The Wildemount Irregulars (2020)

Alton, you get a sight of a face that might be human, but doesn't seem to have noticed you.  You feel a shiver, as though the wind picked up suddenly, but you shake it off immediately.

Alton waits for a moment to see if there is any movement from the door, if nothing happens he will sneak around the tower looking for a possible second way inside. Once he does a full round of the tower, he will make is way back to the others.

Stealth: 15 

The movement seems to subside, or at least you can no longer hear it.  There's certainly nothing happening at the door, so you set off quietly around the tower.  You don't find another doorway, but you do see that there's a larger window on the first floor high above you that you certainly, and possible Silent and Balassar too, could get through.  After finishing your inspection, you return to the others without incident.

If Alton tells them about the window, Silent will suggest sending his Echo up to the balcony and teleporting in (provided it's possible to stay within 30 feet. Might need to hop on Balassar's shoulders...), or helping Alton up if he wants to sneak in. 

Balassar just shrugs "All towers look the same to me." with that he watches Alton leave only to come back waiting for him to explain what he sees.

Once Alton get back he says, "There's is someone in that tower. I didn't get a good look at them and I'm pretty sure they didn't see me, but I got the creeps and I didn't see any giants. I only saw one door, but there is a window around the back that we could squeeze through if we wanted to be sneaky." 

Balassar just looks at them “Not my best suit, but I could always use the front door and you all sneak in.”

Silent nods at Balassar’s suggestion. I can try using my Echo to teleport up through that window, but it’ll raise a ruckus. If you run a distraction at the front door, we can pull off a bit of a pincer maneuver, maybe. 

Silent will head around the tower to the spot Alton described and look up at the window, trying to gauge if his teleport idea is actually feasible. 

Is Silent walking normally, or attempting to be stealthy?   If the latter, give me a Stealth check.  Balassar is approaching the front door, right? Is he going now, or waiting?  What about Alton?

Balassar will walk to the door and knock hoping to cause a distraction to help Alton and Silent sneak in “Hello?!”

Silent knows it’s a lost cause but will attempt to be quiet while hoping Balassar will drown out any noise he makes. 

Stealth 13  

Alton will creep around the back with Silent while Balassar is at the front door.

Stealth: 19

3

Balassar, you bang on the door as Alton creeps, and Silent clanks, round the far side of the tower.

You wait, and you hear the sound of a large creature - a very large creature, moving around.  Then there is the sound of lighter footsteps approaching the door, and it opens to reveal a very pale, sickly-looking half-elf man, perhaps in his middle years.  Behind him, you see in the ruined tower what you might call a workshop, or a library.  There are many scrolls and books, bottles of strange-looking liquids - you can't get a clear view through the doorway, but this individual has clearly been busy with something.

The half-elf stares at you, and looks you up and down for a while, then smiles coldly.  You came, he says, seemingly satisfied.  And you notice a flicker of red in his unusually dark eyes.

Silent and Balassar, you make it round the back and also hear a large creature moving inside, though you see nothing.

Silent closes his eyes, slows his breathing and summons an Echo which promptly scales the wall and crouches on the balcony of the window. Assuming nothing happens to the Echo immediately, he looks to Alton. I’ll switch places with my Echo and throw a rope down for you to climb. Unless whatever’s in there tries to kill me, in which case I might have to try killing it first.  

With that, he fades into shadow before being replaced by his near-translucent Echo which winks at Alton. The solid Silent reappears on the balcony and peers into the tower. If there’s no immediate threat he’ll quickly unfurl his 50 feet of hempen rope and lower it for Alton to climb. 

Silent, you see the interior of the tower is... a mess.  Straw on the ground, discarded hunks of meat, some of it rotting and no doubt contributing to the overpowering stench.  No living creature that you see, though there appears to be a very large hole in one side of the space to your right.

Balassar just blinks looking at the elf “You were expecting me?”

Not you, the elf replies.  Wildcloak.  He spits the name, and then seems to have an idea.  He draws himself up tall, and his face takes on an expression of magnanimity:  Give him to me, and I shall spare you and let you leave alive.

Balassar just blinks for a second clearly confused "Who?"

The halfling, you dolt, the half-elf snaps back.  Is he with the orc, sneaking round behind my home, like thieves?  I hear them.  Yes, like thieves, and that's no accident.  Call for him.  Now.

Alton chuckles at the echo and once the rope is lowered starts to shimmy up.
Athletics: 20 (If needed) 
Once up there he'll peak around the edge of the window to see if there is a direct line to where the front door would be.
Perception: 20