[Game Thread] III. The Silver Cornucopia

[Krimchee]

In the sudden, flickering light, Silas held up his hand to to shield his eyes from the light and squinted. The light wasn't really that bright, but it seemed it after the pitch black of moments before. "Bloody hell, Fahd. Why didn't you just do that in the first place?" Looking down in his hands Silas saw that he had the lantern at an odd angle in his hands and had been screwing off the nuts that held the hood in place, rather than the lid to the resevoir. "You've got to be kidding me," he muttered. Would have been a fine sight when I tried to fill that.

After a goodly few moments fumbling --and cursing-- Silas finally managed to get the "flaming thing" lit. He quickly went over to check on Dan. "How long do you think Dan will be out for? Silas asked Fahd. "Is it safe to move him?" It'd be much easier if Dan could make it out on his own two feet, that's for sure, though Silas wouldn't have bet that it was even possible. He heard again the breaking melon sound that had been Dan's head impacting the floor in his mind. He shivered. "I'm gonna look around and see what I can find, he said at last. "We need to plan a way out of here one way or another; espeicially if we're going to have to carry him. "

Perception check Perception check: Looking for a safe route to evacuate Dan Dice Roll: 1d20+11 (6)+11 Total = 17

[Tangler]

Fahd: Current HP 10/12, Spirit Healing 0/6 remaining, Cloak PSP 2/5 remaining
AC16, AC12 flat-footed, AC16 touch, Fort/Ref/Will +6/4/5

Lynx: Current HP 21/21
AC 18, (AC12 flat-footed, AC17 touch, AC22 vs OA (Mobility), Fort/Ref/Will +4/8/2-status/defenses-

"There seemed little point," Fahd says good-naturedly in reply, "until you revealed that you had a lamp and oil. The flame lasts only a few minutes, so without some other light source available, we would be shortly left in the dark again. As a temporary light source that would allow you to prepare your lamp, though, it made sense to expend the cloak's ability."

To Silas's query about moving Dan, Fahd shakes his head. "I would not attempt it unless there is immediate need. In this environment, I think, it would greatly increase the chances of injuring both ourselves and Dan. Nor would it be wise, I think, to continue our pursuit of Randy while Dan is unconscious. It would be better to wait until Dan finishes reconnecting with himself." Fahd falls silent a moment, thinking about what he just said, then adds in explanation, "When I arrived at the bottom, I saw Dan's spirit standing over his body, ready perhaps to move on to the spirit world. I did not think, when you gave him your potion, that it would revive him. I was pleasantly surprised to be wrong."

"I believe his unconsciousness now is due to his spirit's need to reconnect with his flesh. As to how long it might take, if my belief is true, I cannot say. Regardless, it might behoove us to take this opportunity to rest ourselves. We can take turns watching Dan for any sign of change."

[mountainbound]

With his lantern now burning, Silas takes a few moments to fidget with the shutter, optimizing the light pouring from the flicker within. The ranger takes a few steps away from Dan's body to inspect the great fall of timbers behind Fahd. The wood is all wet and covered in white mold. It seems to have been a scaffolding at one time. For his part, the spiritchaser peers over at where Silas is searching, but after a moment seems to center himself, restful and content to keep vigil for a time. Dan hasn't moved or made any noise, but some color has returned to his face.

The ranger scans the rock face, and it becomes clear that the base and sections of the walls have been worked by some craft. The stone is flat below your feet: a floor of sorts, unlike the tumbling slopes of natural passages that have led you here. The area where Dan lies seems to be a dead-end, blocked by the wall of stone (the group is still below the ledge that Silas scaled). But the corridor opens up behind you, widens, and tracks on into the darkness.

Other shapes loom silent in the darkness just beyond the rim of the lantern light. From where Silas is standing, they give the likeness of... people.

DM's Note You are at the bottom of what seems to be a V shaped corridor. Feel free to explore. Fahd, if Silas goes exploring, you will be left in the dark.

[Krimchee]

With the lantern lit, Silas felt relieved. Well, comparatively speaking that is. There was still the tension from the adrenaline that had been pumping through him moments ago. They were still trapped in some gods-forsaken dungeon, it was still bloody dark, and his friend was still unconscious on the floor. But they had light. And surely that counted for.....something. At least his nerves had stopped jangling like warning bells before a crawler raid. Silas began to look around more carefully and less franticly.

As the craftsmanship of the floors and walls became more apparent, Silas's curiosity peaked. So they were not merely in the bottom of a chasm as he'd originally supposed. It seemed he was in a....corridor of some kind. Silas raised his lantern and tried to peer into the darkness beyond. Not expecting to be able to see much, Silas was surprised to see dim shapes. Not shapes, but rather forms that had the likeness of...people? Immediately Silas took a few steps forward, but stopped as he heard someone, Fahd he supposed, shift behind him. He turned around to see that the lantern light was at the edge of where Dan and Fahd were.

"Fahd, there are what look to be statues up ahead. I'm going to go in a short way and have a look to see if I can get some clue about what this gods-forsaken place might be. Or even better, find a clue about a safe way out for Dan. If you have any trouble, any at all, call me. If you even hear a mouse fart, call me. I won't go far."

Silas turned toward the shapes in the darkness and went to investigate, taking the lantern, and the light it provided with him.

Perception Check Perception Dice Roll: 1d20+11 (12)+11 Total = 23

[Tangler]

Fahd: Current HP 10/12, Spirit Healing 0/6 remaining, Cloak PSP 2/5 remaining
AC16, AC12 flat-footed, AC16 touch, Fort/Ref/Will +6/4/5

Lynx: Current HP 21/21
AC 18, (AC12 flat-footed, AC17 touch, AC22 vs OA (Mobility), Fort/Ref/Will +4/8/2-status/defenses-

Fahd watches quietly as Silas explores the area they have descended into. He nods when Silas talks of exploring. Though Fahd has known Silas but a day, it is clear to the shaman that Silas is not the type to be content in inaction, so if exploration gives Silas an outlet for his nervous energy, so be it. Fahd is not thrilled at the prospect of being left alone in the dark, but neither is he overly concerned about it. "Go ahead," he assures Silas. "We will be fine here."

As the nimbus of light surrounding Silas moves away from Fahd and Dan, Fahd reaches with his right hand and places it gently on Dan's chest so that he can monitor Dan's breathing once he can no longer see him.

[mountainbound]

His attention placed on Dan's breathing, Fahd centers himself in the darkness, listening to the sound of his own heart, and the soft scrape of Silas' boots receding from him. In the distance, Silas makes his way toward the odd-shaped rocks -- to Fahd his body is but a silhouette now in the flickering lanternlight. As the ranger approaches his destination, Fahd hears Silas mutter a characteristic curse.

[Krimchee]

Bending over to pick up Dan's staff, Silas was surprised to find it had gone so far from where Dan had fallen. Silas took a moment to examine the staff, before moving forward to check out the statues. But as he moved closer and closer it quickly became apparent that the forms were not statues at all. Dusty, grimy they might be, but not statues. Silas moved closer yet, swinging the lantern out to cast better light over the forms. As the light illuminated the forms more clearly, Silas cursed loud enough to be heard by Fahd.

"You've got to be flaming kidding me," he whispered. He didn't like coincidences like this. For perhaps the first time, he really and truely wished that he were back in Lehman's Hollow, living the simple life of a hunter. What he saw was more than coincidence and smacked of plans far beyond his own comprehension. It seemed dangerously close to "fate." Silas didn't like it.

Reaching out with the staff, Silas tentatively poked at one of the dust covered figures with bottom of the staff, not sure what to expect. He wanted very much to touch one of those "familiar" pins and have a look. He thought he would definitely pick them up if the figures didn't spring to life like a blasted rattlesnake after he poked it with a stick.

[Tangler]

Fahd: Current HP 10/12, Spirit Healing 0/6 remaining, Cloak PSP 2/5 remaining
AC16, AC12 flat-footed, AC16 touch, Fort/Ref/Will +6/4/5

Lynx: Current HP 21/21
AC 18, (AC12 flat-footed, AC17 touch, AC22 vs OA (Mobility), Fort/Ref/Will +4/8/2-status/defenses-

Fahd sits in the darkness left behind by Silas's exploration, his only company the unconscious Dan and his own thoughts. With his ears he listens for any indication of calamity from Silas, with his fingers he listens for any changes in Dan's breathing, leaving his mind to wander, replaying recent events. Only two days ago he was living a comfortable life, mundane even. There had been satisfaction in it, to be sure, healing the sick and injured. There had been a hint of mystery, too, with the rising incidents of crawler attacks, and the occasional interference from the Grackle spirit. The arrival of Silas and Dan, however, with deadly conflict trailing along in their wake like wolves trailing after deer, has changed all that. It does not diminish the worth of what he has been doing, but rather confirms that he has been but waiting for the next stage of his journey, the purpose he first felt calling him after Ibram's death.

Fahd begins to sing, softly, the notes swallowed by the darkness around him. The song is one he often heard Aisha singing when she wasn't busy teaching him the ways of the forest and of the spirit world, a song of peace and healing and transcendent beauty. The song, in turn, leads his thoughts to Jamie, his infatuation with Aisha apparent in the way he had talked about her in the kitchen of the inn. He wonders whether Aisha is aware of the gleeman's feelings about her, or whether it would matter to her if she was aware of them. He tries to remember whether she ever mentioned Jamie, even obliquely.

[mountainbound]

As Fahd hums softly in the darkness, recalling brighter days past, Silas stares down at the dusty figures sitting in a circle on the dais, some 50' away.

With Dan's staff in one hand, the ranger nudges one of them, and they respond in kind, giving way slightly, though remaining upright. It's as though they were sleeping in a sitting position, or in some kind of trance. As he bends to get a closer look at the corroded arrowhead pin decorating the cloak of the closest figure, a hiss breaks the stillness. From the darkness beyond the ring of figures, a soft clicking is heard, like a hundred knifepoints rhythmically chipping at the stone.

Dropping the staff, Silas uses both hands to focus the beam of his lantern out in front of him, and spies one the largest crawlers he's ever seen -- or even heard of. A plated centipede, like the one he and Dan fought so many months ago. But this one is fifteen feet long, from its bug-jaws, along its many, many legs, down to the armored tip of its double-tipped tail.

And from the corner of his eye, the ranger could swear one of the sitting people was looking at him. A woman -- smiling kindly as she watched him.

DM's Notes Silas, unless you put down the lantern, you cannot use your bow. I'd count setting down the lantern as a free action, though it will limit visibility. Plated Centepede AC 16, Unwounded.

[Krimchee]

Silas set down the lantern a little off to the side and took out his bow. He started to back away quietly from the crawler on the balls of his feet. Silas moved with a hunter's stalking grace, only moving in reverse. Silas raised his voice to be heard,"Faaaaahd, we've got companyyyy. " With that Silas flexed his bow string habitually to test its tautness. As he did, he felt the faint stirrings of the psychic hum he'd heard last time he dry fired it. Surprised, he looked at the bow. Then he shrugged. "Why bloody not? he mumbled. Drawing the string back, he wondered how in the light he was going to aim a bow with no arrow nocked. Surprisingly again, once the bow was fully drawn, Silas could see a shimmering something where the arrow should be.

Silas fired twice rapidly, sending bolts of humming energy streaking towards the crawler. Silas hoped they'd have a lot more impact on the crawler than they did when he'd fired one at the wall earlier.

rolls attack Dice Roll: 1d20+4 (18)+4 Total = 22 Dice Roll: 1d20+4 (11)+4 Total = 15 Damage: Dice Roll: 1d10+1 (2)+1 Total = 3 Dice Roll: 1d10+1 (1)+1 Total = 2

Status Ac:15 Hp:13

[Tangler]

Fahd: Current HP 10/12, Spirit Healing 0/6 remaining, Cloak PSP 2/5 remaining
AC16, AC12 flat-footed, AC16 touch, Fort/Ref/Will +6/4/5

Lynx: Current HP 21/21
AC 18, (AC12 flat-footed, AC17 touch, AC22 vs OA (Mobility), Fort/Ref/Will +4/8/2-status/defenses-

So says the gleeman. Sitting in the dark, waiting for any indication of change, Fahd smiles at the recollection. He hadn't understood Aisha's words at the time, and she hadn't chosen to elaborate, but apparently Jamie had indeed made at least some impression on Fahd's teacher.

His hearing more acute in the absence of the distraction of sight, a clicking sound impinges itself on Fahd's memories. The sound seems disquietingly familiar, though the shaman can't immediately identify it. A corresponding tremor in the aklys on his thigh helps him make the connection. Silas's call only provides confirmation of his realization that there is a crawler nearby, and Silas's voice provides a direction. Fahd rises to his feet and heads toward Silas, moving carefully and relying on his memory of his surroundings to avoid missteps, hoping that the light from Silas's lantern will begin to penetrate the darkness before he needs to use what little power remains in the cloak.

[mountainbound]

Silas raises his Ichvaali bow and takes aim over the heads of the silent people on the platform. Arrowless, the bow pulls some unknown force from the air around it, a smoky filament that the ranger notices just before releasing. The "arrow" streaks forward, seeming to change direction in mid-flight and, instead of hitting the thing's torso, whips directly at its great, clicking head. The crawler stops and lashes out blindly at its attacker, but there's nothing around it. Without hesitating, Silas launches another arrow, but this one flies just wide.

Maybe it's that the centipede smells Dan's fresh blood, but the creature doesn't seem to notice Silas standing behind the sitting people. In fact, it pays the circle of living people no mind as it slithers into the area.

In the dim light of Silas's lantern, now on the ground by the ranger's boot, Fahd gets his first look at the monster. Fifteen feet long, covered with hard plates, and standing as tall as a dog, it feels it way slowly, inexorably toward Dan's unconscious body.

Combat Notes The crawler is about 50' away from Dan, currently passing close to the platform of sitting people. Silas is standing on the opposite side of the platform. It doesn't seem to notice Silas or the people. If he hustles, Fahd could have reached Silas last round (that's up to you Tangler). You realize that the creature is heading toward Dan, however, and may think twice about leaving him. Silas has the only light source. After this round, it will have crawled away from the platform and will be more difficult to see unless stopped or followed. Plated Centipede AC 16, Wounded for 3hp.

[Krimchee]

Picking up the lantern with one free hand, Silas joggs a few steps toward Fahd, to not only close the distance for a better shot, but also to cut off the crawler's progress towards Dan. Setting the lantern down, Silas aimed and fired two arrow at the crawler's head.

attack/damage rolls Dice Roll: 1d20+4 (8)+4 Total = 12 1d20+4 (20)+4 Total = 24 damage Dice Roll: 1d8+1 (4)+1 Total = 5 Dice Roll: 1d8+1 (8)+1 Total = 9 Confirm Crit confirm critical Dice Roll: 1d20+4 (14)+4 Total = 18 damage Dice Roll: 1d8+1 (7)+1 Total = 8

[Tangler]

Fahd: Current HP 10/12, Spirit Healing 0/6 remaining, Cloak PSP 2/5 remaining
AC16, AC12 flat-footed, AC16 touch, Fort/Ref/Will +6/4/5

Lynx: Current HP 21/21
AC 18, (AC12 flat-footed, AC17 touch, AC22 vs OA (Mobility), Fort/Ref/Will +4/8/2-status/defenses-

Fahd draws closer to Silas, aklys in hand. Though the shaman himself remains in darkness, the light of Silas's lamp illuminates the gloom in front of him, his sight now confirming what his ears had already told him. A crawler is moving in his direction, or rather, in the direction from which he just came. Toward Dan, in fact. There is something else there, at the edges of the light, that Fahd can't quite make out, but it doesn't seem to be threatening. Fahd dismisses it from his attention and moves to intercept the crawler, not willing to allow it to reach Dan uncontested, then launches his aklys at the crawler even as arrows flash in from where Silas stands further ahead. Ibram's heavy leg bone arcs toward the crawler. The bone strikes true, delivering a satisfying crunch to the crawler's head.

ooc Fahd moves laterally 10 feet closer then throws his aklys. Rolls here: Attack = 23, Damage = 7

 

Dice Attack:

d20+4

(8)+4

Total = 12

Dice Damage:

d6+2

(1)+2

Total = 3

[mountainbound]

Silas quickly sets his lantern down and fires two shots at the giant crawler as it skitters by the other side of the dais. His first shot goes high, but the second strikes the centipede directly in one of its eyes, sinking in up to the fletching. The creature emits an ear-shattering screech and rears up on its hind legs. Seeing his chance, Fahd whips his aklys at the beast, striking it in the head as well. Knocked off balance, the centipede thrashes about, and then, gore dripping from its eye, makes a dash directly at the offending Shaman.

Fahd takes a step backward, toward Silas and the dais, and suddenly the crawler stops, as if confused. It shakes its head trying in vain to dislodge the ranger's deep-seated arrow, and sends its antennai out before it, searching for Fahd. The thing's movements are jerky, its wounds making it extremely agitated. It looks ready to pounce at any moment.

Combat Notes The crawler is only a few feet away from Fahd, who is now next to Silas, but the creature seems unable to detect you. Plated Centipede AC 16, Seriously wounded for 27 hp.