Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil (IC): Thread 2

[Another_Poet]

Tell suggests that Haunor take the reptile's robes and symbol, then.

[Shhalahr Windrider]

Moathouse: Planting 9, Morning

“Eh, we’ll pack any worthwhile effects before we leave,” Haunor shrugs, “No use weighing ourselves down with extra gear.” Turning to Grigor, he asks “Before we go exploring over there, any ideas about this pit? It’s filling up pretty quickly.”

A check on the pit reveals that it is now around only ten feet to the water line.

[Lycar]

Grigor, human cleric

Since he apparently can learn nothing new from the scroll, Grigor just stows it away with a shrug for the time being.

Confronted with the steadily filling pit, Grigor can't offer much more then another shrug.

"Hrm, guess theres a mechanism somewhere to open it up again. Maybe it has something to do with those stones we found here. Beats me though. Still, as long as there are still hostiles around we have greater worries then a flooded pit. But Oldamarra knows, I'd sure love to know what these guys are after..."

[Shhalahr Windrider]

Moathouse: Planting 9, Morning

(( Grigor could make his own Spellcraft rolls or ask Megiddo if he knows what they are… ))

“All right,” Haunor sighs, “But if this mechanism is at the bottom of the pond, it’s gonna get pretty hard to reach.” He then takes the steel flask from the trogolodyte, uncaps it, sniffs the contents and recaps it. “Any ideas about this?”

[Another_Poet]

Tell

As the others talk flasks, Tell decides Haunor made a good point about the pit. If the enemy wants it full... they should probably make it less full.

He strips his armour and clothing, and leaves them heaped with his gear. Murmuring to himself ((casting Resistance)) he plunges in and swims down to look for a lever, grate, or draining mechanism.

Spoiler

I have +5 (trained) in Swim and a Constitution score of 14, should either be relevant for being underwater. Tell won't intentionally stay down so long he is in danger of drowning; he's happy to surface, breathe, dive down again, etc.

Search modifier is +2 and Spot is +8 to try to see anything. Willing to take 20 on a search at the bottom, surfacing and going back to look again as many times as needed to be sure.

[Shhalahr Windrider]

(( Okay, but you may want to borrow an everburning torch to see down there. Also, remember, it’s about 10 feet down the pit to the surface of the water. Might want to consider how you’ll climb out. ))

[Another_Poet]

Tell asks for an everburning torch or a Light spell and a rope to tie off, then heads down.

[Shhalahr Windrider]

Moathouse: Planting 9, Morning

Haunor looks at the others for a moment. He makes a small grunt and asks,“Y'gonna be bringing it back, right?” as he begins to untie his torch from his belt.

[Another_Poet]

"Torch won't work. I'm tossin' something all the way to the bottom. It might come back, or might not."

((sorry to make this hard; Skjald, can you cast Light on a stone? Or Lycar?))

[Skjaldbakka]

Megiddo will cast a light spell on a stone and toss it down to Tell.

[Another_Poet]

Tell throws it in the water to let it sink and then dives in, swimming down after it.

Spoiler

Feel free to summarize my various dives using the strategy outlined above; no need to go inch by inch unless I'm about to go to Prom Night with a Tentacle Monster.

[Shhalahr Windrider]

Moathouse: Planting 9, Morning

The bottom of the pool is unnaturally smooth and polished. However, Tell does find a small ridge circling around the bottom, about half a foot or so from where the bottom meets the walls. The pool walls themselves are roughly carved, though whether by hand or by natural erosion, it is hard to tell.

[Another_Poet]

Tell

Tell reports his findings back to the others, treading water as he does. "They used magic to seal an opening in the bottom," he speculates. "I could soften it to mud and sand and see if it collapses, but that's one less wall remover for those tunnels."

He awaits input from the group.

[Skjaldbakka]

"They expect us to come through the tunnels. It is therefore in our best interest to find another path. I say we use the means at our disposal to remove this obstacle."

[Another_Poet]

"Gimme a stick or spear or something."

((If need be they can use the tunnel to the outside to get a branch; I'll assume it's a nonissue.))

Tell dives down, uses Soften Earth and Stone on the floor and pokes it with a stick until it starts to collapse and drain. When that happens he swims for the surface as fast as he can, hoping not be to be sucked down. He'll cling to the wall at the surface when he gets there.

[Another_Poet]

Spoiler

Almost forgot . . .

swim (1d20+5)[16]
climb (1d20+5)[6]

[Shhalahr Windrider]

Moathouse: Planting 9, Morning

Unfortunately, since the floor of the pond was not created naturally, Tell’s magic does not take to softening the floor. However, the druid finds that the unworked stone forming the walls that were caught in the area of his spell have transformed into a clay. Tell takes some time diving down and carving away some of the clay, surfacing for air, and then returning to carve some more. He doesn’t have to dig far to before he finds where he can dig down as well as in. Fortunately, he also chose a spot that rested over open air, allowing him to create a drain.

Tell quickly swims away from the drain so as not to be caught by the water. After getting on the side of the wall opposite the drain, he begins to climb out.

[Lycar]

Grigor, human cleric

Grigor watches as Tell does his diving expedition.

"It is always so enjoyable to watch others work, isn't it..."

But eventually, Tell finds a way to drain the water out of the pit. As Tell approaches the ridge, Grigor crouches down to lend him a hand.

"Good job. And now we only need to find a pickaxe, eh?"

[Shhalahr Windrider]

(( Hey! How about the ones Tell and Haunor used to break down the wall earlier? There also might be a couple still lying in this room. ))

[Lycar]

Grigor

Grigor looks at the militia men. As they don't budge to go fetch the pickaxes they used to break down the wall to the cockatrice room, Grigor shrugs and goes fetch them himself.

"I say, anybody going to work on that floor in that pit better be tied to something with a rope. Unless you wanna risk a sudden collapse and fall..."

[Shhalahr Windrider]

(( Hm. Forgot Poet is gone. Othrewise would have played Tell myself a bit ‘n’ push things forward. ))

Moathouse: Planting 9, Morning

“Is that thing safe?” Eckhard asks, pointing to the pulleys and attached platform.

Haunor walks over to the contraption. “Looks stable enough to me. But the platform’s to big. Won’t have enough room on the floor. It’ll take up almost the whole pit. But we can probably still use the rest of it to secure ourselves.”

[Skjaldbakka]

Megiddo will let the soldiers discuss the manual labor, not being much use for such things himself.

[Shhalahr Windrider]

Moathouse: Planting 9, Morning

“Well, we can undo the ropes on the platform and use the rest of it as an anchor point,” Eckhard says.

“All right. We can prep that while waiting for the water to drain.”

[Lycar]

Grigor, human cleric

"Very well, you do that. Meanwhile, I'll make myself useful and guard this place, eh?" Grigor says with a smirk. He is all too happy to let the others do the manual labor, but he has not forgotten that these tunnels still are hostile territory. So he takes up a position outside the room in the tunnels. That way he can hopefully spot or hear approaching enemies.

Of course, if the sound of the digging is too loud, he will have to move further down the tunnel maybe.

Just as long as they can't cut off both approaches.

[Another_Poet]

Tell

Tell will help the soldiers with the contraption if it seems like they could use assistance, and otherwise hold back and not put too many hands in the pot so to speak. He wraps himsself up in his cool cloak to dry off and get warm, of course.

((Ready to fast forward to the militia dying horribly in the pit))

[Shhalahr Windrider]

Moathouse: Planting 9, Late Morning

The pit is very nearly drained by the time the militia is done preparing the ropes.

“All right Eckhard and Mair are going down. Would one of you like to help?”

(( If no one volunteers, it’s just the two of them, with Haunor and Rein making sure the ropes stay secure. In any case… ))

However the floor was created, it seems they generated only the minimum amount of stone required to hold the water back. It’s pretty thin and doesn’t take very long to break through. Soon, there’s a small opening in the floor big enough to lower someone through.

[Another_Poet]

Tell comes with them for protection while they work. Once the hole is opened in the floor he takes a light and looks in.

If nothing attacks or looks suspicious, he lowers himself down with his chain ready for action, while Mair holds the lantern above him at the opening.

[Skjaldbakka]

Megiddo will continue to observe, ready to act if needed.

[Lycar]

Grigor

"All right, I'll be with you in a moment." says Grigor as he tries to figure out a safe way do get down through the hole. A full plate suit does not make climbing easy.

Not at all.

[Skjaldbakka]

Can I use control object on his plate armor to reduce or negate his armor check penalty for the climb down?