Dragon's Demand (Inactive)

Game Master R D

"Do we have anything that we've found that would back up what we are telling him?"

"Just the wizard's corpse we found in the rubble," Ethendril says.

"I assure you he is dead," the paladin says. "Regardless, you are free to go. Are there any dangers we should be aware of as we complete our investigation?" he asks kindly.

"Is... Is he... really dead?" The man looks at all of you as though trying to look for an answer on your faces. "But... what about... his... his allies? And what about Linus and Saba?"

"Dangers? Master Hunclay had contact with many parties for his research. Something to do with the stars."

Harlis returns the conversation back to an earlier comment before asking further. "You say that he wanted the tower to collapse? Are Linus and Saba in residence here currently?"

"Hmm...so Hunclay was working with the kobolds?" Wayreth mutters to himself as he observes the interrogation.

Well this is an interesting development...

"Linus and Saba are like me." Weeping freely, the man continues. He speaks in a haphazard fashion: "Master had contact with lots of others. Linus, Saba, and I are forbidden to enter many places in the manor. Especially not the caves! Linus and Saba banged on my door after I barricaded it when the tower fell. But they left m alone soon after, because I didn't answer."

Ethendril offers the man some rations and a drink.

"You are safe now. Your despicable master is dead. Where are the caves you speak of, and why could you not enter them? Why didn't you answer when they came for you, and how long ago was that?" he asks.

"Also, please describe the rest of the floor plan of this place...we have only explored this main level."

"I wonder if their could be more of a connection between this Hunclay and the dragon the Kobolds served -- 'Lord Aeteperax'? Did the wizard pose as a dragon? Maybe I'm just confused. I've had a bluebottle buzzing in my head all day and it won't escape through my other ear."

"Who are you? Why are you here?"

"As you can see we are a band of wandering circus performers. The lady there with the gun performs trick shots, the man in the armor does the strong man act, the pony-rider dyes his pony pink and attaches fake wings to her and advocates friendship (the kids love him), the lady is a fire-breather and I am a miniature giant who is in charge of comedy. Kappa!"

Harlis quirks an eyebrow while waiting to see if Wayreth's levity helps break through the man's worry.

There's a 'sound' of breaking glass, and you all can 'see' that you've just pushed this poor man over the edge. ;-P His left eye begins to twitch as he lets out a maniacal giggle.

"That makes perfect sense! You must be circus performers from beyond the stars! That's what Master must have been researching..."

His eyes widen as he has a Eureka moment. "It all comes together now, Master! Your work has been fulfilled with the arrival of these space clowns!" he yells.

"What have you done, Wayreth?" Ethendril exclaims with worry. "Sir, you should wait here until we return. It seems safe enough. Hopefully we can get you some help..."

To the rest, he says "I suggest we continue our explorations. [b]"Let's try the next room." or stairs if we finished exploring all the rooms?

"Yes, strong clown. I'll stay right here!" He dives under the bed.

The party inventories the mundane stuff and heads up the stairs.

Room C8: This lushly furnished library features three tall bookcases running north to south down the center of the chamber and another bookcase of iron in the northeast corner. A stuffed grizzly bear towers in the northwest corner, its claws and fangs bared aggressively. The east wall features sixteen paintings of various planets in gilt frames. A ladder in the west side of the ceiling leads up to a trap door.

The ladder keeps going up to another level.

"We should finish exploring this level before going up," Ethendril suggests.

C9 next?

The iron bookcase in the northeast corner pings as magical. Agnes and Harlis are pretty sure that it is warded by an arcane lock.

Glancing suspiciously at Wayreth, Did you just call me fat? Sensing the arcane lock on the bookcase in the corner, Agnes asks, Can anyone dispel magic? I could, tomorrow, if I prepare it.

Harlis shakes his head. "That prayer is well beyond my talents at this time. Unless Wayreth can disable it we should leave it be for now." He then takes a moment to renew the detect magic and places a further guidance on Wayreth in case it is needed.

Wayreth grins sheepishly.

"Heh. Aheheh... Erm... Ooops."

We're going to encounter a problem with arcane locks - there are probably going to be several in a mage's home, and Agnes only has so many spell slots. We may need to find a key of some sort. Keep an eye out for abjuration magic auras. Not that Wayreth knows anything about such things of course. XD

Agnes and Harlis recall that there was abjuration magic on the bird's charm in the room below...

"Shall we go and see if the charm unlocks the doors?"

"Sure..." Ethendril says skeptically, though the paladin does not appear comfortable with how the magic items interact.

I volunteer Hostpur.

With Ethendril's prodding, Hotspur returns to the birdcage to see if the charm is removable or if they need to bring the whole bird.

"If we let you out, will you just fly away or hang out on the top of a bookcase? I had a parakeet do that once and don't want to repeat it. Still, I think it is sad you have to be caged up all day. If you promise to be good, you can come with us."

The gunslinger slowly begins to open the cage.

Anybody have Handle Animal? Failing that, I'll allow a straight-up charisma check.

Harlis approaches the cage carefully seeing if he can calm the bird prior to the cage opening.

Handle Animal (untrained): 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (20) + 5 = 25

Handle Animal (untrained): 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (20) + 5 = 25

LOL! The bird hops out of the cage on onto Harlis' shoulder.

Looking carefully at the creature so near his face, Harlis asks it "Want a cracker?" while trying to get a good look at the charm and how to remove it. Although he could now just walk the charm to there, bird and all...

Looking carefully at the creature so near his face, Harlis asks it "Want a cracker?" while trying to get a good look at the charm and how to remove it. Although he could now just walk the charm to there, bird and all...

"*Squawk!* Stupid people."

You're fairly certain the animal will do for you whatever it is capable of comprehending.

Pulling out a hard biscuit from his rations Harlis moves to the warded area to see if proximity will open the way.

You figure out how to bypass the arcane lock. Just as Harlis is about to open the door, Wayreth notices poison needles in the handle and disables them.

There are 16 valuable tomes in the iron bookcase. Thirteen of these are extraordinarily rare books on subjects related to astronomy (worth 100 gp each). The remainder of the books in the library are all shelved on the wooden bookshelves. They number over 600, and are worth 800 gp in all.

Harlis finishes his notes on the quick inventory to turn over to the town and nods. "Agnes, you might be the closest who can make any sense of these books. Do they mean anything you can tell?"

Many of them are about astronomy and "the stars" and "the void."

After staring dreamily at the books a while, Agnes comes back to herself, Oh, sorry, day dreaming about where I could put all of those books. What were we doing?

Basically, you inventory them and turn them over to the town. The town will auction off each room's worth of stuff in "lots." You can bid on lots, if you like.

Onto another area, then?

Yes please...next room!

C9: This door is also locked with an arcane lock. You make your way around it.

Sadly, nobody notices the trap behind it. It was a DC 26.

Target: 1d5 ⇒ 3 Harlis
Fort: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (11) + 4 = 15
Damage: 4d6 ⇒ (5, 1, 5, 2) = 13

A stylize mouth emits a painful shriek that nobody by the cleric can hear. The halfing takes 13 HP of damage.

Inside the room: Two long tables of stained oak line the east wall of this room, each cluttered with alchemical supplies. Atop the desk on the west wall are writing implements, ink, sheets of vellum, and several scrolls. A large chest secured by a prominent lock sits just north of the desk.

"Are you quite alright?" Ethendril asks with concern as Harlis holds his head in his hands.

Assuming Harlis heals himself with the wand of CLW before we move on.

Wayreth, will you do the honors of checking that chest?" Ethendril asks the rogue as they search the room.

Take 20 perception for 27

It's a trap!

Harlis looks at Ethendril seeing his mouth move while the ringing from the shout fills his ears and shakes his head. "What? He says very loudly before pulling his helm off, and brushing back his hair. Harlis starts visibly when his hand comes back with some red. "Wayreth, becareful examining that chest!" He loudly repeats the advice.

Two CLW Wand charges: 2d8 + 2 ⇒ (3, 4) + 2 = 9

Wayreth gestures at the trap Ethendril was able to find.

"Well, as you yourself have noted, it is a trap. The greater question is whether or not it is magical. If it is, perhaps we could ask that man in the other room whether or not there is a way to bypass the trap? And also how the charm we found on that bird works? If he was an apprentice of sorts, these might be the sort of thing he would know."

At Wayreth's question Harlis invokes Iomedae's name to utter again the cantrip of magical detection and he pauses to study the location to see if it appears that the trap is magical, or maybe something inside.

There's magic aplenty around here. But Harlis thinks that the magic on the trap is probably residual. It's not 'actively' magical. Most likely.

He knows, however, that there are glamers that can fool detect magic. Hunclay was powerful enough to know them.

Knowing very little of the ways of magic and wizards, Ethendril looks around uncomfortably.

"Should we keep going and come back here later? Or can you handle it now?" he asks Wayreth.

I do not have trapfinding.

"Magical traps are beyond my skill to handle, but if that man back in that room has knowledge of this place, we might be able to get useful information out of him, such as how to bypass the traps and how to use that charm. Erm...considering what happened the last time I tried to talk to him, maybe someone else should give it a shot."

The man hiding under the bed is simply a servant. He'll gladly tell you how Hunclay likes his shirts laundered. But, he knows nothing about magic.

After pondering Harlis suggests "Maybe then we should try the ten foot pole method of trap finding? We just have to hope that we don't burn down the mansion. But better us to find it with healing at the ready than some poor unsuspecting townsfolk."

Wayreth sighs.

"I suppose. Who's got a ten-foot pole?"

Alternatively, is there any sort of hoop or handle on the lid that we could tie a rope to?

Maybe we could go back outside and get some rocks to throw as we go forward?
After a pause, Does anyone else find it strange we haven't been attacked yet?

The party pokes at the lock from a distance of at least ten feet away.

Another magical mouth opens emitting a scream. This time, the paladin is the only one who can hear it.
Target: 1d5 ⇒ 2 Ethendril
Fort: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (16) + 7 = 23
Damage: 4d6 ⇒ (2, 4, 1, 2) = 9

Somehow, he manages to cup his hands over his ears right before the shriek hits him. He takes only 4 HP of damage.

Taking your time and being very, very careful, you open the chests and search the room. You find:

Five flasks rest on the eastern tables: two vials of oil of keen edge, a potion of undetectable alignment, a potion of protection from acid, and a potion of protection from fire.

Atop the writing desk are four scrolls containing spells that Hunclay never got around to adding to his spellbook: a scroll of campfire wall, a scroll of excruciating deformation, a scroll of haunting mists, and a scroll of magic circle against chaos.

However, the room’s grand prize is in the locked chest to the right of the desk. Inside are Hunclay’s six spellbooks.