Absence of Empathy IC

[PolkaBear]

The City of Drim

Drim is not as glamorous or cosmopolitan as some of the other cities in Far Reach, but it has its rewards for those who call it home. The sheer basalt cliffs, source of much of the black stone with which the city was built, provide an enveloping sense of safety and security. Even the dwarves, who prefer life underground, are not troubled by the seeming ribbon of sky that slides its way overhead as it winds through the mountain pass.

Lately, however, people have been cursing the skies. The last four weeks have seen nearly constant rainfall: so extensive, in fact, that periods of drizzle and mist were considered a welcome reprieve. Those who have been in a position to know--weather mages, diviners, and the like--have been troubled by the odd character. Having no desire to stir up panic, they have kept their counsels to themselves, sharing their concerns only with the City Seats as they met in the fortress of Heldrise guarding the wall on the far (northeast) side of Drim.

The people of Drim have endured the unwonted rainfall with stolidity, going about their work as they have been able. There has, of course, been no little amount of cursing as various sewers have been overwhelmed, and the engineering of the mine shafts has been severely tested; but there has been no loss of life. The farmers who work the ground in the foothills and our toward the plain have suffered the greatest losses, as the rain has made fields of soggy stubble out of many crops.

* * * * *

For the first time in nearly a month, the rains have ceased. The constant clouds disappeared in the night, either dissipating or moving on to drench another region. People are crowding the streets, with smiles nearly as bright as the sun overhead. The general attitude matches that of a feastday, and complete strangers act like dearest friends from the sheer delight of walking in the sun's warmth.

The bustle of aimlessly milling townspeople and the glare of the sun off the many puddles prevents anyone from noticing the impending tragedy.

* * * * *

At the meeting place of two side streets, a group of children has gathered to watch a performing bear and her trainer/keeper. A carriage has caused a knot of folks to pause their travel and stand on the curb, waiting for it to pass.

If anyone had been looking, the black slab that adjoined the sewer grate would have indicated that something was wrong: it sagged and sloped at an angle that the engineers would not have approved. Moreover, some of the joints between the street cobbles showed signs of erosion and weakness.

The collapse happened quickly and took the group unawares. In a rush of mud and stone, and to a chorus of screams, those standing on the curb were swallowed by a suddenly gaping pit.

* * * * *

"Help! Help us! Throw down a rope! Maybe the side..." The man sounded anxious, but somewhat dazed.

"My baaaaabyyyyy!" The wailing woman's cry rang up the walls of the sinkhole and out through the small circle of daylight fifteen feet above. She was on the opposite side of the pit from the man.

"Down here? A baby in the pit?" Despite the slurring of his speech, you could tell that the man was alarmed.

You have fallen into a sinkhole on a slide of rubble and mire, which shifts dangerously. You hear--and almost feel--the noise of rushing water through the quivering mud.

Consider the light above to provide shadowy illumination: you can see each other and your surroundings, but only dimly.

Everybody roll a Balance check and (if you want) a Climb check. Also roll a d4.

Chaim, you were in town to see the authorities about what (if anything) could be done for the farmers' losses. You left Long John at the stable by the Main Gate. (Given your past work with them, they don't charge you to leave him there when you ride to town.)

Everyone else, you are on your way through Drim for one reason or another, either personal or business.

I won't move the action along until everyone has posted.

Woohoo! It's started!

[Irrealist]

Arfondt:
A chubby man in his late twenties, dressed in heavy robes

Arfondt strained his eyes looking around. "How... "he bit his lip to prevent himself from crying out as he put weight on his left foot. "How many people are down here? Is anybody hurt?" he asked into the darkness.
Wait... what if someone can't talk? I hope my foot isn't seriously hurt. I think someone has to take charge now, and I don't really want it to be me.

[Mr the Geoff]

Ulf Ironbeard, A young, mail clad dwarf with traditional iron helmet and bushy beard


Rolls (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=2641141#post2641141)
Here's hoping natural ones aren't automatic failures
Also for the sake of narrative I am assuming that Ulf is too tired to use his stonecunning to notice the cracks *wink*


Tired, damp, and covered in muck, Ulf shuffled his way out of the mine entrance and looked up at the sun Never thought I would be so happy to see the outside of a mine. Forty days of double shifts had taken their toll on the normally cheerful young dwarf, but the pumps were starting to win their fight against the rising water levels, and miraculously no miner had drowned, so Ulf was looking forward to his first proper night of sleep in a bed in over a month. Better get this shirt scrubbed before I turn in though, steel armour, salt mines and water don't mix.

Ulf took to the side streets to avoid the crowds, his spirits were as high as anyone's, but right now what he needed was sleep. Maybe it was the distraction of the street theatre, maybe the tiredness, or maybe just the fact that above ground his 6th sense for failing stonework didn't kick in, but Ulf completely failed to notice the warning signs right up to the moment of the ominous creak that loosens the bowels of every professional miner.

"Look ou..." was as far as he got before everything caved in, so much like a mine but yet so diferrent.

Voices...screaming...sobbing...something about a baby...For Moradin's sake clear your head. I's just another day at work, but with women and children too "Please stay calm, and for the sake of us all try to stay still. I have rope, mining gear, everything we need to get you all out, so long as we don't drop too much further."

Ulf fished in his pack and pulled out a rope and a grappling hook, tied one to the other, and threw at the opening above, shouting "Look out belo...above!"




More rolls (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=2641393&posted=1#post2641393)
Assuming he remained vaguely upright and unhurt in the fall, Ulf will tie a rope to a grappling hook (use rope:26) and throw it up and out of the hole (use rope:29)
*edit* oops that's a 28 and a 31, I forgot the +2 for using silk rope *edit*

[Irrealist]

Arfondt
A chubby man in his late twenties, dressed in heavy robes

Relieved that there was someone down here that seemed to know what he was doing, Antuin took a moment to collect himself before he startled and patted down his pouch to check that his books were still there.

This wouldn't have happened if the apprentices had simply gone to the market like they were told to instead of going into hiding someplace. The sun comes out and the whole guildhouse seems to be empty. So who has to take care of things again? And now I sit in a dark hole instead of enjoying the few minutes of sun that fate has forced upon me. He shakes his head. I really hope this dwarf doesn't expect me to climb up that rope; can't someone bring a ladder or something?

[tgva8889]

Kayte Mursai

The streets of Drim were just as familiar as always. Kayte recognized every alleyway and knew every path between her house and her place of work, Almarn's Book Emporium. She knew why she worked there, but sometimes she thought her old friend never realized it. She'd been off to get something from that friend, wherever she might be. Kayte had offered her a place to stay, but she'd kindly refused. It made her easy to find, she'd said, and knowing Linn, Kayte didn't argue.

Finding Linn proved to be a troubling prospect. Kayte had looked everywhere she knew Linn had been, but aparantly the girl had found some new places to hide out in the city. Defeated by her friend's street knowledge, a quality Kayte had lost ever since she pulled herself off the streets with a little help from a friend in the family, Kayte was on her way back home when she realized she'd been out of paper for way too long. So, she'd made a few turns here and there and ended up stalled behind a carriage.

Bears were interesting, but this trainer didn't seem so great. Kayte enjoyed herself for a few moments, but time was of the essence. Moving to turn off the street and take a longer route, the ground suddenly seemed to collapse under her as she fell into a newly formed sinkhole in the earth of the city.

As the sound of falling rock began to stop, Kayte pulled her head up from under her arms. "Well, that was possitively great!" she said, a hint of sarcasim in her voice. A gruff voice seemed to be taking control, so Kayte decided to keep her mouth shut a bit. This is completely insane. Even rain for four straight days shouldn't have caused something like this.

A boy's voice cried nearby, and Kayte moved as well as she could towards him. "Now now, calm down. We'll be alright down here." I hope.

Check the dice roller thread for die rolls:
Kayte's Rolls (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=42592&page=4).
Also, assuming she can reach one of the boys.

[Corinthian]

Erwin: A neat looking man in his early 20's wearing elegant clothing and a rapier inside its sheathe on his side and a lute strapped on his back.

It was a nice day for Erwin. Finally he got to go outside and bask in the sunlight. It was such a nice day to waste so he decided to head out for a stroll, meet some cute ladies and perhaps find something of his interest.

So, he found a trainer and a bear. It was nice until everything fell around him. He was able to react fast but he could not save himself from the pit.

Gods. Need to get out, need to get out, need to get out, need to get out, need to get out. He thought to himself as he reached to the nearest wall and started to climb. His instincts struck him first. There was no panic in his face or in his actions. Need to get out, need to get out, need to get out, need to get out.

[PolkaBear]

There is noise from above: cries of alarm, shouts of warning, sobbing children, and some sort of muffled exclamation about the bear.

The slick mud makes it difficult to maintain your footing.

"My baby girl! Noooo!"

A sucking sound, followed by a thud and a man's groan, indicate that the dazed-sounding man didn't quite make it across to where the woman was crying.

You see several shadowy shapes, but you all (except for Ulf) are uncertain which are fellow victims and which are pieces of rubble. Some may still be prone from the fall, so an exact count is difficult. You try to count the voices.

Ulf's darkvision:No, seriously. This is for Ulf alone. You'll find out soon enough.You wipe the mud from your eyes--at least, you hope it's just mud and not blood--and make out at least seven other people in the hole with you. You can tell from the manner in which the rubble is piled and from the consistency of the sticky muck that the hole is not entirely stable.

[tgva8889]

Kayte Mursai

Kayte's mind went crazy. The darkness, the shadows...they reminded her too much of a past life. Stay calm...stay calm...calm everyone down. Trying to clear her eyes, Kayte sighed. It's not my eyes. It's this darned place. Muttering a few words under her breath, Kayte put forth her hand and cast one of her more basic spells. Four lights similar to torches floated around her, though she dared not try to stand up on the shifting ground. "That's much better."

Cast dancing lights. If a concentration check is necessary, then inform me OCC and I'll post it.

[The Vorpal Tribble]

Chaim Hyman
Chaim is a large, lanky man of a little over 6 feet and stands straight as a post. His skin is deeply sun-darkened and practically glowing with health. Frizzy brown hair spills out from beneath the brim of his black, widely brimmed hat and is tied into a tail that hangs to his shoulders. His face is lean and angular, though much of it is hidden behind a thick, neatly trimmed and brushed beard that hangs halfway to his chest. His intelligent, mild eyes are a pleasant light brown and crows feet crinkle at the corners from years of squinting against the sun. They have a noticable sparkle to them though that belies his stern-seeming countenance. His leathery hands are incredibly large even for his size and are thick with scar and callous, though incredibly clean. In fact his entire appearance is meticulously neat. Though weathered and a bit rugged in appearance he nevertheless exudes a gentlemanly feel. His movements are lively and energetic and many have said it is as if he is always about to leap into a dance.

He wears a long-sleeved, white shirt with brass buttons and cufflinks, and black cotton pants held up by a pair of straps that rise from his waist to his shoulders. They are tucked into his sturdy, calf-high boots, that gleam as if shined.

-=-=-=-=-

Chaim is walking briskly from the stables with his face turned up to the sun and his hat momentarily removed and held in a hand. Though only a faint smile plays at his lips, his face is radiant, more so than any in the streets, as he feels the play of warmth across his features.

In his pleasure he doesn't notice the danger until he is falling backwards along the edge of the pit. He lands on his shoulders and sinks in as he is pelted with thick mud that covers him partially over.

The man coughs and sputters, heaving mud by the mouthfuls as he turns his head to the side. He otherwise seems calm enough, and slowly wriggles from the hold of wet earth.
He kneels over and spits several more times as he peers around into the gloomy depths, his eyes having difficulty adjusting from bright sun to sudden shadow.

He pulls back one mud-slathered sleeve and wipes his lips relatively clean on his bare arm. He lets out a piercing whistle several times and then bellows out in a deep baritone, "LONG JOHN! COME ALONG OLD FELLOW!"

This brings on another fit of coughing, ejecting more swallowed mud.

He stands back up straight then as the woman calls out about her baby.

"Where are you, mother?" he responds, "Let us hear you!"

[LurkerinthePlaygnd]

Rach Diggerson a slim, fit man of average height with short brown hair, in his early twenties. Wears a worn backpack over a light colored work shirt tucked into light brown trousers.

Rach awoke with the sun. Normally that wouldn't be unusual, but for the past month the sun had refused to show itself, preferring to do it's business behind sullen, soggy clouds.

Luckily for Rach, he had been able to keep himself occupied doing repairs on the interior of Drim's gaol. The long rain had forced him to put another outdoor job on hold. Maybe now we can get that addition under roof, he mused as his thoughts turned to the project he had abandoned.

When he had finished his morning meal, he turned to his mother and said, "I think I'll go wake up Jarl. I'll bet he's still snoozing.... probably sleep right through this fine morning if I don't go bang on his door. Tell Peeny I'll come fetch her at lunch." He had promised that he would take his younger sister out for a picnic as soon as it stopped raining.

After kissing his Ma on the cheek, he slung his pack over his shoulder and walked out into the bright morning sun. Rach took a moment to let the warmth of the bright orb wash over him. Anxious to put the day to good use, he was soon on his way to his coworker's house.

He walked at his usual quick, slightly bouncy pace and was soon at Jarl's. After knocking for a couple of minutes, he finally heard Jarl's gruff baritone, "Old on, 'old on." After the sound of fumbling with the lock the door opened revealing a bleary eyed, craggy face. What the 'eck s'at yella' thing up 'ere?" Jarl said while shielding his eyes.

"I think it's called the sun," Rach said with a chuckle. After exchanging pleasantries Rach said "Go gather up the crew and meet me at the addition. I want to have a look at the roof beams t'day...make sure they weathered the weather."

"Sure thing, boss."

Rach turned and left his coworker, his mind already turning to the job at hand. As he turned down a side street he noticed a knot of people up ahead of him. As he got closer he saw that the crowd was enthralled by a rather charming bear wearing a red vest and dancing to a fast tempoed song. 1-2-3, 1-2-3, went the beat. As the bear began a turn in time with the tune, the ground opened at Rach's feet.

He felt himself begin to fall, but it was arrested as soon as it began. As he landed softly in the muck below, he thought to himself, Thank you Arbus.

Rach heard the commotion and the yelling and decided not to add his voice to the din. He heard a firm voice attempt to take control of the situation and at he mention of mining tools, he thought of the tools in his pack. If I can climb out of here I can use my block and tackle to help pull these people out of here

Rach tried to make his way over to where the sound of the person was taking charge.

[Irrealist]

Arfondt
A chubby man in his late twenties, dressed in heavy robes

Oh yes, the baby... "Where are you miss?" Arfondt yelled in response to the second cry. He lifted up the seam of his long blue robe and tried to shuffle his way towards the voice, his feet testing the ground. When the dancing lights appeared, he smiled.
"Thank you, that was very helpful" he said, turning to have a look at the caster. Don't I know her? The face seems familiar... He continues his way towards the mother and her baby. He smiles at her reassuringly. "Hello, my name is Arfondt. Can I help you?"

[The Glyphstone]

Kylen O'Corrival
A massive, hefty man, almost six and a half feet and several hundred pounds of muscle. Dressed in a leather jerkin over ordinary clothes, but toting an equally large greatsword on his back. Displayed prominently embroidered on the jerkin is the holy emblem of Kord, as it is on the bronze pendant he wears.

Heya there, now what's this all about?"
Wobbling to keep his balance on the uneven footing, he looks around at the chaos ensuing.
"Well, ain't that just lovely now - so much for my morning pick-me-up..."


Balance, mystery (1d20=8, 1d4=3) (http://invisiblecastle.com/find.py?id=1066373)

[Mr the Geoff]

Ulf Ironbeard
A now dishevelled and muddy mail clad dwarf holding a sturdy looking rope

Ulf tugs on the rope trying to test whether the grappling hook has found a good hold then, seemingly satisfied, turns his attention to the others in here with him. "That'll do for now. Right! I'll be needing a volunteer to shimmy up this here rope and tie it off a bit more secure at the top. I'll stay down here and rig up some sorta harness for the lady wi the babby and anyone else who don't think they can handle climbing a rope"

With that Ulf digs into his pack for a hammer, 2 pitons and a second length of rope. He hammers both pitons into any stable piece of wall he can find, then ties the free end of the rope with the grappling hook to one, and uses his second rope to tie himself to the other. His hands work almost automatically as his eyes scan the others for a volunteer.


with these silk ropes I have a +15 on use rope checks so, unless I am doing something fiddly with a rope (like making a harness for a woman with a baby) I won't clog the thread with rolls unless I need to. I will be taking 10 if I can.

[LurkerinthePlaygnd]

Rach Diggerson a slim, fit man of average height with short brown hair, in his early twenties. Wears a worn backpack over a light colored work shirt tucked into light brown trousers.

Rach made his way over to the voice, aided by a sudden glow that had appeared shortly after he'd fallen. In the dim light he recognized the dwarf as one of the first on the scene when the mine had collapsed on his father some years ago."I'll do the climbing. If I can find something to tie off to, I have a pulley that might speed up the process."

[PolkaBear]

The hole is ringed at the top with the heavy cobblestones that compose the surface of the street and the slabs that form the gutter. The pit drops nearly virtically from there for about five feet; then the clutter of rubble that has fallen into the hole begins. The hole itself is roughly oblong, oriented parallel to the street below where the gutter once ran, and twelve feet long at its widest.

The muddy rubble on which you stand slopes significantly from the deep side (where the woman stands) to the shallow side (where Ulf has tossed his rope), with a difference in depth of five feet from one end to the other.

The rushing sound has rapidly increased in volume and water has begin to seep into the pit, thinning the mud.

There are noises from above indicating an increased level of organization among the onlookers. An attempted rescue is forming; and others are asking what's going on in the sinkhole.

As he attempted to cross to where the mother knelt sobbing, Arfondt's injured ankle betrayed him. He tripped and sprawled. He saw that he stumbled over a humanoid figure lying on its side in the mud. It is possibly the man who was calling out earlier. Kayte's lights provide enough illumination to determine that it is, indeed, a man wearing a red shirt.

Ulf, aided by Rach (who was beginning to panic at the sudden collapse of the earth--bad memories), worked frantically to secure their escape before the hole lost its stability. He has by this point tied himself to a piton and is beginning to construct a harness.

Chaim tries to comfort the hysterical woman. Through her nearly-incoherent cries, you determine that her child had toddled off to watch the bear, and so was not caught in the collapse.

Erwin's attempt to climb was successful--at first. When he tried to ascend the sheer section of the hole, the stone he was using as a grip came loose with a sucking sound. He tumbled back to the ground. [OOC: Take 3 nonlethal damage. You are now lying either prone or supine.]

I've decided to split my post in two. You can now post, if you desire; but no significant actions until after my next post.

[The Glyphstone]

(Umm...what about me?)

[PolkaBear]

Kord's paladin stands there muttering about the loss of his eye-opener. He considers the possibility of tossing fallen cobblestones into a pile so as to create a ramp, but discards it as impractical.

Sorry, Glyphstone. I didn't want to assume too much about your character's (re)action.

In the end, I only had to use one of those d4's.

[Mr the Geoff]

Ulf Ironbeard Short, muddy beardy dwarf

a pulley eh? now why didn't I think to pack one of them myself?. "Alright, up ye go lad"

Ulf looks down at the sprawling forms of Arfondt, Erwin and the red-shirted man. "Could someone check if that man's alright" he says, pointing at redshirt. "The rest of you try to make your way up to the top o the heap"

Satisfied that the rope with the grappling hook is secure for now, Ulf lets go of it and throws the free end of the rope he has attached himself to the wall with down towards the bottom end of the rubble, shifting his weight to brace against anyone using it to climb, with the piton there as a failsafe in case he loses his own footing.


Hope that made sense.
One 50ft rope is secured with the grappling hook at the top and a piton at the bottom. The other is tied round Ulf and the second piton, with the free end thrown down towards the people downhill.

Hope that's not too much of a significant action for you

[Irrealist]

Arfondt
A chubby man in his late twenties, dressed in heavy robes

Arfondt stumbled and fell, feeling something soft and meaty below him. He got on his knees and wiped his face with a muddy sleeve. Then he looked for what tripped him and recognized the man. He shook him softly. "Hello? Can you hear me?"
Antuin shook his head and furrowed his brows, trying hard to remember something. Then he closed his eyes and intonated: "A'noinsholnithkiraranthir"

Tried a Minor Word of Nurturing. Truespeak 18 is a success only if the guy has only 1 HD (still haven't found out how to link single posts)

[tgva8889]

Kayte Mursai

"Well, it seems you got stuck in this mess too, eh?" she says, holding out her hand to Arfondt and moving the torches so that they float behind her instead of encircling her. "I'm..." Wait, don't I know you? You look familiar... "Kayte Mursai, at your service."

Her face and clothes are covered in dirt and mud, but she is otherwise just as she would be if she'd been working in the Emporium, classic work robes and all. Her eyes show more character than her clothes, bright and thoughtful as they spin in her head. Her light brown hair is completly ruffled out of the bun she has it in when at work, and falls just a little beyond her shoulders. She smiles in a way that says "get me the heck out of here".

"A seemingly terrible position we've landed ourselves in, haven't we, Mr. Arfondt." Pushing herself into a more mobile position than sitting on the now fairly muddy ground, Kayte smiles at her "new" friend and notices the man he tripped over. She watches him speak his foreign speech with great curiosity.

[Corinthian]

Erwin

Confused a little bit for his failed attempt, Erwin now decides to stand up and tries to asses the situation. His clothes seem dirty and everything seems normal. No internal injuries.

"Alright, everyone alright? Yeah..." He spoke lightly, almost talking to himself.

He then proceeds to attend the man with the red shirt and looks at the man in heavy robes. "Oi... Is he alright?"

[LurkerinthePlaygnd]

Rach Diggerson: a slim, fit man of average height with short brown hair, in his early twenties. Wears a worn backpack over a light colored work shirt tucked into light brown trousers. He is remarkably clean with the exception of his boots.

Rach felt the panic begin to return. His throat tightened and he found it hard to swallow. It was a feeling he hadn't had in years; not since that fateful day when his father died. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest, and a cold sweat begin to form on his brow. Calm down Rocky. You need to keep a cool head, he thought, addressing himself in the third person as he was wont to do when he was nervous. He closed his eyes momentarily and took a few deep breaths to steady his nerves. Relax, you'll not do anyone any good if you don't relax.

Regaining his composure somewhat, Rach said to the dwarf, "I'm ready. I'll let you know when the block and tackle are secure."

[The Vorpal Tribble]

Chaim is a large, lanky man of middle-age a little over 6 feet in height. His skin is deeply sun-darkened and practically glowing with health. Frizzy brown hair spills out from beneath the brim of his black, widely brimmed hat and is tied into a tail that hangs to his shoulders.

He is very, VERY muddy.

"Oh, she will be right as r..." Chaim begins and then closes his mouth as he realizes that phrase would be in poor taste. "Just thank the stars that she did not come in sheself."

He extends his arm, "Come along with me, Mother, we will get out of this and to your wee one."

"LONG JOHN!" he calls, "Answer me if you hear it!"

[PolkaBear]

In the glow of the dancing lights it is clear that there are nine of you--if anyone bothered to count--in the sinkhole. The fallen man groans and begins to sit up, strengthened by Arfondt's utterance. Sir Kylen, with Erwin's help, assists the man to his knees.

The childless mother seems to take strength from the aura of peace exuded by the farmer. She nods tearfully and clings to him, apparently overcome by hiccups.

Arfondt nods to Kayte and uses her help to raise himself out of the mud. Erwin picks up an item that had fallen from the scholar's robes and returns it to him.

Ulf gestures urgently to the others, motioning them over to the rope. Rach tugs on the rope a final time and then plants a foot in the wall to ascend.

* * * * *

Earlier that morning, and about a quarter-mile away, the rocky wall of an aquifer succumbed to the uncharacteristic hydraulic pressure it was experiencing because of the extreme rainfall. Fissures formed, allowing the excess pressure to siphon off. This gave the water new channels through the substrata as it made its way to equilibrium. The force of the escaping fluid enlarged the cracks in the original aquifer, increasing the outflow.

As the water emptied into new areas, a chain reaction of sorts was created: other aquifers were overwhelmed, and the new channels ran where the city engineers never intended. With the sewer systems already at their limit, the excess flow was forced to continue through rock and stone as it sought escape.

Not all of the substrata was solid bedrock, however. These areas were more yielding; so the water pushed its way through and swept the solid content along with it. As the flow ebbed or changed its course, pockets of air were created which lacked the supportive properties of solid earth. Thus were sinkholes created.

The raging underwater river has not completely subsided, however. Now it has found its way back to the cavity it had created under the street...

* * * * *

The seepage into the sinkhole quickly became slippage, as the unstable mixture of mud and rock once again felt the hydraulic forces that had originally created it. As everyone scrambled for the rope and safety, one wall of the hole began to shift, seeming almost to melt, and the lower end of the pit was now under a foot of water. The murky water was moving, the current crosswise to the orientation of the sinkhole. Once the current grabbed hold of a corner, it quickly began to undermine the rest of the area.

The entire base began to move and slide down toward the water. Only Chaim and the woman were able to grab on to the two individuals anchored by ropes; the others were held victim to the accelerating descent.

Ulf, Rach, Chaim, and the woman looked on in horror as the other five rode the moving surface down into the water and out into the black gap created by the water's suction.

* * * * *

"Cutscenes":

ONLY FOR THE EYES OF: Arfondt, Sir Kylen, Kayte, Erwin, and the man:You tumble into each other as the slope begins to move, becoming entagled in each other and enmired in the slimy muck. Your panic at being unable to move toward the waiting ropes--just out of reach when you began your descent--is compounded by the thundering of the water. You slide.

As the torrent has once again undermined this area, it has eaten out a section of the wall where it flows. When you finally reach the water, its pressure pushes you (along with the mud and rock) into this black mouth. You expect that this is the end.

You do not expect to see a dim light ahead of you.

Mere seconds after you are swept into the water, you fetch up hard against a wall, pressed by the current. The light comes from a gap--judging from the airflow and the silhouette--not even an arm's reach above you.

ONLY FOR THE EYES OF: Ulf, Rach, Chaim, and the woman:You shout in dismay as the the others are swept away by the rapidly increasing current. It has now filled the entire pit, and its movement tugs at you. Rach begins to climb, with the woman holding his belt and attempting to follow. Ulf anchors Chaim to prevent the other man from being swept away as well.

The woman loses her grip scarcely a few feet up and splashes back into the water. Ulf lets go of the rope, trusting his knotwork, and grabs her with that hand before she can be caught by the strengthening current.

Decision from Rach: do you continue up the rope or descend to help the woman? You do not judge that there is enough time to rig the block and tackle.

I need a decision from Rach before I continue.

[LurkerinthePlaygnd]

Rach Diggerson: a slim, fit man of average height with short brown hair, in his early twenties. Wears a worn backpack over a light colored work shirt tucked into light brown trousers. He is remarkably clean with the exception of his boots.

"Come on lady, hold on to my belt. I'll have ya' out o' here in no time." Rach took a couple tentative steps, testing the firmness of the muddy wall. He tried not to think of the swiftly rising water as he pulled on the rope. After only three or four steps he felt the woman slip from his belt and watched helplessly over his shoulder as she tumbled back into the pit.

He saw that the dwarf, already weighed down by the muddy, bearded man, was able to reach out and grab the woman. Rach fought down the urge to flee this sucking maw and lowered himself back down into the hole to give whatever aid he could. "Maybe we could tie her off so she won't get carried away," he said to the dwarf, almost shouting over the noise of the rising torrent.

[The Vorpal Tribble]

Chaim is a large, lanky man of a little over 6 feet and stands straight as a post. His skin is deeply sun-darkened and practically glowing with health. Frizzy brown hair spills out from beneath the brim of his black, widely brimmed hat and is tied into a tail that hangs to his shoulders. His face is lean and angular, though much of it is hidden behind a thick, neatly trimmed and brushed beard that hangs halfway to his chest. His intelligent, mild eyes are a pleasant light brown and crows feet crinkle at the corners from years of squinting against the sun.

"Hi there!" Chaim calls futiley as the others are whisked out of sight. He bears his teeth a moment and shakes his head. His grip on the woman tightens as he makes for the rope.

Hanging to the dwarf, he passes the woman up and kneels down slightly to battle the water.

He then glances up into the sky and sighs slightly as he closes his eyes.

"Of the pact and breath with the rolling gold, I bid thee come and givest your Father aid." he murmers, digging his hands into the mud and pressing a muddy thumb to his forehead.

There is suddenly a piercing cry and some creature dives down from above and into the pit. It beats its wings powerfully to slow its descent and splashes into the mud.

The creature appears as a clydesdale in body, though it has the wings, head, and raptor's talons of a giant prairie falcon.

"I thank thee." Chaim says, bowing his head to the creature and leaning against it. "Climb on quickly, Mother!"

Concentration check = 20 (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=2652014&postcount=105) to give up a 2nd level spell slot to cast Summon Nature's Ally II and bring forth a hippogriff

[Mr the Geoff]

Ulf Ironbeard A soaking dwarf hanging upside down with a rope around his waist, and his hand clenched around the hand of a woman

Hanging upside down from his rope anchor, His beard slapping at his face and the roar of the water all around him, Ulf reaches down with his other hand to try to pull the woman up, two handed, so she can get a grip on his body, beard, haversack strap or anything else to help pull herself up within reach of Rach.

"I got another rope I can tie her off with, but I am out of free hands. Let me get her out of the water first then worry 'bout the rest


Strength check (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=2652236&posted=1#post2652236)

That's a 13 on a strength check to lift the woman clear of the water

[PolkaBear]

Back to our regularly scheduled cinematic feature:

For Chaim, Ulf, Rach, and the woman:Soon after Rach descends, keeping a firm grasp on the rope, you hear a shout from above. Two other ropes drop from the rim of the hole and splash into the mud. They are followed by Chaim's summoned hippogryph. Rach loops one rope around the woman and ties it securely; then Ulf lifts her out of the water and sets her on the hippogryph. While she's being lifted, Rach ties the other rope around Chaim. The water is by this time waist-deep and swirling with a strong pull.

"A'right!" Ulf said to Chaim. "Let's get you--"

At that moment his shout was drowned by a slurping groan as a large section of the wall gave way. The hippogryph lunged and leaped into the air, its wings straining to lift it above the waters. Ulf, on the other hand, finds himself caught in the muddy rush since the piton had been lodged in the compromised portion.

Rach clings desperately to the rope, the grappling hook on the upper rim remaining, for the moment, secure. 1d20+2. He just manages to keep his head above the water now pouring in.

The rope to which Chaim is tied was apparently secured stably aboveground. Unfortunately, there is enough length in the rope that he is submerged; and the force of the water as it rushes past attempts to keep him there.

Arfondt, Sir Kylen, Kayte, Erwin, and the man:Sir Kylen is the first to drag himself out of the water, the divine power of his god shielding him from some of the water's hindering force. Erwin and Kayte are both within arm's reach, and the giant man quickly pulls them out, too. The three of them hear the confused shouts of Arfondt and the man.

"The others! Still alive!"

By the dim light, they can marely make out the other two figures. Arfondt is in danger of being swept around the curve and down, where the water has apparently found its outlet; the other man's leg has been caught between two rocks at an odd angle, but his head is above water to the left of the gap.

Arfondt seems to be in the most immediate danger, but he's beyond arm's reach of anyone in the gap. In the end, Sir Kylen braces Erwin enough that the young man can overreach and grab on to the scholar's robe. Then they are both hauled in. Retrieving the other man is a simpler matter. Then they sit panting, thanking their gods with what breath their lungs can seize.

Rach:With the collapse of the wall, it was as if the nine hells disgorged. Thankfully, you are able to maintain your grip on the rope.

Chaim:You are spinning like an angler's lure at the end of your rope. It is preventing you from being swept away, but it is also preventing you from reaching the surface or from orienting yourself. You are occasionally pelted by small stones kicked up by the water.

As I see it, you have several obvious options (you may come up with something else): try to fight the rope and the current, hoping to break through to the surface by swimming; untie yourself and swim against the current; try to pull yourself along the rope, fighting the current by sheer strength; or do nothing and hope that those above can pull you up.

Unfortunately, none of them seem like very good options.

Arfondt, Sir Kylen, Kayte, Erwin, and the man:As you catch your breath, the noise of the water increases. Some of it begins spilling out over the edge of the gap through which you had crawled (I'll describe it once the intro is settled), so you quickly get to your feet to avoid getting wet. Wetter.

Suddenly, the end of a rope whips through the gap and slaps soggily against the wall. You are all caught by surprise; but Erwin has the presence of mind to grab it before it disappears. It gives him a fierce tug.

"Help me pull it in! We might need it in this place."

All together, you begin to reel it in. It fights you, making the work difficult. An echoing cough from the other side of the gap pricks your ears; you redouble your efforts, knowing now that speed could be the difference between life and death.

You hear the cough again from the other side of the gap; Arfondt calls out an encouraging word to let the person on the other end know that they're trying to help.

The rope goes taut and will no longer budge.

Ulf:By the iron bones of Moradin! This could be the end.

You are swept, like the others, into the underground flood. The higher water level does not dump you on the stony ledge as (unbeknownst to you) it had the others. It sweeps you through a curve and down toward--

You stop with a jerk. You feel you would have been split in two, did you not have a dwarf's thick build, as the rope caught around your middle. You flail about, trying to reach the surface before your breath gives out, and you sting your hand against an outcropping. You claw at it desperately; and it gives you just enough leverage to pull yourself into an air pocket.

You breathe a word of thanks to the All-Father and blink the water out of your eyes. The air pocket you're using disappears just downcurrent, but stretches back for at least a short distance before another rock pillar blocks your sight. It seems as if there's even faint light reflecting of the frothing surface.

You inhale some of that frothing surface: you must press your face against the stone ceiling in order to use the air pocket, and the rampaging waters splash and tumble. You sputter and cough.

There's a tug on the rope, different in quality than the ceaseless tugging of the water's friction. Another tug, back upcurrent. The next tug submerges you. You fight against it, just trying to regain the air pocket; but you're at the mercy of the water and the rope.

You see dancing lights in your eyes as your breath runs out; but you break the surface again and inhale deeply. This action sets off another bout of coughing. You battle to inhale life-giving breath and at the same time expel what's in your lungs. Your coughing echoes through the rush of the water. Your feet find a ledge of sorts and you brace yourself with your head above water.

The tugging soon comes into direct opposition to the force that stopped you before. The tugs continue, however, more sustained and steady as the source of the tugging seems to become more determined. All by themselves, the tugs threaten to rob you of breath.

"Jussa moment," you wheeze. Another tug. You gasp in a breath when the pressure eases. "Wait! If there's someone there, just wait! You'll pull me in half."


Arfondt, Sir Kylen, Kayte, Erwin, and the man:As you prepare yourselves for another pull on the rope, you hear a noise like a wheezing voice. There must be someone out there! You pull again, with no better effect: the rope seems to be stuck. As you're about to pull again, you hear, "Wait! If there's someone there, just wait! You'll pull me in half."

Ulf, Arfondt, Sir Kylen, Kayte, Erwin, and the man:Ulf takes stock of the situation. If it weren't for the duress of the past few minutes, he would have known immediately what was wrong; but the answer is not long in coming.

"Give me some slack. Hullo? Slack. In the rope." The slack comes, which indicates that there is someone intelligent on the other end.

Given a small amount of relief from the current by the way the water flows around a bend here, Ulf is able to pull himself back upstream toward the end of the rope that's stuck. "Hold 'er steady, now, he commands those on the other end. With a deep breath and a firm hold on the rope, he plunges into the water to trace it down. The piton probably snagged on something. Thank the All-Father it did, too. It should be in reach...aha. He wrapped one strong arm around a rock and reached down with the other to pry the piton out of its crevice.

(This was the same crevice, incidentally, that had caught the red-shirted man's leg.)

Relieved of the constant pressure of Ulf's weight, the piton slid loose easily. Ulf broke the surface and called out to reel him in.

The others do so quickly, relieved to see the dwarf's still-muddy beard as he is pulled through the gap.

[Mr the Geoff]

Ulf Ironbeard A Dwarf, soaked to the skin, soaking hair and beard clinging to his scuffed mail shirt

Ulf coughs, wheezes, coughs again and finally vomits about a half gallon of water over the ledge before, eventually, looking up at the other faces "Thanks for saving my life, here's hoping I return the favour by getting you out of here"

He then concentrates on untying himself, coiling the rope, retrieving his sole remaining piton from the end of it and stowing everything away in his pack.

If he has time he will look around the space he is in, assessing how sturdy the stonework looks and using his intuition to work out how far below street level they are.

[The Vorpal Tribble]

Chaim a wet, bearded fellow dangling from a rope underwater like really big bait.

Chaim swings back and forth dizzily upon the rope, clutching tightly with hands that don't even feel the rough fibers. He grips his lifeline with all he is worth and tries to pull himself up, hand over hand to reach the surface.

[Corinthian]

Erwin

"No problem." Erwin says. He gives a pained sigh and shakes his head slightly. "So, we fell, got dragged and now we are.... where?! Where are we?"

He analyzes the place they are now and as he does he looks at the other five people with him. "I'm Erwin Underwood, by the way..." He smiles, and he tries to clean the mud off his face and looks at his clothing. Dear Heavens, I don't think this suit would be fit for another stroll around Drim.

[Irrealist]

Arfondt
A chubby man in his late twenties, dressed in soggy robes

Arfondt wipes his wet hair out of his face and turns to the dwarf: "You were with the others, weren't you? What happened to them? Did they make it? My name is Arfondt, by the way. " He nods to the others in general, flinging some mud off his robe.
It's getting cold really quickly in these wet clothes. I could use a hot bath now.

[Mr the Geoff]

Ulf Ironbeard A soaking wet Dwarf looking like he's been dragged through a sewer backwards

"Three got out, the woman, the lad with the pulley and the feller who kept callin' for his mate John. The wall I were belayed to gave out so I dropped back in. Oh, and Ulf Ironbeard at yer service"

Now assuming the air holds out, and the floor don't cave in again, should be a simple matter to dig our way back up to the surface. Ulf digs in his pack and retrieves a miner's pick, then stares at the walls with a thoughtful expression.

[tgva8889]

Kayte Mursai A charming young woman with light brown hair, bright eyes, soaking robes, and unrevealed abilities, who looks as though she's been thrown into a situation she never feels like she could survive.

Kayte, realizing what's going on, follows everyone else's lead and gets herself out of the crevice with the rest of the group. "Well, that was exciting. If you like near-death experiences, that is." Kayte makes a futile attempt to brush herself off, failing to remove the mud and dirt which seems infused into her work robes. "Alright, what now?" This is completely insane. I don't known any of these people well enough to be surviving a near-death experience with them. What the heck is going on with this city? Noting everyone making their introductions, Kayte says, "Oh, and I'm Kayte. Mursai." How did you end up here?

[PolkaBear]

The gap through which the group found its salvation is composed of heavy stone blocks. This appears to be the sewer system underneath the city, carved out of the living rock by the resident mining skill of the city and strengthened by dwarven engineers. Apparently, the earlier force of the water (when the sinkhole was created) was strong enough to knock a few blocks out of place: they were not designed to contain hydraulic pressure going into the sewer.

Even though their surfaces are tilted, the three squat blocks provide wide steps of a sort. For now, you are seated just above the level of the sewer-water. The sewer is full beyond regular capacity, but the high quantity of runoff also means that the water is--thankfully--relatively clean.

The light is coming from holes in the ceiling on the far side of the sewer channel. The light appears to be reflected, not direct, since it does not retain quite the same brilliance as the sun aboveground.

The red-shirted man is sitting up, examining his leg and wincing in pain.

"Anyone else recognize this place? I did my service down in the sewers; but it was more spot repair work. I don't know my way around." He looks around and then shrugs. "Anyway, there should be a handrail and an access ledge on either side for maintenance. I don't see it, so it must be submerged."

He hissed in pain. "I think it's just sprained. Hurts like it's broken, though. And then my head..."

"I'm Crennik, by the way. Thanks for pulling me out of there. I was sure I was dead--when I could think straight, that is." He pointed at Arfondt. "You! You did something, back there. I don't know what sort of magic it was, but it helped. Thank you."

[Mr the Geoff]

Ulf Ironbeard A Dripping wet dwarf with colour starting to return to his cheeks

Ulf talks, half to himself, half to the people around him "This is solid stonework. We aren't in danger of falling in at least, but it'd take a week to dig our way back to the surface. Think we can put that plan on the back burner for a while. That leaves crossing the water and working our way towards the light, or jumping in and seeing where we end up. Neither seem like fun to me"

Putting his pick back away, Ulf walks back over to Crennik. "Now let's have a look at that foot of yours."


to see if Crennik's foot is broken or sprained
Heal Check (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=2657272#post2657272) (9) to see if Crennik's foot is broken or sprained.
Though with that roll I'd be hard put to tell if it was his foot or his hand I was looking at.

[tgva8889]

Kayte Mursai A charming young woman with light brown hair, bright eyes, soaking robes, and unrevealed abilities, who looks as though she's been thrown into a situation she never feels like she could survive.

"Uh...I vote 'no' on the 'jump in and see what happens' plan. I'm not sure whether that other option is better, but I know that I'm not jumping in anywhere." Kayte looks around the area, hoping to notice something but knowing she won't. This can't turn out well, not if that water keeps rising. Four days of rain don't cause this. "I say we try to cross it, rather than risk going downstream. Besides, if we don't find anything, we can always try the other plan." Under her breath, she adds, "They're gonna need to do some major renovating down here..." She looks everywhere she can, hoping that something that might be useful will jump out to her eyes. Improvising had always been a strong point of hers.

Search Check (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=2657428&posted=1#post2657428) made by Katye to look for anything that might help them cross that can be easily moved. So, a board sitting on top a rock maybe, but not a board crushed under a heavy boulder.

[Irrealist]

Arfondt:
A chubby man in his late twenties, dressed in soggy robes

Arfondt sits down and massages his left foot. When Kayte starts talking, he looks at her. "Hello Kayte Mursai. I'm sorry we got interrupted earlier, but the circumstances didn't allow for polite conversations. Maybe we could have somethign to drink after we get out of here." He smiles at her, then turns to Crennik. "You're welcome, but I didn't really do much. And anyway, I think that's what magic should be used for - helping people. Don't you?"
When Ulf comes over to them, he looks relieved. "It's good to know that we have someone here who knows how to deal with this kind of situation. If you need help with his foot, I could try working some moe magic."
He leans back against a wall. This is more excitement than I am used to; I think I might need some rest.
Then he looks up again, as if remembering something. "Oh, and if you need to get across the water to the light, I could levitate you - you look strong enought to push your way along the ceiling." He turns back to Kayte again. "What about you? You worked a spell before. What magical tradition do you belong to?"

[LurkerinthePlaygnd]

Rach Diggerson: a slim, fit man of average height with short brown hair, in his early twenties. Wears a worn backpack over a light colored work shirt tucked into light brown trousers. He is remarkably clean with the exception of his boots.

As the flying horse/falcon lifted itself skyward with the the lady, Rach realized that he was the only one left in the chamber. He scanned the watery pit again to make sure. As he did so, he noticed that the other rope was pulled taught and moving, almost as if there were a large fish on the other end. Unsure if someone might be on the other end, Rach decided to abandon his plan of escape, and instead attempt to free whomever might be on the other end.

Rach took as deep a breath as he could and plunged into the torrent. Using the rope as a guide, he climbed downward, hand over hand, hoping that he would be able to undo whatever knot the dwarf had tied.

[Mr the Geoff]

Ulf Ironbeard At least the water washed most of the mud off, so the dwarf is wet but clean-ish

"Levitate, eh? That were better than my plan of tying a rope to meself and having you fish me out if I dropped off the ceiling again. At the very least it's worth a look over there to see if we can get out." Maybe I can widen the hole but it's still risky getting these people across a rope and up through the ceiling

Ulf digs yet again into his pack, which seems to contain enough equipment to run a small mine, and retrieves his climbing kit, straps on the harness, and the crampons, and attaches the wet silk rope to it. "This is in case I do find a way out over there, so I can get the rest of you over with the rope. Now are you sure nobody has a better idea?"


The climber's kit grants +2 on climb checks.
Also any idea how many pitons it has? the picture in the PHB shows 3, and the description just says "special pitons" without giving a count. As I now have 1 less than I started with this might become an issue. I'll assume 3 for mow using the highly scientific method of what the picture has

[PolkaBear]

The other rope was within arm's reach; so Rach grabbed it and pulled himself over to it. With a great breath, he plunged beneath the water, intending to 'climb' his way down to the other person.

He should have concentrated more on clinging than on climbing.

The pull of the water provided a significant force downrope; so it was as if he were attempting to 'climb' a rope face-first over the edge of a cliff. The water caught at his legs and flipped him over; and the taut rope twisted out of his hands.

Chaim grunted and lost a bit of air as another body slammed into him. It seemed like a body, at least, because it wasn't as solid as a rock would have been. Unfortunately, the impact was too sudden and unexpected for him to react in time.

Rach collided with the person he had attempted to save. The backs of his legs caught the other about the middle; but instead of giving him an opportunity to hold on, this impact sent him spinning downcurrent.

Chaim feels a tug on the rope as those above haul on it. With the other motion confusing him, however, he can't tell if he moved upward any.

Rach was flushed into the same dark mouth that had swallowed the others; but all around him is turbulent darkness. He bumped his head on an outcropping and barely prevented himself from yelping in surprise--which would have been deadly underwater. There was another outcropping, but this time he tried to hold on to it. He failed.

The dice are conspiring to drown you, apparently. Three shots at salvation so far, and they've all been crappy rolls. I can see only one opportunity left at this point.

Rach's head bumped, momentarily, above water. He expelled his breath with a shout and drew in another frantically before he was again pulled under.

* * * * *

The group in the sewer hears an echoing shout from the other side of the gap, which immediately silences their conversation.

This is how I'm going to do it: Arfondt, Sir Kylen, Kayte, Ulf, and Erwin must roll Initiative. We'll assume that Rach has a 10 for initiative. Then we'll use that Initiative order to see who can do what in enough time to rescue Rach before he's swept past.

[Mr the Geoff]

Ulf Ironbeard A Dwarf with a rope

Seeing the head pop up and hearing the shout, Ulf quickly coiled the rope in his hands and threw it just downstream of the body in the water, shouting ROPE! and leaning back to brace against the sudden tug he expects.

"Grab hold of me or I'll go in after him!"



Rolls (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=2662254#post2662254)
34 on a use rope check, with a roll like that it'll practically drop in Rach;s hand I hope.

Unfortunately Ulf is still attached to the rope he just threw so if he lets go of the rope he's getting wet anyway.

[Corinthian]

Erwin

Reacting to Urf, Erwin jumps and tries to hold Urf from being taken by the current. However, he fails to notice the little leverage he gives and also fails to notice that he has not prepared himself for the imminent pull.

A natural 1, giving me a 2 on my strength check. Hope everyone rolls initiative or Urf and Erwin are going to end up in the water again Rolls (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=2662359&posted=1#post2662359)

[Irrealist]

Arfondt:

Initiative 5

Reacting to Ulf's shout, Arfondt stands up, his left knee buckling under him, and takes two steps towards Erwin, clinging to his belt to brace the two against falling into the water, but ready to let go before they all get pulled in.

(Assuming they didn't already fall in by the time he gets to act. If he's too late and things look bad for the three, he'll cast Levitate on the rope and hopes they all manage to hold on.)

[tgva8889]

(A little bit of retro, if you don't mind.)

Kayte Mursai A charming young woman with light brown hair, bright eyes, soaking robes, and unrevealed abilities, who looks as though she's been thrown into a situation she never feels like she could survive.

Something about the smile makes Kayte blush a little, but she's dirty enough that she hopes no one notices. She hides her face and smiles through it, nodding with a "Maybe, if we live that long."

The comment on traditions makes her feel a bit nervous, and she says, "Perhaps now is not the time to talk about that..." Remembering that she can cast a large quantity of spells, Kayte racks her mind for any spells that could be of some use to them. One comes to mind almost immediately. "Well, if I had some semi-common spell materials, I could get one of us across rather easily, and then the rest could cross the river by rope. I'm not sure how many times I can cast this spell, though, but I assume-" a cry for help cuts off her thought and Kayte returns to thinking with her survival instict processes.

As soon as she gets the opportunity, Kayte looks to the others and realizes what's happening. "Look, I can't do very much to help you out...I'm not the strongest of types and -" The rope goes flying. Realizing that the chance she can help in a successful rescue is slim to none, Kayte nonetheless reaches out and grabs Urf by the belt, hoping they can keep him on land. "Arfondt, get that spell ready - if you have a way to keep us steady, now would be the time!"

Here (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=2667069&posted=1#post2667069) are the necessary dice rolls. Initiative also included.
Oh, and Kayte's completely screwed.

[The Glyphstone]

Kylen O'Corrival
A massive, hefty man, almost six and a half feet and several hundred pounds of muscle. Dressed in a leather jerkin over ordinary clothes, but toting an equally large greatsword on his back. Displayed prominently embroidered on the jerkin is the holy emblem of Kord, as it is on the bronze pendant he wears. His expression is mixed, bearing an overall impression that the excitement he's experiencing is well worth the disruption to his routine.

Rolls:

Init, Strength Check (1d20+2=19, 1d20+2=12) (http://invisiblecastle.com/find.py?id=1075075)

Sir Kylen was sitting against the rocks with the others, catching his breath, when he heard the sound of Rach being swept towards them.
"Well, we certainly can't just let him get carried off now, can we?"

If Ulf beats Rach in initiative:

Planting his knees and feet in the rubble, he seizes the back of Ulf's belt and anchors him in place as best he can, leaning forward to give Ulf more reach if necessary.


If Rach sweeps by before Ulf can react:

"Don't worry, we'll get you!"
He either reaches down, hoping to snag a portion of Rach with his hand, or - if he's the only one who can react in time - will jump in and grab Rach, trying to anchor them both against the wall long enough for Ulf's rope to reach them.
Swim check in that instance (no penalty for not wearing my plate armor):Swim check (1d20+2=14) (http://invisiblecastle.com/find.py?id=1075091)

[PolkaBear]

Chaim's grip on the rope slipped slightly when Rach careened into him. He now found that his body was oriented at a different angle--and that the wild spinning had slowed. Just as he noticed his new stability, there was another tug on the rope and his head broke the surface of the water. He breathed in heavily, then sputtered as he inhaled a few flying droplets.

"There he is! Keep pulling!"

Eventually he was hauled/dragged out of the hole. The guard had cleared an area around the hole, in case it collapsed further; but the his rescuers had been working at the very edge to save him.

The hippogryph is just settling back to the cobblestoned surface of the street as Chaim appears. The woman on its back looks slightly sick.

Chaim hears a thunder of hooves and a whinnying call. He turns his head and sees Long John thundering toward him, a groom and a stableboy in the distance racing to keep up.

* * * * *

Most of the group was able to react with alacrity. Ulf's expert toss not only landed the rope near the swimmer, but practically placed it in his flailing grasp. The others braced the dwarf, not wanting him to be yanked through the gap.

Rach heard the shout of "ROPE!" with a hope that felt like panic. How could there be someone here to rescue him? He snatched at the rope as it fell across his hands.

Ulf had thrown the rope so that it looped around an outcropping (yes, the same that had snagged both Crennik and Ulf's piton), forming a pulley of sorts to lessen the shock of Rach's weight suddenly being applied to the other end of the rope.

Whether Rach's grip had been weakened by his several attempts to climb out of the sinkhole, or the waterlogged silk rope was slick and difficult to hold, was uncertain. In any case, although Rach caught the rope and held on, he was slipping quickly. It would be only a matter of time before he reached the end of the rope and was lost.

Okay, here's the situation. Rach caught the rope. Ulf, with help, is standing fast.

BUT:

Rach is not secure. His course downstream has been halted long enough for another round of action, meaning that those with low inits can act, then the higher inits. Because of the 'pulley' trick (I figured that such a good Use Rope check warranted something like that in addition to an easy catch DC for Rach), Rach is just outside the gap. He's not within arm's reach--anyone trying to fetch him would either need to follow the course of the rope or jump in and try to swim against the current--but you can see him and talk to him if you need. Figure that he's ten feet away from the gap.

[Mr the Geoff]

Ulf Ironbeard A dwarf holding a rope, with several humans holding his belt

Ulf could feel through the rope that Rach was slipping, as the drag was not quite right. Leaning against the weight but not tugging hard, Ulf tried to hold on, waiting for the feeling that the person on the other end had a decent grip. Through gritted teeth he managed to say "Just...hold...on...we'll...pull...you...in" then concentrated on holding the rope.





I figure with Arfondt the only one lower on the initiative run than Rach, and him only wanting to cast levitate on the rope if we fall in, we're back round to Ulf.

Here (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=2672086#post2672086) is a rather average 13 strength check

[The Vorpal Tribble]

Chaim, a tall, lanky, bedraggled man in sopping wet clothes.


Chaim clutches the arm that reaches out to him and stumbles to the top. He gives it a squeeze and bows his head in breathless thanks. The farmer scrambles a couple strides away from the holes and lies down, wiping a hand over his face.
He coughs and clears his throat, saying strongly as he basks in the sun, "There were others, carried away with the flow..."

He is then interrupted as an enormous clydesdale gallops up. It leans over and treats him to a wet nuzzle right in the face. Chaim doesn't seem to mind, just reaches up and pats the large nose. He grabs on and the horse lifts him to his feet. He walks over to the griffon and reaches up to help the woman off.

"I thank you son of the field." he says gravely and bows to the beast. It inclines its head and walks a few paces away before leaping into the air, fading away into the sunlight like an evaporating bead of dew.

[Irrealist]

Arfondt

Arfondt clings to Erwin's belt, glad they didn't fall in. he notices that something is wrong from the tone of Ulf's voice. He tries to get a good look at the situation. That Levitate might well be our only hope of getting out of here. I don't want to use it yet, as long as there is still a chance we can save that man using more mundane means.

[LurkerinthePlaygnd]

Rach Diggerson

Rach spurgled as he broke the surface of the water. He took a huge bight of the sudden air. Almost immediately, it seemed, there was a rope laying miraculously across his chest. Instinctively he grabbed for it. He caught the rope with his left hand but as he did so the torrent twisted his body in such a way that his right hand could not quite reach the life-line.

Hope sprang ephemeral as he felt the rope slowly slipping through his hand.

[Corinthian]

Erwin

Now with more time, Erwin was able to ground himself and now able to move more he now managed to hold onto the rope. With a quick motion now both of his hands were concentrating on the rope and with all of his might he began to slowly pull back.

"... ungh... we'll get you..." He could only mutter.

Rolled a 14 :smalltongue:

[tgva8889]

Kayte Mursai A charming young woman with light brown hair, bright eyes, soaking robes, and unrevealed abilities, who looks as though she's been thrown into a situation she never feels like she could survive.

Kayte immediately feels Urf move forward and tries to hold fast, though she feels her efforts do absolutely nothing to help the situation. Not wanting to be more of a hinderance, Kayte says, "I'm clearly not helping any, so if you don't mind, I think I might stop doing this if we don't succeed now." Pulling up as much strength as she can muster, which is a rather low amount, Kayte pulls on Urf's belt some more, still tempted to give up.

Here (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=2679379#post2679379) would be the necessary strength check.

[PolkaBear]

Sir Kylen

The paladin maintained a firm grip on the dwarf.

I'm afraid it's back to you, Arfondt.

[Irrealist]

Arfondt

Arfondt watches Rach's rescue and gets ready to intervene should anyone be in danger of being swept away.

[The Glyphstone]

Kylen O'Corrival
A massive, hefty man, almost six and a half feet and several hundred pounds of muscle. Dressed in a leather jerkin over ordinary clothes, but toting an equally large greatsword on his back. Displayed prominently embroidered on the jerkin is the holy emblem of Kord, as it is on the bronze pendant he wears. His expression is mixed, bearing an overall impression that the excitement he's experiencing is well worth the disruption to his routine.

Kylen gives another powerful yank on the dwarf and the rope, trying to lift both to where Rach will be in reach for a grab.


1d20=18 (http://invisiblecastle.com/find.py?id=1081000)+2=20.

[Mr the Geoff]

Ulf Ironbeard

Startled by the fact Rach was suddenly holding the rope well enough to provide resistance, Ulf struggles to keep the rope from flying out of his hands.



Sorry guys, I rolled a 4

[PolkaBear]

The hope of rescue finally seems to dawn on Rach; and his hands seize on the rope securely. At that point, it is little trouble for the others to pull him in and through the gap in the wall.

Crennik seems to be having a little trouble: he's half-slid over the edge of the angled block. "Uh...sorry," he says, more than a little embarassed at his predicament. "I tried to get up to help, and slipped. And, well...can somebody give me a hand?"

Finally, everyone (with the addition of Rach) is again sitting on the fallen blocks, considering the situation.

"I've been trying to figure out where we are. If we could see how long that shaft is, I might have a better idea. The closer you get to The Heldrise, the deeper the sewer runs. I guess those folks don't want the smell of the sewer ruining their property values. Below Eldridge, it's scarcely ten feet--'as if those folks wouldn't be able to distinguish the smell from their own sweat.'" He looked around apologetically. "Sorry; it's just something I heard said by a supervisor once. Made me mad: my Mum lives in the lower section."

* * * * *

The woman is slightly unstable on her feet, and presses in to Chaim to steady herself. "Thank you! I thought I'd never get to see my little girl again. Oh! Mirella!" She ran to where a man was holding the hand of a dark-haired little girl of around four years of age. The woman embraced the girl and poured out all sorts of small endearments.

Chaim watched the warmly familial scene until his attention was redirected, as a large, insistent nose nudged him hard. With a nicker, the horse's lips nipped at the farmer's vest, as if to open it and get to the stub of carrot it could smell inside.

One of the grooms from the stablery ran up, breathless and panting. "Sorry, sir. He just started acting up. We tried to get hold him and calm him down; but he's so--so big, and none of us could get near him, and the other animals were gettin' nervous. An' then he just busted out. I'm glad you were able to catch him. Sorry, sir; it won't happen again." From the look in his eyes, he wasn't so sure he could stop the horse even if he wanted to throw his body before a raging beast of more than eighteen hands. This was one of the junior groomsmen (which explained why he was the one to whom the lot fell to run through the streets), who hadn't come to the stablery until after Chaim had completed his service; so Chaim didn't know him as well--and he didn't know Chaim well, either.

[Mr the Geoff]

Ulf Ironbeard Damp Dwarf


"Now If I couldn't tell you just how far we are underground, I wouldn't be a dwarf" As Ulf untangles himself and everyone else from the rope he concentrates on those subtle little cues that tell him how deep he is.

Now I coulda sworn you were shinning up a rope to set up a block and tackle lad, how come you're back down a hole with us again?


Ulf is a Dwarf, he can intuit depth which might, combined with Crennik's knowledge of the sewer system, give us a rough idea of location.

[The Vorpal Tribble]

"Thats alright, son. Wasn't your fault at all." he says reassuringly and holds out his hand to shake the two stable worker's. He hands each of them a copper and nods his head in thanks. "I'll bring him back in time. For now I may have use for him."

He then squats by the hole and peers down into the dark waters below. He holds out a strand of wet hair and looks at the beading drops for a moment before twitching it and allowing the moisture to drip downwards.

"I beg a scout of the wet world, a sister of the waters. My need is dire..." he murmurs.

Below in the muddy water a boto leaps out, squeaking and clicking, balancing on its tail. Chaim rubs his nose and massages his throat before responding in the same high pitched voice and ends with a rrrrrbbb from deep in his chest.

In porpoise, ~River daughter, I pull you from your play to seek such as I that have been pulled by the current below. Can you look for the two-legs and tell me if any live? ~

-=-=-=-=-=-

Casted Speak with Animals and then used Summon Nature's Ally I to bring forth a fresh-water porpoise

[PolkaBear]

The summoned creature chitters and squeaks a response and then disappears into the water.

Two-legs shouldn't be in water; they are short of breath and weak against the water's strength. I will look and return.]

The sleek, grey-skinned form disappears under the water.

A horny finger taps Chaim on the shoulder. He turns to see a dwarf with some sort of badge. "Sorry, sir; but this whole section is being cleared until me and my crew can inspect it for soundness. You'll need to step over there." He gestured behind where a rope had been strung. "You also look like you could use a blanket and a hot drink. You one of them who fell?"

[The Vorpal Tribble]

Chaim nods and takes a step back.

"Give me a few moments, sir? I'd like to remain and give my respects to those who didn't make it. I will not be long." he requests.

[LurkerinthePlaygnd]

Rach Diggerson

With his hand slipping quickly off the rope, Rach made one last attempt to grab it with his right hand. This time the current conspired in his favor and twisted him in such a way that he could easily grab the line. He wrapped the rope around his hand as the others on the ledge pulled him to safety.

Upon gaining the dry ground, Rach said through deep breaths, Thank you all for your help, I thought I was a goner. I was quite surprised to see you all here. Rach sat for a moment to regain his composure.

Responding to the dwarf, he said, I was, but then, all of a sudden, there was nobody to rescue. I was going to climb out of the pit when I saw that one of the ropes was submerged and seemed to be holding a weight on the other end. I think it was the bearded fella'. Anyway, I dove in holding the rope, thinking I could untie him. However, I didn't realize that the current was as strong as it is. I bumped into him under water, but there was nothing I could do; the current swept me right past." Rach remembered the gentle tone with which the bearded man spoke to the lady that had escaped the pit. "I pray that the people topside had enough presence of mind to pull him up."

[Mr the Geoff]

Ulf Ironbeard

Ulf grimaced slightly at Rach's story another bloody hero who forgets that you can't rescue anyone if you're dead

"Well, as we were discussing before you came to visit, unless we want to wait here for days for the water to subside a bit, its looking like that shaft o light over there's our way out. Now I figure that even if we can get everyone over there we've got about 40 feet of climbing before we hit the surface, so we sure as anything aren't below Elridge. Now the problem is getting over there. I have a hunnerd feet of rope left and a couple of pitons to tie off to, but I figure getting over there is a bit more than my climbing skill can handle.

Ulf ponders some more then continues "Arfondt, how long does that levitate spell of your'n last, and can anyone see if that gap over there is even large enough to climb through without heading over there?"

[Irrealist]

Arfondt

Arfondt puts the small leather loop he held in his left hand back into his pocket and sits down. I think that's enough excitement for today. Now I'd love a cup of tea and a quiet hour in the library. "I'm glad you got out of there alive" he says to Rach.

When Ulf directs a question at him, he looks up again. "What? Oh yes, the spell... It should last a few minutes at least, say five, maybe a little more, but not much more than that."

[PolkaBear]

The square of light, from this angle, looks to be no wider than two feet across. You have no idea if the shaft is tapered, however.

* * * * *

The dwarf looks at Chaim consideringly. "Aye. That's the right thing to do. I'm uneasy about you being here, though; so just a minute." He looks Chaim in the eye, nods, and heads over to direct some of his fellows.

[tgva8889]

Kayte Mursai A rather tired-looking woman, with light brown hair, eyes of intelligence, and a rather dirtied and mussed-up expression. She gives off an aura that says she doesn't belong down here.

Kayte falls backwards as Rach is pulled to safety. Once everyone is safe and Rach begins talking, she gives him a glance, but says nothing to or in relation to him.

"Um...excuse me? I have a 'plan' for getting across the river. It lets anyone climb. Almost anything. Would you mind, Arfondt? I left my batch of spell materials at home, as I figured I wouldn't be falling into a hole today." Besides the fact that you ran out and forgot to buy another one. Something about her voice seems different, as though she's somehow gained some confidence. She puts her hands together and stretches, as if about to do something with them. Then, she holds one out towards Arfondt, as if waiting for something to appear in her hand. "I can get one person across, possibly two. They can check the shaft, see if we can use it as an escape route. If the shaft is a viable escape plan, then one person could then climb up the shaft while the rest get themselves across with the other's help. Once one person reaches the top, he or she could help the others get up using the typical method of rope climbing. If that shaft is a no-go, then the person can high-tail it back over here with ease. Sound good?" She looks meaningfully at the remainder of the group, as if she's already decided on a course of action and is simply waiting for approval from the rest of the group. They don't need to know that you like conserving spell energy. It's not important.

[Mr the Geoff]

Ulf Ironbeard

"Aye that'd work, and we could save the levitating for when we know we need it. That and we could set up a static rope across the water while we were at it. So, shall I pop over and take a peek or would you like to have a try Mr... Ulf looks at Rach "...ah we made the introductions before you came to visit, I'm Ulf"

[Irrealist]

Arfondt
A chubby man in long damp robes that cling to his no-so muscular body

Arfondt turns to face Kayte, raising an eyebrow. "Why didn't you say so earlier?" He stares into the air for a second. "I think I know which spell you mean. No I don't mind at all." His hand slides into a pouch at his belt, and returns with a tiny brown bag that seems to have something wriggly inside. He places the bag in Kayte's open palm. "They are both inside."
Now for me that alone would have been a good reason to research how to cast spells without their material components... So much for the superiority modern wizards claim to have over the witches of old.

He turns to Ulf and Rach. "Enjoy your meal, whoever it is that is volunteering".


My spellcraft check (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=2691290#post2691290) beat DC 20 + spell level (I thinkk 15 + spell lvl would have been sufficient), so I'm gonna assume Arfondt knows what Kayte is talking about.

[tgva8889]

Kayte Mursai A rather tired-looking woman, with light brown hair, eyes of intelligence, and a rather dirtied and mussed-up expression. She gives off an aura that says she doesn't belong down here.

Taking the bag, Kayte says, "Thank you, Arfondt. Now, who's going to cross? Urf or Rach? This is only enough for one spell, though I believe getting one person across will be sufficient, don't you all? Now, let's see here..." Noting Rach's presence, she says, "By the way, nice to meet you. Kayte Mursai." Closing her eyes, Kayte moves her arms and speaks the necessary arcane spell words before handing the bag to the climber, whomever they decide upon. Magic energy dances around her hands as she holds them out to the climber. "Eat it. It'll be unpleasent, I assure you. I've done it before." Once he has eaten the spider and bitumen, Kayte touches him on the shoulder. The magical energy passes from her hands to the center of the climber's chest, where it spins around in a sort of maelstrom of white light before dissapating. Smiling, Kayte says, "Start climbing. Maybe start on that wall over there. You've got a decent length of time, but don't go wasting it."

Cast spider climb on either Rach or Urf, whomever they decide. If it comes to vote, Kayte will choose Urf, being that he's a dwarf and would therefore know a bit about rock.

[Mr the Geoff]

Ulf Ironbeard That's Ulf, with an L

"You get some rest lad, I'll head over there and take a peek, if I can get my shoulders through the rest of you will be fine. Now I don't know which of ye's is odder, Kayte for needing a spider to cast a spell or Arfondt for carrying one in his pocket"

With a grimace Ulf swallows the spider, and the bitumen that doesn't taste any better, and heads over to the wall to start climbing. he still has the rope attached to himself, so he hands one end to Kylen, just to make sure.

Now if I were a wizard I would research a spell called squirrel climb, bit o roast squirrel wouldn't taste too bad, or maybe replace the tar with treacle to take away the taste o spider

Gingerly at first Ulf climbs, first up the wall, then across the ceiling to the hole, where he first looks through the gap then tries to pull himself through.

[LurkerinthePlaygnd]

Rach DiggersonA thoroughly soaked and somewhat distracted looking fellow

"What...oh, I'm Rach. Rach Diggerson," he says to the dwarf. Rach can't help feeling a sense of dread creep over him as he sits on the rock ledge. "Nice to meet you also, Ms. Mursai. I only wish it were under better conditions," he says to Kayte, forcing his lips into a smile.

"Yeah, Ulf, I could use a few minutes to rest."

[Irrealist]

Arfondt
A chubby man in long dark blue robes

"I am sorry I heven't introduced myself yet, Mr. Diggerson. My name is Arfondt.

[The Glyphstone]

Kylen O'Corrival
A large, bulky man toting a greatsword and displaying the holy symbol of Kord prominently.

"I must also beg pardon for my lack of proper greeting - though in the circumstances, I doubt anyone would fault us for the slip. I am Sir Kylen O'Corrival, paladin and crusader of Kord the Mighty -and very pleased to meet you."

[LurkerinthePlaygnd]

Rach Diggerson

"Believe me, I'm glad to have met you all...especially under these conditions," Rach says, attempting humor.

[PolkaBear]

The nose of the river dolphin soon poked above the surface of the water once more. With the squeaks and clicks of that creature's language, she told Chaim of her explorations. She had been able to explore as far as a sudden downrush of the water: past that point, the dolphin would have been unable to return.

She did not see any sign of any humans; but she did note that at one point she was able to hear "the talk-voices of two-legs. They were not in the water." She had looked out of the water, but could not see them. There was a wall, though; and the voices seemed to be coming from beyond it.

The dwarf returns. "Your minute's up. Come along and we'll get you warmed up."

* * * * *

Ulf inspects the shaft. It goes straight up, about forty feet, and then turns sharply. The light is coming from just around the turn, reflecting off the black, glistening rock walls. The dwarf judges that his head might fit into the hole, but there's no way his shoulders would get through. Kayte or Erwin would probably be the only ones skinny enough to shimmy their way up--and even then, it would be a feat.

[tgva8889]

Kayte Mursai A young woman with light brown hair, eyes of intelligence, and a rather dirtied and mussed-up expression. Something about her makes it seem as though she's done something right for once, though it's clear that she still thinks she doesn't belong anywhere near this situation.

Kayte smiles at Rach's words as she takes a seat on the rocks. "Don't try too hard, Rach." It's clear she looks pleased at his words. While she doesn't laugh at his humor, she does give an approving smile at him. He makes you feel uncomfortable, but he's not such a bad guy, I suppose. Would make sense, based on his story. Sighing, Kayte looks around the place and says, "Anyone got lights? Besides me?" She listens as best she can while the water flows past and they wait for Urf...Or was it Ulf...now that I think about it...to return to the group.

[The Vorpal Tribble]

Chaim, a literally steaming man of lanky proportions and above average height who's making alot of odd noises.

"Squick sqeuak brrrr duh duh duhplthhh, squickle skee!" Chaim calls down, and his lips actually raise up in a small smile.
River daughter, you are beautiful, and I release you to your play!

He turns back to the likely confused dwarf, "I will leave, but tell me, what do you know of the cellars of the town? A party must be formed, they live, sir, they live!"

He then begins to walk the streets the rough distance he was able to glean from the boto's descriptions.

-=-=-=-=-=-

Knowledge (local) to roughly estimate where the party is under = 26 (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=2697346&postcount=140)

Survival to predict the weather = 23 (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=2697355&postcount=141)

So should know the weather for the next 2 and a half days.

[Mr the Geoff]

Ulf Ironbeard A dwarf apparently "standing" on his hands and knees on the ceiling of a sewer. His wet beard hangs in his face and his hair hangs down even further

Ulf brings his head back out of the shaftand calls across to the others over the sound of rushing water "Bad news lads and lasses, it's 40 feet straight up, and it's too narrow to get up. Either it's a drain or someone left the lid off the privy. Anyway, we aren't getting up here, and to widen a shaft you gen'rally have to start at the top and work down. This leaves us up **** creek without a paddle, literally in this case. I'll take a look further downstream to see if there's anything we can lower ourselves to with a rope"

With that Ulf will head downstream along the ceiling as far as he can go without dropping into the water (if there is sufficient headroom above the level of the water).

[LurkerinthePlaygnd]

Rach Diggerson: A very damp human of average size.

Fighting a rising feeling of claustrophobia, Rach listens as Ulf explains their predicament. He closes his eyes for a moment and breathes deeply and deliberately to combat his personal dread. He sits quietly, collecting his thoughts as he watches Ulf spider-crawl across the ceiling. Now there's something you don't see everyday, he thinks, a bit of his normal good humor returning to him.

[Irrealist]

Arfondt
damp scholar

Arfondt is very excited when Ulf returns. "So what did you see?" He listens closely to Ulf's report. "Did you hear anything when you were up there? Were there people around? Were you able to attract attention to yourself, so someone could get a rescue underway? If it isn't possible to widen the shaft, maybe they can throw a few scrolls of shrink down to us." He turns to Kayte. "You don't happen to have that spell prepared, do you?"

[PolkaBear]

While the dwarf escorted Chaim outside of the roped-off area, the farmer formed his plan. When he asked about cellars, the dwarf's expression became pensive and slightly confused.

"They live, you say? Now, how could you be knowing a thing like that?" He shrugged and waved a hand. "Never mind; there's plenty of odd ways folks around here have. Still, I don't know what good cellars would do. Unless that water climbed uphill, they're not in reach of any cellars I know. The only thing dug deep around here are the sewers. No sense digging through solid rock 'less you have a reason. I suppose a few of them might have cellars--there's an odd pocket of earth here and there, otherwise you'd not have got that soaking earlier."

They reached the edge of the area that had been cordoned; and the dwarf put a heavy hand on Chaim's elbow. "Don't you go haring off after them, though. Going most places would take authorization from the City Seats--which shouldn't be hard to get, but things gotta be done decently, y'see. They might even run into one of the crews checking everything for flooding; my brother's on one o' them. You just worry about getting dry and warm."

[If Chaim shares what he intuited about weather:]
The dwarf nodded, pleased. "[b][color=sandybrown]That's good to know. I was afraid that we were getting only a temporary break; but maybe we'll be able to repair this damage and others before we're drowned again.

The woman Chaim had rescued approached him with a blanket in one hand and Mirella in the other. She looked as if she wanted to say something to him.

[tgva8889]

Kayte Mursai A young woman with light brown hair, eyes of intelligence, and a rather dirtied and mussed-up expression. She carries a rather puzzled look, and it's clear that she still thinks she doesn't belong anywhere near this situation.

"Considering I'm not sure exactly what spell you're talking about, it's highly likely that no, I don't have access to that spell, though I can guess at it's function by the name." Looking at Arfondt as though he should have known better, Kayte says, "I'm not some powerful spellcaster, you know. I'm just a bookstore clerk." Smiling coyly at the mage for a small moment, Kayte looks about some more, still unsure as to what sort of plans they might be able to enact. "Ulf, be careful where you go with that spell active. It won't last forever. Oh, and sorry about the name mix up." Hopefully, he won't be too annoyed.

[Irrealist]

"Yes, I can see how that spell would make getting a book from the top shelf a lot easier, so I guess most clerks learn it as part of their training." Arfondt smiles at her whimsically. "Do you think it will last long enough to go back up there and call for help?"

[PolkaBear]

Upcurrent from the group, the sewer divides left and right; downcurrent, it curves into darkness. The channel is about fifteen feet wide, but can see the ledge of which Crennick spoke about a foot beneath the surface of the water. The ledge runs along the near wall--the blocks on which you sit had been pushed out atop it--and it looks to be about four feet wide. The 'ceiling' of the sewer is about ten feet above you, with drainage shafts (such as the one Ulf inspected) emptying into the sewer every twenty or thirty feet. The walls are a mixture of hewn rock and dressed blocks, depending upon the engineers' jugment of the passage's soundness. The walls are slick and damp, but there is a handrail running along the near wall a couple feet above the water's surface.

[tgva8889]

"Yes, I can see how that spell would make getting a book from the top shelf a lot easier, so I guess most clerks learn it as part of their training." Arfondt smiles at her whimsically. "Do you think it will last long enough to go back up there and call for help?"

Kayte Mursai

Smiling at the mage, Kayte says, "Funny, it wasn't in the bookkeeper's manual. Amazing, how they keep all the good spells away from us, huh?" As he asks his real question, Kayte thinks for a few moments, then shrugs. "It's likely that he'll have time to climb out of here, but I'm not sure he'll have enough time to get back down. If he takes too long, though, I'd like to have a look over there myself." Taking a copper coin from her money pouch, Kayte practices flipping it over in various ways. It's clear she is impatient, much to anxious to escape the sewers they've fallen into.

[The Vorpal Tribble]

Chaim

"Was just going to check the general area, sir." Chaim responds. He then looks over at the woman that approaches. He looks at the young girl and a rare smile, warm as the sun on the cobbles, spreads across his face.

"I see you found her." he says leaning down a little and waving to the tot.

-=-=-=-=-

OOC: Grr, sorry for not posting. For some reason many of my subscribed threads are no longer subscribed and I thought the game had just been lax. Came to see where everyone was and find out they've been here all along.

[LurkerinthePlaygnd]

Rach Diggerson

Rach feels the need to do something...anything to get out of the hole and back to daylight. He gets up and looks around the ledge that they are perched upon. "Hey everyone, this looks like a hand rail of some sort," he says, pointing. "If Ulf doesn't find an obvious way out, we might have to follow the rail to see if we can find an exit of some sort."

[PolkaBear]

Below

"Oh, there will be exits," remarks Crennick. "That's how we--they--maintain these sewers when there's a blockage or collapse or something. They're all locked, though; some are barred, too. To guard against the pressure of an overflow situation, I'd guess. Still, an exit's an exit: it's gotta open onto some place that's accessible. Maybe somebody would hear us if we raised a racket near one."

He sucks on his teeth and squints downcurrent. "I seem to remember being called in to check these things after heavy rainfall. Well, I was carrying supplies, anyway; was the engineers that usually did the checking. Who knows? We might run into one of them. Repair parties, I mean."

* * * * *

Above

The dark-haired girl looks at you (Chaim) silently and wide-eyed. She stands slightly apart from her mother, although they are holding hands.

"Yes, I did," the woman replies, "thanks to you. I never thought I'd see her again; and that would have...broken my heart." The little girl looks to be about the same age as your youngest girl. Your heart pounds and you think of home. The thought of being separated forever...

You nearly were.

"Look at you, though: you're dripping. Here, take this blanket. It will help you get warm." The green and red striped wool blanket she drapes around your shoulders is scratchy but substantial, and smells faintly of horse.

"Please, do allow me to do something for you. I live just around the corner--well, up the hill and around the corner--and can get you something to warm you up." In your wet state, the stiff breeze is negating the sun's warmth; you shiver. "Then you can continue on your business. Please, it's the least I can do."

When she mentions "your business," you are reminded of the task* that brought you into Drim today.

*You were going to see the City Seats--specifically, the Seat of Agriculture--to see if something could be done about the farmers' ruined crops. The farmer who would normally speak on behalf of the others had recently taken ill and broken his leg; so the task fell to you.

You look down at your clothes: you are filthy with mud and unfit for an appearance at the Heldrise. The woman sees your look. "I can...well, you look to have the same build as my husband. I'm sure some of his clothes would fit you. No, really, it's no trouble considering. You can clean yourself up, too."

[The Glyphstone]

Kylen O'Corrival
A large, bulky man toting a greatsword and displaying the holy symbol of Kord prominently. His attitude is a mixed combination of bemused interest and annoyance.

"Well, it's not like we can do much else for now...

He brightens slightly, as if remembering something. From one of his pockets, he tugs what appears to be a large, empty wooden mug, and holds it in front of him carefully. He mutters a few words in what sounds like Dwarven - and the empty mug is abruptly filled with foaming beer. Leaning up against the wall, he takes a deep drink.


In Dwarven, the command phrase was "Fill 'er up!"

[tgva8889]

Kayte Mursai

Kayte eyes the mug with a mixture of disgust and envy. "You have no idea how much I would like one of those right now." The smell of the beer from here makes her sick, but she's still eager to take it and pour it down her throat. If it's a dream, you can't feel the side effects of getting drunk. You're not really hear, so why care? Just take the drink and move on with your day. She looks as though she's going to puke in the water, or at least like she wants to. Jokingly, she goes into conversation about his word. "Interesting. I recognize that one. Was it Fill 'er up or Fill 'em up? I missed some of it." She speaks the command word perfectly the first time, though the second time seems not far off. It's clear that she's bored and simply poking for conversation, but Kayte seems relatively normal at the moment. She tries to steer clear of the talk of escaping.

[Mr the Geoff]

Ulf Ironbeard

Ulf returns from his long exploration just in time for the tail end of the conversation and gingerly crawls from the wall back to the floor."It's Fill 'er up! Good accent though, for a human. Anyway, back to the matter at hand, that ledge Crennick was on about's only a foot or so under water, with a Handrail about chest height.." he looks at his audience a moment "...sorry, waist height. I suggest we rope ourselves together and make our way along looking for a grate. Don't worry about the locks, we'll deal with that when we get there. Now I have a hunnerd foot of rope left, and if Rach has some to go with the block and tackle we might be able to spread ourselves even further, though a hunnerd foot should be enough to keep us from fallin over each other"

[PolkaBear]

Below

"I'm game," offers Crennick. "I think I twisted my knee, but it seems more sore than damaged. I should make it." He ineffectively attempts to brush some mud off his red shirt before he stands.

"Here, let me give you hand." Erwin reaches out a hand to steady the man. "I'm Erwin. Did you--Crennick? Right?"

Crennick nods.

"Then let's get tied together and be out of here as soon as we can."

[The Vorpal Tribble]

Chaim

"Ma'am, I would be most grateful to take you up on your offer, but I have reason to believe the others may still be alive and I think I know where. If you could do something for me, it'd be to contact the Seat of Agriculture and explain to them the events here today and apologize for my absence." he responds, straightening back up to speak to the woman, and tugging the blanket about himself with a nod of thanks.

[tgva8889]

Kayte Mursai

Kayte immediately begins counting people. Once she's got everyone, she says, "There's seven of us here, right? Ulf, you don't really need to get wet for another half-hour or so, I'd guess. That's leave the six of us who'll have to cross. Ulf, d'you think you'd be able to head our group? I think it might be easier for you to climb the wall than to hug it, if you know what I mean." Once everyone begins tying themselves to the rope, Kayte eyes it for a moment before she begins attempting it. After only a few moments, she says, "How about you tie it for me, Ulf?" in a sweet voice. "Rope-tying is not one of those skills we pick up in the bookstore."

[Mr the Geoff]

Ulf Ironbeard

"No offense to your magical prowess, but I think I will stay withinn reach of the handrail, but aye I'll take the lead, after all I am the one who can see down here"

Ulf then fastens the rope around Kayte, and anyone else that wants help.


If allowed, Ulf will take 10 on all his use rope checks to tie people up, and to tie his ropes together to make a 100ft one. With +2 for his silk rope that gives 25s all round.

[Irrealist]

Arfondt:

"I think I could use some help here too", Arfondt says to Ulf. He raises his hands so Ulf can tie the rope around his belly, and interestedly watches his nimble fingers work their wonders on the rope. Hmm, beer. It'll have to wait until we're out of here though. "What are we waiting for? I can't wait to stand in the sunlight again."

[PolkaBear]

Above

When Chaim mentions the Seat of Agriculture, the woman's eyebrows go up in surprise. "I--I'm not sure that I could." A corner of her mouth quirks into a smile. "At least, not right away. I could get a message to him in a few days. Would that be alright?"

Then as if she hadn't asked a question, she quickly turns serious again. "But you said that the others were alive. How do you know? Weren't they swept away and drowned? Maybe I should help you find them." This last is firm. You get the sense that she's coming with you, regardless of your preferences.

* * * * *

Below

"Which way do we go?"

Everyone can see that the tunnel continues only a moderate distance each direction, for the shafts of light stop. Ulf, however, can tell that the tunnel forks upcurrent and turns downcurrent.

"I'd guess that the water gets deeper the farther down it flows. The ledge should stay above it, though. It's supposed to, anyway."

[tgva8889]

Kayte Mursai

Kayte shudders at the thought of rising water, and says, "If the need rises, and if Arfondt has enough materials left over, I can provide a few more castings of that spell I used before. Last resort, of course." She shudders again at the thought of those spell materials, then draws upon a bit of magic and creates a few lights in the air, which Arfondt should recognize immediately. If anyone dares to take closer examination on the lights, they will find that they are in the shapes of rings, each resembling the ring Kayte wears on her finger. Smiling, Kayte says, "That ought to brighten things up a bit. No pun intended."

Cast Dancing Lights again.

[LurkerinthePlaygnd]

Rach Diggerson

"The water's gotta go somewhere. Maybe if we follow it downstream we can exit wherever the water does. Rach racks his brain trying to recall where the city sewers drain to.

19 (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=2734535&posted=1#post2734535&postcount=144)

[Irrealist]

Arfondt

"I expect it could be a long way until the water exits the sewers. They run below all of the city, meaning we might well have to walk all the way across the city and then some more. I understand we are looking for a maintenance access, so we might be better off going upstreams where the water is more shallow." Arfondt stares in to the empty air for a moment, then pats down his robes absently. "Regardless of which way we go, we should leave a message here in case someone comes looking for us. The ones that got pulled up will surely mount a rescue, and we shouldn't make finding us any harder for them. Does anyone here have any tools we could use to leave some eye-catching mark in the walls?"

[Mr the Geoff]

Ulf Ironbeard

"I would surmise that some sort of access exists downstream as well as upstram. But you've all felt the strength of this current so I would
rather go with it than fight against it personally"

[The Vorpal Tribble]

Chaim listens and is ruffling his hair dry in the blanket when she mentions going searching. He pulls the blanket back and gives her an appraising look.

"I would think you would wish to care for your daughter." he responds questioningly. "A search party will be ready soon enough."

He pointedly doesn't explain how he knows this information, not particularly sure she'd believe him anyways.

[tgva8889]

Kayte Mursai

Looking around, Kayte says, "How well hidden are these passageways we're talking about?" She has a bit too much fun sending the lights flying all around the place, sheding light wherever it can be. "As for leaving a message, there's not much we can do. How about you? Isn't it trademark for those mages to have some sort of mystic symbol or what not?" Before he starts to talk to her about being a mage, she quickly adds, "And no, I can't do it. I'm just a bookkeeper."

[LurkerinthePlaygnd]

Rach Diggerson

Already slightly fatigued from his ordeal, Rach adds his vote, "I'd rather not fight the current anymore than we have to. I also suggest heading downstream.

He then says to Ulf, "I do have a hundred feet of rope should the need arise. I also have a variety of tools that, should we find an access door, will come in handy."

[Irrealist]

Arfondt

Arfondt turns to Rach. "Couldn't you use these same tools to carve an arrow into the stone walls to point others into the direction we will have gone? I have some phosphorescent moss here that we could use to make it more noticeable.
I didn't expect I would need that spell today, so I don't have it ready right now." he adds, looking to Kayte. "If you want to, I could teach you a few spells after we get out of here. I am sure there are some that could aid you in your work."

He looks left and right into the dark passage of the sewers, then concedes: "If the experts say that going downstream is best, that is what we should do."

[Mr the Geoff]

Ulf Ironbeard

"I think the tools Rach is referring to are more delicate in nature, I have some of the same should the need arise, but for hacking lumps out of rock you can't do better than my mining pick unless we have a stonemason among us"

With that Ulf retrieves his pick from a backpack which at first glance looks too small to even hold it, then holds it out. "If someone else could do the honours, I am a bit busy tying Kayte up in knots here"

[PolkaBear]

Above

"She'll be fine. Ronner!" A short, thin man runs over to the woman. "Take Mirella back to the townhouse. Look after her, she's had a scare." Her hand absently strokes the girl's hair.

"Yes'm. I'll make sure she's safe at home."

The man leads the girl away, and the woman turns back to Chaim. "I've taken care of it. Now where did you say they are?"

She ses the expression on his face and laughs musically, blushing slightly. "Oh, I'm sorry; you must think I'm cruel to send her off like that. Actually, she was begging to go home right before they pulled you up. Poor girl was quite upset, and being back among familiar things will certainly settle her. We, however, have a job to do. I'm just so used to making sure that things get done in good order, that I acted immedately. Please forgive my brusqueness. I'd certainly hate it if those poor folks perished because we all stood around. Come, show me where you think they are."

"My name's Ferah. You're very conscientious, to be so concerned for the welfare of others. It's an admirable trait, and rubs off on others."

[If Chaim accedes to her company:]
As soon as Chaim indicates a direction, they set off at a quick pace.

[LurkerinthePlaygnd]

Rach Diggerson

"If we're gonna head downstream, I suggest tying ...Kylen is it?...to the rear. You look to be a pretty strong fella'," he says to the Kylen. "Ulf, you should probably lead, seein' as how you can see further than the rest of us in the dark.

[The Vorpal Tribble]

Chaim nods with obvious admiration.

"Ferah. You remind me much of my wife. She to is a strong woman. I am Chaim Hyman." he responds and reaches up to tip his hat only to remember it was whisked away in the waters. "And yes, we must hurry."

With that he sets off at a brisk pace that leaves the woman behind him to make an effort to keep up.

[Irrealist]

Arfondt

Arfondt takes the pick, walks over to a wall and with crude strikes hammers an arrow into the wall that points into the direction they will we heading. He takes some phosphorescent moss out of the same bag he previously found the spider in, and smears is over the arrow.
"I think if anyone comes looking for us, this is impossible for them to miss." With that he returns to Ulf to get himself tied up and ready to move on.

[tgva8889]

Kayte Mursai

Kayte is slightly puzzled at the idea of preperation, but nods to Arfondt, simply saying, "That would be lovely," in a completely distracted way. When the pick starts hammering into the wall, however, Kayte takes a shocked reaction to the stonework, until she realizes who's doing it. She waits patiently for an answer to her previous question, assuming someone knows the answer.

[PolkaBear]

Below

The party is now bound securely together and has left its directional indicator in the wall. [Party order: Ulf, Crennick, Arfondt, Rach, Kayte, Erwin, Sir Kylen.]

You begin sloshing your way downcurrent. The water is, for the most part, only a foot deep; but as you approach the bend, you can see that the water eddies up on the far side as the tunnel's course turns toward the left.

The walls are sweating and give off an earthy odor. The handrail, however, has been forged to deal with the sewer's damp, and thus is not slippery. Occasionally your foot will hit a spot where moss or algae (or some unidentified muck) has compromised the footing; but the rope serves you well and has prevented any mishaps so far.

"The doors we used weren't hidden at all, miss. Just look for a solid door in the wall. I wouldn't see a point in hiding 'em; they're built to be used, after all. Sometimes we had to go through a basement and a short passage to get to them; so depending on which one we come out, there might be a fuss since there was no official notice or anything. Eh. I figure nobody'll mind--with what happened."

* * * * *

Above

Chaim jogs off to the nearest sewer access he could remember in the general vicinity in which he guessed the others were; it was just a few streets over. He recalled seeing it when he came into the city to pay his farm taxes (it was near the Ag Exchequer). Ferah is a half-step behind when Chaim pulls up in front of a bulkhead that replaced an alleyway.

"That it? They're down there?" She pauses for breath, and she glances at the Exchequer building. When Chaim nods, she replies, "Well, let's get down there and help them."

She grabs the wheel that serves to operate the door's seal and tries to turn it. It won't budge.

[tgva8889]

Kayte Mursai

Kayte shrugs at the answer, if she can. "Ah well. Worth a shot." She winks at Arfondt, hoping he can figure out what she's been trying to do. If he seems confused, she says, in a rather joking manner, "Those doors don't happen to be age-old magical artifacts or something, right? If they were magical..." She smiles at the wizard as they go forward, the lights floating above their heads as if to provide some sort of salvation.

[Mr the Geoff]

Ulf Ironbeard

Ulf carries on downstream, using the spider climb as long as it lasts but always staying on the wall with one hand on the handrail.

"I don't imagine anyone made a sewer with magic doors lass, probably just a big old lump of iron, which is more my area of expertise anyway. By the way do I get some kind of warning when this spell wears off, or do I just find myself falling off this here wall?"

[tgva8889]

Kayte Mursai

Kayte immediately remembers the answer to Ulf's question. "Oh, no, you'll just fall off the wall. You'll have some time to grip something tightly on your way down, lucky me, but once the spell wears off it's a short drop. It does last a good half hour, though. At least, it did when I tried it." She moves along with the rest of the group, hands on the rails and feet trying to find proper holds. If someone goes down, you're going with them.

[The Glyphstone]

Kylen

The stolid paladin says nothing, or has nothing to say, but continues to creep along carefully behind the others.

(sry, just a "Im alive" post.)

[Irrealist]

Arfondt:

Arfondt stares at Kayte with a puzzled look. "Why do you think these doors could be magical?" He returns her smile before looking ahead again to see where he is going. She seems a bit confused. I wonder how long we've been down here already.

[PolkaBear]

Below

Ulf rounds the corner first. This next section of the sewer has no shafts of light coming from above; but the darkness is no hinderance to your race, and you can see that it continues straight for at least sixty feet. There are no obvious doors within range of your darkvision.

Rach and Kayte ONLY:Rach and Kayte ONLY:Amidst the gurgling of the water as it flows through the sewers, you hear a 'plunk' as of something falling into the water. It comes from around the corner, though you are unable to tell if Ulf dropped something or if it came from farther on.

[Mr the Geoff]

Ulf Ironbeard

At Kayte's words Ulf climbs back down to place his feet firmly on the submerged ledge rather than risk falling off the wall, his hand still gripping the handrail as he does so, then carries on walking.

[tgva8889]

Kayte Mursai

Jeez, I expected more of an understanding nod or something...apparantly, sarcasm is hard to comprehend..."I didn't think the doors were magical, it's just-" A sound in the distance, barely auidible, cuts her off. "Wait. Stop. What was that? Did anyone else hear that?" She becomes suddenly rather paranoid at that sound, moving the front light towards where she thought it might have come from. "Ulf, did you see anything?" There's a good bit of fear in her eyes at this point, though she's good enough to hide the fear in her voice.

[Mr the Geoff]

Ulf Ironbeard


"What sound? I heard nothing" Ulf stops in his track and turns hes head back and forth, eyes darting about the area, and listens for another sound.



Spot [roll0]
Listen [roll1]

[PolkaBear]

Below

Ulf doesn't see anything unusual.

He (and anyone else who beats a DC 19 listen check) hears...
...a faint scrabbling sound from somewhere ahead, as of tiny objects scraping stone.

[The Vorpal Tribble]

Chaim smiles inwardly and looks down to examine the cover.

"I can make the attempt, though the others should also be alerted. Would you be willing to go back and let them know where we have gone?" he says as he runs a finger over the entrance to the sewers.

He looks to Longjohn that has followed them before reaching down to tug on the cover.

[PolkaBear]

Above

The bulkhead is a small building that spans where an alley would otherwise be. The windowless steel door is large, presumably to allow equipment and materials access to the passage down to the sewers. A wheel mechanism operates a strong seal.

Ferah looks at Chaim doubtfully. "It might only be jammed; but my guess is that it's locked. Still, you can try it while I go notify the authorities."

She strides quickly in the direction of the Agricultural Exchequer.

[LurkerinthePlaygnd]

Rach Diggerson

Responding to Kayte, Rach says, "I thought I heard something fall in the water up ahead. Probably just some rubble loosened by the high water."

[The Vorpal Tribble]

Chaim

"Most like." Chaim drawls, looking at the mechanism without any great recognition. He has a go at it anyways just to check for certain.

[PolkaBear]

Above

Chaim tries to turn the wheel. It has a little play in it, but it will not turn. Thus you surmise that the door is locked instead of just stuck.

* * * * *

Below

[The group has stopped and is listening. Unless you tell me otherwise, IC or OOC, I will shortly presume that the group will continue on as it has before.]

[Mr the Geoff]

Ulf Ironbeard

After a short pause to listen, Ulf carries on downstream as before, moving towards the source of the sound he heard.

[The Vorpal Tribble]

Chaim gives up on it, and stands back up to wait for the others. He pats Long John's neck.

"Nicker, brerrr brerrr, ftpp, mmmhmmhmmm weehmmhmm, brrup..." he begins, and goes on for a few moments.

'Sorry you won't be able to come along ole friend, but ye're not much for the dark and narrer. Head along back to them stables after I've gone down a spell. Iffin I'm not back by this night you go fetch the Lady and bring her back y'hear?'

[LurkerinthePlaygnd]

Rach Diggerson

As Ulf continues onward so too does Rach.

[PolkaBear]

Above

Chaim waits.

[Continue reading]

* * * * *

Below

The group rounds the turn without incident. As they progress, Ulf can see that the sewer tunnel turns in the other direction ahead. In about the middle of this stretch of tunnel, he can see a square hole in the near wall, as if a large block had been removed, at the dwarf's shoulder-height. (Since the blocks in the wall are so large, the hole is about three feet by three feet square.)

As you approach it, several of you hear the skritching sound again.

* * * * *

Above

Ferah comes out of the building and returns to Chaim. "Well, I told them, for all the good it will do. They 'dispatched a messenger to the proper authorities.' I tried to get them to open up the bulkhead for us so we could go down and look--I know they have a key--but they said we didn't have the proper authorization. Proper this and proper that. Bureaucrats!"

She looks Long John up and down. "So what do we do now?"

[PolkaBear]

Below

Kayte's lights soon make it apparent to everyone that there is a hole in the wall to your left (the near wall). You can also hear sounds of movement. Much movement.

[The Vorpal Tribble]

Chaim

"We go and stick a burr under their saddle." Chaim responds grimly, marching back for the group, his jaw set with determination.

[tgva8889]

Kayte Mursai

"C'mon, let's go," she says, motioning towards the hole in the wall if she can. The lights all move up, one light hovering directly above the entrance. Kayte seems clearly anxious to get out of the caves, still a bit on edge from the skritching noises she's heard. The movement above makes her feel rather uncomfortable and quite on edge, and she decides to make no efforts to remain calm. If anyone's playing close enough attention, they can see her hyper-ventilating.

Once everyone enters the opening, if they enter the opening, the lights will follow them, with one up front, one in the back, one in the middle, and one up ahead, "scouting" ahead of the group.

Check dice-rolling thread for a listen check for the noises. I explained the light movements, but she obviously keeps them within spell range.

[PolkaBear]

Above

Chaim, followed by Ferah and his horse, jogs back to the site of the cave-in. [That's where I assume you meant by "back for the group." Ferah had gone to the nearest municipal building.] The intersection is now completely roped off. Many of those who are out enjoying the sunshine are standing at the barrier watching the work progress with curiosity, while those on business are muttering about the detour and the congestion it's caused.

Chaim approaches the barrier and flags down a worker. The man looks disgusted at the interruption; but Chaim's persistence brings him over.

"What's the problem?"

Below

The group clusters around the opening to the horizontal shaft. Crennick shrugs and indicates that he's unfamiliar with its purpose. The rustling noise is loud enough that all of you can hear it, along with high-pitched squeaks.

"Rats," Erwin offers. "Sounds like a whole horde of them. Best just to leave them alone. No way I'm crawling through a rat's nest."

Kayte's light shines down the shaft and is reflected as tiny pairs of pinpricks. The pinpricks freeze motionless, then surge forward.

The beady eyes of the rats are fixed on you.

Roll Initiative in the Dice-Rolling Thread (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=42592&page=5)

[The Vorpal Tribble]

"I am in need of a way of opening the bulkhead over there." he says calmly but firmly, gesturing in its vague direction. "For an attempt at a rescue of the men and women taken by the waters."

-=-=-=-=-

OOC: Crud, missing all the action, and Chaim could deal so well with that situation to...

[Irrealist]

Arfondt

AC: 13
HP: 31/31

Arfondt knew what was going to happen before it did. He draws a dagger from a sheath on his belt and points it at the rats. "Maybe if we don't attack them they will just run past us?"

Init: 1d20+2 = 22
Rolled knowledge(rats) 14 to predict the behaviour of the rats

[LurkerinthePlaygnd]

Rach Diggerson AC: 13, HP: 40/40

Staring down the shaft at the points of light, Rach instinctively reaches over his shoulder to his pack. Flipping up the flap on the side pocket he retrieves a large knife that was waiting for his hand to grasp it. I love this pack.

"Rats!"

Rach slashes at the first rat that gets close enough.

[tgva8889]

Kayte Mursai AC: 13 (Touch 13, FF 11) HP: 41/41

"Shoot." Putting up her hands, Kayte pulls from memory a spell she knows she can cast, then points her hands towards the rats, closes her eyes, and whispers, "Sleep." A wave of white dust-like material floats through the air towards the rats, blanketing them in its mist.

Initiative is 15, I believe. Move in such a way as to put as little of the party within range of this spell if it were to be cast, then cast sleep if the rats try to attack the party (ready action). Woo, it's a Will Save of the DC 15, assuming the spell affects them at all.

Kayte does not have the following items on her person that are listed on her sheet:
Shortsword, Crossbow, Mithral, Gloves, Hand of the Mage, and everything listed in the "Other Possessions" section of the character sheet except the belt pouch. She has 50 GP on her as well.

[The Glyphstone]

Sir Kylen
Init: 4
HP: 54/54
AC: 14 (12 after attacking), flatfooted 13

At the approach of the rats, Sir Kylen slides his greatsword smoothly off his back, holding it in a two-handed grip as best as he can without losing his balance. Recognizing the futility and danger of swinging it blindly in this situation, he resorts to thrusting with the tip at any rat who gets in his reach.

(OOC: Sir Kylen isn't wearing his full plate armor currently - he does have his buckler and sword though. Thus, the AC drops by 9...)

[Mr the Geoff]

Ulf
AC 18 (wearing his mail as he uses it as safety gear sown the mine - also, he;s a dwarf, its the uniform)
HP 46/46

Ulf's hand flies to his backpack where, miraculously, a mining pick is the item right at the top, grabs it and takes a firm stance, ready to squash any rat that comes close to him.


(only thing missing from Ulf's sheet is the big axe)

[PolkaBear]

Above

The worker sighed. "Sir, we're trying to get some work done here. I don't know anything about a rescue, and I certainly don't have a key to any bulkhead." His voice took an edgy, impatient tone. "In case you hadn't noticed, there's a big hole in the ground, blocking up two whole streets. Now if you'll just excuse me."

* * * * *

Below

Rach makes a deft swipe with his knife, slicing across the sensitive noses of innumerable rats at once. [1 damage.] The creatures in front pull back slightly, but are quickly overwhelmed from behind as other rats push through.

The horde keeps coming.

Ulf pulls out his mattock and readied it in case the rats should head his way.

Kayte invokes arcane energies, directing her spell down the shaft so as to avoid unpleasant side effects for her companions. The dust she tosses into the air drifts lazily over the churning mass of rodents. She waits for the spell to take effect.

"You'd be better off standing here," Erwin muttered to the broad man with the big sword. "Switch with me." While Sir Kylen held the handrail, Erwin skipped around him. "Thanks." [Erwin and Sir Kylen have switched positions.]

Then the bard begins singing. You all feel invigorated, and the darkness and damp of the sewer seem less oppressive. [Using Inspire Courage: +2 bonus to saves vs. fear/charm, to attacks, and to damage.]

Like Ulf on the other end, Sir Kylen readies himself should the rats come in range.

Crennick's eyes go wide. "Last time I was down here, the same thing happened! Those things spread all sorts of disease; Mortin's still never recovered. Get them away from me!" He recklessly scrambled toward Ulf, who had to direct the pick's spike away so as not to impale the frightened man. [Crennick and Ulf have switched positions.] Crennick runs away from the shaft until the rope gives him a sharp tug. He turns back and yanks on the rope, trying to free himself. [There is now an empty square between Ulf and Crennick.]

The front ranks pour out of the hole, sleek bodies and hairless tails whipping around and over each other. The effect is quite nauseating. Many of them leap toward Rach, biting at him with their teeth and attempting to find a purchase for their claws.

Rach strikes out again as the rats swarm atop him. Striking blindly, he is still able to slice and stab several of the rats--so thickly are they upon him. [3 damage inflicted.]

The rats bite, claw, and scratch at Rach. [Rach takes 4 damage. I need a Fortitude save from you.]

As if they can sense Crennick's fear, the rats turn in his direction. Arfondt throws up his hands to protect his face as the rats rush at him. He kicks with his feet, but is unable to ward them off.

Ulf, however, is standing ready with a two-handed grip on his mattock. WIth the blunt end, he lays into the rats with sweeping strokes. You hear crackling crunches amid the squeaking squeals. With his flurry, he has crushed or swept into the water all but one rat. The lone survivor takes to the wall and quickly climbs out of sight.

Summary: One rat swarm demolished. Dead rats now occupy Rach and Arfondt's squares, but have no effect. There are live ones in the shaft.

Kayte has cast her sleep spell into the shaft (and the rats there are included in the target area); but the spell doesn't take effect until just before her turn next round.

[The Vorpal Tribble]

Chaim

"In a moment, sir." Chaim responds, "Who is supervising all of this?"

[Mr the Geoff]

Ulf

"Worse'n bloody Kobolds I tell ye!" grumbles Ulf as he moves up in front of Arfondt, shielding the unarmed man with his body and waiting to see if any more rats come out. "Maybe I shoulda used the shovel instead, and just scooped em all into the water"

[PolkaBear]

Above

The worker's eyes narrow. "Jamaris; but he's down the hole. I'm not going to fetch him for you, if that's what you're getting at. He's got work to do. I've got work to do."

The fact that he continues to answer your questions indicates that he's trying to be patient and polite; but he does so with the manner of a man attempting to wear a jacket tailored for someone half his size. Clearly, his civility does not spring from personality or nature.

[tgva8889]

Kayte Mursai AC: 13 (Touch 13, FF 11) HP: 41/41

Darn it... "Arfondt, I'm gonna need that bag!" Why was it today that you fell into the pit in the ground? Why not some other day?

If she gets the bag of materials, Kayte pushes in order to switch places with someone, swishing her hands through the air as though tracing some sort of symbol. She then reaches out and touches the nearest unarmored person besides herself and speaks a word in the ancient language of dragons: "Guard." An invisible force seems to now seperate her hand from the target's body, and she pulls her hand back.

Otherwise, she stands her ground and aims her hands in the direction of the rat swarm again, readying an action to cast a spell yet again, should they make any hostile moves towards her. Should they move, she thrusts both hands out, palms forward, and says, "Stop!" as a burst of invisible force thrusts itself at the oncoming swarm(s), hopefully slowing them down.

Ok, two different actions, depending on what Arfondt does.
If he is able to give Kayte the spell component pouch and does so, Kayte will cast mage armor on whomever is closest to her and likely to enter melee with the rats, as well as unarmored. The most likely target would be Sir Kylen. +4 to the target's AC value.
If he is unable to give Kayte the pouch, she'll make due with a casting of whelming blast, aimed in such a way as to include as few of the party members as possible and still hit as many swarms as possible. 2d6 nonlethal damage upon a failed Will Save of DC 16. It's a 30-ft cone for area.
Either way, once her spell is complete, she'll try to move out of the front lines.

[LurkerinthePlaygnd]

Rach Diggerson: HP: 36/40

"Agh! I'm bit!" Rach looks down and sees runlets of red streaking his arms. "Em buggers got some sharp teeth."

[The Glyphstone]

Sir Kylen
AC 12 (16 if I get a Mage Armor)
HP 54/54

"Pity they're not evil rats, or demonically possessed ones...I'd be a lot more effective in that case - though, that might be a wash, all circumstances considered...anyways, why don't I stand as first against the rats - Kord will shield me from any mundane diseases that might fester in their fang."

Kylen attempts to work his way to the front of the line, in front of Rach.

[Irrealist]

Arfondt

Init 22
AC: 13
HP: 31/31

"Here you go." Arfondt pulls the component pouch from his belt and lays it into Kayte's streched out palm (he retains a small leather loop though). Then he gets back to hiding behind his dagger, awaiting the next wave of rats.

[PolkaBear]

Below

Rach winces at the pain of hundreds of little bites and scratches. The smell of filth carried by the rats--and now smeared on him--makes him slightly queasy. Concern stabs through his gut when he sees that his myriad wounds have been fouled by it.

Arfondt hands the pouch to Kayte; then he and Ulf switch places, interposing the armored dwarf between the scholar and the attacking vermin.

The dust that Kayte had cast seems to twinkle in the darkness above the writhing mass of rats in the shaft. Then, as if a gigantic invisible hand were pressing upon them from above, the mass settles. Within less than a second her spell has stilled their violent motion. Those close to the shaft can see that the rats still breathe despite their repose.

[The Vorpal Tribble]

Chaim

"Thank you, sir." Chaim says a little tightly and beckons to Ferah as he heads back in the direction of the bulkhead.

"They will not like this one little bit..." Chaim says softly as he approaches it, "But there are people down there in sore need of our help and we cannot wait."

He approaches the door the bulkhead and draws a sickle from the sheath. It has been shaped perfectly to fit his hand, and the work-stained wood of the handle has a strange grain. Carved expertly into it is the scene of a field of grain wafting in the wind. The curving blade is as bright and sharp as the day it was made. Despite its looks however, this is obviously a hard-worked tool.

He lifts it, and examines the inside mechanism. He holds out the sickle to gage his blow and with a swift downward stroke he slashes it through the crack.

[PolkaBear]

Above

Chaim runs the tip of his sickle down either side of the door, but the implement does not penetrate deeply enough to reach anything of substance. Most of the mechanism is either inside the steel door or on the far side. The hinges and the lock are the only structures obviously accessible to him.

Ferah speaks up. "I don't think you're going t--wait! Here comes a guardsman."

The dark-skinned man wears the city's colors, argent on sable. His very-servicable shortsword is still in its sheath; but his hand is not far from it.

"Can I help you with something, sir?" His reedy voice is touched with a tone of suspicion.

[tgva8889]

Kayte Mursai AC 13 HP 41/41

"Sssh, they're sleeping. My spell must have put them out. It doesn't last for an eternity, though, so we should either get out of here or finish them off," Kayte explains at a low whisper, pushing her hand down as a signal to be quiet. Holding the pouch, Kayte now goes about casting her enhancement spell upon Sir Kylen, drawing the necessary cured leather from the sack. "If you'll excuse me, sir..." She attempts to slip past him, switching positions with him so that he can get better aim at the rats. As well as stand between her and their oncoming attack. She also slips a small bit of red-colored powder from the pouch, holding it in her hand with great care. "Don't worry, Arfondt, I'll be sure to get this back to you should you need it," she says at a whisper, so as not to wake the rats from their slumber.

[Mr the Geoff]

Ulf

Ulf reaches in his pack with his free hand and pulls out a shovel, and passes it along the line. "If it doesn't wake em, I reckon we should shovel em over the side into the current"

[The Vorpal Tribble]

Chaim

"Yes sir, you can, I think." Chaim responds calmly, resheathing his sickle so as not to alarm the guard.

"You've heard tell of those who were swept away from the street collapse? I was one of them. As I was being pulled up I continued to hear their voices from deep within." he continues, telling a small lie as the truth would take too long.

He indicates the building, "This will take us down to where they may be found if they still live. I tried to get the key as you'd imagine, but those in charge of the rescue are... indisposed. Would you be willing to help us down? I am Chaim Hyman if you have heard of me and if so you know I am a man of my word."

-=-=-=-=-=-

OOC: *curses* I've been checking this every day and somehow never saw your post.

[Irrealist]

Arfondt

"Thanks, I'd appreciate that." Arfondt nods to Kayte, his voice lowered to a whisper so as not to wake the rats. "I have to admit I'm feeling a little uneasy without it." He turns to face the rest. "Is everybody alright? Crennik, calm down." Arfondt moves over to him and calmingly lays a hand on his shoulder. "They are gone now. Nobody got hurt."

[Mr the Geoff]

Ulf

"Nobody but Rach got hurt, you mean" corrects Ulf as he tries to get closer in towards the hole, to see if it is just an alcove or a proper tunnel.

[tgva8889]

Kayte Mursai

Moving to Arfondt, Kayte hands him his bag again, muttering "Thanks, Arfondt." as she moves to hand him his pouch back. "Sorry to make you feel uneasy." Her voice is constantly low, as to avoid awakening the rat horde. Looking towards the rats, Kayte whispers, "Can we get these rats out of here? They truly are starting to make me sick." Unable to use any of her spells to great effect, Kayte waits for the others to move. "Come on, we have to get out of here."

[LurkerinthePlaygnd]

Rach Diggerson AC 13, HP 36/40

"I second that idea Kayte. The sooner the better," says Rach as he attempts to rinse the filth from his wounds.

[PolkaBear]

Below

With the rats quieted in sleep, the sound of the water dominates the tunnel.

Nevertheless, Ulf and Sir Kylen hear......a murmuring that does not sound like water, more like voices in hushed conversation.

It comes from far along the rat-filled shaft.

[Mr the Geoff]

Ulf

Ulf's eyes widen as he hears the new sound. Speaking as softly as he can to be heard over the sound of the water, Ulf warns the others "We're not alone, there's someone down there" and points down the shaft past the sleeping rats. A perplexed look crosses his face as he ponders why did I just whisper? it's probably a rescue party

[The Glyphstone]

Kylen
Also whispering, "Indeed. Though if they were seeking us in the tunnels, it seems unlikely that they would be speaking so quietly...I wonder why else they would be here?"

[Irrealist]

Arfondt

Arfondt feels the hair on his neck rising. He whispers to the others: "We are whispering too, so that doesn't have to mean anything. Even if they aren't looking for us, they could still point us to a way out. Maybe we should try not to behave as suspiciously as we do now."

[LurkerinthePlaygnd]

Rach Diggerson

Speaking quietly so not to wake the little biters, Rach says to Kayte, "How far ahead can you send those lights? Maybe we can get a look at what's up there without having to wake the little beasties."

[PolkaBear]

Above

The guard relaxes at Chaim's explanation, and he doesn't appear as threatening as a moment before; but his frown doesn't disappear, either. "Well if there's a rescue going, you're best off leaving it to them."

The man is slightly older, marking him as a career guard, not a serviceman; and he scratches at a bit of grey stubble on the underside of his chin. "I can understand your concern--you were one o' them that was caught? Nasty business, that. The repair guys will probably be working on it for a week. Roped the whole intersection. Cause a mess with foot traffic, too. Anyway, I was saying--" he clears his throat, but the reedy quaver continues "--that you're best off going home and getting some rest. You look like you could use it. If there's news you have o' them below, I'll make sure it gets to the rescue crew."

At this point, Ferah turns away from the door and steps from behind Chaim.

"Sir, a moment."

The guard's eyes go wide. "Miss Ferah, ma'am! I didn't realize--"

Ferah's blue eyes twinkle, as if she enjoys discomfiting the guardsman. "You will assist this man in whatever fashion he requires. There are people trapped down there; and we must do anything we can for them in a timely manner."

"But what--"

"As a servant of the city, these people are your responsibility now. See to your duty."

The guard's brow furrows, but he is nodding. "Yes, ma'am. If we don't have time to notify the authorities, I guess the thing to do is to go to the Ag building and get the key. They should have a copy."

The guard leads the way into the Ag Exchequer and crosses the waiting room to the woman seated at the front desk. "We need the key for the sewer access bulkhead outside. Civic emergency. There should be one on reserve here."

"I'm sorry, sir; but they already came for it. The team is down there now. We only have the one copy." Chaim notices that the clerk is speaking more to Ferah than to the guard.

"Team? Like a rescue team? There are people trapped down there: the intersection collapsed a few streets over."

"Exactly, sir. This woman here--" she gestures to Ferah "came in twenty, thirty minutes ago and notified us; so of course we passed word to the authorities immediately. They came and got the key not too long ago. I assume they're down there now."

The guard turned back to Chaim and Ferah. "Well there. You see? They should be fine. When it comes to tunnels and underground, Drim's got a lot of experts. Can't ask for better help than what they got."

[tgva8889]

Kayte Mursai

"Hey, I've got an idea. It might envolve some work. Anyone have a source of light and some sort of writing implement?" Here's to hoping you're smarter than you think you are... She holds out her hand, her plans not clear, but she looks rather determined that this will work. "Ulf, you have the shovel, right? Think you can get these rats out of here?" Her whisper seems to be in more of an order form and less of a question as Kayte begins to take the helm of the group. "Arfondt, can you do anything of use? Do you perhaps have a light spell?"

(Party, read below if you think your character's smart enough to figure this out:
Ok, here's the plan:
1. Find something to write on.
2. Cast light on it.
3. Write some message informing the people below of where we are.
4. Hope they find us.
5. Optional: Yell our heads off at them. This requires rat removal, though, as yelling while a swarm of rats attacks us seems like a bad plan.)

[PolkaBear]

Below

Crennick protested in a whisper. "Let's just get out of here before those rats wake up! If you want to do anything fancy and magical, do it where you won't wake them. A light would rouse them. And kill the noise!"

Erwin, who had resumed humming his earlier song, caught Crennick's glare in the witchlights and stopped. "How long will they sleep, anyway? Could we dump them in the water without waking them? They can swim, I believe."

[tgva8889]

Kayte Mursai

Thinking quickly, Kayte tugs on Arfondt's robe and whispers in his ear, "Can you levitate them somewhere without waking them up?"

[Mr the Geoff]

Ulf

Ulf repeats his earlier statement, elaborating slightly "I'll happily shovel em into the water myself if Kayte can assure me they'll stay asleep long enough to get into the water. I don't know how magic sleep works"

[The Vorpal Tribble]

Chaim nods his head in respect to Ferah and a hint of a smile to his lips as she takes charge.

"Thank you, sir." he responds to the guard. "I'm most glad to hear it."

He then glances to make sure Ferah is ready to leave before walking quickly for the door to meet with those heading for the sewer entrance.

[PolkaBear]

Above

You walk out of the Ag Exchequer, but the rescue party is not in sight. You cross the street to the bulkhead, but the door is locked as it was before.

"Perhaps they came and went while you were talking to the construction worker," Ferah offers. "It appears that we've missed them."

[The Vorpal Tribble]

Chaim

"That would be quick work, and would they lock the door back with themselves within?" he ventures thoughtfully, and runs a hand through his now dried hair. "Something about this is not settling well."

-=-=-=-=-

OOC: Btw, I'm going to be here for some time, so if you let me know we can try to hurry this a bit more if you want. Will just keep a look out for a response as soon as it comes.

[PolkaBear]

Above

"Perhaps they didn't want to leave the access point open behind them, in case they have to search the sewers for a while. It could be easier for them to use a different exit. And they wouldn't want to keep somebody behind to control access." Ferah shrugged. "Maybe I'm just not suspicious."

[The Vorpal Tribble]

Chaim

"Oh, I wouldn't care to think I'm being suspicious. Just don't feel right leaving this alone though until I know for a certainty something is being done." Chaim responds, thumbing his beard as he glances at the shut door.

He looks about for a window, a crack, or some opening in the structure to glance within.

[PolkaBear]

Above

There is nothing through which Chaim can peek. Being a militarily strategic location, Drim has guarded its sewers from intrusion, so that potential enemies can not use them to escape detection or to disperse throughout the city.

[The Glyphstone]

"Well, we need to do something..it's really quite dreary down here."

[Mr the Geoff]

Ulf

"Well seein as you didn't answer my question, I'll assume you don't know the answer any more than I do and I'll get shovellin' then"

Ulf Squeezes past the rest of the party and starts shovelling sleeping rats into the water, hoping that they do not wake until they hist the water and are caught in the current.

[LurkerinthePlaygnd]

Rach Diggerson: HP 36/40, AC 13

Receiving no answer to his query, Rach remains silent. As Ulf begins shoveling the slumbering vermin into the current, Rach sidesteps up-current as far as the rope will allow and readies his dagger should any of the squirmers wake.

[tgva8889]

Kayte Mursai

"Yeah, you do that Ulf." Kayte prods Arfondt some more, waiting for him to spill his spellbook so she knows what spell she can cast for the day. She stands watch over the rats, ready to unleash another spell should it be deemed necessary.

[Irrealist]

Arfondt

"I could levitate them, but I'd rather save my spells for problems that can be less easily solved by mundane means." Arfondt turns to the rest of the group. "Don't you think we should try to attract the attention of whoever it is that is down here? They might be in a predicament similar to ours."

[PolkaBear]

Below

Ulf tugs on the line connecting him to Crennick, who reluctantly steps closer. The dwarf uses the slack to switch places with Arfondt; then he carefully scoops up a mound of the vermin with the broad blade of the shovel. He skillfully minimizes the noisy scrape of the metal blade against the stone. Then carefully, carefully he swings the blade out over the water. His torso is now twisted, which makes nervous work such as this more difficult; so he adjusts the placement of his feet so that he has better leverage on the shovel's haft.

Unfortunately, the smooth wooden haft twists in his hands as his attention is focused on his feet; and the mass of rats slides as one into the water with a splashing PLOP!

The sudden drop awakens the rats, who don't seem to be too happy with their drenching.

I treated the rolls for which I had asked as an unordered set; that's why the plan didn't fail until the last step of lowering them gently into the water.

We're in combat again. Use the same initiative order as before; but pick it up right after Ulf's turn.

The order in which you stand upon the ledge is Erwin, Sir Kylen, Kayte, Rach, .Ulf, Arfondt, Crennick.

The rats are now swimming in the water, occupying the squares adjacent to Ulf and Rach.

The shaft is next to Rach.

If you need more clarification, ask for it OOC.

[The Vorpal Tribble]

Chaim looks disheartened for a moment before shrugging his shoulders and massaging his throat.

"Squeak, squeak, squick, tss tss, teeew, squeak..." he calls out, and looks around for an answer.

Crawlers and climbers, survivors of all places, will any of yas be willin teh speak with the big guy? E's got some yummy treats you bet and will share'm for some information, eh? Swear by the crevice in the wall I won't do nothin'.

Casting Speak With Animals again and speaking in Rat

[PolkaBear]

Above

You hear a squeaking from a nearby gutter that you translate as:
"Tasty stuff? Where?"

[The Vorpal Tribble]

Chaim kneels down by a weed growing out of a crack out of the way of main traffic. He runs his hand down its stems soothingly, humming. Fruit immediately begin to bud on it and grow rapidly into small berries. Chaim plucks them and holds it near the pipe to be smelt.

"Iffin you can get yourself to thinkin'," Chaim says in Rat, "and answer me what I wanna know, I givem you these berries here, you bet."

-=-=-=-=-=-

Casting Goodberry...

...and that should be the last of my 1st level spells for the day.

[PolkaBear]

Above

The rat sniffs the air and squeaks again:
Sweet berries? Good eats? Give them to me. What you know?
You seem to have a deal.

[The Vorpal Tribble]

Chaim tosses up one of the berries.

"Seen anyone go in that place earlier?" he says, pointing to the entrance to the sewer. "This day, not long ago."

[PolkaBear]

Above

The rat says nothing, but takes a quick bite out of the berry. He seems determined to finish it before answering. Nevertheless, he only gets half way before seeming to lose his appetite. You see his whiskers twitch, as if the voracious vermin had never experienced such an occurrence.

He resumes squeaking:
You give the rest? Yes? I not here before; not see door. But I know that people down below. Some not use place." His nose twitch indicates the entrance. "Others not need place. Use other place. Nearer to their need. You give sweet goods now? Yes?"

[The Vorpal Tribble]

Chaim's brow furrows as he tries to understand the creature's simple speech. Hesitantly he responds, "I gave you big sweet, so answer me some more big answers before I give another. There is another way to get to the big people below? One big enough for me?"

[PolkaBear]

Above

The rat eyes Chaim up and down then squeaks again:
"Too big for near holes. Others use small hole. Not know where other others come. Some holes collapsed that I cannot open. Others open, so maybe you open."

[The Vorpal Tribble]

Chaim rolls another berry to the rat.

"Show me?" he requests, though it is as much a command as a question.

[The Glyphstone]

Kylen

The paladin fidgets silently, noticing the rats starting to awaken.

[tgva8889]

Kayte Mursai
AC: 13
HP: 41/41

Darn it. Moving her hands quickly and decisively, she throws red-colored dust into the air and points at the rats, speaking "Light," in the ancient dragon's tongue. The dust streams forward in a colorful burst of light, engulfing as much of the rat swarm as possible, hopefully having some sort of detrimental effect on them. "If anyone can attack them without falling in the water, now would be a good time!"

Cast color spray, using the component that she slipped out of Arfondt's component pouch. DC 14.

[PolkaBear]

Above

The rat squeaks a response:
"Too far. Down deep. Hungry again." He seems to have forgotten the half-eaten berry between his forepaws.

Below

The display of whirling colors lights up the tunnel, playing off the water and the walls. The evidently takes the rats by surprise, as th motion of the swarm suddenly ceases and they sink below the surface of the water.

Sheesh. That was quick. Again. I'll dole out XP awards again soon.

[The Vorpal Tribble]

Chaim

"I will make it worth your while to show me..." Chaim responds, handing out another berry. "These special berries, keep you from being hungered for days."

[PolkaBear]

Below

You all wait tensely and silently to see if the creatures return to the surface. In the moment of stillness, several of you continue to hear the hushed voices from the shaft.

It sounds like someone just said murder.

Above

The rat greedily pushes the second berry back toward his hindpaw, where his tail curls protectively around it.

He pauses and looks at you as if considering.
"You are too big for holes I know. You open collapsed holes, only way for you. I not open, not able."

"And ways I know only down here. I stay from open ways up there. If you down here, I show you. Not show you up there." Because of the limited nature of Rat, you cannot distinguish whether he means that he cannot show you or will not show you.

"Other Berry for mate? Other berry for spawn?"
Ferah stands watching your exchange with her arms folded and a bemused expression on her face. She appears that she has something to say, but is waiting to speak until you are finished.

[tgva8889]

Kayte Mursai

Murder? Kayte checks her ears again, making sure she can actually hear the people speaking. Whispering rather quietly, Kayte says, "Anyone else hear that? If they said what I think they said, I definitely don't want to go down there and meet them."

[PolkaBear]

Below

"What are you talking about?" Crennick retorts. "Rats don't talk! And nobody was suggestin' that we take a swim to go after them."

[Mr the Geoff]

Ulf

Ulf whispers just as quietly "You may not want to meet them, but if they heard the racket we've been making and decide they want witnesses out of the way, I am not sure I want them behind me either"

[The Vorpal Tribble]

Chaim sighs inwardly. It is a rat afterall. He tosses another berry but keeps the last with him. He glances up wryly at Ferah and raises an eyebrow slightly as he sees her look.

[PolkaBear]

Above

The rat snatches the other berry as well. He watches Chaim carefully, apparently hoping that the last one is headed his way as well.

Ferah's mouth quirks in a smile. "I presume there was something being accomplished with that exchange?"

Below

"They're just rats, for crying out loud! And they seem to be dead! So what are you talking about?"

Erwin pulls on Crennick's sleeve and speaks in a low, controlled tone. "If you'd shut up for a minute we might be able to tell you. Remember those voices the, uh, Sir Kylen heard a minute ago? Well, they're still there. And they're talking about murder. So unless you want to add your name to the black list, I'd suggest you restrain yourself."

Crennick ducks his shoulders and peers around him, a mortified expression on his face. "Where?" he whispers. Erwin indicates the shaft.

"On the other hand," Erwin continues, "if they can get in, we can get out. As long as they don't know we're here, maybe we can find the entrance they used." He shrugs. "It's just a thought."

[Irrealist]

"Well, are you sure you didn't mishear what they said? Or maybe they were talking about something entirely different. We don't have anything to hide, so I think we should act that way and just talk to them. At least then we know what we are facing."

[The Glyphstone]

Kylen

"Very true. If they are, like us, peaceful and merely visiting this tunnels, than we can find a way out together. And if they come with nefarious intent, then it is our duty as noble-minded citizens to put a stop to whatever they are doing, or mean to do."

His mind made up, at least, Sir Kylen shoulders his sword again and heads for the shaft.

[PolkaBear]

Below

Erwin mumbles to himself as he prepares to follow the warrior. "Nobility comes in several flavors. I'm not so sure I like the taste of this dish, though."

[The Vorpal Tribble]

"Only that I've learned not to bother haggling with rats." Chaim says dryly. "I don't expect you to fully believe all I say, but it did tell me there are people below, though whether the rescuers or those washed away, or both, can' say."

He wipes a hand over his face again and closes his eyes into the sunlight.

"I'm out of options." he says with a hint of angry frustration at himself.

[Mr the Geoff]

Ulf Ironbeard

Ulf steps in front of Sir Kylen, attempting to stop him going into the shaft "That's as may be, but you still need a point man who can see where he's going, I can see down here, and I don;t need to bend double just to get in"

(If Kylen lets him) Ulf unties himself from the rope, takes out his pick as a nod to self defense, and carefully makes his way down the shaft.

[The Glyphstone]

No fool in the face of logic, the paladin steps back and lets Ulf go down the shaft first.

[tgva8889]

Kayte Mursai

Moving to go down after Ulf, Kayte says to Kylen, "I mean no offense, good sir, but I think it might be much better if a more convincing face went down, if you know what I mean." She does a short curtsy to him in her work robes before she goes down ahead of him, directly after Ulf. As they go down, she takes the time to whisper the words she learned from the book to herself, in order to maintain her focus on the goal at hand.

[Irrealist]

Arfondt

Arfondt crouches down and strains his eyes to see what is going on in the tunnel.

[PolkaBear]

Above

A crease appears between Ferah's finely manicured eyebrows. "Oh, I believe you, though I could never do what you do. Did the rat not know who it was? Perhaps we can find out anyway. Follow me."

She sets off at a brisk pace, not bothering to look back to see if Chaim was following. Long John whickers and nods, eying his master for direction.

Below

The shaft extends back ten yards before widening slightly. The place is rank with rot, filth, and the smell of rodents living in close proximity. There is a pile of scraps and junk off to the left that apparently served as a nest; but if the colony supports any rats who were not part of the swarm, they are not in the area at the moment.

Ulf, Kayte, and Sir Kylen are in the shaft. Erwin stands back to allow Arfondt a good view of the the crawlers' hinderparts. Between the rats and the rumors of murder, Crennick seems reluctant to climb in after the others.

Thus far, the crawlers can detect no change in the voices, which echo off the stone walls from a distance farther down the shaft.

[Mr the Geoff]

Ulf

Ulf carries on along the shaft as before.

[The Vorpal Tribble]

Chaim

"Come along old son and lets see what she has in mind." Chaim knickers back and the both of them plod along behind.

[PolkaBear]

Above

Ferah leads the way up toward The Rise, the fortress and seat of civic government which sits at the summit of the slope upon which Drim is built, and whose reinforced walls span the narrow pass through the mountains. She deftly avoids the traffic which congests the main road, so your progress is swift despite the meandering course you follow through side streets and alleyways.

She gestures toward the building on your right, seemingly grown from the black stone on which the city is built. "Here we are. They should have answers for us."

You've approached the building from the backside and do not recognize it at first. As you round the corner into another alleyway, a wall of sound hits you and you recognize the distinct atmosphere of the approach to the plaza that sits before The Rise.

"I'm guessing that Maintenance and Engineering would know if somebody's been sent after the others. Aren't they the ones that take care of mining collapses?"

She takes you through the building's front door--leaving Long John outside--and approaches the desk where sits a frazzled-looking functionary.

"Yes? What is it? That I can help you with, I mean."

"We need to know-- she begins, then breaks off. "Here."

She snatches up a quill and a scrap of parchment off the woman's desk. Before the receptionist can form a protest, Ferah has scribbled a note and is handing it back to the woman. "Deliver that to your boss. We'll be here waiting."

The woman harrumphs and makes a frustrated retort about not being a messenger. With the suggestion of a sneer, she unfolds the note and reads it. You can read surprise on her face; then she turns and trots off.

Ferah seems unconcerned, having ignored the receptionist ever since handing over the note. "Now we'll see if we can get some answers," she remarks as she tugs at a strand of her black hair and picks out a lump of tacky mud.

If Chaim has nothing to offer at this point, I'll follow this post with another one tomorrow.

[Irrealist]

Arfondt

Being of the curious kind, Arfondt shuffles forward just into the shaft. He turns around to the ones still standing outside: "I'll try to keep contact to the three. Before you lose sight of me, send in another man after me so we can keep the group together."
With that he follows Sir Kylen at about half his pace, looking forward and backwards to make sure he can see both parts of the group.

[The Glyphstone]

Just into the shaft, Kylen stops, then withdraws from the passage, holding in his hand some sort of belt buckle.

"That's odd...this was hidden there."

[PolkaBear]

Two-Part Post (TPP)
I will begin using the abbreviation "TPP" to indicate that a single post addresses both groups. Hopefully, this notation will make it easier to find the posts that apply to you while the party is still separated.

Below

The buckle is still attacked to a half-chewed leather belt. As Kylen pulls on the metal buckle, the strap resists slightly as if weighted. (It sounds like it's dragging some of the other nesting materials with it.) He tugs on the buckle in order to bring it out of the shaft to show the others; and the rotten belt snaps, hanging over the lip of the shaft like a drunken snake.

"Looks like junk, to me," Erwin comments. "I bet a lot of garbage gets swept into these sewers. The rats would use whatever they could to line their nests."

The buckle is rusted and useless; but there are signs that it once bore a design of silver chasing on its face.

Ulf and Kayte have made another ten feet of progress, with Arfondt hanging behind. Ulf can see that up ahead there is an opening of some sort in the right wall of the shaft which casts a thin, flickering light upon the other wall. The manner in which the sound alters as you crawl forward suggests that the voices may be coming from there.

Above

After nearly five minutes, the woman returns. "Here you go, ma'am." She hands Ferah a note.

Ferah thanks the woman and opens the parchment. She reads it and then nods in satisfaction. "Looks like they're taking care of our friends. Here, take a look."

Chaim takes the note and reads it himself. The script is hurried but neat.

"I had heard that you were a part of the Turnbuckle & Razor collapse. It's good to learn that you were not harmed."

"Yes, we dispatched a team immediately. I have not heard success or failure; but I shall keep you informed. Forgive my brevity, it's been a trying day."

The note is signed by the M & E Subdirector.

[Mr the Geoff]

Ulf

Ulf holds up one hand behind him, his palm facing the others, in an attempt to silently indicate that they stay where they are for the moment, then carefully makes his way to the hole in the wall, hoping to reach the edge and take a peek into the room with the light without being noticed.

[The Vorpal Tribble]

"Well then, we can only trust they know what they are about." Chaim says, thumbing his beard as he reads the message.

He then hands it back and stands, stretching up.

He then looks down and says curiously, "Who are you Lady Ferah who seems to know so well this town?"

OOC: Meant to reply earlier. Storms keeping taking out my electricity.

[PolkaBear]

TPP

Above

"Who, me?" She asks with a coy gesture. Then she laughs mirthfully. "My husband is a functionary in the city government. You'd be surprised how much influence spouses have--especially when social gatherings give you an opportunity to know everyone personally. I'm just glad I was able to put that knowledge to good use."

"Really, though, I should be getting home to see how Mirella is doing. Can I prevail upon you to take that offer of a warm drink and a hot bath before you go to your other appointments? I'd hate for you to need to leave the city just to get a change of clothes."

Below

Ulf does not press his face to the crack immediately, figuring that he is less likely to be seen if he stays in the shadows. The light coming through the crack is meager, but is more than enough for a dwarf.

The 'room' appears to be little more than the space between two walls: the stonework is unfinished on this side and mortar spills down messily. Sloppy human work, by the looks of it. You can't see any entrances within the field of view provided by the crack; but presumably there was some way for the two figures occupying the small space to have arrived.

From the tone of their voices and the sharpness of their gestures, they are arguing. The short figure whose back is to him is cloaked and hooded, so not much can be discerned. Nevertheless, there seems to be something wrong with his (or her) anatomy: there are bulges where you would expect none, and his (or her) limbs seem to move oddly. On the other hand, it is entirely possible that he (or she) is concealing something under the cloak.

The other person looks to be human. The voice seems to be male, but the cut of his hair and the style of his utilitarian clothing (dirtied from a climb through the sewers) is androgynous. He is the one currently speaking.

"Listen here, girl. I didn't come all this way just to be told 'no.' Either we have a deal or we don't. If we do, then you have what you need already; if we don't, then don't bother contacting me again. Either way, I'm not sticking around to discuss it any longer." A burlap bag sits in front of him. He twists the rope cinching it around his hand and uses it as a handle to lift it off the pile of stone chips on which it rests. Its contents clink and clank as they shift.

The hooded figure's head wags back and forth slightly, as if in frustration. "You know what our deal was, you're just refusing to honor it." The voice is high and slightly nasal. She pauses, as if considering a decision. "Fine. Take it and begone. It's really too late for us to do otherwise. Don't expect us to contact you again, though. There are other fences in this city who would welcome our business."

The first speaker sneers. "You wouldn't dare. I know all about you and your little secret down here. I doubt you'd want that getting out, would you girl?"

The hooded figure grows very still. "You'd be surprised how little you truly know, Willem. And you'd be even more surprised at how quickly you'd be silenced if you tried making trouble."

Something that Willem can see affects him deeply: he suddenly blanches and begins making stumbling excuses for himself, his knuckles white as he grips his bag. The girl makes no sound, but merely waves a hand--again, there looks to be something odd about it--and Willem backs out of view. The girl extinguishes the candle and exits in the opposite direction.

You shiver.

After a moment, you realize that there's cold air coming from further down the shaft.

[tgva8889]

Kayte Mursai

Kayte notices Ulf's gesture and ceases her movements, looking down. She makes a bunch of silent moves, signaling her thoughts. What's going on? It isn't hard for her to see Ulf looking through the hole in the wall, and she strains her ears to listen to what's happening.

Otherwise, she simply waits above Ulf, her arms aching a bit from holding herself up. You're not used to this. Why are you here?

Check dice-rolling thread for Listen check.

[PolkaBear]

Below

Kayte silently creeps close enough to hear the sound from the crack. She almost feels as if she can identify one of the voices.

Look for more information in a PM

[Mr the Geoff]

Ulf Ironbeard

Ulf carefully crawls back from the edge until he hes reached the next person behind (Kayte?) and whispers "It was a trade of some sort, stolen goods I think. The theif has left, the fence I think is still in the room. He seems a nervous sort, maybe Sir Kylen's sword will persuade him to lead us to an exit. Either that or we wait for him to leave and then follow him out. Either way I think we need to mention this to the town guard once we get out"

[The Glyphstone]

Kylen
"That would be preferable, but I do not know if I would be able to make it down the shaft before this thief got wind of my approach and fled. It does go against my better nature to be holding back on this, but prudence is best in the face of who knows how many enemies, particularly in our current state."

[tgva8889]

Kayte Mursai

Kayte stood completely still. Willem? She listens to Ulf and Kylen talk below and nods slightly, still dumbfounded at what she just heard. Willem. We can't be found.

Whispering to those below her, she says, "I heard the whole thing. Let me talk to him. I might be able to convince him to help us out. The thing is, that guy doesn't really like me much. And I don't like him either. So, it would be rather nice if you guys didn't help him figure out who I am. If we could please get moving, that would be grand." She seems visibly nervous in posture, almost fearful. Whispering under her breath, she attempts to cast a spell on herself, one which she hopes will be helpful in persuading Willem. I hope you haven't changed too much since I last saw you, Linn. Whispering "Guise" under her breath, Kayte slowly changes form to look much darker. She seems to become shorter and thinner, and her clothes look visibly more like those of a thief and less like her own. I hope this helps.

Cast disguise self, making her look more like Linn. Considering I'm not sure what Linn normally wears (but I know that Kayte would be), that's what her clothes look like now. DC 15 to see through.

[Mr the Geoff]

Ulf Ironbeard

Ulf hefts his pick meaningfully and whispers "Just shout if it goes south and I'll be with you in seconds"

[The Glyphstone]

Sir Kylen
"As will I -though perhaps Ulf should go with you, as a sort of visible muscle...no insult intended of course...while I wait here in case of need. It's likely that whatever ruse you intend will be sorely weakened by having a paladin at your shoulder."

[The Vorpal Tribble]

Chaim

"Kindly taken, but its not a far ride, and its these clothes of mine that needs the bath the most." Chaim replies with a thankful nod of his head. "But let me ask you this, how would you like to have dinner with my family? We would enjoy having you and yours over."

[PolkaBear]

Above

Ferah grins pleasantly. "I understand. Go home and see your family, kiss your wife. This morning was quite terrifying. When the street collapsed, all I could think of was.... Anyway, I wish you the best. And I thank you, with all my heart, for saving me. If there's anything I can ever do for you, just let me know."

With a gracious nod of her head, she turns and leaves the building.

[Mr the Geoff]

Ulf Ironbeard

Ulf surveys the crack again "By the time we're through here they'll both be long gone. On the other hand there's air moving through here, which suggests a vent at least, and a way out at best. That's a lovely disguise but I think it may have to wait for another time"

[The Vorpal Tribble]

Chaim

"You hold that child tight now and don't let her go too often." Chaim responds and gives her one of his rare smiles. "But my offer is always open. Mirella would have plenty of young ones to get into trouble with."

He then lifts a hand as Ferah turns and he heads back outside where Longjohn waits patiently. With a tilt of his chin he bids the horse follow and together they head for the stables to fetch a saddle for the ride home.

[Irrealist]

Arfondt

After several minutes of waiting without anything happening, Arfondt gets restless. "Psst. What's going on up there?" Arfondt whispers loud enough that both the people in front and to the back can hear him. "What's holding you up?"

[PolkaBear]

TPP

Above

Chaim's ride home is relatively uneventful. One of his daughters greets him as he crosses the muddy field from the barn to the farmhouse. A strand of her long hair is plastered slantwise across her face, and she kisses him messily.

"Daddy, daddy! Kaniel made a big mess."

Hazel's voice comes from inside the house. "That you, beloved? Oh, good. Kaniel's wrap didn't keep it all in, and now it's all over me, the table, and--" She sees Chaim as he crosses the threshhold, taking in his muddy clothes and wry grimace. "Oh, dear! What happened! Please tell me they didn't throw you out on your ear..."

Below

Crennick, who (through a quirk of acoustics) had been able to hear the exchange between Ulf, Sir Kylen (who had crawled past Arfondt earlier), and Kayte, relayed it to Arfondt.

Yay! I'm an Ogre (in the Playground) now!

[tgva8889]

Kayte Mursai

Shivering a bit out of nervousness, and mostly trying to play the part of Linn, Kayte moves up to the crack and yells, in as close an imitation of Linn's voice as she can muster, "Willem! You there?" She's certain that the voice will at least get him to look this way, whether it's Kayte's or Linn's. "Willem! Over here!" Good Lord, I hope this works.

Check dice-thread for the Bluff check for Kayte's voice.

[PolkaBear]

Below

You hear a clanging clatter (sounding exactly as if a startled fence had dropped a burlap bag full of wares).

Then silence for a full minute.

You begin to wonder if he simply spooked and fled; but suddenly Willem's voice comes as a harsh whisper from somewhere to your left.

"Who is that? Where are you?"

[tgva8889]

Kayte Mursai

Coughing a little bit from the dust, Kayte says, "Willem! I'm over here!" She makes her voice as convincing as possible, which is pretty convincing considering her skill. Looking down below her, she says, "Guys, move down! I need to get face-to-face with him!" at a whisper to her comrades.

When she gets her face down to the opening, Kayte says, "Willem! We're stuck behind this wall, me and a few people I met down here. There was a sinkhole or something, the road collapsed under us and we fell down into a hole. Think you could give us a hand in getting out of here? We're a bit lost." This gambit had better be worth it...

Check for dice rolls again, if they are necessary.

[PolkaBear]

Below

"Linn? Is that you?" Kayte feels a flush of pride at the apparent success of her ruse. "Of course I'll help you out of there! Where are you? How long--I mean, how did you know I was here?"

Willem sounds a little too eager. Kayte has flashbacks of the last time she heard him use that tone.

He tried to bed her, and he resorted to force when she rebuffed his advances. (I'll let Kayte decide how that particular incident ended. No need to say--unless it comes up.)

The point is not that he sounds lecherous, but that he has a hidden motive.

[The Vorpal Tribble]

Chaim smiles sadly and beckons his wife into the bedroom to tell her of the morning's disaster as he removes his clothes and seeks a new pair. He takes a brush to hair as he finishes, "So I never even got to meet with the council. I'm going to have to hurry the old fellow back there quickly. Maybe'll be news by the time I'm out."

He notes his wife's expression as he slows down, seeing the pale shade to her face. He put his arms around her and laughs softly.

"No fretting, love. You don't think I'd ever let me be taken away from you all do you? The whole city'd have to come down, and then some." he says by her ear.

[tgva8889]

(Oops)

Kayte Mursai

Kayte looks forward towards Willem, hopefully succeeding in keeping Willem off her ruse as long as possible. "I heard echoes of your voice along the wall as I was coming down. Didn't hear any full words, but I figured if I moved fast enough you'd still be here." Truth, tell truth, tell pure truth. She makes her face look as though she's being completely truthful, though it's much harder to do than she makes it look.

Check for rolls in the thread, sorry for not posting.

[PolkaBear]

TPP

Above

Hazel raises her hand to affecitonately grab a tuft of hair on Chaim's shaggy chin. "It'd take more than that to keep me from digging you out, beloved. I know you have business, but...no, go anyway. Just return to us quickly, okay?"

Below

You hear a rustling, then the sharp crack of something glancing off a stone. A light slowly builds to a candle flicker in the other room. "Okay; now where did you say you are? You don't sound like you're talking through the wall."

Ulf, just beyond Kayte in the shaft, shifts uncomfortably. He doesn't want to move his position and thereby alarm Kayte's friend, but his backside is getting chilled through his leather work clothes.

[The Vorpal Tribble]

Chaim

"As fast as foot or hoof can go." he replies affectionately, and lowers his face with her tug to kiss her soundly.

He then turns to Kaniel and waggles a finger at him.

"And you just control yourself young man." he admonishes the babe, with a tap on the nose.

"Be good for your mother little chicks!" he calls to the children as he walks for the door.

[tgva8889]

Kayte Mursai

Kayte shifts a bit in the shaft, trying to keep her face through the hole. "There's a small hole in the wall here. I don't think I can shimmy through this, though. It's not big enough for me to go through. Me and my companions need some help breaking through." She shifts some more, a bit uncomfortable with her current actions. This is going to get out of hand really quickly.

Check for dice rolls.

[Mr the Geoff]

Ulf

Ulf stares wistfully into the cool draught coming fromfurther along their little crack but, other than turnin his head, makes no other move to alert his position.

((just a "still here" post ))

[PolkaBear]

TPP

Above

With a caress and a kiss, Chaim takes his leave of his wife and family and rides back toward the city walls. When he had taken this route earlier in the day, the morning sun was dripping gold over the fields, transforming their sodden state into a thing of beauty. Now, with the sun high overhead, the devastation of the weeks of rain is apparent: grain rotted on its stalk, trees denuded of their leaves, wide channels cut by runoff through the earthen heart of every field. Chaim reflects on how dire the situation had become--for the farmers and for the city that depended on their crops.

The trip back to The Rise and the administrative buildings lining its square takes longer than usual because of the disruption that the re-routed traffic was causing. The strong sun and the humidity of evaporation conspire to cause your bangs drip in your face and send a trickle down your spine; but it's still welcome because it's perspiration, not precipitation.

Below

"Okay, I think I see it." The light of the candle moves its arm across the wall of the crack as Willem positions it directly opposite you. "That you? I think I can see your eye. You're in kind of a tough position, aren'tcha Linn?"

The crack is as deep as one of the blocks and is only an inch or two wide.

Hm. Somebody got lucky.

Arfondt's breathing slows as he listens hopefully to the exchange between Layte and Willem.

Growing restless with the wait, Sir Kylen flicks pieces of rubbish out of his way and back toward the rats' nest. He finds that the belt that had pricked his hand earlier is still attached to a small, but heavy, leather bag, which was buried under the small mound of trash.

Crennick elbows Erwin, who had been humming to himself. "You don't wanna call the rats back, do ya?"

Ulf begins to realize that the draught is more cold than cool--which is why it's so uncomfortable.

Rach feels slightly ill, and remembers that he rushed out of his house without breakfast this morning.

[The Vorpal Tribble]

Chaim leaves Longjohn at the stables as he did that morning, and with a feeling of deja vu repeats his path, though is forced to go around the area of the morning's disaster.

He gives it a long, hard look before shaking his head as he winds his way through the crowds for the agricultural building.

[tgva8889]

Kayte Mursai

Trying to push against the rock a bit, Kayte says, "Yeah, we're definitely stuck here. What do you think? I don't have anything on me that can push through this rock." Except maybe your head, once I get my hands around it. She keeps her cool very naturally, which is a bit scary, as you realize that she looks almost completely the same lying as she does telling truth.

Check for rolls again. I'm assuming I have to do this every post.

[PolkaBear]

Below

Kayte sees Willem's shadow block the light as he tries to peer into the crack--unsuccessfully, of course, since he's now blocking the light. He curses and pulls his face back. You catch his profile in the light of the candle. His nose is slightly puggish, which accentuates the impression of a permanent sneer. Other than that, he's not unattractive (unless you don't like freckles, of which he bears a plentiful sprinkling).

Since Kayte mentioned "companions," the others of you no longer feel compelled to keep quiet.

"Yeah, it's too small--even for a scrawny thing like you, Linn. I ain't got nothing to dig you out, neither. Shame if you'd be stuck down here, though." You can't tell if his remark is sincere or not. "Can't you get out the way you came in?"

No need to make bluff rolls every round during this exchange to maintain the masquerade/disguise; I'll roll it for you when necessary.

Of course, if there's a particular lie/bluff you want him to swallow which goes beyond the basic ruse, please let me know. If I think it warrants a special bluff/sense motive opposed check, I'll roll it.

[tgva8889]

Kayte Mursai

"Not sure of that one. We got swept down this way by water, and we're still searching for a way out of here. There's a pathway down this pipe, it seems, but so far we have no idea how far down it goes. We don't have a lot of light over here. Mostly relying on dwarven nightvision to get us around." Kayte moves some more, in an effort to keep herself at face-level with the crack. "Not sure we have enough space back here to smash anything against the rock. My back's pretty much against hte wall as it is." It might come down to that, though. We'll see what else Willem can come up with.

[PolkaBear]

Below

Willem shakes his head. "I got nothing on me but this candle and my own two hands. Sorry. No way I can dig you out. I might be able to tell someone, though--although you were never one to desire 'official' attention, were you?"

He sighs exaggeratedly. "Such a tragedy! Well, I gotta get going. See you later. Oh...." He seems mildly embarrassed as he turns to go.

[The Glyphstone]

Sir Kylen

Interesting...


Sir Kylen pulls open the bag and peers inside as best he can, examining the contents as Kayte and Wilhelm speak.

[Mr the Geoff]

Ulf

Once it seems that Kayte's ruse is making no more progress, Ulf starts to move further through their little tunnel, hoping to find the source of the cold draught.

I can get through the wall given time, but not while that dodgy character is there. Best not to think too hard on how Kayte knows him so well either