Absence of Empathy IC

[Corinthian]

Erwin

"No problem." Erwin says. He gives a pained sigh and shakes his head slightly. "So, we fell, got dragged and now we are.... where?! Where are we?"

He analyzes the place they are now and as he does he looks at the other five people with him. "I'm Erwin Underwood, by the way..." He smiles, and he tries to clean the mud off his face and looks at his clothing. Dear Heavens, I don't think this suit would be fit for another stroll around Drim.

[Irrealist]

Arfondt
A chubby man in his late twenties, dressed in soggy robes

Arfondt wipes his wet hair out of his face and turns to the dwarf: "You were with the others, weren't you? What happened to them? Did they make it? My name is Arfondt, by the way. " He nods to the others in general, flinging some mud off his robe.
It's getting cold really quickly in these wet clothes. I could use a hot bath now.

[Mr the Geoff]

Ulf Ironbeard A soaking wet Dwarf looking like he's been dragged through a sewer backwards

"Three got out, the woman, the lad with the pulley and the feller who kept callin' for his mate John. The wall I were belayed to gave out so I dropped back in. Oh, and Ulf Ironbeard at yer service"

Now assuming the air holds out, and the floor don't cave in again, should be a simple matter to dig our way back up to the surface. Ulf digs in his pack and retrieves a miner's pick, then stares at the walls with a thoughtful expression.

[tgva8889]

Kayte Mursai A charming young woman with light brown hair, bright eyes, soaking robes, and unrevealed abilities, who looks as though she's been thrown into a situation she never feels like she could survive.

Kayte, realizing what's going on, follows everyone else's lead and gets herself out of the crevice with the rest of the group. "Well, that was exciting. If you like near-death experiences, that is." Kayte makes a futile attempt to brush herself off, failing to remove the mud and dirt which seems infused into her work robes. "Alright, what now?" This is completely insane. I don't known any of these people well enough to be surviving a near-death experience with them. What the heck is going on with this city? Noting everyone making their introductions, Kayte says, "Oh, and I'm Kayte. Mursai." How did you end up here?

[PolkaBear]

The gap through which the group found its salvation is composed of heavy stone blocks. This appears to be the sewer system underneath the city, carved out of the living rock by the resident mining skill of the city and strengthened by dwarven engineers. Apparently, the earlier force of the water (when the sinkhole was created) was strong enough to knock a few blocks out of place: they were not designed to contain hydraulic pressure going into the sewer.

Even though their surfaces are tilted, the three squat blocks provide wide steps of a sort. For now, you are seated just above the level of the sewer-water. The sewer is full beyond regular capacity, but the high quantity of runoff also means that the water is--thankfully--relatively clean.

The light is coming from holes in the ceiling on the far side of the sewer channel. The light appears to be reflected, not direct, since it does not retain quite the same brilliance as the sun aboveground.

The red-shirted man is sitting up, examining his leg and wincing in pain.

"Anyone else recognize this place? I did my service down in the sewers; but it was more spot repair work. I don't know my way around." He looks around and then shrugs. "Anyway, there should be a handrail and an access ledge on either side for maintenance. I don't see it, so it must be submerged."

He hissed in pain. "I think it's just sprained. Hurts like it's broken, though. And then my head..."

"I'm Crennik, by the way. Thanks for pulling me out of there. I was sure I was dead--when I could think straight, that is." He pointed at Arfondt. "You! You did something, back there. I don't know what sort of magic it was, but it helped. Thank you."

[Mr the Geoff]

Ulf Ironbeard A Dripping wet dwarf with colour starting to return to his cheeks

Ulf talks, half to himself, half to the people around him "This is solid stonework. We aren't in danger of falling in at least, but it'd take a week to dig our way back to the surface. Think we can put that plan on the back burner for a while. That leaves crossing the water and working our way towards the light, or jumping in and seeing where we end up. Neither seem like fun to me"

Putting his pick back away, Ulf walks back over to Crennik. "Now let's have a look at that foot of yours."

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to see if Crennik's foot is broken or sprained
Heal Check (9) to see if Crennik's foot is broken or sprained.
Though with that roll I'd be hard put to tell if it was his foot or his hand I was looking at.

[tgva8889]

Kayte Mursai A charming young woman with light brown hair, bright eyes, soaking robes, and unrevealed abilities, who looks as though she's been thrown into a situation she never feels like she could survive.

"Uh...I vote 'no' on the 'jump in and see what happens' plan. I'm not sure whether that other option is better, but I know that I'm not jumping in anywhere." Kayte looks around the area, hoping to notice something but knowing she won't. This can't turn out well, not if that water keeps rising. Four days of rain don't cause this. "I say we try to cross it, rather than risk going downstream. Besides, if we don't find anything, we can always try the other plan." Under her breath, she adds, "They're gonna need to do some major renovating down here..." She looks everywhere she can, hoping that something that might be useful will jump out to her eyes. Improvising had always been a strong point of hers.

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Search Check made by Katye to look for anything that might help them cross that can be easily moved. So, a board sitting on top a rock maybe, but not a board crushed under a heavy boulder.

[Irrealist]

Arfondt:
A chubby man in his late twenties, dressed in soggy robes

Arfondt sits down and massages his left foot. When Kayte starts talking, he looks at her. "Hello Kayte Mursai. I'm sorry we got interrupted earlier, but the circumstances didn't allow for polite conversations. Maybe we could have somethign to drink after we get out of here." He smiles at her, then turns to Crennik. "You're welcome, but I didn't really do much. And anyway, I think that's what magic should be used for - helping people. Don't you?"
When Ulf comes over to them, he looks relieved. "It's good to know that we have someone here who knows how to deal with this kind of situation. If you need help with his foot, I could try working some moe magic."
He leans back against a wall. This is more excitement than I am used to; I think I might need some rest.
Then he looks up again, as if remembering something. "Oh, and if you need to get across the water to the light, I could levitate you - you look strong enought to push your way along the ceiling." He turns back to Kayte again. "What about you? You worked a spell before. What magical tradition do you belong to?"

[LurkerinthePlaygnd]

Rach Diggerson: a slim, fit man of average height with short brown hair, in his early twenties. Wears a worn backpack over a light colored work shirt tucked into light brown trousers. He is remarkably clean with the exception of his boots.

As the flying horse/falcon lifted itself skyward with the the lady, Rach realized that he was the only one left in the chamber. He scanned the watery pit again to make sure. As he did so, he noticed that the other rope was pulled taught and moving, almost as if there were a large fish on the other end. Unsure if someone might be on the other end, Rach decided to abandon his plan of escape, and instead attempt to free whomever might be on the other end.

Rach took as deep a breath as he could and plunged into the torrent. Using the rope as a guide, he climbed downward, hand over hand, hoping that he would be able to undo whatever knot the dwarf had tied.

[Mr the Geoff]

Ulf Ironbeard At least the water washed most of the mud off, so the dwarf is wet but clean-ish

"Levitate, eh? That were better than my plan of tying a rope to meself and having you fish me out if I dropped off the ceiling again. At the very least it's worth a look over there to see if we can get out." Maybe I can widen the hole but it's still risky getting these people across a rope and up through the ceiling

Ulf digs yet again into his pack, which seems to contain enough equipment to run a small mine, and retrieves his climbing kit, straps on the harness, and the crampons, and attaches the wet silk rope to it. "This is in case I do find a way out over there, so I can get the rest of you over with the rope. Now are you sure nobody has a better idea?"

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The climber's kit grants +2 on climb checks.
Also any idea how many pitons it has? the picture in the PHB shows 3, and the description just says "special pitons" without giving a count. As I now have 1 less than I started with this might become an issue. I'll assume 3 for mow using the highly scientific method of what the picture has

[PolkaBear]

The other rope was within arm's reach; so Rach grabbed it and pulled himself over to it. With a great breath, he plunged beneath the water, intending to 'climb' his way down to the other person.

He should have concentrated more on clinging than on climbing.

The pull of the water provided a significant force downrope; so it was as if he were attempting to 'climb' a rope face-first over the edge of a cliff. The water caught at his legs and flipped him over; and the taut rope twisted out of his hands.

Chaim grunted and lost a bit of air as another body slammed into him. It seemed like a body, at least, because it wasn't as solid as a rock would have been. Unfortunately, the impact was too sudden and unexpected for him to react in time.

Rach collided with the person he had attempted to save. The backs of his legs caught the other about the middle; but instead of giving him an opportunity to hold on, this impact sent him spinning downcurrent.

Chaim feels a tug on the rope as those above haul on it. With the other motion confusing him, however, he can't tell if he moved upward any.

Rach was flushed into the same dark mouth that had swallowed the others; but all around him is turbulent darkness. He bumped his head on an outcropping and barely prevented himself from yelping in surprise--which would have been deadly underwater. There was another outcropping, but this time he tried to hold on to it. He failed.

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The dice are conspiring to drown you, apparently. Three shots at salvation so far, and they've all been crappy rolls. I can see only one opportunity left at this point.

Rach's head bumped, momentarily, above water. He expelled his breath with a shout and drew in another frantically before he was again pulled under.

* * * * *

The group in the sewer hears an echoing shout from the other side of the gap, which immediately silences their conversation.

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This is how I'm going to do it: Arfondt, Sir Kylen, Kayte, Ulf, and Erwin must roll Initiative. We'll assume that Rach has a 10 for initiative. Then we'll use that Initiative order to see who can do what in enough time to rescue Rach before he's swept past.

[Mr the Geoff]

Ulf Ironbeard A Dwarf with a rope

Seeing the head pop up and hearing the shout, Ulf quickly coiled the rope in his hands and threw it just downstream of the body in the water, shouting ROPE! and leaning back to brace against the sudden tug he expects.

"Grab hold of me or I'll go in after him!"

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Rolls
34 on a use rope check, with a roll like that it'll practically drop in Rach;s hand I hope.

Unfortunately Ulf is still attached to the rope he just threw so if he lets go of the rope he's getting wet anyway.

[Corinthian]

Erwin

Reacting to Urf, Erwin jumps and tries to hold Urf from being taken by the current. However, he fails to notice the little leverage he gives and also fails to notice that he has not prepared himself for the imminent pull.

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A natural 1, giving me a 2 on my strength check. Hope everyone rolls initiative or Urf and Erwin are going to end up in the water again Rolls

[Irrealist]

Arfondt:

Initiative 5

Reacting to Ulf's shout, Arfondt stands up, his left knee buckling under him, and takes two steps towards Erwin, clinging to his belt to brace the two against falling into the water, but ready to let go before they all get pulled in.

(Assuming they didn't already fall in by the time he gets to act. If he's too late and things look bad for the three, he'll cast Levitate on the rope and hopes they all manage to hold on.)

[tgva8889]

(A little bit of retro, if you don't mind.)

Kayte Mursai A charming young woman with light brown hair, bright eyes, soaking robes, and unrevealed abilities, who looks as though she's been thrown into a situation she never feels like she could survive.

Something about the smile makes Kayte blush a little, but she's dirty enough that she hopes no one notices. She hides her face and smiles through it, nodding with a "Maybe, if we live that long."

The comment on traditions makes her feel a bit nervous, and she says, "Perhaps now is not the time to talk about that..." Remembering that she can cast a large quantity of spells, Kayte racks her mind for any spells that could be of some use to them. One comes to mind almost immediately. "Well, if I had some semi-common spell materials, I could get one of us across rather easily, and then the rest could cross the river by rope. I'm not sure how many times I can cast this spell, though, but I assume-" a cry for help cuts off her thought and Kayte returns to thinking with her survival instict processes.

As soon as she gets the opportunity, Kayte looks to the others and realizes what's happening. "Look, I can't do very much to help you out...I'm not the strongest of types and -" The rope goes flying. Realizing that the chance she can help in a successful rescue is slim to none, Kayte nonetheless reaches out and grabs Urf by the belt, hoping they can keep him on land. "Arfondt, get that spell ready - if you have a way to keep us steady, now would be the time!"

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Here are the necessary dice rolls. Initiative also included.
Oh, and Kayte's completely screwed.

[The Glyphstone]

Kylen O'Corrival
A massive, hefty man, almost six and a half feet and several hundred pounds of muscle. Dressed in a leather jerkin over ordinary clothes, but toting an equally large greatsword on his back. Displayed prominently embroidered on the jerkin is the holy emblem of Kord, as it is on the bronze pendant he wears. His expression is mixed, bearing an overall impression that the excitement he's experiencing is well worth the disruption to his routine.

Rolls:

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Init, Strength Check (1d20+2=19, 1d20+2=12)

Sir Kylen was sitting against the rocks with the others, catching his breath, when he heard the sound of Rach being swept towards them.
"Well, we certainly can't just let him get carried off now, can we?"

If Ulf beats Rach in initiative:

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Planting his knees and feet in the rubble, he seizes the back of Ulf's belt and anchors him in place as best he can, leaning forward to give Ulf more reach if necessary.

If Rach sweeps by before Ulf can react:

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"Don't worry, we'll get you!"
He either reaches down, hoping to snag a portion of Rach with his hand, or - if he's the only one who can react in time - will jump in and grab Rach, trying to anchor them both against the wall long enough for Ulf's rope to reach them.
Swim check in that instance (no penalty for not wearing my plate armor):Swim check (1d20+2=14)

[PolkaBear]

Chaim's grip on the rope slipped slightly when Rach careened into him. He now found that his body was oriented at a different angle--and that the wild spinning had slowed. Just as he noticed his new stability, there was another tug on the rope and his head broke the surface of the water. He breathed in heavily, then sputtered as he inhaled a few flying droplets.

"There he is! Keep pulling!"

Eventually he was hauled/dragged out of the hole. The guard had cleared an area around the hole, in case it collapsed further; but the his rescuers had been working at the very edge to save him.

The hippogryph is just settling back to the cobblestoned surface of the street as Chaim appears. The woman on its back looks slightly sick.

Chaim hears a thunder of hooves and a whinnying call. He turns his head and sees Long John thundering toward him, a groom and a stableboy in the distance racing to keep up.

* * * * *

Most of the group was able to react with alacrity. Ulf's expert toss not only landed the rope near the swimmer, but practically placed it in his flailing grasp. The others braced the dwarf, not wanting him to be yanked through the gap.

Rach heard the shout of "ROPE!" with a hope that felt like panic. How could there be someone here to rescue him? He snatched at the rope as it fell across his hands.

Ulf had thrown the rope so that it looped around an outcropping (yes, the same that had snagged both Crennik and Ulf's piton), forming a pulley of sorts to lessen the shock of Rach's weight suddenly being applied to the other end of the rope.

Whether Rach's grip had been weakened by his several attempts to climb out of the sinkhole, or the waterlogged silk rope was slick and difficult to hold, was uncertain. In any case, although Rach caught the rope and held on, he was slipping quickly. It would be only a matter of time before he reached the end of the rope and was lost.

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Okay, here's the situation. Rach caught the rope. Ulf, with help, is standing fast.

BUT:

Rach is not secure. His course downstream has been halted long enough for another round of action, meaning that those with low inits can act, then the higher inits. Because of the 'pulley' trick (I figured that such a good Use Rope check warranted something like that in addition to an easy catch DC for Rach), Rach is just outside the gap. He's not within arm's reach--anyone trying to fetch him would either need to follow the course of the rope or jump in and try to swim against the current--but you can see him and talk to him if you need. Figure that he's ten feet away from the gap.

[Mr the Geoff]

Ulf Ironbeard A dwarf holding a rope, with several humans holding his belt

Ulf could feel through the rope that Rach was slipping, as the drag was not quite right. Leaning against the weight but not tugging hard, Ulf tried to hold on, waiting for the feeling that the person on the other end had a decent grip. Through gritted teeth he managed to say "Just...hold...on...we'll...pull...you...in" then concentrated on holding the rope.

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I figure with Arfondt the only one lower on the initiative run than Rach, and him only wanting to cast levitate on the rope if we fall in, we're back round to Ulf.

Here is a rather average 13 strength check

[The Vorpal Tribble]

Chaim, a tall, lanky, bedraggled man in sopping wet clothes.


Chaim clutches the arm that reaches out to him and stumbles to the top. He gives it a squeeze and bows his head in breathless thanks. The farmer scrambles a couple strides away from the holes and lies down, wiping a hand over his face.
He coughs and clears his throat, saying strongly as he basks in the sun, "There were others, carried away with the flow..."

He is then interrupted as an enormous clydesdale gallops up. It leans over and treats him to a wet nuzzle right in the face. Chaim doesn't seem to mind, just reaches up and pats the large nose. He grabs on and the horse lifts him to his feet. He walks over to the griffon and reaches up to help the woman off.

"I thank you son of the field." he says gravely and bows to the beast. It inclines its head and walks a few paces away before leaping into the air, fading away into the sunlight like an evaporating bead of dew.

[Irrealist]

Arfondt

Arfondt clings to Erwin's belt, glad they didn't fall in. he notices that something is wrong from the tone of Ulf's voice. He tries to get a good look at the situation. That Levitate might well be our only hope of getting out of here. I don't want to use it yet, as long as there is still a chance we can save that man using more mundane means.

[LurkerinthePlaygnd]

Rach Diggerson

Rach spurgled as he broke the surface of the water. He took a huge bight of the sudden air. Almost immediately, it seemed, there was a rope laying miraculously across his chest. Instinctively he grabbed for it. He caught the rope with his left hand but as he did so the torrent twisted his body in such a way that his right hand could not quite reach the life-line.

Hope sprang ephemeral as he felt the rope slowly slipping through his hand.

[Corinthian]

Erwin

Now with more time, Erwin was able to ground himself and now able to move more he now managed to hold onto the rope. With a quick motion now both of his hands were concentrating on the rope and with all of his might he began to slowly pull back.

"... ungh... we'll get you..." He could only mutter.

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Rolled a 14

[tgva8889]

Kayte Mursai A charming young woman with light brown hair, bright eyes, soaking robes, and unrevealed abilities, who looks as though she's been thrown into a situation she never feels like she could survive.

Kayte immediately feels Urf move forward and tries to hold fast, though she feels her efforts do absolutely nothing to help the situation. Not wanting to be more of a hinderance, Kayte says, "I'm clearly not helping any, so if you don't mind, I think I might stop doing this if we don't succeed now." Pulling up as much strength as she can muster, which is a rather low amount, Kayte pulls on Urf's belt some more, still tempted to give up.

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Here would be the necessary strength check.

[PolkaBear]

Sir Kylen

The paladin maintained a firm grip on the dwarf.

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I'm afraid it's back to you, Arfondt.

[Irrealist]

Arfondt

Arfondt watches Rach's rescue and gets ready to intervene should anyone be in danger of being swept away.

[The Glyphstone]

Kylen O'Corrival
A massive, hefty man, almost six and a half feet and several hundred pounds of muscle. Dressed in a leather jerkin over ordinary clothes, but toting an equally large greatsword on his back. Displayed prominently embroidered on the jerkin is the holy emblem of Kord, as it is on the bronze pendant he wears. His expression is mixed, bearing an overall impression that the excitement he's experiencing is well worth the disruption to his routine.

Kylen gives another powerful yank on the dwarf and the rope, trying to lift both to where Rach will be in reach for a grab.

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1d20=18+2=20.

[Mr the Geoff]

Ulf Ironbeard

Startled by the fact Rach was suddenly holding the rope well enough to provide resistance, Ulf struggles to keep the rope from flying out of his hands.

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Sorry guys, I rolled a 4

[PolkaBear]

The hope of rescue finally seems to dawn on Rach; and his hands seize on the rope securely. At that point, it is little trouble for the others to pull him in and through the gap in the wall.

Crennik seems to be having a little trouble: he's half-slid over the edge of the angled block. "Uh...sorry," he says, more than a little embarassed at his predicament. "I tried to get up to help, and slipped. And, well...can somebody give me a hand?"

Finally, everyone (with the addition of Rach) is again sitting on the fallen blocks, considering the situation.

"I've been trying to figure out where we are. If we could see how long that shaft is, I might have a better idea. The closer you get to The Heldrise, the deeper the sewer runs. I guess those folks don't want the smell of the sewer ruining their property values. Below Eldridge, it's scarcely ten feet--'as if those folks wouldn't be able to distinguish the smell from their own sweat.'" He looked around apologetically. "Sorry; it's just something I heard said by a supervisor once. Made me mad: my Mum lives in the lower section."

* * * * *

The woman is slightly unstable on her feet, and presses in to Chaim to steady herself. "Thank you! I thought I'd never get to see my little girl again. Oh! Mirella!" She ran to where a man was holding the hand of a dark-haired little girl of around four years of age. The woman embraced the girl and poured out all sorts of small endearments.

Chaim watched the warmly familial scene until his attention was redirected, as a large, insistent nose nudged him hard. With a nicker, the horse's lips nipped at the farmer's vest, as if to open it and get to the stub of carrot it could smell inside.

One of the grooms from the stablery ran up, breathless and panting. "Sorry, sir. He just started acting up. We tried to get hold him and calm him down; but he's so--so big, and none of us could get near him, and the other animals were gettin' nervous. An' then he just busted out. I'm glad you were able to catch him. Sorry, sir; it won't happen again." From the look in his eyes, he wasn't so sure he could stop the horse even if he wanted to throw his body before a raging beast of more than eighteen hands. This was one of the junior groomsmen (which explained why he was the one to whom the lot fell to run through the streets), who hadn't come to the stablery until after Chaim had completed his service; so Chaim didn't know him as well--and he didn't know Chaim well, either.

[Mr the Geoff]

Ulf Ironbeard Damp Dwarf


"Now If I couldn't tell you just how far we are underground, I wouldn't be a dwarf" As Ulf untangles himself and everyone else from the rope he concentrates on those subtle little cues that tell him how deep he is.

Now I coulda sworn you were shinning up a rope to set up a block and tackle lad, how come you're back down a hole with us again?

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Ulf is a Dwarf, he can intuit depth which might, combined with Crennik's knowledge of the sewer system, give us a rough idea of location.

[The Vorpal Tribble]

"Thats alright, son. Wasn't your fault at all." he says reassuringly and holds out his hand to shake the two stable worker's. He hands each of them a copper and nods his head in thanks. "I'll bring him back in time. For now I may have use for him."

He then squats by the hole and peers down into the dark waters below. He holds out a strand of wet hair and looks at the beading drops for a moment before twitching it and allowing the moisture to drip downwards.

"I beg a scout of the wet world, a sister of the waters. My need is dire..." he murmurs.

Below in the muddy water a boto leaps out, squeaking and clicking, balancing on its tail. Chaim rubs his nose and massages his throat before responding in the same high pitched voice and ends with a rrrrrbbb from deep in his chest.

In porpoise, ~River daughter, I pull you from your play to seek such as I that have been pulled by the current below. Can you look for the two-legs and tell me if any live? ~

-=-=-=-=-=-

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Casted Speak with Animals and then used Summon Nature's Ally I to bring forth a fresh-water porpoise