Turn, Elementals, spells and Surin takes the lead
Subject Turn
Am I still waiting on someone? Has the party agreed to a plan?
From: Kevin
Subject Turn
OOC: I think we were debating between protecting Surin as best we could and sending him in to look around, and tring to put the fires in the braziers out somehow (water from the fountain room or water from Harp and Ragnar directly into the braziers.
Any decisions guys (and gal)?
From: Ashley
Subject Turn
I'm all for whatever Fearless Leader decides.
From: Kevin
Subject Turn
So long as Salix and Surin are comfortable that they can provide some level of protection to the little guy, Harp will OK Surin making a foray into the room to try to find the key.
From: Karl
Subject Turn
Salix can cast Protection from Elements, but that's all he's got at this point.
From: Mark
Subject Turn
You could all spend another day resting getting ready for the next encounter. :)
From: Karl
Subject Turn
That's up to Harp, of course. Salix will go with the flow even if he is really getting tired of being in this magic-upped unnatural hole of an extra-planar construct.
From: Kevin
Subject Plan
OOC: No, lets try to get this one done by stealth if we can. If Surin can sneak in and find and/or steal the key, so much the better. However, the whole group should be ready to backpedal into the water room if needs be.
From: Porter
Subject Plan
Mund ain't got nothin to say bout the plans.
From: Derek
Subject Plan
Allistair can at least make Surin invisible. It's hard to get any more stealthy than that.
From: Porter
Subject Plan
Dead is stealthy.
From: Kevin
Subject Plan
OOC: I think if he is invisible, with some protection from fire, and he is as quiet as he is, he *should* be ok to go in and take a look around. Ran and Mund can stay by the door in case they need to run in to *distract* anything while they retreat out of the room.
From: Derek
Subject Plan
An even better (and safer) distraction would be a bunch of summoned beasts (or a water elemental) from Salix, although IC Salix may be loath to use summoned creatures in such a way.
From: Randy
Subject Plan
Ranthir agrees with this plan with the caveat that if anything goes wrong, the first thing Harp and Ragnar should do is put out the fires.
From: Mark
Subject Plan
Ok I will give everyone until tonight to decide what to do.
I have to go to the inlaws for dinner and The Amazing Race is on at 8 so if everything is in by 7 I will try and get a turn out by 8.
From: Mark
Subject Up in smoke
Well, Salix did use a creature in such a way back in the Dragon room, but herehe might wonder to what degree it would be a complete waste. Remember, he did send the water elemental into the fire room and it vanished in a puff of steam.
From: Porter
Subject Up in smoke
Actually, we don't know anything about what happened to that elemental.
From: Josh
Subject Invisible
Kal speaks up:
"I think making surin invisible is a good plan, but does anyone know if these fire elementals see like we see? It's possible they see in temperatures instead, they are fire elementals. I don't think invisiblity would protect against that sort of vision."
From: Mark
Subject Invisible
OODM: Actually it does, IIRC.
From: Derek
Subject Invisible
OOC: I don't think the rules work that way for seeing invisible, but that's Mark's call. As for whether elementals can see invisible as per D&D rules, is that something that Allistair would know?
From: Karl
Subject Up in smoke
Hmm, you're right. I wonder where that memory came from.
From: Mark
Subject Up in smoke
I thought I sent Karl a note saying that his mental contact with it went poof before the duration of the spell expired. He may not know exactly what happened to it, but he knows it went away before it would have normally.
From: Karl
Subject Up in smoke
That could have been it.
From: Jason
Subject Invisible
Ragnar hasn't ever heard of elementals being able to see invisible creatures.
From: Randy
Subect: Invisible
Ranthir does not suggest waiting any longer if the spells are not available, only to use them if they are.
From: Josh
Subject Rooms
OOC: I'm having trouble finding an up to date large map. How many more rooms do we hvae after this?
From: Mark
Subject Rooms
I will send out an updated map tonight.
You have no idea how many rooms are left. You do have an idea of how many doors are left.
From: Josh
Subject Rooms
How many?
From: Mark
Subject Rooms
Three doors left.
Here is the map.
From: Mark
Subject Surin takes the lead
The party talks a bit more and Harp finally comes to a decision. "Surin, if you are willing , Allistair will make you invisible. Ran and Ragnar will open the door to make sure there is nothing at the door way. Once they think the way is clear, you sneak into the room and see if you can find the other half of the key. If you can, and you can get it, do so. If at any time you get noticed, call out and move as fast as you can to the door. At your call, the rest of us will charge the room, trying to at least cause a distraction." Harp turns to the other. "Does every one understand this plan?" Slowly the others nod their agreement, although Mund seems a bit reluctant.
As Allistair prepares his spell he warns the halfling "It will only last 5 minutes and if you attack anything it will dispel itself. So no sight seeing in there." With that the magic user starts chanting his spell. As he chants he touches each hand and foot of the halfling with piece of gum Arabic that seems to have an eyelash in it. Just as the mage completes the spell, he touches Surin on the top of the head and the halfling disappears. Mund lets out a hiss and they can hear Surin go "Cool."
From where Surin used to be Harp hears a voice "Come on, Allistair said that this wouldn't last forever. Let's go." With that Ranthir and Ragnar move to the door and push it open. They peer in and see flames dancing from the fire pits in the floor. The flames leap 5-7 feet in the air and tendrils of flame from different pits mesh and merge in a hypnotizing display.
Surin moves with a quiet grace that matches his invisibility. He is like a ghost.(Move Silent check, take 10, 10+14=24). He moves slowly into the room and to the right of the door, keeping his back to the wall. His little legs move with confindence and he clears the door way. For the next several seconds he continues moving to the right, his back to the wall, his eyes darting from where his feet are going to around the room, looking for what ever creature might be in the room. He is about 15 feet from the door when there is a roar and a wall of flame rushes at the door.
At the door the rest of the party are startled by the sudden rushing of the creature. They start to back towards the water room when the thing hits the threshold of the door and comes to a jarring stop. The flames of the thing, 6-8 feet high, shudder at the impact and seem to shake themselves. Then a column of flame lashes at the door way, crashing into an invisible barrier. For the next minute the party stares in wonder as the thing vents its anger on the invisible barrier.
Surin almost loses his cool when he sees the thing rush the door. His shock quickly turns to satisfaction when he sees the thing concentrating its energies on the door way. Resuming his search, he continues around the room (Move Silent check, take 10, 10+14=24). He peers into the fire pits, first the one in the middle in the front, and then the one on the right in the front. He next moves to the back row. After about 2-1/2 minutes of movement and searching, Surin finds what he is looking for in the fire pit in the middle of the back row.
Just as he sees the platinum key half in the middle of the fire pit, he realizes that the fire thing has stopped pounding at the door and making the weird hollow sound that it was making. He looks around and sees the thing flit from one fire pit to another. It passes only 1 foot from him and (Listen check, 9+4+13, Move silent check, 20+14=34) but does not even notice the little halfling. Surin realizes that he is going to run out of time soon and makes a decision. He moves a bit to the side of the pit closest to the door and towards the path between the two in front. He grits his teeth and plunges his hand into the fire, grabbing the key half. His hand is lightening quick, but he still gets burned, as he knew he would (Fire damage 3). He concentrates on not making any noise (Concentration check, DC13, 15, success) and pulls his hand out of the flame, the key firmly in his grasp. He quickly puts it in his pocket.
His hand still in agony from the fire, Surin starts moving towards the door. (Move silent, 4+14=18, Listen check, 8+4=12, success). He moves around the front fire pits, stops for a second as the elemental moves behind him again, and finally steps over the threshold of the door. He gasps out to Ranthir "I got it. Close the door." The 1/2 elf slams the door. A few seconds later the halfling pops back into view. "Whew, that was cutting it close."
OODM: ok guys role play.
From: Derek
Subject Surin takes the lead
Allistair congratulates Surin. "That was absolutely superb! Or at least I'm sure it was if I could have seen it..."
OOC: Awesome! I really wasn't looking forward to fighting a fire elemental.
From: Jason
Subject Surin takes the lead
"Excellent work!" Ragnar beams. Taking a closer look at Surin, he notices his hand has been burnt. "Here, let me take a look at that," he says. Praying silently, he covers the tiny hand with his own. (Sacrifice 3 level 0 spells for cures.) "We can't have our most quick-fingered friend's hand in poor shape, now can we?"
From: Josh
Subject Surin takes the lead
Kal claps Surin on the back "Good job Surin. You saved us all alot of work."
From: Kevin
Subject Surin takes the lead
Harp is jealous. He wanted to do the cure minor wounds.
OOC: will write more tomorrow when I am sober.