Red Dead Annihilation: Campaign Thread

Mica gives a small nod as the others join the exploration of the tunnel leading into the temple.  Looks like they will have some time for sight-seeing after all.  “Right quick” he assures Ran as he begins investigating the tunnel, pointing out what they found the night before  “Ran and I found these arrow slits right beyond the pit.  Watch the goblins.  But can’t quite figure out how it works.”  He looks at Danica doubtfully when she mentions piggy-backing. “Don’t know about that, but I can boost someone up if we think it will help.”

 Investigation (for traps): 21.

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Everyone investigating the ruins is able to easily spot the trap openings as Mica points them out.  But even a thorough inspection with Danica's light does not reveal any triggers, pressure plates, or other indication of what sets off these traps, or how to avoid them.

[Does anyone take up Mica's offer to go for a piggyback ride?]

Meili knew nothing about traps and was here mostly to provide some fighting support or as another pair of hands should it be needed. And for her own curiosity, of course. Danica's suggestion made her chuckle. "I'm sorry," apologized she still smiling, "I just imagined ancient priests climbing these stairs with one sitting on top of another." She shook her head. "Does not look like it can be a convenient way to cross pits or any dangerous terrain."

She would not mind trying (should Mica seriously suggest it) but was ready to jump down any second to save them both in case of falling/slipping/tripping. 

Ran looks over at Danica when she makes the suggestion. He looks up at the ceiling of the tunnel?

(OOC How high was the ceiling again?)

If the ceiling is higher than normal, there just might be something to what Danica suggested.

"Yeah, but priests never make much sense anyway," Ran says to Meili. "If they take this whole croc on the shoulders fable seriously maybe that's the priestly thing to do."

He looks around at the group.

"Who's the lightest here?" Ran asks before adding "What's the worst that can happen? We look like wee little kids playing?"

Guessing that Inete is probably the lightest, Ran would look at here with raised eyebrows, and offer his shoulders.

Climbing up onto Mica's shoulders proves no problem for the graceful monk.  Once atop his shoulders, Meili can see a little more.

Past the dead goblin pit, lies the section of hall with the blade traps.  As Ran is also able to note, the ceiling here is 23'.  The hall is 10' wide and strewn with cobwebs.  There are four slots in the walls where bladed weapons wait ready to slice unwary thieves.  There is still no visible mechanism to set off the trap.  After 15', the hall ends at a 7' high ledge.  From her vantage point, Meili can see that the hall continues on at this higher elevation for some distance before ending in another ledge. 

The ceiling of that next section of the hallway is 16' high.  She can also see some sort of pattern of colored tiles on the floor on the next level up.

Ran looks ahead down the tunnel and listens to the description Meili provides for what lies ahead and frowns.

"No more dead goblins then," Ran says.

He looks around the tunnel for any small stones or rocks (Perception: 5  ). If he doesn't find any he'll quickly make his way around the pit and back outside to grab some stones.

Once back in, he makes his way to the ledge and tosses a handle full of stones over the patterned floor on the next section.

[Weigh those stones for me, Ran.  How heavy are they?]

“You can count on my to make you invisible.” Velan said to Ran, despite the thought that Mica would be far more adequate to an infiltration mission. The idea of sending the Fighter alone and without armor didn’t sit well with the wizard, but neither him nor the ranger could recognized Shephard.

The hexblood then followed the group inside the tunnel, leaving Ninlil outside with instructions to look after the boat and head inside warning him telepathically should any more dangers creep out of the jungle. Before such a thing happened Deadglleam asked if he could have the familiar look at the ceiling.

“I could but that would leave us without eyes on the outside.” He answered after Inete recounting the tale of the man and the crocodile and… Did Meili really climb on Mica’s back?  “Ok, I will get her if get really stuck.”

If they were desperate enough to try piggback riding, then the option was worth consideration. Not that he wished to put Ninlil close to traps. Anything happens to the familiar and Velan doubted there would be a way to summon her again for a long time. With that in mind he tried to examinate the area. Maybe he could recognize something about the workings of the structures. Maybe he had new some information about traps on Chultean ruins, from a book or from adventurers talk.

Notes: Would it be acceptable to have Ninlil watching the camp and Velan make an Int to investigate the traps?

[yes to both, Velan.]

Also, Hew, Inete and Will remained outside.  Only the five of you elected to explore this old temple.

Ran would have likely tried to find large stones, but not too large they couldn't be thrown far. Unlikely to have found shot put size stones (16lbs), so would suggest 5 pound to 10 pound stones ideally.

Chuckling along with Meili, Danica shrugged, offering a hand that was ultimately unneeded for the graceful monk to perch atop Mica's shoulders. Listening to the description of the layout as she stood back and watched Ran test things out with some stones, the elf glanced at Velan who had a thoughtful expression. Clapping his shoulder she encouraged, "If anyone in our group can figure out this puzzle, it'd sure to be you." Giving him a touch of Guidance. 

[I assume no warning coming from Ninlil. Yet. Not sure if the skill test would be History. Arcana or Investigation, but since Velan has the same bonus on both I will just call it "Intelligence Skill Check". In case of failure I would like to use Chronal Shift to reroll.]

Intelligence Skill Check: 25 + 3

Velan:

 Ran, you toss a few stones up onto the higher ledge toward the tiles on the floor up there.  You can't see exactly where they land, but Meili can confirm a few of the larger stones do come to rest on the tiles.  There is no effect.

Ran shrugs and looks over at Velan.

"That's all I've got," Ran says.

He steps up to the ledge and pulls himself up, avoiding the 'patterned' part of the floor and staying to the edge (Athletics if Needed: 21  ). He turns and offer a hand to anyone else coming up.

"Any ideas?"

“Thank you.” He said to Danica while analyzing the surrounding structure. A moment was all it took for to be sure that there was no place to hide any mechanism. That is, any physical mechanism. 

If a trap guards something of value, a magic trap guards true treasure. The kind that could well turn out to be useful on their journey. On the fight they were sure to have in the future. Mica curiosity about the ruins may just save them in the future. The question was, what kind of magic? It was not a physical barrier and by the age of the ruins was not a simple one either so removing it every time the clerics needed to enter was unpractical to say the least. That meant the trap to presences and had a way to discern between intruders and the place’s keepers. Some action was necessary to identify them.

“This is a magic trap.” Velan said answering Ran with a fair amount of confidence. “If we have ten minutes I can perform a ritual that will enable me to see magic itself so maybe I can find some trigger or opening on the trap, but to be honest that it is unlikely. This kind of defense generally demands a specific action to recognize someone as something other than an invader. Think a password, an offering or specific gestures.” He then points to Meili and Mica. “This may actually be the answer.”

"The answer? Do you mean if we walk like that through the tiles, the trap will not spring?" Meili looked at the back of Mica's head. "Would you risk trying it? I... might actually want to try. But it is both of us who will be hurt if Velan is wrong."

The monk weighted half the weight of usual Mica's backpack and hoped he was not too tired yet. The ridiculousness of the solution to the puzzle felt too funny to be scary, so, she was honestly ready to go. Climbing the ledge from Mica's shoulders also should not be much of a problem, it was only a question of whether or not to try it.

"They look like they were big on riding shoulders to solve all that troubles you," Ran says.

He fishes some rope out of his back and hefts it in his hands.

"But we should tie a line to you in case it actually has to be a person carrying a croc."

[As far as I can tell, Ran has crossed the blade level, and climbed up to the tiled floor level.  Mica has also crossed the blade level with Meili on his shoulders and stands at the bottom of the ledge up to the tiled floor level.  That about right?]

They cross without incident and the blade traps remain silent.  

What about Danica and Velan?

Mica carries Meili with ease across the hallway and up to the ledge, almost wincing in anticipation of an arrow or blade from the trap mechanism, but the Captain’s hunch appears to be correct.  He pauses at the ledge, allowing Meili to scramble off of his shoulders onto the next level (if she chooses to do so).   

Once Meili gets to the next level, Mica hoists himself up a well, being careful to avoid any of the marked tiles Meili described earlier.   Athletics for climbing: 18.

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