Matilda ventured, " Ok....well...maybe we just leave the bird alone for the moment and check elsewhere.....looks like this is its house so it should be safe enough here.....though we might not be if it unfreezes suddenly."
It seems clear that the owl is too large to fit through the doors you came in through, even if the bars were gone. Not so for the massive hatch containing the aviary’s great windows - a twenty-foot-wide, circular opening sealed with hinged, semicircular windows in wrought-iron frames – which now appear, upon Pud's attempt to open them, to be magically sealed shut.
"I think I saw some doors back the way we came!" Titaani retraces her steps down and to the west, and tries to open the double doors leading to the south.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Ben:
Realizing there is nothing more to be done here at the moment with the gargantuan owl, Ben takes a quick look at the piles of bones to see if there is anything that might be hidden among them, then follows Titaani to the next doorway.
Titaani finds the doors south are firmly locked. A marble cameo depicting a hart wearing a crown is mounted above it.
Ben crouches to examine the bones inside the owl's massive aviary as best he can from afar. They appear to be mostly from giant rats. He sees a few strands of thick, knotted twine tangled among them, but he spots nothing of value or interest here besides bones and twine.
"Maybe we check the doors further east to see if they are unlocked. If nothing else, using the chime of opening is less likely to wake the jabberwocky if we are further away," suggests Ben.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Gerrard Feldren - Human Noble in Ghosts of Saltmarsh
Kerric Brightblade - Elven Warrior in "Apocalypse"
Horatio whispers "I have a thought, but it may sound crazy. The Dragon-thing is guarding that cauldron like it is important. Fair to say, it probably is and we may find something there we need. If we can't get into these last rooms quiet-like, then maybe we can lead the thing away from the cauldron. I've been looking, and it's too big for the halls. The busted open doors and walls are the path it takes to get to and from this place, has to be. That room with the big pool, that seems like the entrance... errr... exit... whichever. What if someone - me - throws a javelin at that lizard, then runs like heck to the pool. If it doesn't see me submerge, it'd probably think I left out the big exit like it would. That'd buy you folks a precious minute, if we're lucky, to figure the cauldron bit out. You'd have to have a lookout for when it returns, and just fall back to the owl-place if it notices you. The halls are too narrow on that side for it to get at you quickly. What do you think?"
To Ben's suggestion he adds, "Aren't those chimes really loud though? They seemed to vibrate the walls a bit each time we used them."
"I can't hope to kill that thing with one javelin!" Horatio exclaims, then immediately remembers his volume. In a low tone he continues, "The javelin is to stop it from thinking too hard about giving chase. You know, like a horsefly sting, you chase after that sucker but he just buzzes away too fast. He needs to want to chase me, that's all. Of course, if you don't want to go look at the cauldron then I'm happy not to wake the thing."
Matilda looks Horatio up and down, " Thats very brave......and very....sacrificial...but it could well work....though maybe if we wait long enough it will get hungry and go hunting again."
" But I think we need to find the other library first so we can try and find out how to properly use the cauldron before we start messing with it."
"Matilda's right. I don't want you to get hurt, Horatio," Titaani agrees. "We should do what Ben said and try opening those doors over there." She points to the furthest set of double doors.
"I expect the jabberwocky can break through the walls--and that is how it made itself a path to get where it is now. I wouldn't wish to fight it unless we have exhausted all other options, and I agree with Matilda -- if we can figure out the cauldron's magic first we will stand a much better chance to survive," replies Ben as he goes to check the other doors.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Gerrard Feldren - Human Noble in Ghosts of Saltmarsh
Kerric Brightblade - Elven Warrior in "Apocalypse"
As the others try to talk Horatio out of poking a dragon, Ben wanders off down the hall, where he finds the doors on the east end open at his touch.
Within is a long banquet hall. Paintings of fey creatures and the mounted heads of majestic elk with golden horns decorate the walls of this dining hall. In the middle of the hall, a deformed giant squats at the head of a table piled with food. The grease-stained tablecloth is tucked under the giant’s chin, and she washes down each slobbering mouthful of food with a gulp from a barrel of beer. A tea cart in one corner of the banquet hall has an iron kettle and a tureen of steaming soup resting on doilies atop it.
The giant looks up at Ben accusingly. "Where's the cake?!" she shouts.
"There's cake?" says Ben excitedly, "Where? Over on the tea cart?" Part trying to be friendly and part actually realizing he hasn't eaten in awhile, Ben moves slowly into the room and looks around, giving the giant time to react to his vague question.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Gerrard Feldren - Human Noble in Ghosts of Saltmarsh
Kerric Brightblade - Elven Warrior in "Apocalypse"
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Titaani walks in, inspecting the owl curiously. Tiny stays behind, hiding behind Ben in fear.
Turning back around, Titaani notices Pud trying to get through and helps pull him inside. "I've never seen anything this big before, have you?"
Matilda ventured, " Ok....well...maybe we just leave the bird alone for the moment and check elsewhere.....looks like this is its house so it should be safe enough here.....though we might not be if it unfreezes suddenly."
Pud barely squeezes through the bars with all his gear. He wanders around the bird, gawking with his jaw dropped.
”Woooooow…I…I’ve never seen something so amazing.”
He looks back at the others behind the bars and points towards the double doors leading outside.
Pud walks to the doors are gently tries to open the doors.
Pronouns: he/him/his
Pud - lvl 7 Human Artificer - Alchemist (The Wild Beyond the Witchlight).
Quinn - lvl 4 Human Ranger - Hunter (Phandelver and Below: The Shattered Obelisk)
It seems clear that the owl is too large to fit through the doors you came in through, even if the bars were gone. Not so for the massive hatch containing the aviary’s great windows - a twenty-foot-wide, circular opening sealed with hinged, semicircular windows in wrought-iron frames – which now appear, upon Pud's attempt to open them, to be magically sealed shut.
Pud slumps his shoulders in defeat. He spins on his heals and walks back Ben and Matilda.
Pronouns: he/him/his
Pud - lvl 7 Human Artificer - Alchemist (The Wild Beyond the Witchlight).
Quinn - lvl 4 Human Ranger - Hunter (Phandelver and Below: The Shattered Obelisk)
"Should we move on?" Titaani slips back through the bars. "Tiny doesn't like the look of this guy, frozen or not."
Where to? What do you do next?
"I think I saw some doors back the way we came!" Titaani retraces her steps down and to the west, and tries to open the double doors leading to the south.
Ben:
Realizing there is nothing more to be done here at the moment with the gargantuan owl, Ben takes a quick look at the piles of bones to see if there is anything that might be hidden among them, then follows Titaani to the next doorway.
Perception: 22
(Edit to try and force the roll through)
Gerrard Feldren - Human Noble in Ghosts of Saltmarsh
Kerric Brightblade - Elven Warrior in "Apocalypse"
Titaani finds the doors south are firmly locked. A marble cameo depicting a hart wearing a crown is mounted above it.
Ben crouches to examine the bones inside the owl's massive aviary as best he can from afar. They appear to be mostly from giant rats. He sees a few strands of thick, knotted twine tangled among them, but he spots nothing of value or interest here besides bones and twine.

Ben:
"Maybe we check the doors further east to see if they are unlocked. If nothing else, using the chime of opening is less likely to wake the jabberwocky if we are further away," suggests Ben.
Gerrard Feldren - Human Noble in Ghosts of Saltmarsh
Kerric Brightblade - Elven Warrior in "Apocalypse"
Horatio whispers "I have a thought, but it may sound crazy. The Dragon-thing is guarding that cauldron like it is important. Fair to say, it probably is and we may find something there we need. If we can't get into these last rooms quiet-like, then maybe we can lead the thing away from the cauldron. I've been looking, and it's too big for the halls. The busted open doors and walls are the path it takes to get to and from this place, has to be. That room with the big pool, that seems like the entrance... errr... exit... whichever. What if someone - me - throws a javelin at that lizard, then runs like heck to the pool. If it doesn't see me submerge, it'd probably think I left out the big exit like it would. That'd buy you folks a precious minute, if we're lucky, to figure the cauldron bit out. You'd have to have a lookout for when it returns, and just fall back to the owl-place if it notices you. The halls are too narrow on that side for it to get at you quickly. What do you think?"
To Ben's suggestion he adds, "Aren't those chimes really loud though? They seemed to vibrate the walls a bit each time we used them."
"But Horatio, the dragon is the fey queen's pet!" Titaani protests. "If we hurt it, the queen will be upset with us once she wakes up, won't she?"
"I can't hope to kill that thing with one javelin!" Horatio exclaims, then immediately remembers his volume. In a low tone he continues, "The javelin is to stop it from thinking too hard about giving chase. You know, like a horsefly sting, you chase after that sucker but he just buzzes away too fast. He needs to want to chase me, that's all. Of course, if you don't want to go look at the cauldron then I'm happy not to wake the thing."
Matilda looks Horatio up and down, " Thats very brave......and very....sacrificial...but it could well work....though maybe if we wait long enough it will get hungry and go hunting again."
" But I think we need to find the other library first so we can try and find out how to properly use the cauldron before we start messing with it."
"Matilda's right. I don't want you to get hurt, Horatio," Titaani agrees. "We should do what Ben said and try opening those doors over there." She points to the furthest set of double doors.
Ben:
"I expect the jabberwocky can break through the walls--and that is how it made itself a path to get where it is now. I wouldn't wish to fight it unless we have exhausted all other options, and I agree with Matilda -- if we can figure out the cauldron's magic first we will stand a much better chance to survive," replies Ben as he goes to check the other doors.
Gerrard Feldren - Human Noble in Ghosts of Saltmarsh
Kerric Brightblade - Elven Warrior in "Apocalypse"
As the others try to talk Horatio out of poking a dragon, Ben wanders off down the hall, where he finds the doors on the east end open at his touch.
Within is a long banquet hall. Paintings of fey creatures and the mounted heads of majestic elk with golden horns decorate the walls of this dining hall. In the middle of the hall, a deformed giant squats at the head of a table piled with food. The grease-stained tablecloth is tucked under the giant’s chin, and she washes down each slobbering mouthful of food with a gulp from a barrel of beer. A tea cart in one corner of the banquet hall has an iron kettle and a tureen of steaming soup resting on doilies atop it.
The giant looks up at Ben accusingly. "Where's the cake?!" she shouts.
Matilda runs up next to Ben when she hears the voice, " The cake is on the way, just fetching it now, Milady!"
She attempts to duck back away from the door dragging Ben with her.....hopefully....
Ben:
"There's cake?" says Ben excitedly, "Where? Over on the tea cart?" Part trying to be friendly and part actually realizing he hasn't eaten in awhile, Ben moves slowly into the room and looks around, giving the giant time to react to his vague question.
Gerrard Feldren - Human Noble in Ghosts of Saltmarsh
Kerric Brightblade - Elven Warrior in "Apocalypse"