Red Dead Annihilation: Campaign Thread

“I said this might be, which not only means that I will not be wrong even if it is not, but also means that I did not say ‘go on and try walking on the trap'. That said I believe we can pass.” He said to Meili as Mica made the crossing with her on the back. “Ran passed alone so maybe the trap only activates on the way back…”

 After all, on the legend, it was after the man crossed the river that the crocodile asked for a price. If that was the case then they would need a sixth person to carry someone over shoulder as they returned. No, he realized. I can dismiss Ninlil to a pocket dimension and call her from there, then pass carrying her on my shoulder. Ran can carry Danica. Assuming the trap was not activated by the presence of some artifact from the ruin.

“Well, seems we can both walk on our feet.” Velan said to Danica, happy by the fact. He doubted the druid was too heavy for him, but would feel incredibly uncomfortable treading a dangerous way with both hands occupied, unable to perform the somatic components of his one manner of defense. He walked towards the other three and assuming by their harry that there would be no time to stop and ritual cast Detect Magic.

Mica stands at the edge of the ledge and looks down the corridor, looking for any threats.  Perception: 8.

“What do you think the colored tiles mean? Which ones are safe to stand on?”

Meili, Mica and Ran stand at the top of the first ledge, the tiled floor laid out before them.  It is a 4x4 grid of square tiles.  A few of them have loose stones sitting on them, tossed up by Ran moments ago.  Past the tiles, there is another 7' ledge.  There is a door just beyond.  From up here, you can see that the door has a grid pattern on it similar to the tiles on the floor.  From where you stand, only the top three rows of the grid can be seen.

Velan, you set out past the blade traps while Danica lingers behind.  As you reach the mid-point between the goblin pit trap and the ledge where the other three strand, there is a hear-stopping Ka-chunk sound as metal scrapes against stone and gears activate.  Four heavy, curved blades erupt from the walls and slice through the hallway.  You have just enough time to attempt to dodge the worst of it.  Make a DEX save DC 13 or take 16 slashing damage.

Dex Save: 10

Velan is able to dive past the swinging blades and make it to the bottom of the ledge.

Ran reaches a hand down and helps Velan up if he's coming up onto the ledge.

"Now what set that off?" Ran asks "Us up here? Or did the two of you on each other's shoulders keep it from going off before?"

Mica flinched at the sound of the blades crossing the corridor and was thankful to see Velan make it to the base of the ledge.  Satisfied that all was safe, for now, he focused his attention on the tiles in front of him and what little he could see of the door.  “Meili, do you want to climb on my shoulders again to get a better look at the full pattern on the door.  Does it match the tiles in front of us exactly?  Can we use the door to determine where we should walk on the floor?”  Mica will boost Meili up for a better look if they are willing.

"Good idea!" The alternative would be still to send Velan's familiar, but who knows what kind of traps were covering that area? Meili climbed on Mica's shoulders and tried to see the rest of the tiles on the door. Should she see it, she would immediately tell everything to others.

Tale and song speak of how the most skilled warriors can dance through the field of battle, evading blades with the grace of a cat. Velan wished to tell he did just that. He wished, but couldn’t even if he wanted. As the blades reacted to him his first answer was to curse his luck. Or, rather, his lack of it. The second was, of course, to try and jump out of the trap’s reach. He did it with the grace of an elephant, landing on his feat, but not without a heavy sound. And least I am unharmed, the hexblood told himself before reaching the rest of the group.

“Let me risk something that cannot die before.” He said as Meili climbed back at Mica’s back. Snapping his fingers, the wizard whispered a word and besides his head a spectral head appeared seamily for nothing. “It can reach thirty feet and move ten pounds. I will have it move over the tiles then press them. If nothing happens, we can try the carrying on the back thing.”

Velan walked away from the tiles, as much as he could without reaching the blades or standing more than twenty five feet from them. He waited for the others to take similar distance and if they do he move the rudimentary spell just like he described.

Notes: Velan casts magic hand, then moves up to 25ft (as much as possible without steppind on the reach of the blades) and if moves the magic hand over the tiles. He tries to have the hand float over a unmarked tile and if nothing happens he tries to have the hand press the tile. If nothing happens he repeats this process over a marked tile.

Velan casts Mage Hand and presses on some of the tiles.  Pressing marked, unmarked, or tiles with Ran's stones on them all have no effect.  If there is another trap here, it is not triggered by Velan's spell, or by pushing on the tiles with the disembodied hand.

When Meili climbs back onto Mica's shoulders, she is able to see a little bit more of the door up on the next level.  The last row of the grid is now visible to here.  It completes the 4x4 grid to match the tiles on the floor in front of her.  It is incredibly faint, but it appears that one of the squares on the door is glowing ever so slightly in the darkness of the hallway....

"That corner," Meili pointed at the lower left (closest to the group), "it is glowing on the "door map". At least on the door it is the lower left. If someone risks stepping on it, we will see if something changes on the door." She realized what she is asking and added: "I can do it myself, but someone has to watch the door then."

Ran points down at the floor. 

"Just here?" Ran asks, pointing at the tile Meili pointed out. "Okay."

Ran steps out on to the tile that corresponds to the glowing one.

Ran steps on the tile and... nothing happens.  From his perspective.  From Meili's perspective on Mica's shoulders, she sees that another square on the door begins to glow faintly, immediately in front of the square Ran is standing on.

"I think it worked! Another tile is lit now! Right in front of you, Ran." Meili hold her breath watching Ran making another step and quickly looked back at the door.

(Should Ran continue to move, Meili will continue to guide him)

Ran looks down on the tile where he's standing and then to the next one.

"We should mark each tile, eh?" Ran says.

He crouches down and using the tip of a crossbow bolt he etches an "X" on to the 'safe' tile.

Once that's done he steps to the next, continuing the process of etching and stepping as Meili guides him.

With Meili's guidance, Ran is able to chart a path safely across the tiles.  It is still a mystery what, if any, trap had been lying in wait had they not figured out the secret.  Ran is able to make it to the other side and now stands below the next ledge.  Just a few feet beyond lies the large stone door.

Meili can see the squares are still lit up on the door as they were when Ran crossed the floor.

Ran looks around, his hands out, indicating no problems.

"All across who're coming across," Ran calls. "Then on to the next one."

"Let me try." Meili slipped from Mica's shoulders and stepped on the first tile to now follow Ran's guidance.

After Meili drops from his shoulders and makes the way across the tiles, Mica will follow, paying special attention to step in the monk’s footsteps and the tiles marked by Ran.

On the far side, he looks up at the ledge to the door, then back to the hallway below “What about the Cap’n? How are they going to make it over?  Do you think we can disable the trap from somewhere ahead?”