RQG 144 - Ride the Wave

## Content Warnings

Danger of drowning, panic, enclosed spaces, darkness. SFX: sustained high-pitched note

## Summary

Hamid and Skraak crawl into the maintenance tunnels, heading deeper into the complex. Meanwhile, Azu, Cel and Zolf run for their lives as the underwater glass tunnel cracks and water comes rushing in, and successfully make it to the room at the end of the tunnel.

Hamid and Skraak get closer, Cel is a good parent, Zolf just had to look, and Azu is freaking out.

## Synopsis

**Hamid and Skraak**

The episode starts with Hamid and Skraak in the chess room. Skraak is still vaguely gesturing at their ears to indicate they've gone deaf but they're otherwise fine. Hamid reassures them they're going to be okay. Skraak tries to go over to one of the chess pieces to move it, but Hamid stops them before they can do anything, warning against the danger. Skraak is disappointed.

Hamid looks around to see if there are any access panels in the room. There is one next to the door he came in through and one on the far side of the room. Additionally, the side panel that the rogue came in through probably leads to more of these tunnels, which Hamid notes as incongruous as the Rogue is medium sized while the maintenance tunnels are kobold-sized. Hamid has Skraak stick close to him and then enters the maintenance tunnel that already had the panel removed. Using his Sleeves of Many Garments, Hamid changes his clothes into a stylish cat suit so it will be easier to crawl through the tunnels.

Hamid casts dancing lights to be able to see in the corridor. The maintenance access tunnel appears to be a pipe with a metal grating at the bottom, and contains a lot of electrical cables. The tunnel appears to lead a long way in two directions, one heading back towards the very entrance of the complex (in the direction of the lift shaft), and the other leading onwards, past the room Hamid flooded. The tube is filthy and damp, and there is the occasional dripping of water, but it is otherwise unflooded.

Hamid chooses to head onwards, which enthuses Skraak and they try to go ahead of Hamid. Eventually, Hamid lets Skraak go first but he tells them not to go to fast and to be careful. Skraak salutes and continues, humming their sneak song. Suddenly, there is a large vibration that runs through the tube, shaking everything. A pipe near Hamid bursts and a little bit of steam hisses out, but eventually it all settles down again with a bit of a groan.

**Cel, Azu and Zolf**

Cel, Azu and Zolf are in the underwater tunnel after a dead, blue whale got dropped on it from above. The large crack alongside one side of the tunnel begins to extend in both directions. The party start running towards the end of the tunnel, and there is a high-pitched noise as the tunnel cracks open and shatters inwards. The water comes pouring in, although it appears to be behaving somewhat peculiarly. The water rushes in very quickly, taking chunks of corridor with it, heading towards the party. Cel reaches the pressure door at the end of the corridor, but the others have trouble keeping up. Azu takes the time to drink her potion of water breathing, but this slows her down.

Cel opens the door, which equalises with the tunnel and the high-pitched noise and building pressure in everyone's ears dies down somewhat. Cel rushes into the dark room beyond and holds the door open for the rest of the party. Zolf can see inside with his darkvision and notices that there is a large, mouldy sign hanging from the ceiling which reads "Respite" written in English. The room beyond has a submarine aesthetic, but with lounge furniture added to it. The space is about 40 by 40 feet and has several raised walkways, similar to some of the other flooded rooms they've been in. There are shelves on the outside, and in the middle of the room are a rug and some arm chairs.

Zolf enters the room and stands beside Cel, ready to close the door after Azu enters. However, Azu is engulfed by the water before she can reach the door, and a piece of stanchion hits her in the head (40 damage), and the wall of water passes beyond her as Azu's armour weighs her down.

**BREAK**

Cel and Zolf both get ready to close the door as Azu tries to swim in their direction. Zolf catches sight of her as she nears the door, and notices she looks absolutely terrified. The water starts rushing into the room, but Zolf and Cel both manage to hold on to the door (Zolf takes 9 damage, and Cel 19). Azu smacks into the back wall of the room, and Zolf and Cel start closing the door, which Cel eventually manages to achieve by grabbing a piece of pipe and using it as leverage to hold the door closed. Zolf locks the door and then looks around for a lever or something else that could help him drain the room of water. He notices a lever that has black-and-yellow striping on it and symbols in Japanese, which he pulls.

Cel takes the potion of water breathing and lets themself bob upwards into the pocket of air above. They shout for the rest of the party, asking them to explain what is going on because they cannot see in the darkness. As both Zolf and Azu are still underwater, they cannot hear Cel and fail to reply. Cel continues to babble, wondering if the rest is even alive. Azu walks across the bottom of the room towards the door, and sees Cel's legs, and tugs on Cel's leg to let them know she's down there.

In the pitch darkness, as Cel talks to themself in order to keep themself going, there is a loud mechanical sound and an alarm starts ringing loudly, and then something grabs their foot.

## Quotes

**Alex**: "I should warn everyone, there's a *weird energy* in the room today!"
**Helen**: "It's a *horrible* energy!"
**Lydia**: "Alex just threatened to kill us all!"
**Helen**: "It's horrible!"
**Alex**: "It's a *weird* energy."
**Lydia**: "-*in game and out!*"
―Episode introduction.

**Alex**: "You're currently in a long, glass tunnel at the bottom of the ocean as well. This was kind of a more exterior, more perimetery one. *Although*, you did all just get hit by a blue whale."
**Ben**: "No."
**Lydia**: "No, no-"
**Lydia & Helen**: "The *tunnel* got hit!"
**Ben**: "And the windows may or may not have cracked."
**Lydia**: "And the whale was in pieces, which I think should count for something."
**Alex**: "Potato, po-crushed to tiny tin cans at the bottom of the ocean."
―Episode recap.

**Alex**: "In order to find out what's happening in the corridor, I'm going to start with Hamid first."
**Lydia**: "You *absolute* monster! I don't even respect your craft anymore! It's just a hodgepodge nighmare!"
**Alex**: "My nightmares are *not hodgepodge!* They are carefully curated, I will have you know!"
**Lydia**: "I don't know what's going on in your brain, and I definitely don't want to find out."
―Episode introduction.

"You're going to be taking penalties on your sneak check because you're dummy thicc!"
―**Alex, about Hamid.**

**Alex**: "It should be built, if I did it correctly, that you can either get to the door or you can drink your potion. You can't do both... Because unlike the real world, this world is narratively satisfying, and forces maximum amounts of character choice!"
**Ben**: "Yes, this discussion about feet is very narratively satisfying. How narratively satisfying and dramatic, this discussion about 5ft squares is."
**Lydia**: "I mean, having reached the door, I tell you I found it quite satisfying."
―Azu has to choose between running or drinking a potion of water breathing.

**Ben**: "Although, I'm going to make this very clear, if all this discussion about drowning is a bit much?"
**Helen**: "No, drowning itself is fine. Drowning in a small space..."
**Lydia**: "But the space has opened up!"
**Ben**: "So, one problem was replaced by a less bad, but still very bad problem!"
**Alex**: "In fact, there's more space than you know what to do with, and it's about to get you!"
**Helen**: "This is fine, because I am in a room with friends, just to make this clear, like, I'm absolutely fine. It freaks me out, but I'm not going to need a break."
―The team checks in with Helen.

**Lydia**: "I ready my action to also close the door when Alex- Alex? When *Azu* comes through."
**Alex**: "Oohh, I have to take your first answer, you will close the door when I come through."
―Cel readies their action.

**Lydia**: "One of my red cards is Alex saying "Okay.""
**Bryn**: "Not Alex saying; "*Gooood, goood.*"?"
―Lydia cracks a joke.

**Ben**: "Do you not want us to make a reflex save?"
**Alex**: "Yes, but that will affect how much, not whether or not you take [the damage]."
**Ben**: "Half save's fine..."
**Ben**: "If only we were playing Fifth Ed and we could get *advantage*!"
**Alex**: "Noo... I don't think I'd give in, just to make a point."
**Ben**: "Yeah, well, 23 anyway so you can *go suck it!*"
**Alex**: "Ben may be full of salt now, but just you wait until he's drowning in sea water."
**Ben**: "My trick is I'm always salty."
―Zolf makes a Reflex save against the water.

"Could anyone tell me what’s going on? I just — an innate curiosity, I’ve been accused of this before. Just, uh… it’s been great fun, guys, but I, uh, I, I can’t see. I can’t see for nubbins. Uh… I would offer many nubbins in return for being able to see. It is *not* fun. I have some things I could do to, to be able to see but I can only do those for a short period of time, and I, y’know — you that thing where, like you have something’s that a limited resource and then you never use it? And you get to the end of a difficult day and it turns out that you should have used it, you should *really* have used it, but in the end you actually just don’t use it — by the way, is there limited air? I suppose that doesn’t really matter. Folks, if you have not taken your potion of water breathing, I *really* recommend that you do. I’m just, I’m just trying to get some information, is there — are you guys alive? Little buddies! Folks! Ladies and gents and anyone else, *please*. Are you alive? Oh no. *[Starts waving their hands like they’re doing the breaststroke.]* Folks, are you alive? Oh no, what if I’m alone down here… okay, so, so, it’s, so, you’re alone in a dark, underground… like, I wonder, I mean, I wonder if there are any science experiments I could get done while I’m down here…?"
―**Cel, left alone in the dark while Zolf and Azu are underwater.**

**Alex**: "Allow me to give you your final tableau of the episode. I'm sorry it's not been a very Hamid-heavy one, but people were picking a fight with the ocean."
**Ben**: "No, the ocean picked a fight with us! We did not instigate that!"
**Helen**: "Yeah, I did nothing!"
**Lydia**: "Really, the whale did, so it's sort of like, you're in a bar, and, like, there's someone who's starting something-"
**Bryn**: "You guys, the whale was a corpse."
**Ben**: "The whale spilled the ocean's drink, and we got blamed!"
―Episode close.

## Dice rolls and Mechanics

* Hamid Perception check in the chess room to identify the maintenance panels: 26
* Azu Reflex save to not get swept up in the water: 7
* Azu Reflex save against the water: 13
* Azu Swim check to make it to the door: 12
* Reflex save against the water: 23 (Zolf), 12 (Cel)
* Azu Swim check to make it to the door: 15
* Strength check to close the door after Azu comes through:15 (Zolf), 13 (Cel)
* Zolf Strength check to close the door: 20
* Cel Strength check to close the door: Natural 20
* Azu Swim check to make it to the door to help close it: 3
* Zolf Perception check to find a way to drain the room: 22

## Water Tunnel Initiative

**Initiative:** Zolf (20), water, Cel (14), Azu (12)

* Zolf: Takes the run action in the direction they were already heading (80 ft)
* The crack stabilises as the carcass of the whale continues to slide down the side, leaving a bloody smear.
* Cel: Takes the run action (120 ft)
* Azu: Takes the run action (80 ft)

**Round 1**

* Zolf: Continues running (80 ft)
* The tunnel cracks, there is a high-pitched sound and the tunnel crunches inwards as water comes rushing in.
* Cel: Continues running (120 ft), they reach the pressure door at the end of the tunnel.
* Azu: Uses her normal movement speed (20 ft) and drinks her Potion of Water Breathing.

**Round 2**

* Zolf: Continues running (80 ft) and reaches the door
* The water keeps rushing in (100 ft), and is right behind Azu.
* Cel: Opens the door, and the pressure in everyone's ears dies down a little. Cel steps through and holds the door open for the others, yelling; "Quick!"
* Azu: Continues running (80 ft)

**Round 3**

* Zolf: Uses his dark vision, looks inside the door, noticing the lounge room beyond. He runs inside and stands next to Cel, readies his action to close the door when Azu is inside.
* The water moves 100 ft, engulfing Azu (Reflex Save: 7). It deals 40 bludgeoning damage to her.
* Cel: Readies their action to close the door when Azu comes through.
* Azu: Makes a Reflex Save (13), and is able to make herself swim in the heavy current pushing them towards the door. Azu tries to swim in the direction of the door (Swim Check: 12), but makes no progress on her own power, but she is still is being pushed by the current and moves 50ft closer to the door.

**Round 4**

* The water rushes into the room, hitting both Zolf and Cel, who make reflex saves to keep standing (23; Zolf, 12; Cel). Zolf takes 9 damage (Ben says '8') and Cel takes 19.
* Cel's action did not trigger, so they re-ready their action.
* Azu uses their action to swim (15) 10 ft. The water rushes her forward as well, and she smacks into the back wall of the room.
* Zolf and Cel's readied actions go off, and they try to close the door (strength checks: 15; Zolf, 13; Cel). They make some headway, but are not able to fully close the door.

**Round 5**

* Zolf tries to close the door (strength check: 20), and he succeeds in making progress.
* The water rushes in, and the water level in the room rises to 10 ft.
* Cel is underwater, but continues to try to close the door (strength check: Natural 20). They use a piece of pipe to leverage the door closed.
* Azu tries to swim over to the door to assist with holding the door closed (swim check: 3), but fails to make progress.

**Round 6**

* Zolf locks the door.