Strange Ghosts in Kolisa: All That Water Will Ruin Your Shoe

[18:39] <~BigTentacruel> Previously on Strange Days in Kolisa, our intrepid adventurers left the cavernous mines to find that all of the Cottonee had evolved when another hole opened up a second path to the sunstone! They managed to talk down the townspeople of Furrowvale, though, and with some help from Harcroft made an effort to both drive away the new Whimsicott horde and win over the townspeople's trust before they head back into the mines!
[18:39] <~BigTentacruel> Now, the three of you and Harcroft stare down the five Whimsicott approaching you now. Your attacks drove most of them away, but a few of the stronger ones remain!
[18:40] * Lianhua reaches for a Pokeball. >:D
[18:40] <~BigTentacruel> (Speeds and dexes please, by the way.)
[18:40] <Victor> ((wow I do not remember ending with a whimsicott hoard. one sec, opening google docs))
[18:41] <Ein> (we ended with a whimsicott horde)
[18:41] <Victor> ((yeah, did't remember))
[18:41] <Lianhua> dex 17, Piao Ju speed 10
[18:41] <Ein> (we did the big show of force, scaring most of them off)
[18:41] <Victor> Victor Dex 19 Tango 9 speed
[18:41] <Ein> dex 11, Nina speed 11
[18:41] <~BigTentacruel> Logs are on the wiki page for future reference.
[18:41] <Victor> ((right now I remember))
[18:42] <~BigTentacruel> I need to keep logs anyway since I have a goldfish memory.
[18:42] <Victor> ((i feel ya on that one))
[18:43] <Victor> ((oh we need dice maid coming up, I'd imagine))
[18:44] * DiceMaid-9001 (DiceMaid-9@sux-EADD5C74) has joined #kolisa
[18:44] <~BigTentacruel> Ask and ye shall receive.
[18:44] <Lianhua> I wanna pony
[18:45] * Ein is now known as pony
[18:45] <pony> damnit
[18:45] * BigTentacruel changes topic to 'Grainger > Victor > Lianhua > Ein || Whimsicott > Stetson = Nina > Piao Ju > Tango'
[18:45] * pony is now known as Ein
[18:46] <~BigTentacruel> Grainger orders one of his black dog pokemon forward. "Stetson, let's take the two to the rear. I'll let you lot handle the rest, eh? I've got my fire-type to challenge these."
[18:46] <~BigTentacruel> Victor, take your turn.
[18:47] * BigTentacruel changes topic to 'Grainger > Victor > Lianhua > Ein || Whimsicott (x5) > Stetson = Nina > Piao Ju > Tango'
[18:48] * Victor runs up to the nearest whimsicott, swinging a wide kick at it to knock it back.
[18:48] <Victor> 1d20 kick of justice
[18:48] <DiceMaid-9001> Victor, kick of justice: 15 [1d20=15]
[18:48] <~BigTentacruel> Hits!
[18:48] <Victor> ((oh sorry that was a +5 too))
[18:48] <~BigTentacruel> Hits regardless. Roll damage.
[18:49] <Victor> ((d 20 for that right?))
[18:49] <Lianhua> (how do you get such a high bonus on the accuracy roll?)
[18:49] <Victor> 1d20 for damage
[18:49] <DiceMaid-9001> Victor, for damage: 7 [1d20=7]
[18:49] <Victor> ((high dex))
[18:49] <Lianhua> (...stats add to damage, not accuracy)
[18:50] <Ein> (and damage is most certainly not a d20)
[18:50] <Victor> ((what d is it? sorry my brain is scrambled from this cold
[18:50] <~BigTentacruel> (Check your arms feat.)
[18:50] <Victor> ((ugh, I hate being sick))
[18:50] <Ein> (damage base 1 is 1d10 +4)
[18:51] <~BigTentacruel> (That it is.)
[18:51] <Victor> ((ahh sorry)
[18:51] <Victor> 1d10+4
[18:51] <DiceMaid-9001> Victor, 1d10+4: 5 [1d10=1]
[18:52] <Ein> (eesh... tough luck)
[18:52] <Victor> ((heh I'm certianly off to a great start))
[18:52] <~BigTentacruel> Your attack bounces off the Whimsicott's fluff harmlessly, in fact! It's defense is pretty high and you're just a human being.
[18:52] <~BigTentacruel> Lianhua!
[18:52] <Ein> (also add dex mod to your damage too)
[18:53] <~BigTentacruel> (I took his dex into account.)
[18:53] <Ein> (ok)
[18:53] <Ein> (just making sure he knows for the future)
[18:54] <Victor> ((yeah, i do remember now but thanks anyway. kinda impaired right now))
[18:54] <Lianhua> There's not much Lianhua can do, so she moves to keep the fluffycotts coralled!
[18:55] <~BigTentacruel> They seem intent on getting revenge for your fiery assault!
[18:55] <~BigTentacruel> Ein!
[18:56] * Ein takes a more defensive stance... "Back off Whimsicotts, If not, I can't guarantee your safety!" He takes a look at Nina, "Sis, If they advance, don't hold back."
[18:56] <Ein> (Can I roll charisma to intimidate?)
[18:56] <~BigTentacruel> (You can try!)
[18:57] <Ein> 1d20+3 GRRRRRRRRRRRRR!
[18:57] <DiceMaid-9001> Ein, GRRRRRRRRRRRRR!: 9 [1d20=6]
[18:57] <Ein> (aww)
[18:58] <Victor> ((damn))
[18:58] <Ein> (well, it's a number)
[18:58] <~BigTentacruel> The Whimsicott don't seem phased by your antics! You're not even a pokemon!
[18:59] <~BigTentacruel> The Whimsicotts make their move now! Three of them hang back and pump themselves up with Growth! One in front of Stetson and another in front of Nina start forward to use their attacks!
[18:59] <~BigTentacruel> 1d20 Absorb on Stetson!
[18:59] <DiceMaid-9001> BigTentacruel, Absorb on Stetson!: 16 [1d20=16]
[18:59] <~BigTentacruel> 1d20 Absorb on Nina!
[18:59] <DiceMaid-9001> BigTentacruel, Absorb on Nina!: 18 [1d20=18]
[18:59] <~BigTentacruel> 2#1d6+3+8
[18:59] <DiceMaid-9001> BigTentacruel, 2#1d6+3+8: 16 [1d6=5], 17 [1d6=6]
[18:59] <~BigTentacruel> Nina takes 17 minus her defense in damage!
[19:00] <Ein> (regular defense?)
[19:00] <Lianhua> (special)
[19:00] <~BigTentacruel> (Absorb is melee, so regular.)
[19:00] <Ein> nina takes 13 damage
[19:01] <~BigTentacruel> Very well! And with that, it's now Stetson and Nina's turns!
[19:01] <~BigTentacruel> With a bark, Stetson lets loose a powerful Ember to burn the Whimsicott that attacked him!
[19:02] <~BigTentacruel> 1d20 Ember AC 2
[19:02] <DiceMaid-9001> BigTentacruel, Ember AC 2: 6 [1d20=6]
[19:02] <Ein> Nina looks at Ein, who nods to her.  She darts in between the whimsicott, the air around her heating up
[19:03] <Ein> 1d20 Heat Wave AC4
[19:03] <DiceMaid-9001> Ein, Heat Wave AC4: 10 [1d20=10]
[19:03] <~BigTentacruel> 1d12+6+17+3
[19:03] <DiceMaid-9001> BigTentacruel, 1d12+6+17+3: 34 [1d12=8]
[19:03] <~BigTentacruel> Heat Wave can hit up to two of the Whimsicott. One is in melee range. The other two are still around 10 feet away.
[19:04] <Ein> ok
[19:04] <~BigTentacruel> Are you getting the melee and a ranged or both the ranged?
[19:04] <Ein> aim for the bigger group
[19:04] <Ein> err, melee and ranged
[19:04] <Ein> nina's pissed at the one that hit her
[19:04] <~BigTentacruel> Very well! That's a hit for both! Roll damage!
[19:04] <Ein> 4d12+16+14+2
[19:04] <DiceMaid-9001> Ein, 4d12+16+14+2: 63 [4d12=12,4,4,11]
[19:06] <Ein> (is is different damage on the two?)
[19:07] <Victor> ((it was a d4 because it was a secondary hit damage, correct?))
[19:07] <Lianhua> ((What)
[19:07] <Victor> or wait, never mind waht I'm saying))
[19:07] <~BigTentacruel> And two of them vanish into the flames, burned literally to ash. With a start, Grainger says, "Hey! We don't want to kill the things, just show 'em who's boss!"
[19:07] <Victor> ((wrong window))
[19:08] <~BigTentacruel> The third falls unconcious before Stetson, who howls victoriously.
[19:08] <Lianhua> Lianhua and Piao Ju share nearly identical D: faces.
[19:08] <~BigTentacruel> Piao Ju's turn.
[19:08] <Victor> ((holy crap, murder))
[19:09] <~BigTentacruel> There are currently two left, both looking like they didn't think this through, one ten feet from Stetson, the other around five feet from Nina and ten from the rest of you.
[19:09] * Ein and nina look shocked at what just happened
[19:09] <Lianhua> Piao Ju continues to D: as he whirls roundandroundandroundandraound and unleashes a tiny whirlwind!
[19:09] <Lianhua> 1d20 gust @ stetsoncott
[19:09] <DiceMaid-9001> Lianhua, gust @ stetsoncott: 8 [1d20=8]
[19:09] <Ein> (did not exect to do over 50 damage...)
[19:09] <Lianhua> ac 2
[19:10] <Lianhua> (...it's 32 damage without the dice roll and an SE attack)
[19:10] <Ein> (something tells me i will not be nuking anything for a while...)
[19:10] <~BigTentacruel> That's a hit! The Whimsicott is blown clear into the sky because of its boyancy!
[19:10] <Lianhua> (how did you - never mind, does that hit- ahahaha)
[19:10] <Lianhua> do I get the airborne damage for the attack then :3c
[19:11] <Ein> (nina may suffer mild ptsd)
[19:11] <~BigTentacruel> No. It's been expelled from the battle, actually.
[19:11] <Lianhua> oh D:
[19:11] <Lianhua> okay
[19:11] <Victor> ((too bad nina's wasn't just expelled))
[19:11] <~BigTentacruel> Tango!
[19:11] <Victor> ((weren't))
[19:11] <Lianhua> (before I pitch a ball at the last one, do y'all want me to catch it for you)
[19:12] <Ein> (no concern either way)
[19:12] <Ein> (i have bigger issues)
[19:12] <Victor> ((is there just one left then? lost count))
[19:12] <Lianhua> (yes)
[19:12] <~BigTentacruel> Just the one here.
[19:12] <Lianhua> (there were two left and then I expelled one via gust)
[19:12] <Victor> Tango rushes in, zipping past in a quick attack.
[19:12] <Victor> 1d20 quick attack
[19:12] <DiceMaid-9001> Victor, quick attack: 2 [1d20=2]
[19:13] <Victor> ((ouch))
[19:13] <Ein> (it's an AC 2 if they don't have any def)
[19:13] <Lianhua> (so yeah guys, if you want me to try to apply my capture bonuses to getting you your very own whimsicott, speak up or forever hold your peace)
[19:13] <~BigTentacruel> Not quite quick enough! Tango, in all the excitement shoots by his intended target by a meter or two, skidding to a halt.
[19:14] <Victor> ((red scarf fluttering dramatically in the breeze despite the big wiff
[19:14] <~BigTentacruel> Grainger waves to Stetson. "Take it out quick. There are bound to be more towards the ranch and mines."
[19:14] <~BigTentacruel> Victor?
[19:16] <Victor> "Fine!" Victor suddenly lunges forward into a Take Down. 1D20 Take Down
[19:16] <Victor> 1d20 takedown
[19:16] <DiceMaid-9001> Victor, takedown: 10 [1d20=10]
[19:16] <~BigTentacruel> Hits!
[19:16] <Ein> (victor knows takedown?)
[19:16] <~BigTentacruel> (Didn't know Victor had Take Down.)
[19:16] <~BigTentacruel> (Do me a favor and link your sheet on the wiki, please?)
[19:16] <Victor> ((learned it last time as a feature))
[19:16] <Victor> ((sure))
[19:17] <Victor> ((one sec, looking up the dmg roll, the PDF froze))
[19:17] <~BigTentacruel> (There's also a wiki for that.)
[19:17] <Ein> (3d12+14)
[19:17] <Ein> (don't nuke it like i did)
[19:18] <Victor> 3d12+14+5 to hit
[19:18] <DiceMaid-9001> Victor, to hit: 42 [3d12=1,11,11]
[19:18] <Ein> (recoil 1/4)
[19:18] <Ein> (umm... dude)
[19:18] <Victor> ((?))
[19:18] <Ein> (1d20 AC5 to hit)
[19:18] <Ein> (though you already hit with it)
[19:18] <Victor> ((sorry meant damage))
[19:19] <Victor> ((I am a derptype pokemon today))
[19:19] <~BigTentacruel> Luckily, Take Down doesn't have type advantage, so the damage doesn't massacre the last one. Instead, it is struck for almost all its hit points!
[19:19] <Ein> (oh, didn't realize fire was type advantage against them)
[19:19] <Lianhua> (...they're grass types)
[19:19] <Ein> (well shit)
[19:19] <Victor> ((and made of cotton))
[19:20] <Lianhua> ANYWAY 1d100-4 it's pokeball time~
[19:20] <Ein> (i try to avoid looking up pokedex entries)
[19:20] <Lianhua> 1d100-4
[19:20] <DiceMaid-9001> Lianhua, 1d100-4: 1 [1d100=5]
[19:20] <~BigTentacruel> (All my players are derps. Cutest derps.)
[19:20] <Lianhua> ...
[19:20] <~BigTentacruel> ...
[19:20] <Lianhua> ahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
[19:20] <Ein> ...
[19:20] <Ein> (MASTERBALL GO!)
[19:20] <~BigTentacruel> Without even a momentary struggle, the Whimsicott is caught within the pokeball. It goes ping off the thing and almost as soon as the light is inside, the button turns back to the normal color.
[19:21] <Victor> (no! we need something better than a master ball! its the only way!)
[19:21] <Lianhua> "Aaaand there we go."
[19:21] * Lianhua skips over to retrieve the ball.
[19:21] <Ein> (so we out of combat?)
[19:21] * Victor gets up, rubbing his back. "oof, that was not meant to be done on hard ground."
[19:22] * Ein immediately runs over to nina, picking her up and holding her close. "It's ok... You haven't used that since we were really in danger that one time..." Nina yips sadly.
[19:22] <~BigTentacruel> For the moment, the area seems to be clear. A few of the townspeople are standing nearby and have seen your show so far. They stumble back into their houses quickly, and the streets are quiet but for the still whistling whirlwind breeze.
[19:23] <~BigTentacruel> (Victor takes ten damage, by the way.)
[19:23] <Lianhua> "Are you all right, Victor? Ein?"
[19:23] <Lianhua> "I am certainly pleased that I could be helpful, too!"
[19:23] <Lianhua> "And Piao-ju, of course."
[19:23] * Victor limped a bit over to Ein. "you ok kid? you look shaken up."
[19:24] * Ein continues to hold Nina close. "It was an accident... Nina didn't know her own strength..."
[19:25] <~BigTentacruel> Grainger recalls all of his pokemon but Stetson and gestures towards the north. "We cleared them out for now, but they'll be back before long. We should deal with the mines now."
[19:25] * Victor rubbs nina's head. "yeah... I've had an accident or two like that before. It doesn't get easier."
[19:25] <Lianhua> "Um, I don't meant to, uh, make you uncomfortable or anything but maybe we can worry about this after we - YES THAT'S RIGHT SIR EXACTLY WHAT I WAS THINKING."
[19:27] <Victor> "We do need to get moving. If we slow down now, anything we've done to hold them back here wouldn't have meant a think."
[19:27] <Victor> *thing
[19:27] <Lianhua> "We don't want to have to fight off more fluffballs, after all."
[19:27] * Ein stands up still carrying Nina. Kevin and Anthony both seem to utter encouragement to Nina. She doesn't seem as destraught now.
[19:27] <Ein> "yeah... Let's go..."
[19:27] <~BigTentacruel> Glancing at Ein and Nina, he gives a concerned grimace. "That's the real world, son. Just know your Pokemon better so this doesn't happen. Kolisa's fond of her people and pokemon."
[19:28] <Lianhua> Piao Ju floats over and extends a little heart-shaped hand to Nina. Pat pat.
[19:28] <Ein> (wow... dick...)
[19:29] <Victor> ((we are kinda outsiders))
[19:29] <Lianhua> "I'm just worried about the rest of them."
[19:29] <Lianhua> "W-we should probably go."
[19:29] * Ein starts walking towards the mines, silent.
[19:29] <~BigTentacruel> The group of you head out of town, passing The Hanging Bunch as you go. The area seems eerily quiet now. Dust whirls around your feet, and there are no signs of people or Pokemon for now.
[19:30] <Victor> (a soleful harmonica plays in the background)
[19:31] <~BigTentacruel> "How far down into the mines did you go?" Grainger asks out loud. "They go down a long way, and the Diglett haven't shown up for a while."
[19:31] <Lianhua> "We found a place that was sort of flooded."
[19:31] <Lianhua> "We could have gone on further, but...things happened."
[19:32] <Victor> "lots of stone frogs. Lots of em"
[19:32] <~BigTentacruel> "Stone frogs?" Harcroft replies. "Statues?"
[19:32] <Ein> The graniplava in Ein's backpack croaks.
[19:33] <Victor> "might wann show him kid." Victor says looking at Ein
[19:34] <Ein> (the backpack's open)
[19:35] <Ein> (he's not gonna trap it in a closed backpack)
[19:35] <~BigTentacruel> "They're alive?" Harcroft says, aghast. "Doc Binker used to talk about Kolisa's past when pokemon like that lived here. I didn't think any survived."
[19:35] <Lianhua> "A-are they bad frogs?"
[19:35] <Ein> "...g one..."
[19:35] <Victor> ((Ein is grammar Nazi!))
[19:36] * Ein still has his head down.
[19:37] <~BigTentacruel> "I just thought they were extinct. We don't know what they eat or anything. Doc said the evolved ones could get immense. That could be what's the problem here."
[19:37] <Lianhua> "Maybe - if they were the ones causing the sinkhole..."
[19:38] * Ein nods, "there's a big one down there... she said so..."
[19:38] * Victor blinked. "a big one?.... how big are we talking here?"
[19:39] <Ein> "translation's aren't exact... She just said a big one..."
[19:39] <~BigTentacruel> "No one knows. They used to build statues of the things in tombs where they buried their dead, I think. You couldn't tell them from the real ones, supposedly."
[19:40] <~BigTentacruel> Grainger rubs his neck with a broad hand. "Doc showed me a picture of a statue of the evolved form a while back. Must have been as big as a mountain..."
[19:40] <~BigTentacruel> "If something like that is around..."
[19:40] <Lianhua> "...Uh-oh."
[19:40] <Lianhua> "Uh... Ein, can you ask if that's what's causing the sinkhole?"
[19:41] <Ein> "sis is still drained... I don't think I should ask her about it right now... Not to mention, it seems kind of obvious..."
[19:41] <Ein> (ask her to translate i mean)
[19:43] <~BigTentacruel> "Well, we'll figure out what to do when we find it."
[19:43] <Lianhua> "I suppose so."
[19:43] <~BigTentacruel> The four of you continue towards the mines. Near the ranch, Grainger takes a look around the field. His pokemon are all grazing gently. It's like the Whimsicott were never even here.
[19:44] <~BigTentacruel> "I thought we'd find more of them as we got out this way..."
[19:45] <Lianhua> "Hmm."
[19:45] <~BigTentacruel> Into the fields of the ranch, you can see all the quadrupedal pokemon Grainger cares for. There's some Tauros. There's a few more with afros. And of course the Tropius of various sorts.
[19:46] <~BigTentacruel> Near the hole in the ground where the sunstone is, however, Grainger halts. "You hear that?"
[19:46] <~BigTentacruel> Perceptions.
[19:46] <Ein> 1d20-1 butterflies!
[19:46] <DiceMaid-9001> Ein, butterflies!: 10 [1d20=11]
[19:46] <Lianhua> 1d20 :D?
[19:46] <DiceMaid-9001> Lianhua, :D?: 3 [1d20=3]
[19:46] <Lianhua> :D!
[19:46] <Ein> (not as many butterflies as i thought there'd be)
[19:46] <Victor> 1d20
[19:46] <DiceMaid-9001> Victor, 1d20: 14 [1d20=14]
[19:46] * Lianhua goes back to watching the peachiuses
[19:47] <Ein> (I'm looking at your :D! and all i can see is a frowning dude with an eyepatch.  not sure what the 2 dots under him are)
[19:48] <~BigTentacruel> (Adding mango juice to cinnamon apple tea is weird.)
[19:49] <Victor> ((I always preffer a good Darjeeling or Chamomile))
[19:49] <~BigTentacruel> Victor and Ein can hear something coming from the hole. It sounds like wind rustling through tall grass.
[19:49] <Victor> Victor runs over to check over the edge
[19:50] <~BigTentacruel> Make a reflex save.
[19:50] <~BigTentacruel> Err... Dex check.
[19:50] <Ein> Ein walks over, not wanting to trip again.
[19:50] <Victor> 1d20+5 dexahol
[19:50] <DiceMaid-9001> Victor, dexahol: 10 [1d20=5]
[19:50] <~BigTentacruel> Anyone going to the edge of the hole make a check.
[19:50] * Lianhua eventually notices that everyone else has walked off, and follows.
[19:50] <Lianhua> 1d10+3
[19:50] <DiceMaid-9001> Lianhua, 1d10+3: 11 [1d10=8]
[19:51] <Ein> 1d20 dexafail
[19:51] <DiceMaid-9001> Ein, dexafail: 14 [1d20=14]
[19:51] <Ein> (antifail!)
[19:51] <~BigTentacruel> Victor leads the way and just barely jumps backwards as part of the soil gives way into the hole! It seems somehow the ground has become saturated with water and is not stable.
[19:52] <~BigTentacruel> The other two of you, with Victor's moment of reflex, also avoid falling in.
[19:52] <~BigTentacruel> "Careful! What happened?" Grainger calls from behind you.
[19:52] <Victor> "Hole's destabilized. Shit... this isn't good, it'll get bigger"
[19:53] <~BigTentacruel> Inside the hole, you can see that the sunstone is now covered in water. It's probably 40 feet down before the water starts, but you can also see grass growing up the sides of the hole.
[19:53] <Lianhua> "So, what can we do to help?"
[19:55] <Victor> "How did all this water get down here?" victor mused as he got down on his knees to look harder into the hole.
[19:55] <Ein> Ein shook his head, "not good, not good..."
[19:55] <~BigTentacruel> "I don't know if we can do anything about this now. I don't know where the water came from, but the sunstone's got to be providing energy down there to more than just Cottonee."
[19:56] <~BigTentacruel> Victor, you're not sure but you think you can see creatures swimming in the water. They're hard to make out the shape of, but you can see the shadows against the sunstone's light.
[19:56] <Lianhua> "Maybe something dug in between the flooded place and the sunstone - gotta be some way to reinforce all that."
[19:56] <Lianhua> "Hmm."
[19:57] <Ein> Ein sets Nina down in a safe area, then pulls out the graniplava, "your family did this, didn't they?"
[19:57] <Lianhua> "I have an idea! Sort of."
[19:57] <Victor> "Do we have any rope and a place to achor it? If need be I'll repel down there, I've done that sort of thing before" Victor said. "we need to figure this out.
[19:57] <~BigTentacruel> The frog croaks at you, but doesn't say anything in response.
[19:58] <Lianhua> "I think if we hold the ground with something more natural, we can stabilize it."
[19:58] <Lianhua> "...Plants, maybe,"
[19:58] <Lianhua> "Just like around the sun stone."
[19:59] <~BigTentacruel> Grainger kneels down and drives a finger into the soft soil. "I don't know. It's too soft to climb down. I think we should go through the mine. We still haven't seen any of the Diglett ghosts."
[20:00] <Lianhua> "And I can have my new friend plant some seeds in the right spot."
[20:00] <Victor> Victor looked down. Even with the water, the drop would be significant if he fell. "Mine probably is the best idea after all."
[20:00] <Ein> (at first i read "mine" as "my idea)
[20:01] <~BigTentacruel> "It might be something, little lady, but it's going to take some time to put down any roots."
[20:01] <Lianhua> "Not with the sun stone there, I don't think!"
[20:01] <Lianhua> "Did you take a look at how there's totally a bunch of plants already growing in that hole?"
[20:01] <Ein> "actually, anthony can make plants grow faster
[20:01] <Ein> "
[20:02] <Ein> "and larger"
[20:03] <Ein> "but maybe it's best to go through the mines for now..."
[20:03] <~BigTentacruel> "Well, with all of that, you might at least hold things down, but we're going to get more holes in town. My Pokemon know where to stay if I tell 'em. If we don't move quick, the rest of town's going to have more trouble."
[20:03] <Lianhua> "Right. Just tell us where to go, sir."
[20:04] <~BigTentacruel> Grainger lets out one of his black dogs and the kangaroo pokemon to hold things down here and leads the rest of you towards the mine.
[20:04] * Lianhua calls out the as of yet unnamed Whimsicott and follows.
[20:05] * Ein places the graniplava back in his backpack, and follows. Nina follows Ein, seeming to have calmed down.
[20:06] <~BigTentacruel> Near the forest where you saw the Poliwag, the stream leads down towards the cave. It seems to be flowing stronger and higher now, though, but it hasn't even rained.
[20:07] <~BigTentacruel> Everyone roll a Wis check.
[20:07] <Lianhua> 1d20 :D?
[20:07] <DiceMaid-9001> Lianhua, :D?: 3 [1d20=3]
[20:07] <Victor> 1d20 wis-ard of Kolisa
[20:07] <DiceMaid-9001> Victor, wis-ard of Kolisa: 6 [1d20=6]
[20:07] <Ein> 1d20-1 nature
[20:07] <DiceMaid-9001> Ein, nature: 16 [1d20=17]
[20:09] * Victor leans down, scooping up some water in his hand. he smells it quickly, then takes a sip.
[20:09] * Ein looks over at the stream, sniffing the water.
[20:10] <~BigTentacruel> It smells like river water! You taste a metallic sort of flavor in it, and there's something else. It's fresh. More fresh than anything else you've ever had. You actually feel really great.
[20:10] * Lianhua also helps herself to some, and fills a waterbottle for the next time the inexplicable urge strikes.
[20:10] <Ein> (i'm afraid to let my pokemon drink it)
[20:11] <~BigTentacruel> Your pokemon don't seem like they're that interested in drinking.
[20:12] <~BigTentacruel> Grainger glances at you when you suddenly veer off to get a drink, but doesn't make anything of it and continues towards the mines.
[20:12] <Lianhua> The Whimsicott contents himself with eye-rolls at Lianhua's back.
[20:12] * Ein laps up some of the water. standing up again and heading towards the mines.
[20:13] * Ein suddenly stops, thinking for a second, "why do we get thirsty when we approach this stream?"
[20:13] <Lianhua> "Because it's out in the middle of nowhere and we've been walking." Clearly, Lianhua's not too bothered.
[20:14] <~BigTentacruel> "You probably just weren't thinking about getting thirsty. You've been working all day," Grainger says. He's intensely focused on the mine entrance, which you can see in the distance now.
[20:15] * Ein shakes his head, trying to drive the thought from his mind. He follows Harcroft, his friends in tow
[20:17] <~BigTentacruel> As you get close to the mines, you can see the water has risen to the entrance. Puddles have formed on the ground in front of it.
[20:17] <~BigTentacruel> Perception checks?
[20:17] <Ein> 1d20-1 prescription
[20:17] <DiceMaid-9001> Ein, prescription: 15 [1d20=16]
[20:17] <Victor> 1d20 percieve all the things!
[20:17] <DiceMaid-9001> Victor, percieve all the things!: 13 [1d20=13]
[20:18] <Lianhua> 1d20
[20:18] <DiceMaid-9001> Lianhua, 1d20: 8 [1d20=8]
[20:19] <~BigTentacruel> Ein, you can see a few frog statues like the ones you saw inside around the entrance. They're easily mistakable for rocks, honestly, but you can see a glint off the quartz-like eyes.
[20:21] * Ein stops, taking graniplava out of his backpack and setting her down. "those are your friends, right?"
[20:22] <~BigTentacruel> The stony frog stares for a bit. It's really hard for you to tell the difference between it and the ones on the walls. It shakes its head and looks at you.
[20:24] <Ein> "they are more graniplava though, right?"  Ein seems a little confused.
[20:24] <~BigTentacruel> "Gotta be on our guard. There's no tellin' when a statue's gonna attack."
[20:24] <~BigTentacruel> The Graniplava seems confused. It shakes its head at you and hops towards the opening ot the mines.
[20:25] * Ein follows the graniplava, his friends trailing behind him.
[20:28] <~BigTentacruel> The water almost immediately starts rising up on you as you descend the stairs. The water actually seems like it might come up above your head soon.
[20:30] * Ein stops, picking up his three friends. Nina and Kevin are hanging on his shoulders, and Anthony's in his backpack.
[20:30] <Ein> "wait up... I'm not so sure about this!
[20:31] <Ein> "
[20:31] <Victor> ((back. sorry, had an issue with my car all of a sudden upstairs. apparently when left in neutral, it has a tendency to roll forward and bump into a garage door))
[20:32] <Ein> (...)
[20:32] <~BigTentacruel> (Cars shouldn't roll down stairs, man. Keep it outside the house.)
[20:32] <Ein> (......)
[20:32] <Victor> ((I'm in my basement....))
[20:33] <Ein> (*confetti*)
[20:33] <Victor> ((driveway is the first floor. anywho, apparently it locked in half park or something, didn't fully shift into park. I was distracted at the time cause my dad had the dog out in the driveway and I didn't want to hit it.))
[20:34] <Ein> (prettu sure it was a joke)
[20:34] <Victor> ((i know it was. sorry, just a little out of sorts about it in general today. very few things are going right)
[20:35] <~BigTentacruel> Anyway! You're all faced with a flooded mine now! What are you going to do?
[20:35] <Victor> "Do we have a light source that can function underwater?"
[20:37] <~BigTentacruel> "I don't," Harcroft says looking into the hole. "Ideas for this?"
[20:38] <Victor> "And I don't have my rebreather after it broke the last time. I need to get in touch with the home office, get a new one shipped." Victor mused
[20:40] <Ein> (*coughtynamocough*
[20:40] <Ein> )
[20:41] <~BigTentacruel> (I think Lianhua died.)
[20:41] <Ein> (i was worried about that)
[20:43] <~BigTentacruel> (Welp.)
[20:44] <~BigTentacruel> For the sake of continuing tonight's session, Lianhua releases her fishlamp. "Be careful!" she says to it as it swims forwards.
[20:44] <Victor> ((she go afk too?))
[20:45] <~BigTentacruel> (S'what I meant. She said she was feeling terrible, so I'm going to autopilot for now.)
[20:45] <Victor> "So... we follow?" Victor started wading into the water after stripping off his long trench coat and shoving it in his sealable pack.
[20:46] * Ein follows his graniplava further, seeming nervous.
[20:47] <~BigTentacruel> Into the water you go! You find that it's about elbow deep at its highest for now. The sounds you heard before seem strangely absent now with all this water muffling things.
[20:47] <~BigTentacruel> It's just drip drip drip.
[20:48] <Victor> (who's elbow?))
[20:50] * Victor walks farther, following the glowing bulb of light, cautiously.
[20:50] <~BigTentacruel> (It varies between you all. Ein and Lianhua have soaked armpits. Victor and Harcroft are just damp at their ribs.)
[20:51] <~BigTentacruel> Further down, you find the same fork in the path you found the first time. The way to the right heads off at a right angle, and all you can hear from either one is dripping.
[20:51] <Victor> "We came to a dead end last time right? lets go the other way."
[20:53] <Ein> (which way does Louise the Graniplava seem to want to go?)
[20:53] <~BigTentacruel> She's not certain what you're looking for, and she's content to hang around you.
[20:55] <Ein> "I guess we'll go left then"
[20:55] * Victor heads left, trudging through the water.
[20:56] <~BigTentacruel> As you wade through the left corridor, the water starts to flow in that direction after some hundred feet of wading. It's slow at first, but you're pretty sure it's starting to pick up strength.
[20:58] <Victor> "I get this feeling we're approaching a drop off or something. there's a current here.
[20:58] <Victor> "
[20:59] * Ein looks worried, "what do you think, Mr. Harcroft."
[20:59] <~BigTentacruel> "The mines are going to descend, so as the floor slopes, the water will pick up speed that way. It means that it's not all flooded to this level, too," Grainger says.
[21:02] <Victor> "Just so long as we can get out. Being lost in a place like this is no fun." Victor replied as he trudged on. "I know that from experience
[21:05] <Ein> "Let's keep going... We need to stop this from getting any worse..."
[21:05] <~BigTentacruel> Continuing forward, you can feel the pull of the water getting stronger, and the rocks are getting slick. Your footing is getting hard to maintain.
[21:06] <Victor> Victor crouched a little lower in the water, almost down to Eins level, so he could balance his weight better and be steadier in his footsteps. he was out front, so if need be, he'd have to catch anyone who sliped and flew forward.
[21:07] <~BigTentacruel> The walls are definitely not helping as they seem to slope inwards. Finally, you reach an intersection where water is clearly flowing to the left and in from the right.
[21:08] * Ein puts a hand on louise, "umm... could you please steady me?"
[21:09] <~BigTentacruel> The frog is small, but she sticks to the wall like she's part of it, and so long as you keep your grip on her, you'll be fine!
[21:10] <Victor> "Which way? are we trying to find the sunstone or the source of all this water, cause I'm pretty sure the water would be heading towards that stone."
[21:15] <Ein> "hmm... I wonder which way we're facing at this point..."  Ein looks at Louise, "umm, are either of these routes newer?"
[21:15] <~BigTentacruel> Louise doesn't seem to understand. She indicates with a limb both directions as "new", according to Nina.
[21:17] <Ein> "I'll trust you on this then, Victor..."
[21:17] <Victor> Victor stuck his hand in the water to see which direction it was going in. "Right would be the source, left would probably be the sunstone where its pooling. Sunstone has priority I'd think.." He turned left, heading down with the current.
[21:18] <~BigTentacruel> The water continues to flow and now is getting decently strong. Only Lianhua's fish seems to be having an easy time with things.
[21:18] * Ein followed, "wait... but wouldn't it be more likely to be coming from the stone, since that's where the frogs would be evolving?"
[21:19] <~BigTentacruel> Roll a dex check to keep your footing.
[21:19] <Ein> 1d20 slip-n-slide
[21:19] <DiceMaid-9001> Ein, slip-n-slide: 16 [1d20=16]
[21:19] <Victor> 1d20 funonabun
[21:19] <DiceMaid-9001> Victor, funonabun: 16 [1d20=16]
[21:19] <Victor> ((heh))
[21:20] <Ein> (you forgot your massive dexmod)
[21:20] <Victor> ((oh whoops. +5))
[21:20] <Victor> ((so 21 dex))
[21:21] <~BigTentacruel> Luckily, you manage to maintain your footing. Harcroft behind you also keeps where he is and even keeps Lianhua from slipping away.
[21:22] <~BigTentacruel> The corridor continues for a while here too. The walls are starting to change, though. No longer are they raw earth but instead they appear to be sculted from some form of granite. Corners are sharp and precise, with almost no wear and tear.
[21:22] <Victor> ((brb, bathroom))
[21:23] <~BigTentacruel> You also notice that the water level is lower here.
[21:23] <~BigTentacruel> Perception check.
[21:23] <Ein> 1d20-1 testing the waters
[21:23] <DiceMaid-9001> Ein, testing the waters: 3 [1d20=4]
[21:23] <Ein> (bound to happen at some point)
[21:24] <Victor> ((back))
[21:25] <Victor> 1d20 perception!
[21:25] <DiceMaid-9001> Victor, perception!: 14 [1d20=14]
[21:26] <~BigTentacruel> Ein is too busy clinging to Louise to pay attention to his surroundings, but Victor notices that there are lumps on the wall every now and again bulging abnormally from the carved walls.
[21:27] <Victor> "Hey, anyone else noticing these bulging sections of the wall?" Victor asked, stopping to inspet one a bit closer. He put his hand on one, pressing firmly to see if it gave or felt different
[21:28] <~BigTentacruel> It moves beneath your hand! It's a very well disguised frog!
[21:28] <~BigTentacruel> 1d20 lick!
[21:28] <DiceMaid-9001> BigTentacruel, lick!: 10 [1d20=10]
[21:29] <Victor> ((...so is tht a damaging move?))
[21:29] <~BigTentacruel> 1d6+3+8 damage to Victor as the frog licks his hand.
[21:29] <DiceMaid-9001> BigTentacruel, damage to Victor as the frog licks his hand.: 17 [1d6=6]
[21:29] <~BigTentacruel> (I apologize. Dicemaid loves me tonight.)
[21:30] <Ein> (saved by having hand on friendly graniplava)
[21:30] <Victor> geeze. Ouch. btw, did that water from before heal me or am I still carrying the takedown damage?))
[21:32] <~BigTentacruel> You're still hurt, yo.
[21:32] <Victor> ((ok then wow. hurting bad))
[21:32] <~BigTentacruel> You've taken... 27 damage so far, as I count.
[21:32] <Victor> ((yup, i'm at 19 hp))
[21:32] <~BigTentacruel> With the sudden shock, make another dex check to keep your footing!
[21:33] <Victor> 1d20+5 Dex-a-check-aru!
[21:33] <DiceMaid-9001> Victor, Dex-a-check-aru!: 9 [1d20=4]
[21:34] <Victor> +5
[21:35] <Victor> ((oh sorry, guess it did. wow that was a low roll))
[21:35] <~BigTentacruel> That plus 5 still only puts you at a 9! Without warning, your feet slip and you go into the water full-bodied and are carried down into the dark corridor!
[21:35] <~BigTentacruel> "Hey!" Grainger calls after him.
[21:36] <Victor> "Shit!" Victor yelled. He wasn't doing to great physically, but he was more worried about where the current was taking him as he desperately tried to right himself and catch onto something that wasn't a rock frog.
[21:36] <Ein> "Gah! Victor!" Ein seems to have taken a step back, wary of the frog on the wall (not Louise)
[21:39] <~BigTentacruel> The walls are smooth but coming up is a corner! You can try and grab onto the edge to recover.
[21:39] <Victor> Victor reaches out his arm to catch onto the side.
[21:40] <Victor> ((what would I roll for that? dex again?))
[21:40] * Ein scrambles for his grappling hook and rope in his pack, Trying to throw it out past victor.
[21:40] <~BigTentacruel> Dex.
[21:41] <Victor> 1d20+5 grab it now!
[21:41] <DiceMaid-9001> Victor, grab it now!: 25 [1d20=20]
[21:41] <Victor> ((woo!))
[21:41] <~BigTentacruel> "That hook is gonna be sharp, boy, and he's hurting al- There he goes!"
[21:41] <Ein> (holy snap)
[21:41] <~BigTentacruel> Victor manages to catch himself on the wall with sheer determination! He's only swept down some forty feet or so at this point.
[21:41] <Victor> ((where it counts!))
[21:43] <~BigTentacruel> As Ein and the others progress towards Victor, they notice a hallway leading off to the right before they reach him.
[21:43] <Ein> "what a relief" Ein says, keeping the rope out, but holding off on throwing it.
[21:43] <Victor> Victor carefully tries to get his feet back under him, his hands locked onto his handhold as if they were made out of steel vices, not wanting to let go at all. "I'm... I'm alright..." he said, breathing heavily. His body was heavy, he felt far from good condition, infact he probably looked like he was in bad shape. He silently thanked his foresight for putting Tngo back in his pokeball, as
[21:43] <Victor> this would have been tough on the little riolu.
[21:45] * Ein looks down the side hallway, curious what is down it.
[21:45] <~BigTentacruel> The hallway looks like it leads towards a set of stairs, as the water level suddenly drops off into a kind of small waterfall before you.
[21:46] <Ein> "so this way goes further down... It'd be pretty bad if we slipped here..."
[21:46] <Victor> ((do potions work on humans too? or just pokemon?))
[21:47] <Ein> ("When used on humans, it will sterilize or stabilize a wound, but it cannot repair
[21:47] <Ein> damaged tissue and seal wounds.")
[21:48] <Victor> ((ahh so no quick heal for victor right now then))
[21:48] <~BigTentacruel> Harcroft seems distracted by something on the walls and doesn't notice the passage.
[21:48] <Victor> "Which way do we go then?" victor asked from wehre he was, still shaking a bit with his legs under him. His hands still didn't want to let go of the corner.
[21:49] * Ein looks at harcroft, "what are you looking at?"
[21:50] <~BigTentacruel> "Oh, huh? Markings. Linework on this sort of stone should be almost nonexistant, but this looks like it was carved yesterday..." he says.
[21:51] * Ein looks confused, "and... what does that tell us?"
[21:52] <Victor> "These frogs can plow through stone, right?" victor chimed in. "Big tunnel equals big frog."
[21:53] <~BigTentacruel> "Look at the edges though," Harcroft replies. "It's perfectly square here. It's not a pokemon's tunnel. This is manmade, which makes sense for a mine, but why would you spend time on something like a mine wall to this much detail?"
[21:54] <~BigTentacruel> "Wexford... you didn't do this..." he mutters.
[21:54] <Victor> Victor thought about it for a moment. "who's Wexford?"
[21:55] <Victor> Victor started slowly approaching the other two from where he was, finally having his hands let go of the wall.
[21:55] * Ein thought for a second, taking a shot in the dark, "the miner who's a ghost now?"
[21:56] <~BigTentacruel> "Ghost? I doubt that... Wexford was the miner here that I told you about back at the ranch, yeah. Those were his Diglett around town. I wonder where they went too..."
[21:58] <Victor> Victor managed to steady himself a bit more. he really looked the worse for wear. "Maybe I should.. get out Gdiggles. He might be familiar with this place."
[21:59] * Ein thinks for a second, "so, is this important to getting to the sunstone or not?"
[22:00] <~BigTentacruel> "I don't know if the sunstone is really an issue now. We have to figure out what's causing the earthquakes though. Whatever drove those Diglett above ground is the real problem here."
[22:02] <Victor> Victor looked over at Ein. "Hey... kid..." he said, breathing a bit harder now. "can you ask your rock frog buddy there to tell the other ones not to... attack me anymore? This is going to get difficult if I accidentally touch one."
[22:03] <Ein> "I don't know if she can... but I'll try.  Louise, is there any way you could help us get safe passage from the other frogs?"
[22:04] <~BigTentacruel> (Is Nina translating?)
[22:06] <Ein> (This was a direct request)
[22:06] <Ein> (kind of learning how much i can get away with without using a go-between)
[22:07] <~BigTentacruel> The rock frog still doesn't seem to understand your idea. Harcroft chimes in, saying, "Kid, these pokemon probably fight one another to survive. It ain't as simple as with people."
[22:11] <Victor> "Well it was worth a shot anyway." Victor replied shrugging weakly.
[22:12] <Victor> ((do all of the walls have that smoothness or just the side corridor their looking in.))
[22:12] <Victor> ((?))
[22:13] <~BigTentacruel> (The corridors have been relatively smooth for a while, since it started after the fork in the hall, but this is the first time you've noticed any kind of markings on the walls.)
[22:14] <Victor> Victor looked at the markings that they had been looking on before. "My guess is we should follow these. I dunno, gut tells me they're significant in some way, closest thing to a guide clue we've had, if that is what they are."
[22:14] * Ein shoots harcroft a look, "You're wrong there... People are the complicated ones..."
[22:14] <~BigTentacruel> "Who knows..." Harcroft says, getting more and more confused as you go.
[22:15] <~BigTentacruel> So you're heading down the stairs or the rest of the hallway?
[22:15] <Ein> (which way do the lines go?)
[22:17] <~BigTentacruel> They head down the stairs and the waterfall.
[22:17] <Ein> (welp... time for the worst place to slip ever then.)
[22:18] <Victor> Lets head for the stairs then.
[22:18] <Victor> brb, bathroom again))
[22:18] <~BigTentacruel> The water here is actually only at ankle level so you just have to be careful not to fall down the stairs.
[22:20] <Ein> (i'm guessing a grappling hook would just slip off the corner, right?)
[22:22] <Victor> (back))
[22:22] <~BigTentacruel> (Would it?)
[22:22] <Victor> (you can see if it'll hook into the grooves))
[22:23] * Ein attempts to hook his grappling hook into the corner on the stairs.
[22:24] <~BigTentacruel> The groove is shallow but it's got to be better than nothing.
[22:24] <~BigTentacruel> (Call it a +2 to your dex check to climb down the stairs.)
[22:25] <~BigTentacruel> For the record, at the bottom of the stairs, the group can see a light reflecting off the turbulant waters.
[22:25] <Ein> "here goes nothing."  Ein takes a couple of steps down the stairs, not looking very confident.
[22:25] <Victor> 1d20+2+5 I'm going last cause everyone is ahead of me
[22:25] <DiceMaid-9001> Victor, I'm going last cause everyone is ahead of me: 14 [1d20=7]
[22:26] <Ein> 1d20+2 Scarlet O'Hara
[22:26] <DiceMaid-9001> Ein, Scarlet O'Hara: 19 [1d20=17]
[22:26] <Victor> ((more like scarlet o'whore-a, am I right guys?...guys?)
[22:27] <~BigTentacruel> Are you going at the same time?
[22:27] <Ein> (i'm going first)
[22:28] <Ein> (how far down do the stairs go?)
[22:28] <Ein> (cause if they're really far down, then it seems unavoidable for some of us to be below others on the staircase)
[22:29] <~BigTentacruel> They appear to descend somewhere around 40 to 50 feet.
[22:30] <Ein> (that doesn't seem too far down.  I think we could go one at a time without much worry)
[22:31] <~BigTentacruel> Well, if you go one at a time, you can each use the grappling hook.
[22:32] <Ein> (well, i'm definitely using it)
[22:32] <Victor> (ein goes first then
[22:33] <~BigTentacruel> Very well, with a 19, you manage to get down without any trouble. Victor's 14 puts the grappling hook on shaky territory, but he makes it down as well.
[22:34] <Ein> (so everyone's down?)
[22:34] <~BigTentacruel> As Lianhua goes down, it seems to hold as well, but as Harcroft grabs a hold of it and starts to follow, it begins to come loose.
[22:34] <~BigTentacruel> Harcroft plants a foot firmly on the next step, however, and gets down safely.
[22:35] * Ein reels in the grappling hook.
[22:36] <~BigTentacruel> Behind you, the water trails forward into a widening mouth. The light is shining brightly, but it seems like it's sunlight, which doesn't make sense given how far down you've come.
[22:37] <Ein> "so... sunstone?"
[22:37] <Victor> "Sunstone..." victor said, somewhat confident that was correct. "Certianly don't think its a giant lightbulb or anything."
[22:37] <~BigTentacruel> "Probably, but it's coming from above. Did we get below it somehow?"
[22:38] * Victor starts walking towards the widening mouth, being careful with his steps as he goes.
[22:38] <Ein> "well, it's not hard to get disoriented on a wet slope..."  Ein replies.
[22:39] <Ein> "tack onto that the fact that we're underground."
[22:40] * Ein looks after victor, "wait! should you really be in front if you're that beaten up?"
[22:42] <~BigTentacruel> As you head towards the mouth, the lights get brighter and brighter until it's absolutely blinding. You can only hear the sloshing over your feet through the water when suddenly the light dims enough so that you can see again.
[22:42] <Victor> Victor looked back at him and grinned weakly. "Don't worry about me kid. It'll take more than a sunstone and a shitty cave to do me in."
[22:43] * Victor suddenly looks around, realizing the light had dimmed considerably. he looks up to see if anything's above him.
[22:43] <~BigTentacruel> Before you is a vast cavern some two hundred meters in either direction. Far above you, probably fifty meters or so, is a brilliantly shining slab of rock that extends across the entire room.
[22:44] * Ein follows victor, the others all still holding onto him.
[22:44] <~BigTentacruel> And sitting in the center of the room is the biggest frog statue you have ever seen in your lives. It is covered in strange runes like the ones you've seen on the walls but none that you recognize. It's staring towards the far side of the room and appears to be supporting some sort of ruined castle.
[22:44] <~BigTentacruel> Aaaaand </session>
[22:45] * Ein is now known as Bauss
[22:45] * Victor is now known as Kenshin
[22:45] <Bauss> I am amazed I never slipped
[22:45] <~BigTentacruel> Everyone recieves 1500 EXP for excellent RP and for annihilating some Whimsicott.