simonwolfi can feel a differencetoday, a differenceRegistered Userregular
edited May 2009
Whoops! Forgot that Kreel made a Dungeoneering check.
Kreel:
From one look at those tunnels, you can tell one thing - they aren't natural. They've been carved out of the stone by either tools or something mechanical, though you couldn't tell one from the other. Judging by the way they've been dug, however, they certainly weren't there when the dwarves abandoned Jzadirune.
Alead strides into the tunnel room behind the Goliath.
"If the skulks came out of these tunnels, then we need to follow them. Unless it's a trap, of course. A convenient sunrod and a flash of grey skin from creatures that had no need to show themselves? We should exercise caution."
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Mike Danger"Diane..."a place both wonderful and strangeRegistered Userregular
edited June 2009
Quinn's eyes get a little wider. "That's a good point," he says.
"Like hunting. Although, these skulks seem wiser than my usual prey."
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UtsanomikoBros before DoesRollin' in the thlayRegistered Userregular
edited June 2009
"Very well," saiys Blublo as he shoulders his sword and steps forward. "Someone bear the torch, and I shall lead the way to their doorsteps."
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simonwolfi can feel a differencetoday, a differenceRegistered Userregular
edited June 2009
If youse guys is gonna go down a tunnel, can you tell me which one?
This will directly affect the number of Bugbears in the upcoming ambush.
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UtsanomikoBros before DoesRollin' in the thlayRegistered Userregular
edited June 2009
Blublo points to the southern tunnel. "That one looks as good as the other. It also leads a different direction than when we came. It may lead further into their lair than further out."
Alead shrugs. "Very well. I'm sure that they'll both lead somewhere... interesting."
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simonwolfi can feel a differencetoday, a differenceRegistered Userregular
edited June 2009
As soon as light enters the southern tunnel, Blublo notices that it splits into a T-intersection - the path to the east has no light to show the end, but to the west, there's something... odd. It seems as though the western path splits again, continuing into darkness to the west, but a second path around fifteen feet from your current position seems to have light coming from it.
The light is bright, but flickers every second or so, alternating between light and dark.
simonwolfi can feel a differencetoday, a differenceRegistered Userregular
edited June 2009
Alead:
You can smell magic in the air, and it's a familiar odour - Prestigation. It seems to be a heavily modified, much more powerful version of it than you'd ever encountered before, though, as you can sense the edges of it, but not the whole area affected.. It's coming straight from the lit passageway.
You all note that, though the speed flucuates, the lighting coming from that pathway seem to alternate between light and dark every five seconds.
"It's not natural, but it's not an offensive spell. It's just... magical light. There might be more to it, however. Beware illusions, and be careful."
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UtsanomikoBros before DoesRollin' in the thlayRegistered Userregular
edited June 2009
Blublo holds a finger up to his mouth and silently shushes the four of them. He takes a couple of deliberately sneaky steps down the tunnel halfway towards the lit hall and makes a quick attempt at a better peak. Turning back to his companions, Blublo lassos all five of them together with a wave of his hand and then grips his fist in a 'let's do this' gesture.
Now for the Perception: 1d20-1 → [18,-1] = (17) This is what us Sisters of Mercy call 'stellar'.
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simonwolfi can feel a differencetoday, a differenceRegistered Userregular
edited June 2009
Blublo:
From your low point of view, you can see the reason for the light's flickering nature - it moves, quite erratically. That is to say, you can see about four balls of light that hover randomly in midair, eaching giving off around twenty square feet of light. Every five seconds, however, the lights vanish completely, appearing again after a roughly equivalent amount of time in completely new positions.
You can also now see the room in which these lights appear. It's a massive, sprawling, majestic hall. You can count eight black marble pillars supporting the high ceiling. The pillars themselves have been carved to resemble dwarven artisans and warriors, standing on each other's shoulders to brace the ceiling with their collective strength.
What's the gnome saying? The voices of Alead's past selves echo in his head. Some sort of a whirlpool? With a stone in the middle? A round room, with nobody in it? Danger? We should go look.
The Deva begins to move forward along the wall. Carefully, he peeks down the hall in the other direction, and then turns to look at whatever it is that's got Blublo so excited.
Rounding the corner, Alead stares up at the dancing, blinking balls of light.
"Incredible. This spell is either ancient beyond imagining, or something new. Either way, whatever created these lights is very, very strong."
Using his staff to tap the ground before him before he steps on it, the Deva works his way into the statue room -- still gawping at the lights.
Simon.... Siiiiiimmmmooooon. Come out and play.
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simonwolfi can feel a differencetoday, a differenceRegistered Userregular
edited June 2009
I was waitin' on, you know, some of the rest of the party to come out and play. But, since you're being so insistent, here goes nothing.
As Alead moves into the room, the lights turn off.
Before they did so, however, he noticed that the walls of this hallway were covered in murals and paintings of dwarves. They seemed almost too bright and cheerful to be dwarven art, though - not nearly enough depressing gray and orc slaying. The dwarves in those pictures seemed genuinely happy.
The lights come back on, this time illuminating most of the hall, as opposed to leaving large sections in complete darkness. Down at the end, you can see a fountain that's spitting water into a pool. The fountain appears to pour out from a stone-carved dwarven face, with a wide smile.
The ceiling is more impressive now that you're in the room - easily thirty feet high, or more.
Kellus would be pleased to note that there's no bats dwelling up there.
Alead:
Now that you're in the room, you can sense the same feeling you got from the magic you got from the northern hall - decaying, rotten magic. It's old, that much is certain, and it's power is clearly faded.
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Mike Danger"Diane..."a place both wonderful and strangeRegistered Userregular
edited June 2009
"Well, I could use a drink," Quinn says, "but I'm not so sure about the water in here."
UtsanomikoBros before DoesRollin' in the thlayRegistered Userregular
edited June 2009
Blublo looks around the room. "No sign of the kidnappers, or the kids," he comments. "It's best we move on."
I did already suggest Blublo move into the room, in the talk thread.
Also, is there any sign of a second entrance/exit?
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simonwolfi can feel a differencetoday, a differenceRegistered Userregular
edited June 2009
From your point of view, the hall is easily over a hundred feet long - the fountain is at the very end. The eight pillars are evenly spaced, blocking off some of your vision - though you can see some openings in the walls. To the west, around thirty feet away, you can see an open hallway, and another twenty feet down from there, a doorway marked with a dwarven rune.
Kreel and Quinn:
The rune stands for the letter 'R'.
To the east, you can see a stairway leading up that's only ten feet away from the northern wall, from which you just exited. Another twenty feet down, you see a rune-marked door - and thirty feet on from there, another runed door.
Kreel and Quinn:
The runes, respectively, stand for 'E' and 'U'.
The lights turn off.
Make me some Stealth and Perception checks, if you'd be so kind.
Alead blinks in the sudden darkness. The murk is not quite as impenetrable as he had originally thought. Casting his mind and senses around the room, he searches for the source of the command to turn the lights back on. As he turns in place, his staff scrapes loudly across the floor.
Perception: 1d20+4=20
Stealth: 1d20=5
Arcana: 1d20+9=26
All rolls are here.
I figured I'd toss in an Arcana check. See if I can locate the person, object, or phenomenon that put us all in the dark.
Also, whereat Alecthar?
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Mike Danger"Diane..."a place both wonderful and strangeRegistered Userregular
edited June 2009
"More letters..." Quinn says, looking up after the light cuts out. "And more traps."
Stealth, followed by Perception: 1d20-1=14, 1d20+2=22 I am the god of hidden things.
UtsanomikoBros before DoesRollin' in the thlayRegistered Userregular
edited June 2009
Stealth and Perception: 9 & 19.
Here's a Dungeoneering to ascertain the nature of the room and its relation to the entrance area of Jzadirun: 13. Not terrible.
simonwolfi can feel a differencetoday, a differenceRegistered Userregular
edited June 2009
As some of you blend into the darkness with ease, others have more... difficulty, to say the least. If anyone was watching the areas intently, they'd be certain to notice some form of sneaky adventurers in their dark home.
The lights turn on. This time, your section is bathed in darkness, but you can see something... strange, in the distance. It seems to be a floating piece of matted fur, with a head. Like some kind of strange, possessed cloak. Beyond that, you do not think you can tell more from a cursory glance.
Alead, Kreel, Kellus:
You all can see that the cloak isn't floating by itself - below it is a nearly completely transparent Skulk, much like the ones you have encountered before. The cloak itself seems to be a whole wolfskin.
The lights turn off.
There is nothing but the quiet, broken softly by the sound of running water.
The lights come back on.
Now, your area is bathed in light. The more stealthy among you have chosen excellent positions, well concealed from the rest of the hall. As Alead moves to find such a hiding spot, however, his staff makes a loud noise.
The cloak jostles, the dead eyes of its head facing your direction. Frozen for an instant.
Then, without a sound, it moves quickly into the darkness of the hall.
"Odd looking skullk. Odd acting skulk, too. Look out for ambushes."
Something finally clicks in Alead's mind. "You know, I think that there were magic weapons back up the tunnels -- beyond the pitfall trap. I, of course, am not interested in such trivialities, but perhaps it would be best to arm ourselves properly before assaulting the invisible skulk lair."
Kreel looks over at Alead, face confused as he watches the dressed up Skulk meander away.
"Weapons? Really? Well, they would serve a purpose, no?"
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UtsanomikoBros before DoesRollin' in the thlayRegistered Userregular
edited June 2009
Blublo remains silent, holding his sword straight up in preparation for the magical fiend's inevitable onslaught, and approaches its direction ever-so slowly.
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Mike Danger"Diane..."a place both wonderful and strangeRegistered Userregular
edited June 2009
"Blublo..." Quinn whispers through gritted teeth, "I'd really prefer we went for the magic swords first..."
simonwolfi can feel a differencetoday, a differenceRegistered Userregular
edited June 2009
The lights go out.
Yet again, all you can hear is the distant sound of running water.
Kreel:
You, however, hear something else - soft footfalls, moving quickly across the floor.
When they come back on, they have yet again failed to illuminate your section of the hall. You do, however, catch a disconcerting sight - the end of a brown cloak that flaps with movement, then disappears behind one of the far pillars. It was definitely not the wolf skin from before.
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Mike Danger"Diane..."a place both wonderful and strangeRegistered Userregular
edited June 2009
Quinn leans back against the wall and rolls his eyes, making his coin "walk" between his fingers as he tries to think of the best way out of the current situation.
"I, too, vote for the retrieval of anything that may make our handling of the situation a little easier." He adjusts his grip on the axe before muttering under his breath. "Or we could put the gnome in a sack, we might get into less trouble."
Posts
Kreel:
"These are not natural, in fact..." He frowns. "There is more going on here than we thought."
"If the skulks came out of these tunnels, then we need to follow them. Unless it's a trap, of course. A convenient sunrod and a flash of grey skin from creatures that had no need to show themselves? We should exercise caution."
"Like hunting. Although, these skulks seem wiser than my usual prey."
This will directly affect the number of Bugbears in the upcoming ambush.
The light is bright, but flickers every second or so, alternating between light and dark.
"A signal light? Or is someone traveling towards us?"
"It could be as simple as a patrolling guard moving in front of a lamp. It could be... something else."
"It's the "Something Else" that worries me."
You all note that, though the speed flucuates, the lighting coming from that pathway seem to alternate between light and dark every five seconds.
Now for the Perception: 1d20-1 → [18,-1] = (17) This is what us Sisters of Mercy call 'stellar'.
You can also now see the room in which these lights appear. It's a massive, sprawling, majestic hall. You can count eight black marble pillars supporting the high ceiling. The pillars themselves have been carved to resemble dwarven artisans and warriors, standing on each other's shoulders to brace the ceiling with their collective strength.
What's the gnome saying? The voices of Alead's past selves echo in his head. Some sort of a whirlpool? With a stone in the middle? A round room, with nobody in it? Danger? We should go look.
The Deva begins to move forward along the wall. Carefully, he peeks down the hall in the other direction, and then turns to look at whatever it is that's got Blublo so excited.
"Incredible. This spell is either ancient beyond imagining, or something new. Either way, whatever created these lights is very, very strong."
Using his staff to tap the ground before him before he steps on it, the Deva works his way into the statue room -- still gawping at the lights.
As Alead moves into the room, the lights turn off.
Before they did so, however, he noticed that the walls of this hallway were covered in murals and paintings of dwarves. They seemed almost too bright and cheerful to be dwarven art, though - not nearly enough depressing gray and orc slaying. The dwarves in those pictures seemed genuinely happy.
The lights come back on, this time illuminating most of the hall, as opposed to leaving large sections in complete darkness. Down at the end, you can see a fountain that's spitting water into a pool. The fountain appears to pour out from a stone-carved dwarven face, with a wide smile.
The ceiling is more impressive now that you're in the room - easily thirty feet high, or more.
Kellus would be pleased to note that there's no bats dwelling up there.
Alead:
Also, is there any sign of a second entrance/exit?
Kreel and Quinn:
To the east, you can see a stairway leading up that's only ten feet away from the northern wall, from which you just exited. Another twenty feet down, you see a rune-marked door - and thirty feet on from there, another runed door.
Kreel and Quinn:
The lights turn off.
"Have I mentioned I hate magic?"
Stealth: 1d20=5
Arcana: 1d20+9=26
All rolls are here.
I figured I'd toss in an Arcana check. See if I can locate the person, object, or phenomenon that put us all in the dark.
Also, whereat Alecthar?
Here's a Dungeoneering to ascertain the nature of the room and its relation to the entrance area of Jzadirun: 13. Not terrible.
With slow, careful, motions. The Goliath crouches down and prepares to move forward.
However, the powerful Avenger's body (not meant for stealth) creaks as he looks around the room.
Stealth: 1d20+4=19
Man, Alecthar will be really jealous.
The lights turn on. This time, your section is bathed in darkness, but you can see something... strange, in the distance. It seems to be a floating piece of matted fur, with a head. Like some kind of strange, possessed cloak. Beyond that, you do not think you can tell more from a cursory glance.
Alead, Kreel, Kellus:
The lights turn off.
There is nothing but the quiet, broken softly by the sound of running water.
The lights come back on.
Now, your area is bathed in light. The more stealthy among you have chosen excellent positions, well concealed from the rest of the hall. As Alead moves to find such a hiding spot, however, his staff makes a loud noise.
The cloak jostles, the dead eyes of its head facing your direction. Frozen for an instant.
Then, without a sound, it moves quickly into the darkness of the hall.
"Odd looking skullk. Odd acting skulk, too. Look out for ambushes."
Something finally clicks in Alead's mind. "You know, I think that there were magic weapons back up the tunnels -- beyond the pitfall trap. I, of course, am not interested in such trivialities, but perhaps it would be best to arm ourselves properly before assaulting the invisible skulk lair."
"Weapons? Really? Well, they would serve a purpose, no?"
Yet again, all you can hear is the distant sound of running water.
Kreel:
When they come back on, they have yet again failed to illuminate your section of the hall. You do, however, catch a disconcerting sight - the end of a brown cloak that flaps with movement, then disappears behind one of the far pillars. It was definitely not the wolf skin from before.
"I, too, vote for the retrieval of anything that may make our handling of the situation a little easier." He adjusts his grip on the axe before muttering under his breath. "Or we could put the gnome in a sack, we might get into less trouble."
"At the very least we should back up a few steps. I think they're trying to surround us. Decision time. Stay and fight, or back up the tunnel?"