Explorers of Calemor, Chapter 1: A View from Afar

[RMcCall]

The desert is pretty much what you'd expect: sandy, hot, and mostly barren of life. You head towards the low dunes as the map indicates.

As the sun is just starting to fall from its peak, so are you just reaching the bottom of a valley of sand. Suddenly, the ground starts shifting! Boulders and stone pillars are revealed as the dunes seem to funnel towards the center of the valley. The sand also tries to pull at your feet and drag you along with it.

Make an appropriate skill check to avoid getting dragged down.

 

[Shayuri]

Talashia, lost in her own thoughts, doesn't see the cataclysm happening until it's far too late to run...

(Was using Perception to get enough warning to act...but rolled an 11. Sigh. She does have a couple of encounter powers that would concievably be of use in escaping though, if you allow those to be used in skill challenges.)

http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4481223/

 

[shamgar001]

Rogun looked down as his feet sinking into the ground. No wonder he preferred the solids rocks over this shifting sand.

He heaves his feet upward with all his dwarven strength, trying to move away from the pit faster than the sand could take him toward it.

OOC: Athletics check: [roll0]

 

[RMcCall]

Yes, you can definitely use powers of any kind during skill challenges! Expending an encounter power can lower the DC of your skill check; expending a daily power will count as an automatic success if it is appropriate for the situation.

Rogun struggles against the current of sand and manages to stay above long enough to grab a pillar that emerges nearby. Talashia, on the other hand, is pulled down with sand up to her chest.

More ruins are revealed. This valley seems to be the location of a buried city. As the sand lowers further, you can make out the center of the whirlpool being a rocky cave entrance that apparently collapsed as your footsteps rumbled near. Spires ten feet tall rim the cave as sand slithers past and down the hole.

 

[RMcCall]

Rogun manages to hold on, but the rest of the group slides towards the cave. Who knows how far the drop is down into that pit? You all spot a large, mostly flat boulder that had most of the sand slide off it. If you could manage to reach it, you would be safe.

 

[shamgar001]

Rogun leaps to the boulder. He then quickly reaches into his pack and fishes out a rope. He closes his eyes and feels the boulder beneath him. His channels his connection to the Earth and his feet sink in to the rocky surface a bit, making him more stable. He throws the rope out toward his compatriots.

"Grab 'ee rope and 'old on toight!"

OOC: Athletics check: [roll0] And I don't know if I could use my Earthforger abilities to get a bonus to the roll perhaps. You said I could forge tools out of Earth - perhaps something similar to a climbing kit? *EDIT* Never mind, a natural 20 should do it anyway.

 

[RMcCall]

The others manage to grab on, except Talashia who has drifted too far from Rogun to reach! However, her magic could easily save her.

 

[Shayuri]

Talashia grimaces and struggles for a moment, then gives up and says, "Oh...fine."

Out of a clear sky, lightning spears down and engulfs the beleagured sorceress with a sharp CRACK and the acrid tang of ozone suddenly sharp in everyone's noses. It leaves no trace of her save the sinkhole she once occupied.

Almost immediately afterwards another bolt of lightning fell on the rock, and Talashia appeared from the flash and the thunder. She wobbled for a moment, adjusting to the sudden lack of sand all around her, then smoothed out her dress and shook her hair free of grit.

"My heroes," she said to the others wryly, smirking.

(Burning Spatial Trip)

 

[RMcCall]

The sandslide settles, with the landscape now completely changed. The great chasm yawns in the center of the sandy valley, with the ruins of a city spread around it. It looks positively brimming with adventurous possibilities...but perhaps next time.

The next landmark on the map shows what appears to be some sort of eyeball with two crescent moons attached. You don't know what it is, but it's probably dangerous. However, the sun is starting to set on the first day of your travels. Do you stop here in the ruined city for the night, continue on before finding a place to rest, or keep going despite the darkness and sleepiness?

 

[Mithrilmace]

Well, that was fun. Srasut says as he brushes at the sand covering his leather armor. The dragonborn would like to take advantage of the cooler temperatures at night and press on but is worried about the creatures and natural hazards which may be more dangerous in the dark.

OOC: Nature Check: [roll0]