Expedition Stage 5: Escaping the City pt 1

Spider hauled, having seen the wash of water and felt the shifting of the stones.  The Hellhound is weighty and Spider was soon sweating hard.  At some point he might have a few questions for Thorne about why the Hellhound was being pulled up before Agents were, but right now, the ropes were all he could deal with.  Fritz set up Thorne next, motioning to Jack and Ben to get ready.  Ben checked the time on his watch, and stepped back as another wave of frigid seawater washed into the cavern.

Down below, the cavern floor was getting more and more wet, and there seemed to be a slant to the floor now.  "The cavern is unstable," Vince the Shoggoth told them unnecessarily, shambling over to watch their escape as if it was quite entertaining.
"You may wish to go outside.   Into the cold.  And travel, now." Ben said.
"I might do this.  It seems you have an idea, mage."  The Shoggoth said, fixing Ben with an eerie, unblinking gaze.
"If you follow our old tracks, you will find a ship, at sea, not on land.  There are men -humans- there, who will try to kill you, but it is worth the trip for what you will gain."
"And what will I gain, mage ?"
"Your independence,"  Ben said.  "When you want to, find me in Washington, DC.  Ask for Doctor White's office, in any government building."
The too-wide smile on the Shoggoth's face wasn't reassuring.  Its human form spilled into the amorphous ebony mass, and it threw a big pseudopod towards the tunnel the Agents had descended from - then whipped itself up and away.

Above all this, Spider is finally pulling the sling containing a very heavy Hellhound, who feebly wags its spiky tail.  Bruno is injured, with dark grey blood oozing from several places in his thick hide, yet still gamely scrambles into the tunnel once Spider loosens the sling.  Spider rigs the ratchet again and throws rope down to Fritz, who readies Thorne for the next lift.  It is only through grim determination that Spider manages to haul up Thorne.

Jack calls on Athena, hoping that even in this deep dark place, she can hear him.  He in unsure if there is any help to be had, but then Ben is telling him to get ready to climb.  "Use those medical patches !  We're -"  A resounding grinding sound echoed in the cavern and the floor tilted at least thirty degrees, a wave of icy water washing in and knocking down Ben.  Jack was only slightly more steady on his feet, and Fritz was able to grab onto ropes to stay clear.  The cold water soaked quickly into their clothes and turned thick fur coats into dead weight.

GM: Actions, etc, for the next minute of game time !  Spider, please roll vs. Strength, Jack, please roll vs. Con
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Spider called out, "Just tie one to Ben!  Then climb!"  Again, he prepared to grab a rope and drop himself, pulling up one of the others as he descended, confident he would be able to climb the ropes themselves if needed.

(CON Roll: 59. Not great!)
Jack tries to grab a hanging rope with one hand and moves toward Ben. He thrusts the wand into the belt around his coat and tries to grab Ben under one of his arms to pull him up out of the deadly frigid water.

Expedition Stage 5: Escaping the City pt 2

-------Jack, below----
Jack, having just endured the bitter cold of freezing seawater, tried for a rope and to save Ben.  He shoved the wand into his belt first, noting how much his hands were shaking from the cold and exhaustion.  Fritz was shouting, and the ground was shifting under Jack's boots.  He could barely feel the rope and stumbled after Ben, who could not seem to stand up.

---Spider, above-----
Spider saw the peril below and made the decision to switch the ropes, and drop down, bringing Fritz up; the German hadn't been hauling anything and Spider knew he was at his physical limit.  Spider was heavier than Fritz and knew to belay, bringing Fritz up to the tunnel in seconds.  Thorne, for all his inability to climb, was at least good at holding ropes and even managed to pitch down another line, securing it to the ratchet.

---Jack and Spider, both below now----
Jack nearly went under the next wave, which rolled Ben even further away, but then Spider splashed down onto the cavern floor.  The water was knee deep and the footing was unsteady.  Both Jack and Spider were able to slog through the icy slurry and grab Ben, who was sputtering and soaked to the skin.  There was a horrific cracking sound as one of the menhirs broke and toppled, sending up another wash of chunks of ice in freezing water. Rendered in the glow of the lamplight, it was a nightmare scene from Hell.   Another wash of seawater and ice surged in, the cavern floor shattering beneath their feet, with a wave made of black tentacles - the enemy Shoggoth had returned.  For a long and terrible moment, Death was all too close.

"CLOSE YOUR EYES !"  Thorne bellowed, and not a second later, the actinic flare of the phosphorus grenade seared their eyelids.  The grenade continued to burn in the water, sending out bright white light even as it tumbled into the unseen depths, lighting up something that had not been there a few seconds ago - a silver metal spear impaling the menhir closest to the Agents.

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GM:  Please respond with actions, etc, for the next minute of game time, by Saturday 18 March, next post Sunday
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Spider tied Ben off and shouted, "Haul him up!  Jack, grab the spear!"  He suspected the spear had some mystical energies associated with it, which to him meant Jack would be more likely to find it useful.  He concentrated on his own strengths of tying knots, climbing and lifting.  But if Jack seemed unable to get it, he was also calculating how much rope he'd need to swing to it so he could grab with one hand.

Feeling sluggish with the freezing, sodden clothes, Jack nonetheless works with Spider to pull Ben back to the ropes. When Spider yells to him to get the suddenly-appeared spear, he realizes something supernatural is going on and does his best to retrieve it. He will take note of where it impacted the menhir, in case it’s meant to indicate something; otherwise he will try to pull it free, opening his mind to any energies it may be sending him. If he can’t pull it loose, he’ll see if there is some useful way to manipulate it as a lever or some such. If he does get it loose, he will keep it brandished towards the horrific mass of the shoggoth as he carefully backs toward Spider and Ben.

Expedition Stage 5: Escaping the City pt 3

Spider harnessed Ben into the ropes with Jack's help, and then yelled to Fritz, who started cranking the ratchet while Thorne helped anchor Fritz, and also to Jack, to get the spear.  The freezing water was now up to his knees and his boots were soaked through as well.  More danger would come from the numbing cold, with frostbite likely, so time was of the essence.   He grimly tied knots and assessed his own climb - it would be tough, but not impossible.   He looked back at Jack, and up at the tunnel, in time to see something large falling down towards them.  Reflexively he moved aside, stumbling as the floor was now uneven and rocking.

Jack, weary and frozen, helped Spider with Ben's harness before turning to get the spear.  It gleamed in the odd light from now-submerged lanterns, and he reached up to try to pull it free.  The spear slipped easily out of the stone, feeling light and warm in his hands.  With an eye toward any creeping dark pseudopodia, Jack held it like a fishing spear, ready to strike.   Finally he was backed up against the ropes and he could hear Spider checking the ropes.   A glance up at the tunnel showed Fritz and Thorne grabbing Ben and then flinging something down at the water - Ben's soaked fur coat.  Something snatched the coat below the surface.  The subzero water had risen to just above Jack's knees, and his footing shifted again, the rock slabs breaking up beneath his feet.  A questing piece of darkness oozed up towards him, but dodged back from the point of the spear.

Then the floor seemed to fall away, the menhirs tilting crazily, the heavy cannon-like object flopping onto its side as the waters rushed up.  Spider, clinging to a rope, grabbed for Jack as the cavern floor disintegrated and missed ! (rolled a 75% for climb)  Jack, floundering in the water, was able to brace himself on the last menhir (rolled a 45%), which was leaning towards the water as its base crumbled.  If Jack lost his soaked coat, he might be able to move better, but he would lose precious time and be less able to defend himself and Spider.

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GM:  Actions for the critical next minute of game time, please respond by Saturday 25 March, next post Sunday
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