"Well I already have two" he says to Pisgah, "but neither are silvered, which have their place. If someone will use it please take it, else I'll take it and I can store my other one in my vessel for later."
He'll also do a Medicine check on the halfling for clues towards his death. 20 (not nat)
ArdneK finds that the halflings body shows signs of electrical burns, as if he had been repeatedly struck by small amounts of lightning, until he died. There is nothing in the guard room that would explain this. The point of death must have been at most a week ago.
Pisgah takes the 10 gp from the body and hands out 2gp to everyone. "Well, let's keep heading on. "
Pisgah starts to lead the way back out the corridor to the point where the hallway turns south. He will peek around the corner to see if the way is still clear.
Pisgah waves the group forward as he and ArdneK head down the hallway where Pisgah pauses at the next corner and peeks around it again. This time he will also use the ear horn.
Hearing the others talk about using the portals to return to the surface, after they are all back in the workshop, Canti tears a page from her journal. She scribbles a note on it indicating what floor it is so that if they enter the room from the other side, they'll remember where they are. That finished, she joins the others in continuing up the hallway.
The party travels down the empty hallway deep into the dungeon. The darkness in both directions, past the torchlight and the darkvision, gives this passage a claustrophobic character. Pisgah, going ahead, sees that the passage splits up into two hallways.
The tunnel to the west (A) seems to go on into the distance with no indication of how long.
The passage to the south (B) sticks out, because Pisgah sees flickering torchlight.
The ear horn isn't picking up any sounds from either direction.
Pisgah points the group down the hallway toward location B. Telling them about the light and that we may find more of Xanathar's crew so we need to be careful.
Stealth roll of 10
When he gets to the corner, he will peek around again.
[Retroactive XP; finding and disabling the water producing rod: 150 XP and Finding and activating the portal to level 5: 300 XP]
Pisgah peers around the corner at the end of the hallway. A terrible sight. Seemingly watching over this area is a rotting orblike creature. It has one large eye in the front and many small eyes on stalks. Painted in white around its singular central eye is a circle with ten equidistant spokes radiating outward from its circumference (immediately recognitable to ArdneK and Nikkitch as the sign of Xanathar). It floats near the 20 foot high ceiling.
Despite Pisgahs haphazard sneaking technique, the creature hasn't noticed him yet. It's large as well as the small stalk eyes are a milky white and the only sign that it's alive is an occasional muscle twitch.
Those who had dealings with the Xanathar guild recognize the creature, despite its terrible state: a beholder.
Beyond the beholder, there is a second room, where Pisgah can see two thugs and two bugbears, all wearing cloaks like the ones you've encountered before; xanathar members. They are busy training and aren't paying any attention to the first room. There seem to be more people present (marked with ?), because of the noise they make. Pisgah can estimate at least half a dozen more, bugbears and thugs both.
To the south, Pisgah can see a door out of this room.
Pisgah motions for the party to be quiet and move back up the hallway. When we get there, he tells them that there are Xanathar guild members there and some nasty floating thing with eyeballs. " I still have Shunn's mandibles with me to show to the Wererats. Let's see if this other hallway takes us around this group. Maybe we make an alliance with the wererats. I really don't want to have to explain why we or, more to the point, I have these with us."
OOC: Do any of us recognize the description of a beholder? I'm guessing that beholders are one of those things everyone has heard of, even if they don't know the details. Also I think we've learned that the head of the guild is a beholder, though I'm not sure about that.
OOC: that would be my assumption but since Preyfire specifically said you and Nikk would recognize the beholder I know that Pisgah does NOT want to be caught by anyone in Xanathar's livery while he has those mandibles! That is why he wanted to nope out of there.
Nikk is only able to glimpse the monstrosity in question, but is more than a little enthusiastic to follow suit. The fewer chances he has to risk Xanathar finding out of his presence in the ruins, the better. Once they are sufficiently away from the ears of the brigands, he begins to recite his magic detection ritual once more.
OOC: Do any of us recognize the description of a beholder? I'm guessing that beholders are one of those things everyone has heard of, even if they don't know the details. Also I think we've learned that the head of the guild is a beholder, though I'm not sure about that.
[If you've learned of this in the past, such as with the history check some did about the guild, you'd definitely know.
However, I think otherwise most people wouldn't know what a beholder is. It's a famous dnd monster for us players, but I don't think that translates to the average commoner of Waterdeep. You could still say that Rico has seen one, based on your backstory, since they are more prevalent in wildspace.]
The group moves back up the hallway out of earshot of the xanathar group. Nikkitch takes 10 minutes to cast detect magic. Currently, there is nothing to detect, other than the magic items the party is already carrying around.
After Nikk, finishes the incantation, Pisgah leads the group down the other corridor, hopefully away from the Xanathar group, at least until he can get rid of the mandibles hanging off his backpack.
"Does it seem odd to anyone that Xanathar's guild would have multiple outposts on this level? The area where Shunn was held up, does not seem to be too far from here. Would this be just another group like Shunn's?"
"There does seem to be many independent group of bandits, all affiliated with Xanathar's guild." agreed Rico. "One is left to wonder how they find enough to hunt to subbort so many groups. It doesn't seem that there are enough adventurers entering the pit to keep all of them going."
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
To post a comment, please login or register a new account.
Pisgah places the halfling on the ground and asks if anyone can use the silvered shortsword.
"Well I already have two" he says to Pisgah, "but neither are silvered, which have their place. If someone will use it please take it, else I'll take it and I can store my other one in my vessel for later."
He'll also do a Medicine check on the halfling for clues towards his death. 20 (not nat)
ArdneK finds that the halflings body shows signs of electrical burns, as if he had been repeatedly struck by small amounts of lightning, until he died. There is nothing in the guard room that would explain this. The point of death must have been at most a week ago.
Pisgah takes the 10 gp from the body and hands out 2gp to everyone. "Well, let's keep heading on. "
Pisgah starts to lead the way back out the corridor to the point where the hallway turns south. He will peek around the corner to see if the way is still clear.
PERCEPTION roll of 13
Pisgah doesn't see or hear anything suspicious. The hallways are deserted.
Pisgah waves the group forward as he and ArdneK head down the hallway where Pisgah pauses at the next corner and peeks around it again. This time he will also use the ear horn.
PERCEPTION roll of 12
PERCEPTION roll of 14 with ear horn
Rico adds the 2 gold coins to the gold coin and change that she had. She also grabs the 5 torches and adds them to Steel's backpack.
Hearing the others talk about using the portals to return to the surface, after they are all back in the workshop, Canti tears a page from her journal. She scribbles a note on it indicating what floor it is so that if they enter the room from the other side, they'll remember where they are. That finished, she joins the others in continuing up the hallway.
The party travels down the empty hallway deep into the dungeon. The darkness in both directions, past the torchlight and the darkvision, gives this passage a claustrophobic character. Pisgah, going ahead, sees that the passage splits up into two hallways.
The tunnel to the west (A) seems to go on into the distance with no indication of how long.
The passage to the south (B) sticks out, because Pisgah sees flickering torchlight.
The ear horn isn't picking up any sounds from either direction.
Pisgah points the group down the hallway toward location B. Telling them about the light and that we may find more of Xanathar's crew so we need to be careful.
Stealth roll of 10
When he gets to the corner, he will peek around again.
PERCEPTION roll of 19
[Retroactive XP; finding and disabling the water producing rod: 150 XP and Finding and activating the portal to level 5: 300 XP]
Pisgah peers around the corner at the end of the hallway. A terrible sight.
Seemingly watching over this area is a rotting orblike creature. It has one large eye in the front and many small eyes on stalks. Painted in white around its singular central eye is a circle with ten equidistant spokes radiating outward from its circumference (immediately recognitable to ArdneK and Nikkitch as the sign of Xanathar). It floats near the 20 foot high ceiling.
Despite Pisgahs haphazard sneaking technique, the creature hasn't noticed him yet. It's large as well as the small stalk eyes are a milky white and the only sign that it's alive is an occasional muscle twitch.
Those who had dealings with the Xanathar guild recognize the creature, despite its terrible state: a beholder.
Beyond the beholder, there is a second room, where Pisgah can see two thugs and two bugbears, all wearing cloaks like the ones you've encountered before; xanathar members. They are busy training and aren't paying any attention to the first room. There seem to be more people present (marked with ?), because of the noise they make. Pisgah can estimate at least half a dozen more, bugbears and thugs both.
To the south, Pisgah can see a door out of this room.
Pisgah motions for the party to be quiet and move back up the hallway. When we get there, he tells them that there are Xanathar guild members there and some nasty floating thing with eyeballs. " I still have Shunn's mandibles with me to show to the Wererats. Let's see if this other hallway takes us around this group. Maybe we make an alliance with the wererats. I really don't want to have to explain why we or, more to the point, I have these with us."
OOC: Do any of us recognize the description of a beholder? I'm guessing that beholders are one of those things everyone has heard of, even if they don't know the details. Also I think we've learned that the head of the guild is a beholder, though I'm not sure about that.
"I agree with avoidance for now, no reason to confront the guild if we have other options" says ArdneK.
OOC: that would be my assumption but since Preyfire specifically said you and Nikk would recognize the beholder I know that Pisgah does NOT want to be caught by anyone in Xanathar's livery while he has those mandibles! That is why he wanted to nope out of there.
Rico nods in agreement with ArdneK.
Nikk is only able to glimpse the monstrosity in question, but is more than a little enthusiastic to follow suit. The fewer chances he has to risk Xanathar finding out of his presence in the ruins, the better. Once they are sufficiently away from the ears of the brigands, he begins to recite his magic detection ritual once more.
[Begins casting Detect Magic Ritual]
[If you've learned of this in the past, such as with the history check some did about the guild, you'd definitely know.
However, I think otherwise most people wouldn't know what a beholder is. It's a famous dnd monster for us players, but I don't think that translates to the average commoner of Waterdeep. You could still say that Rico has seen one, based on your backstory, since they are more prevalent in wildspace.]
The group moves back up the hallway out of earshot of the xanathar group. Nikkitch takes 10 minutes to cast detect magic. Currently, there is nothing to detect, other than the magic items the party is already carrying around.
After Nikk, finishes the incantation, Pisgah leads the group down the other corridor, hopefully away from the Xanathar group, at least until he can get rid of the mandibles hanging off his backpack.
"Does it seem odd to anyone that Xanathar's guild would have multiple outposts on this level? The area where Shunn was held up, does not seem to be too far from here. Would this be just another group like Shunn's?"
"There does seem to be many independent group of bandits, all affiliated with Xanathar's guild." agreed Rico. "One is left to wonder how they find enough to hunt to subbort so many groups. It doesn't seem that there are enough adventurers entering the pit to keep all of them going."