Small chunks of stone come flying away as Ashley digs away. Globs of partially dry liquid stone splat on the ground behind her, and within a minute, she opens up a hole large enough for her to see through to the other side. Back into the cultist's tunnel. There is a bit of light within that is not coming in from behind Ashley, but rather is shining from some light further down the secret tunnel out of view.
Vilka gently grabs Ashley's arm before she enters the hole, "Ash, look at me, focus... We may have the jump on these people and it would be dire for us to lose that, wherever Lanya is, if she could get out, she would try... Shouting for her will only alert those holding her, it won't help her at all. Save that passion of yours for the coming fight, we're going to need it" with that he lets her arm go looking a little apologetic for the abruptness but hoping to have calmed and focussed the fire genasi. "Does anyone have a hooded or bullseye lantern?" He asks the group before sticking his head in through the gap in the mine wall.
"I am having a few torches but no such lantern," Joren whispers grimly. "Perhaps those with darkvision lead and others follow behind? I think I have seen Samir create light through one of his ingenious devices. Perhaps on Marion's shield?"
(To Joren's recollection, Marion and Vilus are the two in the group who do not have darkvision, being human and goliath respectively).
Joren steps through, letting his echo take the lead ahead of him, relying on his 60' darkvision and 10' blindsight.
Ashley takes a deep breath and listens, tightly, to Vilus. She gives a curt nod to him, not trusting herself to speak. As Joren steps through, Ashley rushes behind him and then pushes forward, determined to take the lead. It takes all of her control to not dash forward to find the missing Marshall, surprising herself on the immediate need she feels in finding the lost woman.
“All I have are torches, but they may just give us away. Stay close and I will help guide you in the darkness.” Malachi scrambles through the opening just behind Ashley and moves to follow them toward the source of the light, trying to help Marion and Vilus navigate the tunnel in the dark.
Back in the secret tunnel, the the rail cart tracks stretch out before them, curving and disappearing around the next corner a ways down. The faintest bit of light from beyond that bend makes its presence known, scarcely glistening upon the wet, slick walls, but providing just enough to navigate slowly by even with human eyes. Even as the adventurers look on, however, the light seems to grow fainter and fainter, its source moving away.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
As the group moves deeper into the tunnels, Samir slips one of the small tangled contraptions from his satchel. He clutches it in his hand and it begins to glow with a soft blue light. Keeping his hand clasped around it, Samir hopes to keep the light at a minimum and to direct it only when needed.
Together they move forward, doing their best to move discreetly. But with only the scarce light from mixed sources, there are some unavoidable shuffles, trips, bumps, and muted grunts.
Malachi does spot something small and metallic on the ground, though. A small screw. And around it is a small amount of dust and stone chips. His eyes begin to travel up the wall, and he spots something sitting inside a small, recently drilled hole. There are char marks around the edge of the hole, and a sharp acrid smell. Whatever is inside the hole seems to be a small metal cylinder sitting just a bit too deep for Malachi's fingers to reach. Malachi looks up further and soon enough finds two more holes on that wall, three in the ceiling above, and three on the opposing wall, forming a ring around the tunnel. It doesn't take much thinking for Malachi to peg this as some sort of trap.
Sure enough, he soon after spots silk-thin threads of some kind nestles in the rough rock face connecting all of the holes and travelling along the tunnel a few feet, ending with a trip wire that he has just enough time to warn Joren not to step through.
“Joren, stop! Don't move!” Malachi hisses, trying to keep quiet while stopping the warrior “A trap, probably explosives from the mining rigs we saw earlier” He points out the wires and the freshly drilled holes, then looks to Samir, the most mechanically inclined of them. “Do you think you can disarm it?”
Joren freezes with a light clank as his chain mail briefly continues its momentum even when he stops.
He thinks about the explosions he had sensed before and forces himself to breathe. His echo freezes too - already having gone past the trap.
Joren remains outwardly calm, but the rage inside him builds to a simmer. These bloody bastards with their tricks and traps. Putting people to sleep and blowing things up and loosing giant monstrosities on entire cities. They can't go down soon enough.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Samir moves forward cautiously, glancing over at Malachi with a small nod before beginning to examine the trap. Using his light source in one hand, and a long thin tool from his kit, the artificer sets to attempting to disable what seems to be a potentially lethal hazard...
It doesn't take a genius to figure out the trap is likely designed to cause a cave in, and Samir recognizes it would be a huge tactical blunder to leave such a trap at their back. Looking at how the threads connect to the trip wire, Samir surmises that pulling the threads must be the trigger. A perfectly reasonable conclusion, but one that misses one very small but crucially important detail.
And had Samir noticed a very small rune carved into each of the trip wire's anchors, a rune that he would have recognized from Jon's explosive chest tattoo, then perhaps he wouldn't have used one of his tools to ever-so-carefully sever the first thread.
A few feet away, the tripwire anchors spark, and all 8 other fuse threads start being consumed by small, but fast moving flames. There are mere seconds for the band of adventurers to react to the sudden crisis as the flames speed toward their respective holes.
Being more than familiar with flame, Ashley calmly raises her hand and casts frostbite the tips of her reddish fingers turning blue as the icy mist heads from them to the flame closest to her, sniffing it out in an instant.
That's when it dawns on her as she sees the other flames heading towards their target and the choice that needs to be made... whether they head in to try and rescue the Marshall or head back away from the God forsaken cave that she told herself she'd never enter again. At least not the next f*cking day!! She looks to the others with growing panic, keeping her hair away from the wires as the flames grow along with her emotions.
As she looks to her friends, another flame catches her eye, and she reaches out with her hand to smother it. It sizzles under her hot skin, but she barely registers the damage as she tries to figure out what to do.
Malachi’s eyes go wide and time seems to slow down as the fuses linking the explosives ignite. He focuses his mind and with a flick of his wrist one of the flames is snuffed out. He pulls out his waterskin and splashes water toward a second fuse, but his throw is rushed and his aim is off, water splashing harmlessly on the floor. “Move, quickly! We must push deeper into the tunnel, we can’t let them get away.”
Vilus has no quick solutions like the others, instead once Ashley and Malachi have tried putting out a few fuses he picks them both up from around their waist and runs 30ft into the tunnel throwing each of them an extra 10ft before ducking his head and bracing for the explosion.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
In a sort of instinctive panic, when he realizes what is happening, Samir desperately tries to grab hold of one of the wicks to snuff the flame. For an instant his mind reeals with possibilities, feverish to undo his mistake. Yet each rapid-fire solution was discarded just as quickly, and in the end all the can do is run after the others, a hurried apology on his lips as he moves.
4 Unarmed Strike to try and stifle one of the fuses.
As Ashley stands there contemplating what would happen if the fires did happen to set off the trap, which side of that trap she should be on... the decision is taken right out of her hands. As Vilus sweeps her off her feet and unceremoniously under his arm, she gives a small yelp before she remembers to be quiet. She makes her hands into fists as she pummels Vilus arm while he carries her through and again surprises her with being tossed further.
Instinctively making her body into a ball to absorb the fall, she rolls a bit and comes up on her feet. Staring back at the goliath with daggers in her eyes.
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Small chunks of stone come flying away as Ashley digs away. Globs of partially dry liquid stone splat on the ground behind her, and within a minute, she opens up a hole large enough for her to see through to the other side. Back into the cultist's tunnel. There is a bit of light within that is not coming in from behind Ashley, but rather is shining from some light further down the secret tunnel out of view.
Vilka gently grabs Ashley's arm before she enters the hole, "Ash, look at me, focus... We may have the jump on these people and it would be dire for us to lose that, wherever Lanya is, if she could get out, she would try... Shouting for her will only alert those holding her, it won't help her at all. Save that passion of yours for the coming fight, we're going to need it" with that he lets her arm go looking a little apologetic for the abruptness but hoping to have calmed and focussed the fire genasi. "Does anyone have a hooded or bullseye lantern?" He asks the group before sticking his head in through the gap in the mine wall.
"I am having a few torches but no such lantern," Joren whispers grimly. "Perhaps those with darkvision lead and others follow behind? I think I have seen Samir create light through one of his ingenious devices. Perhaps on Marion's shield?"
(To Joren's recollection, Marion and Vilus are the two in the group who do not have darkvision, being human and goliath respectively).
Joren steps through, letting his echo take the lead ahead of him, relying on his 60' darkvision and 10' blindsight.
Barn(Paladin1): Damian_May's Ereworn Under the Shadow | Lyra(Warlock2/Bard4): VitusW's Silverwood Forest | Nivi(Rogue5): Erik_Soong's Netherdeep
Joren(Fighter6): NotDrizzt's Simple Request | Quyen(Adept1, ba5ic): ConstancePhokas' Nentir Vale (Discord) | Seri(Druid1): Hunter_Orien's Saltmarsh
Xarian(Fighter3): Luna_Dust's Marks on the Map | Ophelia(Sorcerer2): BillM's Icewind Dale | Shin(Wizard1): Culuril's Strixhaven
Ashley takes a deep breath and listens, tightly, to Vilus. She gives a curt nod to him, not trusting herself to speak. As Joren steps through, Ashley rushes behind him and then pushes forward, determined to take the lead. It takes all of her control to not dash forward to find the missing Marshall, surprising herself on the immediate need she feels in finding the lost woman.
“All I have are torches, but they may just give us away. Stay close and I will help guide you in the darkness.” Malachi scrambles through the opening just behind Ashley and moves to follow them toward the source of the light, trying to help Marion and Vilus navigate the tunnel in the dark.
Back in the secret tunnel, the the rail cart tracks stretch out before them, curving and disappearing around the next corner a ways down. The faintest bit of light from beyond that bend makes its presence known, scarcely glistening upon the wet, slick walls, but providing just enough to navigate slowly by even with human eyes. Even as the adventurers look on, however, the light seems to grow fainter and fainter, its source moving away.
Joren Stealth at disadvantage due to his clanking Chain Mail: 9 (hey, at least his echo is in the lead and is quiet).
Joren Perception through his darkvision and blindsight: 13
Barn(Paladin1): Damian_May's Ereworn Under the Shadow | Lyra(Warlock2/Bard4): VitusW's Silverwood Forest | Nivi(Rogue5): Erik_Soong's Netherdeep
Joren(Fighter6): NotDrizzt's Simple Request | Quyen(Adept1, ba5ic): ConstancePhokas' Nentir Vale (Discord) | Seri(Druid1): Hunter_Orien's Saltmarsh
Xarian(Fighter3): Luna_Dust's Marks on the Map | Ophelia(Sorcerer2): BillM's Icewind Dale | Shin(Wizard1): Culuril's Strixhaven
As the group moves deeper into the tunnels, Samir slips one of the small tangled contraptions from his satchel. He clutches it in his hand and it begins to glow with a soft blue light. Keeping his hand clasped around it, Samir hopes to keep the light at a minimum and to direct it only when needed.
18 Perception
18 Stealth
Together they move forward, doing their best to move discreetly. But with only the scarce light from mixed sources, there are some unavoidable shuffles, trips, bumps, and muted grunts.
Malachi does spot something small and metallic on the ground, though. A small screw. And around it is a small amount of dust and stone chips. His eyes begin to travel up the wall, and he spots something sitting inside a small, recently drilled hole. There are char marks around the edge of the hole, and a sharp acrid smell. Whatever is inside the hole seems to be a small metal cylinder sitting just a bit too deep for Malachi's fingers to reach. Malachi looks up further and soon enough finds two more holes on that wall, three in the ceiling above, and three on the opposing wall, forming a ring around the tunnel. It doesn't take much thinking for Malachi to peg this as some sort of trap.
Sure enough, he soon after spots silk-thin threads of some kind nestles in the rough rock face connecting all of the holes and travelling along the tunnel a few feet, ending with a trip wire that he has just enough time to warn Joren not to step through.
“Joren, stop! Don't move!” Malachi hisses, trying to keep quiet while stopping the warrior “A trap, probably explosives from the mining rigs we saw earlier” He points out the wires and the freshly drilled holes, then looks to Samir, the most mechanically inclined of them. “Do you think you can disarm it?”
Joren freezes with a light clank as his chain mail briefly continues its momentum even when he stops.
He thinks about the explosions he had sensed before and forces himself to breathe. His echo freezes too - already having gone past the trap.
Joren remains outwardly calm, but the rage inside him builds to a simmer. These bloody bastards with their tricks and traps. Putting people to sleep and blowing things up and loosing giant monstrosities on entire cities. They can't go down soon enough.
Barn(Paladin1): Damian_May's Ereworn Under the Shadow | Lyra(Warlock2/Bard4): VitusW's Silverwood Forest | Nivi(Rogue5): Erik_Soong's Netherdeep
Joren(Fighter6): NotDrizzt's Simple Request | Quyen(Adept1, ba5ic): ConstancePhokas' Nentir Vale (Discord) | Seri(Druid1): Hunter_Orien's Saltmarsh
Xarian(Fighter3): Luna_Dust's Marks on the Map | Ophelia(Sorcerer2): BillM's Icewind Dale | Shin(Wizard1): Culuril's Strixhaven
Samir moves forward cautiously, glancing over at Malachi with a small nod before beginning to examine the trap. Using his light source in one hand, and a long thin tool from his kit, the artificer sets to attempting to disable what seems to be a potentially lethal hazard...
Investigation 16
Tinker's Tools: 19
It doesn't take a genius to figure out the trap is likely designed to cause a cave in, and Samir recognizes it would be a huge tactical blunder to leave such a trap at their back. Looking at how the threads connect to the trip wire, Samir surmises that pulling the threads must be the trigger. A perfectly reasonable conclusion, but one that misses one very small but crucially important detail.
And had Samir noticed a very small rune carved into each of the trip wire's anchors, a rune that he would have recognized from Jon's explosive chest tattoo, then perhaps he wouldn't have used one of his tools to ever-so-carefully sever the first thread.
A few feet away, the tripwire anchors spark, and all 8 other fuse threads start being consumed by small, but fast moving flames. There are mere seconds for the band of adventurers to react to the sudden crisis as the flames speed toward their respective holes.
Being more than familiar with flame, Ashley calmly raises her hand and casts frostbite the tips of her reddish fingers turning blue as the icy mist heads from them to the flame closest to her, sniffing it out in an instant.
That's when it dawns on her as she sees the other flames heading towards their target and the choice that needs to be made... whether they head in to try and rescue the Marshall or head back away from the God forsaken cave that she told herself she'd never enter again. At least not the next f*cking day!! She looks to the others with growing panic, keeping her hair away from the wires as the flames grow along with her emotions.
As she looks to her friends, another flame catches her eye, and she reaches out with her hand to smother it. It sizzles under her hot skin, but she barely registers the damage as she tries to figure out what to do.
"Nice work, Ashley!" Joren's voice is terse with concentration. "Others cut or douse as many threads as you can. I'll get the rest."
Barn(Paladin1): Damian_May's Ereworn Under the Shadow | Lyra(Warlock2/Bard4): VitusW's Silverwood Forest | Nivi(Rogue5): Erik_Soong's Netherdeep
Joren(Fighter6): NotDrizzt's Simple Request | Quyen(Adept1, ba5ic): ConstancePhokas' Nentir Vale (Discord) | Seri(Druid1): Hunter_Orien's Saltmarsh
Xarian(Fighter3): Luna_Dust's Marks on the Map | Ophelia(Sorcerer2): BillM's Icewind Dale | Shin(Wizard1): Culuril's Strixhaven
Malachi’s eyes go wide and time seems to slow down as the fuses linking the explosives ignite. He focuses his mind and with a flick of his wrist one of the flames is snuffed out. He pulls out his waterskin and splashes water toward a second fuse, but his throw is rushed and his aim is off, water splashing harmlessly on the floor. “Move, quickly! We must push deeper into the tunnel, we can’t let them get away.”
Vilus has no quick solutions like the others, instead once Ashley and Malachi have tried putting out a few fuses he picks them both up from around their waist and runs 30ft into the tunnel throwing each of them an extra 10ft before ducking his head and bracing for the explosion.
(Strength check to throw, 18)
In a sort of instinctive panic, when he realizes what is happening, Samir desperately tries to grab hold of one of the wicks to snuff the flame. For an instant his mind reeals with possibilities, feverish to undo his mistake. Yet each rapid-fire solution was discarded just as quickly, and in the end all the can do is run after the others, a hurried apology on his lips as he moves.
4 Unarmed Strike to try and stifle one of the fuses.
As Ashley stands there contemplating what would happen if the fires did happen to set off the trap, which side of that trap she should be on... the decision is taken right out of her hands. As Vilus sweeps her off her feet and unceremoniously under his arm, she gives a small yelp before she remembers to be quiet. She makes her hands into fists as she pummels Vilus arm while he carries her through and again surprises her with being tossed further.
Instinctively making her body into a ball to absorb the fall, she rolls a bit and comes up on her feet. Staring back at the goliath with daggers in her eyes.