D&D 5E (2014) (IC) Vault of the Dracolich (River Gang)

[Ancalagon]

Udit confidently paddles his kayak down the underwater stream. Part of him grudgingly admitted that this was pretty neat - underground rivers were avoided like the plague by his people. If he survived this, he would have a story to tell.

kayak roll down the small waterfall : 1D20+6 = [10]+6 = 16


Once into the lake and everyone is ok, Udit will start looking for a good landing/camping spot... there is a pretty good area north of us but at the instant Udit doesn't know that.

 

[FitzTheRuke]

Udit keeps his and Auraia's Kayak effectively upright as it goes over the relatively short drop. It buries it's nose in the pool at the bottom but bobs quickly back to the surface. Udit strongly paddles for a moment to break free of the turmoil of the falls (and avoid the oncoming next kayak), and then sets a more leisurely pace as he moves further into the lake.

Auraia is pleased to see her sister, Aquaria happily floating nearby, looking about excitedly as she can now see her surroundings.

OOC: I forgot to put the kayaks on the map. Silly me. I will fix that at some point. By the way... Welcome to the Dungeon.

 

[FitzTheRuke]

OOC: After we find out how Kurzon does paddling (whenever you get the chance [MENTION=6805147]River Song[/MENTION]) where would you like to go?

There is a light but constant current moving forward (up on the map) and the water is flat past the bottom of the falls. The ceiling is high enough that you can't see it without raising the torch, but here and there stalactites loom down out of the darkness.

The walls are of that porous black rock that Blackpeak appears to be made of, and more water runs through from cracks occasionally seen on the sides.

The shore, where there is much of one, is steep and mucky-looking - likely to be very slippery - covered with some sort of dark sediment.


Sent from my LG-D852 using EN World mobile app

 

[Ancalagon]

Udit will light a second torch and ask Auraia to hold it as he takes a bit of a look around. What can he see about that little side stream on the south east corner of the map?

When possible, he will use his magic to dry Kurzon up, doing it on the boats as it looks like we aren't landing here...

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[River Song]

Kurzon pushed the paddle off the edge of the wall with a grunt, [roll0], straining to keep it straight and level. He moves it alongside the other kayak and looks about in the gloom.

"Which way? Shall we go to the big open area?"

 

[FitzTheRuke]

Location: Underground Lake, 1 Hour 40 Minutes to Nightfall

After Udit has had a chance to dry Kurzon with his magic to ward off the chill, the two kayaks spread out a little ways to survey their surroundings. The roar of the waterfall masks the dipping of the paddles, as the group moves about the large chamber. Kurzon paddles while Drako moves his torch around the walls and Auraia holds her torch out while Udit paddles.

Aquaria swims between the two boats, lost in tranquility. As the two torches flicker firelight on opposite walls, the cavern widens. Udit and Auraia discover a side-tunnel, where water flows toward them from a source other than the waterfall. Drako and Kurzon discover a spot where the bank widens and the ground, while still thick with sediment, is flatter and drier, making beaching the kayaks a possibility.

GM: I've zoomed in a little. The squares are 5 foot now. Yes, the kayaks are nearly 15 feet long. Again, the bright light of the torches are in yellow, dim light in grey. Between is darkness, but obviously you can see the other torch from afar. Do you want to join up and get out, investigate the tunnel, or one of each?

 

[River Song]

Kurzon paddles the kayak to the small landing area, "Shall we have a look up around the bend? Keep the torch here and I'll go have a quick look."

[sblock=actions] Kurzon will move up to the corner near F3 and take a look around it [/sblock]

 

[FitzTheRuke]

GM: Oh sure, just leave the map I just made!

Around the corner, in the shades of grey of your darkvision, you see that the lake makes a little cove. The shore is a thick wet mud-flat, and in the corner, about 40 feet away from you, is a standing obelisk, coffin-sized (but rounded at the corners) and concave. Details and markings are hard to make out in darkvision.

Across the cove ("up" on the map) the water rushes through a narrow gap. (And out of the limits of your darkvision.) On the way there or back, you can spot the other tunnel (top right).

 

[Ancalagon]

Udit takes a long hard look down the tunnel on the lower right (do I see any other details?), but then quickly paddles back towards the other boat when Kurzon calls out the discovery of an Obelisk.

On the way he gives an appraising eye to the bank (C14 area) - would that bank be usable for a camp site?

"Uh, that might be important, we should take a look. The wizard he said something about wards... 4 of them... " Udit squinted his eyes in intense concentration... how did it go... ah yes "uh yeah, he said that he chamber where the staff is stashed is protected by four wards; each ward is controlled by an Idol of Bhaal. These Idols, whatever they are, can't be more than a few hundred feet - a thousand, at most - from the wards. Could this have something to do with that stuff?"

 

[FitzTheRuke]

GM: Everybody in general feel free to give me Perception checks when you look around. I will always tell you something, even if you roll low. In this case I'm gonna roll for Udit: _: 1D20+3 = [20]+3 = 23 Huh. Crit.

In the water that flows down from the tunnel Udit spots a few nutshells, calmly floating along the surface. Udit will also note that from the way the sediment piles on the sides of the stream, that this stream needs - and gets - dug out on a semi-regular basis to keep it from blocking up. (Yes, I am saying someone maintains it.)

Filing that for later, Udit begins rowing toward Kurzon. As the light of Auraia's torch passes by her, Aquaria notices a glint of metal about 20 feet below her in the clear water, and then the flickering torchlight is past.

Udit thinks that the spot that Darko is standing, by where he and Kurzon beached their boat would make a cold, damp, noisy, but passable campsite - in particular the further you go into that corner.

GM: I'd like to hear from [MENTION=6855204]tglassy[/MENTION] before I move on.