Gnome's OOTA Story Thread [CLOSED]

(3/4 oozes left, 1 in critical condition pending Ebzer/Silas's turn)

Quote from Gnomesftw >>

(3/4 oozes left, 1 in critical condition pending Ebzer/Silas's turn)

 Great! Remember what Khessa asked to Globbagool... to be our 'bouncer' if possible and allow only one ooze at a time inside (to make things easier for us). If it can do this or not (and how easily) of course up to you. 

(You also asked them to check around for an exit, which is what they are currently doing, not trying to block oozes.)

Quote from Gnomesftw >>

(You also asked them to check around for an exit, which is what they are currently doing, not trying to block oozes.)

 Oh, ok; if they are successful in this, even better! 😀

Quote from Gnomesftw >>

Globbagool searches the area for several painstaking minutes before you hear their thoughts again. "Not much down here. Water is splashing down though! I can't reach that high though. Oooh look I'm floating on the water now! Wheeee!"

 (this is the result)

Between Ebzer and Silas another two oozes sink into the rising waters, leaving just one more slowly sloshing its way towards the group in the cave. In the hustle and bustle though you hear a plop in the water in the back of the cave area, then the sound of water pouring in faster. Looking back you can see that a small piece of the ceiling has broken off, making the water gush in faster.

"Three killed, one remains..." Khessa points out, relieved by the prompt and effective intervention of the companions "We can almost say that things are going w..."

But before the blonde arcane warrior can finish pronouncing the mysterious word starting with 'W', whatever it was, she hears a plop in the water in the back of the cave area, then the sound of water pouring in faster. Looking back she can see that a small piece of the ceiling has broken off, making the water gush faster!

"Curse!" the tall adventurer immediately directs a new beam of fire at the surviving ooze "It looks like we'll have to hurry!"

Fire Bolt Attack: 12 Damage: 4 (fire)

Katryl will fire again at the remaining ooze. 
(Shortbow Attack: 14 Damage: 9)

Eldeth likewise will keep firing her bow. 
(Longbow Attack: 24 Damage: 7)
(Longbow Attack: 10 Damage: 10)

"Looks like we might have as much time as we'd thought!" Katryl exclaims as the piece of rock breaks. "Guess we know it's not hard to break through the rock there." 

The noble drow continues to retreat before unleashing a purple beam of eldritch crackling force against the closest ooze.

Eldritch Blast: 14 Force: 5 Necrotic: 1

The last ooze sinks into the rising waters as another piece of the cave roof breaks off and more water begins to rush down over you in the side cave! The water is now waist high for most of you and rising faster than before. It is only a matter of time before you will have to swim for it.

Quote from Gnomesftw >>

The last ooze sinks into the rising waters as another piece of the cave roof breaks off and more water begins to rush down over you in the side cave! The water is now waist high for most of you and rising faster than before. It is only a matter of time before you will have to swim for it.

Khessa hastens to pick up the magical shard of quartz donated by Stonespeaker Hgraam and opens her mind to the enchanted capabilities of the object crafted by the stone giant librarians of Gravenhollow... A few seconds, and the blonde arcane warrior feels in perfect communion with the animal world, aware that what she says will be understood and heard by any specimens of local fauna in the vicinity.

'Life is omnipresent...' thinks the tall adventuress, hopeful 'It's even in the heart of the driest deserts, I've heard. There must be some form of animal life here or nearby too!'

"Hey, animal friends..." Khessa shouts "excuse me a moment, please, if anyone is listening! We need a little information: this underground water that is flowing... does it have only rock on top of it? Or does it also have some empty space nearby? It's important, please..."

And in the meantime the blonde arcane warrior tries to estimate whether the hole in the ceiling is already large enough for the party to possibly pass through (if they discover that the right escape route is that) or if they will still need to work to widen it further.

'Anyway, it's getting bigger on its own too...' the tall adventurer nevertheless notes 'If there's a secret passageway in the fountain room, I hope my friends can find it now - because something tells me it's now or never!'

"How long do you suppose we have?" Katryl asks. "We can run... wade back to the fountain and try our luck.  If we have the time." 

(Not sure if she or others could get a time estimate vs. how long to go back and forth to the fountain. If we wouldn't already be submerged by going there and back, she will quickly run back and look for any passages both on the way and in the chamber.  Perception if needed for any of that: 13)

You don't get any response from the call to wildlife, but you do notice that there aren't any fish or other watery creatures falling down or swimming around you yet.

You can estimate that if things stay as they are, it will be just another 15 minutes before you are more than waist high in water, and another 30 beyond that before the entire structure is flooded completely.

Katryl will quickly run back and look for any passages both on the way and in the chamber.  Perception if needed for any of that: 13)
(Re-posting Post #2080) 

Quote from Culuril >>

Katryl will quickly run back and look for any passages both on the way and in the chamber.  Perception if needed for any of that: 13)
(Re-posting Post #2080) 

 

 You don't see any new passageway in the chamber. The crack that was there before remains the same as when you first saw it.

With no signs of any additional exists, Katryl takes a quick look into the basin of the fountain. She will carefully look through the water to see if she can find any of the 'shinies' that Globbagool had mentioned. (Investigation if needed: 19)

Khessa doesn't get any response from the call to wildlife... it seem there aren't any fish or other watery creatures in hearing range (OOC: @DM: She does not need to see them... if they are in hearing range, they can understand her. But if no response, ok, it seems no animal did hear).

'If things stay as they are, it will be just another 15' before we are more than waist high in water!' the blonde arcane warrior thinks, increasingly concerned 'And maybe another 30' beyond that before the entire structure is flooded completely. Plus,' she remembers how the hole in the ceiling has already expanded spontaneously due to the weight of the water 'there are good chances that things will not stay as they are!'

The tall adventurer hurries to catch up with Katryl: "Have you found any secret passages?"

If not, she helps her (OOC: giving advantage to her perception checks) for a while.

If still nothing is found, Khessa sighs and says: "We haven't found any other free exits. The only one is where the water is coming in. I don't like it at all, but I think our last possible hope is to try to get out from there. Widen the hole so that we can go through it too (we have heavy weapons, plus the weight of the water helps - we can do it). Put the heads in our backpacks, to still have some air when the water will flood the complex. When the water has flooded the complex, it will no longer enter because it'll have nowhere left to go here! So we can take our heads out of our packs (maybe pray, if anyone knows gods who listen) and swim out the hole above. There will be no current pushing us back. It's possible that this cursed body of water, upon entering here, has left a gap, some void space where it came from. Or maybe space there was already - maybe this is a lake or river, with some space over it, not only rock. If so and we reach space and air, we might be safe. If not, we're dead. But I'm afraid we're dead even if we do nothing before the complex is flooded completely! So... I think this is our best bet".

(OOC: @Companions: I'm only thinking about this hypothesis because the DM, several posts earlier, had mentioned the weight of the water... as if this could be a determining factor... and the only way I could think of it can be a determining factor, is this. But if this is really the only way out of the complex, whoever created this adventure putting so few clues on how to get out of this desperate situation was a s4distic b4stard)

Down in the water you come up with 112 sp, 41 gp, three green-gold bracelets worth 25 gp each, a drow +1 dagger (the hilt has a spider design), a potion of greater healing, and a vial containing oil of slipperiness.

There do not seem to be any other exits out of the room.

Khessa sighs and acknowledges that no other ways out were found: "We haven't found any other free exits. The only one is where the water is coming in. I don't like it at all, but I think our last possible hope is to try to get out from there. Widen the hole so that we can go through it too (we have heavy weapons, plus the weight of the water helps - we can do it). Put the heads in our backpacks, to still have some air when the water will flood the complex. When the water has flooded the complex, it will no longer enter because it'll have nowhere left to go here! So we can take our heads out of our packs (maybe pray, if anyone knows gods who listen) and swim out the hole above. There will be no current pushing us back. It's possible that this cursed body of water, upon entering here, has left a gap, some void space where it came from. Or maybe space there was already - maybe this is a lake or river, with some space over it, not only rock. If so and we reach space and air, we might be safe. If not, we're dead. But I'm afraid we're dead even if we do nothing before the complex is flooded completely! So... I think this is our best bet".

Unless someone finds other ways out, the blonde arcane warrior attempts to climb to a height from which she can hit the edges of the hole with her Maul, then begins trying to shatter the edges to widen the hole - at least enough for a person to pass.