Malavarius scratches his head through his hat, upsetting Zeno's perch as he does so while the others talk. He peeks into the room and tugs on his beard before staring at the singer. "Do you know, Zeno, I'm beginning to not trust much of anything in these blasted icy lands." He then begins casting a simple spell and turning his gaze around the lady's room. "And now there are dragons about too! Dreadful times, Zeno. Dreadful times."
You detect no magic other than what's on your companions.
Malavarius scratches his head again then nods with a tug of his beard, "Ah! Excellent. Wonderful! I say, my dear, which way to the dragon, again?"
Hektir knuckles go white, gripping the doorjam with anger.
"Hold on a second, Mal. The dragon can wait...where is this GranWitchy Nan? And is she holding children here?!"
"She's somewhere in the tower, I think, but I don't know. I've been mostly stuck in here except when I have to perform."
Hektir spits.
"We need to take care of her before the dragon. Because I don't want to lose her after the fight. No witches who steal children get to escape, none."
Hektir draws his belt (scimitar) and goes back to the 2nd level, looking for witches.
"Don't you worry, Bella, us heroes will rescue the children!" Quinn steps in line with Hektir as they cautiously make their way back down to the second level.
"Wait, what should I do?" she asks.
Hektir looks at the woman who has yet to either spurn or encourage Quinn.
"If you can't fight, you should stay here. It's safer for you here," Hektir spits, focused on the job at hand - witchkilling.
The woman nods, nervously. "But ... you'll come back, right? And rescue me?"
Downstairs, you are again confronted with the closed doors that led to the hallway with the barrels and crates at the end.
Hektir goes and listens (and looks at) to the doors on his left.
Perception
"Pems, if you were a witch, where would you be?"
"Hektir, don't lose focus. We were tasked with the removal of the dragon, and the dragon alone. If you consider Nan a threat to that endeavor, then I'll not argue with you. If you consider her more important than the White, you should reconsider." Tsin manages to keep up with the tracker.
"Children? What? Where? I thought Pemsworth was a halfling lad?"
"What? What what? Why that's absurd! This tower is no place for children. There are dragons about for goodness' sake!"
Zeno sighs laboriously,
"First children were trapped in dolls and now dragons are keeping others? What will this thrice blasted and devilish land come up with next?!"
Malavarius tugs his beard in frustration before spinning around three times in an attempt to find the exit. Stymied, he scratches his head and looks at the others as Tsin redresses Hektir, "So then. Which way is it we're going again?"
Pems frowns. "I've no idea, but if you want to find this Granny woman, maybe I should disguise myself as a child and go looking. Once I find them, I can send word via a spell."
"Of course we'll be back to rescue you, we're heroes!" Quinn calls back to Bella as they disappear out the door.
"You've the right of it Pems, the child act will be perfect for this witchy nanny. We'll be waiting for your sign that all is clear as we go through each door and we'll be lurking right around the corner the whole way." Back at the second landing where Hektir listens at the portal, Quinn shows Pems the thumb's up and waits to the side of the door for the halfling to exercise his arts.
"What's behind these doors? Any witches?"
Hektir spits, wanting to save the children from the witch...looking annoyed at Tsin.
"Yeah, Tsin, what is more important? Actually saving children or saving our own damn hides? What is more important the mothers of these children?"
Hektir fumes.
Who is missing the big picture? Bah!
Hektir spits.
"Say guys, we left a few angry columns beating at the doors downstairs, how are we getting the children out of here once we rescue them? Maybe once we free the children we can leave them with Bella while we continue up to the dragon, then when the dragon is dead maybe the guards have less enthusiasm for the fight?" Quinn looks hopeful at his own words, convinced that Cayden is smiling down on their chaotic approach to the tower.
"Yeah, Tsin, what is more important? Actually saving children or saving our own damn hides? What is more important the mothers of these children?"
"Breathe, Hektir. I've come to understand your skills in apologetics are rudimentary at best, so making false dichotomies is unsurprising. If you fall trying to save a handful of street urchins, you will have failed more than them, you will have failed your Summer, which by all accounts you consider sacred. The dragon's demise brings us closer to the Hut, the Hut closer to Baba Yaga. Really, I shouldn't have to explain this to you, tracker. It's been burned into each of us, and is likely to remind you should you stray from it." Tsin sniffs, and shoots Mal a look which suggests that Hektir is his child when he acts like this.
She readies to follow Hektir in his pursuit of helpless children, nonetheless.
Hektir opens the doors, looks around, then goes to the right doors (on map).
Perception
If nothing, then he will open the double doors on the right.
You hear nothing through the doors on the right (or the left, if you check those).
Opening the doors on the right, an attractive glass oil lamp atop a doily sits on a table in the northeast corner. A rocking chair sits in the southwest corner next to a basket containing yarn, knitting needles, and a half-completed mitten. The room is otherwise empty.
Doors lead to the north, east and south.
Yarn? Mitten? This place reeks of witches.
Or cats.
Kitten mittens?
They could like 'em.
You idiot.
Hektir spits and, continuing his left-hand ruling, tries the door to the north.
"This looks like a granny's lair!" Quinn eyes the mittens suspiciously.
Tsin continues to follow Hektir, hoping to make good time clearing out the undiscovered floors, before their return to the top floor. When they discover the rocking chair, Tsin draws her blade again, ready to deal with a visit to Granny's.
The door is locked, Hektir.
Hektir grumbles and spits, waving Pems forward to deal with the door while he guards the back.
I bet them kittenwitches would love to catch us from behind...they love to pounce.
Pems moves up to get jiggy with the lock.
It doesn't open, but Pems tries a few more times and finally hears the tumblers fall into place.
Pulling open the door, he sees toys and dolls strewn about the floor of this room, and tables and chairs sized for small creatures or children sit in the northeast and northwest corners. Books, papers, quills, and ink vials sit top the tables. A cot stands to the southeast. The windows are barred, but the shutters are open to let in the natural light.
A Small waif, seemingly undernourished, looks up, blue eyes widening in surprise beneath a shock of pale hair. She grins as she sees you, but then puts one finger to her lips and whispers, in Skald, “Have you met Granny Nan yet?”
As Pemsworth focuses upon the lock, Malavarius sweeps the room in search of magics.
You detect no magic other than what you all brought with you.
Tsin leans down, inspecting the child almost as one would examine a lamb for its potential meat. This tower has done nothing to encourage the child's health. Tsin engages the child with her rough Skald.
"Are you alone? We have not met your Granny, but I do not think it will be a friendly meeting when we do."
Hektir spits as he looks around the room.
"What's your name, child? How long have you been here? Where would I find Granny Nan now?" Hektir grumbles at the child, anxious to deliver justice to the witch.
* * *After questions* * *
"We should take this one upstairs to wait with the woman."
"Where is Granny now?" Pems whispers, smiling at the child.
Quinn keeps watch while the rest of the party questions the child.
Malavarius frowns as he regards the small figure, "Are you a wolf, child?"
"I'm Inga," she replies to the barrage of questions. "I'm no wolf! I'm a girl! I've been here a few days. I don't know where to find Granny Nan, though. Maybe she's with her little ghost."
Hektir spits and looks around the room.
Perception
"What little ghost are you talking about? She has a ghost?"
It's probably the ghost of the children she's murdered. All witches murder children, I'm sure.
"I think so. I've seen it following her around."
You don't see anything you didn't see before.
"We have a missing granny with a possible ghost, trolls of unknown location, perturbed masonry, and a draconic leader to address, any suggestions?" Quinn glances to each companion, "I say we cut the head off the snake first, then take control of this tower from top side down."
Tsin nods at Quinn's wise words. "We know where that enemy awaits, at least. We only have to worry that there will be company while we attack the lizard."
She turns back to the girl. "Now, Inga. By our eyes, you're safest in this room. If someone comes to collect you, you should do your best to stay in this room. If you know of a spot where you can hide, you should. If you heed our words, Hektir even has a cookie for you upon our return."
Hektir spits, shaking his head.
"I'm killing that witch. She ain't going to get a chance to flee when we are fighting the dragon. You should have thought about escape routes when I wanted to finish off the first floor first."
Hektir goes to open the other to the East.
"Will one of you take that child upstairs to the singer? She seems nice enough to watch her while I kill me a witch."
Waiting first to see what's on the other side of the door Hektir just opened, Quinn will escort the child upstairs to Bella then rejoin the party. "Up, down, either way let's make a decision and do it, just standing around a witchy tower with dragons and trolls doesn't seem too wise." Quinn tries to spit in a Hektir fashion, but just succeeds in getting spittle on the shoulder of his chain shirt. "Pems, Mal, what say you two, up or down in the tower?"
Tsin watches Hektir continue to delay. "You worry about witches wandering off while we deal with dragons, but you fail to consider that for all noise, we can still get the jump on the dragon before it decides to take flight and avoid our opposition outright." Tsin turns to Pems, knowing Mal has already voiced his desire to deal with the dragon first and foremost.
"Master Pems, we seem to be at an impasse. Perhaps Hektir will listen to your reason." Tsin turns back to Hektir, noting his tenaciousness. Bragadoccio, recklessness, wanderlust... this one has the makings of a smarmy gypsy, if he only reveled in the drink as much as Quinn. I don't think I'll ever be fond o' that aspect in him.
Hektir spits.
"If we have made so much noise, then the witch knows we are here. And you would let it behind us, Tsin? She is around here someplace."
Hektir looks around the door.
"I'll catch up with you guys if you want. This witch here...she's mine."
Pems looks at Hektir and spreads his hands. "Sorry, Tsin, but you might as well talk the sun out of rising. Let's be done with this Granny as quickly as we can and as quietly as we can," he says looking hard at Hektir, "And be on with our mission. I'll take the lad down to the singer and find you. I'll go as one of them." Pems form wavers and he is once again the young child. He takes the child's hand and leads him back down to the singer's room.
Malavarius tugs his beard and offers Zeno a weary glance, "Do you suppose a witch with a pet ghost is worse than a dragon, Zeno?"
"Bah, what good are you? You sound as thick as Hektir!"
For as much as a bird is able, Zeno responds to the categorization with a frown before crossing his wings across his breast and turning away from his wizard with a grumpy
Opening the door, Hektir discovers a water closet: a bathtub sits to the south and washbasins and a privy to the north.
Checking the final door, to the south, you discover it's locked.
Hektir looks at Pems and then at the locked door.
After Pems gets back from delivering the child, he returns to see Hektir's look of unlockedness. He sighs deeply and begins fiddling with the lock.
The lock doesn't open.
However, you hear a woman's voice from inside call out: "Evija, is that you?"