Doing a flyby at a distance, Undari's eagle eyes pick up on many details about the tower and the cave.
"There appear to be bears living in that cave. Should we try an alternate route--maybe the top of the tower, or just have me try and make nice with them?" he asks.
[n]"Top of the tower will be fine. Not as polite, but there's a war on godsdammit, people need to start acting like it!"[/b]
"We're less likely to encounter any traps or other defenses if we descend from the roof as well."
”The roof it is, then,” says Undari/Eagle, gliding that direction and looking for the most likely ingress.
Before Undari flies the party atop the rocky plain spreading out across the top of the cliff, he notes faint signs of recent conflict in and around the tower. He can smell hints of blood almost overshadowed by strange chemical smells upon the air.
The walls of the tower are almost perfectly smooth, suggesting they were formed with the use of magic. The high, narrow windows are indicative of intent to keep dangers out - or perhaps to keep something in.
Atop the cliff, you find a pair of thick wooden double doors set into the eastern face of the main tower's second floor. They are heavily reinforced with iron, seemingly designed especially to withstand brute force.
"Our mission just became more urgent. Can anyone get us through that door? I'd hate to have to bash it down but we can't afford to wait."
The roof is entirely enclosed, betraying no trace of even a chimney or vent pipe.
No mechanical lock can be seen upon the door, but you suspect it may be barred from within or even locked by magic.
Esperanza shakes her head. "Our best bet may be to follow the attackers in and hope the wizard's defenses buy him enough time."
"Perhaps we should try the lower door in the bear cave," counsels Undari, "It may be easier to break down."
"If there are bears in there, how confident are you in molifying them? I don't want to kill the pets of a wizard who's aid we need," Thorek says, peering over the edge of the cliff skeptically.
”I have a spell that will allow me to speak with them assuming they are home, and I have some small divine skill of influence with animals, but one can never tell,” responds Undari.
Abandoning the front door, Undari flies everyone down to the cave, transforms, and casts his communication spell. Moving into the cave, Undari attempts to speak with the bears should they be there, influencing them with soothing words and Wild Empathy.
A trio of beasts lumbers forth from the recesses of the cavern that guards the lower entrance to the tower. As Undari's eyes make out the sharp, curving shape of their snouts, he realizes these are no mere bears.
The druid quickly identifies the unmistakable beak and feathers of owlbears. Whilst two of them appear to be physically ordinary specimens of these strange creatures, the third is...unique.
Although the trio at first move to defend their home, Undari quickly quells their bestial rage. They stomp their clawed feet on the earth and gnash their beaks, but they do not appear as keen to attack anymore. During this tense standoff, Undari notices that all three have leather collars around their necks.
Calming down the owlbears, Undari says, ”We should be clear to proceed,” as he waves the others to the busted door.
Esperanza, to her credit, hesitates for only a few seconds before moving past the owlbears and through the door.
"That's a damned good trick, Undari. Glad we have you with us always, but especially now."
Thorek pauses to invoke a prayer of protection from Angradd before following Esperanza through the door. He tries to keep alert for Ironfang assassins, but keeps glancing over his shoulder at the owlbears.
A few simple trophies - a shredded Molthuni banner, a few monster skulls, and what appears to be a dented shield - hand from the walls of this otherwise bare, high-ceilinged room. A heavy double door stands to the west opposite the tower's shattered front doors, while a smaller door leads north. Spiral stairs to the south lead up.
This foyer is very sparse and open, suggesting that the wizard, Navah, entertains very few visitors. The trophies on the wall, likely mementos of her days as an adventurer in the same band as Mayor Crawbert, bear a thick layer of dust - and they hold no monetary value.
Esperanza quickly surveys the room. "Looks like they went straight upstairs. We should do the same."
"Indeed," Thorek marches up the stairs, eyes alert but expression the grim mask of a man who expects to kill soon.
The other doors in this foyer are intact and still closed. Climbing the stairs leads you to an antechamber at the landing, with an open door offering access to the strange laboratory beyond.
The shattered remains of three large, glass cylinders line the southeast wall of this large room. A thick layer of greasy, slippery-looking orange slime coats the floor. Hallways lead to the north and southwest, while a heavily barred double door is set in the wall to the east - presumably the magically locked one you encountered previously. Another single door lies to the west.
"Er, look up there, there's two...cloaks? Animated cloaks? I don't know precisely, wizards are an unpredictable lot--they could be dangerous or could just be odd."
Undari casts Setect Magic and scans the room. If the cloaks appear to be magical, he will try to figure out what kind of magic they may hold.
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Though they are difficult to describe, Thorek's alert proves fortuitous, for the "cloaks" prove to be some manner of creature. They unfurl themselves as they prepare to lunge down and attack you!
They are resistant to piercing and slashing weapons, as well as cold and fire. However, they are sensitive to bright light.
"Definitely some sort of creature! Blasted wizards..." Thorek invokes a battle-prayer and begins spinning up his dorn-dergar, cautious of the narrower confines of the room.
Undari casts a spell and draws his scimitar, preparing to defend himself as these strange cloak-like creatures leap to attack!
Esperanza moves to interpose herself between Undari and the attacking creatures, glaive held at the ready.
The huge creatures drop down to begin their attack, and one is immediately met by Esperanza's steel. When it attempts to latch onto her with its tendrils and maw, it receives yet another painful rebuff as she parry and ripostes.
An arrow from Lily ricochets off a rafter.
One of the creatures lurches aside to evade Undari's fiery spell.
Thorek's strike lands but lacks just enough oomph to best the creature's thick hide.
In response, it slams upon Thorek and attempts to smother him.
As the cloaks unfold, they gain in size and become terrifying towers, one of them trying to envelop Thorgrim!
Undari takes a short step back and moves the Flaming Sphere into the square of the one attacking Thorgrim, then he calls down holy fire on both of the creatures!
Fire Damage
Fire and Holy Damage
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"Muh nahm ihs nah Orgrm! Eehs Orek!" The dwarf's outraged voice is muffled by the thick, rubbery hide of the lurker.
Esperanza falls back a step, to where she can defend against both of the monsters, before turning her blade to the one smothering Thorek.
"Hold on, Thorek! I'll cut you free."
As Esperanza diverts her attention and delivers a flurry of slashes against the monster constricting Thorek, the other one seizes upon the opening and slams down upon her, trying to likewise entrap her.
Lily affixes her stare on the creature that has seized Thorek and lands an arrow upon it, trying to weaken its hold as the monster constricts the dwarf.
The creatures seem to resist the burning magic that Undari unleashes upon them, but the holy power breaks through their defenses.
Thorek wriggles mightily in a effort to break the lurker's grip, trying hard not to panic.
Esperanza twists and rolls with the force of the blow, emerging from the creature's grasp significantly worse for wear. She holds her glaive up defensively in anticipation of its next strike.
With both intrepid warriors enveloped by these creatures, Undari uses his other prepared Flame strike in the hopes of killing at least one of them. If one goes down, he rolls the Flaming Sphere to the other—if not, he continues to let it burn the one attacking Thorek.
Fire Damage
Fire and Holy Damage
Undari's flame strike proves enough to finally slay the large, aberrant ambush predators. They collapse to the floor of the tower with heavy, wet thuds.
Thorek wrestles his way free from the dead creature's grasp.
Breathing hard, Esperanza examines a rapidly darkening bruise on her arm before giving Undari a grateful nod.
Smiling back at Esperanza, Undari digs out some healing poultices and treats her wounds as well as Thorek’s.
(15 hp healing)
(15 hp healing)
Fighting his way free of the lurker, Thorek scowls and spits on its corpse. "I thank you for the rescue," he nods to his companions and picks up his dorn-dergar. "For whatever it's worth...they weren't cloaks, I misidentified them quite a bit, my apologies."
With the danger passed, you have time to better assess your surroundings.
Navah left some research notes behind that identify these creatures as Lurking Rays, subterranean ambush predators, that were among her test subjects. It seems quite likely they escape from the broken glass cylinders along the wall - or perhaps they were released during whatever battle was fought through here previously. The broken open crates and cages around the room suggest that they have been subsisting by consuming the other creatures previously kept here.
A passage to the north leads to a well room, containing animal fodder and a large water barrel.
The hallway to the southwest leads to the second, smaller tower - specifically, a pair of doors set in a corner, as well as a staircase leading upwards.
"To the second tower, then?" Esperanza asks, pointing to the southwest.
Undari nods, focusing again on his Detect Magic spell and scouring the rooms as they pass for any items of interest.
The open doors in the first floor of the secondary tower open onto what appears to be the wizard's personal space, including a bedroom and washroom. Undari recognizes a magical aura upon the washroom, suggesting that some manner of permanent spell is cast upon it.
While the washroom remains immaculately stocked and cleaned, the bedroom has been destroyed. A full-length mirror has been smashed to pieces. Journals, paintings, and bedding have been shredded to bits. Mementos and curios have been dashed upon the floor.
Undari spots a long box sitting under the bed, having remained untouched. He can sense a magical emanation from within.
”The bathroom seems to have some kind of cleansing enchantment, and this box here appears to he a magical aura as well,” Undari says as he approaches. Focusing his magic on the box itself, the druid attempts to discern if there are any magical or mundane traps on it.
"The...bathroom...has a magical enchantment?" Esperanza asks, befuddled.
Thorek just chuckles as Esperanza's puzzlement, but says nothing. "What's in the box, Undari?"
”Just checking it for possible traps—magical or mundane. I’ll open it as soon as we are sure it is clear,” answers Undari.