Immersive Ink

waysoftheearth wrote:
Mads bolts for the rabbit hole just as the vault door is heaved wider and at least four grim looking fighting-Men rush in to capture him.

Alas there is not a moment to grab the note, for he only just squirms into the hole with strong hands grabbing and clawing after his feet, and it is only with the loss of his shoes that he gets into the hole!

"The vault's empty!" observe the Men.

"Bring that crossbow!" barks a harsh voice among them.

Mads is only thankful that their bulky mail and helms mean they cannot easily follow... for now.

waysoftheearth wrote:
Meanwhile, upfront, Rufus is confronted with the eerie cocoons.... what to do?

heartless wrote:
Rufus calls back,"I see cocoons ahead, be on your guard for anything!"

How may cocoons does Rufus see in this 3ft wide and high tunnel? How big are they, do they block the tunnel much or can the company still crawl through?

Rufus will stop to investigate the first cocoon for a moment. He checks how hard it is, does anything move within? Rufus has his dagger at the ready, and torch to see what is ahead.

verhaden wrote:
Mads the Shoeless, but Enlightened

"Come to the catacombs, we'll get together, have a few laughs..." Mads growls.

waysoftheearth wrote:
Up front, Rufus sees that the cocoons vary in size up to water-melon sized. There are a few dozen of them, all along the floors and walls. It might be possible to wriggle between them, but certainly not without coming into contact with them.

Upon initial investigation, they seems to be quite soft and pliant; they seem like fluffy balls of super-fine silk, but that have an insidious pong about them.

heartless wrote:
"Spider eggs", suggests Rufus. "I hate spiders, we need to get out of here".

"Well we need to clear a path through them; any suggests back there?", asks Rufus. "Do you have any spells else I will burn this first catacomb with my torch, with my dagger ready to squash/kill anything that moves".

verhaden wrote:
Mads the Enlightened

"What's the hold up?" he asks, pushing forward. "They're going to fill this hallway with crossbow bolts if we don't get moving!"

waysoftheearth wrote:
"No spells that will go through a Halfling's backside," grumbles Dugel.

"I can hardly breath, or see," coughs Wendel, "and I am not accustomed to crawling upon my hands and knees through filth!"

Rufus shrugs off their complaints and pushes his torch into the first of the melon-sized wads of silk. The flame is subdued for a moment, but then the silk quickly takes and an impassable conflagration of flames shoots up all of a sudden, forcing Rufus to shield his face and back into his fellows as hard as he is able.

Those behind him complain bitterly of the inconvenience, and the acrid, choking smoke that churns all around them, threatening to suffocate.

Behind, Mads hears the Men working busily at getting someone out of his helm and mail, and worse yet... someone muttering that he has sighted them, and the distinct thwack of a crossbow being fired (1d20=19!) and scorching pain as a bolt penetrates him between the shoulders for (3dd=1,2,2) 4 hit points of damage.

Alas Mads II is slain by that fell missile.

heartless wrote:
"Lets go, we are dead if we stay here", says Rufus. Rufus will push by the cocoons hoping for safety ahead. He will have his dagger and torch in front ready for anything he may run into.

waysoftheearth wrote:
The fire burns intolerably hot for a some 30 seconds, and then quickly dies down. Allowing Rufus to pushes his way through the choking ashes and glowering embers. There must have been at least a dozen of the cocoons, possibly more, but they are all char and ash now. Ahead, Rufus sees a very narrow stair ascending steeply.

Behind, he hears Dugel and Wendel coughing and complaining.


(OOC: How nice it would have been to wriggle past the cocoons and then set them afire as the pursuit was among them...)