ENT: Exploring the watery cave

[Argennian]

~ With the second wave of agitated giant rats destroyed or left to flee past them and swim out the watery coastal cave for their rodent lives, the trio of island scouts regroups...

Lauranna announces her intent to take a peak around the corner further in, in order to satiate her rabid curiosity as to what might have caused the giant rodents to flee their way. The young High elf begins to creep inward towards the corner some 50 feet ahead, taking care as to do so in a manner most stealthy.
With her trusty bow and a readied arrow back to hand, Caelvanna nods her understanding and covers the magic-user/thief as she commits to her maneuver. The Wild elf keeps her keen guerrilla-fighter senses focused in that direction, ready to shoot anything that pops out to threaten her elven cousin.
Suffering from multiple vermin bites, Ulrich casts a cure light wounds spell on himself (+4hp). The dwarf cleric of Moradin is immediately rewarded with the boon of divine healing restorations that wash over him. He smiles in satisfaction as he picks up his mace and makes ready for potential action once again.

~ Just as the Lauranna reaches the corner and peeks around it*, the surface of the water just before the rock ledge is breached, making Caelvanna and Ulrich jump in surprise! They spin around to see that the sneak attack is actually Bogdan and Emm arriving back to the coastal cave from their underwater foray. Gentleman Billy's magical coin shines through the bloody, dead rat infested waters to illuminate the cave and entrance to the crab den in a weird, wavy light...


Actions?

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* PM going out to Nuke for Lauranna!

OOC: ok gang, the group is all back together and everyone is pretty much in one piece, more or less!

TOD, HPs & M.O./locations updated. Please mark off spells already cast & ones that will be cast on Battle Sheets after doing so, if you would. When I get more time to catch up, I'll likely add another section below to track that as well as duration of spell/potion/magical effects while active.

... Thanks for picking up my slack. ...

No worries, Dave! Although it's usually you guys waiting on me, always happy to do so anytime.
(and glad to have made at least a few decent rolls for Caelvanna to boot! )

And official welcomes back to Rexx, too! Hope you and the family had a great vacation, brother!
(crushed a saving throw vs petrification/poison with a nat 20 for Emm, btw! )


As always, please let me know if you have any questions or need any further clarifications!

TOD: now 8:26am of Day 6 on island (Total time since departed Karagonia: 18 days)

HPs/Status: Bog 28/28 ; Caelvanna 22/25 ; Emm 3/10 ; Ulrich 12/16 ; Lauranna 9/9
WIH (primary/secondary): Bog – spear & light coin ; Caelvanna – short bow (arrows fired: 6/quiver: 18 left) ; Emm – spear ; Ulrich – mace/shield ; Lauranna - short sword (SC = spell component/spell to cast)
M.O./Location Up at the corner in the cave past the rock ledge: Lauranna ; Up on the rock ledge: Ulrich , Caelvanna ; In the water at the crab den entrance: Bogdan , Emm

[Alethan]

Bog helps Emm out of the water and says, "She's injured, Ulrich. Can you attend her?"

He spies the dead rats around them and asks, "What's going on?" as he hurriedly puts his armour back on.

OOC: Bog still wants to clear the coins from the bottom of the entrance there, but it'll have to wait, at least a little bit...

[dmw71]

They spin around to see that the sneak attack is actually Bogdan and Emm arriving back to the coastal cave from their underwater foray.

Now that everyone is back together, where would you like us to post our responses? Still in our separate threads?

Edit: I just noticed Alethan posted here. My train just arrived so I need to shut down, but I'll reply, in this thread, hopefully later today.

[Nuke66]

Waiting on PM fyi

[dmw71]

Caelvanna instinctively starts to move to help Bog and Emm out of the water, but remembers her responsibility and quickly returns to her position where she resumes providing coverage to Lauranna; leaving Ulrich to assist their returning companions.

[SocraticLawyer]

Bog helps Emm out of the water and says, "She's injured, Ulrich. Can you attend her?"

"Indeed, I have one healing spell left," says Ulrich. He casts his last healing spell on Emm.

Cure light wounds [1d8] = 1

D'oh!

[Argennian]

Waiting on PM fyi

OOC: Sorry Nuke, I ended up PMing myself and didn't even realize it till now!

PM sent!

[Nuke66]

After a quick bit, Lauranna returns to the group.

"There is something up there. I'm not sure what it is, but I heard a whimpering sound, just out of sight down that passage."

[Alethan]

Bog finishes putting on his armour and draws his sword.

"Whimpering, huh?"

He thinks for a minute.

"What whimpers and still scares a bunch of giant rats? Something wounded... and big. I wonder... Hey, Ulrich, where you with the exploration party that went south? What was that thing you guys ran off?"

[SocraticLawyer]

Bog finishes putting on his armour and draws his sword.

"Whimpering, huh?"

He thinks for a minute.

"What whimpers and still scares a bunch of giant rats? Something wounded... and big. I wonder... Hey, Ulrich, where you with the exploration party that went south? What was that thing you guys ran off?"

"Aye, twas a foul lizard of immense size, says Ulrich. "The beast nearly slew Lord Jovak. We'd best be on our guard."

[Nuke66]

"I say let's go check it out. I'll go look just cover me. If it is anything too monstrous, I will bail out and we can leave." Lauranna says

[dmw71]

Caelvanna, not expecting a lizard to wimper, suspects they may be in for something else, but she is definitely up for revealing the source. She will trail behind Lauranna at a safe distance, arrow nocked.

[Alethan]

Bog finishes buckling on his armour, puts away his sword in favor of his spear, then braces his shield and moves up with Caelvanna to help cover Lauranna.

[tkrexx]

Emm nods to Ulrich in appreciation, and upon listening to the sitrep quickly follows with a Cure Light Wounds of her own.

[1d8] = 5

EDIT: Material component marked off.

[Argennian]

~ With both groups back together again, the party of island explorers regroup to assess each other and their respective stations...

Bogdan helps Emm out of the crab den entrance and back to her feet on the floor of the watery cave, announcing that she is injured and in need of healing. Ulrich responds by moving over and casting his last cure light wounds spell on the druidess (+1hp). Although the dwarf cleric's healing does not go all the way to restoring the young woman, the strange-looking wound left by the mysterious underwater denizen of the southern grotto finally stops gushing blood.

Meanwhile Lauranna has moved around the corner further in to see if she can discern what made the giant rats flee in a frenzied panic. Although interested in the disposition of her returning companions, Caelvanna keeps her bow equipped and repositions herself to be ready to move up and provide cover fire for her elf cousin if she needs it. Seeing all the dead rats about and the Wild elf archer weapons-ready with her attentions focused further inside the cave, Bog moves over to where his gear is on the rock ledge and begins to don his armor, querying the others about what happened while they were gone.

The big fighter's answer comes as Lauranna returns from her reconnoiter to debrief them. The High elf describes a strange whimpering she heard from deeper within the cave but admits to not being able to see what's making it, let alone much of anything past the cave in beyond the corner. The island explorers consider this and offer their thoughts about what might make such a sound, seeming skeptical that it could be a giant lizard like the one that attacked the small group at the southern lagoon previously. Regardless, Lauranna announces her desire to want to try and find out, if the others will back her up, adding that she'll fall back if confronted by too much monstrousness.

With nods of affirmative and agreement all around, the party prepares to follow her further in and do just that. Realizing that they could be confronting more danger, and that she is still moderately wounded, Emm casts a cure light wounds spell on herself (+5hp). This time when the warm, restorative wave of Aerth Mother's divine healing washes over her, she is almost fully recovered. When the others move out, she follows alongside Ulrich, bringing up the rearguard position.


~ Lauranna motions forward and leads the others around the corner to the left (north). The tall party members have to lean down and hunch over quite a bit here as the cave is only about 4 1/2 feet high on average and has tapered down to about 5-6 feet wide. It is much darker and harder to see detail here but once Bogdan removes the pouch housing the light coin, everyone can see that there are no other rats or anything else waiting there. Those looking ahead can see that after the cave jogs slightly back right (to head due east again) that there looks to have been a cave in about 60 feet or so ahead. There is a pile of loose rock and debris piled up about 2/3 of the way about 2.5 feet high in the @ 4 feet tall by 5 feet wide section of cave passage. You deduce that the rats were scurrying over the cave in and that the passage appears to continue further in.

Although you cannot see much of anything past the cave in without climbing up to the open area to look through, everyone get a sense that there is someone or something there, just beyond the pile of rock and debris! A moment of pause whilst those gathered assess the nearly-blocked passage and the soft whimpering can just be heard emanating from beyond. It is a strange noise, almost as if a domesticated mongrel was begging for food, but something tells you that it is certainly no dog!


Actions?

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OOC: In assessing the cave in, it looks like Lauranna or anyone else lithe of stature, and wearing no packs or anything bulkier than leather armor, could barely squeeze through the gap between the rubble of the cave in and the ceiling. There are some fairly big rocks present but Ulrich can deduce that with about 40-50 minutes work that enough debris could be removed to allow even Bogdan's massive, metal-armored frame through.

~ ok gang, we're finally back in business. Thank you again for everyone's patience as I've been struggling to get back into the swing of things again! I still have quite a few pms and emails to respond to but I again offer my grateful appreciations to those that reached out until I can finally get around to responding and saying so personally.

As always, please let me know if you have any questions or need any further clarifications!

TOD: now 8:30am of Day 6 on island (Total time since departed Karagonia: 18 days)

HPs/Status: Bog 28/28 ; Caelvanna 22/25 ; Emm 9/10 ; Ulrich 12/16 ; Lauranna 9/9
WIH (primary/secondary): Bog – spear & shield; Caelvanna – short bow (arrows fired: 6/quiver: 18 left) ; Emm – spear ; Ulrich – mace/shield ; Lauranna - short sword (SC = spell component/spell to cast)
M.O./Location (In the coastal cave) At the cave in beyond the corner: Lauranna , Caelvanna , Bogdan , Ulrich , Emm

[Nuke66]

Interested to take a look, Lauranna sheds her back before asking "Anyone got a rope?"

[Alethan]

Interested to take a look, Lauranna sheds her back before asking "Anyone got a rope?"

Bog removes his pack and pulls out his 50' hemp rope and passes it to Lauranna.

[tkrexx]

Feeling a bit helpless at the moment, Emm whispers, Have a care...

[Nuke66]

The elf maiden reaches down and ties the end of the rope to her ankle. "I'll crawl through, if I got trouble, I'll call to pull me back."

She sheds her pack and starts navigating the narrow passage.

[dmw71]

Caelvanna will keep her bow readied. She will initially assess the possibility of providing missile coverage to Lauranna once she passes through the opening. If that seems too risky or not possible, she'll remain alert and watch the groups back.