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

[Alethan]

OOC: Yes, sorry, that was a typo. It's just casting Continual Light on the end of a stick. Not sure what would happen if you tried to light the torch after CL was cast on it. I'm not interested in trying to find out, though...

Earc looks concerned when the goblin starts shrieking and then relieved when Olaf immediately puts an end to it. He continues listening at the door for a moment to see if it draws any attention. If it doesn't...

"Check the goblin for a key for the metal door. Or..." Earc moves to the metal door and examines it to see how long it has been since the door has been operated. Do the hinges and lock look oiled? rusted? dusty? clean?

OOC: For mapping purposes, I'd like to know which way north is in the room. Earc asked Olaf IC, but never got an answer...

[Alethan]

I don't know that we ever decided what we all took with us.

Failing to decide is a decision itself. You brought the chests and packed the unclaimed weapons/armor, all on the mule, and otherwise left things as-is. If you want to have brought some torches, that's acceptable.

OOC: Earc packed the gemstones into his backpack and left the small chest they were in. I have them noted on my inventory.

[Marullus]

Dwarves don't automatically know north. I don't tell you unless you've bought a compass.

Earc inspects the metal door. It is indeed rusty and uncared for; it has been many centuries since the door had a caretaker. That doesn't mean it has been unused - the hinges appear to have been worked infrequently, but the rust was forced open at least once relatively recently.

Olaf gingerly moves the runty goblin corpse to the side and inspects the area exposed when he moved the benches. The woolen blanket and bedroll are similar to your own and sized for human use, but here they are rigged to provide the roof and walls of a blanket fort. An empty lantern sits derelict within, and twine from an unthreaded rope has been used to hang coins and gems decoratively like garland around the interior. You can imagine them sparkling with the lantern light inside the small enclosure. The area is also littered with ink-drawings on about twenty pieces of parchment - illegible script that, even understanding goblin - looks like gibberish combined with rather good drawings of strange scenes.

Goods:

6gp, 6sp, 7cp

pale blue lapis lazuli (10 GP)
blue quartz (10 GP)
large dull banded red and white sardonyx (25 GP)
cracked black jet (75 GP)
cloudy light green jade (75 GP)
cloudy pale blue-green aquamarine (75 GP)
green zircon (75 GP)
blue jasper (75 GP)
black obsidian (100 GP)
banded black onyx (100 GP)
deep blue lapis lazuli (100 GP)
large brilliant light green jade (1,000 GP)

An ornate iron dwarf-work key

Parchment drawings include:
- A pillar of fire with an angry face and groping arms.
- An all-black featureless figure menacing a terrified little goblin.
- Many sad-faced goblin pictures
- A distorted and stretched human face, screaming, with chains on its edges
- goblins kicking smaller goblins

Date: 11:00am, 19 July 2021
Light: Earc's glowstick, Issachar's Lantern (until 2:00pm)
Effects: None
Injuries: Issachar (minor injury), Olaf (superficial injury)

[Zhym]

Olaf feels even worse seeing the blanket fort and the drawings. Did he murder a goblin child, or a goblin idiot? There is no honor in either. He wonders again what the cost to his soul is of retaking the tower. Even the fine jade, which under other circumstances would have widened his eyes in appreciation, does little to lift his mood.

As the others filter through the loot and prepare for their next move, Olaf kneels before the altar of Moradin. Setting his hammer before him, he prays for divine guidance. Were his actions just or cruel in the eyes of Moradin?

More pragmatically, this might have been a good one to charm. Looks like it was a runt that was tormented by other goblins, so it might not have needed much convincing to rat the others out. Sorry about that.

[Alethan]

Earc frowns as he sorts through the drawings, paying particular attention to the pillar of fire with the face, the black featureless figure, and the distorted stretched human face with chains.

"These don't look promising..."

He nods at the gems, "Someone else should take these, just so we don't keep all of the treasure in one basket. We can divide it all up later."

Then he picks up the ornate iron dwarven key with a smile. "This might come in handy," he adds as he glances over at the iron door.

He checks to see if the key fits within the lock of the iron door. Even if it does, he keeps it closed and locked.

"We should check the wooden door first and see where it goes. I feel safer having a locked door behind us, especially if we have the key to it."

[Marullus]

The key does not fit the iron door's lock.

[Rusty Tincanne]

Seeing the miserable-looking goblin makes Winnie flinch with surprise. Olaf's reaction makes her gasp in horror, but she recovers quickly. Storming a tower is bloody work. That one might have been useful as a guide, though. She packs the offered gems and then inspects the drawings. let us hope this is all imagination. she checks the floor under the blanket fort for loose stones, thumping lightly with her staff.

Gems added to sheet.

[Bluehorse]

Bianca

Joins Winnie in searching.

[Stirling]

Issachar

Takes the pictures. "They are the realised fears of the dark." he says wondering if any exist or they are just the fruit of immature dreams.

Checking the goblins tent he wants to assess if the goblin lived here ( food and water sources, utensils) or it is a guard post. He doesn't expect the goblin to be here alone.

[Marullus]

Winnie tucks away the string of garland tied up with coins and gems into her bag. Bianca and Issachar join her, searching for anything of greater import under the blanket fort. They find nothing - the floor appears solid, there are no signs of weapons. It does seem the goblin hid and lived in the blanket fort among the extra bedrolls and it has the trash wrappers of many meals. The wrappings reveal that they were preserved rations packed at the butcher shop in Gaul. Issachar packs along the drawings.

Olaf struggles with remorse. He kneels down, placing his hammer at the anvil and praying devoutly to Moradin. As Earc ponders the iron door, he hears the lock click open on it's own accord.

Date: 11:10am, 19 July 2021
Light: Earc's glowstick, Issachar's Lantern (until 2:00pm)
Effects: None
Injuries: Issachar (minor injury), Olaf (superficial injury)

[Rusty Tincanne]

If there is more than one, I will charm it. So don't attack. She readies herself to cast Charm Person on whatever is unlocking the door.

A guide to the upper level would be nice.

[Zhym]

"Try to charm it," corrects Olaf. He doesn't understand why the witch woman only wants to charm a goblin if there are others around to argue with it, but he's happy not to attack unless attacked.

[Marullus]

Olaf rises from his prayerful position and takes up a defensive stance. They all wait... But the door doesn't open. After several minutes, there is another click and the door locks re-engage.

Date: 11:20am, 19 July 2021
Light: Earc's glowstick, Issachar's Lantern (until 2:00pm)
Effects: None
Injuries: Issachar (minor injury), Olaf (superficial injury)

[Zhym]

"What the...?" wonders Olaf. "Nah, it canna be." He returns to his previous position before the altar, wondering.

[Bluehorse]

Bianca

Hearing Olaf, she blinks and walks over to join him, curiosity in her often worried eyes. She looks down, following his gaze as she leans down a bit. "Did you find something?"

[Rusty Tincanne]

Winnie is perplexed about the almost-encounter. Seeing Olaf's reaction, she wonders if it might have been an answer to his prayer. She waits to see if anything comes of him returning to prayer, unsure if she wants to meet a god other than her own. She has heard they are fickle. She moves toward the wooden door in case she needs a quick escape.

[Alethan]

Earc eyes Olaf carefully to make sure he repeats his previous actions exactly. He listens for the door to unlock again, ready to do so if it does.

[Marullus]

Olaf returns to the altar, kneeling curiously. He makes sure his knees are just-so, and his hammer is placed correctly, then sits, wondering.

Everyone else watches.

Nothing happens.

Date: 11:30am, 19 July 2021
Light: Earc's glowstick, Issachar's Lantern (until 2:00pm)
Effects: None
Injuries: Issachar (minor injury), Olaf (superficial injury)

[onlyme]

Halfpint suggests it was just a guard, perhaps. Which means they may have been tipped off to trouble.

[Alethan]

Earc looks around to see if he perhaps triggered the door to unlock with some sort of hidden switch or button...