Planetouched Peril

[Lady Shatterstone]

*Fianna steps back and holds her hand out to her side as if motioning Ashlie through.*

"If you wish to lead, then by all means." She says with a slight bow of her head and a glance down into the dark.

 

[Isida Kep'Tukari]

*Descending into the depths, you find that your torches seem to have difficulty in pushing back the darkness. You press on downward into the depths of the earth, the scent of raw earth, moisture, and wet clay thick in your nostrils. The stairways finally ends in a beaten earth path through a rough-hewn tunnel, the rock walls slick with a layer of damp clay.*

*Before you, the path disappears into darkness, and suddenly yawns into an abyss as a geyser of boiling hot water erupts from the floor. Ashlie jerks herself away from the spray before it can hurt her, and skips backward from the puddle of slippery mud. The geyser continues to slam into the ceiling, making the very walls vibrate, and filling the air with thick steam. It's nearly impossible to see to the other side. What will you do?*

 

[Fangor the Fierce]

Ashlie watches the geyser curiously. She then gathers her resolve, and begins searching the immediate area for anything that would have triggered the geyser to react. Search +7 on the ground, in the puddle of mud if need be.

Her darkvision seems to not be able to let her see as clearly as she would have hoped in this place. Perhaps there is something else here that is preventing her vision to work correctly.

"I think it best that we move slowly, as there may be more of these geysers waiting to react to intruders. I will try to find a way to disable them, or to bypass them while we move on. If not, then I would suggest that if any of you have a shield, we may be able to divert its flow long enough to grant us passage."

Ashlie would like to know how wide the geyser opening is, and what the water temperature is, such as warm, hot, scalding, etc...

 

[Ghostknight]

"I worry about the baby coming in this environment. But I will invoke Pelor's protection onto the child as it is born, but in the meantime we need to get Marna to where she can be safe and have the borth in peace."

*He stays close to Marna and tries to keep a close watch on the ground, looking for any telltale holes that would be indicative of a geyser and possible harm to the Marna. He takes "Sun's Draught" from his backpack, readying it in his hand in case it is needed.

ooc: If the geyser is not too hot (so merely boiling or so...) Heliad casts Endure elements on Marna so she can pass through without harm.

 

[Isida Kep'Tukari]

*The geyser is just short of boiling hot, and would cause terrible burns to anyone trying to force their way through it. And it is not just the temperature that would cause pain, but the sheer force of the water itself. Ashlie carefully examines the floor as best she can in a shower of hot water and the growing clouds of steam, but can see no plates in the floors or other obvious triggers for the geyser.*

*Just as she realizes this, the geyser suddenly stops. All around you is the thick and hot steam, opaque and very hard to see though. Somewhere in it, you hear a faint hiss and a rattle, as if from a serpant...*

 

[Ghostknight]

*Hearing the rattle Heliad casts Sanctuary on Marna to ensure her safety. He then draws his heavy mace, awaiting the appearance of the monster.

 

[Jolmo]

*When the others have all started down the stairs, Kani follows, trying to pull the hidden door close behind him before continuing down the stairs.*

 

[Isida Kep'Tukari]

*Out of the darkness comes a slick and wet-sounding slither. Heliad protects his charge by putting her within the prayers of Pelor, while the others prepare. Kani had gotten the door shut behind them to minimize surprises from behind, so the only sounds of something else are coming from in front.*

*The steam coaleses into a large serpent, large enough for its head to brush the roof. It glares at you with white eyes, and speaks in a hissing voice.*

"Who dares approach the shrine in these troubled times?"

 

[Ghostknight]

Heliad steps forward, looking straight at the serpent

"We bring the one who bears the child of the Earth God, we bring her to birth here in the relam of the childs father, safe from the creatures of the air that seek to harm it, that have hunted us all on our way here. We beg you to make it safe for her to pass, we beg you to help us bring her to safety so the child may be born and fulfill its destiny."

 

[Isida Kep'Tukari]

"The token you bring is true, and you bear it with courage. Pass and be welcomed, we will guard the way behind you," the serpant says, bowing its head to the group.