Event Horizon I (IC)

[Jade_Tarem]

The Keystone City. The Crown of the Seas. The Jewel in Sentien’s Crown. All of these and more have been used to describe Alten City, the center of Aria both geographically and metaphorically.

To be sure, it is deserving of all these titles. It is a city that defines civilization, containing the greatest modern feats of both engineering and magic – and indeed, the city could not survive without them, situated as it is over a massive saltwater lake encircled by three mountain islands in the middle of the Central Sea without any normal source of fresh water or food. Nonetheless, the city thrives, and it is here that begins the greatest tale ever told in Aria – One that begins, appropriately enough, with a song…

Chapter 1: A Night of Song and Fable

You (the party) have managed to arrive at your appointed meeting places at roughly the same time - each of you bound for a meeting with either the wizard Niathus Malthen or the bard Jon Leviliamach. What none of them told you, however, was that the meeting place and time was the same place and time for each of you - indeed, most of you are seeing the others for the first time.

First to arrive at the meeting place (a street intersection in one of the poorer areas of the city) is Reardan, who was led there directly by Niathus, the wizard. Arriving shortly thereafter from another direction was Sin Havers with the bard Jon. At the beginning of sunset Lars Gerair arrived, followed closely by the mounted Henry Klate, who has just caught up to him.

So this is our opening scene - Lars and Hank facing Niathus and Jon, with Sin and Reardan somewhat out to the sides, forming a loose circle in the middle of the crossroads. At this time of day, the street here is nearly deserted - the better to avoid unpleasantness with Alten City's less savory types. The sun is setting and is visible between the buildings down one street, shining brilliantly orange off of Lars's armor and white over-armor vestments, as well as some of Hank's horse's barding gear.

Taking a look around, Jon looks each of you over and says, "A wizard, a bard, a cleric, and a paladin... will that be enough?

"Barely," is Niathus's response. "We're going to have to make do - time is of the essence. I suppose some sort of introductions are in order? Niether one of us has met all of you, and unless we're very mistaken none of you have met each other."

The thing that strikes each of you as odd (almost at the same time) is that niether of them mentioned the fact that there would be additional help - needed or wanted. Ultimately, it's up to you if you would like to make an issue of it, ask questions, introduce yourself, or get a move on.

[Mephibosheth]

Reardan

Standing off to the side, Reardan appraises the group briefly before returning the focus of his gaze to Niathus. His face is impassive as he clears his throat and speaks. His voice is thin and somewhat breathy, neither abnormally low or abnormally high in pitch.

Well, I assume you've spun the same tale for these three that you did for me, gesturing to Sin, Hank, and Lars. You or your friend here, that is. I don't suppose you'd like to give us some more specific information on this noble quest, would you? Where exactly we're going and whatnot. Purely out of personal curiosity, of course.

[Human Paragon 3]

Henry Klate

The paladin nods to Reardon, then addresses the bard. A fair question, since we're going to be crawling through the sewers for you. Details are in order.

[Jade_Tarem]

DM:

Sorry to put this here, but please check the OOC thread with regards to timing - I need an answer from players regarding preferences.

Also, I forgot to include a description of the NPCs for those of you who haven't met one or the other yet (that should be all four of you, actually).

The wizard, Niathus, is a thin middle-aged man with blonde-going-gray hair in a black set of wizard’s combat robes with gold hemming. He carries a plain, perfectly straight, jet black walking staff and a small over-the-shoulder pack, which hangs by his side.

The bard, Jon, is a young man with dark, somewhat shaggy hair, dressed in dark, somber colors - but his clothing has the cut of a street performer's. He carries a large, explorer-style backpack and has, hanging at his side like a longsword from an oddly shaped sack, a long, silver heraldic trumpet - the narrow end of which sticks out from the top of the sack.

Niathus and Jon:

Jon responds while grinning affably and waving his hands placatingly in front of him, in the general direction of Reardan, while Niathus unslings his pack and begins looking through it. "Oh please! It sounds so diabolical when you put it like that. We told you no lies; we were simply neglectful of some minor details. We'll be happy to fill you in on the rest now."

Niathus finishes digging out what he was looking for - a heavy looking double-bound scroll - and straightens, turning to the group. "We also neglected a major detail or two, but what he says is correct - what we have told you so far is true."

[Mephibosheth]

Reardan

Reardan scowls slightly. Right. Because that totally answers my question. Even if I buy this Keynote, binding on the pages of reality thing, I still have no idea where it is how how we get there or what we do if we find it.

[KCiemir]

Lars Gerair

Lars looks quietly at the others throughout this exchange, making careful note of the one remaining person in the shadows who has yet to speak. After some consideration, Lars addresses his employers:
"Sir, I was of course contacted through my temple, and the fact that I am here is enough to prove that I accept this contract. Now, if you wouldn't mind, for my gratification if not for that of the others, please tell me precisely what I have been employed to do."

[Trulhammaren]

Sin Havers

Keeping silent and off to the side thus far Sin watches and listens to his apparent 'team'. Just great, first I am not informed that I will have to work with anyone else....this better not impact the coin I expect to get if this thing isn't a hoax....but I have to work with a couple of goody-two shoes. I suppose I will have to be paying good ole Gregor a visit.

Listening more as his companions keep asking for more information, Clearly these people haven't done this kind of work before, rarely do I even get as much information as I have so far. Oh well, no harm in letting them dig for me. However.....

Stepping forward just a tad bit Sin speaks out for the first time since he left the tavern. "Information is all well and good, but we are wasting time standing here conversing. Talk and walk I say." To himself he thinks, The sooner we get this thing going the sooner I can get paid.

[Jade_Tarem]

DM:

From here on, bold text will be used to indicate spellcasting.

Niathus and Jon

"Talking and walking will work." Says Jon, "Also, this first part takes a few minutes, so I can tell you about this while Niathus opens the hatch."

Niathus has handed his scroll to Jon, and has moved over to the corner of the city crossroads, where a big slab of shaped stone rests, forming part of a walkway. Niathus begins to chant, with his hand over the slab.

Jon lets the bottom binding of the scroll fall, so the scroll rolls open instantly. It's a long one - the part he's holding is near his head and the other end is around his shins. It appears to be a complex list of directions, with a map of the city waterworks at the top.

"As we told you before, we believe - to the point that we're willing to pay three thousand gold each for companions, that the Keynote is buried beneath the city, around the level of the waterworks. My apologies to the temple for leading you to believe that this was a minor thing - the Keynote is likely the single greatest focal point of power in the entire world - this is the Keynote from the legends, the finishing touch on the fabric of our world. Because of this, anyone who could... could use the Keynote would have thier fingers on the strings of reality. Think about it... that kind of power could be turned to any purpose! Clerics would never again be stymied by a magical or supernatural disease. Food shortages would be a joke. Transportation would become safe and easy. The determination of truth and lies in a court of law would be child's play. Need I go on?"

Niathus has finished chanting, and with the sound of grinding stone, the slab of rock bends and flows upwards, forming a cavern-like opening.

Jon continues, speaking over the noise. "The reason we hired you is because we needed assurance that this plan could work - both in terms of bodyguard muscle and because we needed more people, especially people with some kind of magic, to actually retrieve the Keynote when we get to it. The oldest legends - or rather, the most accurate translations before they were distorted by time - give us the following riddle, the code to moving or using the Keynote. The funny thing about it is, it sounds just like a spell when you read it out loud - even though it's not in the arcane tongue. It rhymes and echoes in every language that we know of."

Jon turns the scroll around and reads from it.

"Center of the earth and stone, on a pillar all alone,
Notes of gold, a jet black ball, harness power over all.
Moved by music, heaven's gift, through the mundane noise you sift.
Bound by gods, at mortal side, theft of magic must provide. -
- Use it now as you see fit, gateway to the infinite."

He rolls the scroll back up and says, as his voice finishes echoing in empty air, "That really should convince you that there's something to this. We need you for protection, magic, and music. And now, we should get moving - I will explain the rest of the details on the way." He turns towards the opening, and begins to move towards it. Niathus has lit the end of his staff with magical light, and is descending into his manufactured hole.

DM:

The sun has gone down, and the stars are coming out. Will you follow the pair into the cave?

[Mephibosheth]

Reardan

Reardan shrugs, his face impassive as he stares down the hole at the slowly-retreating torch light. He tilts his head to the side for a moment, running his fingers through his hair. Then, he speaks a few words in a strange language, his voice seeming to ring in the air and reverberate off the walls of the tunnel.

Yaadi haal hai katarnaak aur anokhaa
Yeh kawach kabhi nahii badalegaa!

A faint blue light springs from his fingertips (which he is holding over the top of his head) and runs down his body to his toes before disappearing completely. He nods in satisfaction and strides into the cave after Niathus and Jon.

OOC

Spoiler

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Reardan is casting Mage Armor on himself before entering the cave. I hope gaelic hindi is alright for the arcane language. It seemed appropriate.

By the way, the above couplet translates (roughly) as:

Although situations are dangerous and strange
This shell will never ever change

[Human Paragon 3]

Henry Klate

The paladin looks grim. What were these two really up to? What was their end game? The power that they speak of was probably hidden for a good reason... and besides, if such power really existed, why drum up this small, non-descript group and not just enlist All the King's Men so to speak? Something wasn't right here.

Ok, Hank says, you've convinced me of the keynote's existence and its power. Up until now I've been going along with this little adventure because of an idle curiosity, but the power you speak of has prodded me to object. What would you do with such a power? And what makes you deserving of it? Furthermore, if such power truly existed here and you had noble cause to persue it, why not enlist the aid of a powerful organization like the Lionheart Order or SAOS? Why this rag-tag group of...
Henry trails off before saying what this rag-tag group is comprised of and fixes his gaze upon each member in turn.

Spoiler

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Detecting evil at will.

[Jade_Tarem]

DM

Check PMs for responses to OOC statements.

Niathus

Niathus halts a few feet in to the sloping tunnel he created. He looks over his shoulder, then holds up a hand, directing Reardan to stop. Seeing that the conversation is not concluded, he heads back up and stands in the entrance.

Jon

Jon waits a beat to see if Hank will finish his sentence, and then says, "Excellent questions. Very well, I shall fill you in on the rest before we begin, if it will ease your mind. First of all, you don't need to worry about our suddenly having access to the power to reshape the world - or even our relative worthiness. We aren't so arrogant as to believe that we will immediately be able to use the Keynote to it's fullest potential upon finding it - it is an artifact from the beginning of our world, manufactured by the gods themselves, and it will take some time before we can divine anything about it, which is why our plan was to take it to a temple - we haven't decided which one, but likely one that worships one of the kind and philanthropic gods - and get them to work on it."

Niathus moves out into the moonlight while talking. "The reasoning for that particular decision is that we're likely to get robbed of our just desserts by a temple of any other god. The neutral temples will take it and guard its power jealously, and of course the second we give it to them, we can't take it back. It's even worse with an evil deity's followers - they would come after us even if we didn't give it to them. A good temple would likely immediately begin trying to work miracles with it, and would grant us great rewards and fame in the meantime, which brings us to our motivations. We're after the money and the fame, and in my case a little revenge as well, which I am not fool enough to try to use the Keynote directly to obtain. We're not stupid enough to think that we could keep the Keynote once someone found out that we had it, and we couldn't figure it out in time to prevent that from happening. Thus, the temple plan was born."

Jon nods. "It is for this same reason that we did not grab the Grand Magi of SAAOS nor the High Priests of a Faith or the Senior Knights of the Order. None of them could do this quietly. Also, SAAOS is our biggest problem, as Niathus and Reardan well know."

Niathus picks up. "Let me tell you a bit about myself. I was one of the acquirers - a group of wizards with SAAOS dedicated to finding and retrieving magical items. They don't, officially, exist. However, in reality, they're the main supplier of magic items to SAAOS, due to the unique and clever system they use in getting the items. You see, whenever SAAOS learns of a magical item, which is usually in the possession of another person or group, they send the acquireres out to retrieve it, and previous rights to ownership be damned. And if any of you are wondering, yes, I went on missions just like the other acquirers, and yes, not all of the owners gave up those items... quitely." He looks contemplative, and perhaps a touch sad, as he tells you of this.

Jon finishes for him. "So we don't want them to "acquire" this item from us. This is why we picked you as a group - you're powerful enough to help, but not so powerful as to be able to rob us easily. You're also, if you will excuse me, all nobodies, whom nobody is offically keeping tabs on. If we were to go to, say, Sir Logan Morren of the Lionheart order and enlist his notable abilities in this endeavor, we could ride out here with a bunch of powerful knights, move down to where the Keynote is - and it would be gone, because the higher ups at SAAOS already know where it is. They also know most of the goings on of large and powerful groups like the Lionheart Order. And of course, they could put two and two together and realize that a team of mighty this or that could only be heading to Alten City suddenly for one reason. They would watch them, and then run off with it the moment that the knights got close. The same applies to priests, thieves, warriors, and official armies."

"So there you have it," finishes Niathus, "Did we leave anything out, or should we move on to details?"

[Human Paragon 3]

Henry Klate

A repentent man trying to right past wrongs... Hank could understand that. And if what he said was true, perhaps much good could be done. This mission could prove dangerous, but he saw no reason to put an end to it.

He nods.

A well reasoned explanation. You'll forgive me for prying, but I think my question was fair and fairly answered. I shall accompany you.

[KCiemir]

Lars

Lars looks at the two before him, and begins to regret his choice to come along This keynote seems quite powerful, and if SAAOS wants it so badly, I think it may not matter that we are nobodies. We are easier to kill and get away with it.

After emerging from deep thought, he addresses the wizard.
"Sir, I have already pledged myself to your cause, and though it causes me great doubts, I am honor-bound to accompany you."

With that, Lars moves towards the opening, stopping to say a prayer to Pelor

May Pelor's light illuminate any traps, and reveal that which is in the shadows. May he guide us even as we descend below his earthly realm into that of darkness, and protect our souls throughout the numerous trials that are to come."

[Jade_Tarem]

Niathus and Jon

"Alright then," says Jon, as he and Niathus begin to move back towards the opening. "The first thing you should know is that we won't be travelling in the waterworks per se. That's good news, by the way, because it means that we won't have to deal with the city's sewer defenses or the alligators."

They reach the opening and stop. Niathus gestures at it. "We can do this with a solid, dependable spell for shaping earth and stone. Less dependable but apparently effective were the spells I used to break the wards that the city's wizards placed on the town to prevent criminal wizards from doing this to, say, banks. Don't worry too much about it, though - it's technically legal in this case as long as we put them back when we're done."

Jon picks up the explanation. "We plan to move about on the outside of the piping - something we know to be possible because records of the waterworks' construction tell of the workers doing exactly that with no mystical assistance whatsoever. We have, in addition to magic, some reliable climbing gear and a good map. Once down there, we'll only have to deal with the local wildlife, find the center of the waterworks, and shape that stone as well to provide an entrance. We will also have to get past all of the mundane wards put in place, as well as some better-than-average unique ones put in by the SAAOS construction bosses at the time the place was being constructed."

Niathus finishes as he and Jon begin to head down into the opening. "Hopefully we'll find the Keynote soon and be able to spend the majority of the night working on removing it carefully."

[Mephibosheth]

Reardan

Reardan once again turns around and follows the Jon and Niathus into the tunnel. He shakes his head almost imperceptably and mutters under his breath as he does so.

There are so many things that could go wrong with this plan, it's not even funny. Oh well...

[Jade_Tarem]

DM

All four characters have now expressed a willingness to follow Jon and Niathus. If you feel that this is incorrect, let me know.

The group moves down the sloping stone, and eventually comes to a hole in the floor. Niathus shines his light down the hole, and you can see a series of a dozen or more thick pipes, not more than 6 feet below, bound every few feet by a thick metal strip. They look slick, and are covered with mosses, lichens, mold, rust, or slime every now and then. The pipes run farther than your line of sight in either direction, and together are ten feet across. Beyond this walkway-like set of pipes, you can see others beneath it, running at various angles. The pipes beneath the ones close to you vary wildly in size - some could easily accomodate an elephant, some could only fit a man if he was crawling, and others are small and bundled like the ones directly beneath you.

The area seems surprisingly well lit beneath the pipes that you are looking at, although the limitations of looking through the hole prevent you from seeing the source of the light.

Niathus

Niathus crouches by the hole. "It is difficult to predict for certain what's down there, but it should be fairly simple to drop the 6 or so feet to the piping. Any volunteers to be first?"

[Human Paragon 3]

Henry Klate

Hank looked down into the undernearth. Of course he wasn't afraid, but logic told him he was not the best equipped of the group to test out Nathiaus's theory. He resisted the impulse to bravely step into the face of danger.

I'm afraid I'm a bit clumsy in my armor... Hank said, making his intentions known. I probably wouldn't be the best guinea pig for this experiement.

[Mephibosheth]

Reardan

Looking around at his companions and seeing the collective unwillingness, Reardan sighs and presses his top front teeth to his upper lip to let out a soft squeaking sound. As soon as he does so, a small gray rat climbs out of his pocket and perches on this shoulder, chittering quietly but furiously. The two hold what seems to be a brief conversation before Reardan smiles fondly at the rat and nods toward the hole.

The rat scurries off toward the edge of the hole and climbs down inside, using what appear to be small pipes on the walls of the tunnel to make its way safely down. After a few moments, it crawls back up out of the hole and makes its way back to Reardan, chittering wildly while Reardan strokes its head with the side of this thumb and responds occasionally.

Well, what do you want to know about the tunnel?

OOC:

Spoiler

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Reardan's going to use his familiar (Lukey the rat, in case you were wondering) to scout out the whole. Reardan is high enough level that he can speak with his familiar, and should be able to get some basic useful information. Incidentally, Lukey has low-light vision, so he should be able to see pretty well.

What does Lukey see?

Also, just in case:
Hide - (1d20+16)[35]
Move Silently - (1d20+10)[26]
Spot - (1d20+3)[11]
Listen - (1d20+3)[6]

[Jade_Tarem]

Lukey the Rat

Reardan hears:

Spoiler

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"There's pipes everywhere! Also many, many huge flying predators! The whole area is lit very brightly, so brightly even you could see, by glowing stones hanging from chains. And get this - water falls up from certain places into the holes in the bottom of pipes.

Oh yeah, and I think I hear singing, but I can't tell from where.

[Mephibosheth]

Reardan

Reardan, his familiar pearched on his shoulder, leans his ear toward the rat and listens, nodding, and occasionally chittering himself. He then looks toward the rest of the group, speaking in a low voice.

Lukey says that the whole place looks like a giant maze of pipes, and that it's lit by strange glowing rocks suspended from chains. He also noticed some places where water seems to flow upwards into holes in the bottom of certain pipes, and he mentioned a large number of flying predators, though I can't tell whether they'd be dangerous to us or not. Finally, he thinks he can hear singing.

He pauses for a moment, having relayed this information, before turning to Niathus.

What now? Is this pretty much what you expected?

[Trulhammaren]

Sin

"Flying predators.....underground.....moist....sounds like bats to me. In which case..." He pulls a small bundle from underneath his cloak. "this, should do the trick if they start pestering me."

Making his way to the hole Sin holds the net in his hands so as to make it easier to throw if the need arises. "Well see you all on the way side." And with those final words he jumps into the hole, not in the least bit worried about hurting himself in the fall due to the abilities of a ring that he had filched from some tomb a few years back.

[Jade_Tarem]

Niathus

Niathus thinks for a moment. "It sounds about right. I didn't know about the singing, but that could be anything - even the Keynote itself."

After Sin makes his remarks, Niathus says, "Actually, you may want to... well, there he goes."

OOC: Sin Havers needs a balance check, DC 17. If he fails, he needs a reflex save DC 15.

[Jade_Tarem]

Sin - IC Results

Sin Havers hits the pipe array/walkway with a resounding *BONG* that echoes about the cavern. The pipes are slick, but Sin lands with his center of gravity directly over his feet, and does not fall. Twenty feet away, the disturbance dislodges corroded material from the pipes - and the loss of structure dislodges a five foot section of pipes at that point, which clatter loudly off of the many other pipe structures as they bounce down to the bottom of the cavern several hundred feet down, before finally ending with a splash. No fluids emerge from the break in the pipes.

Jon

Jon leans over the hole and looks down at Sin and says, deadpan, "So I heard you like making an entrance."

DM

My sincerest apologies for the delay in response, I didn't check the OOC thread and just thought that Trulhammaren wasn't posting.

Sin - More IC Results

As Jon is talking, you can see around you. Smooth glowing stones in the shape of spearheads hang from chains of many varying lengths attached to the ceiling. The area is very well lit from below you - the part you're standing on is one of the darkest portions of the cavern. Pipes of all sizes and dimensions criscross all around you - some bundled, some singular, and all of it rather slimy, although few seem to be as badly corroded as the set you're on. You cannot see the gravity-defying water that Reardan's familiar made a note of, but then, you can't see everything in the cavern due to all the pipes. Bats do flit about the cave - along with myriad other animals, incluing birds both predatory and non, rodents, and other vermin. Algae is everywhere, as are mosses and various plants. There even appear to be full scale trees growing here and there. The cavern is large enough, both in terms of hieght and diameter, to fit a good number of sports stadiums in. Essentially, the cavern is almost as large around as Alten City itself - and the bottom of it is the lake that supplies Alten City with water, the name of which has been lost to obscurity. The cavern is well lit, with the exception of the upper reaches, and the pipes run all about it - including through natural rock formations. Most everything is suspended from chains, and this includes some of the rock formations, many of the pipe structures, and all of the lights. The chains show no sign of corrosion or even mold, although vines do grow up a few of them. There is an odd sort of beauty and mystery to the place, although what dangers may exist in a unique ecosystem like this cannot be guessed at...

Finally, you hear the music the others spoke of. It is quite clear - clear enough and loud enough that you wonder why you couldn't hear it outside of the hole. It seems to be coming from all directions, due to the strange accoustics of the room.

DM

Again, my apologies for the delay. Everyone is free to act again.

[Mephibosheth]

Reardan

Reardan listens intently, cringing slightly at the resounding *BONG* that accompanies Sin's landing. He then strains his ears for the telltale scrapings that would accompnay a slip from the pipes. Hearing none, he grumbles under his breath for a moment (grumblemumbleclimbmumblegrumblestupidholegrumble) before carefully perching on the edge of the hole, his legs dangling down and his hands braced on the other side. He calls softly down to Sin.

I'm going to try and lower myself. Watch out!

With a deep breath, he carefully lowers himself down into the hole, dangling by his hands on the edge and feeling with his feet for the pipe before letting go. If successful, he'll brush himself off and turn to Sin.

So tell me, why are we doing this again?

OOC:

Spoiler

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OK, Reardan is 5'10" tall. He should be able to lower himself thorough the hole and touch down on the pipe without letting go of the edge of the hole.

Climb - (1d20)[20]
Balance - (1d20+3)[5]
Reflex Save - (1d20+4)[21]

Come on, guys! Let's not let the game get held up over a hole in the floor.

[Jade_Tarem]

Reardan - IC Results

Reardan lowers himself to the piping successfully, but then slips on the round, slick surface. His reflexes kick in and he grabs the supporting chains on either side of him, managing to stay upright that way while he regains his footing. Everything else in his post then happens.

Reardan can now see everything Sin can.

[Trulhammaren]

Sin

"Don't know about you, but I'm here for the money." Sin looks around a bit noting what Reardan said his rat saw. "I don't suppose you can get your rat to point out where the water was going upwards, because I sure can't seem to spot anything like that. In the mean time I suppose we should figure out a way to get this pipe a little less slick. As much as it would entertain me to watch one of those do-gooders fall......you wouldn't happen to have any tricks up your sleeve would you?" His last question was aimed more or less up back to the people on the other side of the hole.


OOC:

Spoiler

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You should really check the OOC more often boss-man, or do would you prefer I ask my questions in spoilers here?

[Jade_Tarem]

DM

OOC:

Spoiler

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Well, everyone else puts their OOC stuff in spoilers in the IC threads, but I'll certainly be checking the OOC threads now (I've got more of my act together - I'm subscribed to *all* relevant threads and I have all of the character sheets gathered together). So the short answer is - you can put your OOC questions in the OOC thread or here in spoilers, I don't have a preference. This last one was my fault - I've been checking the IC threads at least two or three times per day, but only looked at the OOC threads every now and then. Now I'll be checking those as often as the IC threads.

Niathus and Jon

Niathus and Jon look at each other, then back down the hole. Niathus says, "As soon as we get to one of the main pipelines, things will be better - those are occasionally worked on, so there won't be this kind of corrosion and danger. They're also wide enough that the curve doesn't throw you off when you walk."

With that, Jon swings around the lip of the hole and hangs there for a moment, before putting his feet carefully on the pipes and letting go.

[Mephibosheth]

Reardan

Good question. Lukey?

The rat scurries out of Reardan's pocket and perches on his shoulder, chittering softly in Reardan's ear. It only takes a minute of squeaky conversation before the two of them look up at Sin, Lukey raising up on his hind legs and cocking his head slightly to one side.

OOC:

Spoiler

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So...um...where is the gravity-defying water? Also, I hereby give you (Jade_Tarem) permission to speak as Reardan for the purpose of answering Sin's question.

[Jade_Tarem]

Reardan

"He says it 'only happens sometimes.' In fact, some should be coming up soon. I don't know what he means by soon, though. It could be a few minutes, or it could be -"

Reardan is interrupted as a 40 ft diameter geyser of water roars up from the lake below (a good distance away), splashing with great force over and around the crisscrossing pipes, to dissappear into what is presumably a hole in some of the pipes more central to the cavern - although you cannot see the final destination due to the other piping. A fine mist begins to drift down from the cieling, and trickle down the dome of the cavern, adding a layer of moisture to most hard surfaces. Again, you find it odd that you couldn't hear this outside the hole before.

Jon

Jon looks at the spectacle.

"Well, that would be why there's slime and mold all over everything. Notice how all the animals disappeared from that area right beforehand - that can be our warning." He looks up the hole. "Are the rest of you coming down?"

[KCiemir]

Lars

Lars looks down into the blackness and sighs. He sits on the edge, lowering his legs in. He lowers his body in slowly, knowing that if he falls, he will not be able to catch himself. Saying prayers to Pelor the entire time, he hangs from the rim, trying to get to the pipes. His feet finally find the pipe, and he shifts his weight onto them.