"I believe I could agree to help rid this city of a foul beast in the sewers. Do you actually have sewers in Mivon? That's impressive infrastructure for a place of this size."
"Great," Serena mutters, mostly to herself. Wandering through the sewers was not her idea of a good time, but if it was required, then she would bear up under the task.
"Well, we're not getting out through here." Scarlet points at the gate. "So, fine."
Lloutz Muniair says his goodbyes after one last attempt to get Illthir to come away with him back to his lodgings, before Needles leads the party back through the city to a small, but packed warehouse near the Bay Gate. There his friends pull up a section of flooring that leads down into a small secret room adjoining a rank, fishy-smelling sewer tunnel.
Scarlet takes a deep whiff, and coughs.
"Ah... back to the sewers."
She draws her weapons.
"Alright, let's do this!"
"Follow the main passage to the east. The tunnels go under the wall and into the Piles--"
He stops and gets a faraway look in his eyes.
"-Uh? Oh, there is a trapdoor about 350 feet due southeast of here. It's longer because of the twists and turns in the tunnels, but if you keep to the main path you should end up beneath the Piles, outside the wall. There's a red-handled opening in the ceiling in a dead end there. It leads up into a warehouse on the dock. Knock once, pause and knock again three times. When you get there just tell the men there that 'the coast is clear' and that they should give you passage to the eastern shore, once they verify your claims I'll send the rest of your party along once that's done."
"If they give you any lip about taking you across tell them 'it is, that or Daggermark', understand? They should take you across the Eel's Wake and into the foothills. We have an arrangement with the night watch in the bay towers. Once you are in the foot hills you are on your own."
Where is the music coming from (direction)?
Serena's attention seems to be distracted by something. She looks about as if searching for something and seems to be listening.
Serena begins to carefully and deliberately walk towards the nearest sewer entrance.
Zokon follows "Lets go all, we need to stick together."
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"Eww. Yeah that's a city scent I haven't missed." Illthir grumbles and ties a sash over her nose and mouth. Like Scarlet she then readies her weaponry and makes a note of the odd phrase. Daggermark? Have I heard that one before ... Hopefully not!
That wasn't the only odd thing here though. She reached out to grab the arm of the paladin before she managed to wander away. "Hey ... What's wrong?"
"You don't hear it? The music? It's hauntingly beautiful. It's coming from down there," Serena says, indicating the sewer entrance.
"The what?" Scarlet shrugs. "Serena, stick together here. If this is a trap we need to stick together."
"Oh?" Illthir looks in the direction indicated and tries to strain her ears. But she still couldn't hear anything. Yet. Maybe if we get closer? Or maybe it's nothing... Now things singing in the sewers weren't usually good news but she couldn't help but be a little curious.
"Hmh. I guess we'll find out if this 'swamp beast' is a songbird or not when we find it. With a bit of luck it's not the other way around ..."
"...want to be a pepper too...."
The way ahead is dark and smells like you've stuck your head in the privy hole after a particularly old and spicy haggis, and lentils buffet.
The main tunnel is about 10 feet wide though it bulges to 15 feet when there's an elevated walkway appended to it. The walkways (when they occur) are only a yard above the slow-moving stream of sewage and mucky floor of the main sluiceway. Numerous smaller tributary pipes perforate the walls along the tunnel adding to the main flow.
At a certain point the eerie music becomes apparent to all.
Durgan feels entranced for a second, before shaking it off.
"This music, it pulls at my mind. It is some sort of sorcery!"
If he recognizes any of his comrades as being entranced, he will try shaking their shoulders, waving his hands in front of their faces, and shouting at them.
If all that fails, he'll follow them with his axe drawn, ready to confront the source of the music. He casts Barkskin.
"Yeah, I hear it..." Illthir looks around with a silly grin. "So beautiful!"
"It calls us, we must find it." he starts moving in the direction of the sound
"Oi! We gotta find the beast and slay it."
"But first, let's find that music!" Scarlet turns toward the sound, in any way she can.
Serena leads the party towards the sound of the music.
The music draws the party forward.
Serena slogs through the boggy terrain, following the sound of the music.
"Hey Alia, stay here and guard the horses. Or whatever. We gotta find that music."
Scarlet continues onward.
"Where... is that music coming from?"
"The horses don't need as much guarding as you guys."
Dimly aware of the music, she attempts to hold Scarlet back at the shoulders. When her bodyguard pulls free to move on, Alia grows worried, rushing along with the others, pulling out her Estoc, and casting Shield if the singing seems close.
Durgan will also cast Shield when the singing seems close.
"Alia, any idea how to break this spell? Knocking out the singer is my best idea."
"I would assume so. Unless you are capable of nullifying all sound in an area, it seems like our best option - I doubt there's any doors ahead we could conviently close to block that song.", Alia responds to Durgan as she makes her way towards the front.
While going through the tunnel Zokon notes the lack of light and thinking out loud
"I just remembered something else we need. Some of the ioun stone things with those flame spells that always burn cast on them. That would be useful down here."
Serena slogs through the boggy terrain, following the sound of the music.
Serena rounds a corner and there in large pipe 5 feet up the wall on the far side of the dimly-lit chamber, behind a rusty steel grate is an elven waif with a bluish tinge to her skin and large eyes as dark as a winter night's sky. She is beautiful to look at, but worn-looking and nearly feral with need. She dressed in rags that may have once been a beautiful dress. She looks excited to see the paladin and beckons her forward, while at the same time anxiously looking both ways out through the grate like prisoner scanning the cell block for her jailer.
Her eyes seem to plead with Serena and the party for help, even as she continues her beautiful sad song.
"I can lead the way, I can see in the dark." Scarlet sees the woman and sheathes her swords. "Yeah, I see ya. We're coming to help!"
Scarlet hustles up to the grate and tries to figure out how to open it.
Her skin turns bright red as she tugs on the grate. "Man this grate is strong! Someone mind giving me a hand, here?"
The waif sings on as Scarlet struggles against the grate.
"Stop your singing, miss. It has captivated the minds of my companions. If you wish our help, stop singing and speak."
Durgan casts Shield.
Serena, ignoring her companions, moves forward, entranced by the music.
Zokon steps up and attempts to aid Scarlet in her gate breaking
"Let's try this!."
"Don't be silly - of course there's blue elves! It's just regular ones when it's very very cold. Though I suppose ... That might not apply here." Illthir mumbled. The gods knew it was a bit hard to think right now - why was that? Hmm...
Zokon steps up into the only space left to him to help the woman behind the grate. His foot lands on something hard just beneath the mud as most of the rest of the party clusters around him.
[dice=bear trap v Zokon (flat-footed)]1d20+10[/dice]
Something goes **SNAP!** and a pair of rusty steel jaws lock around Zokon's boot, cutting through the leather and into his shin!
A victim under the effects of the captivating song moves toward the harpy using the most direct means available. If the path leads them into a dangerous area such as through fire or off a cliff, that creature receives a second saving throw to end the effect before moving into peril. Captivated creatures can take no actions other than to defend themselves. A victim within 5 feet of the harpy simply stands and offers no resistance to the harpy’s attacks.