IC VIII Lost in the Flood

[Dusk Eclipse]

Stephan ignores the shorter girl's glare, he studies Natalia's hands movement, he knows he have seen something like that before... like someone striking a flint against steel to produce sparks. "It... it looks like a distracting ember!"

[CoffeeIncluded]

"More like sparks than ember," Natalia says, drawing forth the creature again. She says creature because it seems alive, even with the sparks shooting off it and the flickering flame at its core. "Wait, you know this?"

[Dusk Eclipse]

"I have a guess" Stephan says while scratching the side of his head. "There is a combat style, called Desert Wind, one of the basis of the style is using one's energy to create fire"

[CoffeeIncluded]

"Desert wind...or suppose desert storm here," she muses. "But how this happen? It like blade magic, like something...woke in...mind." Natalia trails off, thinking back to yesterday and how the rage and fury of how the prisoners were treated in that arena blazed and burned through her.

"Stephan, what other schools?"

[Dusk Eclipse]

"Well.... there are several schools, far more than you can really count" Stephan starts "But there are 9 schools said to be the strongest, Desert Wind, Devoted Spirit, Diamond Mind, Iron Heart, Setting Sun, Shadow Hand, Stone Dragon Tiger Claw and White Raven."

[CoffeeIncluded]

"Well.... there are several schools, far more than you can really count" Stephan starts "But there are 9 schools said to be the strongest, Desert Wind, Devoted Spirit, Diamond Mind, Iron Heart, Setting Sun, Shadow Hand, Stone Dragon Tiger Claw and White Raven."

"Shadow hand..." The name sends a slight familiar chill through her. "What know of that school? And...tiger claw?"

[Dusk Eclipse]

"Not much admitedly" Stephan seems somewhat embarrassed about that "But what I do know is that it relies on misdirecting your opponent and never giving your opponent a fair battle.... though that is generally a bad idea." Stephan a few step backs and begins twirling his blades before striking the air in front of him in quick succession "Tiger Claw on the other hand I know a little more" he says with a grin "Speed and raw instinct, that is the way of the Tiger Claw."

[CoffeeIncluded]

"That...sounds like my fighting," Natalia says. Shadow hand...she'd be more curious, more eager, but not after last night. Not after the shadows. What if they really are taking control, and this is the darkness she fears made manifest? "But tiger claw...could you show?"

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yeah I know it sounds fantastical but this is dnd.

[Dusk Eclipse]

"I just did "

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I think I wasn't clear enough, my post about "Striking the air in quick succession" was supposed to be Stephan using Wolf Fang Strike

[CoffeeIncluded]

"You did?" Natalia jabs the air, but can't quite manage the speed and precision that Stephan managed. "Can...you teach?"

[Dusk Eclipse]

"I've never taught anyone before" Stephan seems genuinely surprised at Natalia's request "But I can try."

[CoffeeIncluded]

"Thank you," she says. Ive learned so much. And maybe this will help me fight the shadows too." She's not sure what to do--but anything might help.

[Dusk Eclipse]

"Ok, then we can get started while the others finish preparing their spells." Stephan beckons Natalia to come closer to him "Normally I'd like to see how you fight, but it isn't necessary" he sheathes his swords once more "This is one of the simplest forms of the Tiger claw style, it is called Wolf's Fang Strike, put out your blades and try to imitate my movements"Stephan takes a basic stance with his left leg forward and his arms held closely in front of his face his hands vaguely claw-like, suddenly he strikes the air twice his arms almost blurring from the speed at which he attacks.

"Now you try"

[CoffeeIncluded]

Natalia nods, holding her swords out in a more aible stance. If they're like tiger claws, then they're like tiger claws still sheathed but ready to be sprung at any time. "My try," she says, dashing forward--and hesitating, unable to complete the movement.

She fails the second time as well. And the third, and the fourth. Each time, Stephan notices a hesitancy, something odd about the maneuver. It's more subtle, with hints of shadow hand, but it's as if she's consciously avoiding it. And there's something else...

But on the fifth try, Natalia notices something, another part of her mind that she wasn't aware of before, like a door opened into a new part of her brain. It's force and steel and might, but no shadows. The rogue takes a deep breath and steps inside.

"Yaah!"With a shout and a rush, Natalia dashes forward and slices both her blades in and up in the same rapid movement. She did it.

[Admiral]

As Stephan and Natalia complete their training, Rhenner and Mithril finish their spell preparations, and Shiny finishes a new set of dirty limericks in his head, the group prepares to head to the Crevice.

Orgun makes his departure for his homelands. "Are you sure you don't want to follow me?" the orc asks. "What little I hear of this place, the Crevice, it is not somewhere you want to go." But eventually he sets out.

The party heads along a long, winding tunnel, different from the ones they'd taken to the arena or back to the portal's exit. This tunnel slopes downward, growing so steep at a few points that the party has to help each other climb down, and the rocks lining its edges grow rougher: this area seems less traveled, and therefore less cultivated, than most of the tunnels they've traveled in so far.

After about an hour and a half they find that the trail goes flat, and soon it beings to widen. They miss Kurt's keen dwarven sense, which could tell how far they'd delved, but they guess they might have descended about a quarter of a mile further. After a few more minutes of travel they hear the sound of running water, and afterwards smell its cool scent. Soon their light illuminates what looks like a wide pool of water alongside their trail. Looking around, though the light doesn't reach far, they seem to have entered a small cavern with a lake.

Shiny casts his spell of dancing light and sends it searching along the edges of the wall.

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Spot and Listen checks from all. Shiny:

Spot: (1d20-2)[14]
Listen: (1d20-2)[7]

[CoffeeIncluded]

"Wish unneeded . But...we need travel through. Stay safe, alive, Orgun," Natalia says as they finish and prepare to leave.

The road is rough and rocky as they travel, growing damper and more slippery as they descend--Natalia's innate dexterity and decent sense of balance save her from more than one twisted ankle during the trip. She does slip once though, scuffing her arm and smearing dirt all over that arm and her face. By the time they get to the lake she wants to run forward and wash it off, but her common sense makes her hesitate. Odds are something is in the water.

Spoiler: Checks

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spot: (d20+13)[26]
Listen: take 10 for 23.

[Admiral]

Shiny's spell illuminates the edges of the cavern, encircling what appears to be a small lake matching the one Ildan had described and that they'd found in Zik's notes, only a few hundred feet in diameter.

As the light reaches the far end of the lake, Natalia spots a small tunnel descending into the rock, with a river leading outward. There's about two yards of air in the tunnel above the water. As the light comes close, they see another stream feeding into the lake from above in a short waterfall.

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See here

[CoffeeIncluded]

The glimmer of water reflecting the light of their torches and the slight sparkle of mica flecks in the rock of the tunnel make this place look...beautiful. But as entrancing as this is, it's still the under dark and there's probably danger below.

Wait...summons don't die, right? They've always just vanished from wherever they came from.

"That flooded water path," she whispers. "Faraday, check!" with the same motion of drawing something out from her heart she summons the living lightning and flame right over the mouth of the river leading into the tunnel, or over the lake if that's too far.

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this should provide a good decoy to whatever might be there.

Are you able to do a map? Are you feeling well enough to do so?

[Admiral]

Natalia is able to summon the small being only thirty feet into the lake, where it drops into the water and fizzles out.

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Description of distracting ember gives it a 30 foot range.

Also, I'd like to ask that it either be made of fire or lightning, but not both (since that doesn't match an elemental description. Though to be fair lightning elemental isn't described in base D&D).

[CoffeeIncluded]

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In that case Natalia summons it 30 feet away from her just above the surface of the water, where it remains for a round . I thought the river was closer; my bad.

And I vaguely remember a lightning paraelemental; if you're ok with it that's what it is? Either way it can still be seen!

Honestly this whole time I was thinking of fire benders and lightning bending being a subset of that.

[Dusk Eclipse]

Stephan raises an eyebrow "That certainly is an interesting way to use that"

Spoiler: Perception Rolls

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Spot (1d20+11)[26]
Listen (1d20+11)[19]

[CWater]

"Swimming again?", Rhenner says, eyeing the water. He doesn't like it, anything could too easily be hiding in it. Then again, the same could be said for the rock walls and dark tunnels they've been walking in up to now, only difference is that he had started to get used to those.

Spoiler: Checks

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Spot: (1d20+7)[13]
Listen: (1d20+5)[16]

[Admiral]

The elemental drops into the water and fizzles out. The others look and listen but can't recognize any other disturbance in the lake.

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The elemental can't fly and can't walk on water, so it drops and disappears.

[CoffeeIncluded]

Stephan raises an eyebrow "That certainly is an interesting way to use that"

Spoiler: Perception Rolls

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Spot [roll0]
Listen [roll1]

"Distracting sparks can distract out of battle,"

The elemental drops into the water and fizzles out. The others look and listen but can't recognize any other disturbance in the lake.

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The elemental can't fly and can't walk on water, so it drops and disappears.

"--Though better on ground," she finishes, licking her lips. Natalia looks out at the dark water as she meditates and gets Faraday back, an asks everyone, "Just walk, or how else ward?"

[Athedia]

"I would suggest prayer, but I don't any gods can hear us down here. Least not the ones we want too."

[CoffeeIncluded]

"So pray while...swimming through tunnel?" Natalia asks. "Since that path through." She slowly starts to edge towards the water, but never strays far from her friends.

[Athedia]

"Are we tying together again?" Even if it didn't end well last time, I don't think we could make it otherwise.

[CoffeeIncluded]

Natalia looks down at her bag with the rope coiled inside. "Maybe...and if then hands hold too?" She laughs a little, nervously, only partially joking.

EDIT: Can they walk around the lake to the tunnel, or do they have to swim for it?

"Wait..." Natalia pauses, chewing the ragged edge of a nail. "Zik wrote bat wings to cross. What if magic flight instead? Mithril, you said new spell...one flight for all, right?"

[Athedia]

Natalia looks down at her bag with the rope coiled inside. "Maybe...and if then hands hold too?" She laughs a little, nervously, only partially joking.

EDIT: Can they walk around the lake to the tunnel, or do they have to swim for it?

"Wait..." Natalia pauses, chewing the ragged edge of a nail. "Zik wrote bat wings to cross. What if magic flight instead? Mithril, you said new spell...one flight for all, right?"

"Yes, if everyone gets close to me I can cast it. And stay close to each other, if you get to far away the spell will cancel itself."

Mithril started the incantation, remembering the feeling she had of flying before. Her hands made complex signs as she spoke and then she stopped. Hesitatingly she let herself rise in the air, a great grin on her face as she felt the spell take hold.

[CoffeeIncluded]

Natalia feels herself rise into the air, and reflexively kicks and flails a couple seconds before righting herself. After that point she starts to laugh. Flying is so much fun!

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Night everyone!