”Not quite was I expecting in a tower, but rather impressive! Seems something happened in the cave. What’s all this debris? Ale barrels?”
Arryn sniffs the debris for signs of alcohol, though he wonders out loud if maybe there used to be some large wooden gates blocking off the entrance to the cave.
"Well, this wizard isn't getting anymore rescued." Violet starts sneaking into the cave.
Arryn concentrates on bending light and becomes invisible.
As you make your way into the cave, you can see three horrid looking creatures -- like a bear, but with two heads: one a bear's, the other an owl's. You can plainly see each is wearing a leather collar. They eye you warily, though for the moment at least, they don't attack.
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”Good monsters. We don’t want any trouble, just want to ask your master for some help, that’s all. Man, I really hope this guy isn’t one of those Lamashtu whackos. My father told me about a time he dealt with some of them. He was trying to figure out how this outlander wool merchant managed to sell so much stock from such a small caravan. Turns out the guy was one of those Lamashtu cultists. He had thought he could breed an army of tame trolls by cross-breeding them with domesticated farm animals like sheep. Turns out, if you tie a troll up long enough, it will mate with anything. Didn’t work of course, the poor ewes just had ordinary lambs, or so the guy thought at first. Then he discovered that when the sheep got their wool cut, it immediately grew back, so he gave up Lamashtu worship and became a wool merchant, and made a fortune off of one sheep. Guy called the thing a ‘baramu’.”
Dorrin takes a careful step forward and studies the beasts for a moment. "Ignore him," he starts, motioning with a nod toward Arryn. "He's pretty much full of rubbish. Now, we're not here ta hurt anyone, we're just here ta talk," he says, speaking in a calm tone while exhibiting a like demeanor. "We just want ta talk to the person in charge is all, nothin' more. Don't suppose they're around here somewhere, are they?" he asks, looking around to see if there is anyone here but the creatures.
Violet keeps her head down despite their obvious awareness of her presence. Her head tilts quizzically as Arryn speaks, her eyes widening in horror as he continues. "We live in a very terrible world," she mutters.
Dorrin's approach seems to work, to a degree. They don't seem to understand enough to answer, if they even could, but the tone seems to calm them, and they sit back, seemingly willing to accept your presence.
Now we strike!!!
Violet ponders a surprise attack, but holds off.
Violet does not attack.
”Let’s proceed, shall we?”
"Yeah, let's proceed. But let's act like we live here, okay? I'm thinkin' these beasts have relaxed on us so let's just make sure we keep it that way." Dorrin then heads further into the cave, calling out in a measured voice. "Hello? Anyone here?"
"If the worst has come to pass for this wizardly friend we've come to find, let's at least remember to free this strange beasts from their collars before we depart." The blacksmith then moves deeper into the cave as well, looking for an entryway into the strange tower.
”Hang on, that gives me an idea.”
Arryn slips invisibly closer to the beasts. Do the beasts look like they’ve been tended to? Fresh fodder and water and so forth?
In general, yes, the beasts look like they've been tended to. As you move in, however, you can see the burst wood and iron banding aren't from kegs of alcohol but rather the doors of the tower. Clearly something decided it was entering, whether it was invited or not!
Moving in carefully, you see a few simple trophies in the front room -— a shredded Molthuni banner, a few monster skulls, and what appears to be a dented shield—hang from the walls of this otherwise bare, high-ceilinged room. A heavy double door stands to the west opposite the tower’s shattered front doors, while a smaller door leads north. Spiral stairs to the south lead up.
”If I were a wizard whose tower was under attack, I’d probably head to higher ground, where all my little surprises were ready,” Arryn’s says, momentarily becoming visible at the foot of the stairs before shrouding himself again.
”Besides, I find it highly unlikely that something that did that to those massive oak doors bothered to politely shut all the interior doors behind them if they went that way.”
Violet nods, "Makes sense to me. Let's head up the stairs and see what fresh new horror awaits us."
Violet pauses briefly to let Arryn ahead of her and then slinks up the stairs.
You head upstairs, to a landing with a door to the north and to the east.
”Okay, apparently they are very considerate invaders after all,” Arryn says, pointing towards the north door.
"Let's try the north door then." Dorrin then moves to said door and gives it a once over before knocking. "Hello? Anyone home?"
Awaiting several seconds for an answer, Dorrin will proceed to open the door if no response is forthcoming and peer within.
Not finding any traps, you carefully enter. The eastern half of this room sports a table crowded with alchemical implements, clay jars, glass vials, and arcane implements, while a large still takes up much of the floor. Notebooks and alchemical reference manuals fill a bookshelf to the south. Another door rests in the eastern wall.
A strange mechanical humanoid mixing items at the table. It doesn't react as you open the door.
Sensing no immediate danger, Violet addresses the robo-mixologist.
"Um...excuse me? Is the wizard of the house home? The mayor sent us to check on her. I think it's a her. I've had a lot of blows to the head lately, though."
The construct doesn't respond, or even interrupt its work.
”Oh, good, a chatty fellow.” Vexras glances about, notes the other door, then makes his way toward it with a shrug.
The shattered remains of three glass cylinders line the southeast wall of this large room. A thick layer of greasy, slippery-looking orange slime coats the floor. Hallways lead to the north and southwest, while a heavily barred double door is set in the wall to the east and a single door lies to the west.
Arryn materializes.
”That last room had no damage. If something came through here wrecking stuff, it must have come in here through this west door. If it smashed these cylinders on the way by, then it likely was heading…where?”
Any signs of footprints in the slime?
There did not appear to be any footprints, but it also looks like the slime is liquid enough that you think it wouldn't hold any footprints.
"So do we try the barred double door or the western door? Personally, I'd say the west door first and then come back to the double door. A door that heavily barred has got ta be hidin' somethin' important. Or nasty. But havin' said all that, I'm game for either," the dwarf shrugs, pulling out his crossbow and loading it. He then looks to the others and nods. "If we're goin' through the double door, ya got ta be prepared."
Violet gets prepared. Then she opens the west door.
Brostic will cast Bull's Strength on Violet before she opens the door (or will at least try to).
Brostic will cast Bull's Strength on Violet before she opens the door (or will at least try to).
Violet will eagerly accept this.