EWC: Into the underwater grotto!

[Argennian]

~ Bogdan, Lauranna and Emm swim into the northern passage and are soon beyond the visual range of their dwarf and Wild elf companions waiting back in the watery tunnel...

After about 30 feet, the smaller passage breaks into a startlingly large underwater chamber. Bog enters with light coin held out front, piercing and destroying the darkness and shadows nearby the mouth of the smaller passage. Although it does not illuminate the far side of the massive grotto, they can see small fish scatter and numerous other tiny creatures down on the floor of the chamber scrambling for cover into the rocks and dark-colored coral some 20+ feet below them. The underwater roof of the grotto is solid rock in this area about 5 feet above them.

Lauranna and Emm enter behind Bog and take in the scene as well. All three of them notice that the temperature of the water is slightly warmer here and that it does not taste as salty as it was before or burn their eyes as much. They also think they can hear the echo of water dumping into the grotto somewhere beyond the 60 foot illuminating range of their magical coin. Although the continual light does not shine directly upon the far side, it does reflect and sparkle off what could be air bubbles straight ahead up near the roof of the chamber, say around 75-80 feet away, perhaps being generated by water pouring in from somewhere above?

Actions?

******************************************

Time Spent Underwater
Bog: 3 rounds
Emm: 3 rounds
Lauranna: 1 round

Invisibility to Animals spell: duration: 13 minutes (1 turn + 1rd/level) Bog: 8 minutes left, Lauranna: 9 minutes left, Emm: 10 minutes left (represents the order Emm cast the spells in)

Water Breathing spell: duration: 3 hours (18 turns; 6 turns/level) 2 hours 57 minutes left

Potion of Water Breathing: 1 hour (6 turns) + 1-10 minutes (DM's roll! ) 57 minutes + 1-10 minutes left

Lauranna: Holding her breath (1eDSG,p12-book/p13-pdf): 3 minutes left


OOC: ok then gang, let me know if you have any questions or need any further clarifications!

TOD: 8:03am of Day 6 on island (Total time since departed Karagonia: 18 days)

HPs/Status: Bog 28/28 ; Emm 10/10 , Lauranna 9/9
WIH (primary/secondary): Bog – spear/light coin ; Emm – spear ; Lauranna - none/short sword (SC = spell component/spell to cast)
M.O./Location In the underwater northern grotto: Emm , Bogdan , Lauranna

[Alethan]

Bog moves in the direction of up to see if there is air above them at some point. If not, then he'll move towards the direction that seems to indicate the pouring water (waterfall?).

[Nuke66]

Lauranna hurries toward the possibility of air before she needs to bail out. She will follow the roof, hoping it opens up.

[tkrexx]

Noting her companions at the hurry, Emm will slow slightly so she cast her gaze about to prevent the trio from being snuck up on. She will, however, not let Bog and Lauranna get far from her.

[Argennian]

~ Bogdan swims upward and checks for any air pockets or openings above and finds nothing but solid rock. Lauranna begins swimming immediately north in earnest towards the sparkly reflection of what could be bubbles and the underwater, echoing sound of what may be water pouring down into the grotto. Emm completes her visual reconnoiter of the illuminated area underwater, looking for anything approaching or taking interest in the trio of subsurface alien intruders.

Seeing Lauranna swimming forward with the urgent need for air, Bog follows. Due wearing no armor or restrictive clothing or gear, he easily catches up to her while Emm waits a moment and begins swimming behind them. The High elf and half-orc approach where they can now clearly see is in fact air bubbles swirling. There is definitely water pouring in from above and the ripple of what should be the surface in an area roughly 8 feet long by 6 feet wide, roughly oval in shape.

Lauranna bursts through the surface right beside and partially under a waterfall falling from above and takes a huge breath of stale air from the panicked effort. She coughs as she gets some of the warmer and apparently fresh water falling from above in her mouth. There is easily enough space there to surface around the waterfall instead of under it, and could accommodate 3-4 people treading water. Bogdan pokes his head above the surface as well to get a better look. Emm closes in behind them, keeping frosty on that visual reconnoiter for any movement around and below them. Other than small fish and little bottom-walking critters swimming and crawling away from the light, the druid sees nothing larger or more menacing.

Now that the light coin is close, the High elf and half-orc can see that there's an area about 6 feet above the surface, roughly conical in shape, albeit somewhat jagged and uneven. There's a small 6-8" opening where the water is flowing in from the top, in what could be a somewhat westerly direction. There is a kind of fungus or greenish covering on the areas not underwater that sparkles and elicits a sudden eerie glow as the light from the coin shines on it. The air in this tiny area is musty and dank but breathable, indicating that oxygen must be getting in here along the path of the slightly warm fresh water coming in.


Actions?

******************************************

Time Spent Underwater
Bog: 4 rounds (before surfacing)
Emm: 4 rounds (still underwater)
Lauranna: 2 rounds (but used 3 rounds worth of air before surfacing*)

Invisibility to Animals spell: duration: 13 minutes (1 turn + 1rd/level) Bog: 7 minutes left, Lauranna: 8 minutes left, Emm: 9 minutes left (represents the order Emm cast the spells in)

Water Breathing spell: duration: 3 hours (18 turns; 6 turns/level) 2 hours 56 minutes left

Potion of Water Breathing: 1 hour (6 turns) + 1-10 minutes (DM's roll! ) 56 minutes + 1-10 minutes left

Lauranna: Holding her breath (1eDSG,p12-book/p13-pdf): had 1 minutes left!*
(* ~ note: Lauranna had to swim swiftly to make the air pocket so actually ended up using another minute worth of air to double her effective movement rate underwater; see below.)

POP1: Swimming & moving in water: (1eDSG,p13-book/p14-pdf) The rules are divided into three basic functions: endurance, speed and diving. The overall encumbrance of a individual makes a difference to all the aforementioned functions listed, as well as their ability to surface when underwater. An unencumbered individual effectively doubles the normal limit(s).
Normal speed swimming underwater is 40 feet/round for humans and 30 feet/round for demihumans and humanoids. A character can swim at high speed, effectively doubling that speed but cutting their time to hold their breath in half (see previous post's OOC for Lauranna). Strength adds a bonus to this as well. You can read pgs 12-14 (or 13-15 on pdf) in the 1eDSG to become familiar with the basic mechanics I'll be referencing.

OOC: ok then gang, let me know if you have any questions or need any further clarifications!

TOD: 8:04am of Day 6 on island (Total time since departed Karagonia: 18 days)

HPs/Status: Bog 28/28 ; Emm 10/10 , Lauranna 9/9
WIH (primary/secondary): Bog – spear/light coin ; Emm – spear ; Lauranna - none/short sword (SC = spell component/spell to cast)
M.O./Location In the underwater northern grotto: (in the waterfall air pocket) Bogdan , Lauranna ; (underwater just below them) Emm

[tkrexx]

Emm looks about the small chamber for a route out of the water. She will use her 3rd level Druidical ability to identify the greenish, light-catching plant growth near her, without actually touching it.

[Alethan]

While all are in the pocket of air, he says, "Lauranna, you wanna go back and take a hit off that potion real quick? Can't guarantee air pockets every few hundred feet and we need to move fast. Enter, look for anything interesting, move on." He speaks in short sentences to conserve air.

... and because I feel I'm giving Bogdan too much of a grasp of common. Don't want to make him sound like he has an INT of 3, but he shouldn't sound like he has a classical education, either.

Regardless of her response, while the other two examine the waterfall, Bog submerges again. Without taking light from the surface (so, only going down 30' or so), he tries to examine the floor of the room, looking for anything unusual - anything man-made, unusual rock formations, objects that appear out of place. After a cursory examination, he'll move back up and indicate the need to move on.

[Nuke66]

Lauranna surfaces and refreshes her breath, happy to note there is a pocket of air, albeit stale. At Bog's suggestion, she replies, "I will return to the others as we have only one light source." Treading water she continues "Do not tarry, if you do not return in 15 minutes, we will attempt to follow, but at least I know the first turn." She takes a deep breath and returns to the others.

[Argennian]

OOC: sorry for my confusion but is Lauranna attempting to swim back to the others in the dark and then stating that she'll wait there for 15 minutes before coming back?

Just as a heads up, if she tries to swim back through the grotto in the dark without a light source, she might have to search a bit to find the passage leading out. I would probably require a d100 roll to adjudicate how much difficulty she'd have doing so. Remember she used 3 of her 4 minutes of breath to get to where they are now, so if she had difficulty finding the passage that could be cutting it close!

As a point of order, as long as Bog could follow her back with the light coin far enough for her to be able to find the passage leading south out of the large grotto, she could then easily navigate the tunnels back to the crab den in the dark. Returning would be easy enough as she'd see the light from the coin again once she reentered the grotto. That is granted, of course, that Bog and the light coin are still waiting there!

[Alethan]

Once he searches the floor, they can all swim to the intersection and she can head back and he and Emm can move on. Bog would advise against attempting to come after them without a light source if she waits 15 minutes and they do not return.

Better to return and grab a swig of the potion and join back up or just wait it out with the other two.

[Nuke66]

OOC: Ok, Ok, I get it. She will drink a swig on the potion.

[Argennian]

~ While the others are still treading water within the confines of the air pocket where the warm, freshwater waterfall pours into the underwater grotto, Emm joins them and takes her first look within the roughly conical area to more closely examine the strange fungus that encompasses the area above the surface. It sparkles as it reflects the illumination of the light coin and elicits an eerie glow that seems to grow in intensity when the coin is brought closer. Although the young druid has already learned much from her study of her master's ancient magical tolm, she has never seen anything quite like it. From what she can deduce about it's properties, it seems to be perpetuating by what must be a unique blend of heavy minerals present within the porous rock and distillation of the salt water with what she determines is fresh water flowing down from above.

Bogdan offers some words of advise to Lauranna as the druid continues her scrutiny, recommending that she return to the watery cave above and take a swig of the the potion of water breathing lest she find herself in too big of gap between opportunities to breath fresh air in the underwater environ. Lauranna responds in agreement with the half-orc's short proffering and after a few deep breaths of the dank, stale air, dives down and begins swimming back towards the small passage that leads south out of the massive grotto. Realizing that she'll need light to guide her lest she get lost or discombobulated in the dark underwater environ, Bogdan follows her back until she locates the passage and enters it.

As the half-orc and High elf swim away with the magical light source, Emm discovers another property of the strange, alien-looking fungus. It continues to glow steadily afterward, even though there is no longer illumination shining upon and around it. For how long it will do so remains unknown but the intensity of its glow represents that it may be awhile. The druidess is also fairly certain that it should be safe to touch.

Bogdan heads back from his lighted escort along the rocky bottom of the grotto, intent on making a closer reconnoiter of what he sees to be dead coral and extremely dark, porous rock. Tiny fish, crabs and strange-looking insect-like critters scramble out of the magical illumination of the light coin and down into the rock as he approaches. The big fighter can see nothing that looks man-made or unusual in comparison to the surroundings but he does note more pieces of small dead crustacean shells and fish bones scattered about here and there. One thing of note he does see is a strange type of slow-moving sea slug. It's about two feet long by about a half foot wide and tall with a dozen "feeler whiskers" around its mouth area. It looks to be golden-colored and is covered with bright reddish spots all along its body. It does not seem to mind the bright light nearby it and crawls along slow and steadily through the dead corral on a mission of unknown intent.

Seeing nothing else of interest that he can discern along the bottom, Bogdan swims back up to meet with Emm. The druid is still busy studying the strange fungal moss within the crevice above the surface.


Actions?

******************************************

Time Spent Underwater: (in the grotto & passages)
Bog: 6 rounds
Emm: 6 rounds

Invisibility to Animals spell: duration: 13 minutes (1 turn + 1rd/level) Bog: 5 minutes left, Lauranna: 6 minutes left, Emm: 7 minutes left (represents the order Emm cast the spells in)

Water Breathing spell: duration: 3 hours (18 turns; 6 turns/level) 2 hours 54 minutes left

Potion of Water Breathing: 1 hour (6 turns) + 1-10 minutes (DM's roll! ) 54 minutes + 1-10 minutes left

POP1: Swimming & moving in water: (1eDSG,p13-book/p14-pdf) The rules are divided into three basic functions: endurance, speed and diving. The overall encumbrance of a individual makes a difference to all the aforementioned functions listed, as well as their ability to surface when underwater. An unencumbered individual effectively doubles the normal limit(s).
Normal speed swimming underwater is 40 feet/round for humans and 30 feet/round for demihumans and humanoids. A character can swim at high speed, effectively doubling that speed but cutting their time to hold their breath in half (see previous post's OOC for Lauranna). Strength adds a bonus to this as well. You can read pgs 12-14 (or 13-15 on pdf) in the 1eDSG to become familiar with the basic mechanics I'll be referencing.

OOC: not sure if you guys wanted to wait here in the grotto by the warm freshwater waterfall or return to the intersection to wait for Lauranna. I saw that Al posted as much but did not see a response from Rexx to that effect so thought to give you both a chance to report to each other IC and decide from there. It's going to take roughly 4-5 minutes for Lauranna to return to the watery cave, take a sip of the potion and swim back. Unless of course, something happens to extend that particular time projection...

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

TOD: 8:06am of Day 6 on island (Total time since departed Karagonia: 18 days)

HPs/Status: Bog 28/28 ; Emm 10/10
WIH (primary/secondary): Bog – spear/light coin ; Emm – spear (SC = spell component/spell to cast)
M.O./Location In the underwater northern grotto: (in the waterfall air pocket) Bogdan , Emm

[Alethan]

Bog stares at Emm curiously, "Whatcha go there? What's all that fungus about, then, eh?" He pries off a large piece of it. Noting its brightness in the shadow of the coin's light, he closes the coin tightly in the palm of his hand to see what happens. When the fungus glows brightly, he smiles and produces a small sack and passes it over to her. "No time to study it here. Take some with you, if you want, but don't take more than half of what is there. We can study it in detail back at the camp."

Unless she delays to do something more than remove a large chunk of fungus to bring back with them, Bog will wait for her nod of approval and then head back to the intersection.

When they get to that intersection, he will move just a little ways east down the main tunnel before pausing. He then sets the glowing chunk of moss on the floor of the cave and again covers the coin to see how much light it provides. If it is enough to see by...

What kind of radius of light does it produce, Mitch?

... then he'll draw an arrow pointing east in the sand and leave the moss right next to it to indicate to Lauranna that they are headed east, if they do happen to get out of light range (which he doesn't suspect they will do just yet).

[tkrexx]

It glows, Emm replies, almost excitedly, and tries to peel some of the lichen from the cave wall. If she manages to pry away enough, the trio will have a second light source, tho not as bright as the light coin.

[Argennian]

~ Bogdan surfaces and queries his fellow underwater explorer about the strange, sparkly lichen-like clusters present. Emm excitedly states the obvious. It glows! But it's not known or fully realized just how much until the big half-orc closes his barrel fist around the magical coin and completely snuffs it's illuminating properties for the first time...

The entire roughly 8 foot long (east to west) by 6 foot wide (north to south) conical area almost 6 feet in height above the surface and all about the waterfall is now completely lit up as if there were dozens of candles positioned within! The light is nowhere near as bright and as that of the the light coin's, or a normal light source such as a torch or lantern for that matter, and is much more of a greenish-silver glow by comparison. Regardless, there are many clusters of the glowing lichen and it's still a wonder to behold. They are now bright enough to softly illuminate the waters @ 30 feet in every direction as well as the rocky coral bottom @ 25 feet below.

Bog puts the light coin back in the heavy leather pouch he wears around his neck so he doesn't drop it and grabs one of the sacks from his belt. He hands it to Emm and recommends that she take some samples to study at a later time. The druid reaches up and is able to pry a 4"x4" clump of the hard, barely-pliable lichen from the rock. It produces tiny shards as it snaps off, which continue to sparkle all silvery as they slowly sink. The strange alga fungus continues to produce its greenish-silver glow, and even feels warm to the tough, but once Emm has the small piece underwater, she can see that it does not glow nearly as brightly as it just had in the air pocket above the surface. In fact, it looks as if it gets slightly dimmer after it's kept underwater for a few moments. Not too quickly but the druidess can roughly anticipate it would likely not last more than a turn (10 minutes).

There are still plenty of other clumps of the eerie glowing alga fungus about on the rough, rock walls, say forty or fifty at least. While Bogdan has the light coin stashed in its pouch, the little fish and critters below swim up from and crawl out of the dead rocky coral to hungrily go after the tiny silver shards that sank downward from where the lichen was broken off the rock. In fact, not being able to detect the two magically-concealed island invaders swimming there or having to brave the bright, intrusive light of the coin, the little fish swim up much closer for a better look at what's going on...


******************************************


*** Going to need a d20 spot check roll (Int or lower) for Bog & Emm, as well as a d6 surprise roll for the duo, please! ***


Time Spent Underwater: (in the grotto & passages)
Bog: 7 rounds
Emm: 7 rounds

Invisibility to Animals spell: duration: 13 minutes (1 turn + 1rd/level) Bog: 4 minutes left, Lauranna: 5 minutes left, Emm: 6 minutes left (represents the order Emm cast the spells in)

Water Breathing spell: duration: 3 hours (18 turns; 6 turns/level) 2 hours 53 minutes left

Potion of Water Breathing: 1 hour (6 turns) + 1-10 minutes (DM's roll) 53 minutes + 1-10 minutes left

What kind of radius of light does it produce, Mitch?

OOC: we'll say the light radius of roughly a 4"x4" piece* of the alga fungus is akin to half that of a standard game candle. That is also halved again when under water due it's much softer, greener light. So that would be 10 ft. radius (20' diameter) above water and 5 ft radius (10' diameter) underwater. As noted above, how long the illumination will last under the water is unknown at present.
(* most common size clump/cluster, otherwise it's a 2"x2" piece for half the above)

... then he'll draw an arrow pointing east in the sand and leave the moss right next to it to indicate to Lauranna that they are headed east, if they do happen to get out of light range (which he doesn't suspect they will do just yet).

(I know I haven't advanced the action to this point yet but wanted to make a C-POP)

Clarification Point of Order Pomegranate: there is not really any sand present within in the tunnels leading out of the crab den nor in the underwater grotto (that you've seen to present). Or at least not enough to fashion a discernible arrow as described. There are small rocks, pieces of dead coral and other detritus present but from what you've seen to present, it's mostly just passages and natural chambers within solid rock.

Guess you could always leave a trail of pieces of lichen though?

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

TOD: 8:07am of Day 6 on island (Total time since departed Karagonia: 18 days)

HPs/Status: Bog 28/28 ; Emm 10/10
WIH (primary/secondary): Bog – spear/light coin ; Emm – spear (SC = spell component/spell to cast)
M.O./Location In the underwater northern grotto: (in the waterfall air pocket) Bogdan , Emm

[tkrexx]

INT roll: [1d20] = 19
Always when I DON'T need it.

Surprise roll: [1d6] = 6

[Alethan]

Spot check [1d20] = 18

Don't think that's going to happen here, either...

Surprise roll...
Initiative [1d6] = 5

[Argennian]

~ It's the strange and fascinating glowing lichen, or more so, the thoughtful plans and considerations of it's harvesting and near future deployment, that appear to keep the attentions of both underwater explorers. While looking up to the task at hand, they fail to notice the small fish around them scatter instinctively for precious cover below. A large shadow looms up to the edge of greenish-silver light from out of the northern darkness of the still mostly unexplored grotto...

When it's head enters the light, the sheer size of it instantly draws Bog and Emm's attention. They both spin to see a disturbingly large giant rock fish staring straight at them 25 feet away! It's head must be 6 feet wide and it's gaping razor-toothed mouth easily double that. An oscar sierra moment for sure as you instantly realize it could swallow you whole. It's huge golden eyes must be a foot and half across and their penetrating stare goes way beyond uncomfortable.

It swims slowly into the lichen's soft, illuminating glow, mouth gaping open in anticipation and frightful eyes scanning for sparkles or possibly their sparkling source. It's 20 feet away and closing...


Actions?

******************************************

Time Spent Underwater: (in the grotto & passages)
Bog: 7 rounds
Emm: 7 rounds

Invisibility to Animals spell: duration: 13 minutes (1 turn + 1rd/level) Bog: 4 minutes left, Lauranna: 5 minutes left, Emm: 6 minutes left
Water Breathing spell: duration: 3 hours (18 turns; 6 turns/level) Emm: 2 hours 53 minutes left
Potion of Water Breathing: 1 hour (6 turns) + 1-10 minutes (DM's roll) Bog: 53 minutes + 1-10 minutes left


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

TOD: 8:07am of Day 6 on island (Total time since departed Karagonia: 18 days)

HPs/Status: Bog 28/28 ; Emm 10/10
WIH (primary/secondary): Bog – spear (coin in necklace pouch) ; Emm – spear/sack (SC = spell component/spell to cast)
M.O./Location In the underwater northern grotto: (in the waterfall/ air pocket area starring at big fish!) Bogdan , Emm

[Alethan]

Hoping Emm's spell is sill in effect, Bog drops any of the lichen he still has and backs away from the grotto. If it can't see the half orc and the human, then maybe it is drawn to the movement of the lichen...

He motions for Emm to do the same.

If it finds nothing to eat, maybe it will swim away.

OOC: where are we currently? I thought we'd moved back to the intersection to wait for the elf...

[tkrexx]

Emm immediately follows Bog's lead, aware she is as completely helpless against this gigantic creature as the Half-Orc, moreso even. It's too large even for her Hold Animal charm! Any lichen she holds also floats to the bottom. She quickly checks to be sure none of the sparklies remain in her hands. Hopefully the duo can reach the smaller portion of the underwater tunnel before the beast can locate them.