IC VIII Lost in the Flood

[CoffeeIncluded]

"He's fleeing! Natalia shouts, this time reflexively in common as she works at undoing Orgun's locks. The scream make her startle and jump, especially since the voice is familiar, but it seems like he's after their invisible foe. Tense, glancing towards the front and around the room, Natalia tries to free Orgun.

Spoiler

Show

using the original (27) open lock check, right? Ad I think I'll leave Nixar in the capable hands of his dear friend Kane.

[Dusk Eclipse]

"Stephan," growls Rook in the common tongue, "this piece of drow garbage is responsible for more suffering than a century of battles in this arena-"

"That hardly seems relevant now," states Aldus amicably. "Here, if you'd rather not trust me-" He holds out the handful of keys he'd taken from the vault, and Rook snatches them from him. Aldus backs gently out of the room, carrying a small pile of weapons under his arm, his eyes never leaving Rook, before he heads back to the cells.

Rook bristles with fury, then steps into the vault and finds himself a dwarven warhammer and a steel shield. "There's folks I hafta help 'fore I can get to killing him," he grunts, "but you can believe it's in my plans."

"I know... I don't trust him either; don't worry if he escape I can track him down for you." Stephan says with an edge in his voice.

[Admiral]

Natalia steps over to Orgun's chains to unlock them. The chained undergnome on the wall stirs weakly.

"If that's who I think it is..." he mutters... "you need to shut the door right now."

Spoiler

Show

Natalia used a move action to move over to the chains, but unlocking them is a full round action. Closing door is a standard action, btw.

"I know... I don't trust him either; don't worry if he escape I can track him down for you." Stephan says with an edge in his voice.

"There's a lot of escaping to be done; we have a minute at most," Rook states hurriedly. He rushes out of the barracks and back to the cells.

Spoiler

Show

Does Stephan give the collar-key to Rook?

[CoffeeIncluded]

Natalia steps over to Orgun's chains to unlock them. The chained undergnome on the wall stirs weakly.

"If that's who I think it is..." he mutters... "you need to shut the door right now."

Spoiler

Show

Natalia used a move action to move over to the chains, but unlocking them is a full round action. Closing door is a standard action, btw.

"why?"

Spoiler: Question

Show

didn't she move last turn? I think she did.

[Admiral]

"why?"

Spoiler: Question

Show

didn't she move last turn? I think she did.

"Because if he hears you let Nixar get free..." the gnome coughs deeply, and it becomes clear he is afflicted with some severe disease on top of his wounds. "Kane's not well known for his reasonableness."

Spoiler

Show

I think I was counting rounds a bit differently (especially since it was mostly speaking). Suffice to say Natalia didn't waste a round.

[Dusk Eclipse]

"Rook Wait!" he puts the key on the dwarf's hand "Take this, we'll catch with you later"

[CoffeeIncluded]

"The door!" Natalia shout as she catches Orgun.

[Admiral]

The door slams shut, apparently closed by the invisible Shiny, and the heavy bar is forced back into place.

Orgun seems unresponsive when Natalia and Rhenner grab him as he falls, though still alive. "Poison, disease, injury..." mutters the deepgnome deliriously. "There's... some cures in that cabinet..." he gestures towards an iron cabinet on the wall, secured by a lock. "Had to keep us alive..."

----------

"Aye," states Rook, and leaves the room to free the other prisoners.

Spoiler

Show

Let me know if Stephan and Mithril want to do anything right now besides continuing to loot. Remember they don't know what's happening around the Shredder.

[CoffeeIncluded]

"Whiskers, please," Natalia pleads to the weasel on her shoulder, "I'll build you a fountain to drink holy water from, just please tell Mithril Nixar is headed her way!"

As she pleads she heads over to he cabinet and sets to picking the lock.

Spoiler: Open lock

Show

(d20+11)[31]

[Admiral]

"Hold on to him tight, Natalia. <Celestial>Oh, Whiskers...</Celestial>" comes a sing-songy, slightly patronizing voice from midair. "<Celestial>I have some holy water here.</Celestial>"

On the ground there appears a small bowl of water similar to the kind Whiskers had seen in the churches in Hulburg and Deldon, unveiled as though the invisible gnome had set it down.

Spoiler

Show

Thought Shiny would play along with a silent image. Rhenner might have holy water on him but this is way more fun.

Whiskers gets a DC 16 17 Will save (he's flatfooted against invisible Shiny) or he'll notice that he can't smell the holy water.

Bluff: (1d20+44)[47]

Natalia opens the lock with a few skillful motions, and sees several racks of potions inside. Some of them are different colors but she can't tell them apart at first.

[CoffeeIncluded]

Natalia states at the potions for half a second. "Rhenner?"

Spoiler: Question

Show

what does Natalia need to find I, search and heal checks?

Alternatively, I was thinking Natalia sweep everything into her haversack (the motion is possible in a round) and the. Have Rhenner look; the potion he wants will be at the top. Would this work?

[Athedia]

"Hold on to him tight, Natalia. <Celestial>Oh, Whiskers...</Celestial>" comes a sing-songy, slightly patronizing voice from midair. "<Celestial>I have some holy water here.</Celestial>"

On the ground there appears a small bowl of water similar to the kind Whiskers had seen in the churches in Hulburg and Deldon, unveiled as though the invisible gnome had set it down.

Spoiler

Show

Thought Shiny would play along with a silent image. Rhenner might have holy water on him but this is way more fun.

Whiskers gets a DC 16 17 Will save (he's flatfooted against invisible Shiny) or he'll notice that he can't smell the holy water.

Bluff: (1d20+4)[6]

Natalia opens the lock with a few skillful motions, and sees several racks of potions inside. Some of them are different colors but she can't tell them apart at first.

Spoiler

Show

Will Save: (1d20+4)[6]

Gullible Weasel....

Whiskers jumped off Natalia at the words "holy water". He looked at the air above it quizzically, normally the big ones wanted something before giving him the treat.

Spoiler

Show

You can give him orders now, or a note to carry or emotion to feel or whatever.

[Admiral]

"Whiskers, before you drink this, you've got to get across to Mithril that there's someone invisible is coming towards her. Do you understand? It's important for her safety that she know's he's invisible."

Spoiler

Show

Lying about the safety, but he's a heck of a bluffer right now.

As DM I'll rule that that's an emotion Whiskers can vaguely get across to Mithril, though it's up to Athedia if she can interpret it successfully (and of course what she does with it).'

For Natalia: gotta rule against the Handy Haversack idea (though it's clever!), but it's possible the gnome prisoner can figure out which potion is which from sight or smell.

[CoffeeIncluded]

Natalia sighs in relief. "Plrase tell Mithril an invisible enemy is coming!"

[CWater]

The door slams shut, apparently closed by the invisible Shiny, and the heavy bar is forced back into place.

Orgun seems unresponsive when Natalia and Rhenner grab him as he falls, though still alive. "Poison, disease, injury..." mutters the deepgnome deliriously. "There's... some cures in that cabinet..." he gestures towards an iron cabinet on the wall, secured by a lock. "Had to keep us alive..."

The medic grits his teeth, even without the years of experience he could tell that the orc is in very bad condition.

Natalia states at the potions for half a second. [COLOR="#9933ff"]"Rhenner?"

Rhenner takes a quick look at Natalia's findings. "Do you know what they do?" he asks the deepgnome. He might be able to figure out their purpose given time, but it would be faster if the gnome could tell from sight which to use.

Spoiler

Show

I trust you to tell me if I need to make any checks. Heal or Spellcraft or anything.

"Whiskers, before you drink this, you've got to get across to Mithril that there's someone invisible is coming towards her. Do you understand? It's important for her safety that she know's he's invisible."

Spoiler

Show

Lying about the safety, but he's a heck of a bluffer right now.

As DM I'll rule that that's an emotion Whiskers can vaguely get across to Mithril, though it's up to Athedia if she can interpret it successfully (and of course what she does with it).'

For Natalia: gotta rule against the Handy Haversack idea (though it's clever!), but it's possible the gnome prisoner can figure out which potion is which from sight or smell.

"Might be a good idea to let them know we might need a distraction in a moment. Since we will need to get out of here soon."

[Athedia]

Whiskers grumbled a little and opened the emotional link to Mithril. Usually it was muted except for strong feelings, like SNAKE! or HELP! or even FEMALE!!!! (Whiskers couldn't understand why Mithril turned so red during that emotion) but other feelings could be transmitted. The feeling he sent can't be translated into our language or any other one for that matter. It was a mix of sound, quiet, smell, fear, thrill, caution and other words that do not exist for humans or beings of the non-weasel variety. But a loose translation could go as such "Fear of the approaching one who hides beyond sight and within scent and whose hunted is unaware".

Spoiler

Show

And yes, that one part was because of the Murphy's Law thread.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

Mithril was putting more items into the bag when she shot upright. Whiskers had sent her that feeling once before, it had been so long ago.... It was while she had been minding the families store. She had heard the door open, but when she turned around she couldn't see anyone there. Whiskers had sent that emotion from his spot by the window under a particularly warm and comfy skirt. She had ignored it, thinking he was simply in a nightmare, but when she had gone to the safe the day's sales were stored in it was empty. The man who had robbed them was later caught trying to break into her mentor's herb shop, he may not have been a powerful wizard, but he had known enough to recognize invisibility.

That had been years ago, and the invisible thief had not wanted to hurt her. Now? She knew few people who she knew wouldn't hurt her.

"Someone invisible is coming this way! And not one of our someones!


*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

Feeling that Mithril had recieved the thought, Whiskers dived toward the bowl of holy.... As his nose hit the water he froze. An angry gurgle rose in his throat and he looked around for the big one who had offered him the water. He sniffed the air trying to locate the trickster.

[CoffeeIncluded]

"Need a better look at the potions??" Natalia asks as she heads over to the deep gnome and tries to undo his shackles. She briefly glances back at whiskers, mentally promising to build him a fountain or bottle or something.

Spoiler: Open lock(s)

Show

one for each shackle (or nth for one if the first fails) unless Rhenner wants to shatter them. Possibly more later if needed.

Open lock: (d20+11)[29]
Open lock: (d20+11)[19]

[Dusk Eclipse]

"Do you have any spell or anything that could warn us?" Stephan tries to remember anything he knows about dealing with invisible enemies

Spoiler

Show

I'll just roll a K:Arcana and spellcraft, just in case
K:Arcana(1d20+9)[28]
Spellcraft (1d20+9)[24]

[Athedia]

"I can do one thing... but it would block the way for everyone." And I don't know how you would react to it.

Spoiler

Show

I can think Black Tentacles or Detect Thoughts

Mithril paused as a thought came to her. "Or, there is another way. My wands, I could cast the spell until he runs into it. Since it makes us glow it should outline him, even invisible!"

[CWater]

Rhenner shatters the gnome's other shackle at the same time when Natalia unlocks the first one. Even with everything going on, he raises an eyebrow at the sight of the angry white weasel dashing around the room.
"...I see this was a very carefully thought out plan."

[CoffeeIncluded]

Somehow the sight of whiskers manages to elicit a small smile from Natalia, even in this horrible place. Her and Rhenner's joint efforts to free the deep gnome help too. "Please help them," Natalia says a she assists him to the ground (though she can't avoid the edge of her bow from poking his frighteningly thin stomach). Sue then runs over to the last prisoner, the drow on the wall, and listens for this Kane at the same time.

Spoiler: Couple questions

Show

what state is the drow in? Should Natalia start making open lock checks? Is there anything else useful in the rest of the room? Can Natalia hear Kane outside?

EDIT: I hope I didn't make too many assumptions. I hope this is okay.

[Admiral]

Natalia grabs a few potions and shows them to the gnome after letting him down. Now that he's free Rhenner and Natalia notice that along with the dozens of small cuts that cover his body he seems to be quivering uncontrollably. As he sees the potions he gestures with his head towards one, though the gesture seems to take more than one attempt. Once he drinks it some of the wounds along his body heal, but he continues his frantic shivering. He points to another with his eyes. "The other prisoners are poisoned... I think the gray ones there are the antidotes..." He shakes violently again and closes his eyes. "Not sure what can be done...... for me..."

Suddenly a dramatic crashing sound comes from the door, which seems to shake the whole room. The thick iron bar holding the door shut holds fast. "NIXARRRR!!!" comes a bellow through the door- strangely loud even through the iron. Stephan had mentioned that the Shredder's door was specially designed to conduct sound well, so the nearby cells could hear the screams within.

Spoiler

Show

Rolling damage to the door in secret.

Drow is unconscious like Orgun.

Information for Athedia (that Mithril would know from her spellcasting ability). Mithril can cast a dawn burst every round, but since that would basically be a light flashing every six seconds with a ten foot radius it would be easy for an enemy to coordinate his motion to run past it. One thing she can do is cast detect thoughts, the second round of which she will be able to detect the locations of minds, and have a ready action to cast dawn burst (or, if she prefers, black tentacles at the invisible spot).

FWIW, Coffee, that last IC post wasn't all that necessary since there wasn't anything to react to. I had to take the day off until now from posting, additional questions and such doesn't speed it along (posting now was a coincidence). Not a big deal and I'm not upset or anything about it.

[CoffeeIncluded]

Natalia shudders at the gnome's state. "I'm sure Rhenner can help," she says, though she's convincing herself more than she'd like. She's completely confident in Rhenner, but he's so badly hurt, and she has no idea what's wrong with him. And the drow, the drow's poisoned too. She needs to get him to Rhenner. As she starts picking the lock she hears Kane's screaming, hears the door screech and buckle under his rage. She dumps, nearly knocking the pick out of the lock. "Shiny! Is there anything you can do? You're always good at this sort of thing!" she screams, frightened at being on the receiving end of his rage--especially when they were trying to help him!

Spoiler: Open lock and stuff

Show

Open lock: (d20+11)[29]
And another (for the other lock or if the first fails): (d20+11)[19]

Really? The exact same set of rolls as before? That's kinda funny.
If these fail, can Natalia simply cut the chains holding the shackles in place? They'll still have the shackles attached to their wrists, but they'll be free.

And thanks. I wasn't looking to make you come online earlier. But thanks.

[Athedia]

Spoiler: Can't use the second level of detect thoughts

Show

2nd Round
Number of thinking minds and the Intelligence score of each. If the highest Intelligence is 26 or higher (and at least 10 points higher than your own Intelligence score), you are stunned for 1 round and the spell ends. This spell does not let you determine the location of the thinking minds if you can’t see the creatures whose thoughts you are detecting.

[Admiral]

Shiny goes to the door. "<Undercommon>Nixar isn't here, he turned invisible and ran out!</Undercommon>" the gnome says urgently. "But our allies at the front of the prison have set a trap for him: hurry now and you might reach him. If you stay here he could escape."

Spoiler

Show

Boy oh boy Shiny hopes Whiskers got the message through to Mithril or the wizard will have one unhappy Kane on her hands.

Bluff: (1d20+44)[52]
Diplomacy: (1d20+18)[34]

Does Natalia not want to use the poison antidote the gnome pointed to?

For breaking chains: inanimate objects are immune to sneak attack+critical hits, and therefore also to insightful strike, and chains have a hardness of 10, so a rapier/short sword's 1d6 can never damage one. (From a realism perspective this makes perfect sense- it's one thing to use a light, thin blade to skillfully jab an opponent in the artery, quite another to use one to break or even scratch iron).

There's a brief pause at the door, then a roar of exasperation and footsteps receding.

[CoffeeIncluded]

Shiny goes to the door. "<Undercommon>Nixar isn't here, he turned invisible and ran out!</Undercommon>" the gnome says urgently. "But our allies at the front of the prison have set a trap for him: hurry now and you might reach him. If you stay here he could escape."

Spoiler

Show

Boy oh boy Shiny hopes Whiskers got the message through to Mithril or the wizard will have one unhappy Kane on her hands.

Bluff: [roll0]
Diplomacy: [roll1]

Does Natalia not want to use the poison antidote the gnome pointed to?

For breaking chains: inanimate objects are immune to sneak attack+critical hits, and therefore also to insightful strike, and chains have a hardness of 10, so a rapier/short sword's 1d6 can never damage one. (From a realism perspective this makes perfect sense- it's one thing to use a light, thin blade to skillfully jab an opponent in the artery, quite another to use one to break or even scratch iron).

There's a brief pause at the door, then a roar of exasperation and footsteps receding.

Natalia pauses for a second, then grabs one of the gray bottles the gnome pointed to and carefully tips the contents down the drow's throat before starting to work on his shackles. "Rhenner, you have Orgun?"

The rogue sighs in relief as Kane's footsteps recede. "Thank you!!"

Spoiler: You're right!

Show

Natalia uses the poison antidote on the drow before unshackling him; I assume Rhenner's working on Orgun; Natalia will use a potion on him otherwise though I think Rhenner's got that covered. Thanks!

And okay, that makes sense. Shame I don't have the adamantine dagger. Ah well!

[Admiral]

Natalia pauses for a second, then grabs one of the gray bottles the gnome pointed to and carefully tips the contents down the drow's throat before starting to work on his shackles. "Rhenner, you have Orgun?"

Natalia tips the bottle down the prisoner's throat. Rhenner grabs a bottle and prepares to do the same for Orgun- until he is interrupted by the sudden sound of violent choking coming from the unconscious drow. The dark elf starts to convulse and cough violently, spraying blood across Natalia's face.

"I'm sorry..." says the deepgnome weakly, still sprawled against the wall. "But like I said, there's nothing..." he clenches his teeth as his body is rocked by another spasm, "you can do for me... nothing except this..." With effort he turns his head to watch the drow die, a look of vague satisfaction crossing his face.

Spoiler

Show

(If you're wondering, rolled undergnome's Bluff and all three Sense Motives in secret so that they wouldn't come in as metagame info. He's a good liar).

[CoffeeIncluded]

Natalia draws back in horror as the drow spasm and coughs and sprays even more blood over her. "No! NO! RHENNER!" What the hell?! This wasn't supposed to happen! Liar! LIAR!

The world swims, a high pitched ringing echoes in her ears. Natalia's shaking, sobbing, screaming as she desperately tries to force an antitoxin and a potion down his throat at the same time.

Spoiler

Show

Antitoxin then CMW potion, as it sounds like he's not dead dead and Natalia might be able to interrupt it?

CMW: (2d8+3)[13]

[Admiral]

Natalia pours the bottle down the drow's throat as fast as she can, but it seems only to gurgle in his throat as he stops breathing. She desperately brings a healing potion to his lips but Rhenner stops her hand- experienced combat medic that he is, he knows when it is too late. The drow slumps over in his chains, dead.

[Athedia]

Spoiler

Show

See map for placement

Mithril grimace and clenched her fists as if she was about to pull up weeds. ""<Draconic> Rise and Fight! </Draconic>

At the enterance to the small barracks the ground shuddered and cracked, spilling forth a sea of tentacles. It was as if the gates of some unknown hell had finally opened and those inside were fighting to escape. She wanted to turn away from them, but didn't want to see Stephan's reaction. "I doubt he will be able to sneak past those."