Hearing the noise, Billi immediately starts pounding a piton into the outside wall of the building just left of the doorway while the bells are still ringing, keeping his strokes of his light hammer in time with the bells. He tucks four pitons into the belt of Ioca or, if he refuses, another light footed volunteer and hands them his light hammer so they can secure the rest of the 50' rope to the building as a hand rail.
Billi takes his end of the rope and double knots it to piton in the wall. As soon as that is complete, Billi steps aside to let those less clumsy move first.
"If we pound four or five pitons into the wall and knot the rope through 'em, we should have something even I can use to get to the boat."
As she steps onto the dock, Sable hears the cacophony of the bells and sees that explosion in the distance. "What's going on?" she says. "Maybe we should forget about the boat, focus on getting the kids to safety, and try to find out what is happening."
However, should the group disagree, she won't argue the choice. Instead, she says "I'm agile and light. I'll go first." She takes a moment to make sure her gear is well secured, and then lightly steps forward, treating it like a dance routine, and making sure to pause every so often for piton hammering, assuming Billi hands the hammer and pitons to her.
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As she's following the others outside, the explosion and the bells tug at Talindra's heart. She almost bolts in the direction of the noise, years of training making that response almost instinctual... but just barely remembers herself and stops. Breathe, Tali. Breathe. She does. In and out, several deep, steadying breaths, with her hand on the symbol of Shelyn hanging from her neck. The worst has already happened. Finish things here, then go and help as a group. Be the light. Be the example. She stows her glaive and instead rummages through her pack for her own rope and climber's kit. "Here it is! I've got more pitons, and some more rope. We should have plenty. I'm happy to stay toward the back with Billi so we can pull people up if they fall. Or, if someone has a better idea, let me know. It's not important that we do what I suggest, it's important we agree on how to handle this." She tries to catch everyone's glance and gives a reassuring nod.
Sable bravely ventures out onto the back alley She feels the flimsiness of the boards under her feet, but she moves carefully and surely, and the plank boards seem to bear her weight without protest. About every 10' or so, she stops to hammer a piton into the side of the fishery, and thread the rope end through, running the line along with her as she moves.
After about 45', it's pretty clear that the coil of rope isn't long enough to get all the way out to the ship. While Sable waits for the others to knot a second length of rope together, she looks about (still with light on her scabbard).
From her position, she can see the ship is heavily moored to the dock and building with ropes, lengths of chain, straps, and other means of support. If the building was decrepit, this vessel gives new meaning to the word. In peeling paint on the side of the boat is the name Kraken's Folly, but its apparent even from here that the boat is no longer seaworthy. Large planks are missing from the hull, visible just above the waterline, and the whole things gives a miserable and sunken appearance. Sable supposes that if the vessel wasn't strapped fast to the building, it would sink in a matter of minutes.
Further, she can see that the fishery floor, where the combat occurred, does not go all the way to the river bottom. A second plank underpier is visible beneath the building, with maybe three feet of clearance between the river and the structure above. Try as she might, Sable cannot squeeze or drop down to that underpier from her current position, she can only just see it around the exterior walls of the fishery and through the plank walkway.
”Let’s go and have the four of us each load a single piton on rope #1 while Sable and Ioca finish connecting rope #2 to the deck.”
"I don't think this is a good idea. The ship looks like it's ready to sink, and if we get on it, it might just go under. It should already be underwater. There might be a passageway under the fishery, but I don't see a way to get there." Sable calls out. "Let me try something real quick..
Sable recasts Light on one of the pitons, which makes the scarred go dark, then she tries to drop it onto the second plank underpier to see if that shows anything else.
Lenrelle hears the ringing in the distance, the noise unfamiliar to her. She's nervous, and now that others are taking the lead, and wisely so, she'd drown on her own, the priestess is able to show it just a bit. Fortunately, Billi and Sable's confident competence and Talindra fine example help her put a brave smile on her face, "Just let me know if I can help." Otherwise she follows orders, "I am curious what that noise meant. Never heard anything quite like it."
Billi nods and says
"If there is an underpier, can we get there from the water access in the bottom floor? I could use my axe to chop into the wood floor near the river."
Billi heads to examine the wood floor and see if it can be chopped through easily.
Perivolt watches Sable throw her glowing piton away.
"Here now. If you nee some mobile lighting, dear lady, you have but to ask."
He recasts his dancing lights and directs them to the areas needed.
Listening to everyone else, and not wanting to waste any time more than is necessary, Ioca lies on the platform, belly down, and drapes his upper torso over the outer edge, hands on the outer rail, bending over in an attempt to see straight into the underdeck being described.
Ioca looks down over the outer edge of the back alley, but is frustrated when he sees that the outer walls of the fishery go nearly all the way to the waterline, and whatever Sable is seeing is INSIDE that outer wall. It's partly why he couldn't see the underpier from his prior spot on the neighboring pier.
Sable redirects her illuminating spell on one of the pitons and tosses it down to the underpier she can see, but not reach below. The lit up tool lands in the narrow space under the fishery, and she can see that the underpier runs along the port side of Kraken's Folly and back under the fishery structure. She cannot see where it disappears under the building, as the view is blocked for now. She can barely make out the edge of what appears to be a small skill bobbing on the river below the lower part of the fishery.
In addition to the walk-way, Sable catches a dark shape moving quickly through the river water, the tell-tale sign of a dorsal fin confirming its probably not something friendly.
Perivolt sends a few of his light spheres swirling around Sable along the walkway, though he cannot see the opening to place them under the fishery for now
Billi seems pretty confident this whole side walkway would crumble with a few good licks from his axe, but that doesn't get him under the fishery. The floor of the office is more firm, but probably could be shattered. The fishery floor where the Lambs are still hiding out already has a hole in it, he recalls.
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From her position letting the lighter, more agile members explore, Talindra hears the uncertainty and the nerves in Lenrelle's voice. She rests a gentle hand on the priest's shoulder, and does her best to fake some certainty to put both Lenrelle's and her own mind at ease. "Sounds like an alarm or a call for help. To be expected given the explosion." Poor girl's worried sick, and I don't blame her. "Hey, can you go check on the kids? They're probably super scared about all the noise. I can handle things up here with the ropes and pitons, and if I follow Sable and Ioca, you're going to have to fish me out of the water."
Billi decides the kids need checking on and the rectangular opening to the water needs further inspection— if he can see light reflected on the water. He peeks in the hole using his dark vision.
Billi rushes back down to the room the party entered, and sticks his head down in the hole cut into the floor of the fishery. Since Sable's light is down there, he doesn't need darkvision to see a small skiff floating on the river's current -- it's tied to a wooden piling underneath. Along the edges of the small space (it's only about 3' from the floor of the fishery to the water's surface) he sees another wooden walkway -- the same underpier Sable sees from above. One one end is the ship, Kraken's Folly on the other end is a door leading up under the building to a level built under the upper parts of the fishery, and the embankment below.
"I found it! It's tight, but we can all make it down here."
Sable heads back down the dock, carefully, using the rope guide that she had set up, and gets back inside the fishery with Billi. The ringing bells have her worried too.
"I don't think I've ever heard every bell in the city going at once. Oh, there's something in the harbor, something fast and with a fin. If we go down there, let's be careful we don't fall off the walkway."
She points towards the hole when she says 'down there'.
Billi offers to hold and brace Taldindra's rope to get everybody down easily.
"We can get my rope before we leave, they are not cheap. I can probably hang and drop when you are all down. I would have some food handy to throw in the waters, probably want the creature eating rations and not us."
"I probably should I... oh wait, they found something." She says "Guess we'll trust Billi's dwarven techniques to get you and I save through, Talindra."
Perivolt attempts to reassure the religious champion. "If you are to visit the murky depths without your consent, I know a spell that can retrieve you from that predicament."
The educated noble winks at her unaware his scholarly speech is rather unusual.
The hole in the fishery floor does seem to lead to the underpier, and it is already lit up a bit, thanks to Sable's glowing piton. There is a small skiff moored at the bottom (the map may show it in a different place, but its under the opening), which you could lower yourself down into easily enough -- its only about a 3' drop, but the skiff is small and can only hold a few of you at a time.
You could use a rope system or swing over to land on the underpier as well.
Billi has five pitons left, and hands as many of them as needed to whoever wants to secure the rope guideline.
Ioca lightly growls, quietly. "Back inside to go down? Do we have any sign of Lamm, yet? Where has the filth gone?"
He goes with the others, not seeing a great advantage in trying to continuing the first path alone.
Billi hands the rope to Tallindra and ties it to his waist and does a hang and drop to the pier below.
If the wood holds, he will draw a javelin, chuck some rations toward the fin and he will hammer a piton in the dock to start another tether and put the end of the rope through the loop in the piton and duck walk to the door.
Billi hang-drops down from the fishery floor and lands on the underpier. A narrow space exists under the fishery, with about three feet of room between the floor of the eastern side of the building and the languid, foamy water below. Wooden pilings support the building, and thick mats of moss and cobwebs hand from ropes and rusted chains between them. A wooden walkway floats on the river's surface, winding along the inner wall of pilings that supports the building's frame above. The walkway leads from the sodden ship to the east all the way west to a small two-and-a-half foot square door that leads to the understructure below the land-bound half of the fishery. The pilings below the understructure are densely arrayed, leaving only the narrowest of gaps into the water below that area.
When Billi tosses rations into the river, at first there is no action, but soon enough a large greedy shape zooms through the water and takes them in a single bite.
Billi helps secure a line that makes the descent safer for all.
Billi will pull the rope to the door and tie it around a secure board thinking hammering pitons by the door could be loud.
If a few companions get on the underpier, he will open the door.
Perivolt looks over the edge of the hole and gulps as something large moves through the water in response to Billi’s food toss. He flicks his hand and the dancing lights zip down to illuminate the underpier.
“Well, I-I guess I’ll have to go down sometime.”
He takes a deep breath and grabs a hold of the rope Billi left and climbs down to the rocking skiff. Once in, he sends an orb back up to signal he’s safely arrived.
Once Perivolt is safely down, Sable will go next, first to the boat, and then to the underpier so that the boat can be used as a platform for the rest.
Perivolt and Sable both push off the gooey fishery floor and into the floating skiff. It's not hard after that to get footing on the planks of the underpier, they just have to stay bent double since the clearance is only about 3'.
"Oh we've fallen farther behind than I thought. Come on, Talindra. I'll help you ." and she moves to catch up
Lenrelle manages to spring down to the underpier successfully, but even with divine guidance, Talindra's attempt fails; she lands with one foot on the wooden planks, but her armor and weapon overbalance her, and she falls into the water of the river with a loud splash.
Ioca goes back inside with the others, taking his turn to get down into the crawl space.
I really hope this leads to Lamm. If he's flown, it was while these bleeding hearts stopped to bind wounds. Like they could heal the wounds he has caused, and will keep causing, if we can't stop him!
In the Water - Round 1
24 Billi
23 Sable
22 Perivolt
16 Shark
15 Lenrelle
11 Ioca
6 Talindra
Billi throws more rations at the shark in the water.
Sable keeps an eye on the door, and moves a little towards it to make sure there's room for Talindra to get up on the dock.
"Well, this could be a problem," Perivolt quips as Talindra decides to test the temperature of the water for a potential iron-woman swim.
Perivolt wastes no time initiating an elaborate set of gestures and mouths several arcane words before announcing, "Talndra! To me!"
Several wisps of energy erupt from the tips of the wizard's fingers and shoot out toward the waterlogged champion wrapping around her and pull her toward the space on the pier next to Perivolt.
He makes a motion with one hand, and one of the glowing orbs approaches closer so he can peer at Talindra's face to make sure she isn't blue.
"Oh my word, Talindra I'm so sorry."
Into the Water - Round 1 - continued
Billi throws more food from his pack into the water, hoping to distract the shark from the live-bait that is his ally, Talindra.
Sable watches the small door, and staying hunched over in the small area, tries to make space on the underpier.
Perivolt casts a spell that somehow grabs the now-soaking wet Talindra and pulls her towards him in a direct line. The space nearest Perivolt has the small skiff in it, so the tendrils of force deposit her inside the small craft.
As Talindra is lifted from the water, the splashing and disturbance draws the shark that was seen earlier. It ignores the dried rations and makes a beeline for the party which is on the underpier. It flicks its tail fins and leaps out of the water, making a bite on Talindra who stands shakily balanced in the skiff. The shark then lands back in the water near the underpier.
Critical!
18 dmg total!
Ioca carefully drops down into the skif, both pulling his blade and crouching (to lower his center of gravity).
Lenrelle watches as Talindra is near torn apart, and blood flows. Fortunately this she knows how to deal with.
"Sarenrae's light flood and heal." She extends her hands out as if passing on a gift to Talindra, and indeed she is
Then she follows up with another Guidance spell on Talindra as well.
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For a brief, blissful moment, Talindra thought she would be fine. It was clear she was going to end up in the water, but then she'd just climb out. It wouldn't be that bad. Sure, she'd be soaking wet, but worse things have happened. Yet in the time it took to have these few fleeting thoughts, the shark was upon her. Without even a chance to swim away, a pain hits her, burning through her whole being. Talindra knows pain, physical and especially emotional, but this surpasses anything else she's felt. She hears a strange, disembodied, piercing sound fill the underpier. Her vision clouds, an intense yet somehow far-away shade of red obscuring her view. Everything fades... I'm on my way, Lora. We'll be together now, forever.
... and then she feels herself being lifted out of the water. She feels something firm underneath her feet, and a familiar warmth fills her body. The red veil clears, and she's back in Korvosa, back in the underpier, with the vicious shark still right next to her. Surrounded, also, by her new companions, the haze clears just enough for her to realize her debt to everyone around her. "Th--thank you." The words are a bit hard to get out, her throat a bit sore. ... that sound was me screaming. Reality floods her awareness again. Slapping a hand on her injury, she feels a second surge of warmth as Shelyn's light fills some of the darkness left by her injury. Then, she turns to the predator adjacent to her. It'd be better to send the creature out to sea, but here it's just a danger to everyone. She doesn't even want to think about how many others have met worse fates. She swings her glaive twice, trying to end the threat.
Billi waits to see if anyone inspires him.
Then launches a javelin at the shark, draws a javelin, and launches again.
Into the Water - Round 1 - concluded
Ioca drops down from the hatch and into the skiff next to the badly wounded Talindra. He falls all the way to a knee, pulling his blade, and stabbing down at the swimming target, but his rapier strike is upset by the rocking motion of the small craft, and his attack just misses.
Lenrelle sees the major wound dealt to Talindra from the shark-bite and goes into healing mode, channeling the power of Sarenrae to keep the champion on her feet. The cleric then follows up with divine guidance for Talindra, hoping she can kill the shark while its still near her.
For her part, Talindra feels the surge of warmth from the healing, and also the guidance. She casts her own healing spell on her and the the soft chime of bells rings in her head as Shelyn's soothing touch fills her. Now nearly fully restored, she makes a pair of slashing attacks at the shark, but neither can connect with the aquatic foe.
End of Round 1
In the Water - Round 2
24 Billi
23 Sable
22 Perivolt
16 Shark
15 Lenrelle
11 Ioca
6 Talindra (18/19hp remain)
Sable really doesn't have the room to perform, so she continues to keep an eye on the door in case anything comes through.
Perivolt continues keeping the bobbing orbs lit.
Hoping the water will conduct against their aggressor, Perivolt resorts to one of his favorite little cantrips. A jagged bolt of electricity shoots from his hand.
In the Water - Round 2
Sable doesn't have enough room to maneuver in the half-bent crouch she is in due to the low clearance, and the narrow and unsteady wooden planking underfoot, so her dancing inspiration will have ot wait. She tries to keep an eye on the door in case, the noise of the shark-fight draws any unwanted attention.
Billi launches two javelins at the swimming target. The first strikes it squarely in the head, causing the target serious damage, but the second misses and floats harmlessly to the river bottom.
Perivolt keeps his dancing lights active, making sure all can see clearly in the underpier. He then launches a bolt of electrical energy into the water near the shark, but the river displaces the spell enough that it misses.
The shark makes another leap from the water, biting this time at Lenrelle. The ferocious beast takes a huge chunk out of the unarmored cleric's flank, and she goes down in a bloody heap on the dock. The fish continues its momentum diving under the water a bit, and circling around for another run about 30' away.
EDIT: As the shark bites down on Lenrelle, Talindra is able to return the favor to her new-found ally. Divine power grants the cleric just enough resistance to the shark bite that she does NOT fall, but remains upright, but seriously hurt.
Critical (again)
18dmg total :(
Billi draws a javelin and readies it for a throw the moment the shark is above water within 30’ — he has two javelins left.