Chult Hex Crawl - IC

[Pyrophilios]

"I'll fly up and lower a rope for you - just be careful, the walkway up there isn't in good repair."

The Red Horns offered

[Volthawk]

Draelin nods as he hears Nolwenn's report. "If it's occupied, and it's probably some kind of mage living there...we should just knock. A ship isn't exactly subtle, so if they've been paying any attention to the world outside the tower they'll know we're here, and wizardly types...tend to leave nasty surprises for unexpected guests. And if there's no answer..." He shrugs a little, a little grin on his face. "There's no harm in a peek to make sure everything's fine with them, right?"

[Dr.Samurai]

Ondros Loxodon Rune Knight Fighter AC: 18 HP: 64/64 PPer: 12 PInv: 10 PIns: 20 Second Wind: 1/1 | Action Surge: 1/1 Frost Rune: 1/1 | Stone Rune: 1/1 Giant's Might: 3/3 Traits: Darkvision 120ft Conditions: -- Nolwenn almost drowned just taking a peek and we are still intent on investigating this tower hmm? Ondros shakes his head but says, Well I can't stand around and be useless at my first opportunity to lend a hand on this mission so, he looks to the captain, is there a plank we can lay against the roof of the tower to get across?

[The Hellbug]

"First of all, I didn't almost drown. I was mostly totally safe the entire time," Nolwenn announces, "I wisely retreated before that would be a problem. If I need to test the depths again, there are some precautions I'd like to take is all. Secondly..."

The wizard turns to Draelin and continues with no less pique than she had shared with the Ondros. "That's an unfair generalization," she says, "wizards are no more or less protective of their things than anyone else, they merely have different means to protect them than walls and soldiers and what have you. As the only wizard that I know you know, am I either miserly, cruel, vindictive, or otherwise the 'leave lethal magic protecting my home' type?"

Nolwenn only lets her plea sit for a moment before though, as she remembers something else. "I suppose we met Wakanga together, too," she adds with a wince, quickly realizing that she's going to appear the apologist, "who I admit probably checked off one of those qualities, but he was much kinder when I met him alone. Oh and Valindra, she definitely felt like that kind of a person...but we don't know for sure that she's a wizard! Okay, and there was also a suspiciously humanoid-sized cage in this tower's lab now that I think of it..."

There's a moment of silence.

"Red, here, this might be helpful," Nolwenn finally says, not-so-subtly trying to change the subject. She reaches into her bag and tosses the tiefling the recently-made-visible immovable rod.

[Dr.Samurai]

Ondros Loxodon Rune Knight Fighter AC: 18 HP: 64/64 PPer: 12 PInv: 10 PIns: 20 Second Wind: 1/1 | Action Surge: 1/1 Frost Rune: 1/1 | Stone Rune: 1/1 Giant's Might: 3/3 Traits: Darkvision 120ft Conditions: -- Ondros waits around awkwardly after Nolwenn's outburst. Well, looks like we're close enough, he says abruptly as the captain maneuvers the ship to the tower. He climbs across onto the roof of the tower and waits for the others to join him before finally knocking on the door.

[Pyrophilios]

The Red Horns had taken the Immovable Rod and placed it in such a way that fixing the rope on it would allow easy climbing onto the walkway.

When Ondros was in position, he kept behind him, flying in place to lessen the weight on the dilapidated walkway.

"If no one reacts, I'll let my construct try to open the door."

[agignac]

The door is a heavy wooden door, unadorned. The hinges aren't visible, suggesting the door opens inwards. There is a door handle, but no visible lock. Nobody answers your polite knock.

After waiting a reasonable amount of time, Red gets his construct to try the door. It opens easily, the door was not locked.

[Dr.Samurai]

Ondros Loxodon Rune Knight Fighter AC: 18 HP: 64/64 PPer: 12 PInv: 10 PIns: 20 Second Wind: 1/1 | Action Surge: 1/1 Frost Rune: 1/1 | Stone Rune: 1/1 Giant's Might: 3/3 Traits: Darkvision 120ft Conditions: -- Ondros calls into the room, Hello? We are here to help! He waits a moment for a response. If there is no response, he enters into the room.

[Pyrophilios]

The Red Horns and his construct followed directly behind Ondros, stepping lightly and keeping an eye open for traps.

Spoiler

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Investigation check

(1d20+8)[15]+(1d4)[4] (Guidance)

[agignac]

You enter a dark room, the only light spilling in from the open door. The room is dominated by a telescope, pointed up at the peaked roof. A table holds a strange, complicated contraption made up of various metallic spheres connected by gears and wires.

A gleaming pole runs from the ceiling to the floor. Red's investigations show that there is a trap door surrounding the pole, which slides open when a spot on the floor is tapped with ones foot. Once open, the trap door reveals that the pole seems to connect the top of the tower with the bottom - there are holes in the floor all the way down.

Peering down through the hole, you can see the bedroom below, which looks deserted.

[The Hellbug]

There's a lot to investigate, but when Nolwenn follows her allies into what turns out to be an observatory, there's something she has to do first. "Maybe they didn't hear us knock," she pre-explains as she peers down the hole into the bedroom below. She cups her hands around her mouth like a bullhorn and announces loudly: "hello, is anyone here?"

"Sounds like no one's home," the wizard announces when there's no response, "very, very strange." Her attention then passes to the unfamiliar orrery, which she taps with her finger to test if it moves, and thence to the telescope and, perhaps more importantly, where it's pointing. She doubts it'll be possible to see anything during the day, but if the lower levels turn up nothing about this tower's purpose or owner, it may provide a clue if they're willing to wait for nightfall.

[Dr.Samurai]

Ondros Loxodon Rune Knight Fighter AC: 18 HP: 64/64 PPer: 12 PInv: 10 PIns: 20 Second Wind: 1/1 | Action Surge: 1/1 Frost Rune: 1/1 | Stone Rune: 1/1 Giant's Might: 3/3 Traits: Darkvision 120ft Conditions: -- Ondros tests the pole's stability, then looks down into the room below, Pretty harrowing if we get down there and this place starts to flood, he says, to no one in particular. He shrugs, this was not exactly the adventure he had in mind, and slides down the pole into the bedroom.

[agignac]

Ondros slides easily down the pole. He slows down automagically as he approaches the bedroom floor, and his feet find their way to the edge of the floor without him needing to guide them.

The bedroom is beautiful - richly appointed with fine fabrics, exquisitely carved furniture, and tasteful art on the walls. The art is mostly landscapes showing flower-filled meadows with snowy mountains in the background. There are a few portraits of smiling families and children, all with green-tinged skin, violently curly hair, and tiny, flat ears.

The furniture includes a bed, a wardrobe, a trunk at the end of the bed, a nightstand, and a writing desk and chair. The bed is neatly made and nothing seems disturbed.

Upstairs, Nolwenn can't guess where the telescope would be pointed, as it seems to be pointed straight at the ceiling. The orrery does move; her light tap sets delicate gears in motion, and a few of the orbs move a few degrees before it stills again.

[Pyrophilios]

"I'd suggest not touching anything until we made sure this place is empty." The last word hadn't escaped his mouth when he heard the clicking of the planetarium.

The Red Horns shook his head and followed Ondros down. "If it floods, we'll have to be quick about not freezing. I usually use Prestidigitation to warm up my clothes in cold weather. I think I can do the same for your armor. Then you'd only need to snorkle your way up fast enough."

He took a look around long enough to make sure, that no-one was hiding there, carefully not searching the belongings, before moving onward and downward.

Spoiler

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Investigation + Guidance

(1d20+8)[15]+(1d4)[2]

[agignac]

Red went to pole, grabbed on, and slid up! He wooshed back up to the attic, where Nolwenn had stopped the strange orrery from moving. Befuddled, he tried again, and this time slid down, and automagically stopped again. With a little experimenting, Red was able to discover that one side of the pole went up and down between two floors, and the other side of the pole went to the floor beneath. It would make it difficult to slide down more than one floor at a time without twisting around the pole as you slid.

The next floor down was much the same as what Red saw through the window. The comfortable library, the fireplace laid and ready for a cozy fire. A small wall partitioned the round room, and the door was unlocked. Inside was a privy.

[Pyrophilios]

The Red Horns looked around, but as before, didn't touch anything unnecessarily.

"Well, let's see what's below this level. There has to be some kind of clue as to the owner or builder."

With that, he stepped around the pole to move down one more level.

[Dr.Samurai]

Ondros Loxodon Rune Knight Fighter AC: 18 HP: 64/64 PPer: 12 PInv: 10 PIns: 20 Second Wind: 1/1 | Action Surge: 1/1 Frost Rune: 1/1 | Stone Rune: 1/1 Giant's Might: 3/3 Traits: Darkvision 120ft Conditions: -- HellO! Ondros tries again before following The Red Horns down another level.

[agignac]

Ondros's greeting elicits no response - the lower levels of the tower seem completely silent.

You go down another level, into the laboratory. A curved countertop runs most of the perimeter of the room, full of equipment and oddities. A circular cage takes up one "corner" of the room, pushed up against the wall where the countertop isn't. The cage has a raised pedestal-style base, with close-set metal bars running up to the roof of the cage. It's about 7 feet tall, and 10 feet in diameter. Magical-looking runes are inscribed on the sides of the pedestal and on the floor around the cage.

Inside the cage is an unmoving, emaciated humanoid, curled up on the floor. It's naked, and long dark hair covers the face.

[Dr.Samurai]

Ondros Loxodon Rune Knight Fighter AC: 18 HP: 64/64 PPer: 12 PInv: 10 PIns: 20 Second Wind: 1/1 | Action Surge: 1/1 Frost Rune: 1/1 | Stone Rune: 1/1 Giant's Might: 3/3 Traits: Darkvision 120ft Conditions: -- Ondros stops abruptly when he notices the cage and the creature inside it. Without looking away, he calls up to Nolwenn, Nolwenn, you were saying something about how lovely wizards are..?

[Pyrophilios]

The Red Horns looked curiously at the creature in the cage and then took a closer look at the cage itself.

"We shouldn't jump to conclusions. Maybe it's a dangerous monster - though I agree, it does look pretty bad."

Spoiler

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Knowledge arcane for the cage
(1d20+8)[23]+(1d4)[3]
Knowledge religion/naturefor the occupant whichever fits
(1d20+5)[20]+(1d4)[3]

[agignac]

Red examines the runes that cover the cage's pedestal. Three of them he recognizes as symbols that have been carved onto his own skin. He can't make out all of them, but enough to deduce that the symbols are meant to make the cage completely impenetrable to any creature, or any magic, entering or exiting the cage. He also noticed that the cage had no door, nor apparent way of getting in or out.

It was hard to see much of the occupant, other than it looked like they had starved to death. Surely no creature could be naturally that skinny. Bones showed through almost translucent skin, the spine painfully knobby. However, before Red turned away from his examination, he noticed the ribcage move. Just a little, but he was sure. The creature had taken a shallow breath.

[Dr.Samurai]

Ondros Loxodon Rune Knight Fighter AC: 18 HP: 64/64 PPer: 12 PInv: 10 PIns: 20 Second Wind: 1/1 | Action Surge: 1/1 Frost Rune: 1/1 | Stone Rune: 1/1 Giant's Might: 3/3 Traits: Darkvision 120ft Conditions: -- Pretty bad? Ondros scoffs, The thing is dead! He looks around further and suddenly seems to remember they are in a strange tower bobbing in the middle of the sea, I think we should return to the ship.

[Pyrophilios]

"Not so fast - I just saw it take a breath. Though the runes make this cage impenetrable. There might be a good reason to imprison the creature. I'd have to examine the cage further - someone going to the effort to keep someone so well secured usually has a reason - and won't shy away from eliminating the prisoner should they be at risk of getting free.

Though we should let the others see and give their opinion as well."

The Red Horns looked around the lab, looking for any kind of documentation on what was going on here.

[Dr.Samurai]

Ondros Loxodon Rune Knight Fighter AC: 18 HP: 64/64 PPer: 12 PInv: 10 PIns: 20 Second Wind: 1/1 | Action Surge: 1/1 Frost Rune: 1/1 | Stone Rune: 1/1 Giant's Might: 3/3 Traits: Darkvision 120ft Conditions: -- Ondros gasps, Alive? He peers into the cage, Hello there? Are you awake? He looks to the Red Horns, Maybe the wizard passed away, and there was no way for this creature to free itself.

[Volthawk]

Once he's let the others clear the way, Draelin makes his way down the tower and sees the cage. He frowns a little as he takes in the situation, more out of concern for the risks for them than for the state of the...person? creature?

"Well unless you or Nolwenn know how to remove that magic, we're not getting it out any time soon - and until we have an idea what's going on here, we probably shouldn't risk it. I'm no expert in this field, but even I've heard enough stories about beings that pretend to be weak and pitiful to lure in their prey..."

Thinking over it for a few moments, he glances over at Red starting to look around the lab and nods. "Red's got the right idea. Until we do anything, we need information. Who this wizard was, what they were doing here - and if they might come back soon." That said, he joins the search for any useful information.

Spoiler

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Investigation, I suppose? (1d20+8)[22]

[agignac]

Nolwenn concentrated on the creature in the cage, but her spell wouldn't penetrate. It was as if there was nothing in the cage at all, not even empty space. The cage itself, however, felt somehow both consecrated and desecrated at the same time. But even those descriptions weren't good enough; they felt off somehow, as if her magic was malfunctioning, or somehow misinterpreting what it was detecting.

Desdemona, having climbed on Nolwenn's shoulders for the ride down the pole, jumped down and approached the cage. She reached a pink paw out, then hissed and pulled it back.

The creature didn't respond to Ondros's hail, though the loxodon thought maybe a foot twitched.

The others began to examine the lab. Most of the apparatus were clean, if a bit dusty, and stored carefully. However Red found some cracked glassware and the crusty remains of a spill, evidence of at least one experiment that didn't go well.

Draelin finally came across a hidden drawer, which contained a hand written book. However, the script made no sense to him. The written language didn't look familiar, and made his head hurt to stare at it too long.

[Dr.Samurai]

Ondros Loxodon Rune Knight Fighter AC: 18 HP: 64/64 PPer: 12 PInv: 10 PIns: 20 Second Wind: 1/1 | Action Surge: 1/1 Frost Rune: 1/1 | Stone Rune: 1/1 Giant's Might: 3/3 Traits: Darkvision 120ft Conditions: -- Ondros wonders if he sees movement as well in the cage, then thinks he may be catching a whiff of something... Spoiler Show Perception (Sight) - (1d20+2)[13] Perception (Smell) - Advantage (1d20+2)[6], (1d20+2)[7]

[Pyrophilios]

"Nolwenn, do you have Comprehend Languages in your spell arsenal? Unless this is Abyssal script - the handwriting is atrocious."


The Red Horns took a good look at the hidden book, trying to decipher its contents.

[agignac]

Ondros watches the creature in the cage, trying to determine if he saw it move. The head, obscured by the dark hair, suddenly jerks sideways on the floor, and Ondros can just see a pale green eye open behind the mess of hair.

Three things happen at once.

1) Desdemona suddenly arches her back and hisses loudly. Her pink fur stands on end, and she looks ready to attack. Her head is swiveling between the pole and the cage, as if she's not sure where the threat is coming from.

2) Nolwenn, who was still absently concentrating on her detection spell, gets a nasty-feeling ping. A strange combination of angelic and demonic, but also neither, coming from the hole in the floor and up the pole. She could see nothing at all, but the spell insisted something was there. It moved away from the pole, and then a second ping appeared in the hole from below!

3) A sound. For a moment it fills the room, a sound beautiful, musical, and full of pain. It is over in a moment, and the room suddenly feels dull and ugly. Ondros is pretty sure the caged creature made the sound.

Roll for initiative.

[Pyrophilios]

The Red Horns whisked around, drawing his Yklwa and calling the construct to his side. Looking around wildly, he searched for an attacker

Spoiler

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(1d20+3)[22] Initiative