It's been around fifteen minutes for Nate's wildshape. As SpiderNate watches the kobolds, he notices every so often one looks up, nervously, at something unseen in the rafters of the kitchen room. And as SpiderNate takes a look, he sees a hint of movement, of large wings, though it's too dark to perceive more.
Soar, you are confident, from the position of the sun in the sky, that the castle is headed north. Looking down, the ground is a long way beneath you; you can see the countryside, trees and rivers and the occasional village of tiny huts and ant-like people. You know a fall from this height would kill you. You do not see anywhere in the castle that overlooks these ledges, though anyone in any of the guest rooms could seem them of course.
You can secure the treasure in any of the locations you mentioned. Please specify which one you go for, remove the items from your inventory, and state here exactly what you have dropped.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
SpiderNate takes note of what he sees in his little spider-brain. He will creep out of the nook, and then head towards the big room #5. He's going to go into those same slits in the wall, the one on the southern wall of that big room.
There is no obvious entrance for a regular creature into this room, but SpiderNate is able to see clearly through the slits in the walls.
In the middle of this frost-glazed room stands a nine-foot-tall table of carved stone surrounded by three giant-sized chairs, also carved from stone. A fat iron cauldron etched with runes rests upon the table. On the floor in the far corner sits a large iron chest. A male stone giant gazes into the cauldron while a female stone giant sits nearby. The female giant glances at the male from time to time, but the male one seems engrossed in what he sees.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
(Is the time now at 20 minutes? 25 minutes?)
SpiderNate notes what he sees again in his arachnid-brain. He also feels he's going to go over the 30 minutes... but will try one more room.
He's now going to head to door #3. He will creep over there as fast as he can, and climb up the door to see if there is any cracks he could fit through to see in there. If not, he will listen against the door with his spider ears the best he can.
Stealth: 26
Perception: 14
(He's planning on heading back upstairs to the room after this.)
If he needs another stealth roll to get back upstairs, here it is: 19
Nub is in awe of this massive flying landmass. When it was mentioned, he had been impressed by the thought of it, but seeing it in action has made him appreciate the power of the Weave.
Nate, the giants don't notice you, given how tiny you are. As you are heading away, you hear a rumbling from the giant by the cauldron; it takes a moment to realise that he is speaking, but in a language you do not comprehend. The giant sitting down shakes her head and responds, equally incomprehensibly to you. You still see no sign of a doorway, but you scuttle away for the next step of your mission.
There is a crack in the door that allows you to enter a large building with a very high roof. Immediately you are hit by the smell - the place stinks of some kind of droppings and rotted flesh. Cracked bones cover the floor. You see two large shapes in the stalls of what appears to be a stable of some kind, but you cannot make out what they are, only that they are very large.
You leave the room and head back up to the others, just as your allotted wildshape time ends. Soar, Jalt and Nub, you see a small spider enter and transform into Nate once again.
"Hello Nate. I'm glad we gave you more time than we planned, since it seems like you needed it. Were you detected? What did you learn? Where are we headed?"Soar is listening and ready to go.
"Woah.... give me a minute." Nate takes his time getting his bearings back after being in arachnid form.
"Yeah... I didn't quite think the time factor through. It's a lot of crawling for a spider that size. Anyways, as far as I know, I wasn't detected. As far as what I learned, and where we are headed... well Soar, it's not what I found that is important, it's what I didn't find."
Nate explains.
"I was looking for the cultist scum, Yes? Rezmir, Jos, the whole gang. Well guys, I didn't see them anywhere. I didn't even see anyone who looked like cultists. And I managed to check a good amount of those rooms down there."
Nate would take the time to explain everything that he saw in each room, with each detail. The kobold kitchen with the apparent dragon on the rafters, the huge stone giant cooking room and lastly the some type of holding cell room for some type of creature and it smelled horrific.
The point is, he didn't find who he was looking for. And we know that they are down there in one of those rooms according to big blue, so that eliminates most of the rooms that SpiderNate checked.
Nate explains that he is almost certain they are in the room labelled 6 on the map. "It's the only room left that makes sense for them to be in. The other ones are too small."
Then Nate looks at Soar in a shy way "Sorry. I know this isn't a lot. I... I don't know what we should do next."
Nate then sits down and rests for a moment.
"Woah... we're flying!?" Nate then says. "I thought I felt something when I was down there."
"We are flying. Go look out the window," Soar says, showing him how to operate the panel in the wall, warning him from being too close to the edge and risk a fall. "It's terrifying, and wondrous, all at the same time."She takes a deep breath, closes her eyes, and lets it out. "Getting colder up here. We should probably make a move now. Nate, it IS a lot. You found a lot of rooms that didn't seem to have our targets in them. That means fewer rooms we bluster into and waste time and energy and resources before we get to them. Not to mention raise alarm. Thank you for trying and for getting back safe. I know you don't like to do it. But now we can head to that other room fairly confident we'll find them and they won't expect us."
She begins to get ready. She hides the treasure she's been lugging around (save the small jewels and platinum coins etc she's added to her purse for good) under the bed. "Bit easier to move now. Anyhow, I say we rush the room as quickly as we can, get in among them close where they can't hit us with fire as easily. That is, unless one of you can manage a good trick to lure them out, convince them to attack a straw man, waste their power on something that's not us? I can't do that, but in the stories sometimes it works."
She waits for any reply, and if not, prepares for a frontal assault, asking about Jalt's dragon blender, Nate's woodland friends, etc. She lacks the imagination and memory to ask about other magic they might have. She asks if she should give aid to her friends before heading out.
Nate is apparently afraid of heights. He takes Soar up on her offer to go out and use the panel in the wall to go outside to get the best view. He does not get close enough to the edge to risk a fall. He comes back in. "Yeah I'd say I am leaning towards the terrifying vs. wonderous, Soar."
Then, back to business.
Nate is surprised that Soar actually wants to do this thing right now. He was thinking she'd want to now see where this god forsaken ice rock goes, but he is more than on board with the strike right now.
"Honestly... everyone in all of those other rooms were very... busy. I think if we do it now, like you say, we have an actual chance of getting it done without anyone noticing and even getting back up here because everyone seems so busy down there in all of the other rooms.
DMSteve - would we still have Nate's pass without trace active? It's 1hr but I am not sure how you did the timing when Nate came back. If we still have the spell active, we can all get down there quite easily unseen I would think - unless there are people out and about on the ground level common area who can blatantly see us. It made sense that they wouldn't see a spider, but the 4 of us coming is different. Did SpiderNate see anyone when he was moving between rooms in the common area?
He'd also say to Soar "Your spell... if you have to concentrate to keep it on, maybe you should keep your power for something stronger."Nate doesn't know the extent of her magical ability but this is his thought.
[...]That is, unless one of you can manage a good trick to lure them out, convince them to attack a straw man, waste their power on something that's not us? I can't do that, but in the stories sometimes it works."
Nub says "I don't have anything to draw the cultists out, but do we think that drawing their attention and luring them out of their room might also draw other denizens or passengers of this floating landmass to join the fight? I had assumed we were going to try and keep it somewhat quiet and contained, but if we are not too concerned about keeping things quiet, then that might change how we approach this fight."
Soar's head quirks as Nub speaks, and she says with a smile, "I think you're right. If we can keep this quiet and contained, we can deal with whoever's in the rooms, and then hopefully deal with the kobolds if they choose to be a problem, and hopefully let the giants know we have Blagothkus' blessing. As Nate said, they're likely distracted now and not expecting us. So we might as well give it a shot. Jalt?"
She explains to Nate that her aid lasts for 8 hours, and she doesn't have to think about it again. She waits to hear from Nate if they're likely to be seen as they get to the door, but is otherwise ready to go.
I am OOC trying to figure out if Soar should bolster herself by 5 hp and two others in the group, or skip herself and focus on the others. She has focused on the others usually, so I'm inclined to do that again, especially if we're facing fireballs again.
OOC: Nate was just trying to determine is Soar's spell requires concentration. Seems it doesn't, so heck, Nate is all for it! He needs all of the HP he can get :) He'd suggest to give it to the lowest folks first.
DMSteve - don't we all get the benefit of the pass without trace spell? Not just Nate?
OOC again: I am thinking we try and sneak down there to the room we think they are in using the benefit of that spell. I am still not sure if there are anyone walking around on that ground floor in the common courtyard. If there is, the sneak likely won't work because they can blatantly see us. Steve what do you say?
OOC YET again: I am worried about that new information about the rooms, they might be in there. Oh well, let's give it hell on our original pick.
Nate would hug the wall of the door they are about to enter once they all get down there, kind of like he did at the lodge when he murdered the helper.
If there is anyone with a direct line of sight on you during daylight, then no, Pass Without Trace doesn't help much. You didn't notice anyone around while you were down in spider form, though.
Okay, so you all descend the spiral staircase together. You don't notice anyone in the upper courtyard on the way, and when you reach the foot of the stairs you don't see anyone in the lower courtyard either.
Can I get a Stealth check (with +10 from Nate's spell) from Nub and Jalt?
OOC: Well, I am now concerned with this new information about #4 and #5 as they could in fact be deeper in those sections and not in the room I originally was thinking which was room with the door #6 and #7.
But the original plan was to go to room with door #6 and #7, so I think we should stick with that room.
Let's say, #7 door since it's hidden away a bit in that nook. Nate is hugging the wall, waiting for Soar or Jalt to either knock or just break the door down!
It's been around fifteen minutes for Nate's wildshape. As SpiderNate watches the kobolds, he notices every so often one looks up, nervously, at something unseen in the rafters of the kitchen room. And as SpiderNate takes a look, he sees a hint of movement, of large wings, though it's too dark to perceive more.
Soar, you are confident, from the position of the sun in the sky, that the castle is headed north. Looking down, the ground is a long way beneath you; you can see the countryside, trees and rivers and the occasional village of tiny huts and ant-like people. You know a fall from this height would kill you. You do not see anywhere in the castle that overlooks these ledges, though anyone in any of the guest rooms could seem them of course.
You can secure the treasure in any of the locations you mentioned. Please specify which one you go for, remove the items from your inventory, and state here exactly what you have dropped.
SpiderNate takes note of what he sees in his little spider-brain. He will creep out of the nook, and then head towards the big room #5. He's going to go into those same slits in the wall, the one on the southern wall of that big room.
Stealth: 25
Perception: 9
There is no obvious entrance for a regular creature into this room, but SpiderNate is able to see clearly through the slits in the walls.
In the middle of this frost-glazed room stands a nine-foot-tall table of carved stone surrounded by three giant-sized chairs, also carved from stone. A fat iron cauldron etched with runes rests upon the table. On the floor in the far corner sits a large iron chest. A male stone giant gazes into the cauldron while a female stone giant sits nearby. The female giant glances at the male from time to time, but the male one seems engrossed in what he sees.
(Is the time now at 20 minutes? 25 minutes?)
SpiderNate notes what he sees again in his arachnid-brain. He also feels he's going to go over the 30 minutes... but will try one more room.
He's now going to head to door #3. He will creep over there as fast as he can, and climb up the door to see if there is any cracks he could fit through to see in there. If not, he will listen against the door with his spider ears the best he can.
Stealth: 26
Perception: 14
(He's planning on heading back upstairs to the room after this.)
If he needs another stealth roll to get back upstairs, here it is: 19
Nub is in awe of this massive flying landmass. When it was mentioned, he had been impressed by the thought of it, but seeing it in action has made him appreciate the power of the Weave.
Nate, the giants don't notice you, given how tiny you are. As you are heading away, you hear a rumbling from the giant by the cauldron; it takes a moment to realise that he is speaking, but in a language you do not comprehend. The giant sitting down shakes her head and responds, equally incomprehensibly to you. You still see no sign of a doorway, but you scuttle away for the next step of your mission.
There is a crack in the door that allows you to enter a large building with a very high roof. Immediately you are hit by the smell - the place stinks of some kind of droppings and rotted flesh. Cracked bones cover the floor. You see two large shapes in the stalls of what appears to be a stable of some kind, but you cannot make out what they are, only that they are very large.
You leave the room and head back up to the others, just as your allotted wildshape time ends. Soar, Jalt and Nub, you see a small spider enter and transform into Nate once again.
"Hello Nate. I'm glad we gave you more time than we planned, since it seems like you needed it. Were you detected? What did you learn? Where are we headed?" Soar is listening and ready to go.
"Woah.... give me a minute." Nate takes his time getting his bearings back after being in arachnid form.
"Yeah... I didn't quite think the time factor through. It's a lot of crawling for a spider that size. Anyways, as far as I know, I wasn't detected. As far as what I learned, and where we are headed... well Soar, it's not what I found that is important, it's what I didn't find."
Nate explains.
"I was looking for the cultist scum, Yes? Rezmir, Jos, the whole gang. Well guys, I didn't see them anywhere. I didn't even see anyone who looked like cultists. And I managed to check a good amount of those rooms down there."
Nate would take the time to explain everything that he saw in each room, with each detail. The kobold kitchen with the apparent dragon on the rafters, the huge stone giant cooking room and lastly the some type of holding cell room for some type of creature and it smelled horrific.
The point is, he didn't find who he was looking for. And we know that they are down there in one of those rooms according to big blue, so that eliminates most of the rooms that SpiderNate checked.
Nate explains that he is almost certain they are in the room labelled 6 on the map. "It's the only room left that makes sense for them to be in. The other ones are too small."
Then Nate looks at Soar in a shy way "Sorry. I know this isn't a lot. I... I don't know what we should do next."
Nate then sits down and rests for a moment.
"Woah... we're flying!?" Nate then says. "I thought I felt something when I was down there."
"We are flying. Go look out the window," Soar says, showing him how to operate the panel in the wall, warning him from being too close to the edge and risk a fall. "It's terrifying, and wondrous, all at the same time." She takes a deep breath, closes her eyes, and lets it out. "Getting colder up here. We should probably make a move now. Nate, it IS a lot. You found a lot of rooms that didn't seem to have our targets in them. That means fewer rooms we bluster into and waste time and energy and resources before we get to them. Not to mention raise alarm. Thank you for trying and for getting back safe. I know you don't like to do it. But now we can head to that other room fairly confident we'll find them and they won't expect us."
She begins to get ready. She hides the treasure she's been lugging around (save the small jewels and platinum coins etc she's added to her purse for good) under the bed. "Bit easier to move now. Anyhow, I say we rush the room as quickly as we can, get in among them close where they can't hit us with fire as easily. That is, unless one of you can manage a good trick to lure them out, convince them to attack a straw man, waste their power on something that's not us? I can't do that, but in the stories sometimes it works."
She waits for any reply, and if not, prepares for a frontal assault, asking about Jalt's dragon blender, Nate's woodland friends, etc. She lacks the imagination and memory to ask about other magic they might have. She asks if she should give aid to her friends before heading out.
"Oh... oh... um.... wow."
Nate is apparently afraid of heights. He takes Soar up on her offer to go out and use the panel in the wall to go outside to get the best view. He does not get close enough to the edge to risk a fall. He comes back in. "Yeah I'd say I am leaning towards the terrifying vs. wonderous, Soar."
Then, back to business.
Nate is surprised that Soar actually wants to do this thing right now. He was thinking she'd want to now see where this god forsaken ice rock goes, but he is more than on board with the strike right now.
"Honestly... everyone in all of those other rooms were very... busy. I think if we do it now, like you say, we have an actual chance of getting it done without anyone noticing and even getting back up here because everyone seems so busy down there in all of the other rooms.
DMSteve - would we still have Nate's pass without trace active? It's 1hr but I am not sure how you did the timing when Nate came back. If we still have the spell active, we can all get down there quite easily unseen I would think - unless there are people out and about on the ground level common area who can blatantly see us. It made sense that they wouldn't see a spider, but the 4 of us coming is different. Did SpiderNate see anyone when he was moving between rooms in the common area?
He'd also say to Soar "Your spell... if you have to concentrate to keep it on, maybe you should keep your power for something stronger." Nate doesn't know the extent of her magical ability but this is his thought.
Nate does still have some time left on Pass Without Trace, yes.
I should add that what Nate saw of the area near number 4 and 5 didn't amount to the full area behind the doors, somewhat like this:
Nub says "I don't have anything to draw the cultists out, but do we think that drawing their attention and luring them out of their room might also draw other denizens or passengers of this floating landmass to join the fight? I had assumed we were going to try and keep it somewhat quiet and contained, but if we are not too concerned about keeping things quiet, then that might change how we approach this fight."
Soar's head quirks as Nub speaks, and she says with a smile, "I think you're right. If we can keep this quiet and contained, we can deal with whoever's in the rooms, and then hopefully deal with the kobolds if they choose to be a problem, and hopefully let the giants know we have Blagothkus' blessing. As Nate said, they're likely distracted now and not expecting us. So we might as well give it a shot. Jalt?"
She explains to Nate that her aid lasts for 8 hours, and she doesn't have to think about it again. She waits to hear from Nate if they're likely to be seen as they get to the door, but is otherwise ready to go.
I am OOC trying to figure out if Soar should bolster herself by 5 hp and two others in the group, or skip herself and focus on the others. She has focused on the others usually, so I'm inclined to do that again, especially if we're facing fireballs again.
OOC: Nate was just trying to determine is Soar's spell requires concentration. Seems it doesn't, so heck, Nate is all for it! He needs all of the HP he can get :) He'd suggest to give it to the lowest folks first.
DMSteve - don't we all get the benefit of the pass without trace spell? Not just Nate?
OOC again: I am thinking we try and sneak down there to the room we think they are in using the benefit of that spell. I am still not sure if there are anyone walking around on that ground floor in the common courtyard. If there is, the sneak likely won't work because they can blatantly see us. Steve what do you say?
OOC YET again: I am worried about that new information about the rooms, they might be in there. Oh well, let's give it hell on our original pick.
OOC: Think PwT allows you to extend it to anyone within 30 feet of you, so should work! I'm fine to give it a try.
OOC: We're going to need that spell considering how clumsy Soar and Jalt are.
Hoard of the Dragon Queen - Jalt Rhogar - Dragonborn Cleric (9)
"Ive heard it both ways."
Nate's stealth for whenever we head down.
(dont forget to add 10 everyone!) 18
Nate would hug the wall of the door they are about to enter once they all get down there, kind of like he did at the lodge when he murdered the helper.
(Seems he's quieter as a spider, LOL)
Sorry guys
Soar stealth: 12
If there is anyone with a direct line of sight on you during daylight, then no, Pass Without Trace doesn't help much. You didn't notice anyone around while you were down in spider form, though.
Okay, so you all descend the spiral staircase together. You don't notice anyone in the upper courtyard on the way, and when you reach the foot of the stairs you don't see anyone in the lower courtyard either.
Can I get a Stealth check (with +10 from Nate's spell) from Nub and Jalt?
Which door or other place are you headed towards?
OOC: Well, I am now concerned with this new information about #4 and #5 as they could in fact be deeper in those sections and not in the room I originally was thinking which was room with the door #6 and #7.
But the original plan was to go to room with door #6 and #7, so I think we should stick with that room.
Let's say, #7 door since it's hidden away a bit in that nook. Nate is hugging the wall, waiting for Soar or Jalt to either knock or just break the door down!
"Nub, stay back."