Lukas will take his time after hitting the sand,  he recalled that sudden movement only made things worse for some reason.

If one of the other is able to provide a rope he will grab onto it and pull himself out.


If Not

He will get out his rope and bow and grappling arrow, and fire it up the stairs to catch it on something.

OOC: Sorry for the delays. I've been out of town more than in town over the last two weeks.

Borimer begins flying to the side with the stairs.  He has to swing-wrap the rope around his hand since he only has one at the moment.

Shae turns into an eagle and goes to the opposite side of the room with the door.  While doing so, she swoops down and is able to grab Leo and take him with her, dragging him atop the sand to the door.

As Shae and Leo reach the far doorway, the plank under Leo's feet goes down an inch.  You hear the expulsion of air and see that a sickly green mist or smoke is coming down the hall toward you...

Borimer is flinging the rope from side to side to get people to grab hold of it...

Lukas, Vuz, and Tahldar grab it.  Kahan is unable to because something wraps around his leg and begins dragging him under the sand and away from the rope...  (He is about 10 feet from the others.)

Shap also begins to panic and call out in pain. 

Tahldar also cries out in alarm.

Borimer feels the rope become very tight as Tahldar is being pulled in the opposite direction by something under the sand.

"Gaaah!" Tahldar shouts in surprise as something wraps around his leg.  His thin arms tremble as they fight to keep hold of the rope and not be pulled down.

With frustration he reaches down to touch the tentacle holding him.

OOC: Tahldar will cast shocking grasp on the tentacle holding him.  Damage is 1d8+9.  If he can he will try to get out of the sand via the rope if his spell releases the tentacles grip.

If Vuzyl is close enough to grab Tahldar as the rope drags him clear he will attempt pull him along hoping to drag him free of whatever is below the sand.

If he is not going to be dragged past anyone he will attempt he will climb along the rope to solid ground where he can assist Borimer to pull against the monster in the sand.

Kahan will take his shield off of his harness and use it as sort of a flotation device, sticking it onto the sand horizontally and attempting to use it to pull himself up with. The surface area should be large enough that it won't sink into the sand whole supporting some of his weight.

When Borimer feels the pressure of something pulling the rope he pulls back with all of his strength.  If necessary, he'll pull everything out of the sand...

unless something pulls him in :)

"Uh oh! best not to go that way!", Leo exclaims loud enough for everyone to hear.  "That green gas probably won't benefit us in this case.  I don't think it's coming from a hobbit's pipe!"  Looking at Shae he adds, "Thanks for the ride and I am very glad you are here.  Could I ask for passage to the stairs please?  At the moment that seems like the better option."

Shae will grab Leo and go to Borimer's side, where she will turn back into her half-elven self and begin grabbing the rope to help pull the others out of the sand.

ROUND 2
Shae grabs Leo and goes to the other side with him.

Tahldar reaches into the sand and casts a spell.

Vul grabs Tahldar to prevent him from being grabbed.

Tahldar's spell emits a shocking, electric jolt.  The thing holding his leg disengages.

Borimer continues pulling them, finding it easier to get them closer now.

Kahan sets down his shield horizontally and tries climbing on it like a sled.  It is a slow process but seems to be working.

Now it is Lukas' turn to cry out as something wraps around his leg.  (Lukas is also connected to the rope.)  Suddenly, the rope gets harder to pull once more, and Borimer is struggling.  Lukas still has the bow and grappling arrow in his free hand.  (He can wrap the rope being pulled by Borimer around one arm if he wants both hands free.)

Shap is still out in the middle.  She cries out in pain as something continues to gnaw at her.  (3 hp dmg.)  She is also sinking.  (4 rounds until under the sand.)

Now at the far side by Borimer, Shae sets Leo down.  She begins changing back to half-elf form.

The green smoky mist has now reached the entrance at the far side of the room and begins to seep into this large round room with the quicksand.

OOC: Sorry for the delays.  That's how crazy life has been.

Leo grabs his rope and throws it out to Shap.  "I probably won't be able to pull her in, but maybe I can keep her in the same place until we get the others and then maybe we can pull her."  Noticing the gas getting to the room, he adds, "If we only had a way to keep that gas over there.  Maybe if we all blow really hard", he jokes.
This message was last edited by the player at 20:06, Tue 21 July 2015.

Tahldar is thankful for Vuz's help as he grabs hold of the rope and does his best to climb towards Borimer and hopefully safety.

Vuzyl also pulls him self along the rope and will help Leo try and pull Shap out as soon as he reaches solid ground

In reply to Leogold Silvershaper (msg # 207):

FYI Shap is a female elf.

Borimer digs in his heels and strains against whatever lurks below, attempting to turn and walk up the stairs if he can't pull anymore with his arms.

"Try to lay flat! The more surface you cover the slower you'll sink down," Kahan states, continuing to pull himself out if possible.

Shae will help Leo pull on the rope with Shapfren.  "I hope you have that other rope, Borimer."

Didit kept sinking in the sand, the pain was just so much and panic set in...

Shae says, "Someone help us with Didit when you get up here!  I can't change into a bird again today and she needs help."  Shae pulls with all her might on the rope.

"Aye, lets not lose her!", Leo says as he glances at Shae appreciatively for the help while pulling as much as he can.

You pull harder.  Whatever is down there suddenly lets go.  Borimer falls back.

Shae and Leo pull Didit to the 'shore' where the sand ends, and Kahan gets to the edge of the sand and the rock.

But the release was not a surrender.  Tentacles fly from the sand, and a large, crustacean head rises, sand falling all around.  Attached like barnacles or remora to the crustacean head are a hundred swarming beetles, giving the head an eerie appearance.  The beetles are not like the ones in the corridors above; these are black, the size of a fist, and have sharp pincer mouths.

About 20 beetles leap off the sand octopus to land around you.  The sand octopus continues to rise.  Its head alone is larger than a horse.  Its mouth faces upward and is filled with skewed, sharp teeth.  The mouth and head rotate down.  Its eyes are glazed over white as though with cataracts, but it senses you.

Eight long tentacles are coming in your direction...

Kahan continues climbing out of the sand and looks behind him in awe for a brief moment. If everyone is out of the sand and accounted for then he will begin ushering everyone down (up?) the stairs behind them. "I feel it is a terribly bad idea to try to combat this beast! We need to figure out a way to block them from chasing us."

Borimer turns and Chianta has flown into his grasp almost of its own accord.  "Follow the priest!"  He slashes twice at the beast with two graceful arcs to cover their strategic withdrawal...
This message was last edited by the player at 01:58, Thu 23 July 2015.

Leo helps Shapfren as best as he can to get out of the sand.  "Ok, lets go!", he says as he follows the prompting to head to the stairs.

I'm reposting the crude map, with one addition.  The blocked out area at the bottom is where everyone has just gotten to, and it is where the sand ends and the hard rock begins.  It is about 5 feet wide.

The greenish vapor is coming from the northern doorway.  The center area is now filled with the sandsquid monster.  Beetles are leaping from it onto the 5 foot wide hardened area where you are at.

doorway
   __| |__
  /       \
 /         \
/           \
\           /
 \_________/
  \_______/
     __
     __
     __
   natural stairs

Taking a step back, Tahldar casts a web spell into the room with the sand octopus in hopes of at least slowing it down.

OOC:  Cast web and try to entangle the sand octopus and as many of the beetles as possible.