"Gash, this is nowhere near the weirdest thing that's happened to us today. It doesn't even really make the top five. I'd like to know what is going on. Where do you think we will get the most answers? Up there, or down here?"
Lucien will head down in to the fountain, inspecting the runes on the statue ( 10 ). Once at the bottom of the well, Lucien will cast Guidance on Feytock, putting his hand on his shoulder. "Yes Feytock, the Travler guides us. The Traveler encourages change and upsetting the established order of the world. From what you have told me, the balance seems to be very upset. The Traveler guided me to you, here at these ruins. Maybe he is guiding us all right now."
Once Keyrie and Tock climb down the ladder, the remaining three statues do so as well. Then the broken-face statue begins walking into the long, dark tunnel. The statues are easy to see but what lay beyond the lead statue is only darkness. The rearguard statues prod the group into walking and the group continues on in silence, only the footsteps of the statues and travelers making any noise.
The tunnel seems to never end. A seemingly eternal five minutes passes and the group is full immersed in darkness with no clear sign as to whether they are closer to the ladder they climbed down or the end of the tunnel.
Ten minutes pass. Nev remarks sarcastically, "We couldn't be waylaid after a full night's rest?"
Fifteen minutes pass. It has obviously been more than a mile of walking by this point and there is no end in sight. Any entreaties to the statues produce no reaction, except to prod them to continue walking.
After twenty minutes, the group is beginning to grumble. The surface is starting to feel like a long lost myth, the tunnel their only existence. But a few minutes later a speck of light appears, which resolves into a glowing stone affixed tot he wall next to another ladder. The tunnel stops about 10 feet beyond the ladder, leaving up the only way to continue. The lead statue climbs it first and everyone else, sick of even being underground, climb after, followed by the three rear statues. They emerge inside the stump of a large tree, stepping out of it as if it were an outhouse. Again Gentoa wakes during the climb and she proves harder to soothe this time. Dawn is on the cusp of breaking and the statues clearly insist that the group continue to walk, prodding them to continue.
"Give me a minute!" Nev says curtly as she bounces her crying daughter.
The only response is a raised sword.
"Fine," she says and stomps after the lead statue. Again two statues walk in front and two behind. They have entered a forest, thick with trees. The path the statues seem to be following is overgrown and in some cases impossible to see. some of the trees here are truly massive, higher than any castle tower. The sun tries to penetrate the thick forest but dawn never quite arrives as the forest and the nearby mountains to the east keep the light at bay.
Here the walk is more pleasant, but seems to go on as long or longer than the one through the tunnel. The way is harder, with ferns and fallen trees sometimes blocking the way. The statues march right over everything, climbing over fallen logs and stomping on bushes and ferns that are in the way. In one instance, a deer steps onto the path and freezes at the sight of the oncoming train of people. The lead statue swipes at it with its sword, not even stopping its march to do so, but the deer bounds away unscathed.
Eventually the party hears the sound of rushing water. This turns into crashing water, which eventually is identifiable as that of a waterfall. Gentoa has long since quieted but not fallen asleep, content to snuggle into her mother's arms and watch the surrounding forest of giant trees pass her by.
The group has been walking for nearly two hours, counting the time they left the monastery ruins, when the forest suddenly clears and a large waterfall appears ahead. The sound is deafening. The statues in the rear pass by the group quickly and all four of the statues take up a position in a row on the edge of the pool that empties into a stream heading southwest. Here they sheath their swords and stand at attention. They become so still that they may as well be carved from immovable stone again.
Directly between the two center statues is a kind of bridge that leads directly into the waterfall, roughly 10 feet below the edge of the ground overlooking the waterfall's basin. Except it is clearly not a bridge as it is a perfect column, on its side, made of smooth and very wet polished stone, perhaps marble. The pool emptying into the river is a good 50 feet or more below this impossible bridge, although there is a solid granite block about six feet below the edge of the ground holding the marble cylinder in place.
(Heights listed are distance below ground level. Each square represents 5 square feet.)
Dog glances toward the wolf howl and gives a meaningful look at Keyrie and Gash. (Perception check on the wolf noise source, and also anything that can be seen behind the waterfall: 7) He doesn't love the idea of falling into water, though. He's going to jump down to the granite block and look down just past the edge of the column and he'd like to reach into the bag of holding and pull out one of the 8 crossbows and two 50' coils of rope, if the following idea makes sense in this situation:
Tying one end to the crossbow and the other end to the other rope, he'll throw the crossbow down a bit away from the column and then use the momentum of its fall to swing it back toward the column, tied to about 40' of slack, below the column. The idea is to loop the rope around the bottom of the column, swinging the crossbow back up and around the top, ending with a rope loop that is loosely tied together around the column that could be used as a backup when crossing the wet smooth stone toward the waterfall. Someone could pick up the loop and walk the length of the column, carrying the loop, and if they fell, they could hold onto the rope for stability (or even if they fell, they could hang from the bottom of the loop and climb back up with some help).
As soon as Feytok puts any weight on the bridge he feels his feet slip. Thankfully, holding on to the granite block prevents a 50 foot plunge into the pool below.
(Crossing the slippery column will require a high DEX check followed by a high STR check.)
Feytok will tie himself off with his rope and hand it off as a life line so he can be pulled back. "I like the idea Dog, hopefully it makes this easier"
(If this idea with lassoing the column and using it as a safety rope doesn't make sense or seem feasible, then Dog will tie a rope securely around one of the center statues, and then use the rest, tied to two more 50' lengths, to allow people to hold onto as they are edging out.)
Dog's estimates are about right and the crossbow swings down and under the column-bridge, then up and around over the top before clattering against the hard stone. Tying off the rope leaves about 35 feet of rope left over to tie to Feytok, he steps out onto the slick column and immediately falls off, swinging underneath the bridge and yanking hard against his waist. It is painful but not damaging.
He answers calls of "Are you okay?" with a breathtless "Yeah..."
Feytok:
Looking up, once he stops swinging, Feytok sees that the bottom of the bridge looks markedly different. It is cut with 2-foot wide teeth on the bottom, making it much less smooth, even if still wet. Dangling under the bridge, he looks past the waterfall to see a large stone gear, which obviously fits into the teeth under the bridge.
Dog helps to pull FeyTok up to the granite block with another length of rope. "Are you okay? Does that drop to the water look any less dangerous than it looks up here?"
He looks back up at Keyrie and Gash, and asks if there are any sign of wolves or a threat incoming quickly (he figures Gash's new 'friend' he mentioned has good eyes, and Keyrie really seems to like all animals). He also asks if anyone has any magic to conceal or misdirect, and then says to Lucien, "if that trickster of yours has any more cards up their sleeves here, we could certainly use them. Sorry you're mixed up in this now."
Gash closes his eyes and experiences the thrill of Friend effortlessly gliding around the trees. The pleasant feeling turns to a chill as he spots 1...2....3 dire wolves creeping in towards the party.
Tock steps out onto the slick curved surface and falls off just as quickly as Feytok. The rope catches him and he dangles under the bridge. He can also see the 2-foot wide teeth carved into the underside of the bridge and the large stone gear on the other side of the waterfall, which obviously rolls out somehow.
"Gash, this is nowhere near the weirdest thing that's happened to us today. It doesn't even really make the top five. I'd like to know what is going on. Where do you think we will get the most answers? Up there, or down here?"
“I suppose you’re right.” Gash casts Mage Armor and heads down the fountain and will send Friend 100ft ahead to scout
Gash - Lvl14 Goblin Wizard - The High Court of the Aasimar Queen
Lucien will head down in to the fountain, inspecting the runes on the statue ( 10 ). Once at the bottom of the well, Lucien will cast Guidance on Feytock, putting his hand on his shoulder. "Yes Feytock, the Travler guides us. The Traveler encourages change and upsetting the established order of the world. From what you have told me, the balance seems to be very upset. The Traveler guided me to you, here at these ruins. Maybe he is guiding us all right now."
"Somebody being on our side would be a welcome change. "
Once Keyrie and Tock climb down the ladder, the remaining three statues do so as well. Then the broken-face statue begins walking into the long, dark tunnel. The statues are easy to see but what lay beyond the lead statue is only darkness. The rearguard statues prod the group into walking and the group continues on in silence, only the footsteps of the statues and travelers making any noise.
The tunnel seems to never end. A seemingly eternal five minutes passes and the group is full immersed in darkness with no clear sign as to whether they are closer to the ladder they climbed down or the end of the tunnel.
Ten minutes pass. Nev remarks sarcastically, "We couldn't be waylaid after a full night's rest?"
Fifteen minutes pass. It has obviously been more than a mile of walking by this point and there is no end in sight. Any entreaties to the statues produce no reaction, except to prod them to continue walking.
After twenty minutes, the group is beginning to grumble. The surface is starting to feel like a long lost myth, the tunnel their only existence. But a few minutes later a speck of light appears, which resolves into a glowing stone affixed tot he wall next to another ladder. The tunnel stops about 10 feet beyond the ladder, leaving up the only way to continue. The lead statue climbs it first and everyone else, sick of even being underground, climb after, followed by the three rear statues. They emerge inside the stump of a large tree, stepping out of it as if it were an outhouse. Again Gentoa wakes during the climb and she proves harder to soothe this time. Dawn is on the cusp of breaking and the statues clearly insist that the group continue to walk, prodding them to continue.
"Give me a minute!" Nev says curtly as she bounces her crying daughter.
The only response is a raised sword.
"Fine," she says and stomps after the lead statue. Again two statues walk in front and two behind. They have entered a forest, thick with trees. The path the statues seem to be following is overgrown and in some cases impossible to see. some of the trees here are truly massive, higher than any castle tower. The sun tries to penetrate the thick forest but dawn never quite arrives as the forest and the nearby mountains to the east keep the light at bay.
Here the walk is more pleasant, but seems to go on as long or longer than the one through the tunnel. The way is harder, with ferns and fallen trees sometimes blocking the way. The statues march right over everything, climbing over fallen logs and stomping on bushes and ferns that are in the way. In one instance, a deer steps onto the path and freezes at the sight of the oncoming train of people. The lead statue swipes at it with its sword, not even stopping its march to do so, but the deer bounds away unscathed.
Eventually the party hears the sound of rushing water. This turns into crashing water, which eventually is identifiable as that of a waterfall. Gentoa has long since quieted but not fallen asleep, content to snuggle into her mother's arms and watch the surrounding forest of giant trees pass her by.
The group has been walking for nearly two hours, counting the time they left the monastery ruins, when the forest suddenly clears and a large waterfall appears ahead. The sound is deafening. The statues in the rear pass by the group quickly and all four of the statues take up a position in a row on the edge of the pool that empties into a stream heading southwest. Here they sheath their swords and stand at attention. They become so still that they may as well be carved from immovable stone again.
Directly between the two center statues is a kind of bridge that leads directly into the waterfall, roughly 10 feet below the edge of the ground overlooking the waterfall's basin. Except it is clearly not a bridge as it is a perfect column, on its side, made of smooth and very wet polished stone, perhaps marble. The pool emptying into the river is a good 50 feet or more below this impossible bridge, although there is a solid granite block about six feet below the edge of the ground holding the marble cylinder in place.
(Heights listed are distance below ground level. Each square represents 5 square feet.)
In the near distance, a wolf howls.
"I guess telling us what you want and why we're here is too much to ask?" Feytok waits a moment not really expecting a reply at this point.
"Objections to crossing? " very slowly Feytok begins to edge out.
Dog glances toward the wolf howl and gives a meaningful look at Keyrie and Gash. (Perception check on the wolf noise source, and also anything that can be seen behind the waterfall: 7) He doesn't love the idea of falling into water, though. He's going to jump down to the granite block and look down just past the edge of the column and he'd like to reach into the bag of holding and pull out one of the 8 crossbows and two 50' coils of rope, if the following idea makes sense in this situation:
Tying one end to the crossbow and the other end to the other rope, he'll throw the crossbow down a bit away from the column and then use the momentum of its fall to swing it back toward the column, tied to about 40' of slack, below the column. The idea is to loop the rope around the bottom of the column, swinging the crossbow back up and around the top, ending with a rope loop that is loosely tied together around the column that could be used as a backup when crossing the wet smooth stone toward the waterfall. Someone could pick up the loop and walk the length of the column, carrying the loop, and if they fell, they could hold onto the rope for stability (or even if they fell, they could hang from the bottom of the loop and climb back up with some help).
As soon as Feytok puts any weight on the bridge he feels his feet slip. Thankfully, holding on to the granite block prevents a 50 foot plunge into the pool below.
(Crossing the slippery column will require a high DEX check followed by a high STR check.)
Feytok will tie himself off with his rope and hand it off as a life line so he can be pulled back. "I like the idea Dog, hopefully it makes this easier"
Dex 6 Str10
(If this idea with lassoing the column and using it as a safety rope doesn't make sense or seem feasible, then Dog will tie a rope securely around one of the center statues, and then use the rest, tied to two more 50' lengths, to allow people to hold onto as they are edging out.)
Dog's estimates are about right and the crossbow swings down and under the column-bridge, then up and around over the top before clattering against the hard stone. Tying off the rope leaves about 35 feet of rope left over to tie to Feytok, he steps out onto the slick column and immediately falls off, swinging underneath the bridge and yanking hard against his waist. It is painful but not damaging.
He answers calls of "Are you okay?" with a breathtless "Yeah..."
Feytok:
Looking up, once he stops swinging, Feytok sees that the bottom of the bridge looks markedly different. It is cut with 2-foot wide teeth on the bottom, making it much less smooth, even if still wet. Dangling under the bridge, he looks past the waterfall to see a large stone gear, which obviously fits into the teeth under the bridge.
Dog helps to pull FeyTok up to the granite block with another length of rope. "Are you okay? Does that drop to the water look any less dangerous than it looks up here?"
He looks back up at Keyrie and Gash, and asks if there are any sign of wolves or a threat incoming quickly (he figures Gash's new 'friend' he mentioned has good eyes, and Keyrie really seems to like all animals). He also asks if anyone has any magic to conceal or misdirect, and then says to Lucien, "if that trickster of yours has any more cards up their sleeves here, we could certainly use them. Sorry you're mixed up in this now."
"I'm good. Gears and teeth under here. I think it can move....probably safer." Feytok starts climbing up the safety line.
“Friend go ahead find the wolf.” Friend flies ahead to see if he can find the source of noise
perception:15
Gash - Lvl14 Goblin Wizard - The High Court of the Aasimar Queen
"I will beseech the Traveler for his guidance, and maybe a few tricks as well"
(OOC, I can cast Guidance as a cantrip, one person at a time, might help).
Tock offers to go, "Lets tie a length of rope around me and I can see how far I can get. If I fall, just pull me back up."
Dex check: 13, Str check with Guidance: 15
(AMAZING)
"Yeah, it ain't easy."
Gash:
Gash closes his eyes and experiences the thrill of Friend effortlessly gliding around the trees. The pleasant feeling turns to a chill as he spots 1...2....3 dire wolves creeping in towards the party.
Tock steps out onto the slick curved surface and falls off just as quickly as Feytok. The rope catches him and he dangles under the bridge. He can also see the 2-foot wide teeth carved into the underside of the bridge and the large stone gear on the other side of the waterfall, which obviously rolls out somehow.
( we left the monastery at night and traveled hours? Is it morning yet?)
(It is just after dawn.)