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| Past the pits you see the skull engraved doors. |
Returning from the hallway within the 10' pit, Hanrar fashions a homemade "trapdoor tripper". It has to be heavy enough to trigger the floor traps, but light enough to still be able to be wielded. The one downside to this tactic, however, is that other kinds of traps - tripwires, for example - would be instantly triggered. It's a gamble, a risk.... but the risk pays off.Hanrar opens up three more pits in the hallway with his useful trapdoor-tripper, jumping over them as needed. Each one is successively deeper than the previous.... 50'.... 70'.... 90'.... a long fall indeed. Each one is lined with the replica wands of Orcus as well.
In the 50' foot pit, there lies the skeleton of... something humanoid perhaps. Hard to tell. You do see the glint of something golden lying near it... possibly a few coins?
El-Kal is following hanrar, blade out...he peers into each pit, looking for another exit as he has heard rumored...
ReplyDeleteOOC: don't have my sheets with me, but perception look for another exit/hall leading away? Athletics check is something like +13, to jump and follow hanrar. Will end my movement next to him. If I can.
[Hanrar]
ReplyDeleteStanding somewhat precariously on the thin walkway of cobbled stone, the mage kneels, untying his 'trap-bindle' and packs his gear back into his haversack.
Peering into the gloom of the 50' deep pit, he takes one of the two sunrods that came in the pack, activating it as he winces and shades his eyes from the sudden brilliant glare before dropping the thin rod of daylight down the pit, watching it as it descends, eager to see what it might illuminate.
Tech: Perception +10, Dungeoneering +10
[El-Kal and Hanrar]
ReplyDeleteEl-Kal joins Hanrar, not seeing anything interesting in the other pits. Watching as Hanrar drops the sunrod into the 50' pit, they note two things, being helped by the brighter light.
First, the skeleton is of a Marilith demon.
Second, the golden glint is of a key in her hand, broken in two.
[Hanrar]
ReplyDeletePeering down at the unwavering white light amongst the bones and necrotic wands, Hanrar smirks up at El-Kal and his fellow companions. "So... who's first to join our skinny demonic friend?"
He waves to Princess Teryn, his smirk growing into a toothy grin. "Lend us a hand? I think a nimble thing like yourself would be better suited to pluck gold from the clutches of death..."
[Yursil]
ReplyDeleteYursil carefully steps up to glance down in the pit. "I wonder how a Marilith died down in the pit."
Tech: I don't think demons can die of hunger, or can they? And can't Mariliths teleport? (Thinking back to an RA encounter)
Religion +15, Perception +13, Arcana + 15
[Hanrar]
ReplyDeleteThe dusky skinned mage kneels at the edge of the pit, twisting his quarrel thoughtfully. "Perhaps it was the key itself that did the beast in?" He points to the shards of gold, arching an eyebrow. "It may have been enchanted, but it looks as if it has been broken. We should still be wary of any remaining dweomers..."
Tech: [hope springs eternal in the face of futility] Arcana +19 on the key
{Teryn]
ReplyDelete"I can go grab that for us, no problem." Teryn takes some rope from the group and secures it to her back armor, then holding the loose end out to the others. "Someone want to hold this? If anything weird goes on down there, just yank me back up. Oh yeah, I'll take that fancy hat of seeing if I'm heading down there. Should make avoiding trouble easier, right?"
OOC: How about I take that Nimbus of True Seeing for now? Also, it was said that we can avoid getting blasted by the wands if we descend carefully, right? Assuming so, I will do the following
Tech: I'll equip the Nimbus, giving me +5 to perception. I'll leave most of pack at the top, bring thieves' tools, daggers, and a bit of cloth down with me. Assuming one or two others can help me with the rope, Teryn will make a controlled descent into the pit, going all the way to the bottom if nothing untoward happens along the way. I'll inspect (Perception +17 with the nimbus, with truesight) the walls and floor of the pit for secret doors, as well as the marilith and the key itself for any interesting features. Can I tell how the marilith died (Heal +7)?
Brathu will hold the rope.
ReplyDeleteOOC: Do we want to go explore the other pit? Just to confirm the rumor about the paths? They usually are very literal...I doubt the fork on the last one counted.
OOC: I'm definitely in favor of exploring the other pits, as long as we have enough rope.
DeleteOOC: I thought DM said the other pits had nothing of interest. If true, that finally rules out that rumor.
Delete[Vesten]
Vesten peers over the edge of the pit like his fellows and tries to discern any noticeable seams in the sides or floor of the pit.
Tech: Perception +10, Dungeoneering +10
OOC: Never trust the DM. We just didn't see that far down...secret door somewhere? I just want to be sure.
DeleteOOC: Ouch, always trust the DM, just use common sense. He didn't say anything about any other secret door, Deuce. But it wouldn't hurt to toss a few more sunrods down and see what we can find.
ReplyDelete[Hanrar]
Before Teryn descends into the pit, the mage takes a look at the knot she had tied into her armor and reties it in a more efficient manner to allow it to more easily support her weight. He then takes his place beside Brathu, wrapping the rope around his hands and assisting in lowering the rouge down gently.
Tech: Don't know if this will work in the same fashion, but my Bracers of Mental Might allow me to use my intelligence bonus as a strength bonus for checks, so can that be used proactively as making a 'smarter' knot so the check would be lower?
OOC: no disrespect to Joe, of course, I've just had too many experiences with players who take things for granted. Not saying we are, just a caution. I'd rather know I rolled then just "you seem darkness...nothing's there"
DeleteThe following post is all about searching the 50' pit, the one with the skeleton and the broken key.
ReplyDelete[Yursil]
You do remember that demons don't starve. So this creature's demise probably wasn't that. Also, some have abilities to teleport, so being in a pit shouldn't have stopped her. As to what exactly killed her, you can't tell from this distance.
[Hanrar]
You do not detect any magical auras in the pit or on the skeleton/key.
Tech: You rolled a natural 16 this time. I don't usually reveal that, but I wanted you to know that you at least didn't roll a 1.
[Teryn]
With the Nimbus of True Seeing orbiting your head like a halo, things become clearer. You'll quickly become spoiled by it though, and if/when you return to regular sight, the colors of the world around you will be a bit dull to your liking.
You descend into the 50' pit without any issues, and do not see any secret doors or the like. The key is broken clean in two, lying in the marilith skeleton's hand. From what you can tell, she died from massive blunt force trauma. The bones of her legs and some of her arms are cracked and mangled as if they went through a gear grinder.
[Brathu]
ReplyDeleteBrathu's doing a fantastic job holding the rope.
Tech: I didn't even bother with skill rolls. You got a rope and you're not in combat? Roll waived.
[Vesten]
ReplyDeletePeering into the 50' pit as Teryn descends, Vesten does not see any secrets or traps.
[Vesten]
ReplyDelete"I'll check the next pit."
Vesten will carefully walk to the edge of the 70' pit and grab a sunrod from his pack. Cracking it, he'll drop it into the pit and watch as it drops. He'll try to detect any magical auras or seams in the stonework.
Tech: Dungeoneering +10, Arcana +8, Perception +10
Forgot a Move to D7 in that last post.
DeleteOOC: I assume we'll do the same thing in the 70' foot pit as well once Teryn is done there...
ReplyDelete[Vesten]
ReplyDeleteVesten peers into the 70' pit, but it looks like a pit with Orcus wands at the bottom, nothing more.
[Teryn]
ReplyDelete"Nothing interesting down here! Bring me up!" Teryn calls to Brathu. Before departing the pit, Teryn uses the bit of cloth she brought down to pick up and stow the broken key without touching it directly. "We should definitely check out the other two pits. Shouldn't take long!"
Tech: I'd like to repeat this procedure on the other two pits (descend via rope, inspect the bottom/walls for secret doors and traps, with perception +17 and truesight). We should have enough rope. Unless anyone strongly objects, let's do this. Then we can be off.
[Teryn]
ReplyDeleteTeryn goes through a lot of careful ascending and descending, but finds nothing of interest in the 70' and 90' pits.
OOC: Joe says I rolled a natural 1 for the 70' pit perception roll and that it's ok to tell you guys that. Does someone more perceptive than I want to give the same procedure a go? Or should we proceed?
Delete[Hanrar]
ReplyDeleteWith the key in closer proximity, the mage focuses again, this time directly on the two halves of the key still held within the scrap of cloth. He inspects the key closely for runes or other arcane sigils that might lead to discerning its purpose.
Tech: Arcana +19, Perception +10, Religion +19, History +19 [Hey, I spent points on all these skills, might as well use them as much as possible!...Even if I can't roll above an average of 5 so far T_T]
[Hanrar]
ReplyDeleteHanrar does see runes on the two key halves. Most are just generic, but one is specific to a Rune of Haste. There is no magic about the key.
[Hanrar]
ReplyDeleteSensing that there is no unnatural aura about the key, the mage bolsters himself and grabs hold of the parts of the golden key. If nothing happens, he will see if both halves fit together properly and try to line up the runes, seeing it the metal will heal itself.
As teryn comes up empty, Brathu looks frustrated, "someone holds this ropre, I'm going down to make sure"
ReplyDeleteOOC: Once I am down, perception +15 to search the areas in the 70 and 90ft pits. If nothing comes of it, let's just move on.
[Brathu]
ReplyDeleteWait... what's this?
At the base of the 70' pit, very well hidden, is a secret door leading east. A simple push on a part of the wall will open it.
Nothing in the 90' pit, as far as Brathu can tell.
Brathu pushes on the door, after calling up to his companions "Shall we investigate it? I doubt the lich would store his phylactery so obviously, but this way may lead towards it..."
DeleteOOC: ha! But it turns out the rumor was false, only 2 paths here...Good to know! So, time for the heavily armored paladin to sneak, or does someone else want to go ahead?
[Teryn]
ReplyDelete"What! How did I miss that? Did you cheat somehow?" Teryn makes her way back down and pokes her head into the corridor. "We should definitely check this out. We've got reliable info that there's treasure at the end of this passage. And I'm betting we need all the help we can get."
Tech: I'll head back down into the pit and prepare to enter the corridor. If the group agrees, I'll just continue along it until I see something interesting (Perception +17), quietly (Stealth +19).
[Hanrar]
ReplyDeleteWith an impressed nod to Brathu, the mage tucks the broken golden key into one of his belt pouches and retrieves his own rope and dagger from the iron statue near the entrance of the passageway before he assists Princess Teryn in her descent, slowly feeding her rope until she is able to climb into the secret passageway.
He then kneels and ties the rope around the hilt of his dagger, angling it intelligently for the best results and using the butt of his staff to hammer the sharp point into the ancient mortar between the stones, driving it as deep as he can into the stonework and testing its weight before he too descends into the pit, swinging into the now open passageway.
Tech: Go go Bracers of Mental Might!, climb down and enter the passageway, golden key in tow, the painting, skull, scroll and circlet are still up-top for anyone who wants to carry them along. Scroll and circlet will be great help, and the skull and painting might still have some part to play in this little traipse.
[Yursil]
ReplyDeleteYursil gives the barest hint of a smile. Something else interesting. Well, having two members of the party horrifically die was somewhat fascinating. Yursil follow the others down into the pit.
El-Kal gladly follows into the pit and secret, secret door.
ReplyDeleteOOC: my blades are thirsty, hopefully combat lies ahead! But that's probably the worst thing to say in a fourthcore delve, am I right?
The adventure continues right past the Cavernous Hallway and into the Cave of the Obelisk!
ReplyDelete