Aftermath of the Celestial War [4e] (Everyone)

[Nac Mac Feegle]

Dunn speaks up for the first time, adding, "And if the problem needs fixing, who else could be called on to do it? It seems we are not to be allowed out rest just yet."

OOC: I'm in the middle of final projects at school, so please excuse the short post >_>

 

[EvolutionKB]

The dwarf pulls lightly on his dark beard. "How are we getting there? The old-fashioned way," Morgrim stamps his boots on the ground for emphasis, "or one of you guys have a better way?"

 

[Charwoman Gene]

[sblock=skill check]Arcana (Portal) (1d20+25=44)[/sblock]
Kanriel drops to his knees and starts trancing out an intricate series of lines.
"Berghost... how did that go again... Oh yes... "

 

[Evilhalfling]

Kanriel draws the traveling circle and opens a gate to Berghorst. You step through into Coreleon’s temple. The portal pulses red as the tiefling general steps through, and for a moment its difficult to tell whether or not he made the transition with you.

The temple rings with music, and beautiful voices raised in song. An acolyte glides away from the pattern room. The music dies away and shortly the priestess Shelvera, a stick thin, graceful elven woman arrives.
“Aridha welcome back, Elihiel, as well.” Glancing at the unfamiliar but obviously potent group. “This is quite and assembly, what brings you to Berghorst?” She listens to the description of your quest and destination. “I can write a letter that will get you past the guards on the closest passage to the world below, is there anything else I can provide?” She summons over and begins to direct acolytes, some still wearing choir robes. “I believe the city is fifty or sixty miles from the gate here,” She looks to Aridha for confirmation. Then more generally “Do you have any special plans for the trip?”

 

[EvolutionKB]

Morgrim steps through the portal, hands on his weapons and jaw clenched. Traveling like this always made him nervous. Appearing in one piece and seeing his allies were okay as well, let the dwarf relax again. As his more educated companions explained the situation, Morgrim merely stood listening to the sounds of the temple. When the priestess poses her question, he replies. "Somebody said somethin' about walking in shadows or somethin'."

 

[Shayuri]

"Shelvera," Aridha greets the other elf with some warmth breaking through her distant demeanor. "Your aid is welcome. We should have what we need as far as provisions and gear, but what we need most is information. Have you heard anything about activity in the Underdark?"

 

[Evilhalfling]

Shelvera looks thought fully aside for a moment. “well I have heard that the drow are mostly fighting each other down there. We don’t let the drow into the city, but the I have heard that there are a lot of dead down there, and that some of them are still moving.”

The warlord and the Tiefling never emerged from the gateway, they were the last ones through, and the portal changed colors as they entered. Perhaps traveling by portals is not as safe as you had formerly believed. Some greater power has taken a hand.

Shelvra’s letter gets you through a heavily guarded post. A long stair leads deep into the earth. At the end a small clan of bugbears lay in wait for fresh meet.
They never stood a chance.
You journey extends through 50 miles of tunnels, to end at the Drow city of Eridul-Chul. And many are the dangers that you face along the way. Using Shadow walk cuts the journey down to a single day.
OOC: [sblock]
This is a skill challenge the best skill (DC 25) is dungoneering, all others DC 29. Each player should choose a skill, and describe how your use of that skill got the group into or out of trouble. Entertaining and inventive descriptions will provide a +2 to the next round of the challenging. Failure costs a healing surge, applied to the next combat.
[/sblock]

 

[EvolutionKB]

Morgrim

Morgrim, leading the party through the dark, calls a halt to the procession. Seeing a wide chasm impeding their path, he offers to take a rope to the other side, implanting the rope into the stone to make a crude bridge across.

[sblock=Athletics]Fail: 26(unless a pair of people assist). Roll Lookup
[/sblock]

 

[Charwoman Gene]

Kanriel spots a crevice that is barely big enough to for everyone to squeeze through, but the tunnel on the other side shaves some time off the journey.
OOC: Perception Roll 1d20+20=37

 

[Shayuri]

While scouting ahead of the group down a long smooth, round tunnel, Aridha feels something that brings her up short; something that doesn't belong. A gentle breeze that caresses her hair and face for a moment. The earth quivers slightly, and another puff of wind follows...this one warmer and smelling faintly of brimstone.

Only then does Aridha realize how this tunnel must have been made.

"Ratheros! RUN!"

The elf and tiger alike whirl about and bolt back the way they came, even as another rumbling is felt, and the wind becomes steady, foul-smelling, and ever hotter. Far up the tunnel a reddish glow becomes visible.

The rest of the group, taking a break at one of the many places where cracks, crevices and intersections present a 'crossroads' of sorts deep in the Underdark, and waiting for Aridha as they do, hear the elf's voice echoing from out of the tunnel she'd gone exploring into...

"Everyone get back across the chasm! GET BACK ACROSS!"

There's no arguing with the tone of the command, and the group starts to cross back over the rope bridge Morgrim had risked so much to get into place. As they do, foul-smelling smoke starts to belch from the tunnel.

Abruptly Aridha and her tiger burst from the mouth of the tunnel, sprinting madly even as the stone around them starts to color red. Aridha's armor and hair are smoldering, and the soles of her boots hiss each time they touch the rock. From behind them as they dash for the rope bridge explodes a fast-coursing tongue of lava. Though it slows a bit as it spreads out across the flatter ground near where the chasm splits the cavern, it's still far too fast to outrun. Aridha makes a final desperate leap and dives straight into the rope bridge with enough force to actually snap the tie, letting her swing across the chasm and hit the far side hard. Ratheros makes the leap as well, grabbing onto the only thing he can...Aridha herself.

The two dangle there from the rope, watching lava pour over the far side of the gulf and vanish into the darkness below. Ratheros...forced to dig his claws into Aridha to keep from falling...makes an apologetic growl and licks her hair as the party hauls the two up.

Exhausted, bloodied and smoldering, Aridha rests for a moment at the top and says in her usual deadpan style, "We'll go a different way."

(and thus ends the Fail. )