MTG: Adventures in the Forgotten Realms

"You've met Malivar? That's a bit of a surprise, I confess.  Is he with you?" She does seem surprised, but not emotional, as she studies the board and carefully considers her open before releasing the piece she chooses to move.  "We haven't spoken since I left the Red Wizards "p

"The creator of this demiplane left a key in her cliffside tower by the sea.  Seems she liked to be near rhe water." Morwena answers Calner.  "How did you come to find this place?" She inquires in return.

"I like games? How do you play this one?" Wen says from next to the board, she begins fiddling with the pieces, making them 'dance' "I call next match"

Marlyth feels relieved to find Weneon rescuing her from the embarrassing situation of playing a game which she never encountered before. Thus, she leaves the position of a challenger after introducing herself as 'Marilyn Lillyeth, a commoner' and attempts to browse through the collection of the library, deliberately concealing her allegiance to the Druid Circle of Five Point.

"Where do we find the owner of the place? And which cliffside tower are you referring to?"

Intelligence (History) 15

Morwena answers Weneon first: "Dragonchess is an ancient game.  One of strategy and wit." Thinking for a moment, she moves a piece across the board and seizes another before continuing "... and sacrifice."

Marlyth is aware that wizards commonly make towers and Candlekeep is a great example of hundreds making a metropolis of such towers, coucindentally, perhaps, also by the sea. 

To her questions, Morwena replies: "The tower? I traveled there through a teleportation circle; somewhere on the Sword Coast, if I had to guess.  I suppose it's where Sylvene spent time when she visited Faerûn, assuming that was even Toril in the first place."

Looking about her at the faces one by one, she considers those who have gathered here, asking, "What of you lot? You must have come from somewhere else if you don't know the tower.  You said you met my former pupil - can I assume that was in the High Moors? Perhaps... the other circle... of course.  She was thinking two steps ahead.  She'd have made a fine opponent."

Hearing Calners question, she responds, "Trrasure, you say..  Personally, no.  I've not a cent to my name.  You say you've found a key? How delightfully mysterious.  Do you think it opens something here, then? On the island?  Maybe something hidden in this very house?  Is that what you've come about, then?"

Calner hears her thoughts:

[Treasure hunters! And they have a key! What luck!

They'll have little trouble leaving if that's all they're after.  Of course, they don't know that.

Now, what move to make next...?]

"We met your former apprentice, but he left without giving us any chance to converse with him. I thought that he would be here with you. That's why I brewed a drink for him so that we could talk about his mission while enjoying a good drink and roosting before the fireplace. Ah..what a waste of my time and effort!"

Marlyth attempts to leave the room, kicking the sandals and boots out of her way then venturing outside without any particular reason.

Wisdom: Perception 16

Weneon moves the horse one diagonally 5 spaces

Marlyth is sure she sees footsteps in the sand leading away from the house in different directions. Some to the north and some to the east.

Morwena continues "I'm not aware of any sort of treasure Sylvene may have left behind, but you know I do enjoy a good puzzle.  Might I see this key you mentioned? Every key has a lock and generally complement one another.  Perhaps together we can deduce what this key was meant to unlock."

<who actually has the key now? It was whoever opened the book the fou d it and any of you who could read or be read to could have used it, so unless I hear otherwise, I think it was Marlyth that found the book and had the key. >

(Let's see) Sleight of Hand 17

(If Marlyth wouldn't notice, Weneon could possibly have "handled" the key, we can play that out if you want)

Weneon smiles "This reminds me of cousin Durfoot's gully dwarf inn. Though the salt there is from sweat and not sea. Have you ever been to Krynn? You seem like one of those that might follow that Dantilis fellow. Odd magics with that lot."

She moves a rook from one end of the board to the other and then flips the piece on its head "Now it can move on top of other pieces yes?"

Attempting to poison a former Red-Wizard Mentor (Morwena Veilmist) may seem like a striking idea but it has proved to be a terrific one. Thus, Marlyth takes a mental note to master the art of trickery with the aid of a fellow Rogue, it doesn't matter if it's Tabaqui or Weneon. 

Sitting barefooted and cross-legged on the sandy beach of the magical demi-plane, Marlyth decides to cast Conjure Animals. Two fey creatures appear to occupy unoccupied spaces when she whispers to the spirit of the nature and uses her Totem to summon them temporarily within the range of 60 feet. The creatures take the form of beasts that are inhabitant of the Coastal Area (Giant Seagull) and they wait for her command words.

She commands one of the creatures: "Scout the place and find out the owner of these footsteps". She sends instruction for the other bird to examine the flora and fauna of the island to search for herbal products.

First Seagull: Perception 18

Second Seagull: Investigation 11

(@Wile_E_Coyote, Sir Angus found the key and inspected it since Marlyth was too busy with the contents of the Book to pay any attention. Marlyth had the book in her inventory with some personal items.)

Angus will produce the key, but keep a firm grip on it.  "This is what we found.  Do you know what it might unlock?"

She rises as Angus produces the key.  "Hmm.  May I see it please, she holds out an open hand.  It looks familiar.  I think I've seen something in thus house that looks sort of similar. Now where was it... I think maybe in the basement." She says as she looks to the next room to the south.

Angus can just hand her the key or not. I'm going to assume he does, but if he doesn't want to, then...

The seagulls see the footsteps walking toward the corners of the island (2 northwest and 1 southeast) but no other people besides yourselves and Morwena.  It only takes a aboout 20 minutes to cover the 6 mile roundtrip, but it hasn't been that long yet.

Angus does not hand it to her.

Wisdom save:13

Perception vs Sleight of hand: 15  

(Damn, crap rolls)

Well then, Angus heads to the cellar.

(She casts suggestion, invisibility and performs sleight of hand all in one turn before anyone can react?)

Tabaqui will Search to attempt to locate and follow the wizard.

Investigation: 28

Perception: 23  

If located, can I get off an attack on her?

<It's not combat so I'm not tracking every character's actions in 6 second increments, but each single target action/spell was (potentially)  immediately contested by someone.  I could have made her not turn invisible, but it seems like what she would do.  Since she didn't have to snatch the key at all, she could cast invisibility at her leisure, perhaps after ducking just into the next room as if leading the way to the cellar.  Mechanically she had cast 1 spell in the great hall(feels like another library) contested by the target and another in the next room.  I just jam posted so we didn't have a tedious back and forth between dm and 1 player for a whole day. Also, it's better for you if she did cast multiple spells if your inclined ro fight her, that's fewer slots left for her to use in combat.>

In the southeast corner of the house is the dining room, a square, hardwood table dominates this room, surrounded by enough high-backed wooden chairs to seat eight. The room’s two sideboards look like they’re made of driftwood. A painting on the southern wall depicts a green, grassy barrow with two tall steles in front, etched with spirals.

This room is in good shape and largely undisturbed. The sideboards contain a complete set of silverware worth 125 gp.

The painting is a wide, framed landscape called Wizard’s Barrow, by a once-famed Waterdhavian artist called Saraque Skyhill, whose work Sylvene admired. It is worth 550 gp.

<Invisible creatures are Heavily obscured,  meaning those searching them are effectively under the blinded condition by which all sight based ability checks automatically fail.  However...>

just to your left is a door.  Tabaqui thinks he hears something in the cellar.

Actually you have to pass through the kitchen to get to the stairs. (I though they were on the other side of that wall. My mistake, so she actually walked from room 2 through room 3 before vanishing in room 4.  Sorry about that.)

Kitchen. Room 4

Loose doors on the south wall let in crisp air. Empty barrels and neatly folded burlap sacks say this kitchen has been neatly emptied. Smoke stains on the plaster show it has seen a lot of use. Stairs descend into darkness to the north.

The fireplace boasts a large stew pot and roasting spit. The shelves and cupboards here are bare. A collection of common knives and spoons slowly rusts in a small chest here.

The stairs lead down to the cellar

Marlyth assumes that these footsteps might belong to another wizard who might have teleported here with Morwena Veilmist. She seems curious about the marks and attempts to examine the exterior of the house as well as the place adjacent to the building so that she might be able to pick up more clues. As a result, she gradually moves to the southern side of the site in order to search for an alternative entryway (she possibly stands outside the kitchen).

Intelligence (Investigation): 23 (Proficiency bonus doubled: Natural Explorer feature)

So when Tabaqui saw her duck out of the room, he immediately followed her.  If he catches up to her in room 3, he will attack, if not he will follow to room 4. When she turned invisible, he would have used the perception roll (which includes hearing, not only sight) and tried to get off an attack (at disadvantage, which might be countered by his assassinate feature).  [Will you allow this?  If not, then Tabaqui will immediately proceed down the stairs to the cellar, and there make another perception check.]

Perception: 22