The hollow’s smooth floor is roughly circular. The air here is alive with energy and thick with the smell of developing lightning. Small hole puncture the walls near the floor, opening into a dozen small tunnels that run off into lightlessness. Dull dust is thickly heaped around the edges, thickest near the holes.
What do you do next?
Starting positions for Turn 5 are displayed on the Combat Map.
Please submit your turn instructions using the Player Action Response - Turn Post Template
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Conditions:
Thurstan – Gaseous Form for 10 minutes or until dismissed – AC 11. DR 10/magic and immune to poison, sneak attacks, and critical hits. Cannot attack or cast spells with verbal, somatic, material, or focus components. Loses supernatural abilities for duration.
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Party Health:
Thurstan 62/62, Mr. Wolfe 43/43, Banjo 52/52, Clint 57/57, Dargoth 72/72,
Kirlic 69/69, Turok 67/67, N'Kima 63/63
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Map Key
Brown is floor.
Brown squiggles are 2-1/2 foot diameter tunnel openings.
Thurstan quickly explores as many of the tunnels that he can, and still get back to the group before his spell wears off.
ReplyDelete[15] [13] [9] [17] [13] [10] [15] [19]
"A gaseous creature can’t run, but it can fly at a speed of 10 feet and automatically succeeds on all Fly skill checks. It can pass through small holes or narrow openings, even mere cracks, with all it was wearing or holding in its hands, as long as the spell persists."
Banjo will maintain detect magic and look about
ReplyDelete6, 13, 6, 8, 3
Turok looks at the holes and wonders what sort of creatures may have made them. He doesn't like the idea of being food for a colony of bugs and readies his shield and blade and warns N'Kima to be on Guard.
ReplyDelete(Nature - rolled a 17).
Banjo, Turok and Kirlic can sense the power of the earth node once they make contact with the floor. All sense that the power has been tapped recenly, within the last week. Banjo and Turok sense that if a caster were to spend 8 hours resting in contact with the floor, the caster can use a 2nd level spell slot for the day to transport themselves and all willing allies to another location attuned to this node.
ReplyDeleteThey also feel that their spells will be more powerful while in contact with the node. All spells cast within the earth node are treated as 1 caster level higher.
Turok examines the dust and concludes that it is made up of thousands of disintegrated shells shed by insects. He believes that the insects in question are cockroaches.
Thurstan, in cloud form, is able to investigate the small tunnels. They are tight, wind and interconnect with one another. The walls are oily with a layer of black grit. He confims that the tunnels are infested with cockroaches. In the passage to the south he finds a few desiccated bodies of what appear to once have been drow. Most of their gear appears to be ruined but there may some items that can be salvaged.
..even cleric spells?
ReplyDeleteTurok speaks, "A sacred place of power - yet ruled by cockroaches."
ReplyDelete"You haven't heard of the Clan of the Cockroach Shamen?"
ReplyDeleteYes, even cleric spells. Thurstan has not yet felt the power but will once he returns to solid form.
ReplyDeleteFor a colony this massive to live down here... Are they feeding on the city above? Or does a colony this large need another food source closer to home?
ReplyDeleteKnowledge Nature roll: [12] +7= 19
misc: 20,10,7,14,19,17,10,18,5,18
ooc: do we feel what other nodes are associated with this place? Or would the trip be a 'stargate' type situation where we just travel and hope for the best?
"While a power boost and a free teleport sounds enticing, the ugly side of that coin is an attack by a cockroach swarm."
ReplyDeleteCan a medium-sized creature squeeze through these tunnels? Can the mighty N'Kima?
Brad,
ReplyDeleteThe cockroaches wold need food and water sources. The tunnels make up an extensive network that converge on the earth node. It is possible that they are attracted to its power.
You do not get a feeling of where the associated node is located or anything about it only that there is a connection. I would guess it is very much like a Stargate-type situation. You do sense that only one node is associated with this one.
The spellcasters can sense that someone or something has used this node to travel within the last week.
Dave,
Small and medium-sized cretures can wiggle through these tunnels with some effort. N'Kima is just too big.
once I get back I tell of the drow 'loot', can anyone reach it, or summon something that can?
ReplyDeleteSomeone could navigate to the bodies but they would have to belly crawl to the location. It would take some time but it could be accomplished.
ReplyDeleteTurok might be able to substitute one of his spells for a Summon Nature's Ally spell. The problem would be directing it to accomplish the required task. i.e. loot the bodies
I am looking for some action plans before I post the next turn. If you plan to physically explore the small tunnels, I need to know who and how this will be done. If you plan to rest and attune to the earth node, I need to know where everyone is when you make camp. If you are setting a watch, what are the shifts and who is on each shift? If you have another plan, I need to hear it.
ReplyDeleteClint speaks ... "Well, I don't know what the rest of you think exactly but I am not sure I like the idea of camping out here on the floor, like some sort of giant roach-snack-platter. If we have to, in order to use the magics of the place, so be it... but otherwise I'd feel better somewhere ... not in line with the feeding tubes"
ReplyDeleteIf we have to stay down here, I propose having oil flasks at the ready. If we can reach the bodies that Thurstan found - great - if not, I am fine leaving them be. We might also want to wait on disturbing them... Once we have our magic "gate" ready to go, we could go after the bodies and if we disturb a hojillion roaches, we would have our escape portal open already...
Either way, Clint will stand guard first shift. He passes the time making another thorough inspection of the chamber floor and walls.
Rollin:
[15] [14] [9] [17] [13]
Turok says, "Turok can get to bodies. Turok can take many shapes of animals. Turok thinks best to have escape ready if cockroaches come when Turok take bodies."
ReplyDeleteSimply - Turok would like to have N'Kima ready with the rope in place in the event we need to beat feet out of here, fast.
I think we should stay here and attune to the node. It may be the only way to get N'Kima (and possibly the rest of us) to the next part of the adventure.
ReplyDeletethurstan agrees with banjo, we should stay and attune.
ReplyDeletefrom what i saw, would mr.wolfe be able to go in and drag out the drow bodies w/gear?
i have oil ready, if we go there.
i give clint the two oils i got him in town.
The watch order can be pretty much the same as the single file marching order. 2 characters per watch.
ReplyDeleteI agree with attuning to the node to see where it takes us.
ReplyDeleteGlass Half Empty Kirlic says:
"While I'm not excited about awakening a swarm of cockroaches in an attempt to loot some dead drow... If we're going to do it, let's do it before we rest."
Glass Half Full Kirlic says:
"Well, once all the roaches are dead, we can all sleep better; and we'll need the rest! Plus, if anyone dies the town is RIGHT UP THERE." He then jerks two thumbs up at the ceiling, invisible in the inky blackness of the roach motel.
So our plan is
ReplyDelete1: investigate drow bodies
2: rest and attune to the earth node
The fact that there's enough food here for a bajillion cockroaches is kind of disturbing. We dont have enough oil to burn them out. Should we poke them with a stick to see if they behave like normal bugs?
Well, I am thinking we should rest 8 hours attune to the node. Check the bodies right before we teleport out of here as a back up plan.
ReplyDeleteRolling: [20] [18] [14] [2] [18]
I think we should:
1: rest and attune to the earth node
2: investigate drow bodies
3: Teleport out in case of trouble.
What does the escape process entail? I'm worried that we get beat up fending off swarms, and teleport injured into a drow camp. These places go unguarded rarely i'd imagine.
ReplyDeleteI'm with Kirlic on this: we should take care of any lurking danger BEFORE we rest.
ReplyDeletepost #25, I think we should stand around and hem-haw some more.
ReplyDeleteno really I think we should investigate the body, deal with consequences.
then attune, and deal with that.
cheese & rice.
Keith still needs to know who and how we are investigating the bodies. I've seen Clint, Turok, and Mr Wolfe volunteered.
ReplyDeleteKirlic switches to his flail, sighs, and makes sure his hands are too busy to raise as a volunteer. Crawling through a cockroach nest to loot dead drow fails to appeal to him. But, he stands ready to defend the group.
ReplyDeleteI am going with the following plan:
ReplyDelete1) investigate tunnels/retrieve bodies
2) rest and attune to node
3) travel to other side of node and investigate there
I am going to allow Turok to shape change into some small animal of his choosing to loot the bodies. Anyone larger will have a much more difficult time.
yay, a plan!
ReplyDelete1-2-3-go!
Turok speaks to N'Kima and tells him to defend the Thursten. "Thirst-Ten, N'Kima will defend you. Retreat if needed, N'Kima will protect you." He then hoots, "Bouch Tarhey!" Turok smiles at the party. He then goes down on all fours and undergoes a transformation where his skin turns to thick hide and his arms and legs transform into stronger limbs that end in claws. The party sees that Turok is now a wolverine. Turok goes about using his burrowing abililty to widen the hole for any other to follow if they wish.
ReplyDeleteThurston fishes out a handful of nuts & berries, and offers them to Ni'Kima.
ReplyDeleteTurok cannot access Burrow until he has Beast Shape III. He will get +2 STR, +2 Natural armor, Low-light vision and Scent.
ReplyDelete