Expedition: Fingers/Treasure of Yoldessi Plains- 30 Aug 2021

[Marullus]

Correct.

Fastest route to the other towers is on top of the wall. The ground floor entrances are within the "lordly Manors" accessible from the courtyards.

[Zhym]

Fingers pokes under the rubble, almost as a formality, just in case the gargoyles accidentally brought something valuable up with the rocks and coffin lids. But he doesn't expect to find anything.

"Hey, guys? I just thought of something," he says. "If the gargoyles want to avoid us, they can just hop between towers. Say we all traipse over to the tower on the left there. When we get to the door, they all fly over here. Then when we trudge back here, they fly back over there. That'd get old real fast."

"The only way I see this working is if we sneak up on 'em unseen again—which means we all have to be invisible. Winnie, how long would you need to study to make us all invisible?"

[Marullus]

"If we rest until tomorrow, I can make four people invisible, but then will only prepare magic missiles and no webs," Winnie replies.

[Zhym]

Fingers counts heads. "Four, huh? And there are seven of us, including the dogs—and I'm not letting Sprinkles be the only one the gargoyles can see! Even if I rely on my sneakiness and this nifty cloak and you tell Mrs. Dash to stay inside where she's safe, that's still one person the gargoyles could see. Hm."

He sighs and, once he's sure there's nothing else interesting to see on top of the tower, heads back down.

"We could wait another day before attacking," he continues when he's inside. "That'd let us make everyone invisible and let you have most of your web spells. But damn it'd be boring." He sits down next to Sprinkles and thinks while he scratches his dog on the head and feeds him treats. Sprinkles hasn't seen much of the recent action, which is just how Fingers likes it.

After a while, Fingers speaks up again. "Okay, I have an idea that's either really great or really stupid. The other gargoyles saw what we just did, right? So they'd expect us to try what I just suggested: get invisible, sneak over there, then attack them. So how about we make them think that's what we're doing—but really, most of us would still be here, waiting for them? Winnie, you'd make Markd, Bandy, and Heingist invisible. That'd let you keep a spot open for a web spell. I'd tell Sprinkles to stay here, inside. Then I'd sneak over to one of the other towers, get in, climb to the top, and open the trap door to the roof. The gargoyles will think it's the whole group getting ready to attack, and they'll fly over here—where Markd, Bandy, and Hengist are waiting to whomp 'em! Great idea, huh?"

"Oh, wait. The other towers might not be empty. Dammit. I'd need some backup in case there are monsters in the other tower. Or maybe I'd just need to be really truly invisible. Hm."

[DavetheLost]

The invisible sneak attack might work once. But as soon as we attack we're visible with no way to become invisible again.

The gargoyles don't seem to pay much attention to what's going on, but that could change. If they are keeping watch, they saw what just happened here. Maybe they will oblige by flying over like Fingers' plan wants them to do.[

Still, sneaking over invisibly is the best plan I can think of. Anybody else? says Hengist.

[onlyme]

Markd agrees that they probably need to root out the gargoyles from each place rather than just waiting on them and invisibility seems the safest way to ambush.
He suggests taking all the silver and other collectibles below the ceiling trap door to some safety, first.

I dont really care which route we take. Going invisible works for me. I will be completely out of pocket for the next two weeks. I doubt I will even be able to check in at all.

If he needs to recruit the soldiers to assist in any way, please do.

[Alethan]

Bandy agrees with bringing the treasures down below. He helps Fingers in more thoroughly searching through the rubble, looking for anything else of value.

[Marullus]

The party wrestles the silver coffin lids down to the vestibule inside the front doors so you can figure how to get the 100lb slabs home later. Taking some time to pick through the pebbles that were gargoyles and the detritus of the rooftop you find six gemstones among the mess. Fingers is able to appraise them for you.

500lbs of silver
4 cracked red-flecked green bloodstone (50gp each)
1 small blue-green turquoise (75gp)
1 perfect deep blue azurite (100gp)


The rooftop thoroughly searched, you resume deliberations about how to handle the other rooftops, which are on the wizard tower to your left and the gargoyle's lair to your right.

Date: 7:01pm, 07 September 2021
Light: Winnie's continual light
Effects: None
Injuries: Hengist (minorly injured), Bandy (minorly injured)

[Zhym]

Fingers assays and assesses the haul so far. "Well, we still aren't going to be able to retire on this, but it's something."

"Okay, so maybe I've been overthinking things. If the worst problem we have today is that gargoyles fly away from us, it'll be a pretty good day. So let's just head to the gargoyle lair tower. We're in good shape, so let's do it now—though we should make the dogs invisible sometime so they aren't as likely to get hurt in combat. But I guess that doesn't have to happen now if you're out of invisibility spells, Winnie. In the meantime, I'm gonna keep between Sprinkles and anything attacking him."

Assuming the others agree, Fingers will lead the group (from behind) across the wall to the gargoyle tower. If they reach a door to that tower without being attacked, hit by a trap, or otherwise rudely interrupted, he'll inspect the door, check for traps, and try to pick the lock, assuming there is one.

Hope that's not too many actions, but with infrequent updates I figured it makes sense to give more information about our plans as opposed to less.

[DavetheLost]

That plan sounds good, Fingers. says Hengist.

Shield raised and mace in hand he will join the group in making their way to the gargoyle tower.

[Alethan]

Bandy nods in agreement, hoping this second venture is more like the first and less like trying to fight the elf in the cellar...

[Marullus]

Fingers leads, hidden by his cloak, while the others follow behind. Sunset soon upon you, you scurry in the light of dusk across the curtain wall to reach the gargoyle's tower at the far end. Hengist brandishes mace and shield, the Pendyrn crest upon it showing a tower quartered with a spring of mistletoe.

The six gargoyles all flap into the sky, holding large chunks of rubble in their talons. As you are exposed, running across the curtain wall, they swoop by, dropping the hunks of stone to hit you! Chunks of stone crash into the curtain wall, missing one after another. One comes careening at Hengist, who's shield interposes itself neatly, deflecting the flying rubble almost on its own. Another almost brains Bandy, but he ducks in time and lets the stone shatter a crenelation. The gargoyles swoop back up to get more hunks of stone as you run the rest of the way across the curtain wall.

They are taking off again for another run at you when Fingers fiddles with the lock on the tower's door and - pop! - it springs open. You all pile through the door as the stones come raining down again, now safe from the bombardment by Finger's quick execution of skill.

You have made it into the tower interior by grace and luck, all of the gargoyles aloft trying to drop things on you. You have a moment alone before they can attempt to come in either the top trapdoor or the wall's door. You realize this is a simpler tower than the one on the castle, but larger inside. The chamber you are in is one large living area for a long-ago garrison without any sub-rooms. A stairway leads up almost two stories to the trapdoor above which must be the roof -- right now it sits open to the reddish sky above. You see no access down, and realize that the bottom floor below you is solid filled stone... there is no lower access after all, making the tower more defensible under seige. The room you are in is the lair of the gargoyles, rough beds of old rotted fabric here and there, but seeing little use as they tend to roost above now. Gathered goods that might once have been important to them, plus belongings of the former garrison, are a chaotic mess here.

Actions?

Date: 7:05pm, 07 September 2021
Light: Winnie's continual light
Effects: None
Injuries: Hengist (minorly injured), Bandy (minorly injured)

[1d20] = 5[1d20] = 2[1d20] = 1[1d20] = 17[1d20] = 11[1d20] = 13
Target [1d5] = 3[1d5] = 1 damage [2d6] = 6[2d6] = 2
First is blocked by Hengist's magic shield. Second just misses Bandy.
Pick lock (55%) [1d100] = 31

[Zhym]

Fingers shuts the door and looks for a way to bar the door. If he doesn't see anything that will suit, he hides on one side of the door where he can attack from behind any gargoyle that rushes into the room.

"Crap! I didn't think about them dropping stuff on us!" he says, panting. "I guess we should have gone invisible after all. Hey, next time I say we're overthinking things, someone smack me in the head, okay?"

Wow. That managed to avoid going as horribly wrong as it could have.

Marullus, can a thief "pick" an open lock so that it's locked again?

[Marullus]

Wow. That managed to avoid going as horribly wrong as it could have.

Marullus, can a thief "pick" an open lock so that it's locked again?

Yep, pretty lucky!
Yes, you can. Please note, though, that the trapdoor above is also open.

[Zhym]

One point of entry for the gargoyles is better than two, I figure. Unless others disagree?

Oh, and if Fingers does re-lock the door, does he need another lock picking attempt to unlock it again? If so, there's a chance Fingers could lock us all inside. Not optimal...

[Marullus]

...also yes.

[Alethan]

Bandy does not disagree.

Is there any use in Bandy making a more thorough search of the scattered goods, looking for anything valuable that was not perishable?

OOC: I'm out of town for work this week. At Seattle, WA. Aside from work, hiked Mt. Rainier yesterday and today hiked a trail with three waterfalls.

Won't be back until late Friday evening. Access is sketchy for the most part until then.

[Zhym]

I’d suggest waiting to search for loot until the combat is over. We might have a round before the gargoyles swoop in to attack, or they might do it this round. Probably not enough time to poke through the rubble either way.

We probably want either Bandy or Markd to run up the stairs and take on any gargoyles that come in through the trapdoor, right? The other could stay by the side door. Or else both could head up and Fingers and Heingist would try to block the door with rubble.

Marullus, does the side door open inward or out?

Also, that sounds like a great trip!

[Marullus]

The door opens inward.

[onlyme]

Back from Trip of a Lifetime (well until I save enough money for a repeat) to Italy...
Keep in mind, last tower we had to tame a bunch of ghosts, so running up to the trapdoor may not be as simple as it sounds.
Other than that, I agree the sooner we get there and start swatting the better.