Maria Fireheart IC

[jakarta]

https://forums.giantitp.com/showthre...-Fireheart-OOC

There is a gentle mid-morning breeze.
Hopefully, you won't have sunburnt from your late raising. You found your way to shore late at night and was taken by exhaustion shortly after securing yourself above the tide line.

It is perhaps 2 or 3 hours before high sun. The weather is clear and warm.

Do you want to prepare any spells before you start to explore?

[onlie2005]

Maria could have stayed there on the beach and cried forever. But she was tired and hungry. And instincts took over. Her mother was dead and there was nothing she could do about it. And now she was alone and frightened. She was going through her motions now and if anything she was a very brave girl. She remembered what her mother had made her promise to do if anything happened to her mother, head to Shadowdale. Go to the Old Skull Inn. She had no idea where to start. But old habits started to kick in. Her mind made up and really just too tired to do anything else she pulled her spellbook out of her backpack and began studying.

OOC: Maria's spell preparations are checked mark on her sheet.

[jakarta]

Looking about you notice that you could walk north or south along the beach, or take a path inland.

Is there anything you want to look for at the beach?

[onlie2005]

Maria is still going through the motions. Once she is done preparing her spells, she securely puts it in her backpack. She gives the beach a cursory look through.

Perception: (1d20+2)[16]

She is in no hurry and is taking things one step at a time. She also checks the lifeboat to check if something was left in there that might be useful.

[jakarta]

Maria is still going through the motions. Once she is done preparing her spells, she securely puts it in her backpack. She gives the beach a cursory look through.

Perception: [roll0]

She is in no hurry and is taking things one step at a time. She also checks the lifeboat to check if something was left in there that might be useful.

There is a coil of rope in the lifeboat. There are several scallop shells on the beach and small sand crabs skittering about.

The tide is staring to rise.

From the bluff north of you drift the voices of children.

[onlie2005]

Maria may be in a daze but not so much that she realized that she was now in danger. The high tide was coming in so she knew she had to leave immediately. taking the extra coil of rope and securely attaching it to her backpack she makes sure all of her remaining stuff, especially her spellbook not jutting out and securely in her backpack before setting out to leave the beach. She heads in the directions of the children's voices, ever curious.

[jakarta]

"We have to tell!"

"You do and I'll bloody your nose! Stop being a baby!"

As you get closer it sounds like two boys arguing.

[onlie2005]

The last thing Maria needed was trouble. She was curious about what the boys were talking about so she just listened and waited.

[jakarta]

The last thing Maria needed was trouble. She was curious about what the boys were talking about so she just listened and waited.

"But he could drown!"

"He'll be fine! The tide will go back out. "

Two boys top the hill. They are human and look to be about 7 and 9. They look like fisher or farm kids.

[onlie2005]

Maria furrowed her eyebrows and looked towards the beach once more. What in the nine hells were they talking about? She wanted to avoid trouble as much as possible but even at her young and short 9 years she knew enough that what they were saying was troublesome.

"What in the nine hells are you two talking about?"

[jakarta]

The younger one burst, "Tobbin went in the crab cave!"

"YOU LITTLE ZENT!" explodes the older, immediately pummling what must be his brother. Their hair and clothing stitching are the same.

The smaller grabs a forearm in self-defense, and the two tumble down the rest of the bluff together, calling obscenities the whole way.

[onlie2005]

Boys! Ick!, Maria thought.

Maria shook her head and began looking around for some cave. She was not worried about the two idiots fighting. She was worried about Tobbin. If the cave was too low and on the level of the beach the boy could be trapped.

[jakarta]

Following the path up the steep bluff you rise perhaps 100 ft up as you scramble 150 ft north. Reaching the top you follow a ridge until you see a small sandy cove. From your elevated position, you see 3 set of tracks along the beach. Two of these double back. The third head towards a rocky cliff...

[onlie2005]

Maria hurried her pace, following the tracks and keeping with the third set of tracks. She keeps a close eye on the tides and wonders what in the nine hells were these three boys up to.

[jakarta]

Following the tracks around the rocks you find the footprints disappearing into shallow water. The rocky cliff is now south of you.


Through a thick tangle of drooping vines and overhanging branches, you can see a low black line just above the water. It is the entrance to a cave. It is just over ten feet wide, and there is just enough room for your head above the surface of the water. A breath of air from the cave mouth brings the smell of tide pools, rotting fish, and of something acrid that stings your eyes. From time to time, the water level rises slightly, and it gushes from the cave, leaving swirls of foam on the surface.

Did Tobbin go in there? The tide is rising, the water surging in and out of the cave.

[jakarta]

(looks like you would need to wade up to chest or make a short swim to enter the cave, if that is your intention.)

[onlie2005]

Maria looked back at the boys wondering what in the nine hells they were thinking. She looked took out her rope from her backpack and then again closed it tightly and securely. She then looked for something to tie one end of the rope on securely. Then tie the other end around her waist so she can wade into the cave. Hopefully she can find Tobbin before reaching the end of the rope. She will wade in anyways even if she does not find something to tie the rope on.

[jakarta]

There is a boulder 10 ft from the entrance small enough to tie a rope around. It takes 10 ft of rope to loop around the boulder and make a decent knot.

Do you want to do anything else before entering the water or cave?

[onlie2005]

Maria is not taking any chances and ties one rope around the rock and another around her waist. She then proceeds to wade into the cave, maybe a little bit of swimming if it is easier for her.

"Tobbin! Tobbin where are you?", she yells.

[jakarta]

(I misunderstood the text while reading the module. The "south entrance" shouldn't be "to the south" of you. Basically, I had the map upside down. I'm mentioning it here, but I'm not going to back up and change things. The coastline is curvy and irregular; while it generally runs north to south, on this bit you are entering a sea cave to the north of your position.)

>Maria is not taking any chances and ties one rope around the rock and another around her waist.


(Do you mean "one end of the rope...and the other end of the same rope, or are you talking about one rope tied to the rock and the 2ed rope tied to you?

Are you tying the 2 ropes together to get 100 ft of rope?

I don't mean to be too picky on wording.... I just want to make sure we have the same mental image before the character gets wet.)

You don't hear a response.

[onlie2005]

OOC: Sorry was slightly half asleep when I wrote my last post. She will use two ropes. One end tied to the rock, the other tied to the other end of the rope tied to Maria's waist.

Maria is now desperate. Tobbin could be drowning. So she quickly makes her way into the cave, still screaming Tobbin's name.

[jakarta]

Int check.

Swim/athletics check.

The water surges in and out of the cave as you attempt entry.

[onlie2005]

Athletics Check: (1d20-2)[12]
Intelligence Check: (1d20+3)[10]

[jakarta]

You are able to swim into the cave without getting too much water up your nose.

Just before you reach the end of your rope, you find footing and stand. You will need to untie yourself to proceed forward. You are in a narrow tunnel like area. You see a greenish light ahead in the distance.

(assuming you untie yourself and proceed, heading NORTH).

After about 25 ft...

The sound of the water is different here: hollower, bigger, more echoes and strange reverberations. The cave is opens out here, and is 20 ft. at its widest point, and more than that high. Dim greenish light provides shifting and uncertain illumination. The water is 2 ft. deep. It is clear, and you can see the rippled sand on the floor of the cave. The smell of salt and rot is stronger here.

Up along the east side, up 8 ft of steep limestone wall, there is a shelf recessed into the rock. It looks dry.

In an alcove on the west side, there are red and purple shapes protruding from the water.

There are three exits to the north.
The westernmost one slopes sharply up, and looks dry.
The other two are narrow and surging dark water. It swirls when it enters the bottleneck, making tiny vortices and standing waves with filthy foaming crests.

[onlie2005]

Maria is very worried now. She hopes Tobbin did not go through the narrowest middle and east exits. Having had somewhat unwelcome experiences with undead and other not so friendly monsters in Thay she is not too keen to find out what the red and purple shapes are. But she keeps a VERY close eye on them for anything suspicious. Slowly trudging through the water towards the westermost exit hoping that Tobbin had the good sense to head to dry territory, she still keeps yelling out his name hoping for an answer.

OOC: Investigation Check to see if Maria can see and locate any clues such as torn clothing or blood or anything that will lead her in the right direction to where Tobbin is.

Investigation: (1d20+5)[8]

[jakarta]

As you come near the colorful shapes on your way west you get a better look at them.

Roll a check for knowledge of nature.

A frill of tiny, thread-like tendrils reach a couple inches out as if to touch your skin.

Attack: (1d20)[11]. If hit, Roll CON save DC 12.

Also,
Roll Spot check vs. stealth (1d20+2)[20].

[onlie2005]

Maria hurries her pace to the westernmost exit trying to avoid the obvious sea creatures as possible.

OOC:

Nature Check: (1d20+5)[9]
Constitution Save: (1d20)[1]
Spot Check: (1d20+2)[3]

[jakarta]

The frill of tendrils are orange and waver like flame. Appropriate, as their sting burns like a combination of nettles and fire!

Non-lethal damage: (1d3)[3]

The purple things producing the orange flame frills cover the rocks near the western edge of the cave,...

and provide good hiding places for the crab you didn't see that is trying to grab you....

To hit: (1d20)[7], damage if hit 1.
The blue crab is about half the size of a cat.

(really, do you scream or cuss?)

[onlie2005]

Maria naturally screamed. But she also showed her bravery and courage as well. Collecting herself and taking a full deep breath, she calmed herself continuing on to the westernmost exit.

[jakarta]

"Fri-KEN FIRE Cor-RAL!" shouts a voice hidden in the darkness above you.