Xerissa can warn Breach. Presumably Gandel could easily do so as well, or other members of the squad gathered around the top of the tube such as Hal or Hurgah. (I'm guessing both Denis and Phrip are away right now). Let's assume somebody warns Breach -- no need to splat Ambriel Aranaeus.
Breach now appreciates the tube (or shaft or pit as it has often been called) is a full 60 feet in length. The thing is, it terminates or opens at the bottom of the ceiling of the room Breach is in now. The distance from ceiling to floor in the chamber is an additional 25 feet. That means the total falling distance from the top of the tube until you hit floor at the bottom is actually 85 feet. So there is a distance of 25 feet between where Breach is standing and the tube starts at the ceiling above his head.
-----
Having rejoined Hurgah by the shaft, Moonpate begins to cast, once again calling upon the deepest reserves of his magical energies.
Dignon and Cragg-el, the two elementals, form into self-propelled earthbreakers, vaguely matching Karek's in appearance. They then both join Kogan, slamming away at the sand wall, continuing to widen the ever-growing hole.
Suekahn Vents his Multi-Millennial Rage on the Dune Squad - Round 8!
Initiative Order:
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(with elementals, Dignon and Cragg-el)
Note: This is the final round of the blessing of fervor.
-
The strange glowing spider scurries past Breach. It wanders around as though searching for something.
-----
So Breach's turn is up next, but thus far it doesn't look like anyone has responded to his call for the Dune Squad to join him on the lower level.
A few minor orientation details that have probably been forgotten in all the recent excitement:
In addition to the passage Breach recently explored which lead to a set of stairs and a very large room, the room Breach is in now, the one below the "tube" also has two other exits, both unexplored.
The room also has a bas relief in the south wall - it is another firefly bug - one matching the relief in the room where the rest of the Dune Squad is up above.
"Breach, we need you to come back up! Donkor thinks we may have found Lydia!"
Just as he prepares to destroy the giant spider, he hears the warnings from the others. "Well that was timing," he says to himself. As Gandel yells down again, "Back up? How am I... Wait a minute! I'm suppose ta ride that thing?! What is he daft?! But he did say they found Lydia. Bah!" Looking up the tube, he sighs, "somehow."
Taking in the situation, Breach just looks at the spider. "Alright, bug, take me back up there, or, whatever. Do ya even know what ta do? I've never ridden a giant bug before so ya better make sure I don't fall off; 'cause that doesn't feel real good." Breach looks around a moment before facing the spider again. "I'm beginnin' ta think I'm the one going daft. I'm talkin' to a bug! Bah!"
The spider does not appear to be cooperating. It is scurrying away from Breach, seemingly intent on something else.
If Breach wants to ride it, he'll need to start by trying to grapple it. Even then, it seems doubtful it will follow his commands. But even still, it wouldn't be the strangest thing Breach has pulled off in the last 5 minutes.
Seeing the spider seemingly to be paying him no mind, Breach looks at it curiously. "What are you about, bug?" Breach follows the spider, determined to find out where it's going.
"Breach, what do you see down there?"
"My friends, it seems the spider is heading away from us and so is Breach. I think our path lies below us, in any case we cannot let Breach go it alone".
Hal takes a step off of the ledge and feather falls to the bottom.
"My friends, it seems the spider is heading away from us and so is Breach. I think our path lies below us, in any case we cannot let Breach go it alone".
Hal takes a step off of the ledge and feather falls to the bottom.
Most of Moonpate's mind is deep in concentration as he manipulates arcane energies to call forth another friend from beyond, but a small part of his brain takes in the surrounding scene and wonders if the dwarves have gone crazy.
C'mon Phrip you tease! What are you summoning?
Donkor is up!
Xerissa: you are correct, she'll need two rounds to get that rope down. She'll need more rope than the standard 60 feet to reach the bottom though, does she actually have it?
Very cool Denis - I had forgotten about Hal's ring.
Donkor snaps out of his trance in time to see Hal jump down the tube after Breach and the spider.
"Where are you going?!" he shouts at the falling dwarf. "Lydia is through that door!"
He sighs and moves away from the hole in the floor, channeling energy to heal the members of the Dune Squad he can reach, and excluding the demon, if he's around.
There is no sign of activity from the fiend.
Karek and then Moonpate are up to finish the round.
He sighs and moves away from the hole in the floor, channeling energy to heal the members of the Dune Squad he can reach, and excluding the demon, if he's around.
-
The devil is not around.As you have guessed, Breach is injured, but he's too far away to benefit. Karek can soak the full 15 to his benefit if I am not mistaken.
Is anyone else injured?
Hey! Make your check first before you check the tag!
Karek pauses in his smashing and looks around.
Donkor looks too.
And Karek resumes smashing stuff, waiting for a direction.
With Moonpate safe for the moment, Hurgah moves over to the double doors and helps getting them open.
"Gentlemen," says the rotund wizard, "and lady, of course," he adds acknowledging Xerissa,
"I do believe our transportation to the level below has arrived."
And, with a flourish of his hand, a micro-rift opens in the center of the room. With a soft hiss, a current of air escapes. The cloud-like wisp coalesces into the transparent outline of a winged snake. The snake bows its head to the wizard and the pair exchange quick greetings in Auran.
The wizard and his air elemental ally quickly exchange greetings and Moonpate explains his current need.
The elemental transforms itself into a floating hand and outstretches itself into an open palm, creating an even surface almost five-feet in diameter. The five-fingered hand then flies into the shaft and hovers just below the lip.
"Anyone headed down below can count on Ilma-aello for a very swift but safe decent.,” announces the wizard to all. “But take care, just one at a time please."
The Potentate then gestures towards the giant double doors and barks a new set of commands. This time in the much more gruff alien tongue of Terran. Dignon and Cragg-el respond. They halt their decontruction of the sand wall and turn their attention to the double doors on the east side of the chamber.
Apparently, Hurgah decides the command was meant for him as well. He joins the elemental clan brothers. Wedging his thick fingers in the crack between the great doors, he forces them apart, swinging them inwards.
What lies beyond the doors is. . .
Er hem! COugh it up! POst or PM me. : )
"You wound me, Once-Man. You need tell only the truth. I am the one that curses, not the Deceiver.”
Suekahn continued. “Tell all who come, that I have this one." He tapped the statue with his other pincer. "She'll be in the throne room. They can find her there: living and breathing. As long as they don't make me wait too long. It’s been thousands of years – my patience wears thin."
-----
The mighty Hurgah tears the doors open revealing. . .
A massive field of snow and boulders!?
Somehow these doors lead to the outside world. But certainly not the desert you came from.
What you see looks more like tundra from the Crown of the World. The ground is covered in a layer of snow and ice. There are no walls or ceiling, only an open grey sky. In the distance are mountainous peaks of jagged stone.
Other than the crazed terrain, there are two more features that clammor for your attention:
1. There are four high-backed thrones, each facing each other in a square. Why someone has constructed four stone thrones in the middle of an artic (antarctic?) wasteland is not apparent.
2. Lydia! The Mithral Scarab is here. She’s less than 10 feet from Hurgah. Unfortunately she looks to be in some distress. She doesn’t seem to be tied up, but she’s not attired for this kind of weather. Moreover, she has a number ugly looking gashes tearing her clothing and skin. She has been mistreated.
Xerissa can see it, or at least enough of it.
I will send you a PM then, as she's the only one to make the Perception check.
"Hurgah!?"
"Is it really you? Or is this just another part of the illusion?"
Now that he thinks on it, Hurgah's not certain he's ever seen anyone quite so happy to see him before.
Hurgah stops in his tracks to take in the scenery - and Lydia.
His eyes narrow, as he gazes intently on the frail woman, attempting to discern whether she is really who she appears to be or the elusive devil in another disguise.
Hurgah does not detect any trickery - looks (and smells) like Lydia. She also appears to have bled like a half-elf.
Satisfied - at least for the moment - that no immedieate threats are present, Hurgah lowers his axe and releases his rage. His enormous figure seems to shrink a little as he motions for Lydia to come through the doors.
In here. We are all here, and the clerics can heal your injuries. We seem to have driven off that devil for now.
"Heads up everyone! A purple cloud started to come out of the tube. When I saw it, it saw me and sucked back inside. I think someone has followed us!!"
Gandel yells over to Hurgah, "Grab Lydia and get back over here. If Xerissa is right and we have company we need to get back together! Ilma aello, can you assist me getting down the shaft?"
"Heads up everyone! A purple cloud started to come out of the tube. When I saw it, it saw me and sucked back inside. I think someone has followed us!!"
-
It sounds like everyone follows, which is great, but just for greater certainty, the tube Xerissa is referring to is the dime-sized "pipe" that the Dune Squad travelled through (the song tubes).It is not the same as the large 10-diameter shaft (or pit) which Breach fought inside of.
I am sure I would have referred to both as "tubes" on multiple occassions.
Satisfied - at least for the moment - that no immedieate threats are present, Hurgah lowers his axe and releases his rage. His enormous figure seems to shrink a little as he motions for Lydia to come through the doors.
In here. We are all here, and the clerics can heal your injuries. We seem to have driven off that devil for now.
-
Lydia needs no further coaxing. She bolts out of the artic wasteland, through the giant doors. She wraps herself around one of Hurgah's monstrous thighs in relief and buries her head to hide her tears.
Clearly these are trying times when one rushes to enlarged draconic half-orcs for refuge.
Gandel yells over to Hurgah, "Grab Lydia and get back over here. If Xerissa is right and we have company we need to get back together! Ilma aello, can you assist me getting down the shaft?"
-
Since Gandel actually speaks Auran, I'll assume that that last part was conveyed in Ilma aello's native tongue.
She answers, "Yes!" and bobs ever so slightly, clearly eager to help.
When Gandel steps on the open hand, it rapidly transforms into a protective cocoon of air, aerodynamically shaped not unlike an egg. It then--
--descends like a rocket.
Before Gandel knows what hit him he is down the shaft and standing on the floor of the stone chamber below.
Above him, Hal is still gently floating downwards, still a couple seconds away from landing. (Morgrym's cloak is billowing like he's some kind of bad-assed batman.)
It is though pitch black dark down here, unlike the dwarves, Gandel will need to summon his famous lights or make other arrangements if he wants to see much more.
Meanwhile Ilma aello is already back up the shaft, once more in the shape of an open hand.
-
I don't actually know if its correct or not, but regardless I am just fine with you speaking while on delay.I think technically you need to come off delay to take a free action, but if it's just speech, I'm OK with it. But if it's like activating a trip wire or something, I wouldn't think so.
Suekahn Vents his Multi-Millennial Rage on the Dune Squad - Round 9!
Initiative Order:
Breach watches Gandel's summoned spider trying to discern what it is up to.
He thinks it might be trying to track or hunt. But if so, it has been completely unsuccessful. It's now wandering in a circle.
"Heads up everyone! A purple cloud started to come out of the tube. When I saw it, it saw me and sucked back inside. I think someone has followed us!!"
Look forward to reading what you all come up with
Turning his attention to the newly arrived halfling, "Nice o' ya ta drop by, Trapspringer," he says with a furrowed brow. "Where's the lass? If ya know where she is, why are you down here?" Breach asks, curious as to his answer as he keeps an eye on the spider.
Breach watches the spider. Perhaps it's patrolling, perhaps it's just plain lost. It's moving eratically, Now climbing a wall, but remaining in the same room as Breach.
Xerissa repositions and keeps an eye on the song tube.
That takes us to Hal and then Donkor.
Seeing the battered Breach, Hal calls upon Angradd to heal the injured dwarf.
Cure Serious Wounds
No worries! That gets Breach close enough to full, I would think.
That takes us to Donkor and then Suekahn (if he's participating in this "combat").
Donkor and Karek both will get in line for the Elemental Express. Karek is happy to be last, guarding the Dune Squad's retreat. (Or advance, depending on your perspective.)