D&D 5E The Kalarian Precipice - Chapter Four

[Jeovanna]

Jeovanna: Down the crack

Jeovanna's thoughts are her own, and it is probably best for all that the others' thoughts remain their own as well.

The dwarf is barely a weight, but she would have liked to have her hands free. As they come to a halt by the large hole, Jeovanna pauses a moment, before kicking a small pebble down into the hole itself, with the thought she could listen how long it took for it to hit the bottom.

"Difficult jump," she'd note. Maybe not difficult to leap that far, but hard to land safely on the other side...

<Jeo intelligence check= 12>

 

[Otiroth]

Otiroth: Down the Crack

Otiroth grimaced as they came to a halt, peering over Jeovanna's shoulder to take in the etching.

"I wonder if the crumbling rock erased a message that might have made more sense of those arrows," he suggested. "That being said... does anyone have a way to help with a long jump?"

He smiled wryly, for if he had his true blood about him, he might have easily carried them all over such a small gap on his back!

<Intelligence check= 8. Head in the game, Otiroth!>

 

[Metea]

Metea: Down the Crack

Oof. Metea did not like the idea of leaping that distance. She might have feathers, but she certainly didn't have wings. "Can't we tie some rope across the way? Or have Jeovanna throw us?" The tiefling suggested.

Of course, that might be a more painful premise than it seemed. She wasn't entirely sure that this whole thing wasn't just a symptom of the mines collapsing. And if they were leaving the mines- were they leaving behind where treasure might be?

Eh. The arrows meant something. Old plots, maybe. Or someone carving graffiti on their day off.

She'd peer a little closer...

<Int check=16>

 

[Carthum One-Tusk]

Carthum One-Tusk: Down the crack

Carthum angled his shield so that its light would more readily illuminate the darkness just beyond and beneath their feet. A good thing the ranger was leading the way, and had spotted it.

"I... may have a spell that could assist. Not directly, but it imparts a small boon from my god," Carthum offered. He hesitated to offer it as a solution, though. Should someone fall very short on the leap, even Suru's hand could not save them.

"Perhaps we could leap across in pairs, tethered together. So if one falls, the other can catch them," he suggested. Of course, for their smaller teammates- they might very well get dragged into the abyss if someone missed badly enough, so a system would need to be worked out for that!

<Intelligence check= 10>

 

[daindarkspring]

Dain studied the chasm with the others. Honestly, he appeared perplexed. Maybe his mind was elsewhere?

"I do not believe it worth the risk. We should try the other crack, perhaps?" He could be persuaded, if the others pushed.

<Into check=3>

 

[97mg]

Into the Crack

With many of the team's members distracted by rope-use theory, romantic musings or a simple lack of fresh air, it is the barbarian who first senses something is wrong with the hole. Her small stone to act as depth indicator makes no sound as it rolls. Nor does it even descend into the darkness. Her pebble just lays there at ground level, as if hovering upon a shadow. Some trick of levitation? No!

The hole is not real!

Oh yes, Metea knows a similar visionary mischief. Her inquisitive eyes and recent experimentation with the art of illusions serve her well. The hole is entirely fictitious of course. The result of a spell not much unlike her silent images and hazy forms. Surely, the falsity before them must have required great ability, skill, trickery and... luscious innate beauty?

"Did you just hear something?" Annit whispers to those in front.

How will the explorers act once aware of this information? What might be the implications? Well, they need to choose wisely and quickly.

Was that the sounds of a footstep off to the right? Yes! Then all is quiet again...

<What do you do for the next round (6 seconds).>

 

[Jeovanna]

Jeovanna: Into the crack

Jeovanna frowned. It took a second.

"Not real," she declared. Jeovanna punted the 'hovering' stone the rest of the way across the hole.

And there certainly were footsteps! She'd nod towards the right, laying the dwarf down alongside the mages before reaching for her weapon. Everything else down here had been hostile...

 

[Otiroth]

Otiroth: Into the crack

With their attention drawn to the illusion- and there was no mistaking a stone 'skipping' across a supposedly empty expanse- that brought on new problems. "An illusory floor. Great," Otiroth mumbled.

He'd pull out his spell component pouch and take out the packet of colored sand he generally used for one of his spells- one that he hadn't had an opportunity to use so far- and would scatter some of it across the illusory floor. If there was a pitfall hidden under the illusion, well, it'd not fool sand.

"We should have stopped for salt after all!" That would serve as a catch as well.

They were not alone down here, that much was clear. But could the same intelligence that created the undead also have crafted this illusion?

 

[Metea]

Metea: Into the crack

"Don't worry about the illusory hole, worry about the illusory floor!" Metea hissed to the others. That'd be her trick, at least, if she were leaving tricks for others.

But she would crouch down by the dwarf. Insofar as she could protect him, she would!

Was this another undead creature stomping towards them, something patrolling an illusion set up by a mage, or was it a spell-caster whose approaching signified confidence in his skills? This illusory floor could be the pinnacle of its powers, or a parlor trick- they had no way of knowing. Not until they saw it.

Either way, it knew they were here! So perhaps a bit of honey instead of vinegar, for once?

"Hello? Are you the one we seek, to help save Marix?"

Are you carrying what my patron wishes to have?

<Can I try a charisma check? 23>

 

[Carthum One-Tusk]

Carthum One-Tusk: Into the crevice

Carthum may have protested the wisdom of trying to speak with anything down here... after all, so far it had served them poorly... but they were in a new part of the mines. If this was even in the mines at all! Unlike prior barriers of claws and bones, this obstacle was not meant to harm them... but simply to try and discourage them.

Perhaps it was worth a shot.

While his sister used her silver tongue, the priest cast Light upon one of the discarded pebbles that had yet to be kicked across the chasm. He gave it a gentle toss, under-handed, to roll it across the ground, in the direction of the footsteps.

<Spellcasting: Light>