Rash considers the situation... of course this couldn't be easy.
"Well, on the bright side... we have a natural bottleneck here even if the entire gang tries to rush us," he says. "Unfortunately, I doubt that they're dumb enough to actually come running down the tunnel at us single-file after a couple of them get blasted and they'll probably hunker down to force us to come to them. Though I do wonder... is it possible we could smoke them out?"
"You're probably right," says Spira grimly, "but we're going to have to get in here somehow, and we'd thin their numbers by those few at least. Unless a few of us could sneak up on these guards, or silence them from a distance? I'm afraid the magic my goddess grants me does not extend at this point to anything to magically cause sleep or silence, but I can also pray for the spell that allows me to sway the mind of a single person to obey the command of a single word. Perhaps if I did it subtly enough, the others would not hear and might follow their fellow in whatever we decided it was best I should command. And if we could silence them all quickly enough, we could still sneak up on the rest once we were up."
After a moment's more reflection, she adds, "I don't know if this will help, but if the Zhentarim know or guess how this tunnel was formed, they might be keeping watch more against the return of a pretty dangerous-sounding insect than against two-legged invaders. The sounds of such an insect in the distance might worry them enough that they think they have to check it out, but they wouldn't want to call the whole band and look like fools if they were wrong or if the insect turned aside. Such a sound as that I could make easily with one of the spells I know now"
The white-haired warrior listens as the others discuss. He was new to all this and didn't have much to contribute with. He would prefer to simply sneak up and kill all the zhentarim but that didn't seem like an option now. "I doubt I saw more than you did."He answers Roxana with a tired sigh. "I heard them though, talking, so I'm sure there are at least two zhentarim guarding this way in."He adds with a shrug of his broad shoulders.
"I like the thought of smoking them out," Roxana says. "But it has to be something that doesn't prevent us from getting in. Negotiations ruin any surprise. And Zhents aren't known for being friendly."
She then pauses to reflect for a moment. "Perhaps a combination? Distract and draw them out at the main entrance. Then the rest sneak in the back. Take care of any guards remaining?"
"I like the thought of smoking them out," Roxana says. "But it has to be something that doesn't prevent us from getting in. Negotiations ruin any surprise. And Zhents aren't known for being friendly."
She then pauses to reflect for a moment. "Perhaps a combination? Distract and draw them out at the main entrance. Then the rest sneak in the back. Take care of any guards remaining?"
"That idea has possibilities.," Spira says. "My only concern would be that if anything goes wrong, our own forces will be split in half in each place. There's five of us, so if we did do a two-prong attack I'd say the group of three should be at the main entrance where we guess more of them would be.
My other idea still might work along with that actually. We know by Wumgu that this tunnel was burrowed out by a giant insect, a fearsome creature indeed if it can burrow through solid stone as you said. If the Zhents heard something that sounded to them like larvae of such a creature hatching, or perhaps the creature's mate burrowing a new tunnel towards them, they would be terrified! They might even abandon their post altogether and flee, or get the whole band for reinforcements and have them all climb down into the bottleneck. Then any forces we have at the front could come in and attack them from behind while the group in the tunnel picks them off at the bottleneck. But I wish I could get a look at the place it burst through those blocks, to see if it shed any scales or chitin that would help me know what kind of creature to make the sounds of. Maybe if I took off my mail and just wore vestments, I could manage to creep close enough to see, especially since I won't need the candle."
"I still think we really need to take advantage of the bottleneck however we can, considering we're out numbered two-to-one," Rash points out. "And if we split our forces then our odds get even worse... though we probably should send someone to check the mouth of the cave to see if they have guards out there before we make a plan."
"I guess trying to make them think there's another giant insect is worth a shot," Roxana says to Spira. "You think you could make them believe that? If it doesn't completely scare them out, we could at least hide and catch whoever comes to investigate."
Trickery and guile had never been the way of the woodsman but he kept his mouth shut about his doubts about outsmarting the scheming zhentarim. There clearly were keener minds than his at work and as long as he eventually would have a reason to unsheath his blade and put it to use against the ruthless zhents he went along with whatever intricate plan the others set into motion.
The darkness of the passage in which you still are seems to invite you all to reflect...
Spira proposed mimicking the noise of an insectoid to lure the Zhentarim into the back entrance. Roxana seems to agree. Obadiah is willing to try, even though he doesn't feel strong about deception – he's relying on you on that front. Rash did not object, but also proposed checking the mouth of the cave to see if they have guards out. Aidwyn didn't say anything about these last two proposals (OOC: but Frandal may have been busy, it's holiday time after all).
The memory of Martha's words seem to echo for a moment in your mind ('Do it for us ... We need Dobbian....'). And you find yourself wondering what to do. Follow Rash's advice first and send someone to check the mouth of the cave? Or try the insectoid trick right away?
Spira turns to Rash. "As long as we didn't tip them off to our presence, I don't see any reason why we couldn't have a peek at what any guards at the entrance are doing first. We don't want them poking around in the bushes on their break and discovering the other end of this tunnel, after all!
Or perhaps we could peek at both. I'm able to see in the dark; and though I'm not quite as skilled in stealth as our first scouts I might be able to get closer and see a little more without tipping them off if I took off my mail and just went in the padded undersuit. And if I could find some chitin or scales that the creature who made the tunnel shed it would help me know what kind of noises to make. Meanwhile, whoever went to check the front entrance would have time to go and return. What do the rest of you think about either of those alternatives?"
"I guess we can check the entrance. We just want to know if there are guards there? I mean, there almost surely are. But yes, I'll go look. Who's coming as backup just in case. I don't plan on taking any chances, but you never know."
Roxana heads for the rope to climb back out, assuming someone will decide to follow. She tries to keep herself with cover between her and the main entrance as she works around to try to get a good view.
(OOC: OK, since whoever comes will still be further behind than you and therefore will be irrelevant - unless problems arise - in the meantime, I'll narrate Roxana's reconnaissance)
"I guess we can check the entrance. We just want to know if there are guards there? I mean, there almost surely are. But yes, I'll go look. Who's coming as backup just in case. I don't plan on taking any chances, but you never know."
Roxana heads for the rope to climb back out, assuming someone will decide to follow. She tries to keep herself with cover between her and the main entrance as she works around to try to get a good view.
(Stealth: 14, Perception: 23)
The furtive girl from Longsaddle manages to get back on the rope with great agility and keeps as much as possible in the shelter of the bare trees, taking care not to sway the snow-laden branches.
On the side of the hill, camouflaged by some recently placed branches, a marble arch decorated with bas-reliefs (now ruined) gives access to a corridor with floor, walls and ceiling made of stone blocks, which enters the bowels of the hill itself. Both the arch and the ceiling of the corridor are 10' high.
However ruined they are, the bas-reliefs remind Roxana of something, and by sharpening her eyesight she realizes that...
...they represent wolves and horses - probably the coat of arms of Longsaddle (and of the Harpells - it's the same)!
This is the coat of arms - only, here is on a wooden shield, while Roxana recognizes it from what is left of the bass-reliefes:
Speaking of the arch, it is clear that the Zhentarim have tried to make this entrance less obvious - although they did not seem to put too much effort in this.
With a slight peek, the girl sees only the first stretches of a bare corridor... because there is no lighting inside, so the passage is dark after just 10' or maybe 20'.
Roxana, however, hears someone whispering excitedly in the dark… it must be two or three people… even if she doesn't understand what they are saying (they are not close enough).
Seeing Roxana head for the rope, Spira begins removing her outer mail to follow the second part of her plan, unless someone objects. Once she has the tattletale metal links off, she wraps the reversible vestments of Angharradh around herself, turning them so the dark grey side representing Sehanine Moonbow in a clouded sky is outermost, and moves furtively along the grey stone wall to the point Obadiah and Roxana reached at first, and then cautiously further until she can see more details of the shaft the voices Roxana heard are coming fr. As she moves along, she goes over the spell to create the illusionary insect noises, planning where and how to use it in case something goes wrong and she has to start the plan prematurely.
================
OOC: Since this will take a bit of time I'll wait for your call when to post rolls
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Famh Thrawn Fiadhaich - 'half elven' sorcerer (wild magic) 2, Sleeping Gods - A Dragon Warriors campaign in the Lands of Legend
Quspira Inirali - tiefling cleric (Life domain) 4, Painted's "He'll be the father of my child"
---RETIRED HEROES' REST HOME---
Sae Ivui Nailo - wood elf rogue (inquisitive) 5 , Sea of Death: Captain Hailstorm's Lost Treasure
Ryshraxea "Shra" Naranthi - tabaxi artificer 1, Nyx's Tomb of Annihilation - Group 1
The white-haired warrior nods at the human and then at the tiefling, agreeing with their respective plans. "I'll come with you firebraids." He mutters grimly and follows the redhead girl, staying back a bit, ready if the zhentarim would come out of hiding to get her. He was not good at waiting, and he needed for something to happen soon, maybe driven on by the curse. He craved a release for his too long pent up rage over a life lost, and one way or another the zhentarim would be the target for that rage.
Athletics to climb back up: 16 Stealth: 7 Perception: 16 Survival to check tracks: 9
Seeing Roxana head for the rope, Spira begins removing her outer mail to follow the second part of her plan, unless someone objects. Once she has the tattletale metal links off, she wraps the reversible vestments of Angharradh around herself, turning them so the dark grey side representing Sehanine Moonbow in a clouded sky is outermost, and moves furtively along the grey stone wall to the point Obadiah and Roxana reached at first, and then cautiously further until she can see more details of the shaft the voices Roxana heard are coming fr. As she moves along, she goes over the spell to create the illusionary insect noises, planning where and how to use it in case something goes wrong and she has to start the plan prematurely.
================
OOC: Since this will take a bit of time I'll wait for your call when to post rolls
By the time 'Firebrides' Roxana and Obadiah go to check the main entrance, Spira has time to become more stealthy and check the end of the passage. Thanks to her darkvision, she notices that at the point where the passage ends, the ceiling has collapsed because from the perimeter wall of the 'Beatriful Den', the west wall, above, heavy blocks of stone have detached, leaving a hole about 10' in diameter. The hole is located 20' higher.
Below, the remains of the insectoid can be glimpsed, largely crushed by the blocks, and above, near the hole, a piece of a person's head, who must probably be sitting next to the hole, almost completely covered by the still intact part of the wall.
Spira, please, roll for: - Stealth - Perception - Nature
Optionally also Athletics, if you want to try to lift/move some blocks to better inspect the insectoid.
The white-haired warrior nods at the human and then at the tiefling, agreeing with their respective plans. "I'll come with you firebraids." He mutters grimly and follows the redhead girl, staying back a bit, ready if the zhentarim would come out of hiding to get her. He was not good at waiting, and he needed for something to happen soon, maybe driven on by the curse. He craved a release for his too long pent up rage over a life lost, and one way or another the zhentarim would be the target for that rage.
Athletics to climb back up: 21 Stealth: 11 Perception: 23 Survival to check tracks: 16
Nimble and silent, the white haired warrior has no trouble following 'Firebraids'.
Alert and observant, he too notices about everything Roxana sees, including the badly camouflaged marble arch, decorated with now ruined bas-reliefs which, with his keen eyesight, he notes that they represent wolves and horses.
He too realizes that someone in the dark corridor is speaking in a low voice (perhaps deluding himself of not being heard) but Obadiah is even more distant than Roxana... impossible to understand the words.
By the time 'Firebrides' Roxana and Obadiah go to check the main entrance, Spira has time to become more stealthy and check the end of the passage. Thanks to her darkvision, she notices that at the point where the passage ends, the ceiling has collapsed because from the perimeter wall of the 'Beatriful Den', the west wall, above, heavy blocks of stone have detached, leaving a hole about 10' in diameter. The hole is located 20' higher.
Below, the remains of the insectoid can be glimpsed, largely crushed by the blocks, and above, near the hole, a piece of a person's head, who must probably be sitting next to the hole, almost completely covered by the still intact part of the wall.
Spira, please, roll for: - Stealth - Perception - Nature
Optionally also Athletics, if you want to try to lift/move some blocks to better inspect the insectoid.
Stealth 17
Perception 13
Nature 7
=======================================
As soon as Spira sees the head above, she freezes where she is and concentrates her attention on seeing and hearing what they do. If they seem as if they might be suspicious she slowly backs away until she is no longer visible from the hole and then decides whether it makes more sense to start the plan with the noises, or to stay still and quiet waiting to see what they do, or to back away and try to warn the party she's stirred up a wasps' nest. If they seem unaware of her presence she approaches the insectoid to examine it more closely, but does not yet move any blocks off it. Meanwhile, she continues listening to see if she can hear anything those above might say.
Spira decides to step up her caution as she spots one of the two guards, and as far as she can tell, the guards ignore her. They look bored and distracted, as if they are carrying out a task they deem perfectly useless.
Their words aren't directed at the hole, so it's hard to tell them apart. They are speaking Common (as one might expect from humans - in fact the portion of the head seen by Spira is that of a human boy). Catching a word here and there, the tiefling cleric gets the idea that the two guards are talking about the benefits of slavery and what they will buy once their trade has made them filthy rich.
The insectoid must have been terrible, alive; an encounter really to be avoided at all costs. It was large, with long antennae and sharp hooks on its legs and powerful mandibles that seemed capable of snapping a trunk in half. Spira has never met such a creature (probably lucky for her) and she can't think of what it might be.
OOC: Not quite getting the description of the layout here. Is it the ceiling or the wall that collapsed? And this hole is 20' higher than what? The top of the blocks that fell, or the floor level where I am? Since you say the guard has almost total cover from me I assume the blocks are between me and the hole they're sitting next to? Or are the blocks under the hole?
OOC: Not quite getting the description of the layout here. Is it the ceiling or the wall that collapsed? And this hole is 20' higher than what?
Ok, sorry, I try to explain more clearly.
In fact, in that 10'x10' area where the tunnel ends, there is the perimeter wall of the dungeon, to the west. A section of the west wall collapsed, but was a section was at a height of 20' from the tunnel's ground. The big stone blocks, falling, made the tunnel's ceiling also collapse, in that section. So that tunnel end section is now 30' high (instead of 10' like the previous part of the tunnel) and is visible a 10'-diameter hole in the west wall - this hole is at a height of 20' from the tunnel's ground.
A quick drawing (showing the tunnel in section - the y axis is the height):
"You're probably right," says Spira grimly, "but we're going to have to get in here somehow, and we'd thin their numbers by those few at least. Unless a few of us could sneak up on these guards, or silence them from a distance? I'm afraid the magic my goddess grants me does not extend at this point to anything to magically cause sleep or silence, but I can also pray for the spell that allows me to sway the mind of a single person to obey the command of a single word. Perhaps if I did it subtly enough, the others would not hear and might follow their fellow in whatever we decided it was best I should command. And if we could silence them all quickly enough, we could still sneak up on the rest once we were up."
Famh Thrawn Fiadhaich - 'half elven' sorcerer (wild magic) 2, Sleeping Gods - A Dragon Warriors campaign in the Lands of Legend
Quspira Inirali - tiefling cleric (Life domain) 4, Painted's "He'll be the father of my child"
---RETIRED HEROES' REST HOME---
Sae Ivui Nailo - wood elf rogue (inquisitive) 5 , Sea of Death: Captain Hailstorm's Lost Treasure
Ryshraxea "Shra" Naranthi - tabaxi artificer 1, Nyx's Tomb of Annihilation - Group 1
After a moment's more reflection, she adds, "I don't know if this will help, but if the Zhentarim know or guess how this tunnel was formed, they might be keeping watch more against the return of a pretty dangerous-sounding insect than against two-legged invaders. The sounds of such an insect in the distance might worry them enough that they think they have to check it out, but they wouldn't want to call the whole band and look like fools if they were wrong or if the insect turned aside. Such a sound as that I could make easily with one of the spells I know now"
Famh Thrawn Fiadhaich - 'half elven' sorcerer (wild magic) 2, Sleeping Gods - A Dragon Warriors campaign in the Lands of Legend
Quspira Inirali - tiefling cleric (Life domain) 4, Painted's "He'll be the father of my child"
---RETIRED HEROES' REST HOME---
Sae Ivui Nailo - wood elf rogue (inquisitive) 5 , Sea of Death: Captain Hailstorm's Lost Treasure
Ryshraxea "Shra" Naranthi - tabaxi artificer 1, Nyx's Tomb of Annihilation - Group 1
The white-haired warrior listens as the others discuss. He was new to all this and didn't have much to contribute with. He would prefer to simply sneak up and kill all the zhentarim but that didn't seem like an option now. "I doubt I saw more than you did." He answers Roxana with a tired sigh. "I heard them though, talking, so I'm sure there are at least two zhentarim guarding this way in." He adds with a shrug of his broad shoulders.
"I like the thought of smoking them out," Roxana says. "But it has to be something that doesn't prevent us from getting in. Negotiations ruin any surprise. And Zhents aren't known for being friendly."
She then pauses to reflect for a moment. "Perhaps a combination? Distract and draw them out at the main entrance. Then the rest sneak in the back. Take care of any guards remaining?"
Rabbit Sebrica, Sorcerer || Skarai, Monk || Lokilia Vaelphin, Druid || Britari / Halila Talgeta / Jesa Gumovi || Neital Rhessil, Wizard || Iromae Quinaea, Cleric
Meira Dheran, Rogue || Qirynna Thadri, Wizard || Crisaryn Melkial, Sorcerer || Bronnryn Hethgar, Cleric
"That idea has possibilities.," Spira says. "My only concern would be that if anything goes wrong, our own forces will be split in half in each place. There's five of us, so if we did do a two-prong attack I'd say the group of three should be at the main entrance where we guess more of them would be.
My other idea still might work along with that actually. We know by Wumgu that this tunnel was burrowed out by a giant insect, a fearsome creature indeed if it can burrow through solid stone as you said. If the Zhents heard something that sounded to them like larvae of such a creature hatching, or perhaps the creature's mate burrowing a new tunnel towards them, they would be terrified! They might even abandon their post altogether and flee, or get the whole band for reinforcements and have them all climb down into the bottleneck. Then any forces we have at the front could come in and attack them from behind while the group in the tunnel picks them off at the bottleneck. But I wish I could get a look at the place it burst through those blocks, to see if it shed any scales or chitin that would help me know what kind of creature to make the sounds of. Maybe if I took off my mail and just wore vestments, I could manage to creep close enough to see, especially since I won't need the candle."
Famh Thrawn Fiadhaich - 'half elven' sorcerer (wild magic) 2, Sleeping Gods - A Dragon Warriors campaign in the Lands of Legend
Quspira Inirali - tiefling cleric (Life domain) 4, Painted's "He'll be the father of my child"
---RETIRED HEROES' REST HOME---
Sae Ivui Nailo - wood elf rogue (inquisitive) 5 , Sea of Death: Captain Hailstorm's Lost Treasure
Ryshraxea "Shra" Naranthi - tabaxi artificer 1, Nyx's Tomb of Annihilation - Group 1
"I still think we really need to take advantage of the bottleneck however we can, considering we're out numbered two-to-one," Rash points out. "And if we split our forces then our odds get even worse... though we probably should send someone to check the mouth of the cave to see if they have guards out there before we make a plan."
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"I guess trying to make them think there's another giant insect is worth a shot," Roxana says to Spira. "You think you could make them believe that? If it doesn't completely scare them out, we could at least hide and catch whoever comes to investigate."
Rabbit Sebrica, Sorcerer || Skarai, Monk || Lokilia Vaelphin, Druid || Britari / Halila Talgeta / Jesa Gumovi || Neital Rhessil, Wizard || Iromae Quinaea, Cleric
Meira Dheran, Rogue || Qirynna Thadri, Wizard || Crisaryn Melkial, Sorcerer || Bronnryn Hethgar, Cleric
Trickery and guile had never been the way of the woodsman but he kept his mouth shut about his doubts about outsmarting the scheming zhentarim. There clearly were keener minds than his at work and as long as he eventually would have a reason to unsheath his blade and put it to use against the ruthless zhents he went along with whatever intricate plan the others set into motion.
The darkness of the passage in which you still are seems to invite you all to reflect...
Spira proposed mimicking the noise of an insectoid to lure the Zhentarim into the back entrance.
Roxana seems to agree.
Obadiah is willing to try, even though he doesn't feel strong about deception – he's relying on you on that front.
Rash did not object, but also proposed checking the mouth of the cave to see if they have guards out.
Aidwyn didn't say anything about these last two proposals (OOC: but Frandal may have been busy, it's holiday time after all).
The memory of Martha's words seem to echo for a moment in your mind ('Do it for us ... We need Dobbian....'). And you find yourself wondering what to do. Follow Rash's advice first and send someone to check the mouth of the cave? Or try the insectoid trick right away?
Spira turns to Rash. "As long as we didn't tip them off to our presence, I don't see any reason why we couldn't have a peek at what any guards at the entrance are doing first. We don't want them poking around in the bushes on their break and discovering the other end of this tunnel, after all!
Or perhaps we could peek at both. I'm able to see in the dark; and though I'm not quite as skilled in stealth as our first scouts I might be able to get closer and see a little more without tipping them off if I took off my mail and just went in the padded undersuit. And if I could find some chitin or scales that the creature who made the tunnel shed it would help me know what kind of noises to make. Meanwhile, whoever went to check the front entrance would have time to go and return. What do the rest of you think about either of those alternatives?"
Famh Thrawn Fiadhaich - 'half elven' sorcerer (wild magic) 2, Sleeping Gods - A Dragon Warriors campaign in the Lands of Legend
Quspira Inirali - tiefling cleric (Life domain) 4, Painted's "He'll be the father of my child"
---RETIRED HEROES' REST HOME---
Sae Ivui Nailo - wood elf rogue (inquisitive) 5 , Sea of Death: Captain Hailstorm's Lost Treasure
Ryshraxea "Shra" Naranthi - tabaxi artificer 1, Nyx's Tomb of Annihilation - Group 1
"I guess we can check the entrance. We just want to know if there are guards there? I mean, there almost surely are. But yes, I'll go look. Who's coming as backup just in case. I don't plan on taking any chances, but you never know."
Roxana heads for the rope to climb back out, assuming someone will decide to follow. She tries to keep herself with cover between her and the main entrance as she works around to try to get a good view.
(Stealth: 14, Perception: 23)
Rabbit Sebrica, Sorcerer || Skarai, Monk || Lokilia Vaelphin, Druid || Britari / Halila Talgeta / Jesa Gumovi || Neital Rhessil, Wizard || Iromae Quinaea, Cleric
Meira Dheran, Rogue || Qirynna Thadri, Wizard || Crisaryn Melkial, Sorcerer || Bronnryn Hethgar, Cleric
(OOC: OK, since whoever comes will still be further behind than you and therefore will be irrelevant - unless problems arise - in the meantime, I'll narrate Roxana's reconnaissance)
The furtive girl from Longsaddle manages to get back on the rope with great agility and keeps as much as possible in the shelter of the bare trees, taking care not to sway the snow-laden branches.
On the side of the hill, camouflaged by some recently placed branches, a marble arch decorated with bas-reliefs (now ruined) gives access to a corridor with floor, walls and ceiling made of stone blocks, which enters the bowels of the hill itself. Both the arch and the ceiling of the corridor are 10' high.
However ruined they are, the bas-reliefs remind Roxana of something, and by sharpening her eyesight she realizes that...
...they represent wolves and horses - probably the coat of arms of Longsaddle (and of the Harpells - it's the same)!
This is the coat of arms - only, here is on a wooden shield, while Roxana recognizes it from what is left of the bass-reliefes:
Speaking of the arch, it is clear that the Zhentarim have tried to make this entrance less obvious - although they did not seem to put too much effort in this.
With a slight peek, the girl sees only the first stretches of a bare corridor... because there is no lighting inside, so the passage is dark after just 10' or maybe 20'.
Roxana, however, hears someone whispering excitedly in the dark… it must be two or three people… even if she doesn't understand what they are saying (they are not close enough).
Seeing Roxana head for the rope, Spira begins removing her outer mail to follow the second part of her plan, unless someone objects. Once she has the tattletale metal links off, she wraps the reversible vestments of Angharradh around herself, turning them so the dark grey side representing Sehanine Moonbow in a clouded sky is outermost, and moves furtively along the grey stone wall to the point Obadiah and Roxana reached at first, and then cautiously further until she can see more details of the shaft the voices Roxana heard are coming fr. As she moves along, she goes over the spell to create the illusionary insect noises, planning where and how to use it in case something goes wrong and she has to start the plan prematurely.
================
OOC: Since this will take a bit of time I'll wait for your call when to post rolls
Famh Thrawn Fiadhaich - 'half elven' sorcerer (wild magic) 2, Sleeping Gods - A Dragon Warriors campaign in the Lands of Legend
Quspira Inirali - tiefling cleric (Life domain) 4, Painted's "He'll be the father of my child"
---RETIRED HEROES' REST HOME---
Sae Ivui Nailo - wood elf rogue (inquisitive) 5 , Sea of Death: Captain Hailstorm's Lost Treasure
Ryshraxea "Shra" Naranthi - tabaxi artificer 1, Nyx's Tomb of Annihilation - Group 1
The white-haired warrior nods at the human and then at the tiefling, agreeing with their respective plans. "I'll come with you firebraids." He mutters grimly and follows the redhead girl, staying back a bit, ready if the zhentarim would come out of hiding to get her. He was not good at waiting, and he needed for something to happen soon, maybe driven on by the curse. He craved a release for his too long pent up rage over a life lost, and one way or another the zhentarim would be the target for that rage.
Athletics to climb back up: 16
Stealth: 7
Perception: 16
Survival to check tracks: 9
By the time 'Firebrides' Roxana and Obadiah go to check the main entrance, Spira has time to become more stealthy and check the end of the passage. Thanks to her darkvision, she notices that at the point where the passage ends, the ceiling has collapsed because from the perimeter wall of the 'Beatriful Den', the west wall, above, heavy blocks of stone have detached, leaving a hole about 10' in diameter. The hole is located 20' higher.
Below, the remains of the insectoid can be glimpsed, largely crushed by the blocks, and above, near the hole, a piece of a person's head, who must probably be sitting next to the hole, almost completely covered by the still intact part of the wall.
Spira, please, roll for:
- Stealth
- Perception
- Nature
Optionally also Athletics, if you want to try to lift/move some blocks to better inspect the insectoid.
Nimble and silent, the white haired warrior has no trouble following 'Firebraids'.
Alert and observant, he too notices about everything Roxana sees, including the badly camouflaged marble arch, decorated with now ruined bas-reliefs which, with his keen eyesight, he notes that they represent wolves and horses.
He too realizes that someone in the dark corridor is speaking in a low voice (perhaps deluding himself of not being heard) but Obadiah is even more distant than Roxana... impossible to understand the words.
Stealth 17
Perception 13
Nature 7
=======================================
As soon as Spira sees the head above, she freezes where she is and concentrates her attention on seeing and hearing what they do. If they seem as if they might be suspicious she slowly backs away until she is no longer visible from the hole and then decides whether it makes more sense to start the plan with the noises, or to stay still and quiet waiting to see what they do, or to back away and try to warn the party she's stirred up a wasps' nest. If they seem unaware of her presence she approaches the insectoid to examine it more closely, but does not yet move any blocks off it. Meanwhile, she continues listening to see if she can hear anything those above might say.
Famh Thrawn Fiadhaich - 'half elven' sorcerer (wild magic) 2, Sleeping Gods - A Dragon Warriors campaign in the Lands of Legend
Quspira Inirali - tiefling cleric (Life domain) 4, Painted's "He'll be the father of my child"
---RETIRED HEROES' REST HOME---
Sae Ivui Nailo - wood elf rogue (inquisitive) 5 , Sea of Death: Captain Hailstorm's Lost Treasure
Ryshraxea "Shra" Naranthi - tabaxi artificer 1, Nyx's Tomb of Annihilation - Group 1
Spira decides to step up her caution as she spots one of the two guards, and as far as she can tell, the guards ignore her. They look bored and distracted, as if they are carrying out a task they deem perfectly useless.
Their words aren't directed at the hole, so it's hard to tell them apart. They are speaking Common (as one might expect from humans - in fact the portion of the head seen by Spira is that of a human boy). Catching a word here and there, the tiefling cleric gets the idea that the two guards are talking about the benefits of slavery and what they will buy once their trade has made them filthy rich.
The insectoid must have been terrible, alive; an encounter really to be avoided at all costs. It was large, with long antennae and sharp hooks on its legs and powerful mandibles that seemed capable of snapping a trunk in half. Spira has never met such a creature (probably lucky for her) and she can't think of what it might be.
OOC: Not quite getting the description of the layout here. Is it the ceiling or the wall that collapsed? And this hole is 20' higher than what? The top of the blocks that fell, or the floor level where I am? Since you say the guard has almost total cover from me I assume the blocks are between me and the hole they're sitting next to? Or are the blocks under the hole?
Famh Thrawn Fiadhaich - 'half elven' sorcerer (wild magic) 2, Sleeping Gods - A Dragon Warriors campaign in the Lands of Legend
Quspira Inirali - tiefling cleric (Life domain) 4, Painted's "He'll be the father of my child"
---RETIRED HEROES' REST HOME---
Sae Ivui Nailo - wood elf rogue (inquisitive) 5 , Sea of Death: Captain Hailstorm's Lost Treasure
Ryshraxea "Shra" Naranthi - tabaxi artificer 1, Nyx's Tomb of Annihilation - Group 1
Ok, sorry, I try to explain more clearly.
In fact, in that 10'x10' area where the tunnel ends, there is the perimeter wall of the dungeon, to the west. A section of the west wall collapsed, but was a section was at a height of 20' from the tunnel's ground. The big stone blocks, falling, made the tunnel's ceiling also collapse, in that section. So that tunnel end section is now 30' high (instead of 10' like the previous part of the tunnel) and is visible a 10'-diameter hole in the west wall - this hole is at a height of 20' from the tunnel's ground.
A quick drawing (showing the tunnel in section - the y axis is the height):