Jofram and Ushari stalk cautiously around the tower, glancing through every gap in the wall. Nothing more hostile than trees, plants, and rubble meet their gaze. Jofram notes a prodigious number of tracks around the area, nearly all gnoll prints with just a few human-sized boot prints adding to the mix, probably from a man with relatively small feet.
As the duo reaches the far side of the tower, they find the principle doorway. Of the main gate, facing East, only the arched stone framework still exists. Even the walls on both sides of it have collapsed into ruin. More Amanita trails its poisoned purplish vines across the remaining stonework. The inside of the keep can be seen past the gateway. Trees have pushed through and displaced the stone flooring and only a few feet of the stairway that wound around the inside wall remains. The entire site is still with no signs of life.
Ushari calls over to the rest of the party. They circle the tower from the opposite direction and join the two scouts by the main gateway.
Jayse gives one final look around the exterior of the structure before shrugging, "Well, down the rabbit hole we go. Shaggar, as much as your fighting skills will be useful, we need you to survive in here. If you die, rooting out our quarry will get really hard. Please stay with Straehan." He points at the gnome, and uses the distraction to give the gnome a 'keep an eye on him' look.
Then he turns back towards the wall, taking point as he heads towards the northeast hole, "Jofram, you wanna put that bow to good use and come with me?"
As he nears the wall, he pulls a small vial out of one of his hidden pockets.
The gnome nods slightly message received and then cranes his neck to look at the gnoll. "So... what are you, like, 6 feet n' 36 inches tall?"
Jayse and Jofram sneak around the outside of the tower. Jayse enters the gap in the wall stealthily while the ranger covers him with his bow. Jayse surveys the interior. What he sees looks harmless enough. There are a few piles of rubble that shield areas from his sight... but otherwise, things seem quiet.
As Jayse moves into the shadowed structure, Jofram's bow apparates - arrow knocked to emmisive bowstring. Elven eyes search Jayse's path for dangers lurking in the darkness.
When he doesn't see anything, Jayse considers their options before slipping back by Jofram. "There's a hole on the northwest side with more rubble around it on the inside. I think we can use that as cover to work our way around the inside of this wall." Jayse flags down the other three. First he puts a finger over his lips, calling for quiet, then he waves them to follow him, and finally points two fingers at his eyes then indicates the ruins as well as the area around them. The signals are easy enough to follow…. Follow us quietly, and watch our backs.
Ushari motions for Shaggar and Straehan to move in front of her. The look on her face shows a certain level of distrust of their erstwhile ally.
Always best to keep your enemies in front of you...
Jayse stops in his tracks, looking at the ground around him before sneaking back a few steps and beckoning Straehan and ushari forward. he whispers in their ears, "Maybe you two should be looking for traps. I'll be right behind you."
Ushari nods silently and slides to the front of the group, sense stretched for any signs of traps.
Straehan kicks some loose rock with his over-sized boots in his hurry to get to the front. The clatter of stones seems over-loud in the echo chamber of the ancient tower walls. He flinches at the noise and gives a sheepish grin. "Yeah... I was just testing for audible trigger traps.... standard practice."
What the gnome lacks in stealth he makes up for in the ability to sniff out a trap.
Ushari and Straehan cautiously weave among the rubble looking for traps with the rest of party trailing behind. They stick to the wall as closely as possible, moving closer to the open center to skirt the thick carpet of Amanita in the Southwest and the spots where the walls look like they may collapse at any moment. After 10 minutes, they conclude there are no obvious traps or creatures hiding amid the rubble.
Jayse looks around, "Huh... kind of expected more of a production. So anyone see how we get into this guy's lair?"
Ushari glances at Jayse, "I think if there is a way into his lair, it must be underground. Let's check these rubble piles."
A thorough search of the rubble piles reveals no secret doors or passages, though you notice that a good deal of the stone here did not come from the tower. It is the wrong color and material - far more rough-hewn.
Straehan states the obvious explanation for the different types of stone, "We've got a gopher."
"I'm assuming there's an explanation for that somewhat useless statement." When Strae looks over, Jayse is grinning, "So you're saying we need a way to get underground?"
"Seems like our Striper has done a little mining. We just need to find the entrance."
"Would Ushari's coin help us out here? Or do we have to do this the old fashioned way?"
The gnome gives a thumbs-up. "I say, do it the easy way."
Ushari comments, "Sure looks like it to me. Since we need to find the entrance, let me help here." She smiles as she pulls out her magical Coin of Finding. "I think this will help."
You have to go through several phrases and hit on secret door to the dungeon before the Coin shows any sign of moving.
It springs from Ushari's hand and bounces over the uneven stonework, winding towards the Southwest corner where it plunges into the thick carpet of poisonous ivy.
Jayse crosses his arms in his best 'not my job' pose as he looks at the pile of poisonous plants.
Ushari looks at the pile of poisonous ivy with a dubious look on her face. "Hmmm...how is the Striper able to bypass this ivy? Even if he is somehow immune to poison, there is no way the children would be immune to it. He must have a way of bypassing it somehow..."
"That's a good question. Perhaps he has his sweepie skeleton push aside the plants. Undead laugh at poison. I think with some hacking and Mage Hand, we can get this moved."
Ushari shakes her head, clearly not convinced. "If that is true Stra, then we should have seen some sign of that skeleton around here." She glances at the ranger, "Did you see any sleleton tracks?"
Jofram looks around, sniffs the ground and says "No, only a great many of the fetid gnoll prints."
"Anyone have any poison-blocking spells? I'd cast mine, but it turns out I can't cast spells."
Ushari laughs at Jayse's joke before her tone turns serious. "I can delay the onset of the poison for several hours, but when the duration wears off..."
"So we'll call that Plan B. Anyone got any grand ideas that don't involve someone gambling with their life? Is there a place on the plant that's not poisonous?"
"Perhaps it could be burned away..." Jofram says, scanning the area for materials to make a torch.
Jayse looks skeptical, "Won't we just inhale it?"
"Why would you do that?"
"If we were burning all this..." and he points to the large plant, "how are we supposed to not breathe it in?"
"Well, I definitely wouldn't recommend standing next to it, while it burns - but neither would I recommend reaching into it. We could set it alight, and move upwind for a time."
Ushari looks at the pile of poisonous ivy with a look of frustration in her eyes. While she could delay the effects of the poison for the other members of her group, it would not prevent the poisoning to begin with (not to mention the expenditure of her divine energy.)
She sees Shaggar looking at her and correctly guesses what he wanted her to do at this point.
Fat chance Shaggar. There has to be a better wa---SKITTER!
She reaches into her pouch and activates her trusty companion. She chatters softly to him.
If little crab-like constructs could sigh... Skitter would.
: Alright. :
The littlest party member deploys blades and like a maniacal lawnmower, begins to plow through the vines with efficiency.
It takes the little construct twenty minutes to chop through enough branches and vines to clear the slab of stone on which the coin rests. With the generous application of Mage Hand to move the loose vines, you stand at the door.
Skitter drips with sap and probably poison.
Ushari motions Skitter to head away from the door and points to a small hole in the ground. She points a slender finger at it and soon the hole fills with water.
She points to Skitter, and utters a few short squeaks in his particular language:
Skitter hunches down insolently and lets out a long series of screeches and rattles that set everyone's teeth on edge.
Straehan pulls out his glasses and goes over the counter-weighted door very carefully. "I don't see any traps. Seems a good shove here will open it. You folks ready to go after our gopher? Any other preparations?"
Ushari sighs and rubs her temples.
Is this what it is like to raise a child?
She turns to Straehan and replies "Excuse me Strae, but Skitter does not want to get wet. Could you...ummm, clean him off?"
By all the gods, he gets smashed into a million pieces by that pirate, and he is worried about getting wet...Sheesh.