Journey in the Dark

[Daftendirekt]

Journey in the Dark
A Daftendirekt Production

http://i1012.photobucket.com/albums/af244/judeferguson42/Journey%20in%20the%20Dark/talespinnersleague.jpg
And so the story begins...

OOC (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=12473040)

{table=head]Player | Character | Race | Class | Alignment
obscurejones | Glon Undarkife (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheetview.php?sheetid=357326) | Underfolk | Rogue | True Neutral
Bohannamut | Nysan (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheetview.php?sheetid=357127) | Tiefling | Warblade | Neutral Evil
Circle of Life | Tsal, the Exiled (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheetview.php?sheetid=357679) | Whisper Gnome | Duskblade 1, Crusader 1 | Lawful Neutral
RaggedAngel | Vassi (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheetview.php?sheetid=357209) | Whisper Gnome | Factotum | Chaotic Neutral
OMG PONIES | Konig der Totten (http://www.coyotecode.net/profiler/view.php?id=13168) | Desert Dwarf | Dread Necromancer | True Neutral[/table]

Vassi & Tsal:
While their eyes of course can see fine in the darkness, the pair of whisper gnomes are utterly unprepared for the pure, endless, relentless black of the Underdark. Were all the sun and all the stars to vanish simultaneously, the world could not have been made darker than it is down here. As the pair grow accustomed to a world without color or light, they learn just how treacherous a place the Underdark really is. Vassi's vast knowledge allows them to survive on the edible fungi and avoid the poisonous ones, while the pair's talent at combat keeps them alive through the occasional foray with monstrous spiders.

At long last, you happen upon a small village; twenty buildings or so, all either carved right out of the bedrock or made from rough stone bricks. The windows stare emptily, no curtains nor glass to fill them, no candles lit inside to make them appear homely and welcoming. The only thing more dreary than the town are its inhabitants. They are, surprisingly, your own size. Distant racial cousins perhaps? For though they are of similar size and stature, there the similarities end. The males are bald, one and all. The females are all dark-haired. All of them seem exceptionally hardy, but most notably they are all extremely subdued -- even from your 'silent' point of view.

Nysan:
As Nysan flees for his life from Menzoberranzan, the guards of several houses hot on his heels, he wonders just where he will go. Having rarely left the city, he is not overly familiar with the Underdark as a whole, most especially areas outside Drow territory. However, this is exactly where he finds himself driven as he is pursued relentlessly. Once he is perhaps a day outside Drow territory, he gets the feeling that pursuit has died off, and that he can slacken his pace.

Nevertheless, he knows that to return now would be tantamount to suicide, and thus continues forward. What passes for road signs in the Underdark are plain to see, and he follows them down a minor trade road to the svirfneblin community of Boldris.

Konig:
The dwarf's most recent experiment had him seeking out some extremely rare ingredients, and he was having a most difficult time finding them. Try as he might, he simply could not find them above ground and even when he ventured into small caves found amounts too small to truly be useful. Thus it was that he found himself strangely drawn to the deep caves, the entrance to the Underdark, to seek out the elusive Headstone Cap mushrooms.

As luck would have it, he did find them here and there, ever working his way deeper into the labyrinthine darkness. So absorbed in gathering materials for his research was he that he found himself reaching for a particularly large and bulbous tuber just as a smaller, ashen grey hand did likewise. Both Konig and the other figure leap back in surprise, and the dwarf finds himself looking at a small, wiry black-haired gnome dressed in simple pants and tunic, a basket already full of mushrooms gripped in one hand. After brief introductions, the quiet gnome indicates that they have a great store of the fungus back at her village, and that he should follow her there.

Glon: His most recent job completed, the half-breed finds himself yet again wandering the tunnels haphazardly towards the next settlement, keen on finding more work. His incomplete training as a Darkrunner and freelance work since then has given him a good knowledge of the geography of this region of the Underdark, and thus he knows that the nearest town would be the svirfneblin village of Boldris. It is exceedingly small, with only a single inn that would be called 'tiny' in any respectable city. Nevertheless, he figures it is worth checking out at the very least, moving on to a larger settlement if nothing pans out.

As you enter the settlement, there is a little whispering and pointing but for the most part they merely look curiously at you for a moment before continuing on their way. When you enter the largest building, an inn advertised simply as "The Rock", you see something even stranger: a human man sits cross-legged near the fireplace, looking large and out of place among all these little people. Although you thought up until now that you had merely been wandering the endless dark labyrinth of the Underdark, you now have a sudden unexplained feeling that you were in fact merely making your way here, to him. Those who arrived first felt compelled to merely sit where they would and wait -- for what, they could not say. However, after no more than an hour had passed the inn now held a varied lot: two whisper gnomes; a bulge-eyed half-breed human of some kind; a horned, tailed tiefling; and an aged white-haired dwarf.

Once all have arrived, the human man seated by the fire nods once as if confirming an earlier thought, and looks around at the group with strange, luminous eyes that glowed an eerie white-blue. Those strange eyes coupled with the warm, soft glow of the fire somehow put the group at ease, at least enough to sit and listen.

"Now that you're all here, let me begin," the man intones calmly in a deep, rich voice. "You're here because I need your help. I have waited here some time, calling out to sympathetic minds, those who may have the courage and fortitude to aid me in this my eternal task."

He pauses for effect, looking around once more at the assorted folk.

"I have long sought an item that will help me achieve my goal. I must state right now that I cannot tell you what that goal may be; for to reveal it would surely spell its failure and doom. I know not what the item is called, what it looks like, nor specifically what it can do. I know only that it calls to me, ever in the distant recesses of my mind. Having tuned into its melody, I have a feeling that a good place to look for clues of its whereabouts would be southwest of here at Kal-thûn, and the abandoned lodging you will find there. Speak now; I wish to have aid be given willingly, and I promise that any aid shall not go unrewarded."

[RaggedAngel]

Vassi looks at the man with the appraising eyes of a pickpocket and the intellectual rigor of a mage. His mind was a closed door to her introspection, however, and his posture gave away no little secrets despite her careful gaze. His face, at the very least, she memorizes for later, running over its curves and lines until she could reproduce it perfectly. It was easier with humans than gnomes; humans had such big, clumsy faces that it was occasionally hard to not remember them.

After he finishes his speech she thinks a number of things, not the least of which that she should run and hide. She quashes that thought for a time, however, and instead moves to speak, her voice light and her tongue quick. "Allow me to the be the first to demonstrate honest distrust of you and your motives. You are at once too indirect and too straightforward, and if you indeed called us here, as you claim, you have power far enough beyond mine to make me clammy."

She smiles a bit, her teeth like perfect white tombstones, before continuing. "That said, I love your style and I can't say I could have matched your delivery. I'm fine with helping you out, assuming you have either the magic or the gold to make it worth my-" She glances to the others, Tsal especially, and grins apologetically. "Our time and effort."

Gah. I can't wait until next level, when I can start scattering skill points around now that I've put 5 in everything that matters. Until then, untrained Sense Motive: [roll0]

[Daftendirekt]

The man appears to be telling the truth. He merely wants your help, and has no ulterior motives.

[Obscurejones]

As he draws near the fire Glon begins to dig through the pouches at his belt. He rummages with a growing frenzy as his feet show no sign of stopping or even of slowing as he draws near the light. It is only as he takes his first step into the glow of the fire that he manages to produce his shaders, throwing them around his head with a sudden twist of his wrist. With a slight sigh of relief he adjusts the strap with his free hand, making sure his eyes are well and truly covered. He has just enough time to breathe a silent prayer that none of the gathered company saw his grotesque eyes before he is drawn into the waiting human's patter.

When the mysterious figure's monologue draws to a close Glon realizes he is standing at nearly his full height. Something in the man's speech had stirred a desire Glon had barely acknowledged since leaving his home, his need to be part of something greater than himself. Drawing himself back down into his normal slouch he Raises a hand to draw the man's attention and then nods. No need to frighten the other potential employee's with his horrid voice.

[Circle of Life]

Tsal glances sideways at Vassi, shaking his head in dismay over her blunt approach. Taking a step closer to the man so his back is slightly ahead of Vassi, Tsal places a hand behind his back and waggles his fingers at her.

<His words have the ring of truth, but you are right to be distrustful, though for an entirely different reason, I think. He wears the face of a human, but those eyes...>

Smiling while he holds a silent conversation with Vassi, Tsal runs his eyes around the group as though with only mild interest, then returns his gaze to their apparent benefactor. "As we seem to be trying for directness today, I would first inquire as to what, exactly, you are. I make it a habit to know the people I vow to serve, and knowing their race is usually a large part of that."

[Daftendirekt]

The man looks in particular at Glon, brows raising slightly in a question. There is something so peculiar about the man, and his eyes were only the start of it. He seemed to be of middle age; his shoulder-length black hair was greying at the temples, and he had crow's feet at the corners of his eyes. Nevertheless, he sat erect and the hands that rested on his knees were strong. His left index finger taps a steady tempo, as if he hears a song that no one else does. He is dressed in simple, unadorned leggings and tunic, forgoing even footwear despite the ever-present chill beneath the earth.

His strange eyes then move in turn to Tsal, and his lips curl slightly upward in a knowing smile as he listens to the gnome's query.

"I come from Dal Quor," he states simply, and no more.

[OMG PONIES]

Konig sits silently as the others hold a discussion, slowly sipping at his beer and wiping away any droplets that land in his sparse beard. While other dwarves would down their pint in a few seconds and cheerily move on to the next, not so with Konig. He scarcely moves a muscle while drinking, and any who look closely notice that his eyes don't even blink.

"Humph," he says. His jowls flutter slightly as the air passes through them and into his mug, making tiny bubbles in his beer. A mysterious man in an inn provides a mysterious quest and offers a mysterious reward? He had heard fables with a similar beginning many times as a child, and as such has half a mind to get up and leave. However, the voice of his darling Rose resounds in his head; she encourages him to get out of the lab more, to meet new people. While it seems like a loathsome idea, he owes it to his wife to heed her words.

"S'pose I can help out," he grumbles. Anyhow, he adds in his head, if any of them die, their corpses would be great material for the experiment.

[Dirac Lotus]

Nysan stands quietly hunched by the wall. He takes in the conversation being had with almost furious concentration. His breathing grows heavier as he goes over the implications in his mind; this is just what he needs - a quest! He snaps back to reality at Konig's decleration, intent on making his own.

"Worry not stranger, I care not for your intent or purpose here, so long as it will not concern me after we part ways."
As Nysan speaks, a strong scent of cinnamon fills the air, "Though I admit your display of power in bringing us all here is impressive indeed, should I chose to believe it, I find it curious as to why you are so clueless as to what it is you are after. Also, I would like some idea of what we can expect to face. I have no time for fools errands or simple tasks, as I am on the hunt for something suitably epic to bring home with me."

Also, do I know anything of Dal Quor or these ruins he speaks of? Some knowledge checks:
[roll0]
Also, I shall sense motive.

[Daftendirekt]

Nysan
Nysan also has no feeling of ill intent or deception from the man.

All he has heard about Dal Quor is refences to the "Region of Dreams". Rarely mentioned in conversation, but when it is, it is often referenced as an imaginary place. If somebody is caught daydreaming, one may say "Off in Dal Quor, again?"

Kal-thûn, if his memory serves, used to be duergar territory. They gad a stronghold there, but that was many years ago. Nysan can think of no modern mention of it.

[Circle of Life]

"I... see..." Tsal says slowly. Behind his back he flicks his fingers in a curt gesture, a bit of handsign with no particular meaning, but roughly equivalent to attaching a question mark to the end of a string of words.

"Well then. If you will not tell me of yourself, and you cannot tell us of this thing we search for, perhaps you can tell us more about these ruins, this... 'call-thoon'?" Tsal pronounces the last word clumsily, tongue obviously unaccustomed to the strange accent necessary to speak it. "What dangers lie within? I cannot imagine it would be so easy as simply walking in and looking about, else you would have done so yourself long ago. What do you know of this place that I would not? The more you tell me now, the more likely I am to trust you."

Take 10 on Diplomacy (if needed) for a 16, which should bump him up to Friendly if he's indifferent. Just hoping he shares some of his knowledge beforehand, I don't actually intend to be the one who refuses in a party of acceptance.

[Daftendirekt]

The strange man smiles his little smile again, and then speaks; very quietly this time, as if to himself. After the first line, it almost sounds as if a second voice joins in unison with his.


“Hello darkness, my old friend,
I've come to talk with you again,
Because a vision softly creeping,
Left its seeds while I was sleeping,
And the vision that was planted in my brain
Still remains
Within the sound of silence.”


After he utters the last syllable, he remains silent for some moments, deep in thought. His fingers drum a slow rhythm on his knee, and then he seems to make up his mind.

"I have long been in battle with a powerful being. I do not know who or what it is, only that it must be stopped. Its mind is unlike anything I have ever felt, and it takes all my effort to keep it where it is," When he speaks this line, his calm face breaks down for a moment, looking order and harried. "That is why I cannot seek this thing out myself. Likewise, it clouds my vision of distant things, so I confess I have little knowledge of what lies at Kal-thûn. I would not at all be surprised if this malicious mind has deployed minions there. So, yes, there is danger involved. Necessary, though, I believe; for this thing may spread its influence far indeed before this is all over..."

[Circle of Life]

Tsal shrugs one shoulder in a rolling motion, apprehension and distrust plain on his face. Finally, however, he sighs and nods his head. "If Vassi wishes to help you, I have no desire to be left alone down in these depths. I will accompany her, which I suppose means I will help you. Yes, I accept."

[RaggedAngel]

Vassi grins and hugs Tsal's arm, blinking at him with large eyes. "Oh, my hero, not abandoning me to the darkness. I don't know whatever I would do without you." Her voice is a lovely mix of earnestness and sarcasm, and she lets him go, laughing. "Come now, you speak as if I'm dragging you into this! You know the old gnomish saying, after all!" She says a few strange words that seem to almost rhyme* before continuing in Common. "And really, we might find something valuable or useful. It's better than wandering in the dark."

*"Anyone who can call us like that can kill us."

[Daftendirekt]

The man breaks into a genuine smile as Tsal speaks and bows as much as his sitting position allows.

"My heart sings. I had to have a unanimous decision, otherwise I did not feel I could proceed. I apologize for my manner; let me introduce myself. I am Flynn. I have long been a student of esoterica, and happened upon this subject by complete happenstance. It did not take me long to realize its grave importance, but it did take me quite a long time to realize how far in over my head I'd gotten."

At this, Flynn pauses for a moment and gestures one of the svirfneblin over. He whispers in the gnome's ear for a few moments, and then pulls out a gold piece of presses it into his hand with a smile. He waits quietly for a few minutes before the gnome man returns with a tray heavy with food, and sets dishes out for everyone.

"This is the least I can do for bringing you all here like this," Flynn says with another bow of his head. "Rest up, and in the morning I will show you the way."

[Obscurejones]

Glon holds back for a moment to see how the others react to the offer. You can learn a lot about a traveling companion by how they approach a free meal. Ravenous hunger might indicate someone less than capable at their chosen profession, starving from lack of profit. Or a poor hunter incapable of fending for themselves in the underground wastes. And then a thought crosses his mind.
Or maybe I'm just sick of Ration Bars.
With a silent chuckle at his own poor fortunes, Glon takes a seat near the fire and tucks into a dish of warm non alchemically treated food.

[OMG PONIES]

"Paying for a night's stay in a rocky old inn?" Konig sighs, "you were serious about that being the least you could do."

[Daftendirekt]

"'Rocky old inn'? Oh come now, my dear dwarf, do not spit so on the svirfneblins' hospitality. They do not mind my presence because it keeps some of the more unpleasant denizens of the area away, and they really are a charming folk once you get to know them. Yours, they accept by my request."

[Dirac Lotus]

Nysan eyes the food suspiciously, waiting for the others to tuck in before slowly nibbling at his food. When he does so, he eats with sporadic precision - taking bites here and there - savouring every last bite. His attempts at small talk are embarassing and awkward, and he quickly settles for silence whilst he clears his plate.

[RaggedAngel]

Vassi winks at Konig, giving him a toothy grin. "You really shouldn't spit on a gift that concerns gnomes, if you like good luck. Have you ever heard the saying? A gnome pays you back once for an honest trade, twice for any given aid, and thrice for any insult made. You'd do well to remember that."

[Daftendirekt]

The group enjoys their meal of unfamiliar svirfneblin cuisine, prepared with strange spices, an abundance of mushrooms, and an unidentifiable meat*. A sour but strong liquor is also available for any interested. After the meal, rooms are prepared for the group -- although 'human-sized' rooms have to be dusted and cleaned out before Nysan and Glon can settle in. The night passes without incident.

Morning comes, although that fact is most difficult to note here in the eternal darkness. All five adventurers simultaneously hear a pleasant tune tinkling away in their rooms as they awake, and as they make their way one by one out into the common room, they find Flynn seated again by the fire, eyes closed and a peaceful smile on his face as he hums the very tune they heard in their rooms. He rises and sits with the group over a breakfast of similar fare as last night's dinner, eating in silence unless anybody prompts him.

*Bat, for anybody who cares to ask :smallwink:

[Circle of Life]

"A pleasant tune," Tsal remarks, setting his breakfast dishes down and adjusting his gear about his waist and back, preparing for the coming journey. He pays special heed to the overlarge crossbow of oak and steel with silver scrollwork inlay, adjusting it back and forth until it finally rests comfortably in a groove in his back. "It has the ring of an old gnomish song about it, but I can't place my finger on it. What name does it go by down in these depths?"

[Dirac Lotus]

Nysan wolfs down his breakfast in minutes, paying little attention to the conversation surrounding him. I should probably get my strength up, looks like trail rations the next few days.

He finishes with a sigh, before turning to Flynn. "So when do we leave, and how do we get there?"

[OMG PONIES]

Konig pokes listlessly at his food, eating it apathetically (as though he has no reason to do so). He had already grown tired of the small talk; he cared little for song titles and only ust a bit more for their quest. There was only one thing he cared about any more; as the others talk, he pulls out his diary and begins to scrawl furiously.

[Daftendirekt]

"It has no name," Flynn responds. "It is a bit of my own creation, and I feel no need to name it. If it wills, you will know its name in time."

And on that cryptic note, the party having finished their meal, the man with the luminous eyes leads them out into the unlit street of Boldris and heads south down the road. He instructs the group to follow the tunnel south-southwest until they come to a large underground lake. They would have to pass over it, and then look for the Mushroom Road -- named so for obvious reasons. Flynn tells them that the journey should take no more than a day, wishes them good luck, warns caution, and watches as they depart into the darkness.

Long after they have disappeared from sight, the man continues watching down the road, shoulders slumped as if under a heavy load. He scratches at his jaw, and then says again to himself:


"Hello darkness, my old friend,
I've come to talk with you again..."

[RaggedAngel]

Vassi is in a bright mood at the beginning of the journey, though she stays fairly quiet; taking in the attitudes and personalities of a group of new people is enough to keep a mind like her's busy, especially since she has the doubly difficult task of both determining her new traveling companion's combat abilities and how easy they will be to swindle.

In the end she decides to try a new, dangerous technique, something she had used lately to reasonable success; being open and honest. "Tell me," she says, her voice just quiet enough to make you pay attention to her words, "what is it you all do to keep yourselves from getting killed down here? I think it would be nice to know if I'm going to be risking my life with and for you."

[Circle of Life]

"Mostly," Tsal says, voice somber and serious. "I try to run faster than everyone else I travel with."

He lets the statement hang in the air for a long moment, then winks at Vassi and laughs. "I jest. I surround myself with the most competent allies a gnome can hope for, and hope my wits are enough to keep the lot of us alive through thick and thin. It has worked well thus far, if my lack of scars is any indication."

[RaggedAngel]

Vassi laughs, a light, gentle sound, before spinning on her heels in front of the group, then walking backwards before them. "He's spewing lies and slander, and I must call him out on it. He uses that hideous crossbow contraption," she points it out, "to riddle people with holes. Holes, I may note, wish occasionally burn with more than a crossbow bolt. Not to mention," she winks, "he's nice to listen to to. I, on the other hand, am not nice to listen to, as I try to end fights before the other party knows that they've begun."

[Obscurejones]

Glon listens carefully to the gnomes banter and nods when Vassi mentions her preferred method of entering and then ending a fight. He speaks as well, albeit quietly.
Same. A dagger in the back or a bolt between the shoulder blades before they've seen you is best.

[Daftendirekt]

The stony monotony of the tunnels passes uneventfully as the group walks through the endless dark, shades of grey passing before their eyes and everything blending together in a colorless blur. Several hours pass before any change in this sameness. Glon notices it first, although not consciously -- a sound in the distance. A steady drip, drip, drip, and the lapping of waves on a shore. The air grows humid, and moss becomes more prevalent as the tunnel starts to have a noticeable downward slope.

They continue on, when quite suddenly the tunnel widens and the walls disappear off to both sides. Ahead of the group, stretching off into the unseen distance, is a huge lake, its waters black as black can be, its surface so still that it is like a massive mirror -- a mirror with no reflection. The ground has turned sandy beneath their feet, and the air is thick with the scent of wet rot. No visible means of crossing is immediately apparent; just a vast expanse of water as far as they can see.

[RaggedAngel]

Vassi looks at the water for a moment before speaking, her voice very soft and quiet. "I cannot express how little I trust that water. 'A', my friends, is for 'Aboleth', and I'll be damned if I let a giant fish monster or perhaps a swarm of nasty little blind fishes or, hell, mutant underground merfolk to come up out of the depths and rip the flesh off my bones. We need to find a way around this, or we need to turn back." She finishes with a distinctly resolve in her voice.

[Dirac Lotus]

Nysan takes in the sight before him, hand on hilt. "I'm not much one for water." he exclaims, checking the sand beneath his feet.

If nothing strikes him as odd about the sand, he then closes with the water, getting within a few feet of it to inspect how murky it is.

"Well, one things for sure. Ain't nothing moving in that water. Sleeping, maybe." With that he picks up a rock from nearby, displaying it to the party.

"Got a light?"

[RaggedAngel]

Vassi gives Nysan a cold, hard look. She slowly, pointedly, draws a dagger, weighing it in her hand. "I do not, in fact, have a light, since I can see in the dark. I do, however, have a question; are you about to throw that rock into this water? This water where, I might add, just about anything could be?" Her temper is clearly rising. "Are you a complete idiot, or do you just like to playact as one? How could throwing a stone into a dark, subterranean lake ever help? Did you ever read any stories as a child? All you're going to accomplish is waking up something horrible and tentacled, and then we'll all be dead."

[Circle of Life]

Tsal places a hand on Vassi's shoulder, squeezing just hard enough to get his irate traveling companion's attention.

"I have a light."

He gestures to a hooded cylindrical object hanging from his belt, the cloth covering thick and finely woven to prevent any light from spilling out.

"That is, if you don't think I'm a complete idiot for bringing it." He smiles merrily and goes back to studying the water.

[RaggedAngel]

Vassi rolls her eyes, clearly frustrated. "It's not stupid to have a light, but it would be foolish to use one now. We have no idea what's in this lake, and bringing out a light or tossing a rock is only going to let everything in line of sight know where we are. I just don't want to get swarmed by anything. I like my flesh right where it is, and I don't see either of those actions helping matters."

[OMG PONIES]

Konig closes his journal and speaks for the first time since leaving the tavern. "I fear that sending something into the water is the only way to soundly prove or disprove your hypothesis that something evil lurks within, little gnome," he says to Vassi. "Granted, a rock may make more of a splash than intended. Hmm, experiment 17 may be useful..." he trails off, lost in thought as he flicks through the pages of his massive tome in the darkened tunnels. "Ah yes, I could summon a creature to toe the waters if we'd like...perhaps one that can slip in a little more quietly than a stone."

[Dirac Lotus]

Nysan regards Vassi steely, tensing before replying. "It has been my experience that it is better to know what you are facing. I'd much rather lure it out now whilst we can find it on our ground rather than it's. Whatever IT is. Failing that, we can recoup and come up with a different plan."

He shrugs, dropping the stone to the floor. "Have it your way though. I'd very much like to see your take on the matter."

With that, he smirks before shying away from the water's edge.

[RaggedAngel]

Vassi sighs and begins looking around the edges of the walls and the lake, looking for an alternate route around the dark waters. "I feel like the magic man back there would have mentioned something like this; he seemed fairly on top of things. I feel like there has to be something around here, even if it's just a raft or such, that'll make getting across this lake less than suicidal." She makes sure not to move too far from the group, but she looks carefully for anything that might be of use.

:smallsigh: Derp. We haven't done anything but stare at the lake; of course no solutions presented themselves.

Spot: [roll0]
Search: [roll1]

[Daftendirekt]

At a quick glance around, Vassi sees nothing that would help. However, as she continues around the edge of the lake, small quick feet crunching light in the fine black sand and eyes scanning all around, she catches sight of something off in the distance. It appears to be a long outcropping of rock, jutting into the lake like a lone, spidery finger. It extends out into the water past the extent of her darkvision, about two or three feet above the surface of the water.

[Obscurejones]

Glon looks about for some sort of cover. Regardless of the method the consensus seemed to be that they were going to dislodge something vile from the water. Better to be shooting from a defensible point when that happened.

[RaggedAngel]

Vassi moves back to the others, grinning with a bit of smug pleasure. "I've found something, off to the side here. It's a stone path; not high off the water, but a hell of a lot better than swimming in it. If we're quiet and lucky it should take us over this without ever finding out if my fears are valid." She punches Tsal lightly on the arm, still happy about her find. "You'd be lost without me, shorty." She seems to pointedly ignore the fact that Tsal is several inches taller than her.

[Dirac Lotus]

Nysan shifts, uncomfortably. "Something seems off to me." He gazes for a while in the direction of the outcrop. "Still, it's better than nothing I suppose. Though my point still stands, I would much rather have to deal with whatever is in those waters whilst we are here, on a wide expanse of land, as opposed to that narrow ledge over the water."

He looks thoughtful for a second, before shaking his head and coming back to reality. With that, he looks around the rest of the party, eager for their opinion.

[OMG PONIES]

"I'm amenable to either option," Konig says apathetically. "Naturally, if one of you proceeds first, I can test the validity of all presented hypotheses. If I were to go first, there would be no scientists back here to validate my findings."

[Obscurejones]

Glon chuckles softly.
Let the Gnome go first. Test her own theories about the safety of the stone.

[RaggedAngel]

Vassi shrugs, and heads toward the stone bridge, her eyes and ears perked for trouble. "Don't worry, I have no trouble putting my life where my mouth is. I'll make sure to keep you big strong men safe from harm." She says the last bit sarcastically, but with enough humor in her tone to keep from being overly offensive.

[Dirac Lotus]

Nysan reaches out a hand in front of Vassi, motioning her to stop. "I'll take point, being the 'big strong man' that I am," he exclaims snarkily. "Besides, If we're going to get ambushed I'd much rather be on the front lines where all the action's at."

With those words he unsheathes his greatsword, flourishing slightly before he wields it. He returns the sarcasm, smirking, "Anyway, I don't think you'll be doing that much damage with that big pig-sticker of yours."

[Daftendirekt]

With the muscular, devilish-looking man taking point, the group heads cautiously out onto the rock bridge, which is perhaps six-and-a-half feet wide. Their scuffling footfalls echo strangely off of the cave wall behind them, and they can hear the screeching of bats away in the distance, apparently roused by the group's movement. The surface of the rock is slightly slick with slime, and all five move with care.

As they head out further and further, they lose sight of the shore and it now appears as if they are on the single, thin piece of land in an endless black ocean; quite a disconcerting image. And, if the situation was not tense enough, they come to a point where the bridge dips down into the water; for Glon and Nysan it would come to perhaps mid-calf, but for the gnomes it would be nearly up to their waist.

If you choose to walk across, give me Balance checks.

[RaggedAngel]

Vassi looks out at the water with growing dread, and she begins to breathe a bit more quickly. "I... know that we need to go on ahead. I know that. It's the reasonable thing to do. We're walking past a flooded point, not swimming. Nothing is going to grab our ankles and drag us off into some writhing..." she puts her hand over her mouth, shaking her head from side to side, as if she was brushing off cobwebs.

"I'm sorry, I can't. This is exceptionally embarassing, but can one of you carry me? I don't weigh much, I promise, and it'll just be past this water. Please." She sounds rather afraid, and her eyes never leave the water. "Sound travels very quickly underwater; when we slosh through it it'll carry to anything in a long, long distance, and we're stranded out here. I can still all of the sound around us for about twenty feet; it'll only last about two minutes, but hopefully that's enough."

I've never had a character with a phobia before, but she just sort of spoke to me. She has a +8 to Balance, though, so if someone carrying her is going to be an issue she'll walk through the water; she'd just rather lose a hand than have to.

Oh, and she is distinctly not mentioning that Tsal can use Silence too; his powers are his own business. :smallwink:

[Circle of Life]

Tsal looks at Vassi with an unspoken question in his eyes - Vassi was twice the acrobat he would ever be, and if anyone was to lose their footing in the water, it would be him, not her. He lets his thoughts go unspoken however, and produces a section of rope some ten feet in length from his backpack.

"I will walk, I think. It might be prudent if one of you could, er... tie this to your belt, though. Just in case." Holding one end of the rope out to anyone who will take it, he busies himself with tying the other end to his own belt.

I am not being piggybacked across a stream of water, no sir. *stubborn foot stomp*

[Dirac Lotus]

Nysan raises an eyebrow quizzically at Vassi before kneeling down in front of her. "Climb aboard shorty, and try not to throttle me." He makes an awkward attempt at sounding sympathetic whilst offering the ride, "Besides, you'd probably end up head-high in this pond - we don't want you drowning now do we, who else can I mock?"

He takes the proffered rope from Tsal and begins tying it to his waist. "Might as well take you too, I'm not in much of a fighting state anyway, so it won't do much harm. Although it would be prudent if someone else could take the lead now, as I say, I'm not able to swing a sword very easily like this."

Finishing tying the rope around his waist, Nysan stows his sword away in its sheath. With that, he turns to the dwarf: "Say, you wouldn't happen to have some form of noise-cancelling contraption would you? Or maybe something to provide a distraction whilst we cross?"

Nysan will take 10 on the balance check, for a total of 15. However, should I feel this is not stable enough (i.e. the penalties for carrying two people in stow are too high) he shall take 20.

[Circle of Life]

"Nobody listens to a gnome..." Tsal mutters under his breath. Louder, he says: "Did you not hear the fine example of gnomehood upon your back just offer the very thing you asked for?"

Objection! Tsal is not being carried. He's walking with a safety line. :smalltongue:

[Dirac Lotus]

"Aye, though it is my understanding that the water will still be disturbed by our presence? I was hoping for something more... global, and Konig seems a resourceful chap. Though I guess twenty feet is a start. Nysan archs his head round to face Vassi, "May I inquire as to how you achieve this?"

EDIT: I will be taking 20 on the balance check, just realised I forgot to account for armour check penalties :smallsigh:

[Obscurejones]

Glon prepares to slip into the water without a word. He'd be to slight to carry the gnome even if he wanted to, but he's got no particular fear of water as long as he's got something to rest his feet on.
Taking ten for a 19 with ACP.

[OMG PONIES]

Konig grins and waves a bony finger at Nysan. "Quite astute, chap," he says in a near-whisper, "very shrewd indeed. I am a man of some ingenuity, and I have just the bait to cast elsewhere."

The dwarf fumbles about in his pack for a quick moment and pulls out a small sliver of bone. In his other hand, he clutches an unlit candle and a very small bag. "You see, the marrow and wax can repropogate thanks to the bonding agent in this bag so that the skeletal framework is basically whole in..." As he speaks, the small sliver grows into a full human frame before the group. The skeleton stands at the ready and tilts its head to the side, causing a sickening CRACK to echo through the caverns. "...no time!" the dwarf concludes.

Spellcraft DC 16 to open:
Konig casts Summon Undead I...but don't tell him that!
Turning to the skeleton, he says "walk into the water away from us." He turns back to the party, his eyes nearly popping from his skull in glee. "Should prove an apt distraction, if only for the few crucial seconds we need. Carry on then, little ones." With that, he gestures for them to cross the watery part of the path. As he moves in the back, he tries his best to stay balanced. Whether Vassi's words were getting to him or what he could not say, but he had no desire to fall into the black water. He grabs the rope and swings his arm in a short circle, wrapping the rope around his wrist.

Taking 10 on Balance for a result of 11.

Hmm, I like your concept of a phobic character, RaggedAngel. On a semi-related note, do we have an OOC thread that I'm missing?

[Daftendirekt]

OOC thread is here (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=227719), also linked in the OP of this thread. Curious how you missed it, since I only ever linked to IC thread from there, not from recruitment thread.

The crack of the skeleton's bones creaking reverberates throughout the cavern, taking nearly twenty seconds to fully die down. The group stands with breath held for a moment afterwards, but the silences goes unbroken save for the small splashing of the skeleton as it quickly sinks into the water, its jerky movement insufficient to keep it afloat. The water is clear enough that, were anybody to look, they could follow its progress down for quite a ways.

As Nysan wades across the sunken section of the bridge, all five hear a sound off in the distance; too far beyond their darkvision to see anything. It was two small splashes in quick succession, as if something broke the surface and then quickly went under again.

Nysan makes it across safely, followed quickly by Glon and the strange old dwarf, and they stand a moment more listening for the sound again, but the silence drags painfully on as Vassi clambers down off of the tiefling's back and Tsal catches up, bringing the slack of the lifeline with him. Just as Tsal exits the submerged section, the group hears a new sound, difficult to put into words -- it is like a bubbling, clicking growl, and it is followed by another splash.

[Obscurejones]

With a slow practiced motion Glon slides the crossbow from his back and quickly checks it's action sliding back the stirrup and laying a bolt in wait. He looks out over the water carefully, scanning it at crossbow's length.
Hide[roll0]
Move Silently [roll1]
Rolled to load his crossbow as unobtrusively as possible.
And throw in a spot if it's appropriate.

[Dirac Lotus]

Drawing his sword once more, Nysan glances around the room in an attempt to discern where the noise came from. If he thinks he can determine its point of origin, he motions to the others in that direction.

"Let's keep moving," something obviously has him disturbed. "Hopefully not much farther now, by the hells this is a big lake!"

Before setting off he motions to Tsal, "Perhaps I should lose this rope now, we seem to be through the worst of it, and I don't want either of us dragging each other off if we get gotten."

[RaggedAngel]

Vassi is terrified and furious, and once past the flooded section she begins moving along the bridge as quickly as she can. "I told you," she says in a harsh whisper, "I told you no good would come of randomly sending undead into the lake, or making unneeded noise and splashes. And what happens? So horrible thing is now going to rise out of the depths and eat us." She narrows her eyes at Tsal, as if it were all his fault. "If I die, I'm going to come back and haunt you."

Hide: [roll0]
Move Silently: [roll1]

[Dirac Lotus]

Nysan lowers his voice to a quiet hiss as he lectures Vassi, "It is my belief that that skeleton just saved our lives. Were it not for the distraction posed by it, we would have been the only thing in the water for it to munch on." He sighs, before continueing at a softer tone, "That said, it would be a grand idea to make haste across this bridge. Hells only know whatever's out there."

After a quick weapons and armour check, he chuckles grimly to himself. "So much trouble posed by such a grim lake, I dread to think of the challenges to come!"

I cannot see this ending well at all:
[roll0]
[roll1]

[Daftendirekt]

With the female whisper gnome now frantically leading the way, the group moves the rest of the way across the rock bridge, which takes perhaps four or five more minutes. Vassi heaves an audible sigh of relief and relaxes noticeably when they reach dry land. Their tense crossing of the massive lake being concluded, all take a minute to relax and catch their breath.

Once they decide to move on, they enter once more into a tunnel that is wide, but not so wide that they cannot see its walls and ceiling -- perhaps twenty feet wide and fifteen feet high, with occasional stalactites hanging down like giant fangs of rock. The tunnel continues on for hours, twisting and turning but never branching. Eventually the tunnel opens again, but a different sight greets the travelers this time.

Below them spreads a large cavern, most of its recesses lost in shadow, but one corner stands out due to the fact that it is actually illuminated, although its distance makes the source of the light impossible to determine. The group stands on a ledge perhaps 100 feet above the cavern floor, and a ramp that follows the wall heads down from their position to the bottom.

[Circle of Life]

Tsal looks around, mouth agape. "Have you ever had one of those moments where you just feel very, very small, Vassi?" he asks, head swiveling to take in the cavern. "Moreso than usual, I mean? I am feeling that way right now..." He pauses, squinting at the distant light. "What do you suppose that is?"

[RaggedAngel]

Vassi rolls her wrist in a fluid, quick motion, and you catch a glint of steel out of the corner of your eye. If you look again there's nothing there; her hands are empty, and her eyes are focused on the lights. "Our objective, I would assume. Either that or something that's keeping us from our goal. Either way, we should go ahead and climb down; waiting up here's going to do no good." She begins to move down the path, on guard for any loose areas or traps.

[OMG PONIES]

Konig squints as the light meets his eye--no matter how many years he had behind him, he could never quite adjust to the sudden shift from his dwarven darkvision to normal sight. "It has been my experience," he says dryly, "that the things which require light down here have a higher probability of getting eaten than they do of eating us. Nothing to fear, chaps." What looks like a smile almost cracks his stony face, and he follows Vassi down towards the light.

[Daftendirekt]

With that, the motley crew descends to the floor of the cavern, taking care to do so quietly. When they reach the bottom, they see that the cavern's floor is riddled with stalagmites and pock-marked by potholes -- darker shadows than their surroundings in this colorless world-view. They can hear the screeches of bats high above them, and pass -- strangely enough -- a small herd of wild rothé (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roth%C3%A9) grazing on a large patch of mushrooms as they weave their way towards the mysterious light.

As the group finally approaches, they see that the illumination appears to be coming from some sort of glowing moss set high above a set of large wooden doors banded in wrought iron, arranged here in Dwarven which all can read:


http://i1012.photobucket.com/albums/af244/judeferguson42/Journey%20in%20the%20Dark/dun-akar.jpg

Dûn-Akar, it says. The lettering is imperfect, as a good portion of the moss has either died and stopped glowing or simply fallen off. The wall itself is obviously of worked stone, as it is straight and smooth, and there are no windows. This cavern is far enough away from the lake that it is quite arid, thus the front doors are still in good condition, not having been subjected to rot. One of them is, however, slightly ajar.

[RaggedAngel]

What does that mean in Common? Vassi speaks/reads Dwarven.

Vassi holds up a hand, requesting the group to pause and for silence. She looks over the door and the walls around it carefully, inspecting them for both traps or signs of observation. She takes her time, about two minutes, and if asked to hurry up she'll reply with nothing but a stern look.

She'll take 20 on her Search check for a 28.

[Daftendirekt]

The outer wall is bare except for the doors and the mossy words -- which are far too high up for the little gnome to reach. As she passes the door that is slightly ajar, she gets a glimpse into an entry chamber of sorts, which appears to be empty save for two statues of dwarven figures.

[RaggedAngel]

Vassi looks back to the others, keeping her voice fairly low. She seems much more relaxed, however, and gestures to the doorway with a small smile. "There are no firetraps, tripwires, pits, crossbows, magical ensnarement's, acid sprays, or half-orc ninjas waiting on the other side of the door.

That I could find, anyway. There are, however, two statues. They're dwarves, so I'm not terribly worried; dwarves aren't threatening when they aren't literally made out of stone. So, who's first?" She grins guilelessly.

[Obscurejones]

Glon takes a step forward to inspect the entryway but stops short as Vassi springs into action. While she inspects the area, he in turn inspects her technique. He nods quietly as she does roughly what he would have done. Certainly there are differences in approach but trusting in her thoroughness he steps forward to inspect the statues with no fear of Ninja.

[Daftendirekt]

I will assume the party heads inside (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Anx0-1JMl02RdFh2OWlZZjBQM2wxSnd1YkE0ZHpnb2c), unless you say otherwise, just to get things moving. I'll allow you to edit ONLY SO YOU CAN PLACE YOURSELVES ON THE MAP. Otherwise, please do not edit it.

MAP KEY
Light blue -- shallow water, puddles basically.
Dark blue -- deep water, requires swimming.
Black -- unexplored areas.

The party heads inside. The pungent stench of mildew immediately assaults their nostrils and the air is thick as they breathe it in; this place was wet. Puddles in the corner, mold and slime on the walls, and an ever-present sound of water dripping in the distance. They have just enough time to take in their surroundings when a figure appears in the doorway on the other side of the room, a look of utter surprise on its face. He appears to be most human, save for the fact that his eyes are too large to be a human's, and are pure glossy black, with no sign of pupils or irises. He has long, dark hair that is matted and slicked back as if he had just emerged from water. He wears a shirt of chain mail over crude clothing, and wields a trident and a wooden shield.

Recovering from his shock, his mouth splits wide open in a grin full of wicked, pointed teeth as he kicks the door shut.

[OMG PONIES]

"Doesn't seem the chap wants company," Konig grumbles. For a moment, he has half a mind to turn back, but thinks twice. Odd strangers in bars who sing alien songs are not often the type that take kindly to those who go back on their promises. Begrudgingly, he closes his journal and stows it safely in his pack. "I've a feeling we won't get the warmest of receptions," he says to the others.

[Dirac Lotus]

Nysan darts forward, stopping just beyond the threshold into the room. "Well that was, peculiar, to say the least. Can't say he looked like much of a threat though, despite how ugly he looked." With that remark, he glances around the room, looking for anything malicious looking.
"I wonder where that water's coming from..."

After a brief pause, he turns to the others. "So, should we chase him down, or perhaps take our time? If he lives here, he probably knows his way around better than us. Don't think he's taking to kindly to our presence however."

[Obscurejones]

Glon brings a hand to his eyes as the door swings shut, startled at the slight resemblance between his own mutated ocular organs and that of the slammer. He lowers it quickly, hopefully before any can notice.
If we do follow him I'd be careful. There's a chance he can see farther in the darkness than us. I've heard some mutants in the deeps have that ability.

[RaggedAngel]

Vassi thinks for a moment while she walks to the just-closed door, inspecting it to see if it's locked or not. She turns back to the others and whispers, hoping the man can't hear her. "I vote we resort to violence. This is a delicate situation, and I hate to be the one to say it, but if he wanted to talk he would have. I trust nothing this far from the surface, and I don't want to have any of my blood displaced from its usual place of residence." She has an appraising look in her eye. "Does anyone have an issue with that?" As she speaks she seems to wring her hands in a few odd gestures, but they're fairly unobtrusive quick.

Circle of Life:
"If things go to hell we run. Agreed?"

[OMG PONIES]

Konig frowns for a moment, but then nods. "I agree," he says, "empirical evidence would suggest that this bug-eyed fellow is adverse to parley. Violence may be our only option." Konig grinned at the opportunity; no matter how the fight went, chances are there would be at least one corpse upon which he could experiment.

[Dirac Lotus]

Nysan grins maliciously, eyeing himself in the reflection in his blade. "I was hoping someone would suggest that." No further words are needed than that to demonstrate his opinion, and he glances over the party to see if there are any objections. If not, he loses the grin, a steely look of determination forged from years of fighting for his life and his love settling across his face.

Assuming his punishing stance, he makes his way over to the door. "Mind if I do the honours?"

[RaggedAngel]

"A volunteer to open the door? Nysan, I'm beginning to rather like you." Vassi winks and gestures grandly towards the dirty, worn door. "Just watch out, I may have to slip past you. I do my best work before I'm noticed." She moves behind him, attempting to conceal herself behind his relative bulk.

People grant (soft) cover, so I'm using that cover to hide.

[roll0]

[Dirac Lotus]

"I fear those affections may be rather misplaced, especially considering as I didn't mean to 'open' the door per se." To demonstrate this grand gesture, he grimaces as he heaves his bodyweight towards the door in an attempt to kick it open.

[roll0]
[roll1]

(OOC):
Unless of course, the door is made of something obviously not kick-openable, like stone or metal. If it is, ignore the above and he will just fling it open.

[Daftendirekt]

Considering the strange figure had not locked the iron-banded wooden door, it flies open easily under Nysan's blow and bangs off the wall, stopping against his outstretched hand. The strange, aquatic-looking figure is nowhere to be seen. Instead, a narrow hallway reeking of mold and lichen stretches perhaps twenty feet or so before turning to the left. Tsal's keen ears hear a slight grinding sound and a click coming from down the hallway, and then silence.

[Dirac Lotus]

"Huh. I was fully expecting him to have barred, locked or barricaded that door. Or to be waiting behind it. Which means either we're being led into a trap, or our amphibious friend is both a coward and an idiot. I don't know which is worse, idiots and cowards tend to be unpredictable." Nysan shrugs, eyeing the corridor ahead and gesturing to the others that it is safe to come forward.

"Doesn't seem like we have much of a choice in the matter though. Unless anyone can see any secret doors or somesuch, I suggest we press on."

[Circle of Life]

"I don't see any alternative, unless we feel like turning back..." Tsal steps out into the hallway, making his view on the matter clear. "Just be wary. I heard something strange this way. Vassi, if you would, be particularly attentive in this hall?"

[RaggedAngel]

Vassi nods and slips out to the front of the group, carefully searching each and every chunk of floor for pitfalls, traps, crossbow tripwires, and half-orc ninjas. She makes her way to the end of the hallway this way before pausing before any door.

I think her Search mod was 5 ranks + 3 Int, so she should have an 18 while taking 10.

[Daftendirekt]

Vassi notices nothing unusual as she approaches the corner. As she comes to it, she sees that a new hallway extends for perhaps fifty feet before coming to another corner. She thinks she can spot a door of some kind on the left side at the far end of the hallway. This hallway, also, is conspicuously empty and silent, save for the ever-present drip, drip, drip of water.

[Obscurejones]

Glon quietly follows along behind Vassi.

[RaggedAngel]

Vassi waits a moment for everyone to settle in behind her, making sure that they note the doorway at the end of the hallway. After everyone is ready to fight she begins to move down the hallway, taking a few long seconds every five feet or so to check for traps.

[Circle of Life]

Tsal lowers his voice to a whisper, so that it is barely audible to the rest of the party trudging along behind Vassi. As he speaks, he loads a pair of overlarge bolts to his weapon, one just above and slightly to the left of the lower one, both somehow managing to fit without interference thanks to gnomish engineering. "Be ready if there is trouble. I may use a light to blind our foes; do not be surprised, and do not attempt to put it out."

Tsal loosens the ties on the covering over his liquid sunlight, or whatever else needs doing to make it possible to reveal it as a move action.

[RaggedAngel]

Vassi continues all the way down the hallway to the door that she pointed out to everyone, moving quietly and carefully. She takes her time with the door, inspecting it for locks and traps quietly and cautiously. She looks to the others, and waves them in close, whispering as softly as she can. "That man may very well be behind this door. Be ready to fight." With that she attempts to open the door, assuming that she found no traps.

[Daftendirekt]

Moving her hands and her eyes along the entire door frame and around the doorknob, Vassi notices nothing out of the ordinary. However, when she attempts to turn the door handle, it rattles but fails to turn -- it is quite firmly locked.

[RaggedAngel]

Vassi frowns, takes out her lockpicks, and works on the lock quietly for a few seconds, biting the tip of her tongue and breathing slowly.

She takes 10 on Open Lock for a 17. If that doesn't work she'll try again for a [roll0]. She'll take 20 if that doesn't work.

[Obscurejones]

Miss, if I may, I have some small skill with locks. Mind if I lend a hand?
Glon crouches by the lock to lend a helping hand. Or pick as the case may be.
Taking ten to aid another.

[Daftendirekt]

Map (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Anx0-1JMl02RdFh2OWlZZjBQM2wxSnd1YkE0ZHpnb2c)

Try as she might, Vassi just cannot get the tumblers in the right position at first. Then she takes a deep breath and starts again, and after a minute she finally hears a satisfying click. She tries the handle, and the door swings silently open.

It is readily apparent that this is a dormitory of some kind, as what she can see of it is lined with beds. Unfortunately, the room is occupied -- a section of the far wall seems to have crumbled away, and in the opening stands another of the strange black-eyed humanoids. This one, however, is wearing only a pair of knee-length breeches, although he grips a shortsword in his right hand, its blade glinting slightly in the light cast by more of the strange luminescent moss.

As his eyes land upon the group standing around the doorway, he grins the same wide, sharp-toothed grin.

“Ssrach antach visssya!” he calls over his shoulder.

Roll initiative. Now that you're getting a better look at one of the, you can make a Knowledge check to identify these people.

[RaggedAngel]

Vassi move forward so quickly she's nearly a blur, going into a swift roll just before she reaches the man. She comes up onto her feet smoothly, and with a strange twist and flick of her wrist she lashes out with a blade. Her body is held perfectly still and poised, her arms counterbalancing each other, her eyes intent and focused. She intends to kill, and she intends to do it quickly.

Charge attack with Gnomish Quickrazor, using 1 Inspiration v.s. Flatfooted AC: [roll0]
Damage, using 1 Inspiration if she hits: [roll1] + 4 Iajutsu Focus Damage
Iajutsu Focus: [roll2]
Damage: [roll3]
10-14: +1d6
15-19: +2d6
20-24: +3d6
25-29: +4d6

Crit confirmation and damage (6) (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=12584580&postcount=101)

[Dirac Lotus]

Nysan draws his Greatsword, assumes his punishing stance and bounds forward as quickly as possible to close with the figure, eager to get fighting.

Full Round Action to move up to the creature.

Well that was anti-climactic...

[Obscurejones]

Glon moves to line up a shot, drawing a bead with his crossbow as he runs.
Move action to... Move. Specifically into the room.
Standard to fire his crossbow.
Attack [roll0]
Damage [roll1]
Sneak Attack damage if applicable[roll2]

[Daftendirekt]

The man falls with a yell of pain and a look of surprise as Vassi's blade opens up his belly. Just as he falls, two more of the same ilk appear around the opening.

Yeaahhhh. I may need to make the rest of this place significantly harder.

MAP KEY
Light blue -- shallow water, puddles basically.
Dark blue -- deep water, requires swimming.
Black -- unexplored areas.

[RaggedAngel]

OOC Note:Just a note, before you start giving everything three extra levels of Warblade: that was, essentially, Vassi's "nova". She expended two of her three Inspiration points, managed to catch him flat footed, and rolled maximum damage to boot. You shouldn't expect that every time she attacks, unless every encounter you planned is a single dude in charging distance. :smallwink:

[Daftendirekt]

OOC
Fact remains that even if you'd rolled poorly, on damage and Iaijutsu focus, he'd probably be dead, and that's before the four other party members. I'm not going to make everything insanely more powerful. Probably just give it all one level up (as a decent portion of it was first level guys. Which any one of you can one-shot.)

[RaggedAngel]

OOC
Fact remains that even if you'd rolled poorly, on damage and Iaijutsu focus, he'd probably be dead, and that's before the four other party members. I'm not going to make everything insanely more powerful. Probably just give it all one level up (as a decent portion of it was first level guys. Which any one of you can one-shot.)

Oh, well, right. That makes sense, then. Ignore me, good sir, and buff them mooks. :smallwink:

[Daftendirekt]

Damn right. You guys aren't supposed to be THAT heroic. :smallwink:

[Circle of Life]

Tsal scurries into the room, oversized crossbow at the ready. He swings it back and forth as he quickly scans the room's interior, but, seeing nothing immediately hostile within, sets himself to pepper the first foe to show itself in plain sight.

Swift: Blade of Blood
Move: Move to N-7
Standard: Ready action to crossbow the first of the two enemies outside the door to move into a clear field of view.

[OMG PONIES]

Konig waddles into the room behind the others, barely able to make it into the room in the time it takes the younger ones to act. "Now, now, what's all the commotion? Did we find the bugger?" he asks. The question is answered by the odd corpse on the floor, which causes Konig to clap his hands in delight. "Fantastic, chaps," he calls, "what a truly odd specimen!"

double move action: move to M6

[Daftendirekt]

One of the men moves into the opening, stepping over his comrade's body and brandishing his shortsword at Nysan. As he comes into view, Tsal lines up his shot and fires. The shot flies over Nysan's shoulder... and the strange man's. bouncing off the rock wall behind him and falling into the ankle-deep water. An expression of relief flashes across his face at his narrow escape, and then he swings his blade at the horned man in front of him. It slashes a long gash in Nysan's arm, blood spraying onto the nearby bed and dripping onto the floor.

Attack Roll (-4 for firing into melee)[roll0]
Damage: [roll1]

Map (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Anx0-1JMl02RdFh2OWlZZjBQM2wxSnd1YkE0ZHpnb2c)

[Daftendirekt]

Couldn't roll it in the other post in case Tsal's readied action killed him. Also, I forgot.

#3 Attack: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1]

[Dirac Lotus]

Grunting in pain, Nysan fights through the burning agony of his large wound. Not holding back, he uses his Sapphire Nightmare Blade on the being that just attacked him.

Standard Action - Sapphire Nightmare Blade
[roll0] DC is the enemies AC.
If successful, the enemy is flat-footed against my attack and Nysan deals an extra [roll1] damage. If it fails, he's at a -2 attack penalty this attack.
[roll2]
[roll3]

[Daftendirekt]

The second man falls with a scream as Nysan's blade practically slices him in half, blood pooling quickly and mixing in with the water in the tunnel behind him. The remaining figure, a female, looks nervously through the opening at the blood-spattered tiefling with his massive sword, holding her own blade -- tiny in comparison -- up in a defensive position.

“Alssarg mish tu klakt,” she whispers hopelessly.

Aaaand greatswords at low levels, hahaha.

Initiative:
Party <--
Mobs

[Obscurejones]

Glon rushes to defend the creature in word if not in deed.
Disarm her. She'll be no threat to us without a blade and we might get the measure of what haunts these halls.

[RaggedAngel]

Vassi shoots him a glare, and then looks to the woman. "Hello? Gnurlan? Xiax'it? Filliatinnis?" Her language changes with each word, cycling through Common, Dwarvan, Terran, and Gnomish, seeking a language the woman speaks before resorting to killing her.

[Daftendirekt]

The woman has a confused look on her face as the party stands there not killing her. She then begins to speak rapidly in a language none of them understand.

"Visssya! Manta da Alssarg! Nu krishne ve tsu! Alssarg ett mishu!"

Although none of then can understand what she is saying, Vassi -- with her vast knowledge of various things -- recognizes enough to realize that the woman is speaking Aquan. From her tone, she appears to be admonishing the group, pointing back the way they came, as if telling them to leave.

[RaggedAngel]

Vassi shakes her sleeves over her quickrazor bracers and then holds up her hands slowly, showing the woman that she's completely unarmed. "She's speaking Aquan. I don't, and apparently neither do you." She looks back to the woman, and then gestures to herself and her companions.

"We are many. You are one." Vassi points to the woman, then mimes putting a blade down on the ground. She keeps talking, her voice very soft and comforting. "Please, put it down. You don't need to die."

Bluff, of the "convey subliminal information" variety: [roll0]

[Daftendirekt]

The woman bares her mouthful of pointed teeth at the gnome, shaking her head and brandishing her blade.

"Visssya! Alssarg ett mishu! Frii canta ni Alssarg!"

And with that she takes off down the tunnel, running a few steps before diving into the deeper water with a loud splash.

Map (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Anx0-1JMl02RdFh2OWlZZjBQM2wxSnd1YkE0ZHpnb2c)

[Circle of Life]

"That went... poorly..." Tsal notes dryly, lowering his weapon and approaching Nysan. He looks over the tiefling's injury, then lets out a vexed tsk.

"I can't fix that all the way, but I can take away some of the pain, if you'll allow?" He holds the fingers of one hand over the gash down Nysan's arm, and his fingertips begin to glow with a soft white light. The skin around the slice seems to flow together, rippling like the water of a still pond disturbed by a thrown rock. The bleeding stops immediately, but when Tsal withdraws his hand, a large, pinkish area of tender flesh still remains.

Looking at the two fallen attackers, Tsal purses his lips in consideration. "I could bring the one back around if anyone wants to try to talk again, but I think the other is too far gone for my magic to be of much help."

Touch of Healing on Nysan, bringing him up to 8 hp. Can't heal him for more than that without other means.

[RaggedAngel]

Vassi shakes her head in the negative, still watching the water. "I doubt they speak Common or Undercommon. They seem to speak Aquan, and based on what she just did they're apparently partially aquatic. I don't think we should follow her; going into that water seems like a great way to get drowned or stabbed."

[Dirac Lotus]

Nysan attempts to refuse the proffered aid from Tsal, but easily gives in at the realisation of just how bad his wound is. "That was quite a cut I took. Those toads have some fight in them, I'll give them that." Smiling, he nods thankfully to Tsal. "Still. I've had worse."

Walking over to one of the corpses, he gives it a nudge with his foot before inspecting it for possessions. "I am inclined to agree with Vassi. I've had enough of water for a while, that bridge incident was bad enough. I have no doubt that worse is to come, but I would much rather minimize our exposure."

Surveying the scene around him, Nysan makes sure the rest of the party is okay before continueing. "So what now?"

[Daftendirekt]

Judging from their almost complete lack of clothing, it seems they may have been in the middle of taking a leisurely swim, or perhaps bathing. Nevertheless, the only things in their possession are the shortswords they were wielding, and their now-bloodstained trousers.

With the battle subsided, the group has a chance to take in the room they're currently standing in. The walls are lined with beds, although the one near the collapsed wall appears to be ready to collapse due to wet rot. There is a small table with a drawer in it near the door, and a long table in the center of the room, which is scattered with plates and scraps of food, as well as a deck of playing cards. At regular intervals around the room, clusters of the same luminescent moss as before are mounted, providing a soft glow to the room, providing a bit of color by alleviating the need for colorless darkvision.

[RaggedAngel]

Vassi looks around for anything of value, keeping an eye out on the water for any sign of the woman. "I'd like a few minutes to catch my breath and refocus; killing that guy took a lot of concentration, and I won't be able to repeat myself if we have to fight again in the next couple minutes. Is that alright with you guys?"

Getting my Inspiration back would be excellent, if it's fine by you guys.

[Circle of Life]

Tsal shrugs and fiddles with one of the many various gears and levers along the sides of his crossbow. "You can't rush greatness. Take your time."

[OMG PONIES]

Konig exhales heavily. "Hmph, fine by me. I'll take a poke around" he says. While the gnome rests, the scientist begins intently studying the body of the semi-aquatic creature, as well as the surrounding environs. He closes his eyes and breathes deeply, attempting to sense the disturbances of intense magno-lectrical energies in the area. Some called it magic, but Konig always harrumphed at that silly notion; instead, it was clear that anything out of the ordinary could be explained by a series of lengthy calculations dealing with the presence of strong magnetic minerals or the lingering effects of lightning in the area. Why couldn't people accept the simple answers that science provided?

OOC: Konig casts Detect Magic (but don't try to tell him that) and concentrates for as long as possible, turning around slowly in order to scan the entirety of the room.

ROLLS:
[roll0]
[roll1]
[roll2]
[roll3]
[roll4]
[roll5]
[roll6]
[roll7]
[roll8]
[roll9]
[roll10]

[Daftendirekt]

Konig doesn't detect the presence of anything out of the ordinary. Anything outside the room would be blocked by the thick stone walls.

[Circle of Life]

Tsal allows several minutes to pass while Vassi regains her inner focus, then motions back out to the hallway. "Shall we continue, then?"

[RaggedAngel]

Vassi nods, and checks her arm-blades with a quick whirl. "That sounds excellent, Tsal, and I thank you all for the quick break; killing like that really drains me. Let's be off, though, before more of them show up." She heads to the door and opens it softly, looking about for any trouble.

[Daftendirekt]

Map. (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Anx0-1JMl02RdFh2OWlZZjBQM2wxSnd1YkE0ZHpnb2c)

Peering south down the hallway, Vassi sees that it is devoid of life for the moment. Like the little they had seen thus far, it was smooth stone walls and a ceiling perhaps fifteen feet high. This hallway is wider than the previous one, allowing two to walk abreast instead of going single-file.

As the door is not right in front of the hallway but rather slightly off from it, she can only see about ten feet down its length. What she can see seems to be strewn with rubble -- crumbled rock and bits of broken wood. The place is strangely quiet, save for the ever-present dripping of water, her own breathing, and the movement of her comrades behind her.

[RaggedAngel]

Vassi makes her way down the hallway, her legs prepared to leap at the nearest threat and her ears primed to hear anything lurking in the the darkness. She moves quickly but cautiously, giving the others plenty of time to follow behind her. She continues down the hallway until she reaches another door or object of interest, on the watch for hostiles all the while.

[Daftendirekt]

About twenty feet further along from Vassi she sees a split: on the left, a closed door, and opposite it she can see the opening of a new passage. The passage also continues on straight ahead past the extent of her darkvision.

Everybody else should be keeping their positions up to date on the map (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Anx0-1JMl02RdFh2OWlZZjBQM2wxSnd1YkE0ZHpnb2c) as well. Unless you're all just sitting back in the room waiting for her?