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Entering the Cave

DM MitchTopiary Maze Map
Thursday January 18th, 2024 3:06:56 PM
Kaze looks at the falling light and says he can’t see in the dark but he can see a good distance in minimal light. He offers to shoulder his shield to carry a light source.
Colt looks crestfallen and notices he won’t be able to see in the cave.
Ezekiel decides to include the dogs in his message spell.
Grim has darkvision, but waits for the others to get lights in order.
Siolo has an ever burning torch.
Yofiel has six torches. She advises Zeke on his spell usage and the rest on not attacking possible survivors and a marching order.
Dapple casts light and holds up a stone.

The cave goes down, down into the darkness. It’s pretty wide, several dozen feet across and at least 20 high, and there are several twists and turns as it descends into the plateau. It’s not entirely uniform either - some areas have pillars and stalactites hanging from the ceiling, others are worn completely smooth, some are damp with lichen or small pools of water, some are dry and have cracks that must reach the surface or maybe even the outer edge of the plateau for the a faint breeze blows through them.

The only uniform thing about the tunnels as they head down are the signs of dinosaurs. Clawmarks in stone, scuffs and bits of lost scale, even the occasional bit of blood from injured dinosaurs can be found, faint and faded but clear. The horde that attack the town must have come through here all those weeks ago.

After about 15 minutes the rough natural cave gives way to a carved stone staircase in a section that narrows to about 20 feet across.

Colt Human Rogue (Tim) AC 16 T 14 FF 12 HP 22/22 CMD 18
Thursday January 18th, 2024 6:34:54 PM
Colt nods appreciatively as the various light sources appear. "Thanks, Yofiel," he says when the elf hands him the torch. "I won't be very sneaky with this."

He waves it experimentally, then grips the handle between his teeth while he ties his staff to his pack.

He drifts toward the back of the group as they begin to march deeper into the cavern. [ooc] Marching order's OK with me. [/ooc]

"Someone's been here and done a lot of work," he observes when they reach the staircase. "[/b]

[ooc] DM Mitch, are the steps medium creature-sized? [/ooc]

Grim Ripr 4th (JonathanT) AC 17 Tch 11 HP 51/51 CMD 19 d20+8=20 ;
Thursday January 18th, 2024 8:48:55 PM
OOC: I hope this makes sense, because some of those dinosaurs, especially the ones that busted down the keep's massive gate, would have been larger than Large, and stairs and 20' corridors for all those dinosaurs to plunge through ...

IC: Grim tells Cols "That can't be helped. I can see in the dark, but my metal boots and armor clang a lot echoing all around. We just do the best we can."

Grim has his falchion drawn and stands at the top of the steps ready move on given the 'go ahead'.

Perception + 8 = 20 (look for anomalies and such that might indicate some kind of trap mechanism or warning system.

Ezekiel (BrianW) - AC 17/13/14; HP 31/31
Thursday January 18th, 2024 9:55:36 PM
"Dog? I thought patches was the bear-man, you know, on account of the Patches around his eyes."

Ezekiel uses light on his staff. He also hase mage armor up if I didn't mention it earlier.

Marest (Jon-Paul) AC:13 (T:13, FF:10), CMD:13, Saves:(F:7/R:4/W:7), HP:30/30 d20+9=18 ;
Thursday January 18th, 2024 10:39:43 PM
b]Oh, Look Ma' no goggles![/b]

Marest takes her position (#5) with Ms. Dapple. She removes her Goggles; stowing them in the place they rest atop her head, nestled in her hair; to be able to see in the darkness.

Using her dark vision and her skill of perception, Marest tries to spy something of use. (Perception check=1d20+9 = 18)

Yofiel (Kim McCoy), female elf bard 4th AC 16/16/14 HP: 29/29 d20+13=14 ; d20+13=25 ;
Friday January 19th, 2024 2:42:49 AM

"Sure, Colt! Maybe further on you'll get to do some sneaking," Yofiel answers him with a smile.

As they descend, Yofiel decides that keeping a record of this journey is as important as being able to send off a quick arrow or two. She puts her bow back over her shoulder, and the arrows are returned to the quiver. The bard pulls out some sheets of paper, and she quick-sketches the pathway they have taken so far, with measurement notes, showing the twists and turns. Likely it will take several pieces of paper, which she numbers along the edges to know how they fit together for the big picture. The finished pages she stows back into her handy haversack, keeping out the working pages until it's time for them, too, to join their adjoining pages in the bag. Should sounds or other signs alert her, she will be quick to stow pen and paper and re-arm herself with bow and arrow.

"They say with some bears it's a good idea to make lots of noise so they can hear you coming in the woods, and run away from the sound. Maybe your boots will help us in that way, tall fellow," she replies to Grim.

"Ezekiel, Kaze. Kaze, Ezekiel. Zeke, Kaze is riding on Patches," Yofi clarifies. "Pay attention, sailor."

"By the way, Kaze, I did not mean that remark I made to Grim regarding bears in the forest about you. Should have thought a bit more before opening my mouth," she obliquely apologizes.

She addresses the group, "Since we have stairs before us, it might be a good spot to look for secret or concealed doors. Those who are good at such, keep your eyes open. With that said, after we take a quick look, shall we then descend?"

After she and perhaps a few others look, then the elf notes Marest has taken her goggles off. "Hi, pretty eyes." Then she says, "Lead on, Sir Grim."
==============
Perception: 14 - Aside from looking around for shapes and updates to the map, as they move likely Yofiel is so focused on mapping that she is only moderately sensitive to other sounds or motion.
Perception: 25 - looking for secret doors in the areas around the top of the stairway, in both the finished and raw stone areas.

Siolo (Kim subbing for Joe) - AC 19/12/17 ; HP 28/28 , NL 0 d20+11=14 ; d20+11=29 ; d20+6=26 ;
Friday January 19th, 2024 3:15:25 AM

Once they arrive at the stairs, Siolo goes ahead as suggested and checks to see if he can find any secret or concealed doors. Not likely (Perception 14).

Along the way, however, he was checking some of the tracks, and blood-stained areas, trying to estimate how much time may have passed since the evidence of the dinosaurs' passage was left (Perception: 29) - he likely has a good idea. He also keeps his senses alert, listening for sounds between sounds, hoping to notice movements small or large along the pathways ahead.

As they descend the stairs, Siolo makes his own game of seeing how quietly he can move as compared with Grim's cacophonous progress. Is that a sense of smugness he feels (Stealth: 26)?

DM MitchTopiary Maze Map
Friday January 19th, 2024 9:01:02 AM
Colt nods appreciatively as the various light sources appear and migrates toward the back of the group as they begin to march deeper into the cavern.
Grim tells Colt that although he can see in the dark but his metal boots and armor clang a lot echoing all around so they all do the best they can. He draws his falchion and stands at the top of the steps ready to move on the go ahead.
Ezekiel says he thought Patches was a bear man.
Marest stows her goggles and uses her darkvision to try to spot something useful.
Yofiel starts a journal and makes various comments and suggestions to the party.
Siolo looks for doors and clues as to how long ago the scratches were made (that would be survival not perception)

As the party walks they have questions, and get few good answers. By the number of marks, and the size of some of them which indicate truly colossal beasts, this horde of dinosaurs should not have been able to get through here. It should have been like a panicked crowd trying to fit through one door - something the party saw the results of after the attack. Lots of blockage and dead dinosaurs. That indicates not a frenzied rush, but a coordinated march, and that the ones you’ve seen of unusual powers such as flight were not unique, or even fairly minor effects compared to some of the others. Did the largest of the horse have the power to teleport past smaller sections or shrink themselves on demand or something?!

Proceeding down the stairs the party finds no secret passage. They go for about 5 minutes down the steps before they see massive stone doors, once guarding the entrance to their destination, now broken and shattered across the floor. Next to where the doors once hung a sign sits on the wall. Captioned with an entirely too cheery “Welcome to the facility!” it has a colorful but vague map of what can be presumed to be this entire operation.

Facility Map

Colt Human Rogue (Tim) AC 16 T 14 FF 12 HP 22/22 CMD 18
Friday January 19th, 2024 7:27:37 PM
[ooc]Were the stairs designed for medium sized people? Is the door wreckage on our side of the jamb, or on the other? Were there any tunnels branching off the one we followed? [/ooc]

Colt spends a lot of the trip whirling around and staring back the way they came. From the way he's staring at the broken doors, it's not clear whether or not they're more disturbing than the yards of darkness behind him.

DM MitchTopiary Maze Map
Friday January 19th, 2024 8:57:51 PM
Yes medium sized and the doors fell in towards you. There were no signs of side paths that went anywhere though the natural cave was a bit twisty with some short side paths that went nowhere.

Ezekiel (BrianW) - AC 17/13/14; HP 31/31
Friday January 19th, 2024 9:32:31 PM
"Well they seem friendly, at least," says Ezekiel
. "That should make this easier."

Marest (Jon-Paul) AC:13 (T:13, FF:10), CMD:13, Saves:(F:7/R:4/W:7), HP:30/30 d20+9=25 ;
Friday January 19th, 2024 10:34:34 PM
“Welcome to the facility!”

Marest believes that the weird woman they met, the Monstrologer, this is probably her "lab". "Anyone wanna bet me this is her lab? This seems like her sense of humor!"

Using her dark vision and her skill of perception, Marest tries to spy something of use. (Perception check=1d20+9 = 25)

Yofiel (Kim McCoy), female elf bard 4th AC 16/16/14 HP: 29/29
Saturday January 20th, 2024 1:51:20 AM

Yofiel steps up to the schematic, and traces from top, following the lines, to bottom. "So, now we know," she says as she points to the word 'Surface' to the lower right of 'Cages'. "Now we know."

She bows her head for a moment.

Siolo (Kim subbing for Joe) - AC 19/12/17 ; HP 28/28 , NL 0
Saturday January 20th, 2024 5:37:38 AM

Siolo hears Marest. "That was Mara, right? She has amazing skills, and is quite mad. She might not think so of herself, but what she does seems evil to me. She should either be locked up, or killed." His face then flushed a bit after making so bold a statement, but from the stories told by the survivors of the dinosaur attack, he did not feel unjustified in his judgment of the monstrologer.

Looking over the wreckage, the druid comments, "Looks like they blew these doors open." After a pause, he asks, "So, are we going to go inside now?"

Kaze (JonS) HP 32/32 AC 19/Touch & Flat Footed AC 14/ CMD: 18/ CMB: 6/ Grapple: 7
Saturday January 20th, 2024 12:08:11 PM
OOC: After clarifying some things with Mitch ... this is what Kaze's reaction is to where we are.

IC: Kaze and Patches both start looking around, with Kaze muttering to himself in beastspeech. When he sees the sign he groans, "I've been here. This is the dinosaur attack I tried to help fend off. I couldn't go any lower for some reason ... the Trex ... it, I thought it was dead, when we snuck past, and then it took us a while to find you." Looking around again, he mutters, and then adds, "I don't know if they are still here or not, but when I came-to, there were ghosts wandering around. They didn't attack me, it was just creepy. The spirits should depart, not stick around."

Yofiel (Kim McCoy), female elf bard 4th AC 16/16/14 HP: 29/29
Saturday January 20th, 2024 4:58:15 PM

Yofi's cheeks are moist from tears as she kneels before the garish map. She looks up as Kaze's hazy memories gain better focus. She wipes her cheeks, and rises back to her feet.

"Ghosts of - people, you mean?" she asks the bear man. "What sort of ghosts, if you could discern any forms?"

Yofiel (Kim McCoy), female elf bard 4th AC 16/16/14 HP: 29/29
Saturday January 20th, 2024 5:53:20 PM

OOC: Theme cartoon for Cloudhaven TRex and Dinnertime

Dapple [AC 18; HP 28/28] (Kathy)
Sunday January 21st, 2024 12:11:04 PM
"If there are ghosts, we should try to lay them to rest," Dapple says firmly. "But let's deal with the living first."

Ezekiel (BrianW) - AC 17/13/14; HP 31/31
Sunday January 21st, 2024 4:19:05 PM
"Ghosts?" says Ezekiel. "That can't be good. At least they probably aren't ghost pirates."

Grim Ripr 4th (JonathanT) AC 17 Tch 11 HP 51/51 CMD 19 d20+8=19 ;
Monday January 22nd, 2024 1:07:14 AM
OOC: From what we've been told about the layout of the Plateau and the caravan rout to it, Kaze's comment didn't clear anything up, just made it worse.

IC: Grim encourages Siolo, "DEAD! Those Monstrologers warp the creations of The Great One. How would YOU like to be one of their [i]experiments?[i] The animals have no choice."

Grim steps through the entryway.
Perception + 8 = 19

Co-GM Ryan M - Welcome To The Facility - Map and Documents Here
Monday January 22nd, 2024 9:37:31 AM
Colt look behind the group often concerned by both the broken doors and the darkness behind them.
Ezekie things the friend sign is a positive start.
Marest has a theory that this is the monstrologer’s lab and uses his dark vision to look about.
Siolo comments on Mar the monsterologist and what has happened to the doors
Kaze tells the others he has been here before.
Yofiel examines the sign and comments that now we know with a bowed head.There are tears in here eyes as she askes about the ghosts Kaze saw.
Dapple wants to lay any ghosts to rest.
Grim agrees with Siolo that the monsterologers need to be put to death.

Looking into the room the group might feel a bit disappointed, the area in front of them looks exactly like what is a labeled on the map, storage. Unfortunately the items in storage seem to be mostly smashed items that, in their current state, hold little to no value. You can see some mundane supples what have been smooshed along with smashes crates. It does not take much to assume that the damaged was caused by the dinos.

The area itself appears to be a natural cave which has been altered to fit the current uses. Even with darkvision you cannot see the entier room but appears

Dapple [AC 18; HP 28/28] (Kathy)
Monday January 22nd, 2024 12:58:22 PM
"Well, that's disappointing," Dapple sighs. Inwardly, she wonders whether it would be worthwhile to sift through the wreckage, and decides it probably wouldn't.

Ezekiel (BrianW) - AC 17/13/14; HP 31/31 d20=9 ; d20+10=28 ;
Monday January 22nd, 2024 2:42:48 PM
Ezekiel will detect magic as he searches the wreckage for anything usable.

Perception: 9.
Spellcraft: 28.

Marest (Jon-Paul) AC:13 (T:13, FF:10), CMD:13, Saves:(F:7/R:4/W:7), HP:30/30 d20+9=28 ; d20+12=18 ; d20+9=14 ;
Monday January 22nd, 2024 8:21:10 PM
Storage Room

Marest looks around to see if any of the wreckage holds anything useful ( Perception check=1d20+9 = 28) and occasionally looks at some of the wreckage from a Spellcraft perspective (Spellcraft check=1d20+12 = 18).

Using her skill (Knowledge Dungeoneering (1d20+9) = 14) tries to determine the rough dimensions of this natural cave.

Siolo (Joe) - AC 19/12/17 ; HP 28/28 , NL 0
Monday January 22nd, 2024 8:38:53 PM
((Thanks for playing Siolo Kim))

Siolo squint his eyes at Grim. "I was talking about the monstrologer, not the experiments. Obviously warping the work of Maab is heinous."

At that, he begins taking a slow tour of the whole room, trying to keep to the wall to get a sense of the size of it.

Colt Human Rogue (Tim) AC 16 T 14 FF 12 HP 22/22 CMD 18 d20+8=28 ;
Monday January 22nd, 2024 9:11:11 PM
"Maybe we could have used some of this stuff."

Colt starts moving across the room by skipping from crate to crate to see if there's anything useful left.

[ooc] Perception 28. Now's probably a good time to mention that Colt took trap spotter. His perception v traps is 10. [/ooc]

Kaze (JonS) HP 32/32 AC 19/Touch & Flat Footed AC 14/ CMD: 18/ CMB: 6/ Grapple: 7
Monday January 22nd, 2024 9:50:23 PM
Kaze looks around sad/ "They were the spirits of the people I tried to protect, and those who were already here. Like I said, they didn't seem to notice me, or chose not to mess with me. By now, they could be gone. There should be a room around here with food and stuff in it. Patches sniffed it out, and that's what we've been surviving on. Well that and roasted little dinos. Their meat has a weird, smokey flavor to it."

Yofiel (Kim McCoy), female elf bard 4th AC 16/16/14 HP: 29/29 d20+13=24 ;
Monday January 22nd, 2024 11:51:36 PM

The bard dusts off her knees, and soon follows the rest inside the chaotic mess the dinosaurs left behind. She pokes around a little bit at sections of the rubble others have not yet reached. The elf pulls out her everlasting torch when she gets to an area far enough away from others that the extra light up close helps her in her poking about. She keeps on moving until she finds the passageway down from the storage to the dorms. She takes a few steps down to see what the descent is like, then eases back up so she does not get too far from her companions.
============
Perception: 24.

Grim Ripr 4th (JonathanT) AC 17 Tch 11 HP 51/51 CMD 19 d20+8=28 ;
Tuesday January 23rd, 2024 1:04:35 AM
Grim takes stock of the situation. "Remember, all this happened six months or more ago. We spent at least a month or more in the cave hiding from the Thunder Gods. Then it's been four or five months scouting the plateau, getting fruit from the orchard, special wood from Delilah's grove, fixing the lift, rebuilding parts of town here and there..."

His Darkvision does not reveal the dimensions of the storage room and he comments, "Thunder Gods do not have Darkvision, neither do most Monstrologers. They must have a way to light up this place. I'll see if I can find it. Meanwhile, Marest, you are more experienced in underground and cave stuff, how far down do you think we've made it so far? That sign outside the door said the end of these chambers lead to the surface. That would mean back up to the plateau, unless who made the map is a moron and meant simply exit to the forest floor."

Grim starts to follow along the wall to the right of the entrance looking for torches lining the walls.
Although it's been somewhere between six months to many months since the Thunder God Breakout and Stampede, Grim knows other cavern creatures can move in, so he keeps his guard up.

Perception + 8 = 28 (looking for how the place was lit, and, any cave creatures waiting in ambush.)

Yofiel (Kim McCoy), female elf bard 4th AC 16/16/14 HP: 29/29
Tuesday January 23rd, 2024 1:08:28 AM

"Grim, the 'Surface' is the floor of the jungle below," Yofiel comments, "if there is any logic to this map whatsoever."

Dapple [AC 18; HP 28/28] (Kathy)
Tuesday January 23rd, 2024 11:33:04 AM
"If you see any sign of them, Kaze, let me know," Dapple says.

Co-GM Ryan M - Welcome To The Facility - Map and Documents Here
Tuesday January 23rd, 2024 11:33:50 AM
A more complete look at the storage level shows that everything is truly destroyed or rotten. There are no magic signatures from any of the objects and in the room and several smashed lanterns can be found in the process. With ample search you even find a few (3) lanterns that are intact touch the oil has run out and is gone. There are some food stuffs about but most of it is not fit for consumption by anything but carrion eaters.

Yofiel is correct in their interpretation of the map.

Moving further into storage which they find is made of a series of small caves that have been widened or flattened where needed. It is clearly a natural cavern system reworked for new function. The damage is very thorough and marks of dino passage are prevalent with scratches on walls and floors as well giving signs of a rampage. Eventually the search leads to a doorway with the door, somehow, intact.

ACDM Mark Bradley - Character Sheet Leveling and Review
Tuesday January 23rd, 2024 2:00:27 PM
Tim - please respond to my emails. You character sheet is done, but I need edit access to note approval.

Yofiel (Kim McCoy), female elf bard 4th AC 16/16/14 HP: 29/29 d20=7 ; d20+13=32 ;
Tuesday January 23rd, 2024 2:43:58 PM

Yofiel has dibs on finding the doorway, and appropriately says, "There is a door here." As she waits for the others to draw near, she quick-sketches the map schematic from next to the exterior mostly-demolished entrance, as she has a good memory, and it is a simple map. "Shall I try to open it? Or might someone better suited do so?" She stands aside so that someone else, if desired, may attempt it. If no one volunteers, she will see about turning the latch, or knob, or other apparent means of access. [I'll roll a raw d20 and let the DM apply it as desired. Result: 7]
=========
Perception: 32

Marest (Jon-Paul) AC:13 (T:13, FF:10), CMD:13, Saves:(F:7/R:4/W:7), HP:30/30 d20+9=27 ; d20+9=18 ;
Tuesday January 23rd, 2024 9:19:39 PM
A Door!

Marest looks at the door [skill check for perception (1d20+9) = 27 & Knowledge (arcana)(1d20+9) = 18] to see if anything is growing on it, moss, etc or perhaps warded/glyphed.

Grim Ripr 4th (JonathanT) AC 17 Tch 11 HP 51/51 CMD 19
Tuesday January 23rd, 2024 10:58:37 PM
Grim points to then newcomer, Kaze, and says "Let him open it. He's been through it once before."

Colt Human Rogue (Tim) AC 16 T 14 FF 12 HP 22/22 CMD 18 d20+10=20 ;
Tuesday January 23rd, 2024 11:01:21 PM
Colt finishes his perusal of the store room and follows the others to the intact door. He looks over the doorframe.

[ooc] Perception to trap-check : 20 [/ooc]

Colt Human Rogue (Tim) AC 16 T 14 FF 12 HP 31/31 CMD 19
Tuesday January 23rd, 2024 11:04:29 PM
[ooc] trying to make new post name link for Colt stick [/ooc]

Siolo (Joe) - AC 19/12/17 ; HP 28/28 , NL 0
Wednesday January 24th, 2024 2:16:04 AM
Siolo stands back from the door awaiting the frontline to open it. As he waits, he considers the most ideal form for this setting.

Yofiel (Kim McCoy), female elf bard 4th AC 16/16/14 HP: 29/29 d20+8=27 ; d6+2=4 ; d20+7=8 ;
Wednesday January 24th, 2024 2:24:49 AM

Hearing Grim's suggestion, Yofiel gestures to Kaze, then to the door, and asks, "Do you want to open it?" If so, she steps farther aside, sticks her everlasting torch in her bandolier (so it stll sheds light), and nocks an arrow in her bow, preparing to loose should an active threat be on the other side. If not, she shrugs, and gives it a try.

In case a clearly 'active threat' shows up when Kaze opens the door: Readied action, arrow hits AC 27 for 4 hp damage.

Earlier rolled perception of 32 may help.
If needed, Sense motive of ... 8 may not be as useful

Co-GM Ryan M - Welcome To The Facility - Map and Documents Here
Wednesday January 24th, 2024 9:44:27 AM
Yofiel, Marest and Colt all examin the door. Much to their shock it does not appear that marauding dinosaurs have placed a trap on the door. The same dinos did not put any sort of lock in place either and the door swings open, with some groaning of the hinges as it has not moved in some time, as some of the party has weapons drawn and at the ready.

Inside the doors are stairs going down into the dark. After a moment a startling thing happens, some pale greenish light appears and coalesses into a spirit of some kind. It appears in front of the party and is headed down the stairs carrying a satchel of supplies. The spirit doesn’t acknowledge the presence of the party in any way. The humanoid spirit is dressed in a similar fashion as anyone who lived in cloudhaven but he is not someone you can identify, at least not with their back to you as that tends to make things more difficult.

The spirit is not hurrying and moves down the stairs at a consistent pace making no sound.

Dapple [AC 18; HP 28/28] (Kathy)
Wednesday January 24th, 2024 11:45:00 AM
"Um....should we follow it?" Dapple asks dubiously.

Yofiel (Kim McCoy), female elf bard 4th AC 16/16/14 HP: 29/29 d20+13=29 ;
Wednesday January 24th, 2024 11:49:59 AM

The elf nods in affirmation to the halfling's question.

"Uh, hullo, there," Yofiel says in a polite voice to the being ahead of them on the stairs. She has relaxed her bowstring, holds bow and arrow in her left hand, and is not pointing in the spirit's direction. "How goes your day?" She doesn't really anticipate the poor soul replying to her, but figures it cannot hurt to be polite, just in case. If no reply comes, she will shrug her shoulders, glance over her shoulder at her friends, then follow behind the spirit apace.

There are a few things she wants to discuss with other party members, but opts for discretion at the moment.

She scopes out the size, shape, overall dimensions of the stairway.

==========
Perception as the stairway is descended: 29

Marest (Jon-Paul) AC:13 (T:13, FF:10), CMD:13, Saves:(F:7/R:4/W:7), HP:30/30 d20+9=17 ;
Wednesday January 24th, 2024 5:51:36 PM
Green Stair Guide

Marest looks at the Greenish Spirit guide as it descends the stairs. Watching Yofiel, Marest will follow the party as it also follows the Spirit Guide.

Like, Yofiel, Marest will use her Perception as she descends the stairway: (1d20+9) = 17

Ezekiel (BrianW) - AC 17/13/14; HP 31/31
Wednesday January 24th, 2024 6:26:56 PM
Ezekiel attempts to poke the spirit on the shoulder with his mage hand.

"Excuse me, good sir. Have you seen any rampaging thunda-lizzies? Or perhaps a monstrar...monster...some lady that studies said gizzards?"

Grim Ripr 4th (JonathanT) AC 17 Tch 11 HP 51/51 CMD 19 d20+8=23 ;
Wednesday January 24th, 2024 8:56:41 PM
Grim grins at Dapple, "Like we have a choice to follow not? The stairs go down, we go down. That apparition just happens to be going the same way we are."
Then Ezekiel sends his Mage Hand to introduce itself and he chuckles, "Well, that Thing may at least reveal if it is an illusion or just a wandering apparition. You know, there is a difference between an Apparition and a Ghost, right?"

Grim wait until the effects of the shoulder tap are known, expecting the Mage Hand having no effect. Then starts down.
Darkvision 60'
Perception +8 = 23

Kaze (JonS) HP 32/32 AC 19/Touch & Flat Footed AC 14/ CMD: 18/ CMB: 6/ Grapple: 7
Wednesday January 24th, 2024 9:23:26 PM
Kaze is surprised that the party has made it this far. When asked about the door, Kaze replies, "I couldn't get down here. There was something blocking our way." He would gladly have opened the door for his new friends. When the spirit appears, Kaze looks sad for a moment, "That's one of the people I tried to protect."

Yofiel (Kim McCoy), female elf bard 4th AC 16/16/14 HP: 29/29
Wednesday January 24th, 2024 11:35:07 PM

Yofiel hears Kaze's identification of the ghostly image, and her heart goes out both to Kaze and to the victim of the depraved monstrologer's twistings of life.

Ezekiel (BrianW) - AC 17/13/14; HP 31/31
Thursday January 25th, 2024 8:12:45 AM
"Ghost or apparition, I figured best to use my mage hand and not my hand hand. Best to keep the spooky action at a distance, I always say."

Siolo (Joe) - AC 19/12/17 ; HP 28/28 , NL 0
Thursday January 25th, 2024 9:42:30 AM
Siolo observes the ghost with a mixture of wonder and worry. He keeps his distance, but still follows curiously.

Co-GM Ryan M - Welcome To The Facility - Map and Documents Here
Thursday January 25th, 2024 10:54:18 AM
There is some discussion about the spirit and Kaze is sure it is one of the people they were trying to protect. It continues its walk down the ten foot wide stairway and the party can see the damage to the area tapers off gradually.

Ezekiel’s question is ignored by the spirit and Grim thinks the party has not choice but to follow along down the stairs. Ezekiel’s mage hand moves to tap te spirit on the shoulder and as it makes contact the spirit poofs out of existence only to reappear where it started and begin its decent again as though nothing happened.

The figure moves off down the stairs once again and the party follows. At the end of the stairs, forty or so steps with a small landing in the middle, there is another door which the spirit simply walks though. A quick look shows that the door is not trapped or locked, just as the one above. Any signs of damage are greatly reduced at this point as they have been lessening as you moved down the stairs. Looking behind you two additional spirits can be seen slowly walk down the stairs, a male and female, each carrying a box which you assume would have been supplies.

Ezekiel (BrianW) - AC 17/13/14; HP 31/31
Thursday January 25th, 2024 11:37:03 AM
"Wow, did you see that! I can poof people with my mage hand! It's a way more powerful spell than I realozed!"

Dapple [AC 18; HP 28/28] (Kathy) d20+7=8 ;
Thursday January 25th, 2024 12:15:27 PM
"Careful, Ezekiel," Dapple says. "With great power comes great....uh....something something. I can never remember. Just watch where you're pointing that thing."

She frowns a little at the descending ghosts, trying to figure out what they want or how to lay the spirits to rest. But she flunked the section on ghosts at the seminary, and clearly she has not improved since. [Natural 1 on Knowledge: Religion]

Colt Human Rogue (Tim) AC 16 T 14 FF 12 HP 31/31 CMD 19
Thursday January 25th, 2024 7:18:57 PM
Colt has nothing to say about the ghost. They're something well out of his experience and based on the interaction with Ezekial's mage hand, they're not something he can do anything about. He nods at Grim's logic. Down is the destination.

Still, he's surprised and a little concerned to find another pair of spirits behind them when he turns to look.

Marest (Jon-Paul) AC:13 (T:13, FF:10), CMD:13, Saves:(F:7/R:4/W:7), HP:30/30 d20+9=16 ;
Thursday January 25th, 2024 7:21:54 PM
Something wispy this way goes...

Marest uses her Darkvision as she removes her smoked Google from her eyes to the place she keeps them in her hair, she is able to see some 120 feet by Drow nature, but how much range is she able to see in this stairway? (Perception check = (1d20+9) = 16)

Marest moves to open the door if no one else does.

"Ezek, please be careful on where you point your hand extension, with great power comes great responsibility!" says Marest to the wizard.

Grim Ripr 4th (JonathanT) AC 17 Tch 11 HP 51/51 CMD 19 d20+11=31 ;
Thursday January 25th, 2024 8:18:17 PM
Grim assess what they've seen so far. He moves around a bit looking at the floor, walls, door, then, suddenly, when behind Kase, he whips his falchion around to press against firmly against the newcomer's neck!

"Blast you! We will have the truth from you! Move the slightest bit and we'll get to play lkeep-away with your head! There's no way a caravan can get to the top without going up the lift and they all stop at Cloudhaven. But you say you were with a caravan up here and took shelter at the entrance where you got trounced by Thunder Gods. And we know you didn't enter from the forest floor because you said you started at the top and hadn't gotten this far. Now you say you know these apparitions! AND WHAT ARE THEY DOING? THEY ARE CARRYING SUPPLIES DOWN TO THE MONSTROLOGER CHAMBERS BELOW! So you were with a Monstrologer caravan! Brought up here by some unknown magical means! I ought to chop your head off right now! But I'm not in my Tribal Lands. Rothlorien is the Chief here. We take you back to Rothlorien for trial for muder, or an assessorer to murder, and let Cloudhaven judge you for what you ARE! YOU GOT THAT?" he belts out with all the furor of a half-orc barbarian. The echo is tremendous in the narrow cavern and stairway.

Intimidate + 11 = 31

Grim's menacing glare, which Kaze can't see at the moment, is all the emotion and the intended purpose his outburst portrays.

Grim Ripr 4th (JonathanT) AC 17 Tch 11 HP 51/51 CMD 19
Thursday January 25th, 2024 8:28:32 PM
OOC: BTW, that Intimidate roll is a N20, in case that was not noticed.

Kaze (JonS) HP 32/32 AC 19/Touch & Flat Footed AC 14/ CMD: 18/ CMB: 6/ Grapple: 7
Thursday January 25th, 2024 11:32:31 PM
Kaze stops dead in his tracks. Patches begins growling low in her throat. Those in front of Kaze can see his hands slowly moving to the buckle that holds his baldric and long sword strapped to his body in an attempt to have his weapon drop to the floor. Muttering something in Beastspeech, Kaze doesn't turn around, but keeps his eyes on those ahead of him. "I was hired to guard a caravan. We ended up here, at the mouth of the cave. That big Trex wasn't there when we got here. As soon as we started unloading supplies, that thing and its' friends erupted from the forest, tearing through unarmed porters packing supplies into this place. I tried to save them. Patches drug me to safety. When I was awake enough to understand what happened that stupid Trex was laying out there not moving. For a few days I gathered the corpses and burned them, saying the prayers of my people. I don't know who the hell these Monstrologer people are, I was just making coin. When we were done I was going with the wagon master into Cloudhaven. I couldn't get down into this area, something was blocking me. Patches and I had been watching big and ugly out there. We snuck past it at night. A few days later we smelled woodsmoke and found you lot. The ghosts, spirits, whatever you call them, are the porters that were doing their job delivering goods into this place. If it is your plan to take me to be judged for crimes I didn't commit, then I challenge you here and now to single combat ... winner is in the right."

Yofiel (Kim McCoy), female elf bard 4th AC 16/16/14 HP: 29/29 d20+10=14 ;
Thursday January 25th, 2024 11:56:47 PM
[Post revised, as Yofi's original response was before I read Kaze's response.]

Her eyebrows raise when the spirit disappears with Ezekiel's extended reach. "Manus potestatis, Zeke. Hand of power."

She is about to try to open the spirit-passed door when Grim takes on a prosecutorial role.

Yofiel looks up the stairs, with Kaze a couple steps up, and Grim a few more. The blade of the half-orc's shiny new adamantite falchion rests against the beast-man's neck. She sees the hair on the back of Patches' neck bristle.

She is about to speak, when Kaze himself gives voice. She listens.

She raises her voice so all can hear. "We want no one here to be injured."

Knowing the stairway spacing, and being close to the door, she takes one step back toward the door, casts calm emotions* (Will save DC15). The bard asks Siolo, "Help our friend here, Siolo. Will you kindly take Kaze's baldric and long sword? Kaze, we do not want you, or anyone here, to be hurt.

"Grim, as Kaze has laid down his weapon, will you withdraw your falchion? No rolling heads. Easy, now, everyone. Easy, Patches. Let us each take a few deep breaths. Grim, deep breaths."

She does as she advises with three deep breaths, then says. "Jumping to conclusions can be dangerous. Whether our present understandings be sound or unsound, let us treat each other fairly, and kindly. I perceived a measure of confusion, but not intended deceit on the part of our newcomer. There may be plausible explanations that contrast with your surmises, Grim, and with mine."

"We have heard from our two strongest boys. Now it's the girls' turn."

Gently, yet projecting enough with the acoustics of the stairwell able to carry her voice, she says to Kaze, "The part of your story that is missing is explaining how in the Wold your caravan climbed up here to the top of the plateau separated by vertical sheer stone walls nearly one thousand feet above the jungle floor. Until we just now found these caves, and the map, we did not know for certain any way, unless through flight or teleport, to get from the jungle's surface up to this plateau, other than the lift at Cloudhaven. Some of us suspected there had to be some means.

"And, from what you have told us, you seem to say that you just walked here, with no apparent obstacle for horses and wagons and people to rise to this height. And you did not come up through this pathway.

"Also, Grim is understandably upset because your miraculous caravan was bringing supplies to what we have learned was used by - perhaps usurped by - a monstrologer, named Maya."

She concludes, "We need clarity, not combat."

* Calm Emotions
Range medium (100 ft. + 10 ft./level)
Area creatures in a 20-ft.-radius spread
Duration concentration, up to 1 round/level (D)
Saving Throw: Will negates; Spell Resistance: yes
This spell calms agitated creatures. You have no control over the affected creatures, but calm emotions can stop raging creatures from fighting or joyous ones from reveling. Creatures so affected cannot take violent actions (although they can defend themselves) or do anything destructive. Any aggressive action against or damage dealt to a calmed creature immediately breaks the spell on all calmed creatures.

This spell automatically suppresses (but does not dispel) any morale bonuses granted by spells such as bless, good hope, and rage, and also negates a bard’s ability to inspire courage or a barbarian’s rage ability. It also suppresses any fear effects and removes the confused condition from all targets. While the spell lasts, a suppressed spell, condition, or effect has no effect. When the calm emotions spell ends, the original spell or effect takes hold of the creature again, provided that its duration has not expired in the meantime.]

===========
Sense motive: 14

ACDM Mark Bradley - Character Sheet Leveling and Review
Friday January 26th, 2024 2:32:06 AM
TIM - Add me as an editor to your character sheet.

Colt Human Rogue (Tim) AC 16 T 14 FF 12 HP 31/31 CMD 19
Friday January 26th, 2024 7:46:37 AM
[ooc] Mark, sorry. I sent a flurry of emails with links to the character sheet. I've also directly added you as an editor this morning. I suspect I've been fouling up the links. I hope the direct permission, or new link works. [/ooc]

Colt Human Rogue (Tim) AC 16 T 14 FF 12 HP 31/31 CMD 19
Friday January 26th, 2024 8:13:51 AM
"Dragon feces, Foggy. Grim's going to kill him!" The confrontation surprises Colt. He'd thought Yofiel and Grim, and by extension the party, had accepted the beastfolk caravan guard at his word.

Grim's not stupid and his logic isn't groundless. Kaze says his caravan arrived here at the T-rex cave first. But we don't know of anyway to the mouth of the T-rex cave except through the cave or up the lift. We know they didn't come up the lift. But -- what if there was a third way up the plateau that the caravan used? We'd never actually walked the whole perimeter, had we?

Or maybe Kaze's bump on the head just had him confused? Colt remembers, or rather doesn't remember, the time he and his friends were playing on the rough piled-rock breakwater and an unusually large wave knocked him over. He remembers breakfast that morning, apples from the blind apple-seller's cart, and waking up at home. His friends later told him about how he hit his head and was out cold on the rough stones of the breakwater; how they'd dragged and carried him through town and left him on his mother's doorstep and run, afraid to even talk to her.

Or maybe Kaze was just confused about where he was. Maybe the cave entrance at the bottom of the plateau looked like the T-rex's cave. Maybe Patches dragged him unconscious all the way to the top. Colt smiles, picturing Foggy dragging him anywhere.

And it's not clear to Colt that these caves belonged to Maya the monstrologer. Maybe a third group owned them, and Mara just used the caves to get to the top of the plateau. Why would she trash the place so thoroughly if it was hers? Why bust the doors when she could just open them?

Ezekiel (BrianW) - AC 17/13/14; HP 31/31
Friday January 26th, 2024 9:11:07 AM
"Grim, what are you on about? His story makes perfect sense to me! Calm down, or I'll you my poof hand on you!"

Co-GM Ryan M - Welcome To The Facility - Map and Documents Here
Friday January 26th, 2024 11:13:55 AM
Marset can see just fine in the hallway with darkvision and can see the entire length of the stairs.

There is some discussion before Grim turns on his party members attacking his motivation and presence. Falchion drawn he holds Kaze in place and questions the stroy of how he arrived to be with the party as it does have some logical issues for the world you inhabit.

The spirits behind you keep moving and are almost to where you are all standing.

{ooc: see email}

Colt Human Rogue (Tim) AC 16 T 14 FF 12 HP 31/31 CMD 19
Friday January 26th, 2024 11:23:37 AM
"Ghosts coming through."

Colt steps aside to let the pitiful shades pass without touching.

Kaze (JonS) HP 32/32 AC 19/Touch & Flat Footed AC 14/ CMD: 18/ CMB: 6/ Grapple: 7
Friday January 26th, 2024 11:34:07 AM
OOC: Before I make another post ... how long have y'all been in the region?

Yofiel (Kim McCoy), female elf bard 4th AC 16/16/14 HP: 29/29
Friday January 26th, 2024 12:06:22 PM

[ooc] As Grim indicated, we've been here roughly six months (although if we followed a strict time accounting reading through the posts, it might be closer to 3 or 4). Time accounting here in the Wold can be a challenge! Grim is from the plateau. Dapple has been in Cloudhaven for some time. Yofiel, from near Emerald City in the Culverwood, has been here before on brief visits, but showed up again via a caravan just before the dinosaur attack on Cloudhaven. The rest, unless I'm mistaken, are from elsewhere. Colt was at Cloudhaven for a while before the game began. You might be able to find additional info by reading the PCs' CSs. Best prep? Read the whole game :-) [/ooc]

By the way, if you don't want to be affected by Yofiel's Calm Emotions spell, you'll want to make a Will save DC15.

Colt Human Rogue (Tim) AC 16 T 14 FF 12 HP 31/31 CMD 19
Friday January 26th, 2024 12:52:20 PM
Colt would have arrived with the caravan before Yofiel's.

[Ooc] Kim's right. Time accounting is hard here. I think we get a handful of caravans each year.
And there's nothing like a little PC v PC action to get my attention. This situation is really interesting.[/ooc]

Kaze (JonS) HP 32/32 AC 19/Touch & Flat Footed AC 14/ CMD: 18/ CMB: 6/ Grapple: 7 WILL Save: d20+3=20 ;
Friday January 26th, 2024 1:56:32 PM
Without turning Kaze asks Grim a question. "You said lift. You mean the thing that's scary to go up on? I think we followed a caravan here. But we got delayed when a wheel broke. The caravan master came straight here. I'm not proud of myself, but that trip up, I hid in one of the wagons ... Once up here, that's when everything went to hell in a hand basket. I'm not lying. Don't you have a holy person who can detect deceit. Our village shaman could do that, saved us a few battles that way."

Dapple [AC 18; HP 28/28] (Kathy) d20+9=23 ;
Friday January 26th, 2024 2:41:00 PM
Dapple is unaffected by the spell [Will 23], but she was pretty calm to begin with.

She takes advantage of the short pause by fishing a little snack out of her rations. Then Kaze asks about detecting lies. "Hey, don't look at me," she says with her mouth full. She swallows and adds, "Wardd doesn't care if people lie. Heck, he encourages it."

Siolo (Joe) - AC 19/12/17 ; HP 28/28 , NL 0 d20=19 ;
Friday January 26th, 2024 6:50:04 PM
((Will 19+6=25))

When Grim suddenly threatens Kaze, Siolo heaves a sigh. He does follows Yofiel's request and carefully moves over to Kaze to receive the weapon.

"Grim, this is a bit excessive," he says with another sigh.

Marest (Jon-Paul) AC:13 (T:13, FF:10), CMD:13, Saves:(F:7/R:4/W:7), HP:30/30 d20+7=26 ;
Friday January 26th, 2024 8:23:43 PM
BallyHoo!

Will Save (1d20+7) = 26 against the Calm Emotions spell.

With Marest lost in the wonders of the underground complex's fascinating architecture in the dark, she is caught off guard by the fluff and circumstances! Spinning around, Marest wonders what happened to cause the ruckus.

Marest, reaches into her pocket and pulls forth an Anything potion, saying, "I wonder what I could do with this Anything potion, holding it up for all to see."

Grim Ripr 4th (JonathanT) AC 17 Tch 11 HP 51/51 CMD 19 d20+3=18 ;
Saturday January 27th, 2024 1:17:08 PM
Will Save +3 vs DC15 = 18

Grim listens to Kaze's quick reply. Most of what he says does not add up, but the part of being a mercenary. All caravan guards, and teamsters to boot, are paid-for-hire. They go to one place or another as contracted. The 'Boss' could be anyone!

Grim feels a wave of magic flow through the room and he fights it off. It would seem to play on calming him down. Good thing he wasn't in full-blown rage! But as it is, Grim's not ready to pronounce judgement and execution yet. This caravan would have had to come through Cloudhaven at least a week before the attack in order get all the animals through the jungle with no trail to follow. If the Boss was a Monstrologer, none of these people would know the difference, and not ever been here before would not know how odd it seemed for the final destination NOT being Cloudhaven.

"All right. Maybe you are just a mercenary wanting adventure and get paid for it. And there's more mystery to solve that you might know the answer. You can't talk with your head rolling around, you'd be too distracted, with bumping into walls and feet."

Grim pretty much ignores the other team member comments, even the apparitions approaching. He's focused on Kaze and where his blade presses on Kaze's neck.

"You said you came to the entrance from Cloudhaven and was unloading the pack animals when the Thunder Gods came, but they didn't come from inside, they came from outside. That would explain these unbroken doors but put a new twist on the purpose and owner of this cavern system. The attack, as we know it, didn't originate from here it seems. That helps your case, a lot. But that it belongs to that Monstrologer with her pet Thunder Gods we slaughtered is still probable. We need to know everything you know about your caravan and who paid for it. Anything you heard or saw. We are bound to find out much as we go along, but what you can tell us know will also help."

Grim removes his falchion from Kaze's neck, without even leaving a nick, and sheathes it.

OOC: Grim is from a tribe of orcs, not the standard PHB orc, that live on different plateaus throughout this part of the jungle. His Clan Shaman had a vision from the Great One that a catastrophe would occur in the region starting in Cloudhaven, but eventually affect the entire area. That phase of the catastrophe at Cloudhven happened the day Grim arrived (he met the caravan just a day away from the lift) and came in with it. Now his goal is to find out who's behind it in order save his orc tribe, and others along with that.

The plateau, we calculated, is over 1000 feet high of sheer cliffs. Only way up is the lift, and thus a natural 'castle'. And the plateau itself is many miles wide and long, taking many days of jungle travel to cross. All sorts of jungle plants and animals live up here including a few of the smaller dinosaur raptor types. It's like a small 'Serengeti'. This area where the cave is, is actually not jungly but much higher elevation and rocky, with fewer trees and undergrowth.

Ezekiel (BrianW) - AC 17/13/14; HP 31/31 d20+5=23 ;
Saturday January 27th, 2024 1:39:51 PM
SV Will: 1d20 + 5 = 23.

Ezekiel casts prestidigitation to create punctuate his words with cracks of lightning.

"Grim stand down and let's discuss things calmly."

Kaze (JonS) HP 32/32 AC 19/Touch & Flat Footed AC 14/ CMD: 18/ CMB: 6/ Grapple: 7
Saturday January 27th, 2024 2:18:27 PM
Kaze drops his head and takes a deep breath. He then turn to Grim once the blade is off his neck. "I understand the power shamans have. I know little of the caravan, other than most of the goods were in boxes or covered in tarps. Most of it seemed to be foodstuffs, or cooking ingredients. several crates were loaded with care. They had glass in them, you could hear it moving. I, no, the guards they hired thought it was alcohol of some kind that would be shared. If it was to be, then it never happened. If it was something else, then the dinos attack destroyed it with most of the other stuff." Kaze puts his hand down and makes a motion, which causes Patches to sit down with a huff. If she were a woman, most likely Kaze would get an earful later.

Grim Ripr 4th (JonathanT) AC 17 Tch 11 HP 51/51 CMD 19
Sunday January 28th, 2024 12:31:24 AM
Grim glares at Ezekiel and his sparking theatrics then answers Kaze, "We had a clue that this cavern system was being used by Monstrologers as a base. Specifically, one by the name of Maya. Monstrologers are fiends, they are of any race and have no respect for the Natural Order of things. They revel in taking what is natural and warping it, changing it, in hopes of enhancing it, despite the cruel effects most creatures endure before any attempt is successful. So many animals are cruelly destroyed in the process. They even experiment on themselves. This Maya is somewhat half Drow, Half Fish, and Half something else. She even confessed that the Thunder God attack on Cloudhaven was their doing. So you see now why it is very important to know everything regarding who contracted your caravan and who lead it here. It's not an easy place to find and there's no trail to it."

Yofiel (Kim McCoy), female elf bard 4th AC 16/16/14 HP: 29/29
Sunday January 28th, 2024 2:35:18 AM

Yofiel does not perceive that any members of the group were affected by her calm emotions spells, but none had quite tipped over the point of no return in any event. Perhaps reason, confession, and illumination performed the job adequately instead.

"Grim's views on Maya I share. She and her dino-twists must be stopped. Kaze, thank you for telling us how it was you came up. You don't know us well, we just met. Yet, henceforth, being straight with us I think may serve us all to better effect."

She lifts her everlasting torch, takes a quick census of those present. "It looks like we survived this encounter intact. I managed not to pee the ground, although I'm going to want to find a place for that soon. Unless any object, or we wish to carry on this conversation further as we inconvenience the ghosts of Kaze's caravan, I'd suggest we go through the next door. If one of you skilled at looking over doorways would be so kind, I yield to your expertise. If no one steps forward, I will open the door myself. Agreed?"

She awaits a response from others. If no one else steps in to act, she will do as she said and try the door...

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