xibalba ♔ sublime | like a heartbeat | in its own beat

[everyredcent]

Heartbeat - Gazelle Twin 

WHO || Christos, Risa, Gaz, Ella, Katniss, Dante  [closed] 
WHAT || The Knights explore several drow raids stemming from a series of caverns in Belize
WHERE || Cave of the Crystal Sepulchre, Belize 
WHEN || March (date TBD)
HOW || Actionspam (single thread)

[ Travel to the Mountain Nature Reserve goes smoothly, and as promised, a woman who works for the park meets them and escorts them within as 'researchers', guiding them towards the area near the cavern entrances.  She speaks very fluent English and makes it clear that she's willing to put her job at risk getting them in there if it means putting a halt to these attacks before waiting for it to get cleared through red tape with the authorities.  She stops them at the cave mouth, nodding at the entrance. ]

From here, you must swim inside of the cave, and then wade up the river within for about a kilometer before you will reach dry ground.  The caverns stretch within for another few kilometers.  Will you be alright from here?

Comments

[everyredcent]

There's no need. [ oh god no. he squats near the edge and reaches out, gripping one of the large strings of webbing in his hand, tugging on it hard. he nods against the distant side of the cliff... where the webs connect to a series of holes. ] This is how they're getting around.

[anthophobia]

[Katniss looks extremely unenthused about this.]

Great.

[So much sarcasm omg. But fine she's securing her bow since she sure as fuck doesn't want to lose it to the ravine during this fun little exercise.]

[farmgirlfighter]

[ Gaz stores her swords as well, because sharp things + fragile webs = falling really really far down. ]

[sorceresslite]

[ ella approaches christos warily. ] I should go first, yeah? I'm the lightest.

[ she is roughly the size of a nine year old after all. she's kind of hoping christos will be like nah tho. ]

[everyredcent]

Katniss, keep an arrow knocked. Whatever made those webs might still be around. [ with that, he nods ella ahead. ]

[anthophobia]

[Katniss' eyebrows lift briefly before she nods. As Christos nods for Ella to go ahead, she's drawing her bow again, reaching for an arrow so that she can train it on the webs below, readying an action to attack if a danger presents itself.]

[sorceresslite]

[ the tiny viper coils around her wrist as she crouches down, twisting around her arm like a living cuff. once saint patrick is secure, she gently creeps forward onto the webbing christos had tugged on (balance 20 total), keeping her eyes on the web as she goes. ]

[layonhands]

[ risa watches cautiously, holding her light spell aloft so that ella can see where she's going (make a spot check plz). ]

[sorceresslite]

[ THAT WOULD BE A 6, BOSS. she is clearly too busy trying to stay on her rope of webbing. ]

[buttholy]

[meanwhile] I mean ... I haven't really changed my mind about the flying thing. [he sheathes his sword tho, following everyone else's logic.]

[everyredcent]

I wouldn't blame you in the slightest. [ too bad most people here can't.

and extra too bad that ella isn't looking where she's going, because she wanders right into an extra fine mesh of web strands hanging from above, so she must make a reflex save to avoid being entangled ]

[sorceresslite]

[ she squeals loudly when she feels the strands touch her cheeks. (reflex save 20 total) ]

[layonhands]

[ she manages to keep her balance as she draws back from the sticky strands, and risa gasps from where she's watching ] What? What is it?

[sorceresslite]

A web! Like a trappy sort of web, it's practically invisible! [ she's gonna duck down and try to go... another way or under it? (navigate 10 wow so informative, spot 5) ]

[everyredcent]

[ she's focusing so hard on trying to see what's in front of her in the darkness that she doesn't notice... something else emerging from one of the caverns below, making its way up the web. christos sure does though. ] Get back! [ his tone brooks no argument, probably because a 25+ spot from anyone else will notice the horrifically gigantic spider (CONTENT WARNING SPIDER I love you all enough to have suffered googling that that is beginning to make its way towards her. ]

[sorceresslite]

What am I getting back from!! [ ella actually listens, jerking back and trying to back away immediately because christos isn't going to yell for no reason but her balance is for shit so she has to go slow lest she bite it. (balance 12) she's struggling. slow and steady??? ]

[anthophobia]

[Katniss was clearly focusing because she somehow sees the horrible thing in the dark (spot 26).]

Just listen to him!

[She doesn't want the girl to panic, which she might do anyway when Katniss does her readied action and fires on the spider that's making its way towards her (atk 28/24, dmg 10/5).

Aaaaand then we're going into init!]

1/2

[everyredcent]

[ both of katniss' arrows sink into its side, and christos jumps out onto another strand, barely sticking it (jump 13, ref 26 to catch a higher strand to steady himself ). ]

[layonhands]

[ risa draws her own bow as well, nocking an arrow and i'm going to just have her fire it later b/c her sheet won't load while i'm at work and i'm not gonna hold this up anymore sob ]

[farmgirlfighter]

[ Gaz only gets a 24 on spot, so she has no idea what the archers are aiming at, but she draws her swords anyway, I guess? ]

What is it, what's out there?

[ Gonna move closer to the edge, just in case... ]

[buttholy]

[dante's spot was only 11, so i doubt he can see anything either. (unsure) but he'll join gaz in drawing his sword and edging closer.]

Probably not anything good.

[herebemonsters]

[ welp they're about to sEE IT NOW because the spider comes crawling out into the open, heading right towards ella... and spits a web out at her (atk 28 vs touch ac... no save). the strands envelop her entirely, and attach to the strand she's standing on, so that she falls over... hanging off in her web cocoon. ]

[anthophobia]

Crap.

[Katniss continues her barrage on the spider, sending arrow after arrow flying (rapid shot atk 22/nat20/32, dmg 8/27/6)]

[sorceresslite]

[ meanwhile ella is like /squirms. (escape artist 14) ]

1/2

[everyredcent]

[ three more arrows strike home into the creature, the second one actually hitting it right in one of its many eyes, which causes it to make a hideous high-pitched noise that i'm sure is very comforting to ella, still wrapped up in threads as she is and unable to see what's transpiring outside.

christos manages to catch his balance much better now (balance 18) to lightly move across the strands, lashing out with his rapier to try to free ella from the web (nat 20, dmg 26). the sticky strings are split instantly by the blade, which manages not to nick her at all, annnnd she's free. ]