Mildly frustrated at the lack of understanding of the items, Haughlin tucks the amulet into his shirt and the rod into his pack, "I'll figure those out later" he thinks to himself.
Coming to the strange spinning devices, "What purpose do contraptions like this serve? Seems strange to have such dangerous things just spinning away down here." He walks over to the lever, "Lets hope this stops them, eh?" He pulls the lever down.
"I s'pose we did come through their bedroom window, it would be mighty difficult to pull that lever and stop the blades from the other end of the room ... perhaps it was some sort of security system to stop interlopers like us?" Pete points out as you pull the the brass lever with little difficulty and the spinning turnstiles slowly begin to stop and allow for free passage through the room and out onto a sagging rope bridge that connects to the another cave 35ft away. The bridge, previously hidden behind the mist of the waterfall, creaks and sways as you slowly walk across but appears to be expertly built and sturdy enough to hold all the parties weight even though it was designed for gnome use.
You finally get across the bridge, drenched from the spray of the waterfall you enter back into a small damp cave, with a steep cliff face to your right. As you take a step into the room you hear a loud female voice shout out “dir intha hai?” shortly followed by a male voice "Who goes there?".
"You make a good point there Pete, my apologies, just not thinking straight today." Haughin pats Pete on the shoulder with a smile as they start to cross the bridge. "Careful with your footing, friends. The water makes the bridge a bit slippery." He shouts over the roaring of the waterfall.
He turns to look at the top of the cliff face, where the voices came from, and raises his hands slightly to show they he isn't armed, "Hello, apologies for the intrusion. My name is Haughlin Gaale, these are my friends. We've been sent by Fibblestib and Dabbledob, the Kings were attacked by a shapechanger and we've been tasked to root it out."
"Aye we know about the shapechanger! We're keeping an eye out for it now!" The male voice shouts back at you.
"Quiet you, how do you know they aren't the shapechanger?" The female voice pipes up as you see the top of her head appear over the lip of the 10ft cliff "He's blue! You don't get blue folk do you?" She darts back out of sight again. "Prove you're not the shapechanger, otherwise we will open fire!"
Feeling slightly embarassed by ther ecent change in his appearance, Haughlin replies with a hint of indignance to his voice, "I'm only partially blue, thank you!"
"King Korboz said that the shapechanger can't speak, which ruled us all out. It's also the reason I don't suspect that either of you are the creature either." Haughlin continues, less snippily. "It attacked the kings as a rug, I suspect it may only be able to imitate inanimate objects. Although I can't be 100% sure on that, having never encountered one before."
"If that's not enough to convince you, please tell me what will!"
“Hmm yoh make a good point!” The female shouts back at you.
”there’s 4 o’ them as well, last we heard there was only one shapeshifter.” You manage to over hear the male gnome saying to his fellow guard.
”okay, you can pass! Don’t be caught by surprise now give everything you see a poke!” The female shouts down at you as the two guards move up to a position where you can see them. “I’m Ulla and this is Pog, be on your way now!” Ulla shouts down from their vantage point with a dismissive wave.
Haughlin gives a small bow in thanks, "Thank you Ulla, stay vigilant. Between us all we'll get rid of this pest in no time!"
He turns back to the others, "Good advice that, to give everything we see a poke. We should spread out and do just that." Haughlin sets off towards the two exits from the room and after a moment of thought, takes the eastern path.
As he walks, he carefully scans his surroundings, and will give every object/piece of furniture they come across a small zap with Shocking Grasp
You follow the sparse eastern path as it raises and curves back on itself, to see the two gnomes (Ulla and Pog) standing guard over the room.
”we’ve got this bit covered, no need to have the extra bodies up here” Pog shouts over to the group until a look of fear breaks on his face “unless…” he lifts his arms in an attacking posture “you are the shapechanger and we’ve fallen for your wiles!”
Haughlin raises his hands, "Sorry, we don't know our way around this place. Still definitely not the shapechanger!" He gives a small bow of the head as he turns to backtrack to the northern exit of the previous room.
(No worries, theatre of the mind works for me ;) )
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Haughlin
"Hmm very well, s'pose can't expect a non-gnome to know how to navigate our caves, on you go, the way out is over that way" Ulla points off towards the other exit for the room with a smug look on his face.
You head back down the sweeping corridor to the lower level and exit through the northern exit and come to another set of path ways one heading to the west and one to the east.
Agmar
Just going to move through the combat, hope you don't mind!
Seeing that the gnome has lost her mind and can't be reasoned with Agmar launches forward bellowing obsenities at her and goes into a rage as he swings his greataxe down on the contraption.
Attack: 10 Damage: 15
(round 3)
Faktore continues to cackle uncarring of the attacks coming at towards her contraption.
Attack: 11 Damage: 8
The contraption continues to spin to the next crossbow as the other reloads. Agmar see's a gap in the mechanisms and launches another ferocious attack against it.
Attack: 19 Damage: 17
(round 4)
"Haha, typical dwarf can't hit a thing when it comes to gnomish ingenuity" Faktore fires again
Attack: 17 Damage: 1
Frustrated by the gnomes jeers Agmar unleashses another attack with all his fury.
Attack: 15 Damage: 16
With a satisfying thunk Agmars axe strikes the crossbow aiming at him and cleaves it in two
(round 5)
The crossbow platrom rotates once more, and fires a bolt as the crossbow aims towards the dwarf.
Attack: 19 Damage: 3
another bolt hits Agmar square, but does nothing but feed his fury as he swings his mighty axe once more
Attack: 25 Damage: 19
The attack hits breaking another crossbow off the platform. "No! you're hurting it! you're hurting it!" Faktore screams at you as she tries to rotate the platform unsuccessfully.
(round 6)
In a rage (not quite as big as Agmars) Faktore stands from her seat "You'll pay for breaking my machine" she shouts pointing towards Agmar. She then clasps her hand to her chest and a faint shimmer of magical energy can be seen over her body (casts mage armor)
Seizing the opportunity now that the platform has stopped spinning Agmar attempts to climb up the device and strikes the crazed gnome with the pommel of his axe
(OOC: totally don't mind you doing the combat buddy, sorry I've been afk for a few days, been a lot going on with work and the baby arriving today haha!)
Agmar, aiming to subdue the bewildered Gnome, but in a race against time with his rising choler, he attempted to grapple the erratic gnome.
"LOOK here, yev scuffed me up a bit now, will ye settle down, please. Can ye no see I'm here to help ye TWIT! There's a Dragon headed this way. Stop wasting them fancy bolts on auld Agmar, and save em for the Bloomin Frost Drake! I'm looking for ma pals, Huaghlin Gale, he's blue, unusually good looking, bit chatty, ye canny miss him really. Will you come with me to help me find him? Maybe we can fix your big shooty thing later?"
The gnome is out for the count after your battle, she has managed to do a fair amount of damage to you with her contraption, but single swing of your axe was enough to knock her out cold. She slumps down into the chair of the invention, her head flopping forward. Looking at the map you received in the kitchen you need to exit this room from the other entrance.
Haughlin stops at the crossroad and ponders for a minute.
"Think we should head this way," he points to the east, "Hoping we should be able to circle back around and cover as mush of this place as possible."
He sets off to the east, still keeping a keen eye out and giving any furniture or objects of a decent size a small zap when he passes them, testing for the shapeshifter.
Take a short rest (30 mins?) using some hit dice (5) to recover. Back propped up against the wretched machine, sipping away on an ale from my cask, and a little puff on my pipe. After centering myself again, I'll check the gnome to make sure she'll live. Follow the path out of the ballistic chamber. Using the map to try and find my friends.
Happy new year! I'm back at a computer so can do this properly again! Short rest is fine for Agmar, roll your hit dice and update your sheet.
Agmar
You check over the body of the gnome and are happy to see that she is still alive, although out cold. You can see her lips moving slightly as though she is muttering in her sleep but can't make out any words over the sounds of waterfall which hasn't relented since you exited the kitchen area. After a short break catching your breath and bandaging up your wounds as best as you can you set off again out the southern exit to the room back into the corridors of the cave system passing an exit to the cliffs overlooking the misty pool. You turn the corner to the east and spot a familiar face (and a couple not so).
Haughlin
You turn to the east heading towards what looks like a storage room. As you go to move forward you hear Pete shout from behind "Hold up! Who's that!?". You turn around to see the bloodied dwarf you initially travelled with.
Haughlin rushes back a few steps towards his friend, "Agmar! It's good to see you!" He pauses, "At least, I hope it's you."
He turns back to his newer companions, "This is Agmar, he's a friend I was travelling with before the dragon attacked Phandalin. He stayed behind to help the townsfolk when we set off for this place."
Grasping his friend firmly by the wrist in the warriors greeting, holding steadfast and wild eye'd. "Ah thank goodness it's you Laddie! I've about had it with these twisty corridors and death traps. I met some nice folk in the kitchen, a slightly less nice lass behind a balista...
Listen, have we got what we came for? Im a bit sore from picking bolts out of my hide, but if ye need, I can carry on a bit longer?"
"Oh jings you look right beat up there!" a small girl, wearing a slightly crumpled papier-mâché unicrorn mask on her forehead, says from Haughlin's group "I've got some healing magic I can use if you need it?"
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Mildly frustrated at the lack of understanding of the items, Haughlin tucks the amulet into his shirt and the rod into his pack, "I'll figure those out later" he thinks to himself.
Coming to the strange spinning devices, "What purpose do contraptions like this serve? Seems strange to have such dangerous things just spinning away down here." He walks over to the lever, "Lets hope this stops them, eh?" He pulls the lever down.
Haughlin
"I s'pose we did come through their bedroom window, it would be mighty difficult to pull that lever and stop the blades from the other end of the room ... perhaps it was some sort of security system to stop interlopers like us?" Pete points out as you pull the the brass lever with little difficulty and the spinning turnstiles slowly begin to stop and allow for free passage through the room and out onto a sagging rope bridge that connects to the another cave 35ft away. The bridge, previously hidden behind the mist of the waterfall, creaks and sways as you slowly walk across but appears to be expertly built and sturdy enough to hold all the parties weight even though it was designed for gnome use.
You finally get across the bridge, drenched from the spray of the waterfall you enter back into a small damp cave, with a steep cliff face to your right. As you take a step into the room you hear a loud female voice shout out “dir intha hai?” shortly followed by a male voice "Who goes there?".
"You make a good point there Pete, my apologies, just not thinking straight today." Haughin pats Pete on the shoulder with a smile as they start to cross the bridge. "Careful with your footing, friends. The water makes the bridge a bit slippery." He shouts over the roaring of the waterfall.
He turns to look at the top of the cliff face, where the voices came from, and raises his hands slightly to show they he isn't armed, "Hello, apologies for the intrusion. My name is Haughlin Gaale, these are my friends. We've been sent by Fibblestib and Dabbledob, the Kings were attacked by a shapechanger and we've been tasked to root it out."
Haughlin
"Aye we know about the shapechanger! We're keeping an eye out for it now!" The male voice shouts back at you.
"Quiet you, how do you know they aren't the shapechanger?" The female voice pipes up as you see the top of her head appear over the lip of the 10ft cliff "He's blue! You don't get blue folk do you?" She darts back out of sight again. "Prove you're not the shapechanger, otherwise we will open fire!"
Feeling slightly embarassed by ther ecent change in his appearance, Haughlin replies with a hint of indignance to his voice, "I'm only partially blue, thank you!"
"King Korboz said that the shapechanger can't speak, which ruled us all out. It's also the reason I don't suspect that either of you are the creature either." Haughlin continues, less snippily. "It attacked the kings as a rug, I suspect it may only be able to imitate inanimate objects. Although I can't be 100% sure on that, having never encountered one before."
"If that's not enough to convince you, please tell me what will!"
Haughlin - (Charisma)Persuasion check.
Persuasion: 15
Haughlin
“Hmm yoh make a good point!” The female shouts back at you.
”there’s 4 o’ them as well, last we heard there was only one shapeshifter.” You manage to over hear the male gnome saying to his fellow guard.
”okay, you can pass! Don’t be caught by surprise now give everything you see a poke!” The female shouts down at you as the two guards move up to a position where you can see them. “I’m Ulla and this is Pog, be on your way now!” Ulla shouts down from their vantage point with a dismissive wave.
Haughlin gives a small bow in thanks, "Thank you Ulla, stay vigilant. Between us all we'll get rid of this pest in no time!"
He turns back to the others, "Good advice that, to give everything we see a poke. We should spread out and do just that." Haughlin sets off towards the two exits from the room and after a moment of thought, takes the eastern path.
As he walks, he carefully scans his surroundings, and will give every object/piece of furniture they come across a small zap with Shocking Grasp
You follow the sparse eastern path as it raises and curves back on itself, to see the two gnomes (Ulla and Pog) standing guard over the room.
”we’ve got this bit covered, no need to have the extra bodies up here” Pog shouts over to the group until a look of fear breaks on his face “unless…” he lifts his arms in an attacking posture “you are the shapechanger and we’ve fallen for your wiles!”
(no map updates at the moment as I’m on holiday)
Haughlin raises his hands, "Sorry, we don't know our way around this place. Still definitely not the shapechanger!" He gives a small bow of the head as he turns to backtrack to the northern exit of the previous room.
(No worries, theatre of the mind works for me ;) )
Haughlin
"Hmm very well, s'pose can't expect a non-gnome to know how to navigate our caves, on you go, the way out is over that way" Ulla points off towards the other exit for the room with a smug look on his face.
You head back down the sweeping corridor to the lower level and exit through the northern exit and come to another set of path ways one heading to the west and one to the east.
Agmar
Just going to move through the combat, hope you don't mind!
Seeing that the gnome has lost her mind and can't be reasoned with Agmar launches forward bellowing obsenities at her and goes into a rage as he swings his greataxe down on the contraption.
Attack: 10 Damage: 15
(round 3)
Faktore continues to cackle uncarring of the attacks coming at towards her contraption.
Attack: 11 Damage: 8
The contraption continues to spin to the next crossbow as the other reloads. Agmar see's a gap in the mechanisms and launches another ferocious attack against it.
Attack: 19 Damage: 17
(round 4)
"Haha, typical dwarf can't hit a thing when it comes to gnomish ingenuity" Faktore fires again
Attack: 17 Damage: 1
Frustrated by the gnomes jeers Agmar unleashses another attack with all his fury.
Attack: 15 Damage: 16
With a satisfying thunk Agmars axe strikes the crossbow aiming at him and cleaves it in two
(round 5)
The crossbow platrom rotates once more, and fires a bolt as the crossbow aims towards the dwarf.
Attack: 19 Damage: 3
another bolt hits Agmar square, but does nothing but feed his fury as he swings his mighty axe once more
Attack: 25 Damage: 19
The attack hits breaking another crossbow off the platform. "No! you're hurting it! you're hurting it!" Faktore screams at you as she tries to rotate the platform unsuccessfully.
(round 6)
In a rage (not quite as big as Agmars) Faktore stands from her seat "You'll pay for breaking my machine" she shouts pointing towards Agmar. She then clasps her hand to her chest and a faint shimmer of magical energy can be seen over her body (casts mage armor)
Seizing the opportunity now that the platform has stopped spinning Agmar attempts to climb up the device and strikes the crazed gnome with the pommel of his axe
Athletics:12
Attack: 25 Damage: 20
(OOC: totally don't mind you doing the combat buddy, sorry I've been afk for a few days, been a lot going on with work and the baby arriving today haha!)
Agmar, aiming to subdue the bewildered Gnome, but in a race against time with his rising choler, he attempted to grapple the erratic gnome.
"LOOK here, yev scuffed me up a bit now, will ye settle down, please. Can ye no see I'm here to help ye TWIT! There's a Dragon headed this way. Stop wasting them fancy bolts on auld Agmar, and save em for the Bloomin Frost Drake! I'm looking for ma pals, Huaghlin Gale, he's blue, unusually good looking, bit chatty, ye canny miss him really. Will you come with me to help me find him? Maybe we can fix your big shooty thing later?"
Agmar
The gnome is out for the count after your battle, she has managed to do a fair amount of damage to you with her contraption, but single swing of your axe was enough to knock her out cold. She slumps down into the chair of the invention, her head flopping forward. Looking at the map you received in the kitchen you need to exit this room from the other entrance.
Haughlin stops at the crossroad and ponders for a minute.
"Think we should head this way," he points to the east, "Hoping we should be able to circle back around and cover as mush of this place as possible."
He sets off to the east, still keeping a keen eye out and giving any furniture or objects of a decent size a small zap when he passes them, testing for the shapeshifter.
Take a short rest (30 mins?) using some hit dice (5) to recover. Back propped up against the wretched machine, sipping away on an ale from my cask, and a little puff on my pipe. After centering myself again, I'll check the gnome to make sure she'll live. Follow the path out of the ballistic chamber. Using the map to try and find my friends.
Happy new year! I'm back at a computer so can do this properly again! Short rest is fine for Agmar, roll your hit dice and update your sheet.
Agmar
You check over the body of the gnome and are happy to see that she is still alive, although out cold. You can see her lips moving slightly as though she is muttering in her sleep but can't make out any words over the sounds of waterfall which hasn't relented since you exited the kitchen area. After a short break catching your breath and bandaging up your wounds as best as you can you set off again out the southern exit to the room back into the corridors of the cave system passing an exit to the cliffs overlooking the misty pool. You turn the corner to the east and spot a familiar face (and a couple not so).
Haughlin
You turn to the east heading towards what looks like a storage room. As you go to move forward you hear Pete shout from behind "Hold up! Who's that!?". You turn around to see the bloodied dwarf you initially travelled with.
((Reunited!))
Haughlin rushes back a few steps towards his friend, "Agmar! It's good to see you!" He pauses, "At least, I hope it's you."
He turns back to his newer companions, "This is Agmar, he's a friend I was travelling with before the dragon attacked Phandalin. He stayed behind to help the townsfolk when we set off for this place."
Grasping his friend firmly by the wrist in the warriors greeting, holding steadfast and wild eye'd. "Ah thank goodness it's you Laddie! I've about had it with these twisty corridors and death traps. I met some nice folk in the kitchen, a slightly less nice lass behind a balista...
Listen, have we got what we came for? Im a bit sore from picking bolts out of my hide, but if ye need, I can carry on a bit longer?"
"Oh jings you look right beat up there!" a small girl, wearing a slightly crumpled papier-mâché unicrorn mask on her forehead, says from Haughlin's group "I've got some healing magic I can use if you need it?"