9. Weeping Pond:

[Man in Black]

This placid-looking pond is set off from the surrounding area by a crescent-shaped escarpment.  No vegetation grows on the banks of this pond, and the waters carry a bitter stink of sulfur and other chemicals, enough to make the eyes water after spending too much time on the shore. The pond is fed by an underwater spring from under Black Hill, but no fish live in these waters, for the pond is tainted.  Until recently, the foulness of the water has prevented anyone from discovering that the underwater spring leads into a series of caves under Black Hill. A shallow stream runs southeast of the pond and finally empties into Crowfeather Lake.

[Reawyn]

Reawyn reaches the pond with the rest of the party, but as they get closer his curiousity becomes more evident on his face.

"I wonder what the chemical properties of the water are. Base or acidic?" He looks at the fellow scholar of the group, Chrome. "Do you think the nature of teh water would corrode metal, or be contained by it?"

Even though the party is soon to submerse themselves in the pond, he cannot help himself, he pulls one of the empty flasks from his pack and dips it in the water, filling it before stoppering the flask.

"To study later," he explains to no one inparticular.


[OoC 
Gear that Reawyn distributed to other party members to assist in carrying:

Sack (Total wt.: 26 lbs., contains - 5 Iron Spikes, 1 Crowbar, 1 Grappling Hook-Common, 1 Hammer, 1 Rope (Hemp/50 ft.))

Waterproof Bag ( Tiotal Wt.: 29 lbs., contains - 1 Waterskin (Filled), 1 Artisan's Tools (Gemcutting), 1 Mess Kit, 1 Lamp (Common/Waterproof), 3 Oil (1 Pint Flask), 1 Alchemy Crafting Kit, 5 Rations (Trail/Per Day), 5 Torch)

Yup, thats 55lbs of gear that he was waddling around with, on top of the 52lbs. he is keeping on himself.]

[Cin-Ezra Oovalli]

Cin covers her nose and mumbles, "Are we sure there is no other way inside?  Who knows what this toxic soup will do to us just by stepping into it!  I would like to have a child one day.  I mean one that's born without ten heads."

[Chrome Veneer]

Chrome knelt down at the water's side and stuck two fingers in to feel the temperature. "Hard to say," he began to reply to Reawyn. "Given the nature of what's granting the water its properties... probably acidic? I doubt that we'll be in it long enough to truly worry about long-term damage to gear though." He hoped. "Would be ideal to dry them off just in case, but i suppose with us all being entirely submerged... Maybe a few cloths in that bag of yours?" He shrugged, it didn't feel like it was actually that important as he doubted anyone else would. There was a simple magic that might help them clean off after existing the water, but it wasn't in the retinue of magic he'd come to understand. He'd left most of his research material back at the Tavern to be held onto for safekeeping, only adding his necessary materials for scribing down notes while below, food, and the like.

The smell was bearable to him, but he'd lived here a long time... that said, if it was going to stick to his clothes... Well, he hoped that it wouldn't linger or there would be someone else that did know that cleaning cantrip. Doubtful of that, of course, he seemed to be the only one who took on such arcane tricks from those here. He inwardly cursed himself for instead devoting time to learning how to mend ruined books and research materials and not the simple magic tricks. "It's the only path we know of. If there is another entrance, who is to say how long it might take to find. It's not worth trying to find it and potentially never doing so. As for the mutation bit..." He considered for a moment. "Well it should be fine." He decided to not paint himself into a corner. "Probably. This sort of composition likely wouldn't bring any harm to future children... unless there's something magical going on as well." On that note, his eyes glowed a light blue as he scanned over the water to detect any magical sources. Not actually expecting to find any. "Probably."


(Barring any last minute decisions, going to just hold my 19.5 gold and pick up a waterproof bag of my own. Hope we aren't down longer than a minute!...At worst it's just paper i suppose.)

[Cin-Ezra Oovalli]

There was a simple magic that might help them clean off after existing the water, but it wasn't in the retinue of magic he'd come to understand.

[OoC: You need to get your hands on Prestidigitation (Little Wish)?  For being just a cantrip, it is one of the most versatile spells in the game.  It dries, cleans, polishes, flavors, dusts, and pretty much every other minor thing you can think of.   ]

[Ursk]

UUrsk doesn't so much "eye" the foul water as he smells it, his bulbous nose wrinkling at the sulfurous stench. He listens to the others debate the merits of submersion in the brew, scratches his beard, then starts removing his armor.

"Ursk will go. Worse in mines and Ursk see in dark, not like humans. Tie two ropes together, one end around Ursk's waist." He further explains in his broken common to slowly let the rope out, keeping a slight tension, just enough to feel if Ursk gives a double-yank to the rope, indicating folks should start pulling him back. One yank followed by three means the rope is secured at the other end and folks should follow. 

OOC: GM:  This might be abusing the letter of the rules a bit so feel free to say differently, but my intention is to put the armor and other gear in a bag or two, up to Ursk's light encumberance. As he isn't wearing the armor, I assume no armor check penalty. And if he's still at light encumberance, no penalty. He'll just be unarmored at the other end.

OOC-Edit: I was just reminded the dwarf's slow and steady also applies to encumberance. So...load me up!

Swim Check (Str, not wearing armor, ignoring encumberance per racial ability): 1d20+4 10

[Taijun]

"I will help you Reawyn." Taijun offers to help carry 26lb sack for the overburdened Reawyn. (Taijun now has a medium load at 45 lbs)

He listens to the two scholars talk about the qualities of the water but Taijun sees other properties of the corrupted water.  "If this water is tainted then there must be a greater source of corruption below. Khonnir Baine used this way so it should be safe enough."  He looks up at the massive hill where the light that shot to the sky used to be.  Clearly the light came from somewhere underground and Taijun was comforted to have a keen eyed dwarf in the party down there.

"Got it Ursk." He says as he accepts the other end of the rope from Ursk.  "Two tugs, danger, one then three we follow."

[Reawyn]

"I will help you Reawyn." Taijun offers to help carry 26lb sack for the overburdened Reawyn. (Taijun now has a medium load at 45 lbs)

He listens to the two scholars talk about the qualities of the water but Taijun sees other properties of the corrupted water.  "If this water is tainted then there must be a greater source of corruption below. Khonnir Baine used this way so it should be safe enough."  He looks up at the massive hill where the light that shot to the sky used to be.  Clearly the light came from somewhere underground and Taijun was comforted to have a keen eyed dwarf in the party down there.

"Got it Ursk." He says as he accepts the other end of the rope from Ursk.  "Two tugs, danger, one then three we follow."

"Thank you," he says, handing the sack to Taijun.

"Need I remind everyone, we may not even need to swim if the bottom is firm, we could actually 'walk' if our gear gives us a negative buoyancy. I mean if you are too weighted down to float..."

[Kayla Striegold]

Kayla nods at Taijun's statement about Khonnir - she was thinking the same thing. If he had gone through the water twice, and then chose to go through it a third time to get back into the caves, then it shouldn't be all THAT bad! She checked her gear to ensure everything was secure, and prepared to follow Ursk.

[Man in Black]

Ursk finds the calm water fairly easy to doggy paddle through the twisting tunnel to the other side.  The foul water makes him feel nauseous, though, and has to resist the urge to vomit.  (make a fort save.)

The tunnel opens up to a large cavern with a beach.  The air smells of mold and vinegar, but isn't poisonous.  Dampness hangs in the air of this cave, condensing into heavy moisture on the slick, stone walls. The calm, dark waters wind around to the east up north, along a stony, soot-scarred beach. A five-foot-high ledge sporting several stalagmites rises to the east, beyond which a low-ceilinged cave beckons.