Vesta smiles as Celeste is allowed to jump into her arms. She carries the arctic fox out of the inn before setting her back down on the ground. "That was a close one," she says to the druid. Her smile is short-lived for a woman's scream pierces the air.
The sorcerer joins the others as they gather round Kevori and Delvin. Delvin's body lays forlornly on the street, the only clue a mushy old eyeball. Vesta gasps with dismay. The Fearneharts were also employed by Lord Neverember. Vesta had some a few jobs with them in the past. She had liked Delvin, not romantically or anything like that, but he had been a good man.
"Oh Gods, not Delvin," she says softly. "Kevori, we'll do whatever we can. I promise. This is a strange question, but may I see the eyeball?"
Vesta picks up the eyeball and recites an incantation. "It's a long shot, but perhaps the eye is magical in some way," she explains.
As Dara recites the words, the sorcerer feels a chill. "The undying," she murmurs. "I don't like the sound of that. A cult that worships undead?"
Zyl smashes one fist into the palm of her other hand and flexes some. "Well she said she'd tell Lord Neverember and we should get revenge. Not really what I do but if it means smashing up some bad cultists I'm all for it! We'll the -undying- stay dead dead!" She huffed. "What's with the gross eye thing anyway?"
Hollis stands still looking around the alley as he listens to Kevori tell her story of what happened to Delvin. He does his best to connect the dots from the coded message - “Hail the Undying” - to the dried out eyeball and the mysterious cultist hideout Delvin had discovered.
Softly, under his breath, Hollis begins proposing possibilities about the eye’s purpose. “A cult’s calling card? Or . . . a spell casting component? . . . Maybe a divine focus? . . . Could be an alchemical ingredient? . . . Or perhaps a key to some magical keyhole?”
He wonders if the eye can still see: “A scrying tool?”
Hollis asks to hold the eye, and he raises it up to his own, wondering if someone can somehow see him through it. He squints into the eye, trying to maybe see through it? Lastly he holds the eye in front of his mouth and clearly recites the deciphered message: “Hail the Undying!” while watching carefully for any sign that something - anything - is happening.
Seeing no immediate threats around, Mulligan steps up to the siblings and asks the living one if she had seen anyone else in the alley - Anyone fleeing or the like. Mulligan also asks what clues they had about suspicious cult activity, other than the note and the dead brother. "If Lord Neverember assigned you to the task there must have been something that clued him in about a cult in the first place," Mulligan suggests. Basically he interrogates the sister about any and every cult lead they had before the sudden and untimely demise of Brother Fearnehart. "Do you know what your brother was investigating or who he was meeting up with just before you were to meet up here?" and so on.
Somewhere during the investigation Mulligan suggests that someone should alert... Well, whoever it is that handles corpses. The local morgue? Academy of Sciences perhaps? The local meatpie shoppe? Obviously the city doesn't just let people decay where they lay so there must be some proper authorities...
Once the interrogating and the normal day to day corpse disposal has taken place then he agrees they should touch base with Taskmaster and relay everything that's happened so far, "Though perhaps we don't mention our almost losing Celeste to a local pet enthusiast?" and see if he has anything to add to whatever clues the living Fearnehart is able to provide...
Vesta detects an aura of divination magic around the eyeball. When Hollis speaks the key phrase, “Hail the Undying,” while holding the eyeball, it begins to glow with green light before spinning to face westward.
Kevori tries to answer Mulligan's questions as he rapid fires them at her. "We were hired to investigate a sinister cult that has supposedly crept into the city’s bowels. Delvin was going to try and infiltrate the cult’s hideout, but he didn't tell me where it was or if he was successful. We had pre-arranged this meeting time and place, but I found him dead in this alley - the only clue was that dried-up eyeball. Seems as if you've figured out the clues, though. Follow the eye. Avenge my brother. Find out what you can about who killed him - and about this cult we are all investigating."
She lifts her brother onto her shoulders and says, "Take care of yourselves. Until we meet again..." She moves surprisingly well carrying her dead brother, heading down the street towards the Protector's Enclave.
The eyeball acts like a compass, leading you to the city’s western catacombs. After an hour of walking (trying to conceal the glowing orb you carry!), the withered eyeball aims its empty gaze down an alley strewn with rubble. Rats scurry between chunks of old stone and dusty crates. At the back of the alley is a set of moldering wood boards, propped up just enough to block a dark tunnel leading below the surface.
The little fox rests her paw on the lady’s hand as a gesture of appreciation for her company and being fed, but she’d practically leap into Vesta’s arms when she’d go to pick her up. She’d lick her cheek then nuzzle into her neck with a soft purr as she’s carried out of the bar and given extra pets and compliments from Mulligan.
Big green eyes would blink and her head would tilt to Dara’s question. She looked thoughtful as if she’s never truly considered the thought. Celeste enjoyed feeling included, and she couldn’t deny enjoying the attention in terms of being fed, held, petted or praised. She was truly just thankful no one left her behind and was incredibly humbled when the team came together to help her. If the collar was a token of that, of belonging, of being part of a team who took care of eachother, she loved it. In the end, it appeared it mattered more about the context in what the collar could mean. She had friends! Maybe even a part of her own pack.
Prrt. When Celeste’s placed down on the ground, she practically prances with a happy sway of her poufed tail. She’d pad along at Vesta’s side, breaking away to weave through the others legs from time to time in appreciation of their presence. Though once the piercing scream hit her ears they’d lower and she’d creep forward along with the others.
(Passive Insight: 13 Rolled: 9 - She’d probably be distracted by the eyeball too.)
Following at the other’s feet, the white fox sniffs and huffs excessively not wanting to miss a thing. She’s about to lick the eyeball when someone picks it up out of her reach to inspect it closer. She sits, staring up at the them examining it, tail swaying. Then she realizes that the inspection of the pupil was thoroughly under control under the watchful eyes of the others. Celeste pops up to go sniffing around some more, specifically at the body. She’d be guilty of sniffing at his eyes as she went about her inspection. She wondered how he died, if she could pick up the scent of an unknown party or a signature scent, wondering if she could pick up something useful in any way to share with her friends. But then he too was whisked away.
(Medicine: Nat 1 for a 4) (Passive Perc: 15 Inv: 12 or Rolled: 4 +5 for perception or +2 for investigation)
Unless she’d be swept up too, the fox happily scurries after the group. A little ways through the walking to the catacombs though, there’d be a little poof and Celeste would appear in her half-elven form. Pointed ears, pink hair, freckled nose, soft blush and dimpled smile. Once on her own feet she’d tuck herself behind the tallest person. From time to time she’d poke her nose out from their side or over their shoulders to sniff around. Otherwise she’d fidget, weaving something in her hands as they go.
”Hey look, rats!” Celeste points out the obvious. “Should we ask for directions?” She blurts the ask casually, meaning once they’re within the tunnels. “And if they’ve seen anyone?” Green eyes meet those who look her way.
Hollis stands in front of the boards at the back of the alley, and turns to face his companions. Although he is ready to walk right into the secret tunnel, he pauses a moment first to confer with the others.
Celeste's suggestion is a good one, so Hollis nods to her encouragingly. "Good idea. Gather whatever information you can from the rats."
He then turns to Vesta, Mulligan, Dara, and Zyl. "I'll go down first," he offers. "Do the talking, as needs be. If the mission is infiltration, I can use the eye and the code phrase to try to fit in. Pass myself -- and any of the rest of us -- off as aspiring cultists. Or you can follow as you best see fit."
"Mulligan, you might want to stay out of sight, maybe last in line," he suggests. "If things go sideways, you can escape for help, or . . . do something sneaky."
He looks around at the rest of them. "Sound good?" Hollis asks, trying to get a feel for how the others may want to proceed.
"Way you snatched the eye away and knew immediately how to use it I'm sure you'll fit right in," Mulligan replies to Hollis with obvious distaste. "But sure, Half-Deck, you lead the way... I'll stick to the shadows ready to bail you out if needed."
"Zyl, I assume you can hide right behind him, at least unless things get crowded?" Mulligan asks. "And Celeste? Can you be ready to change into a wolf again if needed? Or something a bit more sewer appropriate? But yeah, I think the rest maybe hang back as much as possible and be ready to rush in to help if things go violent?"
Yeah, it was more or less the same as Hollis was suggesting but who wanted to let him get his way? He'd like as not join the cult if they offered him the right high...
"Oh great, a magical dead eyeball. And it glows. Eww. I don't mind dirt and stuff but dead things are gross!" Zyl makes a face at the eyeball and walks off with everyone else, fluttering around a times to keep a general ...eye out. She was a rough and tumble fairy, not a get all disgusting from undead goo and decay fairy. Seriously, why people want to handle all that stuff willingly was beyond her comprehension and she was perfectly fine with someone else taking the eye. Blood? Sure. But not putrid decay. Yuck.
"I thought the 'mission' was to get revenge," Zyl piped up. "But we can do it your way. And when things go south I won't have to say I told you so." She gives a playful smirk though. "Just let me get my torch out because it looks pretty dark down there and I don't see so well in the dark."
The tunnel proceeds at a downward slope, bringing you about 20 feet beneath street level. The tunnel is about 5 feet wide, 10 feet high, and made of roughly hewn stone. Rusted wall sconces hold lit torches, giving off a dim light. It proceeds about 40 feet to the east before turning to the southeast and opening into a chamber.
(Please give me a marching order. The area is dimly lit, so no additional light required =)
Hollis takes the lead, dried-out eyeball in his hand. He intends to talk his way into the hideout, along with anyone else willing to walk openly into a den of undeath cultists. He assumes Mulligan will cover the rear, along with anyone else who opts for the stealth -- or shapechanger -- route, like maybe Celeste in animal form? That leaves Zyl, Vesta, and Dara in the middle.
So, just to get things moving, proposed marching order looks like Hollis, Vesta, Zyl, & Dara, followed by Celeste (in wild shape disguise?) and Mulligan in stealth.
((Mulligan is basically in agreement on marching order though he is suggesting a gap between Hollis and anyone else trying to pass as a cultist and the rest of the group. Cultists likely to accept on or two strangers quicker than the whole group.))
The group proceeds to the next chamber. The soft lapping of water echoes through this wide chamber. Wood and stone debris from collapsed buildings litter the area. Brackish water floods nearly half of the chamber, getting deeper toward a dark tunnel to the west. The water is murky, but your test shows that it is at least waist deep - perhaps deeper further on...
Looking around the chamber, you see that you can assemble a makeshift skiff from the debris lying around to make traversing the flooded area easier. (If you choose to do this, I need one of you to make a DC 11 Survival check. One other person who is proficient in Survival can Aid. On a successful check, the skiff is sturdy enough to support two of you. You may fit another person for every 5 points above the DC - so a Survival check of 16 means you can fit three people, 21 carries four...)
Passive Perception of 12 or higher:
You notice the entrance to a cramped tunnel hidden behind some collapsed rubble to the south.
"I think there's a tunnel under here," Mulligan says as he shifts some rubble with his foot. "Cultists would probably use the more hidden way, no?" He waits to do any real digging or moving of rubble until he sees what the others think but he had hopes maybe this tunnel would mean not walking through that much sewer water... Then again, he really wouldn't have to, would he?
Dara moves toward the hidden entrance, inspecting it closely. “This could be another way through.” He agrees, optimistically. The dim light and the confined space bring a sense of familiarity, even the brachish water, reminding him of navigating dense forests and narrow trails. He would appreciate any the potential ways to bypass the dark water.
Investigation: 2 + 3 from guidance to see if there's any traps
If Dara doesn't see any traps, he tries to move rubbles away to reveal the entrance. Strength, if applicable: 10 + 3 from guidance
Zyl scrunched her nose at the dirty, smelly place. "Ugh! Why is it always gross places these people hang out! Can't be a nice pleasant glade in the forest, with wildflowers and fresh fruit. Nope, it has to be sewers and stuff." She gave a dramatic sigh and began pacing about. "Oh another way? One that doesn't involve a bunch of nasty sewage water? I guess that's promising. I could maybe fly over some of it though if it isn't too far..."
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Once she was encouraged to strike up a conversation with the local populace, Celeste had taken what time she could to prepare and would naturally fall to the back of the group. She'd remain in her half-elven like form to reserve some of her magics as she's unsure of how often this group takes short rests and if her lap time at the tavern counted. Anyone listening or close to the back might be able to hear Celeste whispering things seemingly to herself. She'd offer for a nice rat to ride up on her shoulder she'd find herself a chatty Cathy.
(Sorry for my delay, busy extended bday weekend. If there was time/opportunity for Celeste to have ritual casted Speak with Animals, she would have.)
"Hi! Do any of you have a name? My name is Celeste. Do people come here often? What do they look like? Are they nice or mean? Is there patterns to their movement?"
When the group would come to a slow stop, naturally Celeste's surival instincts kick into autopilot and she starts looking for ways to help her water challenged and vertically challenged companions traverse the murky waters. All the while, she doesn't skip a beat, casually chatting with the rats, pausing between questions to listen, nod along to them or grab something to build a skiff.
"Are there any secret passage ways? Is there more deep water places? Do you know of a hide out? Are you familiar with cultists, like the local ones?"
(Survival: 8 if she receives aid from a companion, or even a rat: 25 + Guidance: 1 )
The cramped passage is large enough to accommodate Zyllyne and Mulligan, but everyone else must squeeze to move through it. (A creature can squeeze through a space that is large enough for a creature one size smaller than it. While squeezing through a space, a creature must spend 1 extra foot for every foot it moves there, and it has disadvantage on attack rolls and Dexterity saving throws. Attack rolls against the creature have advantage while it’s in the smaller space.)
The rats are smart creatures - smarter than most other animals in the city. But their understanding of Celeste's questions are limited...they do say that other big two-legged creatures come in and out, but they don't really understand "nice or mean." Rats have lots of small and safe ways to move about - the best understanding they have of 'hidden.' Finally, there is a lot of water here, and they tend to avoid it.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Hollis considers the situation and opts for helping to build a skiff. While not skilled in construction, he’s used to improvisation, so he gets started trying to cobble together some kind of watercraft.
Vesta smiles as Celeste is allowed to jump into her arms. She carries the arctic fox out of the inn before setting her back down on the ground. "That was a close one," she says to the druid. Her smile is short-lived for a woman's scream pierces the air.
The sorcerer joins the others as they gather round Kevori and Delvin. Delvin's body lays forlornly on the street, the only clue a mushy old eyeball. Vesta gasps with dismay. The Fearneharts were also employed by Lord Neverember. Vesta had some a few jobs with them in the past. She had liked Delvin, not romantically or anything like that, but he had been a good man.
"Oh Gods, not Delvin," she says softly. "Kevori, we'll do whatever we can. I promise. This is a strange question, but may I see the eyeball?"
Vesta picks up the eyeball and recites an incantation. "It's a long shot, but perhaps the eye is magical in some way," she explains.
As Dara recites the words, the sorcerer feels a chill. "The undying," she murmurs. "I don't like the sound of that. A cult that worships undead?"
Extended Signature
Characters: Bryony Alderleaf (Phandelver and Below) ♦ Vesta Trevelyan (Vecna: Eve of Ruin) ♦ Ada Kendrick (Curse of Strahd) ♦ Gareth Blackwood (Dragon of Icespire Peak) ♦ Karys Velthune (Out of the Abyss) ♦ Surina Xarith (Simple, Heroic Adventure)
DM: Baldur's Gate: Descent Into Avernus
Zyl smashes one fist into the palm of her other hand and flexes some. "Well she said she'd tell Lord Neverember and we should get revenge. Not really what I do but if it means smashing up some bad cultists I'm all for it! We'll the -undying- stay dead dead!" She huffed. "What's with the gross eye thing anyway?"
Hollis stands still looking around the alley as he listens to Kevori tell her story of what happened to Delvin. He does his best to connect the dots from the coded message - “Hail the Undying” - to the dried out eyeball and the mysterious cultist hideout Delvin had discovered.
Softly, under his breath, Hollis begins proposing possibilities about the eye’s purpose. “A cult’s calling card? Or . . . a spell casting component? . . . Maybe a divine focus? . . . Could be an alchemical ingredient? . . . Or perhaps a key to some magical keyhole?”
He wonders if the eye can still see: “A scrying tool?”
Hollis asks to hold the eye, and he raises it up to his own, wondering if someone can somehow see him through it. He squints into the eye, trying to maybe see through it? Lastly he holds the eye in front of his mouth and clearly recites the deciphered message: “Hail the Undying!” while watching carefully for any sign that something - anything - is happening.
Seeing no immediate threats around, Mulligan steps up to the siblings and asks the living one if she had seen anyone else in the alley - Anyone fleeing or the like. Mulligan also asks what clues they had about suspicious cult activity, other than the note and the dead brother. "If Lord Neverember assigned you to the task there must have been something that clued him in about a cult in the first place," Mulligan suggests. Basically he interrogates the sister about any and every cult lead they had before the sudden and untimely demise of Brother Fearnehart. "Do you know what your brother was investigating or who he was meeting up with just before you were to meet up here?" and so on.
Somewhere during the investigation Mulligan suggests that someone should alert... Well, whoever it is that handles corpses. The local morgue? Academy of Sciences perhaps? The local meatpie shoppe? Obviously the city doesn't just let people decay where they lay so there must be some proper authorities...
Once the interrogating and the normal day to day corpse disposal has taken place then he agrees they should touch base with Taskmaster and relay everything that's happened so far, "Though perhaps we don't mention our almost losing Celeste to a local pet enthusiast?" and see if he has anything to add to whatever clues the living Fearnehart is able to provide...
Vesta detects an aura of divination magic around the eyeball. When Hollis speaks the key phrase, “Hail the Undying,” while holding the eyeball, it begins to glow with green light before spinning to face westward.
Kevori tries to answer Mulligan's questions as he rapid fires them at her. "We were hired to investigate a sinister cult that has supposedly crept into the city’s bowels. Delvin was going to try and infiltrate the cult’s hideout, but he didn't tell me where it was or if he was successful. We had pre-arranged this meeting time and place, but I found him dead in this alley - the only clue was that dried-up eyeball. Seems as if you've figured out the clues, though. Follow the eye. Avenge my brother. Find out what you can about who killed him - and about this cult we are all investigating."
She lifts her brother onto her shoulders and says, "Take care of yourselves. Until we meet again..." She moves surprisingly well carrying her dead brother, heading down the street towards the Protector's Enclave.
The eyeball acts like a compass, leading you to the city’s western catacombs. After an hour of walking (trying to conceal the glowing orb you carry!), the withered eyeball aims its empty gaze down an alley strewn with rubble. Rats scurry between chunks of old stone and dusty crates. At the back of the alley is a set of moldering wood boards, propped up just enough to block a dark tunnel leading below the surface.
Love God. Love Others. Any Questions?
The little fox rests her paw on the lady’s hand as a gesture of appreciation for her company and being fed, but she’d practically leap into Vesta’s arms when she’d go to pick her up. She’d lick her cheek then nuzzle into her neck with a soft purr as she’s carried out of the bar and given extra pets and compliments from Mulligan.
Big green eyes would blink and her head would tilt to Dara’s question. She looked thoughtful as if she’s never truly considered the thought. Celeste enjoyed feeling included, and she couldn’t deny enjoying the attention in terms of being fed, held, petted or praised. She was truly just thankful no one left her behind and was incredibly humbled when the team came together to help her. If the collar was a token of that, of belonging, of being part of a team who took care of eachother, she loved it. In the end, it appeared it mattered more about the context in what the collar could mean. She had friends! Maybe even a part of her own pack.
Prrt. When Celeste’s placed down on the ground, she practically prances with a happy sway of her poufed tail. She’d pad along at Vesta’s side, breaking away to weave through the others legs from time to time in appreciation of their presence. Though once the piercing scream hit her ears they’d lower and she’d creep forward along with the others.
(Passive Insight: 13 Rolled: 9 - She’d probably be distracted by the eyeball too.)
Following at the other’s feet, the white fox sniffs and huffs excessively not wanting to miss a thing. She’s about to lick the eyeball when someone picks it up out of her reach to inspect it closer. She sits, staring up at the them examining it, tail swaying. Then she realizes that the inspection of the pupil was thoroughly under control under the watchful eyes of the others. Celeste pops up to go sniffing around some more, specifically at the body. She’d be guilty of sniffing at his eyes as she went about her inspection. She wondered how he died, if she could pick up the scent of an unknown party or a signature scent, wondering if she could pick up something useful in any way to share with her friends. But then he too was whisked away.
(Medicine: Nat 1 for a 4)
(Passive Perc: 15 Inv: 12 or Rolled: 4 +5 for perception or +2 for investigation)
Unless she’d be swept up too, the fox happily scurries after the group. A little ways through the walking to the catacombs though, there’d be a little poof and Celeste would appear in her half-elven form. Pointed ears, pink hair, freckled nose, soft blush and dimpled smile. Once on her own feet she’d tuck herself behind the tallest person. From time to time she’d poke her nose out from their side or over their shoulders to sniff around. Otherwise she’d fidget, weaving something in her hands as they go.
”Hey look, rats!” Celeste points out the obvious. “Should we ask for directions?” She blurts the ask casually, meaning once they’re within the tunnels. “And if they’ve seen anyone?” Green eyes meet those who look her way.
just an unstable unicorn.
Hollis stands in front of the boards at the back of the alley, and turns to face his companions. Although he is ready to walk right into the secret tunnel, he pauses a moment first to confer with the others.
Celeste's suggestion is a good one, so Hollis nods to her encouragingly. "Good idea. Gather whatever information you can from the rats."
He then turns to Vesta, Mulligan, Dara, and Zyl. "I'll go down first," he offers. "Do the talking, as needs be. If the mission is infiltration, I can use the eye and the code phrase to try to fit in. Pass myself -- and any of the rest of us -- off as aspiring cultists. Or you can follow as you best see fit."
"Mulligan, you might want to stay out of sight, maybe last in line," he suggests. "If things go sideways, you can escape for help, or . . . do something sneaky."
He looks around at the rest of them. "Sound good?" Hollis asks, trying to get a feel for how the others may want to proceed.
"Way you snatched the eye away and knew immediately how to use it I'm sure you'll fit right in," Mulligan replies to Hollis with obvious distaste. "But sure, Half-Deck, you lead the way... I'll stick to the shadows ready to bail you out if needed."
"Zyl, I assume you can hide right behind him, at least unless things get crowded?" Mulligan asks. "And Celeste? Can you be ready to change into a wolf again if needed? Or something a bit more sewer appropriate? But yeah, I think the rest maybe hang back as much as possible and be ready to rush in to help if things go violent?"
Yeah, it was more or less the same as Hollis was suggesting but who wanted to let him get his way? He'd like as not join the cult if they offered him the right high...
"Oh great, a magical dead eyeball. And it glows. Eww. I don't mind dirt and stuff but dead things are gross!" Zyl makes a face at the eyeball and walks off with everyone else, fluttering around a times to keep a general ...eye out. She was a rough and tumble fairy, not a get all disgusting from undead goo and decay fairy. Seriously, why people want to handle all that stuff willingly was beyond her comprehension and she was perfectly fine with someone else taking the eye. Blood? Sure. But not putrid decay. Yuck.
"I thought the 'mission' was to get revenge," Zyl piped up. "But we can do it your way. And when things go south I won't have to say I told you so." She gives a playful smirk though. "Just let me get my torch out because it looks pretty dark down there and I don't see so well in the dark."
The tunnel proceeds at a downward slope, bringing you about 20 feet beneath street level. The tunnel is about 5 feet wide, 10 feet high, and made of roughly hewn stone. Rusted wall sconces hold lit torches, giving off a dim light. It proceeds about 40 feet to the east before turning to the southeast and opening into a chamber.
(Please give me a marching order. The area is dimly lit, so no additional light required =)
Love God. Love Others. Any Questions?
Hollis takes the lead, dried-out eyeball in his hand. He intends to talk his way into the hideout, along with anyone else willing to walk openly into a den of undeath cultists. He assumes Mulligan will cover the rear, along with anyone else who opts for the stealth -- or shapechanger -- route, like maybe Celeste in animal form? That leaves Zyl, Vesta, and Dara in the middle.
So, just to get things moving, proposed marching order looks like Hollis, Vesta, Zyl, & Dara, followed by Celeste (in wild shape disguise?) and Mulligan in stealth.
((Mulligan is basically in agreement on marching order though he is suggesting a gap between Hollis and anyone else trying to pass as a cultist and the rest of the group. Cultists likely to accept on or two strangers quicker than the whole group.))
Zyl will gladly fall in wherever, as long as no one gets in the way of her wings.
Map
The group proceeds to the next chamber. The soft lapping of water echoes through this wide chamber. Wood and stone debris from collapsed buildings litter the area. Brackish water floods nearly half of the chamber, getting deeper toward a dark tunnel to the west. The water is murky, but your test shows that it is at least waist deep - perhaps deeper further on...
Looking around the chamber, you see that you can assemble a makeshift skiff from the debris lying around to make traversing the flooded area easier. (If you choose to do this, I need one of you to make a DC 11 Survival check. One other person who is proficient in Survival can Aid. On a successful check, the skiff is sturdy enough to support two of you. You may fit another person for every 5 points above the DC - so a Survival check of 16 means you can fit three people, 21 carries four...)
Passive Perception of 12 or higher:
You notice the entrance to a cramped tunnel hidden behind some collapsed rubble to the south.
Love God. Love Others. Any Questions?
"I think there's a tunnel under here," Mulligan says as he shifts some rubble with his foot. "Cultists would probably use the more hidden way, no?" He waits to do any real digging or moving of rubble until he sees what the others think but he had hopes maybe this tunnel would mean not walking through that much sewer water... Then again, he really wouldn't have to, would he?
Passive Perception: 17
Dara moves toward the hidden entrance, inspecting it closely. “This could be another way through.” He agrees, optimistically. The dim light and the confined space bring a sense of familiarity, even the brachish water, reminding him of navigating dense forests and narrow trails. He would appreciate any the potential ways to bypass the dark water.
Investigation: 2 + 3 from guidance to see if there's any traps
If Dara doesn't see any traps, he tries to move rubbles away to reveal the entrance. Strength, if applicable: 10 + 3 from guidance
Zyl scrunched her nose at the dirty, smelly place. "Ugh! Why is it always gross places these people hang out! Can't be a nice pleasant glade in the forest, with wildflowers and fresh fruit. Nope, it has to be sewers and stuff." She gave a dramatic sigh and began pacing about. "Oh another way? One that doesn't involve a bunch of nasty sewage water? I guess that's promising. I could maybe fly over some of it though if it isn't too far..."
Once she was encouraged to strike up a conversation with the local populace, Celeste had taken what time she could to prepare and would naturally fall to the back of the group. She'd remain in her half-elven like form to reserve some of her magics as she's unsure of how often this group takes short rests and if her lap time at the tavern counted. Anyone listening or close to the back might be able to hear Celeste whispering things seemingly to herself. She'd offer for a nice rat to ride up on her shoulder she'd find herself a chatty Cathy.
(Sorry for my delay, busy extended bday weekend. If there was time/opportunity for Celeste to have ritual casted Speak with Animals, she would have.)
"Hi! Do any of you have a name? My name is Celeste. Do people come here often? What do they look like? Are they nice or mean? Is there patterns to their movement?"
When the group would come to a slow stop, naturally Celeste's surival instincts kick into autopilot and she starts looking for ways to help her water challenged and vertically challenged companions traverse the murky waters. All the while, she doesn't skip a beat, casually chatting with the rats, pausing between questions to listen, nod along to them or grab something to build a skiff.
"Are there any secret passage ways? Is there more deep water places? Do you know of a hide out? Are you familiar with cultists, like the local ones?"
(Survival: 8 if she receives aid from a companion, or even a rat: 25 + Guidance: 1 )
just an unstable unicorn.
The cramped passage is large enough to accommodate Zyllyne and Mulligan, but everyone else must squeeze to move through it. (A creature can squeeze through a space that is large enough for a creature one size smaller than it. While squeezing through a space, a creature must spend 1 extra foot for every foot it moves there, and it has disadvantage on attack rolls and Dexterity saving throws. Attack rolls against the creature have advantage while it’s in the smaller space.)
The rats are smart creatures - smarter than most other animals in the city. But their understanding of Celeste's questions are limited...they do say that other big two-legged creatures come in and out, but they don't really understand "nice or mean." Rats have lots of small and safe ways to move about - the best understanding they have of 'hidden.' Finally, there is a lot of water here, and they tend to avoid it.
Love God. Love Others. Any Questions?
Hollis considers the situation and opts for helping to build a skiff. While not skilled in construction, he’s used to improvisation, so he gets started trying to cobble together some kind of watercraft.
18 = Survival