Immersive Ink

Dougal, Kiplyn, and Robur see the end of Willie's rope, 20 or 30 feet above them. It's better than nothing, but they still have to climb a section of sheer wall, to get to it!

DM rules this is a 'very hard' level 4 climb, like climbing a falling ladder while it is on fire, requiring a roll of 5-6 on 1d6. Thieves get +1 to this roll. Kiplyn=3, Dougal=4, Robur=5.

Robur gets free of the cocoon, and his survival instincts kick in. He grabs hold of the nearest rock outcropping and doesn't let go!

Dougal and Kiplyn aren't so lucky. They scramble to climb out of the web, but it is falling apart around them!

Dougal and Kiplyn would be dead now, if they weren't thieves. But they get a second chance (like a saving throw) to catch themselves using their thief skills. Success is on 4-6. Dougal=4, Kiplyn 3.

Kiplyn was feeling much less confident moving in the web than Dougal, and Kiplyn's fears unfortunately prove to prescient! Dougal is able to catch himself using his thief skills, and he is clinging to the rock wall of the Chasm, 10' below Robur.

But Kiplyn starts to fall!!

DM rules that "catch a falling comrade" is an appropriate use of thief skills. Dougal=4, success!

Dougal drops his lantern and grabs at Kiplyn. He succeeds in grabbing the falling Hobbet by the collar!

Robur hugs the rock wall, 80' down. He is weakened and disoriented from his ordeal.

Dougal is clinging to the wall with one hand, and hanging on to Kiplyn with his other hand! He watches his lantern fall down, down, down, hundreds of feet, and then it is extinguished as it splashes into the water below.

DM rolls 1d6 to see if there is an Underdark Wandering Monster. 1d6=3, no encounter, thank goodness.

Within seconds, the entire Chasm is filled with flames. Dougal, Kiplyn, and Robur are below the fire! They are 80-90' down the Chasm, and the fire is taking place 50' down.

The others lose sight of them, their line-of-sight blocked by the barrier of flames.

Kiplyn opens one eye to peek if he is still alive."I slipped, this is horrible, and I'm hungry."

Bilfur after coming out of his moment of insanity ( too much time with his precious staff, my precious...) will try to find something to help his friends.

OOC: Welcome back, Bilfur! Way to make an entrance.

Bilfur unfortunately can't see his friends. They are out of sight to the west (due to the 'C' curve of the chasm).

The fire burns quickly. The web doesn't provide much fuel, just a quick flash. Bilfur and Dame Simonetta can hear a series of splashes from the water far below.

Soon, the fire in the northeastern end of the Chasm has completely burned out, and all is dark below.

What does Dame S. do about her lantern on a rope?

The center of the web breaks apart, showering ribbons of flaming silk down upon the heads of Robur, Kiplyn, and Dougal. Luckily the flash-fire burns out in seconds and does no real damage, merely singeing our Heroes' eyebrows and leaving a few welts on their skin. The other cocoons in the web, the dessicated husks of the spider-goat's victims, catch fire and drop like flares, illuminating a section of the vast Cavern before splashing into the water. Robur got out just in time!

I am giving Robur, Kiplyn, and Dougal a choice: Do they look down?? Looking down vs. closing their eyes will not affect their Climbing odds, but looking down does mean an almost certain MYTHOS check!

Even though the flames are all but diminished, Robur oddly exclaims,"The light... it hurts my eyes!". Still wincing from the spent fires, he dares a quick look down before mustering all the strength he has to try climbing a little more up to the rope above...