Martaug nods. "Fair 'nuff. I get tired'a bein' called a crossbreed. Term hybrid's more acc'rate. Jus' make sure ya don't try an' pass off any doped potions ta da people workin' with ya." When the hostilities start growin' he grinds his teeth in irritation. "Dis ain't xactly da best spot fer dis discussion, ya know. Grumble, try ta keep a civil tongue an' not provoke. Sachiko, don' be makin' threats. Person in yer dubious position should be tryin' to mend fences, not dig holes."
Turning to face Sachiko, the paladin states, "Martaug is right, now is not the time to fling threats and insults. But know this - I will be watching."
With that she turns back to face the cave opening. "Cross the crevice or down like Gunlar went? If the latter, we may be able to use magic to detect whatever treasure is hidden within... or we might wander for hours."
"Any problems that remain amongst ourselves can be dealt with in good time after we have dealt with those problems that continue to plague others. Everyone has stated their opinions, both loudly and vociferously. Let us leave it at that, for now, and concentrate on the task at hand," Kara says, shaking her head at the antagonism present.
"I agree now is not the place, lets take the frustrations out on the undead, as for me I am not evil, my father's grandfather was a great man, to save his nation he battled against an evil spirit, the only way to defeat it was to trap it within himself and forever keep it contained, you see he was also a Paladin, but we call them Samurai wear I come from, he took the stain on his honor so his lord and civilisation could survive. When it came time for my father's grandfather to pass to the next world, the forces of evil swore that once his spirit left his mortal coil, they would take his soul to the pits of Jengoku or hell for all eternity. We found a way to provide protection to our ancestor until we can find a way to release and destroy the demon, that is my burden to bear, not yours, I and the women of my family for generations have found a way to supress the evil taint, if you kill me, then it just gets released, and may claim your nation, so I suggest, you all keep me safe. "You do not respect what I have been forced to do through slavery, well I do not like it either, why do you think I am risking my life at 16 to pay for my freedom, and for your information, no man, or one has spoiled my purity, and I intend to keep it that way!" Sachi takes a deep breath and relaxes her shoulders
It's not there because (a) I explained something to Martaug privately, and (b) he hasn't yet told the rest of the party what his suspicions are.
Aside from Martaug's outburst in the farmstead, you have no reason to suspect the antivenin. Well, other than the fact that your riding spirit seems to really like the woman who gave them to you...
So, are you heading down the shaft into the water, or crossing it and exploring the cave system beyond?
"Dat explanation might go a long way ta helpin' us understan' da oddness hangin' round ya. Thanks fer lettin' us know. Now, I tend ta t'ink dat we should go Gunlar's way. Wi' da added benefit of our cave-eyes we might be able ta more easily see whut he stumbled across. Da faster we're able'ta recover dis t'ing, da better."
All right. You lower a rope down the shaft and it hits the surface of the water about 30 feet down.
"So, all us understand boy-Gunlar story? Yalka expect swim-no-air short way before cave Gunlar tell.
...But Wight-tracks look fresh, so should be-ware."
For Grumble, Yalka:
Martaug cups his hand over Grumble and Yalka's ears as he whispers softly:
The half-orc nods and says "I'll slide down first an' give da bird whistle dat tol' ya 'bout before if it's safe fer da next."
Martaug, you slide down the rope into the water. You stop yourself when you're submerged up to your waistline.
The water is cold, perhaps 40 degrees F. Your feet have not touched bottom, but you can feel that the shaft goes down at least another three feet before opening up.
Oh, by the way, ...
Who's holding the rope up top?
I'll volunteer for rope holding duty.
As the crew investigates the shaft, Yalka sucks in a whiff of air, smelling the slight breeze wafting thru the cave. I un-tie from my horse the stout branch I had prepared, along with the knotted hemp rope I had prepared. I silently carry it up to the lip of the shaft, and accepting any assistance offered, lay it across the shaft, preferably perpendicular to the tunnel. As we're discussing what exactly to do, I'll step out again briefly to tie Lightening up to any suitable place, also leaving my backpack on the horse.
Peering fruitlessly into the dark recesses of the cave, past the shaft, I add "Wight here, we know. Yalka ready, but we must take care. Good somebody be look-out above, so Wight not cut rope or steal horse(s)?"
As the crew investigates the shaft, Yalka sucks in a whiff of air, smelling the slight breeze wafting thru the cave. I un-tie from my horse the stout branch I had prepared, along with the knotted hemp rope I had prepared. I silently carry it up to the lip of the shaft, and accepting any assistance offered, lay it across the shaft, preferably perpendicular to the tunnel. As we're discussing what exactly to do, I'll step out again briefly to tie Lightening up to any suitable place, also leaving my backpack on the horse.
Excellent. You encounter no difficulties. Kara, if you want to loop the rope around the branch, you can do so.
So what is the situation with the ghost players, Chris? Are they here? At the farm, or just wandered off and gotten lost?
Characters are back at the farmhouse until the player chimes in, in which case the PC has arrived at the mouth of the cave.
"Wight here, we know. Yalka ready, but we must take care. Good somebody be look-out above, so Wight not cut rope or steal horse(s)?"
The silence of the darkness is the only response.
(Right here, there's enough light for the humans and half-elf to see by, but if you drop down into the shaft or start exploring the caves beyond here, you'll need some light source.)
"My ancestor can provide us with light" Sachiko offers, she pauses. "I sense the struggle between my great grandfather and the deamon, my grandfather is winning for now, he can provide us with more beneficial gifts" [occ]Sachiko can now cast spells so this is represented with her ancestor supressing some of the taint within..I can cast dancing lights at will for the party so light is no issue...[/ooc]
Still holding the rope, Martaug slips into the cold, cold water, muttering to himself slightly about how it is as it should be for cave water... it is natural... it is good. "It's freezin' my blasted nethers off." With that he takes a big lungful of air, pushes himself below the level of the water and opens his eyes to see if he can see any prominant direction that he should try to swim.
"Valdisara - Are Wight close here?" I ask her, remembering how she checked the Spider tunnel for traces of them before...
I'll go ahead and tie the rope to the branch, doing my best ensure that the branch will actually hold Martaug's weight. Assuming that the branch holds solidly, Kara will be ready to pull should Martaug need to come out quick.
Sachiko: let me know when you're casting that, then, and where.
Kara: no problems. Yalka picked a branch that should be able to hold two or three full-grown men.
Let's assume 50' of rope, and that actually tying the rope up top will take 5 feet of that. So Martaug has 15' of rope that he can play out underwater; to get further than that, he'd have to untether himself.
Martaug takes a big breath and sinks beneath the surface. Things get very quiet.
Martaug
The shaft continues down another ten feet below the water level before opening up into a larger cavern, which extends to the west, north, and east. (For discussion purposes, you're at the center of the south wall.)
Under these circumstances, your darkvision only extends to a range of 25 feet.
The floor of the cavern is below your visual range, but there are many stalagmites that loom up from the darkness, which suggests that this cave wasn't always flooded.
Likewise, the ceiling of the cave has grown a profusion of stalagtites. It looks as if the cave splits to the northeast, so that the cave to the east might be a seperate room.
There doesn't appear to be anything living in here.
Sachiko will wait until the humans are down with Martaug and Grumble an dthen ask quietly if they want the light cast, she is after all a child and defers to the adults for the most part, she will cast the dancing lights in front of the group when the time comes...
Martaug wraps his legs around the rope and pulls his length of hemp out of his backpack and sets to tying the ends together. As he completes this he will give his bird whisle to let those above know the next person can start their descent. Once he is sure the ropes are knotted together fairly well, he will take another deep breath and, holding onto his rope swim down and to the north. When he feels he has used about half his air, he will use the rope to guide him back to the hole.
I call out ANOTHER whistle the same species uses, to let Martaug know we heard him.
"Who next? Yalka and Kara guard rope for others?"
Martaug surfaces and fiddles with the rope, clumsily adding his own length to the end. He whistles his "everything's okay" whistle through chattering teeth, draws a deep breath, and swiftly drops back under the surface.
So, who's next?
Martaug
The cold water is numbing your hands and feet, and causes you to shiver as you make your way northward. Because of the stalactites, you realize, you'll need to be directly under any hole in the cavern's ceiling in order to see it.
Nothing. Then you find one hole, but it narrows almost immediately to something you could stick your arm into. I'm presuming you choose not to.
Nothing. There's still plenty of ceiling to explore, and you're lungs are beginning to ache. But you have a rough approximation of the size of this cavern. North to south, it seems to be about 80 feet across.
Martaug, I need a Swim check from you. You also take 4 points of non-lethal damage from the cold.
Before Martaug dives again, I call out to him: "Good have way tell message with rope.
Like special pull if want pull back, other pull every... half minute? if everything OK. Other idea for message?"
"Glub!"
Martaug
Not so much losing the line so much as getting it tangled. Trying to get back to the surface, you get turned around when the line is snared. "Glub" indeed; you're lungs spasm, coughing out precious air.
Fortitude save: 1d20 + 4 = 20, which is good enough to get back and break surface before passing out.
You were under for about three minutes this time. With your shield and arms secured to your back.
As the sounds of a heaving and floundering Half-Orc emerge from the waters, I peer down again, worried at the state of our companion, who seems like he got in over his head... "Mar-Tog? Everything OK?"
Seeing him shiver in the water, I decide he's probably had enough of the water for this moment, so with Kara's help I'll try and hoist him back up, so we can get him out into the sun to dry off. I'll rush off to where my pack is and retrieve the Bear pelt I have, along with some sleeping linens, to wrap him up warm and dry. Heal Check to disperse non-lethal damage: 21
After he's closer to normal, I'll get as clear a picture of the cave as he can give.
The young druid does allow himself to be hauled back up and accepts the bear-pelt with gratitude. He explains the layout of the submerged area and shrugs between shivers. "I c'n call on da powers'a nature ta give me a gift of light fer several minutes... What we gain in visibility, we could loose in surprise, but it would be easier ta navigate unnerwater wid a light source. I'm willin' ta go back down an' take another stab at findin' an opening. We'll jes be a bit more prepared dis time 'round."
Martaug will certainly bow to a stronger swimmer and will be more than happy to use one of his orisons instead of wasting equipment.
"If ready, Yalka go swim with Mar-Tog."
Once we're ready, I will strip down, only bringing some knives, my gauntlets,
my rope & grapple, & the bear pelt wrapped tight in the waterproof bag.
I ask Valdisara again about the Wights (Detect Evil) and if she or anyone can tell if this IS the magic water that keeps away Un-Dead...?
As Martaug explores the watery cavern below, Val focuses her concentration on the area across the chasm, hoping to sense the presence of any evil that might be there. (Detect Evil)
Yalka gets Martaug warmed up, and the two of them plan on going back down.
Valdisara
Evil ahead, four sources, three of them unmoving, and one of them flitting about.
Martaug and Yalka, you're both ready to drop down again into the shaft. Martaug's cast light on Yalka's right sleeve.
Grumble peers at the shivering Half Orc, not at all relishing the upcoming swim. "I'll go down last," he offers. "That way if'n I catch a bad case of the drownding, ye can jes' pull me sodden corpse through."
"Very well then. Shall I enter before, or after Valdisara? Her capabilities to detect evil may prove useful in the cavern itself." Turning to Grumblenaught, Kara says, "I certainly hope it does not come to that."
In a low voice, the paladin says, "That is fine, Kara, I will go before you and Grumble. Beware, all of you - my goddess tells me that there are several sources of evil ahead, 4 total in range, and one of them moving."
In response to Valdisara's whispered warning, deep rumbling laughter echoes from the darkness ahead of you, perhaps 100 feet in from the cave entrance. Valdisara, it's hard to tell, but you'd bet that it's coming from either the left stable source of evil, or else the one in the center.
"Indeed there are, Valdisara. Clearly, shielding ourselves from your eyes was insufficient, when your goddess can direct your attention to us."
Sachiko steps forward and whispers, "Kami of Fire and Air, light this chamber with your grace so we may see as the skies intend us to, take us from this darkened sky, dance your grace and light this place" four orbs of light wink into existance and sail towards the voices provideing illumination
Sachiko, your lights flicker into existence.
At your gesture, they move towards the voice.
After about 30 feet, they sputter and die.
"There'll be none of that, drakeling." says another voice.
Valdisara, are you going to keep the detection focussed ahead, or will you be sweeping it around as well?
Umm... Scratch exploring the underwater part for now, I'm keeping a grip on my Spear.
...Otherwise, I'm standing near the pit edge, delaying action. (My spear able to strike across the pit)
"Show yourself if you not cowards" I call out towards the voice.
Valdisara, are you going to keep the detection focussed ahead, or will you be sweeping it around as well?
The paladin draws her blade as the creature's words sound across the cavern. "You are right, there is no sense hiding. Come meet us and let us put an end to your unrest."
The first voice chuckles again. "It would appear that our presence here is distracting you from the task at hand. We depart now, so that you may turn your attention to recovering Raschka-Tor's Payment." You hear shuffling in the distance to the north.
Grumblenaught
One of the creatures leaving seems to favor one leg. And there seems to be a magical darkness up ahead that's receding with the footfalls.
Martaug
Raschka-Tor is Orc for "fire mountain", and is a great mount on the east end of Belkzen, rumored to be the home of a family of crazy-powerful red dragons.
And there seems to be a magical darkness up ahead that's receding with the footfalls.
Sachiko
Your ancestral spirit strongly urges you to stay up top here and keep watch over the rope and the cave entrance.
Valdisara
No other evil around. other than the sources you already know about. The sources of evil ahead of you move back, beyond your spell's power to recognize them.
Yalka
Nope, nobody's been able to ascertain that the shaft holds Holy Water. But a gnome told you so, and who wouldn't trust a gnome?
So, the options seem to be: down, across, or out.
Raschka-Tor's Payment."
Hearing the creepily threatening words, I'll crouch down to pick up my bow, aiming my arrow straight down the passageway.
I'll glance over to the Grumble, to see if he's doing likewise, before I let lose: 19 to-hit, 6 dmg (Miss Chance would apply)