Dragon of Icespire Peak ***CLOSED***

The pointed tips of the silver dragonborn's claws don't do much to help him cling to the sheer rock ledges in between the mortar joints of the wellstones, especially with the wind knocked out of him from Minsys' "helpful" maul strike. Arvi looked on with glee as he saw Vaxis struggle to maintain his grasp and then cackled with sinful laughter as the weight of the cleric's body and armor soon got the better of his strength. Vaxis detached from the wall and roared into the darkness below, impacting the surface of the wellwater like a meteor hitting an ocean. A huge wave engulfs the side tunnel, drenching Connak, Minsys, Tink and W.H.I.S.K.E.R., though three of them could not have been any more drenched than they already were. After the wave subsided, Connak saw no sign of Vaxis near the surface...

(OOC: Vaxis may make a Wisdom (Perception) check vs. DC 12 at DISADV to try and find/grasp for the end of Connak's pole of collapsing while underwater, sinking rapidly and in complete darkness.)

As Connak fishes around with his staff, trying to come into contact with Vaxis, he yells out, "MINSYS! He's too big for me to fish out!"

There is another splash, this time a lot less dramatic. After this new, much smaller wave recedes, Tabesha'l can be seen spluttering and thrashing in the water, her robes and petticoat billowing about her as she does her best to locate the receding shape of the scaly cleric, dunking her head beneath the water repeatedly between great gulps of air.

With her innate ability to see in the dark, Tabesha'l easily sees her dragonborn companion about 5 feet below the surface of the water, but sinking rapidly. Arvi slowly descends, still grasping her staff in his foot-claws. "Let him drown just a little first Mistress! It will make him so much more appreciative when he is saved!" squawks the diminutive demon at his master.

" Thou shallt bring me mine staff this instant, thou fiendish wormling ! If he drowns, I shall make thy miserable earthly coil sizzle and squirm before I send thee screaming for oblivion into the Older Planes' Eternal Limbo !" the elf's face is now contorted with fury, all composure forgotten as she frantically tries to stay afloat, seething at the impertinence of her familiar.

Arvi changes into his bat form, releasing his grip on the staff which then falls towards Tabesha'l. The scolded minion then looks for a place to hide from his fuming master. He flutters into the side tunnel and finds an upside-down perch on it's upper surface.

Minsys drops his maul and back on the stone floor and dives into the water after Vaxis.  

Athletics 25

He makes his way to Vaxis and attempts to help him make his way up to the surface and then lsolud ground.

Meanwhile Tabesha'l firmly grasps her staff and voices the incantation necessary to Levitate Vaxis' sinking silhouette...

" Asherhal Denassarith ! Okthel Oon Indrarhyë !" she has barely time to finish the spell before having to struggle to stay afloat again, then proceeds to laboriously swim towards Connak's perch, hoping to make her way back up onto somewhat dry ground.

Vaxis returns to the surface of the water safely and the rest climb out into the side tunnel without incident 

Connak wonders why no one is grabbing onto his 10 foot pole...?

"Thank you Connak. That was a close one. If only I had better prepared for such an occurrence. I certainly must add to my contingencies moving forward. I must say having a pole of that length available has certainly come in handy," Tink then looks about to the rest of the group, "Should we start a fire to dry ourselves off? Walking around in wet clothing is not part of my standard procedure at least for me."

Minsys grabs onto the pole as he moves Vaxis to the edge.  Then once he gets up on the land, he tosses his head backward whipping water with it.  He then shakes like an animal sending droplets out around him.  "They look at me and their eyes say 'don't break the wall.'  But ya can magic the floor away," he grumbles more to himself than anyone.

The party collects themselves in the darkened side tunnel of the well shaft. A tiny spot of light can be seen 60 feet above, but the dank cavern is otherwise shrouded in darkness, which - for Vaxis at least - equated to being totally blinded. The sloshing of the settling well water echoed around the circular shaft (both the vertical one through which they fell and the horizontal one in which they now stand.) A draft blew through the side passage and up the well shaft bringing with it the smell of decay...not like rotting flesh or putrid corpses, but more earthy and natural. The side passage is about 10 feet in diameter, completely circular and mostly smooth but not in a finished or worked fashion.

Tabesha'l makes a simple gesture and clear, white Light starts beaming from the buckle on Vaxis' belt. " Are you all quite alright ?" she asks, her voice clearly filled with concern and a little contrition, " I... I truly did not expect the whole floor to vanish beneath our feet. T'was a terrible strategical mistake on my part, and for this I am really terribly sorry. Please I beg thee all to accept my sincerest apologies ! Enuryel Athrënn Ayr-Erenithyr !" she exclaims dramatically, accompanying her convoluted speech with a deep, theatrical bow.

She then turns to look at the tunnel, puzzled by its circular appearance. Was it man or beast who did this ? Or... something even less palatable ? Her next thought directs itself at her familiar:
" Creature, I do think thou canst redeem thyself for thy cruel prattling as our draconic companion was almost drowned a minute ago, by continuing on thy scouting task here: remain unseen and fly forth into yon corridors, and do keep me abreast of eventual dangers incoming this a-way. On thee goeth, wretched thing !"

She claps her hands briskly to punctuate her commands, remaining telepathically locked onto the flying Quasit.

"Don't seem like we can get out through the top.  Let's see where it goes," Minsys says.  He then looks about for a bit, "Hey, not bird!  Where you at?  You know about things down here?"

Tabesha'l studies the hole in the firmament, but she is unable to discern the nature of its making. Arvi hisses at her commands, still stung by his master's scolding, but obeys as his pact with her compels him to do. He drops from his perch at the top of the side tunnel onto Minsys' face, flapping his bat wings wildly for a second, in an apparent answer to the barbarian's question. Minsys thrashes about for a second - even half-orcs found bat fur repulsive when it came so close to their mouth - before Arvi detaches from him and screeches as he flutters down the side tunnel.

Seeing through the quasit's eyes, Tabesha'l observed that the passage curved upwards slightly before reaching a crest then back down again and before it opened up into a small cavern that was bathed in purple light. As it widened, either side of the path was covered in massive toadstools, brilliantly colored...and humming faintly. At the center of the path in the middle of the cavern was a single stalagmite, proceeded by what looked like a tombstone fixed in the earth on the leeward side of the path. During Arvi's fly-by, Tabesha'l could identify the writing on it as draconic, though she did not get a long enough look to be able to translate the epitaph.

W.H.I.S.K.E.R., who had clung to Minsys when they plunged into the water, had still not let go of him. The canary the party had encountered before their untimely fall was nowhere to be found...

Seeing the cave lit up with mushrooms, Minsys becomes curious.  The area seems perfect for something to live in, but question is what.  He begins to examine the area for signs of life.

Survival: 18

No sooner that Minsys walks into the glowing cavern to look for signs of life, a lifeform presents itself. One of the large toadstools swivels around to face him, and ejects spores into the air in a 20-foot radius. After a few coughs, a voice speaks to the barbarian, but not audibly, but rather from within his own consciousness as if communicating telepathically:

"Greetings fellow being. Are you peaceful? We mean you no harm, if you intend the same," says the enormous fungi.

Tabesha'l puts her perfectly manicured hand on the half-orc's bulging - and slightly greenish - shoulder, addressing him daintily:

" Friend Minsys, do be careful of yonder spores ! 'Tis a known fact moistures and other such molds can prove to be of the utmost discomfort, whether one breathes their essence or ingests their corrupted flesh... without even mentioning yon somewhat grim-looking tombstone. See yonder ?" she points at the slab of rock jutting out of the ground to illustrate her point. 

Before she can continue, the barbarian has already stepped forward and is being covered in spores. He seems dazed.

" Friend Minsys ? Were you actually listening to anything at all I just said ?" the elf cries after him, a little miffed by the half-orc's lack of reaction.

Seeing Minsys engulfed by a cloud of spores, Connak will nock an arrow and be ready to fire depending on what happens next.