Chapter 3: Magically Delicious

ooc: re: Alterith's ooc post - Yeah I was really confused too. The hideout is about a week away, so there's no point in going there and then coming back. I'm going to assume that you guys just leave stuff in your inn rooms.

Any money you try to pay the innkeepers is returned to your rooms.

The group sets out to find the chef's abode. After a few hours of searching for their actual location...

Here's what we'll do to find Andolyn and Gendrew's home among the three locations:

Designate one group member to make the primary check. You can either use Search or Knowledge (nature). The rest of you also make Search checks - your successes will give a bonus to the primary searcher. We'll go from there.

Search: 21 (Rasa) + 0 (Krytox) + 0 (Alterith) + 0 (Squin) = 21

Even as half the group appears occupied with other things, they manage to locate Gendrew and Andolyn's dwelling without too much trouble. It's a small cottage nestled in a grove of maple trees. The sun shines brightly and the air is warm... but nothing like the stifling humidity of the peninsula marshland they had been in just recently.

The group begins their approach through the grove towards the unassuming structure. Light smoke trails delicately out of the brick chimney. If it were not for the stillness of the air around the home and the eerily quiet tension in the wildlife around them, it looks like it would have made for a wonderful summer getaway.

Nothing seems unusual about the grove of maple trees - just a few rows of them planted around the cottage to form sort of a front lawn area (the way a wall might be arranged). It does take a little maneuvering around them to get a view of the windows, which are dark inside. The only visible door from the front is the front door.

Alterith wyrms his small body through the trees and approaches the front door. Sneaking around the house of someone you are supposed to be helping is a good way to get shot...a lesson Rasa has taught him the hard way on a few separate occasions. The thought brings a smile to his face as he remembers pulling the crossbow quarrel out of his friends backside. Upon reaching the door he raises the knocker and brings it down 2 times, solidly, then waits for an answer.

Krytox wanders aimlessly behind Rasa. He would keep his eyes open, but deferring to the expert was the best option right now. After a short time, a small cry of success reaches the lizardman's ears. Behind a wall of trees was the cottage they were seeking. Krytox saw Alterith scurry between the trees, but he realized he might not have the same success. The gaps in the trees were narrow. Hopefully there was another way, otherwise he would have to struggle to force his way through.

For now he was content staying just outside the ring. Rasa and Alterith could approach the cottage and he and Squin could hang back. It might be better that way anyway. Having a big blackscale standing on one's doorstep might not seem like the most welcoming thing. He didn't want any incidents, so the other two could explain their purpose. They were mages after all, who knows of what they are capable?

Following Krytox's example, Squin trails Rasa a ways back so as to not bother or interfere with the expert. Hearing the cry, Squin looks up and sees the halfling hurrying towards the door. Seeing the blackscale stop, the centaur looks around and realizes that the gaps would be hard to get through, and perhaps a larger group with larger creatures might make the couple more nervous than they need to be, and accidents might happen. With mages, accidents that happen tend to hurt a lot, if you're still around afterwards.

Standing behind Alterith and Rasa (who stands behind the halfling, poised to strike just in case). the group awaits an answer from within. Nothing responds to Alterith's polite and brief knock. More moments pass, and the outside of the cottage remains undisturbed.

The group tentaively tries the doorknob, much to the dismay of some. But thankfully, there is no trap - it appears to be simply a front door that is unlocked, and could to be entered through, should the group wish.

ooc: If you want to enter through the front door, go right ahead. Otherwise, if you want to leave the front door be and look for another way in, whoever would have tried the door (Alterith?) make a Sleight of Hand or Dexterity check to see how deftly you tried twisting the old doorknob without alerting anyone's attention from inside.

Everyone, make Spot and Listen checks.

Spot:

Random number (1,20) :

20

Listen:

Random number (1,20) :

8

Alterith watches as Rasa examines the doorknob. "We're not here to break in on them, we're here to make sure they remain undisturbed by anyone in the area...though we need to make sure nothing untoward has happened before our arrival."

Alterith calls out to those inside while knocking louder. "Ahoy to those inside, we come on behalf of Leland-Sir, seeking Gendrew Amnell and his fair wife, the wizardess Andolyn. If there are such about please respond that we might know you remain safe."

Alterith stands calmly hoping for an answer. If none is forthcoming and no sound disturbs the interior he will knock again as he opens the door and looks inside, he is not attempting to be stealthy at all as he doesn't really want any attacks to come his way in misunderstanding.

Krytox stays behind the trees, but keeps a keen eye on the cottage and his companions efforts. It didn't seem like much was happening, especially considering that Alterith was nearly yelling into the cottage. Without much else to do, the lizardman simply makes idle chat with Squin while scoping out their surroundings.

"Not get trident? Too late?" he questions, already knowing what the answer would be. "We get later..." he trails off. The other two didn't appear to be making any progress, but they were giving every opportunity for the elderly couple to present themselves.

"Why not answer...?" speaking his thoughts aloud.


Spot: 19 + 3 = 22
Listen: 14 + 1 = 15

Rasa glances around and surveys the scene. He first wanted to make sure there were no threats, as there is always an impending trap in his way.....

"There is the off chance that this is one of their 2 fake residencies? I would suggest that we take a look inside and see before we go though...... just in case....

Listen: 14 + 10 = 24
Spot: 2 + 10 = 12
Search (traps/things of note in house): 17+10 = 27

Nothing seems unusual as the group tensely prepares to enter the silent house. The trees and rustling leaves all seem to hold their breath along with the adventurers. A friendly home that does not respond to visitors? Can this be right?

Rasa and Alterith find themselves in the living room area of the house. This decently-sized, cozy room with earthen hues of brown, yellow and red has a large sofa and an overstuffed chair facing a stone fireplace in one corner. A small reading table sits next to a window. A book lies open on the wooden table with solid, ornately-carved legs. Archways open into a dining room on one side and a hall on the other.

Even though there's no one in this room, and it is filled with nothing but furniture and other household objects, the atmosphere feels... strange.

The house remains quiet.

ooc: At this moment, Rasa and Alterith are just inside the doorway, and Squin and Krytox are still out behind the trees.

The hair on the back of his neck rises as his nerves are set on end. His senses are heightened as the realization settles on him that something just isn't right with this situation. He looks out of the corner of his eye at Rasa and loosens the bindings on his axe and slips a masterwork dagger from his boot sheath and grasps it in a reverse grip with his right hand, the blade lying upwards against his forearm.

"HELLO? IS ANYONE HOME?" Alterith calls into the quiet house.

As he steps further into the room he drops his voice into a more normal tone. "We were sent by Leland-Sir to assist you in your preparations. If there is someone about the house please answer us."

He only waits for a few moments more before moving deeper into the house through the hall. He keeps his eyes open for any signs of trouble and his ears seek the slightest noise that would call out the presence of others, friendly or otherwise.

Spot:

Random number (1,20) :

13

Listen:

Random number (1,20) :

2

Rasa Casually waits as the halfling makes his move. there really was no point to stepping in on his fun. After all, he'd probably "accidently" kill someone if they popped out, friend or foe.

Krytox continues his idle banter with Squin, but keeps an eye on the other two entering the cottage. Something didn't seem to be right. Alterith continued yelling to get an answer, but went into the house anyway. If he had hairs, they might have been standing on his neck. Nothing had gone wrong yet, but his hand wandered to the newly acquired morning star... just in case.

Spot: 4 + 3 = 7
Listen: 17 + 1 = 18

ooc: Check PM.

The group can't discern much other sound - perhaps the floorboards are creaking too loudly. Rasa sees Alterith walk into the living room, towards the hallway, and peer down its length. Rasa does see the book lying on top of the smaller of the two tables, to the left of the open door. The stone-set fireplace features a small rack of metal tools painted black - a small ornate shovel, a long-handled, brush, and a poker. The chair's legs end in curled wooden feet, and the couch's legs appear similar. There are a few picture frames here and there decorating the walls, depicting various people and places.

After glancing in one of the rooms Alterith turns back to Rasa. He taps his ear, then points at a room across the hall. His dagger slides around in his hand to a more aggressive position and he crosses to look into that room, knowing Rasa will be covering him shortly.

Krytox starts to get a little impatient. They hadn't really been gone for that long, but there was also no indication that things were ok. Of course, there wasn't a huge concern, but given their last discovery of people they were looking for at the lighthouse, there was a sense of dread. He makes his way closer to the door to the cottage (B7) to see what was going on. He still had no intention of entering, as his presence could be too imposing, but he made sure he would be ready if it were required.

Craning his neck to look a little deeper through the door, he calls to Alterith and Rasa. "Things ok? They not home?" he inquires in a volume louder than normal speaking but quieter than a yell. He grips the morning star, just in case.

Spot: 2 + 3 = 5
Listen: 15 + 1 = 16

Rasa raises a finger in silence to the Blackscale. He'd say more, but he was more preoccupied at the moment. He realized exactly what the halfling said, as he was the one that taught him the drow sign language many moons ago. He whips out his dagger, and edges forth into the room to assist his comrade.

OOC: Moves to G6
Move Silently: 9+10 = 19
Draws dagger in right hand and gets ready to throw it if need be. Gauntlet is equipped and ready if need be.

ooc: And we're back! Let's go! =)

Outside, Krytox and Squin don't hear anything, but see Rasa's gesture to remain quiet. Meanwhile, down the hallway, Alterith crosses the hallway and opens the door...

A large bed dominates this room. Along the bottom wall are bookshelves above a writing desk. Half-open doors lead to a wardrobe and water closet, respectively. A bloody, battered man lies sprawled across the bed, tied at the wrists and ankles. A small bat-winged humanoid creature is perched on the desk, idly tearing books to pieces. Occasionally it fixes the man with an almost demonic glare. At the same time, the man seems to writhe with pain.

"Where is the dermomaxia?!" it screeches at him.
"I... don't... know...!" wails the man feebly.

From his voice, Alterith (and Rasa, though out of earshot of Krytox and Squin) can tell that the creature has probably asked him several times already.

Neither seem to notice Alterith.

This creature brings back memories. Memories of a much darker time. It doesn't belong here, not in this house, not on this shell. A quick slicing motion of his hand, and a jab to the side let Rasa know there is an enemy and where approximately in the room it is located. Not waiting to see if his friend is with him, the axe head is already in motion as Alterith slithers up behind the creature and attempts to remove it head from its shoulders.

Initiative:

Random number (1,20) :

18

Move Silently:

Random number (1,20) :

11

Attack:

Random number (1,20) :

15

Damage:

Random number (1,10) :

8

Krytox wasn't sure why he was being told to be quiet, but figured there must be a good reason for it. He lowers his voice and turns back to address Squin.

"Rasa say quiet. Not know why," he says in a soft voice. The body language of Rasa gave Krytox cause for concern, though without further information it would be difficult to act in a helpful way. He motions for Squin to join him closer to the house. He takes position at the corner of the cottage (C6) so he had a large area in his line of sight. He could only hope that things were OK and nothing foul had befallen the two living here.

Spot: 3 + 3 = 6
Listen: 15 + 1 = 16
Move Silently: 7 + 3 = 10

Rasa notices what's going on with Alterith, and starts to sign what's happening to the other two. after a few quick words, he realizes that the two won't understand a word he's saying with the code, so he does the generic "come here" sign with a bit of hurry, hoping they'll understand that there is trouble. He then flips his dagger to a good throwing position and enters the room ready to go.


Initiative: 11 + 4 = 15

hide: 4 + 6 =10
move silently : 11 + 8 = 19
Attack: 15+5 = 20
Damage: 3

ooc: Ok, no Squin this round. Rd 1 Initiative: Enemy 20, Alterith 18, Rasa 15

Alterith begins to sneak into the room to deliver what the halfling hopes will be the first and final blow to the demonic creature. Spot 20 However, its eyes, darting back and forth, scan over the doorway, and slitted pupils narrow and rest on the small muscled form lunging toward it. With a screech, the bat-winged creature swings its barbed tail at him. Atk 17 The halfling barely manages to avoid the blow, and throws one of his own that the creature dodges, the axe taking out a chunk of the wall next to them.

Rasa joins the fray, darting stealthily down the hallway with his dagger between his fingers. With only a partial vantage point of the room, Rasa barely sees the demonic creature just around the doorway, on top of the foot of a bed, and lets his dagger fly. -Partial Cover (wall), -Ranged into Melee Unfortunately, the attack misses.

Krytox and Squin hear the sounds of the fight from outside, and even as they prepare to respond accordingly, they notice the house shiftly ever so slightly... as if the entire structure is disturbed.

Alterith looks up in shock at the creature before him. The inhuman speed with which it avoided his attack leaves him wondering how the companions will fare against this creature. The though is gone in an instant as his own combat training takes over. His reactions might not be quite as quick as the creature but the creature is outnumbered 2 to 1 at the moment and that will soon change. Alterith jumps up on the bed, attempting to position himself between the man and the imp and also allowing the others to more fully enter the room. He takes another swing at the creature while a grin crosses his features.

"Oh, what a pretty little girl. You swing that tail like a parasol. I know you can do better, I've felt at more risk from falling branches in a healthy forest." activate feat Goad

Attack:+6

Random number (1,20) :

7

Dmg:+3

Random number (1,10) :

8

Shrugging in response to Krytox's comments, Squin follows the blackscale towards the house for a better view. He sees Rasa signal with his hands, but cannot make heads or tails of what the elf is trying to say. Just before the elf disappears deeper into the house, Squin sees a sign he understands, or at least he thinks he understands. Mumbling towards Krytox, "I think the elf wants us to enter the house now." Squin takes a step towards the house but stops as he blinks his eyes and tries to make sense of what he just saw. "Am I imagining things or did you see the house move a little?" Squin asks the blackscale. Nervous by the urgency in the elf's rush deeper into the house and what he thinks he just saw, Squin rests one hand on his falchion ready to draw in an instant.

Standing at the edge of the house, the centaur hesitates waiting for the lizardman to decide whether to follow the elf into the house or stay outside and figure out the shifting house (or if the shifting house was a figment of his imagination).

ooc: FYI, Alterith's hit during the first round (rolled 18 for 24 total) was a hit. Rather than edit previous posts, I've simply assessed the damage retroactively. The following bit is therefore important to note and should have taken place during the first round, when Alterith hit, not missed, the creature:

Alterith's axe gouges a gaping wound in the creature's sickly blue flesh. It's flayed apart in a shower of black blood. The creature gasps in pain, but it turns into a grin as the part of the wound heals almost instantly. One moment later, the flesh around its wound begins moving of its own accord, causing the once grievous-looking wound to recede until a much smaller hole is left. The blood flow has all but stopped too, and the flesh appears to continue to recover.

ooc: No Alex or Andrew for Round 2, I guess. I'm going to auto-play Rasa.

The demonic creature swipes its tail at Alterith again, the barbed tip swinging wide again. It leaps off the bed towards a corner of the room. The halfling retaliates, ridiculing the creature, causing it to see red as it begins focusing on the barbarian - at the same time, he leaps onto the bed and takes a swing, but the axe sails wide and the poor man on the bed gasps as the heavy axehead whooshes above his head. Rasa steps into the room and lets loose with another dagger, but that weapon misses as well.

Outside, the front door suddenly slams shut. Krytox, from his vantage point, sees that there are no around that side of the house into which he can peer for any sign of Rasa and Alterith. The house seems to shudder again, ever so slightly.