This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Looking downward to Faila, Meresaa shrugs her narrow shoulders and says, "Shall we? I suppose we're to sneak about the yard now, hoping to find something helpful along the way. Perhaps a hollow under a tree or hidden hatch among the grass along the periphery..."
She slowly makes her way through the open gate with long, graceful strides, but stays close to the fence as she gets a better feel for the layout of the grounds and any cover or blind spots within.
Perception: 6 to search for hidden passages, entrances, hatches, or traps near the inside of the fence (as well as the aforementioned cover or blind spots).
Nikita and ThumbtackPerception checks for potential enemies (including being followed by the Quicklings) or any other hazards, clues or secret entrances on the grounds or on the surface of Prospect itself. Thumbtack remains on Nikita's shoulder but is looking around and listening.
Choosing to enter through the, now open, boundary gate, the party continues down the gravel path towards the main building. Ermasnietsz walks up to the black carriage and starts gently knocking on its exterior.
Nothing. Well, at least not at first. A groan rings out from the tall grass next to the carriage. "H-hello? Anyone there... Arrggghhh,"a man's voice rings out, "help! Please, help meee!Argghh!" Whoever the voice belongs to seems to be in terrible pain.
Inside the black carriage, there appears to be a leather briefcase. However, the door is locked.
This is an ancient manor house, surely there is all manner of secret passages, hidden traps, and other points of interest.
You gaze over the thick vegetation. Even if the house has been sitting vacant for years the growth looks unnatural. After a few minutes, you give up in frustration - nothing stands out, maybe if you dedicated hours to searching you may find something, at the moment, however, you are at a loss.
As you make your way towards the black carriage, you take some time to cast your eye over Prospect's grounds. It is instantly clear that the vegetation has grown at an unnatural rate, not only that but a lot of it does not appear to be native to the area.
You do not find any traps or secret passages at a glance, perhaps if more time was spent looking you may find something.
When you hear the man cry out in pain you are sure you saw some movement to the right of the path.
Thumbtack
Thumbtack shoots into the sky to provide you with a bird's eye view of the area. Behind the manor house, there appears to be a number of ruined greenhouses. Past the smashed glass, Thumbtack sees a number of large, bulky-looking plants with red leaves and giant fang-like spikes. Traps?! Thumbtack relays to you. Perhaps not man-made but you are certain you would not want to get too close to these specimens.
A small lake is located behind the house to the left. Tracks?!Getting a closer look, Thumbtack observes movement under the lake's surface.
Then he happens upon it. A small building tucked away next to the lake, its entrance partially obscured by vegetation. Overgrown, hard to get to.
Otherwise, Thumbtack notes that there is another ruined building to the right of the property. It has degraded and crumbled so much that you can barely discern its purpose - perhaps a crypt.
Finally, from his vantage point Thumbtack can just about make out a man lying on his back in the grasses to the right of the path, near the carriage. He appears to be writhing in pain and clutching his abdomen.
The walls of the house are thick with ivy to the point that it looks like a good portion of the house has been reclaimed by nature. Mushroom spores line the broken flagstone steps and a number of the window panels. Outside the front of the property sit two lion statues, both covered with moss and ivy.
You believe that someone nimble would be able to easily climb the ivy and get in through a second-floor window.
Nikita strokes Thumbtack's feathers briefly as the owl returns. Stay close, my friend. We have come to a strange and dangerous place.
Keeping her voice low but pitched so the group can hear, Nikita relays her and the owl's (mostly the owl's) findings:
"There are many things around us. Most immediately, there is an apparently injured man to the right of the path near the carriage, clutching his abdomen in pain. Careful - it may be a ruse, but more likely he is in need of help. Perhaps infected with Sagacitas or attacked by some other extraplanar threat here."
"Other than that, Thumbtack saw: - Ruined greenhouses behind Prospect with large, dangerous-looking plants. - Small lake behind the house to the left with movement under the surface of the water. - Small building next to the lake, obscured and partially blocked by overgrowth. - Ruined building to the right, perhaps a crypt."
Signaling to ask Meresaa (for her knowledge on how to deal with Sagacitas) and Faila (for her general medical skills) to please come with her, Nikita carefully approaches the prone man to the right of the path near the carriage, rapier at the ready, off hand free, not too close. Still unsure if this is a ruse.
"Please keep quiet, sir. We hear you and may be able to help. What has happened? Please tell us as much as you know."
Boyd points out some lion statues and a portion of the wall covered in ivy covered. "I think I could hop from the statues up the wall there... or if not me, then someone a bit lighter." he pats his belly proudly.
He peers over at the voice and decides to let the others handle it, focusing his attention instead on the lock to the carriage. Thieves' Tools: 11
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Faila creeps quietly through the gate with Meresaa and Nikita, the cries of the man in pain devouring her attention. She circles around cautiously behind Nikita and her drawn rapier, trying to see what's wrong with the man.
"This man's hurt! The questions can wait, Nikita." Meresaa pushes past and kneels next to the man as she dons her thick leather gloves and apron.
"You're going to be just fine. We're here now. What's your name, friend?" She carries on in this manner as she carefully moves his hands and probes around his abdomen. She lifts the bottom of his shirt just enough to get a hand on his stomach and looks to Nikita and Nick Nack, hoping they're prepared in case she finds any purple worms.
(Hoping his flesh is permeable like the last few cases we've encountered. Not entirely sure what, if anything, should be rolled here. Investigation? Medicine? I believe Meresaa has a +7 in exploratory surgery...)
Nikita, though still a bit on guard, has to agree. Pouring more water from her waterskin, or using any nearby snow, she casts Shape Water to form a block of ice with a hole part-way through it. Ready to encase more Sagacitas if needed. With the block of ice on the ground, she then gets her Mage Hand ready to place the Sagacitas into the hole in the ice and Shape Water again to seal them off. All assuming Sagacitas are what is wrong with him, of course.
Ermasnietsz applies a small amount of grease or lubricant to the lock of the black carriage by casting Prestidigitation while flicking her wand. She's just trying to helpBoyd to unlock the carriage door.
(Boyd can pick the lock with advantage from Ermasnietsz.)
Approaching the man, you notice the tell-tale sight of the Sagacitas writhing under his skin. However, rather than multiple infants, it appears as though the man has a single, adult-sized creature inside of him. The man pulls and grabs at the grass on either side of him, his arms are heavily tattooed and muscular.
"Name's P-P-Preston B-B-Baines,"he says, biting through the pain. "Arrghh!" Preston screams out in pain. The first thing that is clear, when his shirt is pulled back, aside from the tattoos, is the fact that the effects of the Sagacitas' life drain have been accelerated. His drying skin sloughs and flakes in areas.
Meresaa plunges her hands into Preston's abdomen and he shrieks in pain. It is clear that this parasite is not freshly hatched, but rather fully grown. "Listen!"he screams, "B-B-Brinck, he betrayed me! Fled into..." His body stiffens momentarily and his eyes roll back into his head. The painful spasms stop then, Preston lies very still on the ground, his mouth frozen wide. As the man dies. A large slug-like entity squeezes out of his left eye socket. In seconds, his body begins to crumble and turn to dust.
Once the Sagacitas has exited its host, it squirms on the ground next to the body. This adult creature is well over a couple of feet in length and oozes thick purple ichor, more vibrant than before. It starts slithering away heading towards the undergrowth. Currently, it does not seem aggressive, having already sated its hunger.
Meresaa - If you are looking to grab the Sagacitas, please make a grapple check.
Nikita - It looks like you may need a larger block of ice. Also, the adult Sagacitas weighs more than 10 pounds, it will not be able to be carried by your Mage Hand.
Boyd - You work your own type of magic with the lock of Brinck's black carriage. Sure enough, you hear a satisfying clickand feel your lockpick turning in the lock. The carriage door is now unlocked.
Ermasnietsz - It looks like Boyd has managed to successfully pick the lock without requiring assistance.
Preston Baines looks like your run-of-the-mill thug or hired muscle. The tattoos on his arms and chest, prior to him crumbling to dust, seem to have been nautical themed. In fact, you swear that one of his tattoos on the upper right of his chest had been a symbol; a fist with the middle finger raised ('flipping the bird'), the finger has been flayed.
It is likely that the Sagacitas has been placed in him, as someone of his strength would have likely been able to fight it off.
Meresaa cries out in startled frustration as she falls backward to a sitting position on the grass. She quickly pulls off one glove with her teeth, plunges her naked hand into a pocket, and hurls a small satchel at the escaping creature. It bursts into flame on impact.
Meresaa's fire bolt streaks out from her hand and smashes into the Sagacitas. There is an explosion of fleshy tissue and purple ichor as the bolt obliterates the creature, a pungent smell of burnt flesh fills the air. Parts of creature litter the landscape; some of the larger pieces are aflame, creating tiny little fires in the blast radius of the explosion. It would seem the ichor is, at least in part, flammable, however, the fires are only small and do not spread.
Nikita's opinion of Meresaa goes up significantly as the tall blue artificer burns the large Sagacitas to death rather than insisting that it needs to be studied as Nikita had briefly worried that she would. This all happens as Nikita herself tries to put away her rapier and pull out her longbow, but is left not needing to nock an arrow for the moment.
With the large Sagacitas dead, Nikita searches Preston's body as best she can without touching any of the slime left over from the infestation. She has Thumbtack fly, but only a couple feet up from her shoulder, in a quick tight loop around the party and back, looking for the Quicklings or any other foes that may be inbound close by, drawn by the commotion, or any movement from Prospect itself. Finally she tries to recall whether, as part of the investigation she had done with Boyd, Failaand Nick Nack, the name Preston Baines had ever come up. From his appearance as a maritime thug, her best guess would have been that he is part of Rosie Malloy or Lexi Rosetta's crew, but the man had said that it was Casper Brinck that had betrayed him.
Nikita'sInvestigation searching Preston's corpse: 23 Thumbtack'sPerception check to look for inbound foes or any movement from the direction of Prospect in response to the commotion: 19 Nikita'sHistory check to remember whether she has heard the name Preston Baines before, and his connection to the Sanguine Cabal: 18
Ermasnietsz - You quickly move into the carriage; the interior is decorated with luxurious, red velvety seats, it looks and feels expensive. On the seat next to you sits a leather briefcase.
Nikita - Patting down what remains of Preston's clothes you are able to find little; except for a small key, likely for the lock on the carriage.
((For this I am going to assume that information has been shared between the party; namely Faila's previous perception check and (I believe Boyd did specify) the note received from O'Toole))
You try and recollect the name Preston Baines but unfortunately, nothing instantly comes to mind. However, the tattoo that was on his chest does ring a bell. You are pretty sure that there is a notorious pirate ship captained by Lexi Rosetta, a suspected (but unconfirmed) cabal member, named The Flayed Finger.
It is likely that Preston had been acting as hired muscle, of sorts, for Casper Brinck.
((Given your high total I shall expand a little))
As O'Toole seems to be a little tentative about Rosetta's involvement within the Cabal, it is not much of a stretch to believe that either;
Her and her thugs' involvement with the gang was hoped to be kept hidden;
She is likely a newer member of the Cabal, perhaps brought in as an enforcer of sorts.
Perception
Thumbtack flies around the vicinity, quickly searching for any creatures or potential enemies.
The first thing he notices is a man, gaunt, with high cheekbones and slightly greying hair looking out of a second-floor window. He is fashionably dressed and clearly has exquisite taste. When he sees your familiar he beckons towards it, inviting it in. Trap? Thumbtack questions telepathically.
Otherwise, Thumbtack does not immediately see anything encroaching on your area; no quicklings, no strange plant-creatures, no cabal members.
Until... ((congratulations on the nat 20))
Perhaps inexplicably, perhaps distinctively, Thumbtack climbs higher into the air. It is then that he sees a speck in the distance. Only, this speck is moving at some speed from the North, down the road you traversed moments before. A carriage, or two, two carriages. Coming at speed, heading towards Prospect.
Thumbtack squarks in alarm. It appears that they will be upon you within the next few minutes.
Boyd struggles with the lock for a moment before it's magically greased. He looks around, wondering which spellcaster aided him. When he sees only Ermasnietsz looking at him, he gives her a grateful nod. Then the screaming starts and he looks around the corner of the wagon, wide eyed, as a gargantuan purple worm burrows out of the dead / dying man. Boyd looks like he'll barely be able to keep his breakfast in. When the threat has been splattered across the lawn, he shakes his head and says, "What in the nine hells was that?!"
Faila looks ready to run up a tree, her nails elongating deftly into claws probably just for this purpose... but after Meresaa splatters the purple worm she calms down, the claws receding, suffused with relief. At least they are not hard to kill. But they have a lot of protection of course, when they're inside someone's body.... She shivers. If someone puts them in one of us, will we have to kill that person? Faila crosses her arms and kicks at the grass, staring sadly at Preston. A small, calm voice inside of her seems to be telling her something she doesn't remember thinking before. Your response to anything that happens is never forced. Faila frowns. That's a new one.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Ermasnietsz lifts up the leather briefcase to see if it's locked. If she finds it unlocked, she will open the case and inspect it's contents one by one. If it's locked, she will control the ghostly clockwork arm (Mage Hand) so that it can grab the briefcase firmly while moving it towards Boyd.
After that, she decides to spend some time to thoroughly search the interior of the carriage. She's attempting to look for any kind of hidden compartments inside the carriage or under the finely decorated seats.
Looking downward to Faila, Meresaa shrugs her narrow shoulders and says, "Shall we? I suppose we're to sneak about the yard now, hoping to find something helpful along the way. Perhaps a hollow under a tree or hidden hatch among the grass along the periphery..."
She slowly makes her way through the open gate with long, graceful strides, but stays close to the fence as she gets a better feel for the layout of the grounds and any cover or blind spots within.
Perception: 6 to search for hidden passages, entrances, hatches, or traps near the inside of the fence (as well as the aforementioned cover or blind spots).
Characters currently being ruined on this forum:
Neria Tallfellow (Halfling Rogue) - Curse of the Crimson Throne with Ashen_Age
Nikita and Thumbtack Perception checks for potential enemies (including being followed by the Quicklings) or any other hazards, clues or secret entrances on the grounds or on the surface of Prospect itself. Thumbtack remains on Nikita's shoulder but is looking around and listening.
Nikita: 12
Thumbtack: 19
Tanis(Ranger1): Shiverquill's Tempest City | Xarian(Fighter2): NioNSwiper's Tyranny of Dragons
Dyson/Eleo(TwilightCleric4): Vos' Beyond the Veil | Soren(ShepherdDruid5): Bartjeebus' Ravenloft | Ophelia(WildMagicSorcerer4): Ashen_Age's Risen from the Sands
Joren(EchoKnightFighter6): NotDrizzt's Simple Request | Sabetha(MercyMonk3): Bedlymn's Murder Court | Seri(NatureCleric3/DivineSoulSorcerer1): Bartjeebus' Greyhawk
Late-Morning - Day #2 - The Black Carriage
Choosing to enter through the, now open, boundary gate, the party continues down the gravel path towards the main building. Ermasnietsz walks up to the black carriage and starts gently knocking on its exterior.
Nothing. Well, at least not at first. A groan rings out from the tall grass next to the carriage. "H-hello? Anyone there... Arrggghhh," a man's voice rings out, "help! Please, help meee! Argghh!" Whoever the voice belongs to seems to be in terrible pain.
Inside the black carriage, there appears to be a leather briefcase. However, the door is locked.
Meresaa's Perception check:
This is an ancient manor house, surely there is all manner of secret passages, hidden traps, and other points of interest.
You gaze over the thick vegetation. Even if the house has been sitting vacant for years the growth looks unnatural. After a few minutes, you give up in frustration - nothing stands out, maybe if you dedicated hours to searching you may find something, at the moment, however, you are at a loss.
Nikita & Thumbtack's Perception checks:
Nikita
As you make your way towards the black carriage, you take some time to cast your eye over Prospect's grounds. It is instantly clear that the vegetation has grown at an unnatural rate, not only that but a lot of it does not appear to be native to the area.
You do not find any traps or secret passages at a glance, perhaps if more time was spent looking you may find something.
When you hear the man cry out in pain you are sure you saw some movement to the right of the path.
Thumbtack
Thumbtack shoots into the sky to provide you with a bird's eye view of the area. Behind the manor house, there appears to be a number of ruined greenhouses. Past the smashed glass, Thumbtack sees a number of large, bulky-looking plants with red leaves and giant fang-like spikes. Traps?! Thumbtack relays to you. Perhaps not man-made but you are certain you would not want to get too close to these specimens.
A small lake is located behind the house to the left. Tracks?!Getting a closer look, Thumbtack observes movement under the lake's surface.
Then he happens upon it. A small building tucked away next to the lake, its entrance partially obscured by vegetation. Overgrown, hard to get to.
Otherwise, Thumbtack notes that there is another ruined building to the right of the property. It has degraded and crumbled so much that you can barely discern its purpose - perhaps a crypt.
Finally, from his vantage point Thumbtack can just about make out a man lying on his back in the grasses to the right of the path, near the carriage. He appears to be writhing in pain and clutching his abdomen.
Boyd's Perception check:
The walls of the house are thick with ivy to the point that it looks like a good portion of the house has been reclaimed by nature. Mushroom spores line the broken flagstone steps and a number of the window panels. Outside the front of the property sit two lion statues, both covered with moss and ivy.
You believe that someone nimble would be able to easily climb the ivy and get in through a second-floor window.
DM - The Call of Strahd (CoS); Feyrealm Campaign, Chapter 0 - Bleak Prospect (BP), Chapter 1 - Destination Unknown (DU)
Nikita strokes Thumbtack's feathers briefly as the owl returns. Stay close, my friend. We have come to a strange and dangerous place.
Keeping her voice low but pitched so the group can hear, Nikita relays her and the owl's (mostly the owl's) findings:
"There are many things around us. Most immediately, there is an apparently injured man to the right of the path near the carriage, clutching his abdomen in pain. Careful - it may be a ruse, but more likely he is in need of help. Perhaps infected with Sagacitas or attacked by some other extraplanar threat here."
"Other than that, Thumbtack saw:
- Ruined greenhouses behind Prospect with large, dangerous-looking plants.
- Small lake behind the house to the left with movement under the surface of the water.
- Small building next to the lake, obscured and partially blocked by overgrowth.
- Ruined building to the right, perhaps a crypt."
Signaling to ask Meresaa (for her knowledge on how to deal with Sagacitas) and Faila (for her general medical skills) to please come with her, Nikita carefully approaches the prone man to the right of the path near the carriage, rapier at the ready, off hand free, not too close. Still unsure if this is a ruse.
"Please keep quiet, sir. We hear you and may be able to help. What has happened? Please tell us as much as you know."
Tanis(Ranger1): Shiverquill's Tempest City | Xarian(Fighter2): NioNSwiper's Tyranny of Dragons
Dyson/Eleo(TwilightCleric4): Vos' Beyond the Veil | Soren(ShepherdDruid5): Bartjeebus' Ravenloft | Ophelia(WildMagicSorcerer4): Ashen_Age's Risen from the Sands
Joren(EchoKnightFighter6): NotDrizzt's Simple Request | Sabetha(MercyMonk3): Bedlymn's Murder Court | Seri(NatureCleric3/DivineSoulSorcerer1): Bartjeebus' Greyhawk
Boyd points out some lion statues and a portion of the wall covered in ivy covered. "I think I could hop from the statues up the wall there... or if not me, then someone a bit lighter." he pats his belly proudly.
He peers over at the voice and decides to let the others handle it, focusing his attention instead on the lock to the carriage.
Thieves' Tools: 11
Faila creeps quietly through the gate with Meresaa and Nikita, the cries of the man in pain devouring her attention. She circles around cautiously behind Nikita and her drawn rapier, trying to see what's wrong with the man.
Perception: 23
Insight: 14
"This man's hurt! The questions can wait, Nikita." Meresaa pushes past and kneels next to the man as she dons her thick leather gloves and apron.
"You're going to be just fine. We're here now. What's your name, friend?" She carries on in this manner as she carefully moves his hands and probes around his abdomen. She lifts the bottom of his shirt just enough to get a hand on his stomach and looks to Nikita and Nick Nack, hoping they're prepared in case she finds any purple worms.
(Hoping his flesh is permeable like the last few cases we've encountered. Not entirely sure what, if anything, should be rolled here. Investigation? Medicine? I believe Meresaa has a +7 in exploratory surgery...)
Characters currently being ruined on this forum:
Neria Tallfellow (Halfling Rogue) - Curse of the Crimson Throne with Ashen_Age
Nikita, though still a bit on guard, has to agree. Pouring more water from her waterskin, or using any nearby snow, she casts Shape Water to form a block of ice with a hole part-way through it. Ready to encase more Sagacitas if needed. With the block of ice on the ground, she then gets her Mage Hand ready to place the Sagacitas into the hole in the ice and Shape Water again to seal them off. All assuming Sagacitas are what is wrong with him, of course.
Tanis(Ranger1): Shiverquill's Tempest City | Xarian(Fighter2): NioNSwiper's Tyranny of Dragons
Dyson/Eleo(TwilightCleric4): Vos' Beyond the Veil | Soren(ShepherdDruid5): Bartjeebus' Ravenloft | Ophelia(WildMagicSorcerer4): Ashen_Age's Risen from the Sands
Joren(EchoKnightFighter6): NotDrizzt's Simple Request | Sabetha(MercyMonk3): Bedlymn's Murder Court | Seri(NatureCleric3/DivineSoulSorcerer1): Bartjeebus' Greyhawk
Ermasnietsz applies a small amount of grease or lubricant to the lock of the black carriage by casting Prestidigitation while flicking her wand. She's just trying to help Boyd to unlock the carriage door.
(Boyd can pick the lock with advantage from Ermasnietsz.)
InkedBee (Undead_Analyst)
Covetous, Dragonish Thoughts - Jenviel Tsumara: Fallen Aasimar- Monk|Crimson Sands of Time - Navarra Iltazyara: Human- Druid/Warlock| Bleak Prospect - Ermasnietsz: Reborn- Clockwork Soul Sorcerer
Preston Baines
Approaching the man, you notice the tell-tale sight of the Sagacitas writhing under his skin. However, rather than multiple infants, it appears as though the man has a single, adult-sized creature inside of him. The man pulls and grabs at the grass on either side of him, his arms are heavily tattooed and muscular.
"Name's P-P-Preston B-B-Baines," he says, biting through the pain. "Arrghh!" Preston screams out in pain. The first thing that is clear, when his shirt is pulled back, aside from the tattoos, is the fact that the effects of the Sagacitas' life drain have been accelerated. His drying skin sloughs and flakes in areas.
Meresaa plunges her hands into Preston's abdomen and he shrieks in pain. It is clear that this parasite is not freshly hatched, but rather fully grown. "Listen!" he screams, "B-B-Brinck, he betrayed me! Fled into..." His body stiffens momentarily and his eyes roll back into his head. The painful spasms stop then, Preston lies very still on the ground, his mouth frozen wide. As the man dies. A large slug-like entity squeezes out of his left eye socket. In seconds, his body begins to crumble and turn to dust.
Once the Sagacitas has exited its host, it squirms on the ground next to the body. This adult creature is well over a couple of feet in length and oozes thick purple ichor, more vibrant than before. It starts slithering away heading towards the undergrowth. Currently, it does not seem aggressive, having already sated its hunger.
Meresaa - If you are looking to grab the Sagacitas, please make a grapple check.
Nikita - It looks like you may need a larger block of ice. Also, the adult Sagacitas weighs more than 10 pounds, it will not be able to be carried by your Mage Hand.
Boyd - You work your own type of magic with the lock of Brinck's black carriage. Sure enough, you hear a satisfying click and feel your lockpick turning in the lock. The carriage door is now unlocked.
Ermasnietsz - It looks like Boyd has managed to successfully pick the lock without requiring assistance.
Faila's Perception check:
Preston Baines looks like your run-of-the-mill thug or hired muscle. The tattoos on his arms and chest, prior to him crumbling to dust, seem to have been nautical themed. In fact, you swear that one of his tattoos on the upper right of his chest had been a symbol; a fist with the middle finger raised ('flipping the bird'), the finger has been flayed.
It is likely that the Sagacitas has been placed in him, as someone of his strength would have likely been able to fight it off.
DM - The Call of Strahd (CoS); Feyrealm Campaign, Chapter 0 - Bleak Prospect (BP), Chapter 1 - Destination Unknown (DU)
(lol Meresaa's a lover not a grappler)
Meresaa cries out in startled frustration as she falls backward to a sitting position on the grass. She quickly pulls off one glove with her teeth, plunges her naked hand into a pocket, and hurls a small satchel at the escaping creature. It bursts into flame on impact.
Fire bolt - Attack: 17 Damage: 7
"Quickly! Before it gets to the bushes!" she exclaims.
Characters currently being ruined on this forum:
Neria Tallfellow (Halfling Rogue) - Curse of the Crimson Throne with Ashen_Age
Meresaa's fire bolt streaks out from her hand and smashes into the Sagacitas. There is an explosion of fleshy tissue and purple ichor as the bolt obliterates the creature, a pungent smell of burnt flesh fills the air. Parts of creature litter the landscape; some of the larger pieces are aflame, creating tiny little fires in the blast radius of the explosion. It would seem the ichor is, at least in part, flammable, however, the fires are only small and do not spread.
DM - The Call of Strahd (CoS); Feyrealm Campaign, Chapter 0 - Bleak Prospect (BP), Chapter 1 - Destination Unknown (DU)
Assuming that the explosion will draw the attention of the Quicklings, Ermasnietsz will hastily move inside the carriage for full cover.
InkedBee (Undead_Analyst)
Covetous, Dragonish Thoughts - Jenviel Tsumara: Fallen Aasimar- Monk|Crimson Sands of Time - Navarra Iltazyara: Human- Druid/Warlock| Bleak Prospect - Ermasnietsz: Reborn- Clockwork Soul Sorcerer
Nikita's opinion of Meresaa goes up significantly as the tall blue artificer burns the large Sagacitas to death rather than insisting that it needs to be studied as Nikita had briefly worried that she would. This all happens as Nikita herself tries to put away her rapier and pull out her longbow, but is left not needing to nock an arrow for the moment.
With the large Sagacitas dead, Nikita searches Preston's body as best she can without touching any of the slime left over from the infestation. She has Thumbtack fly, but only a couple feet up from her shoulder, in a quick tight loop around the party and back, looking for the Quicklings or any other foes that may be inbound close by, drawn by the commotion, or any movement from Prospect itself. Finally she tries to recall whether, as part of the investigation she had done with Boyd, Faila and Nick Nack, the name Preston Baines had ever come up. From his appearance as a maritime thug, her best guess would have been that he is part of Rosie Malloy or Lexi Rosetta's crew, but the man had said that it was Casper Brinck that had betrayed him.
Tanis(Ranger1): Shiverquill's Tempest City | Xarian(Fighter2): NioNSwiper's Tyranny of Dragons
Dyson/Eleo(TwilightCleric4): Vos' Beyond the Veil | Soren(ShepherdDruid5): Bartjeebus' Ravenloft | Ophelia(WildMagicSorcerer4): Ashen_Age's Risen from the Sands
Joren(EchoKnightFighter6): NotDrizzt's Simple Request | Sabetha(MercyMonk3): Bedlymn's Murder Court | Seri(NatureCleric3/DivineSoulSorcerer1): Bartjeebus' Greyhawk
Nikita's Investigation searching Preston's corpse: 23
Thumbtack's Perception check to look for inbound foes or any movement from the direction of Prospect in response to the commotion: 19
Nikita's History check to remember whether she has heard the name Preston Baines before, and his connection to the Sanguine Cabal: 18
Tanis(Ranger1): Shiverquill's Tempest City | Xarian(Fighter2): NioNSwiper's Tyranny of Dragons
Dyson/Eleo(TwilightCleric4): Vos' Beyond the Veil | Soren(ShepherdDruid5): Bartjeebus' Ravenloft | Ophelia(WildMagicSorcerer4): Ashen_Age's Risen from the Sands
Joren(EchoKnightFighter6): NotDrizzt's Simple Request | Sabetha(MercyMonk3): Bedlymn's Murder Court | Seri(NatureCleric3/DivineSoulSorcerer1): Bartjeebus' Greyhawk
Ermasnietsz - You quickly move into the carriage; the interior is decorated with luxurious, red velvety seats, it looks and feels expensive. On the seat next to you sits a leather briefcase.
Nikita - Patting down what remains of Preston's clothes you are able to find little; except for a small key, likely for the lock on the carriage.
Nikita's History and Thumbtack's Perception checks;
History
((For this I am going to assume that information has been shared between the party; namely Faila's previous perception check and (I believe Boyd did specify) the note received from O'Toole))
You try and recollect the name Preston Baines but unfortunately, nothing instantly comes to mind. However, the tattoo that was on his chest does ring a bell. You are pretty sure that there is a notorious pirate ship captained by Lexi Rosetta, a suspected (but unconfirmed) cabal member, named The Flayed Finger.
It is likely that Preston had been acting as hired muscle, of sorts, for Casper Brinck.
((Given your high total I shall expand a little))
As O'Toole seems to be a little tentative about Rosetta's involvement within the Cabal, it is not much of a stretch to believe that either;
Perception
Thumbtack flies around the vicinity, quickly searching for any creatures or potential enemies.
The first thing he notices is a man, gaunt, with high cheekbones and slightly greying hair looking out of a second-floor window. He is fashionably dressed and clearly has exquisite taste. When he sees your familiar he beckons towards it, inviting it in. Trap? Thumbtack questions telepathically.
Otherwise, Thumbtack does not immediately see anything encroaching on your area; no quicklings, no strange plant-creatures, no cabal members.
Until... ((congratulations on the nat 20))
Perhaps inexplicably, perhaps distinctively, Thumbtack climbs higher into the air. It is then that he sees a speck in the distance. Only, this speck is moving at some speed from the North, down the road you traversed moments before. A carriage, or two, two carriages. Coming at speed, heading towards Prospect.
Thumbtack squarks in alarm. It appears that they will be upon you within the next few minutes.
DM - The Call of Strahd (CoS); Feyrealm Campaign, Chapter 0 - Bleak Prospect (BP), Chapter 1 - Destination Unknown (DU)
Boyd struggles with the lock for a moment before it's magically greased. He looks around, wondering which spellcaster aided him. When he sees only Ermasnietsz looking at him, he gives her a grateful nod. Then the screaming starts and he looks around the corner of the wagon, wide eyed, as a gargantuan purple worm burrows out of the dead / dying man. Boyd looks like he'll barely be able to keep his breakfast in. When the threat has been splattered across the lawn, he shakes his head and says, "What in the nine hells was that?!"
Meresaa spits and sputters, wiping purple goo spatters from her face and cloak as she regains her feet.
"That was... Unexpected on almost all counts. At least it appears we haven't drawn unwanted attention yet."
She inspects her cloak, holds out a corner as evidence to Boyd, and sighs. "I hope sagacitas doesn't stain."
Characters currently being ruined on this forum:
Neria Tallfellow (Halfling Rogue) - Curse of the Crimson Throne with Ashen_Age
Faila looks ready to run up a tree, her nails elongating deftly into claws probably just for this purpose... but after Meresaa splatters the purple worm she calms down, the claws receding, suffused with relief. At least they are not hard to kill. But they have a lot of protection of course, when they're inside someone's body.... She shivers. If someone puts them in one of us, will we have to kill that person? Faila crosses her arms and kicks at the grass, staring sadly at Preston. A small, calm voice inside of her seems to be telling her something she doesn't remember thinking before. Your response to anything that happens is never forced. Faila frowns. That's a new one.
Ermasnietsz lifts up the leather briefcase to see if it's locked. If she finds it unlocked, she will open the case and inspect it's contents one by one. If it's locked, she will control the ghostly clockwork arm (Mage Hand) so that it can grab the briefcase firmly while moving it towards Boyd.
After that, she decides to spend some time to thoroughly search the interior of the carriage. She's attempting to look for any kind of hidden compartments inside the carriage or under the finely decorated seats.
Intelligence (Investigation) 6
InkedBee (Undead_Analyst)
Covetous, Dragonish Thoughts - Jenviel Tsumara: Fallen Aasimar- Monk|Crimson Sands of Time - Navarra Iltazyara: Human- Druid/Warlock| Bleak Prospect - Ermasnietsz: Reborn- Clockwork Soul Sorcerer