Avery looks at the door with a large "X" on it, "This can't be a good sign, a warning perhaps, stay out?"
Xanrym thinks for a moment, as though trying to figure out a puzzle, and says, "I think you're right. And if I had to venture a guess, I'd say that this sign is a warning...to the cultists. I bet that the harpy is not fully under their control, and if a cultist were to open the door, she would kill them just as readily as she would us. Perhaps they permit the harpy to stay here under the agreement that she can kill anything that enters her den...even if it's one of the cultists themselves. She doesn't come out, and they don't go in."
Xanrym says, "I have heard that some bards can sing their own own magical countercharm, but I have not learned that kind of magic yet. We could skip past this door, but I think that the spell I used to temporarily free Oliver of the naga's enchantment would prevent us from falling under the beguiling influence of the harpy's song." He touches the door, obviously curious to open it. He suggests another reason for going through the marked door, "And if the cultists fear going through this door, that probably means that any treasures the harpy has gathered from her victims are probably still here. If another hero made it this far only to fall prey to the harpy, perhaps they left behind a magic item or some other information that would help us defeat the naga."
"Risky.... yet tempting," Theldrin considers Xanrym's suggestion as he looks at the X on the door. Assuming Xanrym shared his knowledge about harpies, he adds, "What if we put something in our ears to prevent being able to hear the music?"
"Risky.... yet tempting," Theldrin considers Xanrym's suggestion as he looks at the X on the door. Assuming Xanrym shared his knowledge about harpies, he adds, "What if we put something in our ears to prevent being able to hear the music?"
Charms, music, and other sound- and language-based magics are common among bards. Xanrym says uncertainly, "It might help, but without magical Silence, I doubt that it would completely defeat a harpy's song. But I guess it's worth a try. It also means that we're definitely opening the door to kill the creature, not to try talking to it." Xanrym doesn't know whether it makes sense to talk to a harpy, of course. He suggests that since it lives here, the harpy may know quite a lot about the naga. On the other hand, attempting to talk to the harpy just gives it a chance to attack.
Xanrym says that he has some candles. They could melt one of the candles and then form the wax into a sort of ear plug while it's still warm. That might take a couple of minutes, so someone would need to stand watch up the hallway while Xanrym prepares wax earplugs for everyone. He wouldn't want to be surprised by a crocodile (or worse!) coming up from that larger body of water farther down the tunnel.
(OOC: I'd guess that the characters would need to be fully deafened to completely avoid the charming effect of a harpy's song. But it couldn't hurt to try using ear plugs.)
If anyone wants to roll either Nature or Arcana checks to try to determine the effectiveness of these spells against Harpies you may absolutely do so.
(OOC: Not sure whether we need another check after Theldrin's check above. I guess I'll roll to see whether Xanrym thinks that it'll be worth the time to melt wax and use that to plug their ears. Nature6)
How do Avery and Liarin feel about venturing into the harpy's den if Xanrym and Theldrin can figure out a way to mitigate the danger of the harpy's song?
Is everyone on board? Or do you want to avoid the harpy and skip straight to the "pond room," where we may finally find the crocodiles that the Naga's Teeth mentioned.
You can tell that the room to the west is far bigger than a pond, more like an underground lake. And with your rolls you know that a creature must be completely deafened, or the harpy silenced to resist the song.
How do Avery and Liarin feel about venturing into the harpy's den if Xanrym and Theldrin can figure out a way to mitigate the danger of the harpy's song?
Is everyone on board? Or do you want to avoid the harpy and skip straight to the "pond room," where we may finally find the crocodiles that the Naga's Teeth mentioned.
Avery wonders if it is worth the danger, if it is even truly a Harpy or not. Does the singing sound human, or something a Harpy would use?
Avery wonders if it is worth the danger, if it is even truly a Harpy or not. Does the singing sound human, or something a Harpy would use?
Xanrym says, "I'm not sure what else would be making music down here now that we've taken care of the guards and most of the Naga's Teeth. Remember that I heard Blayze talking of a harpy, and the guards spoke about leading us to the 'Den of Araphise' while they ran this way. I guess this must be it. As for the danger, I think that I can protect all of us from the enchanting effects of her music. At least for a little while! Of course, harpies can fly, so we'd want to pretend to be affected so that we can lure the creature close." He demonstrates what he means, standing with his mouth hanging open and his eyes gazing straight ahead without focusing on anything. He still holds his crossbow in his hand, but his arms dangle limply at his sides. "When the harpy swoops down at us, you can spring to life and attack her with your sword. Hopefully we can finish her off quickly before she can get away," he says, patting his crossbow.
Xanrym also points out that they haven't seen any other guards or creatures yet. The Slaad guards the little pond at the northwest side of his map. The party has cleared out all of the guards and 3 of the 4 Naga's Teeth. Once they take care of the harpy, this whole section of the dungeon may prove to be a relatively safe place to rest. (As they discussed earlier, Xanrym, Theldrin, and Toska will probably need a Long Rest before the party heads to the lower levels to look for the naga herself.)
(OOC: Xanrym is College of Eloquence, so it may be unclear to the others whether he is making a good argument here or simply using his skills to argue for the course of action that satisfies his own curiosity about the harpy.)
If the party agrees to go through the door with the "X" on it, Xanrym would probably cast Calm Emotions just as they open the door, covering everyone and suppressing the harpy's charm. He would have warned them that it will only suppress the effect of the harpy's song, and it'll only last a minute. They need to move quickly -- no stealth this time! -- to find and kill the harpy or to get out and close the door behind them. Otherwise, when the spell is done, the harpy's charm may snap back into place. As soon as they hear the harpy coming, everyone should pretend to be charmed by the creature's music until it's close enough for Avery to hit with his sword. And if the room behind the door has high ceilings or cover for the harpy that's above their reach, then someone may need to grapple the harpy to keep it from flying away.
Theldrin nods thoughtfully, "It may not be the wisest decision, but with Xanrym hopefully giving us an advantage, I'm willing to risk it if everyone else agrees."
Ok that seems like it settles it to me. You open the door marked with an X and come into a large room, 50ft by 50ft. Four thick columns support the beams of an arched chamber ceiling, 25' high. A 20' wide, 20' high corridor leads from the southern side of the room. As you enter and Xanrym casts Calm Emotions, the singing that you clearly hear coming from the south get's louder and more pointed. You wait a moment and crawling from out the soutern passage is a giant harpy, singing her horrific song, when she sees your all human, her language changes and she sings in Common. "Come my dears, come with me. Let me cradle you off to sea. Down you fall, into the night. Araphise is here to keep from fright." Her voice is crackly and deep, but clearly female. Like an old woman who's lungs are stripped from too much tobacco. She shambles toward you, dragging a great club in one hand, and her long fingernails dragging behind her with the other.
Xanrym is up. The giant harpy slowly makes her way toward your group, singing and licking her lips.
Round 1: Xanrym
Xanrym would be in the second rank of the party, behind Avery and Liarin. As planned, he stands still with a vacant gaze and his mouth hanging open, pretending to be charmed, until the harpy gets within 5 ft of the group. As soon as the harpy is close enough to strike with her club, he mocks the harpy, calling out: "Squawk all you like! Your song will not save you, and neither will your club!"
Movement: None. Standing still, pretending to be charmed. Action: Ready action to cast spell Vicious Mockery Trigger: as soon as the harpy gets within 5 ft. of Avery or Liarin (before she attacks) WIS 13 save or the harpy takes 2 (psychic) damage and has disadvantage on the next attack roll it makes before the end of its next turn. Bonus Action: None Free Action: None
Concentration: Calm Emotions round 2 of 10 (assuming that it took 1 round before the harpy appeared), using it to suppress the ability of the effect of the harpy's song
Araphise enters the room and does a giant jump over to Avery, looking to pry off the armour and prick at the sweet flesh inside. As she does, Xanrym's spell goes off.
The Harpy shrieks as it shakes off the assault on her mind. She screams, "My prey! You resisted my song have you? Fine! We will do this the messy way. Araphise loves a beautiful mess. Perhaps i'll even let the snake's servants have the scraps when i'm done. Or maybe i'll just keep you here as a trophy." She slashes out at Avery with two claw attacks, and one talon.
Claw 1 against Avery Attack: 12 Damage: 6 Slashing
Claw 2 against Avery Attack: 8 Damage: 8 Slashing
Talon against Avery Attack: 23 Damage: 7 Slashing
She then flies away from Avery, up to the roof of the room. Avery, and anyone standing next to him, can take opportunity attacks if they wish.
You all are also up. The harpy is up above your head mocking you from the roof.
Xanrym thinks for a moment, as though trying to figure out a puzzle, and says, "I think you're right. And if I had to venture a guess, I'd say that this sign is a warning...to the cultists. I bet that the harpy is not fully under their control, and if a cultist were to open the door, she would kill them just as readily as she would us. Perhaps they permit the harpy to stay here under the agreement that she can kill anything that enters her den...even if it's one of the cultists themselves. She doesn't come out, and they don't go in."
Xanrym says, "I have heard that some bards can sing their own own magical countercharm, but I have not learned that kind of magic yet. We could skip past this door, but I think that the spell I used to temporarily free Oliver of the naga's enchantment would prevent us from falling under the beguiling influence of the harpy's song." He touches the door, obviously curious to open it. He suggests another reason for going through the marked door, "And if the cultists fear going through this door, that probably means that any treasures the harpy has gathered from her victims are probably still here. If another hero made it this far only to fall prey to the harpy, perhaps they left behind a magic item or some other information that would help us defeat the naga."
"Risky.... yet tempting," Theldrin considers Xanrym's suggestion as he looks at the X on the door. Assuming Xanrym shared his knowledge about harpies, he adds, "What if we put something in our ears to prevent being able to hear the music?"
Charms, music, and other sound- and language-based magics are common among bards. Xanrym says uncertainly, "It might help, but without magical Silence, I doubt that it would completely defeat a harpy's song. But I guess it's worth a try. It also means that we're definitely opening the door to kill the creature, not to try talking to it." Xanrym doesn't know whether it makes sense to talk to a harpy, of course. He suggests that since it lives here, the harpy may know quite a lot about the naga. On the other hand, attempting to talk to the harpy just gives it a chance to attack.
Xanrym says that he has some candles. They could melt one of the candles and then form the wax into a sort of ear plug while it's still warm. That might take a couple of minutes, so someone would need to stand watch up the hallway while Xanrym prepares wax earplugs for everyone. He wouldn't want to be surprised by a crocodile (or worse!) coming up from that larger body of water farther down the tunnel.
(OOC: I'd guess that the characters would need to be fully deafened to completely avoid the charming effect of a harpy's song. But it couldn't hurt to try using ear plugs.)
If anyone wants to roll either Nature or Arcana checks to try to determine the effectiveness of these spells against Harpies you may absolutely do so.
Arcana: 18
(OOC: Not sure whether we need another check after Theldrin's check above. I guess I'll roll to see whether Xanrym thinks that it'll be worth the time to melt wax and use that to plug their ears. Nature 6)
How do Avery and Liarin feel about venturing into the harpy's den if Xanrym and Theldrin can figure out a way to mitigate the danger of the harpy's song?
Is everyone on board? Or do you want to avoid the harpy and skip straight to the "pond room," where we may finally find the crocodiles that the Naga's Teeth mentioned.
You can tell that the room to the west is far bigger than a pond, more like an underground lake. And with your rolls you know that a creature must be completely deafened, or the harpy silenced to resist the song.
I will let you all decide what you want to do.
Avery wonders if it is worth the danger, if it is even truly a Harpy or not. Does the singing sound human, or something a Harpy would use?
Xanrym says, "I'm not sure what else would be making music down here now that we've taken care of the guards and most of the Naga's Teeth. Remember that I heard Blayze talking of a harpy, and the guards spoke about leading us to the 'Den of Araphise' while they ran this way. I guess this must be it. As for the danger, I think that I can protect all of us from the enchanting effects of her music. At least for a little while! Of course, harpies can fly, so we'd want to pretend to be affected so that we can lure the creature close." He demonstrates what he means, standing with his mouth hanging open and his eyes gazing straight ahead without focusing on anything. He still holds his crossbow in his hand, but his arms dangle limply at his sides. "When the harpy swoops down at us, you can spring to life and attack her with your sword. Hopefully we can finish her off quickly before she can get away," he says, patting his crossbow.
Xanrym also points out that they haven't seen any other guards or creatures yet. The Slaad guards the little pond at the northwest side of his map. The party has cleared out all of the guards and 3 of the 4 Naga's Teeth. Once they take care of the harpy, this whole section of the dungeon may prove to be a relatively safe place to rest. (As they discussed earlier, Xanrym, Theldrin, and Toska will probably need a Long Rest before the party heads to the lower levels to look for the naga herself.)
(OOC: Xanrym is College of Eloquence, so it may be unclear to the others whether he is making a good argument here or simply using his skills to argue for the course of action that satisfies his own curiosity about the harpy.)
If the party agrees to go through the door with the "X" on it, Xanrym would probably cast Calm Emotions just as they open the door, covering everyone and suppressing the harpy's charm. He would have warned them that it will only suppress the effect of the harpy's song, and it'll only last a minute. They need to move quickly -- no stealth this time! -- to find and kill the harpy or to get out and close the door behind them. Otherwise, when the spell is done, the harpy's charm may snap back into place. As soon as they hear the harpy coming, everyone should pretend to be charmed by the creature's music until it's close enough for Avery to hit with his sword. And if the room behind the door has high ceilings or cover for the harpy that's above their reach, then someone may need to grapple the harpy to keep it from flying away.
Theldrin nods thoughtfully, "It may not be the wisest decision, but with Xanrym hopefully giving us an advantage, I'm willing to risk it if everyone else agrees."
Avery shrugs and nods, loosens his shoulders and prepares to act stunned.
Ok that seems like it settles it to me. You open the door marked with an X and come into a large room, 50ft by 50ft. Four thick columns support the beams of an arched chamber ceiling, 25' high. A 20' wide, 20' high corridor leads from the southern side of the room. As you enter and Xanrym casts Calm Emotions, the singing that you clearly hear coming from the south get's louder and more pointed. You wait a moment and crawling from out the soutern passage is a giant harpy, singing her horrific song, when she sees your all human, her language changes and she sings in Common. "Come my dears, come with me. Let me cradle you off to sea. Down you fall, into the night. Araphise is here to keep from fright." Her voice is crackly and deep, but clearly female. Like an old woman who's lungs are stripped from too much tobacco. She shambles toward you, dragging a great club in one hand, and her long fingernails dragging behind her with the other.
Initiative:
Group 1: Xanrym
Group 2: Araphise
Group 3: Avery, Liarin, Theldrin.
Xanrym is up. The giant harpy slowly makes her way toward your group, singing and licking her lips.
Round 1: Xanrym
Xanrym would be in the second rank of the party, behind Avery and Liarin. As planned, he stands still with a vacant gaze and his mouth hanging open, pretending to be charmed, until the harpy gets within 5 ft of the group. As soon as the harpy is close enough to strike with her club, he mocks the harpy, calling out: "Squawk all you like! Your song will not save you, and neither will your club!"
Movement: None. Standing still, pretending to be charmed.
Action: Ready action to cast spell Vicious Mockery
Trigger: as soon as the harpy gets within 5 ft. of Avery or Liarin (before she attacks)
WIS 13 save or the harpy takes 2 (psychic) damage and has disadvantage on the next attack roll it makes before the end of its next turn.
Bonus Action: None
Free Action: None
Concentration: Calm Emotions round 2 of 10 (assuming that it took 1 round before the harpy appeared), using it to suppress the ability of the effect of the harpy's song
Araphise enters the room and does a giant jump over to Avery, looking to pry off the armour and prick at the sweet flesh inside. As she does, Xanrym's spell goes off.
WIS Save: 17
The Harpy shrieks as it shakes off the assault on her mind. She screams, "My prey! You resisted my song have you? Fine! We will do this the messy way. Araphise loves a beautiful mess. Perhaps i'll even let the snake's servants have the scraps when i'm done. Or maybe i'll just keep you here as a trophy." She slashes out at Avery with two claw attacks, and one talon.
Claw 1 against Avery Attack: 12 Damage: 6 Slashing
Claw 2 against Avery Attack: 8 Damage: 8 Slashing
Talon against Avery Attack: 23 Damage: 7 Slashing
She then flies away from Avery, up to the roof of the room. Avery, and anyone standing next to him, can take opportunity attacks if they wish.
You all are also up. The harpy is up above your head mocking you from the roof.
Avery is down
Theldrin curses under his breath, then speaks up, "Toska, can you check on Avery?"
His eyes narrow as he focuses on the Harpy's location near the ceiling, sending a Magic Missile blast at Araphise.
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