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Tarak Tales Shake-down: Terror Down Below!

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"Either way, I think we should still head down the way we were going just in case there's something that needs finding that someone else may have missed. We're practically guaranteed to find this abomination again, so I don't know why you're so bent on going out of your way to look for it." Cersei was adamant on her position, no intending to bend unless Koh was on his side too. If that was the case, then she wouldn't have much of a choice.
 
Chay looks to her eyes before rolling his head back again. "Y'know... I'd probably have less scars if you weren't so bent in the opposite direction," he says and sighs, sheathing his sword and looking at the map. "I just hope that there aren't anymore of those things down here... maybe luck will be on our side."
 
"Well, either way we have to check, but I'm with you on that part." Cersei smiled almost triumphantly when she had won their little argument, but the smile vanished when she knew that it still meant just as much work.
 
Kohdeki's gaze, hidden by the hood of the magical cloak, as well as the goggles, narrowed intensely. Chay had gone a little too far with his cheap shot, but Kohdeki silently let go of it. Sticking a throwing knife into his friend's goggles to prove a point would be a bad idea in a place like this.

"We should get going then." Kohdeki said as he began looking around the chamber for clues.

((Quick search of the chamber))
 
((Koh has no special Search skill, but his Perception is quite high -- human maximum, actually. So 4D rolls 2, 4, 1, 6 = 13, not high, but all you really need for this space.))

The chamber is basically a larger junction between several passages; it was a place where ore was brought up to the upper level before they cleared the way to easier ramps or winch points. On this level, some side-passage mining still goes on, but most of the useful bits have already been gathered.

As a result, there is little here of note; some scattered rocks, some tools stacked to the side, and a still-fiery length of severed tentacle. Basically, it's like searching a seldom-used service elevator lobby; there's just not much around.
 
Chay sighs again as Cersei enjoys her triumph, making sure his weapon is sheathed fully and checking the map, wondering how much farther they'd need to go before hitting the 5.5th level.

(checking map for possible routes and locations)
 
The route via ramps is pretty clear and easy down to the fifth level, but the 6th is still being opened up, slowly. There's a ladder access, which also holds a winch, and there's an ore conveyor point similar to the one they just used to drop down to this level, but the ramp passage is planned but not connected to the main mining shafts; the shafts were based on where the ore lies, and the ramps are based on how conveniently they fit into the ore cart rail system.

In short; the way from here is pretty clear, it's just a question of whether the group wants to go the comparatively easy way, or go a tricky way, using passages that are usually just for carrying up ore to climb down.
 
"Alright..." Chay says to himself and then thinks about how they already encountered the beast. "Easy way it is." He looks at his cohorts and points his head for a moment to show them which way they'll be going, heading for the ramps again since he'd rather not be caught by the ankle for a second time in this dungeon of a mine.
 
Now that they knew there was something out to get them, the group could travel with appropriate precautions. Vision was an issue, so Chay was finally forced to bow to tactical necessity and hand over the goggles and the map to the one person with effective distance attacks (thrown knives were useful, but not nearly so much as spells). With Cersei navigating, the team was able to move in the darkness with weapons drawn. They avoided drill-holes, vents, and smaller shafts, sticking to the larger passages where they would have sufficient fighting room if the situation called for it.

The slithering sound followed them, occasionally audible above the gentle rushing of the air system. Once they felt the temperature drop and the air pressure press upon their ears. At those times, they did the sensible thing and froze in place, looking around carefully for any attack. None came, and soon enough the sensations went away, and the mine was only as dank and chill as it usually was.

As they moved lower, the tunnels got slightly narrower. Not as much ore was extracted at this level, so the tunnels hadn't been mined so widely yet; mining operations went pretty slowly anyway, given the comparatively few professional miners and the only moderate demand for resources. The central parts of the passages were still the standard mine height, but the ceiling sloped fairly quickly off to each side, down to a more dwarven height near the walls of the space. Stacks of tools, ore, and supplies were more common the farther down the party went as well, showing the activity levels of mine.

Finally, they stood in a larger chamber with a mine track running through it against one wall; this was the closest sixth-level access, a wide shaft that had a wooden ladder against one side and a winch and pulley ore cart system run by an Ever-Spinning Wheel against the other side. There were some full mine-carts that hadn't been moved up, and some tools looked as though they had been abandoned in a hurry, just casually dropped or tossed aside.
 
Cersei looked around curiously, trying to determine what that thing was exactly, and where it might end up finding them. Cersei decided to bite the bullet and being using a long ritual to cast Augmentation. She needed the help to determine what to look for and what to do next, fortunately this spell would help her do just that.
 
((2D Sensorics, +1D Amulet, +1D Wand, +1D+1 Long Ritual (so, maybe 10 seconds casting time total; it's more than double the short ritual, but the short ritual is pretty damn short), 6, 4, 2, 6, 6, reroll 2, +1 = 26. Success, so relevant skills (in this case, probably Investigation, Search, & Tactics) are all +2D for almost half an hour.))

Cersei closed her eyes and took the time to draw invisible sigils in the air with her wand with one hand, holding her bastard sword casually with the other. The magic that flowed through her settled in her mind, making parts of it work faster, better, letting her see connections and notice details in what she observed that she might have missed before, and deduce what they might mean. In some ways it was good that her eyes were hidden by the goggles, as the look in them when she opened them was now fiercely, frighteningly intense.
 
Kohdeki, whom was trying his best to blend with his surroundings, waited nearby Chay.

((Stealth check))

"This seems familiar, doesn't it?" Kohdeki whispered as he eyed the ladder entry. "I think we should go seperate routes. What do you guys think?"
 
((Kind of hard to do a stealth check standing in the open, but I'll assume you're lurking next to a wall within earshot. 6D Sneak, +3D Cloak, 5, 5, 3, 6, 4, 3, 3, 3, 6 = 38, a hefty Sneaking score, if it comes up.))

((Cersei can make several types of rolls, but some, like Tactics, could be explained in PM or publicly, whichever Misha prefers.))
 
Using her magically enhanced perceptions, Cersei evaluated the situation, taking care to take every detail into consideration. "The tools, they don't look like they were left there as if the owners were in a hurry. Almost like the thing began stealing or kidnapping the miners until the remaining ones just decided to leave. The thing has a lot of ways it can get to us. The tunnels down are basically out of the question at this point, so we have the ladder and the winch. The ladder allowing us stable transportation, but no way to defend ourselves while the winch allows us the opposite. Generally I think the winch would also be faster and can be manipulated from both sides. Chay should go first, since he can defend himself best in close quarters, then Koh, then me. Sound good?"
 
"Looks like you know what you're talking about, so... Let's be off." Kohdeki almost whispered.

He motioned for Chay to go with his short sword.
 
There is an orecart attached to the end of the winch. A pull of a lever brings the right gears in contact with the Ever-Spinning Wheel and the cart rises to the upper floor. Another pull, and the winch swings it over the solid floor.

Chay gets aboard with both his longsword and his fighting knife out, and stands in a wide, stable stance in the middle, looking all around. Cersei works the crane controls and lowers him down as fast as she can comfortably manage. He hops out and takes up a position nearby, turning slowly to keep as many of the tunnels in view as possible.

One quick winch trip, and the platform is now ready for Koh.

((Let's say Koh has been watching Cersei at the controls, so he knows how to operate the winch from below.))
 
((understood))

Kohdeki ducked into the cart, readying a throwing knife, just in case.

"Cersei, I'll get the winch for you when I get down there, 'kay?" Kohdeki said quietly.
 
"I'll shout down when I'm ready." Cersei said before lowering Kohdeki down. Once he was down and felt the winch go slack, she pulled the cart back up then drew her sword. She held it in two hands and set herself in a fighting stance before shouting down to Koh that she was ready to go.
 
Kohdeki quickly lowered Cersei down, then tried to blend with his surroundings.
 
Cersei was partway down when a blast of energy leaps from the air beside the pit and smashes into the Ever-Turning Wheel assembly. The metalwork melts (whatever doesn't fly apart, at least), and jams the cable with Cersei still about 10 feet off the ground. The Ever-spinning Wheel goes flying away, still magically spinning (true to its name).

((Just a free sensory roll; Cersei rolls 2D Sensorics, 6, 2, reroll 3 = 11, which is enough that her senses are tingling with magic being used in the area, and I'm not talking the Energy Bolt, neither.))

There's an ear-splitting shriek, but none of you can tell precisely where it's coming from.

((That was the surprise round, and the one action the creature took. Now we can all declare our actions))
 
Kohdeki leapt away from the lever toward cover out of surprise, which turned into a tumble that propped him back up into a standing position. Kohdeki quickly surveyed the room while readying a throwing knife.
 
Just to prepare herself, Cersei muttered the words for a fast ritual for Mystical shield, hoping that she would be able to fend the thing off at this range without ending up hurting herself in the process. If things began to get really messy, she'd probably have to start blowing things up.
 
((Koh's leap counts as a full Dodge; there's a bit of a nidge because he mentioned readying a throwing knife, which is technically a non-dice action, but because it's not rolled, I'll allow it at this time with the usual multiple-action penalty. Koh has no Dodge, but he has 4D Dexterity, -1D multiple actions, 1, 5, 4 = 9 + complication, which I'll get to in the descriptive text. The 9 is added on to any standard difficulty to hit him, since I counted it as a full Dodge.))

((Cersei has her sword out and ready, she's braced on the ore basket, the cable is holding... so she's preparing by putting up a shield, which is good tactics, and she didn't even need to roll Tactics to know that. :-D 2D Energetics, +1D Amulet, +2 fast ritual, 4, 4, 1, +2 = 11 which beats the spell difficulty; Cersei now has mental control over a person-sized flat field that can be placed anywhere, and adds +2D to the Strength resistance roll against any attack that attempts to pass through the field. It can change position at a thought, but it can only be moved basically once a round as a free action (i.e. not counted as an action). By default, it's protecting Cersei right now.))

((For Chay, I look down his list of options: "fire, map, weapons drawn, diplomacy, fire, siege weaponry, fire, longsword's edge, fire, goggles, fire goggles, surviving unscathed." His weapons are already drawn, and he doesn't want to throw his fighting knife. His only ranged weapon is his fire goggles, and with his height, that ought to just reach the edge of the shaft. From the sound of it, and the origin of the energy bolt, he figures the thing must be on the side of the pit, he just can't see it. So he runs for the side to get under it, and out of its sight and/or range, he hopes, and shoots a jet of flame from his goggles as he gets close. Now, you can usually take 1 movement action in a round for free, anything more and you have to roll something for it. The edge of the pit is within 10 meters, and it's flat terrain, so he's good as far as that goes, since his Move is 10. He has no special weapon skill for the goggles, so it's 4D Dexterity, 3, 6, 2, 5 = 16))

((The creature is currently invisible, so you can't tell what it's going to do until I describe it.))

Koh tumbles to the side, away from the shattering winch assembly, and ends up on his feet, drawing a throwing dagger and being on the alert for attack from any side. Lucky thing, too, because his attention is caught by a metallic ricochet noise, and his head snaps around to see the wildly careening Ever-Spinning Wheel bouncing off the rock wall and heading straight for his head, jagged gear-teeth awhirl. ((Next round, in addition to whatever else is going on, you've got the flying wheel to cope with, either to dodge or let it hit you, basically.))

Cersei finishes her incantation as Chay breaks into a run, and the mystical field snaps into being as a slightly-distorted haze in front of her, just as a jet of napalm erupts from the Guardsman's goggles. There is another piercing shriek, and flames seem to burn in mid-air as the creature, now clearly rendered invisible, leaps off the edge of the pit to land on the lower level, catching the full brunt of Chay's attack. The fire, not covered by the spell, delineates the general area of where the creature lands, in the approximate middle of the open area. Judging by the length of the tentacle it grabbed Chay with last time, if it has any more such tentacles, the whole group is within range.
 
"Uh-oh." Kohdeki muttered as his gaze set on the everturning wheel flying toward him.

Without hesitation, he backflipped out of its path with lightning speed, toward a wall in the mine where he could conceal himself.

((dodge out of the way of the wheel and into stealth mode against the wall.))
 
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