Samnell's Writhing Coast (Inactive)

Game Master Samnell

"Well... It's sort of what I would expect zem to put in front of a tunnel infested by ze undead. But also; it's ze sort of sign I'd expect in front of a tunnel zat suddenly plunged a hundred meters straight down yeah?" Lu sounded a bit hesitant, because she were. She tried to peer into the darkness past the signs and see if there were a hint of either scenario. To Chaïa she mumbled. "I don't zink Ironeater expects guests nor disobedient underlings..."

"But then, if it's infested by undead, shouldn't it be boarded up to prevent them from leaving, rather than prevent us from entering?", Janus considers. "It could be a natural hazard, or Gas, or anything else, really, but I somehow doubt Ironeater would worry so much about the safety of his workers that he'd completely board it up. So yeah, lets take a look there, and be careful about it."

"There are all kinds of reasons to seal off mine tunnels." Saeri noted. "But they're usually more thorough when they really want it sealed off. If it's just a sign, they might still want it. If they collapse the whole tunnel on purpose..."

Yellowknife's explorers poked at the boarded-up tunnel for just a few moments before spotting the hinges and seams. Whoever erected the barrier built it with the ability to swing a large part aside if you knew where to look. They could be through almost as easily as if it were a proper door.

"Definitely worth exploring." Saeri said as the passway was uncovered. "Nobody does this unless they're hiding something important."

"Aye, they kept an entrance. So...lets see...", Janus attempted to swing it open, half-expecting to find some lock attached. But then, that might not actually be necessary if everybody down here was sufficiently afraid of those calling the shots.

"Ooh yes." Lu nodded in agreement.

"Ooh yes." Lu nodded in agreement.

The concealed door swung open to reveal a dark tunnel that went off for perhaps a dozen paces before ending in a rickety wooden platform hanging above a shaft just a bit larger than itself, with a winch on the platform attached to the rope from which it hung. A lift.

"Hmm." Lu hums skeptically as she eyes the contraption. "Now zat would be an excellent way to keep a bunch of dumb undead from escaping. A pity it looks like those very deadbeats designed it zemselves ..."

She approached carefully and reached back with one arm for support. Just in case. Then she tried to peer over the edge, down between the rocky wall and the platform itself. But she expected only darkness.

"Hmm. Do you zink zere's a *uh* weight limit or something on zis?"

"Hmm," Chaïa cast a practiced eye over the contraption, gauging the condition of the ropes and pulleys and everything. "If this was ever a proper shaft to work and haul ore out of, I should hope it would be more than a few adventurers."

Know (engineering): 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (3) + 9 = 12 "But in the worst case, we could try one mage, one warrior at a time?" Depends how lucky we're feeling. If it looks safe enough for at least one person, Chaïa will volunteer for the first descent.

"Only one way to find out, right..." Janus cautiously stepped on the platform to see how it reacted...

"Hmm," Chaïa cast a practiced eye over the contraption, gauging the condition of the ropes and pulleys and everything. "If this was ever a proper shaft to work and haul ore out of, I should hope it would be more than a few adventurers."

[dice=Know (engineering)]1d20+9 "But in the worst case, we could try one mage, one warrior at a time?" Depends how lucky we're feeling. If it looks safe enough for at least one person, Chaïa will volunteer for the first descent.

Chaia thinks there's definitely a limit and overdoing it might be a poor idea, but she can't get a sense of what that limit would be.

"Only one way to find out, right..." Janus cautiously stepped on the platform to see how it reacted...

The platform swayed under Janus' weight but didn't sag. The chain didn't seem in danger of giving way. Nor did its moorings on the platform.

Saeri stepped onto the platform, adding her not-terribly-high weight to it. Better to start with something reasonably light, she figured, and see how it reacted.

"Mmm. Zis looks safe..." Lu commented as both Saeri and Janus stepped onto the platform. She didn't hop on just yet, instead opting to wait and see how well it held up to the weight of two people.

As the platform rocked gently under the pair’s weight, Chaïa furrowed her brow. “That thing will definitely only take so much weight, but I’m afraid I wouldn’t want to risk anyone’s life as to how much that might be … yet.”

After a moment, though, she brightened considerably, as a mitigating factor sprang to mind.

“Say, Saeri,” Chaïa positively sparkled, “you haven’t had the misfortune of misplacing that ring we found in the cairn, have you? Because I’ve still got a casting of feather fall ready, which would catch three of us, so, with that ring, the worst of the to-ing and fro-ing should just be climbing back up, if those planks do give way.”

“Or shall we just wish the two of you bon voyage, and join you momentarily, taking it in turns?”

Saeri's weight did not move the chain, winch, or lift. The worst she faced was a slight sway of the platform when she first put her foot down upon it.

"I have it." Saeri answered promptly. "It doesn't seem like it will be necessary... but I don't like taking chances with fate." she spent way too much time reading it to be comfortable with that idea.

"Oh hmm. I zink ze ability to raise ze elevator quickly if zere happens to be a bunch of zombies down zere would be valuable. On ze other hand, more swords to stab zem. Hmph." Lu considers the pros and cons, waiting to see how the chosen two felt about descending alone.

A pair might be easiest just so there aren't any mishaps. On the other hand if we need to leave quickly knowing that the lift will take us all is valuable.

If we are going by pair however we might want to swap around so there's one Feather Faller on each ride. Now both Lu and Chaïa would just watch the other two fall down from out of spell range ... :P

"Oh hmm. I zink ze ability to raise ze elevator quickly if zere happens to be a bunch of zombies down zere would be valuable. On ze other hand, more swords to stab zem. Hmph." Lu considers the pros and cons, waiting to see how the chosen two felt about descending alone.

A pair might be easiest just so there aren't any mishaps. On the other hand if we need to leave quickly knowing that the lift will take us all is valuable.

If we are going by pair however we might want to swap around so there's one Feather Faller on each ride. Now both Lu and Chaïa would just watch the other two fall down from out of spell range ... :P

I'm cool with either way. What's the worst that could happen, I ask as if it did not actually happen when I ran this adventure in 2007. :-D

"Well, I'm going first, courtesy of my sisters gift...", Janus lightly touches the necklace he wears. "If there are undead coming at us, well..."
No cleric/Holy Symbol, he's essentially using an implement for that...

I'm cool with either way. What's the worst that could happen, I ask as if it did not actually happen when I ran this adventure in 2007. :-D

For the record, everyone, he didn’t actually say, “Are you sure you want to do that?” :)

“Let’s try more swords, then,” Chaïa said, stepping forward lightly. “If it is infested with zombies down there, I’m not sure how much of a difference it will make between getting dumped all at once or having to figure out how to fall back with only a couple of us able to ascend at a time.”

“We’ll just have to hope Sehanine isn’t in a hurry to embrace us just yet,” she quipped.

Also, dithering in fear of something happening is exactly how PbP games fail. XD I prefer to boldly charge ahead and see what happens.

So it's Janus + Lu then Chaia + Saeri?

As Saeri said, in the interests of not dithering, sounds good!

Sure!

As a naturally careful person, yeah I agree with Saeri's assessment :P

"Let's swap places zen ..." Lu gave Saeri a moment to hop off so she could take her place.

Hop!

Or rather, step elegantly and gracefully. A lady in her industry had to keep up appearances, after all.

Janus and Chaia mounted the elevator while Lu and Saeri stayed behind above. They saw that the winch would require constant attention and that they would need to essentially hoist themselves down by main strength. It was a loud, straining process but they managed. As the bottom came into view, Janus heard the sounds of armored boots moving quickly across stone.

You're about 15 feet from the bottom.

Chaïa stopped for a moment with a meaningful glance. She strained to hear, too, anything that sounded like signs of life, in particular, Lu's casual reference to undead having insinuated itself into her thoughts. Murmuring a quick incantation, she made sure that she had some protection beyond her reflexes in place before continuing.

Casting mage armour; can we manage the winch with one hand, to have a weapon ready just in case? Then, once Janus has cast anything he'd like, I think we'll just keep going and hope it's not too vicious a welcoming party.

I am confused, I thought Lu was riding down with me?
That said, are the boots moving towards or away from us? That makes a huge difference...
Perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (9) + 6 = 15
Before deciding on a course of action, Janus attempted to learn more about the steps he heared-such as what direction they were likely heading towards.

I don't suppose the chain is good enough to be an excellent 'rope' for climbing down? Splitting the party is bad. XD

Sorry, my mistake. It should be Janus and Lu in the elevator right now. Chaia can hang on to her spell for the nonce.

The chain would function like a rope, basically. So you could climb down it but it's hanging from the middle of the shaft so no walls to brace on.

Listening carefully, Janus thought the boots were coming toward the elevator.

Sorry, my mistake. It should be Janus and Lu in the elevator right now. Chaia can hang on to her spell for the nonce.

Phew! Thanks! Save the squishies! :)

"Hmm?" Lu holds herself close to the center of the small elevator, but she couldn't help but notice that Janus seemed a bit distracted. "Something wrong?"

Hopping ahead of the situation she reached into her blouse and pulled out Arun, asking the plump little bird to take a quick look what waited down bellow.

Edit:

Arun Stealth: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (2) + 14 = 16

Arun Perception: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (11) + 9 = 20

If the chains are good enough to count as a knotted rope, I'd like to Take 10 and work my way down it. ^^

"No, all good.", Janus smiled at Lu, blushing slightly and averting his eyes when she reached into her blouse.
"Guess we'll see where this is going in a short while...take the point, I'll try and force that guard to come my way.

If the chains are good enough to count as a knotted rope, I'd like to Take 10 and work my way down it. ^^

Sorry, they're not that good and you've got nothing to brace on once you're on 'em. It's a center of the shaft kind of chain.

I missed Arun's stealth earlier.

Arun flew down the shaft and saw a pair of men closing in on where the shaft opened out, each armored and with blade bared.

"Not the living dead at least..." Lu muttered to herself as her tiny bird reported. "But I might have an idea ..."

Feather Fall down the last bit; maybe the fact that the elevator isn't all the way down will be a useful distraction?

I was hoping for a thick chain. Ah well. o wo I'll be waiting at the top of the shaft, then.

After a few moments, Chaïa’s ears twitched, as she anxiously strained for any sound of something amiss in the others’ descent. Turning to Saeri, she asked, “Am I imagining things, or did it sound like they stopped for a moment?”

She hesitated for only another instant before leaning cautiously – well, as cautiously as Chaïa ever did anything – over the shaft and calling out softly into the stillness of the mine, “Everything alright down there?”

She worries; she’s got the Overprotective drawback and everything! And I don’t think we have the advantage of surprise to lose, really. :) That said, pseudo-strategically thinking, Chaïa and Saeri could jump down with a feather fall as soon as the lift reaches the bottom. Instant reinforcements, and we wouldn’t have overloaded the lift.

"Well, no matter what your bird saw, it sounds like stealth is over...", Janus responds to Lu.
Drawing his own blade, Janus speaks a small prayer.
Draw Blade, Cast Divine Power - if Lu intends to Feather Fall he'd step off the Elevator too, trusting her.

Lu gestures for Arun to fly up and update the dwellers on the top of the elevator. Then she grabs a hold of Janus and draws her sword. "All right! Let's see if zis is just dumb enough to work ..."

And that we can access the elevator from down there :P

Lu gestures for Arun to fly up and update the dwellers on the top of the elevator. Then she grabs a hold of Janus and draws her sword. "All right! Let's see if zis is just dumb enough to work ..."

And that we can access the elevator from down there :P

So the plan's to winch yourselves all the way down and come out fighting?

So the plan's to winch yourselves all the way down and come out fighting?

Sounds like it! Magical paratrooping is always fun!

No winching though! Jumping and Feather Falling : )

No winching though! Jumping and Feather Falling : )

I misunderstood then. :) Lu knows if she lets go of the elevator while it's in the shaft where it is, there'd be no easy way to get it back up for the others. Is that a concern or are we good to go?

Hmm. She'll have to tell Arun to tell the mages to aim for the elevator when landing then :P

Could also tie her rope to the elevator and throw that down; but it doesn't feel like we have the time for that do we?

Probably not. XD Sometimes you have to be speedy.

Now I'm thinking of the sky-diving scene from the Star Trek film reboot. I do want Sulu's portable techno-katana. :) Anyway, I think we're good to go: Saeri and Chaïa will float on down while Lu and Janus establish a beachhead, and we can decide in a round or two if the mages should then duck through the opening with the others or winch the platform the last little bit down.