Playthings of the Gods

[Agentmolar]

" Brothers this area appears to be dangerous. Shall we tie ourselves together in case one of us falls? "

Lets hope nothing attacks us, i can see this could be a bad idea

[Bodhi]

Yeah let's do that. The heaviest and strongest guy should in this case go last I'd say, and the lightest and weakest in front. That way the guy who has the strength to get the others up will go last. There is a small risk that he will break through even if the lighter persons don't but in that case we should all hear warning creaks in the ice before that happens. Does anyone have a spear or other object that can be used as an icepike?

"S...s...sure let's tie ourselves up. D...D...Dinner is served!! Monsters and madmen come have a bite!" Will makes a disgusted sound but asks Lunk for the rope

[Fabian]

OOC: Will makes me laugh. Are you going single file or some other pattern?

[Custom_Hobby]

OOC: I guess single file can work

[Agentmolar]

"Lunk go the back brother, we need your strength there in case of an emergency. Will and olothros to the front and ill be with Lunk. " Gaius quickly tries to organise the group before Will decides he doesnt want to be where he needs to be. Hes so ornary at times, purely for the sake of it i imagine.... he does have his skills though

"and will. relax, surely you realise that you being in the front means that the meal is laid out correctly? The entree always preceeds the main" Gaius grins.

[Custom_Hobby]

Olothros takes the suggestion from Gaius as the most logical and keeps his attention trained on the ice looking for thin patches, cracks, etc. OOC: Spot & Search checks where applicable please

[cheddarmonger]

ooc -- Lunk has rope.  50ft hemp, if I recall.

"ayyyup!" grunts Lunk.  he's all for anchoring the descent.

[Bodhi]

"O...o..OK let's go. Single file w...w...with your rightful leader at last!"
Will takes the lead with a snort and keeps a lookout for cracks and weak spots in the ice.

[Fabian]

As you trudge across the ice, Will (as the lead party member) loses his footing a couple of times and falls down a crevasse (OOC: Search DC 15, result 10; Search DC 15, result 13) but with almost supernatural dexterity and speed each time he grabs the lip of the crack and is able to save himself from being wedged in the ice. (OOC: Reflex Save DC each time of 20, results 27 and 22)

It takes until nightfall for you reach the vast curtain of steam you observed from the cliff edge...

As you near the veil of mist that rises from the heart of the glacier, the sun slides across the mountains. The shadow of the peaks crawls across the ice towards you. The air grows instantly colder. The temperature is well below freezing, and the moisture in the air quickly condenses on your clothing and hair covering everything with an icy glaze. The mist freezes into the snow, forming a rock-hard and razor-sharp crust on the top.

An immense shape slowly materialises out of the mists: a titanic tower protrudes from the ice like a mountain unto itself! Built from house-sized blocks of obsidian, it reaches hundreds of feet above the ice into the night sky, terminating in a curiously wrought minaret. you spot a balcony, perhaps 20 feet above the level of the ice, backed by a doorway so tall as to be lost in the mist, leading to it is a shallow ramp of ice blocks covered with a prodigious amount of black sand. The ramp seems to be of recent construction.

[Bodhi]

A balcony. Now I wonder wether that'll hold one of me grappling hooks? Not much point knocking on the frontdoor...

"N...n..now then..."
Will turns to Gaius
"W...w...well you being in the godbusiness and all that might know better, b...b..but if yous asks me that tower has got ''ere lives the evil wizardmadscientists genious baastard' scribbled all over it. Wh...wh...what do you say?"

[Fabian]

OOC: You won't need a hook as the balcony has a ramp leading up to it. The only doorway is on that balcony.

[Bodhi]

Ah, OK. So the balcony IS the front door... Any other way in? Windows? signs of an underground entrance? Anything? Will doesn't feel comfortable with knocking on the frontdoor with this one. Which brings up another question: Has the steam masked our arrival or is it likely that we have allready been spotted by some sort of sentries/guards? How good would the visibility be from atop that tower? And I assume it's open ice - no cover - all the way up to it?

[Fabian]

Will can see no other entryway except for the archway on the balcony; there are no underground fissures leading to hidden doorways, nor are there any doorways or windows on the ground. He can't make out any sentries on the balcony at all. If there were any there it would already be too late, as they would have seen you. The ramp has no cover on it as it leads up to the balcony.

[Agentmolar]

" Will as far as i know, this looks like the type of domain that an evilbuzzard*geniuswizard or dark lord would use. Since our good doctor friend appears to have come from this area, and the black sand seems to confirm it, this would be where he has been visiting of late"

"We should be cautious"  Gaius unties himself from the others and advises the others to free themselves to be ready.

I have a bad feeling about this

[cheddarmonger]

"Hey, how bout that, they have black sand too!" exclaims Lunk.