For the second time today you carefully make your way north towards Kelmarane. Again it is quiet, perhaps eerily so. You take your time, watchful for any ambush or movement of the gnolls. The terrain is familiar by now and you have no difficulty timing your approach so that you arrive as the day's last tendrils of sunlight are retreating. You wait a prudent hour or so for the light to dim completely before continuing along the river. In that time you neither see nor hear any activity in the lower town. You do hear sound from the upper town though, even at this distance, when the wind catches fragments of gnollish calls and yips, the cries of a hyena.
When its time you make your way along the river, doing your best to use the darkness, the buildings and the vegetation growing along the river to block line of sight from the upper town.
Grall is in the lead, picking out the way with his darkvision. Then he stumbles. It takes his brain only a fragment of a second to realise that his foot has tugged against something but by then it is registering the thrum of crossbows being fired. Two bolts hit him in the torso although luckily the gnoll's armour takes the worst of the impact. Still blood flows freely down his thigh.
Crossbow 1 hit
Crossbow 2 hit
A quick check finds a hidden tripwire tied to two heavy crossbows lodged in a small opening of one of the ruined buildings.
Realising that you are exposed standing here you continue, keeping your eyes peeled for further traps.
Perception
Grall
Nuveril
Linah
Khalid
Sajan
Arjun
A short distance away another tripwire is spotted by both Grall and Khalid and easily avoided.
You skirt east around the slave market, approaching the bridge.
The buildings in this section (BG,25 odd) are in almost complete ruin with the roofs and walls mostly collapsed. Remnants of mud and silt on the clay bricks and rarer stone sections suggest that the river has flooded here more than once over the years and blackened marks suggest a fire. Most look like they were wharehouses originally and would have served the river trade, while others are too damaged or simply lost to the years for you to do anything but guess at their intended function.
You stop at the last point of concealment before the open stretch to the bridge(BF,22).
The small square building to your north east (BB,16) is made of stone and looks like a dockmasters office. The attached wooden wharf is partly collapsed.
Directly to your west (AW,21) is a grand three storey house. The foundations and lower levels are stone while the upper made of brick. It has a rare tiled roof and looks to have survived the years quite well.
South-west of the house is a two storey inn (AV,28) and a one storey stable (AW,24) both made of brick. From here, both look reasonably sound although the stable sports a few holes in its roof.
You see no sign of life or light from any of these buildings.
The bridge itself is mostly stone and close up looks solid.
Looking across the river, the tannery is lit. It looks like a single storey although the ceiling is high, nearly eighteen feet above the floor level. On the river side you can see a line of rectangular windows starting at about eight feet above the ground. It is from these that soft light spills. The door must be on the other side as you cannot see it from here.
To the south east, the mill is a squat building lying low against the river. It is in partial ruin and it looks like the roof is almost completely missing, only a small section in the south east remains. A broken and forlorn looking water wheel continues to spin sporadically, driven by the fast flowing river.
You are uncomfortably aware of the gate house, looming menacingly, on top of the hill although you are still too far away to say whether it is operational and it is unlit. Its a long way away in the dim light but there is no cover available on the bridge.
Sneak attempt
Linah twiches as Grall trips the trap and quickly rushes to his side to examine the wounds. She utters a prayer to stop the bleeding.
Arjun follows along, keeping quiet towards the rear of the group.
Linah will mimic Arjun, keeping back and watching as Khalid stealths over with a tense look. She arms the crossbow she took from the trap and readies a shot should she need to.
Nuveril tries to move across the bridge unseen but obviously is uncomfortable doing so. "I feel like a sneaking thief robbing from the flock," she growls.
Stealth-
Stalking like an expert hunter, Sajan quietly masks his contempt for the other's skill at moving silently, although he thinks Khalid is doing ok...
pu
bp
grp
1pp
2pp
Perception
Grall
Nuveril
Linah
Khalid
Sajan
Arjun
Grall, Khalid, Sajan and Nuveril sneak across the bridge with varying degrees of skill. Perhaps hampered by a bit of stiffness from his recent wound, Grall's progress is less than smooth while Sajan for all his size seems to meld into the shadows.
Arjun and Linah stay behind, watching them vanish from sight.
You make it to the other side of the river and make for the protection of the bridge's underside (BE,17). It is a tense few moments while you extend your senses for signs of alarm but you hear nothing from the town side.
You can hear, just faintly, singing of all things coming from the tannery. It sounds like a single woman's voice, high and pure, but at this distance you can't make out the words.
In addition to the singing, as you leave the bridge you spot a long necked, gangly looking bird, a bustard, lying down low on the roof of the tannery. Just the head and neck and the top side of a wing is visible. In the dim light, you can't tell if it has spotted you but if it has it doesn't seem particularly concerned about your presence. Its normal size and, from its appearance, certainly wouldn't constitute much of a combat threat.
Stealth
Stealth 1d20+5
Arjun follows the rest of the group leaving Linah alone (perhaps cursing her protective but noisy metal armour).
Linah takes a deep breath and follows Arjun into the darkness.
Linah's crossing puts some of her lighter outfitted compatriots to shame. Every step is placed perfectly and she joins the rest of you.
|
"Ok the the bird over there on the roof isn't entirely unexpected, but I didn't figure to hear a woman singing here...."
After potentially getting some looks from the others about the bird...
"No worries, just a standard carrion bird, nothing like the last one we faced...Let's get closer and see if this happens to be the same woman we saw before, when we fought the demon..."
"Ok the the bird over there on the roof isn't entirely unexpected, but I didn't figure to hear a woman singing here...."
After potentially getting some looks from the others about the bird...
"No worries, just a standard carrion bird, nothing like the last one we faced...Let's get closer and see if this happens to be the same woman we saw before, when we fought the demon..."
If it is a women in league with the Gnolls and theirrr otherrr allies, don't expect herrr to be anything but a demon b%+#@ frrrom the Abyss...
Grall whispers almost nervously...
Lets investigate. I imagine a woman must be strong to not be a Gnoll's slave, so we'll either find a powerful all or a powerful foe. Either is beneficial to us...
Now that Khalid points it out, the rest of you can spot the bustard he is talking about on the roof of the tannery.
Stealth- (Assumed Guidance)
When Khalid points out the carrion bird on the roof, Nuveril shrugs. "No doubt, the gnolls leave plenty to scavenge. It may not be in league with them, but if we startle it, it might just as well be; its cries will assuredly raise an alarm."
"How can someone live here and not be in league with the gnolls?", Linah whispers granting the party with a divine blessing to guide their steps.
Using the available cover you move stealthily toward the tannery. Things are going well until Linah stumbles after stepping on a rock making a small but audible noise. Grall reaches back to give her a helping hand but himself sends a number of pebbles rolling down toward the river bank. The bustards head snaps up to follow your progress but it makes no noise that you can hear and it stays where it is idly watching you and stretching.
As you approach the building you can all hear female singing. It stops for about 15 seconds, more or less, before starting again.
Halleen has a fine singing voice. Ocassionally she would try and get you to sing along with her, with hilarious results. However this voice is much higher than Halleens.
The voice is a soprana, high and crystal clear.
When I was just a little girl
I asked my mother what will I be
Will I be pretty, will I be rich
Here's what she said to me
Que sera sera
Whatever will be, will be
The future's not ours to see
Que sera sera
The windows on the side closest to you are too high to look or climb through easily although Sajan or Grall could boost someone up. You'd need to go round to the road side to look for a door.
Nuveril shrugs off her madu. "Lift me up," she commands. "We may as well see what's in there before bursting in."
Sajan shrugs and lifts Nuveril up by her ankles.
Nuveril attempts to see what is in the room without being seen herself.
Sajan boosts Nuveril up onto his shoulders. With the top of his head a bit over a foot below the level of the window, Nuveril is just about the perfect height to see into the interior without further climbing.
The windows, obviously designed to deflect smoke upwards, tilt at the bottom and are open at the top several feet out of Nuveril's reach.
The interior of the tannery is well lit by a combination of a large trench fire and several candles and you have no difficulty seeing in.
A large open room seems to take up most of the building. A mezzanine level made of timber is built along the far wall about half way up the eighteen feet high walls. It is accessible by a ladder from the ground floor. A long black curtain seperates the room you can see from the remainder of the ground level.
A long trench in the middle of the floor is topped by five very large cauldrons, two of which bubble and steam over the flame.
Long benches and racks line the walls of the room. These are covered with a bewildering mix of bottles, jars, boxes and various apparatus whose purpose you can only guess at. A very large wood bin dominates the south east corner of the room.
A sturdy looking wooden door faces the eastern (road) side of the building and appears to be the only entrance on the ground level.
Stirring one of the cauldrons with a long stick and singing is some kind of bird-woman in a short green dress cinched by a wide brown belt. Her head is covered by a mixture of long auburn hair and brown and white feathers. Hawk-like wings, currently tucked in, grow out of her back and shoulders. Her fingers and toes are elongated and end in talons. You note a morning star tucked into her belt. She is facing away from you and if she is aware of your presence she gives no sign of it.
** spoiler omitted **
Meeting DC 15 provides:
You think the woman is a harpy, a half woman, half bird hybrid.
Harpies are typically vicious and corrupted creatures which relish the taste of human flesh. Tales of harpies enchanting people with their captivating songs are widespread. This calls affected creatures to the harpies side and harpies often use this to lure victims to their death (ie by having the victim walk of a cliff). Similarly folklore tells that up close, these creatures reek with the stench of consumed victims, and they rarely let creatures not yet captivated too near, lest they smell the gore and decay upon their feathers.
Meeting DC 20 provides:
All the harpies you have heard about in this region are amalgams of vultures rather than hawks. Your not quite sure what that might mean if anything. Harpies are also supposed to be feral while this one appears quite neat.
You can't identify the contents of the cauldron. From here it smells pretty good though.
Nuveril waves her arm below the level of the window to instruct Sajan to lower her to the ground. "I think it's a harpy," she says, perplexed, "but it doesn't look like any of them I've heard of. From what I've been told, they're ugly beasts, half-vulture and half-woman; this one looks more like a hawk. And it acts almost ... civilized." The word is an epithet in her mouth. "Like it would call for tea with Linah and Lady Almah," she concludes disgustedly.
Lets find a way inside and enter with an open palm. This 'harpee' may be friend or foe, so we should be prepared either way.
"It's ... cooking," she puts in and follows up with a shrug, unable to provide anything more.
Even better, we may even get a meal! Sajan says, beaming enthusiastically.
"Ah, the harpy. From harpuia, meaning 'one who snatches.' They are mischievous and malevolent monsters."
Nuveril shakes her head at Arjun's characterization of the creature she just saw but says nothing; he'll see it for himself soon enough. "The door is on the eastern side of the building," she tells them. "I saw only the one bird-woman in there, but part of the structure is curtained off; there could be others." She picks her madu back up to move around the buiding.
You make your way around the building spotting the door.
As you approach you hear a musical voice from beyond, I thought you would find your way here eventually. Well you might as well come inside before something sees you. Ill unbar the door although please prepare yourself, I may not be what you expect. Oh and please leave your weapons by the door before you enter my home. You won't need them here unless you bring violence with you.
You hear the sound of a bar being drawn across wood.
Sajan puts his brass knuckles into his pockets, but does not leave them at the door.
Grall will draw out his tanglefoot bag and will not take out his weapon but will NOT be leaving it at the door.
Grall will draw out his tanglefoot bag and will not take out his weapon but will NOT be leaving it at the door.
Knowledge nature applies. From what you know of harpies they are viscious and corrupted creatures which enjoy the taste of human flesh and use their captivating song to lure victims to their death. Folklore has them as feral half-women, half-vultures who wear strong perfumes to mask the blood and gore of their victims. Whether there is any significance to this creature being half hawk rather than vulture is unknown to you.