Gnome's OOTA Story Thread [CLOSED]

Horkas pockets the ring for the moment and searches for a suitable place to possibly engage a purple worm - away from the bottomless hole! He prepares for a fight, and prays that the worm just passes them by...

Khessa puts the skeletal hand that remained in hers when the adventurer's remains fell into the void into her backpack and murmurs: "I have no idea how long ago this happened, but elves live a long time... When I'm done here , I will find your family - they will know about you and a part of you will rest with them. I can't do more, unfortunately".

When she's done mumbling, though, the blonde arcane warrior realizes that she didn't hear the bones hit the ground. And that familiar rumble... It's faint, but... "There is definitely a worm in the general area, and it's getting closer!" she communicates her deduction "I didn't hear the bones fall. And there are no bottomless cavities. Perhaps at the bottom of this well there is something that cushions falls. I'm sending Anator to check".

And, as she announced, the tall adventuress sends her brother, who can fly and can see even in total darkness, to verify what is at the bottom of this chasm. The fact that it is deep seems encouraging to her... Purple Worms are burrowing monsters. The fact that their nurseries are at great depths would make sense to her. And the eggs could be wrapped in a thick layer of something soft to better protect them - a layer which could then cushion falls (at least enough for the noise not to be heard).

The flying familiar flaps off into the darkness to see what he can see. After a few moments there is no response from Anator, and if Khessa tries to communicate with him she will be unable to (due to range, which as I recall is up to 100 ft, but if Khessa has something that does otherwise let me know).

While Khessa waits, the rumbling gets louder and more noticeable. You can all tell the worm will arrive any moment. What are you doing to prepare for the apparently inevitable worm incursion?

"Perhaps this is a blessing," Lulu says as the ground rumbles underfoot. "It may well carve us a new path to follow if we do no' disturb it. I cannae imagine they do much backing up either." She encourages those with mounts to direct their lizards up the sides of the cavern then listens and feels the ground for whereabouts the worm might be coming from. If she can tell, she'll lead those without mounts of of the path and have them keep perfectly still.


((Perception or Survival to tell whereabouts the worm might emerge/the direction it's coming from? 21 (same mod for both)
Stealth @disadv if those on the ground need it: 20 phew))

Katryl looks about, trying to find a place where she could hide. Probably a tiny bit difficult since she doesn't know the precise direction of the worm. (Perception: 13) "Khessa, do you just plan on staying down there? I'm not sure you have time to climb out!" If she can locate a hiding spot, she urges the other scouts to go.  She plans to join them and hide, though she does hesitate to help the two out if they need it. 

Khessa curses herself for having estimated the proximity of the Purple Worm so badly... from the distance of the noises she thought she still had a lot of time available, but now it seems that this is not the case!

"I still suspect that this chasm could lead to the nursery, Katryl..." the blonde arcane warrior replies "so I don't think it's a good place to hide. I'll try to get back up!"

The tall adventuress hastens to climb back up with the rope she had tied herself to before going down, jokingly encouraging the infantry to pull up in turn, to help her move faster: "How about playing tug of war, bad4sses?! As for you..." she advises her companions "for hiding, the area with the mushrooms is perhaps the one that offers the best chances - at least, if the mushrooms are still there, that should mean that the Purple Worms usually don't get through!"

Assisted by his familiar, Traydark tries to determine from which direction the worm will arrive. He orders the zhentarim mercenaries to stay vigilant around the drow girl on the lizard steed.

Perception
Traydark: 23
Z1: 18
Z2: 8
Z3: 10

The rumbles get louder, the ground quakes slightly (but thankfully no falling debris this time), and you're pretty sure the worm will arrive from the west somewhere, although it is impossible to know precisely where it will emerge. There are shallow cuts in the walls where you can try to hide if you wish but the area is fairly open and without decoration besides the floor.

The worm will surely arrive within the next minute.

Hanne looks around, "I think it's coming from where we came. We should try to stay still as much as possible though when it arrives, I agree. Yes hopefully it will just pass by, unless you want to try and take it down this time! Assuming it's the same worm of course."

Katryl is willing to help Khessa up. But once she is, she hurries to find an out-of-the-way spot along the wall of the area they are in, placing herself so the chasm is between her and the passageway.  She figures the worm would avoid the chasm, or if it does go that way as Khessa things it won't reach her.  (Stealth: 18)

Once Khessa manages to rejoin the party, she smiles at Hanne, pleased to see her so cooperative - evidently, the young drow girl starts feeling part of the group at least for now.

Immediately afterwards the blonde arcane warrior quickly examines the area with the mushrooms... Could the group be able to hide there?

Traydark shakes his head in resignation but does what he can to hide and stay perfectly still in the very easternmost part of the cavern, motioning for the zhents to bring the drow girl and the steed to do the same. He didn't quite see what they were even doing here still, and now they were trapped.

Stealth: 12

(Horkas and the constructs should already be where the rest of the group is, waiting...)

Quote from Painted_Beyond >>

Once Khessa manages to rejoin the party, she smiles at Hanne, pleased to see her so cooperative - evidently, the young drow girl starts feeling part of the group at least for now.

Immediately afterwards the blonde arcane warrior quickly examines the area with the mushrooms... Could the group be able to hide there?

 

 Well it's not like a giant fungal forest or something, just a bunch of mushroomy things growing all over, lichen, stuff like that. But you can certainly try.

Is this about where everyone is at the moment?

Khessa suggests to everyone that the bunch of mushroomy things growing all over seems like the place where there is the best chance of hiding... If she is listened to, she leads the way there. If the rest of the party has a different opinion, she certainly does not intend to separate herself from the others; rather, she reaches out to them, hoping for the best.

The noble drow would give the human an incredulous look after which he points out that the worm most likely is not relying on eyesight so hiding behind a mushroom wouldn't make much difference. He very much gets the sense this confrontation is inevitable now, it was only a question about how much of the expiditionary force the purple worm would devour before they managed to slay it.

Since the suggestion is not accepted, Khessa lines up together with the infantry in front of the rest of the group (but behind the Shield Guardian, if it is in front as it was before), ready to defend them in case the Purple Worm passes by and decides to try to eat them.

The blonde arcane warrior tries to follow Hanne's advice and avoids moving or making any sounds...

'If it comes towards us and discovers us...' the tall adventurer thinks '...I hope at least that it is the same specimen we had forced to flee before. If yes, maybe it won't look for another confrontation with us. Not after how we beat it up - without it getting to eat any of us. And if it were stupid enough to seek battle again, maybe if the bad4sses and I all attacked it together, in melee, we could finish it off... The bad4sses are no less fierce than the Demons of the Abyss, in melee. And I know how to do my part too'.

"At least here in the open we can all find a side of the wurm to strike!" Horkas says with a grim smile...

((OH BTW! Lulu and Hestr will hold the Dodge action! Just in case lol!))

Mere moments later, a massive worm comes crashing through the western wall where you all arrived and snakes its way through the area toward the east wall, burrowing a new tunnel and ignoring you altogether! Once it passes by, those with appropriate vision can see what lies on the other side...a worm nursery!

OOC:

The ceiling here is 80 ft high. 7 clusters hold 6 eggs each, and each egg is a silvery sphere 3 ft in diameter (i.e. too big to be mage hand handled). The eggs are held together in their cluster and to the walls by tough, resinous saliva from the worms. The 2 left strands against the wall, and the top right one, have stray strands that reach the floor. Climbing will be very difficult, but doable. Finally, the ceiling is covered in massive spiderwebs, some that reach down to the egg clusters.

Approximate time elapsed since arrival: 15 minutes.