Who's First? [DM Jerry] Wednesday May 14th, 2008 6:19:00 PM
Neither Julien nor Calvierius find any traps on or just past the opening.
Betheas moves forward attempting to be first in the marching order. As he reaches the front, Calvierius walks in with Rosario walking beside him and Betheas just behind.
Inside there are no surprises as the rock hewn tunnel is just as it appeared from the outside. Continuing forward about 70', the hewn rock passage transforms into what appears to be a sewer pipe. However, it is unlike any sewer pipe you've ever seen. 15' in diameter, the pipe proceeds ahead for 20' and then abruptly turns.....straight down!
As Calvierius and Rosario approach the beginning of the "pipe" they feel a very pronounced sense of vertigo!
[Reflex Save of 14 for Calvierius and Rosario please. Also for anyone else who moves forward to stand beside them this round.]
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Missing posts from Carl (though he spoke to me lately about things getting busy for him) and hey! Where did Kent go? Did he go inactive and me not see it? I'll email him. ;) Donna still having computer problems. I expect her back soon. We need to get everyone here and posting or we'll be in trouble over the coming weeks.
Carl I did ask for a sub on the LnB, but no email yet.
GiGiHp 23/23, AC 17 d20+3=15 ; Wednesday May 14th, 2008 8:02:45 PM
(ooc Soory all, Life has been a bit more hectic than I expected as of late.)
Following up at the rear as per usual, Gigi isn't quite sure what to make of all this secret path shadow stuff. Shaking his head he tags along with the others tryiong to make sure they are not being followed and covering their trail as well as he can.
Survival DC 15
Calvierius d20+4=19 ; Wednesday May 14th, 2008 8:05:39 PM
Calvierius, approaching the sudden bend in the tunnel, shakes his head as if dislodging a fly. He stops dead in his tracks, looking around.
Julien Thursday May 15th, 2008 1:28:39 AM
Julien nods at Calv before they enter the tunnel. "I don't... trust this place, and after what we've all just been through - " he stands and shrugs. He'll enter toward the rear, checking up on Gigi. "Hide in hidden places. Any ideas?" he asks him.
Seeing the others stop ahead, he cranes his neck, wondering what the hold up is.
Zita Thursday May 15th, 2008 8:04:32 AM
Zita hands back. "What is it you fellows? Are there any handholds down?"
Bendis d20+2=7 ; d20+3=10 ; Thursday May 15th, 2008 8:10:15 AM
The dwarf backpedals when he spots the pipe heading into a sheer drop. "Oh, why did it have to be huh-heights again?" the dwarf whimpers.
"So, is there any way down? Or should we be looking for some sort of secret panel or door? Perhaps that's what the ridle means; perhaps there's a hidden way to get past this drop."
He peers about, trying to focus, but he really is not the best person for this kind of work. It all just looks like pipe to him. (Spot 7, Search 10).
Thanks for hunting for a sub Jerry, it'd be greatly apprecieted; I'm spread awfully thin recently.
Rosario Sheet d20+3=17 ; Thursday May 15th, 2008 9:24:46 AM
Rosario stops and plants his feet further apart and turns his visual focus to the tip of his sword as the feeling washes over him and his inner ear adjusts to his new sight line. "Careful everyone our hallway turns into a nasty drop." Rosario places his sword on the ground as he lies on his belly and crawls up to take a peek with his lamp over the side. "Search the are back there good and take your time."
[reflex 17]
Calvierius Thursday May 15th, 2008 12:13:49 PM
"Hidden places, eh? Maybe there are some hidden doors near here. I'm not particularly interested in heading down there, that's for sure."
With that, Calvierius moves to search the walls, ceiling and floor of the tunnel, carefully.
---
Unless anyone else has a better search skill, I can take 20s and get 25 on search, and I don't think we're in a hurry. So, Calv will do that - slowly examine the tunnel, starting with where he is up at the lip of the dropoff, and continuing backwards. If someone else has a better search, they can do it instead.
Picci d20=8 ; Thursday May 15th, 2008 4:31:26 PM
The petite cleric looks around her, helping to Search the area. OOC: her result is 8 unless we can take twenty, then it's 28.
"I don't suppose there are any more of those white cobblestones around to give us a hint, are there?" Picci asks half-jokingly. "The cobblestones were present the other times we needed to get from one place to another..."
Which way is up? [DM Jerry] Thursday May 15th, 2008 8:57:25 PM
...backing us up a bit to where the stone tunnel turns into the 15' diameter tube.
As the stone tunnel ends the sewer tube begins, Calvierius and Julien reach the tube and enter it side by side. There something exceedingly weird happens.
The gravity changes. Since they are side by side, it is impossible for either to walk on the very bottom of the tube. So both naturally make adjustments to keep upright as anyone would do.
That doesn't work, however. Both find themselves off balance and have to adjust again. When they have done so, they nearly bump heads as those behind them see each walking at an angle on the tube completely normally, with their heads meeting in the middle. One leaning to the right and one leaning to the left.
Both are standing there as if they were at the bottom of the tube as would be normal. But both are standing on the sides of the tube.
The disorienting feeling is still there, because it turns out that there is gravity on ALL sides of the tubes. There is also NO gravity in the center causing the disorientation when standing in a 15' diameter tube with your feet in normal gravity, but your head floating closer to the middle where there is no gravity.
20' ahead the passage turns down.
GiGiHp 23/23, AC 17 Thursday May 15th, 2008 9:25:01 PM
well I think the answer to what was meant by the glyphs of the person walking on the cieling is now obvious. The question is is does this phenomenon continue into the downward tube or not. How far down is it anyway? I think that before anyone attempts it we should attach a rope to them so if there is a fall it hopefully wont be a fatal one.
Betheas Thursday May 15th, 2008 9:54:48 PM
Rosario moves ahead, "as you wish."
When Rosario peers into the abyss, the elf spins his glaive around, shaft forward; held just slightly over Rosario... just in case there was a slip.
Julien Friday May 16th, 2008 1:39:58 AM
Stood at an odd angle, Julien grins at Gigi and points toward Betheas and Rosario. "I think we're about to find out," he says.
Bendis Friday May 16th, 2008 5:14:44 PM
The dwarf groans. "Oh Gods" he mumbles, "I think I'm gu-going to be sick."
Closing his eyes and placing a hand on the person in fron he concentrates on putting one foot in front of the other, and trying not to think about what he's actually doing.
Rosario Sheet Saturday May 17th, 2008 4:53:13 PM
"It looks like we should split to each side. Betheas behind my lead to the right and Julien leading with Gigi on the left. The rest fall in where you will. But in case this gets a nasty," Rosario gets some rope and secures it about his waist and then hands it to Betheas to tie off and then flings the other back to the group. "Let us check it out and don't let us plunge to a horrible death eh?"
Grandmamma? [DM Jerry] Sunday May 18th, 2008 10:41:07 AM
Rosario slowly proceeds forward uneventfully to the downward corner. Betheas just behind in case of a slip.
It is at this moment that Rosario gets the shock of his life! The earring communicates to him. Of all times, it chooses now!
In Grandmother's voice, it says, "There is a secret door ahead. See it? It is not hidden very well, though, is it?"
Sure enough, peering over the lip of the downward corner, Rosario sees a poorly hidden secret door ahead. It is about 135 degrees around the circumference of the tube from the "near side" of the lip.
Calvierius d20+4=22 ; Monday May 19th, 2008 12:07:24 PM
"How very astounding! I'm pretty sure that this is a first for me." Calvierius sheathes his Axe and experiments with an arrow in the tunnel, attempting to balance it in the dead center, where it should float momentarily, until a tiny shift in the air current would push it in one direction or another.
"I wonder what would happen if I jumped?" Before anyone tries to stop him, he shuffled back to the beginning of the tunnel, and with a loping start, he jumped, clearing a 5 foot vertical leap into the center of the tunnel.
OOC Zita (By Anthony) Monday May 19th, 2008 12:07:54 PM
OOC: Just a quick post to say that I'll be covering for Zita, until whenever. I often post at night and have read all the DM posts since climbing up the lift. I think I have an idea of what is going on. I'll post later tonight.
Bendis Monday May 19th, 2008 4:07:47 PM
Bendis opens one eye a fraction as Cal experiments. His stomach lurches, and he squeezes his eyes shut again quickly.
"Ohh, please let me be somewhere where up is up and down is duh-down."
He shuffles forwards, following Rosario, wishing he were anywhere but here.
GiGiHp 23/23, AC 17 Monday May 19th, 2008 4:58:49 PM
Shuffling along bringing up the rear, Gigi patiently waits for things to unbunch before moving on.
Picci Monday May 19th, 2008 5:45:37 PM
Assuming that Rosario says something out loud about the door, Picci will point out the obvious: "Hey, that door might be the 'hidden places' from the third line of the riddle!"
Mamma? [DM Jerry] Monday May 19th, 2008 6:46:11 PM
Calvierius, ever curious, jumps into the middle of the tube. He jumps, slows, and floats there in the middle of the tube!!! His forward momentum carries him forward slowly towards the downward turn 20' from the entrance. I wonder what will happen when he gets to the corner?
Bendis continues to be dizzy, though the effects are lessening as he adjusts.
As Picci says, "Hey, that door might be...," Zita hears her ring speaking with the voice of mother (Elizabetta).
The ring says, "I see a secret door too. A bit further down and on the other side of the tube. See? Yep there."
Then there is silence from the ring for a second.
Then the ring speaks again. "I have another hidden message for you. It says, "If your can see something, is it truly hidden?" That is a reminder that Elizabetta left for herself 6 months ago to this day. I do not know why it was released now, nor why it was in the hidden part of the ring."
Betheas Monday May 19th, 2008 10:48:10 PM
Betheas secures Rosario's rope securely around his waiste. The elf has never seen anything quite like this strange shift in gravity, but then again he's seen a lot of firsts in the last month.
When Calvierius jumps forward, he is at first alarmed. The newest member of the group was careless, or at least didn't value his own life. However, the elf was a bit jealous that he wasn't the one floating, suspended in a strange dimension.
Well, let's see what happens.
Zita (By Anthony) d20+3=7 ; d20+1=10 ; Monday May 19th, 2008 11:26:57 PM
Zita listens to the ring, and then repeats it for others to hear in the same shrilly voice her mother used when she was making a statement that required someone's attention.
Smiling at herself, partially embarassed to quickly fall back into childish actions, she focuses on the floating comrade and the distance between the two secret doors.
"We need to listen at the secret doors, and make sure they are not trapped. Course, if they have some additional notes that would help too."
If there is space, without disturbing the floating friend (would really hate to have him flushed down the tube), Zita moves to listen and examine the closer of the 'secret doors'
As she moves, Seeing does not always reveal what is truly hidden she responds softly to the ring.
search (closest secret door): 7 listen: 10
Julien Tuesday May 20th, 2008 1:21:56 AM
Holding on to the rope Rosario threw back, Julien crouches close to the wall, watching Calv float ahead, ready to steady things in gravity suddenly shifts.
"Bendis, please don't throw up," he says, a smile on his face.
Bendis d20+2=14 ; Tuesday May 20th, 2008 5:07:20 AM
The though of exactly what would happen if he was sick in this zero gravity environment makes the dwarf's stomach turn cartwheels once again. "Ohhhhhh..." he groans. "Julian, you're not helping..."
He turns Zita's words over in his mind.
"Those obvious "secret" doors might be a trap. We need to find a secret door that's puh-properly hidden, if the riddle is to be believed. Can anyone else see anything?"
He opens his eyes long enough to scan the immediate area, but sees nothing of particular note (Spot 14).
Calvierius Tuesday May 20th, 2008 9:03:33 AM
Floating ever forward, Calverius decides it's probably time to halt his forward momentum. He reaches out and tries to grab a colleague or perhaps part of their hair. He's pretty careful to not grab the business end of the glaive.
Rosario Sheet Tuesday May 20th, 2008 3:35:07 PM
Rosario reaches out to halt Calverius's momentum and then chuckles to himself as Bendis speaks. now was the perfect and worse time for him to say something. Before his head explodes at the thought and in trying to contain it, he mumbles quietly "If he hurls it should just sort of hover there." Rosario then perks up as his Nona's voice rings in his head. Poorly hidden secret door "Then why mention it Nona?" he answers the earring.
Pici relates what her ring says and Rosario agrees, "I think we bypass these and conduct a thorough search deeper down." Rosario moves further down, taking his time as he does.
Do you want the Door on the left or will you trade it for the door on the right or down the hall? [DM Jerry] Tuesday May 20th, 2008 7:10:28 PM
Calvierius stops himself easily. His body movements easily breaks him free of the center area and he floats easily to the far side of the corner, where he stands his head pointing downwards as he is standing on the ceiling...if one can truly remember which way is up.
Zita does not detect any secret doors or sounds with her checks...other than the door the ring revealed to her.
Julien steadies Rosario on the rope and Rosario helps Cal orient himself to stand on the ceiling.
Somehow, Bendis' sickness and his strong desire to be anywhere but here, focuses his mind in a strange way and peering over the edge of the corner, he spots a third door, past the other two.
So now we have three secret doors. One that Rosario has seen, one that Zita has noted, and a third that Bendis has discovered!
Picci Tuesday May 20th, 2008 7:14:51 PM
Following Bendis through the gravity-challenged passageway, Picci peers at what Bendis has discovered.
"If we're voting," she says brightly, "I say we go with the one that Bendis found! I trust his logic." She turns a wide smile upon the dwarf and nods emphatically.
Zita (By Anthony) d20+1=4 ; d20+1=20 ; Tuesday May 20th, 2008 10:45:59 PM
"This hall seems riddled with holes," Zita says though not joyfully.
"A vote it fine, but I worry about the first two we discovered being behind us as we examine the third. Perhaps we should all stay 'behind' the first of the doors while Bendis examines the third?
OOC: Does this tunnel have any particular smell? (May have missed it) (listen/smell: 4)
Is the cave wall opposite the secret doors worn more than any other place? (spot: 20)
Julien d20+4=10 ; d3=2 ; d20+4=8 ; Wednesday May 21st, 2008 1:23:21 AM
Julien battles to keep a straight face after Rosario's comment. He has no wish to distress Bendis but after what's been going on he has the need to let off some steam.
He clears his throat, and takes a look at the strange topsy turvy passage before them. Going off what the others have said, he takes a look from an architect's point of view. Does the Bendis-discovered hole seem odd and less obvious than the others - does it fit into the current criteria - or is it as obvious as the others? If there's something off kilter, leading to another option, he tries to spot it.
Worst rolls evah! Knowledge architecture 10 Spot 8 (Don't know how that d3 roll got in there, the little rascal.)
Betheas Wednesday May 21st, 2008 2:26:31 AM
"Yep, I figure Bendis is right."
"Rosario! Have you found your footing down there?"
Betheas is giving rope to allow Rosario reach to the the third door pointed out."
"Rosario... are you the one for the job... the strange doors and all?" The elf looks back at those beyond, nudging his head toward the rope. "Take the rope down to help Rosario. Let's not let him get blasted in this situation."
GiGiHp 23/23, AC 17 Wednesday May 21st, 2008 7:26:25 AM
Fighting vertigo and the sense that the walls are actually closing in on him, Gigi pipes up. "I really don't care what door we use so long as it opens up into a larger area and I can get out of this cramped upside down tunnel."
Bendis d20+10=21 ; d20+8=28 ; Wednesday May 21st, 2008 7:38:19 AM
Bendis continues to ponder their predicament, doing his best to take his mind off the effect the lack of gravity is having on him. He winces when Rosario mentions floating vomit, but focuses on tyhe problem at hand.
"Yuh-you know, Julien, this lack of gravity is an interesting phenomenon when you think about it. I suppose it must be magical in nature (Spellcraft 21, Knowledge Arcana 28). Isn't there that spell, vetry complex from what I remember, called Revers Gravity? What might happen if you were to cast that with the focal point as the central axis of a tube? Might that not recreate this effect?"
As Bendis warms to his subject, all hint of disorientation is gone, forgotten in his love of academic research and speculation.
"And if it was a spell creating this effect, wouldn't the best form of trap, say if someone tampered with an incorrect secret door, be to simply switch off the magical effect? Then down you'd go, plummeting to your death."
He rubs furiously at his beard, looks back up the tube, and then at the secret door.
"I'd suggest we all stand in the horizontal section of tube, and one person on the end of a rope goes down to open the secret door of our choice. That way if the gravitic effect does switch off we can haul them back up."
Calvierius Wednesday May 21st, 2008 10:05:58 AM
"Hmmm... another door, just down the corner a bit."
Calvierius, seemingly paying no mind to Bendis, attempts to move toward the door he discovered and Picci voted for. He attempts to orient his body in a way that would get him access to the door, testing the local gravity of the "hole" as best he can before moving into it, and then tries to activate the door.
Betheas Wednesday May 21st, 2008 12:46:44 PM
"Well... good luck then." The elf watches Cal.
Rosario Sheet Wednesday May 21st, 2008 2:50:19 PM
Rosario nods to himself and answers Betheas, "Sounds good." Then witha bit of light hearted mirth he adds, "Don't let go." Rosario is about to move when Calvierius goes by and to the door. Roy stops short and awaits the out come of Calvierius inspection and opening of the door.
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