Another Dragon at Icespire Peak - IC Thread

"May be the case."  Lia says with a shrug.  "Regardless, we have started this, so let's finish it then we can report our findings back to the kings.  If we find nothing then we'll just have to free the second king regardless of the other's feelings on the matter." She moves to the empty sleeping areas first, checking everything there, then does the same where the gnomes are sleeping.

"True, let's take care of these rooms and see where else this takes us" Rhok checks the areas as well to make sure nothing is missed

Perception check: 18

Investigation check: 13

You check the two unused sleeping areas. Each has five wooden cots and an armoire with five drawers. None of the furniture reacts to your poking and prodding.

Lifting the drawn curtains, you see four gnomes sleeping soundly in each of the remaining alcoves. Lia walks into the leftmost one and successfully prods the beds and armoire without waking up anyone.

Rhok goes into the other used room, checks two beds without issue and trips over a half finished catapult model in the floor, waking up one of the gnomes. She groggily speaks a few phrases in her own language and looks at you expectantly.

"I am so sorry, my apologies if my clumsiness has woken you. I am Rhok, my companions and I have been tasked by the King" Rhok says in common, as he also check to see if he broke the small catapult

Quote from Morden_Defmark >>

"I am so sorry, my apologies if my clumsiness has woken you. I am Rhok, my companions and I have been tasked by the King" Rhok says in common, as he also check to see if he broke the small catapult

The gnome replies in common slowly "sounds... good... you should... obey... the king's... orders" and falls back to sleep.The other gnomes don't wake up at the conmotion. Looking closely you notice that the other gnomes are wearing some kind of ear plugs to dampen the noise. The small catapult on the floor looks incomplete, but there are not enough pieces lying around to finish the model anyway.

You finish checking the furniture. Nothing attacks you and you feel confident that there is no shapshifter hiding in the sleeping quarters.

"Damn. Let's get back to the kitchen and search on that area..." Lothlién suggests, already on his way

"Keep an eye out for anything out of place as we go, just in case it, if it exists, is moving around..." Lia suggests as they head back towards the kitchen area.  She would check out any unchecked areas between here and there as they go.

Rhok follows his companions to the kitchen

The four of you go outside, scale down the ridge using the rope you put there when you got here, cross the river and go back into the east side. Remebering the way you used previously you take the first left, go through the dining room, poking every object and arrive back at the kitchen. You find Tervaround, the lead cook, and three other gnomes still preparing for today's dinner.

You explain to her that a shapeshifter attacked one of the kings and that you have been tasked with dealing with it. She replies that nothing unusual has happened in the kitchen area, but the youngest apprentice just left it to store the newly brewed wine. She would be grateful if you would warn him too.

OOC: on the way to the kitchen you passed one unexplored tunnel near the entrance where you turned left. On the dining room there are three doorways, the one you used to enter, the one leading to the kitchen, and one that you haven't checked yet.

"Lets warn the apprentice, and check out the wine room, perhaps then we look down the tunnel that we haven't been down that we passed on the way here?" Rhok asks his companions

"Seems good to me." Lia confirms.  "Which way to the wine storage?" She asks the cook.

Tervaround turns to Lia "to get to the wine cellar you'll have to go to the dining room and take the doorway leading east, follow the tunnel up to Factoré's workshop, keep going south from there and take the next tunnel east." She ends with a smile "You'll recognize the wine cellar because it's full of wine barrels."

The group goes back to the dinning room and enters the unexplored tunnel going east. As usual in Gnomegarde, it's illuminated by oil lamps. The tunnel turns south and you notice a doorway to your left (going east) that Tervaround didn't mention. Peeking inside you see a barrel. You could keep following Tervaround's directions or check the new room.

Lia would not leave a room unchecked, so she would check this room first.

Lothlién agrees: we're already here, let's check the room

Entering the room you notice that the barrel you saw from the hallway is just the main body of a gnomish machine. There are six articulated metal legs sprouting from its sides and a pair of pincer claws from the front. An open lid at the top reveals a seat facing a viewing port and many levers. While the machine is designed for gnomes, you believe that you could fit inside if you squeeze a bit.

A second barrel crab is stowed next to this one. They don't react at your poking any more than the empty shelves on the walls.

The only door in this room is the one you used to come inside.

"Interesting, but a little too cramped for me."  Lia says, nodding to the barrel-devices.  "Shall we continue?" She would head back to the hall and continue on their way.

"Onward! Hopefully this will also help us in acquiring something that can help us against that dragon" Rhok states

"Against?! Ha! Delay, at best..." Xarroth continues to trail behind, his arms folded and casual curiosity in this place.

You continue down the hallway, leaving the crab barrels alone. You pass another passage going west, looking down you can see daylight outside. Rhok is convinced that it leads to the same entrance yuo have used both times on this side of the mountain. You keep going south, following Tervaround's directions and reach a room twice as large as the dining hall.

Bolted to the floor of this room is a rotating platform holding what seems to be a siege weapon. Four heavy crossbows point in four different directions, an assortment of gears and ropes surround each one. Above the crossbows stands a chair equipped with pedals and levers.

A gnome with a deranged look on her face sits on top, she look at you half surprised "the perfect test for my invention!" she pulls googles over her eyes and starts pedaling, making the whole machine clank and clatter until one of the crossbows is pointing directly at you.

Gnome's initiative: 11

Lothlién is up, according to our prerolled initiatives.

22 Lothlién
20 Rhok
18 Xarroth
14 Mad gnome
8 Lia

"What? We're here on a task given by the kings!" Lothlién shouts, but he can't ignore the menace. Concentrating for a second, he Catapult's the nearest 5 pound-ish object he can see into the gnome

Catapult dmg: 18, unless the gnome succeeds on a 13 DEX save.

"We're not here to hurt you, get out of this thing!" he shouts again, with a slight hope that the mad gnome will come to sense.