DM themed play-by-post D&D game : STORY THREAD

[Ameena]

Ameena puts her head on one side and looks up at Haynuus. That isn't quite the kind of help she meant, though she isn't really sure if there's much she can do to help right now.
"I'm not sure how helpful I can be." she says, a little apologetically. "I don't think I can help someone so much bigger than me climb about - we might both end up falling down and hurting ourselves..."
This thought reminds her of something and she turns to Deephold, one paw reaching for her pouches.
"Um...Deephold," she says, "if you have a moment...perhaps you could refill these?"
She sits back on her haunches and pulls out both her empty flasks.
"We might get hurt down there...I mean, hurt more, and...well, it might be useful. And...well...I'm feeling rather...uncomfortable, at the moment..."

[beowuuf]

Deephold seems a little uncertain about Haynuus's enthusiasm, but takes the hammer and looks for where the spikes will come from. He also helps Haynuus unbuckle the shiny armour, which takes a few moments.

The cleric seems a little bemused about the flasks being produced so late, but cannot fault the need for them and creates a few potions while Haynuus gathers his armour into a bundle to be tied together.


Ameena, you get two UM level potions back.


Ok, so Deephold will be lowered down and hammer spikes in to the walls, with Ameena coming along behind or beside? Deephold will probably drop or try to swing to one of the ledges (unless Petal or Ameena can help). Haynuus will then lower his armour, and then will climb down himself.

Let me know exactly the order of events as envisioned ,and let's go to it. Roll me rolls for strength checks, climbing checks, or aiding each other too.

[Ameena]

Ameena accepts the potions and immediately drinks one, also awkwardly attempting to reach back and splash some of it over herself. Aaahhhh...that feels so much better...
Seeing that Deephold now seems to be busy, she puts the empty flask back inside a pouch, as well as the remaining potion. Then she decides to see whether there's any any she can help the dwarf descend into the pit.

OOC - An Um-Vi potion heals 2d6, doesn't it? So yaaay, I get back...8hp . So that leaves me on 18/26hp. Meanwhile, Ameena attempts to climb down the sides of the pit...Climb roll = 28 (12+16). If she thinks she can help by maybe directing Deephold as to where he can put a spike or whatever, or any other assistance which won't jeopardise her (or anyone else's) physical position in relation to the pit, assume that she does so .

[ian_scho]

Haynuus grunts and groans (1d20+4=5) with the full weight of the dwarf on the end of the rope. He has it wrapped from the spike in the floor at a 90º angle and then across his shoulders where he can see a little of what is going on. What really amazes him though is just how dexterous Ameena is where she completely ignores which way up she is as she clings to the wall. She causes him to be distracted, however, as the dwarf swings a little on the rope to gain a better purchase on the wall with the spike and hammer which causes Haynuus' footing to start to slip and slide.

"Err.... Guys? Stop shifting on the rope so much will you?" Panic sets in. He's sliding!

[beowuuf]

@Ameena: This was the reason to do healing OOC. If you try and fit IC healing in all the time, you won't get fully healed nor have spares. IT could have been assumed, as long as enough time passed, that Deephold cast enough healing, and then after a pause could top you up!


Deephold moved uncertainly, initially distracted by Ameena's presence and suggestions. However, the murafu managed to move with great certainty along the sheer walls. After all, there were so many small cracks and fissures, and her thin fingers and toes could easily find anchor. And there was never much of a stretch to find the next ones.

Deephold was less well built - and far more encumbered - and couldn't really take advantage of that. He slipped and mised footings many times, and Haynuus had a near impossible time in holding the dwarf up. Still, Ameena's advice did ensure that Deephold knew where to place stakes, and managed to also place them very easily. A perfect trail of stakes were dotted around, enough that anyone else looking to go down, or get back up, would have a far more assured time.

Deephold unsteadily arrived at the opening, shaking and half slipping. "Haynuus, Petal, can one of you bring the torch closer!"

Ameena was positioned such that she could see down, but the gloom and Deephold in the way meant she couldn't see too much, really only the dimly glinting water. At least Ameena's friend stayed on her shoulder, the butterfly flapping its wings a few times, and only once or twice going for a lazy flight as Ameena decended.

"Helm," said Deephold, scrambling around and twisting on the end of the rope, holding on to one of the stakes and placing his boot in to a fissure. "I cannot see the Helm-creature anywhere!"

And with that, the fissure that Deephold had put his foot in to dissolved. The dwarf was not secure enough to hold himself by the stake, and worse yet Haynuus had no real grip of the twisting dwarf - the surprise lurch allowed the rope to run through his hands.


Deephold cried out in surprise, and Ameena saw the dwarf fall towards the sparking gloom.


And with that, I declare this game on hold (ish)! Deephold got a good roll for actually setting spikes, so it should be an easy climb check going that route. I liked having Ameena's help mean those shouldbe very well placed. Unfortunately, his own climb and strength checks were terrible. Haynuus coulnd't mitigate them, and so...drop dwarf surprise!

Obviously, Ameena is on hand, Petal is above, and Haynuus could try a grab and new pull (need a dex check for the reaction, and then a new strength check. And yes, a very poor check will result in Haynuus getting pulled forwards, thatnks for the idea )

Anyway, a disappeared grak-grak, a falling dwarf - it's the best cliffhanger (well, pit hanger...well, pit faller) I could come up with. Enjoy!

[ian_scho]

OOC - Dex and Str checks (1d20=19, 1d20+4=16)

When it came, those excruciatingly painful milliseconds between when the rope coming loose in his hands and the dwarf hitting the water, the splashing sound he would feel could be as if it had emanated from within his very own stomach. He was going to feel awful if it happened.

With all of his mental strength he dug his feet into the rocky floor and tightened his hands with all of his might around the rope. He ignored both the pain and the smell of burnt flesh (completely in his mind of course, but it was a smell that went right up his nostrils nonetheless) and with every muscle in his body attempted to both break the inertia of the falling dwarf and reduce it's velocity to a trickle between his hands. The best verbal response he could come up with was:

"Gahhhh!"

[Ameena]

OOC - So is it okay to assume I've been healed back to full and have both flasks containing Um-Vi potions again, then? Or is it too late to do that/retcon it in?

[beowuuf]

You can retcon that

[beowuuf]

Haynuus's hands were torn up - or rather, his worst calluses were worn away to the softed calluses underneath. Still, his quick action and flexing muscles finally payed off, and there was a tug on the end of the line. Like a rogue trying to steal the crown jewels, Deephold was surely suspended over the water, swaying slowly.

Ameena could indeed see that Deephold was now - for the moment - in danger. Well, unless Haynuus allowed the rope to slip a little more.


And there we go, that's probably that! Deephold is in no immediate danger, although you guys will need to co-ordinate a rescue/helping hand. Plus, you know, missing grak-grak and unknown new area!

[ian_scho]

"Ameena?!" he shouts. "What do you see?" Suddenly he had this vision of a dwarf drowning in 2 feet of water with his friend helpfully holding him upside down with the rope, head in water. "Are we having any fun down there, exactly?"

He composed himself for a moment, with teeth grinding together. He could hold him in this state of quasi equilibrium for a few moments, but they really must move on - but not at a terminal velocity!

[Ameena]

OOC - Groovy, Ameena's back to full health, then, with two spare Um-level Vi pots in her pouches .

BIC - Having watched events unfold from various vantage points as she manoeuvres herself with innate rattish agility around the walls of the pit, Ameena suffers a moment of painful despair as Deephold starts to drop. However, the reliable strength of Haynuus holds out, and the dwarf doesn't fall all the way down. But, she realises as the shout comes from above, Haynuus doesn't realise this, because he can't see.
"It's alright." she says, after turning herself to the appropriate angle and climbing up to poke her head out of the pit. "He's not in the water. I'll try to see...hmm...maybe if you have enough rope to lower him down slowly, that might work? But...I'd better check the way first. I don't know where the grak-grak went..."
With these words, she descends easily back down the wall of the pit and pokes her head out of the lower end of the shaft, casting about with all her available senses to get an idea of what's down here, besides water and a dangling dwarf.

OOC - I'm presuming my previous Climb roll carries over. If it doesn't, then I can just take 10, can't I? I can do that any time, my profile says, which means a 26 on Climb. Anyway, rolling Perception for the detection of...well, anything, really, out the lower end of the pit...26 (15+11).

[ian_scho]

OOC - This could be the last post until after XMas then!

"That's good to hear!" shouts Haynuus to Ameena. He was wavering slightly and his muscles in his forearms were tiring from the exertion "Well at least..." A gasp of air was required "...At least Westian told me that this would be all over by Christmas!" The truth of the matter was, he wasn't sure about Westian's belief system nor it's calendar. Maybe Lord Lothlerian's Christmas was about the time the fruit dropped off the trees? Or maybe it was when the dwarves dropped off their bar stools during Oktober Fest?

[raixel]

Im back. Sorry, my families computer wouldnt run this site for some reason. Anyway, should I ret-con or what?

[beowuuf]

Retcon is fine, i can clean up

[raixel]

Petal pulls out the iron spikes, rope and hammer she has been lugging around. As she removes the rope from whhere she has tied it in a crude harness, the iron spikes and hammer dangling from loops, she realizes that she had gotten so accustomed to the akward weight that she didnt realize how much it had been weighing her down.

"Perhaps, help these will?" she asks as she holds them out. "Fly I can, down the hole, put them in place. Then risk, Haynuus or Deephold does not, to fall."

Sorry, Like I said, my dad has a Mac running Safari, and when I went to the site, it was just a bunch of weird lines with scattered icons all over. I couldnt acess any of the forums. So, I am assuming she kinda was lost in her own thoughts, and suddenly 'came to' when she realizes what the party was discussing. If this doesnt work or is too much trouble, let me know and i'll change it.

[beowuuf]

Can't do much until I know what Haynuus would say, but Deephold would push for at least parallel going down rather than leave Helm possibly being drowned while they waited for the spikes to be done by Petal. If everyne can weigh in OOC if this affects the last few posts made, knowing deephold would urge Haynuus to at least do his spikes. A second track might aid Deephold, and so he might not have fallen...

Sorry, set up here not conducive to creative thought - wiil figure it all out at the weekend!

[ian_scho]

OOC - Haynuus would accept the iron spikes with gratitude and then fluff up his strength roll with a natural '1'.

[beowuuf]

Petal had offered her services, but the dwarf had still insisted in working in parallel too, probably to get the 'Helm' faster. Of course, it had ended in disaster and Petal had been finishing her work when Deephold fell, unable to move fast enough to catch him.

Luckily, Haynuus had stopped the descent, and Deephold was above the water. Petal's additional spikes ensured that Haynuus had a very stable path to come down until the drop to the water. And the group had a very good set of spikes in the wall to use as leverage to easily pull the dwarf back up.

"I do not see the creature!" called Deephold. Petal, from her position, indeed could not see the creature she had left either. Of course, it could just as easily have submerged itself underwater as gotten out.

The concorse still looked as it had before, even with all their called and cries. The river still flowed back towards what was presumeably eventually the large cavern. And there was still a long dark tunnel under the mountain where the river had come from, an unnaturally perfect path on each side.


Aaaaaaand, we're back. Deephold's still hovering over the water, Ameena is on the wall at the base of the pit, Petal is presumeably hovering at the bottom of the pit with spikes and hammer in hand too, and Haynuus is up top holding a rope and Deephold. And I believe some armour is in the water right now.

You can roll perception to look for signs of the grak-grak, you can pull Deephold up at any time (unless you think he is better places to also observe), and generally its time to figure out your next move

[raixel]

Petal shakes her head as the dwarf falls like a wing-torn youth on his first flight only to be stopped thanks to the bulging muscles of our orcish companion.

"Ok, you are?" she calls down to him. The dwarf doesnt seem to be hurt, and instead cranes his neck looking for any sign of the one who wore the form of his friend. When he calls back his findings, Petal flies down next to him and looks around as well for any sign of the grak-grak or anything else unusual.Perception (1d20+5=23) Oh YEAH! Score 1 for the pixie!

She has to admit, she is amused at the helpless way the dwarf dangles on the rope, looking so much like a sack of meal being drawn up to one of her people's treehouses with the complex rope-and-pulley arrangement every pixie home had to haul heavy items that could not be flown.

A bearded sack of meal.

"Help you to the rock to get back, you need me to?" she asks him, prepared to give him a gentle shove back to the rock face and the spikes embedded there. Hopefully Haynuus' hands will hold out long enough, as the dwarf didnt seem to be concerned by the fact that only the (admittedly strong) half-orc was holding him from plunging down into the fast moving current.

[Ameena]

OOC - Umm, I already rolled Perception at the end of my last post...

[ian_scho]

OOC - The armour is supposed to be by Haynuus at the moment. The idea is to lower it down on the rope after we've dropped the dwarf off (so to speak).
Here is a d20 (1d20=14) if you need one for the next post!

Haynuus gathers his strength and slows his breathing down once more. Although only the briefest of moments has passed it felt like an eternity where the thought of dropping a companion weighed heavily on his thoughts. "Okay?!" he shouts. He wasn't sure what his question was, and so was slightly more eloquent the next time he opened his mouth. "I'm going to lower you down slowly! Perhaps Petal can help swing you in the right direction?" He really wanted to be relieved of the responsibility of having the dwarf's life in his now painful hands. "Shout if you want me to stop!"

[beowuuf]

Darmn, sorry, you did indeed roll a perception roll Ameena and I didn't give any results there.


Deephold twisted a little precariously, and then settled down. He apparently heard the suggestion of Haynuus, and agreed. "I see nothing," he said uncertainly, and pointed to the closer of the wo ledges to be guided towards. "Ameena, Petal, if you could rock me across, I can undo the knot and land...I think."

Ameena had been scenting the air, trying to discover if there was anything around - including te grak-grak. For that undead horror, there were no scents. The fresh scent of the water and the currents in the air it also induced made it difficult, but Ameena was very confident that the grak-grak had not snuck away. It could only be under the water - somewhere...

Still, there was something else in the air. A faint promise of greenery, and not the moldy kind in much of this place. It seemed that upstream there was good vegetation somewhere. Somewhere not too far away. There was also another scent though...something more meaty.

Meanwhile, Petal was using her superior sight to look at the immediate area. Whilke she could not see anything untowards, it was what she could not see that was suggestive. There was no sparkle of water on either side of the river denoting a place the grak-grak had emerged.

Basically, the thing is still in the water guys

Petal also noticed something strange in the half-light. Not too far away, the water bumped oddly as it flowed. If Petal had to guess - and also the faint song of mana seemed to confirm it - she would suspect that there were rocks close. Perhaps instead of ttrying to push Deephold far across the water and pray he could swing and release at the ledge, they could drop him into that area of the water and to a natural ford in the water.

Haynuus, of course, was merely getting impatient. His muscles were starting to ache a little. "The gnome would not kill your thief if he thought you were on the right path," whispered the voice recogniseable as the that of the circlet. Whether it was simply trying to reassure the half-orc, or offer firm advice from what it gained from Haynuus's head, the half-orc coupld only guess.


And scene. Drop the dwarf in the water at the possible ford, or try for a ledge. No roll, just a decision. Also, some more informatin about the way onwards. Oh, and also, of course, a little nudge to think about whether you should worry about the grak-grak submwerging itself or not. Is Soorec trying ot scare you, especailly after Petal's little gesture. And would he actually go through with drowing Helm?

Answers when you get to them!

[Ameena]

After carefully inspecting what she can see of her surroundings at the bottom of the pit, Ameena wonders where the grak-grak can have gone. Of course, she can't gain much information visually, and the ever-present scent of water here is rather good at hiding even the unpleasant reek fo the undead creature, but she's sure it must be here somewhere...but still in Helm's form? If it is, and if it's beneath the water, she hope it will decide to emerge soon. She vaguely wonders what will happen when a grak-gak goes underwater while in someone else's shape - after all, being undead, it doesn't need to breathe, but the person it's copying does. If the grak-grak is trying to drown Helm, could he make a difference by holding his breath?
Of course, such things are irrelevant at the moment, since Helm isn't here to ask about it. Ameena wonders what the smell of greenery indicates. Well, plants, she supposes, which must mean sunlight as well. She recalls that green plants never grow in places the light of the Bright Eye never reaches. She supposes that the other thing she can smell might be some kind of creature that lives among the plants, feeding off them, which in turn most probably means there's at least one type of predator out there too, feeding on the plant-eaters.
Then again, down here, these smells could mean anything - things ae so strange here, creatures seem capable of existing which couldn't possibly survive for long anywhere else.
Meanwhile, Deephold suggests that she and Petal attempt to rock him on the bottom of the rope until he can reach one of the ledges. She wonders why they don't just lower him into the water - he's not wearing his heavy armour any more, and if the water is, as Petal described, not deep enough to completely submerge Ameena, surely Deephold will be alright?
She looks over at th dwarf, then back up the pit.
"Maybe Haynuus can lower you down slowly..." she suggests. "If the water's not very deep, and if you can get close enough to it, won't it be safe to just drop into?"

OOC - How wide is the pit? I'm wondering how far away Deephold is from Ameena. I don't suppose she can be of much use at manoeuvring him anyway (apart from the fact she's not exactly big and strong, mechanics aside ), since she'll have to keep at least three paws on the pit wall to keep herself stable.

[ian_scho]

OOC - Maybe something in the water has swallowed the grak-grak?.. Tee hee hee.
I believe that Deephold IS wearing his armour.

"I'll lower you down then!" and then feels the rope slightly swaying, the weight lightly wavering between dwarven-heavy and fat-dwarf-with-beard-heavy.

Oblivious to much what is going on down below, he starts to happily whistle to himself. Content in the knowledge that Deephold is ok.

[beowuuf]

The pit is a usual DM pit, around 10 feet square. Ameena is close to Deephold and the stakes. Since there are lots of stakes, and Haynuus is taking the strain, Ameena could easily get good leverage and help move the rope side to side, swinging Deephold in either direction pendulum like, or acting as a 'spar' to angle the rope better.

And Deephold is wearing armour, it's Haynuus that stripped his off first.

[Ameena]

OOC - Ahh okay, I misread the appropriate post and attributed the armour removal to Deephold instead of Haynuus. And I'd forgotten about the stakes and stuff now embedded in the pit wall - yeah, Ameena would probably have an easier job of it then, despite her small size .

[raixel]

Petal nods at Deephold, and prepares to push him toward the ledge but then seems suprised when Haynuus slowly starts lowering him.

"The plan, changed it has, I guess." she mutters to Deephold as Haynuus calls down to them.

The pixie flies back a few feet and supervises the descent, calling advice out to Haynuus about the dwarf's location. When it seems the situation is well under control she flies over to the odd spot with what appears to be rocks she noticed earlier. She swoops back to the ledge Haynuus is standing on and grabs a pebble, then flies back over to the possible ford and drops it in. She waits to see the reaction, wanting to make sure that there isnt anything living in the water that would be disturbed by the small ripples of the pebble and a potential dwarvish meal.

[ian_scho]

OOC - I kinda thought that we were letting him down WHILE swinging him

[beowuuf]

Petal spots that while the submerged rocks are not uniform nor constant, they are plentiful enough to form a ford. Infact, they are probably artoificially created for such a purpose. Had Chaos created it? Or had some unlucky falling adventurers created the way across some time earlier? Unfortunately, the light was low enough and the water dirty enough that she could not see deep into the water to discover if the grak-grak was around. Still, nothing had leapt out at the throwing of her stones, so there did not seem to be anything instantly evil.

Haynuus's actions surprised his fellows and the dwarf, and it seemed that the ford was the better choice. "What is hapening? Is the water safe?" Deephold seemed to be panicking a little, and was twisting on the rope to look at both Petal and Ameena to see what they thought of the situation. The weight of his armour was apparently also weighing on the cleric's mind. Were there not the possibility of drowning the poor dwarf, his slow spinning and twisting might have appeared humourous, a glittering white ball in the half-light.


Can I assume Deephold will be lowered to the ford then? There will be no ill effects if this is the case, and you guys can move onwards with getting Haynuus and Ameena down. If you want to swing Deephold towards dry land, then we can start rolling dice...

[ian_scho]

OOC - Decisions, decisions. Just shout up to Haynuus to stop lowering him down if you want to try to swing him across without descending... He'll continue his previous actions unless otherwise stated!

It was at this point Haynuus got an itch... On the end of his nose. Now maybe he could arch his back enough, turn his head enough and... Ahhhhh. Better! The rough cold stone floor brings great relief. Now if only this dwarf would stop whittering to himself.