The Wrong Guys IC II

[Savannah]

Rana rubs her ears and says softly, "Now there's something following us....It's got a hum, but I can't tell what it is."

[Jallorn]

Listen: (1d20+8)[16]

[Strawberries]

Audric tightens his mouth, turning his head slightly to hear better what she is referring to. It really appears nothing can be simple, in the last couple of days.

listen - (1d20+3)[7]

[Ajadea]

Audric hears nothing out of the ordinary.

Antal

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Rana's right, there's some sort of flat monotone humming sound coming from somewhere behind you.

[Jallorn]

Antal looks back towards the sound, trying to find the source.

Spot: (1d20+6)[12]

[Ajadea]

Antal

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Nothing you can see.

[Nanoblack]

Llaars

All of this talk of whatever was lurking in the water was making Llaars jumpy. "I don't care what it is, I don't want nothing to do with it." Now he sent the little boat forward with urgency, hoping to put some distance between them and that nasty patch of humming water.

[Strawberries]

Audric puts an hand on Llaars' forearm, in a sympathetic gesture "I really don't blame you" he says. He does his best to help Llaars manouvring the boat, figuring that Antal and Rana would warn both of them the minute something else happens.

However, he does sneak a couple quick glances behind himself, mostly to scan for magical activity, even if it's not an examination as thorough as he would have liked, since he has to focus to keep the boat, well, stable and afloat.

[Ajadea]

Something intangible seems to brush at you for a second, but slips away as you head downstream from the humming water. Whatever it is, it apparently is very slow, and you easily leave it behind as you drift away...

Audric

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Whatever it is, it screams like the tadpoles. The sound is a little more muffled, as if the screaming people were far away, and perhaps in another building. You aren't sure if the water caused it or something else-it sure wasn't distance.

[Strawberries]

"I don't know what it was, but I think we left it behind." Audric seems to breathe more freely when he is sure that the thing isn't following them anymore, even as he is torn about having left a possible danger undisturbed "At least I don't have to hear it scream anymore" he adds more quietly.

[Jallorn]

What? There was no screaming, just a buzz.

[Strawberries]

"For you, certainly. I couldn't hear anything with my normal senses either." Audric replies. He isn't as pale as before. "Its magical aura, on the other hand was...harrowing. It was the same I feel every time I focus on that jar of tadpoles your friend gave us: swirling colors, and lots of people screaming in my head. Only it felt a bit more distant in the water." He shakes his head "I don't know what it means. I'm just glad I'm not hearing them anymore."

[Ajadea]

Well, nothing screams at you for the next hour and a half. The river twists and turns but doesn't spontaneously turn into rapids or waterfalls. The water doesn't begin boiling under your boat. No stalactites fall on your head, no monsters (kraken or otherwise) rise out of the water. There is no danger and no people anywhere you can see. There are hundreds of side tunnels, some merely damp, some with water running through them, some dripping with darker liquid that you probably don't want to identify.

Slowly, the cavern begins to grow lighter. Perhaps you have almost reached the end of the river, and you might be able to head back up into the city soon.

Antal, Rana

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There's something at the edge of your vision, bobbing around at the left side of the river. It is rounded, long. It looks a bit like a rock from here, but rocks don't really float or bob.

[Savannah]

Rana leans forward slightly, then points towards something ahead. "Do you see that? It looks like a rounded thing bobbing there. Maybe an overturned boat?"

[Strawberries]

The paladin knits his brow in concentration, focusing where she is pointing

((spot - (1d20+3)[15]
Detect magic, obviously))

[Ajadea]

Audric

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You see a thing at the edge of your vision, bobbing around at the left side of the river. It is rounded, long. It looks a bit like a rock from here, but rocks don't really float or bob.

Detect magic reveals nothing except the same traces of crumbling, angry, blood-stained, magic that seem to permeate everything.

[Strawberries]

"It could be an overturned boat. It's better if we get closer and investigate". Looking at Llaars for confirmation, Audric tries to manouver the boat so that they get near to the unknown object.

((Ajadea: is there a bank where it could be possible to land or are there only high rocks?))

[Ajadea]

There's one about twenty feet upstream from the bobbing object. Specifically a tunnel running into the river. A fairly dry-looking one, rather than one dripping with unidentified liquids.

[Nanoblack]

Llaars

Following Audrics lead, Llaars pushes their makeshift craft toward the bobbing object. "Maybe it's another body?"

[Ajadea]

At first glance, it seems that both your assumptions are correct. It is clearly an overturned boat of similar make to this one-you can see the seams where the hide tiles are stitched together. There are two large holes punched through the bottom, and there is a patched brown boot with worn soles sticking out of the closer one.

[Strawberries]

"Gods." Audric whispers, then quicky to the others "We have to hook it and drag to that tunnel, then I will be able to help" Maybe. If there is really someone down there and they haven't drown already. "We can't do anything till we're off of this boat."

[Savannah]

Rana nods and (very, very carefully, so as not to tip the boat) reaches into her back pack to retrieve the scroll of cure light wounds.

[Jallorn]

Antal looks like he's about to throw himself off the boat, but looks down at the water and shrinks back into the middle of the boat.

[Strawberries]

"Antal" Audric's tone is firm, even if understanding "We need to hook that boat. Can you throw the rope? Llaars and I will manouver to the bank"

[Jallorn]

I can try, yeah.

[Ajadea]

It isn't that hard for you to push the boat to shore, though it goes rather slowly. Two minutes pass before you can get out of the boat and drag it far inland to keep the current from dragging it away.

Meanwhile, the boat and the boot wobble and bob around, but do not move very far from their places; wedged between two rocks and wedged into the bottom of the boat respectively.

[Strawberries]

Audric quickly gets on the shore, not taking his eyes off the other boat "Very well. Give me the rope, I'm going to try to swim there and see if I can help.". It's a good thing he has decided not to put his armor on - this way he can move more quickly, as he feels that too much time has been lost already.

((If there are no objections, taking 10 on a use rope check to tie the rope around his waist, and then swimming to the other boat to see what's under that (taking 10 again if I can). He'll leave his armor and his things on the shore.))

[Ajadea]

You're really scared of the dice roller, aren't you?
---
Given the fact that the water is calm and there are no dangers apparent, it is not actually hard for Audric to swim to the boat.

Audric

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Popping up under the boat tells you a few things. First of all, there isn't actually someone dangling from their boot in the water. It seems to be just a boot. Second of all, something smells like burnt rotten meat under the boat. Third, the reinforcing pole next to the tunnel wall is broken- you can see the splintered end dangling down a few inches in front of you.

The inside of the boat is dark and damp. You can't examine it very well.

[Strawberries]

Audric wrinkles his nose in disgust at the smell, then gets out from under the boat, making a reassuring gesture to his allies on the bank "There is noone under here!" he calls out. Nonetheless, he tries to disentangle the boat from where it is wedged and push it to the shore. Maybe it contains some evidence that could be useful.

((Uhm...strenght check? Swim check? *Hopeful expression* tell me I don't have to roll...
Oh well, just in case str - (1d20+1)[7] swim - (1d20+1)[15]))

[Ajadea]

Audric is able to get out from under the boat easily, but the boat itself seems to remain rather firmly stuck.