The Vystera Jewels

[Admiral]

Shiny nods at Kurt's observation. Your senses serve you well. You're speaking to Shiny Bladescholar, tutor of the greatest soldiers, gladiators and duellists of our age. And amateur rock climber."

He steps back and starts his morning stretches. When Miriam returns from her prayer, he springs again to his feet. "Strongmen, scoundrels, masters of the arcane and divine! Let us march!"

[achinca]

Miriam smiles at the gnome.

Also she does not approve of his constant fabrication, she really enjoyed his positive attitude.

"So Halfling Lawyer! Lead the way!"

[CoffeeIncluded]

Natalia Bolts, Human Rogue

Natalia all but tunes out the conversation outside as she tries to decipher the spells. Just when it seems that every single one has eluded her, a few fragments of one spell suddenly, possibly, become clear. She points to the page and says, "Rope?"

[Athedia]

"So loud." Mithril grumbles as she closes her spellbook. She had managed to find some useful spell for the day. Packing up her bedroll, she places it on her shoulders. She looked around to see Whiskers trying to push her quarterstaff toward her. Picking them both up she laughed, "I didn't forget it, but Whiskers you are far to small to move that." Whiskers scrambled into his usual place on her shoulder. As she stood up she turned to Miriam "Thank you for your blessing."

[CoffeeIncluded]

Natalia Bolts, Human Rogue

Natalia also nods with a small smile. As they leave the tent (and yes, Natalia has all her stuff), she turns to Mithril and says, "One's rope, but the others...how?"

[achinca]

Miriam folds the tent in her backpack.

"So Mithril, are you teaching magic to Natalia? I have never seen such a young teacher ....."

[Athedia]

Talking to Miriam, Mithril explained"I tutored children in the city, but I don't know about teaching magic. Natalia here is free to attempt to learn though it does take a while. I don't quite know how, I learned to read the signs and they just make sense. It feels like the spells were inside me the whole time, I just have to free them."

She looked toward the forest. It seemed less scary in the light of day, but she was still glad she would have company before entering it.

[achinca]

Miriam smiles .... "I get my magic through my prayers. St. Cuthbert listens and gives me some divine magic to spread goodness and justice ....."

Looking at the rest of the group .....

"Are we all ready to enter the forest? May be Natalia should go first. I will close the marching order if needed."

[CoffeeIncluded]

Natalia Bolts, Human Rogue

"Never let Nuts around spells, too scared she'd pick them apart..." She trails off. "...Want to unweave magic, not just metal." She looks at the rest of the group, then Mithril. "Part of the pack...but haven't counted all the cats. Still disposable."

Natalia wrings her hands at Miriam's suggestion. She may be swift but she's not that durable and she knows it. But she doesn't know how to ask if someone a bit more sturdy can march alongside her, and even if she did they still don't have full reason to trust her. She understands that they'd rather lose one of the newcomers than one of their own.

(Natalia will march in front if she has to, but we'd both feel a bit more comfortable with Kurt, the most durable, alongside her.)

[Admiral]

"Muscleman to the front, holywoman to the back, troublemakers to the center!" declares Shiny decisively. He's not really a natural leader, but he is a natural talker.

[Athedia]

"I see you include yourself in the troublemakers section." Mithril is amusing by the gnomes cheerful speech, now she knew he tended to bend the truth into knots she was starting to appreciate him.

[CoffeeIncluded]

Natalia Bolts, Human Rogue

"Tricky masks and late arrivals. Yes." She slips into the middle of the party right behind Kurt and ahead of Mithril and Shiny. As she walks, a thought crosses her mind. "Rope," she mutters to herself as she indeed takes the silk rope out of her bag. AS they walk she creates a noose-like know that tightens either when pulled or when a creature caught in the noose strains against the rope, making it doubly difficult to escape. Satisfied, she puts away the rope such that she can pull it out instantly if need be, with the knot intact.

[Hefty Lefty]

Vaylindal - Forest

The party marches through the woods, some on horseback, others on foot. The musclemen lead the way through the dense trees. Leaves and branches crunch underneath. Some of the shorter members of the party have to take tall steps to make it over a few very large roots. These trees are decades, maybe centuries old, and show it in their girth. After about two hours of walking, the team comes across a wide flowing river. The water runs very quickly. The party continues walking alongside the river and watch as it leaps off a massive waterfall. Flowers and plant-life around the catching pool of the falls create a picturesque view of the forest. Perhaps more beautiful is that the company is now within the map's marked area.

[Admiral]

"Let's stick together and search for the Shrine," says Shiny. Since Miriam insists on filling in the newcomers about the jewels, he's dropped any charade about a diplomatic mission, though he'll keep an eye on the two.

Spoiler

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I'm guessing we'll take 20 if we can on searching for the Shrine of Aquatos. If we can't, here's my Search roll: (1d20+3)[13]

[CoffeeIncluded]

"Old land," she says. Yet even with its age, the forest felt as green and alive as it looked. She wondered how long this shrine had been around, whether it moved in time with the forest.

(I don't have a lot of time to post. Take 20 on search for 28, or (d20+8)[13] if we're not allowed for whatever reason.)

She savors the search, tasting the fresh air, feeling the soft squishy bundles of moss, running her fingers along jagged bark and in the cool rushing stream.

[achinca]

Miriam follows the group in silence. She is fascinated by the old trees and the serenity they give.

When Natalia and Shiny starts looking, she asks innocently "Any idea what we are looking for looks like?"

She looks around to see if anything out of the ordinary pricks up her eyes.

Spot Roll: (1d20+4)[6]

OOC: The natural beauty of the area is blinding Miriam :)

[Athedia]

"Let me think, I may have read about a shrine around here before. Mithril looked around for anything that looked vaguely shrine-like as she thought.

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Knowledge Check (History) (1d20+4)[11]
Spot Check (1d20+1)[2]
OOC: So Mithril is blinded and deafened by the nature beauty

[CoffeeIncluded]

Dark browns and dappled greens blend into clear blue. The soft reeds on the riverbank melt into the shallow water, mist hangs over the rushing waterfall. While continuing to search, Natalia looks around to see what can catch her eye through the patchwork light filtering through the trees, and what sounds carry over the roaring water.

Spot: (d20+5)[19]
Listen: (d20+5)[23]
Search: Still taking 20 for a 28.

[Hefty Lefty]

OOC: Taking 20 was a fine idea.

Vaylindal - Forest

The party investigates a one-half square mile area in for two hours. They turn over boulders, climb up and down the hillside, and investigate the largest trees and bushes. There isn't much to search through, which is frustrating. The young wizard looks with the party for about an hour before digging through her bag for anything on the shrine. She pours through three books coming to a realization. "Aquatos. Aqua. Water!" She slaps herself on the forehead and mumbles "You've got to be kidding me." She groans, then continues, "Search the water, people!" The company recollects by the base of the river and investigates again, this time focusing on the river. It's about an hour past midday when Kurt and Natalia simultaneously point to the waterfall. "There!" "The-oh..."

A small, dark cave is now easily visible once it has been pointed out. Between the water, under the falls, the mountain opens up to promote an unlit cavern. The water around the base of the falls is deep, but rocks surrounding the landing pool could be used as a makeshift pathway, but are slippery. The water in the pool is deep and the water coming off the falls would surely push anyone who fell in under and down the river about ten yards. The slip wouldn't cause any damage, but would at certainly be unpleasant.

Spoiler

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DC to maintain balance on rocks: 12. Remember to factor in Armor Check Penalty!

[Admiral]

"In we go!" shouts the ever-enthusiastic Shiny.

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While I would usually take off my armor first, Shiny wouldn't think of that, especially after a frustrating day of searching.

Balance check: (1d20)[14]

[Athedia]

Mithril took Whiskers off her shoulder and put him next to the rocks."It would probably be better if you by crossed yourself Whiskers. Don't worry, if you fall I will go after you." She watched the small weasel hop across a few rock and look back at her. She smiled at him and carefully stepped on the first rock.

Spoiler

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Whiskers Balance Check: (1d20+2)[14] If Whiskers falls in Mithril will dive after him.
Mithril's Balance Check: (1d20+2)[15]

[Admiral]

Upon making it into the cavern and taking a look around, he yells back, "I barely made it over those rocks! Maybe you should throw in a rope so I can tie it to something- might help you get across!"

Spoiler

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Search check to find something to tie a rope to (tying it to myself would just send me flying): (1d20+3)[18]

[Athedia]

Mithril stumbled onto the firm ground, Whiskers watching her. Hearing Shiny's suggestion she couldn't help thinking, if only he had said that before I crossed. She pulled out her silk rope and held it out."I think I have one, yes here it is." She started looking around for a place to tie the rope.

Spoiler

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Mithril Search Check: (1d20+3)[5]
for someone with good intelligence Mithril gets really bad rolls on finding things in front of her face

[Hefty Lefty]

Vaylindal - Forest

The energetic Shiny scampers across. He slips once, but with his quick speed his slight stumble only takes place once he crossed the entire path. The ground underneath him is dark brown dirt. To his left, as he stands facing the rock pathway with the cave on his right, lies the waterfall. The rocks underneath, where the water lands, are worn from the rushing flow and now slippery as butter. The cave is thirty feet wide and tall. The passage only lasts for about forty feet where an old stone door is illuminated by a single lamp. Shiny looks around his immediate surroundings and quickly finds a rocky outcropping from the wall. As he is looking, Mithril and her weasel scramble across as well. The gnome takes Mithril's silk rope and loops it around the rock, forms a quick knot, and wraps the rest around his arm, waiting to toss the rest of the rope to the other side.

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I rolled the Use Rope check for Shiny. To throw the rope to someone on the other side, you must roll a DC 14 Ranged Attack. If you fail, the end of the rope falls in the water. The thrower can lean in and decrease the DC by 1 (and the receiver can for another -1), but the Balance DC to hang onto the wall and catch the rope is a 15. Someone on either side can hold the leaner to decrease the Balance DC by 2. However, if the leaner still fails his check, not only will he fall in the water, but the helper must make a Balance DC 5 or fall in as well.

[Admiral]

"No need for any help!" Shiny says to Mithril. Once someone on the other side of the waterfall is ready, he throws the rope to them. If he fails, he'll pull the rope back up from the water and try again.

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I think I'd be able to take 20, by tossing the rope again and again- after all, since it's attached to the wall, we're not going to lose it (and if it does come free, that would mean it never would have held anyway). But in any case, here's my first throw:

(1d20+3)[22]

Rolling great today. Shame that wasn't one of those life-and-death rolls.

[CoffeeIncluded]

Natalia catches the rope easily, and looks for a nearby tree or rock outcropping that isn't too slippery from moss and mist. Once she does, she makes a knot that will easily be undone if it's sharply yanked on at the right angle from the other end.
Use Rope: (d20+9)[11]
If she can't, then Natalia simply holds the rope and walks across slowly. (Do I still need to make a balance check? I really wish I put ranks in balance. Can I retrain Natalia's skills?)
Balance: (d20+3)[23]

(EDIT: of course I roll a 2 on the Use Rope check. At least I got a 20 on balance...And I'll bet it was an unnecessary roll).

Natalia looks around the waterfall cave, her gaze quickly falling upon the door and lamp.

OOC: Is the lamp lit? Is there oil inside? Is there dust around the door?

[achinca]

Miriam looks at the situation and by reflex extends her hand ... and only find nothingness. Calric is not there anymore to help her in this kind of situation. She takes a deep breath and fighting back her tears, starts to take off her armor.

She puts it in her back and tries crossing the slippery slope.

Balance roll (DC12) (1d20+1)[21]

She easily reaches the other side and puts her armor back on.

When Natalia asks for light, she replies "I am sorry. I did not ask St. Cuthbert for the ability to create light. I have torches however ....."

[Hefty Lefty]

Vaylindal - Forest

The stone door ahead of the party in the cave is large and wide; it was either built for something larger than a human or simply built to be large. Carved on the door is many archaic words and symbols around a dangerous-looking shark jumping out of water. The door is relatively dusty. The lamp next to the door is lit and shining, and there seems to be a good amount of oil. Someone must have come through and replaced the oil within the past week. To the left of the door, constructed into the mountainside cave wall, is a stone lever with engravings just like the door.

[Cavelcade]

With a sigh of worry Kurt takes off his armour, stowing it in his packback before tying his pony up carefully. "Hm. Hmm. Oh well, over I go." Doing his best not to look down and move forward confidently he grabs the rope and trusts to the skill of the one who tied it.

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(1d20+2)[6]

[CoffeeIncluded]

Natalia stops short, especially when she sees the shark. She looks at the writing on the lever and door, seeing if she can place it. (OOC: Natalia knows Common, Halfling, Elven, Draconic, and Gnome) If she doesn't know the language, then she checks to see if it shares any root words with the languages she does know.

Decipher Script: (d20+6)[7] (EDIT: FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU--)

Whether or not Natalia can figure out what it says, she holds out her hand and says to the rest of the group, "...All this to leave the house? Why light up the back door?" She immediately drops to the ground and starts checking for traps, or anything even more suspicious. She doesn't let anyone else approach the door or lever. That lever is too inconvenient, and that shark is too ominous.

Search: Take 20 for a 28.