This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
He listens to your questions and then holds up a palm. "Let there by light" he intones, and a small ball of light rises from his hand and settles in the air near Zip, above the unconscious birdman. Bright light is cast in a 60 foot radius.
He chooses to address Leelan first. Kicking over the corpse of the red-haired woman, he points out a sigil emblazoned in crimson on her robes. It is a bird in flight, the head and the wings evoking both the letters 'A' and 'W'. "Auriel, was her name. I met her years ago. She infiltrated the Hook & Axe as a spy for Zegengeze. She reported on our activities before sneaking off with a bunch of our documents and magic items. When we took down Zegengeze and his 'Endless Circle', she wasn't there. I had just assumed she was dead... until lo and behold these mooks show up here wearing her symbol."
He moves on to the owl-man. The unconscious figure is wearing a backpack in reverse, with the pack strapped across its chest. Dawntreader reaches inside and pulls out an object wrapped in cloth-of-gold and unfurls it. In his hand is a crystal carved in the shape of a bird skull. It looks to weigh five pounds or so, and even in the light from the spell, it s gives off a faint glow all its own, and the interior of the crystal seems unstable and malleable, as if the interior is a liquid or a gel. "And this... is her phylactery." He seems confused by this. "I don't understand," he admits. "This item was being shipped by Randall Foote. He hired the original courier and it was being delivered to him in Bardstown. Your employer put the reward out to recover this for him. I had naturally assumed it was his own phylactery, and that I had a chance to take him down at last. But... where in the hell's did he get Auriel's? And why?"
He looks up to what are undoubtedly some confused faces around him. "This thing here... let me back up. A long time ago, a monster calling itself Zegengeze came to the surface. It originated in another world, somewhere deep underground. It came here looking for a way to perfect a magic ritual it was working on... a way to escape death. To further its studies, it took on apprentices: men, elves, even dragons. As it instructed them and observed their transformation into living undeath, it hoped to unlock the secret to accomplishing the same for itself."
"I'm happy to say we killed it before it became immortal, but not before it helped some others find their way there. We call these creatures 'liches.' They are spellcasters who have given up their lives to reach a state of endless - but sentient - undeath. And as long as they keep these items," he holds up the crystal skull, "safe, they can never be destroyed. My friends and I killed Foote three times. Bastard just thinks it's funny, and he always comes back."
"We did succeed in finding the phylacteries of a few of Zegengeze's other disciples and destroyed them over the years. I hadn't realized Auriel had undergone the transformation. But her symbol, all the bird imagery... yeah, it is her no doubt about it."
He finally addresses Rohuzarand Grugga'squestions. "The owl-man... no I've never seen anything like it. But Auriel did have a weird thing with birds... when she left, one of the things she stole was some of the tail feathers from Zenithar, my parrot. And she was always polymorphing into an owl. If she's become a lich, and spent the last century in hiding somewhere..." he looks down at the unconscious bird man, "... Who knows what she has been getting up to...".
Noticing Aubrey's condition, he wanders over and lays a hand on his shoulder, providing 13 healing. "This is still a good thing. I've got some leverage on Auriel now, and maybe even can use this to track her down. If this is a sign of some sort of feud between her and Foote, I'm sure I can turn that to my advantage." He begins to drag the two unconscious figures back toward the cave. "Nice work, all of you. I'm going to wait around until these two wake up so I can question them. You're welcome to hang out to watch, or loot the dead. This is all I came for," he says, holding up the skull again before wrapping it and placing it in his pack.
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PC - Ethel - Human - Lvl 4 Necromancer - Undying Dragons * Serge Marshblade - Human - Lvl 5 Eldritch Knight - Hoard of the Dragon Queen
DM -(Homebrew) Heroes of Bardstown *Red Dead Annihilation: ToA *Where the Cold Winds Blow : DoIP * Covetous, Dragonish Thoughts: HotDQ * Red Wine, Black Rose: CoS * Greyhawk: Tides of War
Grugga follows the Elfinto the cave, entranced by the lure of esoteric knowledge. "A creature from deep underground who taught necromancy..." He knuckles his chin in contemplation and then says carefully, "2008... the chasm. 2009, a boom in necromancy. We always - we, the people from Raven's Hill - thought it was an Ancient Elf spell that caused that. Legend is there was fighting involving the Empire, Dungennor, Pentwater, and the Ancient Elves. Did they summon this Zegengeze?"
He turns to other questions, "This 'Mother' figure... do you think it's Auriel, or do these necromancers... do they... do they worship some sort of goddess?" He pauses not quite sure how to frame his question - not wanting to sound crazy. "Let me ask you this, do you know these symbols?" He uses his magical tinkering on the floor of the cave to make it depict 2 glowing symbols: One looks like 3 waves and 3 dots in a triangle - the symbol etched onto Malia's forehead - the other looks like mountains and air currents with 3 dots in a triangle - the symbol on the stone disc carried by the intelligent ogre.
Also on a hunch, "You were in Bardstown around time we were. Do you know anything about a puzzle box... silver and mithril... about yea big... made to inhibit necromantic magics? It was used in a magic store and the owner was murdered."
Also, offhandedly, when he sees Aubrey, Grugga will apologize and say, "I'm sorry, Aubrey, I got wrapped up in thinking. Are you alright?"
Grugga would like to stay around and wait for the prisoners to wake up. He won't bother looting anything, but while the captives wake up, he will go up to the front of the cabin and try to find a few trinkets from the bodies of the "screaming Banshees" to return to their surviving companion that Grugga and his comrades met in Midway. He will also pull the bodies of the rangers and mercenaries into the cabin. He can't give them a burial, but he can at least burn them before they all leave.
Edit: Grugga continues letting Zip fly about, no longer concerned with letting the Elf see his invention.
Aubrey feels his body heal quickly as Dawntreader lays a hand on his shoulder and gives him an appreciating nod. He still feels a bit weak after the conflagration and stays mostly silent for now, listening to Dawntreader. "I'm alright now Grugga, don't worry about it, felt a bit crispy there for a moment but everything worked out well it seems. You go on with the investigation and don't mind me. Those are important questions you're asking." Aubrey says to the artificer in a sincere tone. He would then assist Grugga with searching and taking care of bodies.
Rohuzar, Dawntreader nonchalantly replies, "Yeah. That happens sometimes." As he secures the prisoners to a pair of beds inside the cave, he relates a long tale of a time that he fought a shadow demon with a priestess of Skrillis. Apparently the demon was incensed by his mocking tone, so as it was dispatched back to the Abyss it laid a curse upon the ancient elf. Now, his right foot is marked by the demon's symbol. Attempts to remove the curse have all met with disaster. "And when someone tries to hit me with bestow curse, as one of the necromancers inside the cave did, " he gestures toward the corpse of a dwarven mage lying in the corner, "it usually blows up in the caster's face and then sets the mark on my foot smoking and burning like hell for a few weeks."
Grugga, he indicates he doesn't know who the 'Mother' is but that is something he expects these two captives will tell him soon enough. He shakes his head on your questions about Zegengeze, indicating that creature came to the surface around the year 1950 or 1960, and spent decades plotting and training his disciples before he was destroyed in the months before the Breach. Regarding the explosion in the mountains, he is less forthcoming. "The story you know is probably right. There was something down there below those mountains that everyone wanted... and either by accident or intent, one of the parties warring over it caused it to explode."
Insight DC 14:
The ancient elf seems to have relaxed considerably around all of you, even those like Guilimwho openly despise him, with the exception of Grugga. When Gruggaquestions him, he seems suspicious and aloof, like he is afraid to say too much around the artificer.
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PC - Ethel - Human - Lvl 4 Necromancer - Undying Dragons * Serge Marshblade - Human - Lvl 5 Eldritch Knight - Hoard of the Dragon Queen
DM -(Homebrew) Heroes of Bardstown *Red Dead Annihilation: ToA *Where the Cold Winds Blow : DoIP * Covetous, Dragonish Thoughts: HotDQ * Red Wine, Black Rose: CoS * Greyhawk: Tides of War
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
insight: 16
Surprisingly, Grugga seems to be aware of the Elf's recalcitrance with him. He crosses his arms and lectures the man who is centuries older than him and has seen more in the world than he will ever be able to: "I'm from Raven's Hill, a small town of miners, jewelers, and farmers. Before the artificers came, black lung, cave ins, and pockets of poison air just happened sometimes 'because the gods were angry.' Droughts, starvation, infestation, disease... all the same. Then the artificers showed up when I was young and we had irrigation, sanitation, proper construction and reinforcement for the mining tunnels..." He counts them off on his fingers, then bursts out, "People stopped dying! My friends and family... they got to live!" He takes a breath; he's turning a bit red in the face.
"The gods built this world, and when they did they made rules for it. We finally have one on our side who is telling use how to play by the rules. We finally have one that gives a damn about us! Physics, mathematics, engineering, medicine... this isn't some 'demonic' magic. Can't you see?? This is nature! It's how the world works! It doesn't get more divine than this. I don't know what you did to end up on my god's '#1 most wanted list,' as you say, and I won't ask. I don't know why you're being so... so stuffy with me, but he didn't send me here to spy on you. I became an artificer to help the people who need it most. I came to the Empire to help people just like my family, who are dying in villages because the gods don't care. And I won't be made to feel... to feel ashamed for doing my god's work."
By the end of his tirade, he's slightly out of breath. He looks around the cave at his allies and suddenly flushes with embarrassment. Ruffling his hair with meaty fingers, he silently exits back out into the rain to cool off.
Rohuzar looks around. “Someone stay vith Grugga. Keep eyes peeled for other bounty hunters. Rest of us, let’s check the cottage for anything else of value. As for Dawntreader… ve are finished, da? You get more money, looks us up in Bardstown. And find a middle man.”
Rohuzar begins the slow search of the rest of the place just looking for an exit to this conversation with a simultaneously interesting and frustrating ancient elf.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Aubrey insight: 19
Aubrey listens to Dawntreader and Grugga, giving the latter an approving smile as he finishes and sits down. He then assists Rohuzar with searching the cottage, keeping his eye out for more threats. Perception: 15
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Guilim keeps his eyes on the elf at all times, clearly wondering if he should attempt to kill the Elf while he was weakened. He shakes his head and moves to follow after those that go to loot the cottage. "Still don't trust a single thing he says. They tend to ne good at lying...."
Leelan sees everyone beginning to split off to accomplish various tasks. He is somewhat concerned for Grugga, but decides to give him some space rather than pester him questions. He then turns to Dawntreader.
"If it’s all the same to you, Mr. Dawntreader, I would appreciate the chance to question the captives as well. Especially the owl-man, I must admit to being fascinated by the existence of such a specie. Besides, we are now involved in this sordid affair just as much as you, I’m afraid."
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
15
9
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PC - Ethel - Human - Lvl 4 Necromancer - Undying Dragons * Serge Marshblade - Human - Lvl 5 Eldritch Knight - Hoard of the Dragon Queen
DM -(Homebrew) Heroes of Bardstown *Red Dead Annihilation: ToA *Where the Cold Winds Blow : DoIP * Covetous, Dragonish Thoughts: HotDQ * Red Wine, Black Rose: CoS * Greyhawk: Tides of War
Rohuzarleads Guilimand Aubreythrough the main cave chamber and down a longer, curved passageway. There are signs of tripped magical traps all along with hall, though none look recent, and the scorched stone cool to the touch. There is no other danger… it seems every single defense trap had already been activated. At the end of the hall is a ladder which leads up into the little cottage.
The interior is a horrid mess. A partially vivisected cadaver sits on a table next to an open book on anatomy. The front door looks to be off its hinges and a crimson-robed wizard lies sprawled in front of the fireplace. There are multiple beds crammed into this small space, and two of them have rotting cadavers lying on them. Here and there are signs of the rangers who once occupied this place – some pipes and tobacco containers on a table, a weapons rack, a shelf with some books on animals and nature – but everything is covered up with signs of the madmen who had taken over the place. Outside you can see the remains of the undead who had been guarding the door, all likewise peppered with arrows.
The three of you comb through the corpses, boxes, shelves and collect everything you think might be useful or valuable. Altogether you pile up the following:
A pair of deerskin gloves that seem unusually warm to the touch
***
Leelan, you observe while Dawntreader prepares the unconscious prisoners for interrogation. He carefully folds the necromancer's hands into fists and then binds them tightly with cloth and leather strips. He also wets and torn bedsheet and ties it over the unconscious elf's eyes like a blindfold.
Insight (Leelanonly) DC 12:
Since you've met him, the ancient elf has periodically looked down at one of his hands and made odd, out of context comments. Now, as he binds the prisoners, you get the distinct impression is having a quiet conversation with his hand, and even taking some advice on how to go about the questioning.
While you wait for the prisoners to awaken, you have some time to look about the cave. In addition to an infirmary area with several beds (where Dawntreader has restrained the prisoners) there is a long table with some herbs and liquid vials. This may have been of some use to the Rangers once but the necromancers have repurposed it to their own ends. The table now holds a grisly arrangement of blood, bones and hair in an occult design, along with several books. In another area there is a large stockpile of supplies, presumabley a cache stored here by the Carcerimon. You discover the following as you poke around the cave:
(I won't go into gory detail on how Dawntreader channels his inner Jack Bauer as he interrogates the two prisoners, but it is not for the faint of heart.)Leelanoverhears/observes the following:
The elf necromancer proves stubborn and strong of will. He gives up nothing and offers only silence to Dawntreader's questioning. The owl-man is another story. He appears full grown but seems completely ignorant of the world outside of his 'nest'. Eventually, Dawntreader kills the elf in front of the owl-man, which gets the latter talking.
His name is 'Sixteen'. All of his brothers and sisters are similarly named. There are others kept at the nest, but they are locked away, and their names all start with 'specimen' (ie Specimen A-One, Specimen C-Four, etc.).
He says the 'Mother' is a beautiful elven woman with pale skin and crimson hair. She has 'brought forth' all sorts of bird-men into the world. She tells them they will inherit the world from her and she instructs them in the arts, in magic, in crafts.
Sixteen is no good at magic but he works with some of the 'Mother's' helpers as a scout.
Someone stole something precious to the 'Mother' and he was given the honor of serving on the team that was sent to retrieve it. There were bad men here who had taken it, but the 'Mother's' helpers destroyed them all. Then this storm came and they were unable to return to the nest.
The nest is a castle in the mountains. He doesn't know any reference points like roads or towns, and only can say it is to the west of here. Also, when he flies as high as he can from the nest, he can see the great lake in the distance.
Dawntreader confirms the description of the 'Mother' matches his memory of Auriel.
With the interrogation over, Dawntreader recommends we kill the bird-man as well.
***
Gruggacools off outside. *Inspiration for passionately defending your life choices*
(He can either go inside to watch the interrogation, circle up top to visit with those clearing out the cottage, or hand out in the darkness with Zip for the hour that it takes the rest of this to wrap up.)
PC - Ethel - Human - Lvl 4 Necromancer - Undying Dragons * Serge Marshblade - Human - Lvl 5 Eldritch Knight - Hoard of the Dragon Queen
DM -(Homebrew) Heroes of Bardstown *Red Dead Annihilation: ToA *Where the Cold Winds Blow : DoIP * Covetous, Dragonish Thoughts: HotDQ * Red Wine, Black Rose: CoS * Greyhawk: Tides of War
After a short while, Grugga composes himself, but he still sits alone with Zip for about 15 minutes before circling around the cliffside and joins several of his companions up at the front of the cabin. He clears his throat, "sorry about that," he says quietly and then joins in silently helping them in whatever they're doing.
If they weren't able to earlier, Grugga would like to join Aubrey in collecting trinkets from the Screaming Banshees' corpses to return to their friend. He would also like to gather all the bodies into the cabin to burn before they leave. The necromancers can rot, for all he cares, but it'd be better if they couldn't be reanimated by their 'mother,' so he gathers them as well. He doesn't enter the cave with Leelan and Dawntreader unless he has to, and when he does he doesn't say anything and doesn't stay for longer than he needs to.
The only other thing he says unprompted is, "We shouldn't let these rations go to waste. The people in the village we passed through could make good use of them. Or the poor in Shelley and Bardstown." ((How hard would it be to carry the rations? I'm not sure how big a ration is but the PHB says each one is 2 lbs... So I'm guessing a bunch of crates? Do the horses have saddlebags we can fill up?))
Regarding the Screaming Banshees, the chain mail is from one of the women. On the other woman you find a sketchbook in her pack, full of drawings of something like an otter or a weasel. The last member, the dwarf, was also in chainmail but it was badly damaged in whatever combat claimed his life. In his pack you find a piece of bark.
Holding the bark, you hear a voice in your mind.
Hello? Who is there? What has become of Dorfman?
The four horses you found do not have saddlebags, but Dandelion does. It might be possible to harvest sheets and curtains from the cottage to create makeshift bags, though these won't be waterproof.
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PC - Ethel - Human - Lvl 4 Necromancer - Undying Dragons * Serge Marshblade - Human - Lvl 5 Eldritch Knight - Hoard of the Dragon Queen
DM -(Homebrew) Heroes of Bardstown *Red Dead Annihilation: ToA *Where the Cold Winds Blow : DoIP * Covetous, Dragonish Thoughts: HotDQ * Red Wine, Black Rose: CoS * Greyhawk: Tides of War
Grugga scrunches up his face in silent surprise and confusion. He silently gathers his companions (all but Leelan, who is downstairs (unless the gnome is finished downstairs, in which case he's gathered too)) and prompts them to put their hands on the piece of bark, then says out loud, "Hello?" hoping the voice will speak again so his team can hear it too.
Anyone who takes Gruggaup on his offer to handle the bark is treated to the following:
Who is that there? I can hear you. What has become of the Dorfman? I tire of these foolish games, animals.
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PC - Ethel - Human - Lvl 4 Necromancer - Undying Dragons * Serge Marshblade - Human - Lvl 5 Eldritch Knight - Hoard of the Dragon Queen
DM -(Homebrew) Heroes of Bardstown *Red Dead Annihilation: ToA *Where the Cold Winds Blow : DoIP * Covetous, Dragonish Thoughts: HotDQ * Red Wine, Black Rose: CoS * Greyhawk: Tides of War
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
During the interrogation, Leelan would have felt extremely uncomfortable with the torture methods employed by the elf. If given the chance, he would have questioned the owl-man.
Contrary to Dawntreader, the gnome tries to be reassuring and gentle with the owl-man.
How does this "Mother" "bring forth" creatures like him? How many of them are there? How old is he?
What other landmarks can he discern when he flies up the nest?
What does he know about that bird skull shaped crystal?
Once he’s done with his questions, he bluntly asks Dawntreader to hold off on mindlessly killing the owl-man and goes off to report to the rest of the party.
Guilim continues to ignore the Elf, stating his opinion of not trusting him as far as he could throw him. As they find the treasures he will help carry them, letting those from the dead mercenaries be but taking what was theirs by defeating the enemies.
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Aubrey just nods and gives Rohuzar a weak smile, not really having the strength for anything else.
He listens to your questions and then holds up a palm. "Let there by light" he intones, and a small ball of light rises from his hand and settles in the air near Zip, above the unconscious birdman. Bright light is cast in a 60 foot radius.
He chooses to address Leelan first. Kicking over the corpse of the red-haired woman, he points out a sigil emblazoned in crimson on her robes. It is a bird in flight, the head and the wings evoking both the letters 'A' and 'W'. "Auriel, was her name. I met her years ago. She infiltrated the Hook & Axe as a spy for Zegengeze. She reported on our activities before sneaking off with a bunch of our documents and magic items. When we took down Zegengeze and his 'Endless Circle', she wasn't there. I had just assumed she was dead... until lo and behold these mooks show up here wearing her symbol."
He moves on to the owl-man. The unconscious figure is wearing a backpack in reverse, with the pack strapped across its chest. Dawntreader reaches inside and pulls out an object wrapped in cloth-of-gold and unfurls it. In his hand is a crystal carved in the shape of a bird skull. It looks to weigh five pounds or so, and even in the light from the spell, it s gives off a faint glow all its own, and the interior of the crystal seems unstable and malleable, as if the interior is a liquid or a gel. "And this... is her phylactery." He seems confused by this. "I don't understand," he admits. "This item was being shipped by Randall Foote. He hired the original courier and it was being delivered to him in Bardstown. Your employer put the reward out to recover this for him. I had naturally assumed it was his own phylactery, and that I had a chance to take him down at last. But... where in the hell's did he get Auriel's? And why?"
He looks up to what are undoubtedly some confused faces around him. "This thing here... let me back up. A long time ago, a monster calling itself Zegengeze came to the surface. It originated in another world, somewhere deep underground. It came here looking for a way to perfect a magic ritual it was working on... a way to escape death. To further its studies, it took on apprentices: men, elves, even dragons. As it instructed them and observed their transformation into living undeath, it hoped to unlock the secret to accomplishing the same for itself."
"I'm happy to say we killed it before it became immortal, but not before it helped some others find their way there. We call these creatures 'liches.' They are spellcasters who have given up their lives to reach a state of endless - but sentient - undeath. And as long as they keep these items," he holds up the crystal skull, "safe, they can never be destroyed. My friends and I killed Foote three times. Bastard just thinks it's funny, and he always comes back."
"We did succeed in finding the phylacteries of a few of Zegengeze's other disciples and destroyed them over the years. I hadn't realized Auriel had undergone the transformation. But her symbol, all the bird imagery... yeah, it is her no doubt about it."
He finally addresses Rohuzar and Grugga's questions. "The owl-man... no I've never seen anything like it. But Auriel did have a weird thing with birds... when she left, one of the things she stole was some of the tail feathers from Zenithar, my parrot. And she was always polymorphing into an owl. If she's become a lich, and spent the last century in hiding somewhere..." he looks down at the unconscious bird man, "... Who knows what she has been getting up to...".
Noticing Aubrey's condition, he wanders over and lays a hand on his shoulder, providing 13 healing. "This is still a good thing. I've got some leverage on Auriel now, and maybe even can use this to track her down. If this is a sign of some sort of feud between her and Foote, I'm sure I can turn that to my advantage." He begins to drag the two unconscious figures back toward the cave. "Nice work, all of you. I'm going to wait around until these two wake up so I can question them. You're welcome to hang out to watch, or loot the dead. This is all I came for," he says, holding up the skull again before wrapping it and placing it in his pack.
PC - Ethel - Human - Lvl 4 Necromancer - Undying Dragons * Serge Marshblade - Human - Lvl 5 Eldritch Knight - Hoard of the Dragon Queen
DM - (Homebrew) Heroes of Bardstown * Red Dead Annihilation: ToA * Where the Cold Winds Blow : DoIP * Covetous, Dragonish Thoughts: HotDQ * Red Wine, Black Rose: CoS * Greyhawk: Tides of War
Grugga follows the Elf into the cave, entranced by the lure of esoteric knowledge. "A creature from deep underground who taught necromancy..." He knuckles his chin in contemplation and then says carefully, "2008... the chasm. 2009, a boom in necromancy. We always - we, the people from Raven's Hill - thought it was an Ancient Elf spell that caused that. Legend is there was fighting involving the Empire, Dungennor, Pentwater, and the Ancient Elves. Did they summon this Zegengeze?"
He turns to other questions, "This 'Mother' figure... do you think it's Auriel, or do these necromancers... do they... do they worship some sort of goddess?" He pauses not quite sure how to frame his question - not wanting to sound crazy. "Let me ask you this, do you know these symbols?" He uses his magical tinkering on the floor of the cave to make it depict 2 glowing symbols: One looks like 3 waves and 3 dots in a triangle - the symbol etched onto Malia's forehead - the other looks like mountains and air currents with 3 dots in a triangle - the symbol on the stone disc carried by the intelligent ogre.
Also on a hunch, "You were in Bardstown around time we were. Do you know anything about a puzzle box... silver and mithril... about yea big... made to inhibit necromantic magics? It was used in a magic store and the owner was murdered."
Also, offhandedly, when he sees Aubrey, Grugga will apologize and say, "I'm sorry, Aubrey, I got wrapped up in thinking. Are you alright?"
Grugga would like to stay around and wait for the prisoners to wake up. He won't bother looting anything, but while the captives wake up, he will go up to the front of the cabin and try to find a few trinkets from the bodies of the "screaming Banshees" to return to their surviving companion that Grugga and his comrades met in Midway. He will also pull the bodies of the rangers and mercenaries into the cabin. He can't give them a burial, but he can at least burn them before they all leave.
Edit: Grugga continues letting Zip fly about, no longer concerned with letting the Elf see his invention.
Rohuzar points at Dawntreader as he walks. “You are leaking. Shadows.” He lets it hang.
Paladin - warforged - orange
Aubrey feels his body heal quickly as Dawntreader lays a hand on his shoulder and gives him an appreciating nod. He still feels a bit weak after the conflagration and stays mostly silent for now, listening to Dawntreader. "I'm alright now Grugga, don't worry about it, felt a bit crispy there for a moment but everything worked out well it seems. You go on with the investigation and don't mind me. Those are important questions you're asking." Aubrey says to the artificer in a sincere tone. He would then assist Grugga with searching and taking care of bodies.
Rohuzar, Dawntreader nonchalantly replies, "Yeah. That happens sometimes." As he secures the prisoners to a pair of beds inside the cave, he relates a long tale of a time that he fought a shadow demon with a priestess of Skrillis. Apparently the demon was incensed by his mocking tone, so as it was dispatched back to the Abyss it laid a curse upon the ancient elf. Now, his right foot is marked by the demon's symbol. Attempts to remove the curse have all met with disaster. "And when someone tries to hit me with bestow curse, as one of the necromancers inside the cave did, " he gestures toward the corpse of a dwarven mage lying in the corner, "it usually blows up in the caster's face and then sets the mark on my foot smoking and burning like hell for a few weeks."
Grugga, he indicates he doesn't know who the 'Mother' is but that is something he expects these two captives will tell him soon enough. He shakes his head on your questions about Zegengeze, indicating that creature came to the surface around the year 1950 or 1960, and spent decades plotting and training his disciples before he was destroyed in the months before the Breach. Regarding the explosion in the mountains, he is less forthcoming. "The story you know is probably right. There was something down there below those mountains that everyone wanted... and either by accident or intent, one of the parties warring over it caused it to explode."
Insight DC 14:
The ancient elf seems to have relaxed considerably around all of you, even those like Guilim who openly despise him, with the exception of Grugga. When Grugga questions him, he seems suspicious and aloof, like he is afraid to say too much around the artificer.
PC - Ethel - Human - Lvl 4 Necromancer - Undying Dragons * Serge Marshblade - Human - Lvl 5 Eldritch Knight - Hoard of the Dragon Queen
DM - (Homebrew) Heroes of Bardstown * Red Dead Annihilation: ToA * Where the Cold Winds Blow : DoIP * Covetous, Dragonish Thoughts: HotDQ * Red Wine, Black Rose: CoS * Greyhawk: Tides of War
insight: 16
Surprisingly, Grugga seems to be aware of the Elf's recalcitrance with him. He crosses his arms and lectures the man who is centuries older than him and has seen more in the world than he will ever be able to: "I'm from Raven's Hill, a small town of miners, jewelers, and farmers. Before the artificers came, black lung, cave ins, and pockets of poison air just happened sometimes 'because the gods were angry.' Droughts, starvation, infestation, disease... all the same. Then the artificers showed up when I was young and we had irrigation, sanitation, proper construction and reinforcement for the mining tunnels..." He counts them off on his fingers, then bursts out, "People stopped dying! My friends and family... they got to live!" He takes a breath; he's turning a bit red in the face.
"The gods built this world, and when they did they made rules for it. We finally have one on our side who is telling use how to play by the rules. We finally have one that gives a damn about us! Physics, mathematics, engineering, medicine... this isn't some 'demonic' magic. Can't you see?? This is nature! It's how the world works! It doesn't get more divine than this. I don't know what you did to end up on my god's '#1 most wanted list,' as you say, and I won't ask. I don't know why you're being so... so stuffy with me, but he didn't send me here to spy on you. I became an artificer to help the people who need it most. I came to the Empire to help people just like my family, who are dying in villages because the gods don't care. And I won't be made to feel... to feel ashamed for doing my god's work."
By the end of his tirade, he's slightly out of breath. He looks around the cave at his allies and suddenly flushes with embarrassment. Ruffling his hair with meaty fingers, he silently exits back out into the rain to cool off.
Rohuzar looks around. “Someone stay vith Grugga. Keep eyes peeled for other bounty hunters. Rest of us, let’s check the cottage for anything else of value. As for Dawntreader… ve are finished, da? You get more money, looks us up in Bardstown. And find a middle man.”
Rohuzar begins the slow search of the rest of the place just looking for an exit to this conversation with a simultaneously interesting and frustrating ancient elf.
Paladin - warforged - orange
Aubrey insight: 19
Aubrey listens to Dawntreader and Grugga, giving the latter an approving smile as he finishes and sits down.
He then assists Rohuzar with searching the cottage, keeping his eye out for more threats.
Perception: 15
Guilim keeps his eyes on the elf at all times, clearly wondering if he should attempt to kill the Elf while he was weakened. He shakes his head and moves to follow after those that go to loot the cottage. "Still don't trust a single thing he says. They tend to ne good at lying...."
Insight: 20
Leelan sees everyone beginning to split off to accomplish various tasks. He is somewhat concerned for Grugga, but decides to give him some space rather than pester him questions. He then turns to Dawntreader.
"If it’s all the same to you, Mr. Dawntreader, I would appreciate the chance to question the captives as well. Especially the owl-man, I must admit to being fascinated by the existence of such a specie. Besides, we are now involved in this sordid affair just as much as you, I’m afraid."
15
9
PC - Ethel - Human - Lvl 4 Necromancer - Undying Dragons * Serge Marshblade - Human - Lvl 5 Eldritch Knight - Hoard of the Dragon Queen
DM - (Homebrew) Heroes of Bardstown * Red Dead Annihilation: ToA * Where the Cold Winds Blow : DoIP * Covetous, Dragonish Thoughts: HotDQ * Red Wine, Black Rose: CoS * Greyhawk: Tides of War
Rohuzar leads Guilim and Aubrey through the main cave chamber and down a longer, curved passageway. There are signs of tripped magical traps all along with hall, though none look recent, and the scorched stone cool to the touch. There is no other danger… it seems every single defense trap had already been activated. At the end of the hall is a ladder which leads up into the little cottage.
The interior is a horrid mess. A partially vivisected cadaver sits on a table next to an open book on anatomy. The front door looks to be off its hinges and a crimson-robed wizard lies sprawled in front of the fireplace. There are multiple beds crammed into this small space, and two of them have rotting cadavers lying on them. Here and there are signs of the rangers who once occupied this place – some pipes and tobacco containers on a table, a weapons rack, a shelf with some books on animals and nature – but everything is covered up with signs of the madmen who had taken over the place. Outside you can see the remains of the undead who had been guarding the door, all likewise peppered with arrows.
The three of you comb through the corpses, boxes, shelves and collect everything you think might be useful or valuable. Altogether you pile up the following:
***
Leelan, you observe while Dawntreader prepares the unconscious prisoners for interrogation. He carefully folds the necromancer's hands into fists and then binds them tightly with cloth and leather strips. He also wets and torn bedsheet and ties it over the unconscious elf's eyes like a blindfold.
Insight (Leelan only) DC 12:
Since you've met him, the ancient elf has periodically looked down at one of his hands and made odd, out of context comments. Now, as he binds the prisoners, you get the distinct impression is having a quiet conversation with his hand, and even taking some advice on how to go about the questioning.
While you wait for the prisoners to awaken, you have some time to look about the cave. In addition to an infirmary area with several beds (where Dawntreader has restrained the prisoners) there is a long table with some herbs and liquid vials. This may have been of some use to the Rangers once but the necromancers have repurposed it to their own ends. The table now holds a grisly arrangement of blood, bones and hair in an occult design, along with several books. In another area there is a large stockpile of supplies, presumabley a cache stored here by the Carcerimon. You discover the following as you poke around the cave:
(I won't go into gory detail on how Dawntreader channels his inner Jack Bauer as he interrogates the two prisoners, but it is not for the faint of heart.) Leelan overhears/observes the following:
The elf necromancer proves stubborn and strong of will. He gives up nothing and offers only silence to Dawntreader's questioning. The owl-man is another story. He appears full grown but seems completely ignorant of the world outside of his 'nest'. Eventually, Dawntreader kills the elf in front of the owl-man, which gets the latter talking.
Dawntreader confirms the description of the 'Mother' matches his memory of Auriel.
With the interrogation over, Dawntreader recommends we kill the bird-man as well.
***
Grugga cools off outside. *Inspiration for passionately defending your life choices*
(He can either go inside to watch the interrogation, circle up top to visit with those clearing out the cottage, or hand out in the darkness with Zip for the hour that it takes the rest of this to wrap up.)
PC - Ethel - Human - Lvl 4 Necromancer - Undying Dragons * Serge Marshblade - Human - Lvl 5 Eldritch Knight - Hoard of the Dragon Queen
DM - (Homebrew) Heroes of Bardstown * Red Dead Annihilation: ToA * Where the Cold Winds Blow : DoIP * Covetous, Dragonish Thoughts: HotDQ * Red Wine, Black Rose: CoS * Greyhawk: Tides of War
After a short while, Grugga composes himself, but he still sits alone with Zip for about 15 minutes before circling around the cliffside and joins several of his companions up at the front of the cabin. He clears his throat, "sorry about that," he says quietly and then joins in silently helping them in whatever they're doing.
If they weren't able to earlier, Grugga would like to join Aubrey in collecting trinkets from the Screaming Banshees' corpses to return to their friend. He would also like to gather all the bodies into the cabin to burn before they leave. The necromancers can rot, for all he cares, but it'd be better if they couldn't be reanimated by their 'mother,' so he gathers them as well. He doesn't enter the cave with Leelan and Dawntreader unless he has to, and when he does he doesn't say anything and doesn't stay for longer than he needs to.
The only other thing he says unprompted is, "We shouldn't let these rations go to waste. The people in the village we passed through could make good use of them. Or the poor in Shelley and Bardstown." ((How hard would it be to carry the rations? I'm not sure how big a ration is but the PHB says each one is 2 lbs... So I'm guessing a bunch of crates? Do the horses have saddlebags we can fill up?))
Regarding the Screaming Banshees, the chain mail is from one of the women. On the other woman you find a sketchbook in her pack, full of drawings of something like an otter or a weasel. The last member, the dwarf, was also in chainmail but it was badly damaged in whatever combat claimed his life. In his pack you find a piece of bark.
Holding the bark, you hear a voice in your mind.
Hello? Who is there? What has become of Dorfman?
The four horses you found do not have saddlebags, but Dandelion does. It might be possible to harvest sheets and curtains from the cottage to create makeshift bags, though these won't be waterproof.
PC - Ethel - Human - Lvl 4 Necromancer - Undying Dragons * Serge Marshblade - Human - Lvl 5 Eldritch Knight - Hoard of the Dragon Queen
DM - (Homebrew) Heroes of Bardstown * Red Dead Annihilation: ToA * Where the Cold Winds Blow : DoIP * Covetous, Dragonish Thoughts: HotDQ * Red Wine, Black Rose: CoS * Greyhawk: Tides of War
Grugga scrunches up his face in silent surprise and confusion. He silently gathers his companions (all but Leelan, who is downstairs (unless the gnome is finished downstairs, in which case he's gathered too)) and prompts them to put their hands on the piece of bark, then says out loud, "Hello?" hoping the voice will speak again so his team can hear it too.
Rohuzar proceeds to gather everything of value and bring it to the others.
“You think donkey vill be able to carry all this?” Then sighs. “Ve should bring back the Banshees’ bodies. Is only right.”
Paladin - warforged - orange
Anyone who takes Grugga up on his offer to handle the bark is treated to the following:
Who is that there? I can hear you. What has become of the Dorfman? I tire of these foolish games, animals.
PC - Ethel - Human - Lvl 4 Necromancer - Undying Dragons * Serge Marshblade - Human - Lvl 5 Eldritch Knight - Hoard of the Dragon Queen
DM - (Homebrew) Heroes of Bardstown * Red Dead Annihilation: ToA * Where the Cold Winds Blow : DoIP * Covetous, Dragonish Thoughts: HotDQ * Red Wine, Black Rose: CoS * Greyhawk: Tides of War
During the interrogation, Leelan would have felt extremely uncomfortable with the torture methods employed by the elf. If given the chance, he would have questioned the owl-man.
Contrary to Dawntreader, the gnome tries to be reassuring and gentle with the owl-man.
Once he’s done with his questions, he bluntly asks Dawntreader to hold off on mindlessly killing the owl-man and goes off to report to the rest of the party.
Insight: 3
Guilim continues to ignore the Elf, stating his opinion of not trusting him as far as he could throw him. As they find the treasures he will help carry them, letting those from the dead mercenaries be but taking what was theirs by defeating the enemies.