As you make your way from the quiet back streets near the Wishing Well, you start to hear the loud celebrations of the festival. It's clear that the toppling tower did not ruin the festival like some had worried. You make it back to the town square where you see some tradespeople working to clear the rubble from the tower while the events happen all around them. On the giant stage there is another competition happening but this time it is two people sitting on log stumps carving intricate wood figurines. There's a decent size crowd that has formed around them.
You see guards patrolling the area with a much higher presence than there was yesterday. They seem to be armed a bit better though they still look rather under geared compared to other towns. The large stashes of crates are still guarded by the heavily armored guards in the fine armor though there are less crates today than there were prior to setup being complete.
You hear acolytes calling out from the church signalling service is about to begin as they ring small hand bells in place of their large bell that had fallen. There doesn't seem to be as much of a presence at the church compared to yesterday as tradesmen and townsfolk are drawn to the excitement of the festival.
You notice a small group of people gathered around a keg. They appear to have had a good start to their morning and are quite sloshed already.
The smell of fresh bread floats through the streets as you pickup the distinct smell of culinary experts competing at the far side of the square. You see a small crowd gathered there as well with small bowls ready to be filled. It's comforting knowing that events are continuing on schedule. The morning sun beams down the streets burning off the small amount of morning dew that had accumulated. A pleasant breeze moves through the town bringing with it the smells of various competitions battling against the aroma of the breads.
As you walk, you see booth after booth of exotic goods and gear. Some of you are happy to see that the goblin selling cloaks has a large group gathered in the front of his booth. The hat vendor is swarmed by patrons looking to fancy up their attire and you notice several of his designs on the heads of people as you walk. The booth that was empty yesterday has now been filled with goods that are quite distinct from those in the other booths. Everything here looks old and used. If vintage were a term used, it would be used to describe this booth's items.
Falaine will make her way toward the largest collections of food vendors. Casting Detect poison and disease as she does and telling the group. "I'm going to look into the food supply while you all investigate the tower. I know it's a little uncomfortable to split up, but I feel if we fan out a bit we will have a better chance of finding something."
To the best of her abilities, Falaine scans the area for any signs of the threat. The food and drink here seem to be perfectly fine and she begins to wonder if the source she talked with really knew much about the situation. While looking at the food, she is quite impressed with the high quality of style and skill used to create extravagant meals. The crowd gathered here seems to be enjoying themselves as they take the samples offered by each chef.
While walking Falaine notices:
an older human that sticks out because of her magic. The disease he has is rather dormant and he may not even realize he is afflicted with. It's a fairly common type of disease often found among farmers from Thornwood that harvest a certain type of herb used most frequently in potions. The man doesn't stand out among the others and seems to be enjoying himself. Understanding the disease a bit because of the magic, this doesn't seem related to the stories you've heard here in Holden Heights.
"I didn't think to prepare it for today so I'm going to start casting some magic that may give me additional insights when we arrive at the ruined tower." Quentin spends their time walking to the main square conducting the ritual for detect magic. He tries to keep his mutterings in the flow of the group's conversation and his hand gestures more subdued so he looks like he's just talking with his hands so as to not cause any passerby undue stress. When he finishes his eyes light with a faint blue glow.
Quentin nods in agreement with Falaine. "Agreed. We can cover more ground and hopefully find more this way. I want to examine the area around the tower ruins again. I was quite distracted by the bell and am curious about any magical involvement that may have occurred."
Quentin moves through the crowd performing the ritual to find magics hidden in the area. He comes to where the workers are clearing large chunks of marble that made up the tower. The dwarven craftsmen doing the recovery work all have the same insignia on their shoulder showing a very plain pickaxe. The dwarves are loaded the marble pieces onto large disks that float suspended in the air. There are acolytes near each disk that are maintaining the spells for each of the disks. Quentin is able to pick up that magic rather easy. He also notices that the dwarves have transmutation magic on them in the form of a haste spell to speed up the work.
The marble from the tower does not seem to hold any active magic about it, but Quentin can tell that:
The stone has been consecrated by divine magic. He determines that this is not the reason for the collapse.
Quentin can investigate the rubble if he'd like for more clues as to what happened here.
Quentin takes a very close look at the rubble even to the point of annoyance to the dwarves trying to work to clear it. He finds there are large pieces that most likely were separated when the tower hit. He also finds small pieces that look to have shattered when they hit the ground as well.
That's when Quentin notices:
The pieces that stand out to him look to have been squeezed by a monstrous hand. He finds dirt and musk stuck into the marble that doesn't look to have come from the townsquare itself. There are pieces of branches and flora that are unlike anything here within Holden Heights.
As Falaine examines the area, she's offered a small red apple from a basket. A half-orc woman stands before Falaine with an apron that reads, "Tosk Orchard and Farm". Her magic still functioning for a bit longer, she looks at the apple with a bit of worry but sees that it is safe for consumption. The woman continues to hand out apples to those passing by.
"Now that certainly stand outs...." Quentin mumbles to himself. With nothing among the rubble being magic in nature he stops concentrating on his spell and his eyes go back to their normal hazel. Quentin collects what he can from his find and heads back to the others. "This stone appears to have been squeezed or crushed by a very, VERY large hands."He begins pointing out specific grooves and markings as he talks. "There's also this soil stuck to the stone as well as this plant life that doesn't belong to the area."
As Falaine moves through the crowd, she can tell the streets are getting busier With her spell, she notices a few vendors selling enchanted items that draw the interest of the spell. The bell, still stuck in the dirt still offers a faint divine signature with hints of abjuration that are fading. She doesn't notice anything of significant importance with her spell.
She's able to meet back up with Quentin if she chooses to recount what they've found.
Gathered together again to discuss the findings of the marble, the small group ponders on what else they need to get done before attempting to rendezvous with those still in the room. The buzz of the busy town square offers a myriad of options:
Tanni nods at Falaine's suggestion and heads to the ruins with others. She takes an approving look at the site and the efficient way magic is used to speed up the work. While Quentin inspects the rubble, Tanni takes a closer look at the bell to see what it's made of and if there are any clues to why it split up like it did.
Tanni, roll a (history or religion) check with advantage to learn more about the bell. Given your time in the smithy, you've learned a lot about where materials come from as well as how they react when being struck by other materials.
Looking at the bell, she can tell that it was crafted in the Lowlands but there are no identifiers to what forge was used. The divine inscriptions on the bell stand out to her but offer no meaning. She is able to tell that the bell is most likely older than Holden Heights itself.
Eira looks back at Paren's room worriedly. "I-I guess, um, y-you should tell them w-we went to the, uh, b-bell tower that c-collapsed..."
Ombre nods and says, "Enjoy the Festival."
As you make your way from the quiet back streets near the Wishing Well, you start to hear the loud celebrations of the festival. It's clear that the toppling tower did not ruin the festival like some had worried. You make it back to the town square where you see some tradespeople working to clear the rubble from the tower while the events happen all around them. On the giant stage there is another competition happening but this time it is two people sitting on log stumps carving intricate wood figurines. There's a decent size crowd that has formed around them.
You see guards patrolling the area with a much higher presence than there was yesterday. They seem to be armed a bit better though they still look rather under geared compared to other towns. The large stashes of crates are still guarded by the heavily armored guards in the fine armor though there are less crates today than there were prior to setup being complete.
You hear acolytes calling out from the church signalling service is about to begin as they ring small hand bells in place of their large bell that had fallen. There doesn't seem to be as much of a presence at the church compared to yesterday as tradesmen and townsfolk are drawn to the excitement of the festival.
You notice a small group of people gathered around a keg. They appear to have had a good start to their morning and are quite sloshed already.
The smell of fresh bread floats through the streets as you pickup the distinct smell of culinary experts competing at the far side of the square. You see a small crowd gathered there as well with small bowls ready to be filled. It's comforting knowing that events are continuing on schedule. The morning sun beams down the streets burning off the small amount of morning dew that had accumulated. A pleasant breeze moves through the town bringing with it the smells of various competitions battling against the aroma of the breads.
As you walk, you see booth after booth of exotic goods and gear. Some of you are happy to see that the goblin selling cloaks has a large group gathered in the front of his booth. The hat vendor is swarmed by patrons looking to fancy up their attire and you notice several of his designs on the heads of people as you walk. The booth that was empty yesterday has now been filled with goods that are quite distinct from those in the other booths. Everything here looks old and used. If vintage were a term used, it would be used to describe this booth's items.
Falaine will make her way toward the largest collections of food vendors. Casting Detect poison and disease as she does and telling the group. "I'm going to look into the food supply while you all investigate the tower. I know it's a little uncomfortable to split up, but I feel if we fan out a bit we will have a better chance of finding something."
To the best of her abilities, Falaine scans the area for any signs of the threat. The food and drink here seem to be perfectly fine and she begins to wonder if the source she talked with really knew much about the situation. While looking at the food, she is quite impressed with the high quality of style and skill used to create extravagant meals. The crowd gathered here seems to be enjoying themselves as they take the samples offered by each chef.
While walking Falaine notices:
an older human that sticks out because of her magic. The disease he has is rather dormant and he may not even realize he is afflicted with. It's a fairly common type of disease often found among farmers from Thornwood that harvest a certain type of herb used most frequently in potions. The man doesn't stand out among the others and seems to be enjoying himself. Understanding the disease a bit because of the magic, this doesn't seem related to the stories you've heard here in Holden Heights.
"I didn't think to prepare it for today so I'm going to start casting some magic that may give me additional insights when we arrive at the ruined tower." Quentin spends their time walking to the main square conducting the ritual for detect magic. He tries to keep his mutterings in the flow of the group's conversation and his hand gestures more subdued so he looks like he's just talking with his hands so as to not cause any passerby undue stress. When he finishes his eyes light with a faint blue glow.
Quentin nods in agreement with Falaine. "Agreed. We can cover more ground and hopefully find more this way. I want to examine the area around the tower ruins again. I was quite distracted by the bell and am curious about any magical involvement that may have occurred."
Quentin moves through the crowd performing the ritual to find magics hidden in the area. He comes to where the workers are clearing large chunks of marble that made up the tower. The dwarven craftsmen doing the recovery work all have the same insignia on their shoulder showing a very plain pickaxe. The dwarves are loaded the marble pieces onto large disks that float suspended in the air. There are acolytes near each disk that are maintaining the spells for each of the disks. Quentin is able to pick up that magic rather easy. He also notices that the dwarves have transmutation magic on them in the form of a haste spell to speed up the work.
The marble from the tower does not seem to hold any active magic about it, but Quentin can tell that:
The stone has been consecrated by divine magic. He determines that this is not the reason for the collapse.
Quentin can investigate the rubble if he'd like for more clues as to what happened here.
Quentin will move closer to the construction and begin to examine the rubble.
Investigation: 21
Quentin takes a very close look at the rubble even to the point of annoyance to the dwarves trying to work to clear it. He finds there are large pieces that most likely were separated when the tower hit. He also finds small pieces that look to have shattered when they hit the ground as well.
That's when Quentin notices:
The pieces that stand out to him look to have been squeezed by a monstrous hand. He finds dirt and musk stuck into the marble that doesn't look to have come from the townsquare itself. There are pieces of branches and flora that are unlike anything here within Holden Heights.
As Falaine examines the area, she's offered a small red apple from a basket. A half-orc woman stands before Falaine with an apron that reads, "Tosk Orchard and Farm". Her magic still functioning for a bit longer, she looks at the apple with a bit of worry but sees that it is safe for consumption. The woman continues to hand out apples to those passing by.
"Now that certainly stand outs...." Quentin mumbles to himself. With nothing among the rubble being magic in nature he stops concentrating on his spell and his eyes go back to their normal hazel. Quentin collects what he can from his find and heads back to the others. "This stone appears to have been squeezed or crushed by a very, VERY large hands." He begins pointing out specific grooves and markings as he talks. "There's also this soil stuck to the stone as well as this plant life that doesn't belong to the area."
Falaine will switch to detect magic as she walks back through the crowd. She will make her way back to the group.
As Falaine moves through the crowd, she can tell the streets are getting busier With her spell, she notices a few vendors selling enchanted items that draw the interest of the spell. The bell, still stuck in the dirt still offers a faint divine signature with hints of abjuration that are fading. She doesn't notice anything of significant importance with her spell.
She's able to meet back up with Quentin if she chooses to recount what they've found.
Falaine will. And will make note of the vendor selling enchanted goods for later.
Gathered together again to discuss the findings of the marble, the small group ponders on what else they need to get done before attempting to rendezvous with those still in the room. The buzz of the busy town square offers a myriad of options:
Tanni nods at Falaine's suggestion and heads to the ruins with others. She takes an approving look at the site and the efficient way magic is used to speed up the work. While Quentin inspects the rubble, Tanni takes a closer look at the bell to see what it's made of and if there are any clues to why it split up like it did.
Tanni, roll a (history or religion) check with advantage to learn more about the bell. Given your time in the smithy, you've learned a lot about where materials come from as well as how they react when being struck by other materials.
History check: 10
Looking at the bell, she can tell that it was crafted in the Lowlands but there are no identifiers to what forge was used. The divine inscriptions on the bell stand out to her but offer no meaning. She is able to tell that the bell is most likely older than Holden Heights itself.
Looking at the split, Tanni can tell that some sort of large slightly curved blunt object struck the bell causing the fracture.