Aoife makes the climb with ease and finds at the top of the stairs leads to a trap door that is locked. Aofie could not figure out what the other traps were.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Valrieth suggests that Finley go next so that they can both benefit from Val's Guidance on their climb. Val can cast that spell on herself, but she has to be touching Finley to cast it on him.
Once Val knows about the trapdoor, she says, "Maybe that's the trapdoor that opens into the room with that nasty pool that the hag made us clean."
(OOC: @Snievan - don't forget advantage from the knotted rope and +1d4 from Val's Guidance.)
In case Finley successfully makes it to the top of the rope, I'll go ahead and put Val's skill check here so that we can move the game along if they all make it to the top of the rope.
"Thank ye, ah've had this rope with me fer a long while," Finley grins and rubs his hands together and starts his way up the rope too, "Easy as pie.." (Athletics: 15)
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Finley Stoneshaft, Dwarf Artificer - The Wild Beyond the Witchlight, Falkas, Half-Elf Drow Warlock - Keys of Empire
In case Finley successfully makes it to the top of the rope, I'll go ahead and put Val's skill check here so that we can move the game along if they all make it to the top of the rope. Athletics: 20
Everyone makes it to the top of the stairs without any issue. There is still the locked trapdoor.
(OOC: Yay! With a -1 and +0 in the party, it's always a little scary when everyone needs to pass an Athletics check!)
Valrieth scrambles up onto the final landing beneath the trap door. Aoife notices that Val kept her eyes fixed on the rope just above her hands as she climbed, refusing to look down even when she made it onto the landing. She admits doesn't like heights.
Once Finley puts away his rope, Val considers the trap door above them, and...
she says, "Maybe that's the trapdoor that opens into the room with that nasty pool that the hag made us clean."
When they discover that it's locked, Val asks, "Finley, do you want to try picking the lock? That's how we got inside the last time we were here, and you've been getting a lot of practice with your lock picks since Gan-Re left." Val knows that Finley used to let Gan-Re use his lock picks, but he's a handy dwarf. Val trusts his expertise with any of his tools, but she'll help as much as she can. She consults the star chart that she made and provides Finley with Guidance.
(OOC: @Snievan - I know that Finley has a +0 DEX modifier, but we've been pretty lucky with his lock picking checks in the past. And after the last level-up, I see that Finley now has the Tool Expertise feature! Including the bonus from the Luckstone, I think he should have a +7 when using his Thieves' Tools, and he'll get a +1d4 from Val's Guidance.)
Val tells Aoife that if Finley cannot pick the lock, they may need her to try breaking the trapdoor open. Or, since they're ostensibly just returning to deliver the portrait and fulfill Finley's bargain, they could knock and ask to be let inside. But when dealing with a hag, Val feels that it's better not to let her know that they're here yet.
Aoife looks aghast at Val when she admits she doesn't like heights, and pats her shoulder consolingly, thinking of the fun Val must be missing out on by avoiding tall places.
She watches the other two gathering around the trapdoor and waits to see whether she will need to assist. She peers back over the stairwell to check if anyone is coming up after them.
"Ah sure can give it another shot," Finley grins, "ah think it's all th' work ah do with me 'ands that 'elps me with locks, plus ah'd like Ganny-boy ta be proud o' me."
(Ya, he's gotten fairly good at the lockpicks due to the tool expertise, haha: 30, Nat 20 plus 3 guidance and plus 7 with expertise and luckstone)
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Finley Stoneshaft, Dwarf Artificer - The Wild Beyond the Witchlight, Falkas, Half-Elf Drow Warlock - Keys of Empire
(OOC: Finley's streak with opening locks continues! 🤩 At this point, I'm starting to question whether Finley is really an Armorer. Is there a "Locksmith" subclass for artificers?! 😉)
The trapdoor opens with a click and the party finds itself in B1 once again.
A recessed pool lined with clay tiles takes up most of this large square room. In one corner of the pool stands a tall, dirty, freestanding mirror in an oval frame, and floating on the water is a large lily pad.
Creaky wooden floorboards are arranged in a ten-foot-wide raised walkway around the pool. This walkway is crowded with shelves, tables, and stools in all shapes and styles. Almost every available surface is littered with stacks of dirty plates, scraps of food, and old junk. Dressing dummies are pushed together in one corner, and a wooden staircase spirals up from another corner. Five closed doors lead from the room.
Valrieth looks around the room. The damp, dirty smells and the clutter and junk is a visceral reminder of how much she dislikes this place and hates Bavlorna. Unlike the toys and clockwork creations of Granny Nightshade in Lomlurch, Bavlorna's creations were taxidermy monstrosities stitched together from multiple different bodies! Instantly on alert, Val listens carefully, wondering where Bavlorna is and where the hag is holding Octavian.
Perception: 17 - looking and listening for signs of life in the hut
Assuming that Val hasn't heard or seen any sign of Bavlorna or her minions, she takes a moment to plan with Aofieand Finley. When Val speaks, she tries to keep her voice down even though she's not able to whisper (because of a previous Fey Bargain): "I'd guess that Bavlorna is waiting for us upstairs, either in her parlor (B10) or all the way up in her bedroom (B18). Should we wait until we're talking to the hag to get the painting out the portrait? Or should we go ahead and get that out now so that we don't have to mess with the Portable Hole while we're with Bavlorna?" Val winces slightly at the sound of her own voice. She prefers to get out the portrait now so that Bavlorna sees that they have it when they find her.
Val expects some sort of trick or trap by Bavlorna. Remembering how they needed leverage in their dealings with Mr. Witch and Mr. Light at the Wild Beyond the Witchlight carnival, she thinks about what they could do to get leverage over Bavlorna. The last time they were here, Val detected magic from the mirror, the lily pad, and the hat on one of the dummies. She says, "We know that the hag uses the mirror to kidnap children from the Wild Beyond the Witchlight carnival. And maybe that lily pad is also valuable to the hag since she keeps it here in her private pool. Should take those things and put them in the Portable Hole while we're here? That way, if she tries to double cross us, we have something that we can use to bargain other than parts of our hearts."
"Aye, we should get it out now, could turn into ah problem later, aye,"Finley replies and looks for a place big enough for the hole, and once he finds a spot, he sets it down to retrieve the painting as Val looks around. "Hmm, we could attempt it, aye, do ye think she'd bargain with us if'n we took 'er things or would she lash out knowin' she be in 'er 'ome turf? Not sayin' it's ah bad idea or anything like that, but we definitely needta think about what she might do instead of what we want 'er ta do."
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Finley Stoneshaft, Dwarf Artificer - The Wild Beyond the Witchlight, Falkas, Half-Elf Drow Warlock - Keys of Empire
The Lilypad does not budge as if anchored in place. Though soft as a Lilypad it is resistant to your attempts to move it.
Aoife has seen lilypads before but not this particular one.
Valrieth says, "Well, it's a magical lily pad. Maybe there's some trick or password. Or maybe it's tied to the hag in some way, and we won't be able to move it while she's alive."
Val gives a resigned sigh and relents. She agrees that they can just leave the magic items in this room and go present the portrait to Bavlorna. She says, "If she's true to her word, Finley can fulfill his bargain, and Octavian will get his heart back. Then we can just go back to Thither and meet up with the unicorn at the Wayward Pool. If the hag causes trouble or tries to keep Octavian as a prisoner...well, after we 'deal with' her, maybe we'll have time to grab the few treasures in this messy hut before it collapses into the lake!"
Once Finley and Aoife retrieve the portrait from the Portable Hole, Val is ready to go up the main / spiral staircase to B7. She assumes that they'll find Bavlorna in B10.
But before they try the door to B10, Val has another idea. Bavlorna has met Finley and Val, but she does not know about Aoife. Val asks whether they should send Aoife down the shrinking hallway (B9). While Finely and Val negotiate with Bavlorna, Aoife could get into the parlor (B10) via the mouse door under the potions cabinet. While she's tiny, Aoife could probably cast Hunter's Mark without Bavlorna noticing so that that spell is already running before any fighting starts. Then she could sneak into the parlor and hide before she grows back to her regular size. If Val remembers correctly, it takes about 1 minute to return to full size after leaving the hallway. Val doesn't think that Bavlorna would attack right away. It will probably take at least 1 minute to present the portrait, get Bavlorna to restore Octavian's heart, etc.
What do Aoife and Finley think? Keep the group together? Or send Aoife down the hallway and try to keep her hidden until they're done with Bavlorna (ready to leave with Octavian or ready to fight the hag)?
Aoife looks at Val, a crease on her brow. ”You want me to be… small?” She flexes her muscles as if involuntarily and her hand twitches towards her short sword.
She thinks for a moment, and her brow clears, her body relaxing. “Small and stealthy. I like it. Let’s do it.”
Aoife nods at Finley as he sets up the rope. "Useful bit of string, that one."
She tugs on the end to check the strength and starts to climb up the rope, marvelling at how easy it is to climb. (Athletics 20)
As she gets further up, if she can see the symbols on the other landings, she tries to work out what spell they are. (Arcana 11)
Past characters:
Cariadne - Forest of Celador
Daphyra Fuffletail - The City of Cats
DM - Geek Legends - Wild beyond the Witchlight
Leela Steadystone - Adventures in the Sands
Mirri Goldenhorn - Journeys through the Radiant Citadel
Lola Smythe-Whyte - Larkin Expedition
Daphyra - Deathworld: Lost Mine of Phandelver
Vanja - Binder's Hold and the Problem with the Mine
Aoife makes the climb with ease and finds at the top of the stairs leads to a trap door that is locked. Aofie could not figure out what the other traps were.
Valrieth suggests that Finley go next so that they can both benefit from Val's Guidance on their climb. Val can cast that spell on herself, but she has to be touching Finley to cast it on him.
Once Val knows about the trapdoor, she says, "Maybe that's the trapdoor that opens into the room with that nasty pool that the hag made us clean."
(OOC: @Snievan - don't forget advantage from the knotted rope and +1d4 from Val's Guidance.)
In case Finley successfully makes it to the top of the rope, I'll go ahead and put Val's skill check here so that we can move the game along if they all make it to the top of the rope.
Athletics: 20
"Thank ye, ah've had this rope with me fer a long while," Finley grins and rubs his hands together and starts his way up the rope too, "Easy as pie.."
(Athletics: 15)
Finley Stoneshaft, Dwarf Artificer - The Wild Beyond the Witchlight, Falkas, Half-Elf Drow Warlock - Keys of Empire
Everyone makes it to the top of the stairs without any issue.
There is still the locked trapdoor.
(OOC: Yay! With a -1 and +0 in the party, it's always a little scary when everyone needs to pass an Athletics check!)
Valrieth scrambles up onto the final landing beneath the trap door. Aoife notices that Val kept her eyes fixed on the rope just above her hands as she climbed, refusing to look down even when she made it onto the landing. She admits doesn't like heights.
Once Finley puts away his rope, Val considers the trap door above them, and...
When they discover that it's locked, Val asks, "Finley, do you want to try picking the lock? That's how we got inside the last time we were here, and you've been getting a lot of practice with your lock picks since Gan-Re left." Val knows that Finley used to let Gan-Re use his lock picks, but he's a handy dwarf. Val trusts his expertise with any of his tools, but she'll help as much as she can. She consults the star chart that she made and provides Finley with Guidance.
(OOC: @Snievan - I know that Finley has a +0 DEX modifier, but we've been pretty lucky with his lock picking checks in the past. And after the last level-up, I see that Finley now has the Tool Expertise feature! Including the bonus from the Luckstone, I think he should have a +7 when using his Thieves' Tools, and he'll get a +1d4 from Val's Guidance.)
Val tells Aoife that if Finley cannot pick the lock, they may need her to try breaking the trapdoor open. Or, since they're ostensibly just returning to deliver the portrait and fulfill Finley's bargain, they could knock and ask to be let inside. But when dealing with a hag, Val feels that it's better not to let her know that they're here yet.
Aoife looks aghast at Val when she admits she doesn't like heights, and pats her shoulder consolingly, thinking of the fun Val must be missing out on by avoiding tall places.
She watches the other two gathering around the trapdoor and waits to see whether she will need to assist. She peers back over the stairwell to check if anyone is coming up after them.
Past characters:
Cariadne - Forest of Celador
Daphyra Fuffletail - The City of Cats
DM - Geek Legends - Wild beyond the Witchlight
Leela Steadystone - Adventures in the Sands
Mirri Goldenhorn - Journeys through the Radiant Citadel
Lola Smythe-Whyte - Larkin Expedition
Daphyra - Deathworld: Lost Mine of Phandelver
Vanja - Binder's Hold and the Problem with the Mine
Aoife sees no one coming up the stairs.
"Ah sure can give it another shot," Finley grins, "ah think it's all th' work ah do with me 'ands that 'elps me with locks, plus ah'd like Ganny-boy ta be proud o' me."
(Ya, he's gotten fairly good at the lockpicks due to the tool expertise, haha: 30, Nat 20 plus 3 guidance and plus 7 with expertise and luckstone)
Finley Stoneshaft, Dwarf Artificer - The Wild Beyond the Witchlight, Falkas, Half-Elf Drow Warlock - Keys of Empire
(OOC: Finley's streak with opening locks continues! 🤩 At this point, I'm starting to question whether Finley is really an Armorer. Is there a "Locksmith" subclass for artificers?! 😉)
The trapdoor opens with a click and the party finds itself in B1 once again.
A recessed pool lined with clay tiles takes up most of this large square room. In one corner of the pool stands a tall, dirty, freestanding mirror in an oval frame, and floating on the water is a large lily pad.
Creaky wooden floorboards are arranged in a ten-foot-wide raised walkway around the pool. This walkway is crowded with shelves, tables, and stools in all shapes and styles. Almost every available surface is littered with stacks of dirty plates, scraps of food, and old junk. Dressing dummies are pushed together in one corner, and a wooden staircase spirals up from another corner. Five closed doors lead from the room.
Valrieth looks around the room. The damp, dirty smells and the clutter and junk is a visceral reminder of how much she dislikes this place and hates Bavlorna. Unlike the toys and clockwork creations of Granny Nightshade in Lomlurch, Bavlorna's creations were taxidermy monstrosities stitched together from multiple different bodies! Instantly on alert, Val listens carefully, wondering where Bavlorna is and where the hag is holding Octavian.
Perception: 17 - looking and listening for signs of life in the hut
Assuming that Val hasn't heard or seen any sign of Bavlorna or her minions, she takes a moment to plan with Aofie and Finley. When Val speaks, she tries to keep her voice down even though she's not able to whisper (because of a previous Fey Bargain): "I'd guess that Bavlorna is waiting for us upstairs, either in her parlor (B10) or all the way up in her bedroom (B18). Should we wait until we're talking to the hag to get the painting out the portrait? Or should we go ahead and get that out now so that we don't have to mess with the Portable Hole while we're with Bavlorna?" Val winces slightly at the sound of her own voice. She prefers to get out the portrait now so that Bavlorna sees that they have it when they find her.
Val expects some sort of trick or trap by Bavlorna. Remembering how they needed leverage in their dealings with Mr. Witch and Mr. Light at the Wild Beyond the Witchlight carnival, she thinks about what they could do to get leverage over Bavlorna. The last time they were here, Val detected magic from the mirror, the lily pad, and the hat on one of the dummies. She says, "We know that the hag uses the mirror to kidnap children from the Wild Beyond the Witchlight carnival. And maybe that lily pad is also valuable to the hag since she keeps it here in her private pool. Should take those things and put them in the Portable Hole while we're here? That way, if she tries to double cross us, we have something that we can use to bargain other than parts of our hearts."
Val does not perceive any signs of life within the vicinity.
"Aye, we should get it out now, could turn into ah problem later, aye," Finley replies and looks for a place big enough for the hole, and once he finds a spot, he sets it down to retrieve the painting as Val looks around. "Hmm, we could attempt it, aye, do ye think she'd bargain with us if'n we took 'er things or would she lash out knowin' she be in 'er 'ome turf? Not sayin' it's ah bad idea or anything like that, but we definitely needta think about what she might do instead of what we want 'er ta do."
Finley Stoneshaft, Dwarf Artificer - The Wild Beyond the Witchlight, Falkas, Half-Elf Drow Warlock - Keys of Empire
Aoife looks around the room, taking especial notice of the lily pad. (Nature 9) She will attempt to collect it to put into the portable hole.
Past characters:
Cariadne - Forest of Celador
Daphyra Fuffletail - The City of Cats
DM - Geek Legends - Wild beyond the Witchlight
Leela Steadystone - Adventures in the Sands
Mirri Goldenhorn - Journeys through the Radiant Citadel
Lola Smythe-Whyte - Larkin Expedition
Daphyra - Deathworld: Lost Mine of Phandelver
Vanja - Binder's Hold and the Problem with the Mine
The Lilypad does not budge as if anchored in place. Though soft as a Lilypad it is resistant to your attempts to move it.
Aoife has seen lilypads before but not this particular one.
Valrieth says, "Well, it's a magical lily pad. Maybe there's some trick or password. Or maybe it's tied to the hag in some way, and we won't be able to move it while she's alive."
Val gives a resigned sigh and relents. She agrees that they can just leave the magic items in this room and go present the portrait to Bavlorna. She says, "If she's true to her word, Finley can fulfill his bargain, and Octavian will get his heart back. Then we can just go back to Thither and meet up with the unicorn at the Wayward Pool. If the hag causes trouble or tries to keep Octavian as a prisoner...well, after we 'deal with' her, maybe we'll have time to grab the few treasures in this messy hut before it collapses into the lake!"
Once Finley and Aoife retrieve the portrait from the Portable Hole, Val is ready to go up the main / spiral staircase to B7. She assumes that they'll find Bavlorna in B10.
But before they try the door to B10, Val has another idea. Bavlorna has met Finley and Val, but she does not know about Aoife. Val asks whether they should send Aoife down the shrinking hallway (B9). While Finely and Val negotiate with Bavlorna, Aoife could get into the parlor (B10) via the mouse door under the potions cabinet. While she's tiny, Aoife could probably cast Hunter's Mark without Bavlorna noticing so that that spell is already running before any fighting starts. Then she could sneak into the parlor and hide before she grows back to her regular size. If Val remembers correctly, it takes about 1 minute to return to full size after leaving the hallway. Val doesn't think that Bavlorna would attack right away. It will probably take at least 1 minute to present the portrait, get Bavlorna to restore Octavian's heart, etc.
What do Aoife and Finley think? Keep the group together? Or send Aoife down the hallway and try to keep her hidden until they're done with Bavlorna (ready to leave with Octavian or ready to fight the hag)?
Aoife looks at Val, a crease on her brow. ”You want me to be… small?” She flexes her muscles as if involuntarily and her hand twitches towards her short sword.
She thinks for a moment, and her brow clears, her body relaxing. “Small and stealthy. I like it. Let’s do it.”
Past characters:
Cariadne - Forest of Celador
Daphyra Fuffletail - The City of Cats
DM - Geek Legends - Wild beyond the Witchlight
Leela Steadystone - Adventures in the Sands
Mirri Goldenhorn - Journeys through the Radiant Citadel
Lola Smythe-Whyte - Larkin Expedition
Daphyra - Deathworld: Lost Mine of Phandelver
Vanja - Binder's Hold and the Problem with the Mine