This tower stretches high into the sky, its upper reaches hidden in the forest’s canopy. The vines choking the tower’s exterior, which are festooned with bleached humanoid skulls, nearly obscure the dark arrow slits. At ground level, a closed wooden door hides behind a cloak of hanging vines.
You think one of the vines above the door may have twitched, and may in fact be some sort of carnivorous plant!
Treshiell studies the tower skeptically. ”What do you think the skulls are for? A warning? A trophy? Do you think whatever collected them is still there?”
Seeing the skulls festooning the outside of the tower Orin stops short. As he looks over the area he notices one of the vines above the doorway move ever so slightly. Holding up a hand to stop the others from approaching he begins to remember whatever he can about this type of predator.
"One of the plants on the wall moved. I think it is responsible for the grim artwork on the walls."
Prazil gasps at Orin's words and clenches his fist as if being told of an age old foe. "More bad trees! Kereek! You am should be for burning them!"
Kereek nods at Orin's wise words. "Okay, Kereek am knowing how to deal with plants!"
for fire damage!
The vine seems to move suddenly as the gouts of flame leap out toward it, only its edges getting caught in the inferno!
Agnar:
Kereek:
Orin:
Prazil:
Treshiell:
Vine:
Prazil draws his shortbow and sends an arrow arcing toward the writhing vines.
"Evil trees! Evil vines! Am all the woodses and forests wanting us dead-dead?"
HP: 43/43
AC: 25 (15 T / 22 FF)
CMD: 22
F/R/W: +5/+6/+3
Cavalier's Challenge uses remaining: 1/2
Tactician uses remaining: 1/2
-Ongoing Effects-
Banner: +2 morale bonus vs fear and +1 morale bonus on attack rolls made as part of a charge for all allies w/in 60ft
--Spike--
HP: 39/39
AC: 26 (13T / 23 FF)
CMD: 18 (22 vs trip)
F/R/W: +6/+7(evasion)/+3
Orin draws his bow and knocks an arrow. Given his weakened condition he is unable to pull the string back as far as is needed and his arrow caroms off the building's stonework and sails off into the distance.
Arms still trembling Orin let's fly with another arrow, this one solidly thunking into the tower's door.
Disgusted with himself Orin slings his bow over his shoulder and draws his sword.
Kereek leaps back and lets out a loud laugh as he shoots a scorching ray at the plant! for fire damage!
Agnar stays back, studying the plant in order to identify it.
Then he fumbles around and retrieves a flask of alchemist's fire.
Kereek: 20
Orin: 14
Agnar: 14
Prazil: 13
Vine: 10
Treshiell: 8
Kereek blasts the plant -- which Agnar recognizes as an assassin vine -- with another gout of flame, this time catching more of it, though it again seems slow to burn.
Orin's arrows miss their small target, shown up by Prazil, whose arrow finds its mark. As if it knew whose arrow hit it, the vine slithers off the doorway and sends a vine lashing out, slamming into Prazil with uncanny accuracy, though the wily kobold's able to escape before it wraps around him.
"I think it thinks you're Kereek," Treshiell says as she comes up behind the young knight, hand brushing him and causing the wound to close.
AV: 14
Orin steps up to the vine attacking Prazil and brings sword down in a chopping motion.
Kereek stares at the vine in confusion. "Not burny? BAD PLANT!"
Kereek renews his attacks with fire! for fire damage!
"Assassin vine. Keep it off your necks..." Agnar carefully sets the alchemist's fire down, then advances next to Orin, growing long claws as he does so.
"Ow! Vine am definitely wanting Prazil dead-dead!" Despite being rattled by the plant's precision attack, Prazil fires off a pair of arrows in response.
--Prazil--
HP: 43/43
AC: 22 (15 T / 19 FF)
CMD: 22
F/R/W: +5/+6/+3
Cavalier's Challenge uses remaining: 1/2
Tactician uses remaining: 1/2
-Ongoing Effects-
Banner: +2 morale bonus vs fear and +1 morale bonus on attack rolls made as part of a charge for all allies w/in 60ft
--Spike--
HP: 39/39
AC: 23 (13T / 20 FF)
CMD: 18 (22 vs trip)
F/R/W: +6/+7(evasion)/+3
Before the vine can do any more damage, you manage to shred it into so much mulch with a barrage of arrows, blades and sorcery.
Prazil whoops in victory as Spike eagerly begins munching on the remains of the vine, which he believes to be a post-battle snack. "Good job! Trees and vineses am not for stopping us! Nope nope!" Grinning brightly, the little grey-scaled kobold trades his bow for his shield and hammer again as he slides off Spike's saddle. "We am for going up tower now, yes?"
Agnar dismisses the claws and steps back to pick up his alchemist's fire.
"Well, we've done the gardening. May as well go in and see what's inside."
Kereek stomps on the dead vine. "Only Kereek am Kereek, stupid plant! You am burning if Kereek SAY you am burning!"
Inside, you find a locked chest in a room with ragged furnishings.
Inside the chest are a fine velvet cloak (worth 10 gp), a gold necklace (worth 200 gp), a silver ring set with an emerald (worth 400 gp), a bejeweled masterwork short sword (worth 510 gp), a moonstone (worth 75 gp), 76 sp, and 131 gp.
Prazil watches the furnishings with a close a suspicious eye. "If trees and vineses am for wanting us dead, Prazil am for wondering if curtains and couches might be bad too!"
"Oh no! Kereek will burn curtains and couches!" Kereek begins casting his spell of fire!
Looking around the room Orin muses "Looks like someone was living here, if so where are they now?" Orin checks the floor for any sign of recent tracks in and around the tower
"Whoa there, big fella" Orin says as he reaches out to grab Kereek's hands before he can get the spell off. "Let's say we don't burn anything until it actually turns out to be attacking us, okay?"
Orin looks at the locked chest before shrugging "There's a crowbar in Windswift's saddlebags if we really want to get his thing open."
You do see some humanoid tracks, that actually seem to lead to windows.
"I've a hatchet in my pack. If all else fails, you can chop through the lid."
"Kereek, Prazil. Pay attention. In nature, there are a few--very few--plants that actually eat living animals, even people. However, curtains and couches aren't alive...unless some crazy wizard casts a spell on them so they can move. If you're too busy watching the trees and bushes to see if they're going to eat you, you're going to miss the dangers hiding behind those trees and bushes."
"If it will make you feel better, I'll study up on dangerous plants so I can keep a better eye out. Just don't set everything on fire. That will likely get us in trouble with the good fey that are our friends."
"If someone lived here, doesn't that make the chest theirs?"
Prazil nods at Agnar's suggestion. "Prazil liked it better when it was just trolls who am for being bad and treeses were all just treeses."
Orin, notifying the others, will follow the tracks to see where they go.
"If someone lived here, doesn't that make the chest theirs?"
"It does. Anyone living in a ruined tower with a blood-drinking fey is likely just another bad neighbor."
Prazil remarks casually as he follows Orin to the window, "Prazil am for thinking fangy fey lady was for living here. Am there other people living here with her?"
"It does. Anyone living in a ruined tower with a blood-drinking fey is likely just another bad neighbor."
"So their wickedness forfeit their treasure to us?"
Prazil remarks casually as he follows Orin to the window, "Prazil am for thinking fangy fey lady was for living here. Am there other people living here with her?"
"The sith laired in the central tower. Given the amount of items she kept there we don't think she would have a second lair here. Does the tracks match its feet?"
The tracks lead all around the room, as if whatever made them were living here or at least spending lots of time. They seem to lead to the windows, where you lose them among the greenery there.
"If someone other than fangy fey lady am for living here, how am we for knowing if they am good or bad?" Prazil begins to turn to Kereek, but seeing the mad light in his red-scaled compatriot's eyes as he eagerly rubs his palms together and bounces his glance to anything even remotely flammable, Prazil diverts his attention to the humans and half-elf instead.
"We am for burning them out?" Kereek asks, his sense clearly overwhelmed by the fire inside.
"We still have two towers left. We need to be careful, if there are more creatures here. Look after Kereek, as he is not", Treshiell says and leans back against the wall disappearing in the shadows.
Orin will go outside the tower and begin to check the ground around the windows for tracks.
Kereek will keep a sharp eye out for danger! And then set it on fire!
Orin, you can't find any additional tracks outside, the vegetation being too think and seemingly undisturbed.
Moving to the next tower, you discover it's open to the sky, its roof and interior levels having fallen away long ago.
"Oooo. This one am empty." Prazil clicks his tongue twice as he pulls Spike away from the hollow structure. "Let's see what last tower am holding!"
Finding the tower empty Treshiell moves to examine the last tower under the veil of her invisibility spell.
A wooden door made from roughly-cut timber planks, obviously of newer construction than the rest of the keep, blocks the entrance to the final tower.
"So does anyone want to knock, or can we keep exploring like we expect things to jump out and try to kill us?"
"Kereek will knock!" Kereek proceeds to pound loudly on the door!
Prazil cringes at Kereek's sudden and loud knocks, but he watches his kobold compatriot closely for smoke or other signs of fiery justice being visited upon the door.
There's no response to Kereek's knock.
Kereek stares at the door, then his face brightens. "If no am home, this am now Kereek home! Come in come in come in!" He pushes open the door!
Prazil sighs audibly and buries his face in his hands.