Sventon will attempt to use the wand on Beren.
stealth
perception
Coming back down to the second level Beren relays what he has found, There is a door at the top of the stairs. Some weird mists are coming out from under the door, and it sounds as if some sort of hound is waiting on the other side. Who is up for putting the hound down and checking out what is making this mist? he turns and heads back to the stairs, pausing to see who follows.
Sventon follows drawing his curve blade with a steel hiss. He positions himself to the hinge-less side of the door, blows his hair from his face and smiles.
Let'em have it
He readies an action to attack anything that comes through that door.
"Very ready to kill mist-dog. We go!" Rikaku grins widely, cloying, cold mist of his own seeping out between his sharp fangs. He follows the others up the stairs, making sure they were between him and whatever danger is beyond.
Trogg will tap Beren twice with the wand, then hand it to Variel.
Clarence senses the tension in the air and growls.
At the top of the stairs, Beren throws open the door and takes a five foot step back, to allow Sventon room to use his blade. He will follow Sventon into the room ready to put his axe to good use.
Jazz follows the group, curved blade held at the ready just behind Beren and Sventon.
Beren throws the door open to see a large bipedal creature with a wolf like head. It seems to have a physical body though there are mists that are forming a mantle around it. This effect makes it body appear as if a mirage. The creature shrieks at the party and hefts a blade crackling with sparks of lighting forming in the clouds around the sword.
The room has mist all over the floor, there is a singular chair in the middle of the room. There are small cracks in the wall and 2 windows one of which is currently closed. There is a small corridor into the room which then opens up into. There isn't much else in this room other than the shrieking creature. You suspect that is because it is just a look out.
Initiative
Beren
Sventon
Rikaku
Jazz
Variel
Trogg
Enemy
Sventon will wait with readied action for the creature to step into his threatened square (one that doesn't grant it cover from the doorway) and swing away with all his might.
Rikaku shrieks back at the creature, although his is not nearly as intimidating, and spits a glob of ice and snow at it.
Taste my axe doggy! Beren howls as he moves into the room and attacks the wolf headed creature. entering t he room and moving to his right so as to give a clear line to the creature to those following him.
attack
damage
Sventon sighs So much for an ambush.
He goes into the room and positions himself across Beren so that he can flank the dog.
Jazz charges into the room, heavy curved blade swinging dangerously.
Attack
Damage
Crit damage
The 3 comrades circle around this shrieking beast landing some strong blows damaging him quite badly. Rikaku's ray doesn't seem to connect though the beast is looking agitated.
BOT: Variel
Variel tries to weaken the creature with an evil eye hex.
The creature is only weakened for a short time
Clarence moves in once it's clear that the rest haven't taken the wolf-thing down.
... but he's too busy dodging feet in the scrum to get a good bite in.
Trogg notices that everyone seems to have things under control, and contents himself with trying to distract it by yelling at it.
The kobold aims another blast of cold energy through the legs of his compatriots, only to have it hit the floor when Clarence moves in unexpectedly. Rikaku snorts in frustration, small snowflakes shooting out of his nostrils and immediately melting in the warm air.
Ray of Frost:
Doubt that hits, but...
Jazz blinks dumbly as the wolf beast stays standing despite all those powerful blows, then he slashes at it again with his sword, trying to bring it down before it can inflict any real damage.
Attack
Damage
After Trogg and Clarence attack it, the creature spins around attacking Jazz and Beren with his sword then trying to bite Sventon.
The monsters' blade strikes home hitting both its targets, Sventon manages to sway away as the creatures teeth hunt for his neck. The lightning now crackles around the creatures' mantle building up charge. The creature then stares intently at Trogg, licking his lips like he would be a tasty morsel.
Trogg isn't quite sure what the creature is capable off but with the knowledge he found out earlier Trogg knows that this is a Mistfiend.
Beren is shocked to see the beast still standing, and doubly so as the creatures blade strikes home. He feels blood start to trickle down his torso from the cut. He launches another attack, trying to end the battle now
attack
damage
Trogg whips his healing wand out, and crouches behind his shield.
A whirlwind of fang and claw lashes out at the enemy, but it appears to be unscathed.
By the gods! What are you?
yells Sventon swinging wildly at the creature with his blade.
Everyone lashes out at the creature though only Beren and Clarence land a blow, it seems like it is clinging to the last vestiges of life. The creature takes the charge it was building up and prepares to sling it at Trogg in desperation. The 4 that are adjacent to him swing at him trying to prevent him from doing anything. Beren cleaves his face toppling him over as Jazz swings his sword from below slicing him down the middle. The creature slumps over and lays still infront of the chair. The mists die down in the room and you all can start to see the floor more clearly.
Symbols and lines litter the floor all centralizing on the plan wooden chair in the centre. As you take it in the creature on the floor splutters one last time before erupting into smoke, leaving behind a small orb in his place. It flashes green a couple of times before the colour in it disappears.
Beren takes a few steps back, away from the chair and the orb. He makes room for the others that might have some knowledge of arcane things to examine them. He does however, check to see if there is any other way out of the room or stairs going up to any other levels.
Rikaku quickly scans the wooden chair and the left-over orb with detect magic, and will alert the rest of the group to his findings. He carefully steps towards the wooden chair, watching for signs of any mysterious magical lines reappearing, before picking up the orb and looking at it curiously.
Variel stands considering the creature for a long while and then applies his knowledge: Nature (Variel assuming the creature to be of the Fey).
Take 20 + 8 = 28
Knowledge (arcana) 20+6 = 26
Knowledge (local) 20+6 = 26
First, Jazz recalls all of the arcane readings that he's perused, trying specifically to recall any wolf-like creature that after death transforms itself into a flashing green orb. After, he tries to recall any stories he's maybe heard from townsfolk throughout his travels relating to such a unique creature.
Looking around this seems to be the top level of the building, there is only the 2 windows that serve as an exit.
The chair itself isn't magical though many of the lines on the floor are, the orb only has a lingering aura left to it. Rikaku picks up the orb and glares intently at it for about a minute before shaking as if woken from a light sleep.
Nature or arcana (creature): The creature is a Mistfiend. Mistfiends often have multiple spell like abilities that usually fly under the radar to most magic detection devices or spells. They are secretive creatures that tend not to show themselves unless caught cornered. Killing one is not so easy as destroying their physical form just returns them to the mists to be reformed later. Little else is known about these odd creatures. Mistfiends have been known to work with the Fey before though they are not of Fey origin. No knowledge of the creatures denote that it turns into an orb when it is slain.
Local: The only tales of Mistfiends you've ever heard of are from near this region. They are often only talked about as old wives tales to scare children. No-one has actually seen one, or rather seen one and anyone believed them. Not one magical college has managed to collect one for study or notes taken down about their origins. None of the legends say that a mistfiend turns into an orb.
Arcana (for the room): The lines on the floor seem to denote a gathering of power of some kind. The intent of this tower was clearly as a look out so this lines must've been installed here more recently. The seem to act as a conduit for whatever was sitting in the chair. Though it was doubtful that it was the Mistfiend.
Does Trogg's Spirit Sense tell him anything? (Namely, is the orb still a creature, or is it merely an object now?)
"What happened, Rikaku? Is it safe to handle the orb?"
Rikaku doesn't instantly respond to Trogg's question. The kobold's eyes seem glassy and his breathing ragged; it takes him some moments before he snaps back to his senses, gasping and crumpling to the floor. He whimpers, taking another minute or so to gather his senses and try to make sense of what he just saw. He looks up to Trogg and blabbers.
"Rikaku in rich-big-folk house! Clean and tidy, and pretty shinies everywhere. Outside, big-folk angry, hold torches and hay-fork, shout up at Rikaku. So, so angry. Rikaku see no more, but hear more. 'What is your desire?' One say. 'Peace, away from here where I might live forever...' One say."
The kobold puts the orb down and scuttles away from it, unwilling to touch the orb again.
@Trogg: The orb doesn't have any lingering aura or any aura at all on the orb from any of Sense spirit's targets. Though with detect magic the lingering aura from the orb has now vanished. The chair however is showing a moderate aura, seems to be a mixture of fey and undead.
Having searched the room, Beren lets the magic users puzzle out what to do with the orb and chair.
Once they have exhausted their detections he chimes in, We should go downstairs and try to wake Varis, he may have some answers as to what was really going on. We also have to figure out what to do with the goblins.
A hard question to both... because the answer may be seen as simple.
He sighs.
If this is indeed the foe that stalks the village we walk a dire path... and I have no hard idea's to thwart such a foe.
Jazz picks up the orb that Rikaku dropped and holds it in his hand, gazing intently at it for a few seconds. "Must at least be worth something..."
Appraise
Trogg will attempt to cut the chair into two pieces with his scimitar, then examine the pieces for the fey/undead aura.
The orb itself isn't worth all that much, maybe about 300 gold in terms of materials. Still worth selling, though you aren't sure to whom. You didn't see very many shops that would deal in this sort of thing in town.
Trogg cuts the chair in two quite cleanly. The aura lingers behind a little while though after a moment Trogg feels oddly calm. The room almost seems to brighten up, a few moments later one of Trogg's pockets feels heavier.
The pieces of the chair now feel like mundane pieces of wood.
Beren, seeing that things are in hand on the third floor, heads back down to Varis. He checks the bindings to make sure they are secure and then dumps some water on his head in an attempt to wake him.
Once Varis is awake Beren sits on an adjacent box and introduces himself, You are Varis I am told, sorry for the bindings but one cannot be too careful. My name is Beren, I am the one who knocked you cold with the flat of my axe. A mist came out of your mouth when you went unconcious, so I am going to assume you are yourself again. I need you to tell me about what you remember of the last day.
Varis looks around groggily at everything. He slowly sits up trying to ease himself up despite the ropes. He then erupts into a short coughing fit before answering.
"The last day..? I assume you mean before I woke up here?" He leans back mulling over the question in his mind. "I remember going about my day as normal, worrying over what was happening to the townsfolk. I was writing a letter to my friend to get him to send over some specially crafted items before I felt something weird in my mind. I saw a place, the old watchtower for the west road. Then I heard a man ask if I wanted to be safe, I agreed, then woke up here with a bump on my head." He laughs "I should thank you, no telling what was going on. I should have been more careful, this place is starting to scare me."
It's starting to scare me too says Sventon looking around uncomfortably and inspecting his blade for chips.
Trogg examines the book he found in his pocket and asks, "Does anyone have pen and ink on them?"
"Rikaku do," the kobold replies. He's not paying much attention to Trogg, though, and is instead staring accusingly at the orb in Jazz's hands. A short while later he passes over a tattered journal and writing materials; the first couple of pages are filled with what appears to be a child's progressively improving attempts at writing in Common.
These items your friend was crafting for you, were they to be used for investigating the disappearances? We are here to do just that, and anything that would aid in the investigation would be benefitial.
Determining that Varis is not hostile, Beren unties Varis and helps him to his feet.Do you have any idea where the other end of the teleportation ring in this is? Beren asks, motioning to the runes in the middle of the room.
Variel moves to tend to Varis and his head injury as watches the questioning, not having much to contribute but wishing to be on hand if needed... and wanting to create a good impression with Varis to aid in the questioning.
Heal +5
Varis thanks Variel then replies to Beren. "Sort of, I was hoping they would protect me from whatever mind altering affects are going on here. I still haven't narrowed down as to what it could be. I was hoping it would at least help at little. Variel then rubs his temple a bit.
"I don't know exactly where that rune heads towards, I only remember vaguely hearing that it was about making sure the people are comfortable or something along those lines." He shrugs. What people and where? I don't know, sorry wish I could be more help.
Trogg thanks Rikaku and begins writing something in the book.