Bram is almost able to get an edge of the cage high enough to crawl under it, but at the last second the metal slips from his fingers and slams back to the ground. The chain running from the top of the cage up into the ceiling rattles loudly.

Jak sees that there are no doors or locks on the cages themselves. The sides of the cages are composed of vertical bars of rusty metal. Looking up, Mayon and Jak see that the remaining ceiling doesn't look quite right. It appears to be constructed of square stone panels about ten feet on a side. Age-darkened iron frames surround each panel. The panels are suspended about several inches from one another and the wall to either side. They form a row overhead that continues back down the passage. The row ends before the stone dwarves, however, where the ceiling looks higher and more natural.

It's clear that the metal cages didn't crash through the ceiling after all - the bottoms of the cages are the ceiling, and the fake ceiling panels are made of thin plaster painted to resemble stone. Bits of painted plaster are strewn about the floor of the tunnel near the cages that already fell.

After a few seconds, two more cages come hurtling down from the ceiling, this time right above Jak, Dwee, Asano, and Morg.

---

Map updated. The two new cages fall where I've marked the red square outlines (AR36-AS37 & AX36-AY37).

We're now into Round 2. As with Bram in Round 1, if Jak, Dwee, Asano, or Morg wants to try avoiding being trapped by a cage you can make a Dex save as a free action. If you succeed you can easily move to a square in columns AT to AW, or alternatively try to do something creative. If you fail the save, however, the cage may hit you. If you choose to stay still you'll be safe (no save roll), but the cage will trap you.

If anyone wants to try lifting sides of the cages it's a straight Strength check. You can grant others Advantage by helping. Morg's creative crowbar solution would grant Advantage to anyone trying to lift the side of Bram's cage nearest Morg, but unfortunately now another cage is falling right next to it - so that might not help much...

This message was last edited by the GM at 04:48, Thu 25 May 2017.

"Strange. The entire ceiling looks as though it's made up of the cag--" Mayon is cut off by the loud crash of two more cages, one barely inches behind him, and he jerks away with a short string of curse words before clamping his hand over his mouth, worried he'd been too loud.

_{"Somebody look down for a trigger, because if we're not setting them off, then someone else aware of us must be doing so themselves"} He says, keeping his voice soft as he gets down to try and lift the edge of the cage trapping Jak and Dweeble. Surprisingly, it seemed adrenaline was helping him, though his arms would undoubtedly feel awful later.


08:06, Today: Mayon Graycross rolled 16 using 1d20-1 with rolls of 17.  Strength check.
This message was last edited by the player at 15:34, Thu 25 May 2017.

Morg pulls the crowbar back when he hears a cage dropping down around him. Looking at the bits of plaster, he says "I don't envy whoever has to reset this trap..."

He threads the crowbar around two rusty bars of his and Asano's cage, next to Bram's cage, and pulls trying to leverage it and break one of the bars.

---

Move: 0', staying at AY37.

Action: use an object, trying to break a bar with crowbar.

17:27, Today: Morg Danforge rolled 24 using 2d20+4, dropping the lowest dice only with rolls of 7,20.  Strength check to break cage bar with advantage for using crowbar.

Jak looked upward and frowned. There was something not right about the ceiling. He looked over several of the ceiling panels and then blinked. Wait. Those almost looked like...and he heard Mayon thinking out loud the same thing at the same time...

...and then more cages dropped. "OH CRAP!"

He tried to dive out of the way of the falling metal entrapments.

As the second set of cages fall to the floor, Asano glances around for any where someone or something may be watching the group. As he does so, he attempts to subtly hide his focus beneath his clothes, then retrieves the wand of magic missiles. Gripping the wand between his teethe, he moves to aid Morg in his endeavor to bend or break the bars of both cages.

OOC:
Hide arcane focus, clean roll below, didn't know what ability/skill to add.
-10:14, Today: Secret Roll: Asano Breathkill rolled 19 using 1d20 with rolls of 19.  Hide focus.

Aid Morg, should grant advantage.

Jak attemps to dart out of the way of the falling cage, yet it slams down in front of him before he can get out from under it. With a mighty heave, Mayon lifts the side of the cage trapping Jak and Dwee enough so they can crawl under it and join Mayon on the other side.

Further down the corridor, Morg snaps one of the rusty bars of his cage.

---

Mid round update, of a sort.

Morg has snapped one of the bars separating his and Bram's cage - the bars are wide enough apart that if one of Bram's cage's bars are snapped you'll be able to move freely between the two cages.

Jak and Dwee are free to join Mayon in the area between the cages while Mayon is holding the cage, and since you haven't really done anything yet this round you can move and take an action as well if you like. Since we suspect Dwee's player is once again absent she will follow Jak's lead for the moment (unless the player posts, of course).

Bram hasn't acted yet either, so he can act as well of course.


This message was last edited by the GM at 23:49, Thu 25 May 2017.

Jak let out a small yelp as the cage, well, caged him. He barely snatched himself back from being crushed by it when he tried to leap out of the way, instead slamming in to the metal slightly. He shook his head to clear it.

When he saw Mayon holding it up, he scrambled out from under it, motioning Dweeble to do the same. "Thanks, Mayon!"

He then tried to inspire Bramwell to do better. "C'mon Bram! You can do it! If Mayon here can lift a cage up an' get free, it should be no problem at all for you!"

OOC: Bardic Inspiration to Bram.

Bramwell observed Morg's use of the crowbar to snap one of the cage's bars and nodded his approval, "Excellent application of leverage, friend.  Would you mind lending me the crowbar?"  The Glyphscribe seemed oddly unperturbed by the danger of their situation, apparently viewing it as little more than an engineering problem to be solved.  He accepted Morg's crowbar through the cage bars, wedged the claw under the edge of the cage and put all his weight against the lever.  After several seconds of strained effort he exhaled loudly, but the cage had hardly budged.  "Perhaps you might have better luck from your side." he said glumly as he passed the crowbar back to Morg through the bars.

---

Strength check to lift the cage likely fails with a total of 13 even with Bardic Inspiration!  Whether Morg lends the crowbar or not makes no difference, as the first roll was higher:

• 09:13, Today: Bramwell Caulder rolled 1 using 1d6.  Bardic Inspiration.
• 09:12, Today: Bramwell Caulder rolled 12 using 2d20+3, dropping the lowest dice only with rolls of 9,2.  Strength check (advantage crowbar).

Bram unsuccessfully tries to raise one side of his cage, and passes back the borrowed crowbar.

Jak and Dwee scramble out from under the cage, only to realize yet another cage is falling from above, this time above Mayon as well.

---

Round 3!

Map updated. As before, Jak, Dwee, and Mayon can try to avoid the cage by making a Dex save as a free action. If you succeed you can move to the AV-AW square or alternatively try to do something creative. If you fail the save, however, the cage may hit you. If you choose to stay still you'll be safe (no save roll), but the cage will trap you.

Mayon sighs with relief as he lets go of the end of the cage, his shoulders aching, only to curse under his breath once more once the cage falls, taking a step back but not trusting his reflexes for anything fancy.

"This is getting ridiculous." He begins examining the floor and walls for any sort of pressure plates or sigils that could be causing this.

No dex save attempt here, I don't trust my luck :P
15:31, Today: Secret Roll: Mayon Graycross rolled 7 using 1d20+4 with rolls of 3.  Perception for trap triggers.

Jak looked at the most recent cage that he'd just climbed out of and was thinking about an idea...when another cage dropped on him. He was slower to move this time and didn't make it out of the way again. He let out a loud sigh.

"Well, at least we know there's only one more t'drop. Stupid trap." He glared at the cage holding him with narrowed eyes.

Not feeling like he was good at anything at the moment (couldn't stop the traps from going off, couldn't get out of the way of them, etc), he looked around slowly and waited to be rescued. Not like he was strong enough to lift the cage as others had.

OOC: Sigh. Not very agile, ARE we Jak?

Also, Mayon I think it's Investigation for traps.

16:42, Today: Secret Roll: Jakrynn Redgate rolled 12 using 1d20+4 with rolls of 8.  Dexerity Save vs Cage Part Deux.
16:45, Today: Secret Roll: Jakrynn Redgate rolled 15 using 1d20+3 with rolls of 12.  Investigation for traps and triggers.

Morg drops the crowbar near Bram to use if he wants. He picks up the broken-off rusty bar, and runs to the other side of the cage, stabbing up at an angle towards the fake roof between the him and Jak's cage, trying to jam it in and prevent that cage from falling.

---

Interaction: pick up rusted bar.

Move: 5', to AX37.

(If the bar didn't snap off completely, I'll edit this post and try to break a bar on the other side of my and Asano's cage. If Asano wants to help with either the roof stab or cage break, I'll roll another d20 for advantage.)

Action: use an object, stab fake roof of AW37.

00:49, Today: Morg Danforge rolled

---

Spoiler text: (Highlight or hover over the text to view)
15 using 1d20+4 with rolls of 11.

---

Strength check, trying to stab roof with rusted bar to stop it from falling (alt: break other side of cage).

Again Bram accepts the borrowed crowbar, but this time he attempts to snap the bar between his and Morg's cage to allow them to pass freely between.  He wedges the claw behind the bar and heaves, pressing with all his strength for several seconds until... the bar snaps free with a loud CLANG! that echoed down the corridor.  The half-elf looks appreciatively at the tool before handing it back to his dwarven friend once again.

---

Strength check to snap the bar to open the passage between cages that Morg started:

• 20:11, Today: Bramwell Caulder rolled 18 using 2d20, dropping the lowest dice only with rolls of 8,18.  Strength check (advantage crowbar).

Morg picks up the broken, rusty bar but it splits in two before he can bring it to bear. Grunting, he accepts the crowbar back from Bram and promptly cracks a bar in the other side of the cage. With this work done, the group should now be able to move through both ends of Morg and Asano's cage.

Jak and Mayon still don't see anything that could be triggering the cages to fall. However, after their cage falls heavily around them, they hear heavy footsteps moving quickly away from behind the slotted door to the east.

---

Round 4!

Map updated to reflect that 3 bars have been destroyed so far.
This message was last edited by the GM at 00:34, Sun 28 May 2017.

"Alright, so someone outside is triggering them...which means another is probably going to drop as soon as we get out of this one." Mayon says with a resigned sigh. "At least it won't be a surprise...we can focus on breaking a path through on our way out." He gets down to once again try and lift the bottom of the cage, though it seemed his earlier adrenaline had worn off as no matter how he strained, he couldn't quite get it.

"Or maybe we should just wait for Bram and Morg to come to us..."


10:40, Today: Secret Roll: Mayon Graycross rolled 2 using 1d20-1 with rolls of 3.  Strength check (lifting cage).

Keeping an eye on the fake roof despite the heavy footsteps, Morg tries to snap an outer bar of Jak, Mayon, and Dwee's cage.

He then tosses the crowbar to Bram "We may end today in jail, or worse, but this is kind of fun.", giving a big smile.

Taking out his miner's pick from his backpack, he hands it to his other friends.

---

Move: 10' to AV37.

Action: try to break bar.

Interaction: give 10 lb. miner's pick to Jak, Mayon, or Dwee. While it may not give advantage like the crowbar, it may save their hands from getting cut on the rusty bars.

23:41, Today: Morg Danforge rolled 17 using 2d20+4, dropping the lowest dice only with rolls of 10,13.  Strength check to break cage bar with advantage for using crowbar.

Asano moves to help Morg as best he can, but keeps the specialized wand close at hand in case their captors arrive with more violent methods in mind.

Jak paused and cocked his head to one side. "Guys...I hear some heavy footsteps. I think they're comin' now that the cages've been triggered, so get ready." He wasn't any good at strength to get out of the cages, and so he looked them over for a more dexterous avenue of escape, like trying to wriggle through the bars but he didn't manage to get out.

The group can't quite break or lift the cage holding Mayon, Dwee, and Jak, though another cage doesn't fall from the ceiling.

---

Mid-round update: Morg's 17 wasn't quite enough to break another bar, and others' rolls were too low as well.

It takes a minute or two, but the group breaks enough of the remaining cages to make it to the end of the corridor. No more of the cages fall from the ceiling, so it's an easy matter to make it to the stone door.

Stepping through, the group enters a big, square chamber hewn out of the rock. Another solid stone door is in the middle of the east wall. Beside the door they came through is a set of iron bars bolted into the wall about three feet above the floor. Ten oiled chains are wrapped tightly around these bars, and each leads up to a single large hole bored in the ceiling.

An eight-foot-tall rectangular stone stands upright in the room’s center. The stone has an inscription on it that’s hard to read from a distance.

A small human is pinned face down at the foot of the standing stone. Rocks placed atop his arms, legs, and back hold him in place. He is barefoot and wears ragged clothes.

---

Map updated. The human is pinned at BM36.


This message was last edited by the GM at 19:36, Fri 02 June 2017.

Morg, forgetting to check the roof or look for traps, rushes over to the pinned human to see if he's alive.

Dweeble shook her head violently as they moved into the next room, the large space causing her wide eyes to somehow grow wider still as she took in the dimensions of the room.  Her eyes were focused on the walls and ceiling for a while, pondering what reason there'd be for such a large, well-cut room.  The stone in the center didn't seem to interest her much though.  She took note of the man as she began to walk north along the wall, her fingers tracing the cut rock for signs of a facade or a secret she couldn't see as she watched them.

She turned to see Morg head towards the man and spoke up to the dwarf, the first words she'd said in some time.  "Why d'ya think he uses rocks as blankets?  Seems kinda silly right?  Dweeble'd think some hay, maybe even some dirt, would be better, no?  I mean, Dweeble has slept on rocks before, she never thought to use one as a blanket.  Pillow, sure.  Bad pillow though.  Dweeble's neck was sore for a week after that one!  Ya s'pose he knows something Dweeble don't?"  Even as she spoke, her tone hushed like a whisper but her volume loud enough to be at a normal speaking voice, she continued to circle the room.

Whatever had been going through her mind prior to this room was obviously forgotten as she attempted to work the puzzle of the man with the stone blankets on his limbs.

OOC:  Great way to come back.  Yay dice gods!  >_>

13 Passive Perception

15:07, Today: Secret Roll: Dweeble rolled 7 using 1d20+3 with rolls of 4.  Perception.
This message was last edited by the player at 23:47, Fri 02 June 2017.

Asano takes a steady approach into the room, eyeing the far corners and ceiling as he moves to the side of the pillar. He tries to read the inscription, though he tries to stay as far from the stone as he can.


OOC:
Move to BN39
Perception- 15/9
Investigation- 14/11

Rushing up to the small human, Morg can tell that it is a boy of perhaps 12 years of age. The heavy stones have chafed his skin where they pin him down, and dried blood and sweat stain his dusty garments. As the dwarf approaches the boy blinks his eyes at the movement, crusty with dirt and grime.

"Water?" the boy croaks hesitantly, shifting his weight beneath the heavy stones to see Morg better.

Dwee sees nothing around the circumference of the room, save that the stone door in the eastern wall is slightly ajar.

Squinting in the bright light, head still pounding, Asano can make out the inscription on the stone, written in Common: Displease not the Delvers.
This message was last edited by the GM at 01:01, Sat 03 June 2017.

Dweeble finished her circuit of the room and moved towards the center where Morg and Asano had walked towards.  She appeared next to Morg's right, brushing against him in her haste to see the boy who'd just spoken up.  She knelt down next to him, her hand poking gently near the rock that was on top of one of his limbs.  "Nah ah, these are stones silly.  You're a real weirdo, y'know?  Dweeble ain't ever seen stones for blankets, much less mistaking them for water!  She never has, nope!"

She knelt down to one of those rocks and stuck her tongue out.  She licked across the top of one, quickly spitting loudly as she found the taste displeasing.  She pulled her waterskin from her belt and quickly took a long gulp to clear the taste from her mouth.  "Nope, not water!  She was right.  Here, let Dweeble help you 'member."  She reached forwards with the waterskin in both hands, tipping it gently towards his mouth.  He'd remember after a taste, she was sure of it.  "See, nothing like those nasty rocks!"