Silvio comes back to the table after attenting nature's call. He takes a seat next to Shefton, burps then slaps the half-elf on the back. "So, we found a new friend? Come tell Silvio what this one can do for us", he says and leans back. "So our lost Vanderboren is hiding in a cave?", the chelaxian noble says once getting brought up to speed. "Just let Silvio sleep through the night and we will go get our missing noble in the morning." With that and another burp Silvio stands up, empties his glass and exits the bar.
"Of course, cap'n, you offer good gold and I'll take care of you," Shefton says with a grin.
Parrot Isle is a few hours away by boat, but it'll be far easier to find during the day, so you have some time to make preparations. Let me know if anyone else wants to do anything before you depart.
Sekathral, it costs 12 gold and 5 silver to get someone to check for magic on your rapier, which ends up being wasted, as there's no enchantment on it.
Dargon's able to get a good deal from Panchi, buying an eight-man rowboat for 80 gold pieces.
Kyson is ready to go the next morning, his scrolls securely in his scroll tube, new prayers learnt during his morning orisons to Sarenrae.
I have asked for ways to help us. May Sarenrae hear my prayers.
His shield will be on his back during the boat ride to make it easier for him to swim should he fall over.
"Come companions! Let us get to visiting the island...I hope the parrots are as plentiful as the name suggests."
Silvio takes his place at the stern with one foot of the railing. With his mithril chainshirt glinting in the morning light he creates a vissage that's both idiotic and stunning at the same time.
Dargon rows a little too strongly on his end, tilting the steering just enough to be annoying for those who know the ways of the sea. "Get out da' way fool. You're blockin' me sight!" Dargon yells at Silvio trying to deflect any blame for his poor rowing Silvio's way.
Finn hops aboard, looking forward to be heading out to Parrot Isle!
Most of the morning has passed and the sun is reaching its height as you approach Parrot Island. Thirty-foot-high cliffs lead up from the ocean to the heavily forested rocky outcropping on three sides, and brightly colored parrots can be seen and heard in the trees above, apparently oblivious or uncaring about your arrival.
Shefton points you to the eastern end, where a narrow beach offers a convenient landing point and as you approach, everyone but Silvio notices a partially overgrown trail leading up from the beach into the center of the island.
Dargon:
Fin:
Kyson:
Sekathral:
Silvio:
Zstelian:
Dargon rows a little too strongly on his end, tilting the steering just enough to be annoying for those who know the ways of the sea. "Get out da' way fool. You're blockin' me sight!" Dargon yells at Silvio trying to deflect any blame for his poor rowing Silvio's way.
"Why do you need to see when you have Silvio's eyes leading the way? From back there you cannot see rocks hidden in the depths, but Silvio can!" Silvio replies to justify his unnecessary "captain pose".
Sekathral beaches the rowing boat and moors it to a convenient palm tree. "Off we go." He mutters. "Hope there's a mage there. Bloodsucking greedy bastards. I'll give him 12 gold and 5 silver, won't I just" Then out loud: "Lead the way, Shefton. Silvio, you'll have every giant jackdaw from here to Bloodcove on us in a trice if you walk around glittering like that. Can't you put a sack over it or something?" He moves over to the edge of the forest and peers up the trail, scowling.
Kyson will tag near the back of the group, his shield now equipped. His right hand will be empty.
Perception, looking for parrots and other colorfowl things
Finn remains toward the front, where there aren't too many humans and such to get in the way of where he's going, and sets off down the trail, jauntily.
"Lead the way, Shefton. Silvio, you'll have every giant jackdaw from here to Bloodcove on us in a trice if you walk around glittering like that. Can't you put a sack over it or something?" He moves over to the edge of the forest and peers up the trail, scowling.
"No, my friend. You should not worry that the sun reflects Silvio's excellence! Nobody will see Silvio coming", the chelaxian replies and adds a perly white smile to the shine of his hauberk.
Kyson, there are many, many parrots, flying around, and you can even see several nests near the trail. The noise almost makes it difficult to talk.
Shefton leads you up to the trail to a small clearing at the center of the island, where he points out a stone trap door built into the ground, hidden by several boulders around it. "There you go, as I told you. Vanthus is in the tunnels in there. Shall we open it up?" He reaches down to pull the trap door open.
Kyson looks at Zstelian.
"Are there geese on this island too?" Kyson looks excited for the opportunity to see yet more birds.
No one ever gets hurt just bird watching...unlike following strangers down into dark tunnels on mysterious islands.
Sense Motive
"Don't know if he's down there for sure, but that's where he's been hiding, boss," Shefton says. "Can't hold it against me if he's left."
You both think he's telling the truth.
Kyson looks mildly disappointed in the lack of geese in the area, but takes comfort in the squawking and colored feathers of the parrots.
"Well, let's get down there. I'm ready to go."
Kyson waits for others to go first, then enters.
Sekathral will inspect the entrance to a) to check for traps and b) to see whether or not it's been used recently - then:
Finn keeps an eye out for any possible ambushes around the corners.
You can't really tell if the door's been used recently, Sekathral, though it certainly seems to have had good use over the course of its history.
Shefton pulls it open with a grunt -- "There you are, cap'n, crew, the smugglers tunnels of Parrot Island," he says, as if revealing the fabled treasure of Saventh-Yhi, the legendary City of Seven Spears.
A five-foot-wide shaft leads down into the darkness. A rope hangs from a hook in the wall. You all manage to climb down successfully, a trip of about 30 feet that was fairly harrowing for a few of you, especially Sekathral who was paying more attention to making sure Kyson didn't fall, especially as it got darker as you descended.
You can barely make out with the light from above the dark 10-foot-square room you arrive in, the floor slick with moisture, and a brick-lined tunnel with a curved roof leading west.
Before anyone can do anything about the light, however, you all hear a startled cry from above. A few moments later, a body falls through the trap door and lands with a splattering sound on the hard stone floor.
Kyson:
Dargon:
Sekathral:
Finn:
Silvio:
Zstelian:
Dargon:
Fin:
Kyson:
Sekathral:
Silvio:
Zstelian:
After Sekathral gives the all clear, Dargon will jump down (darkvision 60', no torch) and scouts the tunnel.
(another +2 vs unusual stone work if applicable)
You can't really tell if the door's been used recently, Sekathral, though it certainly seems to have had good use over the course of its history.
Shefton pulls it open with a grunt -- "There you are, cap'n, crew, the smugglers tunnels of Parrot Island," he says, as if revealing the fabled treasure of Saventh-Yhi, the legendary City of Seven Spears.
A five-foot-wide shaft leads down into the darkness. A rope hangs from a hook in the wall. You all manage to climb down successfully, a trip of about 30 feet that was fairly harrowing for a few of you, especially Sekathral who was paying more attention to making sure Kyson didn't fall, especially as it got darker as you descended.
You can barely make out with the light from above the dark 10-foot-square room you arrive in, the floor slick with moisture, and a brick-lined tunnel with a curved roof leading west.
Before anyone can do anything about the light, however, you all hear a startled cry from above. A few moments later, a body falls through the trap door and lands with a splattering sound on the hard stone floor.
** spoiler omitted **
** spoiler omitted **
Is the body Shefton?
Is the trap door being closed on us?
"That's a problem," Dargon states retorically.
"Well, if they didn't know we were coming before, they certainly will now. Stupid screaming bugger. Learn to use a bloody rope"
Sekathral will slouch off down the corridor a few feet and sit there listening.
Finn pulls out a small pipe and blows through it, a few glowing embers issuing forth to illuminate the area.
"It won't last long, but gives us time to get a real fire going."
"Thanks for the light, Finn."
"Uhm...did that guy just fall from the ceiling? Is he dead?" Kyson says while moving over to the body.
Do bodies often fall from the ceiling in caverns? That's certainly odd...who puts them there?
Heal check - is he alive? how did he die?
The body appears to be Shefton, who seems to be quite dead. Not only did he fall 30 feet, but he seems to have a wound in his back from some sort of blade, which alone might have been enough to kill him.
The light from above is suddenly blocked, and looking up, you can see the figure of a person silhouetted against the sky. He seems to be doing something -- though what isn't clear until a couple seconds later, when the rope comes falling down the shaft.
"Say hi to Penkus' ghost for me while you're down there!" the figure calls in a man's voice.
"I wonder if that's Vanthus?" Asks Sekathral. "What a shame we're stuck down here, eh?" He spits noisily onto the ground and makes a rude gesture at the ceiling. "May hornets nest in his flapping bum-gut. Well, shall we press on down the corridor, or should I try and climb up the shaft so we can get out?"
Oh well.
Kyson calls back, his face a mask of trying to overcome his fear.
"Wait! Who can I say is killing me?"
I'll ask Sarenrae to get you! I know she will when I'm dead!
At the site of the figure, Dargon charges up the wall in an attempt to get up there and figure out what this is all about.
"I wonder if that's Vanthus?" Asks Sekathral.
Dargon srugs, "No idea, haven't seen him since he was a young lad. Them human's grow too fast."
"I have a grappling hook" Replies Sekathral. "Don't know whether it'll do us much good, but I'll give a go. Failing that, it's yours if you teach me some of those swearwords"
"Silvio fears no ghosts", Silvio calls up to the silhouette. After going through Shefton's pockets to get back their investment he stands up with his usual smile. "So, we see where this tunnel goes, yes?"
"We'll need more light than these little pixies, they won't last long."
Finn sets about, looking around for a hunk of wood or something to be used as a torch.
"You can tell 'im Vanthus Vanderboren sent you. Just desserts for messing with my sister, you scum."
With that, and seeing the efforts to scale the wall -- which prove fruitless, as the walls are slick with moist slime and mold -- your quarry drops the trap door back down, cutting off all light except from Finn's small dancing lights. After a few moments, you hear the ominous sound of grinding rock, likely a boulder being rolled on top of the way out.
We're all going to die.
Kyson kneels to pray.
"Dear Sarenrae, it's me, Kyson. Please strike down Vanthus Vanderboren with heavenly fire. He's not nice...." Kyson voice tappers to a whisper as he continues to pray for vengeance, no unobtainable, upon his murderer.
"GO AND REAM YOURSELF WITH A SHARK GAFF, VANTHUS!" Yells Sekathral, hurling a slimy pebble at the trapdoor and kicking the wall in frustration. "Gods' buttocks, what a bleeding mess! Nobody's got a light, either, so we're doubly sunk. So, onwards into the nice dark tunnel! As usual, Silvio, you had the right idea at first, seeing as you're the brains of the party"
"Of course Silvio is always right. Just stick with Silvio and we will soon be out of here", he says with the self-confident smile forever on his lips. "When does pixies expire, can you summon more?", he asks Finn.
"Poor Vanthus, what could make you take such a turn for the worse," Dargon mumbles before looking to the party and wispering, "I'll be back"
Dargon wanders off a bit, trying find something that the rest of the party can use as a torch.
He also drinks his Wondrous Whippersnap brew.
Dargon, traveling away from the group proves eerie, as you're accompanied only by the steady drip, drip, drip of water in the tunnel as it goes west and north, ending in a closed wooden door. In front of that, though, you find several pieces of wood -- likely from a barrel -- one of which is whole enough that you think it could be turned into a torch if you have a rag and some oil you can use.
Dargon, traveling away from the group proves eerie, as you're accompanied only by the steady drip, drip, drip of water in the tunnel as it goes west and north, ending in a closed wooden door. In front of that, though, you find several pieces of wood -- likely from a barrel -- one of which is whole enough that you think it could be turned into a torch if you have a rag and some oil you can use.
1d20
1d20
I bring the wood back to the group, thinking that Finn might have something on him to lite it up.
Stealth 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (13) + 2 = 15
Perception 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (16) + 3 = 19 (another +2 vs unusual stone work if applicable)
"Well the pixies only last a minute or so... It's just a little bit of gnome magic, not my alchemy, sadly to say."
As Dargon returns, and the lights start fading, he adds, "But I also know how to do this!"
He raises his fist up and it bursts into flame. "Light the torch on me!"
Kyson finsihes his pitiful prayer, his voice slowly dropping off as he realizes the others are trying to do something productive, as if the situation isn't doomed.
"...the Aristocrats!"
Rising from his knees, Kyson goes over to Dargon.
"Why do we need light? I have a candle...I use it for melting wax onto my scribings when I copy letters. Would that help?"
Kyson ponders for a minute more.
"If we really need light, we need only wait until the morning and I can ask Sarenrae for the dawn's prayer, granting us her light to see as we slowly die here."
Kyson likes the idea of dying with light rather than darkness.
Kyson finsihes his pitiful prayer, his voice slowly dropping off as he realizes the others are trying to do something productive, as if the situation isn't doomed.
"...the Aristocrats!"
Rising from his knees, Kyson goes over to Dargon.
"Why do we need light? I have a candle...I use it for melting wax onto my scribings when I copy letters. Would that help?"
Kyson ponders for a minute more.
"If we really need light, we need only wait until the morning and I can ask Sarenrae for the dawn's prayer, granting us her light to see as we slowly die here."
Kyson likes the idea of dying with light rather than darkness.
Never quite understanding the fear surface dwellers have of being underground, Dargon gives Kyson a perplexed look "Ain't none of us dying, Kyson."
Dargon then proceeds to lead the way through the tunnel.
(+2 vs unusual stone)
Dargon, you don't see anything unusual in the stonework or hear anything beyond the dripping. The tunnels appear to be fairly old, and well made (though by humans, so that's a relative term, of course), despite the moisture and slick mold covering everything.
Once you get the torch lit, you can all follow the tunnel to the wooden door.
"We'd better check that door out before we open it - Dargon, can you see through the keyhole at all?"