Best to start at the beginning Hoga, and that means you have a tale to tell us I think. The half elf sits back with his mug and listens.
Talim walks over with a few pitchers. "There ya go folks. Would ya want some bread with this? It was freshly made this morning." Without waiting for a response, she drops a basket of breads on the table. She then picks up any empty plates, and head back behind the counter, leaving you to your conversation until you call on her again.
"It's nice to know someone that originated from the region where my current residence is. To be fair, I expected nothing more than a casual answer. Five mountains? You and my dwarven friend will make a pair, being mountain born."
Tamora nudges the dwarf with her elbow. She shrugs.
"Then again, Kakrish also gets along with anyone who likes to talk like you, Kyras."
When Kyras directs his question towards Hoga, she turns to the half-orc.
"Are you going to or shall I?"
Kakrish plops down next to the table and eyes the bread basket. A moment later he starts digging through the slides of bread until he finds one of the end pieces. He holds it up with a victorious grin. "Ah. Found it." He takes a big bite of the bread then has a thought. Still chewing on his bread he asks, "Did one of you want the end piece?" He holds out the half eaten slice of bread towards the others.
Hoga nods to the woman. Our dear Tamora can explain better than I can.
He grins at the dwarf. You can have it.
Kyzen looks at Kakrish and with half a smile says "Enjoy!" then finishes is ale in one big sip... He then looks at Tamora waiting for more informations...
When the pitchers arrive, Hoga fills Kyzen's mug and tops off any others that aren't completely full, including his own.
Drink your fill, gents. This is the easy part, he says, his grin revealing frighteningly predatory teeth.
The half orc downs his mug quickly, and refills it carefully.
We'll need our wits about us when we deal with this.
Kyras seems to take big swallows from his mug but he is actually drinking slowly. He is enjoying the ale but seems to be the type to want to keep his wits about him. He holds off on eating the great until an actual mean is served. Turning to Tamora the investigator says Leave out no detail, regardless of how small or how little you think it matters. As he says this he gets out a small notebook and quill and ink bottle and prepares to take notes.
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Tamora chuckles as she slaps his shoulder lightly as the dwarf is spilling breadcrumbs from his mouth.
"Just finish it already!"
She nods when Hoga suggested she explains.
"Oh, Hoga. You can be quite the charmer something when you are not hitting something."
She turns back to Kyras and Kyzen.
"Now, the dragon cult. We don't know much about them but we know that their current sole objectives are to resurrect Aeterperax and if successful, the black dragon and his followers will continue with his plans to bring an even greater threat into the material plane. That being an outer god named Nyarlathotep who is Aeterperax's superior."
Tamora pauses.
"To achieve those ends, they need the power of two amulets; one tied to the positive plane and the other negative, the everflame and a few other artifacts which they already have in their possession. The everflame has always been an item of great importance under the custody of our town, Kassen, since it was tied to our history and tradition. Every four years in autumn, a group of four was selected to journey to the resting place of founder Kassen which the town was named after to light the lantern and bring it back to town to keep our town warm and safe from the ravages of winter."
She calls Talim and orders a non-beverage drink to quench her thirst before setting down the mug.
"Every quest was the same until this year. It was different in a sense that there were six candidates than the usual four. In addition, it was more dangerous and unpredictable. Three of us here and another three were willing to be the ones to do undertake the quest. We fought monsters that could topple basic militants with ease and faced traps that can take many hours to solve. All which was caused by one man's carelessness. But that is a tale for another time."
Tamora downs another mouthful of her drink.
"Just as we almost completed our quest, we turned up only to find the flame stolen by the cult a week earlier. This is bad because while the flame provides the comfort of warmth, we discovered that it could replicate a feat that only mightiest clergy can perform; the resurrection of the dead. And they are going to use the flame to resurrect Aeterperax. Concerning the amulets, they are to be watch out for at the very least but we should never allow Aeterperax to find a way to combine them if he was resurrected. Otherwise, it will create a portal that allows Nyarlathotep to crossover, endangering life itself. Separate, they are still formidable in their own right especially in the hands of a mastered user. The negative amulet has the ability to create and control undead. Thankfully, its counterpart can suppress the ability its brother amulet. It also shouldn't be underestimate for it's domain over the flow of positive energy as it can even manipulate the everflame. This ability will render divine magic difficult if not almost impossible to perform in proximity due to the nature of the magic being being tied to the positive energy plane. Other than that, there is still the matter of other obscure artifacts that we need to gather information about. Regardless, despite how ahead the cult of us, how much artifacts they have and how terrifying the abilities of these artifacts are, they still need time to learn how to use them with great effect and as such we still have time to thwart their plans. It was this window of opportunity that landed us in our current predicament."
She lifts a finger.
"Oh, I forgot to mention one thing. Expect us to faced undeads as foes and a being known as Asar. He was the rival of the founder who arose from his slumber as a ghost and supply us out with information that we are in the process of sharing with you. As long as the negative amulet remains with the cult, expect him to be a recurring encounter, each time coming back stronger if disposed. However, he can be handled with ease if harried from range as he prefers to engage us in melee combat. I see no other way of getting rid of him permanently than to taking both amulet back to crypt we fought and bled for the flame or getting divine intervention."
Taking meticulous notes Kyras nods encouragingly I am familiar with Kassen, the man and the town, and with the festivals and traditions of both. That this cult has gained the flame is bad for the town of Kassen, but by the sound of things could bode quite ill for then entire region.
You have left out the reason you have come here. I take it you believe the cult is or soon will be active here. What is it that they seek here?
After a response Kyras will look to his friend Kyzen before offering You have perked our interest certainly. I am convinced you not only need our help but that you will likely fail without it, and possibly still with it. So what can you offer for our employment? Is there some reward offered by Kassen for the return of the flame that we would share equally in?
Kyras just as time to finish his question when a loud trembling noise can be heard. Then the floor, walls and tables of the inn rumble, a few decorations and glass fall to the floor. Once it stops, Talim walks from behind the counter. "What was that?" She seems confused by what just happened. As some of you reset a few chairs and pick some shards of glass, a man burst into the inn. "Talim... the old tower... it just... fell down..." He seems to have a hard time catching his breath. Talim pours him a drink in a mug and quickly step outside. "Well, I'll be..."
Springing to his feat Kyras asks Old tower? Was it expected to fall soon? Are there people trapped inside?
Let's go see. Tamora, we may need your healing arts.
The half orc rises, grabbing his axe.
As all this chaos appens, Kyzen try to sense if any of this is caused by an earthquake...
"what in the name of hell is that"
Know Nature
When Talim step outside, Kyzen follows swiftly and...
Tamora rushes out before the sound of dialogue even reaches her. She turns to the party and Talim.
"Come. We have people we must rescue. Is that tower near?"
Once Hoga sees where to go, he runs at full speed to the site, looking for any sign of anyone in distress.
Once either Talim confirms where the tower is or confirm it through her perception check of 20, Tamora will also follow's Hoga example, running to where the former tower is.
Seeing Tamora and Hoga pass quickly beside him and running toward the colapsed tower, Kyzen shout at Kyras "Lets go Kyras our help will surely be needed" and follows them without any hesitations...
The group rush outside. When they get there, they can see Talim looking northeast. Turning toward the same direction, you can see a huge plume of dust rising to the sky. Kyras question Talim about the tower as Hoga just start running toward it. "It was old, but no one ever thought it would fall. Used to be part of a fortification... meant to last..." She just stands there, in shock.
Hoga runs toward the scene, passing multiple people easily. Once there, he sees a few people gathered there. Two town guard seems to be trying to form a perimeter, when they notice the big half-orc running toward them with a huge axe in hand. They look scared as they reach for their weapons.
Seconds later, the rest of the group shows up, with Kakrish bringing up the rear. More and more people from the town start showing up. Everyone seems to have an opinion on what about. From the simple to the outright ridiculous, you hear about every possible explications. Then, the voices lower as an important looking older woman shows up with what looks like her son behind her. She looks around and then walks over to the guards and start talking to them.
Kakrish huffs and puffs running along behind the group. He catches up as they stop to stare at the swirling dust around the collapsed tower. "Well, that looks like it fell down." he says unhelpfully.
"Does anyone know who lives there?" he asks Hoga, Tamora, and the two new guys.
Not being strong enough yet to move big rocks using his ability
Basic Geokinesis (At will) (Sp) Class Ability (Kineticist)
Element earth; Type utility (Sp); Level 1; Burn 0
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You can move up to 5 pounds per kineticist level of rocks, loose earth, sand, clay, and other similar materials up to 15 feet as a move action. You can search earthen and stone areas from a distance as if using the sift APG cantrip.
[u]SIFT[/u]
School divination;Level bard 0, inquisitor 0
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S
Range 30 ft.
Area one 10-ft. cube
Duration instantaneous
Saving Throw none; Spell Resistance no
You examine an area at range as if you were searching for fine details with the Perception skill. Make a Perception check with a –5 penalty, modified as normal for conditions. No penalty is applied for distance. Apply the result against the DC for any hidden features, such as secret doors, traps, or hidden treasure. You must be able to see the area you are attempting to search, and you only find details that can be perceived with sight or touch. Sift detects only objects and features, not actual creatures.
Kyzen still starts to control the dust and clear out the needed area to at least have a better visibility and breathability.
At the same time, he starts searching the area of debris from afar, looking for any injured people and also trying to find the tower entrance.
Kyras takes in the collapsed structure trying to understand its size and to look for any signs of habitation as much for any hint about what might have caused it to fall.
As he notices the woman and her son come up and begin speaking to the guards he quietly says to Kyzen and his new friends That is a person of authority I'll wager. Perhaps the person of authority for this town.
Approaching the woman Kyras waits for the right opportunity to speak before offering Good Lady, my friends and I were enjoying a meal in the inn there when we heard the collapse. We are a group of skilled adventurers. If we can be of any service at all we stand ready to help.
Kakrish accompanies Kyras to talk with the lady. "Yeah, we are quite skilled. And strong." He flexes the muscles in his arms to show her just how well equipped he is.
Kyras walks towards the woman and Kakrish follow. She turns as you speak to her. First she looks at Kyras, then raises an eyebrow at Kakrish's comment. "Is he... Was he..." She sigh for a second, pinching the bridge of her nose. "It doesn't matter. It seems that it's your lucky day. Mulle and Hodd here can’t handle this without the Sheriff to hold their hands, and I want to know what happened here. You seem to be a capable bunch." She again glances at Kakrish. " If you go in there and look through the rubble—find out what happened, I’ll pay the lot of you 500 gold pieces. While you’re looking around in the ruins, keep an eye out for any signs of our local eccentric, Hunclay. It seems somewhat suspicious to me that he’s not answering his door. Let me know what you find.”
She then turns to the crowd still gathered there. It takes a bit more encouragement from the guards but the people start to leave.
Kyras considers the situation. This lady is obviously in charge I should be able to recall her name if she is the mayor or city leader or local noble. and that eccentric; Hunclay. His name should ring a bell too. I am sure I have heard him discussed
Very generous Ma'am. He quickly surveys the cite again before adding I can already tell that the tower was undermined from below. You can see there that it sand down on one side more that the other. That caused it to topple. As to why or how it was undermined, well, perhaps...
Kyras wades a small way into the rubble as he slips on a pair of white gloves and and lifts the remains of the small reptilian humanoid by the tail. I strongly suspect that further investigation will support this being a clue.
Turning to the others he announces We have a commission. The game is afoot!
When you accept the offer, the woman seems to relax a bit more. "Sorry for the abruptness of my offer. We usually have competent people to those types of thing. But a recent event forced our sheriff to escort a dangerous criminal back to Cassomir. I didn't like the idea, but couldn't change it either. So I am now stuck with those two ". She points toward the two guards.
"My name is Lady Origena Devy, I'm the town baroness. As for Hunclay, he is the owner of this piece of land. His house is the manor over there." She points to a impressive building to the west. "Since the tower fall under his responsibility, he should be here. But then again, he could be traveling at the moment also. Who knows with those wizardy types." She follows you to the tower, and looks at your work for a moment. When you pull out the remains, she turns a bit whiter as she brings a handkerchief to her mouth.
"Yes, clearly the tower was undermined." Kakrish starts walking around the rubble. "Kyras, what is that you have there?" Kakrish stares at the creature that he found.
It is indeed a pleasure to meet you Baroness. We shall do all possible to get to the bottom of these ruins, if you will. the investigator says with a flourish. I recommend we also investigate the manor if this Hunclay does not turn up on his own. But we shall report our findings to you from this place before proceeding to that manor house regardless.
To Karish he adds It seems to be some sort of reptilian humoniad of small size. He regards the remains again before adding Certainly walked on two legs. I'd guess kobold, but there is not just enough left to verify that without a proper lab.
The Baroness turns away from the remains, still holding her handkerchief close to her mouth. "We are on private property. While I can call for an investigation when a building that size collapse, I can't violate someone's house without any motives." She looks at the manor close by and pause for a second. "No, find me something that I can use to legally get in there, and I will let you have at it. For now, let's focus on the tower."
She waves at the remains. "It could very well be a Kobold. They have a small camp in the old flooded quarry. We never acted upon it since they never did anything aggressive. Seems something has changed now." She moves a bit further from the remains. "Find what you can about this." She points at the tower. "Then report to me personally. From there, we will see what information we have and what can be done with it." With that, she steps away from the ruins, walking towards the two guards.
"You know those wizardy types always live in towers. They rarely use their other settlements they purchased. We should unveil what is underneath before we proceed to the manor. If this Hunclay is in."
Tamora helps with moving the rocks.
Kyzen also helps moving rocks as to find a way in...
Kakrish joins the others in moving the rocks and trying to clear the ruble. He hopes to find some clue as to why the foundation collapsed.
Hoga will help, too.
The work is hard, but the group manages to clear some of the debris. Eventually you find the door, but even with a group effort, you can't get it open. There is probably too much rubble behind it. You do notice that part of the second floor survived and that some of the now stable rubble can be used to reach it.
You carefully make your way up to the second floor. Once there you notice that this floor contains only some smashed furniture and a sprinkling of rubble. A trap door is set in the floor against the northwest wall, but a stout timber has fallen across it.
Kyras works with his new friends and turns out to be much stronger than his wiry frame would suggest. When the door is discovered he approaches it alone and examines it for traps. Disappointed that it cannot be opened he continues to the second floor with the others, but checks if for stability as best he can before he lets anyone go up.
Lets all see if we can move this timber. Hoga, can you lead us?
Kyzen is ready to aid in anyway he can, and if not enough room for everyone, he can lift a little from afar...
If Strength needed to lift :
If not enough space : Kyzen can lift 10 pounds from afar so at least aid another
Kakrish waves his hands over the ruins casting detect magic over the rubble while he climbs up to the second floor.
"Ah, looks like that chunk of wood is blocking the trap door. Can some of you help me lift it?" Kakrish strides over to the fallen timber and sets his feet. He grunts as he tries to lift, or move the heavy beam.
As she lets the men do the heavy lifting, Tamora surveys the room with her regular and magical senses (detect magic).
Perception (Take 20) - 30
Kyzen and Kakrish grab hold of the wooden beam and move it aside. The trapdoor is now accessible. Kyras and Tamora, both inspect the trap door for a while.
The trapdoor is not trapped, or the trip is quite well hidden. If everyone is ready I shall open it. I see well in the dark. If someone needs I light they should kindle one.
Kyzen stands ready for action
"Dark is good... Let's open it"
Hoga, too, is ready for anything.
Kyras opens the trapdoor. Taking a pause for a second, he carefully takes a look at the hole in the floor. Convinced that nothing will jump out, he climbs down. Kyzen and Hoga follow him. The only source of light is coming from the open trap above, and with the sun going down, this room will be completely dark in a few hours.
The three look around, trying the register everything at once. The tower’s large ground floor has mostly collapsed Under the rubble, but along the western portion of the room a section remains clear of debris. An iron trap door set in the floor is directly below a companion door in the ceiling above. Shattered wooden furniture lies scattered around the corpses of two small, green-scaled creatures.
Kyzen looking at the corpses
"Sounds like those two didn't stand a chance"
Now looking at his two companions
"Shall we wait for Tamora and Kakrish before going further"
"There! I knew we could do it." Kakrish shoves the beam that is no longer blocking the trap door with his foot. After Kyras opens the door he waits for the others to descend then he follows. With his darkvision he is able to look around fairly easily.
Kakrish, can you be detecting magic as we move through these places? I'd hate to miss something both magical and valuable. the investigator asks before he turns his attention to first the dead creatures and then to the new trap door. This door is iron and it seems to open into a true subterranean area. Perhaps it will be clear of debris. He pauses long enough to drink his elixir of Heightened Awareness.
Can anyone tell how these creatures died?
Kakrish climbs down the ladder and join the rest of the group. He inspects the wall and finds nothing unusual. Kyras approaches the two dead bodies. Those are less damaged than the one outside, and he is able to confirm that they are indeed Kobolds. As for the cause of death, it would seem that standing next to a wall of a tower as it is falling over is not a good way to live a long life. He then looks at the trapdoor. Aside from being in sturdy metal, he doesn't find anything.
"Let's open the trapdoor and take a peak. I have a feeling that we'll see more of those little sneaky Kobolds around..."
Tamora repeats the same action she does in the previous room (detect magic, take 20 perception for check of 30) and also surveying the bodies for causes of death for causes other than the walls of the tower collapsing on them (take 10 heal for check of 20).