Tests and Trials

[Arch Lich Burns]

"It was settin' anoth'r ambush with tha spid'rs. We ain't in it's terr'tory, we were away from tha webbin's n it still tried ta eat us."

With that Joe goes back to bed. Hopefully it's done and over with.

[Dlover]

"We only assume it was setting an ambush. Maybe showing itself was a decoy, but it also may have been an attempt to keep watch on the intruders in its territory - which we can't judge just by whether there are webs - without having us think it was hiding in ambush. I don't know, demons are clever creatures. All I know is that if they weren't preparing to attack, the spider was a needless death."

[Arch Lich Burns]

Joe looks at him as if not sure how to respond. "...It isn't a dmon. If it were we'd be scr'wed even more. And Ah ain't takin' tha chance tha n ett'rcap o tha spid'rs would be friendly."

[Rodgeir]

After some argument about the intentions of the ettercap and the spiders everyone but Jaq goes back to bed.

An hour passes without incident but Jaq again gets an odd sensation like he is being watched and after scanning the perimeter slowly spots the ettercap watching. This time it is further away and is only just visible. Upon being spotted it slowly withdraws into the gloom.

After another half hour Jaq wakes Joe and they spend the pre-dawn hours undisturbed. The sun dawns on a clear, warm morning as the sounds of night fade with the calls of birds

((A normal full rest for everyone. Post spells in OOC if you have any changes. Jaq can now read old Dwarven runes!

Survival from Ves as well as perception. Perception from anyone looking for something in particular.

Also two d20s from whomever please.))

[spiderwrangler]

Kroshav rolls out of bed and packs his things, limbering up his limbs by way of filling in the latrine.

He won't go alone, but wants to see if his javelin is able to be retrieved, or if the demon/spider/monster took it with it.

Perception: 1d20+1 = [19] = 20


1d20 = [9] = 9
1d20 = [8] = 8

[thinkslogically]

Survival: 1d20+5 = [7] = 12

Perception: 1d20+3 = [12] = 15

Bit less sure of the route today; bit more vigilant...

[Arch Lich Burns]

Joe quickly packs her stuff, ready to get far away from the spiders.

[Dlover]

Lurn packs up his belongings without hesitation, "Let's get out of this place quickly."

[Rodgeir]

Before heading out Kroshav asks someone to go with him to check for his javelin. Jolly looks around and, seeing no one else volunteer, tiredly grabs his sword and follows along without a word. Kroshav finds the spot he is more or less certain he hit the ettercap. There is something blackish and sticky on the ground and on the tree but no javelin around. There is a pretty clear trail to the south of the fluid and clawed foot prints - if he wanted to follow it and see if the javelin was discarded along the way?

Everyone else is packed and ready to go in short order, no one wanting to stay near the spiders longer than needed. Ves, in her rush to get moving slightly misjudges their direction but after a couple of hours notices and corrects their course. A they walk today the group notices the ground gradually become more broken with large hills and gullies along with a number of washout rivers. Based on the smashed trees and large boulders scattered around its evident that significant amounts of water comes through the gullies. To Ves' trained eye she can tell that some of the rivers had water during the rain fall a few days back. Glancing up she is notes the clear, sunny sky.

Travel becomes increasingly difficult with fewer trees and more brush. Ves is forced to decide between skirting a gully or trying to go through it several times. A couple hours before noon the group crests a cutout hill and see a wide, deep ravine cutting to from northwest to the southeast as far as they can see in both directions. Ves would judge the drop where they are now to the bottom of the ravine to be between 60 and 90ft on the their side but a fair bit higher on the north side. The ravine ranges between 45 and 60ft wide and is strewn with boulders, trees and bushes. Considering it Ves wonders if it might actually make for quicker travel than the ups and downs they've been doing all morning.

Jolly groans on seeing the ravine.

((What do you do?))

[Arch Lich Burns]

Joe brings out her rope. "Does anybody else have any rope or a hook?"

[NotStickFigures]

"Wow, that is deep." comments Jaq unhelpfully.
Looking down the ravine and then at the length of the ravine, Jaq just shrugs, not any more helpful.
He looks at Ves and the others for leadership, he has no idea what would be the best move here.
"How far are we from our destination do we think?" he asks.

[Rodgeir]

((Ves knows you're about half way there.))

Jolly look at Joe and her rope and edges over to the side of the ravine and looks down. He backs up a bit and kicks a rock down and stands and listens as it clacks against the bottom of the ravine.

"Deep and wide." He adds to Jaq's summary of the situation.

[thinkslogically]

"Bout halfway, but it's probably going to be hard going." Following this might make for easier travel, but I've never much liked being closed in."

Ves will take a better look at the ravine to see where would be a good place to climb down, and how dangerous it might be for possible ambushed from above.

Survival: 1d20+5 = [18] = 23

[Rodgeir]

The sides of the ravine appear to mostly be loose dirt mixed with tree roots and some stones at the top before gradually becoming something looking like pressed dirt and clay. Anywhere along the rim of the ravine has the potential to crumble in but she spots a few larger trees they could tie off to that'd hold Kroshav Probably.

It is an good place for an ambush but there numerous large boulders and clumps of dead trees and bushes to provide cover to the ambushee. The height and width of the ravine also mean the ambusher would need decent ranged weapons to be able to hit anything with any accuracy. Probably a longbow, maybe a heavy crossbow.

The weak edge also makes ambush potentially dangerous for the ambusher, but careful planning could solve that.

[spiderwrangler]

Kroshav will keep looking until he finds it or Jolly gets insistent about returning.

"Sure see why we left the horses..."

[Rodgeir]

After another thirty feet Kroshav finds his javelin laying on the ground covered in goop, leaves and webbing. Jolly wrinkles his nose and pokes it with his sword.

"Good luck cleaning that off."

[spiderwrangler]

"Whoohoo! Eh, I'll just have Cap'n do her...", Kroshav says, wriggling his fingers at it.

When he gets back, he'll ask Joe if she can help clean it off before stowing it with the others.

[thinkslogically]

"All right. I say we climb down here and follow this northwards as far as seems sensible. There's good cover down there in case we are ambushed by anything and the crumbly edge and range is going to make it tricky for anyone or anything to shoot us from up here.

Saying that, the edge'll be tough for us too. So, we'll tie a rope off up here and lower the packs down, then you all climb down. Kroshav goes first, I'll drop the rope to you all and hopefully make the climb without it! One climbs at a time, everyone else is on watch."

She grins at the others and ties the rope off to a sturdy tree or suitable anchor rock.

[spiderwrangler]

"Ok."

Kroshav shrugs out of his pack and puts it on the ground to be lowered down.

Once the packs are down, he'll use the rope to descend.

[Arch Lich Burns]

Joe cleans the javelin off for Kroshav.

"Hmmm... That may work. How long do ye think it'll take fer un ta get down? Ah can create a hook fer tha rope n we can go down. Then when yer done with tha rope ah can just dismiss tha hook n ye have tha rope without havin' ta climb it. Sure wish Ah had feath'r fall. Would make this a lot easi'r, fast'r., n saf'r."

[thinkslogically]

"You can make a hook? How?"

[Arch Lich Burns]

"It's one of the tricks Ah've learn'd recently. It has some restric'ns to it, but Ah can make small non mag'cl items. It'll only last an hour so we'd better hurry if we'd use it." To demonstrate Joe creates a hook (it has a dim light of 5')

(Conjuration best school for your adverage spelunker!)

[Rodgeir]

((Everyone give me an athletics roll. It isn't hard with the rope, just to see if you manage to hold on.

You picturing a grappling hook with a spot for a rope Burns or something else?))

Jolly helps lower the bags down using a couple ropes tied together then looks at Kroshav and Lurn appraisingly.

"Ain't gonna be the first."

[Dlover]

"So, we climb down a rope to get in there, and then... Climb the sheer cliff on the other side. With no aid... Sure, okay. There's probably nothing better."

Athletics: 1d20+3 = [9] = 12

... Now, you said that it's not a hard roll, but I just thought of something. Since we're going one at a time, Lurn will give everyone Guidance before they descend (Meaning he'll have to be the last one). And extra +1d4 may help if anyone rolls trash.
Haven't done that for my own roll since I made the roll before thinking of it, and don't want to be the sort of person who gets a mediocre roll and declares "But I can do X!" when it's meant to be done before the roll. Also I'm pretty damn sure a 12 will be more than enough.

Edit: Underlined to draw the attention of people who glaze over when I get wordy. Long story short, add 1d4 to your athletics rolls.

[Rodgeir]

((Same guy that 'Helps' with everything in my RL campaign uses guidance after the fact when he or anyone rolls poorly. He also, retroactively, always has his weapon prepared.

So in summary, I appreciate your honesty and not being 'that guy'! Too bad Lurn just fell to his death ))