While the others search the wagons, Nasir climbs up the house with Yazhi and inspects the door up there.
"Ayita, Yazhi has found another excellent use for your Earthbreaker. May I borrow it while you search the camp?"
While the others search the wagons, Nasir climbs up the house with Yazhi and inspects the door up there.
"Ayita, Yazhi has found another excellent use for your Earthbreaker. May I borrow it while you search the camp?"
CLARIFICATION:
Lullaby and Siona climbed up to the roof of the stone house via a hole in the ceiling.
They then climbed down off the roof, into the Stone House, and escaped through the secret door (through which all of you originally exited the catacombs) and down. That secret door is now closed.
Frantino looks up from identifying magic items while sitting on Alden's unconscious body.
"So they did go downstairs? Drat! They're probably gathering up all our loot off of Dolland and the others. I wonder if they know how to get through the room with the wall of force, and if they have the physical strength to do the necessary damage? If they can't get through there, then they'll be laying in wait for us, or waiting to surprise us up here at night. We're low on spells, but I presume Lullaby is right now, too, so that's a wash."
"Nasir, I agree, looks like it's time to break down a door! Unless it's just locked and Ayita can open it."
Roscoe's claws and fangs eventually subside, and he looks a normal halfling again, albeit one that is perpetually angry.
"Well, if they are going to take our stuff, let's stop them before they get far! Tie this guy up, or drag him along with us, and let's stop them! She's wounded and they won't get far!"
"Who grabbed that bag of holding from Dolland? Let's put all this stuff in there quickly, open that door one way or the other, and go find those last two Roadkeepers. By the way, Doc, here's another cure wand for you. It's not as nice as our new one, but I'm sure it'll be helpful."
Frantino will grab the tied-up Alden and make his way toward the Stone House so we can head back downstairs.
Nightthrush's possessions:
Wand of cure light wounds (25 charges)
Chain shirt
Mwk cold iron dagger
An amulet (unidentified)
Coinage: 60 pp, 6 gpAlden's possessions:
Cloak of the hedge wizard (illusion)
Wand of mage armor (37 charges)
Mwk dagger,
Silver peacock feather on a chain (worth 25 gp)
Coinage: 4 pp, 9 gp
MORE TREASURE
Inside the Stone House, while examining the secret doorway, you find the following:
A slightly tarnished silver candlestick. With some simple cleaning it could be presentable enough to fetch 15 gp.
Stacked near this candle are three books. The first is a collection of Varisian fables with a ratty cover and a nearly nonexistent binding.
The second, bound in red leather, is a guide with illustrations of various plants with medicinal benefits and recipes for poultices, salves, tinctures, and teas that can be made from the plants. Referencing this book just before attempting a Heal check grants a +1 bonus on the check.
The third book is a thick volume with a thin wooden cover and red silk covering the binding. Inside, two dozen bawdy stories play out for the reader’s delight, complete with woodcuts illustrating the acts mentioned in the stories. (!!)
All three books are worth a total of 50 gp.
Ayita will happily lend Social Control, quietly pleased that a professional fighter is interested in her Shoanti weaponry.
She will try to open any secret or non-secret but closed doors as appropriate, with disable device...
The attempt to open the secret door fails, as it has been shut from inside and locked or otherwise barred. (?)
The walls of the Stone House, and the secret door in the corner, have withstood Earthfall, thousands of years of darkness, and the erosion of eons after that. Shattering it will take serious work. Most likely, Ayita's earthbreaker will wear out before the job can be completed.
From Ayita's attempt at opening the door, she realizes that it is probably the door's hinges that are the most vulnerable. Age has crept into them, wearing at their mechanism, eroding the material. Perhaps there is a weakened part that a sudden feat of strength could destroy.
Frantino puts his shoulder into the door near the hinges, per Ayita's direction.
"Nasir and I should be able to break this open in quick order, or we could go around to the goblin entrance and cut them off at that side, if they're able to get through the wall of force, or take them by surprise if they don't expect us to enter through there."
Roscoe puts his back into it.
"Come on people!" he exclaims.
Nasir tries his strength on the door.
He can't seem to get significant leverage to move anything.
"It may be quicker to make our way to the other side as you say, Frantino Kaddren."
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Whilst his companions struggle with the door, Hatfield moves a couple of the benches/chairs from around the campfire and climbs up on the roof.
"Hey, y'all. Might could be that there's a door up here."
That's cheating!
Ayita gives one more shove on the door and heads toward the roof, glaring at the healer, who she knows to be right.
Doc and Ayita find a hole in the roof that leads into the Stone House. If they look through it, they can see Nasir and Frantino below, hammering at the secret door.
Nasir tries his strength on the door.
[dice=Strength Check]1d20+4
He can't seem to get significant leverage to move anything.
"It may be quicker to make our way to the other side as you say, Frantino Kaddren."
[dice=Survival check to estimate time and path to get to the goblin entrance]1d20+7
Nasir takes in the surrounding terrain and estimates it will take an hour to walk around and come to the goblin cave entrance.
Nasir pulls out the bag of holding for the team to put the new found treasure in.
"Unless you want to sort all of the spoils here, let us just put what we have taken in here now. There is much in here already, but the new items are not too bulky. Let us see if there is anything else of interest in these wagons."
Nasir goes to search the wagons. While he is doing that, he continues to chat with the party.
"It is a good idea to take the wagon with the horse when we leave. We still need to decide what we will do with the prisoner. I suspect that taking him back to Roderic's Cove would be a mistake as the Order would free him from captivity quickly."
The attempt to open the secret door fails, as it has been shut from inside and locked or otherwise barred. (?)
Frantino tries futilely to break open the door.
"Does anyone have a crowbar? We should be able to break through here long before we make our way around to the other cave entrance."
Doc and Ayita find a hole in the roof that leads into the Stone House. If they look through it, they can see Nasir and Frantino below, hammering at the secret door.
Frantino looks up, confused, as Ayita nearly hits him with a lit coin and then lowers herself down next to him in the Stone House, standing right where she was only a moment ago. The door into the Stone House is wide open, only the secret door is barred. "Did you find a crowbar up there?"
"A little help here?"
With a final kick, the secret door crashes open!
"Pretty good for a door that's thousands of years old. They don't build them like this anymore. What a shame."
Greatsword in hand, Frantino carefully peers past the door to make sure that Lullaby and company aren't waiting right there or down the stairs. If it's clear, he'll check the bindings and gag on Alden, hoist him onto his shoulder, and wait for the rest of the group to lead the way down.
Frantino's final kick knocks the secret door off of hinges eons old. With some continued wrangling, the heroes are able to wrestle it out and onto the ground. The hidden door will never again be hidden.
The stairs lead down into darkness. As far as Frantino can see, there is nothing awaiting him and his friends, other than darkness and the faint odor of decay.
After carefully navigating the stairs, the group finds itself on the landing within the first level of the Down Below. The room with the barred door stands nearby. Doc Hatfield looks at the door and its barring. It remains unchanged since the heroes came this way earlier.
I've moved all of you down to the mid-level map on Roll20.
"I'm impressed with your perseverance and robustness, Frantino Kaddren. Well done with the door.
If someone would be so kind as to cast magical light on my shield, I can lead us back down the stairs."
Since Frantino looked at this doorway before, he'll quickly examine it again. He'll cast detect magic this time.
Since GM Derek say this looks unchanged, "These boards don't look disturbed so it doesn't appear that Lullaby and Siona went in there. I'm leery of entering and getting involved in a trap or combat while there are two known enemies further down or making good on their escape from us."
Frantino thinks it best that we keep moving down and consider entering this room tomorrow, when we are at full strength. Since he's carrying Alden he'll stay in the middle or near the back of the group.
Will switch Life Link to the person who enters the room first.
Roger that.
Since Frantino looked at this doorway before, he'll quickly examine it again. He'll cast detect magic this time.
The magical aether remains devoid of auras.
Roscoe casts light on a pebble of his own as they walk into the dark embrace of the tunnels.
"Why would she go back the way we had already come?" he wonders. "Did we leave something unexplored?"
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Ayita puts "Light" on Nasir's shield again.
I'll check the boarded-up area out a little from this side, at least.
Ayita goes up to the entrance again and checks it for traps. She brings Yazhi right up to the boards, and asks Yazhi to "defend" her, which is somewhat vague... (don't have a lot of tricks yet) but she hopes Yazhi can help a little.
Ayita puts "Light" on Nasir's shield again.
I'll check the boarded-up area out a little from this side, at least.
Ayita goes up to the entrance again and checks it for traps. She brings Yazhi right up to the boards, and asks Yazhi to "defend" her, which is somewhat vague... (don't have a lot of tricks yet) but she hopes Yazhi can help a little.
[dice=Ayita perceive for traps]1d20+6+1
[dice=Ayita listening carefully at boards]1d20+6[dice=Ayita trying to communicate to Yazhi, handle animal on companion animal]1d20+6+4
[dice=Yazhi perceiving through boards including with *scent*, if she understands what is asked...]1d20+5
Ayita hears nothing. The door is not trapped, but simply boarded up. Yazhi doesn't like the smell. Something sour that causes her to wrinkle her doggy nose. Otherwise, all Ayita can tell from her connection to Yazhi is that it is not "dead smell."
Roscoe also holds his lighted pebble aloft while Ayita works on the board.
"If there's treasure, let's get in there," he nods.
Frantino looks uneasy. "Are you sure you want to go in now, when we know that Lullaby is on the run just ahead of us down below? I agree that we'll definitely investigate this area before we're done here, but right now? We're not exactly at the peak of our abilities. It seems that the Roadkeepers didn't want anything to do with whatever or whoever is in there, otherwise they wouldn't have sealed it off."
"Agreed, Frantino Kaddren. We should secure our flank before venturing into potentially more dangerous areas. Let us proceed down and now and find Lullaby."
Nasir readies his shield and sword and proceeds down the stairs.
Seems to be some disagreement on next steps...