Vuloo shrugs, "I can air walk up there invisibly. Let's do this."
"If Vuloo can fly invisibly, can he scout out around the structures and maybe find a suitable insertion point?" Braelex suggests.
"That's the plan then - Vuloo scouts invisibly and signals us. Vuloo, I would check the top of the gatehouse first. You'll be out of range of my message cantrip that far away, but I currently have see invisible up, so use a blanket from your bedroll as a flag when you find a good spot, and I will pop us in right beside you..."
Vuloo puts on a brave face and nods his head. "I'll do it."
He puts on his ring of invisibility and casts air walk. He then works his way up to the top of the gatehouse.
Be careful Vuloo. I'd limit my scouting to finding a good place for us to regroup. Some of the enemies in there are really good at spotting and shooting down small hard to see flying things.
Vuloo goes invisible and spends a couple minutes walking out to the Abbey.
The gatehouse appears to be 3 floors above the ground. While the abbey is half-destroyed by something, ostensibly the rumored assault you've heard about, the ground floor of the buildings appears to be made of large, well-squared sandstone blocks similar to the surrounding cliffs and appears quite sturdy. The stone walls rising from the foundations have just a few arrow slits opening here and there, while the timber-framed structures atop were once abundantly windowed with stained glass, but most have been smashed out from the inside.
The surviving pitched roofs of the abbey are tiled in terra cotta and topped by a forest of decorative steeples and broaches, which rise on slender pillars from the underlying stone structure. The roofs are fitted with an efficient gutter system to collect rainwater.
Immediately Vuloo can hear the murmur of the wind whistling eerily throughout the complex below. It makes things difficult to concentrate.
The main entrance to the abbey opens into the middle of an enormous gatehouse. A monumental archway, twenty feet wide and almost as tall, allows passage under the bulk of the structure into the abbey courtyard to the west. The great wood and iron outer gate has been battered down, one massive leaf partially open, the other unhinged and lying on the stone-paved floor. Fragments of stained glass lie scattered over the ground.
Past the gatehouse proper is a large, stone-paved courtyard is dominated by a 150-foot-tall tower constructed of pure white marble. Other than a set of white double doors set at the tower’s base, the structure’s walls present no windows or openings except for at the peak, which is constructed after the fashion of a lighthouse. The immaculate tower makes a stark contrast with the devastated appearance of the courtyard, whose pavement slabs are cracked and disconnected on the south and covered with ash and soot to the northwest where the great thatched roof of the guesthouse was consumed by a huge fire. Vuloo can spy some creatures moving around within the rubble, a short redcapped female carrying a massive scythe accompanied by a couple of batwinged diminuative humanoids.
To the southwest along a second floor balcony, four redcapped, white bearded old men about 3 feet tall carry on and joke, waving massive crossbows around and apparently telling stories as they aim up in the sky, caper, prance and cackle. They wear oversized boots shod with iron.
The Bell Tower or Pharus Pharasmae has a room at the top visible through thin, immaculate walls windowed with large, colorless glass panes. In the middle shines a huge iridescent sphere, whose dazzling colors are magnificently refracted through the windows.
;
Vuloo will look to see if there is any safe way of accessing the gatehouse through the remnants of the roof or the smashed windows.
Gemel waits patiently, keeping watch for Vuloo's signal to dimension door to him (or Vuloo's return with a report). He tries to keep himself out of view as much as possible, behind the edges of the gap in the outer wall...
Nibbly is safely picketed outside the outer wall, with some rations to keep her quiet.
Vuloo looks into some of the broken stained glass windows of the gatehouse and catches various redcaps cavorting, dancing, talking to each other in a bizarre jilted dialogue and even sees one torturing a large badger. The windows are big enough to enter through.
Relan stands ready with Gemel.
At the gatehouse Vuloo checks if any of the windows look into empty rooms.
Vuloo then moves closer to the bell tower to see if there is any external way of accessing the room at the top. He checks if any of the windows are cracked and possibly could be kicked in.
Vuloo will then air walk over to the portion of the keep overhanging the water, to the south, to see if there are any entrances or windows.
Vuloo gets closer to the gatehouse and peers in.
The first floor has arrow slits only on either side of the gatehouse, no windows to look through.
The second floor of the gatehouse contains
The third floor of the gatehouse contains 5 redcaps, one of which is apparently berating the others while standing on an overturned apple crate. Vuloo can make out some of it in Common with heavy accent.
"Th’ Auld Swallertail isnae gonnae anywhaur as lang as we keep an yak oan 'at lighthoose, but he wulnae come it onytime suin. Ricle is a win’poke nae big enaw tae blaw aff 'at shiny hut. An' Auld Swallertail main gie his scran an' bevvy frae Flappy Lassie, th' a body he is aye blaitherin' abit."
He pauses for a moment and then looks directly at Vuloo, "Aye, mae wuid ..." the rest devolves into some sort of babble.
"Ya see something movin' out there?"
In response, the other four turn and look at Vuloo as well.
Vuloo moves to the top of the Bell tower and finds the windows to be completely unblemished and for a second he thinks they might not actually be there given his inability to see anything other than slightly refracted light. A touch reveals a perfectly smooth surface, surprisingly room temperature to the touch given the outside temps. He suspects magic.
As he is getting ready to leave, he spies movement inside the bell tower and he sees a thin and tall blue-eyed elf with a receding chin, and a broad smile. A handsome elf with luxuriously red hair, shows some signs of wrinkles on his face, attesting to a great age for an elf.
He sits at the top of a set of circular stairs that lead down into the tower.
The stained glass windows on the bridge and the Tower are still preserved and as such Vuloo cannot see through them well enough to make out any details.
The second floor of the gatehouse contains
Vuloo returns to the others and tells them what he saw. ”Well, they know we’re here now.”
"Good scouting Vuloo. Now we know the 3ed floor of the gatehouse is one big empry room, and I can use the arrow slit on the face as a reference , I can put us 10 ' inside with dimension door. If Vuloo is skinny enough to wiggle through that outside arrow slit, that puts us all together, in a surprise attack on the 5 redcaps in that room. Take them, clear our way down to the ground floor in the gatehouse. Then maybe the crossbowmen in the courtyard... but lets not get too far ahed of ourselves.
I can haste the party right before we go. And do not put me too close to the enemy if you can help it. Relan offers. He will use his Warrior Spirit ability to add Fey Band and Shocking to his Cold Iron ranseur.
Andel needs to see and identify the redcaps before his "performance" takes effect.
Vuloo shares the info about the priest.
Braelex drinks a few extracts and nods ready.
"Ok, I think we are agreed we will buff here, while Vuloo airwalks back to the gatehouse. Put yourself in a position to see what's going on inside Vuloo, and if there are no major changes, wave your cloak. Once you wave, I will dimension door."
While the others are buffing, Gemel will pull out one of his symbol of mirroring planchettes, use spirit gum to attach it to the inside of his shield, and then pull the paper cover off of it. It will only affect those who are displaying the appropriate combination of symbols (the necklaces I distributed earlier)
Vuloo casts bless on the group. He then nods at Gemel and airwalks back to the gatehouse.
Andel will cast heroism on the group.
Andel will cast heroism on the group.
Good point. Let’s just cast on Relan.
With a plan in hand, and buffs in place, the party executes their surprise assault.
Vuloo moves up to the gatehouse and is ready to act when the others appear.
Gelan casts his spell and spends a moment in disorientation as Andel, Relan and Braelex explode through the dimension door. The redcaps are certainly surprised, but they react instinctively as if born to a life of combat.
Symbol of Mirroring
Haste
Bless
Flagbearer
Heroism
Warrior Spirit (Fey Bane Shocking)
Holy symbol of Desna worn openly, Relan and his single mirror image partial charges the closet of the redcaps. But instead of attacking for damage the weapon swipes at the fey's legs attempting to trip him.
When the fey is tripped Relan takes advantage of the foe and attacks him while he is prone.
Braelex fires a cold iron bolt at one of the redcaps.
; plus
Vuloo will cast blessing of fervor on the group.
Andel will attempt to identify the redcaps so that he may use his naturalist ability.
Braelex fires at the closest redcap and strikes it while it is still reeling from your sudden appearance. The bolt rips through the fey creature, burning its skin even before the acid hits and causes follow-on caustic damage.
Relan then roars forward sending the same little old man tumbling and following up with a strike that makes the fey scream in agony.
Andel is able to start calling out their weaknesses (most of which you're already aware of) and Vuloo blesses the group.
The leader responds quicker than all the others and he screams in anger and frustration, "Ya bet'n git em deyd!" before he devolves off into his odd speech which is a litany of curses and insults in multiple languages.
He rushes forward with his scythe leaping into take a swing at Relan, his sudden speed and wariness not allowing the warrior an opportune opening, strikes once with his viciously cold scythe and then leaps back. Relan parries the blow, but feels the necromantic energy pouring off the blade as it skitters near his throat.
; miss
That one can spring attack. He is a priority for the rest of upi as he can bypass my reach. And that blade he bears, I can feel the necromancy from it.
Gemel drops a Euphoric Cloud (the purple circle on the map - 20' radius)