A Fool's Errand

[Hank Pym]

Half-listening to what the others are saying about ropes and gates and illusions, Ric focuses still on the stairwell behind them. Still holding his spell and watching and listening intently.

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HA! That rope story is great, Oli! Like I said, Ric continues to hold. I'm sure the others can deal with what's ahead of us, his job is to protect the back of the party, so he keeps at that.

[Diarmuid]

Bob

The cleric squints and peers up, looking for anything out of place.

[Lazlow]

At Kat's request, Bob floats up through the passage - a strange sight, indeed - and sets his eyes about the landing. Searching intently for anything out of place, he doesn't see anything peculiar about the landing; it's made of the same strange, dark stone as the rest of the passageway and stairs, and the same sort of torches line this new passage, which is as wide as the entryway in which they battled the flesh golems. This passageway is fairly short, however: About twenty or thirty feet long, it ends at an iron-bound door set into the stone. It's also dry, not being under the constant dripping which is coming from somewhere still high above this landing, up in the darkness.

Not able to find anything, the burly cleric starts to float back down - but as the floor of the landing comes close to eye-level, he notices it: A stick? No, a small bone. A small bone is leaning up against... Nothing? Yes indeed, a small bone is leaning up against nothing at the mouth of the landing.

There must be some sort of invisible barrier blocking the landing here.

[Diarmuid]

basement flooded...lots of work....bleh no posting for now

[oliana0]

Oli

"Come, on! What's the hold up? Just go up there and attach the rope!"

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I vote Bob tries to go through the barrier. But I also vote throwing the grappling hook without a firm grasp of the rope attached to it would be a bad idea.

[Diarmuid]

Bob

Bob scrunches up his face at the odd sight before him.

"'Old yer 'orses down there...summin aint right about this passage."

Floating over to the landing, he picks up the stick/bone thing and prods at the invisible barrier with it a bit. If he meets firm resistance, he will gather up some dirt/dust from the ground and fling it in a wide arc at the entire passageway to see how big the impediment is.

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Is it possible to see where the dripping is coming from, from my higher vantage point? Is the ceiling within view from the landing height? How far out from the wall does the landing jut?

While playing with the dirt, the dwarf examines the stone landing to see if he thinks it will support the weight of his companions climbing the rope.

Search - (1d20+1)[2] (Using Stonecunning)

[Lazlow]

Bob:

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The landing is flush with the vertical walls, so it's literally a big hole in the wall. You can't pick up the bone, because it's on the other side of the invisible barrier (same thing with any dirt or dust, although it's much too wet around here for any dry dirt or dust anyway). Tapping on the barrier, it's flush with the walls, too.

Up above, you can just make out a ceiling of some sort, maybe 10 to 15 feet above you. It's very dark, of course, but the flicker from the torchlight reflects off of droplets gathering on the ceiling (and eventually dropping down).

[Bitzeralisis]

Dan

"If there's a spell, I can dispel it..." mumbles Dan. "I'm ready to attempt a Dispel Magic if enough of the rest of thee wish so."

[an kobold]

Kat

Well, I think you should attempt it. Unless Bob wants to test his strength against something he can't see. What do you say, Bob?

[Hank Pym]

Ric

Ric continues to hold his spell and watch attentively.

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. . . almost there . . . stay on target . . .

[Diarmuid]

Bob

[ooc] Thanks for clarifying the description for me, I was picturing it a little diff [/ooc]

Scrunching up his nose at the obstacle, he waves a hand below him to ward off the question for a moment,

"Bah, gimma a minute 'ere to think this one through."

While floating, he casts a Detect Magic spell to determine if the wall is magical, pr perhaps holding something magical back.

Flying back down to those still clinging to the meager handholds, he asks...

"Who's got them gems ye took from the golem things? I wanna see if that'll let us through the strange barrier."

[an kobold]

Kat

Got it right here in my pack. Stay there, I'll bring it up to you. I want to get a closer look at this barrier anyway.

At that, Kat fiddles a moment with her cloak. After a moment, she tentatively positions her foot on the wall, and satisfied, begins to head up to Bob, looking for anything that might be a switch or indentations that will accept the stones retrieved from the golems.

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Using the White Cloak of the Spider's spider climb for the day.

Search Check - (d20+17)[33]

[Lazlow]

With little difficulty, Kat successfully manages to climb up to the landing, but finds no indentations or holes or such that might accept the stones retrieved from the golems.

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Sorry for the delay! All's well now, let's rock!

[Hank Pym]

Ric

Ric calls over his shoulder, "I agree with Dan: try to smash it with your mighty hammer and if that doesn't work, someone dispel it."

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bump

[oliana0]

Oli

Fsu sniffs around the area, quite bored with the situation, looking for interesting scents. Oli fidgets with his bow, testing the string to make sure it does not need replacing.

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Was there a response to Detect Magic that Bob cast?
What's the roll to sniff out a new scent? Would it be the olfactory equivalent of Spot?

[Lazlow]

Forgot something (thanks, Oliana):

Bob:

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You detect strong auras of conjuration and illusion. Evidently there's an invisible wall, probably of iron or some strong metal.

[Diarmuid]

Bob

With a hearty snort, the dwarf draws out his hammer and taps against the invisible barrier in an attempt to determine if it is some kind of metal, or perhaps some kind of stone.

"Bah, someone decided ta make th' wall 'ere look invisible. Prolly iron or some kinda stone. If'n it's conjured stone or metal...t'wont be dispellable. We'd need some kinda way ta' burrow through it, or magic past it...and I've used me dimensional door already. I'm open to idears at this point."

Hoping someone else can figure out a way past, he continues to fly upwards to see if there is anything to learn higher up.

Spot - (1d20+5)[7]
Listen - (1d20+5)[23]

[Hank Pym]

Ric

Ric calls back, "While you're floating around up there Bob, see if you can fly over the wall; it may not go all the way to the ceiling. Kat, can you feel along the wall? If it's an invisible wall, there may be an invisible door."

With that, since it seems that Ric was over-reacting to the gates swinging shut back at the entrance to the cavern and we're not actually being followed, Ric cancels the Grease spell he was holding and instead starts searching for a secret door. He urges anyone nearby to do the same. "Perhaps there's another way that we missed."

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I know there's never actually a door in a "wall", but that's exactly why I would have put one there if I were in charge.

Also, I'll mark off the Grease spell (dang).

Here's my roll to search for a secret door:
(1d20+0)[7]

[Lazlow]

Bob taps the invisible barrier with his trusty hammer and it rings with a metallic clang. After speaking to the group he floats upward and disappears into the darkness above.

Bob:

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You float upward another 50 feet or so and see the glimmering you noticed earlier. It seems to be water dripping from an iron hatch set into the tunnel, blocking your path upward.

Ric's spell fizzles harmlessly as he searches for secret doors.

Ric:

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You search the area around you but can find nothing.

[Diarmuid]

Bob

"There's a metal hatch up here, that's where the water is dripping from. I'm going to see if I can open it."

Slipping the haft of his hammer back through the loop on his belt, the cleric turns himself over in the air, and places his feet against the cieling to the sides of the hatch. Reaching down (up?) he graps the hatch and pulls.

Str Check - (1d20+2)[10]

Edit - The walls are made of stone?

[oliana0]

Oli

"A metal hatch holding back water? Does it sound wise to open it? I mean, if I were a metal hatch holding back water, I would probably let the water go if I were opened, and while, you may be relatively safe up there, those of us on these stairs would probably get a bit wet. And if it's a lot of water we could get washed back outside!" Oli addresses Fsu, "Can you swim? I don't think we've had the opportunity to swim as of yet in our relationship."

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This the gnome equivalent of "NOOOOOO!!!!!"

[Bitzeralisis]

Dan

Dan takes a moment to absorb the information before realizing what Bob had said.
"Oh, no, don't open that. not many of us would like an onslaught of torrential water from above. Besides, if the amount of water is large enough, we may not be able to make it out alive, unless the water washed us out of this cave," he says, voice a bit shaky.

[an kobold]

Kat

Pacing back and forth on a seemingly empty piece of air, Kat appears deep in thought before opening her mouth to speak.

I really don't think we have much of choice. We can either stand here and pick away at a wall we can't see or open a hatch that goes over it. I guess it boils down to whether we're prepared to tunnel through stone or breathe underwater. Hey Bob, do you see anything up there that resembles the stones from earlier? I've only checked near the invisible wall.

[Hank Pym]

Ric

Ric gets frustrated and starts listing things to try before resorting to opening the hatch.

"I hate being wet. I don't suppose anyone's got a Gate spell or some such to throw under the door to whisk the water away to another dimension as it pours out, do they?

"Or can we form some kind of slide, luge or tube for the water to go down, and then we could all huddle next to it, so that the water would rush harmlessly past us? On a similar thought, if we could all cling to the ceiling near the door when it is opened, the water would rush harmlessly past us then, too. If anyone can think of a way for all of us to cling to the ceiling.

"Or does anyone have another dimension door or teleport or such to get at least one of us onto the other side of the wall?

"Or can anyone summon a large burrowing animal to dig us a passage under the wall? Or even a small burrowning animal and then I can turn to gaseous form and go through even the smallest tunnel.

"We have the advantage of the wall being invisible. We probably ought to use that advantage by looking through it to see if there is any kind of switch or release on the far side to deactivate it, and if there is, a Mage Hand or Telekinesis could do that work for us.

"Or, we might be able to bore a small hole in the door, so the water drains out in a controlled fashion and once the chamber is empty of water we could safely open the door. Anyone know a way to bore a hole in a steel hatch?

"Could someone take my place on the stairs so that I can take a look on the far side of the wall? I've seen and heard of all sorts of whatnots in my adventures, perhaps there might be something I recognize beyond the wall (using bardic knowledge).

"Surely there's a better way past this trap than simply setting it off. We were clever enough to discover the trap -- I'll bet we're clever enough to get past it without the risk of death."

[oliana0]

Oli

Oli watches Ric's speech with admiration. "You speak well, though, you pause a great deal to catch your breath. Given time and practice, you could be a great Gnome orator! I once saw the fine Tak Slo Tye! That gnome could speak for hours without pause. He learned to breath in through his nose while he spoke out through his mouth. My what a fine nose old Tye had! I saw him give his famous Badger! Badger! Badger! speech! "

"O! Badgers! What I wouldn't give for a good badger right now, no offense Fsu. But a badger could dig through the wall in no time flat! Badger, badger, badger." Oli sighs. "I like badgers! Course they do stink all to high heaven!"

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Go for it. Make the joke. You know you want to!

[Hank Pym]

Ric

Ric wonders if the party needs any badgers, and decides probably not. "We don't need no stinking badgers."

"However, does anyone have a stone shape spell that we could use to shape the stone around the hatch into a slide or funnel?"

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Are you happy now? The way Oli talks about it, I get the impression that the respiratory systems of Gnomes are built an awful lot like bagpipes.

[Lazlow]

Hanging upside down like some hairy, armored bat, Bob places his big dwarven feet against the metal hatch, a muffled CLANG-NG-NG-NG!!! resounding with each step, and each step causing a small shower of fat water droplets to break free from the confines of the surface of the hatch and rain down upon his companions in the slick, nearly vertical shaft below.

He braces himself, and, grasping the hatch with both hands, he tuuuuuuuugs and tuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuugs with all his might! Loud, ominous creaks and groans emanate from the very walls and reverberate somewhere high above the hatch. Even more water showers down on the party below as the persistent priest pulls and grunts and groans, when, with a sudden jerk and a large burst of water, he flies downward a few feet in a cloud of droplets and manages to catch himself on the wall before he hits Kat.

The last burst of water falls on the party, and stops. Bob looks up and sees that, despite his efforts, the hatch is still closed.

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Sorry for my absence, folks, but I've been on jury duty since the 22nd. But it's all over now, so things should be back to normal!

[Hank Pym]

Ric

Ric goes white with all the clanging and water drips he sees fall, but allows himself a heavy breath of relief when it stops and they are not deluged upon.

"Kat, you did check the invisible wall as well as the rock you're climbing for doors, right?"

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Sorry, I'm unsure from the posts if this search was done.

[oliana0]

Oli

Oli looks sad at the prospect of no badgers, but quickly recoups to his normal cheerful exisitence. "Or move the rock on these 'stairs' away from the invisible wall allowing us to get past that. We don't know if we should go through the hatch or up on that ledge."

Fsu yawns, scritches the ground beneath his feet and slowly lowers himself (the 3" he stands above the ground) to take a quick nap.

(Ninja-ed!)

When the water bursts from above it wakes Fsu quite dramatically, and Oli holds tight to the beast with his legs. As Fsu snorts and coughs the water out of his face, he looks very grumpy. He was having a good dream.

"Aww, sweet Genericus. My feathers are all wet!" Oli proceeds to empty his quiver of water and tries to dry off the fletching of the arrows.

[Bitzeralisis]

Dan

Dan absentmindedly ignores the burst of water, looks up, sighs, and says: "That was a whole waste of getting wet. I'm wearing all cloth, so now I'm going to be soaking for the rest of the day." He channels a miniscule amount of magic, just enough to get the tips of his sleeves dry. "That's better."