After spending some much needed time resting and meditating, Zook perks up at Bert's message. "Great Glittergold, that's better news than your last good news, Bert!"
Turning to Mandy and Hawk, he says in an excited voice, "Bert found the villagers!!! Should we go see if he needs any help bringing them out of the cave?"
" Of course! Lets go", Mandaway headed to the cavern with the villagers.
Bert messages, "that sound you hear is a huge colony of bats that did not like my announcement -- any chance any of you have a way of calming them down or scaring them off?" to each of his friends, starting with Zook, because he feels like he remembers the gnome talking to animals in the past..
Bert starts whispering via his Message cantrip versions of what he initially tried to say to the villagers, and adds that this time they can try being quiet, and begins to help them get out of the cave, slowly and quietly. When his friends arrive, he does the same with the Message cantrip and helps to get the villagers into the main cave, back with Daphne.
He then goes back to where Snigbat was initially tied up and says, "so we're getting the Nightstone villagers out of here and there's an opportunity for you to help your people move to somewhere that might be better to live. But first, can you tell me where Hark seemed to keep his things?"
And whether or not Snigbat says anything helpful, Bert will search Hark's body again, and then look around Hark's cave for anything interesting - a crevice that might make for a good hiding place, a stone that might be obscuring something, or something else that triggers his thief's instincts. This isn't a rich person's fancy house like Bert's used to casing and then looting, but Hark seems like he had the same kind of ego, and would at least have some sort of stash.
If there's really nothing more to find (he'd rolled a natural 20 and a 21 investigating before) he will get the spears clubs daggers and shields he found earlier and give them to his friends and the villagers to use, and also the 11 coppers. He begins to tell them about the state of the town and the Zhents that arrived after they'd cleared the goblins.
Snigbat tells you "Hark has no treasure, Hark is dead." She isn't lying as such, but she isn't being useful so you do your own investigation. Looking around, you come to the conclusion that the only places in the cave you haven't searched are the blob cave, and the boulder you walked past before finding Snigbat. (see quote)
As you walk along, you come across what looks to be a low tunnel covered by a large rock that fits snugly in the tunnel on your left. The passage continues forward where from this boulder you can see a medium sized cave with a single goblin watching what appears to be a natural chimney in the cave
Zook answers Bert's message about his ability to speak with small animals. "I do like to make friends with small creatures, but I don't know if I could talk to an entire swarm of bats. I suppose..."
When he arrives into the cave, though, he sees that by now, the swarm has calmed down and the bats have retreated back down into the chasm. Peering down into the giant hole, he ponders what it would be like to actually talk to a bat. I've never had much luck with bats, they're alwaysfluttering by so quickly, and never even stop to say hello. Still, I've always been curious to hear what they have to say. Maybe another time, I don't think I feel like being in the middle of a giant bat flutter right now.
Speaking very softly, Zook helps Bert rescue and escort the villagers back to the main cave.
Regarding the discussion of Hark's treasure, he says: "Now that you mention it, Snigbat was not at all descriptive when I asked him about the cave with the boulder. Maybe he's hiding something. Either that or he's lying about the big blob. Maybe that's all a ruse as well, designed to scare us and keep us away from something that's not actually a big blob at all."
Although he's quite small and not very strong, Zook offers his help to try and move the boulder. (Can we assume that Mandaway will offer Guidance to aid Bert's Athletics check?)
Bert thanks Zook for his help. Bert's amateur burglar's instincts fired up and he has to check for something hidden before he leaves this cave.
He pulls out his crowbar to try to give them some leverage and they attempt to move a boulder: athletics 21 + 2 from Mandy.
Bert thinks Zook might have a point about Snigbat and suggests after they're done with the boulder, they get everyone well out of blob range and let Bert fire an arrow attached to something loud and see if that teases any blob to move in the tunnel Snigbat warned of. Then they either decide to be cautious if there is no sign, or if there is a blob, run away.
Mandaway is distractedly watching the boulder moving enterprise, " Can the villagers not just crawl out on their bellies? I don't think many of the bats will be within a foot of the ground....or we just wait til night and the bats will leave to feed and they can walk out."
Moving without any loud noises (ie shouting) the villagers all walked out and are in the main bit of the cave.
The boulder moves in with a loud sound, you reckon Hark would have heard it from his room if he were alive. Behind it is a cave which has an 8-foot-high ceiling and contains a grass pallet (Hark’s bed), next to which rests a battered wooden chest with a rusty lock.
Bert looks to Zook, and thanks him for the help. "This is interesting. Wonder why Snigbat didn't say anything about it. Let me take a look at this -- I'm back in my element." He cracks his knuckles and grabs his thieves tools.
He would like to look for traps and look around the room or interesting things (Investigation: 25) and then disarm any traps (assume sleight of hand: 15) with mage hand and then try to pick the lock (assume sleight of hand again: 23) also with mage hand.
Mandaway checked the villagers over, gently breaking the news to the adults and elders that to add to their troubles the village has been taken over by Zhentarim agents.
No traps, and the lock falls off. It was very rusted and appeared just for show.
Inside is 12 gp, 55 sp, and 87 cp (loose), a matching pair of silver salt and pepper shakers, a bloodstained leather case containing a complete set of thieves’ tools, a holy symbol of Silvanus carved from wood and inlaid with gold and a potion of healing
The villagers are glad to be alive and hope they can convince the Zhents to leave. But they are more relieved at being alive
Bert will see if any of the thieves' tools are better than the ones he has in his kit, and swap them out. He looks at Zook "I could also use a spare..."
Once they rejoin the rest of the group and show off the findings and Mandy speaks up, Bert sighs with a grin.
"Suppose you're right. But I think we get more banged up than these folks do so maybe we keep the healing potion and give them the rest? I hate to say goodbye to gold and baubles but I did just see a goblin and some rats eating what was once one of their neighbors and we still have to deal with the brigands that took over their town, so they could probably use it more than we can. Speaking of the Zhents, maybe Hawk and I wait till nightfall and sneak into Nightstone and lower the drawbridge and then we come in and free the town? I'm not sure they'll let us back in if we show up at the gate with a bunch of former residents. Or after sneaking in we could lie in wait until morning and then watch how the Zhents react to the villagers returning and step in if they are not welcoming."
" Of course! Lets go", Mandaway headed to the cavern with the villagers.
Bert messages, "that sound you hear is a huge colony of bats that did not like my announcement -- any chance any of you have a way of calming them down or scaring them off?" to each of his friends, starting with Zook, because he feels like he remembers the gnome talking to animals in the past..
3 6 3 4 6 4 5
You crouch down and wait, and the bats calm down after about 20 seconds and slowly fly back down.
After joining more my signature got out of hand so I am now a proud member of the extended signature club!! :)
Bert starts whispering via his Message cantrip versions of what he initially tried to say to the villagers, and adds that this time they can try being quiet, and begins to help them get out of the cave, slowly and quietly. When his friends arrive, he does the same with the Message cantrip and helps to get the villagers into the main cave, back with Daphne.
He then goes back to where Snigbat was initially tied up and says, "so we're getting the Nightstone villagers out of here and there's an opportunity for you to help your people move to somewhere that might be better to live. But first, can you tell me where Hark seemed to keep his things?"
And whether or not Snigbat says anything helpful, Bert will search Hark's body again, and then look around Hark's cave for anything interesting - a crevice that might make for a good hiding place, a stone that might be obscuring something, or something else that triggers his thief's instincts. This isn't a rich person's fancy house like Bert's used to casing and then looting, but Hark seems like he had the same kind of ego, and would at least have some sort of stash.
If there's really nothing more to find (he'd rolled a natural 20 and a 21 investigating before) he will get the spears clubs daggers and shields he found earlier and give them to his friends and the villagers to use, and also the 11 coppers. He begins to tell them about the state of the town and the Zhents that arrived after they'd cleared the goblins.
Snigbat tells you "Hark has no treasure, Hark is dead." She isn't lying as such, but she isn't being useful so you do your own investigation. Looking around, you come to the conclusion that the only places in the cave you haven't searched are the blob cave, and the boulder you walked past before finding Snigbat. (see quote)
After joining more my signature got out of hand so I am now a proud member of the extended signature club!! :)
Can Bert take a close look at the boulder and see if it's been moved recently, and if he could move it, utilizing mage hand if helpful?
You could try an move it (mage hand wouldn't help), to push it would be an athletics check.
After joining more my signature got out of hand so I am now a proud member of the extended signature club!! :)
Zook answers Bert's message about his ability to speak with small animals. "I do like to make friends with small creatures, but I don't know if I could talk to an entire swarm of bats. I suppose..."
When he arrives into the cave, though, he sees that by now, the swarm has calmed down and the bats have retreated back down into the chasm. Peering down into the giant hole, he ponders what it would be like to actually talk to a bat. I've never had much luck with bats, they're always fluttering by so quickly, and never even stop to say hello. Still, I've always been curious to hear what they have to say. Maybe another time, I don't think I feel like being in the middle of a giant bat flutter right now.
Speaking very softly, Zook helps Bert rescue and escort the villagers back to the main cave.
Regarding the discussion of Hark's treasure, he says: "Now that you mention it, Snigbat was not at all descriptive when I asked him about the cave with the boulder. Maybe he's hiding something. Either that or he's lying about the big blob. Maybe that's all a ruse as well, designed to scare us and keep us away from something that's not actually a big blob at all."
Although he's quite small and not very strong, Zook offers his help to try and move the boulder. (Can we assume that Mandaway will offer Guidance to aid Bert's Athletics check?)
(we can assume yes)
After joining more my signature got out of hand so I am now a proud member of the extended signature club!! :)
Bert thanks Zook for his help. Bert's amateur burglar's instincts fired up and he has to check for something hidden before he leaves this cave.
He pulls out his crowbar to try to give them some leverage and they attempt to move a boulder: athletics 21 + 2 from Mandy.
Bert thinks Zook might have a point about Snigbat and suggests after they're done with the boulder, they get everyone well out of blob range and let Bert fire an arrow attached to something loud and see if that teases any blob to move in the tunnel Snigbat warned of. Then they either decide to be cautious if there is no sign, or if there is a blob, run away.
Mandaway is distractedly watching the boulder moving enterprise, " Can the villagers not just crawl out on their bellies? I don't think many of the bats will be within a foot of the ground....or we just wait til night and the bats will leave to feed and they can walk out."
(Zook and Bert said they helped the villagers out into the main cave so I hope that's what happened...)
Moving without any loud noises (ie shouting) the villagers all walked out and are in the main bit of the cave.
The boulder moves in with a loud sound, you reckon Hark would have heard it from his room if he were alive. Behind it is a cave which has an 8-foot-high ceiling and contains a grass pallet (Hark’s bed), next to which rests a battered wooden chest with a rusty lock.
After joining more my signature got out of hand so I am now a proud member of the extended signature club!! :)
Bert looks to Zook, and thanks him for the help. "This is interesting. Wonder why Snigbat didn't say anything about it. Let me take a look at this -- I'm back in my element." He cracks his knuckles and grabs his thieves tools.
He would like to look for traps and look around the room or interesting things (Investigation: 25) and then disarm any traps (assume sleight of hand: 15) with mage hand and then try to pick the lock (assume sleight of hand again: 23) also with mage hand.
"Aha! It appears that Snigbat wasn't being entirely forthcoming. Are we not surprised, though? There's a reason why we don't usually trust goblins.
Standing behind Bert, Zook peers around his legs into the chamber.
Perception: 6
Bert also looks around once things are safe and unlocked.
Perception: 18
Mandaway checked the villagers over, gently breaking the news to the adults and elders that to add to their troubles the village has been taken over by Zhentarim agents.
No traps, and the lock falls off. It was very rusted and appeared just for show.
Inside is 12 gp, 55 sp, and 87 cp (loose), a matching pair of silver salt and pepper shakers, a bloodstained leather case containing a complete set of thieves’ tools, a holy symbol of Silvanus carved from wood and inlaid with gold and a potion of healing
The villagers are glad to be alive and hope they can convince the Zhents to leave. But they are more relieved at being alive
After joining more my signature got out of hand so I am now a proud member of the extended signature club!! :)
Mandaway looks into the chest, " So.....this belongs to the villagers, right?"
Bert will see if any of the thieves' tools are better than the ones he has in his kit, and swap them out. He looks at Zook "I could also use a spare..."
Once they rejoin the rest of the group and show off the findings and Mandy speaks up, Bert sighs with a grin.
"Suppose you're right. But I think we get more banged up than these folks do so maybe we keep the healing potion and give them the rest? I hate to say goodbye to gold and baubles but I did just see a goblin and some rats eating what was once one of their neighbors and we still have to deal with the brigands that took over their town, so they could probably use it more than we can. Speaking of the Zhents, maybe Hawk and I wait till nightfall and sneak into Nightstone and lower the drawbridge and then we come in and free the town? I'm not sure they'll let us back in if we show up at the gate with a bunch of former residents. Or after sneaking in we could lie in wait until morning and then watch how the Zhents react to the villagers returning and step in if they are not welcoming."