Collecting our thoughts.The image is from the previous post.
Let's pick up what everyone was doing with the last post.
Lothar was going to look into using the boards that were blocking the tunnel entrance to the pool chamber. Unfortunately, these are not thick enough to support weight or reach from stone to stone. Each board was only an inch or so in width. You'll see on this post that they were drawn very small.
Embla has fetched her spear and determined that the bottom of the pool seems to be about three to four feet deep, at least as far as her spear can reach.
Engelhart [ooc: who has gone to bed by this time] was about to scout around the bend. He was asking for a lantern, but he's about 35 feet from the rest of the party, across many rocks. He jumps over to the tunnel (0414), finding that it is very solid.
Without a light source, there's not much he can see ~ just what is showing, dimly, in the reflection of the nearest light off the wet surface of the cavern interior.
So, Engelhart notwithstanding, someone needs to move a light source forward before the tunnel beyond can be explored.
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I fetch my lantern from my backpack (which I think is back in the tunnel).
Does anyone have lantern oil? I don't seem to have any.
I'll dutifuly wait for the group to coalesce on this side of the cave and then proceed in formation. I believe I'm one of the healthier bodies left so I got no qualm with taking a front rank.
[OOC:...and now I'll be hitting the boards, yes. Sure feels good to be back here.]
Lothar heads down the ramp and begin making his way across the water to the landing on the other side. Fjall has Pandred's (I think) crossbow, and Bergthora has her short sword in hand. They gather up any belongings from the upper tunnel and bring them down to where Engelhart is waiting.
[oh good, Lothar is not dead]
I think I'd rather not spend a bunch of time having people roll to see if they can jump rocks. Let's just have whomever wants to come along, come along. Please let me know who is standing next to Engelhart ~ and let me assume, for convenience, that someone has handed Engelhart the lantern.
Unfortunately, I do have to ask, did someone find some lamp oil? Because it ain't gonna light without it.
Was there oil in the previous room?
There was not.
Bergthora will roll her eyes, sighing, "Oh for heaven's sake!" And will pull a flask of oil from her backpack.
Thank you, Bergthora.
I hand off the lantern and oil to Engelhart. I stand next to him, javelin out.
Engelhart lights up the wick and makes good to move on down the tunnel, maul in the other hand, shield at his back.
[ooc: Pandred still hasn't stirred, but I'm guessing we'll want her crossbow cocked at the ready for whatever comes next?]
[Don't worry about Pandred; Pandred has seen the blog and commented on it, so I know she's around somewhere; she'll join in when she has something to add, I'm sure]
As you come around the corner, the gang strung out and watchful around you, you find (and there's no need to draw a map) a dead end. With a peculiar feature, which I will endeavor to describe accurately.
There are two stone balls hanging down from the ceiling by chains. Each ball is about a foot in diameter. You would guess the balls weigh around 275 pounds, or 125 kg. The chain is heavy, with links an inch in diameter. Each ball has a hole drilled through the middle, and the chain runs through the hole, hung in a way that the bottom of the chain in parallel with the floor. That is, the chain fits through the hole and then attaches to itself just above the ball, forming a triangle, with the ball hanging above the ground.
One ball is about eighteen inches above the floor. The other ball is about four feet above the floor. Each chain for each ball is not connected to the ceiling, but rather goes up into the ceiling, through a hole just large enough for the chain.
[When you worry about another player not making something explicit about their preparations, best not to say, "I hope Pandred has her crossbow loaded", but rather, "Pandred, make sure your crossbow is loaded." That will produce a better game message for characterization]
Fascinating.
I take the spear out and probe the balls and chain.
Intriguing, yes.
I wish to ascertain if the balls are featureless and if they can be twisted vertically or rotated on their chain axis (for want of a better descriptor).
As I say, the balls are fairly heavy. The spear point doesn't move them much. The stone on the balls is rough hewn, but otherwise featureless ... and they can be rotated on their chains, as the chains are carrying the weight as chains will.
I don't understand the meaning of the term, "twisted vertically."
I have added an image of the orientation of the chain balls to the post above.
Are the balls close enough that one might swing them into each other?
Alexis: twist -> to try and manually girate one of the spheres along the vertical axis of the suspended chain, rather than the horizontal axis of the load-bearing part of the chain triangle.
I also inspect the dead-end's tunnel wall for seams and cracks.
[I'm already more than half-expecting that once we set this I/O switch into the reverse position the lake will drain away to reveal a passage, but just to make sure].
(Oh, and thanks for the diagram, it is precisely as I was perceiving it already, so good description).
Ah, Engelhart, yes. The ball will turn on the chain, but as you have to lift the ball to reduce the resistance of its own weight, you can't turn it easily.
Embla, yes, the balls could swing enough to touch each other's chain, but they are heavy and it is difficult to start them swinging. The balls are at very different heights, you will note.
I tug the higher-up ball downwards.
Ok, Embla, I ask that you help me lift the sphere that is suspended lowest.
I also ask our other companions that they prepare to gently push and lower the opposite ball.
In effect we will attempt two stages: placing the spheres at the same relative height and then, should nothing happen, fully reverse their positioning.
I'm fairly convinced this can't really be a trap, due to its out of the way placement, but if anyone objects, holler.
(simultaneous posting)
Yes, I help Embla along and reverse the rest of my request. Should get us much the same place.
Embla encounters resistance as she tries to pull the ball down. It gives a little, then seizes. Engelhart helps (or so I'm reading it) and the higher ball shifts, lowering a hands-span.
The lower ball lifts the same amount. As this happens, throughout the chamber, there is a loud, clanging sound, as of machinery adjusting, shifting ... then it stops.
I'll go and try to get a look on whatever may have changed about the chamber.
If nothing stands out, we get some more hands on task and pull harder.
(Had to leave home, so I'm on my phone)
The ball seemed to drop on its own, before stopping. You feel you could push it into motion again, easily.
You can't detect any change in the cavern.
To clarify: what is the relative position of the spheres at this point?
From the original description, the higher one is now 7 inches lower than it was, while the lower one has gone up 7 inches.
Let's continue pulling/lifting the balls, hoping to reverse the initial positions.
I'm with Embla on this.
Problem is, language wise, Embla did not say she would do it, but only that she proposed it. That means Engelhart is with Embla on proposing it. What do you do?
I pull the higher ball down.
The next post is up.
[This is strange. I'm seeing a post on my email, connected to the blog, that has Embla saying, "I pull the higher ball down." But it isn't in the comment field. Oh well. I'm taking it as done. Embla will likely back me up]
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