"Sharptooth!" Caelius calls out as he charges in next to Baghotir. "Let's keep it distracted on us."
HP 67/67
AC 21 (+2 (23) w/ Shield) (14 w/o armor)
Short Rest Die 7/7
Second Wind 1/1
Action Surge 0/1
Superiority Die (D8; Disarming Attack, Sweeping Attack, Menacing Attack): 3/5
Caelius scores two hits!
'Sharptooth', got its attention. The terrible lizard roars and starts moving towards Caelius.
Venn and Alisanne can start the new round!
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Alisanne eyes the dinosaur with a wary eye. She sings a discordant couple of verses at the beast to disrupt its harmony.
or
She shouts to Venn to stay in the fight.
She then moves into the pews for cover.
The Dispel Magic is successful.
Alisanne's song unravels the magic that had transformed the monk.
The East Wind reappears, blinking, with a wound to his gut.
"You don't have to tell me twice!"
Bloodied and battered, Venn's confidence in the team, his self, and his ideals never waivers. If he's going to die, the bards will have but one song to sing - he died on his feet with his boots on.
He races over to the stunted and failed cultmaster.
for
for
Venn slays the tiny man, who's body instantly turns to flaming ash and then scatters on mysterious wind that appears out of nowhere.
The East Wind screams and charges Venn.
but the ranger easily side steps the angry chop. The Monk then follows up with a kick...
... Borne more out of anger than skill.
The other remaining monks flee.
PARTY UP
Venn approaches, his sword held in an overhead guard, without looking at his teammates he asks, "Can any of you speak with the dead?" It's clear the answer guides his blade.
"It is easier to get answers from the living than the dead. Hold your blade please, Venn. We need to make sense of things if we're to find the apparatus."
If you wish to interrogate, post with a roll for your chosen approach, generally Persuasion, Intimidation or Deception.
"Now look, friend, I think you're better off answering the good Viscount's questions. He's a forthright person, and he'll do what he promises. What do you say, will you help us?"
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If Baghotir is Helping [Taking The Help Action] then Belwick will have Advantage. No roll is required.
"Easier, but not the only way. We can try your way... for NOW, but if I lose the last tendril of my patience, you'll have to interrogate his severed head."
Venn turns to the beaten man, "Speak. Speak clearly, honestly, and as if the destination of your soul depended on it."
The Half-Orc, a zealot of The Distressed Body, is broken by Venn's strongarm tactics. The revelation of his Grand Master as a fraud, and the physical wounds, have shattered his resolve.
The East Wind doesn't remember his name. His face has been flayed from his head. He is otherwise in excellent physical condition. He surrenders his sword to you and will answer your questions.
From this past encounter:
-Each of you earns 2330 Experience Points
-The Party has found Treasure:
--Sword of The East Wind (magical), Longsword
--Sword of The West Wind (magical), Longsword
--Vorpal Claws. These are shards of a Vorpal Sword. Perhaps it can be re-forged. (magical)
--Each Monk had a hooked polearm of exotic design (mundane)
--The Elder Monks who fled have dropped their strange, glowing, pike weapons. (Not magical, but... Weird? No, it's got to be magical.)
The body of The Grand Master is some kind of exo-skeleton.
The Exo Skeleton had a tiny driver's seat in its chest--the grand master was really the tiny man who drove this remarkable piece of arcane machinery built into the insectile exo-skeleton.
In this chapel there is the throne, covered in strange buttons, switches and lights, and:
At the far end of the nave, a throne resembling a twisted metal captain’s chair rises from a metallic dais backed by an ornate arch.
Belwick takes a moment to make sense of things while Venn secures their prisoner through sheer will alone.
"A bone devil. Incredible that it's here. Alas, slaying it merely sent it back to the Nine Hells. Though I would expect the body to disintegrate. Odd that it's still here."
He then turns his attention to the East Wind. "You have been duped, and defeated. If you seek redemption, you must speak truth. And I have questions..."
Belwick will ask:
- What other denizens are there here?
- What magic do the swords and pikes contain?
- Where can we find any texts or artifacts of Kwalish? He'll describe the apparatus as a specific example.
- What other denizens are there here?
*There are another 15 Monks and 3 Elder Monks here on the island. Two escaped here, so 5 Elder Monks total.
*There are approximately 30 Prisoners at work down below, laboring to maintain the power that keeps the island floating upon air.
*Sometimes when The Grand master blesses a new supplicant [flays off their face], their visages are awakened into a new kind of creature. There are a few of those lurking about.
*The Enlightened Ones are in what was called, "The Control Room", by the Grand Master. This man has never looked upon The Enlightened Ones.
- What magic do the swords and pikes contain?
*A Polymorph Blade. Longsword, requires attunement. A critical hit will transform the target as per a Polymorph spell. The East Wind Will not give you his weapon and you will need to take it by force. He has a mania about it, and nothing short of beating him unconscious will stop him.
*A Blade of The Medusa. Longsword, requires attunement. A critical hit will turn the target to stone. The West Wind is dead and you may claim his blade.
The pikes are Force Pikes. They are melee or ranged, 40/100 feet. It is a finess weapon, and two-handed. It does 1d10 force damage. The attack has disadvantage against any target with polished metal armor or shield, and has its ranged halved when firing through smoke or fog. They are not magical--Detect Magic confirms it. They're something else, something you don't understand.
If you wish to become proficient, you will need to spend a feat on it, and find someone able to train you.
- Where can we find any texts or artifacts of Kwalish? He'll describe the apparatus as a specific example.
*He does not know. He says there was a Treasury he was not allowed in. It is towards the back of the island past the magic floating bridge.
*Kwalish was gone from this place before this man was born. The Grand Master would occasionally speak of the notorious arcanist, but The East Wind has never seen any of the artifacts of Kwalish, except for the marvels of The Monastery around them.
OH,and The Ferryman. Who does nothing but ferry people across between the docks. He scares everyone, but to The East Wind's knowledge has never harmed any of the monks, prisoners, or anyone else.
Then the guardian of the far dock, of course.
Baghotir is astounded at the find. Such weaponry! And some of it clearly magical, and yet not magical at the same time. It’s fascinating stuff, and he listens with rapt attention to all the party learns from their prisoner and their own investigations so far.
He himself doesn’t want any of the items. He prefers axe and hammer to the long sword. And those odd ranged/melee sticks are just that. Odd. Still, it would give him a ranged weapon…
He shrugs, his mental train of thought going to the last station. He gets off and offers to carry some of the newfound gear.
”So, we let this guy go, poor bastard, and go room by room? After a break of course. Happy to spend a few resources on basic healing if anyone needs it.”
"Oh! And I forgot to reply earlier, but I can speak with dead with a little prep. Shall I plan to do so tomorrow so we can maybe talk to the imp? It'll be tough as we're enemies I should warn you, but it is possible if I change up my spells a little."
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You can't cast Speak With Dead on the lil guy. His body disintigrated.
Baghotir rubs his foot in the ashes of the imp.
"Or maybe not." he grins.
The East Wind, huddles to the side, cradling his blade.
All is quiet.
What do you do?
"They shall be prisoners no longer. We go room by room for minds that can succumb to a cult leader cannot be trusted to speak verily, even after their leader is turned to dust."
Venn turns to the defeated, "What becomes of your lives now? You tell me."
"Let's rest a while. Like Venn, I would hear more of this man's story."
Belwick finds somewhere to sit, and repeats the ranger's question. "I too want to know: What will you make of your life if you're free from here?"
During the rest, he tries to process what has happened.
"I have given everything, even my face. I am nothing anymore except the remains of a man, blown away by the wind. I want to leave this place."
Belwick sighs. "We are all the remains of men, nothing more. And though wind might blow us, battering these frail physical forms, we can grow."
The viscount, who now has a track record of picking up strays, says to the man. "I can help you find purpose. Rebirth. Redemption. I always have need for strong men, and I can give you a home within my retinue. Assist me, and I can give you peace with Salinmoor. What say you?"
The East Wind picks himself up and stands behind Belwick.
Baghotir grins at the Baron Viscount's kindness. "Well done Belwick. You're attracting quite a retinue of folks!"
Though he was uninjured in the fighting, he does rest to replenish other things. When he's done he nods to Venn, "That blade, reforged in your hands, would be something to behold indeed! We should hunt for someone to do the work when we return. I have many craftsfolk in my bastion, but none who could do such a task unfortunately."
He's interested in other things, but nothing really suits him at present. He's not a longsword wielding guy, though they are tempting...
He stretches a bit after the break, and is ready to proceed. "We should keep in mind that when we release the slaves, this place may crash sometime after. Hopefully a long time after - but we don't want to be here when it does I imagine."
Belwick smiles at the praise from Baghotir. "You have yet to see Salinmoor. There are many who make the region work."
He looks to the East Wind. "What would you have me call you, new friend?"
He answers, "I am The East Wind, nothing less. Perhaps one day, I will be more."
What next, Adventurers?
Caelius looks to the East Wind. "Care to explain what all of this is and why you attacked us? And how a Bone Devil of all things was involved." Caelius sighs, resting with Belwick as he picks up the pair of longswords.
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That, 'Bone Devil', was The Grand Master. I do not know how he came here, or even when. It was before my time. I can tell you that I came to this place after hearing whispers of sanctuary. When I came here, I was offered a place, I needed only shed the lie of my past life."
He gestures to his flayed-off face.
"The Grand Master taught us to fight, to find a sort of Inner Peace, having shed the past. He put this blade in my hands and after a time, I was honored with a new name: The East Wind. I served alongside The West Wind as his bodyguard. I did not know he was a thing, or that he was actually the much... Smaller... Thing inside. It seems I traded my old life for a lie."
He seems saddened at the thought.
"What we know is what we told each other. A few hundred years ago, The Arcanist Kwalish found this place and started building weapons to destroy the world. The Grand Master followed and defeated him, slaying his minions and though Kwalish survived, he fled from here. I have heard The Grand Master say that Kwalish took what resources he had left and went looking for a lost city somewhere else in The Barrier Peaks. The Grand Master claimed a number of artifacts from Kwalish, and put them in the treasure chamber. We occasionally are sent into the bowels of this floating island looking for more, but the way is dangerous. There is some kind of magical door down below and what lay beyond is death to all."
Baghotir hears the man's tale, and is doubly glad the Viscount is taking him in.
Feeling refreshed he suggests, "Room by room, floor by floor then?"
"It seems expeditious for us to seek out the treasury first, to see if the apparatus is there. Else I fear we might need to delve into the bowels of this place."
He looks to the East Wind. "Can you take us to the treasury?"
The East Wind nods and leads you towards the back of the island.
A hole has been punched through the floating island, and a floating islet drifts with its own levitation system. Between you and it are ten floating metal discs about 5' Wide forming a sort of floating bridge between you and a single solitary tall pyramid tower.
"The treasury is over this floating bridge. I have not been permitted inside."
Belwick determines that these discs seem to function identically to Tenser's Floating Discs, despite being physical objects.
The discs are easily traversed and the party hops over to the islet.
When you reach the other side, Caelius, feels the chill and bite of wind for the first time in a long while.
He thinks his Ring of Warmth isn't working here.
Belwick can no longer feel the low hum from his Mage Armor.
Belwick considers this for a moment. "My tutor, Oriel Blackmane, spoke of the concept of anti-magic, and how it might inhabit an area. It's possible we're in one such area."
To test his theory, the nobleman works through a pair of simple cantrips. The first is a minor illusion of a stool, appearing in front of him. The second is a light spell, which he places at the tip of his wand.
"No magics huh?" Baghotir also tests by casting Light.
Assuming it fails, he suggests, "We'll have to be careful. You know, like we usually are." He chuckles and heads toward the pyramid, albeit more slowly since his boots too are likely dis-functional.
You work through the components to the spells--the words, the gestures, the materials, if needed. There is no effect.
You are confident you did everything right.
Baghotir walks up to the pyramid and looks for a door, secret or otherwise. If there's an obvious door there, he'll listen at it.
All is quiet on the inside
"I am ill-equipped for any dangers beyond. Venn, Caelius, and Baghotir. If you could lead the way with hammer and blade? But please, be careful."
Belwick stows his wand and draws his dagger, a tool that's been used to skewer meat more than flesh. He holds the weapon at the ready.
When the front line is ready, Baghotir opens the door and draws his warhammer.
The door opens to a junk filled single room. Piles and masses of obviously broken machinery, wreckage, machine parts... There's bits and baubles and broken marvels everywhere.
This appears to be a collection of Kwalish's experiments and machines. It will take some time (a few turns to a few hours) to search and sort through all of it.
Gearbox (remember Gearbox?) chirps happily and starts scanning and going through the various piles of materials. He finds something of value and continues to scan and catalog.
Gearbox has started sorting useful and functioning items apart from the broken trash. If he is given time to finish, you think you'll be able to sell or use these materials for a small fortune if you can find a buyer interested in magical machinery or artifacts. Anyone with a historical or personal interest in Kwalish would be interested as well.
As you start searching, you all hear a, 'voice', in your heads, speaking in a language that you do not speak but that you've heard before. It is both harsh and seductive, giving you a queasy feeling that is also somehow tempting. Like it is offering you something enticing.
"Do you lot hear someone in your head? Can any of you make it out? I feel like I've heard the language before, but I can't remember where."
Baghotir shakes his head a few times trying to clear it before blurting out, "You'll be better off speaking our language if you want to offer us something."
to try and learn something more about the voice
"What the devil..."
Caelius feels a sharp chill crawl over his skin as the rings magic is nulled. "Where is that voice coming from?" He rubs his temples thinking he may be going insane until Baghotir mentions it as well. "Gearbox! Where is that noise coming from? Can you find it?"
-Baghotir (Insight) can sense that the voice is trying to sound soothing. It is almost pleading. It wants something from you and is growing increasingly desperate.
-Gearbox responds to Caelius immediately and starts making a thorough search.
There is a low chuckle that you all hear in the back of your minds.
While Gearbox searches, Belwick attempts cast a spell using a ritual. The ritual fails. Belwick can't, 'touch', the magic here.
Just as Belwick completes the failed ritual, Gearbox chirps and reveals A Brain In A Jar on a high shelf behind a large pile of empty containers.
The, "jar", is fused with the shelf and a series of wires leads from it to other places in the room. It pulses with a strange light that echoes the telepathic whispers in your mind.
Gearbox presents his findings with a salute and then starts to scan and examine the Brain In A Jar.
"You are remarkably helpful there Gearbox. Thanks."
Baghotir tries to figure out how they have a seemingly living brain, inside a jar. "Fascinating."
He remains, I expect, unsure, and he remains fascinated by it all.
"Anyone have any ideas? We've got flashing lights, and a language none of us understand. The speaker wants something, but we don't know what. Oh, and we can't cast spells, so we're limited in our options!"
He ponders, trying to get some clue as to how to solve this riddle.
Alas, Baghotir is not the brightest bulb, and so he struggles to fit the pieces together.
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When it becomes clear that magic really has abandoned him, at least for now, Belwick is forced to take a more hands on approach.
He joins Baghotir in his inspection of the brain and its jar. "It's interesting that the container is fused with the shelf. And it seems like there's some sort of string connecting it to other parts of this chamber."
The viscount tries to catalog all of what's at the end of the wiring, hoping to infer something about the nature of this thing from what it's connected to.
And if nothing comes of it all, he will touch the jar.
Belwick follows the trail. The voice in the back of your minds grows panicked and frantic. You follow the trail and discover a strange thing.
Behind another pile of junk is a strange kind of display stand, upon which is a thick book with a metallic cover. The lines connect the brain-in-a-jar to the book. The cover is decorated with a great number of gears and switches. Belwick can easily see that the book itself is mechanical. The mechanisms on the cover are not just decorative. The book itself is some kind of machine.
The voice in your heads is nearly screaming at you and the voice gets louder and more repetitive the closer you get to the book.