Yes, you can move on when ready. Just tell me where you wish to go next. 

Aoife swings her new shortsword through the air in a few practice passes, her teeth bared in a broad grin. She clashes the new shortsword against her new breastplate and stands tall and proud, ready to hit the road. 

"Thanks, Val and everyone, for the presents! I feel like a new woman since joining you lot! What's next - are we gonna go get this hag then?"

Finley is fine with everything purchased and is glad to have the new armor. "Aye, ah'm gonna need an hour with it afore we go too far."

Th purchases are now complete. Perhaps you wait as requested by Finley. In that time the fog around Bavlorna Blightstraw's home remain heavy and inscrutable. You cannot see any part of her house. 

(OOC: I looks like Finley only needs to spend an hour when he changes armor models.  Otherwise, once he finishes donning the splint armor, he just needs an action to enchant it as his new Arcane Armor:

As an action, you can turn a suit of armor you are wearing into Arcane Armor, provided you have smith’s tools in hand.

But I guess Aoife does need 1 hour to attune to her new Sylvan Talon Shortsword.

)

Once they pay the bullywug merchant with sacks of gold, and Valrieth changes into her new armor, she notices that Ilifir has gone missing!  She spends a little time creeping carefully around the docks near the merchant stand in the fog and calling for him.  She holds her flame high even though its light doesn't penetrate far in the mists.  She just hopes that if he's trying to get back to them, he'll see the light and go toward it.

After an hour (while Aoife attunes to her sword) Val finally gives up.  The party cannot spare any more time to look for Ilifir if they want to get to Bavrlorna's in time to deliver the portrait and fulfill Finley's bargain with the hag.  "I guess we really have to get going to the hag's hut on the lake.  Perhaps Ilifir just fell through a Fey Crossing back to his home?", she says hopefully.  It wouldn't be the first time!  She has seen other companions vanish in a flash from this strange, Fey realm.  And new ones appear out of thin air, like Aoife!  Val hopes that Ilifir is OK...wherever he is.  (After hearing that Octavian was taken, she's a little worried that he may have been snatched up and taken to Bavlorna Brightstraw's hut.)  She checks with the bullywug guard at the jail (D8) as they pass it, just to confirm that the guard didn't see or hear Ilifir passing.

Val suggests that the party should return to the docks where they left the little rowboat, just south of the Bullywug Palace (D11).  If the bullywugs are still dealing with the succession of their new ruler, she hopes that the party will still find the boat there and that Aoife can row them out to Bavlorna's hut undisturbed.  Val will sit in the prow, looking in the direction they're going.  She gives Aoife directions to try to keep the boat heading, as best as she can tell, toward the hut that she knows sits over the center of the lake, and to ensure that they don't run into anything.

(OOC: As above, move quietly from the store at D10, past D8 and D9, to the docks on the south side of D11.  If we're not stopped and the boat is still there, row toward the center of the lake.)

Aoife spends some time getting acquainted with her new sword, going through her usual training exercises, whispering to it and cocking her head to listen for a reply (none forthcoming as she doesn't actually cast Message with it.)

She looks over at Finley suiting up with his new armour. "Nice! This has been a great shopping trip!"

No one disturbs you as you move and yes you do find an unoccupied boat. The party rows out towards Bavlorna's home. The rhythmic sound of the oars dipping back into the water sounds out of place as if the lake wishes for silence. 

D12

With a dull thud the boat bumps against the 4 flights of rickety stairs that rises out of the lake with no railings. The first step lets out a brittle squeal as splintered wood falls into the lake. 

"Ah bit fortuitous it was, aye," Finley replies, as he finishes up work on his new armor.

As the wood falls into the lake he says, "I'mma lil' bit 'eavier now, heh."

Quote from Weathervision >>

D12

With a dull thud the boat bumps against the 4 flights of rickety stairs that rises out of the lake with no railings. The first step lets out a brittle squeal as splintered wood falls into the lake. 

Valrieth winces and flattens her ears down along her head at the sound.  She looks nervously up the stairs and says, "The last time we were here, we had to climb up on a rope.  I guess the hag is expecting us this time?"  She doesn't sound too happy about that prospect, but the party is ostensibly simply returning to fulfill Finley's bargain and return the painting. 

Val warns Aoife: "We're just here to talk to the hag."  Whispering, "No fighting.  At least not at first."  Then she explains, "The first order of business is to deliver the portrait so that Finley fulfills his side of the bargain.  The hag should return Octavian's heart to him, leaving him in the same condition he was in before she took it.  Once we've done that, we can see what we can do about the hag."  

Since they're returning as part of Finley's bargain, they shouldn't really need to sneak up and inside this time.  But Val also doesn't want to give the hag too much time to prepare for them by stomping up the wooden stairs too loudly!  She suggests that Aoife should go up first, and quietly, and she and Finley can follow afterward after they tie up the boat here for later.

(OOC: I'm assuming that the party discussed / reviewed tactics for fighting Bavlorna on the balloon ride back from Loomlurch or during the short rest.  I can repost those in the OOC thread before we're face-to-face with Bavlorna again.)

Aoife's slightly manic grin dims a little at Val's words. "Okay, no fighting just yet." She pats her new shortsword comfortingly. "We'll get you into some action soon, my friend."

Aoife looks ahead of them, frowns, and casts Find Traps just in case. 

If everything seems okay, she creeps up the wooden stairs. (Stealth 15)

As she gets a few paces ahead, she turns and beckons the others to follow her.

Aoife spell reveals 3 traps on each landing of the 4 flights of stairs. They seem magical in nature. 

Aoife is taken aback. She had only half expected to find something in the corridor, and to find THREE traps! She whispers what she can see to the others. "Can any of you work them out? Or disarm them?"

If anyone wishes to move closer to learn more about the trap, then please let me know and when you are close roll Arcana DC 12

on Pass

"Ah still have me magical rope if'n we need it," Finley adds, as Aoife begins to scout ahead, "but ah do believe this will not end in our favor, aye."

Valrieth is impressed. "Good job, Aoife!", she says. "Well, Bavlorna certainly makes it difficult to come visit, doesn't she?!  The last time we were here, we tried to get up another rickety staircase that led around the hut and up to the kitchen, but the stairs blew apart and almost dumped us into the lake!"  

Quote from Weathervision >>

If anyone wishes to move closer to learn more about the trap, then please let me know and when you are close roll Arcana DC 12

(OOC: That depends how close Val needs to get and whether Aoife can pinpoint the exact coverage of the trap.  If they're unsure, then Val would not set foot on any of the landings.  If that's not close enough, then I guess that we won't be able to examine the trap anyway.)

Val steps up to the top of the first flight of steps and only as close as they're sure is safe.  Her nose twitches as she peers intently at the landing.  She says, "If it's a magical trap, Finley is really the expert at this sorts of thing..."  She shares with Finley anything that her keen senses notice, and she uses her star chart to ensure that Finley approaches in the most fortuitous way. 

Val - casts Guidance on Finley and tries to Help him determine the nature of the trap.

If Finley is certain of the nature and the trigger for the trap, perhaps the party can simply walk around or over it without setting off the traps on their way up the stairs. 

Or if Finley thinks that there's a way to disable to the trap with his Thieves' Tools without setting it off, Val will try to support him in that attempt.  She doesn't think she could dispel all 3 traps, and it probably wouldn't make sense to use such a powerful spell here before they're even face-to-face with the hag.

Quote from Snievan >>

"Ah still have me magical rope if'n we need it," Finley adds, as Aoife begins to scout ahead, "but ah do believe this will not end in our favor, aye."

Val agrees with Finley.  If he cannot determine an easy way around the traps or a way to disable them without magic, then Val things that they should just avoid the landings entirely.  "Good idea, Finley.  Could you string your rope diagonally from one staircase to the next so that we don't have to walk on the landings?"  She glances above at the final stairs that lead to the door and says, "Or I guess we could just try to skip right from the bottom all the way to the top, if the rope will reach." 

(OOC: Summary of Val's suggestion in game terms:

1. Val thinks that Finley should use his Arcana to examine the trap with her Guidance and, if it's allowed, help. 
2. If Finley is confident that we can avoid triggering the traps or that he can disable them with his Thieves' Tools (with +6 from Tool Expertise), we can do that as we head up the stairs.
3. Otherwise, let's use the rope of climbing to avoid the landings entirely. 
   It looks like it's about 25' west and a little south from the start of the stairs to the top. If the very top of the stairs are 40' or less above the level of the lake, then the rope should reach: sqrt(40^2+25^2) = 47, and the rope is 50-ft long even when it's knotted.
   If it won't reach, then we can just use the rope to help us cut the corners to go diagonally from one staircase to the next without stepping on the landings.

)

Aofie cannot pinpoint exactly where the trap is just the general area. Once close enough which would be the step before the landing then you would be able to see the arcane symbol on the landing. 

Yes, the rope can reach all the way to the top on the stairs. 

Finley tells the rope to reach to the top, "ah, think this'll do, but ah can check on th' traps right quick, aye?" He carefully edges forward until he can just see the arcane symbol, if Aoife helps give him an idea of where to look. (Arcana: 12)

Rope coils around the top of the stairs and yes Finely identifies the first arcane trap as the alarm spell. 

Quote from Weathervision >>

Rope coils around the top of the stairs and yes Finely identifies the first arcane trap as the alarm spell. 

When Finley identifies the spell, Valrieth says, "Oh?!  Well, if that alarm spell could be protecting the whole landing, then we'll need to climb the rope anyway if we want to avoid triggering it.  I guess we might as well try climbing the rope right up to the top!"  She looks waaaay up above them where the rope is attached at the top of the stairs.  This won't be the first time she has climbed a rope up to Bavlorna's hut, but she had hoped that they would have an easier time of it this time!  "If we fall, at least we'll just be landing in the water," she says with as much optimism as she can manage.

Val doesn't make any attempt to climb the rope yet, assuming that Aoife will probably want to climb it first.