Sparlock's Hoard of the Dragon Queen

"Just tie each of his fingers together - or cut them off. Never seen a caster without fingers! Anyone have some twine or string? Thumb to thumb, pointer to pointer, and so on. Tie them at the base and the tip of the fingers. Oh, and with the rope, tie his wrists and elbows together. My second cousin worked with livestock...she taught me a few things about bondage."

(8-O

"Just tie each of his fingers together - or cut them off. Never seen a caster without fingers! Anyone have some twine or string? Thumb to thumb, pointer to pointer, and so on. Tie them at the base and the tip of the fingers. Oh, and with the rope, tie his wrists and elbows together. My second cousin worked with livestock...she taught me a few things about tying things up."

(8-O

While the others sort out how best to secure the tiefling, Darvin walks around the perimeter of the chamber they're in to make sure they haven't missed anything, then (barring interesting surprises) makes his way quietly into the next chamber to the north, attempting to avoid spider webs to the extent possible.

Stealth:

Darvin stomps around, squishing the occasional spider with his heavy boots. Carefully navigating, he finds a fairly substantial semicircle surrounding the far side of the wall is nothing but spiderwebs thickly covering the entirety of the floor such that you can't see any ground underneath it. Holding a torch and looking as far as he can see, there is a small opening at the far side of the cavern, with spiderwebs leading right up to it.

Make a Perception check.

OoC: Good thing we optimized for stealth there!

Perception: 15

Its difficult to make out clearly, but the webs seems to converge into the opening from all directions. There is an altar of some sort not to far into it, but it is difficult to make out because it's at the end of the torchlight. While walking around, a glint of metal caught the corner of your eye from one of the cocoons hanging above.

Darvin decides to first go back and take a closer look up at the cocoon that seemed to have metal in it.

The cocoon is suspended about 20 ft off the ground by a single thread of spider silk. It appears to be larger than the one from earlier housing a kobold, and there is a glint of slightly rusted metal armor. 

(Valji is more than ready to torch the spider webs!! =)

Darvin returns to the group to report his findings. "Looks like we weren't the first ones attacked by that spider," he says, pointing up toward the cocooned kobold. "If anybody wants its loot, feel free to burn off the webbing. There's also some kind of altar up ahead, from the looks of it. I didn't see anything alive, but it was hard to see in there with all the webs. Maybe some ... deforestation is in order?"

What do you want to torch? I'll need an attack roll, of course. But it's a spider web. lol

"Alright, here goes." Darvin proceeds toward the edge of the webbing and waves his torch [which I assume he's borrowing from someone, since he doesn't actually have one] systematically over the webs on the floor, and whatever strands he can reach above him.

Darvin finds himself unable to reach the cocoon hanging from the ceiling, but there is a flash of light as he sets ablaze the webbing leading towards the passage. In the flash, he can clearly see a 10 ft by 10 ft room at the far end of the cavern, the alter at the opposite side home to a green mask which radiates magical energy. Below the webbing, however, he sees a spike pit. With no webbing covering it, the pathway leading to the alter is now a twenty foot fall ending in spikey death.

"Well that looks interesting," Darvin remarks to himself, looking at the mask. Returning to the group, he addresses Skiaceq first. "So, there's something important-looking back there, but there's a spike pit between here and there. I know you're not a fan of tight spaces, but I don't suppose you can summon some courage to fly over there and grab whatever it is? You know, so it doesn't fall into the wrong hands, of course." Then, to Valji, "Perhaps you can do your thing with those webs up above, to clear the way a bit. And, you know, just in case there's another humongous arachnid waiting for us."

OoC: I take it it's the entire path that's an open pit, and there's not a ledge around the edges that could be walked on?

Apprehension seeps under Skiaceq’s skin again, but not only because of his delayed return to the surface. He stares at the artifact for a long moment, Eadyan’s words echoing in his head. Whatever the harrowing, they had come here for a reason.

“I can fly across if Valji clears the ceiling,” he says finally, looking to his gnome companion.

OoC: I don't know if any of you are in the states, but if you are, don't forget to vote!

Valji claps his hands together and produces a firebolt, a look of glee upon his face as he tosses it at the strand holding the cocoon!

Attack: 18 Damage: 9

Following that, he tosses one sphere after another at the webs covering the ceiling, reaching any web within 120 feet...

The room is alight with fire as Valji burns the remaining webs. The cocoon falls to the ground, the fire spreading around the entombed body, revealing the dessicated corpse of a dwarvish warrior in what must have once been finely crafted plate mail, but now sits rusted, the leather portions having rotted away with the dwarf's corpse. In contrast to this decay, a flawless ruby amulet on a necklace strewn with colorful feathers encircles the corpses neck.

The glint of precious metal catches Skiaceq’s eye, reflecting a barrage of firelight. A raucous clatter echoes around the cavern as the detritus crashes down. Valji and Darvin are looking directly at it.

Compulsion overpowers good sense. Skiaceq kneels over the corpse and lifts the trinket, examining the pristine surface, making clear to his companions what he holds before stowing it in his pouch. At the very least, he can admire it for a time before they insist on selling it.

”Thank you,” he says to Valji with a nod. As the flames die down, he beats the air with his wings. Convection from Valji’s fireworks carries him into the air with an ease that surprises even Skiaceq. A quick glide and he lands at the far end of the cavern.

Approaching the altar, he feels a tingle down his back. Something sinister. Without touching anything, he examines both it and the mask more closely.

Skiaceq recognizes the necklace as Aarakocran in make, and looking into the ruby calms him and fills him with a feeling of nostalgia.

Make an investigation check for the alter (at disadvantage), and another "investigation check" of Skiaceqs inventory.