Candlekeep Mysteries

(Little One athletics: 10+6=16)

The ogre’s aim is slightly off, too, and although Bell makes it to the roof beside Erudisia, the young wizard suffers 1 HP damage from the maneuver. Little One clambers back down to the ground. 

Meredith steps across the roof to the edge of the hole. It does indeed seem safe to walk on the roof, just as Little One had speculated. Looking down, Meredith notes that the hole is not quite directly above the statue of Sune:

Statue height: 20’

Statue climbable?: Yes, if someone were on its head they could climb from there to the floor. 

Roof height: 30’

Empty space between hole in roof and top of statue: 10’ almost straight down. 

Meredith notes something else from the bird’s eye view. Behind the statue is a stairway down into darkness.

Erudisia tucks some errant wisps of her dark hair back towards their former braids, heart slowing and eyes gradually un-widening. 

“Yes. Yes… I’ll go first?”

She drops as lightly as she can down towards the statue to see if she can grasp it and begin a careful climb down to the floor, after praying to her Lady Sune for grace and Guidance. 

Acrobatics: 20 (15+3+2)

Bell looks on as Erudisia works her way down the statue to the floor below.  'No different than climbing trees back home,' she whispered.

Athletics:  3

Slipping through the dark rooftop hole, Bell hung momentarily, then dropped onto a towering marble statue.
But gravity betrayed her. Her foot caught the statue's head and sculpted hair, slipping about just enough to spoil her landing on the statue. 

The quiet was shattered as the silent descent morphed into a clatter of thumping body against statue stone and limbs flailing about leaving Bell to tumble unceremoniously into a heap at the base of the statue.   

"Yep, just like climbing the trees back home."

(Bell will take 3d6 falling damage. Unless Meredith or Erudisia, if you can succeed in a DC15 athletics roll and describe what you do, you each have the potential to reduce the damage by 1d6 each (possible total reduction: 2d6). But if you try and fail, you will take 1d6 damage, not reduce Bell’s damage. Alternatively, I’ll allow time to cast a spell if you have one that can help, while Bell is losing her balance and on the point of falling.)

11

Meredith is about to say that it looks impossible to get back up once they've jumped down.......but by that time the other two have already gone.

She makes a desperate grab for Bell......

2

Quote from Damian_May >>

Meredith is about to say that it looks impossible to get back up once they've jumped down.......but by that time the other two have already gone.

She makes a desperate grab for Bell......

2

 

And overbalances tumbling to the ground with  loud thud.....

(Would that time in the pool have counted as a short rest?)

(Yes for a short rest)

3 Blud Damage

Erudisia, employing her dancer’s balance, drops lightly to the head of the statue, and from there to its arms, and finally, down to the shrine’s mirror-shard covered floor.

Bell attempts the same maneuver, but, as described, lands hard on the floor in front of the statue.

Meredith is unable to reach Bell before the young wizard drops. Meredith lunges for her, and falls through the hole, landing hard on the statue’s head but managing to keep from falling the remaining distance. (A DC15 Athletics or Acrobatics check will allow Meredith to climb safely to the floor from here.)

Erudisia and Bell, from ground level, now see the shrine's interior. Restating what Meredith saw earlier:

A slanting ray of late-morning sunlight tilts down, now unblocked by peering heads, forming a pool of light on the floor not far away. Shattered mirror fragments are scattered over most of the floor. Fortunately for Bell, for the shards are sharp, the fragments do not extend all the way to the statue. Reflected light from the tiny mirror fragments covers some of the stone walls in ghostly leopard spots.

The interior of the shrine has the appearance of having been abandoned after some sort of terrible confrontation years ago. Broken benches with shredded cushions are overgrown by thick fungi, and four large mirrors hanging on the walls have been shattered. Also on the floor at the edge of your vision at the base of the walls are several crumpled pieces of stone, or perhaps stone figurines 4 or 5 inches long.

The statue of Sune, grime-encrusted, bears an expression that might once have suggested smiling laughter, but streaks of dirt now make it appear as though the goddess is weeping. 

Weak and barren, a hoarse whisper can be heard softly wending up the stairs from below. But only for a moment. Then, an entombing silence in this sepulchral space.

Erudisia turns her bending knees into a deep plunge and swoops her arms to her one side, the momentum turning her, a fulcrum of excited energy, a frisson of audience-absent grace and beauty as the fall reminds her of a once beloved catch and throw in a long-practice section of dance. 

Turning to call to the others that it is safe to come down (with perhaps some confidence of their regard and her acrobatic manoeuvre’s impressiveness) she sees Meredith fall as Bell is still coming to a stop. 

“Oh!”

(Is the whisper intelligible?)

(The words are unintelligible. Perhaps if you were closer to their source downstairs you could make them out. Provided more whispering is forthcoming…)