A Gap In Time (Part 1)

Log Info

• Title: A Gap In Time (Part 1)
• Emitter: Whirlpool
• Characters: Alexander, Culix, Disaster, Lillianath, Pasithea, Rumbo, Shalethiste
• Place: Alexandris - A Myrrish Village - A Frigid Grotto
• Time: Thursday, January 14th, 2020 11:00AM
• Summary: Griva Brassbringer (a speaker for the Resurectionists of Animus) briefs the intrepid adventurers on their forthcoming mission and then, after giving them an hour to prepare, teleports them to the first location they need to investigate. After a quick lay-over in a Myrrish Village they find themselves in a freezing cold tunnel which, unfortunately, many of them slip and slide down onto a frozen lake that cracks under their combined weight!
• APL: 2-5
• Encounter 1: A frozen lake surrounding a frigid grotto that is beginning to crack beneath their feet!

-=-=-=-=-=-=  At a glance around Staff: Room of DoooOOooooOoom!  =-=-=-=-=-=-=
Alexander    6'5"     120 Lb     Human             Male      Blonde haired man with green eyes
Culix        3'2"     36 Lb      Goblin            Female    Beady-eyed goblin female in leathers and hood.
Disaster     3'4"     40 Lb      Gnome             Male      Gnome, small, gears, tools and TERROR.
Lillianath   5'0"     117 Lb     Dawn Elf          Female    Perpetually worried-looking elf woman.
Pasithea     3'2"     38 Lb      Halfling          Female    Tall female lucht, willowy, Hair dark as night
Rumbo        3'2"     35 Lb      Goblin            Male      A gun-toting gobber with a wooden peg-leg.
Shalethiste  4'6"     96 Lb      Shadow Elf        Female    A copper maned elf maiden, hued in the night sky.
Whirlpool                        Otyugh                      I am stinky!
-=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=-

Her name is Griva Brassbringer and she is the speaker for the Resurectionists of Animus.

An esteemed dwarven veteran of the Rune-Dran war, she sits patiently in a meditative trance within the office at the Guild of Explorers, awaiting the arrival of those who've offered, for gold, to help her run down a partricular piece of her mission: to seek to return Animus to life. Her grey hair sits over her shgoulders, undone from its typival braiding, and her hazel eyes are presently clsed. She looks serene, but not like Serene.

An unlikely figure has taken the job- a certain sticky-fingered Goblin who is professing to be turning over a new leaf since her release from Gaol. Culix makes her way hesitantly into the office, her cloak bundled around her but hood down at least. She's dressed in her leathers, daggers at hips and ankles.

Pasithea enters. The sleepy looking Lucht woman slow on her feet and dressed warmly against the chill of the air outside. She shuffles in head nodding downwards several times until she gets close enough to be 'a part' of the group gathering and then leans on her spear, falling asleep while standing.

When rumors abound of pieces of a dead god, the Temples tend to be interested. When the Temples are interested, sometimes their clergy start wanting to see for themselves, to better understand.

Lillianath is not here in any official capacity, as Seers tend to work at at least one remove... But the hooded, yellow-eyed elf seems to be the sort to prefer to put her hands in directly.

Entering the office, she slips to one side and stands quietly; not wanting to obstruct the door to others who may follow, nor interrupt the elder's meditations.

Rumbo makes his way into the office with a wide gobber-grin, chewing on a tindertwig like a tooth-pick with the end sticking from the corner of his mouth lit. He carries with him a dragonspitter that is out in his hand being twirled around like a band-leaders baton with flourishing twists. "Ahoy!" He calls out cheerfully before swallowing the lit tindertwig and continuing, "I understand there is a little job for us smart book-type Gobbers?" Rumbo gestures to himself by pointing at his chest with the dragonspitter in his hand. <goblin-talk>

GAME: Rumbo used a Tindertwig.

In time, a shadow clad in Eluna's colors steps gracefully in through the doorway, some heartbeats behind the exuberant Goblin. Her eyes sweep about the room with a reserved care, though the Silver Guard's head dips in a respectful bow to the Seer upon sight, and Shalethiste moves, likewise out of the way of the door with as little disruption of the meditative airs as she can manage.

Griva opens her eyes and offers a warm greeting. A traditional Khazadi one, even.

"May the storms clouds break as you pass beneath them. Welcome, friends. I am Griva Brassbringer." He rises to her feet.

"Today, we're investigating a rather dangerous and difficult matter, a matter relating to the death of Animus." She lets that hang in the air, then smiles.

"Surprising, right?" She taps the scale of balance pin on her collar.

"We've been recently trying to investigate disruptions in the Sea of Mana that might've stemmed from his death. Analysis of the historical record indicates that there have been ... disruptions to local Magus Points -- ley line confluences you see -- in the run up to his death. We're going to have the lot of us travel to several of these magus points to analyze ambient mana levels at several natural, less evaluated ones. Those that see more ... use will have their mana better regulated in genral and it will be harder to see anything unusual like what I'm looking for. You're going to assist me."

Culix's beady eyes dart to each of the newcomers in the room as they arrive, and she shuffles over to occupy a corner of it out of the way. She remains tight lipped, looking back over towards Griva when she opens her eyes and speaks. She still says nothing, but does nod her head to indicate she's listening. "Expecting trouble?" she finally wonders.

Alexander remains silent as he listens to the dwarf speak. He has a hawk on his shoulder which seems to do the main amount of movement for him, tilting it's head and watching the peoples as he waits for them to leave, holding his bow as he watches and waits for the dwarf to lead the way.

Rumbo listens as the mission is outlined by the old Khazadi Griva Brassbringer and nods here and there to the details. Gesturing with a wave of the dragonspitter in his hand the gun-toting gobber asks two questions, "Do we have navigational charts or maps we can study while we journey? Also how are we going to travel? I would assume by airship unless you propose something faster." After posing the questions Rumbo begins to scratch his back by reaching over his shoulder and using his dragonspitter as a handy backscratcher - Gobber improvisation on display!

Pasithea speaks even though her eyes are closed, voice just above a whisper. "Of course there will... be trouble. She seeks.. shards of a god who.. is dead. The dead like to sleep.. like I do." Her words broken by small breaks of sleep. "Where is the first ..location?" She asks with a yawn and eyes opening.

For his part the little Gnomish artificer seems engrossed in putting something together. There is a stock, a can openner, some glass, nailes. Something that looks like a child's toy including a head with a smile painted on it. Various gears and widgets. After a moment he looks up at the group and blinks a few times. "Trouble? Double. No, My name is Disaster?" The goggles on his face click a few times then he gets back to work.

The hooded Seer nods to the Silver Guard, a welcoming smile growing on the visible lower half of her face. As Griva stirs from her meditations, Lillianath bows her head. "And may the Moon shine kindly on your sleep," she says in answer, before subsiding to hear the briefing.

And even short, it promises a large amount of.... interesting.... discoveries, whether or not the Shards of Animus even properly exist. Lillianath pauses, to consider her question carefully, then finally speaks up; "How are we helping?"

"Yes," says Griva.

"Now, I should be able to dissuade most of it from being a problem. I'm not without my powers or tricks myself, but I will also be focused deeply on the Magus Points when I'm working on them. I'm going to need you to be ready. The trouble can range from mana spirtes to local monsters influenced by the local magic. I will be taking us to them."

She wiggles her fingers.

Shalethiste is relieved that their shared faith overcomes their other... difficulties. The Silver Guard smiles easily in return, then turns her attention to... another Goblin waving a Dragonspitter.

How novel.

Her gaze is drawn to Griva as she rejoins the now with her benediction, and returns, "May the Sky Dancer's song warm your heart. I am Shalethiste, of the Silver Guard. Well met, you all."

Culix's nose wrinkles a bit at all the piousness going on around her, and she folds her arms across her chest as Griva goes on to explain further. "Fair 'nuff." she answers, unfolding her arms to scratch her cheek. "Guess I'm good to go. When we get where we're going, you all mind if I move up front..." she says and casts her glance around the room. "Can do a bit of scouting before whatever nasties might be there hear your... heavy, footfalls." she suggests. And mildly insults while she's at it.

The thrum-thrum-thrum of barely controlled thaumic energy begins to build from the device Disaster is working on. He once more looks up, blinks a few times as his vision adjusts beneath his goggles. "Right, wait for monsters. Where do we do that? Where should I set up?" The long barreled device begins venting steam, the small child's toy head bobbing on the end of a tube as gouts of super heated air vent out with a shrill whistle. "Don't mind that, part of the future tea pot attachment. Does not mean I am close to critical pressure levels and about to explode. See, head is smiling."

"Seer Lilli," answers the hooded elf. Unseen, an eyebrow arches at the dwarf's fingers wiggling, and a hand is placed on Shalethiste's shoulder. "I'd suggest that perhaps we might not want to leave anything loose, it looks as if we're on our way already."

Her head turns, eyes falling on each of her new companions in turn. "...To put bluntly; check your gear and watch your rear, we're on our way."

Rumbo nods again after a quick sigh, no navigational charts to examine is seems, "Right, the faster method it is." The gobber holds the dragonspitter before him and, with rapid movements, begins to load it with powder, wadding and shot. "Let's get ready to Rumbo!"

Click-Click-Click, once seemingly finishing the construction of his rifle-like device. Disaster sets about hooking little thin metal bars to one side. "One moment, I just need to build the right apparatus." Finally he produces a mirror and hooks it onto the new thin metal arm. "Rear watched!" The Gnome says with enthusiasm.

The sleepy sorceress, Pasithea, nods slowly to whats being said around her. Either that or just fighting off the sleep that seems to eternally plauge her. She lifts a hand and slowly casts her protective spell. "This should.. prove interesting. And I approve of.. fast travel."

GAME: Pasithea casts Mage Armor. Caster Level: 4 DC: 15

"Y'll be transporting us to the first location with magic. I've prepapred numerous scrolls. Given that I am *also* your path back, I suggest you make sure no harm comews to me."

Griva gives a wry smile. It is clearly not a threat, even if true.

"I will give you one hour to prepare and then we'll depart."

And indeed, she will do exactly that. "Our first location is going to be a place called the frozen grotto. It's in Stormgard. Bring your long underwear."

"Stormgarde," the Seer echoes, interested. "Long underwear indeed... One moment, Mistress Brassbringer." And with that, and a nod to her fellow Elunite, then to the rest, she departs, apparently to take sound advice.

It's not half an hour later that she returns, travel pack on her back, and a thick, fur-lined woolen cloak around her shoulders. "There," she says, settling down against the wall to await the rejoining of the team. "I await our departure."

Rumbo gazes about the office at the others after loading his dragonspitter and says with a frown, "An hour?! I'm always ready." The Gobber settles down on the ground with the dragonspitter in his lap rather than it's holster and his back against the wall, "Wake me when you need me!" Though small Rumbo snores as if he were much larger!

Culix pulls her hood up and dips her head, slipping out to go make her own preperations. It doesn't take her too long, but she returns shortly after with a little extra padding on under her armor, and her pack making a lump under her cloak. Some nice wooly underthings to protect from the cold. Bit scratchy, but better than frostbite. "I have never been out of the city..." she admits, as she glances around. For as moody as she looked when she first arrived, the Goblin crook seems just as excited now- eyes twinkling with something that might even be excitement.

GAME: Culix rolls use magic device: (18)+7: 25

GAME: Culix used a Scroll of Endure Elements.

GAME: Pasithea used a Scroll of Endure Elements.

When you return from your various preeratory tasks, Griva begins to cast her magics. It is complicated and from a prepared scroll.

"We will be making several jumps. Please hold onto your hats."

There! There you go. Poof! There's a grasping, rising feeling of disorientation as you ride along the seas of mana to arrive at your next destination. First, you find yourself appearing outside a myrrish tavern, where several people gasp and drop their goods and stagger back and point.

"Ah, blast," says GRiva, "a bit off the mark! Sorry, everyone! Go about your business! Wizardly things!"

And then she's casting her next spell to get to the next locale.

But you're definitely in a Myrrish villasge of some kind at the moment, with a lot of pointing and staring.

GAME: Rumbo rolls Knowledge/Geography: (10)+12: 22

Shalethiste returns after fetching appropriate weather wear and some extra sundries for any festivities to come. She adjusts the lay of her new accoutremants, and, seeming set, gives a smile and a little thumbs up.

Much like leaving the City- ot at least its surrounding climes- this is the first time Culix has experienced teleportation magic as well. She staggers when they appear outside of the tavern, and looks a little greener around the gills than she usually does. She covers her mouth with a hand as she takes a deep breath to steady herself, before she finally begins looking around. Spying the people pointing and staring, she tugs the front of her hood down a bit more.

Alexander looks to the people as he seems somewhat experienced with teleportation magic. He adjusts his bow and he turns to the others, and watches them, studying the others as he grins at Culix's reaction to the spell. He walks over to her and moves a hand to her shoulder. "Believe me, it could be rougher. I once saw someone teleport a person to one place, their ass to another." He says calmly.

As they teleport in, Disaster hefts his death ray, a nightmareish rifle of tubes, coils and things that go 'bing'. It hums to life as lightning dances along it's length and the armored little Gnome shrieks at the people around them. "PREPARE TO DIE MONSTERS!" Then silence, a fart of steam comes out of the rifle as Disaster lowers the barrel slowly. "Oh, not monsters? Wrong stop? Well this is embarassing. Do not mind us! Superior Gnomish Engineering expression. Look over there, a bird!" He glances back to Griva. "Teleport please!"

Rumbo grits his teeth as he eyes the Myrrish tavern that they have appeared in front off and aims his dragonspitter out at the gawking people. "Myrddion?! What are we doing here. It's full of dangerous gnomes and maybe folk who want ol' Rumbo dead! This isn't one of 'those' villages is it?" He growls aside between watching Griva Brassbringer and waving his dragonspitter at the audience!

Pasithea misses the first stop due to sleep but wakens as loud voices from the party waken her. She opens her eyes to find folk pointing and lifts a hand in a friendly wave. A glance over to others in the group. "Perhaps not waving... weapons at them might.. be better."

Lilli might have ranged farther than some in her party, but her long, sheltered childhood in the Llyranost forests occasionally shows itself... Such as when they pop out of thin air by a Myrrish tavern. But delighted ogling has to wait, as she rests a hand on Rumbo's shooting hand. "Easy, Rumbo," she says, voice calm and soothing. "They're more scared of you than you are of them, and we'll be gone again soon. Best to save your bullets for when you need them."

"...easy, easy! Don't be so swift with the triggers, everyone. Now, we're just going to move along. One more to the grotto." She proceeds to begin weaving magic, faster this time, and then you're suddenly VERY COLD and in what appears to be a very icy stretch of tunnel. In a tunnel. A dark tunnel. Thankfully, Griva's staff is supplying light.

"Ahhh, we're close," she offers.

It is *extremely cold* here, the tunnle wide and cold enough that the ice is a mirrored shade of clear blue, stretching out as far as the eye can see.

Rumbo is, as always, enchanted with an Endure Elements spell (something he casts daily after preparing his spells as a good Gunakharan) and so is protected from the freezing cold and as a Gobber has natural darkvision to peer along the dark tunnel. Still he can recognize the cold and tugs his jacket a little tighter about him. "So.. this is the place?" Rumbo asks before aiming the dragonspitter along the tunnel. "Best way to check if there is any danger is with a warning shot so, if you've sensitive hearing, cover your ears!" He announces this with a wide grin while aiming along the barrel. Somehow Rumbo has picked up good manners in Alexandria, in times past he would have just fired off the warning shout without any announcement.

Peering around the frozen tunnel, Disaster touches a button his unique armor and there is a subtle hum. He seems unbothered by the chill, though after a few moments the odor of richly baked Gnome will likely give away his position to random animals. "We're close? Interesting." SHouldering his death ray the tiny Gnome bends down and scrapes a sample from the floor. Holding it up for a levered jeweler's glass to examine.

The color drains from Culix's face after the second teleportation in quick succession, and she puts genuine concentration into not losing her lunch. After a couple of shuddering breaths, she looks around carefully in the cave- very thankful to have invested in that scroll, it's still chilly and she rubs her forearms a bit. She turns to eye Rumbo, "Best way to find danger is using your eyes and ears." she retorts to him. She also looks down the length of the cavern, though, "I'll go on ahead and take a gander?" she suggests.

"Oh!" Having heeded the dwarf's warning, Lilli did at least dress for the deep cold, but it's always a shock even if you're ready for it. What can be seen of her cheeks turns red in an instant, and rather than fire shots or take samples, the Seer seems content to simply keep an eye out, unlimbering one of her starknives from its strap and bouncing it in her hand. "Best not to go alone," she notes to Culix. "Unless you're all right to stay within sight of the rest of us."

Alexander dressed for the cold and he adjusts his cloak so he can keep warm while he has his bow and arrow out. He remains silent as his hawk fluffs it's feathers to keep warm.

Pasithea shivers despite the spells protecting her. "I'd rather not.. announce ourselves to the.. world, Mr. Gobbo." She says to Rumbo in a near whisper. She pulls her cold weather clothing tighter about herself and quickly adds her own light cantrip to the magical light Griva's staff is giving off. "Though the light may.. do that for us."

Shalethiste is now properly attired for the expedition, and the Mul ventures out a bit to try and establish a perimeter with a hand resting on the hilt of her long, narrow blade. She sweeps the area, trying to spot any potential unpleasanness coming in from the outside, trusting her esteemed allies to keep any internal mischief to a minimum.

Rumbo frowns at the responses and says, to everyone but also specifically to his fellow Gobber Culix, as he gestures with the dragonspitter, "Right. You shoot off a shot or two and, using your eyes and your ears, you look and listen for what responds. Best way to see what's there. Watch!" The gobber speaks as a professor giving a lecture or, as he learnt it, as a master instructing their apprentice and squeezes the trigger. KABLOOM! There is sparks and smoke and, more importantly, noise that echoes along the tunnel.

"Oh, don't worry. It's unlikely we're in any danger here just yet, and while I'm not otherwise in disposed, I am a highly competent wizard with a considerable experience in the art of violent fire making and such," replies Griva, cheerful.

She leads the way, then, tapping her staff as she moves through the tunnels. Eventually, you're heading down a slight slope.

"Watch your step," she adds, "the ground here can be sli--AHHHH..."

Dwarven stability or not, she goes sliding down the path on her bottom.

GAME: Culix rolls reflex: (8)+7: 15

GAME: Alexander rolls reflex: (7)+4: 11

GAME: Pasithea rolls reflex: (4)+5: 9

GAME: Lillianath rolls reflex: (11)+3: 14

GAME: Shalethiste rolls reflex: (11)+10: 21

GAME: Disaster rolls reflex: (9)+5: 14

GAME: Rumbo rolls Reflex: (6)+3: 9

Culix narrows her eyes scathingly at the other goblin, being a very ungoblinlike goblin she is not a fan of tinnitus caused by firing guns in enclosed spaces. But the Dwarven woman leads the way, and so she presses her lips into a thin line (or maybe that's just the nausia?) and follows along behind her. Culix's foot threatens to slip out from underneath her, but with some careful maneuvering she stays on her feet, turning to the side a bit so that she can carefully descend the slope side on.

A the floor gives way Disaster lets out a triumphant noise. "For Gnomish Science!" He exclaims as he slaps the large button in the center of his chest and a pair of batwings pop out. Or at least one does, the other sticks half way. This causing to make the Gnome tumble down after the Dwarf. Yet also spin in an increasingly fast circle. "AAHAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Disaster vanishes down the path.

'Watch your step.' Excellent advice, when travelling in a tunnel made of solid ice. Lilli immediately takes the advice, and after two steps of careful foot placement and weight testing, her back foot flies out behind her, and breath is driven from her body as she faceplants, taking the slope headfirst and weakly carving a shallow groove in her wake, as she tried to use her starknife to arrest her plunge.

But sadly, to no avail.

Alexander tries to maintain his footing but lets be honest he has no experience moving along ice. He falls and the hawk flies into the air following after the people as they slide down the slope. He also pulls the arrow out of the bow to keep from stabbing himself with it as he went down.

Pasithea just sort of slip-crumbles to the icey ground and is sliding along with the others. Her spear is used to try to steer herself as she slides. And all this icy wind and fast movement seems to wake her up more then usual. "Well.. this is.. a thing."

"Alexandrians," says an aggrieved Griva at some of the more ... eccetnric displays of Gnomish and Goblin behavior.

All the same, she's got her hands stretched out in front of her, staff usedd to be ready to protect herself from the weaving, sloped path. Unfortunately, the descent forces you to gather momentum on account of gravity and eventually you are deposited onto the surface of an icy lake. You can see cold-weather fish swimming through its clear surface, and all around you are a great many stalagtites and stalagmites made of ice, alongside with vibrant, almost glowing and shimmering crystals. The Frozen Grotto lives up to its name.

Griva groans, sits up, and just in time to see the rest of you getting deposited all around her from the tunnel that lead here.

... the number of people hitting the ice causes cracks to begin to form in its surface.

Uh oh.

Shalethiste follows along taking a sort of admittedly annoyed lead after the touching off of the firearm. Her eyes, well adapted to the dark beneath, sweep about as she almost absently navigates what treacheries the cavern floor affords. As things get particular slick, she feels obliged to note, "Be careful, it's getting a little-!" she breaks off as people start going for a ride. Damnit! The Mul glances to the goblin who managed to keep her feet and starts to carefully make her way down, drawing her dagger to use as an emergency brake, should that need arise, and she calls down, "Is everyone alright?"

Rumbo looks down to his feet as the instruction is passed and, without looking where he is going bumps into something or someone and slips over to join the masses that have tumbled over on the ice. "Gaah! Watch out.!" He calls out between colliding from the wall and other people. <goblin-talk>

With a groan, Lilli starts to pick herself off the ground, swatting away shaved ice from her cloak, and the knees of her first layer of pants. "Apparently I wasn't watching my step enough.... oh! That's pretty!" she says, distracted by the sight of fish swimming through the water on the other side of the ice layer. "We're all right, Silver Guard!"

• crack*

"Um.... I mean, we're all right for now, but we'd better run and you should hurry up!"

"I am ready for the adventure." Disaster murmurs as he rubs his helmeted head. Then sets about trying to get the wings back into his armor. He stumbles forwards after the rest of the group, first getting one wing, then eventually giving up on the right one and starting the process of checking over his death ray.

Pasithea slides in with the others fast asleep. She wakens slowly, "Oh this is ..not good." She says before even opening her eyes. "We should.. move carefully?" She stays put at first checking to see if the ice continues to crack or if it stills if they stay still. "I don't.. swim. Sleep and water.. are not good together."

Culix mostly just utters a string of unintelligible curse words, one might think she were trying to cast a spell- but no, she's simply expressing her frustration. "Join the guild, they said, it'll be fun, they said." she grumbles as she makes her way the rest of the way down the slope and towards the underground(ice?) ice lake. Just in time to hear the resonating sound of a crack in it. She unslings a length of rope from over her shoulder, and then slides it out across the ice towards those on the cracked section. "In case it goes." she offers them, and then looks over to Shale- only slightly taller than she is, but also the only other person who didn't go for a slide. "Want to grab ahold of this, just in case?"

Shalethiste carefully makes her way over toward Culix as they reach the bottom with a nod, "Of course, a little more anchoring is for the best." she agrees. Her dagger is returned to it's sheath, and the Mul glances about for any stone formations which may provide even more stability, but she braces her feet, in any case, and winds the free end around her arm and hunkers down low for a better center of gravity.

Rumbo tries his best to spring up after the ice cracks beneath him and, with stamping feet, hurries as best he can across the ice yelling loudly, "Aaaah not again!"

GAME: Rumbo rolls Acrobatics: (16)+3: 19

GAME: Disaster rolls acrobatics: (10)+-2: 8

GAME: Pasithea rolls acrobatics: (8)+6: 14

GAME: Alexander rolls acrobatics: (7)+4: 11

GAME: Lillianath rolls acrobatics: (19)+-2: 17

... everyone's first instinct is, of course, to get off the ice. Why wouldn't it be? Almost immediately, the ice starts to crack more. And more.

While Culix and Shale are a bit behind, not having dropped onto it yet, the rest are having to scatter in a mad scap effort to get to the 'shore', the solid land that rings the frozen grotto's lake.

Griva simply levitates, but then, she's a wizard and has that capability.

"Get to the shore," she yells.

Lillianath and Rumbo make it, but Pasithea, Disaster and ALexander wind up clinging to their own icerafts as they lake breaks apart into chunks, leaving them stranded.

Rumbo breathes out in relief. The Gobber had been holding his breath while scrambling and only began again once he was safe on shore. Holstering the dragonspitter as he regains his breath it isn't until Rumbo pulls a goblin army knife from his jacket that he speaks. "I'll toss out a rope and pull you in. Hangon to your lifebergs!" Now which combination was it that gave access to the spool of rope in the goblin army knife?

"Hah-Hah!" Disaster exclaims as he balances on his crumbling iceraft. "This is no small problem for." With a shuddering -thunk- a grappling hook fires from his back, sailing out with a long line of rope attached. "Oh dear that was early." Disaster murmurs as he watches the hook snag and even larger, even quicker sinking chunk of ice. "Well I will just have to.." SHOOMP, the little gnome gets reeled into the bigger block and starts sailing away. "I'm Okay! Okay! I will be back later! This is just a minor set back." There's a explosion from Disaster's form as a flare bursts into life. "Not an emergency warning at all. Don't mind me! Everything is fiiine!" He says as he bobs away.

GAME: Alexander rolls weapon4: (16)+6: 22

Alexander holds onto the berg he is on, he then grunts as he see's the artificer fly off. He shakes his head and he pulls his bow out and an arrow and a rope. He ties the rope to the arrow and looks to the land on the far side of the lake. He grunts as he pulls the string of his bow and fires the arrow, hoping to get it stuck into the land so he can pull himself towards the land.

Taking a moment to catch her breath, Lilli sends up a silent prayer to the Seer whose responsibility it was to drill her in physical exercise; almost as if he knew this day would come.

I mean, probably not *this exact* day, but he'd happily take the credit for her surviving any disaster really.

Turning, she scans the lake, frowning with worry as she spots the stranded ones, then looks up to the tunnel that had dropped them all here. "Culix! Shalethiste!" she calls, waving her arm. "Throw me that rope, I have a way to fix it to this side!"

GAME: Rumbo rolls Ranged: (8)+7: 15

Pasithea stays very still. Very still. Thankfully she is still warm but the water laps at her hands and knees keeping her awake. her bare feet seemingly immune to the cold. She does not look up as the rope comes in and it smacks her across the head and back. Carefully she reaches out and grasps hold of it, wrapping it about her forearm.

Shalethiste glances to Culix as the call for rope ensues. She's set in as the anchor, and untethering to throw it would waste the point of her securing herself so. In case it comes up, "The large pouch on my back has more rope, if we need it." But, with the expectation that she's going to be helping someone haul themselves to shore, she takes a knee and braces her lead foot as best she can.

GAME: Culix rolls ranged: (11)+6: 17

Culix looks up as someone calls out for the rope, and then Shelly mentions having a spare. So she heads over to extract the rope from her pack- quick fingers aren't only good for stealing, after all. And it'll take too long to bundle her own rope back up for throwing now she'd already cast it out onto the lake before it finished breaking. She grips the rope by the loop it makes in its coiled state and then swings it a couple of times over her head before tossing the bundled thing over towards Lilli.

Slowly, Alexander is able to pull himself by his rope and lodeged arrow towards the shore. The rope thrown by Culix makes it to Lillianth. Griva's using her flight to sweep down and try to locate Disaster.

Even though the rest of you have already found it.

Slowly, one by one, and considerably delayed, you're able to pick your way across the shore, using a combination of ropes and magic, to reach the other end.

Griva sets herself back down with a sigh.

"Well, *that* was aggravating. Still, the lake shouldn't have broken like that. That's unusual. This place has been frozen solid for decades. Perhaps there's some kind of inclement climate change going on, some kind of ... warming event."

She shrugs, then points down a ways towards rows of crystals that are arranged over a small opening. "The heart of the grotto is that way, between those crystals. Come. Let us make ourselves at home."