him.
Sumatek moves to the staircase and using the effects of the spider climb potion moves carefully down.
swim
Assuming someone nice has slid my pack down along the rope I follow Sumatek down the stairs, taking care to be quiet.
Stealth:
Perception:
As people begin to gradually make their way under the rapids, you realize that the small spot of shore will be too small. Sumatek moves down the stairs slowly. Alric surfaces next, with Edelle's pack and hands it to her as she helps him up on shore. Alric just about slips down the waterfall himself, but Edelle grabs her bardiche and hauls him up with it. Sumatek uses a pebble lit by the light spell to guide her down, otherwise he would be in complete darkness. He notices a familiar webbing which nets the waterfall and stairwell leading down, like a colander for straining the water. "Oh no, not twice in a row." He thinks to himself as a terrible sound comes from across in the darkness. A single shot comes out at Sumatek during his surprise. The bolt misses, but it gives him a direction to look for an opponent. Standing their on the wall direct across from him is a Drider, outfitted in full battle gear and wielding a longbow.
initiative
Initiative:
On his turn Sumatek will move to the bottom of the stair/falls and on to level ground. during the move he will free action draw his weapons and move towards the drider.
reflex save for webbing if I need it
Collecting her self for just a moment to gather her internal energies Edelle springs off the walkway towards the Drider
Jump:
Failing in her jump she splashes into the water below the drider, hoping it is deeper than it looks.
Seeing the danger on the other side Casvian suggest that the non-adventuerers stay put until the drider is dealt with if they are not in the water already.
"Stay here for now. That way lies death, and there is no reason to die so close to freedom"
PS:If I need a diplomacy check to convince them to stay away from danger let me know and I will roll the dice.
Edelle and Sumatek make their way to the lower level to get closer to their target. Sumatek dextrously ducks the labyrinthine webbing laid across the stairs. Edelle, wishes in part that she would have been lucky enough to fall into the net. Her fall is at least dampened by the water, but there is still a terrible crash. The Drider after being hit by Alric's acid arrow, launches some projectiles of its own. The arrows bounce of his magical defenses. He is certain that without mage armor, he would have just been turned into a pincushion. To further complicate matters, the other survivors are beginning to surface behind Alric. This one comes up next to shore and is preparing to hop out, but he hears the sounds of combat and keeps his head low, holding to the rope with one hand, and the edge of the rock with the other.
Round 2
Init: 20-Alric, Edelle
19-Sumatek
16-Drider
On the other side Casvian is ushering the slaves to move faster so they can get out of here before the party runs into trouble.
I hustle over to the wall and attempt to climb it quickly (to get to AH29)
Climb:
Suamtek sees the Drider focusing on Alric and takes the opportunity to sprint at full speed towards the enemy. He runs straight up the wall with weapons drawn and flowing into a defensive pattern.
At his urging, the other survivors begin to go under the water closer together. There is a risk of pile-up on the other end, but that is a risk worth taking, Casvian rationalizes.
Round 3 Init
20-Alric, Edelle
19-Sumatek
16-Drider
Alric expertly switches from magic to weaponry and fires a well aimed arrow at the drider. He is satisfied with breaking his opponents defenses. Sumatek and Edelle make their ways up the wall on the far side to reach the Drider in melee. They make progress this round, but are still not close enough to do any significant damage. Edelle attempts to climb the wall, but it is slippery and her legs still feel like rubber from the fall. She is unable to make vertical progress this round. The drider, seeing an opponent quickly approaching up the wall, switches to a large mace and attempts to knock Sumatek down. As you approach at full speed, you almost run into the drider's mouth as it attempts to bite you. After failing that, she launches a full attack against you using her mace. Both of these attacks hit you.
Stepping along the wall I attempt to climp up quickly again, not needing to wade to get to the start of the wall I hope to achieve a height of 25'!
Climb:
(if that doesn't work I might as well start throwing rocks)
edit: forgot 2 rounds of acid damage, 3 remaining
Sumatek deftly maneuvers away from the driders bite but doesnt notice the mace and catches it full on.
gasping for breath he attempts to not fall and barely keeps his footing on the wall.
he strikes back full on with his weapons
rapier
off hand lt mace
damage for rapier
damage for mace
edit checking for rapier crit
no crit im sure
Sumatek drives on his attacks hoping for a distraction to get inside on the beast.
Round 4 Init
20-Alric/Edelle
19-Sumatek
16-Drider
7-NPC's
Alric lets fly a magically enhanced arrow, but the drider moves its stance while attempting to fight Sumatek. Alric notes the pile-up of people emerging from under the water. One man breaks himself onto land and begins helping others up. Alric realizes that this platform is going to get very crowded very quickly if something does not change.
Edelle slaps her calves for a moment to draw the blood back into her legs. She breathes deeply for a moment "Remember your training" She reminds herself before expertly picking her way up the slippery wallside. She is just within range to attack, but she realizes that she needs a hand on the face of the wall to keep balance and that using her bardiche would throw her off. She'll have to get closer.
Sumatek stands cautiously to his full height, feeling the weight of gravity pulling at him from an angle he has never experienced in this way before. He carefully takes aim with his weapons and delivers a hit with surprising efficiency. He surprises even himself, but it is not quite enough to bring the Drider down.
The beast attacks Sumatek with two wide swings of its mace. Only the first strike hits, but it is a powerful blow to the side of your temple. After this, the creature moves away from you, a bit further up the wall.
Dazed from the second hit Sumatek tries to not fall again.
climb he regains his footing and sees the beast turn and move away
Thank goodness it decided to leave I am not chasing him. I should have known better than to charge in like a plate mailed warrior. I use cunning and speed not brute force.
HP 18/48
AC 23
condition normal
Feeling crowded on the ledge, but unwilling to risk the web, Alric tosses a vial of alchemist's Fire at the nearest Anchor point of the web.
Moving 10' up to AH26/D20 Edelle attempts to stunning fist the drider.
Climb:
Attack:
Damage:
Crit Confirm:
+Crit Damage:
PS: Stunning fist is for normal stun not fatigue. Drider needs to make a DC17 Fort Save to avoid being stunned
As Edelle slides past and attacks the drider, Sumatek takes a 5 ft step back. He retrieves a potion and drinks it quickly.
AC=23
HP=22/48
condition normal
Alric ignites the webs next to the stairs and it burns through the patch covering the stairwell. It is now safe to travel up and down the stairs, but the mist from the waterfall extinguishes the flame before it can completely consume the Drider's trap. Sumatek pulls back to recover, and Edelle steps up. Launching herself like a torpedo, Edelle strikes the Drider in the neck, causing paralysis. The drider plummets hard and limp to the ground as Edelle catches herself back on the rocks. There is still groaning from the Drider as it attempts to get back up.
The water next to the fall is now filling up. Argent's body slows the descent of anyone going down the stairs when they step over. Also, it is difficult to move past one another on such a thin, wet ledge.
Round 5 Init
20-Alric/Edelle
19-Sumatek
16-Drider
7-NPC's
I'll drop down drawing my Bardiche (Slow fall ignores the first 30' of drop) then kick the drider while it is down
Attack:
Damage:
Sumatek moves to a flanking position with a double move. He draw his weapons as he hits the ground and crosses the last 15 feet or so.
I owe this big spider a black eye or six.