TWO HUNDRED FOUR
(I/C)
Brendon took out his rope, let most of it uncoil at the floor, and then rolled out some 8’ before dropping a four count of knots in its length about an armspan apart. “I’m standing here, reflecting on my years on the high seas.” He looked down at the dark rippling water. “The harsh and unforgiving wet environment where death was always just a slip into the depths below. This statue? I have clung to the bowsprit in the churning tempest of Poseidon’s fury with not but my skill and wit. I have scaled buildings in other surfaces in the witching hour during my time in the army. I’ve got this.”
Meanwhile Wyn had taken one of his sacks and the jar of honey off his back, laying them down and then turning visible. "I leave deze tings here for you. When de baby is out, put it in dis sack. If it is making noise... give it de honey."
“Wyn, your invisibility is the key to you staying safe and achieving our mission. Don’t let it drop for any reason.”
“Will do, Monsieur.”
Coiling the rope around his shoulder, the Scout grabbed Lolth’s leg and started to hoist himself up. “As I climb up I will tell you what and how I’m doing it. You’re a faster learner.”
“Merci, Monsieur! You are doing fantastique!”
Meanwhile looking back down the passage they came, Abraxas was frowning, eyes on the western wall of yellow fungus. "No sé about Brendson, but I'm sure Señor Wynsden has a back up plan. I'm sure he has it all figured out already.” He pointed with the tip of his Scythe, “I'm staying far from THAT funguses though."
At the mouth of the south corridor though, Lyra was watching the distant Shrieker and straining to hear anything from her companions. “How long do you all suppose we wait before we assume they’re not coming back?”
"If they have a problem,” Lannis mused, eyes wide and scanning, “I suspect we'll all find out about almost immediately, I can't imagine there being much secrecy about the matter.”
“Sure,” she answered, “Or better yet... how long do we wait until we go looking for them.” She hugged her holy symbol with her free hand. “I have a shitty feeling about this.”
Lannis shrugged, “Let's just hold tight and try not to get killed ourselves.” Turning to the dwarf standing there with his torch in one hand, and lantern on the floor by his feet, he asked, “Kovid, you mind covering that light so it doesn't show around the corner? And keep it in front of us so we don't project shadows, just in case."
Nodding, he dropped his towel so that it blocked off half the lantern light and moves a bit to the west, eyes peeled, torch burning. In the distance he could indeed hear the chirping of crickets echoing. “It’s been quiet. If they made it to the statue, I assume we’ll be hearing from them soon.“
Back at the statue, Brendon (<Climb, Red 59) was keeping up a litany of his touch points. “Ok, here. Her knee is crooked, good place for a foot hold. Thigh is a bit slippery. Her belt has spiders on it, good gripping point. Um, if you don’t mind, a boot in her crotch works too. Ok, sides here. She definitely works out, good muscle tone. Ok, good place to grab here. Um…Lolth, I am NOT trying to be dirty here…will move my hand as soon as I…ok, Up here the shoulder works. And done!”
“Great job, Brendon.”
“Thanks. Ok. Uncoiling the rope here. Not touching the chain or the key. Spool spool…and FLIP,” he tossed the rope around Lolth’s neck and jerked the free end, flipping it up and catching it easily. “Got it. Now to tie a bowline knot here. Fuck! If I pull this off I will be the greatest thief.” (<Dex, BX Baby rope -2, Red 10) The knot was perfect, his fingers secure and measured, and he slid it tight to the statue’s surface and turned back sweating slightly with a smile. “Can you keep a secret?”
“Oui. What’s up?” Wyn asked.
“I could use Lannis’ stupid jokes to break this tension.” Both men laughed as Brendon made to climb down. He glanced at the statue’s face and smiled, “Thanks.” Reversing what he had done earlier he made it to the floor without issue and bowed with a flourish. “That fucker didn’t tell us about this room. I’m starting to think he’s using us not only to get what he wants but to help Corfard.”
“I tink de Jailer is not tellin’ us ever’tin’, but dats a problem for after dis mission.”
“Listen, if you slip, I will be on the opposite side of the water from the statue. If you fall into the water, I will begin to thrash the water near me to draw any attention away from where you might fall in. Just exit the water quickly and calmly. If there’s something in there it should be drawn to me.”
“Lets ‘ope we don’t ‘ave dat kinda luck.” Wyn had been looking around the room (no secret doors), pretty satisfied there was no on other chambers or passages out of here. “Hokay, my turn.” Brendon saw the rope lift off the statue as invisibly, Wyn began his ascent.
Meanwhile back with the rest of the group…
“Do you have any 4’s?”
“Go fish.”
“Ugh. I hate this.”
“Do you have any Ases.”
“Really? Stop that it’s not funny.”
“Senor, Ases, Ases, Ases. Do you have any.”
“If you’re not going to take this seriously, I’m not playing.”
“Don’t be like that, Lannis.”
“Let him pout, Lyra. Big Brain gets upset easily.”
“This is serious and Stabity Jim over here is cracking jokes.”
Back again…
Following the same path that Brendon had pointed out, Wyn (<Climb +1 bonus, Orange 9) used the rope to hoist himself higher and higher up the side of the elven goddess. He made his way all the up until he could sit on her shoulder, one leg propped against her neck, the other dangling free over the water. “I’m here.”
“Great!” Brendon cheered. “Can you reach the key?”
“Easily.” Wyn bent lower until his fingers encountered the surface of the Lolth key and he lifted it off the bronze chain easily. A rousing wind ran through the elf, the scout, and raced down the passage followed by a low thrum of released power (everyone gain 250 xp – Key 3!!!). “Ah, I forgot about dat part.”
Meanwhile…
“Four, Five, Six. B&O Railcarts. I’ll buy it.”
“Damn it, Beardbreath, why don’t you leave anything for the rest of us to get.”
“There is still the Amarillo colors, Senor, untouched.”
“Suckers buy properties that far along.”
“Hit any of my three Railcarts and it’s 100 crowns rent, Big Brain.”
“You suck the joy out of life, you know that?”
A low wind ran through the four friends, scattering cards and playing pieces everywhere.
“No…No!! Damn it. NO!!”
“Hahahah, relax Kovid. You were the only one enjoying this anyway.”
“Thor’s testicles! I was OWNING that game.”
“I think they got the key.”
“Thank Aine. Here, Kovid. Your thimble.”
“Thor Blast it.”
Back again…
Wyn held the key and looked over the statue for anything that might be keyhole shaped (<Secret Door, Orange 1). He noted that the mouth of the statue was cleverly hinged and designed in such a way to possibly be pried open. BUT the keyhole was right at the top of Lolth’s cleavage, set in “Y” of the stone, just above the faintly purply/red glow. "Oh good... at first I tought dere be no keyhole."
Brendon nervously laughed from below.
The elf brought the key closer to the hole, free hand wrapped around the rope, until it hit the lock and went in easily, setting home. "I know dis not be one of Offop's jokes, but it not be every day you make it to first base wit a goddess, eh? Hehe.” Gathering his wits again he shook his head and announced, “Ok I about to turn de key... you ready down there?”
“As I will be.”
"I really hope day not be a baby gorgon... because we need to look at where it falls and den we'd both be stone. Ugh. Ok I will turn the key with my eyes closed. If you see something with a head of snakes.... yell that out and close you eyes quick and just let it fall in the water. Ain't nothing worth turning to stone over.”
“Argh,” Brendon growled, “I almost forgot about the baby. I’ll try to get it if I can. Your actions might break the potion.”
"If dis thing is a gorgon... den we need more prep time after it falls so we can talk about it again... otherwise, I'm about to use the key.” Wyn took a deep breath. “On 3. Like I actually say Trois and dat be when I turn de key, savvy? Ok... un... deux... trois!" He twisted the key hard and the entire chest section of the statue flopped down expelling a sweet purply mist and the lights faded followed by a rumble from the statue and Wyn momentarily felt woozy.
“What is it? What’s in there?”
Meanwhile…
“So I just like to take care of myself. A cucumber scrub does wonders for your complexion.”
“Mmm, This is nice. I’ve never had someone comb my beard like this before.”
“Thanks. A good regiment is paramount to healthy hair. Aine knows, if you don’t have your health, you don’t have anything.”
“Senorita, I am having a problem getting the braid to stay tight.”
“You need to plait it back and forth, and here, lift after every other plaiting. Like that.”
“Hey, Lugnut, not so hard! There is scalp under that hair, you know.”
“Lo siento. Big fingers.”
“Just be more careful, that’s all.”
“He’s doing a good job, Big Brain.”
“Yeah, I guess. How come I got Dockworker Ken to do me and you got the token female to do your hair?”
“You made a whinny noise and told me to get my hooves checked.”
“Oh. Yeah.”
Back again…
Inside the housing was a large membranous ball. It was fleshy and rolled up and squirmed slightly. Sickly pale yellow and long stripes of pink, it was about 3’ in diameter and was maybe 80 lbs. “Dat is one big, round, weird lookin’ baby.” Wyn extracted the key and put it in his pouch. “I tink I can get it down.”
“Is it..alive?”
“Well, it’s warm, an’ movin a tiny bit. But its in a sack cocoon lookin’ ting. I tink we bring it as is to de Jailer an’ dat be it for us.” He reached in and made a grunting noise. “Little bastard’s heavy. But I can…” Brendon could see the big ball come out and suspended in place. “Got it. Gonna climb slowly.”
“I’m ready.”
Wyn started climbing down, one hand on the rope, feet questing below, holding the big membrane thing to his body as he made his way along. About halfway down though (>Climb check +1 bonus rope, -2 heavy load, Orange 16) Wyn slipped as his foot lost purchase and he cursed rolling, losing hold of the bundle as he was falling. “Merde!”
“Wyn!”
(Save vs Death Ray: Green 16) The elf managed to make a crazed grab, fingers finding purchase on the statue’s thigh and leg and he arrested his fall at the last minute (take 1 damage), watching horrified as the ‘baby” fell towards the edge of the water (1-3 water, 4-6 land: Red/ Black 5 – Land) but instead smacked into Lolth’s foot and rolled towards the wall and away from the dark rippling surface. “Mon Dieu!”
“Amen to that.”
Wyn finished climbing down a bit shaken and the two of them looked the bundle over. The membrane was torn in a few places, making long splits in the surface but it was still ‘wrapped up’ so to speak and the body inside was still warm and squirming slightly. “Hokay, we got lucky dere.”
“Let’s get this gone, we still have a Shrieker to get by.”
"Oui. Ok now I will take out de invisible sack... no... not dat... de grey one that de Medusa head was all over... ugh no you dirty sailor... ok I take dis large bag dat is invisible and help you guide de visible sack into the invisible sack. Den we close it up and get de Hel outta here.... oui?"
“That was needlessly complicated. I can’t see what the Hel you were doing or pointing at.”
“I get dat.” He looked up at the statue. “Dere was sometin up dere.”
“The Ruby eyes? You want to pry out the ruby eyes of a statue of Lolth?!?”
“No, no. Not dat. De mouth.”
“What about it?”
“Never mind. Next post if it matters.”
Brendon frowned. “Wyn, you are starting to sound like Lannis.”
“Ugh. Dat would be Horrible!”
Time now is Day 6, 11:45 AM
(OOC)
XP: Everyone add 250 xp.
Wyn and Brendon add an additional 25 each.
Success! Heading back? Something else? What’s the plan after getting back to the group? WMC in 15 minutes just an FYI.
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