as Taliha and her companions climb the cliff to enter the cave on the western side of Ramla bay... who all is present?
I can play Rollon, if Taliha needs him!?
Looking around, Taliha tries to see if anyone else is near enough to be watching them.
[assuming she sees no one:]
As they move up the hill Taliha stops Rollon with a gently hand on his wrist. "It may be best if I assume my Heartbeast, if you would be so kind as to place my clothes in your pack." And, before waiting for a response, the small woman begins to remove her simple traveling clothes. Her complete lack of shame of her nudity.is apparent before the quick transformation begins and she is now a small fox with enormous ears. Taliha begins swiveling her head to see if she hears anything as Rollon collects her clothes and they continue on.
At the mouth of the cave Taliha pauses again and uses her sensitive hearing to try and discern if there is anything in the cave they should be wary of.
[While I am sure that it took some getting used to, Rollon is probably used to her transformation by now.]
«Euh ... what,» starts Rollon, but Taliha has changed and given up her voice before he has a chance to ask what he is supposed to do. «I'd wish she'd stop doing that,» he thinks, but he does not say it loud.
He follows the small fox with his eyes as it approaches the cave.
[slight retcon]
Before moving towards the cave after her change the small fox takes a moment to cast Voice of the Bjornaer [total of 10 before and aura modification which costs her a fatigue]. The small fox pipes up, "wait a few moments I must catch my breath, Rollon." She sounds amused at Rollon's dubfoundedness. When the Sun has passed slightly more than its own diameter, the fox closes her eyes again, concentrating, and the strange ferociousness outsized for such a small animal ceases to affect Rollon [Cast form of the Sanguine Heartbeast, total of 27 with no aura so no fatigue loss.] "Come, Rollon." Taliha says as she moves at a trot on her short legs up the hill.
The magic aura actually transitions at the cave entrance from a 4 to an 8, and you hear the sound of air moving, it could be the tides pushing air through the cave, that happens you have found in some coastal caves, or it could be someone breathing gently but deeply far within the cave, if the acoustics are just right...
Rollon does as he is told and follows after the fox.
Taliha moves slowly and quietly into the cave up to a point where the direct light from the mouth ceases to reach, giving herself some time there to get more acclimated to the lower light before moving on.
[Stealth+Dex of 13.]
Just behind where the direct light ends there is a boulder in the cave which seems to have been placed directly in the middle to prevent further passage.
The small fox rears up on her hind legs leaning into the boulder with her front ones. She closes her eyes and concentrates on the room beyond the boulder.
[casting Prying Eyes without gestures Total:20, level 5 spell +16 pen. There are a number of ways in which this might not be useful the simplest one is that there is no light on the other side.]
[As I'm thinking what to do next the rough size of the boulder would be helpful info.]
the boulder would be closer to 10 cubic paces than to 1, There is faint light beyond the boulder, but all you see is the cave going further back and sloping downwards. Beyond that the light grows even dimmer and apparently where the path widens into a chamber of some sort is where the spell considers the "room" of this cave to end.
Is the boulder stuck, in squeeze between the walls? Or does it look as if it could roll if pushed at the right point?
It could roll if pushed by someone with sufficient strength.
Taliha shifts back into her human self. "Rollon, step back. I believe I can move this stone." Standing naked with one hand upon the Stone Taliha silently makes the gestures of casting a Rego Terram spell.
[Fatiguing Spont ReTe Base 2 (move in a natural fashion; +1 for stone, included), R: Touch +1, D: Moment (if this is not enough she would do Conc), T: Ind, +1 mag for Size, Total level 4. Casting Total 11]
As the stone moves from the passage, Taliha catches her breath.
The only place to move the stone to is back down the short passage they have already traveled, so the two walk backwards through the tunnel, pulling the stone one handedly behind Taliha as she emerges naked back into the sunlight.- this will require concentration duration...
[Good thing I had a good enough total for Concentration.]
Once they have the boulder outside of the mouth of the cave Taliha reverts to her Fennec self and listens again hoping to hear better if what she heard before was the sea or breathing or, perhaps, if she can hear anythings else coming from the passage.
Taliha continues listening in her keen eared fox form hoping more of the sound might be recognizable now that the boulder is not hiding blocking its free passage.
the sound of the breathing is louder, but otherwise no different than before. You do hear what might be light footfalls as well.
“Rollon, stay quiet here while I scout ahead,” the fox whispers quietly before stealthily moving down the passage hoping to see what she can see in the light before stepping into the light.