Zombies!
Subject: Re: The hole; Exploring
Mission nods absently. Then he looks at Garyth, raising an eyebrow. "I thought you gave Rennick your bow. How are you going to provide cover?"
He shrugs. "Take my crossbow, and some bolts. If I'm attacked, I'll give a yell. Anything that is set to ambush us here is going to have pretty easy pickings, stuck as we are between the dark and this pool of water. There's no easy avenue of escape."
Mission indicates the slope of rocks with a nod of his head. "The Path is not straight, nor is it soft. Up I go."
He will creep up the rocks as stealthily as possible-painfully aware that Sa'id's staff and Cadfael's glove have probably already given them away to any would be attackers at the top of the pile of rocks. Best to keep his ears open, maybe hear the attack before it came.
Sand take him, he hated walking around wet. No matter how slowly or carefully he moved, his boots seemed to slap and squelch on the surface of the rock.
Mission will keep to the sides of the tunnel, using the wall to help him climb.
From: Raja
Subject: Re: The hole; Exploring
Sa'id can't get the cold out of his mind. He tries running through some of his mental relaxation and focus exercises, but to no avail. He finds himself wishing he'd memorized Endure Elements, though for a very uncharacteristic split second he can't even remember whether or not the spell is in his spellbook. This was about as far from the warm sun and packed sands of home as he could get. His years at the wizards' school in Nesalin had been relatively sheltered, but now he was truly in strange territory. Jungle? Cold, clammy underground pools? Nothing like this would be found on Ammar, certainly not during the day. Perhaps at night, in the deep desert, it might be colder...
Sa'id begins to shiver, hoping silently that a couple of Prestidigitation glamours will be able to dry him off quickly. As he pushes his way through the water, though, the shock gradually subsides and Sa'id finds himself more able to tolerate the chill. Making sure not to lose sight of Mission, he follows the monk forward.
In the back of his mind, the gears begin turning again, helping to distract Sa'id from the cold still further. Rennik's words about Cadfael and the priest's reaction at seeing Pelor's symbol in this ancient place tweak Sa'id's memory, and something falls from its depths. When they had found Elise's man poisoned in the road, Cadfael had... exploded. And again in the tower. Sa'id's mind churns away at each piece of information in turn. When not under duress, Cadfael was warm and not quick to anger. He was grappling with... something. Perhaps he could sense the evil that linked their enemies together, and it unsettled him. Or perhaps he could not sense it consciously, but it affected him nonetheless. It might help to talk to the priest, and Sa'id resolves to do so as soon as possible.
Sa'id peers ahead, but can't make out anything beyond Mission. Anxiously, he awaits the monk's all-clear.
From: Ty
Subject: The Hole; Undercurrents (surprise)
Mission moves cautiously toward the pile of rock blocking the tunnel with Sa'id and Garyth flanking him, and a bit behind. When he gets about ten feet from the pile, something about the stone clicks in his mind, and he turns to Sa'id, "Doesn't that broken rock look a bit recent to you? There's no slime on-" He stops quickly, lurching forward as if he tripped on something.
Mission begins a yell, then disappears under the water. Garyth draws his sword, but before he can begin to look for an enemy, he too disappears beneath the surface. Sa'id backs away, but in this deep water, he moves so slowly, and then he can feel cold hands on his thinly clad ankles, and something irresistible yanks him into the cold and dark.
The group waiting above sees and hears nothing.
[The rest of this encounter I will only accept turns from the three players in the tunnel. However, if one of the players can draw the attention of those above in some way, then they can begin taking turns as well.]
[Surprise round, next round initiative order is garyth, zombie1, zombie3, zombie4, zombie5, sa'id, mission, zombie2, zombie6]
Mission can feel cold hands all over his body. He opens his eyes for a second, trying to get his bearings, but the disgusting swamp runoff stings his eyes and blinds him. Even without his eyes, he can tell a few things. There are at least two sets of hands clutching at him and trying to hold him under but he is able to push both away. [grapple attack 20 vs touch attack ac 10(flat footed); grapple hit; opposed checks mission 16/zombie 2; grapple failed][second grapple attack 7; miss] He pushes off the bottom hard and his head bursts back up above the waterline.
Garyth is also struggling to escape for a pair of undead arms. [grapple attack 20 vs touch attack ac 10 (flat footed); grapple hit; opposed checks Garyth 21/ zombie 6; grapple failed][second grapple attack 9; miss] He too is able to escape and get his head above water.
Sa'id is not so lucky. As he backs away, two sets of hands grab his ankles and yank him under. In seconds two cold and heavy bodies cover his, holding him down on the floor of the tunnel, and squeezing the air out of him. If he can't break away quickly, he will drown. [Grapple attack 13 vs touch attack ac 10 (flat footed); grapple hit; opposed checks Sa'id 10/ Zombie 11; grapple hit, Sa'id pinned][Second grapple attack 15; hit; opposed checks Sa'id 2/ zombie 12; Sa'id pinned]
Garyth and Mission look at each other for a second as they both resurface. They do not see Sa'id return to the surface. Unfortunately, the continuing attacks from the zombies below them demand their attention.
[Ok. Two zombies are actively trying to drown Sa'id. Here is how it will play out. Based on the rules, Sa'id can stay underwater for 24 rounds (twice his constitution) in normal circumstances without drowning. However, these are not normal circumstances, since two zombies are squeezing the air out of him. Each round that Sa'id is unable to break free, he must make a concentration check to keep from losing his air (DC15). If he fails a check, he loses a number of rounds of air equal to the amount he failed by. So, if he can't break free, and he makes some bad concentration check rolls, he can drown very quickly. On the plus side, as a wizard, his concentration is better than average.]
[On to the first round of the fight]
From: Ty
Subject: Re: The Hole; Undercurrents (surprise)
Addendum.
Making a concentration check while pinned is a +5 DC penalty. So, the actual DC while Sa'id is pinned is 20. Since he only has a concentration skill of 5, this means he will start to lose air very quickly.
Just so you know.
From: Raja
Subject: Re: The Hole; Undercurrents (surprise)
Sa'id doesn't even have time to scream as the zombies grab him and pull him down to the bottom of the pool. His acute awareness of the cold returns, and panic momentarily blots out all thought. The frigid, rotted bodies pressing down on him don't help his concentration, either.
He takes a brief instant to force himself to calm down. Thinking more clearly now, he is glad not to have had time to scream -- no screaming means more air. He doesn't open his eyes, but he can tell that his staff is still glowing, pressed against him as it is. If only he could release it and allow it to float to the surface -- but then anyone looking for him underwater would have a harder time. A solution comes quickly, though. With a mental command, he sends his familiar Aldon floating up to the surface to circle around the area where Sa'id is submerged. Then he begins pushing against the ground with his forearms and knees, straining to break free of the zombies. He is careful to try and avoid expelling any air, focusing on his mouth and nose, consciously forbidding them to expel even the slightest bit of precious air. If only he wasn't so weak...
From: Ty
Subject: Re: The Hole; Undercurrents (surprise)
Second addendum.
If they choose to search for Sa'id, Garyth and Mission will need to make spot checks to find the glowing staff under five feet of black swamp water. Once they find him, if they wish to, they can use an Aid Other action, and each give Sa'id plus 2 to break free. Unfortunately, aiding Sa'id will leave them with AC 10 versus any ongoing zombie touch attacks.
Just want to let you guys know what the variables are.
Also, ANYONE, including zombies, attempting to move at better than 1/2 speed will need to make a balance check or fall down on the slippery stones. While you guys where moving cautiously forward, it wasn't as big a deal. But now in a fight, slipperiness will be a factor.
From: Ty
Subject: Re: The Hole; Undercurrents (surprise)
Sa'id is unable to give telepathic commands to his familiar. However, his panic as being drowned, and his panic at the idea of Aldon drowning, will cause the snake to swim to the surface. It will not, however, do a lassie and bring help to timmy in the well. :)
From: Raja
Subject: Re: The Hole; Undercurrents (surprise)
Whoops :-P
Thanks for setting me straight :) Hopefully Mission or Garyth will break free and shout something to the guys upstairs.
From: Mike
Subject: Re: The Hole; Undercurrents (surprise)
OOC: Ty, how many zombies are attacking Garyth, one or two?
From: Ty
Subject: Re: The Hole; Undercurrents (surprise)
Two. There are two on each of you.
From: Mike
Subject: Re: The Hole; Undercurrents (surprise)
Garyth surfaces with a roar. Quickly trying to assess the situation, he looks about. Mission is also struggling, but there is no sign of Sa'id. He begins to look for the wizard, but it is all he can do to keep the cold hands off of him. He can only hope that Sa'id manages to free himself. That, and call for help.
Drawing his sword, he shouts, "Rennik! Danger!" and attacks the nearest zombie.
From: Scott
Subject: Re: The Hole; Undercurrents (surprise)
OOC: Dang, Mission keeps rolling low on initiative.
Mission breaks free of the grasping hands, and quickly moves into Loon-Settles-In-Reeds, lightly balanced on the balls of his feet, ready to spring away.
Where was Sa'id? Mission feels his heart thump heavily in his chest.
More undead. Did that mean Anileth was near? He swallows, and changes his stance to meet his attackers.
Blood be Stone. Mission will attack the two zombies attacking him. (unarmed strike, flurry of blows. . .)
OOC: How deep is the water they're in?
From: Ty
Subject: Re: The Hole; Undercurrents (surprise)
As I mentioned, about five feet deep.