Alrighty, then. Shall we go see Hunclay? Come on down, Kara.
Readying his bow, the archer uses it to point to the corpses of a number of kobolds.
"I am concerned as to what they are doing here, and if there are more of them close at hand. Go see the wizard and I will stay and keep watch for more of this vermin."
Rurik continues to check and care for the injured or traumatized while the others look into the cause.
"Wait, there's a wizard here? How did I miss that?"
I will tag along with ya, Vakase. Anyone else off t'see the wizard?
Hack, Kartoss and Vakase trek over to the Wizard Hunclay's manor following the two hapless Deputies. Upon arrival, the sight of a scorched kobold on the doorstep causes the deputies, and the heroes, to pause. Deputy Hodd bangs on Hunclay's door, but no one answers. Mulle reaches for the door handle, but Hodd grabs her wrist, warning her that whatever magic did in that kobold might still be active on the wizard's door they'd best leave it alone for the moment.
Rurik and Davin, which watching and searching for victims respectively, find two scaley kobold corpses buried in the rubble.
Kara tries to climb the rubble ramp, but slips down the side of the rubble. She lands gracefully, only scoring a minor scrape on her side. (1 Nonlethal damage)
The crowd around the Witch Tower rubble begin murmuring about calling for the Baroness Lady Origena Devy.
Hack makes a quick circuit of the grounds around Hunclay Manor, searching for a separate entrance.
Upon his return, he yells.
Hail the house! Wizard Hunclay!
"Huh..I was beginning to think that the townspeople were making up the sighting of kobold bodies. I wonder if they are the reason the tower fell? You see anything else down there Rurik?"
Nay. responds the cleric, looking over the kobold corpses they found.
Vakase leaves her raven on her shoulder and has a look around behind Hack.
"I don't like this."
She crouches down by the scorched kobold and looks carefully to try to get a clue as to whether the fire that killed it was natural or magical.
Hack makes a circuit of the manor and sees nothing amiss. He shouts, trying to get someone's attention but no one answers. Vakase determines that the fire that slew the kobold is indeed magical.
Rurik looks over the kobold corpses and finds that they don't have much by way of distinguishing marks, or exploding tower materiel.
Vakase, is there a way to get by the door without gettin' burned? I could just kick it in. The wizard may be in some trouble.
"Careful Hack, that was magical fire. If you kick that door in be ready to jump out of the way quickly."
"Elsa, see if there's another way into the house. An open window, anything."
Vakase sends her raven to fly over the house looking for an open window or other entrance from up high.
Kartoss is going to look for a way to scale the house.
|
Kara lands awkwardly on her perfectly-rounded bottom.
"OW!" she cries, her words muffled almost beyond hearing of the others still outside.
'Oh, look, I'm the only one dumb enough to actually go in to the tottering heap looking for stuff. Okay, I'm also the only one -greedy- enough to go in to the towering heap looking for stuff. So, I guess, winning?'
With the determination of the kid finding themselves with the unique opportunity of being left alone in the candy store, Kara doggedly tries again.
"OW! Seriously, what the f&#$?" she yells at the uncaring structure as she tries to go up, again.
"Kara! Are you OK down there? Do you need a hand?"
Davin calls out to the pretty halfling as he hears her cry out and curse.
Davin's outcry catches the rotund mans ears, and he todders over to the edge of the rubble. Kara, ye hurt badly? If'n ye can, git ta where ah can see ye an I'll toss ye a bit o'healin.
"Careful up there Kartoss. No telling what we'll find."
Kartoss easily scales the building and stands upon a small section of roof, the middle of the roof is actually a large domed structure. He doesn't notice any open windows. Elsa notices the same, although Elsa gets a better view from above and it looks like the domed structure is actually an observatory.
Kara scales the rubble this time, and
Open to the sky above, this exposed upper 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.
Below, a woman on horseback arrives, with a younger man and three others on horseback trailing behind her.
Rurik and Davin hear the villagers whispering that this woman is the Baroness Lady Origena Devy. The Baroness begins speaking with some of the villagers. She hasn't noticed any of our heroes...yet.
"Bah, no entrances up here. Try knocking on a window." Kartoss will climb down the way he got up.
"I guess we'll have to try the front door then."
Vakase calls her raven back down to her shoulder and she listens against the door for any activity or strange sounds.
Kartoss climbs down from the manor roof while Vakase listens at the door. She hears nothing inside Hunclay's Manor.
Davin moves over to the newly arrived group and give a deep bow.
"Greetings Baroness. We are searching for any survivors and a reason why this tower fell. How else can I serve?"
When Kara doesn't respond to his inquiry, Rurik grows concerned, looking for a way he could safely get down to the Halfling.
The Lady Origena is talking to the young man behind her when Davin approaches. She turns away from the young man, who Davin now suspects is her son based on resemblance, and says to Davin.
I had heard there was a group of stranded Caravan Guards. Tell me though, where are your companions. I would speak with you all at once.
"It's quiet behind the door. I'm going to try to open it from farther back."
Vakase steps back about 60 feet and fires an eldritch blast at the door.
Rurik begins to slowly work his way up to Kara, concerned over her lack of chatter. Upon arriving near her, he is both relieved to see her alive, but notes the new scuffs and tears on her previously pristine cloths. Ye ok lass? Need any help up here?
Vakase backs up and begins attempting an Eldritch blast, the Deputies however don't seem to like this idea. One of them, the female Letha Mulle, stands in front of Vakase waving her arms
Don't do that! What if you damage the Wizard's door! He'll be peeved.
The other Deputy looks very uncomfortable with these newcomers climbing all over the Wizard's home and attempting to bash down the door.
We'd best see the Baroness before we go breaking inta lawful citizens 'omes. S'not legal. he mumbles
|
|
Kara vaguely recalls something about someone yelling something about whether she's okay or not. Then Rurik shows up and it all makes sense.
"Um, ya, I'm good. Nothing some sleep and a good shag can't fix. Hey gimme a hand with this trap door would'ya?"
Kara bends over the trap door, heedless of accidental cleavage exposure, and tries her level best to move the offending piece of wood.
Rurik flushes slightly at the halflings "remedy" for her wounds, Yer lovely lass, but that wernt what ah had in mind. Seeing Kara's intent, Rurik will try and help with the removal of the beam.
"They have split up, my lady. Two are down in the ruins of the tower, while the others have gone to confer with your local wizard. I will see if I can gather them together for you. If you will excuse me."
Davin heads first to the ruined tower and calls down to Kara and Rurik.
"Hey down there! How is it going? Do you need any help?"
Vakase gets irritated with the deputies.
"Careful! I could have blasted you in half! The Wizard could be in danger! You see that roasted Kobold laying there?"
"Come on down Kartoss, before these idiots do something stupid. Let's go see this Baroness."
We just be checkin under a door, be there in a bit! responds Rurik, as he puts his back into lifting the beam with Kara's assistance. May Lathander guide me as he sees fit. he intones as his face reddens under the strain.
I'll be sure t'let yer boss know you held us up from maybe helpin' the wizard. Let's doubletime back.
The Deputies are cowed by Vakase's outburst, and then puzzled by her decision to leave off and go speak with the Baroness. They follow behind Kartoss,Vakase and Hack glowering darkly at the adventurers.
Rurik moves the beam and the trapdoor can now be opened normally. It is unlocked.
In the waning sunlight flickering down through the open trapdoor you see...
The tower's large ground floor has mostly collapsed under the rubble, but a long the western portion of the room a section remains clear of debris. An iron trapdoor 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.
Rurik and Kara hear Davin from below. They also hear an imperious male voice call out Adventurers! Come down from there. My mother wishes to speak with you. Attend her at once.
Davin sees that this voice belongs to the young man who followed the Baroness.
|
|
Kara takes notice of the imperious voice calling for them.
"Oh man! Someone us calling for us. And someone important!" she says to Rurik. "Sweet! Doing stuff always feels better when you know that you're also disobeying some over-dressed stuffed-shirt," she says as she starts looting examining the two corpses.
Rurik chuckles as Kara begins to "examine" the corpses, calling down to the son. Be just a moment lad, got ta make sure mah weight don't send more o this place crumbling. That said, he gives Kara the finger twirl to hurry it up, as he SLOWLY begins to work his way back to the group.
|
|
"Wait!" she hisses at Rurik. "There are kobolds right there! Do you want to go back to them empty handed when we could solve the mystery right now?"
Kara scowls cutely down the trapdoor at the no-doubt-treasure-laden corpses. She gets out her rope and secures so she has a way to climb back up, then carefully scurries down, pictures of fr33 ph4t l3wts dancing in her eyes.
Kara searches the rotting corpses and comes away with nothing but smelly hands.
The Baroness waits impatiently at the Ruins.