The Cube (IC)

[hexonxonx]

It's an alloy of mithril and adamantite that is incredibly hard. You don't know what could break through it, save a "disintegrate" spell or some such. It will never rust, and it must have cost a fortune to construct.

[Halna LeGavilk]

John shakes his head. "Jarek and I have to stay within 30 feet of each other, or the spell is wasted. " John takes a rope out of his backpack. "I think Jarek and I should go down first, then everyone else."

[webgem]

Jarek

Jarek shrugs. "Either way is fine with me, probably safer if there is any danger down there to have a couple go, although probably easier to have four of us helping one person down if I'm understanding you correctly Linon. Either way we should stay close enough to have the spell keep up.

[Taffimai]

Linon

"Either way is fine with me, probably safer if there is any danger down there to have a couple go, although probably easier to have four of us helping one person down if I'm understanding you correctly Linon [...]"

"Yes, that's what I meant. But if you two want to go, I'm fine with that as well. All I know is that it is no use getting me down there before we establish that that pool of mud is no more than 5 feet deep. With my armour on, we might as well lower a big rock down, it'd swim just as well."

[Bender]

Hynerst

Utterly fascinated by the unusual metal, Hynerst keeps stroking it, muttering "Interesting".

"Yes, that's what I meant. But if you two want to go, I'm fine with that as well. All I know is that it is no use getting me down there before we establish that that pool of mud is no more than 5 feet deep. With my armour on, we might as well lower a big rock down, it'd swim just as well."

From the back, Hynerst whispers. "If we lower a big rock, we know how deep the pool is, and we don't make our feet dirty."

[Taffimai]

Linon

"If we lower a big rock, we know how deep the pool is, and we don't make our feet dirty."

Linon can't help but chuckle at Hynerst's remark.

"That's right, a rock would even be more useful in some ways. However, it would only serve to measure the depth right next to the cliff, and we need to get all the way to the door. I'm afraid that at least one of us will have to get their feet dirty anyway. So, who's going to be our guinea rock?"

[Grrth]

Hotaru:

"Hey, let me do it," suggests the voice of the bard. "I'm still invisible, but this won't last forever. Anything attached to me is invisible, too, at least for 30 ft or so, so if there's anything down there, unless it hears me coming, I should be able to get the drop on it. Haul me up if I shout, though, eh?"

[Halna LeGavilk]

John

John looks down the chasm thoughtfully, then turns back. "I think Hotaru's plan makes sense. He's invisible, so not a lot can see him, but if something does, we'll have our strongest people up here to haul him out."

[Otakutaylor]

Loretta

"Aye, sounds good. Let's get this rope ready."

Loretta grabs the end of the rope, taking the anchor position.

[Taffimai]

Linon

"All right, then." Linon holds out her rope in the direction of Hotaru's voice. "Or, well, it's your body, you should choose how many ropes you want to have attached to you."

[Grrth]

Hotaru:

Ru takes the offered rope and winds it about his waist. His companions watch as the rope disappears and Linon appears to have only a tiny bit left.

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((okay, let's check out my knot-tying ability))
use rope: (1d20+2)[5](7)
((oh, dear ))

I hope I'm not making a serious error in judgement here! Out loud, he says, "Okay, I'm ready."

As they lower him into the pit:

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Listen: (1d20+6)[13](19)
Spot: (1d20+1)[20](21)

[Bender]

Hynerst has a feather fall ready if necessary.

[hexonxonx]

Hotaru can take 20 on "use rope," seeing as how he's not in any danger and can try tying it again and again until he does it right. After he ties the knot, he gets lowered in the water. He gradually sinks in until he stops around mid-shin (the water is about one foot deep; treat as "shallow bog," costs two movements to enter a square, increase DC of Tumble checks and Move Silently checks by two.) Those of you on the surface notice two barely perceptible "bubbles" where his invisible feet are. Now what?

[Halna LeGavilk]

John yells down the chasm. "Hotaru, can you see anything down there?"

[Grrth]

Hotaru:

Euch! thinks Ru, grimacing at the water sloshing over his feet and over the tops of his boots.

He peers around ...

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Spot: (1d6+1)[3](4)

Depending on what he sees, he'll run his hand along the wall, walking as quietly as possible to see how open the bottom is and if there are any openings (ie. tunnels) leading off.

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(1d20+2)[5](7)

((hmm, yeah, not being too particularly quiet or observant, but I should still be able to get some kind of idea what the bottom looks like))

[hexonxonx]

To Hotaru:

There isn't anything particularly interesting down here. The organic matter is piled up where the door is, according to the map. It's mainly large branches and small tree trunks. The walls are so covered in caked mud that you can't feel the metal underneath it. Otherwise the area is relatively flat, and evenly deep (about one foot deep). Which way are you walking, specifically?

[hexonxonx]

Hotaru: Hold on, if you are trying to be sneaky you should roll a Move Silently check, with the appropriate +2 penalty for being in a shallow bog. Monsters can still detect you with a listen check. Was that last roll a search check or a move silently check?

[Grrth]

OOC:

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Oh. Dang it, that last roll was a move silently check. Not that it matters, I suppose, looks like anything that wants to will pretty much hear me coming Anyway, I only want to move the length of the rope and I'll have them pull me back up when I become visible again, which is probably fairly imminent, given the amount of talking before I jumped down the hole .... hmm, will head as straight towards the door as possible, that's C5, right?

[hexonxonx]

The entire mass of dead branches and tree trunks bursts into life. All of you (I presume you are looking down) see the mass of plant matter suddenly take on a vaguely humanoid form: a huge form at that. It has a recognizable head, two arms and a bundle of motile branches on it's lower side that function as legs. It is moving it's head back and forth, obviously looking for something it can't see on the bottom of the pit, although none of you can see anything resembling eyes on it's "face".

[Halna LeGavilk]

Oh, ****, ****, ************! John screams in his head. He pulls back up on the rope, pulling Hotaru up as fast as he can.

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(1d20+4)[7] That's my strength check. Also, are we allowed to use the MM? Even if we are, this doesn't sound like any monster I can think of.

[webgem]

Jarek
Jarek rapidly pulls backwards on the rope with all of his strength

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[roll] 1d20+1 [/roll] strength check

[webgem]

sorry for the double post


[spoiler] [roll0] [/spoiler

dangit.....okay, well I'll let somebody else post and then try again so I don't have a triple

[Bender]

Hynerst

Hynerst stiffens a little (more) when the plant-thing erupts. He tries to compare it in his head with similar creatures he has read about.
Meanwhile he drops his quarterstaff and nervously reaches for his crossbow.

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whichever is most appropriate:
knowledge nature - (1d20+8)[13]
knowledge dungeoneering - (1d20+8)[27]
knowledge the planes - (1d20+12)[30]
knowledge arcana - (1d20+15)[31]

[Taffimai]

Linon

Pulling in the rope as fast as she can, though it gets difficult when she can no longer see it, Linon is inwardly cursing herself for not bringing a ranged weapon.

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strength check - (1d20+2)[8](10)

[hexonxonx]

John pulls Hotaru up with all his (18) strength, and has no problem lifting Hotaru off the ground, because Hotaru only weighs 110 pounds.

[hexonxonx]

As for the knowledge check; the appropriate knowledge category would be "Nature," and you did not roll high enough, hynerst.

[Grrth]

Hotaru:

Ru had a second to eye the behemoth of a plant towering over him before echoing shouts informed him that the others had seen the creature too. His surprised intake of air shot out of him in a strangled cry as the rope tightened, slamming him back against the fuzzy wall with the speed of his retrieval. For a moment, Ru felt like he was flying as he rocketed out of the hole.

"Uh ... thanks, I think," he gasped, rolling over on his back. "But did we have to be so hasty?"

He unties the rope with shaking fingers, wincing at the now tender places under the harness.

"Not that I object to being saved!" he adds quickly, seeing that look on John and Linon's faces, "But were we so sure it wasn't friendly?"

[hexonxonx]

As you guys are talking the thing "stares" up at you; that is, it directs it's upper body at the sound of your voices. It walks over to you, it's huge cable-like arms rising to grasp you (which it can't do because it's not tall enough to reach you on the ledge.)

[Taffimai]

Linon

"You make an excellent point, Ru, it might not mean us any harm. Still, better safe than sorry, and you did say that your invisibility wouldn't last indefinitely. Even a friendly creature might swat at something that wakes it up and then appears out of nowhere."

She turns to Loretta.

"What do you think, Loretta? Do you think it might let us pass if we give it a good talking to?"

[webgem]

Jarek

Jarek blinks at John's fantastic effort,I guess I didn't need to help that much after all. He also looks back to the beast, I'm gladd I wasn't down there.

"Well, I'd say it's better to be talking to it from out of it's reach anyway,"says Jarek with a wry tone. "Still, no time like the present."

"Helloo down there, any way we might go past you without ending up breakfast?" He shouts down to the creature.