Hearing Faera, Mala slows a bit, trying to give the elf a moment to do whatever it is she is doing. She's not quite certain, and doesn't want more roof to fall on her, so she does keep moving.
As Oliver climbs, Faera realizes that whatever it is is too far up to get a good look from her owl's eyes. Returning to herself, Faera notices that Mala, Ghurr and Thurodim are no where to be seen. Assuming they had head up the stairs, she starts after them, dashing up the stairs. As she climbs, she sends Oliver up higher requesting a mental picture of the creatures when he can see them.
Faera feels Oliver's efforts redouble, pushing himself to fly higher, faster. As she follows the three others up the stairs she feels that connection between their minds go slack, and she knows that her familiar has passed beyond the limits of the spell, and she awaits his swift return eagerly.
Illithir and Heran, you see Faera briefly go stock still, her eyes clouded over. If you are familiar with Familiars you know she is attempting to see though her owl's eyes, and hear through his ears. If you aren't... Who knows what she's doing! Your see the owl push upwards with a surge of energy, and Faera comes back to herself, before dashing through the door into the tower. Do you follow?
Heran knows little about the specifics of familiars, but knows better than to try and interrupt. She follows Faera into the tower once she dashes off, climbing the stairs at the same pace. They would meet up with the others soon enough, and with any luck be able to handle the creatures shortly after.
Everyone on their way up the stairs now, you get to see a microcosm of the fallen fortunes of the guard of Fort Imma. You pass quickly through a few floors, the lower floors containing some bunks and a small arsenal, but as you continue upwards the floors contain nothing but empty, dusty boards, and faded, moth-eaten tapestries no longer even worth enough to go to the trouble of selling. And this tower is one that remains in use. How much sadder must the many other buildings in this old fortress be?
Faera
As you approach the fourth floor, Oliver passes back into range of your telepathic link. He shows you a very recent memory of climbing up through the air, past the stony parapet of the tower, and viewing a scene of devastation on top. Soldiers lie dead, or at least bloodied and unconscious, it's impossible to tell. Wrenching and biting at some of the bodies are naked female figures, lithe with hard, wiry muscles and bony joints. Their arms are long, and feathers grow down their whole length, and where hands should be are a pair of vicious, hooked claws. Their legs are equally feathered, knees bent backwards like a bird's, and instead of feet they have cruel talons. Their faces are sharp, and smeared with blood. You count five, four on the roof, one perched on the parapet observing.
Roll an arcana or nature check to see if you recognise what they are.
Memories of lessons at Emel Mindol flood back to you. The distorted female figures, the wings, claws and talons... Only one word jumps to the front of your mind.
Harpy.
Vicious, blood-thirsty creatures, you know that they are also cowardly, and will only attack if they think they have a strong chance of winning. They also don't stray too close to inhabited towns, so their presence here is strange.
You also know that as they grow and age they learn to sing in a way completely opposite to their cruel features. A song so beautiful it bewitches the mind, and can easily lead you to your death. The one perched on the edge of the parapet has russet hair fading to streaks of grey. Older, smarter. She certainly will know the song.
As the vision from her owl enters her mind and the recollection of what the five creatures are floods her memories, she stumbles on the steps. Stopping all together to collect her scattered and worried thoughts, she looks around to the others and she breathlessly says with urgency, "Harpies!! On the roof and feeding off of victims. We need to hurry, there are four attacking on the roof, and one old one perched watching. If that fifth one starts singing, cover your ears!!" making sure everyone understands, she then pulls her rapier from it's sheath and continues her dash up the stairs. She communicates with her owl that she is on the way, but to stay clear of the harpies until they get up there.
Mala and Thurodim in particular will know the danger Harpies pose. There are stretches of sea in the world where experienced sailors know to avoid if possible, or if travelling those waters is completely unavoidable then to stop up their ears until sure the danger has passed. For the unwary, the harpies will sit in their rocky cliffside nest caves, singing out to passing boats, and cackle with cruel glee as sailors throw themselves into the sea to their deaths.
Hearing Faera call out from below to warn them all about the harpies up above, Thurodim growls with anger, seeing no other way to protect his simple mind from the alluring song of those feathered hags than to use the last pieces of Mr. Bleeches cheese. "Mala, you need protection!"He grunts, holding up two small pieces of cheese in his big green hand for her to take while trying to not slow their pace upwards. As soon as Mala takes the cheese or turns it down he uses Mr. Bleeches last supper and stuffs it in his ears, hoping that verbal communication won't be needed right now.
Ghurr looks at Throdim stuffing his ears with cheese and chuckles.
"Make sure you think back and take out cheese," Ghurr says.
Ghurr, not having cheese for his ears hopes that all the years spent in the woods dealing with the temptations of the fairies, sprites, and nymphs will give him some protection against these harpies.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Before he could ask what Faera was doing, the wizard gave her warning about harpies. Ilithir had been born and raised in a port city. Two port cities, actually, and in different countries. More than enough to make he familiar with histories about the monsters and the effects of their songs. To that day the elf had found himself lucky to never meet one despite having made more than just a few journeys through the see while guarding merchants expeditions. Alas, such lucky had ended and in dry land, no less.
He followed as the others started to run up the tower, finding a moment of confusion on Thurodim’s action. Didn’t take long for him to understand the half-orc was, in fact, insulating his ears.
“Do you have more of this cheese to share?” Ilithir asked terribly conscious of the fact that he himself had nothing to cover his ears with. He had no wax and his supplies were simple rations, made almost entirely of dry food. “If not, let’s hope we can snipe them before anyone walk over the walls.”
A pit of optimism, as always. The elf decided to change his strategy. From a tactical attempt to foment advantage to pure offensive. He focused his mind on firing and Eldritch Blast as soon as an enemy was inside the rudimentary spell’s range.
Notes: As Ilithir have not been dashing he would not be able to get the cheese. Instead his readied action would change to cast Eldritch Blast against the first enemy on the 120ft range and the trigger of the action would be noticing an enemy on the aforementioned range. In case the action is possible I will leave attack and damage rolls below.
Mala looks at the cheese being offered by Thurodim a bit disdainfully. But she takes it, and stuffs it into her ears with a bit of a grimace. She continues moving forward, keeping an expectant eye on the roofline above.
Forewarned to the dangers that lie ahead, you all push onwards, past the last floor until ahead of you a patch of grey light shines through the opening to the roof.
Mala
You are first out onto the rooftop, and are immediately faced with a scene of carnage. Barely 10ft in front of you a harpy sits hunched over the body of a soldier, whose broken body lies slumped against the remains of the parapet wall where he has been throw. This must have been the impact which caused the masonry to rain down upon you all as you stood at the bottom of the tower. Close to the centre of the tower two harpies use their talons to hold down a single soldier, whose body jerks as their heads bob down to tear away strips of meat. A single harpy does the same a little further back, and beyond her perches the harpy matriarch, taking no food for herself but observing the others.
The younger harpies are too caught up in their bloodlust to notice you, but as you emerge the harpy matriarch calls out a screech that chills you to the bone, and the four others turn and face you, gore dripping from their lips. What do you do?
Thurodim
Following closely behind Mala you are able to peer over the top of the stairway and get more or less the same view.
Everyone else is currently too far down the stairs to be able to see due to the angle of the stairway.
Having stuffed his ears with cheese Thurodim does not hear Ilithir's request, and even if he had, he'd already stuffed the last of Mr. Bleeches supper in his ears now.
Thurodim continues to follow Mala up the many, many steps of the Angel Tower, not even breaking a sweat yet as he reaches the rooftop. As he sees the grisly scene before him he gets angry, very angry. With a fierce and challenging roar the half-orc takes the last steps of the stairs in one stride, his strong arms getting Skullcleaver in motion in wide arc, letting it fall mercilessly over the closest harpy as he recklessly charges into it, keeping the momentum of the axe to quickly follow with a reverse strike, then glancing over at the other harpies with a challenging wolven howl, already covered in harpy blood.
Bonus action: Rage (While you’re raging, your allies have advantage on melee attack rolls against any hostile creature within 5 feet of you.) Move action: Charge forward to closest harpy. Action: Attack twice with Skullcleaver, raging, attacking recklessly and -5 to attack and +10 to damage, all included in rolls.
Ghurr grunts as pieces of masonry smash across his wide back.
"I should get out of the way next time," Ghurr says out loud.
With Mala and Thurodim already heading up the stairs, Ghurr follows along, keeping pace as best he can.
Hearing Faera, Mala slows a bit, trying to give the elf a moment to do whatever it is she is doing. She's not quite certain, and doesn't want more roof to fall on her, so she does keep moving.
Rabbit Sebrica, Sorcerer || Skarai, Monk || Lokilia Vaelphin, Druid || Vanizi, Warlock || Britari / Halila Talgeta / Jesa Gumovi || Neital Rhessil, Wizard || Iromae Quinaea, Cleric ||
Meira Dheran, Rogue || Qirynna Thadri, Wizard || Crisaryn Melkial, Sorcerer
As Oliver climbs, Faera realizes that whatever it is is too far up to get a good look from her owl's eyes. Returning to herself, Faera notices that Mala, Ghurr and Thurodim are no where to be seen. Assuming they had head up the stairs, she starts after them, dashing up the stairs. As she climbs, she sends Oliver up higher requesting a mental picture of the creatures when he can see them.
Faera feels Oliver's efforts redouble, pushing himself to fly higher, faster. As she follows the three others up the stairs she feels that connection between their minds go slack, and she knows that her familiar has passed beyond the limits of the spell, and she awaits his swift return eagerly.
Illithir and Heran, you see Faera briefly go stock still, her eyes clouded over. If you are familiar with Familiars you know she is attempting to see though her owl's eyes, and hear through his ears. If you aren't... Who knows what she's doing! Your see the owl push upwards with a surge of energy, and Faera comes back to herself, before dashing through the door into the tower. Do you follow?
DM - Storm King's Thunder
DM - Torosevia (WIP homebrew world)
Kelytha Meliamne - Matti Silverstorm - Silver - Star-Setting-In-The-East - Tor Baltos
Heran knows little about the specifics of familiars, but knows better than to try and interrupt. She follows Faera into the tower once she dashes off, climbing the stairs at the same pace. They would meet up with the others soon enough, and with any luck be able to handle the creatures shortly after.
The ever growing document of character concepts can never be too long, can it?
Everyone on their way up the stairs now, you get to see a microcosm of the fallen fortunes of the guard of Fort Imma. You pass quickly through a few floors, the lower floors containing some bunks and a small arsenal, but as you continue upwards the floors contain nothing but empty, dusty boards, and faded, moth-eaten tapestries no longer even worth enough to go to the trouble of selling. And this tower is one that remains in use. How much sadder must the many other buildings in this old fortress be?
Faera
As you approach the fourth floor, Oliver passes back into range of your telepathic link. He shows you a very recent memory of climbing up through the air, past the stony parapet of the tower, and viewing a scene of devastation on top. Soldiers lie dead, or at least bloodied and unconscious, it's impossible to tell. Wrenching and biting at some of the bodies are naked female figures, lithe with hard, wiry muscles and bony joints. Their arms are long, and feathers grow down their whole length, and where hands should be are a pair of vicious, hooked claws. Their legs are equally feathered, knees bent backwards like a bird's, and instead of feet they have cruel talons. Their faces are sharp, and smeared with blood. You count five, four on the roof, one perched on the parapet observing.
Roll an arcana or nature check to see if you recognise what they are.
DM - Storm King's Thunder
DM - Torosevia (WIP homebrew world)
Kelytha Meliamne - Matti Silverstorm - Silver - Star-Setting-In-The-East - Tor Baltos
Arcana 15
Memories of lessons at Emel Mindol flood back to you. The distorted female figures, the wings, claws and talons... Only one word jumps to the front of your mind.
Harpy.
Vicious, blood-thirsty creatures, you know that they are also cowardly, and will only attack if they think they have a strong chance of winning. They also don't stray too close to inhabited towns, so their presence here is strange.
You also know that as they grow and age they learn to sing in a way completely opposite to their cruel features. A song so beautiful it bewitches the mind, and can easily lead you to your death. The one perched on the edge of the parapet has russet hair fading to streaks of grey. Older, smarter. She certainly will know the song.
DM - Storm King's Thunder
DM - Torosevia (WIP homebrew world)
Kelytha Meliamne - Matti Silverstorm - Silver - Star-Setting-In-The-East - Tor Baltos
As the vision from her owl enters her mind and the recollection of what the five creatures are floods her memories, she stumbles on the steps. Stopping all together to collect her scattered and worried thoughts, she looks around to the others and she breathlessly says with urgency, "Harpies!! On the roof and feeding off of victims. We need to hurry, there are four attacking on the roof, and one old one perched watching. If that fifth one starts singing, cover your ears!!" making sure everyone understands, she then pulls her rapier from it's sheath and continues her dash up the stairs. She communicates with her owl that she is on the way, but to stay clear of the harpies until they get up there.
Mala and Thurodim in particular will know the danger Harpies pose. There are stretches of sea in the world where experienced sailors know to avoid if possible, or if travelling those waters is completely unavoidable then to stop up their ears until sure the danger has passed. For the unwary, the harpies will sit in their rocky cliffside nest caves, singing out to passing boats, and cackle with cruel glee as sailors throw themselves into the sea to their deaths.
DM - Storm King's Thunder
DM - Torosevia (WIP homebrew world)
Kelytha Meliamne - Matti Silverstorm - Silver - Star-Setting-In-The-East - Tor Baltos
Hearing Faera call out from below to warn them all about the harpies up above, Thurodim growls with anger, seeing no other way to protect his simple mind from the alluring song of those feathered hags than to use the last pieces of Mr. Bleeches cheese. "Mala, you need protection!" He grunts, holding up two small pieces of cheese in his big green hand for her to take while trying to not slow their pace upwards. As soon as Mala takes the cheese or turns it down he uses Mr. Bleeches last supper and stuffs it in his ears, hoping that verbal communication won't be needed right now.
Ghurr looks at Throdim stuffing his ears with cheese and chuckles.
"Make sure you think back and take out cheese," Ghurr says.
Ghurr, not having cheese for his ears hopes that all the years spent in the woods dealing with the temptations of the fairies, sprites, and nymphs will give him some protection against these harpies.
He charges forward up the stairs.
Before he could ask what Faera was doing, the wizard gave her warning about harpies. Ilithir had been born and raised in a port city. Two port cities, actually, and in different countries. More than enough to make he familiar with histories about the monsters and the effects of their songs. To that day the elf had found himself lucky to never meet one despite having made more than just a few journeys through the see while guarding merchants expeditions. Alas, such lucky had ended and in dry land, no less.
He followed as the others started to run up the tower, finding a moment of confusion on Thurodim’s action. Didn’t take long for him to understand the half-orc was, in fact, insulating his ears.
“Do you have more of this cheese to share?” Ilithir asked terribly conscious of the fact that he himself had nothing to cover his ears with. He had no wax and his supplies were simple rations, made almost entirely of dry food. “If not, let’s hope we can snipe them before anyone walk over the walls.”
A pit of optimism, as always. The elf decided to change his strategy. From a tactical attempt to foment advantage to pure offensive. He focused his mind on firing and Eldritch Blast as soon as an enemy was inside the rudimentary spell’s range.
Notes: As Ilithir have not been dashing he would not be able to get the cheese. Instead his readied action would change to cast Eldritch Blast against the first enemy on the 120ft range and the trigger of the action would be noticing an enemy on the aforementioned range. In case the action is possible I will leave attack and damage rolls below.
Spell Attack: 16
Potential Damage: 5
Mala looks at the cheese being offered by Thurodim a bit disdainfully. But she takes it, and stuffs it into her ears with a bit of a grimace. She continues moving forward, keeping an expectant eye on the roofline above.
Rabbit Sebrica, Sorcerer || Skarai, Monk || Lokilia Vaelphin, Druid || Vanizi, Warlock || Britari / Halila Talgeta / Jesa Gumovi || Neital Rhessil, Wizard || Iromae Quinaea, Cleric ||
Meira Dheran, Rogue || Qirynna Thadri, Wizard || Crisaryn Melkial, Sorcerer
Forewarned to the dangers that lie ahead, you all push onwards, past the last floor until ahead of you a patch of grey light shines through the opening to the roof.
Mala
You are first out onto the rooftop, and are immediately faced with a scene of carnage. Barely 10ft in front of you a harpy sits hunched over the body of a soldier, whose broken body lies slumped against the remains of the parapet wall where he has been throw. This must have been the impact which caused the masonry to rain down upon you all as you stood at the bottom of the tower. Close to the centre of the tower two harpies use their talons to hold down a single soldier, whose body jerks as their heads bob down to tear away strips of meat. A single harpy does the same a little further back, and beyond her perches the harpy matriarch, taking no food for herself but observing the others.
The younger harpies are too caught up in their bloodlust to notice you, but as you emerge the harpy matriarch calls out a screech that chills you to the bone, and the four others turn and face you, gore dripping from their lips. What do you do?
Thurodim
Following closely behind Mala you are able to peer over the top of the stairway and get more or less the same view.
Everyone else is currently too far down the stairs to be able to see due to the angle of the stairway.
DM - Storm King's Thunder
DM - Torosevia (WIP homebrew world)
Kelytha Meliamne - Matti Silverstorm - Silver - Star-Setting-In-The-East - Tor Baltos
Having stuffed his ears with cheese Thurodim does not hear Ilithir's request, and even if he had, he'd already stuffed the last of Mr. Bleeches supper in his ears now.
Thurodim continues to follow Mala up the many, many steps of the Angel Tower, not even breaking a sweat yet as he reaches the rooftop. As he sees the grisly scene before him he gets angry, very angry. With a fierce and challenging roar the half-orc takes the last steps of the stairs in one stride, his strong arms getting Skullcleaver in motion in wide arc, letting it fall mercilessly over the closest harpy as he recklessly charges into it, keeping the momentum of the axe to quickly follow with a reverse strike, then glancing over at the other harpies with a challenging wolven howl, already covered in harpy blood.
Bonus action: Rage (While you’re raging, your allies have advantage on melee attack rolls against any hostile creature within 5 feet of you.)
Move action: Charge forward to closest harpy.
Action: Attack twice with Skullcleaver, raging, attacking recklessly and -5 to attack and +10 to damage, all included in rolls.
Skullcleaver: 18 Slashing: 21
Skullcleaver: 12 Slashing: 23
(Okay, let's see if I got all of that right now. :-)
Combat entered, everyone roll Initiative!
Thurodim, I'll take those rolls as your first turn when it comes to you in initiative order.
DM stuff:
5
21
DM - Storm King's Thunder
DM - Torosevia (WIP homebrew world)
Kelytha Meliamne - Matti Silverstorm - Silver - Star-Setting-In-The-East - Tor Baltos
Faera initiative 21
Thurodim initiative: 11
(Mala Initiative: 6)
Rabbit Sebrica, Sorcerer || Skarai, Monk || Lokilia Vaelphin, Druid || Vanizi, Warlock || Britari / Halila Talgeta / Jesa Gumovi || Neital Rhessil, Wizard || Iromae Quinaea, Cleric ||
Meira Dheran, Rogue || Qirynna Thadri, Wizard || Crisaryn Melkial, Sorcerer