"Lady and gentlemen, boys and girl, I am Fumbles McNilbog, and you are here because some damn fool said you were good - maybe the best!" A rock gnome marches back and forth before the group, conjuring an image: A slender, white wizard's tower. Nearby a large sheet covers several boxes and maps are spread out with a few potions holding the paper in place on top. The gnome's bugbear informant stands idly by the papers, awaiting instruction as Fumbles carries on, "And, you're adventurers - expendable adventurers! We're going to do something stupid. You're going to figure out how to do it smart."
Less than a tenday ago, Aradurk and Karst were told Fumbles had been asking for their help by Ser Mary Glendale, the Warblade of Sundabar. The others, new faces to the two, were recommended for the job by an Uthgardt barbarian named Roccar, who owes Fumbles for a payment that he organized from the Zhentarim.
"Now the information I am about to provide you is most sensitive. I will give you as many details as I am able, but trust me when I say that everything we are about to do is for the greater good. Before I begin...no adventuring group succeeds in their mission without knowing their companions. Share your past adventures with me. How was it that you came to be in front of me today?" the gnome pauses.
"Fumbles, you know of our most recent mission intimately, you were there while Aradurk and I slew orc after orc after Glendale's traitorous bodyguard and spy master set an entire army against us."
The paladin paces like a big cat confined in a cage, pacing back and forth, near his half orc companion. Looking over at the newcomers he smiles warmly but his burning white eyes distort the effect a little. Tall and powerfully built the paladin radiates his divine heritage to those familiar with aasimar. There is a charismatic presence to him, not so much from his looks although he has a certain classical look to him but more from the power he clearly contains. Clad in chainmail with a shield sung across his back, an elegant longsword hanging at his left hip and a dagger on his right, he cuts an imposing figure. His head is bare, long black hair tied back off his face and no trace of facial hair whatsoever, a trio of silver earrings are visible along the side of his left ear, the only sign of jewellery visible.
"To you that I will journey with I greet you, my name is Karst, sworn paladin to Hoar, I look forward to hearing more of you, and despite Fumbles wanting us all to divulge all our secrets I believe I will truly know you when we show the truth of our character in the face of adversity."
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Vhon - Level 2 Warlock - What shall become of the Drunken Sailor?
Standing among the assembled adventurers is a rough, almost barbarous-seeming individual. Whip-thin and lean as a willow, he never the less seems to possess a rather rugged and rangy frame, and his hair is a thick, shaggy mass of reddish auburn that frames a sharply-angled face also mostly covered by a dense growth of likewise reddish auburn beard. The man's eyes are slightly almond-shaped and vibrant green in color, and they seem to bore through whatever catches his gaze with a predatory intensity. He is adorned in travel-worn studded leathers, replete with roughly tanned furs and small bone trophies, and a pair of eagle's feathers are woven into two small braids on either side of his head. A quiver full of white fletched arrows and a longbow decorated with tribal symbols rest with comfortable familiarity on his back and a rough-looking shortsword hangs from his left hip, and from his posture and bearing, the man seems entirely at ease with his armaments.
He watches the Aasimar pace back and forth as he speaks and only the red-haired archer's eyes move in rhythm with the paladin, as if locked on to the figure. After his new adventuring companion has finished speaking, the rangy-looking man glances over at the rock gnome for a moment, then he shifts his gaze again toward his new allies.
"Greetings to you, Karst of Hoar, and to the rest of you as well." The man's voice is deeper than one might imagine from his lean build, and there is the clear and unmistakable accent and pronunciation cadence of the Uthgardt people in his speech. "I am Ivar, called Eagle-Eye by my people; the Tribe of the Dead Fox, as we are called by those few city dwellers who have encountered us. I have met andspoken with Roccar," Here Ivar turns and nods respectfully in Fumbles' direction, "who has heard of my journeys within the green lands and has directed me here to give you aid in your tasks." The man now grins, a gleam in his green eyes. "As for my past adventures, little rock gnome, twas I who first filled a bird with so many arrows that the others began to grow feathers out of envy. I tracked the moonlight across the mountains so relentlessly that it convinced snow to become white so that it might better escape my gaze. I taught the tempest to blow with the speed of my arrow, and created thunder when my point struck it's first living heart." Ivar was chuckling aloud now, his broad smile hidden in the depths of his thick beard. "But more than that, I am an archer, a hunter, and Roccar would not have recommended me if you could not trust me. My bow is bent to your cause."
You see a tall burly figure standing at attention with the significant partial tusks emerging either side of his smirk. The thick toned physique of his light hued green skin gives you the impression he is regimented in his appearance. He wears his clothes not to impress but as a sign of his vigilance to discipline. “Welcome to our cadre. As Karst mentioned, we kick ass and we do it well. The family here is special to me and I do aim to protect it. If you want to be part of that, I welcome you. Do not however piss on me and tell me it’s raining.”
Aradurk studies each of you as he steps back out to the periphery of the room, his hard, muscled hands clasped behind him.
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Halsen - Human Monk - Winter Splendor Aradurk - Half-Orc Fighter - Barty's Blade Bizarre Aradurk - Half-Orc Fighter - Betrayal at Devilsfall Aradurk - Half-Orc Fighter - Barty's "The Hidden War" (Doom Portals Part 4A) Aradurk - Half-Orc Fighter -Barty's "The Whispered Word (Doom Portals Part 5) Garu - Tabaxi Paladin - Barty's "Beyond Twilight" (Rikirta Part 3)
The elf with skin of light honey sits quietly towards the side of the room. She holds a leatherbound book which she occasionally makes notes in as the gnome and the other two apparently new traveling companions spoke. She pushes back the strands of her golden-brown hair as they fall in her face while she makes her notes. She looks up and observes the room with fern green eyes, which twitch as the others strut about or boast of their successes. When not writing anything in her journal, she nervously taps at an amulet around her neck, adorned with the symbol of her deity - a shaft of light cutting across a field of black, surrounded by golden stars.
"And they say we elves are the poetic ones...,"she says under her breath as Ivar finishes. She remains seated as she makes her introduction. "I am Y'lovisa Liodon. And it really doesn't matter where I've been. I'm certain my future with you," she turns to address the gnome, "will greatly depend on my performance of this task you have for us. Perhaps Roccarwas impressed with the aid I had given his tribe - either the healing of his wounded or blasting back those nasty duergar they somehow unearthed,"she practically spits those last words out. Clearing her throat to regain her composure, she looks back down at her book and begins to scribble something down again in her book.
A wrinkled and grumpy faced red hobgoblin gently taps his quarterstaff into the ground as he alert the rest of his presence.
An iron bound book can be seen heavily strapped on his side with a small ironwood wand holstered on its spine while leather armor reinforced with spikes and rivets covers his body.
His black hair neatly rolled on top of his head while his long, sleek sideburns rest on his shoulders, swaying gently as he carefully looks at his surroundings.
"Please don't mind my face, this is what all of my relatives and I normally look. I've met quite a number of people who always sees I'm a disagreeable person because of it.
My name is Uldrem Shatterfist, a former arcane instructor of promising young hobgoblins part of the Scarred Legion. I mostly stay inside at the academy where I teach and never dabble too much in our legion's affair on being a mercenary army.
However, complicated things happened here and there and now I'm currently on leave. Though we may be part of something temporary, I'm pleased to be everyone's aquaintance."
Fumbles nods through the introductions, then motions to the image of the tower. "The Lonely Tower is a slender, white stone tower due west of the Cold Wood. The landscape around the tower is volcanic rock with deep cloven crevices in a thousand yard radius. The wizard Ssessibil Istahvar famously lived in this tower and conducted many magical experiments there, though he wasn't home often. Sometimes he was absent for decades. Now Ssessibil, who is a reptilian cat-person or a Yuan-ti fiend depending on who you ask, hasn't been seen in years. In fact, it appears that goblin members of the NAGPU Union have taken up residence inside the tower, though what they are doing remains unclear. They might be using the tower as a safe-hold for Union valuables. The Non-partisan Anti-Gnome Geometalloscopic Procurer's Union, or NAGPU for short, was founded by a kobold named Lek-Lek. They are a new miner's guild serving the evil-aligned inhabitants of the Silver Marches, and likely the Spine of the World, too. After the Devilsfall Pact, a side deal was made granting additional recognition and protection to this union, so this mission is strictly "off the books". If any of you has any faction tokens, badges, commendations, journals, or even souvenirs connected to Luruar needs to hand them over before we begin," he finally pauses, scanning for any faction representation from the party, then continues.
"The maps you see are from my contacts, but, not to blow your mind," he says, leaning into Uldrem, "Wizard's towers...are...magical. So expect surprises. History shows that this particular tower has had a few different compositions, so we will have to expect the unexpected. NAGPU is most likely using this location as a central vault. The supervisor should be Bek-Bek, another kobold. Bek-Bek claims to be Lek-Lek's brother, and has recently taken over after Lek-Lek was killed."
"Luckily, we are not walking into a wizard's tower blind. My contacts have compiled all of the information that there is to collect about The Lonely Tower, in these pages here," he says, handing papers to the party. "Before I continue with the mission goals, review this information."
________________________
Intel on The Lonely Tower:
Tower Perimeter:
The perimeter is patrolled by an orc army which previously worked for the tower’s wizard but has been bribed by NAGPU recently. Jumbled, volcanic rock with deep-cloven crevices in a perfectly circular area surrounds the tower’s foot about thousand yards in diameter.
There is a patrol of thirty orcs circling the tower every hour. If they detect trouble they will use sending stones to call in another seventy orcs. They also have reserves beyond these numbers. They are mostly a show of force and not very perceptive. The orcs do not use a watch tower because structures in the perimeter oddly seem to deteriorate in a matter of weeks.
The real danger is the one orc guard with a sending stone at the front door as there’s almost no cover for 500 feet in front of him.
Inside the Lonely Tower:
Floor 1: There is one orc guard on the first floor. Somewhere on the floor is a magical trap: This trap is activated with a hidden pressure plate. When 20 or more pounds are placed on the pressure plate, the magic of the trap is triggered. Wedging an object like an iron spike under the pressure plate prevents the trap from being triggered. A successful dispel magic cast in the area would destroy the trap. The trap targets the entire room. This trap is typically built into a room designed to accommodate the effect, with a high ceiling and smooth walls. Each creature in the area falls upward, taking falling damage normally. The effect lasts for 1 minute before ending. The ceilings in areas of a gravity reversal trap are sometimes covered in sharp spikes or jagged ridges. Every other room on this floor is a library arranged by subjects: 2. Nature, 3. Politics and Philosophy, 4. Fiction, 5. Manuals for strange machines, 6. Anatomy, 7. Planar Knowledge, 8. Spells, 9. Prophecies, 10. Numerous versions of the Necromonicon, 11. War, 12. Geography; 13. Alchemy.
The Stairs: The stairs are magical. Merely state which floor you wish to go to and walk a few steps to find yourselves on the desired floor.
Floor 2: Alchemical labs.
Floor 3: Keepsakes. DO NOT TOUCH! DANGER!
Floor 4: There are four orc guards on this floor. Each room contains a potion on display.
Floor 5: There are four orc guards on this floor. On a table are a number of sacks. This is most likely where we will find Bek-Bek, the kobold supervisor.
Floor 6: Junk/storage closets.
Floor 7: One room contains a large window, from which you can see the entire landscape below. Cells along this floor contain strange creatures encased in ice. One room has a strange circle of patterns of diamonds, most likely the entry to the vault. It will take Fumbles 6-8 hours to crack the combinations unless Bek-Bek knows how to get in.
Uldrem begins to show a more grumpier face while gripping his quarterstaff as he hears the staggering amount of orcs guarding the tower.
"Hmmmm.... That's quite a lot of orcs if I do say so myself. Neverthless, I may have a solution to that. Since they start patrolling within a thousand yards at the foot of the tower, I can attempt to dig a decent-sized underground tunnel using Mold Earth.
It would take me roughly an hour to dig straight to the tower, not including how deep we want to start the tunnel's entrance. I'd say, at least fifteen to twenty minutes would suffice.
We just need to take account how soft is the land surrounding tower as I don't want it collapsing on top of us while we're excavating through it."
So Uldrem likes to play in the dirt? I like the dirt as well.
Who else has skills and ideas that can get us into the promised land? I can fight my way through a lot but I don’t think that helps us accomplish our goals.
"That. Is. Exactly why you are all here. That's brilliant!" Fumbles exclaims.
"Now, some of you may be wondering, with all of us here, why don't we just kill the gnome and take all the loot?" he continues with a wink, "Rest assured I am not just here for my charming personality. My job will be to crack the vault. Wizards don't like simple locks, so cracking the combination could take me anywhere from 6 to 8 hours. Once complete, and only once complete, will I reveal our exit strategy. Can't be too careful, you know."
"There are two rules. One: I get first pick on all loot. Don't worry, you'll still get your fair share. Two: Nobody touch any wizard staffs. I need those. All of them. Now study up and tell me how we're going to crack this nut. Be creative, if a strategy requires any consumable equipment, I can probably get it for us. Teleporting will not work in there, and all the doors are sliding doors for some reason. Oh, and don't mess with the keepsakes. Wizards are super touchy about their precious memories," Fumbles muses.
"So obviously our first goal is to get past the orc forces patrolling the perimeter, without fighting. Uldrem's idea is great in lieu of invisibility or illusions, but we'll have to time it right. Moving earth won't be silent. Next, we'll need to take out the orc guard at the front door and replace him or her so the absence is not noticed,"he concludes, pausing for suggestions.
“I will volunteer to be the replacement guard/lookout. We need to get as much intel about shift changes and the like as possible so to not be obvious.”
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Halsen - Human Monk - Winter Splendor Aradurk - Half-Orc Fighter - Barty's Blade Bizarre Aradurk - Half-Orc Fighter - Betrayal at Devilsfall Aradurk - Half-Orc Fighter - Barty's "The Hidden War" (Doom Portals Part 4A) Aradurk - Half-Orc Fighter -Barty's "The Whispered Word (Doom Portals Part 5) Garu - Tabaxi Paladin - Barty's "Beyond Twilight" (Rikirta Part 3)
"If we're planning on killing the orc guard, I could try and animate his corpse if you want a companion.
We'll have to hide some of it's wounds and will stink of rot after a few hours, they'll probably never notice it since I've never seen an orc take a bath, but it would help make your presence convincing. It doesn't talk though so you'll have to do the talking once someone comes by.
Of course, I'll only do this if you permit it."
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Believer of the almighty one, the Alpha and the Omega, whose love encompasses all of his creations, RNGesus.
Started as a player at time of registration. Started to DM a month later. Hoping to get better as time progresses.
The wood elf continues to sit and sketch some things in her book. "The size of the tower makes approaching unseen easy. We can wait for the patrol to pass some distance and sneak behind them along the wall of the tower. Once we near the door I can provide an area of silence that would prevent the orc at the door to raise the alarm, even they use the stone."
"I know a few spells, a short teleport and the ability to freeze someone in place for a short while" he smiles and continues "Apart from that I'm mostly good at chopping my enemies into small pieces.."
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Vhon - Level 2 Warlock - What shall become of the Drunken Sailor?
"Good, good, we have a lot of options there. Y'lovisa is correct, with the size of the tower we should have a short window where we can make our stealthy approach and quickly eliminate the guard at the door. Then, Aradurk can take his place, or Uldrem can raise his corpse. Makes me shiver, necromancy, but I like that better than losing Aradurk's axe in the tower.
Once that grisly business is done, we need to take out the interior guards quickly and quietly, before they have a chance to warn the patrol outside. There's no way I can get the time I need if a hundred orcs learn we're in there. Then we need to capture, not kill, the NAGPU goblins inside. There needs to be at least one guard on the goblins at all times. They're crafty buggers. It is imperative that we disguise our motive at this stage. Do whatever you can to hide our identities and our purpose.
Then, we secure the kobold supervisor and interrogate him separately. If anybody knows how to get into the vault, it's him, and that will save us a lot of headache. Then, we escort me to the vault, and while I get to work on cracking the combination, you'll sweep the upper levels for stragglers and disarm any traps. Then, we set a lookout on the upper levels. If we're going to have a smelly corpse keeping watch, we need to know if someone is coming to swap places," Fumbles explains, once again pausing for input.
"Alright, dead silence means either you all completely understand or not at all. Let's hope for all our sakes it's the former. Moving on, once the vault has been cracked we will need to escape the tower with the loot. If the tower has been properly gathered under our control you will have plenty of time to loot the non-vault levels, but you must clear the tower of anything remotely related to our appearance. Anything you bring, you are leaving with as well. We also need to destroy any bodies we leave behind and prepare a distraction to help our escape. Then we'll only have to determine a way to carry the loot, leave behind some clues to misdirect any suspicion that comes our way before we hightail it out of there.
Now then, let's get some ideas out there. I have thoughts but you're the experts. How do we get this done?" Fumbles concludes.
“I know a back door specialist that used to carry ball bearings all the time in case he got cornered. We could check on that. As for bodies, I have seen fire do a number on bodies out on the battlefield but probably not as elegant. Any alchemical supply places we have access to?
Karst - you still got that bag of holding?”
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Halsen - Human Monk - Winter Splendor Aradurk - Half-Orc Fighter - Barty's Blade Bizarre Aradurk - Half-Orc Fighter - Betrayal at Devilsfall Aradurk - Half-Orc Fighter - Barty's "The Hidden War" (Doom Portals Part 4A) Aradurk - Half-Orc Fighter -Barty's "The Whispered Word (Doom Portals Part 5) Garu - Tabaxi Paladin - Barty's "Beyond Twilight" (Rikirta Part 3)
The elf continues to write furiously. "Excuse my silence. You have quite a few details to sort through, procedures we need to follow... and I am far from an expert when it comes to planning a heist." Y'lovisa clears her throat and continues, "You said we don't want to kill any of the union goblins... Is there one floor where we may find them? Do you have an idea if their numbers?" Looking to the half-orc at the mention of fire, a mischievous grin comes to her face. "Buring bodies may create a lot of smoke and draw attention from the outside. Perhaps...," she begins to scan the handout on the layout of the floors, "We may find something in the lab to more discreetly dispose of the bodies. Or maybe one of the caged creatures will be hungry?"
"Lady and gentlemen, boys and girl, I am Fumbles McNilbog, and you are here because some damn fool said you were good - maybe the best!" A rock gnome marches back and forth before the group, conjuring an image: A slender, white wizard's tower. Nearby a large sheet covers several boxes and maps are spread out with a few potions holding the paper in place on top. The gnome's bugbear informant stands idly by the papers, awaiting instruction as Fumbles carries on, "And, you're adventurers - expendable adventurers! We're going to do something stupid. You're going to figure out how to do it smart."
Less than a tenday ago, Aradurk and Karst were told Fumbles had been asking for their help by Ser Mary Glendale, the Warblade of Sundabar. The others, new faces to the two, were recommended for the job by an Uthgardt barbarian named Roccar, who owes Fumbles for a payment that he organized from the Zhentarim.
"Now the information I am about to provide you is most sensitive. I will give you as many details as I am able, but trust me when I say that everything we are about to do is for the greater good. Before I begin...no adventuring group succeeds in their mission without knowing their companions. Share your past adventures with me. How was it that you came to be in front of me today?" the gnome pauses.
Our Party:
Aradurk: Half-Orc Fighter (Battle Master)
Ivar Eagle-Eye: Half-Elf Fighter (Battle Master)
Karst: Scourge Aasimar Paladin (Oath of Vengeance)
Uldrem Shatterfist: Hobgoblin Wizard (School of Necromancy)
Y'lovisa Liodon: Wood Elf Cleric (Light Domain)
OOC: Take some time to introduce your characters, old and new, to each other and talk about your prior adventures.
See my profile for all my PbP threads!
"Fumbles, you know of our most recent mission intimately, you were there while Aradurk and I slew orc after orc after Glendale's traitorous bodyguard and spy master set an entire army against us."
The paladin paces like a big cat confined in a cage, pacing back and forth, near his half orc companion. Looking over at the newcomers he smiles warmly but his burning white eyes distort the effect a little. Tall and powerfully built the paladin radiates his divine heritage to those familiar with aasimar. There is a charismatic presence to him, not so much from his looks although he has a certain classical look to him but more from the power he clearly contains. Clad in chainmail with a shield sung across his back, an elegant longsword hanging at his left hip and a dagger on his right, he cuts an imposing figure. His head is bare, long black hair tied back off his face and no trace of facial hair whatsoever, a trio of silver earrings are visible along the side of his left ear, the only sign of jewellery visible.
"To you that I will journey with I greet you, my name is Karst, sworn paladin to Hoar, I look forward to hearing more of you, and despite Fumbles wanting us all to divulge all our secrets I believe I will truly know you when we show the truth of our character in the face of adversity."
Vhon - Level 2 Warlock - What shall become of the Drunken Sailor?
Lyreis - Level 6 Elf Fighter - Eberron: Omega
DM - Dzenda: The Cracks - DM - Dzenda: Whispered Tales
Tried to insert an image here but it's not coming up for some reason, so here is a link instead.
http://dlnexus.com/gfx/lexicon/13023-0.jpg
Standing among the assembled adventurers is a rough, almost barbarous-seeming individual. Whip-thin and lean as a willow, he never the less seems to possess a rather rugged and rangy frame, and his hair is a thick, shaggy mass of reddish auburn that frames a sharply-angled face also mostly covered by a dense growth of likewise reddish auburn beard. The man's eyes are slightly almond-shaped and vibrant green in color, and they seem to bore through whatever catches his gaze with a predatory intensity. He is adorned in travel-worn studded leathers, replete with roughly tanned furs and small bone trophies, and a pair of eagle's feathers are woven into two small braids on either side of his head. A quiver full of white fletched arrows and a longbow decorated with tribal symbols rest with comfortable familiarity on his back and a rough-looking shortsword hangs from his left hip, and from his posture and bearing, the man seems entirely at ease with his armaments.
He watches the Aasimar pace back and forth as he speaks and only the red-haired archer's eyes move in rhythm with the paladin, as if locked on to the figure. After his new adventuring companion has finished speaking, the rangy-looking man glances over at the rock gnome for a moment, then he shifts his gaze again toward his new allies.
"Greetings to you, Karst of Hoar, and to the rest of you as well." The man's voice is deeper than one might imagine from his lean build, and there is the clear and unmistakable accent and pronunciation cadence of the Uthgardt people in his speech. "I am Ivar, called Eagle-Eye by my people; the Tribe of the Dead Fox, as we are called by those few city dwellers who have encountered us. I have met and spoken with Roccar," Here Ivar turns and nods respectfully in Fumbles' direction, "who has heard of my journeys within the green lands and has directed me here to give you aid in your tasks." The man now grins, a gleam in his green eyes. "As for my past adventures, little rock gnome, twas I who first filled a bird with so many arrows that the others began to grow feathers out of envy. I tracked the moonlight across the mountains so relentlessly that it convinced snow to become white so that it might better escape my gaze. I taught the tempest to blow with the speed of my arrow, and created thunder when my point struck it's first living heart." Ivar was chuckling aloud now, his broad smile hidden in the depths of his thick beard. "But more than that, I am an archer, a hunter, and Roccar would not have recommended me if you could not trust me. My bow is bent to your cause."
You see a tall burly figure standing at attention with the significant partial tusks emerging either side of his smirk. The thick toned physique of his light hued green skin gives you the impression he is regimented in his appearance. He wears his clothes not to impress but as a sign of his vigilance to discipline. “Welcome to our cadre. As Karst mentioned, we kick ass and we do it well. The family here is special to me and I do aim to protect it. If you want to be part of that, I welcome you. Do not however piss on me and tell me it’s raining.”
Aradurk studies each of you as he steps back out to the periphery of the room, his hard, muscled hands clasped behind him.
Halsen - Human Monk - Winter Splendor
Aradurk - Half-Orc Fighter - Barty's Blade Bizarre
Aradurk - Half-Orc Fighter - Betrayal at Devilsfall
Aradurk - Half-Orc Fighter - Barty's "The Hidden War" (Doom Portals Part 4A)
Aradurk - Half-Orc Fighter - Barty's "The Whispered Word (Doom Portals Part 5)
Garu - Tabaxi Paladin - Barty's "Beyond Twilight" (Rikirta Part 3)
The elf with skin of light honey sits quietly towards the side of the room. She holds a leatherbound book which she occasionally makes notes in as the gnome and the other two apparently new traveling companions spoke. She pushes back the strands of her golden-brown hair as they fall in her face while she makes her notes. She looks up and observes the room with fern green eyes, which twitch as the others strut about or boast of their successes. When not writing anything in her journal, she nervously taps at an amulet around her neck, adorned with the symbol of her deity - a shaft of light cutting across a field of black, surrounded by golden stars.
"And they say we elves are the poetic ones...," she says under her breath as Ivar finishes. She remains seated as she makes her introduction. "I am Y'lovisa Liodon. And it really doesn't matter where I've been. I'm certain my future with you," she turns to address the gnome, "will greatly depend on my performance of this task you have for us. Perhaps Roccar was impressed with the aid I had given his tribe - either the healing of his wounded or blasting back those nasty duergar they somehow unearthed," she practically spits those last words out. Clearing her throat to regain her composure, she looks back down at her book and begins to scribble something down again in her book.
A wrinkled and grumpy faced red hobgoblin gently taps his quarterstaff into the ground as he alert the rest of his presence.
An iron bound book can be seen heavily strapped on his side with a small ironwood wand holstered on its spine while leather armor reinforced with spikes and rivets covers his body.
His black hair neatly rolled on top of his head while his long, sleek sideburns rest on his shoulders, swaying gently as he carefully looks at his surroundings.
"Please don't mind my face, this is what all of my relatives and I normally look. I've met quite a number of people who always sees I'm a disagreeable person because of it.
My name is Uldrem Shatterfist, a former arcane instructor of promising young hobgoblins part of the Scarred Legion. I mostly stay inside at the academy where I teach and never dabble too much in our legion's affair on being a mercenary army.
However, complicated things happened here and there and now I'm currently on leave. Though we may be part of something temporary, I'm pleased to be everyone's aquaintance."
OOC: He resembles a Hobgoblin Devastator.
Fumbles nods through the introductions, then motions to the image of the tower. "The Lonely Tower is a slender, white stone tower due west of the Cold Wood. The landscape around the tower is volcanic rock with deep cloven crevices in a thousand yard radius. The wizard Ssessibil Istahvar famously lived in this tower and conducted many magical experiments there, though he wasn't home often. Sometimes he was absent for decades. Now Ssessibil, who is a reptilian cat-person or a Yuan-ti fiend depending on who you ask, hasn't been seen in years. In fact, it appears that goblin members of the NAGPU Union have taken up residence inside the tower, though what they are doing remains unclear. They might be using the tower as a safe-hold for Union valuables. The Non-partisan Anti-Gnome Geometalloscopic Procurer's Union, or NAGPU for short, was founded by a kobold named Lek-Lek. They are a new miner's guild serving the evil-aligned inhabitants of the Silver Marches, and likely the Spine of the World, too. After the Devilsfall Pact, a side deal was made granting additional recognition and protection to this union, so this mission is strictly "off the books". If any of you has any faction tokens, badges, commendations, journals, or even souvenirs connected to Luruar needs to hand them over before we begin," he finally pauses, scanning for any faction representation from the party, then continues.
"The maps you see are from my contacts, but, not to blow your mind," he says, leaning into Uldrem, "Wizard's towers...are...magical. So expect surprises. History shows that this particular tower has had a few different compositions, so we will have to expect the unexpected. NAGPU is most likely using this location as a central vault. The supervisor should be Bek-Bek, another kobold. Bek-Bek claims to be Lek-Lek's brother, and has recently taken over after Lek-Lek was killed."
"Luckily, we are not walking into a wizard's tower blind. My contacts have compiled all of the information that there is to collect about The Lonely Tower, in these pages here," he says, handing papers to the party. "Before I continue with the mission goals, review this information."
________________________
Intel on The Lonely Tower:
Tower Perimeter:
The perimeter is patrolled by an orc army which previously worked for the tower’s wizard but has been bribed by NAGPU recently. Jumbled, volcanic rock with deep-cloven crevices in a perfectly circular area surrounds the tower’s foot about thousand yards in diameter.
There is a patrol of thirty orcs circling the tower every hour. If they detect trouble they will use sending stones to call in another seventy orcs. They also have reserves beyond these numbers. They are mostly a show of force and not very perceptive. The orcs do not use a watch tower because structures in the perimeter oddly seem to deteriorate in a matter of weeks.
The real danger is the one orc guard with a sending stone at the front door as there’s almost no cover for 500 feet in front of him.
Inside the Lonely Tower:
Floor 1: There is one orc guard on the first floor. Somewhere on the floor is a magical trap: This trap is activated with a hidden pressure plate. When 20 or more pounds are placed on the pressure plate, the magic of the trap is triggered. Wedging an object like an iron spike under the pressure plate prevents the trap from being triggered. A successful dispel magic cast in the area would destroy the trap. The trap targets the entire room. This trap is typically built into a room designed to accommodate the effect, with a high ceiling and smooth walls. Each creature in the area falls upward, taking falling damage normally. The effect lasts for 1 minute before ending. The ceilings in areas of a gravity reversal trap are sometimes covered in sharp spikes or jagged ridges. Every other room on this floor is a library arranged by subjects: 2. Nature, 3. Politics and Philosophy, 4. Fiction, 5. Manuals for strange machines, 6. Anatomy, 7. Planar Knowledge, 8. Spells, 9. Prophecies, 10. Numerous versions of the Necromonicon, 11. War, 12. Geography; 13. Alchemy.
The Stairs: The stairs are magical. Merely state which floor you wish to go to and walk a few steps to find yourselves on the desired floor.
Floor 2: Alchemical labs.
Floor 3: Keepsakes. DO NOT TOUCH! DANGER!
Floor 4: There are four orc guards on this floor. Each room contains a potion on display.
Floor 5: There are four orc guards on this floor. On a table are a number of sacks. This is most likely where we will find Bek-Bek, the kobold supervisor.
Floor 6: Junk/storage closets.
Floor 7: One room contains a large window, from which you can see the entire landscape below. Cells along this floor contain strange creatures encased in ice. One room has a strange circle of patterns of diamonds, most likely the entry to the vault. It will take Fumbles 6-8 hours to crack the combinations unless Bek-Bek knows how to get in.
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Uldrem begins to show a more grumpier face while gripping his quarterstaff as he hears the staggering amount of orcs guarding the tower.
"Hmmmm.... That's quite a lot of orcs if I do say so myself. Neverthless, I may have a solution to that. Since they start patrolling within a thousand yards at the foot of the tower, I can attempt to dig a decent-sized underground tunnel using Mold Earth.
It would take me roughly an hour to dig straight to the tower, not including how deep we want to start the tunnel's entrance. I'd say, at least fifteen to twenty minutes would suffice.
We just need to take account how soft is the land surrounding tower as I don't want it collapsing on top of us while we're excavating through it."
So Uldrem likes to play in the dirt? I like the dirt as well.
Who else has skills and ideas that can get us into the promised land? I can fight my way through a lot but I don’t think that helps us accomplish our goals.
Halsen - Human Monk - Winter Splendor
Aradurk - Half-Orc Fighter - Barty's Blade Bizarre
Aradurk - Half-Orc Fighter - Betrayal at Devilsfall
Aradurk - Half-Orc Fighter - Barty's "The Hidden War" (Doom Portals Part 4A)
Aradurk - Half-Orc Fighter - Barty's "The Whispered Word (Doom Portals Part 5)
Garu - Tabaxi Paladin - Barty's "Beyond Twilight" (Rikirta Part 3)
"That. Is. Exactly why you are all here. That's brilliant!" Fumbles exclaims.
"Now, some of you may be wondering, with all of us here, why don't we just kill the gnome and take all the loot?" he continues with a wink, "Rest assured I am not just here for my charming personality. My job will be to crack the vault. Wizards don't like simple locks, so cracking the combination could take me anywhere from 6 to 8 hours. Once complete, and only once complete, will I reveal our exit strategy. Can't be too careful, you know."
"There are two rules. One: I get first pick on all loot. Don't worry, you'll still get your fair share. Two: Nobody touch any wizard staffs. I need those. All of them. Now study up and tell me how we're going to crack this nut. Be creative, if a strategy requires any consumable equipment, I can probably get it for us. Teleporting will not work in there, and all the doors are sliding doors for some reason. Oh, and don't mess with the keepsakes. Wizards are super touchy about their precious memories," Fumbles muses.
"So obviously our first goal is to get past the orc forces patrolling the perimeter, without fighting. Uldrem's idea is great in lieu of invisibility or illusions, but we'll have to time it right. Moving earth won't be silent. Next, we'll need to take out the orc guard at the front door and replace him or her so the absence is not noticed," he concludes, pausing for suggestions.
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“I will volunteer to be the replacement guard/lookout. We need to get as much intel about shift changes and the like as possible so to not be obvious.”
Halsen - Human Monk - Winter Splendor
Aradurk - Half-Orc Fighter - Barty's Blade Bizarre
Aradurk - Half-Orc Fighter - Betrayal at Devilsfall
Aradurk - Half-Orc Fighter - Barty's "The Hidden War" (Doom Portals Part 4A)
Aradurk - Half-Orc Fighter - Barty's "The Whispered Word (Doom Portals Part 5)
Garu - Tabaxi Paladin - Barty's "Beyond Twilight" (Rikirta Part 3)
Uldrem seconds the burly figure's suggestion.
"If we're planning on killing the orc guard, I could try and animate his corpse if you want a companion.
We'll have to hide some of it's wounds and will stink of rot after a few hours, they'll probably never notice it since I've never seen an orc take a bath, but it would help make your presence convincing. It doesn't talk though so you'll have to do the talking once someone comes by.
Of course, I'll only do this if you permit it."
The wood elf continues to sit and sketch some things in her book. "The size of the tower makes approaching unseen easy. We can wait for the patrol to pass some distance and sneak behind them along the wall of the tower. Once we near the door I can provide an area of silence that would prevent the orc at the door to raise the alarm, even they use the stone."
“By Kord, I almost forgot that I do have a potion of Greater Invisibility.”
Halsen - Human Monk - Winter Splendor
Aradurk - Half-Orc Fighter - Barty's Blade Bizarre
Aradurk - Half-Orc Fighter - Betrayal at Devilsfall
Aradurk - Half-Orc Fighter - Barty's "The Hidden War" (Doom Portals Part 4A)
Aradurk - Half-Orc Fighter - Barty's "The Whispered Word (Doom Portals Part 5)
Garu - Tabaxi Paladin - Barty's "Beyond Twilight" (Rikirta Part 3)
"I know a few spells, a short teleport and the ability to freeze someone in place for a short while" he smiles and continues "Apart from that I'm mostly good at chopping my enemies into small pieces.."
Vhon - Level 2 Warlock - What shall become of the Drunken Sailor?
Lyreis - Level 6 Elf Fighter - Eberron: Omega
DM - Dzenda: The Cracks - DM - Dzenda: Whispered Tales
"Good, good, we have a lot of options there. Y'lovisa is correct, with the size of the tower we should have a short window where we can make our stealthy approach and quickly eliminate the guard at the door. Then, Aradurk can take his place, or Uldrem can raise his corpse. Makes me shiver, necromancy, but I like that better than losing Aradurk's axe in the tower.
Once that grisly business is done, we need to take out the interior guards quickly and quietly, before they have a chance to warn the patrol outside. There's no way I can get the time I need if a hundred orcs learn we're in there. Then we need to capture, not kill, the NAGPU goblins inside. There needs to be at least one guard on the goblins at all times. They're crafty buggers. It is imperative that we disguise our motive at this stage. Do whatever you can to hide our identities and our purpose.
Then, we secure the kobold supervisor and interrogate him separately. If anybody knows how to get into the vault, it's him, and that will save us a lot of headache. Then, we escort me to the vault, and while I get to work on cracking the combination, you'll sweep the upper levels for stragglers and disarm any traps. Then, we set a lookout on the upper levels. If we're going to have a smelly corpse keeping watch, we need to know if someone is coming to swap places," Fumbles explains, once again pausing for input.
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"Alright, dead silence means either you all completely understand or not at all. Let's hope for all our sakes it's the former. Moving on, once the vault has been cracked we will need to escape the tower with the loot. If the tower has been properly gathered under our control you will have plenty of time to loot the non-vault levels, but you must clear the tower of anything remotely related to our appearance. Anything you bring, you are leaving with as well. We also need to destroy any bodies we leave behind and prepare a distraction to help our escape. Then we'll only have to determine a way to carry the loot, leave behind some clues to misdirect any suspicion that comes our way before we hightail it out of there.
Now then, let's get some ideas out there. I have thoughts but you're the experts. How do we get this done?" Fumbles concludes.
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“I know a back door specialist that used to carry ball bearings all the time in case he got cornered. We could check on that. As for bodies, I have seen fire do a number on bodies out on the battlefield but probably not as elegant. Any alchemical supply places we have access to?
Karst - you still got that bag of holding?”
Halsen - Human Monk - Winter Splendor
Aradurk - Half-Orc Fighter - Barty's Blade Bizarre
Aradurk - Half-Orc Fighter - Betrayal at Devilsfall
Aradurk - Half-Orc Fighter - Barty's "The Hidden War" (Doom Portals Part 4A)
Aradurk - Half-Orc Fighter - Barty's "The Whispered Word (Doom Portals Part 5)
Garu - Tabaxi Paladin - Barty's "Beyond Twilight" (Rikirta Part 3)
The elf continues to write furiously. "Excuse my silence. You have quite a few details to sort through, procedures we need to follow... and I am far from an expert when it comes to planning a heist." Y'lovisa clears her throat and continues, "You said we don't want to kill any of the union goblins... Is there one floor where we may find them? Do you have an idea if their numbers?" Looking to the half-orc at the mention of fire, a mischievous grin comes to her face. "Buring bodies may create a lot of smoke and draw attention from the outside. Perhaps...," she begins to scan the handout on the layout of the floors, "We may find something in the lab to more discreetly dispose of the bodies. Or maybe one of the caged creatures will be hungry?"
Aradurk grins broadly.
”Damn - I like the way this elf thinks.“
He looks around the room: “What are we missing?”
Halsen - Human Monk - Winter Splendor
Aradurk - Half-Orc Fighter - Barty's Blade Bizarre
Aradurk - Half-Orc Fighter - Betrayal at Devilsfall
Aradurk - Half-Orc Fighter - Barty's "The Hidden War" (Doom Portals Part 4A)
Aradurk - Half-Orc Fighter - Barty's "The Whispered Word (Doom Portals Part 5)
Garu - Tabaxi Paladin - Barty's "Beyond Twilight" (Rikirta Part 3)