Near the dragon is a flat piece of rock that rises above the water and is dry, where Tahldar is trying to get a scale.  The water going back to where you came is quite deep 20+ feet, though it is all rocky and curves.  The passageway leading forward is a continuation of the rocks on the left, but about 4 feet underwater.

Tahldar begins trying to get a scale from the dragon.  It will take some time since it is all frozen solid, but he might be able to get one. There are only three scales exposed and intact enough to possibly take. (Roll dexterity and wisdom.  Must succeed at both to get one out intact.  Can do this three times; each failure means you have broken the frozen scale.)

Borimer explores the small cave leading straight ahead.  It winds for about 20 feet before broadening into a small, 25' diameter cave that is nearly perfectly circular, as though carved out of ice.  Borimer stands at the entrance and looks straight ahead.  Although darker than the previous room due to very few of the glowing crystals, something interesting is directly in front of him.

He sees a chest about 4 feet wide, 2 feet high and 2 feet deep.  It is an ancient chest.  Behind the chest is a large skeleton of...something humanoid.  It is larger than a human, standing 9 feet tall, and its skeleton is shiny and icy instead of bony.  It has hands that are more like claws or talons, and its eyes glow a soft yellow.



But Borimer does not need to worry about the chest or the strange giant skeleton right now.  Both are completely encased in ice.  The ice wall juts out about two feet past the chest and skeleton.  It appears as though an icy cave-in buried the two long, long ago.

Borimer still stands in about 4 feet of water.  The cold protection spell still holds, so the water does not feel as cold as it probably is.

FYI, I'm experimenting with mapmaking again, still having some issues with maptools.
This message was last edited by the GM at 19:25, Thu 09 Feb 2017.

Tahldar wrestles with the dragon scales.  He is unable to get two of them intact, but he does get one.

Taking his scale prize, he moves over to where Borimer is standing.  He ponders the ice encased chest.

OOC:  I don't have any fire spells to melt the ice.  Would the reverse of enlarge, reduce, be able to shrink a section of it?

I made my DX and Wis checks for one scale, but missed on the other two.

The scale, if fashioned into a shield, will be -2 to AC, grant a +4 to saving throws related to cold attacks, and -1d4 hp damage to any cold attacks that succeed.

Fashioning it into a usable shield will require the appropriate non-weapon proficiency.  If no one has it (or can spend points to get it), then you are likely to meet someone after you get out of these tunnels who can do it for you (at a price).

* * *
Enlarge can only apply to one person or object up to 10 cubic feet per level of the caster.  So he could cast it on the ice, but it would not affect the items embedded in the ice (nor would shrinking the ice damage those objects because it would shrink around them).  The object would be reduced by 10% per level of the caster to a minimum of 10% of normal size, then by 1 foot increments, and then by 1 inch increments per level.  Anything unwilling gets a saving throw.  He could not cast through the ice to the skeleton or chest.

Of course, the problem with doing this is the risk of collapsing the ice ceiling further, but that will be subject to a random roll.
This message was last edited by the GM at 23:57, Thu 09 Feb 2017.

Tahldar takes the scale and shows it to Borimer.  "This would be a good shield maybe." he says as he flips it over end over end.

Moving closer to the iced chest he adds "I'll shrink the ice, but be ready in case that skeleton jomps to life."

OOC: I will try to shrink only enough ice to free the chest and not the skeleton.  It's also my hope to reduce the risk of ceiling collapse by keeping the shrunk section to a minimum.  (I think I can reduce the area of effect of reduce as needed...)

Shae follows the others into the room with the chest.  "Is it undead?  Maybe Kahan can turn it if it comes after us."  Her ancestral spear is ready, and she spreads out to the right to have space to fight.

Leo stands off a bit watching for any misstep weapon drawn.

Borimer watches the creature in the ice...

does it look like it was surprised or defending itself when it was caught in the ice?

It is in the same pose as in the picture.

Tahldar casts the spell, and the ice around the ice thing and the chest shrinks.  The chest is now partially encased in the ice (and is so old it looks like it will fall apart if you try to remove it), and the ice skeleton is only buried to its knees in ice now.  The ice skeleton does not move or indicate it is anything other than a statue with scary yellow eyes.

Tahldar shrugs.  "Maybe you can bust it open?" he asks of Borimer.

"Of maybe rip off one section of it?"

Borimer takes another dubious look at the ice skeleton before approaching the chest. He attempts to break off ice from the side that would allow him to face the skeleton while working.

strength check(?) 23:52, Today: Borimer rolled 5 using 1d20.  strength check to break ice.

Borimer moves forward toward the chest and skeleton.  As he gets about halfway across, he steps on a rock that sinks into the mud.  Almost instantly, shards of ice begin falling from the ceiling.

Borimer dives back (saving throw made), taking only minimal (half) damage from falling shards of ice that are sharp as blades.  His right leg begins bleeding from the icicle that sliced through his thigh.  The shards are jagged and barbed on the end.  This results in more bleeding.



There are plenty more shards up there.

Borimer continues to bleed.  (Shards are soaked in an anti-coagulant that makes him continue to bleed at -1 hp per minute until stopped.)

The white dots indicate the area covered with the stalactite shards:

Tahldar looks up at the ice shards.

"I could try a web spell to cover the area and prevent them from falling."

"Or you could try this dragon scale.  If you hold it aloft it may protect you."

OOC:  I can create eight 10-foot x 10-foot x 10-foot cubes with web.  Would I be able to completely cover the area the shards are?

Here's the details on the scale.  If held in two hands over your head it might work:
The scale, if fashioned into a shield, will be -2 to AC, grant a +4 to saving throws related to cold attacks, and -1d4 hp damage to any cold attacks that succeed.

Leo, staying out of the area but close enough to look at the ground, looks to see if there are any obvious trigger points to determine if perhaps careful navigation might allow safe passage.

You could try the web.  It might work.  I will likely roll with a bonus to a saving throw.  Now that you know they are there, they will be easier to dodge anyway.  You just don't know where to step and can't really tell from where you are.

And also, Borimer is bleeding...

Tahldar looks at Borimer's wounds.  "A web I think would help and so would the dragon scale too maybe.  But if you want to wait on getting the chest and go up top to get some healing first from Kahan I'll hold off on casting."

Shae will cast a cure light wounds on Borimer.

Shae says, "I already changed into a bird today, but I can change into a reptile like an alligator to swim across without touching the ground.  Then I can change back to half-elf to break open the chest.  I'm just a little concerned about that weird skeleton."

Shae turns into an alligator and is able to get across to the chest without further incident.  She can now turn back or stay as an alligator.  (Shae gets one bird, one reptile, and one mammal transformation per day.  She has the mammal left.)

Borimer's wounds are healed consistent with the cure light wounds house rule.  This also stops the bleeding and helps him wrap it without further damage.

(I also assumed Kahan was with you.  He just didn't get to bring his plate armor with him.)

(I thought it would be interesting for a rogue to try a climb walls in an ice cave.  Not sure what the rules would be for that.)

"Thanks," Borimer rubs his leg ruefully after Shae heals him.

how much damage did i take before being healed?

Shae will go ahead and turn into an alligator, cross the water, and try to break open the chest with her snout.

Shae crosses the water without incident, but as soon as her snout touches the chest, the crystal skeleton comes alive, moving through the ice as if it were falling rain.  Its bones and fingers are sharp as steel and glass as it reaches out to attack the alligator by the chest.

"Tahldar, give me flight!" Borimer unsheathes the Godslayer...

Talhdar begins to cast...

OOC:  I will cast Fly on Borimer.

Shae stops her progress on the chest and begins swimming back in alligator form toward her friends to see if the ice skeleton will follow.