On the Rift Floor (G2 Part 4 - Arqos, Krom, and Hollis Only)

[Magnus]

Time: ??
Location: RIFT FLOOR
Weather: Cold, damn cold. And damn windy. Visibility 30' at best.
______________________________

The last thing they remember is the impact...the hard crush of ice, the shatter, but then soft cushioning of snow which likely saved each of their lives. Each hero comes to...they cannot tell if it has been a minute, an hour, or a day. Each man's body lies prone on the Rift floor and aches to its core. Their faces are numb with cold. The first stages of frostbite are undoubtedly set in.

Sense begins to find its way back to each hero. The air is cold -- even by the standards of the Rift. A relentless, howling wind swirls around them. It is difficult to hear anything. Snow swirls around them. Nothing can be seen upwards except for pure white. The wall of the Rift, which is within their view, disappears about 30' up. Their surroundings include a small hillock (near Krom), a smaller one and an enormous chunk of ice, which also disappears into the swirling snow.

The heroes begin to move and can just start to clamor to their feet. They need to decide what to do.

HP:
Arqos: 17/91 (-13) !!
Hollis: 1/52 !!!
Krom: 4/46 !!!

MAP:

Glacial Rift (10).jpg (46.29 KiB) Viewed 1367 times

[GreyWolfVT]

Brax has 3 potions of extra healing he would have given one to Throm and one to Krom what is your verdict on this Magnus? Too late to do this now wait and see if Krom makes it out or sure but there is a chance it broke in the fall?

[Magnus]

Brax has 3 potions of extra healing he would have given one to Throm and one to Krom what is your verdict on this Magnus? Too late to do this now wait and see if Krom makes it out or sure but there is a chance it broke in the fall?

Not on their sheet, they don't have it, I am afraid. Been saying that rule over and over again and did not enforce it at least once.

You also reminded me that I did not roll item saving throws for two fireballs and a crushing fall. Maybe I will let that one go...

[Zhym]

Arqos lays hands on Krom to bring him back from the edge of death.

"We survived a tremendous fall and yet live," he says. "The Lord looks after us, even in this cold place of darkness. Let us pray that He leads us to safety."

Thank the DM for not rolling item saving throws!

So, what's "damned cold" to someone from LA?

[saalaria]

Hollis shakes his head to clear the dull thumping he is experiencing. He check himself over - nothing broken. He is in a bad way.

He heals himself:

Cure Serious Wounds [2d8+1] = 4+1 = 5

[saalaria]

He then heals again:

Cure Light Wounds [1d8] = 4

And moves closer to the others.
"We need to get out of here and find somewhere to recover as we are all in need of healing. What healing I have remaining today will not put us back to a state to face any giants. I think we want to head back to the northern end of the rift and look for a way up. What do you think?"

[GreyWolfVT]

Krom "Thank ya kindly for the healin. Good thing us dwarves have thick skulls or surely I'd be dead. Then again you two must be part dwarf. For you both surely are build strong like em. Yes outta here is a great idea anyone got a way to fly up outta here or shall we see if we have any climbing gear?"

Brax has 3 potions of extra healing he would have given one to Throm and one to Krom what is your verdict on this Magnus? Too late to do this now wait and see if Krom makes it out or sure but there is a chance it broke in the fall?

Not on their sheet, they don't have it, I am afraid. Been saying that rule over and over again and did not enforce it at least once.

You also reminded me that I did not roll item saving throws for two fireballs and a crushing fall. Maybe I will let that one go...

loud n clear Magnus
Damned cold I live in VT so it must be at least -30 degrees fahrenheit
Zhym for LA it is 50 and your cold right? So really damned cold must be 30 degrees

[Magnus]

less than 50 is damn cold here...though I lived in colder places for years, including along the Canadian border.

[Zhym]

When he finishes laying hands on Krom, Arqos quaffs his potion of extra-healing and looks around for signs of a splattered dragon and a wounded giant. "Whatever healing powers your god has given you, I suggest you use them," he tells Hollis. "They may not allow us to defeat giants, but maybe we the healing would allow us to survive an encounter."

Potion of extra healing: [3d8+3] = 12+3 = 15

Based on the maps I have, there's only one ramp from the floor of the rift to the upper ledges, which would make this our only way out unless we have some other way to fly or climb out:

Rift Floor.png (1.48 MiB) Viewed 1335 times

[GreyWolfVT]

If that is correct I vote we go that route.

[Zhym]

There will probably be giants along that path, though maybe the insect plague will have cleared most of them out. But unless the dragon or giant has something we could loot to help us out of here or someone can polymorph into something big enough to carry us out of here (or cast "Animate Dead" on the dragon...), that's probably our only option.

[GreyWolfVT]

very well. I just don't see much else we can do myself being only a fighter. All I can offer is more every-man type suggestions, climb out if we can, walk out on the only ramp or one of the magic using folks do something magicy

[saalaria]

I'm in agreement with all this - ill shortly use all healing then we should head for the ramop up unless Jinx has any magical help for us

[Magnus]

Time: ?? +1 min
Location: RIFT FLOOR
Weather: -10 F; strong wind; visibility 30' at best.
______________________________

The three heroes rise, broken and battered from the Rift floor.

Hollis is the first to act; he calls to the Old Gods for healing. His shout is rendered but a whisper on the floor of the Rift, but his prayer is heard.

Hollis recover 5 HP

Arqos makes his way over to Krom, and lays hands upon the dwarf. The power of the LORD brings the dwarf to nearly half-strength and perhaps inspires a sense of faith in the doughty warrior.

Krom recover 18 HP

Arqos sheathes his blade and pulls a healing potion from his pack. Krom catches his breath and recovers his trusty crossbow. Just then, the hillock nearest to Krom begins to undulate, then springs to life!!! Arqos and Krom are surprised.

A white psuedopod lashes forward at Krom, melting his crossbow and thudding into his chest. The dwarf's magical banded armor sizzles and smokes as the arm of the blob secrets a highly corrosive agent of some kind.

Another psudeopod curls around the paladin's feet. His magical boots also smoke and sizzle. The paladin instinctively tries to hop away.

Arqos - roll save versus acid for the boots. No PfE bonus.

The cleric just completes his healing spell as he sees the scene unfold in front of him.

Hollis recover 4 HP

And so the heroes who have remarkably survived a fall to the floor of the Rift have come upon a new foe perhaps even deadlier than Giants....

Declare Actions!!!

HP:
Arqos: 17/91 (-13)!
Hollis: 14/52!
Krom: 22/46

Equipment damage:
Krom: crossbow useless; armor damaged
Arqos: ??

No map - Arqos is next to Krom. The hillock nearest to them is the one that is alive. Ouch...you guys landed right on this encounter square!

[Zhym]

Well, this is going to be short-lived.

Boots: save vs. acid [1d20+2] = 11+2 = 13

+2 for being magical.

[Zhym]

Arqos, though not much for thinking, is not so dumb to think that using a metal sword against an acid blob would be a good idea.

"Run!" he cries. "We cannot defeat this thing, but maybe we can outrun it. Go! I will cover our retreat!"

The holy warrior drinks his healing potion. He follows the other two as they try to get out of the floor of the rift, taking a position to protect them against the acid blob as they flee.

[GreyWolfVT]

Krom throws whats left of the bow and strips off the armor and runs as ordered/instructed being uncharacteristic of his kind but he knows the only way to live is run.

[saalaria]

Hollis too assesses the situation as flight requirred and joins the dwarf in running.

[Magnus]

Round 1

The party hastily moves to retreat. But the monster strikes first!!!

Krom sees his precious banded mail burn away to ashes. Arqos hops out of the way of the immediate attack, saving his boots.

The heroes try to retreat. Krom is burned horribly across his body for his trouble. A viscous white psuedopod rubs across the legs of the paladin burning the greaves of Arqos's armor.

Krom 12 damage!

Each party member takes a few steps southwest. Their feet crunch through a layer of ice and up to their knees into the snow beneath. Travel will be slow. Even Arqos's magical boots do not afford him normal movement. The biting winds and the howling curtains of thick snow only amplify the heroes' disorientation. Krom and Arqos make it 30' or so southwest of the monster -- Hollis makes it about 60' from the monster. The old adventurers' adage about only needing to outrun the party's slowest member seems to hold true.

What does the party do? Perhaps if they take the initiative, they can escape the senses of the mindless blob. If they go the wrong way -- perhaps not!

Declare Actions!

HP:
Arqos: 17/91 (-13)!
Hollis: 14/52!
Krom: 12/46!!

Equipment damage:
Krom: crossbow useless; armor destroyed.
Arqos: armor damaged

No map - Arqos is next to Krom next to the large hillock. Hollis is in the SW corner of the map.

[Zhym]

No saving throw for magical armor vs. acid? Also, was Arqos unable to drink his healing potion?

Arqos continues trying to interpose himself between the blog and the other party members, while trying to down a potion (the healing potion if he wasn't able to do it last round and can do it this round; the potion of super-heroism if he was able to drink the healing potion last round).

Also: Arqos should have worn the amulet today. A Chariot of Fire would be damned useful right about now.