Expedition: Earc/Guhra's Tower - 15 July 2021

[Zhym]

Olaf looks like he ate a whole lot of something that won't work its way out of his system. "Ye expect them to do fer theyselves out there?" he asks Bianca. "Adopt 'em or kill 'em be the only options if we be clearing out this tower," he says. "Anything else just be leaving them to die some other way."

[Alethan]

Earc turns to Bianca and says, "Let me show you something I found in their gear. You would find it to be of great interest, I think. Winnie, come join me. "

He tries to lead the two women out of the room so Issachar can do his work.

[Marullus]

Do Bianca and Winnie go out with Earc?

[Rusty Tincanne]

Winnie is not easily duped. And she will not turn a blind eye to battles of life and death. She and Bianca have tried what they may to assist these gnolls and their pups. She does not go with Earc, but she does stand clear of the doorway in case they bolt for freedom.

[Alethan]

If they don't follow, he shrugs his shoulders and leaves the room anyway. He returns with the cloth shirt of chainmail and hands it to Bianca.

"This will protect you without interfering with your casting abilities. You should put it on now. Or... I mean once we give you a bit of privacy to do so."

[Zhym]

Olaf, unable to watch what he knows what must happen, turns and faces the door, ready to fight whatever comes running at the sound of the screaming pups.

[Bluehorse]

. He returns with the cloth shirt of chainmail and hands it to Bianca.

"This will protect you without interfering with your casting abilities. You should put it on now. Or... I mean once we give you a bit of privacy to do so."

She nods and accepts it. "Thank you, sir. I will... she does have the grace to blush a little as she sets it aside, moving to the other side of the threshold, but keeps a line of sight. She holds her staff at ready, inverted so the creasent is downward fir any escaping gnolls.

think hockey goalie

[Stirling]

Issachar

"Most Holy Gwanwen, receive the crimson river of ..." , the cleric prays as he goes about his cheerful task.

[Marullus]

Bianca pleads, "Please, leave out and you will grow strong and hunt one day. Please, you cannot hope to stand up to these men today. This is your only chance." The pups retreat further at the warning, rather than heading for the door. They hunker down under the benches, some whimpering at their mother's bodies, some howling in remorse. The two mothers lie on the floor unconscious, the pool of blood spreading slowly around them.

Issachar first reaches in to grapple a mewling pup but it fights back unexpectedly - the first blood he spills for Gwanwen is his own (fumble, well described, -3).

Winnie is disappointed that none of the unweaned pups flee their mothers. Earc considers how to parse their belongings, Bianca finding some privacy with which to try on the chainmail tunic, her whims changing abruptly.

Issachar grabs another pup and his blade offers tribute, tossing the first slain pup next to it's mother and reaching for the second.

Funil and Drunil step out, back to the previous room, and vomit.

Date: 2:16pm, 18 July 2021
Light: Torchlight in sconces
Effects: Invisibility potions until 2:20pm
Injuries: Olaf (Minor injury), Issachar (minor injury)

Bianca: CHA [5d6] = 17 morale [2d6] = 9

[Rusty Tincanne]

I somehow missed that the mothers we're unconscious...
Winnie reasons that the gnolls' deaths are guaranteed and hopes that, at the least, further suffering can be avoided. She enters the room, dagger in hand, and deftly slits their unconscious throats. She leaves Isaachar to his butchering. If it must be done, do it cleanly, cleric. I have never heard that Gwanwen requires suffering and pain, merely blood. A mournful ballad of love and loss fills the chamber as it echoes off the stone walls, the pitch chosen based on the pups' own mournful mewling. Tears stream down the young witch's face.

[Zhym]

Olaf struggles to keep his composure. "Watch the door," he says. Returning to the previous room, he tries each of the swords to see if they would be better than his own weapons.

[Marullus]

Well, they're in the "dying, bleed out in three rounds" state. I was leaving the option to bind up the mothers and leave them with the pups if you wished. Since everyone's reconciled with killing them all, just post your last RP and we'll wrap up Issachar's deed. You can then gather the loot and go through Olaf's door.

[Marullus]

Winnie gives the mothers a swifter end. Issachar offers his prayers and ritualistically slits the throat of each struggling humanoid pup in turn. After several very long minutes, the chambers fall into a somber silence, the party members looking at each other, now alone.

Date: 2:25pm, 18 July 2021
Light: Torchlight in sconces
Effects: None
Injuries: Olaf (Minor injury), Issachar (minor injury)

[Zhym]

"We be leaving that out of any songs about what we did here, ye ken?" says Olaf as he tests the swords.

Huh. For some reason, I thought the rule that negative HP means "bleeding out, but can be saved" applied only to PCs.

[Rusty Tincanne]

We got a GUAL!!!! Woot!

Knowing her own (lack of) strength, Winnie leaves the bodies where they lay and moves to the chests, looking at them for details - locks, markings, etc.

[Marullus]

Three of the chests are sturdy, southron lockboxes, the hasps and padlocks broken off. The other two are complex Eluarian chests, much smaller (about two feet square) and with internal lock mechanisms. There is marring on the hinges and seams but each appears still intact and locked.

[onlyme]

Halfpint looks around the room for exits, and will go toward the first one she finds (other than the one they came in from) and listens for sounds of others.

[Marullus]

There is one other exit besides where you entered, a closed but not locked door which Olaf had been guarding before going to inspect the swords. Halfpint listens at the door intently, but doesn't hear anything particular on the other side.

Olaf tries out each of the swords, considering each in turn. The final sword, a bastard sword glowing with a warm yellow light, seems best to him.

Winnie contemplates the five chests. Issachar cleans the blood of puppies from his small blade.

Date: 2:35pm, 18 July 2021
Light: Torchlight in sconces
Effects: None
Injuries: Olaf (Minor injury), Issachar (minor injury)

[Alethan]

Earc re-enters the room with the chests and asks Olaf and Isaachar to help him move the gnoll bodies in this room to an area against a wall in the fountain room that is farthest away from the doors and the fountain. He makes sure they likewise gather any young that were in the fountain room and moves them there, as well, making sure the young ones are covered by the larger bodies. Once that is done, he gathers everyone around.

"Let's sort this out a bit, shall we? Funil, Drunil - I need you two to move all of the gnoll corpses into a pile in the other room. As far to the side as possible, away from the doors and the bath, ok? We've already moved the bodies from this room to that area. Looks like we have three unlocked chests and two that the gnolls found and couldn't unlock themselves. Anyone here good with locks? Halfpint? If not, we can take them back to town and find someone to help us there. Let's see what's in the other three chests. And there was good gear in the other room; I think anyone who can use any of that gear now should take it up. I believe anything made from Ellurian steel is going to have magical properties. I can test it all after a rest, if you want. We can sort out the rest later."

Items found:

• Ellurian steel longsword with supple blue dragon-scale hiltwraps
• Ellurian steel longsword with red-steel folded into the bladework
• A Southron steel longsword with sturdy crossbar
• A Southron steel longsword notched from frequent use
• Ellurian steel bastard sword which glows faintly with its own soft yellow light
• Ellurian steel bastard sword with a blue sheen in its folded-steel blade
• Ellurian steel shortsword with running horse engraving (CURRENTLY POSSESSED BY EARC)
• Finely-wrought heavy flail with Ellurian steel chain
• Ellurian steel banded mail armor
• A finely-embossed kite shield, the edges embellished with thick metal plating and decorated with engraved words.
• Ellurian steel chainmail woven fine as linen (CURRENTLY POSSESSED BY BIANCA)
• A mighty rounded heater shield, the edges embellished with double rows of metal studs and decorated with feather-like metalwork.
• Five sets of well-made Southron chainmail
• Four Southron longbows
• Four quivers with 15 goose-feathered Southron arrows, each.

"Isaachar, can you get use of that heavy flail and banded mail? If so, you should take them. Halfpint, can you wield either of those bastard swords? I have a magical shortsword if you cannot. What about the rounded shield? That might suit you."

"Also," he adds, "I have no more offensive spells available to me at the moment, not until I rest for a night, anyway. We should consider if we want to rest outside, near the waterfall, or if we want to maybe try and hole up here in this room. Though it might seem like resting here would be safer, I've always felt more comfortable sleeping with the stars visible over my head."

[onlyme]

Halfpint mentions that she cannot use any of the remaining swords or armor, as they are too big.
She also describes her clumsiness in lock picking, but would be willing to try.
Can we tell if they have traps? I've never really been close to traps before, so dont know what to look for.