As mini-Jason climbs aboard shimmering, glowy giant-Karek, he inquires:
"I don't suppose there's any chance I could talk you into swimming in front of the dung bag eh?"
Karek nods with Jason conspiratorially. Aye. Was blannin' do.
In that case:
Plan A: wait and react, or:
Plan B: explore, by sending an "Unseen Servant" to the water's edge to thrash about with a stick or something and see what happens.
[/ooc]Great - just let me know which it is so I know which half of this encounter to resolve first.
Well, with not knowing what we might provoke it is probably most prudent to go with Plan A.
Donkor, Gandel, Hal - if anyone has any alterations or misgivings about the current plan, get em in now or forever hold your peace. Cause I think otherwise, we're about ready to go!
Well, with not knowing what we might provoke it is probably most prudent to go with Plan A.In that case:
Plan A: wait and react, or:
Plan B: explore, by sending an "Unseen Servant" to the water's edge to thrash about with a stick or something and see what happens.
[/ooc]Great - just let me know which it is so I know which half of this encounter to resolve first.
Hurgah concurs. He will walk a tight perimeter around where Moonpate is resting, making sure to keep well away from the water.
Well, with not knowing what we might provoke it is probably most prudent to go with Plan A.
I didn't know Moonpate was concerned with prudence.
Well, with not knowing what we might provoke it is probably most prudent to go with Plan A.I didn't know Moonpate was concerned with prudence.
He could get it open. But there's a but. While I don't want to get too in to it, as it's just not that fascinating, fuel dung from a bag of everlasting dung is actually composed of fairly dry pellets, so someone needs to reach into that bag and blenderize the dung and whip that bag around to get the desired effect. It's totally doable, it is after all still fertilizer, but that sounds a bit tougher for a Tiny-sizer.
Sounds like Donkor will be the man for the job then (unless he declines). He'll need two hands free, so he'll need to wrap his legs around Breach or affix himself in some way. We'll assume Donkor has that under control.
OK then!
Sounds like we're ready!
. . . The Dune Squad started riding camels, then the mighty Vonovoxen, and now they're into Large-sized dwarves. You'd think they actually had ranks in Ride.
Hurgah concurs. He will walk a tight perimeter around where Moonpate is resting, making sure to keep well away from the water.
Between all this guard duty and scouting, Hurgah might let the Beetle talk him into putting his first rank into Perception when we finally level him.
(Thanks for sorting the Hurgentate out, you two! So far it's all quiet.)
Hal should be I'm the middle as he has no weapons plus I want to be central in case I need to channel.
"Alright boys, lets get movin'." says the older dwarf as he takes in the area one last time.
"Alright boys, lets get movin'." says the older dwarf as he takes in the area one last time.
Three ogre-sized dwarves race for the Tumen gate, swimming like mad.
They are though, exceedingly good at it – after only a few focussed strokes, they shoot forward like a squadron of rockets.
--Gandel spots them first.
A pair of silent killers emerges from the abyss below and vectors their trajectory to intercept. They’re sharks, or at least they could be: they lack the trademark dorsal fin, but the streamlined body and maw of teeth is unmistakable. Perhaps it is a trick of the light, but the sharks have a sickly green color, as though they were further protected by not just cartilage but by armored fish-like scales. A thin finned tail provides a strong articulate propulsion.
Working as a pair, the emerald sharks branch out to strike each side of the Dune Squad. But only a few moments later it becomes clear that the sharks have misjudged their trajectory. The Dune Squad is simply travelling way too fast. The sharks, which were once ahead and on an intercept course, are quickly falling behind. At this rate, the dwarves will reach the rift before the sharks can close. Moreover, as long as the dwarves keep swimming, it would appear the sharks will never close.
While the dwarves must keep pumping with their arms and legs, their three passengers are able to (water)breathe a sigh of relief.
----------
Based on what Gandel knows about Deca-Jaws, do the creatures chasing us appear to be actual sharks, or a couple of the hydra's detached heads?
Gandel's pretty confident those are two individual hydra heads. He didn't realize the neck stumps actually sprout tail fins for locomotion, but it makes sense to him. Gandel's probably on the look out for 8 more.
Can Hal swim and channel at the same time?
Yes, he can swim and channel at the same time, but not at the speed he is swimming now. Right now he's taking the run action, which is a full round action. If he channels, his Speed drops from 240 geet per round to 60 feet per round for a single move action. It would leave Hal (and Gandel) in Karek and Breach's dust, unless the other dwarves too drop speed to keep the ranks intact. Still, even 60 feet per round appears faster than the speed of the pursuing sharks.
OOC:
It’s even better. Now that you are off the tumultuous Vonovoxen, the Dune Squad can even just speak with normal voice to anyone at close range (within reason).
It's a bit of a fiction as the water breathing spell doesn't actually impart this ability, but a PBeM where nobody can talk, would not be as fun. That, and when the Dune Squad first came through the gate in A'Viss everyone was discussing events for 20+ posts before this issue occurred to me. . . : )
As long as I'm waxing on the subject, one might also question why the lungs of air breathing, gill-less creatures have not been crushed with deep sea pressure. That, apparently, is a property of several regions of the elemental plane of water, but not all. (Seriously, don't take the left at Albuquerque.)
Ha! Love it.
"Those are two of Deca-Jaws' heads! Look out for eight more!" Gandel announces to his companions.
Karek nods grimly, without breaking his stroke. We bress on. Donkor, cloud us.
"Those are two of Deca-Jaws' heads! Look out for eight more!" Gandel announces to his companions.
“Yeah, maybe he’ll decide to see what he can come up with if he puts his heads together.”
"Hold your sh!& till we see the main body, Sooron. If we let loose too soon, we escape this scouting party and fall right to the main attack. Those heads are meant to corral, not attack. Predators that hunt in packs often use this tactic. Whether they are animal or humanoid, this a fact of squad ambush. Remember well the assualt from the beast in the desert? They too used this form of assualt. Just keep pushing for the gate!"
Donkor is also under the assumption that the dung is endless, but at our speeds, it will essentially be a poopy contrail, putting the finishing touches on the beetle's rocket imagery, for Breach at least.
I will open it at the earliest opportunity, blendering it as fast as possible with my wee little hands, to get the practice at it so I'm good to go when we slow down. Unless and until we do slow down, I don't expect it to help a great deal.
Clearly you must have suspected that the Beetle retains a special love for plans that hinge on 'The Donk'.
[ooc]What on earth do you mean by letting loose too soon? Are we going to run out of dung from the Bag of Endless Dung?
It turns out that the bag of endless dung is, contrary to its name, indeed finite. And this is probably what Breach is keeping in mind. It does though produce a fairly large amount of Sh!t.
[ooc]What on earth do you mean by letting loose too soon? Are we going to run out of dung from the Bag of Endless Dung?It turns out that the bag of endless dung is, contrary to its name, indeed finite. And this is probably what Breach is keeping in mind. It does though produce a fairly large amount of Sh!t.
That's really too bad. With the endless dung, and if the decanter of endless water repairs itself, we could feed the world on mushrooms almost anywhere!
. . . but at our speeds, it will essentially be a poopy contrail, putting the finishing touches on the beetle's rocket imagery, for Breach at least.
Just so.
As Donkor begins to puree the fertilizer pellets, a brown haze drops into the Dune Squads wake. At their present speed, the Dune Squad outpaces their own cloud - not that this is such a bad thing, with the rift racing ever and ever closer.
To boot, the two shark-heads in pursuit sense the stench and alter their course slightly, each doing their best to evade the chocolate stream of eldritch excrement. Their shift, however, only serves to give the Dune Squad a greater lead.
"Those are two of Deca-Jaws' heads! Look out for eight more!"
Would the halfling settle for one?
Deep in the distance ahead and above, Gandel spies another creature in the water making a bee-line towards them. It's hard to make it out well enough to be certain, but Gandel thinks he is looking at another hydra-head.
The creature is directly ahead at the twelve o'clock position, but at a higher altitude, descending rapidly.
The key point though is its distance. The creature is on the opposite side of the rift. At its present speed and trajectory, the Dune Squad should reach the rift with time to spare before this new (third) hydra-head reaches you.
In the meantime, its compatriots, the twin heads behind you, continue to lose ground. They have not though, abandoned pursuit.
At the same time, the distance to the rift is rapidly diminishing, creating the illusion that the spinning jagged fissure is growing in size. You can now see traces of alien energy flipping and playing off of its surface before dispersing into the water. In addition, you can now deduce that water currents are somehow negotiating the inside of the rift. One moment a rush of water blasts out of the crack and the next moment it sucks back in restoring an eternal equilibrium.
If you only had a moment you might pause and take in with bewilderment the ancient threshold that is the abandoned Tumen Gate. If you only had a moment.
----------
Deep in the distance ahead and above, Gandel spies another creature in the water making a bee-line towards them.
"Carefull guys, I think there's another one ahead of us. . ."
Hurgah paces while Moonpate rests.
Their wait is monotonous, with the only event being the sudden disappearance of their magnificent conjured horses. At that point the loot bag of weaponry tumbles to the sand, but despite the loud noise, nothing is disturbed. You appear very much alone. Hours pass. The sun begins its magnificent descent from the cloudless sky.
The Hurgentate collectively begin to wonder if the Dune Squad failed to make it, or perhaps they were too late or are at the wrong oasis after all.
Karek grits his teeth as he swims onward. Now mide be a good dime fer dad Blur, Belleson.
Karek grits his teeth as he swims onward. Now mide be a good dime fer dad Blur, Belleson.
OOC:
Blurs are already on Karek, Hal and Breach. It's got a duration in minutes so it's on the pre-casted buff list, though I have done a poor job of including it in my descriptions which probably added to the confusion. It turns out the giant dwarves are not just blurry due to their high speed.
Just in case: the one spell which I know which was mentioned which has not been cast is sanctuary as it has a duration in rounds. That might be what Karek was thinking of, though Donkor is now busy operating the not quite endless bag of dung and Hal is swimming as a full round action.
The Hurgentate collectively begin to wonder if the Dune Squad failed to make it, or perhaps they were too late or are at the wrong oasis after all.
With some worry, Moon begins to look around and wonder about what their shelter/hiding options are for the coming night.
Sooron continues to furiously stir his dung.
Sooron continues to furiously stir his dung.
The distance is evaporating now.
220. . .
200. . .
180. . .
It appears very unlikely the three hydra-heads will be a factor. The riders, Gandel, Jason and Donkor are craning their heads every which way to look for additional heads.
160. . .
140. . .
But unless they are invisible, they surely can't be between you and the rift.
140. . .
120. . .
100. . .
With some worry, Moon begins to look around and wonder about what their shelter/hiding options are for the coming night.
The oasis is in a valley of sorts, the lowest point for several miles. This alone gives you very effective hiding, probably the best for miles -- though you can't help but recall that it was this very feature that enabled you to find the oasis in the first place. The depression also makes it very hard to scout very far ahead.
In terms of shelter, there is nothing here unless you want to start uprooting or cutting the few trees that linger at the water's edge. But with that clear sky persisting, you don't feel particularly exposed. Night will be cold, but nothing your existing 24 hour endure elements or Hurgah's toughness can't handle.
With a supply of wood nearby, you could have the luxury of a fire, though I expect you would tell me you would at least want to wait for dark before lighting such a beacon. Moonpate remembers how just a few nights back Thalia was able to spot a smoke trail against the night sky with her elvin eyes and nearly mounted an expedition to assassinate the caravan encamped there.
140. . .
120. . .
100. . .
The dwarves are now preparing to swim directly through the rift. The fissure is irregularly shaped, like the tangles of a forked bolt of lightning. The effect is not unlike the jagged spider-crack found on a broken glass pane, only much larger, such that you can now clearly see spaces within the fissure that are large enough to swim through. Even the enlarged dwarves should be able to handle it. It is though rather vexing that the rift is rotating in random directions. Now that you’re this close, it’s making it hard to determine which part of the twisting tumbling rift to go for, especially without cutting speed.
90. . .
80. . .
70. . .
The dwarves focus on a specific spinning section of fissure and continue their mad race, blasting forward with powerful strokes. The veins in their enlarged arms and legs are swelling to humongous size, as though they were about to pop.
60. . .
50. . .
All of a sudden something truly huge exits the rift. It comes from the prime material (Osirion) side and joins you on the elemental plane of water, setting up a formidable blockade
You recognize it at once; this can only be Deca-Jaws.
The behemoth has five lizard-like heads, each swirling in an angry morass of flexible segmented neck stalks. Behind the tangle of heads is a monstrous muscled core, terrifyingly equipped with both fins and legs for locomotion.
Despite the snapping jaws, you can’t help but notice that the creature also has five stumps—points at which about a foot of neck extends from its central body and then suddenly terminates. Rather than a severed opening of exposed flesh and bone though, the creature’s skin seems to seal around the stump’s edge, protecting it in a careful fold. The strange stumps undulate back and forth in the water as though calling for their missing heads to return.
----------
OOC:
Well a Perception/surprise roll might be in order, but I’m going to forego it and proceed straight to initiative. Deca-Jaws has been following you with his other heads and, for their part, the Dune Squad probably saw this coming. Plus, the creature had to squeeze to get through the rift.
There’s no attacks of opportunity either. Not only does Deca-Jaws not draw from the squeeze, you are unarmed. Deca-Jaws gets none, he’s on the move as well.
If you don’t cut speed you will crash into the creature. Maybe you want to, it’s a heck of a charge. Maybe you want to try to dodge around it and go for the rift. Or maybe it’s a melee. Let me know!
Initiative:
With only a few seconds to decide, do we just ram it? Karek is inclined to, but understands if Breach and Hal are less overt with their plans. We may have discussed this possibility in our planning.
"Just as I thought. We have to get past this thing boys! We are not suited for combat here. We need to draw it through the rift and on to land. Let us stop, cloud the water, cast your spells,and make a break for it under the the cover of our cloud."
1d20+1
"Just as I thought. We have to get past this thing boys! We are not suited for combat here. We need to draw it through the rift and on to land. Let us stop, cloud the water, cast your spells,and make a break for it under the the cover of our cloud."
1d20+1
"Just as I thought. We have to get past this thing boys! We are not suited for combat here. We need to draw it through the rift and on to land. Let us stop, cloud the water, cast your spells,and make a break for it under the the cover of our cloud."
Initiative:
Donkor is all for trying to get around the beasty. One of the things he wants to try this round as a standard action is to use Control Water to lower the water beneath the beasty. The hope is that it will create a whirlpool to mess up it's actions this round and allow us to slip past. Before I do that though, I want to see just how big the beasty is. Assuming all goes as plans, is Deca-Jaws large enough that a whirlpool near it's bottom parts would be far enough away from us that we'd be unaffected by it's effects?
Assuming you mean around the beast and into the rift, the answer is "Yes, but not without drawing attacks of opportunity." I think Karek spilled the beans on the Combat Reflexes, though on the other hand, you are pretty buffed.
But if you just want to evade it in the deep blue water, even easier. The creature looks pretty mobile, but you are lightning. But that doesn't accomplish Breach's plan (above) to get to land.
Donkor is all for trying to get around the beasty. One of the things he wants to try this round as a standard action is to use Control Water to lower the water beneath the beasty. The hope is that it will create a whirlpool to mess up it's actions this round and allow us to slip past. Before I do that though, I want to see just how big the beasty is. Assuming all goes as plans, is Deca-Jaws large enough that a whirlpool near it's bottom parts would be far enough away from us that we'd be unaffected by it's effects?
Ah! You've been holding out on me, as usual, I see.
Deca-Jaws is size Huge. (He can cram into a 15 x 15 grid in map play, but I'd say he is a lot higher vertically.)
At your current distance, you can create your whirlpool without fear that the Dune Squad would be drawn in. This assumes that nobody races in before Donkor casts. Looking at the initiative scores above, so far so good there.
The spell creates a really large area of effect, but Donkor can 'drop it' so that much of that area is behind Deca Jaws and not on the Dune Squad.
The difficulty will be this. Donkor can't place it below Deca-Jaws without covering the area of the rift. So if the plan is to bypass the creature and get through the rift, you'll either have to cancel the spell or risk passing quite close to the whirlpool yourselves. This might put the dwarves muscles (Swim scores) to the test, but they are pretty tremendous.
Lastly there's that nasty spell description text about how the spell has no effect on "other creatures", meaning creatures not composed of water. Surely it would have some brief effect in these circumstances, but who is to say what, for certain.