Willem reloads and gives the monster some more lead. The lead tears into a wing, sending the grioth in a tailspin into the ground below. () Crumpled into a heap on the floor on the destroyed books.
Willem lands and reloads his weapon, nudging the creature with his boot. Then he shrugs and leaves the monster to bleed.
The small door to the north proves to be hiding just a small storage room containing musty and dusty old bookbinding supplies. The spiral stair continues up to another floor.
To the hallway to the west reveals a mostly empty room containing three bedrolls and evidence of what may have been an indoor campsite.
The door on the southern side of the leads to a trapezoidal chamber. Metallic coffins with vents in their lids form a line along the southern wall of this room. Numerous large stones are heaped atop the westernmost coffin, and a foul smell of decay fills the air. The ceiling is low, making the space feel cramped.
Farmer nods. "It's quiet," he says.
B) Survival dc15
The door on the southern side of the leads to a trapezoidal chamber. Metallic coffins with vents in their lids form a line along the southern wall of this room. Numerous large stones are heaped atop the westernmost coffin, and a foul smell of decay fills the air. The ceiling is low, making the space feel cramped.
Akatsuki's brow furrows as she looks around the room. Her nostrils flare slightly.
Willem points to the westernmost coffin. "Straps tying that one shut." His ears twitch. "No movement within."
Willem points to the westernmost coffin. "Straps tying that one shut." His ears twitch. "No movement within."
Akatsuki looks even more concerned, she approaches the coffin, "Once upon a time Iroran monks used to have a ritual of fasting and sensory deprivation. I'm hoping..." she let's the rest of her sentence trail off and begins to work at undoing the straps.
Akatsuki looks even more concerned, she approaches the coffin, "Once upon a time Iroran monks used to have a ritual of fasting and sensory deprivation. I'm hoping..." she let's the rest of her sentence trail off and begins to work at undoing the straps.
Aka releases the straps on the metal coffin, a putresence leaking out as the seal is broken. Inside is the newly rotting remains of a burly half-orc.
Willem scowls. "Poor devil looks to have scratched something in the lid. S, Z, then the strength he had left him."
Aka touches her starburst, closes her eyes and slowly breathes out, and intones in a soft melancholy voice, "may your spirit find your way to the light."
"When we leave this place, I will bring him to Sigrit."
Farmer shakes his head.
Aka gives Farmer a small approving and grateful smile. "Thank you."
Having uncovered the relatively recent grisly entombed half-orc (and checking that he wasn't about to rise and attack), the group is able to move off through the hallway to the east, which rounds the garden on the floor below first north then south, then north again, the hallway flanked by numerous statues of robed men and women.
However, about halfway through the hallway, on the ight side, their does seem to be one statue with scrap marks on the wall behind it, as if it gets moved out of the way.
The hallway ends with a circular staircase heading up and down and a door to a kitchen.
This space apparently served as the monastery’s kitchen. It appears to have been used recently, though the strange stains and smells don’t seem like they were created by preparing food. A cauldron of bubbling fluid sits atop a small fire burning in one of the fireplaces.
Willem pokes around one of the statues. "This one appears to move."
After looking over the ingredients, he says, "Ingredients here enough to make several potions to protect us from the elemental energies."
Willem pokes around one of the statues. "This one appears to move."
The statue proves relatively easy to prove revealing a large room.
A recessed mesh of iron gridwork crisscrosses the northern end of this room. Hundreds of tiny blue runes have been painted inside of each of the small squares formed by the grid pattern. A long-dead figure lies slumped against the wall to the northeast.
Floating above the mesh is a smokey creature with bat wings and red demonic eyes. As soon as the secret door opens, it flies in the direction of the humanoids only to be stopped like a fly on sticky paper when it gets to the air above the blue runes - thrashing helplessly in its eager bloodlust.
"Any idea what that thing is?" Aka asks, peering at the smokey, bat winged thing with red demonic eyes, "I mean, besides an evil, smokey, bat winged thing with red demonic eyes?"
Farmer shares the info Under the spoilers.
"Nasty stuff," he says. "And probably we need to deal with it. Just maybe not now?"
Farmer looks at Aka. "how easy do you think it will be to kill a thing like that?"
He then looks at the arcane casters. "or return it? I can summon stuff, but the stuff I summon goes away on its own, so I don't know how to force it."
"Can't say." Aka replies, "not familiar enough with it." She pauses, considering, "I'd be willing to try if we're going to put off hunting the dragon until tomorrow."
"Powder and lead has been effective thus far. No reason it should change at once."
As the group watches what bits of the creature that seemed solid turn to smoke, the creature battering at the invisible wall of its cage.
Ascending the stairs near the kitchen you find yourself on the next floor, in the...
Scattered about this room are coils of thick rope and three large bells. There is no ceiling—merely the steeple of the monastery’s bell tower high above, accessible via a spiral stair to the south. A long rope dangles down from above, attached to the great bell sixty feet overhead.
Farmer looks up. "There's a pun in that bell somewhere," he says, declining to offer one.
Willem sniffs and scowls. "Acid and alchemist fire upstairs. In addition to other sundries to light the unwary."
At Willem's indication (and lead) the group continues up the metal spiral stair, which leads up to a small platform, before continuing to wind up the inside of the bell tower on a wooden stair. About halfway up the wooden stair a strong alto voice echoes down - the owner just out of sight above.
"So I take it that you have no intention of paying Lord Aeteperax's ransom for that little town?" The voice inquiring, almost pleasant.
"I have every intention of paying that lizard what he's owed," Willem says, raising his weapon. "Although it seems you're due some as well."
Farmer squints into the gloom. "Who's asking?"
"I have every intention of paying that lizard what he's owed," Willem says, raising his weapon. "Although it seems you're due some as well."
Her voice is cool, tinged with amusement, "Oh the cry of a tunnel rat. Black powder flint and burns." A little snort, "Such inelegant use of the master form might work on a brutes like the grioth, but I prefer things a bit more perfected."
Farmer squints into the gloom. "Who's asking?"
"Pentosh." She introduces herself to the group, although she stays carefully out of sight. "Alchemist to the dragon, Lord Aetperax. And yourselves?"
A pause, "Other than the obvious: Intrepid would be saviors of the wee town, of course."
"Utsukushi Akatsuki no Yume." Aka replies. "I don't suppose you could be convinced that following the lizard's directives is just exactly the wrong course of action for you?" she continues, "I for one would prefer keeping the loss of life to a minimum...unless it becomes absolutely warranted. Perhaps we could share a bit of wine and discuss the matter? I mean, what would your best case scenario be for this situation?"
Farmer looks appraisingly at Aka. He nods.
"Farmer."
"Utsukushi Akatsuki no Yume." Aka replies. "I don't suppose you could be convinced that following the lizard's directives is just exactly the wrong course of action for you?" she continues, "I for one would prefer keeping the loss of life to a minimum...unless it becomes absolutely warranted. Perhaps we could share a bit of wine and discuss the matter? I mean, what would your best case scenario be for this situation?"
There is a long considering pause but the speaker does not move into view. "Lord Aeteperax has been quite a good patron for long months now. Payment is always very prompt and generous."
"My best case senario as of a few minutes ago would have been to dispose of a threat to my patron which would have no doubt been richly rewarded. Are you suggesting that there is another path that will provide such regular patronage?"
Willem lets the humans flap their gums while he attempts to pinpoint the source of the voice.
At the top of the belfry there is a platform that runs the circumference of the space. The woman's voice indicates that she is most likely close to straight above the group. Willem would be able to advance about another 15-ft up the staircase without becoming visible to her (he thinks) which would put him a single move action (with his short legs) from the platform.
Willem unloads and reloads his weapon as he moves toward the staircase.
"There is always another path," Farmer says. "Life is choices. I'm sure Utsukshook-- Ustuk-- Aka has something in mind."
Farmer sticks out his tongue and glares at it, then puts it away.
Seeing Willem start to get his weapon ready and Farmer casting a spell on himself, Pasara decides that now would be a capital time to cast Mage Armor on herself. Quietly.
"There is always another path," Farmer says. "Life is choices. I'm sure Utsukshook-- Ustuk-- Aka has something in mind."
Farmer sticks out his tongue and glares at it, then puts it away.
Akatsuki unsuccessfully tries to hide a smile, whether at Farmer's attempt at her name or at his facial antics is difficult to determine.
There is a long considering pause but the speaker does not move into view. "Lord Aeteperax has been quite a good patron for long months now. Payment is always very prompt and generous."
"My best case senario as of a few minutes ago would have been to dispose of a threat to my patron which would have no doubt been richly rewarded. Are you suggesting that there is another path that will provide such regular patronage?"
"Not exactly." Akatsuki continues in a friendly tone, "But I am suggesting that any patronage to your services would be better than to one who will no longer be able to pay you for anything in the near future, and that to receive any services from the grateful leadership and populace from the nearby town who respect you and are grateful to you for helping rid them of their tormentor would be so much preferable then to not being around to spend whatever wealth used to at one time be yours."
Akatsuki's tone is friendly, but absolutely assured that the future will turn out as stated.
Farmer nods. "Aka has the right of it again. And there are ..." a brief look of utter disgust crosses Farmer's face, but stays out of his voice "...other things besides money."
Farmer nods. "Aka has the right of it again. And there are ..." a brief look of utter disgust crosses Farmer's face, but stays out of his voice "...other things besides money."
[dice=Aiding Aka with Farmer-Style Sexy Diplomacy]1d20+12
Aka gapes at Farmer, apparently having completely forgotten the conversation she was having just a second or two earlier.
Farmer shrugs at Aka.
Willem gets about halfway up the stairs where he pauses, ready to attack should the need arise, but apparently content to let Farmer attempt to score with the unseen monster.
Pentosh listens politely to Aka's words, considering.
Farmer nods. "Aka has the right of it again. And there are ..." a brief look of utter disgust crosses Farmer's face, but stays out of his voice "...other things besides money."
At this there is silence from above for long moments, "Excuse me, Farmer, but I tend to be a plain spoken woman. What exactly are you offering other than money?"