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

[sorceresslite]

We'll be fine, [ ella assures her, smiling kindly. ] We'll take care of this. Thank you for your help.

[ turning from the woman, she peers up at christos. ] I've a few swan boat feather tokens. Y'think one'll fit through the cave mouth?

[ SHE REALLY DOESN'T WANT TO SWIM. ]

[anthophobia]

[Katniss looks over at Christos as Ella asks that question and notices him gesture, giving her the go ahead. That has her looking back over at the woman with a slightly confused look in her eye because she has...no idea what she's talking about.]

[sorceresslite]

[ with the go ahead from christos, ella rifles around in her bag before pulling out a small feather and creeping to the edge of the shore. she sets it atop the water and a moment later a swan like boat is waiting for them, bobbing serenely in the water and much larger than they need, able to fit the six of them easily and maybe twenty four other people...

they won't need a bigger boat. ] Ta-da!

[farmgirlfighter]

[ Gaz was fully prepared to swim— still is, if that boat ends up not working. But she just shrugs and casts Ella an appreciative glance. ]

Handy.

[everyredcent]

Stay alert within. We've no idea where trouble may lurk. [ christos cautions as risa steps into the boat, bunching her robes in one hand. He waits until the others are in before leaping nimbly inside, the boat rocking gently beneath them. ]

[anthophobia]

[Katniss gets onto the boat and takes her place on wherever will give her the highest/best vantage point so she can keep a look out (listen 25, spot crit fail - lmao it's dark as fuck i guess).]

[buttholy]

[dante clambers into the boat with everyone else wheeee.] I guess this is one way to do it. [ spot 24, listen 25]

[layonhands]

[ risa keeps an eye out as well, staring at the unique crystal formations that line the cavern here and there (spot 20, listen 17). ] It's rather beautiful, really.

[farmgirlfighter]

[ Gaz takes up position near the front of the boat, eyes and ears peeled. (listen 10, spot 28 w/ low light vision) ] If you like darkness and creepy things, sure.

[ Very pointedly not looking at the drow... ]

[sorceresslite]

[ ella's spot and listen are both shit, which is most likely due to her focus being on casting false life on herself for 15 temporary hit points for 8 hours. just in case. ]

[everyredcent]

[ the small river enters into a wider cavern, hitting dry land ahead. it is gaz, however, who notices that the river continues to flow around a rock formation hidden in shadow to the left, and as they float farther past, she cranes her neck back and sees a section of cavern wall that looks to have been recently removed, leading into a dry tunnel, where rubble still lies at its mouth. the others oblivious to it, christos continues to steer the boat towards the back of the cavern. he ignores gaz's comment entirely as he peers ahead. ]

[farmgirlfighter]

[ With a wisdom check of 16, Gaz manages to remember Christos' name as she waves her arm to get his attention. ]

Christos, stop. Over there.

[ And she points out the removed section of wall. ]

[anthophobia]

[At the sound of someone directing Christos somewhere, Katniss' own sight is drawn in that direction as she looks to where the woman is pointing.]

[sorceresslite]

[ ella turns and follows where gaz is pointing and still sees nothing??? ella's life istg. so now her head is whipping back and forth like what's there, what's this, what's happening? ]

[buttholy]

[he also has low-light vision, so that with his high spot probably get his attention real good after gaz points it out.]

It looks like a tunnel.

[just in case christos was going to ignore gaz :') ]

[everyredcent]

[ christos turns the boat around to approach that way. ] ... A rather fresh tunnel, at that. [ he pulls it up to the bit of shore there, and as they disembark, they can see that the tunnel slopes precipitously into the depths ]

[anthophobia]

[Katniss jumps onto the shore, making her way closer to the tunnel to see if she can see anything as they move closer.]

We'll have to be careful. It looks steep.

[everyredcent]

[ characters can either make a balance or climb check to head down - balance allows them to move full speed - but they can only try one or another ] Take your time. We don't need to fall into something's waiting lap.

[anthophobia]

[Even if she could try to go her full movement speed, Katniss still takes Christos' suggestion and moves slowly as she goes first(?), trying to step carefully down the tunnel (balance 16).]

[farmgirlfighter]

[ Gaz follows, taking her time so she can try to spot and/or track any footprints. (climb 16, survival 14 with the 'track' feat) ]

[buttholy]

[dante is actually knows how to climb so that what he's doing. he only did okay-ish tho oh well. (climb 16) ]

[sorceresslite]

[ ella ruins this parade of 16s with a balance check of 10. huffs. st patrick slithers along by himself like bye bitch haha (balance 21). ]

1/2

[layonhands]

[ even a 10 is enough! which is good because that's what risa gets too, stepping gingerly down the tunnel, keeping one hand on the wall ]

[everyredcent]

[ with a 23 balance, christos easily moves ahead of the others as they head down, and gaz notices light footsteps in the dirt heading in both directions - up and down. there are multiple pairs, suggesting they aren't the first group to move through here recently. the tunnel ends abruptly in a wall of hewn granite that looks rather out of place among these natural tunnels. a hole gapes in the floor right in front of the wall, and a large iron ring is set securely into the floor a couple of feet from the lip of the hole. it's completely dark down that hole, but a rope is tied to the ring and dangles into it. ]

[sorceresslite]

Creepy. [ ella peers down the hole into, you know, darkness. and sees more darkness. cool. so she casts dancing lights. four pale green will-o'-the-wisps shaped lights flutter over the hole before drifting down it while ella watches to see if they'll reach the bottom. (range is 180 ft.) ]