Waterdeep: Camel Heist (2020)

Scupper realizes there's no sounds of battle. 

"Feckin' hells lads! I'm damn near perished! There's stairs leading down over here!...which seems like a solid choice!...though I'm sure whoever the feck is down there is aware o' me. Yer not all dead are ye?!"

You join up again, Zhudala chasing after Incantis, until you stand together, at the northern edge of the starry cavern, at the top of the stairs.

It's gotta be down this way. I'm knackered but we're probably gonna wanna keep this moving fast until we know what's making the waves.

Scupper goes stealthy and moves ahead (using the lantern if required for darkvision)

Stealth 9

Perception 6

Standing behind Dekhan, Strix realises he has no idea what God that looper follows. He looks for signs or markings or brandings so he can carve them into the jawbone to make a holy boomerang as thanks for the paladins hard-fought victory.

Just trust me when I say I've done the maths and this will work. For Christ's sake don't look at my working-out. Boomerang. For sure. 

Strix, are you starting to carve the jawbone while on the move?

Scupper, as you approach and turn the corner, the sound of churning water grows loud, and then louder.  You advance a short distance, and find yourself in a large cavern that extends beyond what you can see into the darkness.  If you continue, the path descends and will become a narrow ledge that skirts the edge of a massive, violent expanse of water.  It's not clear what is causing the surging, seething water to be so agitated, but as you look on, the water begins to recede, exposing the rocks beneath.  A moment passes, and then another, and then the water comes rushing back and slams against the rock wall with a massive booming sound that you recognise; the boom suggests that the cavern is very, very large.

The sound echoes away through the cave as you wipe the spray from your face.  If you had been standing on the narrow ledge, you would have been swept away. 

There is a passage to the west, which might be the channel that brings water to the furnace room, and another passage to the north-west, leading you know not where.

Quote from SteveThaiBinh >>

Strix, are you starting to carve the jawbone while on the move?

Not sure that's practical, certainly not with the tip of a spear. At this point just hoping he'll notice a motif on Dekhan's armour / armaments / etc. and when there's a slack moment he'll sketch it out with a sharp rock or a chisel from his pack. I'm not going to hold up the charge towards the Spider to do it!

For now, assuming we're not pausing for a rest, he swigs his Potion of Healing - 7

Scupper takes a moment to see how many 5 foot blocks of ice he could build every round in receding water... and if it seems like he could get the semblance of a speed bump made or if the water just anhilates anything in the channel. 

The water is too strong; it would be like tossing ice cubes into a river.  However, it's perfectly possibly to traverse the narrow ledge - it's a bit slippery, but safe if you take it slowly, provided you don't do it during one of the surges.

The rest of the party also experiences the wave echo as it passes through the cave.

Following Scupper, Strix is awed by the crashing waves. He sits and waits for a surge, then starts counting. While he's counting he lightly scores a Dekhan-appropriate design into the mean skulls jawbone. As the fastest runner, he's pretty sure he's going to be the one to make the first dash to see how far the path goes.

Strix, you are aware that the surges are a bit unpredictable; you've heard them as little as two or three minutes apart, and as much as twenty minutes.

You can make the beginnings of your carving, but won't get much done in a few minutes.  If you stopping for a longer period, let me know.

The ledge only extends around eighty feet around the south and west of this part of the cavern, and it reaches all three main entrances (the one you arrived in included).  The cavern is vast (you assume - you can't see through the darkness) but we're only talking about the extreme southern end of it here.  There's no visible way to walk up to the rest of the cavern; swimming would be suicide, though flying might be possible.

Sorry - I assumed we can't see the other side of the path. Ah sure in that case there should be able time for any of us to make it. Keeping 2 minutes as a limit for any activity, should still be possible to approach either exit cautiously without risking getting caught. At least by the water. Big cave full of angry water, I assume we've walked in on a giant squid making sweet angry love to a megalodon and they're both going to hop on the first person to walk out into the middle of the room. So I guess that'll be Strix!

Strix tentatively moves along the ledge, gauging it's slippyness, towards the North West exit, ready to run if there;s the telltale sound of onrushing water. Or squids.

Perception : 18

 Stealth : 6

Strix, you move successfully on the ledge around the large cavern, hugging the wall.  You pass by the other entrance, and are even more certain that it leads back to the furnace room, and you reach the western exit.  Provided you're moving slowly and carefully, there's no real danger; moving at greater speed might require some skill checks or saves.

(Sorry, I will post a map when I get home.)

Strix makes it to the far side without being washed away.

There are no squids.  Yet.

Varinth will watch Strix traverse the ledge with awe.

Ya kNow theresh a GianT Bee *hic* a bee *hic* Beashtie in there riGht?

Maybe, Vaz...but I'd rather it be that then crushed te death by a tidal wave that's not even in the sea. 

Scupper waits for the next hit of wave...are they totally random feeling or getting closer together / farther apart?

The next wave hits eight minutes later; Strix remains on the far side, the rest of you watching the rush of furious water, and enduring the deafening booming sound as it fills the cavern.

You don't get the sense that there is a regular rhythm, but you would have to wait several more 'booms' to be sure.

If there's no obvious threat in that NW passage, I suppose I'm back to carving that jawbone in the hope that if they take another 52 minutes to cross the cave I get all my ki back!

OOC: Since Vaz is drunk, I think I'll wait for the map. Edging across a small slick ledge avoiding a random wave might be a bit too much for even Varinth's alcoholic bravado.