Gnome's OOTA Story Thread [CLOSED]

Khessa is really surprised by the prisoner's death: "Could it be that he too served a Demon Lord and that he had bestowed a curse on him to kill him if he was about to reveal his secrets?" but she shrugs, after a while "Maybe we'll never know. I just hope he was wrong, when he said 'it's too late' - and that Errde can stop these people's plans instead!"

The blonde arcane warrior, at this point, is looking for a possible container suitable for containing a Timmask...

(OOC: @DM: There are vials (or glass containers) big enough to hold a Timmask? Khessa would like to put one in a container to use its spores like an alchemical weapon, a 'confusion bomb'... There is a container that Khessa could use in that way?)

... if she finds it, she drives away anyone near the mushroom and sends her Fearless Butler to attempt to seal the mushroom in the container without detonating it (or catching its spores in the container anyway, in the event of an explosion).

If there are enough containers, the tall adventurer tries to do that for each of the 4 Timmasks and, if she gets enough 'confusion bombs', she gives one to each party member - they can always come in handy.

Once finished dealing with the Timmasks, Khessa takes advantage of her giantess size to try to break down the closed door, advising: "I'll see if I can break it down... but if it's a sturdy door like the other one it could take a lot of time and effort. In the meantime, if someone would like to search the mess of this room... maybe there could be the key (or something equally useful... like acid to corrode the lock...".

Strength check to break down the door (with advantage for the Bigwig effect): 21

Quote from Painted_Beyond >>

Strength check to break down the door (with advantage for the Bigwig effect): 21

Oh, is 1 point less, since I'm currently diseased by the mist - I was forghetting. It is not 21 it is 20.

Unfortunately the tinmask is 2 feet tall in average size, so no, there aren't any suitable bottles around to contain them.

You just barely manage to smash the door enough for someone to squeeze through, but after a search on the other side it seems there is only a ladder that goes up toward the surface. It's possible this is a way some are getting in and out of the tunnels.

Katryl shakes her head as the prisoner yields nothing. "I guess we aren't getting answers here. What else? A shame we can't get through that door."  She will spend just a bit of time looking through what is here to see if something useful catches her eye. (Perception: 18) "We can still check out the other passageway I suppose." 

Quote from Culuril >>

... "I guess we aren't getting answers here. What else? A shame we can't get through that door."  ...

(We just went through that door... point is, there is nothing of interest but a way out).

Khessa is a bit disappointed: no way to use the tinmask, nothing of interest  after the door...

"Good idea Katryl" the blonde arcane warrior takes her time at least to help the fire genasi friend thoroughly searching the chaos of the laboratory. "Best we finish searching the laboratory thoroughly, while we are here. It will tale some time, but Droki already went away, after all..."

(Did Traydark find anything at all when he searched the laboratory as per post # 1627?)

A thorough tossing of the area turns up 1 vials of acid, 1 flasks of alchemist’s fire, two potions of healing, one potion of greater healing, one potion of fire breath, and one potion of psychic resistance. In addition, there is one lump of a dark black metal that stands out as a curiosity, but there seem to be no notes about it anywhere. Perhaps it is what Droki brought here.

If you are proficient in medicine:

If you have alchemical supplies and are proficient in arcana:

Khessa is not proficient in either medicine or arcana, sadly.

Regarding the rest of the finds, Khessa's proposal would be:

- 1 vials of acid, 1 flasks of alchemist's fire
They're probably interesting weapons, but more effective in the hands of those more dexterous than her. If nobody wants them, she takes them, but if someone else is interested, she gladly leaves them.

- two potions of healing, one potion of greater healing
Considering that we left Ebzer with one means of healing (the ointments), Khessa suggests that these other means of healing are divided among the others - perhaps leaving the potion of greater healing to the most vulnerable character (i.e. who has the least HP) so that can use it in an emergency. Khessa would then take a potion of healing and leave it up to Katryl and Traydark to decide who takes the second potion of healing and who the potion of greater healing.

- one potion of fire breath
This is great for adding a bonus action that deals damage to melee fighters! In addition to dealing damage with the weapon, they can add fire breath damage as a bonus action. Less effective when used by ranged combatants, because the breath of fire has a short range. I'd give it to Ebzer, to use when it comes to being particularly aggressive.

- one potion of psychic resistance
It can be useful for anyone to reduce damage, even if we don't often take psychic damage (it just happened to Khessa at the mesa and that's it, I think?). I would leave it to Traydark or Katryl, perhaps to the one of the two who takes the potion of healing (the other, the one with the potion of greater healing, already has the advantage of being able to heal more).

- one lump of a dark black metal
I have no idea what it's for, but if the alchemist kept it, to an alchemist it must have value. I'd say try to sell it (maybe when we get back to the Bazaar we find an interested alchemist).

(Traydark would not be interested in such simple magic and his player is fine with any decisions you make on these items. :-)

When the others are ready to join him, the noble drow would advance into the area from where the sickening cloud came, carefully and cautiously investigating.
Perception: 6
Investigation: 15

There is nothing else over there except the mist valve, a few rations in the boxes (5 total), the mushroom grove, and a crack in the wall just large enough for a small creature to pass through.

Ebzer will happily accept the potion of fire breath although his breath is usually bad enough on its own to damage anyone that gets too close...

Well, I guess we resume following Darkwing's directions again, anyway. 

The familiar recounts that Droki did not make any more deliveries in the tunnels, but did pass by a couple of other rooms. Droki only ran past or through them though. The familiar will lastly mention that there were other paths into other parts of the tunnels but doesn't know where they lead, but there must be more to the tunnels if the party is interested.

As previosuly mentioned Darkwing will not communicate or interact in any way with the others in the team, staying invisible unless otherwise stated, assuming Traydark has anything to say about the matter. It should be obvious that there is more to investigate in these tunnels but Traydark would not mention or point that out, instead suggesting the team should either go back into the city to look for Droki or set a trap for him at the entrance of these tunnels.

(Maybe I remember wrong, but... were we not looking for some other fellow Droki had had business with? Or the Alchemist was that fellow?)

(That was the alchemist)

(Oh, ok. So, if no more Droki contacts to find... we can either look for the hand of the ghost or go to rest to ambush Droki next day, when he comes back. While we are here,  I'd like to keep looking around for the hand... I mean, how far can it still be? We have already visited quite a lot of locations down here...)

Khessa tries to summarize: "Well... So we met everyone Droki did 'business' with here. Sadly, we didn't find out much, given the unearthly tendency of these people to die when questioned... but we do know that, at the very least, he should return to try to gather more names of giants and reveal them to the Demogorgon Cultist (whom he doesn't know we killed)".

"We could set a trap for him at the mesa" reflects aloud the blonde arcane warrior, determination shining in her blue eyes. "He probably uses it to spy on giants and discover names. So he must go there before meeting the cultists - he will not find out that they are dead and will not suspect anything, arriving there. If we're hiding behind an illusion, just inside, near the entrance, when he enters he shouldn't see us. And the mesa has no other exit - at which point, if we block the exit, he's ours. And, unless some supernatural force kills him too, we can capture him and take him to Errde".

"Before preparing this ambush, though," suggests the tall adventuress "let's now look for Pelek's hand! I mean, how far can it still be? We have already visited quite a lot of locations down here... We should find it quickly...  All the more reason because our cute invisible bat Darkwing can explore the missing passages without being discovered... so we could then go from the hand without fail. We'd do poor Pelek's a great favor, plus the ring on the hand's finger, even if not magical, will still have at least its value to compensate us for the effort... Then we can rest and be ready, tomorrow, to capture our elusive prey".

"What do you think, friends?" Khessa looks each one in the eye, curious to know if the proposed course of action is satisfactory or if anyone prefers a different plan.

Katryl sighs, "I wouldn't expect Droki to come back any time soon.  We've wasted so much time as it is, let's check out this place before either setting an ambush or heading back out to track Droki elsewhere. Why not."

The noble drow mutters  a bit as it is suggested that the team should continue to investigate the tunnels. "We should use the mesa to try to locate our quarry." He suggests but is otherwise ready to move on.