IC: Dichotomy's Age of Worms Redux, Part V(b)

[TiCaudata]

"Let me look around once more. If the passage doesn't extend far, we might not need the spell." Erdolliel states as she ties more rope together. [sblock=oc]Erdolliel has 2 lengths of silk rope. aka 100 feet. depending on how much Esk... err Kush or Neth have, she won't want to travel more than 250 feet or so. Neth should have at least 50' silk rope

Keep the recovery plan the same as before. Swim +2[/sblock]

 

[Dichotomy]

The trio quickly ties together pieces of rope, and Erdolliel dives back under again.
[sblock=Ti]Erdolliel swims down to the bottom of the passage, and sees the next passage turning south. After 20 feet the passage opens up into a room of some kind. It looks like there is a column or pillar of some kind right in front of Erdolliel, and the elf things she can see a pale blue light from above.

But, just before she gets to the entrance of the room for a better look, the elf sees, lurking in the water as if hiding, a large octopus. While the thing must clearly be able to see Erdolliel's light (unless it is blind), it is perhaps waiting for her to get closer, not realizing that the elf has seen it.

[sblock=OOC]The passage you are in DOES have water in it. I have NO IDEA why the map-makers didn't also make it blue.[/sblock][/sblock]

 

[TiCaudata]

[sblock=DI]Erdolliel squints while pointing at the octopus. [sblock=oc]Cast Scorching Ray at the Octopus. Spellcraft +14 DC 22 to make the fire spell function underwater. ranged touch attack +8. (you probably already know this, but ranged touch ignores natural armor too, something that I was surprised by.) 2 rays 4d6 damage each plus sneak attack of 4d6 assuming that it doesn't know I'm here.

If that doesn't drop it, start back to the surface right away. If the spell fizzles cuz I fail my spellcraft check, start back to surface right away. If something else... umm... messed... up happens, start back to surface right away. Tug the rope for speedy return if I can do it while moving.[/sblock][/sblock]

 

[Dichotomy]

[sblock=Ti]Erdolliel forces her magic to coalesce even in the water. A blast of steam catches the octopus right in the eye. The creature reacts with a blast of ink, completely obscuring it. But Erdolliel can feel from the sudden movement of water, that the creature has moved very quickly away.
[sblock=OOC]I'm giving Erdolliel a surprise round, so you only get a partial action.

Erdolliel: scorching ray, spellcraft 7+ (that was close), ranged touch 5+ hit, 35 damage, 1! miss

Init: O 19+; Erd 3+

Octopus: inkjets away

It's totally gone. And we should put you at 5 rounds underwater, for swim time.[/sblock][/sblock]

 

[TiCaudata]

[sblock=Di]Erdolliel heads into the room and swims up towards the light.[sblock=oc]Agreed on the round counter. Keep going until counter reaches 14. If that's land covered by the black, search it before stepping on it. Search +16 then search the whole island from there. Assuming nothing kills me up there that is.[/sblock][/sblock]

 

[Dichotomy]

[sblock=o3]Perhaps 30 seconds after Erdolliel submerges, the rope stops moving for a moment. However, after just a couple seconds, it begins moving again at the same pace as before.[/sblock]
[sblock=Ti]Erdolliel swims up, and, after another 40 feet, the elf breaches the surface of the water. The light she saw appears to be coming from pale blue everburning torches affixed to the walls. The column extends 10 feet above the surface of the water, and on the east side is a ladder reaching from the water's surface to the top.

The elf carefully makes her way up and searches the area. She finds nothing of note, except that she finds a large lever right on top of the column. There is also a bridge leading from the column to a door.[/sblock]

 

[o3caudata]

[sblock=Di][sblock=oc]I know Ti's going to read this, so i'm not REALLY sure why i'm doing it in an sblock.... [/sblock]

"I suppose there's nothing to do but wait for her."
[/sblock]

 

[TiCaudata]

[sblock=Di]Erdolliel searches the lever for traps, but doesn't activate it just yet. "Hmm... it would probably be better for me to get the others over here before I start pulling levers and whatnot." Erdolliel thinks before tumbling off the column and swimming back to the others.[/sblock]Erdolliel comes up for air at the barrel again. "There was a... thing... octopus..." She says while catching her breath. "Bugger... didn't much like a scorching... ray in its eye though. Anyway... There's a column in there. 40 feet down, 50 feet or so to the column, 40 feet back to the surface. Then," She glances over to Nethezar before continuing. "there's a ladder up the column, only 10 feet or so though. Up on the column there's a very large lever, and a bridge going to a door. I haven't really touched anything just yet though.

I figure we can just tie ourselves together and make it through regardless of our swimming... or sinking as it were... abilities. I can go first, and Nethezar might want to go last so that if all else fails, we can just pull you along."

 

[Dichotomy]

Nethezar nods as Erdolliel pops up. "Glad you made it back."

After the elf relates what she saw, Nethezar thinks for a moment. "You swam there and back. I think I can hold my breath long enough to even just walk along the bottom. I imagine you have no choice but to do that," he adds, looking at Kushnak.

 

[o3caudata]

"If that's all the farther we need to go, we can manage. But lets use the rope just in case. Kushnak says as he approaches the shaft.

[sblock=oc] Tie ourselves together and give it a go. No real reason to try swimming unless i need to. [/sblock]