[IC] Ergo Ad Nauseum [Archive] - Giant in the Playground Forums

Cap'm Bubbles

2017-12-15, 04:41 PM

OOC Thread (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?544735-D-amp-D-5E-Ergo-Ad-Nauseum-OOC)
Dice Thread (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?544888-Dice-Rolls-Ergo-Ad-Naueum&p=22668850#post22668850)

Player Name
Character Name
Armor Class
Passive Perception
Initiative

NettleKid
Erithacus Goodfelow (https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=1420018)
17 (22 R)
13
+5

Xihirli
Xetm / Jade (https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=1420021)
17
14
+5

Ramsus
Valanthe Liadon (https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=1420417)
19 (S)
16
+5(A)

Illven
Elizabeth LeRadiance (https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=1420508)
19 (S)
25
-1

Anoriand
Kaliyaros (https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=1421619)
19
19
+5

WhiskeyJack
Davos Greytide (https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=1391908)
16
13
+4

Day 1

One weeks has passed since the cataclysm that has nearly destroyed an empire in an incandescent moment. It is dusk in the region of Sijeka. A haze can still be seen in the direction of the old Imalian capital. Stars will not been seen through the cloud cover this evening, and the mountains to the west will soon occlude the sun. Travelers are making their way to the city of Mayak, the last completely intact bastion in the entire region. Some come by caravan from the northern roads, others upriver from the sea, and even some are already here by happy circumstance.

There are but two marks landmarks on the road through the mountains south to Mayak.

The first is Overhill's Bridge crossing the river in order to reach the city.
It is noted for its exceptional width across the 300 feet of the flowing river. It is arched, adequately supported by smooth masonry, and has enough room for a row of a hundred men to cross at once.

The second is Blindskull Tower. The monolithic building can be seen from the city and the mountains. It is so named for the sculpted skull, flat instead of concave where its eyes should be. Where it to gaze, it would do so to the north. It is of exceptional height, but its stone and mortar structure has significant decay with age. It's entrance hall is known to be open to the public as a resting place on the road, though the rest of the building is generally not.

The caravan master brings the group to a halt outside the tower; there are a dozen of you altogether, including two carts and two mounted mercenaries sporting crossbows and spears.

The caravan master turns to address the lot of you. "I've made this trip many times, and I must say my luck has been inconsistent on this last stretch. Bandits have been known to pray on traders on this last leg to the city, ambushing from the small hills and light woods."

He coughs, then chuckles to try to disguise his obvious illness, if only to lie to himself about his advanced age and mortality. He gestures his head towards the entrance, showing two tied-up mastiffs waiting patiently. He raises an eyebrow at that, then continues. "Yet, I've survived all this time, even when taking chances and getting a bad hand. I'll ask you younger folk: would you prefer to stay the night here camped in the tower, or try to make it to town through the night?"

The two mercenaries are silent; they've been payed to follow the caravan master, and they've made it clear that they have no preference so long as the coin is good. The other passengers are not unarmed, but are clearly not trained for battle either. They look to you three, the figures that are most clearly capable warriors, trusting your experience to guide your decision.

Whatever stops you may have made before the last leg of the trip, you and a third passenger have made the trip upriver together. Passing through forests belonging to the Hurtegon circle to reach the city, it is clear the devastation has both been here a long time, and that the cataclysm has reached even this far. What once was a fishing village on the river has been razed long ago, presumable by the Legion. A wildfire continues to range, and your captain remarks that it's been burning and spreading for a full week, sparked by who knows what. The trip is relatively lonely, with virtually no inhabited settlements along the way, and not all of them with evidence of war or fire. Your captain, however, insists that all arrive at the city before separating; he appears on guard, and explains if asked that he only makes these trips when he's confident that the group he carries will survive any troubles along the way.

It is fortunate, then, that you arrive at Mayak without incident. The port is small compared to anything you might find on the coast; trade by land is generally preferred. Waiting at the docks for any travelers are two persons, both familiar faces to Valanthe. One is a golden dragonborn, adorned in the plated guards' uniform: Valker, one of the more capable guardsmen who occasionally leads patrols beyond the city. The other is a scarred hobgoblin, clad in spiked leather and with a placid facial expression: Ghur'ka, the blacksmith and exile.

The third passenger rushes off the boat to greet the two men, carrying a wooden box the size of a bread loaf. When prompted, he opens it for the guard and Ghur'ka. "Very well then, seems your shipment checks out. Move along then."

The walk off into town while Valker turns to Valanthe."It's good to see you again, ma'am, but I certainly didn't expect to see you arriving by riverboat. Tell me the story over drinks when I'm off duty if you feel up for sharing."

Then, having to tilt his head to see the small goblin below his vision, he addresses Xet'm. "And what brings a lone goblin here? I'd be surprised if you were with the embassy, and the Legion knows better than to send armed soldiers into town. A foreigner, perhaps? What is it you seek from our city?"

Evening brings in the barflies and the gamblers. Or, as many patrons of Kar'ra's establishment call them, "easy money." One man, a traveler by the name of Barnaby, has been having a far worse night than usual at dice. Kaliyaros has been the fortunate betting opponent against him, having taken him for nearly 80 GP through several tosses. When Barnaby reaches into his pocket to put up one last ante to try to win his money back, his eyes widen.

"It seems I'm down to my meal ticket and room tonight." He scrunches his face in frustration at his almost empty pockets, and then has an idea. "But what would you say this is worth, for one last gamble?"

He produces a red gem from beneath his cloak, dull and scratched while nearly the size of his thumb. There is a small point of white light within it, which moves to the same relative location no matter how much the gem is turned about or moved.

The establishment owner, Kar'ra, looks up from the bar to see the new item. She speaks over the low din of the crowd to the two of you:"Go ahead, give him a chance to make his money back. He's done the same for anyone here." Squinting a bit to focus on the gem, she continues, "And I'd call that 20 gold; it isn't pretty, but any ambient magic is worth something."

Xihirli

2017-12-15, 05:16 PM

Jade craned her neck to look up at Valker and flashed him what she believed to be her winning smile that humans have responded to with responses varying from "don't eat me" to "oh what the-"
"I," she began, her voice scraggly and offputting, sounding as though she were gargling needles.
"Am Jade. I am here to make friends. Like Vey-lanth over here. She is so nice. I'm from Shuuch Duul, and I'm happy to meet you. What's your name?"

Ramsus

2017-12-15, 05:35 PM

Nettlekid

2017-12-15, 06:47 PM

Erith has been largely silent on the trip, his attention divided between poring through pages of his book in stillness and then swiveling his head around to take in the scenery once he notices it had changed. It was in the middle of his looking over of the tower that the caravan master had spoke. He takes a moment to look over each face in the wagon, especially the mercenaries, then looks to the tower, the road ahead, and the setting sun. He subtly draws a copper coin from his pocket and tosses it, glances at it, scowls, flips it over, and returns it to his pocket.
"I say we camp out here for the evening, by or in the tower. If we keep going then as the sun sets we'll be lit up like Dancing Lights with torches and lanterns guiding our path. We won't see the bandits in the woods but they can track our movements and wait for the right time to charge. If they choose to start shooting while we're on the bridge we'll have nowhere to go. No, best to use the little sunlight we have left to start setting up a camp here and fortifying. Sure, they'll see us here too, but they probably already have. If they were to rush us we can retreat into the tower to take cover from crossbows and choke them out through the front door. Far less chance of any noncombatants being caught in a crossfire. We can then cross the bridge tomorrow when we have light and we can see our enemy rushing in from a distance."
He sniffles.
"At least, that's what makes sense to me."

Whiskeyjack

2017-12-15, 07:24 PM

Davos again sizes up the other two travelers, those who are clearly just headed into the region, and are not random mercenaries hired specifically for caravan protection. "It matters little enough to me, and any bandits who tried something would quickly regret it. Would the pack animals be able to push on without rest, is the bigger question?"

He glances up at the tower, wondering for a moment if there might be anything to be gleaned from exploring it, then looks at the horizon - the haze marking indicating that doom still hung low over this land even if the underlying war was over for now, if it even was. His jaw clenches as he looks toward the mountain where the Imallian capital used to sit, his grim gaze broken only when he hears Erith speak up.

“Erith also speaks wisely, from the tactical standpoint,” Davos adds with a smile towards the elf, not for the first time curious as to whether the blade-carrying wizard had ever been aligned with either the Imallians or the Circle. “And I think we might all enjoy picking up after a night with a proper roof over our heads. What do you think, Lady Elizabeth?”

Anoriand

2017-12-15, 10:10 PM

Kal bounced the dice in his hand, looking at the jewel in the mans hand and then at the man himself. He looked over to Kar'ra, then back to his opponent for the night. Kal shrugged, then nodded as he spoke.

"Eh, that sounds fair to me. One more roll, gold versus jewel... but with a clause: I win, you tell me where you got that jewel and what you know about it. Deal?"

Illven

2017-12-15, 11:29 PM

Elizabeth's gaze pans towards the top of the tower. Her hand goes to the holy symbol resting on her neck reflexively.

I agree with both of you, we should rest here. Elizabeth starts. My reasons are different. Sune has given us this blessing. It would be an insult to her radiance to reject it. She remarks.

Cap'm Bubbles

2017-12-16, 11:20 AM

The caravan master--Arthur, as you recall his name--nods to your reasons. "Aye, that makes enough sense, and I'm glad your so confident." He brings the group to a stop, and gestures to one of the mercenaries took take a look at the two mastiffs not belonging to the caravan. The man inspects the two beasts, then speaks up. "Typical branding, no flags; I'm guessing just a few more travelers, nothing hostile."

With that, your armed party moves to the double doors, which open inward. Inside is a large room (100x100, ceiling 20ft), well lit by wall torch sconces and a lit fireplace. From your view as you enter from the south, There appear to be a few rows of stone pews at the far northern part of the room. The rest of the room features numerous flat stone beds, numerous thin sacks of hay for bedding and three other closed doors. Despite the evidence outside and inside that some people should be here, you see no one.

Each of the three doors features crude etchings of a sentence or two, written in numerous scripts. Common, Elvish, Dwarven, and Goblin can be made out.

The language implies that the writer was either limited in time or grammatical skill. The text reads, in each of those languages, and in all capital letters:
MOGAR STUFF NO OPEN
The 'handwriting', if you can call it that, is the same as the east door's writer.
OR DID MOGAR LEAVE HIM STUFF HERE? NO OPEN MOGAR THUNKING
The northern double-doors past the pews, however, is clearly more legible, it's author hopefully more intelligent than whatever must have scribbled the other two doors.
HALT! The common room is public property intended for rest and weary travelers. All other rooms are property of the city of Mayak by mayoral decree, effective date (about 9 years ago). Governing officials may ring the bell for an audience. All others, trespass at your own risk, and do not feed anything you see.

Ghur'ka glances back at the mention of his name, responding briefly before making a complete exit. "I wasn't looking when it happened; I was taking inventory in my basement. Though I wouldn't mind if whatever's responsible did it again over there; bloody Imalians deserve whatever they get."

Valker is taken aback briefly by Xet'm's rasping, muttering something to himself in Draconic. Back to common, he addresses the two of you.

"Pardon, I'm Valker, one of the guards assigned to the port and customs duty. I think you can find...sure, friends...around here. I tell you two what, I get off my shift in an hour, what say I meet you at one of the taverns and we'll swap stories? Whichever of the two you've prefer will work for me, Valanthe."
Both are on the same street, directly across from each other.
Owned by Kar'ra, a human woman with a bit more zest for life than her counterpart across the street.
She's taken to supporting the vices of the citizenry, gambling being the most prominent. Though fights are less frequent than across the street, they are more likely to turn lethal over suspicion of cheating. It's not unheard of for such people to go missing.
Owned by Karl, a retired goliath paladin. He's just about the kindest soul you can find in town, and was disillusioned with the war and his superiors' orders.
His establishment is home to more bar fights, ensuing medical treatment, and much stronger drinks (purify food and drink, anyone?). His former colleagues and other connections occasionally stop by.

Barnaby smirks briefly, glad that someone might appreciate the trinket with a little more information. "It's a deal. Alright bones, don't fail me now!"

He gives the dice one last toss, crossing his fingers hoping for lucky 7. The dice, however, seem to hate him tonight, and show him a losing 9 for his trouble. Something did seem a little off to you, though, about that last roll...

You get an inkling of foul play afoot, deciding to pick up the dice for yourself while Barnaby explains his jewel. Two six-sided dice were rolled, one 4 and the other 5. On closer inspection, two of the five pits appear faint, then begin to fade and vanish after a few seconds.

Someone cheated. Barnaby would have won. Barnaby has no idea.
"Well, such is life. It was about nine year ago that I got this little gem, and as collateral for another gamble, no less!"

He switches to a hushed tone. You are aware that din of the patrons has quieted down a bit now that Barnaby begins to explain. Kar'ra several patrons nearby, and a tiefling child in the corner all eye the both of you with great interest.

"At first I suspect this thing was some sort of compass, as I got if off an Imalian soldier in his retirement. He said it always points the way back home--meaning the capital. The light inside it started to dance about when I actually did look at it in that city during my travels."

He pauses, gesturing for you to lean closer. He continues in a whisper. "But it doesn't point to the capital since the cataclysm. It's pointing to the Legion's territory now. I don't think it was ever what the man thought it was; I don't think it tracks a location, but rather an object, or maybe some entity....Something that was flung far from its resting place in some strange location in the capital."

"...Something that would still be intact, and from the capital, no less, would have to be something extraordinary. No mere magic ring would have endured whatever that was. I think your guess is as good as mine as to what it might be."

Returning to normal speech, his facial features relax. "I can't say I have the guts or the money to hire people with them to find out exactly where and what that might be, not with who-knows-what going on with the war. If you should ever take up that venture, please let me know what you find."

Illven

2017-12-16, 11:51 AM

Elizabeth will walk into the room, placing her body over each of the three doors she listens at each of them, her ear to the door for any sounds beyond.

Room 1 [roll0]
Room 2 [roll1]
Room 3 [roll2]

Ramsus

2017-12-16, 01:19 PM

Xihirli

2017-12-16, 03:04 PM

Jade brazenly walked into the town with no idea of where to go and wandered until she came across two Inns. Lights Out had been the one her very dear friend had chosen, so she walked into that one.
”Hello!” she called loudly as she entered the tavern.

Cap'm Bubbles

2017-12-16, 04:51 PM

Being the first one into the room, you are able to get a good listen on the first door, and are sure as you can be that nothing is making noise on the other side. However, the background noise as a dozen people enter the same room makes it more difficult to discern anything about the northern door.

From the western door, however, you can make out the fain sound of trickling water, at a moderate distance, echoing slightly.

Ghur'ka pauses at that, his pride in his work and another's interest briefly getting the better of him. He turns, "Well, I've got some plans for these little beauties, and you'll see them on display in a few days if my experiment goes right. I'm not much for archery, but I'm enjoying my little foray into it. You can always talk to the fletcher in the meantime if you've got more immediate needs."

He brings his hand to his chin, pondering a bit before finishing. "And I can always try to make a nastier version of your weapon of choice. By the way, I've been attempting another little project, but I'm afraid I've used up most of my supplies. When you next kill a screecher, I'd be most appreciative if you'd bring its corpse to me. I may just have found a use for those beasts besides rugs and taxidermy."

It seems during your brief dialogue, your new companion has slipped away to wander about for some time while you gather your information.

Ramsus

2017-12-16, 05:26 PM

Anoriand

2017-12-16, 06:16 PM

Kal eyed the dice in his hand, then the jewel before him. He listened intently to the man, eyes darting around the room to the various people who might be listening. With the knowledge he had now, Kal knew there was a reason for this gem to end up in his hands... But still had to keep some measure of honor. He took some coins from the stack in front of him, 30 to be precise, and pushed it back to Barnaby.

"Here. We agreed this was worth 20 gold, but what you just told me has me re-evaluating that to 50. You've given me an evening of entertainment, an excellent story, and something to look into... consider it payment for services rendered."

Kal took a moment to pat the man on the back, then got up and began walking away. As he did, he eyed Kar'ra, attempting to signal her to come over as he went to the far part of the bar. He was hoping he could speak to her with fewer listening ears. Assuming she came over, he then spoke to her and voiced his concerns.

"Alright, let's keep this simple... a hustle just took place, and it wasn't a result of my amazing luck. Did you catch what happened over there? I figure you don't run a place like this unless you have a good eye for that stuff."

Nettlekid

2017-12-16, 06:30 PM

Erith gladly accompanies the rest of the caravan as they hitch up for the night and head inside. He takes a short while to examine the premises, taking particular note of the three signs left on the doors. Pondering over them briefly he walks over to Davos and points them out.
"So what do you make of this? There were hounds outside, yet no master within to be seen. I should hope no one who came before us disobeyed the instructions left for them and waits still further within."
Erith has heard tell of one Mogar - a warrior with bearlike strength who fights with a diamond blade. This is likely a different Mogar, but the name is deserving of respect.

While Elizabeth examines the doors further, Erith will head back toward the entrance to the tower and snap his fingers. Appearing on his arm from a pocket dimension is his Familiar, a plump and fluffy owl with overly long and curled feathers. Erith casts it out into the darkening sky, commanding it to start circling the tower. Erith himself will stand near the interior wall of the entrance for safety as he loses sight and sound, putting his own senses into those of the owl. He's curious to see if the owl can find any weak or broken parts of the tower where it would be accessible from the outside, and commands it to spiral up. He also wants to keep an eye out for anyone approaching the tower from the outside, which hopefully the owl will be able to see from a ways off.

Investigation if necessary to find broken parts of the tower [roll0]
Perception to see people coming in the distance [roll1]

Illven

2017-12-17, 12:08 AM

Elizabeth pulls back from the door, cocking her head confused.

I... hear water beyond.... Echoing.... Does the tower's basement lead to an underground river? She muses outloud.

Cap'm Bubbles

2017-12-17, 05:21 PM

Erith's familiar searches the tower. Most of the decay is random missing stones in the structure, but nothing that indicated a way inside through them. However, the owl does see two things of note.

The first, that there appears to be black-tinted windowpanes in a ring about the tower, just below the carved skull. They are too dark too see through from this angle, even for a nocturnal creature. It is not unreasonable to suspect magic at play. The second is that, on the roof of the 100 foot tower, is a trap door leading inside (too heavy for the familiar to open).

Arthur comments on some of your musings. "Most of those carvings have been here for years; if this 'Mogar' cared that much about his stuff, he would have kicked down the doors and taken it back a long time ago. I can't say I've wandered around here on my own, but one of my companions on another trip did go through the western door. He said there was a pool and fountain, but full if the stiffest drink he'd ever tasted. I had someone else drag his sorry carcass out of there when he was done. Figuratively , mind you--he lived."

"As for the dogs," he chuckles, "I'm gonna guess that some unlucky wanderer left them here very recently, and I'll be happy to take them with me if their master hasn't returned by morning."

Barnaby nods and slips the extra gold into his pocket, not wanting to draw any more attention, and partly to save face. He retires to his room upstairs, while Karra comes over after your gesturing. (OOC: Add 50 Gold to inventory).

"I can always round up the usual suspects. Though I'd have to ask how it was done if I want to narrow down who could have done it; are we talking telekinesis of some sort, illusions, someone duped with a charm, or some really clever sleight of hand?"

She pinches the bridge of her nose and closes her eyes briefly, perhaps from a long day or something else on her mind. She continues, "Even so, you're implying you didn't do it, and usually a cheater is a direct participant or an associate of a player; you're new in town, too new to have those connections but not so stupid as to lie to me either, and Barnaby probably didn't conspire to lose. I suspect someone listening in really wanted to know what the deal was with his little gem."

With a sigh, she carries on, "If I had to guess, it was either one of these prospective treasure hunters that have been coming in to town lately. Or maybe it was--"

"Hello!" hollers a goblin at the entrance, loud enough that Valanthe can hear from several blocks away. Karra doesn't turn to the new patron; instead she keeps her gaze on a gruff dwarf on the far side of the room, his scars matching his temperament as he slowly stands up, curling and uncurling his fists.

In those same few seconds, the tiefling girl that had been watching your last game from the corner rushes to the door to meet someone new, friendly, and about her own height. "Hello yourself. I'm Inuyen, what's your name?"

The dwarf, seeing the goblin accosted by another little rascal and becoming acutely aware of the barkeep's gaze, moves towards the stares to also retire. He grumbles before ascending, "You're no fun, I'll get my kicks at Karl's next time."

Whiskeyjack

2017-12-17, 05:49 PM

"So these carvings have been here for quite a while then, eh?" Davos peers more closely at them, then shrugs. "I don't suppose from that comment that you have any idea who 'Mogar' might be either, then. And I can't see anyone just leaving some fine guard dogs around either," he comments to the caravan master, or anyone else who might be listening.

Davos then checks the eastern door for a lock. If locked, he waits for a little more privacy before thinking to break out the tools to try and see what's behind it, and loosens his sword too, just in case.

Nettlekid

2017-12-17, 06:11 PM

Erith takes a few more glances at the two oddities through the eyes of the owl, then snaps his fingers to send it back to the pocket dimension where it'll be safe. Back in his own eyes and ears he listens to Arthur's description of the hall.
"Funny, if that were true you'd expect this place to be more popular. You'd expect a little tavern to spring up in this entryway, do it up a little, drinks on tap from the fountain. Not a bad business plan, now that I think about it..." he hums.
"So Arthur, I admit to being new to the area, but you seem well traveled. By any chance can you tell me what this tower was originally built for? The big old skull makes me think 'mage conservatory,' or maybe 'warlock lair.' The pews make me think 'church.' What I'm curious about is I noticed a few dark glass windows higher up in the tower from the outside - who do you think looked out through those?"

After Arthur replies, Erith will investigate the doors a little more. Even though Arthur's assuaged him about the doors, Erith wants to respect Mogar's wishes. He's a little curious - the penmanship and grammar is poor but he wouldn't have imagined a "Mogar" to speak Elvish. Did Mogar have an Elf friend? No, or else that Elf would have properly written out the words. Mogar himself must have studied and learned Elvish. How curious! How uncommon! What a learned person Mogar must be, Erith thinks to himself.

Erith returns to the large set of double doors at the north side of the hall. Reading over the message again, he looks around to find a bell to ring for service. If he does not find one he will use Minor Illusion to simulate the ringing of one.

Cap'm Bubbles

2017-12-17, 07:11 PM

As Davos checks for the lock on the eastern door, several scratches in the metal can be seen. A closer look reveals that what would be a keyhole must have been forced through with a weapon or cruder instrument. The door swings slowly but freely if any force is applied to it.

Arthur pauses a bit in contemplation, trying to discern between different and conflicting accounts. "Well, you see, Mogar isn't an uncommon orc name. To that end, I've heard of three. One was a simple mercenary in my employ who had much more muscle than brains, and he couldn't read. Another was a necromancer that was doing freelance work for the Imalian military about a decade ago. And there was the more famed Mogar Wupas, who you outsiders probably have heard of from stories of his larger-than-life feats of strength and combat."

"As for the tower itself, the pews are a small clue. The locals claim it was built about the same time as the abandoned temple to Auril in town, and presumably by the same people. That cult was run out of the continent several hundred years ago. Most citizens are simply too worried that some remnant of that cult is still here, and haven't bothered exploring personally. The occasional missing young adventurers support their suspicions."

There is no bell anywhere to be seen. Upon the illusion of a bell ring, however, there is a brief and faint sound of shuffling feet behind the northern doors. The sound is not heard again if the bell ring is repeated.
Thinking there must be a bell somewhere if it was bothered to be mentioned on the door, your searches extend for secondary clues. On the ceiling, 20 feet up, you spot a hole about two inches wide where a rope could have fit through; the rope that should be there, presumably tied to a much larger bell, has been sliced off at the ceiling.

"I don't put too much stock in their fear, though; there's no tell-tale markings that say "property of evil deity of winter" anywhere here. I just value my life and my money more than my curiosity."

Xihirli

2017-12-17, 08:10 PM

Ramsus

2017-12-17, 09:16 PM

Nettlekid

2017-12-17, 09:56 PM

[roll0]

"So hey, all, you should be aware that we're not alone in this tower," Erith calls out to the other caravan passengers settling into the hall. "I hear deliberate shuffling behind this door. Gotta say Arthur, I would have loved to know about the possibility of remnant cultists before making the decision about staying here the night. Might have influenced my decision."

Erith does indeed ring again, and hears nothing move a second time. He purses his lips. Mogar had explicitly requested that neither east nor west door be opened. The north doors had instructed him to halt, which he had done, and then invited him to trespass at his own risk. That's an invitation, if nothing else.
"I'll sleep poorly if I think we're at risk of a pincer attack, what with cultists within and bandits without. Better the devil you know, and all that."
Erith snaps his fingers to bring out his owl again, and has it stand in the middle of the room facing the north doorway. If the door opens inward (into the central room) Erith will pull it around such that he's between the opened door and the wall, out of sight of anything immediately on the other side of the doorway. If it opens outward (away from him) then he'll position himself similarly so that he isn't in the door frame but use Mage Hand to push it open. Either way he'll be looking through the owl's eyes so that he can see both himself hiding as the door opens and whatever's in the room the door opens into.

Xihirli

2017-12-17, 09:58 PM

"you're very short for a tiefling," Jade informs the stranger.
"Would you like to join me in a series of dangerous but exciting adventures that will inevitably lead to our close friendship?"
In order to cap it off, Jade flashed the tiefling a winning smile before letting out a happy spurt of sound with her bagpipe.

Cap'm Bubbles

2017-12-17, 10:37 PM

Arthur gives a snap of his fingers and points towards the northern door before you open it. The two mercs take the signal, crossbows at the ready and aimed.

The door opens into the next room--or rather, hallway. The hall appears to stretch a good 100 feet before taking a turn. Halfway down appears to be a more open space, perhaps a room without doors. The owl's sight pierces through most of the darkness, and sees no movement or any objects or creatures. There is, however, a smear of blood around the bend of the middle room.

"Now, I stand by what I said. I've stayed here plenty of times and know plenty others who have. Nobody ever says there's trouble when everyone stays in the main room. And I've never seen or heard anything through that door. And even if I'm wrong, my money isn't on cultists. They would have died a long time ago; probably some random beast or undead. I'm still going to say don't worry about it, because these two guys aren't payed to sleep."

Not many regulars are present tonight. Valanthe would know Barnaby, but he left the floor before she arrived. The local butcher, Theodore, is at the bar, who you'd know from selling what you kill but don't use yourself. He's jovial, and just might talk your ear off when he gets distracted.

Another man who you've seen once or twice, recognizable by the black scales covering his arms, but not by name, is talking with a few newcomers. He may seem an unsavory sort, and he has been tossed out of the bar across the street before.

The tiefling's ears appear to start bleeding, but her smile is undeterred. "Exciting but dangerous? I need to get parental permission for that. My dad's across the street, if you don't mind coming with me?"

Illven

2017-12-17, 10:47 PM

Elizabeth starts racking her brain for what she knows of the evil deity of winter.

Religion [roll0]

Xihirli

2017-12-17, 11:02 PM

"You have a dad!? That's great!" Jade dropped her bagpipes carelessly as she said this, gripping the tiefling by the shoulders and jumping a little bit.
"I never learned who my dad was. Whenever I asked mom about it, she just said she thought he was a girl until it was too rude to stop, and then I happened. Yes! Let's go meet your dad! That sounds fantastic!" Jade shoved her bagpipes in her pack like someone not at all familiar with how instruments worked and began following the tiefling girl.

Nettlekid

2017-12-17, 11:04 PM

"Well you say that," Erith remarks, seeing the coast is clear and peeking around into the open doorway with his own eyes, "but I heard footsteps just on the other side of that door. So either whoever left those hounds outside was creeping around right there, or what I think is more likely is something was listening in on us and waiting for our guards to be down. No, I don't like this one bit."
He takes a moment longer to think.
"Well, let's put it this way. You said that there's no trouble when everyone stays in the main room. But whoever owns those dogs isn't in the main room. Unless they went walking around the outside of the tower and escaped our vision as we all rolled up, I imagine they went further in. So 'everyone' isn't in the main room, and if there's something up in the tower that gets agitated by visitors then it's probably agitated already. I'm not one to wait and be ambushed on someone else's terms. I'll get ambushed on my own terms, thank you very much."
More importantly than that, Erith thinks to himself, he's coming here to Mayak to explore tombs and relics of magical mystery. There's no guarantee that it'll be safe, and if he can't stomach an exploration like this then what's the point of even making the journey to Mayak?
"I think this is worth checking out. There may be a secret someone's trying to keep, and even if it's some beast then I'm sure whatever powers pass as a government in Mayak will appreciate this tourism route being cleared out a little. Arthur, you can stay here and keep the noncombatants at ease. Keep an eye out for bandits, just in case. Anyone looking for some fight or adventure," he casts his eyes to Davos, Elizabeth, and the mercs, "Let's go meet our housemates. Oh, wait a moment..."

Before delving into the newly opened chamber, Erith is going to head back outside the tower and take a look at those tied-up hounds. Are there any markings like collars on them? He'll try to approach them gingerly, holding out a hand for them to sniff. If they growl or seem hostile he'll back off and leave them, but if they seem open enough to Humanoids he'll try to untie them and bring them inside. If his theory is right that these belong to some adventurer who got snapped up in the tower it'll pay to have a pair of noses that can follow their master's scent and bring the group to the lair of whatever's inside here. And hey, they're a pair of extra bodies if push comes to shove.
[roll0]

Anoriand

2017-12-18, 12:23 AM

Kal stared intently at the jewel in his hand. If Kar'ra was unaware of who did it, he really had no leads
But things didn't add up. If someone wanted the jewel, why wouldn't THEY draw and gamble for the jewel? They must have known he had it to be so ready to throw a dice roll.

"Illusion, I think. The 5 he rolled was actually a 3. Two of the dots were dummies, but they faded away as I held it. What doesn't add up is WHY they'd do it."

Kal watched as what could only be described as an adorable display took place at the door. He looked back at the jewel in his hand, grjpping it tightly as he sat his hand down on the counter.

"Well, I don't think I'll be pocketing this. Someone clearly wants this, and I can't help but feel if this goes in my pocket that it will be the last time I see it. So, as one last question... do you know anyone who might be good at figuring out what this is supposed to be pointing to?"

Ramsus

2017-12-18, 12:28 AM

Xihirli

2017-12-18, 12:44 AM

Jade stopped moving and brought a finger up to her chin to remember her childhood.
"Hmm..." Then she snapped her fingers.
"You're absolutely right."
She turned back toward the little tiefling girl.
"Are you at least eight years of age?"

Cap'm Bubbles

2017-12-18, 05:44 AM

The dogs initially are hesitant, but then warm up to Erith as the smell of food the other passengers have started to cook wafts out of the tower. The lick your hand, happy to see someone that will actually feed them, as can be guessed from their ribcage being pronounced through their fur. The collars are spiked, and what would have been an identifying name or symbol has been cut and scratched out by a knife. (OOC, the dogs now prefer Erith over anyone else in the immediate future, and will follow him even if Arthur requests to keep them). Either they were stolen or unintentionally ill-cared for.

Arthur's confidence is shaken a bit, but tries not to show it through his voice. "You know, I'm starting to agree with you. I will say, though, that I'd rather secure the rooms immediately around the entrance before checking out whatever is down that hall. No sense taking the long route and getting ambushed from behind if either door her leads to somewhere much closer."

As a cleric of Sune, Elizabeth would have been taught the following (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auril#Description) in her scripture study about Auril, a specific enemy of Sune:Auril is most powerful in those regions that are affected by deep winters or crouch at the edge of the Great Glacier. She is a native o the plane of Pandemonium. Her symbol is a six-pointed white snowflake on a grey diamond background. Her priests can be identified in white robes with blue trim, proclaiming dire warning about Auril's wrath in a coming winter.
Auril is begrudgingly subservient to Talos, and has lost a fair bit of power over time; she has chosen to siphon off power from the slumbering Ulutiu to make up for this deficit. Sune opposes Auril for her destructive ways, where beautiful wildlife and the vibrant wares of people in the non-winter months are hurt the most. Sune sees little that is beautiful in a bleached blanket of snow that hides the land and forces people to huddle inside their homes.

Karra nods at your reasoning, and tries to find a reasonable solution. "I can keep it in my lockbox here if you're worried about it being stolen. I've got an alarm or two that would be enough to alert me to anyone so bold as to steal from me."

"As for analyzing this, you've got three options. Black Scales in he corner--I think Lastard was his name--is certainly some sort of sorcerer, though it's hit and miss whether they know anything about magical items beyond simple use. The city's artificer, Bloo, would be a better bet, though he's retired for the evening. If both of those fail or seem untrustworthy, ou can inquire with the mayor; he's got connections to some experts, though I don't know enough about them to point you any further in your search."

"I'm..." Inuyen continues to hum that tone as she counts on her fingers, then her two cloven feet, "twelve years old." Her eyes light up a bit as other information incorrectly sinks in, "Do we get to fight bears?"

Ramsus

2017-12-18, 05:53 AM

Nettlekid

2017-12-18, 06:11 AM

Pleased that the dogs have warmed up to him, Erith cuts them loose with his dagger, leaving whatever rope is tied to their necks trailing off like a leash to hold onto. He guides them inside and, not having any rations himself, uses Mage Hand to snatch two tough pieces of dried meat from one of the other caravan goers to give to the dogs. He unceremoniously tosses a silver coin to the passenger by way of payment.

Listening to Arthur Erith chews his lip, but eventually acquiesces.
"You make a good point, tactically. It's not like whatever just ran away beyond the north door has anywhere else to go but further up the tower, so we're not going to lose it. And we could argue that Mogar just meant not to open his stuff. Elvish would serve him better were he to better grasp the grammar of it. Very well, let's take a look."

Erith guides the two dogs to the eastern door that Davos is investigating. Before opening it he lets the dogs take a quick sniff and listen, to see if they for some reason recoil in fear. If not he'll go ahead and use Mage Hand to open it up, standing a safe distance to the side as before. His owl, still in the center of the room, will fly over to Erith's shoulder and as it does Erith will look through its eyes into the open darkness.
[roll0]

Cap'm Bubbles

2017-12-18, 08:00 AM

Inuyen thinks that over for about three seconds in quiet contemplation. She then turns to Valanthe with questions of her own. "If I say 'yes', would you be more or less concerned about my safety? Besides, who else would be willing to take a kid on adventures, anyway?"

She steps back a few feet, looking skywards. She conjures up a small bit of flame in her palm before launching it into the air in typical firebolt fashion. "I can take care of myself good enough, and with you two it'll be even better."

Xihirli

2017-12-18, 10:21 AM

"I was three when my mother first told me to join the gangs. She was a wonderful woman. I think you'll be fine. We can fight bears and dragons and giants. Hopefully demons someday. Just a bunch of really big things."

Whiskeyjack

2017-12-18, 10:52 AM

“I suggest we check the west room before going north as well. Though there is the issue of it potentially going deeper and finding that liquor pool. Hm, I thought these were just plain small rooms but the liquor fountain says otherwise. At any rate, you’re right that if there is not another way out to the north, then whatever was sneaking there is still that direction. Sure, it could have prepared itself better if we wait, but that is not going to change if we go barreling in that direction anyway.”

Davos takes a step back from the door as Erith makes it swing open. “With all this fuss, maybe we should have just moved on after all,” he mutters. "What did your familiar see down the north hallway, if anything," he adds.

Illven

2017-12-18, 11:03 AM

Elizabeth for her part will take cover her back to the wall, right next to the door, waiting for Erith to give the all clear signal.

Ramsus

2017-12-18, 01:20 PM

https://i.pinimg.com/564x/4e/21/dc/4e21dced0a047bcb30d0ba3a5dcafdc4.jpg
Valanthe Liadon (https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=1420417)
Half-Elven Horizon Walker
AC: 19 PP: 16 PI: 16 Initiative: +5 (A)
Concentrating on: --

Valanthe ponders this and then kind of mentally gives up. Applying logic to Jade seems like it will just lead further and further down paths to "why goblins, why!?" So she just shrugs and says to Inuyen, "Well at least you're bright enough to get what I meant. Sure kid. You can come with us as long as you tell your parents you met a pair of strangers in a bar, one of which is a goblin, and you want to go out with them to hunt down criminals, monsters, demons, and bears and do whatever other adventures happen along the way. If they're ok with that and give you some money for equipment and maybe armor and a weapon and one of them comes here and tells us to our face that they're ok with this arrangement sure. At that point I'll just call it fate and accept it's happening."
She says this in an almost sarcastic tone, but there's something in her voice that says "I'm actually betting on this madness happening because that's just how it would go right?"

Cap'm Bubbles

2017-12-18, 10:52 PM

The dogs begin sniffing at the Eastern door, giving an excited bark after a few seconds and seeming eager to get past the door. When Erith opens the door and lets them off their leash to proceed, a roughly 40-foot hallway is revealed.

The two dogs sprint ahead, barking excitedly, one significantly faster than the other. That same one is also less lucky than the other. The faster hound vanishes through the floor almost instantly with 'Yip!' while the second dog tries to slow itself down. It still slips, it's latter half above the floor with its hind legs struggling to keep it from falling, while the entire front is unseen through what appears to be a solid floor, still barking. Two seconds after the first dog disappeared, a sound similar to slicing fruit can be heard, echoing to the main room.

Erithacus, through the owl's scrutiny and eyes, as well as the unfortunate mastiffs' interactions, can start to see through an illusory floor composing the middle 20-foot distance, and the second mastiff holding on in an unnatural position for dear life.

"Well," Arthur comments, now humbled,"I'm kind of preferring risking the bandits now."

Although Inuyen had seemed rather eager up until this point, she casts her eyes down to look at her cloven feet when Xetm starts mentioning the enemies you'll maybe fight. Her shoulders sink as Valanthe's slightly sarcastic answer reaffirms some of those details.

"Uh...okay. I can sure ask." At this point she starts walking across the street to Yak's Ilk, the other tavern, and goes straight to the bar. Inside you both can see two angry men trying to punch each other while rolling on the floor, a goliath with glowing hands likely preparing a healing spell for the loser, and what might be a group of bards performing on stage. Might, because something's a little...different about their performance (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5UPqW0J5F0) from typical musicians.

Nettlekid

2017-12-18, 11:01 PM

Erith gives an impressed whistle, quickly retrieving the owl.
"Yeah, no kidding. That's a pity. I wasn't expecting anything like that at all."
Erith will take a few careful steps into the hall, well back from where the two dogs fell into the pit. He'll direct his Mage Hand to grab the end of the rope tied around the second dog's neck and bring it to his real hand where he can give it a solid pull. If he's not strong enough and begins to slip toward where the dogs went down he's going to let go of the rope again without hesitation.
[roll0]
As he tries to yank the second dog back up to the solid ground of the hallway, he wonders why the dogs would have been so eager to dash down the hall. Perhaps their master went to explore and fell into this same grisly trap, and they caught the scent?

Xihirli

2017-12-18, 11:03 PM

Jade ran up to Valanthe and jumped just before reaching her, landing while digging her heels into the ground as though she thought she were landing from take-off.
"Vay-lanth, we made a new friend!"

Illven

2017-12-18, 11:12 PM

Elizabeth for her part immediately starts striding forward headless of the personal danger to herself, an innocent life needed to be saved, and she would be it's savior. Man or dog was irrelevant.

Assuming she is able to reach it without triggering some sort of trap, she'll attempt to lift the dog onto stable ground, while trying to see if the first dog is still alive.

Ramsus

2017-12-19, 02:08 AM

Whiskeyjack

2017-12-19, 01:14 PM

Davos balks at seeing the dogs go falling through the floor and winces at the sound of what, presumably, is some kind of whirring blade trap. "Now that...is a cunning trap. Is that an illusory floor? That begs the question of whether Mogar did it himself...which, certainly there are warriors with strength of arms who also have skill with magic...or if he had a friend do that for him. Or the two things are entirely unrelated," he muses.

Davos takes a careful few steps in as well. "Still, no denying the dogs had some strong urge to head down this way. I wonder where the real floor picks up again. Any way to figure that out, Erith?" He notes Elizabeth moving to help the other dog and makes no move to stop her, but nor does he attempt to help her save the animal at this point. Instead, he looks around the room for any other signs of traps - tripwires, obvious spaces in the floor stones that might indicate a pressure pad, etc.

Perception: [roll0]

Also, I thought we were opening the eastern door but the GM post says western?

Cap'm Bubbles

2017-12-19, 10:49 PM

The combination of Erith's leash pulling and Elizabeth's more direct assistance are enough to pull the lone mastiff back onto level ground, very much unharmed.

Elizabeth, from her much closer position next to the dog, can see down through the illusory floor. Below is a roughly 60-foot drop, the bottom of which allows glistening metal blades to be seen even in dim lighting. The bloodstains and contorted humanoid arm skewered on one of the blades reveals the fate of the first dog and his master. One foot down, from the side of the pit closest to Elizabeth is a horizontal lever (which is light enough to be moved by Mage Hand).

(OOC: 50 XP to each present party member at the watchtower)

From the vantage point further back for Davos and Erith, a lever of identical description but on the far side of the pit can be seen instead. No other traps or mechanisms are detected through your searches from this location.

Nettlekid

2017-12-19, 11:08 PM

Pulling the dog closer to him, Erith passes the rope to Arthur to hold for a short while.
"Grisly stuff. I wonder how long ago that happened? Could explain why those dogs were starving out there. One thing's for sure now - whoever I heard running off behind the northern doors wasn't the owner of these dogs. So we are very much not alone within this tower, and in the company of someone who feels safe running around a tower full of illusory traps."

Erith is going to directing his owl familiar to fly tight circles three-quarters of the way down the pit so he can see, investigating anything the corpse below is carrying on his person. If there's space enough for it to land between the spikes or on the body of the first dog he'll have it do that and try to pick at the master's satchels for anything of value. It's too far away to reach down with Mage Hand, but if the owl can pick up anything good and under its encumbrance of 20 lbs Erith will instruct it to do that. During this investigation Erith is also going to try to gauge how filthy this trap is. The spikes are gleaming, which almost suggests that they've been cleaned from previous kills.
[roll0]

While it's working, Erith will look back over to Davos, Elizabeth, and Arthur, though the action is meaningless as he's not looking through his own eyes.
"So I'm interested in seeing what's lurking further in, and I don't feel entirely confident in sleeping here until we've done that. Does anyone have suggestions on how to keep aware of these traps? I'm thinking...maybe carry the end of a rope with my Mage Hand thirty feet ahead, letting it slither across the ground in front of us? It'll fall into any similar pits. But I doubt that would trigger a pressure plate, and I'm quickly weighing the possibility of a ceiling crashing down or a blade sweeping across a hallway."

Xihirli

2017-12-19, 11:21 PM

Jade looked about for more friends to make and noted a blue person (Air Genasi).
She walked right up to the person she did not yet know was Kal.
"Hey. Wanna join our party?"

Illven

2017-12-19, 11:39 PM

Elizabeth nods back. Your idea is a good one. She remarks.

As for traps, while Sune helps those who help themselves, and we should use your mage hand idea, Sune guides my vision and ears,
perhaps we should rely on that. She suggests touching the holy symbol at her neck, reflexively and warmly.

Nettlekid

2017-12-19, 11:52 PM

Erith will look to the priest with a blank expression.
"If you have the confidence and desire to do so then you may by all means take point as you please. But, er, we did just see what happened to the last creature with the same attitude."

Illven

2017-12-20, 12:33 AM

Anoriand

2017-12-20, 09:58 AM

Cap'm Bubbles

2017-12-20, 10:10 AM

Investigating the pit below reveals a bit more of its nature. There is a ladder carved via indents into the wall of the pit closest to the door. The bottom show a fair number of large blades and spikes scattered about, but with a winding path about 3-feet wide that would avoid touching any of them, presumably for maintenance and cleaning the blades.

The old master is not bleeding, and the blood stains around here are contrasting between the dried-out, coagulated blood from the master and fresh blood from his hapless pet. The master's open eyes are dried as well; it is fair to say he's been here at least since yesterday.

The satchel is easier to remove after his bisection, and Erith's familiar brings it up without incident. Inside are day-old meats still on their bones, one health potion, a torch, and an engraved clockwork device that, after some fiddling, produces a tiny flame. The owl also saw that the man had a quiver and short bow on his person, but did not bring them due to his contorted position lying atop them. A hunting trap, unset, also fell in the pit, but is too heavy for the bird to lift.

Through fortunate, or unfortunate timing, Valanthe can see her little friend accosting another stranger--at least, to her--at the same time that the door behind her is opened and the sound of plated boots on wood can be heard. Valker asks Valanthe to pull up a seat while Karra covers her face again in frustration at another interruption, and by the same munchkin, no less.

Xihirli

2017-12-20, 10:18 AM

Kal was pondering whether he should leave the jewel in the care of Kar'ra when, suddenly, he realized someone was talking to him. He looked over at the little goblin, smiling as he spoke back.

"Join your party? Well, I guess let's start with stuff that should come before it. Names Kal, who are you?"

He eyed the stone for a moment more, still trying to weigh his options while he waited for the goblin to respond.

"I," the goblin said with a vocal flourish,
"Am Jade. I seek adventure and really big things to stab. You can come with me and watch me stab big things,
then tell me how well I did." Jade summed up the role she assumed the party didn't have quite enough of.

Nettlekid

2017-12-20, 10:20 AM

Erith pockets what his owl brings for him, briefly mesmerized by the cleverness of the clockwork firestarter. From thirty feet away, either in the main room or just barely in the hallway, he'll reach out with Mage Hand to pull the lever he sees in the hopes that it closes up the pit trap but far enough back that he hopefully won't catch the brunt of any secondary trap that it triggers.
"Well, priestess of Sune," he remarks without enthusiasm, "lead on. Oh, or hold a moment. Arthur," he turns to the caravan master, reclaiming the surviving dog's leash, "Your previous concerns about us being flanked come to mind. Have we any planks of wood or spare rope that we can use to bar the other doors leading into the central area on our side, so nothing can ambush the travelers as we explore?"

Cap'm Bubbles

2017-12-20, 11:11 AM

The pulling of the lever causes a stone panel to begin sliding across the illusion floor from the side wall, about a foot in depth. It shifts to cover all of the chasm except for a roughly 6-inch gap from which the level could be accessed again. The door across the former gap has no lock, only a simple knocking ring; it requires a fair bit of strength to push the door open, more than mage hand or a familiar can exert.

"I'm sure we've got some spare planks in the cart for repairs, so I'll see what I can do. Although at this point I think I'm just going to park the whole bloody cart in front of the door. If something gets through that before we can react, then a little carpentry wouldn't have saved us anyway."

Illven

2017-12-20, 11:14 AM

We should definitively test that door, make sure it can hold our weights. Elizabeth adds in thought gesturing with her mace to the floor part in question.

Nettlekid

2017-12-20, 11:19 AM

"Not a bad idea. Anything we can use to hold the northern double doors and the western door closed at least long enough for the noncombatants in the middle room to start fleeing outside or raise a racket if something tries to get through."
Erith looks to the closing floor, at the door at the far end of the hall, and back to Elizabeth. He makes a sweeping gesture with his palm and doesn't say anything else.

Whiskeyjack

2017-12-20, 11:39 AM

"Well we have a torch and fire-starter if nothing else. That should come in handy. Though, again, an illusory floor with a deathtrap and a mechanical way across. Sounds more like Immellian 'innovation' than something Mogar or the Legion would do," Davos notes once Erith starts playing with the device. "Solid points as well, we are certainly not alone, though the northern watcher may very well be with the government and not a hostile. Though best not to risk it. Arthur, I hope you have plenty of coffee for those mercenaries, it's going to be a long night."

He steps just past Erith; if Elizabeth wants go to first, that's her prerogative, but plenty of experience has told him to provide a solid wall of armor between any hostiles and the living artillery piece-***-multitool that is an arcane spell caster. "Your confidence and faith are inspiring, Elizabeth. I'll back you up." He stretches his shoulders and hands, ready to push the door and draw steel if needed beyond, and gingerly tests the new floor with one foot, though still waiting for Elizabeth to go first. "Best check that floor for a pressure trap before we put any significant weight on it," he adds.

Perception: [roll0]

If heading down into the pit, Davos will attempt to extricate the short bow and quiver, if the blades are definitely switched off. No reason to let that go to waste. If not, and it seems like not given the slab that slid across the chasm, no point in risking falling into the blades for a bow and better to keep the group together.

Also, what is the lighting condition in here? Any light at all? Torches on the walls? Etc.

Cap'm Bubbles

2017-12-20, 11:49 AM

Arthur and his two hired men proceed to move the cart inside, boarding up the northern door and shoving the cart next to it. When confident, he orders his guards to watch the western door, weapons readied. "Aye, Davos, that sounds about right. I do remember the West door only being wide enough for single file, and if there's any trap there of this degree, then someone would have had to do a lot to make it work, and not too long ago. I'm betting on anything moving in the tower to be in the north, and I don't really have more materials to spare."

The rock slab that moved to cover the pit is solid, sturdy, and will support whatever weight your party does apply to it. When one of you eventually, cautiously, moves to open the far door, a small 20x20 room is revealed, with unlit torch sconces around the room. A single, large and stone carved chest is in the center of the room. On the front is the keyhole, which has not been forced open like the previous lock you saw. On top of it is more carved writing, in the same style and languages as seen on the east and west doors in the main room.

SHH NO TELL MOGAR PUT BOOBY TRAP ON TREASURE!

If any character is so thorough as this result on a skill check would imply, especially after the caution showed after other crazy things already seen this hour, then they are rewarded with the confidence that this is no trap, no illusion, nor anything else dangerous. The text on the chest is a bluff. You can even pick up the chest and shake it to hear some jingling metal coin and other items.
The lock is far less sophisticated than other locks you may have pried open in the past. The chest can be opened by manually lifting the top once unlocked.

Anoriand

2017-12-20, 11:49 AM

Whiskeyjack

2017-12-20, 12:26 PM

"So, what do you think?" Davos looks down at the chest and idly twirls a lock pick through his fingers. "I can get it open, for sure. It's less complicated than the locks most criminals on the run use on their doors to escape the eye of justice. I'd rather just not take a fireball to the face in doing so and both of you seemed to notice the floor trap before I did," he admits. "If this Mogar guy has been gone as long as they say he has, nobody is going to miss this, and whatever is inside could either come in handy or give us a clue as to whoever else is stalking about in here. Or both."

Ramsus

2017-12-20, 12:37 PM

Xihirli

2017-12-20, 01:22 PM

Kal looked at the goblin at least somewhat sheepishly, then over to Kar'ra, then back to the goblin, staring for a moment before he spoke.

"Y'know, I'm just way too curious and have to ask... Who else is in this 'party' of yours."

He looked back at Kar'ra and put up a finger while making a face with a 'my apologies, let me just hear with this adorable football in front of me has to say, please' kind of look.

Jade nodded enthusiastically, her eyes never moving as they trained in on the genasi.
”This is Vay-lanth. And there’s someone else who wants to join but she has to ask her parents first. So you will have good company. Come on, it’ll be fun!”

Nettlekid

2017-12-20, 01:30 PM

Erith is staying well behind the progressing group, one eye and ear to the room they came from, but courteously keeping the Mage Hand carrying the dragging rope thirty feet ahead of him (and thus maybe a foot or two in front of Elizabeth).
"You ask as though there is a question," Erith chides at Davos' query. "We leave it and continue with our exploration. I'll remind you we're not treasure hunters, we're here right now because there is an issue of potentially lethal importance and what we don't know can hurt us. I won't be satisfied until we learn what's been blithely scampering around a supposedly ruined tower unafraid of perilous pitfalls, and that curiosity won't be satiated by Mogar's box. Unlike the splat in the pit we have no reason to believe Mogar is finished with his belongings, and so for us to pilfer through them is stealing. He made his wishes clear, and I plan to respect them."
Erith sucks his teeth for a moment, and then raises a finger.
"An alternative argument. That pit trap seemed like it was being maintained. I didn't see any other debris or offal down there, and the odds that the trap has never been tripped in nine years and then was tripped twice in two days are in my mind far lower than the odds that the trap has claimed other victims which have since been cleaned up. If nothing else, I don't think Mogar would have been able to circumvent the trap to leave his chest here unless the trap was closed when he passed and later opened by someone else. My point is: if this treasure chest is easily opened, why would whoever has been skulking around in the tower leave it unopened, and furthermore why wouldn't they leave some kind of harmful trap inside to catch out the very greedy fools it's the perfect bait for? I assure you, opening that box invites nothing but woe. Set aside childish naivete in favor of common sense and logical thought."

Whiskeyjack

2017-12-20, 03:41 PM

"You're making a lot of assumptions that whatever is in the box is of utterly no import to whatever else is going on in the tower. There are any number of logical reasons our eavesdropper might not have opened this box, not the least being it became aware of the trap and did not want to bother going around it. Especially for someone going on and on about logic, the argument of 'ignore this thing right in front of us because it cannot possibly be of any benefit' does not have a very solid foundation. And as an expert in criminal matters, looking at something is not stealing. Taking something belonging to another might be, unless said item is constructively abandoned, which may or may not be the case here."

Davos shrugs. "It's also ironic you're going on about greed and stealing when you literally just had your owl loot a corpse."

Cap'm Bubbles

2017-12-20, 03:58 PM

Arthur chimes in, his internal clock ticking while the group is still under pressure from the unknown. "Not to muddy the waters or anything, but the sign says 'at your own risk,' yes? If your curiosity must be satisfied, we can wait until you're alone in that room and everyone else is over here before you open it. That should take care of any nasty surprise, or give us at least a running start. Then the consequences and/or boons are on you alone."

Whiskeyjack

2017-12-20, 04:31 PM

"Well that at least is a fair point, I suppose, even if there might be some kind of salvageable intel in the chest," Davos admits, and turns back the other way. "After you," he says to Erith and Elizabeth. Once they move back, he'll go ahead and get the shortbow and quiver off that body considering the owner doesn't need them anymore.

Nettlekid

2017-12-20, 07:17 PM

The emotion drains from Erith's face until he's left staring at Davos, eyes half lidded and dispassionate.
"I do not control your hand, so do as you will. Never again beseech my advice only to barefacedly spit on it in front of me. And do not pretend you have any higher motivation besides juvenile curiosity and greed in your actions now."
He watches as Davos presumably returns to the first room, pulls the lever to open up the trap in the floor, and starts climbing down the little ladder to retrieve the shortbow.
"If you plan to open it when you are far from us, down in that pit would be a great place to do it. I was my hands of the consequences of this entirely, whether it contains good or ill."

While Davos is doing that, Erith will look to the sides of this room to try to find any kind of secret door or opening that can proceed further. He'll tug on the torch sconces to see if they act as a lever, but he won't light any of them.
[roll0]

Anoriand

2017-12-20, 08:54 PM

Illven

2017-12-20, 10:09 PM

I agree with Erith. We aren't shifting through manuscript that aren't ours. Elizabeth replied.

Those could very well hold some sort of information as to what is going on. But... Like, why would you put any info at the bottom of a sixty foot pit. It just doesn't make sense. Elizabeth remarks.

Xihirli

2017-12-20, 10:51 PM

Kal smirked a bit, bouncing the jewel in his hand as he looked over to Kar'ra and shrugged.

"I think I'll hold on to it, never know when I may end up figuring out where it leads. And I think I'll check out the artificer tomorrow. Appreciate the info."

No stranger to making sure the right people were left happy, he pulled out 5 gold coins and pushed them across the counter, then stood up and looked back to the two before him. He cracked his neck, then stretched a bit, looking down and smirking at the goblin before he responded.

"Alright, little Jade... let's just say I'm interested in tagging along. What happens to be the plan?"

"We ask the town leaders and barkeeper if there's any really big things nearby that need to be stabbed. Then we go, and I stab it until I'm good and done stabbing it, and the town leaders pay us for stabbing it." Jade rolled her eyes back to read her head and see if there was anything she missed. Then she nodded at her new friend.
"Yep. That was it."

Ramsus

2017-12-20, 11:24 PM

Cap'm Bubbles

2017-12-21, 09:21 AM

Karra starts to pour a drink for herself, which is rare but not unheard of. Still nursing her headache and not looking up to gauge facial expressions, she is fairly surprised when she speak in unison with Valker a few stools further down the bar: "How is that any different from what Valanthe does normally?"

Cap'm Bubbles

2017-12-21, 12:37 PM

As an after thought to Jade's job description, Karra points to the bounty board to the right of the bar, on which the following posts can be found.

BY MAYORAL DECREE
Any Bandits Wanted: Dead or Alive
25 Gold dead
30 Gold alive
50 Gold bleeding badly
+30 Gold for any member of The Low-Roadmen
Soldiers of the legion must know that their greatest chance of survival is in diligent training and service to the Legion. As such, all deserters are to be executed. Outsiders are free to collect this bounty by bearing a white flag when approaching a Legion party or camp. As added incentive, you may keep their armor and weapons.
20 GP Goblins
50 GP Hobgoblins
100 GP Bugbears
Due to the mix of mercenary and government forces in our employ, the Emperor has permitted a bounty for both dead and living deserters. The price is identical, choose whichever assures capture.
25 GP For sergeant rank or below
50 GP For leftenants
100 GP Per rank above leftenant
The Circle has not qualm about citizens leaving for greener pastures. It does, however, require every able-bodied and/or magically inclined citizen that has already volunteered. Deserters are wanted alive only. The Circle will pay 100 Gold for any deserters returned alive to one of our settlements.
BY MAYORAL DECREE
The only species of dragon prone to wander Sijeka or make it their home are the toxic Green Dragons. They are a rare but public menace, especially from the damage to our livestock. A substantial bounty may be collected from the mayor's office with physical proof of the deceased beasts.
Wyrmlings -- 250 GP
Young Dragons -- 1000 GP
Adults -- 1000 Platinum
Ancients (If you are so bold) -- 3000 Platinum

Whiskeyjack

2017-12-21, 01:14 PM

Davos notes that Erith seems touchy and resolves to smooth this over, what he considered was just some friendly banter and discussion of solutions obviously means much more to the elf. Maybe it was his tone? He'll reflect later, no reason to continue a bad foot.

He climbs back up the ladder with the short bow, it might come in handy or at the very least, someone else might be able to use it. "Given the north door is currently barred we should check the west side just to be sure nothing else is lurking there, or if there might be some clues as to what is going on. If nothing else we can fill up wineskins or jugs at this liquor fountain for later, or to barter with. Who knows what trade goods this land is suddenly lacking due to the cataclysm...sure, we're not merchants, but when you remove creature comforts that people are used to, the situation starts to rapidly decline. In my experience."

Ramsus

2017-12-21, 01:54 PM

Xihirli

2017-12-21, 03:05 PM

Jade read the bounties, nodded at them, then, softly and subtly, she yelled as loudly as she could:
"So where do we go to hunt dragons?"

Anoriand

2017-12-21, 08:41 PM

Kal listened at all the goings on around him, mostly remaining aloof and with a half grin cocked on his face. Finally, after Jades declaration, he decided to pipe up.

"Woah, there, little dude. Dragons? I mean, I'm sure you know what you're doing, but maybe something a little less... giant lizard-y would be wise."

He sighed resignedly, then looked back over to Kar'ra, shrugging as he addressed her.

"I was trying to take a more relaxed trip here... but I feel like I need to stop someone from running into death, yknow? Any of those jobs possibly able to prove beneficit to you? You're putting a roof over my head, it's the least I could do."

Cap'm Bubbles

2017-12-21, 08:53 PM

Erith will find that the room is a dead end. The racks lined up on the walls and discarded bow strings suggest this room was meant for part of a last stand against invaders, from which archers here could fire into the main room with little fear of retaliation. Nothing happens if you do happen to light the torches at a later time, beyond the room becoming a little brighter. A bit of moonlight does shine through a missing stone near the upper part of the wall still further east.

This door has no lock, unlike the eastern door, and can be opened with reasonable force. Past the 20-foot hallway opens up to another 20x20 room, where the western half features a 20x10 pool of pungent alcohol, stronger than it has any business being. It seems to be sustained be a stone fount on the wall in the image of a sea serpent.

There appear to be stairs in the liquid pool, descending down about 10 feet submerged where another chest, also of carved stone, can be seen. The script on it, however, is only in elvish, and is not in the handwriting of any of the previous ones.
Hematology Samples -- Please resume sanitation precaution when not in use.

Valker shows a bit of teeth in what passes for a smile from him. "A pint of hobbit tears, for the two of us, then. Tears of joy, mind you." Karra pours out two bright blue beverages with light froth on the top.The taste is that of mead, laced with grape and a little salt. As Valker describes the event, he conjures up a silent image (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Uvb53lgMrQ) of what he describes, as his foray into practicing minor magic is showing signs of improvement.

"Well, it was a week ago, as you say you know. Nothing particularly unusual was going on that day from our end. I was at my post watching over our port, when I noticed something funny. The lighting everywhere just slightly changed, kind of a gradual shift to red, then yellow, then blue. I looked up, and saw a massive black dome expanding over what I thought was the Imalian capital off in the southwest. Then it turned to a blinding white light, and expanded so fast I couldn't see. The sound caught up with it later, but I could see scorched land and fires all to the directions outside the city. But our city was untouched, the scorch marks on the ground stopping instantly in a perimeter around our town like a bubble. I never got a clear explanation for what happened, but I'm making a heft donation to Helm's church after this."

Jade's question is answered with a shout across the room from a random patron: "Your mother would know!"
Karra provides a more straightforwards answer: "Checking the nooks and crannies of old caves or ruins in the forests to the south are your best bet for the little ones. Anything bigger tends to roost in the mountains or hill country, plucking whatever they want off the roadways. They're not common at all, but the rare sighting or incident was enough to get the mayor's attention. You may get two birds with one stone if you join up with one of the salvage or treasure hunting parties; you'll have more fodder that way, too."

Cap'm Bubbles

2017-12-21, 09:03 PM

Karra continues, turning to Kal: "I just post those as a matter of courtesy to my patrons, none of them actually benefit me. If you were interested in work to help me, though..." She rests her head between her thumb and index finger, pondering for a bit. "...I owe someone a favor. A friend of mine knew someone in one of the outlying towns near the mountain border of the Imalians. We've received no word from that town. If you would be willing to check on that town and report back to me on the fate of the dwarf Steelshin the Lessor, I'd be grateful. I'd check myself, but I can't have Karl take all my customers, now can I?"

Anoriand

2017-12-21, 09:48 PM

Kal looked over at Jade after hearing Kar'ra give the run down of info, bending down at the knees to look Jade in the face as he spoke.

"Alright, little Jade, how's this sound: Let's help Kar'ra and go investigate this town, see if we can find this dwarf for her. After we do that, the town is by the mountains so there should be some caves where we can look a d maybe find a smaller and definitely less dangerous dragon. Sound like a plan, little man? Err, little girl? Well, we'll work on that."

With that, Kal extended his forearm a bit before him and placed his hand mostly open and upwards, giving Jade the chance to clasp his hand an arm in agreement.

Xihirli

2017-12-21, 10:09 PM

Jade's mouth opens wide in a twisted form of a smile as she seizes his outstretched hand in both of hers and jumps up and down with it.
"Vay-lanth we're gonna kill a dragon! We're gonna kill a dragon!"
In triumph, Jade jumps on top of a table and, her bagpipes in her bag, opts to sing a song.
"There was..." Jade took a deep breath before belting out.
"BLOOOOOOOOD on the Saddle... and... BLOOOOOOOD all around..."
It is not a good performance.

Cap'm Bubbles

2017-12-21, 11:02 PM

As you continue your second performance as a badpiper in front of these same patrons, you hear a ghastly, angry scream in your head. The words "GET OUT!" are drawn out and tense. There is some force behind these words.

OOC: Make a DC 15 wisdom saving throw. On a failure, you are compelled to walk right out the door (though not prevented from reentering). On a success, you are aware of the attempt to force you to leave, but not what caused it.

Xihirli

2017-12-21, 11:36 PM

"And a great... big... puddle of..." Jade breathed in sharply.
"BALOOOOOOOOD on the- what'd you say?"
As her legs began moving toward the exit, she waved toward her friends.
"I'll, uh, meet you outside then! See you in a bit!"

((Jade will wait for the journey to the town to start and come with.))

Ramsus

2017-12-21, 11:53 PM

https://i.pinimg.com/564x/4e/21/dc/4e21dced0a047bcb30d0ba3a5dcafdc4.jpg
Valanthe Liadon (https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=1420417)
Half-Elven Horizon Walker
AC: 19 PP: 16 PI: 16 Initiative: +5 (A)
Concentrating on: --

Valanthe listens to Valker in wide eyed wonder/horror and then drinks her drink. The whole thing at once. For a moment she looks like she's going to reach over and drink his too.
After a moment she says, "Well thanks for... the information." She just sits there in silence a moment longer, contemplating how likely it is her entire family and home town met some horrible fate, while the others go about their antics.

She notices out of the corner of her eye that Jade is being very weird. And has just wandered out the door. She takes a moment to mentally recall what was said while she was in her own head.
She looks to Kal and Kar'ra and says, "Yeah. That could work. It's going the right direction more or less. What's the town called?"

Whiskeyjack

2017-12-22, 12:36 AM

"Well, that's that for the side rooms, whatever 'hematology' means, sounds like a wizard thing..." Davos is somewhat relieved to have confirmed both sides are no longer an issue. "Time to face the center path, and we already know there's something dangerous that way in some way."

Illven

2017-12-22, 12:58 AM

Stay behind me, and if necessary run and get the civilians to safety. Elizabeth tells her companions.

Nettlekid

2017-12-22, 01:55 AM

Erith has begun to tire of the tower trek. Now knowing that neither east nor west side held a threat or even a connecting passage to the back, he wishes they had struck while the iron was hot and chased after whatever he'd heard scampering. He makes no move to disagree with Elizabeth, letting her go far ahead while he keeps the last dog at his side. He'll still reach out with his Mage Hand to test for illusions in the floor by dragging the rope ahead.

Cap'm Bubbles

2017-12-25, 05:18 PM

Elizabeth ventures forward cautiously, with the mage-hand-held rope close by, Davos and mercenaries hugging one side of the hallway to give Arthur and Erith easy shots from behind.

Elizabth would have good reason to halt when she reaches the opening in the hallway, getting a good view of the larger room before stepping forward. It is 40 feet to get across to the continuation of the hallway. Looking left and right reveals the room stretching an additional 20 feet in both directions, while the ceiling height appears the same as the hallway (40x50x10 room, hallway in center of 50 width).

You are now close enough to inspect the smear of blood at the hallway corner, although the cause seems clear now. In the right half of the room is evidence of a fight, with a mix of goblinoid corpses collapsed onto far older corpses. The foul stench of the older corpses betray their age and nature: zombies. The armor on one of the hobgoblins indicates he was the leader of a Southern Legion party. In the scrap heap is also another figure, also collapsed, in full suit of plate armor, shield and short sword engraved.

The fresh blood and lack of stench from the goblinoids indicate that this battle was very recent.
The armored figures has wounds from the goblin weapons, arrows in particular, but no indication of injuries from the zombies. If you relay the information about the number of corpses to Arthur, he will tell you that the body count is a full platoon; the Legion lost this fight, so whatever is still around is not a goblinoid.Though there is blood splatter all over this side of the room, you can make out a faint pattern of it on the Eastern wall, like hand prints, which seem to go up the wall in even intervals before disappearing into the ceiling...

Illven

2017-12-25, 05:34 PM

The goblinoids were reanimated as undead. Elizabeth calls over her shoulder reporting her findings. Foul things. Although as to what purpose they were, I do not know. Stepping carefully into the room, Elizabeth walks over to the man in full plate.

This person has engraved symbols on his equipment? Any idea what the symbols mean? She calls starting to describe the symbols.

Would it be a history check for Elizabeth to know the symbols herself?

Nettlekid

2017-12-25, 05:36 PM

Erith's eyes dart around the room, taking in fragments of information and trying to piece them together. Fresh blood, recent fight. The Hobgoblins had entered here earlier than their own group, but later than the owner of the dogs in the pit trap. So these Zombies had been animate when the dog-owner first arrived, but hadn't spread into the rest of the tower. This northern door had opened easily so it's not like they were restricted from movement, like they would have been from the locked door to the east. Erith pauses, a sudden chill running through him.
"The eastern door was locked," he mutters. "Everyone, stop! Back up, into the hall! We mustn't extend ourselves into a trap! The owner of the dogs got through that eastern door, only to fall to his death. That door was locked when we arrived. Someone deliberately re-locked it prior to our arrival. The same someone who scampered away when I rang a bell outside this door, someone with greater intelligence than a mere Zombie, but who has been corralling them to stop them from spreading into other parts of the tower. Everything here is bait, and we're walking into traps. We need to examine this before we overextend ourselves."
Erith's eyes catch the prints rising up into and seemingly through the ceiling. He'll try to pull people back into the hallway, and gesture upwards.
"Something climbed the wall, leaving tracks in blood. The tracks disappear straight into the ceiling. If the owner of this castle is capable of making an illusory floor...why not an illusory ceiling? Or a mechanical one that retracts like the floor in the eastern corridor. Walk too far out into that room and I'm willing to bet something will drop down right onto us."

Cap'm Bubbles

2017-12-25, 05:40 PM

In Mayak, after all necessary information is dispensed to Valanthe, and after Xetm ceremoniously waltzes out the door, the new band of adventurers retires for the night. Those resting in their rented rooms in Lights out would find themselves awoken by the early morning sun creeping on from the east.

Jade, however, regardless of her intentions for nighttime arrangements, will find herself awoken by the sound of bagpipes, silenced by breaking glass. It seems a small bit of bedding was arranged for you after you fell asleep, now waking up in the Yak's Ilk. A goliath man rests his head on the bar, qhat would have been last night's entertainment is unconscious on stage, some bleeding slightly. Inuyen is asleep in a chair, unfazed by the last bright brown note.

Xihirli

2017-12-25, 06:01 PM

Jade springs from sleep, takes a look around, and wheels in on the Goliath.
"Nice pecs," she greets him.
"And thanks! Should I... give you something?" She opens up her backpack and begins sifting through a few of her belongings.

Cap'm Bubbles

2017-12-25, 06:15 PM

Erith's extreme caution is enough to convince both mercenaries not to enter the room.

Some of the symbols described indicate enchantments related to electricity, different on each of the items born by the slain warrior, though they are unusual. The one on his armor is not one you recognize. The sword, if you are not mistake, appears related to the Green Flame Blade spells and the Shocking Grasp spell, though you'd have to see it in use or tested to understand exactly what that would entail. The shield, however, contains a spell you recognize, but not one you can yet cast: Lightning Bolt is, or has been, stored in that shield.

The specific engravings and symbols, though serving a dual function as enchantments, are unique to a specific group. The Storm Heralds were an order of knights, devoted to the upholding of figures of power and winds of change. Their membership was strict, but not exceedingly so. They viewed themselves as a force of nature, and to that end viewed themselves above laws of society, though not their own. Just as nature ultimately endures, the order did believe in the pursuit of eternal life on the material plane, regardless of the means to obtain it.

With that last bit of knowledge recalled, it occurs to you that this knight may not be permanently dead.

Regardless of whether Erith waits for Elizabeth to return to the hallway or not, no immediate harm befalls her.

"Ug. Yeah, just 'ug'." The goliath turns his head towards you, barely opening his eyes. "Make sure she gets a pony. And not some scary demon pony, I don't--hic--want her getting any bad habits. She's got the money for it."

He opens both eyes as wide as he can for a few moments. "Leave me one of your blades. I want you to have something to return for in the future, and someone to face if you fail to protect your charge. Now--hic--good night!" He slams his face back on the bar, and...pretends?...to sleep.

Nettlekid

2017-12-25, 06:31 PM

Erith is going to drop the rope the Mage Hand is holding for the time being and send it five or ten feet into the room and then up to the ceiling, pressing the palm against the ceiling to see if it's solid especially around the area where he sees the tracks disappearing.
[roll0]

Illven

2017-12-25, 07:04 PM

Elizabeth for her part with no immediate time pressure, as Erith's mage hand drifts towards the ceiling, will bring her mace on the full plate's helm, seeking to crush any possibility of reanimation.

I'm still in the room. Would that be an attack?

Xihirli

2017-12-25, 07:23 PM

"Ug. Yeah, just 'ug'." The goliath turns his head towards you, barely opening his eyes. "Make sure she gets a pony."

"Who gets a pony?"

”And not some scary demon pony, I don't--hic--want her getting any bad habits. She's got the money for it."

"I wish I had the money for bad habits."

"Leave me one of your blades."

"Aight." Jade stabs one of her blades into a table and gives it a whack to see if it stays in. It does.

"I want you to have something to return for in the future, and someone to face if you fail to protect your charge."

"My what?"

"Now--hic--good night!" He slams his face back on the bar, and...pretends?...to sleep.

"Alright! Good night, mister goliath!"
Jade goes out to meet the rest of her party.

Cap'm Bubbles

2017-12-25, 07:24 PM

The mage hand passes through the ceiling, causing it to become faint. The existence of the illusion is still evident, despite now being transparent. The apparent ceiling is false; the true ceiling is not 10 feet high, but nearer 25.

Those in the hallway can no see a ledge about 20 feet above the ground, which seems to circle the room. Above the opposite hallway on that ledge stand six zombies, eyes glowing red. Some carry swords, one is missing an arm, another has its spine exposed, a third is filled with arrows.

Elizabeth sees something more concerning as she bashes the skull of the slain knight that gives a resounding "Dong!": six more zombies above the hallways that her comrades are now huddled in, between herself and her allies.

None of them, however, leave their position at this time, though they do stare with what remains of their eyes at the nearest figure. One of them, above the southern hallway and only visible at this angle to Elizabeth, is the only one to have a helmet. It currently bears a cadaver arm as its weapon (possibly belonging to its ally across the room). With its own other arm, it raises its hand, holds up three fingers as it stares directly at you, then lowers its arm.

Whiskeyjack

2017-12-25, 07:30 PM

Davos draws his greatsword noting the blood and Erith’s warnings, but frowns at part of it. “Just to point out, that door was unlocked when I was checking it. I thought I might need to pick it but someone had brute forced the lock previously. Maybe the dog owner, maybe Mogar 50 years ago...”

He shrugs. “Now that doesn’t mean you’re not right about some of the rest of that. Most, even. But I thought it was worth mentioning as it might indicate the relative intelligence level of...whatever is about. I do wonder whether probing the illusion is the right thing to do right now though!” He settles into a more active stance, convinced if there is an illusion, the rope proving it as such may force whatever might be up there to tip its hand.

Davos looks up as the rope snakes up. He swallows faintly as it makes the illusion waver, then shakes his head. “And here I thought this stop would be boring...Elizabeth, it would likely be best that you come back here...quickly. ”

Illven

2017-12-25, 08:48 PM

Elizabeth points up above the rest of the party, before putting up six fingers, five on one hand, one on the other, before cautiously walking back to the rest of the group.

Nettlekid

2017-12-25, 08:53 PM

Erith glares at the mercenaries breathing down his neck.
"When I said back up, what I meant was back up," he scowls. "Look those six jerks up there. They have a colossal advantage if they swarm us, and that turns to our advantage if we can face them two by two in this hall."
Erith reaches into his pack and whips out a flask of oil. He lays it flat in the palm of his left hand, and then puts the tip of his right index finger against its base. With not a word and just a gesture the oil is rocketed forward and up in a straight line, aiming at the F4/G5 intersection. His hope is that by catching the ledge he can spray oil over at least the two foremost Zombies and get the ground slick enough to send them tumbling.

He'll then push back the mercenaries and back up to G18, far enough that he expects no Zombie could even sprint down to him.
Free Object Interact to take out Flask of Oil.
Action to cast Catapult. I don't think there's any roll needed? No to-hit unless the ledge gets a Dex save. Since I'm targeting the ground and not the zombies themselves I'm not rolling damage against them.

Movement down to G18. I should have the speed for it even squeezing past one Merc.

Not activating Bladesong yet.

Cap'm Bubbles

2017-12-25, 08:54 PM

Elizabeth is able to safely reach her allies back in the hallway, the zombies on the ledge tracking her but making no move. The oil splatters at the desired location, pooling at the two zombies' feet; though they make no move just yet, they will surely have to deal with the slick surface when they do.

OOC: Link to the grid, editable (http://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1jrPGxk9FehCdUcVbxZvt4GiUISF58JQkxqAiDtFRqyA/edit?usp=sharing) Combat has not yet been initiated.

An object, by reason of normally being incapable of motion, is not capable of making a dexterity save. Occasionally bonuses to dexterity saves, such as Shield Master, may permit one.

Illven

2017-12-25, 09:32 PM

Elizabeth kisses the holy symbol on her neck before raising it to the sky.

Sune, guide us. She intones clearly but softly as a gentle breeze billows around her hair and armor.

Casting Bless on me, Erith, and Davos

Whiskeyjack

2017-12-25, 09:50 PM

“Why are they being so...passive?” Davos wonders aloud. “Lesser undead are usually just ravening maws with no sense of strategy. There was a great clash here. The knight and the Legion and the undead. But now the remainder seem to almost be waiting for something...one would think they would be compelled to move in on us. Unless something else is directing them and we are just as yet unaware of it. And they have not given the cue, nor have we been aggressive enough to prompt their default response...”

He looks at the corpses. “How old do the fresh ones look to you and do any of those zombies look to be quick enough to be our eavesdropper or smart enough to set that illusion? I truly doubt either of the latter two.”

Nettlekid

2017-12-26, 09:28 AM

(If we're still not in combat)

Erith sighs, slings his longbow from his back, nocks an arrow, and draws it back.
"Could be they were most recently ordered to hold their position, and that order supersedes natural instinct. Or maybe they were put there by the caster of the illusion and are too dumb to see through it themselves so they don't know we're here. Doesn't matter, I didn't expect this to end without a fight. Knowing where the enemy is, knowing that there aren't any traps around us, and knowing we aren't about to be flanked are the best odds we could ask for here. The plan is this: We hold them off here as long as we can, and if we start getting overwhelmed we run back and direct everyone from the central room down the eastern corridor, hole up in Mogar's treasure room, and open the pit trap so the Zombies march right in."
With that, Erith is going to let loose his arrow at Z6, and bids the mercenaries to follow suit with their crossbows.
Attack: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1]

Ramsus

2017-12-26, 12:24 PM

Illven

2017-12-26, 02:48 PM

Elizabeth for her part pulls out a javelin and hurls it, having issue getting it to fly so high in the air even with Sune's guidance.

Targeting Z5
Roll done here. A total of 18 to hit, for 7 points of damage.
http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=22697853&postcount=6

Whiskeyjack

2017-12-26, 04:22 PM

Davos watches as Erith and Elizabeth unleash ranged attacks against the zombies to the right of those hit with oil, and hears the twang as Arthur and the mercenaries also take their shots. He lowers his weapon to free a hand and flicks his fingers into arcane motions, speaking softly in a harsh tongue that sounds like the onomatopoeic rustle of dry leaves. A bolt of gray-green lightning erupts from his fingers towards one of the other zombies not targeted before. Davos then raises his blade again and takes a few steps back to better prevent being surrounded.

Eldritch blast at Z1: [roll0]
Bless: [roll1]
Damage: [roll2] force

Move from F14 to F16.

Cap'm Bubbles

2017-12-26, 05:38 PM

Combat has formally begun, concluding the surprise round.
Turn order is:
Arthur
Merc 1
zombie 2
Davos
Erith
Zombies
Merc 2
Zombies
Elizabeth
Zombies

Arthur and the mercenaries do not have as clear a shot at [zombie 1], but instead continue firing at the zombies also next to the oil on the far end.

Arthur fires an exceptional shot, piecing [zombie 5]'s skull and causing it to topple onto the floor from the ledge, actually dead this time.

One of the mercenaries takes a shot after loading his crossbow, this one on the opposite side of the oil. The bolt sails true, getting lodged into [zombie 2]'s gut.

The zombie to most recently take a crossbow bolt to the gut is the first of the undead horde to act. It is fortunate that most undead are stupid, or that the war party has weakened the zombies already, because in its hurry to charge its new foes, the zombie takes a leap forward. On impact, it succumbs to its wounds, both legs breaking off at the kneecaps and its head breaking on the floor.

One of the legs continues hopping forward, still very much hostile.

OOC: Davos and Erith are next.

Xihirli

2017-12-26, 09:42 PM

Cap'm Bubbles

2017-12-26, 09:52 PM

Not-quite-meanwhile, back at the tavern, Jade is not so lucky on picking the order of doors to knock on.

Door #1 is unlocked, the door swings open with the knock. Barnaby appears asleep on his bed, head covered by a pillow. He does not respond.

Door #2 is locked, with no response.

Door #3 opens during the knock but before Jade can call out a third time. The very grumpy dwarf from last night stands in the doorway, his war hammer held at his side in one hand, a bottle of ale in the other as he leans on the door frame. He might be intimidating if he was wearing armor instead of a green nightshirt and slippers.

"Go ahead. Say something annoying one--hic--more time."

Valanthe would be able to hear the combination of Jade's calls and this man's gruff and drunken dare from Door #4, about 15 feet further down the hall from #3.

Kaliyaros rented room #7, which is on the opposite side of the hall from Door #2, and a similar distance from Door #3.

Xihirli

2017-12-26, 10:11 PM

"That is the first time I have ever heard that," Jade tells the dwarf, then proceeds to ignore him as she moves on to the next door, continuing her routine.

Cap'm Bubbles

2017-12-26, 10:27 PM

The dwarf's plastered look on his face turns into a sad frown after Jade passes him by. His almost petulant whine of "Awww, dang it," can be heard as he turns and goes back into his room, consuming the last of his ale.

The very next door is Valanthe's, and any attempt by her to ignore Jade to sleep in, despite whatever tiredness she may feel, will probably have to be deliberate. The little goblin lass is persistent, you see.

Ramsus

2017-12-26, 11:12 PM

https://i.pinimg.com/564x/4e/21/dc/4e21dced0a047bcb30d0ba3a5dcafdc4.jpg
Valanthe Liadon (https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=1420417)
Half-Elven Horizon Walker
AC: 19 PP: 16 PI: 16 Initiative: +5 (A)
Concentrating on: --

"Ok ok, I'm up. I'll meet you downstairs after I get dressed. Order us some breakfast would you?" Valanthe says as much as groans from the bed and pulls herself, at first by just the arms, out the bed she really doesn't want to leave.

Xihirli

2017-12-26, 11:13 PM

"Okay, Vay-lanth! I'll do that once I grab the other guy!" Jade moved on to the next door, knocked loudly on it, and yelled:
"Other guy!"

Repeat as necessary, this goes on for some time.

Nettlekid

2017-12-27, 02:48 AM

Erith will dispassionately draw back another arrow and let it fly at Z1, not perceiving the center two Zombies as a huge threat since their path down will be obstructed. He is still unaware of the Zombies on the ledge above him.
Attack [roll0] plus [roll1]
Damage [roll2]

Anoriand

2017-12-27, 01:21 PM

Kaliyaros, for his part, had actually been awake and had been doing his morning stretches as the commotion occurred in the hall. He had just finished up, cracking the bones in his knuckles and chuckling as he stood in his room. The whole night previous was a bit of a mess, and he just knew that what lay before him was only going to get more tangled, but he couldn't help but feel like maybe it was all for a reason. He grabbed the stone he acquired from his nightstand and pocketed it, then went out into the hall. He looked in the direction of the shouting goblin, half-smiling as he spoke.

"Y'know, I'm not normally one for semantics, but I don't know how I feel about being called Other Guy... the name is Kaliyaros, but you can just call me Kal if you prefer."

He then walked up to the two other adventurers, shaking his head before he spoke.

"I'm still not sure exactly why I agreed to this... but something tells me it's gonna be interesting."

Xihirli

2017-12-27, 04:24 PM

"You joined because of my winning smile." Jade flashed Kal her winning smile. It wasn't a good reason to join.
"Now let's go kill a dragon!"

Cap'm Bubbles

2017-12-27, 05:29 PM

Davos chooses to assess the situation a bit more before acting.

[Zombie 1] is the furthest to the left of the party on the far ledge, and it chooses to dash along the ledge to go counter-clockwise around the perimeter of the room. (OOC New location A9, out of sight of both mercenaries and Arthur. Davos knows its location but would need to move forward to hit it.)

Its comrade, [Zombie 4] attempts to follow suit. Lacking any dexterity, however, it succumbs to the slippery surface below it applied by Erithacus' oil. It slips off the ledge instead, falling prone and sustaining injury. It uses what willpower it has left in the next few seconds to stand upright and shuffle a few feet forward.

The second mercenary wastes no time aiming and fires his crossbow at the clumsy zombie as it begins shuffling. The force of the bolt in tandem with the shattered bones in the undead's legs are enough to slay it, also permanently.

(OOC: Davos has delayed to this point in the turn order for the rest of combat. You are next.)

Ramsus

2017-12-27, 11:02 PM

Xihirli

2017-12-28, 12:44 AM

"I am aware that our mission is not technically to kill dragons, but Kal-ee-yahr-owes said that if I found any I could stab them until they fell over and died. So..." Jade shrugged, then thought for a second.
"Let's go kill a dragon!"

((Everyone alright with beginning travel here?))

Cap'm Bubbles

2017-12-28, 08:15 AM

Downstairs at Lights Out, Karra is the only other person awake. It would seem she doesn't have patience for unsightly sleeping patrons sprawled across he furniture. Or she lucked out. She has been preparing a hearty breakfast for the tavern guests (included in the fee for the room) with an excess of local meats and pastries.
((An exceptional meal is great for feeling awake early and quickly. Until your next short or long rest, add +2 to you passive perception score.))

A few minutes after your group enjoys and/or scarfs down your meal, some other patrons slowly wander down and begin to mingle. At the entrance, Inuyen opens the door, rubbing her closed eyes with her off-hand before shuffling up to the bar. Karra slides her a platter just the same, without an exchange of money.

Xihirli

2017-12-28, 09:02 AM

Since Jade was not a guest in the tavern, she left a silver in the bar before digging in. Her mouth didn’t lend itself great to chewing while closed but she didn’t mind.
”Do you love your parent?” Jade asked Kal.
Then she turned her head and saw the Tiefling.
“Hello! Are you coming with us? We’re gonna stab some dragons!”

Ramsus

2017-12-28, 12:34 PM

https://i.pinimg.com/564x/4e/21/dc/4e21dced0a047bcb30d0ba3a5dcafdc4.jpg
Valanthe Liadon (https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=1420417)
Half-Elven Horizon Walker
AC: 19 PP: 16 PI: 16 Initiative: +5 (A)
Concentrating on: --

"Thank you Karra, looks delicious as always." Valanthe says before digging in to her meal and tries to ignore the way Jade eats.

"Good morning Inuyen. Don't worry, we're absolutely not fighting any dragons." she greets. ((Because "we're not fighting any dragons" is a typical greeting now?))

Anoriand

2017-12-28, 02:24 PM

Kal chuckled sheepishly as he ate his food quickly, making sure to fill himself up for the road ahead. Between Jade and Val chiming in, Kal tagged on to the end trying to keep the peace.

"How about we just focus on finding this dwarf? Who knows, little gemstone? We may need to save him from a dragon. But, like... a small one. Manageably small."

He looked first at Jade when speaking, then at Val, trying to get Jade excited but also give Val a look that said dragons weren't really on the active agenda.

Cap'm Bubbles

2017-12-28, 05:02 PM

Back at the watchtower, Davos continues to wait for an opportune moment.

The second zombie caught in the oil [zombie 3] attempts a simpler jump forward, but slips all the same as its ally. Unlike its predecessor, this one is able to get back to its feet. Its movements become erratic as it prepares to Dodge any incoming attacks rather than attempt to sprint forward.
(Attacks on this one have disadvantage, it has advantage on Dex saves).

Though the far end of the horde has been laughably inept in its attempts, the three that appear much closer from the other ledge are not.

[Zombie 9] sticks a more...well, not graceful landing...in front of the southern passageway, and does its best to Help its ally [zombie 12] to give it any Advantage on its next attempt to attack, moving to Elizabeth's flank.

[Zombie 11] and [Zombie 12] work together to climb down safely. [Zombie 12] then rushes on to take advantage of the opening provided by it ally, and swings its greatclub in a mighty blindsiding blow to Elizabeth.
(With advantage, z12 critically hit. Total damage is 13 bludgeoning)

[Zombie 11] remains at the corner, obscured by [Z12], Elizabeth, and the wall. It will try to Dodge any attack, while maintaining its position for an opportunity attack should Elizabeth try to escape.
(Z11 and Elizabeth, for an attack from either to the other, will be considered at half-cover. Either target would have an extra 2 AC for the resolution of such an attack)

((Elizabeth and Davos are now up)

Illven

2017-12-28, 05:54 PM

As the greatclub smashes into Elizabeth's head, she yells out in pain, the soft voice of Sune allowing her to maintain her focus on Sune's light.

Making a few hand symbols, she grabs her holy symbol. In Sune's name, begone foul beasts! She cried out, stomping her foot.

Using channel divinity to turn these undead within 30 feet of me. They must make a Wis saving throw DC 16 or be turned.

Cap'm Bubbles

2017-12-28, 07:05 PM

Your voice thunders as you channel the will of your deity against the undead. All three that are immediately upon you are visibly affected. Though you can't see the rest of the zombies currently above you, two audible hisses of pain and fear can be heard above you. The still-hostile foot near the middle of the room is unaffected despite being in range.

Inuyen for her part is sporting a trident, red runes adorned on it.
The symbols and runes detail a burning enchantment, along with what might be a prayer to the deity Lathander.
Looking visibly sleepy and relieved, she answers the two of you. "Yup, I'm gonna go with you. I have to get armor and a pony first, then--"

Karra perks up at this, and bangs a ladle on a frying pan to get the tavern patrons' attention. "Alright everyone, here's your chance to give a little girl a pony. Don't be shy, she's going off for adventure! Don't let her be unprepared on your account."

A fair number of patrons are surprised and look up from their meals. A few guests do start digging in their pockets to donate to the adventure fund, but every regular sits back, either returning to their meal or chuckling.

Xihirli

2017-12-28, 08:23 PM

”No, no, everyone. I invited her so I’ll get the pony. If you could all chip in for the armor, on the other sword...” Jade trailed off as she counted out 50 gp and 5 sp to pay for a pony, a riding saddle, and ten days’ feed.
“I’ll be right back,” and on her way out Jade rested a hand on her new friend’s shoulder.
“With the best. Pony. Ever.”

Jade then exited the tavern and looked around for anything that looked like a stable.

Ramsus

2017-12-28, 09:06 PM

Cap'm Bubbles

2017-12-28, 09:41 PM

After Jade counts up the stated amount of money and heads out, Inuyen gives Karra a questioning look. The latter nods, after which Inuyen will slide the coins that were brought forward into her pocket with a smile. "You bet your bacon I want my own pony too."

Both for the fact that she is a child and that she doesn't have that much meta-knowledge, the following is what she is able (and/or willing) to convey to you:
http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=1440916 (https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=1440916)
As for armor, she mumbles "scaled" under her breathe not too subtly, but then says "studded leather" more clearly. She is satisfied with her weapon, and wants no other.

On her search for a pony for a kid, Jade would most likely come across the butcher's shop with a colorful sign outside: Teddy's Edible Animals

Beyond that though, if she is not distracted, she will be able to find Jen the stable master, who has all manner of mounted animals for sale (any in the Players' handbook, including two elephants).

Xihirli

2017-12-28, 10:02 PM

((Well, can't afford an elephant. And Jade just ate.))

"I want the most beautiful, precious, most adorable Pony you have and..." Jade's gaze is caught by a black mastiff.
"Maglubiyet's noggin, he's adorable! Can I call him Freckles? Freckles seems great." The mastiff has no freckles.
If inquired if she wants to buy the animal, Jade responds:
"Nope!"

((Let's see... 40 for Pony+Saddle. Then there's a Bit and Bridle [42] for the pony and while we're at it 20 days of animal feed to feed her [43] and some saddlebags to carry the animal feed [47 gp total according to the PHB].))

Jade tries to select a pony that will match Inuyen's red skin, but doesn't find one. So instead she goes for a completely white one with kind eyes and a gentle snort.
"I will call you... Sweetie Bell."
Jade orders the ((things in these)) and also requests:
"Can we have adorable flowers in Sweetie Bell's mane? Please? Please?"

Whiskeyjack

2017-12-28, 10:11 PM

Watching the undead quail before Elizabeth’s invocation of divinity, Davos senses that it is now the right moment to strike and murmurs a prayer to Helm for guiding his action thusly. He steps up to prevent Elizabeth from getting further flanked and, pivoting his hips, swings his heavy blade at [z9].

Move from F16 to G14

Rolls done here: http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=22704041&postcount=19

Correct me if I’m wrong but damage should be 15 total and therefore kill Z9.

Ramsus

2017-12-29, 12:50 PM

https://i.pinimg.com/564x/4e/21/dc/4e21dced0a047bcb30d0ba3a5dcafdc4.jpg
Valanthe Liadon (https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=1420417)
Half-Elven Horizon Walker
AC: 19 PP: 16 PI: 16 Initiative: +5 (A)
Concentrating on: --

"I see, I see. Well I can see why you want to go out and have adventurers. The skillset of 'setting fire to everything' isn't one you can very well apply in cities without getting into a lot of trouble." Valanthe remarks with a chuckle.
"Oh, and is that a symbol of Belibaluubarp the Slime Deity on your trident?" Valanthe asks, somewhat confused.
((C'mon GM roll with it, say yes, rework the NPC to fit answer. *crosses fingers* :smalltongue: ))

Cap'm Bubbles

2017-12-29, 01:40 PM

Although Freckles has no freckles, he does have one black spot and small lump on his back.

Jen mutters that she ought to start a petting zoo as a side business. "Sure, but you'll have to find flowers on your own. The alchemist has a garden in the back of her shop if you want wacky ones, and I'm sure you can find the typical fair from a random merchant in the open market over yonder."

Sweetie Bell, for her part, is quite excited that a small potential rider is interested in her, rather than the heavily armored guard inspecting a different horse. She has an odd habit of chewing on people's hair while their back is turned, which Jade would discover upon feeling the tug on her head while bouncing and asking please repeatedly.

Inuyen at first has a confused look on her face. Karra and one patron in black robes at a further table both start laughing. A few seconds later Inuyen's eyes widen in understanding..."Why do you ask? I wasn't gonna use my pony for that, but I know a guy if you need a fix."

((OOC: After several translation efforts, Belibaluuparp (https://translate.google.com/#auto/en/Beli%20balu%20ubarp) means to "buy a drug donkey" in Malay. Upon a sort-of request, the local illicit narcotic is henceforth called Slime on the black market.))

Xihirli

2017-12-29, 02:07 PM

((Jade is bald))

”Ah. Nah, I’d better get back to my best friends. They’ll be very worried about me.” Jade led Sweetie Bell down the road, talking to the happy horse. As she entered the Lights Out tavern, she was just finishing explaining the situation to Sweetie Bell.
”And you’ll be carrying In-ooh-yen. She’s sweet and kind like you, and she has a dad! Isn’t that cool!?”
And that’s when Jade entered with a pony in tow.
“In-ooh-yen! This is Sweetie Bell. She loves you.” Jade handed off the reins.
“Did you all gather enough for some armor?”

Anoriand

2017-12-29, 02:42 PM

Kal watched everything else transpire and, for his part, mostly just reached into his pocket and made sure his new stone was still there. Upon the return of Jade with the pony, Kal pulled out a handful of gold coins and presented them.

"I got some luck last night, least I can do is be the one to buy some armor. So it looks like we just need to go buy some, and then our little crew is ready to roll, amigos."

Ramsus

2017-12-29, 05:40 PM

https://i.pinimg.com/564x/4e/21/dc/4e21dced0a047bcb30d0ba3a5dcafdc4.jpg
Valanthe Liadon (https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=1420417)
Half-Elven Horizon Walker
AC: 19 PP: 16 PI: 16 Initiative: +5 (A)
Concentrating on: --

"What? No I don't need to... 'fix' my religious beliefs. What?" Valanthe replies, completely confused and wondering if she should be offended.

((To be fair, as a player I'm confused too. I made up some random god, which might or might not be real, and inexplicably had characters respond to something meant to sound like a title as if it was a request for drugs. Sure, both are silly. But the later one isn't something my character can work with in any way since it's completely out of left field.))

Xihirli

2017-12-29, 09:31 PM

Cap'm Bubbles

2017-12-30, 09:57 PM

Overhead the sound of stumbling fleeting feet can be heard above the hallway exit as three zombies flee left and right in fear of Elizabeth's radiance.

Arthur plants an arrow in the back of [zombie 9] as Davos wallops its head off with his warhammer, sealing the deal on one more undead corpse.

One of the mercenaries, left with only one reasonable shot, fires at the detached hopping leg of [zombie 2], skewering it. It twitches madly before finally ceasing.

((Erithacus is up next))

Inuyen is terribly confused again, and although Karra has stopped laughing, the patron in the corner with a black cloak is now rolling on the floor in an unfortunate case of 'ze giggles'. The tiefling decides that this matter is one for adults to discuss later. "Thank you mister Kal. Vamonos!"

A quick stop at Ghurka's shop would be sufficient to pick up some armor fitted for smaller or younger persons. The hobgoblin finds nothing out of the ordinary with this particular customer, and is just as unphased when noticing Jade again.

Xihirli

2017-12-30, 10:00 PM

Jade proceeds to talk the hobgoblin's ears off in goblin, telling him in painstaking detail about how everyone present thinks that she is very attractive and kind while outlining a brief biography of Sweetie Bell.
"<And> Kal <told me that I could fight any dragons we found. I bet we're going to find a really big one and then I can stab it until I feel like stopping. You see, I'm very good at stabbing things...>" (et cetera)

Cap'm Bubbles

2017-12-30, 10:08 PM

As a horse-and-cart rolls up to Ghurka's shop with several mercenaries seated, he is momentarily distracted from Jade's rivetting hype inane ramblings. It is then that a twinkle in the blacksmith's eye can be seen, and a slight grin appears on his face.

"You know, little one, I am planning a bit of an expedition to the east soon, not to far from the town you plan to visit." ((He says this regardless of you telling him of that specific part of the plan.)) "But you see, I can't have those employees over their getting killed by those nasty dragons now, can I? I hope you do your very best to drive away or kill every one of them."

Xihirli

2017-12-30, 10:15 PM

Jade nodded enthusiastically up at the blacksmith.
"<It should be easy to find them. They're green, and this place doesn't have nearly as much snow as were I'm from.>" Jade gestured to her own face.
"<You see, I'm green, which lets me blend into the snow.>"

Cap'm Bubbles

2017-12-31, 09:31 AM

Erithacus opts to wait for his allies; acting as a united front against the turned undead ought to work out better than acting piecemeal.

[zombie 1], after nearly being bowled over by its allies fleeing on the ledge, gives a heavy slap to [zombie 7] [9 damage] to snap the first one out of it, successfully.

[zombie 3], the last unturned undead on the ground floor, dashes first to pick up its ally's now dead leg in its off hand, and then to try and cut off [zombie 11]'s glowing retreat.

[zombie 11], in a bind between its fear of holy radiance and its limited escape by an unturned ally, sits in the same spot in fear, trying to dodge whatever pain comes next, from ally or enemy.

[zombie 12]'s retreat, however, is not hindered by such considerations. It tries to make a mad dash for the opposite wall, but will provoke an opportunity attack from Elizabeth before it can flee.

((With Erith's delay, we now have side-based initiative between players and NPCs, though not your NPC allies. All three of you go after resolving the opportunity attack. At this point it would be wise to call out IC or OOC the desired targets or behavior for the mercenaries.))

Illven

2017-12-31, 11:03 AM

Elizabeth attempts to trip the fleeing undead

Athletics [roll0] +Bless [roll1]

However as she sees the zombies hit each other to try and break out of the turning.

Something's leading them! She calls out, as she pulls out a javelin firing it at the zombie wielding the leg.

Attack [roll2] +Bless [roll3]
Damage [roll4]

Nettlekid

2017-12-31, 11:12 AM

"All the more reason not to overextend," Erith replies calmly, drawing back down the hallway the group came from. "Don't forget about all the tricks and traps, we don't want to chase them down where they know what's coming and we don't."
Erith with ready a longbow shot at the first Zombie he has a clean shot at, preferring one that isn't running away from them, and instructs the mercenaries to do the same. He doesn't plan to run out into that room to chase them down.

Anoriand

2018-01-02, 12:06 PM

Kal looked at the exchange going on between the goblin and the armored, then over to Valanthe as he nudged his head over to the side in Jades direction.

" Little gem over here, she... she never really stops, does she?"

Ramsus

2018-01-02, 12:59 PM

Xihirli

2018-01-02, 01:14 PM

"Thanks!" Jade exulted.
"Does In-ooh-yen like the armor?" the goblin asked, curiously not directing the question at the subject.

Cap'm Bubbles

2018-01-02, 09:24 PM

"Inuyen thinks the armor is just dandy. Inuyen wants to know if every one should talk in third person." Though she says this a bit tongue-in-cheek, it should be clear to the tall-folk that Inuyen suspects Jade to take it in stride, if at all.

Ghurka mutters, "It's still called seasick, but its not supposed to be contagious. Ugh..." Looking to extricate himself from one chatterbox in order to deal with the previously mentioned employees, Ghurka makes a broad sweeping gesture to try to get Jade's attention before pointing east and loudly proclaiming "Look! Is that a distraction over yonder? You better go get it!"

Regardless of anyone heeding his false words, he bolts back inside the shop in puts a crude CLOSED sign on the door. It is pure coincidence that, in the direction that he pointed about 12 seconds later, a cat can be seen launched from the third story of one of the city's taller buildings--city hall--landing somewhere out of sight with vision obstructed by other buildings.

Whiskeyjack

2018-01-02, 09:36 PM

"Elizabeth, I have your back," Davos states after whacking the nearby zombie into oblivion. "I'm holding here - the hallway is indeed the best place to not get surrounded." He moves up next to Elizabeth to swing his hammer at the damaged [zombie3] attempting to dodge attacks, and then steps back again into position to cover the hallway if the enemy finally falls.

Move from F14 to G12
Mace swing vs Z3, AC 8: [roll0] or [roll1] - Disadvantage due to Dodge, Bless [roll2]
Damage: [roll3] bludgeoning, any hit triggers undead fortitude
Undead fortitude: [roll4]

Move from G12 back to F15

Lucky zombie...

Xihirli

2018-01-02, 09:39 PM

"Jade will allow this," the goblin told Inuyen before her attention was snatched back toward the smith at the word "distraction.
"I love distractions!" Jade looked for a distraction and saw someone throw a cat out of a window.
"Huh."
When the shop closed she exited.
"Whelp, time to kill some dragons!" Jade cheerfully headed down the road, pretty sure the cat would be fine. She'd had a pet rat as a child, and it had survived worse falls. Once.

Cap'm Bubbles

2018-01-02, 10:40 PM

Indeed, [zombie 11] was lucky, as Davos delivers a solid blow to an unfortunately nonessential chunk of zombie flesh. He didn't need that kidney anyway...

On the western ledge, [zombie 7] tries to painfully slap some sense back into [zombie 8], dealing (9 damage) and freeing it from its turned state.

[Zombie 8], calmed from its previous condition, tries to retaliate against the group that brought it pain. This particular undead is not the brains of the operation, however, as it mistakenly focuses its wrath at Davos instead of Elizabeth. In a daring toss of its javelin, it manages to pierce Davos' armor, dealing (10 damage).

[Zombie 10], still turned, makes a safer climb down the ledge and dashes across the room, heading for the northern passage.

Arthur and the two mercenaries prepare their aim according to Erithacus' instructions.

[Zombie 1], in a desperate bid to get its most capable ally back in the fight, grabs a spare javelin from [zombie 7]'s back and hurls it an exceptional distance at [zombie 10], just succeeding in landing the shot and dealing damage.

Unfortunately for [zombie 10], that was only the first of five projectiles that would impale it in the next two seconds, as all four back-line archers (Erith, Arthur, 2 Mercs) unleash their volley. The latter three deal significant damage, but it is Erith's fifth and final shot that takes the zombie's head clean off and sailing across the hall.

[Zombie 3] and [Zombie 11] coordinate what limited resources they have. [z3] waits for [z11] to help by bluffing an attack on Davos, giving the advantage that [z3] needs to land a slice with its shortsword on Davos, dealing (11 Damage). Its attempt to follow through with its other arm's other arm is not successful though.

(((All three players are up next. The total damage dealt to the party since last post is 21 to Davos.)))

Illven

2018-01-02, 10:55 PM

Light! Elizabeth yelled out strongly her shield hand raising her holy symbol to the ceiling as Davros's wounds started to reknit.

With a cry almost more befitting of a cleric of Torm, then one of Sune, the redhead moved forward, and raised her mace high attempting to bring it down on Z3

Bonus Casting healing word at level 2 on Davros [roll0]
Move
Action Attack Z3 [roll1]
Damage [roll2]

Whiskeyjack

2018-01-02, 10:58 PM

Grunting as a javelin hits him in the arm, followed up with a short sword to the torso, Davos intones fell words over his hammer and swings it at [Zombie11], a faint green arc trailing the weapon. As it strikes the zombie, green fire leaps from the point of impact on [Zombie11] to [Zombie3], engulfing its rotten flesh in hungry fel flames. “This is getting to be too much,” he mutters, backing up. “And we don’t even know what or who is directing them…”

He gasps again as a wave of euphoria hits him with Elizabeth's healing spell, and he steps back as he sees the zombies fall, one with its skull smashed in sufficiently, the other crumbling to ash from the green flames of his spell. "Focus on the zombies with javelins!" he calls to the ranged cohort.

Cast Green Flame Blade
Attack Zombie11 vs AC 8: [roll0] + Bless: [roll1]
Damage on Zombie11: [roll2] bludgeoning
Damage on Zombie3 from Green Flame Blade: 6 fire

Zombie11 Undead Fort roll vs DC 12: [roll3]
Zombie3 Undead Fort roll vs DC 11: [roll4]

Move from G12 to F15.

Ramsus

2018-01-03, 02:22 AM

Nettlekid

2018-01-03, 05:55 AM

Erith will sidle up the length of the hallway until he's behind Davos, keeping his back to the wall and out of sight from the final few zombies. He gestures at the Mercenaries to step forward too in preparation for being a firing squad, and yanks the dumb dog back a few feet to give them room to maneuver around him.

He considers taking a shot with his Longbow at the zombie fleeing down the far corridor, but decides against it. He figures that anything controlling the zombies is probably already aware when one is destroyed, so no new information will be leaked by letting one run away. At the moment it's serving the same purpose as the dogs - Erith can now be comfortable that nowhere in the first twenty feet of that far hallway has a hidden pit trap or anything like that. So let it run for now - it'll be back later.

For now, Erith sees that Elizabeth is out in the wide open with javelins (as far as he's gathered from what others have said) raining down upon her. Without a word and with only a slight move of his wrist a large boulder no less that five feet tall and wide flickers into existence surrounding Elizabeth's form on G11. It's a simple illusion and easily disbelieved, but until the zombies take the time to properly analyze it and understand it for what it is then the opacity should help to keep her a little bit safer from those ranged attacks. Heck, if these zombies are as dumb as he expects them to be then they might not see through it at all!
Moving up to F16, moving Dog back from G15 to G17. Was I in control of the dog the whole fight?
Using Minor Illusion to heavily obscure Elizabeth. A DC 15 Investigation check taken as an action reveals it for what it is.

Xihirli

2018-01-03, 09:49 AM

Cap'm Bubbles

2018-01-03, 01:51 PM

Elizabeth's swing on the burning zombie is interrupted as her previous sight is replaced with a stone surface an arm's length away. As her mace cleaves through it without any hint of solid contact, she realizes it is an illusion. She is hidden within the boulder illusion briefly, and it is now transparent from her perspective.

[Zombie 7] and [Zombie 8], confused by their holy enemy's sudden transfiguration into a rock, see no other targets. They therefore dash to the south ledge above the hallway, but stumble over each other in the clamor.

Arthur will prepare another shot but insists on staying back, just in case some uninvited guests appear from behind.

The first mercenary, however, will head your commands and moves as far forward as he can till he gets a shot at [zombie 1]. Unfortunately, he fails to hit it, now seeing the faded illusory ceiling for himself.

Zombie 1, once again without a weapon, dashes to catch up with its comrades and takes [zombie 7's] last javelin ((all three zombie now have a single javelin).

Mercenary 2 takes up a firing position behind his cohort, but can only see the very distant fleeing [zombie 12], who is still turned and therefor not a target; he holds for a shot at another enemy.

[Zombie 12] makes a final dash, making it to the end of the hallway and turning around the right corner up, no longer in sight. As far as the party is concerned, it cannot be reached for the moment.

(((All three player are up. I think I'm just going to do side-initiative in the future for pbp games, because this is much faster.)))

Xihirli

2018-01-03, 01:59 PM

((Assuming there's nothing else anyone would like to do...))

Jade moved forward without much caution, occasionally needing the others to remind her which way to travel, down toward the mountain border of the Imalians.

Whiskeyjack

2018-01-03, 02:55 PM

Davos, seeing Elizabeth suddenly engulfed by a rock, deduces that since there is no blood or screaming, Elizabeth is probably fine and this must be the wizard's doing. He moves to the mouth of the hallway, stepping over the corpse of [Zombie9] and holds position to better cover the ranged mercenaries and Erith, raising his shield to protect from any attacks from the zombies that, at this point, all appear to be on the ledge directly above him. "Be careful and don't expose yourselves too much," he says to the mercenaries. "They're surprisingly good with those javelins."

Move from F15 to F14 (if I can share the square with the corpse) and Dodge. AC 18, attacks on me have Disadvantage.

Nettlekid

2018-01-03, 03:11 PM

Erith pinches the bridge of his nose and glares at the two mercenaries.
"If you're going to advance then get out there, and if not then get out of the way!" he sighs, exasperatedly. "Both of you, one big step back."
If he can convince Merc 2 to move to G16 and Merc 1 to move to G15 then Erith will kick off from the ground and dart out, weaving around the bodies in the hall. Able to get out into the main room he'll let one arrow fly at the first Zombie he sees, Z8, before pivoting and dancing back into the safety of cover in the hallway.
Moving twenty feet, starting from F16, going to F15 then G14, up to G12.
Attack Z8 [roll0]
Damage [roll1]
And moving back along the same route, using his last twenty feet of movement to end at F15 (since the second diagonal costs 10.)

Illven

2018-01-03, 09:55 PM

Elizabeth for her part hurls another Javelin hoping to bring M (8) back to the grave.

Attack [roll0] + Bless [roll1]
Damage [roll2]

Cap'm Bubbles

2018-01-03, 10:52 PM

Elizabeth's reciprocal javelin skewers [zombie 8], impaling it on the wall above, slaying it.

Desperate, the two zombies that remain try something rather rash. [zombie 7], upon seeing its ally slain by a javelin tossed from inside a boulder realizes that something is wrong. Moving past its dead ally, it makes a near-suicidal leap at the boulder, javelin in hand ready to flail at whatever it might hit on the trip down.

Arthur and Mercenary 2 both fire at the falling body, one of them managing to hit it. Unfortunately, Elizabeth is not so dexterous, and is unable to dodge the falling body. [Zombie 7] is dead on arrival as it crashes through the illusion onto Elizabeth dealing (11 damage) while its javelin falls to the ground elsewhere.

Mercenary one, acting on what sounded like a choice of orders, and worry over the ally that has been hit the most and whose current condition is unclear, bolts forward. He tries to draw fire away from Elizabeth's rock, standing next to it and firing his crossbow at the last zombie still standing. It's a stroke of luck that the final shot is enough to do in [zombie 1]. His cohort mercenary dashes ahead to meet up with him and survey the scene for himself.

All enemies in this room are dead. One, however "got away" while turned. The sound of a rusty door being slammed open can be heard in the arty's current room, along with the echoes of a loud voice from wherever [zombie 12] retreated. It is a little difficult to make out what is said, though.
The voice is guttural, like what one would expect from an orc, half-orc, or ogre. At first, it sounds angry, "What the Hells are you doing in here? There's no way you'd disobey--". The tone shifts to a cautionary one mid-sentence, "Oh. It seems we have a proselytes at the door. I'd better call you guys off, then."

Whiskeyjack

2018-01-03, 11:07 PM

"Did you hear that," Davos murmurs to Erith. "I couldn't make it out but it was from the direction that last zombie ran, and it sounds like we might have found our controller."

He moves forward to also check on Elizabeth's condition inside the illusory boulder filled with broken zombie pieces. "You two, be ready, there's someone else here," he adds quietly to the mercs.

If she's in trouble HP-wise I certainly have plenty of Lay on Hands to throw around.

Illven

2018-01-03, 11:22 PM

Elizabeth looks bloody and worn, her armor is cracked in multiple spots, a bruise is forming above her right eye, and the left side of her head, and lip are bleeding slowly.

But she's alive, and sturdy. (12/36 hp)

Yeah... Yeah... It was a half orc, or orc like creature even said it gave the zombie's orders.... It's calling the zombies off, and recognizes there's a cleric here.... Do we want to prepare an ambush. She comments.

Nettlekid

2018-01-04, 11:18 AM

Cautiously stepping out into the main room now that there seems to be no more immediate threat, Erith glances around at the carnage.
"I'd love to inspect all this a little more thoroughly later," he whispers, "but it sounds like we have more pressing matters to attend to. Arthur, you stay here and start looting. I want to see some lovely piles of swag when we get back. By the sound of it...I'm gonna go say hi to Mogar."

Erith keeps his bow out, and dashes toward the corner of the far hallway where Z12 had fled. If the Turned Zombie had been fleeing as far from Elizabeth as it could then based on where she had been standing (on the right (east?) side of the room) the Zombie would have favored the left wall of this corridor. It had turned to the right, by the look of it, so it would have done so around the far corner and then continued to hug that left wall. Erith will keep an eye out for fresh tracks in the dust or made from splattering of fresh blood, but with those factors in mind he thinks he can avoid any traps on the ground by following the Zombie's path precisely.

He'll pause before he turns around the corner to the right. He had heard some great big door open, and he was hoping to get through it before it closed again. More importantly than anything he needed information, he needed to know who was coming and what they could do. And he'd need to know before others know about him. Before he turns he corner he casts Invisibility on himself, his visual body vanishing into nothingness. As quickly as he can without betraying his position by rapid footfalls he'll hurry down that corridor, hoping to reach the door before whoever's on the other side closes it behind them.
Survival to follow tracks: [roll0]
Stealth to keep quiet while Invisible: [roll1]
Perception to see whatever's ahead: [roll2]
EDIT: Argggggh, what a time for a 1 and a 2.

Illven

2018-01-04, 02:12 PM

As Edith runs off, Elizabeth starts following.

Light! She called out, knowing they had no time for a proper prayer, as her wounds started reknitting.

Healing word [roll0]

Whiskeyjack

2018-01-04, 03:39 PM

"Erith, don't---" Davos pauses as the elf literally vanishes. "---just go running off alone," he finishes quietly with a sigh.

"You guys stay back and cover us," Davos turns to the mercenaries. "And probably Arthur too. That's your actual job at any rate I think. We'll see what's going on with the zombie master behind door number four." He keeps shield and hammer out and moves to catch up to Elizabeth. "I am particularly glad I've saved most of my divine blessings up til this point. Otherwise I might start to worry," he murmurs to her as he watches her wounds knit. "I just wish our wizard companion was as cautious now as he was before. Can you still hear him? I didn't hear the door close either, did you?

Cap'm Bubbles

2018-01-04, 03:50 PM

Arthur commands the two mercenaries to begin looting the corpses while he keeps an eye on the main room. The prefer to start with the goblinoid corpses before dealing with the miserable business of frisking the zombies. The enchanted equipment of the storm herald is left alone for now, as neither of them feel that is within their pay grade.

It is about the moment that Erithacus pauses at the corner that the sound of the door upstairs being closed is heard. Though careful steps and a keen eye aided travel on the zombie's worn path, it is not done so at the speed that a person without caution (or sense of self preservation) might take.

Erith can, however, hear footsteps coming down the stairs. Were you to peek around the corner, you could see a roughly 20-foot stairwell to the next floor. The door at the top is iron, rusted slightly at the hinges, but clearly heavy. Painted on the door is the image of a blooming crimson rose over a field of golden grain.
Symbol of Chauntea, neutral-good deity of agriculture.
In front of said door and walking down the narrower 5-foot wide staircase is [zombie 12]. It has a buzzard perched on its shoulder, and in its hands it carries its greatclub upside-down, a white cloth wrapped around the former handle as a gesture of peace. Despite your noisy footsteps, the zombie does not turn towards their phantom source. It is possible to move past the zombie without colliding, but you'd have to wait for it to enter the hallway. Its path up the stairs involves every step, which should indicate none of them are traps.

Right before the zombie would step into the hallway, the buzzard opens its mouth, channeling a voice not its own, but one whose echoes you have heard. This time, all can hear it clearly. "Who may I ask has trespassed on government property? And what has become of my chief of security?"

To the south, were someone to turn their eyes in that direction, Arthur has drawn his bow and aimed at motion at the entrance to the tower. He speaks briefly to alert your group that something else may be coming, though he's not certain what with the lighting and obstruction of vision from the cart planted there.

Illven

2018-01-04, 04:11 PM

I'm not sure. Elizabeth remarks, the tower's fell presence cutting off the guidance of Sune.

I don't think the door was closed at any rate. Shall we follow? She hints quietly.

Nettlekid

2018-01-04, 04:32 PM

Erith stares at the strange spectacle in front of him, pausing before the stairs. The necromancer's familiar, huh? The temptation to put an arrow through its neck drifts through his mind, recognizing how useful it would be to cut off the master's mobile eyes and ears. Perhaps once his Invisibility had run its course, and it hadn't just yet.

Erith takes a moment to digest the words coming out of the buzzard's mouth. Government property? Perhaps they were in the wrong after all; they had barged in when invited at their own risk. Ah, and yet this man hadn't bothered to answer the call of the chiming bell, so the discourtesy was his. Erith feels vindicated in his decisions. The question of chief of security plagues him only briefly - must be one of the zombies, right? He hadn't seen any of them acting with any unusual agency. As far as he had seen none of them acted more intelligently than any other; must be a madman's quirks.

He eyes the iron door. Looks heavy and squeaky, no way to get through without making his position known. Yet the Turned Zombie had opened it, so it hadn't been locked. If he could either get the Zombie to open the door again or get whoever's inside to come out he could probably slip through, but he'd have to wait for the exact right time. For now he'll slowly climb the steps on the 20 ft wide stairwell, keeping a bit to the side, then stand still. He'll make whatever adjustments he needs to if the Zombie steps forward so that he's not bumped into, but won't try to push past the Zombie in case he gets pressed between the Zombie and the door.

Cap'm Bubbles

2018-01-05, 05:14 PM

Perceiving only hushed, indistinct remarks, the zombie extends its white flag into the hallway, only the flag in sight of the party. Waving it up and a down a bit, it will step forward (while Erith manages to get around it without notice). It turns to face the party, but does not continue beyond the first 20 feet. The buzzard again opens its mouth. "I can forgive the slain zombies--they are undead and rather unpleasant--but I'm going to need some indication that this was all one big misunderstanding. And who I'm dealing with, since I didn't get a response from head of security or any but one of our two dozen guards."

Arthur almost interrupts the last few words, speaking to you all in a till quiet voice. "There's a little raven 'just got in the main hall from a crack. I'd really like to know if we're gonna take a hostile or calm response to this guy."

Nettlekid

2018-01-05, 09:14 PM

Erith isn't sure what to make of this supposed peace offering, but he doesn't like it one bit. What with the illusions hiding the Zombies being the same sort as were hiding the death trap in the other, non-governmental wing of this building...But more than anything else, the magic being employed here is stronger than Erith has had ready access to in the time since he's started practicing Wizardry, and that alone is worth the exploration. Plus he's come this far; he can't exactly stop now.

Hoping the rest of the group coming down the passage distracts the Zombie and the necromancer's familiar, Erith will crouch down gently to try and peek beneath the door. It seems dark, and he realizes something's been pressed up against it. That seems...odd, if the Zombie was coming in and out of it. Is this another illusion? Was the sound of the door opening an illusion, and a secret passageway leads off elsewhere? That seems overly complicated. Once again, he's at a disadvantage without information, and he'd be better served doing some recon.

Trying to visualize the space beyond this closed door, Erith makes an attempt to summon his owl familiar on the other side. Knowing there's something immediately on the other side he'll try to summon it standing on the ground, five feet beyond the door. If it fails he'll go for ten feet, and then ten feet but five feet in the air. If all that fails he'll get frustrated and just start scattering attempts left and right. Once it does appear though he'll immediately swap his senses to those of the owl to see what was there to outfit the Zombie, half expecting the owl to be eviscerated in an instant.

Perception to peek under the door [roll0]
Perception through owl once summoned [roll1]
Owl Stealth upon being summoned, trying to be quiet and not flapping or clattering into something. [roll2]

Illven

2018-01-05, 09:42 PM

Of course this is just a big misunderstanding, the tower is creepy, why is there no mention of the undead? Elizabeth pipes up.

Cap'm Bubbles

2018-01-05, 10:58 PM

With a quick up-pace to catch up with your rambunctious goblin...friend, yes, that's the word...your party departs from Mayak, eastbound for the town of Pineshade. On the way there or back, if the group is willing, a slight detour may be made to stop at Valanthe's home.

You initially would set out before the sun reaches its zenith, with the sky less obscured by cloud, smoke, and ash than the day previous. Overhill's bridge allows you to cross the river quite easily, after which your path of travel will pass through light woods, and then the road across Amber Plain. Pineshade will lie at the foothills before the mountains, where the foliage returns to tall evergreens.

It is on the first leg of your journey, on your first day afoot, and perhaps an hour or two after noon. You have encountered no other beings thus far, not even the typical fauna. At least, none living. Jade and Valanthe are both able to spot the horns of a deer, dead on the far side of the log about 50 feet from the path. Were any interested in inspecting it, there appear to be no wounds; its cause of death is not a typical one, and is certainly not old age. Though notable, there is nothing more to be gleamed at this time from the corpse (barring venison, if you so chose).

A good hour's travel after that, though, you can see a bend in the road. At the bend, two somewhat brawny men armed with hammers are pounding nails into a shoddy carpentry job. It looks to be two small square shacks on each side of the road they're constructing, no more than 10x10 lots, with a metal bar crossing the path between them.

It is not just these men present, however. Poorly hiding behind the trees in the area, you can make out two...four...make that five other people, at various distances away, none as muscular as the conspicuous two. Your party is roughly 100 feet away from the two figures on the road when you catch wind of this suspicious gathering. The foliage here is dense enough to use as cover and to hide behind. All persons that you've spotted appear to be armed, though none have weapons in-hand. Only one of these figures behind the trees has made any indication that they've seen anything in your direction.

What do you do?

Ramsus

2018-01-05, 11:36 PM

https://i.pinimg.com/564x/4e/21/dc/4e21dced0a047bcb30d0ba3a5dcafdc4.jpg
Valanthe Liadon (https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=1420417)
Half-Elven Horizon Walker
AC: 19 PP: 16 PI: 16 Initiative: +5 (A)
Concentrating on: --

Valanthe indeed directs the group towards her home, for being the person who knows this land the best she took the lead in guiding the group and simply didn't offer them a choice about it. Sure it might not be polite, but then again why ask for permission for something you're going to insist on doing even if every other person disagrees? That's trading slightly rude for overtly rude.

When they come across the deer, she advises, "Don't eat that. While it could have died for some magical reason and the meat might be perfectly fine, it also might have died for a reason, magical or otherwise, that means it's dangerous. Better to just leave it alone when you don't know."

Valanthe looks to the others and asks, "How do you guys feel like handling this? We could just walk up and say hi. Or we could sneak up behind the guys in the woods and threaten them to drop their weapons and tell us what's going on. Or we could just sneak off into the woods and try and avoid this whole thing. Personally, I'm fine with whatever."

Xihirli

2018-01-05, 11:48 PM

"I think we combine the two," Jade suggests.
"I walk up and say hi, because of how good with people I am, and you two get ready to hit them really hard if they need to get hit really hard. Then we solve our problems with violence." Jade thinks for a second, then concludes with a nod that yes, this is a good plan.
Thus deciding, Jade gives the others a few moments to hide before walking directly toward the two burly men not attempting to hide. She takes a slow pace toward the suspicious people, hoping to give her party plenty of time to stealthily move into their proper positions, until she nears them. She even tries to whistle a bit as she walks, unsuccessfully.
"Hello. I..." Jade gestures to herself with her offhand, in case these people were too stupid to understand what "I" meant.
"Am Jade." The goblin then flashes her winning smile, expecting to charm the men.
"So what are the two of you building here?" Jade asks, trying very hard not to bring up the poorly concealed (probable) bandits.

Anoriand

2018-01-06, 12:07 PM

Kal, for his part, eyed all the gathered people as he approached and made a measure count of them all. He stayed close to Jade and on her left, about 10 feet behind her, just keeping a very mellow grin on his face and waving slightly. His eyes, however, kept training to the hands of the men she was speaking to, ready to react in an instant if it seemed they would go for weapons or wield what they already had maliciously.

Cap'm Bubbles

2018-01-06, 04:45 PM

The particular beefy man that Jade addresses turns to face her, blindly whacking (and missing) one more nail into the wood. From this distance she can now see a noticeable dent in the side of his head. He looks confused at first, as if he really didn't know what a pronoun was. But then he scrunches his face before opening his eyes wider and responds to your question. His tone is slurred somewhat, and not from alcohol by the sound of it.

"Why, we's here buildin' a new toll booth, what to for extort from weary travelers and the refugee types. It's two gold to pass, but seein' as our 'stablishment ain't up to snuff yet, how about just one?"

The other man on the other side of the road pick up a light hammer and throws it the first's general direction, in a poor mix of shouting and whispering "Shaddap Bugsy! We're trying to act legit here. You don't want the guards shutting us down, now, do ya?"

The voice coming out of the bird chuckles at Elizabeth's response, and the zombie and bird step forward to the middle room's entrance. "Well now, I'll have to give you some leeway, it's not my fault either that the tower's creepy. The undead, though...Well, if I left a sign in the main room saying "Warning: Zombie Security" then my door would be broken down by every adventurer that comes near the tower, even after I filed all the paperwork to get a license for those guys. Sometimes ignorance is bliss, and they're ordered never to enter the entrance hall."

Beyond the iron door, the first attempt to re-summon Erith's familiar is successful. The owl appears on the other side, revealing one more 5-wide hallway stretch about 30 feet. Just before the end of the hall is an exit to a lit room on the left. What would get your attention first, however, is that the far end of the hall is an unloaded ballistae aimed at the door.

Using its flight, it is able to reach the exit and peer into the room. The room is both fairly large and fairly cluttered in an octagonal shape, with each side having a door of its own. At the corners are stairs the reach up to the ring of tinted glass that you saw from the outside earlier giving a full view for miles around. The very center of the room has a ring of softly glowing magical runes about 10 feet in diameter.
The are the sigil pattern for a permanent Teleportation Circle
To the left side of where the owl views is quite a bit of luxurious furniture, including a couch. Sitting on this couch, hunched over a table in front of it with a white glowing sphere and golden stand, draped in dark red robes, is the speaking orc. He is old, evidenced by wrinkles and the graying of what little hair remains on his head.

Past the orc, slightly left of the opposite side of the doorway, is a passed-out gnome in furs, clutching a wooden staff and a bit of mistletoe in one hand, and an empty alchemical flask in the other. His chest rises and falls, and he appears uninjured.

There are lettered carvings above each of the doors; you cannot from your point of view see the one on yours, nor to the immediate left or right. They read, as follows (with yours as "1" and increasing clockwise):
1--not visible
2--not visible (the orc and furniture are in front of this)
3--In Common: Alchemy, Herbology, and Medicinal Supplies--Ask before use.
The fourth is in small script, and quite lengthy
Nikel-Haz The Dandy and Terrible, Blue freckled and bad-breathed, son of hamster and uncle of understatement, and gosh darn it, people love him. Junior.
5--Food and Drink Stores.
High Priestess Tushu of Chauntea, Envoy of the Hurtegon Circle
7--Weapon and Artifacts. Caution PLEASE. 0 days without accident.
8--not visible

Xihirli

2018-01-06, 04:54 PM

Jade cupped her hands around her mouth and yelled at the other man.
"No, he was doing alright! You were the one who gave it away! Feel shame! SHAAAAAME!"
Jade turned back toward Bugsy and drew one of her short swords.
"I have a counter-offer. How about your bandit operation ends now, you give up all of your weapons,
and I don't stab you."

Cap'm Bubbles

2018-01-06, 08:03 PM

Bugsy scratches his dent in his head. "Well gee, Malone, I think she's pointy. I mean, I think she's got a--"

Another small hammer flies past Bugsy, and the other man, Malone, criticises him again. "What did I tell you about thinkin', Bugsy! Shame on you. Now we haz ta kill her."

((Combat has begun. Due to exceptional stealth and some preparation, Valanthe, Inuyen, and the Scout will act first as a surprise round. After that, your party won side initiative, and so will go first with all three players. Specifically, I need Valanthe's turn, then I will post for two NPC's, then I need all three party members' turns.))

Nettlekid

2018-01-06, 08:50 PM

Erith will telepathically instruct his owl to inspect the ballista to make sure there's no invisible bolt loaded nor mechanism in place designed to fire when the door opens. If he feels confident there isn't he'll instruct the owl to dislodge the towel blocking the door so that, when he gives it a sturdy shove, it should open up. Once done he'll send the owl back to its pocket dimension for now.

Taking a breath and shaking his head he heaves his weight into the heavy iron door, hopefully opening it at least a little. He'll then immediately drop prone, just in case. He assumes the screeching noise of the door will have alerted the orc, who may or may not be listening through his own senses. He'll also stuff the towel in his bag for good measure.

"I think," Erith finally calls out, still prone and invisible and allowing his voice to echo along this hallway, "that there's egg on my face. I think I've made a few overenthusiastic assumptions and ended up acting foolishly and hastily. First things first - My name is Erithacus, of the Goodfellow family. I see you have in your company a representative of the Hurtegon Circle - my family is only a small name among hunters and trappers but loyal to the circle nonetheless. I and some others hoped to use this tower as shelter for the night, as our wagon-driver said he has many times before. But seeing a pair of hounds outside and no master to be found I was suspicious that the tower would prove safe. I rang for audience at the north door but was provided none, yet I heard movement beyond. We found the hounds' master having succumbed to the traps in the east passage, and recognizing formidable magic more powerful than my own I suspected something potentially dangerous. I incorrectly surmised that the movement I heard was the master of the tower spying upon us, and I hate to leave a mystery only half answered. We came across your guards - or, well, half of them if you say two dozen - observing our entry. It was I who, prejudiced against the Undead and having clouded myself with fanciful stories of a sinister warlock, took aggressive action when none had been taken against us.

I sincerely apologize for my actions, which were made in uneducated haste ill-befitting a scholar of magical theory and have inconvenienced this legitimate bureaucratic office. If I may have your word that hostile action is not taken against myself and my allies then you have my word that I will attempt no harm toward yourselves, and furthermore I will follow your instruction to remedy my personal error as you best see fit. If you can graciously put this in the past then I would be greatly interested in learning about your business here - the magic I have witnessed here is beyond any I have seen previously, and I have some texts that I would appreciate a learned eye on."
He's being genuine, he thinks that maybe he screwed up this whole approach, and if nothing evil is happening then he's actually very impressed by the level of magic use he's witnessed.
[roll0]

Ramsus

2018-01-06, 11:00 PM

https://i.pinimg.com/564x/4e/21/dc/4e21dced0a047bcb30d0ba3a5dcafdc4.jpg
Valanthe Liadon (https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=1420417)
Half-Elven Horizon Walker
AC: 19 PP: 16 PI: 16 Initiative: +5 (A)
Concentrating on: --

Valanthe standing practically inside of one of the bandits' shadow, proceeds to fully enter it as she attempts to skewer him with her rapier.

I have advantage because the opponent hasn't acted yet. And I assume for surprise. Not that double advantage does anything.

Bonus action to designate Bandit 3 for extra damage from Planar Warrior. (Granting an extra d8 damage and all damage becomes force for the next attack I make against them.)

Attack vs Bandit 3: [roll0]
advantage: [roll1]
damage: [roll2]
if crit: [roll3]

If Bandit 3 dies, Valanthe will move to Q20 and take cover from everyone but Bandit 1 behind the tree. If Bandit 3 lives, Valanthe stays where she is and takes cover behind the tree she's currently behind.

Cap'm Bubbles

2018-01-07, 07:58 PM

((OOC: Two posts rather than spoilers, check below if not your party))

was injured from a previous scuffle over wages the night before. Minding the pain and not yet fully recovered, he opts to watch this little spectacle from afar, just keeping his hand on the handle of his sword in case things get ugly.

They do.

He looks down when he feels a sudden sharp pain. The bloody point of a Valanthe's rapier extends a foot out of his chest. [B]"Heh. Really not paid enough for--" is all he mutters before falling on his face, dead.

Inuyen follows Valanthe's lead, moving to line up a better shot and letting loose a firebolt at [Bandit 1], catching him in the side and leaving a nasty scorch mark.

The scout, aware that things are starting to go poorly but still on her toes, takes two shots and the little upstart goblin, landing the second for (6 Damage). She then moves to cover on the opposite side of the road from the two party members in the woods.

((You party won side-initiative. All three players go next))

Ramsus

2018-01-07, 08:47 PM

Cap'm Bubbles

2018-01-07, 08:49 PM

((OOC: Two posts instead of spoilers, check above if not your party))

Those in the middle room can see the zombie and bird halt, while the distorted echo of Erith's voice is heard down the hall. It seems like a full minute before it stops, and the bird pauses for another 10 seconds before finally chiming in again.

"Peace it is, then. Mr. Goodfellow and company, you are forgiven, and I hope you can forgive me if any among you were killed by security. I am afraid that Priestess Tushu will not be available for...well, I do not expect her return until the morrow, but I can't say for certain against an early or late return."

((Citizens of the Hurtegon Circle know of Tushu as a cleric of Chauntea, though she is not often seen in her native lands over the past decade. She is reputed to be approachable, charitable, and sometimes a bit too commanding. Though a leader among her people, she is not part of the 'inner circle' of druids that makes final governing decisions.))

"You say that you rang the bell, but received no response. I'm afraid that I heard nothing up here. I suspect there may be damage to that mechanism. In the meantime, please make yourself comfortable in the main hall."

"I am sorry to say that I am the only member of the Sages* that is not indisposed at the present, so it seems I will be taking your audience. I am Mogar, licensed necromancer and envoy of the Imalian Empire--or what's left of it. Those of you who need to speak with me, or hope to speak with one of the other representatives at a later time, please come up the stairwell. Don't mind the ballista, it's not loaded."

((*Though "the Sages" sounds generic, it is not a specific title or group known to any of you, nor Arthur)).

After Mogar's dialogue, while waiting for your allies to respond or for yourself to reply in courtesy, an ethereal feminine voice whispers in your mind. "Your eagerness to smite the wicked is matched by the value you hold for the life of your comrades...if as much as yourself. Mayhaps you again be a bastion between them and evil." A brief flash in your mind's eye shows the side of a golden lion, a simple symbolic red heart glowing at its center.

Blindskull Watchtower cleared.
Direct combat=700/6~~~=125 experience each
Combat environment and mob bonus=500 experience each
1st illusory trap pit resolved=75 experience to Davos and Erith
Diplomacy for Mogar=500 experience each.
Bonus diplomacy=100 to Elizabeth and Erith

As Mogar will want his own zombies' armaments back, your crew will have collected the following from the dead goblinoid war party:
6 scimitars
4 shortbows
24 Javelins
3 Longswords
3 Longbows
1 Greatsword
1 Maul
40 arrows still in usable shape
And...300 silver between the lot of them.

Xihirli

2018-01-07, 08:55 PM

Jade saw a few bandits drop dead and knew that was the signal. Immediately, she drew her sword and buried it in Bugsy's leg.
"I'm SMAAAAAAAALL!" she yelled at him, her voice conveying a sense of fury.
She twisted the sword in the bandit's leg, trying to force him to collapse on the ground but before she stopped to see if it worked she yanked out her bloody shortsword in the same motion that brought the other up to stab him in the wrist, attempting to get him to drop his weapon. Since it was a two-handed weapon, the other hand of course also needed to be stabbed, and Jade was happy to oblige, driving her first sword into his other arm.
"YAAAAAAH!" she screamed in Bugsy's face as she remembered that she'd been shot in the hip.
"That hurt a lot! You probably can't sympathize," she screamed into the face of the man she had just stabbed three times.

He's down 31 hitpoints. Still not out. If we could not kill this guy I'd appreciate it, though I know I've probably made him a prone and happy target for our monk friend.

Whiskeyjack

2018-01-07, 09:35 PM

Pursing his lips at the sight and sound of a buzzard riding a zombie waving a white flag and then claiming to be an emissary, Davos is the last to respond. "So, Erith is okay, I presume? Or what just happened?" He bristles a bit at the whole 'audience with a registered Imalian necromancer' bit, and also...could this quite erudite person be the same Mogar who scrawled on the doors below?

After a moment, years spent ministering and bolstering spirits kick back in, the social training running on autopilot even as Davos digests this information. "Could you tell us where Priestess Tushu has gone? And might you be the same Mogar who left messages on the doors inside the great hall? So long as we are being forthright and quite pleasant so far, the entire zombie mishap notwithstanding, I am Davos Greytide, Paladin of Lathander." For the moment, he does not add, 'and ally to the Huertegon Circle' - that's better discussed with Tushu, if the group still remains in the tower when she returns. After a moment, he adds: "Do we happen to be the first travelers to stop here on the way in to Mayak since the...well, for lack of a better word, the Doom?" he fumbles at the end in an attempt to find the appropriate term for the whole...thing that seems to have happened to this subcontinent.

Does that mean we can or cannot strip the dead knight wearing plate?

Nettlekid

2018-01-07, 09:46 PM

Erith lies still on the ground as Mogar speaks, then hoists himself to his feet. He gingerly walks to the end of the hallway, looks around the corner to where Mogar and the gnome are resting, and scans the room as well as he can to check for further illusions.
[roll0]
(Since I'm not expecting any)
He'll then pull back around the corner into the hallway, drop his Invisibility spell, and reach his hand out to wave in the doorway before peeking again.
"Yoo-hoo. Hello, good evening. Sorry again for all, er, that. I would love the chance to speak with you at some point and get an educated take on everything that's been happening around Mayak in the last week or so, but perhaps in the morning after a night's trance. Fresh minds, clean...heads. We'll be out front, not disturbing you for at least eight hours I think I can promise."
Erith waves again individually to Mogar and the Gnome, then scurries back down the hall where he sees Davos talking with the buzzard. He'll take that time to flash a thumbs-up to Arthur and the mercs, then start gathering up the stuff that hopefully Arthur's been piling up as Erith had requested.
"C'mon, let's head back to the main room. All's well that ends well, I'll tell you about it later. I'm glad we stopped here rather than braving the bridge at night - Arthur, I hope you'll tell me about some other places of interest in Mayak as we get closer."

Illven

2018-01-07, 10:51 PM

Elizabeth does seem still a bit uncomfortable, the cleric of Sune not thrilled to be under the roof of someone so willing to use the unclean things.

But she keeps her displeasure silent for now.

Is anyone still injured? She comments warmly as she rubs her holy symbol serenely.

Whiskeyjack

2018-01-07, 10:59 PM

"I think nothing a hot dinner followed by some sleep and a good breakfast won't solve, even if the bedroll is laid out on a hard floor." Davos looks over to Elizabeth with a smile and a shrug as he hangs his hammer from his hip and unstraps his shield. "After the 'audience' we'll have a respite before dealing with the probable bandits tomorrow, at least."

Just implying using hit dice to heal after a short rest might be the best use of resources right now. :smallbiggrin:

Anoriand

2018-01-08, 10:00 AM

For his part, Kal immediately snapped into a sort of trance, motioning his arms around in a circular pattern before him and forming a sort of orb of energy in the opening, then settling his arms to his sides as that energy dissipated into his arms and hands, turning a bright red that turned into living flames. He took a few steps towards Malone, planted in a pose and struck outward with a punch and kick combination, sending tendrils of flame directly at the man who was clearly in charge of this group.

Illven

2018-01-08, 02:51 PM

I suppose you're right. But if any of you wish to receive the blessings of Sune, or hear her tales, you have only to say the word. Elizabeth says warmly.

And maybe a persuasion check to get the NPC's interested.

Persuasion [roll0]

Whiskeyjack

2018-01-08, 03:48 PM

"Same goes for Lathander. The Morninglord brings light even beneath dark clouds or in the shadow of catastrophe." Davos gives a smile to both the bird and, turning, to the mercenaries. If we have to get competitive about soul-saving, so be it!

Persuasion: [roll0]

Cap'm Bubbles

2018-01-08, 04:28 PM

Kaliyaros' ranged flaming fist-and-kick routine manages to hit Malone with the first strike, but the second misses. The burns are enough to gain his attention away from the little goblin, though.

Bugsy looks works for wear, but it his face doesn't show any indication of pain, even when flat on his back. He stands up, chatting a bit, "No, I guess I can't, I was always tall." He then shuffles to Jade's left flank with what little movement he has left, saying "Hold on, I gotta wait for Malone. Then it'll be my turn to hit you."

One of the bandits ducks out and into cover to make a crossbow shot at Kaliyaros, but that shot falls short. The other standing bandit and the scout both attempt the same with Jade, but are equally frustrated when trying to hit the tiny terror, both missing.

Malone, the last to get around to moving, charges at Kaliyaros , getting next to Bugsy before taking two mighty swings with his hammer. The first is close, but Kal's deft movements just manage to avoid the blow; the second swing is simply a poor, enraged effort and doesn't come close.

"That's my queue," is what the two party members in this melee hear before Bugsy mimics Malone's hammer routine, swinging twice at Jade and landing both mighty blows. The two concussive hits deal her (9 damage) and (5 damage) respectively.

((All three party members are up. Jade has taken a total of 14 damage))

The buzzard chimes in one more time. "I'm going to come down and inspect the damage and get to work on fixing things up again. I'll answer those questions in a moment." The buzzard then vanishes, while Mogar descends the stair and walks to the middle room.

Peering over the corpses and zombies, whistling a little bit when seeing others killed n the ledge, he moves over to the dead Storm Herald. Conjuring a bit of electricity in his hand, he touches the metal armor with it, causing the body to spasm. Moments later, the Storm Herald starts to get up on his own accord, very much alive. The Herald curses after a coughing fit, "Damned bloody zealots. They better be renegades, or I'm going to have a stern talking to with Ruby when she gets back." He reaches towards his back and pulls out an unusual javelin that had been embedded in a particularly nasty wound. Instead of sharpened stone or bone as a point, it has a black reflective and jagged metal piece on its end, with a symbol of a bloody ax painted upon it.
Symbol of Magubliyet, Lawful-Evil deity of goblinoids and war
"I'm not wont to keep this thing around, but any of you are welcome to it. The wicked thing leaves a thunderous explosion where it hits, though it'll hurt you too if you're holding on when it does." The Herald then retires, leaving the enchanted weapon on the ground and climbing up the ledge to his quarters further north.

Mogar continues to the entrance hall, checking the the bell has indeed been sabotaged. "Well to do, Paladin Greytide. I doubt our professions get along, but to each their own. Priestess Tushu is procuring a weapons shipment for Mayak's city militia, though where from I'm not at liberty to say. You are not the first travelers to take refuge here, though you are the second group to seek an audience since the...yes, I'm going to call it the Doom now, saves me syllables in my old age."

"I did write the sign for the northern door, but the other two I did not. I suspect someone who knows me sought to insult my reputation and intelligence by placing dim-witted false quotations. I have not had any use for the items in either room for some time, and don't care if you take them. It was the principle of the thing, to not have people just barge into what amounts to my closet and all its skeletons, that was reasoning enough to leave the traps."

Arthur, for his part, is only mildly startled by the arrival of Mogar, but the feeling subsides. "Erith, indeed I can. But I think I'll sleep over it, if you don't mind."

When given the choice of deity champions to listen to, the themes of forgiveness and renewal seems to match the most recent events closer than beauty, and five of the six passengers flock to Davos. One, however, is fine hearing whichever, and will take Elizabeth's tale.

Ramsus

2018-01-08, 05:15 PM

Xihirli

2018-01-08, 06:25 PM

Jade’s head snapped back at the blow from the war hammer. She looked back up at Bugsy just in time to get another.
She stumbled, but she didn’t fall.
She glared up at him and spat out some blood.
”My mother’s exes hit harder,” she growled up at... one of the three Bugsies she saw.
“Huh. Time for some process of elimination.”
First stab.
“Not that one.”
Second stab.
“Nope.”
Jade faced the real Bugsy, not projected into her mind by brain damage.
“Well. Seems you’re lucky number three.”

Anoriand

2018-01-08, 08:46 PM

Kal seemed to be surrounded by affair blue flow of energy that moved almost like wind, which he had flow around him as he would slide to his side's to dodge the incoming attacks. For the most part, he had remained calm through the incoming attacks and totally centered.

Then he saw the two blows to Jade.

At that, the aura around Kal faded and he snarled, grasping at the long wooden staff he had on his back. He quickly spun it around, revealing the point at the end and the fact that it was actually a spear, as he struck out at Bugsy while also shouting to his ally.

"Hold tight, little gem!"

Whiskeyjack

2018-01-08, 09:13 PM

"So speaking of those other rooms, what are 'hematology samples' and what do they have to do with distilling liquor?" Davos asks Mogar after his reply.

He will tell the five people interested in receiving the Bright Words to set up for dinner as the renewal of the Morninglord can be associated closely to the communal taking of food, and as they do so, he will go and check what was in the chest in the room beyond the illusory floor.

Upon returning to the main room, Davos will take bread, even if it's a crusty road-bread meant more for preservation than flavor, and ceremonially break it, passing it around to everyone sitting with him; he follows with dried fruit and whatever is in the wineskins tonight. “The Doom came to this place, by method unknown,” he begins. “In the same way, the sun passes from the sky each day, and in ages past, there was worry whether it would return in the morning. This is a similar place to where we find ourselves now - literally as well as figuratively, with the sun obscured beneath dust and ash. But Lathander calls us to be brightest when the situation is at its most dim, to touch on that holy place within ourselves, that font of fortitude and determination and, yes, faith that things will get better, and also the willingness to be part of that change, not merely wait for it to happen. This place is at a crossroads, and the long war created a form of stasis. This, now, in the wake of calamity, is an opportunity for rebirth, cooperation, exchange of critical ideas and friendships, and doing whatever we can to protect what’s left and prevent what happened from happening again.”

He continues in this way - it's not exactly a scholastic type of sermon, but instead designed to uplift the people here walking into a place they knew when they set out on the trip, only to find somewhere very different waiting for them at the end of the journey.

Xihirli

2018-01-08, 09:36 PM

Jade gave Kal a bit of a wave.
"Oh yeah, I'm not dropping these swords."
Then she was rushed by the mean one.
"Good thing, too," she muttered.
A hammer swept at her. She ducked under and stuck her shortsword into Malone's gut.
"Your form needs work," she notified him.

Cap'm Bubbles

2018-01-08, 10:06 PM

After Jade's attempted 1-2 stab on Bugsy, Kal's follow-up with spear and fiery flourish will be enough to knock him flat on his back again. This time, though, Bugsy's going to be taking a bit of a nap (unconscious).

Malone tries his routine again, but this time Jade is prepared. Her riposting strike takes the opening provided by one of his missed swings, piercing his gut. He last words before falling to the ground, "I don't pay you to think, neither--"

Inuyen tries to strike at one of the bandits, but missed her shot at the greater distances than she's used to.

[Bandit 4] Charged in to help out Malone, taking his best swing at Jade while her attention was focused elsewhere, just barely landing his blow. The short sword delivers [4 damage], and he almost feels proud of himself for sticking the little punk. Until he realizes that all their heavy hitters are dead.

The scout takes two deft shots at Jade as well, hoping that knocking her out might buy [Bandit 4] an escape from his rather rash move. Both hit, dealing (5 damage) and (4 damage), respectively. She then moves further into the woods, away from the encounter that's gone south very fast.

[Bandit 2] takes a parting shot as he tries to follow suit and flee from a less tenable position, but horribly misses, leaving a crossbow bolt in Malone's corpse.

((Only the scout, Bandit 2 and bandit 4 remain. Jade has taken a total of 13 more damage. All 3 players are up. ***Scout and Bandit 2 are routing. If they are still alive after a full turn of being off-map (you can still target with ranged attacks, assume they have half-cover if they get off-map), then they will have escaped. Unless Valanthe really needs to crush all the fools in her backyard today.))

Xihirli

2018-01-08, 10:20 PM

((Okay, so by my count I'm at 12 hp. Feel free to check my math.))

Jade takes quite a few more hits than she'd really like to and turns her heavily bleeding rage toward the bandit she arbitrarily decided to call "four."
Exhausted, she raised one sword, inserted it into the bandit, and took it back out.
She then lifted the other and jabbed it at... something. She was feeling pretty dizzy.
"Hey Vay-lanth! How much blood is it healthy for a goblin to lose in... thirty seconds? Think this is a little too much?"

Illven

2018-01-08, 10:25 PM

Elizabeth does look a little hurt, but covers it up best she can.

You should come to Sune of your own accord. While I appreciate the pity, if you'd rather here of forgiveness and rebirth, I won't be offended. Elizabeth says sincerely.

Cap'm Bubbles

2018-01-08, 10:55 PM

Mogar's interest is slightly piqued from Davos' inquiry. "Ah, that one. I had a bit of a biology experiment, collecting blood samples from all sorts of creatures and testing their reactions to other organic samples and magics. The pool there is pure alcohol, it'll kill any stray bit of organic matter that falls in it...or tries to get out, in the case of some of the nastier critters. It's a bit painful for a creature of our size to fetch the supplies, but it's not lethal for us."

"There should be exactly 100 daggers in that submerged chest, all but one of them with the particular creature's blood on the blade and its name labeled on the hilt. I say exactly because, well, you never can tell with those damned mimics. The one that is not a sample was, quite frankly, an accident that I'm not interested in investigating. It'll be the pulsating red one. If you have a particular use for any of them, or if you want to test that other item, you're welcome to it."

The caravan travelers are indeed comforted, and their anxiety over the unexpected combat, and even the prospect of bandits tomorrow, has subsided. The next day will tell if the sermon will stay with them. The one that stayed for Elizabeth, however, has a reply. "I'd rather hear from all those with connections to whomever can intervene in this gods-forsaken place. I'm almost regretting coming here, but I've got to find out what's become of my brother. It's not like two sermons will hurt."

1 Pendant of Detect-Nearest-Alcohol
Other items are enchanted. You can make the arcana check to figure them out, or attune to them to find out automatically.
Scoundrel's Leather. The wearer has +2 to Deception checks.
Threshold. Once per day, for one minute, the bearer can see creatures in the Border Ethereal that overlap withtheir plane as clearly as if they were fully in the bearer's plane.Such creatures appear as apparitions or ghosts.
The Palm's Feller. This scimitar blade will glow orange like the desert sun when used against plant life, in the vein of a machete. All damage dice with this weapon are maximum when used against plants or creatures of the plant type.
Old Reliable. This sling cannot miss so long as the shot is fired within the weapon's range, even on a critical failure.
There is also a Flail, which has a strange clockwork-puzzle on the free-swinging spiked end. It is a DC 20 Investigation check to solve this puzzle (the exact mechanism of which I'm not familiar enough with to describe in detail. A failure will lock up the mechanism for the next 8 hours.
Upon solving the puzzle, the clockwork mechanism starts to spin automatically, making a buzzing sound briefly. The head of the flail becomes magnetized for the next 8 hours, gaining advantage on targets in metal armor and dealing an additional +2 damage. After these 8 hours, the flail returns to normal, but with a new puzzle. You may attempt to solve the puzzle once per long rest to repeat the effects, but it locks up until the next long rest at each failure.

Ramsus

2018-01-08, 11:12 PM

https://i.pinimg.com/564x/4e/21/dc/4e21dced0a047bcb30d0ba3a5dcafdc4.jpg
Valanthe Liadon (https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=1420417)
Half-Elven Horizon Walker
AC: 19 PP: 16 PI: 16 Initiative: +5 (A)
Concentrating on: --

"Uh... I'll work on that once we're done here." Valanthe replies, in the back of her head glad that Jade understands her own mortality at at least that basic level. As she does so, she moves over to strike the remaining bandit. She doesn't care about the ones that are fleeing, it's not like they're being paid to kill or capture these men afterall.

Moving from R23 to T24.

Bonus action to designate Bandit 4 for extra damage from Planar Warrior. (Granting an extra d8 damage and all damage becomes force for the next attack I make against them.)

Attack vs Bandit 4: [roll0]
damage: [roll1]
if crit: [roll2]

Illven

2018-01-08, 11:50 PM

Elizabeth nods.

Okay. She says kneeling down on the ground, before extending a hand to help the other man to kneeling.

The most important part of Sune. Beauty isn't skin deep. Beauty comes from the soul. Taking care of yourself, and the others around you. Even one with a humpback and a thousand scars can be the most beautiful, if they have a kind smile and loving acts. Do you understand? Elizabeth starts.

Anoriand

2018-01-09, 01:30 AM

Kal focused in on the scout before them, giving his spear a quick spin and repositioning to face the last foe he cared about. He gave a quick glance to Jade and spoke before attacking.

"Stay back, little gem. You've gotta save that blood for the dragons, after all!"

Kal then moved in to strike, giving the spear a spin and attempting to sweep at the scout with the blunt end of it to trip him up and go for a strike to end this conflict.

Cap'm Bubbles

2018-01-09, 06:18 PM

Kaliyaros' sweeping spear is enough to finally point down the up-till-now fortunate bandit. Inuyen dashes to the group, concerned that Jade has been severely injured.

The scout and last bandit dash away into the woods, unlikely to be apprehended at this pace. For now, the party has won the day. And collected a...prisoner...to boot. Depending on your intentions. Inuyen will bring her pony up to the group, should either injured person need to be carried.

Encounter Cleared
Direct Combat=600/4=150 XP Each
Environment and Mob bonus=900/3=300 XP Each
Bonus for Prisoner=50 XP Jade and Kal each
Bonus for Proper Ambush=75 XP Valanthe

Loot:
3 Short swords
1 Warhammer
3 Light crossbows
1 Heavy crossbow
26 Crossbow bolts
3 Usable arrows
Malone's set of Chain Mail
Gold--[roll0]
Silver--[roll1]

Xihirli

2018-01-09, 06:42 PM

Jade waves vaguely at Inuyen, waving her away.
”I’m fine, I’m fine. My mother always told me that if I was ever going through SEVERE internal bleeding, all I’d have to do was take a nap.”
((Jade first uses Second Wind and will then Short Rest. You two can control the loot.))

With that, Jade fell down flat on her face and began snoring.

Whiskeyjack

2018-01-09, 09:53 PM

"This is some interesting stuff," Davos observes after his sermon, laying out the items from the chest in front of him. "I could use the second set of leathers, I think. Or...hmm, is any of this enchanted? Can you tell?" He asks the elf, who probably just wants to relax at this point. Davos gives the flail a couple of test swings then inspects the mechanism and sighs. "Looks like one of those ring-puzzles, except extremely scaled up. Are you any good with puzzles, Erith?"

He ponders checking the alcohol-chest but the idea of an experiment even a filthy necromancer regrets stays his hand for the moment.

Nettlekid

2018-01-09, 09:54 PM

Erith's eyes are glazed - he is in the midst of his trance.

Anoriand

2018-01-09, 09:57 PM

Kal let out a deep breath of relaxation after the encounter that had just occurred. He wasn't worried about the two bandits that were running, because while they theoretically might be getting help, the more likely alternative with an operation this rickshod is that they just didn't want to die. He looked over at Jade, who had been hit several times, and opened in his mouth to show his own personal approval.

"You know, little gem, I'm im-"

And that was as far as he got before she faceplanted.

"-...pressed."

Kal looked back over to Val and pointed to Jade as he continued.

"Is that, uhhh... normal? Well... normal for her? Well... whatever could be considered 'normal' for her?"

He made sure to put up air quotations as he said the word normal before sitting on the ground himself, tracing his hands around him to make a sort of a circle in the dirt surrounding him before he took a deep breath and drooped his head. He then snapped up, addressing his partner as he rested.

"Don't mind me, by the way. I usually don't use up my energies like that, so while she... sleeps, I guess... I'm gonna try and restore what I used. But if you wanna speak, I'm totally listening."

With that, Kal dropped his head back down, his silver-white hair obscuring his face and features from the world, though a closer look could see his eyes glowing a sort of blue-silver as he sat.

Cap'm Bubbles

2018-01-09, 10:05 PM

Elizabeth's intent listener pauses a moment in reflection, and then nods. What you have to so will most probably give her peace of mind, and a bit to think about, before the group must venture out again in the morning.

As Mogar goes about mending the broken bell-ringing mechanism, the raven flies over to the closest pew to perch on, then stares intently at his work. When Mogar notices it, his mood sours. The look on his face betrays that he finds the Raven suspect. He flips an obscene hand gesture before returning to work, after which the bird flies back out of the tower and into the night, vanishing in the darkness of a starless sky.

By general, if not unanimous consensus, the caravan rests for the night, safely, in the entrance hall of the watchtower. Morning light peeks just a bit through the front door; the smoke and ash, or at least some of it, has dissipated. Mogar, after retiring to the upper chambers, returns to the main room before Arthur is ready to leave with all preparations. "Those of you that still wish an audience, please follow me to the upper common room. Mayak's representative has awoken from his stupor, should any of our questions pertain to such matters that he can cater to. Priestess Tushu and our fourth member should be arriving shortly, according to her most recent message. To the rest of you, goodbye, and bon chance." With that, he heads back up the stairs, the doors remaining open.

Xihirli

2018-01-09, 10:17 PM

After an hour, Jade leapt to her feet mid-snore.
”All better.” she then looked around at the various weapons and gathered them together, tying them in a bundle with a rope.
”Nothing to make arrow and hammer wounds go away like a light nap! So, uh.. I forgot what we were doing because I was hit in the head with a hammer. We’re we helping somebody and... oh! This guy!” Jade pointed at Bugsy.
”I wanted to talk to him.” She shook the heavily bleeding man to wake him up.
“Good moooooorning!”

Whiskeyjack

2018-01-09, 10:18 PM

Noting that Erith is in the full-elf version of sleep, Davos decides to wait on having him look at the puzzle until the morning and bundles the items up for travel, regardless.

Davos is up early to greet the dawn in a set of ritual prayers, and is ready to lead any of the other members of the caravan who were interested enough in Lathander to wake up with the dawn as well. "Arthur, would you be willing to wait for us to have a quick chat with Mogar?" he asks. "Never know, there might be some bandits about who had all night to prepare an ambush," he adds. "Plus, we really enjoy the pleasure of your company so far and would hate to cut it short."

Regardless of the rest of the caravan moving on or not, Davos will head upstairs (presumably with the other two adventurers). As a citizen of the Huertegon Circle he wants to hear what's going on from the horses' mouth when Tushu returns, and also to hear from the Mayak representative, who at least probably won't be trying to push Imalian propaganda on them, unlike Mogar.

Nettlekid

2018-01-09, 10:21 PM

Having opted to trance early Erith has been awake since the wee hours of the morning and using all his willpower not to interrupt Mogar through the night as the elderly Orc presumably sleeps. At the end of the promised eight hours when Mogar returns Erith wastes no time following him through the corridors and up to the octagonal room he had briefly stepped into the night before. He'll take a quick moment to read out the other labels on top of the doors, the ones that had been hidden to his owl's vision the night before.

Once everyone has settled in Erith will bid good morning to Mogar and the Gnome, briefly repeating his family and allegiance for the Gnome's sake.
"I am curious of a few things," he continues, "You introduced yourself to us as envoy of the Imalian Empire, and remarked that you were a licensed and sanctioned necromancer. I am unfamiliar by and large with the state of affairs across Sijeka as of late, so I think my first question is: Who currently holds power and authority in the region following 'the Doom' that an envoy of the empire recognizes and respects? More generally I'm curious as to what business you all conducted within this tower before 'the Doom,' and what is occupying your time now? And finally, on a personal note, I was wondering if you could take a look at this. Have you seen anything like it before? I have next to no information about it."
At that Erith withdraws his gilded tome, opens it to a page codifying Magic Missile, and offers it to Mogar to examine.

Ramsus

2018-01-09, 11:11 PM

https://i.pinimg.com/564x/4e/21/dc/4e21dced0a047bcb30d0ba3a5dcafdc4.jpg
Valanthe Liadon (https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=1420417)
Half-Elven Horizon Walker
AC: 19 PP: 16 PI: 16 Initiative: +5 (A)
Concentrating on: --

--Before the rest---
"I have absolutely no idea. Nice to know you can all handle yourselves in a fight though." Valanthe replies. "You too kid." she says to Inuyen.

"Uh sure Jade.... Just in case, have a few of these." Valanthe says and seems to reach her hand through the air to somewhere else and pulls it back out with a handful of berries.

Valanthe casts Goodberry. There are ten, they heal 1 hp each. I'm assuming Jade takes just the three she needs.

Illven

2018-01-09, 11:28 PM

Officially sanctioned necromancers. It's disgusting. Elizabeth comments, having come back from beginning to draw a bath for herself, and then any who wished one after.

Xihirli

2018-01-10, 12:01 AM

"Uh sure Jade.... Just in case, have a few of these." Valanthe says and seems to reach her hand through the air to somewhere else and pulls it back out with a handful of berries.

((Actually, unless Valanthe stops her Jade's going to grab 4.))
"Thanks! These are just what I need." Jade tossed three of the berries into her mouth, then looked down at her stomach.
"Wow, I'm full. Anyhow..."
Jade stuck the last berry into Bugsy's mouth.
"Here buddy. Wakey wakey."

Cap'm Bubbles

2018-01-10, 01:00 PM

Ramsus

2018-01-10, 01:26 PM

Xihirli

2018-01-10, 01:44 PM

***Two Posts***
Swallowing the berry that Jade administers, Bugsy begins to stir. His eyes are half lidded as he yawns, similar to waking from a long-night's rest. Stretching his arms upwards before sitting up (but not standing), he chews on the inside of his cheek for a bit before declaring "Mornin'!" Turning his head to look around him, he continues. "Seems you gave Malone a real stern talking-too while I was napping. And Lenny, too. Am I's in trouble too? Cus' I'm used to community servicin' and what not if I is."

"I was once part of a gang as well," Jade informed the bandit.
"And I want you to know that you don't have to attack innocent people just to have friends. If your friends make you do bad things, you have bad friends. Now I want you to go off to the next town and take up a real job. You can be a bodyguard or something, I'm sure. I believe in you... you," Jade told Bugsy.
"Now go, and bandit no more." Jade pointed in a random direction.

Cap'm Bubbles

2018-01-10, 02:12 PM

***Two Posts***
Arthur will of course wait for his paying customers. It's not like he wants to walk into an ambush with half his armed personnel after last night. It is Davos' passing compliment that keeps his general reply from being curt or dismissive.

Those who choose to head upstairs for the audience with Mogar are also greeted by a sober gnome, rather sprightly in mannerisms and just a bit off in demeanor. "Allo, traveling citizens. I am Nikel-Haz, the city's representative member for our organization. I suspect that, whatever my grumpy associate's impression given to you last night, you might find someone else more trustworthy in the absence of your preferred, esteemed envoy. With that in mind, I'll try to answer your general questions."

Now in the middle of the room, outside of the teleportation circle, the two door signs that were previously off-angle can now be seen.
Mogar, son of Hurok, Exile of clan Grandaxe, Envoy of the Imalian Empire
Arisaka Ruby, Esq. Envoy of the Southern Legion

"Now, as none of you are the typical visitors we get, I presume we'll need to fill you in just a little bit. About one year into the war for the region, some of the leaders of the factions expressed concerns over a potential magical-arms race, especially if any one of the parties involved happen to find something too potent among the various ruins. Several artifacts are already part of local lore for their power, to say nothing of what hasn't been discovered or remembered by our cultures."

"To prevent things from getting out of hand, each of the factions agreed to create a separate group of individuals to oversee any particularly unusual magical developments or discoveries. We have permission to seek out any anomalies in any of the three factions, as well as the neutral city of Mayak, with the condition that each member have access to all findings of the other. We have since been called The Sages, though this small gesture of cooperation was never made public knowledge. We collectively provide information and miscellaneous services to the citizens of the region that have been informed, mostly government officials. It's just the four of us though, plus our guards; each faction has one member in the group, and I, as a Mayak local, represent the bastion city. "

"As to your questions, Erithacus: There hasn't been a unified authority in the region in anyone's lifetime. Each of the factions has sufficient resources and territory to enforce their own authority over their respective lands. Mayak is sufficiently fortified with its natural barriers, economic boons, and military-reservist population to deter the three from trying to take it, in addition to its status as a neutral outside market. All the factions have agreed to our authority as an extra-governmental entity with authority to act counter to their wishes."

Mogar interjects, "As the watchtower has historical belonged to Mayak, despite its distance, it is still within its jurisdiction and laws. The mayor is a bit...well, open-minded isn't right half the time to describe him...and has been more permitting of the taboo magics. Provided, of course, that everything is run by him first. Hence, my paperwork for the zombie guards."

Nikiel-Haz continues, "Right, nasty buggars they are, but we don't have to pay them. 'The Doom' as you say, is one of those anomalies we investigated. I...don't think I'm at liberty to disclose our findings to the average citizen...but, we could for those doing work on our behalf in the future, if any of you are interested. I presume Tushu would make a better case for that washed-up magically incompetent has-been, and myself--" Nikel-Haz earns a punch to the head from Mogar for that last jab.

"Now about this personal proper--" he stops short, staring at the guilded cover of the book, as-yet-unopened. There is a noise in room 7 (the artifact reserve and armory). "Would you excuse me for a moment, I think the rest of our group has arrived?" Regardless, he heads over and past the door, gone for about a minute while Mogar deals with any responses.

Nettlekid

2018-01-10, 02:29 PM

Erith listens intently and absorbs the information Nikel-Haz relates. As the Gnome walks away to the other room, Erith puts his questions to Mogar.
"I'm quite curious about all this, and the cooperation between you all here. My mind has never been one for conventional politics, so I don't entirely understand the rationale your respective governments had in constructing an organization like yours. I mean...they're at war, right? A war they want to win. If one side finds something powerful and ancient and arcane, potent enough to win the war, why would they not use it? Not that I encourage or even condone that line of thinking, it just seems like one that at least one of three government leaders would have had. Sending troops to die in battle but refusing to use a trump card because it's 'unfair,' let alone showing and sharing their discoveries with their enemies, doesn't seem like the attitude of most political leaders I know.

And that gets me to my second question, which is: If you Sages have been here keeping record of magical phenomena and anything that could be potentially cataclysmic in scope, shouldn't you all have been the most informed about whatever caused this recent cataclysm? I was somewhat assuming that one faction had discovered a superweapon that had gone awry, but unless you Sages haven't been receiving the whole story from the field then circumstances make it sound like some wild card rather than any kind of act of aggression."

Illven

2018-01-10, 08:16 PM

Elizabeth nods. Yeah, like whatever the causes of the war, I would think that creating an independent consul means they're like....
treating it as a game? Like is war a sport to these nobles? Elizabeth started getting more annoyed.

And like... Do they really trust the other nations enough for them to share all their magical findings. Like If I was at war for the sake of my country, I'd be keeping some secrets in my back pocket. She comments.

Cap'm Bubbles

2018-01-10, 11:25 PM

Mogar can't help but grin at the questioned rational. "I think you'll find that you've hinted at the answer to your first question in your second. One 'superweapon gone awry', as you say, has caused so many casualties in the entire Imalian population, not to mention the loss to material and resources, that I doubt there's enough left of it to operate at all. Other than a literal few handfuls of refugees fleeing the outermost towns, the only organized remnant of the Imalians is their navy. What is worse, I fear, is that nothing else has survived for quite some distance outside the blast radius. No trees, birds, wildlife. Nearly a hundred miles in any direction from the capital is nothing but ashes and bleached rock....And there is a sickness there for those that return, the likes of which none of us are familiar. It is...hard to describe."

If a necromancer could sound like he had a conscience, then this might be close. "The only leaders that would call the use of such a weapon 'victory' are not interested in money, power, resources. Just extermination. It is fortunate that that incident was not a weapon per se, and that the few commanders that would be willing to use them are far from the top of the hierarchy in any of the factions."

"It's not a matter of trust. Nor is it about winning. It's about survival after the war, so that victory is something worthwhile. The scars of magics gone too far were in the minds of our leaders before this war began; Epithet's Blight is still remembered, if you find yourself exploring the southwest. We've been at a stalemate for ten years. I know for a fact that some of the generals do think it's a game; with enough money in reserve to buy themselves out of death itself, who can blame them?"

"We were selected, partly for our loyalty, but also out of our commitment to such a cause. The governments do not generally share with us; we simply show up anyway, and consult ourselves. Should a potential crisis emerge, we convene and act. It is unfortunate that stupidity is faster than our ability to react."

Returning through door 7, Nikel-Haz (henceforth Nik for short) appears, along with one high elf woman in ordained robes nursing an injured arm, and one dark-haired humanwoman, spiked magical staff in hand, covered in blood that is most likely not her own. It is priestess Tushu that smiles at the sight of you before wincing in pain. Nik applies a restoration spell, which allows Tushu to stand at her full height as she addresses you warmly. "It is good to see citizens of the circle take a more proactive interest in current events. I hope these two haven't been too obtuse; if they continue to beat around the bush, I will be happy to answer your questions privately."

Nettlekid

2018-01-10, 11:54 PM

"You say that the cause of the incident was not a weapon...So you know what caused it?" Erith asks Mogar, shortly before Nik returns. Erith gives a deep nod, almost but not quite a bow, as the newcomers join the conversation.
"Not at all, your mutual hospitality has been beyond reproach. My name is Erithacus of the Goodfellow family, a small name in the trade of hunters and trappers. I must admit my interest in the events in this part of the world are not motivated so much by solidarity with my people and peers, but predominantly by my own curiosities as a student of arcana. Speaking of which, I had just asked your associate about this book. Are you familiar with this specific codification? It's spells, but represented with an...unorthodox portrayal. See, this one's Magic Missile. This here...this one is Disguise Self. If you know what it's meant to be then it's easy to understand, but it's not easy to figure out how it goes together starting from a blank slate."
He holds up his book and flips through the pages, making it visible to the casters in the room. As he does so his eyes alight on the other woman, the Human accompanying Tushu.
"Are you the fourth Sage, of the Southern Legion? A true pleasure to make your acquaintance, and I say that with no exaggeration. Apologies for my many curiosities, but how many people work within your organization? I had assumed it was only four of you, one representative from each of the nations and from Mayak. Who then was that Storm Herald who seemed familiar with you all?"

Whiskeyjack

2018-01-11, 10:03 AM

"The Sages organization here is certainly curious, but it bears a certain rationale, especially from the Circle standpoint. To my knowledge neither the Circle nor the Legion have ever been so interested in using ancient magic to have it risk the continued existence of the entire region just for the sake of winning. In fact that's almost contrary to the central Circle ethos itself." He pointedly does not include the Imalian Empire in that tally. "Which is not to say they wouldn't use something that acted as an dragon in the hand, just that I think they would not find such use to be beneficial to long-term goals, or simply for the sake of knowing what it did." Again, he omits the Imalians.

"I do appreciate the reference to Epithet's Blight though and it is good that preventing such a recurrence was in the minds of all the Great Powers here when the most recent war broke out. So, there was an annihilation within a large are, and a remaining effect, like a poison, within the bounds there, on top of all the fallout from the loss of major population centers and food-producing regions, I wager, not to mention the roads, and whatever new weather phenomena or elementals have spawned as a result. If not worse, if the explosion was a crack in the plane's reality itself or something."

As Tushu returns, Davos gives what might be a bit of a Huertegon citizen's salute or the equivalence of how you might genuflect to a respected priest or druid of the Circle. "Well-met, Priestess Tushu. And are you Barrister Ruby?" he inclines his head to the woman with the spiked staff. "I am Davos Greytide, Paladin of Lathander. Despite the awful tragedy, the teachings of the Morninglord shows that not all hope is lost. The worst wildfires make the most fertile ash for the next generation of seeds, after all."

He offers a bit of an apologetic smile. "I'm sure that such preaching is not the most welcome or the most useful for this group right now, even if it soothes the common man away from despair and toward a work hopeful for the future. I merely hope that the Doom has at least given a good cause to set aside most of the old enmities and disputes, at least for a time, and if not in the interests of charity then at least the avoidance of ongoing mutually-assured destruction. However," Davos winces, "the scene we found below indicates it probably does not, at least not completely. And your wounds tell a similar story."

Illven

2018-01-11, 02:49 PM

You make a good point. Elizabeth remarks.

So who's monumental failure was it that prompted this cataclysm? Elizabeth asked plainly. And people become sick if in the area. Is this disease curable by magic? She prompts touching her holy symbol reflexively.

Cap'm Bubbles

2018-01-11, 03:36 PM

***Two Posts***
Bugsy ponders Jade's command for a little bit while she randomly points [South]. He shrugs, and starts on his way. "Okies. maybe I could be a guard or something. Yeah, I like that idea. To serve and protect. To serve and protect...." As he gets a little further away, but still in earshot as he repeats this mantra, it changes a bit. "To swerve and defect. To suave and perfect. Two curds and a net. Too wordy for Bret. Tuna fish and halibut...Ah, something with a pink elephant..."

Presuming that that was the last your party wanted to do with Bugsy on this day, the journey until dusk is relatively uneventful. From your travel time and the start of your journey this day, Valanthe would know that her homestead is about 4 hours still further out, near the edge of the light woods. You can make camp here for the night, or travel to Valanthe's home and expect to arrive at midnight. At the present, the sun has set behind the western mountains; although the stars can be seen, the moon is but a small crescent, providing very little light the foliage. Inuyen is taking it all in stride, regardless of your choices. "Can I keep the next minion instead of letting him go? I promise I'll pay him and feed him. Dad says its a good idea to get people to follow you and fight by your side, especially reformed criminals."

Cap'm Bubbles

2018-01-11, 04:31 PM

Ruby raises a blood-stained eyebrow at Davos, clearly not expecting anyone to reference her old job, or offer another deity's ideals. "Well met to each of you, and indeed I am, though I must say my heart and soul belong to another. Tushu's injuries weren't cause by any of these factions, and I suppose mine were just for the hell of it. Though it sounds like a Legion party, or deserters, caused quite a commotion downstairs. The Storm Herald down below, Benjamin, is our chief of security; he does not deal in our affairs, but keeps that part of the premises secure from random attacks like that. He is the only current employees of ours, though we do have the funds and means to bring on more people while we now have to deal with other matters. It is fortunate he was slain before you arrived, or we we might be bothering with a resurrection spell right now instead." Her tone on 'bothering' suggests a disdain for resurrection, not something against you three.

Mogar responds to the speculations and inferences on 'the doom,' "I know who was responsible, I know what was used, but I do not know precisely why the results occurred that did. Some of the rumors are indeed true, though. Icarnum, the arch mage of the Imalian Empire and an old associate of mine, in his pursuits of magical curiosity and dwarven disposition to dig, dug deep enough to unearth something lost to the ages: the Star of Cocytus."

"I caught wind of his discovery, as did the Imalian leadership, and I had to see for myself to confirm this. Upon finding that he did indeed have such a relic, and that he was going to demonstrate it in front of the ruling council, I tried to persuade him against using it. Failing that, I returned to the tower to gather our group as fast as possible. By then, though, it was too late. The last thing I heard before 'the doom' was his final words in Sending: 'The Star is alive. So is some nasty green thing we unearthed. The Star said to go to its kin. I shall.' Where exactly he opened a portal to, I'm not certain, but it sounded like he was literally opening a portal to a star in the sky; I would have thought to try the astral plane first."

Tushu finishes, "As for the disease over the land--and I must say, it has been affecting nearly all of the continent, though to a lesser degree beyond the blast and to no degree on the proximity from here to Mayak--it is complicated. Were it a plague or some simple illness, we could indeed cure it with simple magics. As it appears now though, what lies over Sijeka now is a cause of illness, and several of them at that, most of which we only find in the elderly. It can be cured, but it is often multiple diseases at once, and requires multiple treatments. Fortunately, hardier people are able to stave off the effects for some time, and although a fair number are dying, very few are dead over this. I pray for some intervention against this, by it is also our duty to try and find a permanent cure for the region. I expect young and hardy adventurers such as you will be fine."

At the showcase of the book, Tushu's interest is further captured. Gesturing to allow her to peruse it briefly, she silently marvels at it while flipping through the pages, making a point to examine the one for Magic Missile. "I must say, whomever wrote this had curious way to explain magics to anyone learning from it. The artistry seems reminiscent of the Fey's style, but there it seems to focus equally on codification and education, which I find uncharacteristic of them. There may be some further implications here of what some spells are actually doing, rather than our preconceived notions, but I feel I'd need a great deal of time to study this to be sure. It would probably be best in your hand. I--hold on, what's this?"

Tushu finds that, as she turns to the page after magic missile, another page splits from the first, revealing two new sides, and one new spell. "It seems this book has more secrets than I might have thought. And a little bit of humor, too; these new pages' index are 123+1/3 and 123+2/3; does your book make new pages normally?" She hands the tome back. The artistry on the new page depicts a pixie dancing with candy in the background of a swamp.

Xihirli

2018-01-11, 04:49 PM

Ramsus

2018-01-11, 05:20 PM

Whiskeyjack

2018-01-11, 05:47 PM

"So it really was the Star, huh?" Davos muses. "Sorry, just---that's one of the big rumors that's been floating around already, even places far beyond here. I know I had heard that it was at least found on one of the stops I made on the way in to the subcontinent. The other was something like those cards Richard-of-Many-Epithets was known for. Though..." he frowns. "What exactly was he trying to demonstrate with it? Do you know that? Also I'm frankly shocked that the Legion and Circle would just...sit by if rumors of that thing were spreading. If I heard of it out there, certainly people here had heard similar things even before your wizard friend decided to poke at the ancient relic in the same room as your heads of government..."

Nettlekid

2018-01-11, 05:52 PM

"So what destroyed the land was...the outburst of energy pouring through a portal, directly to the heart of a star? Surely Icarnum was destroyed in the process, standing at the point of influx - I can't imagine he would have been able to actually cross the threshold of that portal. Would the Star of Cocytus have been as well, or is an artifact like that immune to the harm of simple energy? I imagine its whereabouts are currently unknown, if it wasn't just sitting in a pile of debris at the center of the cataclysm."

He brings his attention back to Tushu and his book.
"I believe it does - I have counted the pages a hundred times and returned a hundred different numbers. Finding the right page is more a matter of instinct than counting out. And it was Feylike in nature, you said? I have heard fanciful stories of Fey but not much else. I suspected them perhaps to be entirely creatures of myth, save for how uniform the legends are across different regions."
A small smile finds its way across his face.
"I appreciate your decision, priestess; this book is a family heirloom and by all account my birthright, and I do hope not to part with it until I pass it on to my child. But I can think of none better than yourselves of this circle of Sages to decipher this book's meaning, means, and origin. And I imagine it would be of value to you all as well. What an impasse we find ourselves at, unless...As Miss Ruby remarked only a moment ago - er, is it Miss, Missus? - your organization is poised to expand and able to do so. I and a few other wayward souls find ourselves with grand aspirations but little direction. I think there is a mutually beneficial arrangement we could come to. Please allow us to join your organization. Not as Sages, perhaps Acolytes? I know that the three of us here each possesses at least a modicum of magical skill and knowledge necessary to function within this operation. Our first destination is Mayak - if there is legwork you need done or messages you need delivered then we may save you the journey. We can even speak with the mayor in Mayak if we need his approval. And in the meanwhile we can return to report our results and I can give you more time to look over my book. What say you, Sages? Is this something we can make happen?"

Illven

2018-01-11, 06:09 PM

I believe this was preordained by Sune. Elizabeth adds serenely.

Xihirli

2018-01-11, 11:04 PM

https://i.pinimg.com/564x/4e/21/dc/4e21dced0a047bcb30d0ba3a5dcafdc4.jpg
Valanthe Liadon (https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=1420417)
Half-Elven Horizon Walker
AC: 19 PP: 16 PI: 16 Initiative: +5 (A)
Concentrating on: --

Valanthe gives Inuyen a face and answers, "I dunno about that kiddo. Having a bunch of toughs follow your lead is great in a town or a battlefield. Not so good when you want to do your own thing, especially if that involves going unnoticed. And people tend to want a fair share of the rewards, even when they didn't earn it."

At Jade's question she replies, "Assuming they're still there, yes. But not tonight. Let's set camp somewhere not next to these corpses and arrive early in the day, instead of having to wake them in the middle of the night to see a goblin."

"They would be upset if they couldn't see me in full light at our first meeting. My features look best in the midday." Jade unloaded her belongings and set about making a fire, gathering any wood nearby and lighting it with a torch applied to some tinder.
"Well, I just had a nap so I'll take first watch," Jade offered, taking out her crossbow and loading it.
"And don't worry - I'm a very focused, intently single-minded goblin," Jade promised, in her mind wondering if she'd spot a dragon on watch and be able to attack it.

Ramsus

2018-01-12, 02:21 AM

https://i.pinimg.com/564x/4e/21/dc/4e21dced0a047bcb30d0ba3a5dcafdc4.jpg
Valanthe Liadon (https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=1420417)
Half-Elven Horizon Walker
AC: 19 PP: 16 PI: 16 Initiative: +5 (A)
Concentrating on: --

Valanthe shrugs. She has no idea if Jade will be a good lookout or not, but they don't have enough people to do all watches in pairs so she'll have to trust Jade to do it eventually, no reason not to start now.

Valanthe makes sure to select a camp site that isn't going to be in immediate danger from the forces she can detect.
((Valanthe uses Primeval Awareness, which picks up any Monstrosities within 5 miles. She also uses Detect Portal which has a 1 mile range.))
When she's satisfied they're in a safe enough location she begins making camp.

She looks to Inuyen and suggests, "Why don't you take last watch with me? I can show you things to look out for."
She thought about suggesting they take second watch, but this is Inuyen's first day out and maybe her first real fight. She's probably exhausted and could use uninterrupted sleep.

Cap'm Bubbles

2018-01-12, 01:53 PM

Mogar sees fit to clarify the timing issue. "I did not catch wind of the discover of the Star by rumors, but by coincidental proactive investigation. The rumors that have spread beyond Sijeka were started after the cataclysm, not before. Frankly there wasn't more than two days' time between discovery and doom."

Tushu and Nik both seems happy that hired help is being offered. Nik holds up one finger to indicated the group should wait, before he dashes into the Alchemy and Herbology room, returning less than ten seconds later with a stopped flask of reddish-brown organic matter. "I think we can come to an arrangement of sorts, certainly. And we could definitely use the help if things escalate from what we're seeing now. But lets start small and easy. These two ran into some trouble on their last venture, and brought back a sample of some of the wildlife in this flask. If you could deliver this to my sister in town, and return to us with her findings--however strange they are--we'll pay 100 gold each, and then we'll talk more dangerous employment. Her name is Zori, she's the local alchemist, and any local should be able to point in the general direction of her shop while instinctively ducking. I expect it may take her some time, so would a week be enough for you to take care of any other affairs, or other employment on the side? What say you, lads and madam?"

Though the group has generally been forthright in answering your questions, they have pointedly not addressed what became of the Star. Their body language upon both inquiries suggest that they aren't going to dispense that information just yet to people who are still strangers without authority.

Nettlekid

2018-01-12, 01:58 PM

"I am all about it." Erith replies emphatically, taking the flask and stowing it in his bag. "I think that's everything and more that I wanted from this conversation, and if we're coming back then there will be plenty of time to get to know each other in future. We probably don't want to keep Arthur waiting too much longer."

Illven

2018-01-12, 03:40 PM

Why would the locals duck... Is she a careless alchemist or something? Elizabeth asks figuring she should find out as soon as possible.

Anoriand

2018-01-12, 08:14 PM

Kal cracked his knuckles as he stood up, stretching a bit as he took in the conversation and goings on. He looked over at Jade as she mentioned him, mumbling a bit.

"I mean, technically I punched them in other places..."

He decided not to push the issue, and watched as Bugsy left, shrugging a bit.

__________________________________________________ __________________

Kal stood around as the party deliberated, scratching the back of his neck before he spoke.

"I guess that leaves me with middle watch. Which just leaves one important thing to say."

He then looks over at Jade as he begins to use his foot to clear away any rocks and debris in the area under him to get it clear for his bedroll.

"Little gem, it's your job to wake me up. No shouting to do that. I know you wanna find a dragon, but lets not find it while we sleep. Deal?" He began to unroll his bedroll on the ground, then began using his finger to draw a symbol in the dirt next to his bedroll.

Whiskeyjack

2018-01-12, 08:30 PM

"I agree with Erith. I'm all for it. If you don't mind my asking though - where were you when you got this sample, and what happened to cause all the blood?"

Cap'm Bubbles

2018-01-12, 09:36 PM

Nik arches an eyebrow, smiles, and shakes his head. "Careless? Oh, no. Easily excited, yes. But not careless. If something explodes or goes flying, she usually intends for that to happen. Her stock of health potions for on-the-spot healing is one of the city's most supported charities. Adieu!"

Ruby chimes in as you part ways, "Problems arose, ensued, and were overcome in bloody old fashioned violence. You'll find out where if you choose to pursue further assisting us."

With that, presumably your business at the tower is adjourned. As the three of you join up with Arthur, his caravan and his cart, the sun clears the mountainous horizon. A bright sunny day awaits you while the tower behind looks far less forbidding than it once might have.

The last leg of the trip to Overhill's Bridge is just outside the woods, in slightly hilly countryside just before the river. All is well and calm until you spot one grizzled man standing on side of the bridge, that you will cross first, while the caravan is roughly 100 feet away.

Night Encampment 1 (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1r1-ex_DFDS8ZlXHZAoW-P87CgZo5NgmZucne0lavvTQ/edit?usp=sharing)

Night falls, and three of the four party members rest at first watch. It is Jade that maintains an ever vigilant--Squirrel!--watch. Its is about two hours into her shift that the first native fauna of the land is spotted: a small brown squirrel wanders closer to the center of camp, curious about your food stores. Suddenly, it perks up its head, looks up, and bolts as fast as it can to climb the nearest tree. A second later, Jade hears the flapping of a pair of wings in the air. Looking up, the silhouette of a small (read,"medium" creature size category) dragon circles overhead, nearly 100 feet, but does not descend.

What Jade fails to notice, however, is something more immediately aggressive. A piercing screech, one that Valanthe knows all to well, nearly explodes in Jade's eardrums, causing her (5 damage) as she does quite well in resisting the pain. The sound is enough to wake the whole party, but not before a screecher pounces at Jade from the opposite side of the noise, surprising her with a nasty blow for (11 damage).

((Combat has begun. The two screechers, but not the dragon, stealthed past Jade's perception and got a surprise round. Though the party is prone minus Jade, you all should be close enough to approach melee range and strike on your turn. Currently there are two screechers, gnarled wolf-like animals with deformed snouts and an horrible audible attack. The screechers and the dragon both rolled net-higher average than your party, and go first.)

Taking advantage of their timing and sudden attack, both of the beasts screech again at Jade. Valanthe would know the tactics of these animals is to isolate individuals they deem weaker or easier, then disorient them with near-deafening noise while tearing them apart with claws. Fortunately, her little goblin friend seems to have developed a peculiar resistance to obnoxious noise over the years as she withstands two more harsh wails, dealing (4 and 4 Damage, respectively).

The dragon above, for its part, seems to fly a bit more evasively, curiously surveying the scene below.

((All three players are up. Jade has taken a total of 24 Damage from lots of screaming and a mean not-cat pounce. I'd prefer theater of the mind for this particular combat, as a map shouldn't be necessary. I assume everybody is with 15-20 feet of Jade in order to jump to the rescue.))