Blinded, Seres is fairly helpless. He nods thanks to Veronica but remains a good distance from the melee.
Connor dismounts swiftly and runs toward the next flock slashing with his axe.
Moondancer growls at the flashing talons of the birds but avoids having her eyes scratched out.
The wolves continue their yipping and leaping bites.
Veronica says to Seres, "Stay still - we've almost finished the flocks of birds. I need to help the others." She gives him a reassuring squeeze of the shoulder.
She turns and launches an arrow of her own at the flock.
Ezekial's burning alchemical fire combined with Connor's axe and the attacks from all three wolves destroy what remains of the murder of crows. The surviving birds disband and scatter to the four winds.
"They're gone," says Veronica to Seres. "The birds have scattered."
Veronica carefully guides Seres back to the team. She checks the various injuries and says, "I'm afraid that the injuries to the eyes will require specialized treatment - I can repair them tomorrow, but it's going to be a dark night tonight."
Calling upon Erastil, she soothes the remaining wounds.
Seres nods grimly and pulls his headband down to act as a bandage, covering his ravaged eyes. "I'll keep my ears pricked for danger," he jokes with a grin.
Larisa winces as she takes in Seres' injuries. "We'll keep watch for you, maybe we should find a place to rest. Whatever happened here happened some time ago. There is no great urgency and we have injured."
Connor dismounts and checks on Whitetalon's eyes, whispering to her encouragingly, before he takes a moment to thanks his wife for her well timed shots, checking to ensure she is unscathed.
"I'll be travelling dismounted until we can get that healed. Let's finish our search of the pool and then the rest of the village to see if we discover any more clues. Otherwise, we're back on the road to Varnhold."
As you recover from the crow attack, Kess stumbles upon a covered, 20' spiked pit camouflaged near the edge of the road.
Ezekial's search of the bottom of the pool reveals a submerged 5' tunnel headed south.
There are numerous unexplored buildings around you.
; 1=C, 2=E, 3=L, 4=K, 5=S, 6=M, 7=F, 8=G, 9=WT
At Ezekial's warning, Seres grabs Kess's arm to hold her back.
Kess looks up, turning back as Zeke call his warning in time for her grab Seres arm as she steps on the pit. With a cry she falls for a brief second before icy winds surge around her and lift her up clutching to the blind half elf. "That was too close, thank you." She says, leading Seres away as Ishai caws into the wind.
Seres nods sagely. "Keen hearing may not be the best way to suss out traps. I'd suggest someone else lead the way."
"I'd suggest we try to find an empty building where we can lay low until tomorrow morning, when I can cure the blindness of Seres and Whitetalon," says Veronica.
"Let's at least let Zeke move down and see if anything else is gonna come get us while we're resting. Give him a rope. We'll pull him back out if needed."
Zeke finds that the tunnel heads 600' south where it intersects with a well shaft that leads back to the surface.
That evening you find an abandoned building to rest and recover. The night is uneventful - allowing you to fully recover your spells.
The following day you complete your exploration of the town (reference the revealed Roll 20 map). The following buildings are of interest:
A sod house has been dug into the base of the hill. Its heavy oaken door hangs askew.
A two-story inn stands just off the village commons. A sign above the door depicts a rider clinging to the back of a madly galloping horse with a green mane and a fish’s tail extending from its hindquarters. The inn’s walls are painted a cheerful shade of yellow to complement the red shutters.
A small church stands here, its whitewashed walls and stained glass windows gleaming in the sun. The bow symbol of Erastil shines like a beacon above the doors. Behind it on one side sits a neatly kept parsonage, and on the other a low hill holds the beginnings of a small cemetery.
This cottage has cheerful curtains in its windows. A number of wooden children’s toys lie abandoned in the front yard.
This giant barn has both a cargo door on the front and a smaller door on the side where a lean-to abuts the structure. The strong odor of barley and other grains wafts through the seams in the clapboard walls.
The sturdy wooden walls of this house have been staved in at several locations, and the heavy door has been battered down.
Perched atop a low hill, this triangular fortification looms over the town. A palisade of sharpened stakes leaves enough gaps for archers within to fire out upon the surrounding hillsides. The southern corners of the fort both have twin watch platforms, and the northern corner is anchored by a solid-looking blockhouse of sturdy timbers. A thin column of smoke drifts upward from a fire in the stockade’s compound.
Throughout your exploration you note that you are being watched and followed by a particularly large raven. The raven is careful to maintain a safe distance from you.
Upon seeing the raven Ishai screeches, flying over to it.
Kess over at the bird suspiciously. "What do you make of it Seres, it seems too intelligent for my liking."
Larisa makes her way to abandoned church of Erastil and takes a knee before the shrine giving a payer of thanks to her God.
The raven squawks and flees to the southwest when confronted by Ishai.
The interior of the church is simply furnished with wooden pews and a humble altar. It appears to have been thoroughly looted. You find a well established cemetery behind the church. It holds a total of 14 wooden grave markers, the latest one standing over a fairly fresh grave. That marker reads, “Andrisha the Potter,” and is dated several weeks ago.
Larisa nods at Zeke words and busies herself in prayers for protection.
"Not terribly surprising," Seres replies to Kess. "The real question is: who is using the crow to spy on us?"
Connor notes the crow as well and then points to the smoke rising from the stockade, ”Someone is here or was recently. Maybe we can discover some clues”
Larisa gathers the scrolls reverently. "I agree Zeke, thank Erastil. We should return to the others, Veronica will want to see these."
You approach the fortification on the southern hill. The stockade’s gatehouse towers are composed of fifteen-foot-tall sharpened stakes, fitted tightly together to form a solid wooden wall. A ladder-accessible platform has been built into each wall, ten feet above the ground. A number of helmets are barely visible over the edge of the wall.
The wooden stockade gate door stands closed before you.
Seres sits upon his horse, relying on the others to guide him along.
"You see helmets, but no people? Sounds like a trick."
"I agree, Zeke maybe a little reconnaissance wouldn't go amiss." Larisa says, clapping the man on the shoulder.
|
I can do that. But I recommend we fall back and rest. I would not assault a fort, even a sparsely guarded one, with Seres still blind. Those gates are closed. And my scouting will likely ring the doorbell if anyone is home. Other than walk around the exterior I will need to climb the wall and its out in plain sight.
"Anyone have any sort of invisibility or flying spells to aid Ezekiel's scouting?"
Veronica shakes her head in the negative.
"I'm inclined to agree with Zeke, we should be wary, and having both Seres and Whitetalon blinded until I can cure them on the morrow puts us in a bad position. I'll work with whatever the group decides... but I think it might be an unnecessary risk. Especially since we don't know if anything out here might try to interrupt us while sleeping - if we exhaust ourselves in a dangerous exploration and then something comes in the middle of the night, we'll be even worse off," she adds.
Both Seres and Whitetalon regain their sight after Veronica's healing.
Seres blinks a few times as Veronica's blessing repairs his ravaged eyes. "Thanks! I always said I'd never want to walk in a blind man's shoes... I'd constantly be tripping over things!
Zeke will finish his scouting, correct? Or are we waiting for something else?
Ezekial carefully circles the perimeter of the fort. He notes that there is both a eastern and western gatehouse overlooking the fort palisades. A large blockhouse, with an overlook and watch post, rises above the walls on the north end of the fort. Ezekial notes more helmets are visible over the edge of the western blockhouse wall.
The helmets on the eastern gatehouse are propped up with sticks.
Most of the helmets on the western gatehouse are propped up with sticks, but you see the movement of at least one guard cross the cracks of the palisade.
If Ezekial reports his scouting, Seres will cast invisibility and animal aspect - tree lizard, then move up to the palisade. He climbs the wall and peers over the side.
”At least there is someone here,” whispers Veronica as Zeke reports back. ”Unlike the rest of the town.”
Seres, in lizard form, easily climbs the eight foot walls of the palisade. On the other side he sees the two gate towers and a block house, as well as several small buildings in the fort's courtyard - storehouses, an outhouse, a corral, a tool shed and a well.
Standing on the far western gate house he sees a single lanky gnome with a pointed ears and bald head. The gnome wears armor and holds a halberd. The gnome is cautiously peering through the slats of the palisade - looking west.