Centi, Moffa's huge centipede, advances steadily down the spiral staircase while the six members of Team Arda-Nuff follow down the stairs a little further behind it. The team just reaches Moffa's designated jumping off point (squares I-J 35-38 on the map) on the opposite side of the staircase from the hydra and 30 to 45 feet above the floor (20 to 35 feet above the ledge and 10 feet away from the ledge) by the time Centi reaches the place on the stairs that is closest to the hydra (L36 on the map).

Just as Centi reaches that closest point the white head of the hydra belches out a 20-foot long, 10-foot wide jet of frost straight at Centi. Then all four other heads lunge forward, reaching 10 feet from the hydra's body to bite at Centi. The jet of frost engulfs the huge centipede and the red and green heads succeed in biting it, the green head tearing a large plate of Centi's  exoskeleton away. 

OOC: (Round 1) Main game map updated. Raven, Dregz and Jurz can leap off the stairs as part of their move in that round if they wish. (Dregz would need to make a running jump check to see how far away from the stairs he can jump before levitating down to the floor or ledge.) Moffa doesn't arrive in position until late in that round so can't cast her spell until the beginning of the new round.

Minmorc will slowly sift through the wealth of information provided by the professor Bully and will seize on a few key facts. Swapping his axe for his spear he will try to think out loud. “So’s we don’t wants it ter ave more heads so it’s better ter stab it ter death... an it might be a painted cryin hydra, which would be bad, an it might be a tiny Tiamat, a teenymat, which would be worse, so we gonna use magic ter skip fightin dis one. Wow, youse is real smart. Lemme know if I needs ter stab der cryin teenymat.”

"If'n we's get ready to goes first, den Min or Bully can frow us right out by der wall, instead of youse having to make a jump wiv me tied to youse." Jurz offers, happy to let Min decide that we were all going to skip this one.  Jurz knew that he probably was going to anyway ...

Moffdust nods emphatically. "Yes, we'se skips dis ones. Except for poor Centi, he's going ter BITES DEM!!" This last yelled down to Centi.

"Bully, Min, when youse feels de spells den youse jus makes yerselves go to de ledges down dere." She puts on her Ring of Diminution and shrinks to half her size. She steps up next to Raven. "Can I gets a lifts wid youse Birdie Girls?" She casts a Dimension Step spell that will teleport Bully and Min.

Being thrown at the wall by a biggun ... is unfortunately the best of a bad lot of choices.  Dregz nods resignedly.

"Hold on tightses !" he instructs Jurz.  "If'n wese don' get as far as der ledges, I'll stop us level wid it an' somewun can throw us der rope and pulls us in."

Jurz carefully tucks his fiery wand into his belly and climbs carefully onto Dregzes back.  In many ways it is a bit like riding Rog, and the bald goblin knows how to get a firm grip and even how to hold on with his legs.

So it should be easy to draw his wand later and fire back at Tiamatty when they get down there.

"Oo Oo!  Green Head bit Centi's armour right off.  She's da best."  He gets ready to go when Moffa says, but while she's casting he moves up past Dregz and Jurz and takes hold.  "You don't look like dwarfs but we can toss ya!  C'mom Min, grab a gobbo."  He'll fling his half of the gobbo-cluster at the wall.  When Moffa's ready he'll teleport down.  "I'll see ya on da ledge."

With Jurz on Dregz back it only makes sense to grab Dregz by one arm and one leg and start swinging him slowly backwards and forwards. "Fings fly better when yer make em spin, right? I bet I cans make my half go faster den yor half! Arright, we frows em when I say free... One... Four... FREE!" Once the goblins are airborne he'll tap his heels together and think there's no place like ledge, there's no place like ledge...

With a shrunken Moffa clinging to her neck, Raven spreads her arms wide to reveal the vestigial wings beneath them and leaps from the spiral staircase then glides safely down to the ledge on the western side of the chamber.

Then Minmorc and Bully grab Dregz's arms and legs (with Jurz clinging to Dregz's back) and swing him back and forth a couple of times before flinging him spinning towards the western wall of the chamber. Fortunately, the spinning goblins hit feet first on the wall and bounce off before coming to a halt in mid air and slowly descending toward the ledge.

Moments later Minmorc vanishes from the stairs and reappears on the ledge, just in time for Dregz and Jurz to float down onto his head and shoulders. Bully appears beside him on the ledge moments later.

Meanwhile Centi lashes forward to bite at the blue head of the hydra but the blue head writhes out of the way and Centi misses. This time the red head and the black head of the hydra breathe twin jets of frost at Centi, then the other three heads lash forward to bite at it. The blue and white heads both bite huge chunks from the frozen centipede and it collapses on the stairs, obviously dead.

OOC: (Round 2) Main game map updated.
This message was last edited by the GM at 16:26, Sun 05 Jan 2020.

OOC:  Seeking Clarification

I am not sure from the map whether we can just run into the middle of the floor and jump down a hole to the lower level.  Or whether we need to go down the steps shown at 12 o'clock on the map.

OOC: You are all on the ledge 10 feet above the floor of this chamber. You can either jump down 10 feet to the floor to reach the door, or run round to the steps on the northern side to get down to floor level.

Dregz jumps down quickly to the floor below before Min does something precipitously dangerous, using his Magic Boots to slow the descent and hurrying under the cover of the ledge above once he lands.

Jurz crosses his fingers and  hopes that there isn't something worse on the floor below.  But he waits, trying to judge if Dregz is getting eaten or not.  It would be a shame if his friend got eaten, but it still better than getting eaten himself.

OOC:  and thats why goblins shall inherit the earth :-)

"Fanks Moffa!"  Bulldust hops down too and moves quickly to the door but then stops.  "I wonder if dis door goes bang like de ovver ones?  Can youse check it out Birdie Girl?"

Minmorc will remain perched on the ledge, spear at the ready. He's already had one door go bang, he's not keen on another.

"I c'n do dat !"

Realising he may have just jumped out of the pit into the Abyss, the little goblin whimpers ... then turns his attention to the door, bravely, and in the true spirit of enlightened self-interest, examining it as Bully suggested.

"If'n I was der sneaky sort dat built dis, I'd stick a secret door behind my pet cryin' hydra," Dregz remarks as he works.

Moffdust watches Dregz bravely jump down with Bully, but she stays safely (she hopes) up on the ledge with Jurz. She watches Centi's inevitable demise and shakes her head sadly by way of eulogy. He distracted the hydra nicely while they jumped.

Unsure whether Dregz investigation of the door involved Detect Magic, she covers that base herself, moving along the ledge to H33 where she can get a glimpse of the door and still be out or range of the hydra breath. While she concentrates on magic she asks quietly "Does anyone else wants ter rest before we goes in? I'se used lots of spellses today, an I only has some little bitses of magics left."
This message was last edited by the player at 06:23, Fri 10 Jan 2020.

"I'm all outa bugbear magic too Moffa."  Bulldust replies as he looks at the door.  "I'd go fer a sleep too if everyone wants.  Maybe on de ovver side of dis door?  We should jus sneak a look.  Gotta make sure if don't go bang when we open it.  Wonder if de B'zrrk elf is missing his wyverns yet?"
This message was last edited by the player at 06:31, Fri 10 Jan 2020.

Jurz frowns  when Moffa mentions using up most of her magic, but then whispers,  "I'se got quite a lot of de magic left, but if youse finks we can rest in here, I'se  could use it up.  If'n Min ansd Bully wanted to plays wiv de crying Hydra."

Moffdust rubs her tired little eyes. "Oh yes Jurzies, I's ready fer a sleeps, but first a bedtime barbecues! I's can still summons some small helps." She finishes her survey of magic on the door and in the room around the hydra. She will summon something that can draw the hydra's attention if the others agree to fight it.

Dregz, Bully and Raven all jump down to the fllor level and crowd into the door alcove under the ledge to inspect the door. It is a good wooden door and seems to be locked. Raven quickly searches for traps but reports that she can't find any traps on the door. Dregz consults his holy book, reads a passage and starts glaring at the door.

Minmorc, Jurz and Moffa all stay up on the ledge above the door where they had landed.

Then Centi's frozen body vanishes. The hydra looks about angrily and hisses in rage as its dinner disappears. All five heads focus on the members of Team Arda-Nuff on the opposite side of the chamber and the hydra stalks forward around the southern side of the ledge, dragging a heavy chain behind it. The chain is fastened to the wall on the eastern side of the ledge and when the 20-foot long chain pulls taut the hydra is stopped 30 feet away from Team Arda-Nuff. The 10-foot long neck of its green head stretches forward and its mouth opens to breath out a 20-foot long jet of frost at Bully, Dregz and Raven, which dissipates just short of their refuge in the door alcove under the ledge.

It looks like Team Arda-Nuff is safe from the hydra's frozen breath on the western side of the ledge and in the door alcove, but anywhere else in the chamber (including the spiral staircase) would not be safe. If they time it right (or distract the hydra) they would be able to run up or down the northern stairs to get from the ledge to the door alcove, or vice versa.

OOC: (Round 3) Main game map updated.

Minmorc starts laughing at the Hydras predicament. Leaning his spear against the wall he will draw princess Nurzhans long bow from his back pack. Calling on his god he will infuse himself with a little extra luck and with a wicked leer will call out to the locky loos "Take yer time wid der door, I'm gonna see how many arrows it takes ter kill a cryin hydra!"

"Oo Oo!  Yeah, arrows!  Green Head's not so cute when she's trying ter freeze my friends." Bulldust readies his heavy longbow, the one he took from the drow archer at the doorway to the spike.  He shoots at the writhing mess of heads.

"Dis door az a spells on it !" Dregz announces more in the hope that Bully's enthusiastic rise to the unvoiced challenge that the cryin' hydra represents might at least cause him to take even a modicum of care for those in his near vicinity !

Praying the beast isn't provoked enough to break its bonds, the priest continues to feel out the magic upon the door, hoping to determine what sort of inimical spell has been cast upon it.

"You'll be right Dregzie!"  Bulldust reassures the hairy goblin as he shoots an arrow at the hydra, something new for him but he seems to have a knack for it.

18:01, Today: Bulldust rolled 10 using 1d8+3.
17:59, Today: Bulldust rolled 27 using 1d20+8.  arrow to hydra.