ROUND 2:

Gaston rolled a 5 and a 10 on his saves, so he is also stunned.

Edeleth, Rosri and Gaston are all stunned, paralyzed by the dark whispers in their heads.

The Mind Flayer's eyes glow once again, and its tentacles start flailing around. 

But before it can do anything, Roscoe springs forth and lands a devastating 3Hit Combo on it with his axe, effectively chopping it up to pieces! 

Roscoe, how'd you wanna do this?

As the others stand paralyzed, the spectra warriors swarm around Roscoe in a sort of tribal dance mimicking similar motions Roscoe makes with each swing. The movements seem so smooth and rehearsed that it's hard to see the brutality in each slice. 

Eventually, Edeleth staggers to his feet and opens his eyes to see the mighty Roscoe standing, axes raised in triumph and spattered with blood, over the destroyed carcass of the mind-flayer. He thinks he sees spectral Roscoes victory-dancing all around the pair, but imagines they will go away once his head stops spinning.  He has not had such a headache since the morning after the Chicken Banquet.

This is way worse than the hangover after the Banquet....like someone was litteraly inside your brains tearing it apart from the inside....

The underground room goes silent again, as the Party comes back to their senses.

The Mind Flayer lays dead on the dirt ground.

With his ridiculously high Passive perception, Rosri is the first one to make sense of what lies in the room...on the walls, multiple maps of the City of the Three Peaks, each of them with a particular building circled on it: the Granit Palace, the Garrison, the Temple of Meryn and the Arcane University....

On the ground, about 40 barrels of a dark sand-like substance....Anyone can roll a Nature check DC15 to figure out what it is....

Finally, in a corner, a locked chest....

OOC: Would Zyman recognise the substance, since he has experience with medicine and alchemy?

19 to figure out what the powder is.

"This is a plot to strike at the heart of Three Peaks! We need to alert the Jarl immediately! Is there any way for someone of us to use arcane means to transmit a message?"

Zyman recognizes this as Black Powder, a very explosive substance...

Also, the Party is currently about 15 miles from the City

”Urgh” Rosri hold his hand to his head. ”And I just passed the hangover I had.. what is that?” He walks over to Ozzy and looks at the barrel.

Nature: 6

Then walks over to the maps: I think this is a plot to take over Three Peaks.. you’re right we need to warn the Jarl. 

At last He walks over to the chest. “This must be what the Guild master wanted.” 

Check for traps: 22

Thives tool to open it: 21

"Rosri, Wait! If that chest is part of a trap, we could all die!

This is a highly explosive substance, and with this much of it, the effect could level parts of the city… I'm sorry to have to ask this, but if none of us can send a message immediately-  Edeleth, you're capable of changing your form, correct? You have the capacity to take this information to the Jarl as soon as as possible. I'd suggest you turn into your fastest form, and with one of the haflings on your back, return with the maps and a sample of the powder. 

If we wait with this information, anything that happens in Three Peaks is on us!

For the rest of us, let's give Rosri a hand getting that chest outside and opening it there, or alternatively conjure water and dampen the casks."

Rosri, with hos hands on the chest, inspecting it, jumps out of his skin when Zyman yells out his warning. “Wooooaaaa! Geez Ozymandias! I almost had an heart attack! I’m only looking to see if it is trapped.” 

"Right, sorry, I didn't mean to startle you… Just wanted to make sure you didn't rush to do anything hasty. A single wrong spark and not even my Patron will be able to help us… I think."

Before anything else, Edeleth does some healing.

Cure wounds on Rosco, level 1: 6

Cure wounds on Rosri, level 2: 16

Cure wounds on himself, level 2: 16

"Your suggestion is a good one," he says to Zyman.  "Or it would be, if I were more powerful than I am.  My choice of beasts I can transform into is still rather..weak. Stumbling up the mountain, exhausted and in the dark with a couple of halflings on my back sounds incredibly heroic, and in a bard's ballad would be an exciting adventure, but in reality would probably end with the three of us lyng dead at the bottom of a cliff somewhere."

"I can, however, summon a pair of giant owls. They can see in the dark, fly nearly as fast as eagles, and I believe that they will be able to carry most of us.  But we may have to abandon the animals and wagon, and I can only do the summoning twice, for an hour each time. I am not sure that will be enough to get us back to the top of the mountain, but it is the best I can manage."

EDIT: Whoops, forgot Gaston: Cure Wounds: 7

He steps out of the door to see if there's any sign of the kobold still around...or if the little monster has at least dropped his rope.  (Investigation? --

OOC: Gah, tripped the Shady Dice warning again. Investigation roll was originally 20 before I messed up and edited in Gaston's healing before it.)Edeleth is now out of spell slots, except the two he needs for animal conjuring.)

"That sounds even better than my original idea. I do however think that it will be necessary for some of us to stay here and carry on with the mission. Not only is the army relying on us, but if we all return, the Jarl would be right in charging us with abandoning our duty and desertion. I'm fine being in either group, but we need to decide quickly."

OOC: Yes, let's split the party!!

"Well, I'm of little more use till I get some rest, and I will have to go for certain, anyway.  Who will come with me and who will stay?  I suppose I could make it to the city alone, if need be.  Whoever stays will be in need of as much backup as they can get."

"It might help if I came along, seeing as I can explain what this powder is and what it does."

"I suppose the halflings and Gaston ought to be able to defend themselves, if they can avoid another kobold army or any more illithids," says Edeleth. "With Rosri's stealth, Roscoe's battle prowess, and Gaston's experience, they ought to be all right. And they can look after the mules." That is at least one thing off his mind.

“Uhm, I think I should go as well.. O can take what ever is inside the chest to the guild leader and trade it for more information on our foe. Maybe?” 

Rosti dislike to go against Zyman, but this is the reason he went out here in the first place.

“Also, I think, uhm maybe, we could keep some of this powder. I could use it to make exploding arrows.” 

(OOC: Unless Grotex gives us a free pass on carrying weight, an owl might not be able to carry a halfling along with a human or elf.  Standard strength for a giant owl is 13.  Carrying capacity= strength times 15, so owl carrying capacity is 195.  Edeleth is scrawny and weighs in at a fairly low 130, but +13 pounds armor and +13 if he takes all his weapons, and probably add about 3 for his pouch of tree cuttings, which brings him up to 159, which could be shaved 5 pounds if he leaves his scimitar, dagger and half the arrows behind. Meaning that he could take an extra 36-41 pounds on his owl if he leaves the rest of his equipment behind, or about 60 if he goes without armor and weapons. 

Unless a single hour's flight is enough to get back to Three Peaks, it is impossible for Edeleth to stay behind, so if Rosri and Zyman are light enough to double up, they may have to fly unarmed, and Edeleth can carry their stuff. Or Edeleth and Rosri can fly unarmed while Zyman carries their gear.  Or they will have to choose only one of them to come along.

If Roscoe doesn't want to be left behind either, they might all have to fly naked and leave everything with poor old Gaston.

ALTERNATE OPTION: If it's possible for the owls to make it to Three Peaks in a single hour, Edeleth could stay behind with Roscoe and Gaston while Zyman and Rosri are flown back to the city. The risk of this is, if Edeleth loses concentration under attack or something, you guys would get dropped and (if you survive the fall) possibly stranded on the mountain somewhere. Plus, you would have to make your own way back to us, though maybe an eagle rider could give you a lift.

Rosri spots a small blade trap on the chest...a few clicks of his Thieve's tools, and it is disarmed and unlocked...peering inside, he sees a stash of 20 vials of poison, and a bag containing 1500 Gp.

The Owls, indeed, wouldn't be able to carry more than one fully equipped rider. And their Traveling pace is Fast (4miles/hour- Players Handbook), which means that if they "Gallop" for two hours, travelling at twice that rate, they could make it in two hours...

Just as Edeleth goes into a long speech about the need to fly light, and the airspeed velocity of laden vs unladen giant owls, because owls are not nearly as robust as eagles, he suddenly stops, and a slow smile spreads over his face.

"Eagles are stronger and can carry more," he says, "but...I believe I can actually summon EIGHT owls. Perhaps we ALL ought to carry a message back and have a night to recover in Three Peaks before returning to our mission."

The mules, sheep and wagon will have to stay where they are, but perhaps they can be recovered on their return.

(OOC: Just realized that giant owls are only 1/4 cr!)