"Banish that which holds me here. Come near to the water, and you will draw my captor forth and slay it with ease. As a spirit, I cannot harm my captor. With your flesh and blood and steel you will do so readily."
Rawley picks up a stone the size of his fist and launches it into the water. The glassy surface of the water is broken, and ripples spread rapidly across the lake as the cavern echoes with the sound of the splash. There is no indication of anything or anyone being present in the water.
Mola:
"Banish that which holds me here. Come near to the water, and you will draw my captor forth and slay it with ease. As a spirit, I cannot harm my captor. With your flesh and blood and steel you will do so readily." The yikaria do not live here, but, yes, they passed through. Being led by Zignafki, the grey gnome."
Rixtonanticipates some sort of response but receives none.
Rixtonshrugs and begins looking about the water and walls for a way to string one of his ropes across the water. As he thinks, he pulls out his viol and begins to pace, playing scales and children's tunes with rather poor control of the bow and fingerings.
OOC: What time of day does it feel like? Are we due for a sleep any time soon?
"It just told me the yikaria and the gnome, Zignafki, passed through here. Anyone been told anything about who or what it is, or what its captor is? It said it's a spirit but that could be anything. If we go close to the water, we 'draw forth' the captor. I was going to try to move the water away, or freeze it so we didn't have to swim through, not knowing what's in there. But that might not be wise. Are we up for a fight? Do you all need a rest?"
He thinks again to the entity:
We've had a lot of surprises, and it seems you're trying to keep some needless ones. Tell us who and what you are, and who and what your captor is. If it's something you can't tell us, that's a sign we shouldn't help you. I'd like to trust you, but, well, that's a two-way path. Does your captor make that slime we walked through over there?
If there's no urgency, Mola will sit down and ritually cast detect magic and then take a circuit around the cavern, starting with the western end and eventually getting just within 30 feet of the water.
While the others continue to explore and decide what to do, Gwin kneels down and begins to trace three concentric circles in the dirt and slime on the cavern floor. As she does so the cleric retrieves a deck of cards familiar to both Rixton and Mola, with the image of Tyr emblazoned upon them.
Show me the way, what will it be? Does this spirit remain our ally if I set it free? Through your eyes only, Blind Tyr, shall I see. Weal or woe, friend or foe?
She repeats these words over and over again as she lays one card in the center circle, two cards at north and south in the middle circle, and two cards at east and west in the outer circle, as she had when Dendros led them to the tower in the High Forest. The party can visibly see Gwin's body tense more and more as the supernatural power of the Augury spell flows through her.
Rixton makes a survey of the cavern walls and the tunnel opening that stands above the surface of the water. He doesn't see anything that looks promising for attaching a rope to a point on the other side of the water.
As the sound of Rixton's viol fills the cavern, Gwin sets to divining the party's next course of action, and Mola scans the cavern for any signs of magic. Gwin's probe into the future leaves her with a sense of unease; making an attempt to free the entity seems like a course of action that should be avoided. Molafinds no traces of magic in the cavern; furthermore, the entity offers no response Mola's last attempt to communicate.
Gwin gathers her cards and returns them to her pack. Standing up she places her hands on her hips, stares at the water's surface, sighs, and addresses the party. The cards have spoken. They say no good will come of freeing whomever or whatever is trapped. However, I perceived no dishonesty when it previously said to me, "The gods themselves have done this, for they are petty and jealous. Fearing my power and wisdom, they did this to me. Judged and condemned without just cause." So now I don't know what to think.Do we forge ahead and confront whatever awaits us or do we turn back and try the northern tunnel?
And although she is addressing the whole party, Gwin looks directly at Rixton when she puts forth the final ask. Despite her disapproval of his haughty ways, the little cleric has come to trust his instincts.
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‘The hardest thing in this world is to live in it.’ - Buffy Summers
Rawley says, "Do any of you have the ability, either now or after resting, to either fly or levitate or climb the walls like a spider? We can back out of this slime, rest up and proceed more safely."
Could Mola carry party members one by one across the ceiling into the far tunnel as a giant spider? Perhaps with a spiderweb cocoon fastening them?
Character creation was done with the standard "Use Encumbrance"; therefore, Molaspider's carrying capacity is 210 lbs. (14 STR X 15). Gwin + her equipment = 244.5 lbs; Rawley + his equipment = 328 lbs., and Rixton + his everything-but-the-kitchen sink equipment = 357 lbs. Yes, Molaspider could carry the others if each of them leaves equipment behind temporarily to stay below the carrying capacity limit. Molaspider could then skitter back and grab the equipment that needed to be shed.
Rixtondevelops a devious grin as Moladiscusses his plan to ferry people across the water as a giant spider.
"That's definitely our plan," he says. "Hold out your arms."
Rixtonbegins piling his gear onto Mola, fastening things to the man's pack, and otherwise loading him up with an extra 150 lbs of gear. After he is done, he turns to the others. "Pile it on, folks!"
Mola can hold up to 420 lbs. He has 253 lbs now. Although...can we assume people are NOT carrying their saddlebags, saddle, and bit and bridle? I reduced those to 0 weight on Rixton a while ago as well as anything else stored on his horse.
"We could always backtrack. If something hits me hard enough when I'm partway across, I drop someone into the pool, and I, laden with all your stuff, fall to the bottom with no wildshape to save me. If this is the best way for us to get after the yikaria, we can do that. But it's a risk. Gwin, what did your eye see on the other branch again?"
Mola's fine with trying this out, though with reservations. And he'll keep to the southern edge of the wall/ceiling. If there's a way he can spin a portion of web across the cavern there, perhaps about ten feet above the water, he will do so for a secondary bit of insurance against falling into the water. Stretching from the near side to the far tunnel entrance.
He thinks back to the mysterious entity:
We'll be right back to help you out, whatever your name is. We're not leaving you in the lurch. How high can your captor jump?
Correct. Anything on/with the horses should be removed from characters' inventories. Just two questions:
Are characters holding on to Molaspider? Or, as he suggested, are they being carried by him in a cocoon?
So, for simplicity's sake, we'll say that Molaspider will make three trips: one for Gwin, one for Rawley, and one for Rixton. What's the transporting order?
Rawley says, "I'm sorry, I didn't think this through. I am terrified to be honest... Can we tie a rope around you so that I can hang from the rope instead of you? You could climb a bit higher on the wall then above the tunnel entrance and I can swing into it?" He mutters to himself, "I'm glad we don't have any alcohol or this would definitely be a relapse."
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"Fear not, unnamed one," Rixton says. "You have not my judgment. Merely my inaction."
Gwin:
"Banish that which holds me here. Come near to the water, and you will draw my captor forth and slay it with ease. As a spirit, I cannot harm my captor. With your flesh and blood and steel you will do so readily."
Rawley picks up a stone the size of his fist and launches it into the water. The glassy surface of the water is broken, and ripples spread rapidly across the lake as the cavern echoes with the sound of the splash. There is no indication of anything or anyone being present in the water.
Mola:
"Banish that which holds me here. Come near to the water, and you will draw my captor forth and slay it with ease. As a spirit, I cannot harm my captor. With your flesh and blood and steel you will do so readily." The yikaria do not live here, but, yes, they passed through. Being led by Zignafki, the grey gnome."
Rixton anticipates some sort of response but receives none.
Rixton shrugs and begins looking about the water and walls for a way to string one of his ropes across the water. As he thinks, he pulls out his viol and begins to pace, playing scales and children's tunes with rather poor control of the bow and fingerings.
OOC: What time of day does it feel like? Are we due for a sleep any time soon?
"It just told me the yikaria and the gnome, Zignafki, passed through here. Anyone been told anything about who or what it is, or what its captor is? It said it's a spirit but that could be anything. If we go close to the water, we 'draw forth' the captor. I was going to try to move the water away, or freeze it so we didn't have to swim through, not knowing what's in there. But that might not be wise. Are we up for a fight? Do you all need a rest?"
He thinks again to the entity:
We've had a lot of surprises, and it seems you're trying to keep some needless ones. Tell us who and what you are, and who and what your captor is. If it's something you can't tell us, that's a sign we shouldn't help you. I'd like to trust you, but, well, that's a two-way path. Does your captor make that slime we walked through over there?
If there's no urgency, Mola will sit down and ritually cast detect magic and then take a circuit around the cavern, starting with the western end and eventually getting just within 30 feet of the water.
From where they are, is Rawley able to see the mouth of the tunnel that continues? How far / high is it?
While the others continue to explore and decide what to do, Gwin kneels down and begins to trace three concentric circles in the dirt and slime on the cavern floor. As she does so the cleric retrieves a deck of cards familiar to both Rixton and Mola, with the image of Tyr emblazoned upon them.
Show me the way, what will it be?
Does this spirit remain our ally if I set it free?
Through your eyes only, Blind Tyr, shall I see.
Weal or woe, friend or foe?
She repeats these words over and over again as she lays one card in the center circle, two cards at north and south in the middle circle, and two cards at east and west in the outer circle, as she had when Dendros led them to the tower in the High Forest. The party can visibly see Gwin's body tense more and more as the supernatural power of the Augury spell flows through her.
‘The hardest thing in this world is to live in it.’ - Buffy Summers
Four to five hours have passed since initially going underground; so, yes, end of day/long rest is approaching.
The floor of the exit tunnel is 10' above the surface of the water. The tunnel opening is approximately 7' x 7'.
Rixton makes a survey of the cavern walls and the tunnel opening that stands above the surface of the water. He doesn't see anything that looks promising for attaching a rope to a point on the other side of the water.
As the sound of Rixton's viol fills the cavern, Gwin sets to divining the party's next course of action, and Mola scans the cavern for any signs of magic. Gwin's probe into the future leaves her with a sense of unease; making an attempt to free the entity seems like a course of action that should be avoided. Mola finds no traces of magic in the cavern; furthermore, the entity offers no response Mola's last attempt to communicate.
Gwin gathers her cards and returns them to her pack. Standing up she places her hands on her hips, stares at the water's surface, sighs, and addresses the party. The cards have spoken. They say no good will come of freeing whomever or whatever is trapped. However, I perceived no dishonesty when it previously said to me, "The gods themselves have done this, for they are petty and jealous. Fearing my power and wisdom, they did this to me. Judged and condemned without just cause." So now I don't know what to think. Do we forge ahead and confront whatever awaits us or do we turn back and try the northern tunnel?
And although she is addressing the whole party, Gwin looks directly at Rixton when she puts forth the final ask. Despite her disapproval of his haughty ways, the little cleric has come to trust his instincts.
‘The hardest thing in this world is to live in it.’ - Buffy Summers
Rawley says, "Do any of you have the ability, either now or after resting, to either fly or levitate or climb the walls like a spider? We can back out of this slime, rest up and proceed more safely."
Could Mola carry party members one by one across the ceiling into the far tunnel as a giant spider? Perhaps with a spiderweb cocoon fastening them?
Character creation was done with the standard "Use Encumbrance"; therefore, Molaspider's carrying capacity is 210 lbs. (14 STR X 15). Gwin + her equipment = 244.5 lbs; Rawley + his equipment = 328 lbs., and Rixton + his everything-but-the-kitchen sink equipment = 357 lbs. Yes, Molaspider could carry the others if each of them leaves equipment behind temporarily to stay below the carrying capacity limit. Molaspider could then skitter back and grab the equipment that needed to be shed.
Some of that equipment could be given to Mola and absorbed into him when he shifts, right?
True. And clever.
Rixton develops a devious grin as Mola discusses his plan to ferry people across the water as a giant spider.
"That's definitely our plan," he says. "Hold out your arms."
Rixton begins piling his gear onto Mola, fastening things to the man's pack, and otherwise loading him up with an extra 150 lbs of gear. After he is done, he turns to the others. "Pile it on, folks!"
Mola can hold up to 420 lbs. He has 253 lbs now. Although...can we assume people are NOT carrying their saddlebags, saddle, and bit and bridle? I reduced those to 0 weight on Rixton a while ago as well as anything else stored on his horse.
"We could always backtrack. If something hits me hard enough when I'm partway across, I drop someone into the pool, and I, laden with all your stuff, fall to the bottom with no wildshape to save me. If this is the best way for us to get after the yikaria, we can do that. But it's a risk. Gwin, what did your eye see on the other branch again?"
Mola's fine with trying this out, though with reservations. And he'll keep to the southern edge of the wall/ceiling. If there's a way he can spin a portion of web across the cavern there, perhaps about ten feet above the water, he will do so for a secondary bit of insurance against falling into the water. Stretching from the near side to the far tunnel entrance.
He thinks back to the mysterious entity:
We'll be right back to help you out, whatever your name is. We're not leaving you in the lurch. How high can your captor jump?
Correct. Anything on/with the horses should be removed from characters' inventories. Just two questions:
I propose Rawley, Rixton, Gwin but an open to other possibilities. I also say people hold on rather than webbed on.
Rawley says, "I'm sorry, I didn't think this through. I am terrified to be honest... Can we tie a rope around you so that I can hang from the rope instead of you? You could climb a bit higher on the wall then above the tunnel entrance and I can swing into it?" He mutters to himself, "I'm glad we don't have any alcohol or this would definitely be a relapse."