As Dog navigates around the block, Tock prowls through the rock yard of the mason shop again. None of the sculptures-in-progress seem noteworthy. However, as he walks among them, the kenku begins to get a feel for the workflow of the yard. On the west end are the uncut slabs of rock. The middle of the yard is where polished samples are on display, sizing cuts are made, and bricks are made and dried. On the east side of the yard is where the sculptors chisel the fine details in the stone as well as a pottery wheel and small kiln. Something strikes Tock as odd but he isn't able to place his finger on it. He looks through the workflow of the stone yard again, from the rough, uncut stone to the finished or near-finished work where he stands now. Then he realizes what is off. There is a large slab of granite leaning up against the small kiln in the northeast corner by the pottery wheel. Not only is it not with the other stone, it is in the wrong part of the stone yard. Seeing as it is much too heavy to lift, Tock bends around the kiln and sees a body slumped against the wall. It is an earth genasi and, as such, not subject to odorous decay. It does seem to have been dead for over ten days, however.
Dog:
Dog walks around the block, looking for any spying eyes. Findley Avenue is not well traveled, at least at this time of day. It is relatively easy to commit the few travelers in the area to memory or spot people loitering about for more than a minute. Nobody seems to take an interest in Dog outside of a reflexive, incurious glance. Returning to the shop's entrance, he knocks on the door and awaits an answer. None comes.
Tock hides very close by and then uses thaumaturgy to make his voice boom, but he makes a sound that would both be fairly common in the town, but also something that would be very distinct to get the attention of Dog (sorry, too sleepy to think of an example). He repeats that until Dog shows up.
Right before Dog gets sick of waiting and raps on the door, he realizes that Cranky is braying, as if he hasn't gotten his daily carrot. But Cranky shouldn't be here. In fact, it is close, coming from the stone yard of the mason...
In the stone yard, Tock is crouched down in the northeast corner, adjacent to the building. The kenku points past a small kiln behind a large slab of granite. When Dog inspects, he finds the body of a dead earth genasi. The genasi has been dead for some time. Perhaps as much as a ten-day and a half.
It appears to have been dragged here and covered up by the granite slab, as Tock explains how he discovered the hidden body (feel free to read a spoiler above). The body is in a terrible state to determine how it died, but it was probably violently, given the brown stain on the clothes and ground underneath the body. It is also fairly obscured behind the heavy kiln and granite slab.
Dog recoils when he sees the body. "Wow, okay. That sign on the notice board was about a tenday old so this body could belong to the person who posted it here. Who then met an untimely death. Or the person who posted it murdered them and hid the body. Hmm. Well, maybe we go look inside quickly and see if there's anything interesting and then head back to the Inn." Dog will try to search the body if he can, for anything of note.
Dog then goes to the shop door and opens it quietly, hammer drawn. He sends Stitches inside to have a peek.
Tockwill help with searching the body. And he will pause Dog before entering the building, he will check the door for anything that shouldn't be there. "Hold on, let me have a look. Dead bodies might come with other surprises nearby."
After whatever happens in the building, as they are leaving he will leave a "dead body" message in Thieves' Cant in the appropriate place nearby.
Tock carefully opens the door and enters the shop. As he walks through the entryway, he steps on some old, broken pottery, causing a soft cracking sound. The kenku quickly freezes in place, holding his breath. Nothing happens and he continues into the shop quietly. Turning around, he sees two very out-of-place suits of armor standing on either side of the door.
Turning back around, he sees that the kiln or machine in the center of the shop is not a tool for masonry at all. It is a giant construct, complete with gears, wheels, coal stacks, and a demonic metal face. Unearthly fires burn behind the eyes and in the gaping mouth of the mechanical beast. Yet it does not move or turn to look at Tock as he inspects the machine from a distance.
Stitches skitters in behind Tock, taking quietly to the ceiling, giving Dog a spider's eyes view of the sleeping construct. It's hellish fires flare and subside like a breathing monster as it lies in wait. Without venturing around the shop much (that will require more stealth rolls), Tock and Stitches see what looks like a normal masonry shop, complete with workbenches, a sales counter, stacks of tile and brick, and small to medium pieces of carved stone on display.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
DM and Tock:
How far away from the construct are we, just in the door's threshold? And how tall/wide is the construct? Is it facing the door or elsewhere? Dog will also look (without getting closer) closely at the suits of armor. Are they similar in design to the construct? Or are they propped up for show, as in an armorer's shop and not the same newness or provenance as the construct? Investigation: 20 Perception: 17
If he can ever-so-quietly whisper to Tock, he will say, "Should we go get some backup to deal with this? Unneighborly to leave it for someone else to handle."
He'll also, if the construct makes any new noise or movement at all, ready protection from evil and good to cast on Tock if Tock is within touching range.
How far away from the construct are we, just in the door's threshold? And how tall/wide is the construct
Tock and Stitches are about 15 feet from the construct and 10 feet from the suits of armor and door. Dog is still outside (I didn't roll a stealth check for him until he saw what Stitches saw.)
Is it facing the door or elsewhere?
It is facing east and the door is to the south, so turned 90 degrees from Tock and Stitches.
Dog will also look (without getting closer) closely at the suits of armor. Are they similar in design to the construct? Or are they propped up for show, as in an armorer's shop and not the same newness or provenance as the construct? Investigation: 21 Perception: 13
They do not look like they belong at all, though they look nothing like the construct. They do not seem to be on any stand or hooks but standing freely, if slumped forward a little. Otherwise they look like display suits of armor.
If he can ever-so-quietly whisper to Tock, he will say, "Should we go get some backup to deal with this? Unneighborly to leave it for someone else to handle."
He'll also, if the construct makes any new noise or movement at all, ready protection from evil and good to cast on Tock if Tock is within touching range.
Dog will need to sneak inside to do both of these things, meaning a stealth roll i s necessary.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Dog and DM:
Tock backs out of the shop quietly.
"Ok, lets investigate a bit more, but be more careful. You can detect magic, right?"
He will cast Pass without Trace and says to Dog, "Stay within 30 feet of me please. And lets try to be super quiet." He points out the broken pottery to Dog and uses Blessing of the Trickster on him, which gives advantage on Stealth checks for 1 hour. Pass without Trace also lasts an hour.
Tock will wait for Dog to finish his preparations as well and then head back in, aiming to stay out of line-of-sight of the central construct, but helping Dog search the rest of the building as thoroughly as possible.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
DM shield:
30
Tock and Dog:
Dog and Tock explore the South, West, and North sides of the mason's, only staying clear of the East side to avoid waking the construct. They find Mason's Tools and 4 carved statues worth 25 gp each but little else.
Dog can tell that the armor is definitely magical, as is the construct lying in wait in the middle of the shop. He cannot tell the school of magic for either, though.
(Sorry, forgot that part. The rest of the search is above.)
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DM shield:
20
Tock:
As Dog navigates around the block, Tock prowls through the rock yard of the mason shop again. None of the sculptures-in-progress seem noteworthy. However, as he walks among them, the kenku begins to get a feel for the workflow of the yard. On the west end are the uncut slabs of rock. The middle of the yard is where polished samples are on display, sizing cuts are made, and bricks are made and dried. On the east side of the yard is where the sculptors chisel the fine details in the stone as well as a pottery wheel and small kiln. Something strikes Tock as odd but he isn't able to place his finger on it. He looks through the workflow of the stone yard again, from the rough, uncut stone to the finished or near-finished work where he stands now. Then he realizes what is off. There is a large slab of granite leaning up against the small kiln in the northeast corner by the pottery wheel. Not only is it not with the other stone, it is in the wrong part of the stone yard. Seeing as it is much too heavy to lift, Tock bends around the kiln and sees a body slumped against the wall. It is an earth genasi and, as such, not subject to odorous decay. It does seem to have been dead for over ten days, however.
Dog:
Dog walks around the block, looking for any spying eyes. Findley Avenue is not well traveled, at least at this time of day. It is relatively easy to commit the few travelers in the area to memory or spot people loitering about for more than a minute. Nobody seems to take an interest in Dog outside of a reflexive, incurious glance. Returning to the shop's entrance, he knocks on the door and awaits an answer. None comes.
DM:
Dog would have waited for Tock before knocking on the door. Did he lose the kenku in his walk around the property? Can he see him in the yard still?
DM, Dog:
Tock hides very close by and then uses thaumaturgy to make his voice boom, but he makes a sound that would both be fairly common in the town, but also something that would be very distinct to get the attention of Dog (sorry, too sleepy to think of an example). He repeats that until Dog shows up.
Tock and Dog:
Right before Dog gets sick of waiting and raps on the door, he realizes that Cranky is braying, as if he hasn't gotten his daily carrot. But Cranky shouldn't be here. In fact, it is close, coming from the stone yard of the mason...
DM and Tock:
Dog follows this Cranky voice...?
Dog and Tock:
In the stone yard, Tock is crouched down in the northeast corner, adjacent to the building. The kenku points past a small kiln behind a large slab of granite. When Dog inspects, he finds the body of a dead earth genasi. The genasi has been dead for some time. Perhaps as much as a ten-day and a half.
DM and Tock:
Can we see any wounds on on the body? Or tracks around it? Was it dragged there? Here's some D20 rolls: 9 4 6
Dog and Tock:
It appears to have been dragged here and covered up by the granite slab, as Tock explains how he discovered the hidden body (feel free to read a spoiler above). The body is in a terrible state to determine how it died, but it was probably violently, given the brown stain on the clothes and ground underneath the body. It is also fairly obscured behind the heavy kiln and granite slab.
DM and Tock:
Dog recoils when he sees the body. "Wow, okay. That sign on the notice board was about a tenday old so this body could belong to the person who posted it here. Who then met an untimely death. Or the person who posted it murdered them and hid the body. Hmm. Well, maybe we go look inside quickly and see if there's anything interesting and then head back to the Inn." Dog will try to search the body if he can, for anything of note.
Dog then goes to the shop door and opens it quietly, hammer drawn. He sends Stitches inside to have a peek.
DM and Tock:
Also can Dog cast detect magic and look around as he looks in the shop?
DM and Dog:
Tock will help with searching the body. And he will pause Dog before entering the building, he will check the door for anything that shouldn't be there. "Hold on, let me have a look. Dead bodies might come with other surprises nearby."
After whatever happens in the building, as they are leaving he will leave a "dead body" message in Thieves' Cant in the appropriate place nearby.
DM shield:
22
13
Tock and Dog:
Tock carefully opens the door and enters the shop. As he walks through the entryway, he steps on some old, broken pottery, causing a soft cracking sound. The kenku quickly freezes in place, holding his breath. Nothing happens and he continues into the shop quietly. Turning around, he sees two very out-of-place suits of armor standing on either side of the door.
Turning back around, he sees that the kiln or machine in the center of the shop is not a tool for masonry at all. It is a giant construct, complete with gears, wheels, coal stacks, and a demonic metal face. Unearthly fires burn behind the eyes and in the gaping mouth of the mechanical beast. Yet it does not move or turn to look at Tock as he inspects the machine from a distance.
Stitches skitters in behind Tock, taking quietly to the ceiling, giving Dog a spider's eyes view of the sleeping construct. It's hellish fires flare and subside like a breathing monster as it lies in wait. Without venturing around the shop much (that will require more stealth rolls), Tock and Stitches see what looks like a normal masonry shop, complete with workbenches, a sales counter, stacks of tile and brick, and small to medium pieces of carved stone on display.
DM and Tock:
How far away from the construct are we, just in the door's threshold? And how tall/wide is the construct? Is it facing the door or elsewhere? Dog will also look (without getting closer) closely at the suits of armor. Are they similar in design to the construct? Or are they propped up for show, as in an armorer's shop and not the same newness or provenance as the construct? Investigation: 20 Perception: 17
If he can ever-so-quietly whisper to Tock, he will say, "Should we go get some backup to deal with this? Unneighborly to leave it for someone else to handle."
He'll also, if the construct makes any new noise or movement at all, ready protection from evil and good to cast on Tock if Tock is within touching range.
Tock and Dog:
Tock and Stitches are about 15 feet from the construct and 10 feet from the suits of armor and door. Dog is still outside (I didn't roll a stealth check for him until he saw what Stitches saw.)
It is facing east and the door is to the south, so turned 90 degrees from Tock and Stitches.
They do not look like they belong at all, though they look nothing like the construct. They do not seem to be on any stand or hooks but standing freely, if slumped forward a little. Otherwise they look like display suits of armor.
Dog will need to sneak inside to do both of these things, meaning a stealth roll i s necessary.
Dog and DM:
Tock backs out of the shop quietly.
"Ok, lets investigate a bit more, but be more careful. You can detect magic, right?"
He will cast Pass without Trace and says to Dog, "Stay within 30 feet of me please. And lets try to be super quiet." He points out the broken pottery to Dog and uses Blessing of the Trickster on him, which gives advantage on Stealth checks for 1 hour. Pass without Trace also lasts an hour.
Tock will wait for Dog to finish his preparations as well and then head back in, aiming to stay out of line-of-sight of the central construct, but helping Dog search the rest of the building as thoroughly as possible.
Stealth check: 20
DM shield:
30
Tock and Dog:
Dog and Tock explore the South, West, and North sides of the mason's, only staying clear of the East side to avoid waking the construct. They find Mason's Tools and 4 carved statues worth 25 gp each but little else.
DM and Tock:
(Dog cast detect magic just outside the shop here.)
He nods, and, tries to be quiet, looking around with detect magic, and his readied other spell. Stealth: 29
Dog and Tock:
Dog can tell that the armor is definitely magical, as is the construct lying in wait in the middle of the shop. He cannot tell the school of magic for either, though.
(Sorry, forgot that part. The rest of the search is above.)