They can't see invisibility. Pupa will fly over the water, spamming its surface with sleep spells, to no obvious effect.
Quist, in the meantime, has landed on the hag's body. Biter sees him attempting to lift some sort of medallion from around her neck, but with the strength of a butterfly, he doesn't make much progress.
Walking up towards the hag corpse "Outstanding strike Biter" and looking at Quist "Do you need a hand with that Quist?
The butterfly bobs up and down. He then flies up really high, and drops to the ground, catching himself at the last minute, then flutters back to land on the medallion. He repeats this a few times.
Alexi picks up the medallion and asks, "Do you want us to smash this? Fly straight up and down again for yes or left and right for no."
Provided he answers in the affirmative, Alexis will ask Biter to perform the honors.
Once Biter smashes the medallion, Quist instantly returns to his normal form.
Pete sighs, Heh, I kinda liked him betteah when he wus a butterfly.
He turns his attention to the hag corpse and starts stripping it of any valuables, and says, "We should prob'ly head oveah to the hut, see if'n we kin catch the other witches."
Pete searches diligently for valuables on the hag's body and is rewarded with nothing but an up close and personal feel for her slimy feminine wiles.
With the hag disposed of, the group makes their way forwards towards the hag's hut. She has a boxy stone hut alongside the Three Thunders River, surrounded by tall oak and maple trees. As you get closer to her hut, the roots and branches of the surrounding trees begin taking on a curled and twisted look – the branches sway in the wind and seem to grab at you as you pass. The hut is crudely constructed and looks draughty from the outside. Three small chimneys rise from the northeast corner of the hut and there are no windows that you can see. The front door stands slightly ajar – no light emanates from inside the building.
Alexis canvases da joint for da magic traps n' such as they are...
Circling around the hut, Alexis discovers several magical auras emanating from a back room, but nothing from near the entrance.
Pete moves silently to the front door and checks for more mundane traps.
When I say I'm canvassing the place, I'd like to study each aura long enough to make an attempt at figuring out what they do.
Spellcraft modifier is +11, +13 if you consider that Gregor's +9 modifier means even on a results of 1 that's enough for the aid another bonus...
Alexis detects seven auras from that back room. She can't identify them until she has their sources in hand, but she can use Knowledge arcana to identify the auras.
She identifies: faint divination, strong enchantment, faint abjuration, faint abjuration, can't tell, faint conjuration, and can't tell.
Pete does not find any traps on the front door. While it may have looked imposing to see the slightly ajar door from a distance, up close Pete realizes that it's just a badly hung door and probably can't actually stay closed.
"If you find anything that appears dangerous and not more than about 30 pounds, let me know. I can try to manipulate or disarm it with telekinetics like back in the undead collection chamber."
If needed Alexis will cast Greater Mage Hand and simply maintain concentration until we're done here.
Elorin will be ready to follow you in and cover you!
Pete cautiously enters the hut, allowing his darkvision to pierce the gloom of the hut.
In the meantime, I'll just describe what you see as best I can remember, and if we need a map for an encounter, I'll make it up quickly.
Pete looks in, seeing a 10 wide by 15 foot long, sparsely-furnished room. The door on the north wall is closed, though flickering light penetrates from beneath its rough edges. The door on the west wall stands open to reveal a small hallway. In the southern corners are two rickety wooden chairs. While not openly filthy, the room has a sense of damp mould about it, like no joy ever found its way within its walls.
Pete puts a finger up to his lips, and moves quietly to the door on the north wall.
Pete finds...
A door!
Smells of wood smoke and foul cooking emanate from underneath the north door.
Is the smell just foul by normal people's standards, or is it foul even to "Stinky" Pete? ;)
Is the smell just foul by normal people's standards, or is it foul even to "Stinky" Pete? ;)
This is the "Pete would rather lick the hag herself than eat whatever has been cooking in there" type of foul.
Elorin moved in the room to cover Pete.
As does Biter, the mighty warrior stalking in with eyes and ears open.
Pete flings the door open and dives into the room, seeing a crude and filthy kitchen. Three cauldrons bubble away with all manner of nasty liquids inside: one looks like a potion of some sort, the other two uncomfortably like food.
Resting on a crude wooden table in the middle of the room are five bloody faerie dragon wings, ending in bloody stumps.
Pete moves cautiously around the room, making sure the kitchen is unoccupied. He finds it necessary to breathe through his mouth, however. Assuming the kitchen is truly empty, he then motions to Biter and Elorin, "Ye may wanna git 'Lexis in 'ere, she may wanna see this."
Curiosity gets the best of the old druid, wondering what could be so awful, that even Pete couldn't handle the smell, so he enters the cabin.
"Gods what a stench!" seeing the grisly display, "I'm not sure Alexis will want to see that, or least not without being warned first."
Gregor walks over to Alexis... "It is a awful mess in there, you sure you want to see it?"
Trying his best to force himself to go into such a place... such a horrid smell and must be equally nasty inside "What is this smell Gregor? They cooking rotten meat and vomit?["
With a heavy heart for the dead little dragons, Elorin wanders back outside to keep an eye on the surrounding area...
Biter's red eyes scan the interior of teh hovel, his nose working the whole time. He shrugs, "What'ing is everyone to complain about? Biter is notting to think it smells so bad…"
He then continues looking around the place for any living dragon-things.
There's still another door from the front room, and there's a door leading from this kitchen (forgot to mention that, sorry, my read aloud text assumes that people are looking at a map!).
Quist, who has reverted to a butterfly again bobs sadly in place. Pupa, too, looks sad. "They cut off their wings. Now how they fly?"
"It is a awful mess in there, you sure you want to see it?"
Alexis manages a faint smile at the fatherly druid's concern. "Thank you Gregor, but my twin sister's specialty is making awful messes. I suspect that I shall be fine, how much worse can it be than a 60-foot tall construct made of zombies?"
However, when the demure princess enters, it is not the smell, but the sight of the severed wings that hits her the hardest.
"They cut off their wings. Now how they fly?"
It is difficult for Alexis to hold back the sadness welling up in her eyes when she sees the carnage. She closes her eyes and looks away from the rest of you for a moment upon hearing Quist's innocent sadness. Taking a deep breath and willing herself not to cry in front of the men, she replies, "Perhaps they will learn to fly again with magic, just as I have. Come, let's go find your friends..."
Before moving on, Alexis will once again sweep the chamber for magical auras and attempt to determine their purpose with Gregor's aid.
As she scans the room, Alexis wonders what magical rite could possibly require the wings and/or souls of faerie dragons.
Faerie dragon wings could have lots of power as components for all sorts of fey-oriented or darker rites. Nothing immediately springs to mind, however.
Through the door in the kitchen, or the one in the main room?
Pete's face is a mask of stoicism, although Alexis has the impression the scene of carnage has affected the dwarf more keenly that he is showing. In a gruff voice, he says, "Let's keep movin".
He moves to the door in the kitchen and listens for any signs of life on the other side.
With a heavy heart for the dead little dragons, Elorin wanders back outside to keep an eye on the surrounding area...
Sorry, thought there was only the two rooms, Elorin is still in the room waiting for the rest of this place to be searched!
Pete hears no sounds coming from behind the door. He opens it a crack and peers in to a 10 by 10 room with a wooden trap door with rope handles set in the centre of the floor. An unlit gourd lantern lies in one corner, and there is a door in the centre of the south wall (you're coming through an east door).
Pete nods in satisfaction, and gives Biter and Elorin a thumbs up signal. He moves to the trapdoor, and quickly examines it for any surprises.
Pete nods in satisfaction, and gives Biter and Elorin a thumbs up signal. He moves to the trapdoor, and quickly examines it for any surprises.
Pete is about to give the all clear signal when he notices a suspicious patch of floor at the edge of the trap door. A tiny mechanism ready to fire a dart with a sickly green oil of the tip lies ready to fire at anybody opening the trap door.
"Heh, hold up a sec, 'ere..."
The trap could be triggered remotely, either by lifting it magically from a distance, or by pulling the door up from behind with the ropes. The trap will just get someone trying to open it by lifting the trap door up from the front.
Pete stands behind the trapdoor, and pulls it up using the rope thoughtfully provided for him.
Stops right in the spot "What is it Pete?" as he strugles to keep his his sense do to the foul smell.
Pete stands behind the trapdoor, and pulls it up using the rope thoughtfully provided for him.
As Pete grasps the ropes to pull up, he has a brief moment to register the damp paste on the underside of one of them, before he feels a burning on his skin.
Fort save, please.
Oh, and the dart trap discharges harmlessly.