A Candlekeep Mystery (IC)

[Neurotic]

"I, this one, thread where you lead. Deeper is better, the source of infestation."
Cairn detaches from the wall and awaits instructions.

 

[DEFCON 1]

"Going in both directions gives us a large circle to go around. Although on the far side of the circle is a pit full of this disgusting..." He raises his arm and pulls the hem of his sleeve open to allow a bit of goo to slide out of it and to the floor. "...crud. But there are tunnels off of that circle further into the mountain that we could certainly go down."

He nods towards the tunnel that Argenti motioned to... the one he and Kaliban traveled down initially to find Crock Jon. "If we head down there the tunnel splits. Kaliban and I took the right path-- right as in direction, not in terms of correct... although we did find Crock Jon, so I guess you could say it was right correct as well-- but nevermind, that's neither here nor there. Point is... we could take the left-hand passage instead and travel further in. I'm good with that myself... rather try and get this all done before these things can completely regroup."

 

[FitzTheRuke]

Having agreed on the passage near where Kaliban and Hawthorne had encountered a meenlock and chased it off, the Agents travelled there, and then kept to the left-hand passage, working their way deeper into the strange, unnatural tunnels.

Ahead, once again, the tunnel split, with a left-hand passage that widened (the ever-present moss seemed to be dry and crumbling here) and a right-hand tunnel that twisted downward into dampness.

OOC: A new choice: 1) Left, wide dry tunnel; 2) Right, downward dampness. Also: I'm going to need a marching order. For no reason at all.

 

[Neurotic]

Cairn leads the way into the darkness, his superior darkvision and innate sense of the stone and everything that touches it making him natural choice for the position.

His front arm flattens into a resemblance of shield and he advances carefully.

Once they got to the split, he stops and looks into the dry tunnel.
"This tunnel, the left one, it looks like it doesn't support the growth. Maybe a quick look is in order?"

 

[Leatherhead]

Argenti pauses for a moment, some voice having caught her ear. From the middle of the pack she muses: "Whatever is in that tunnel repels the moss, which means it might be dangerous, or it might be just what we need to exterminate these bugs."

 

[Steve Gorak]

Argenti pauses for a moment, some voice having caught her ear. From the middle of the pack she muses: "Whatever is in that tunnel repels the moss, which means it might be dangerous, or it might be just what we need to exterminate these bugs."

“I agree” Ethian says, “let us see why there is no moss there”

 

[DEFCON 1]

"If that dryness in the air can absorb the dampness currently pervading my shorts, I am all for it. To the left!"

OOC: Hawthorne will take a spot in the middle to middle-rear of the line.

 

[FitzTheRuke]

OOC: Have we re-spliced the rope-line? Just askin'. No reason.

 

[DEFCON 1]

OOC: I would imagine one of the casters with Mending would do so... but I'll let them confirm if they do before we begin walking.

 

[FitzTheRuke]

Cairn began to lead the way into the dry, wide tunnel. The Agents had replaced their earlier precaution of a rope-line, this time tied a little closer together, hoping to avoid the possibility of a meenlock cutting the line between them. Cairn was followed by Ethian, Argenti, Kaliban, and then Hawthorne, with Crock-Jon watching the rear.

The big rock-creature had only taken a few steps onto the dry, crumbled moss-bits in the widening chamber when the ground began to slide away under his feet. Cairn dropped into the ground, lurching everyone off their feet. They all slid forward, but Ethian was able to wedge his feet on a solid stone found somewhere under the dry moss and everyone piled up behind him, until they too were wedged. The rope strained under the enormous weight of the elemental, who had fallen through an opening not unlike that of an hourglass, with the dried moss acting as the "sand".

Down about ten feet below him, in an open chamber under the one that the others were wedged in, Cairn could see the desiccated corpse of a humanoid wearing a leather satchel.

OOC: I'm gonna roll the saves myself, both to save time and because it could complicated. In the end it didn't, because Ethian held strong; everyone just fell prone.

Spoiler: Rolls

Cairn dc13 Dex Save: 1D20-1 = [13]-1 = 12
Ethian dc16 Str Save: 1D20+3 = [16]+3 = 19
Argenti dc13 Dex Save: 1D20+2 = [2]+2 = 4
Kaliban dc13 Dex Save: 1D20+3 = [2]+3 = 5
Hawthorne dc13 Dex Save: 1D20+4 = [3]+4 = 7
Crock Jon dc13 Dex Save: 1D20+2 = [2]+2 = 4
(If Ethian had failed, everyone would have rolled Str Saves with the dc getting higher the more that failed)