Goodman Games

"Are these others your... court, oh Prince?"

and

"How came you to be trapped here?"

"And, Your Highness, what you can tell us of your captors would be most helpful."

"Wrack!" Maledict bows and croaks in what he thinks would be good manner before a prince of birds, his arms folded like wings. He does not seem surprised that the bird spoke.

"You hold not debt towards me, Prince. I do not like imprisonment, and although I had never thought about it towards animals, you now make me realize that all living creatures should not be held against their will. I will free the ant I have left in a glass jar last week, as soon as I get out."

Maledict straightens from his previously bowed position.

"If you would be so kind however, Grand Prince of Eagles, I would appreciate that you answer my friends' questions and also that you tell me two things: one, have you seen in this place any rings of special power - or even ordinary-looking rings since sometimes such things are disguised; and two, how does it feel to fly into the noonday sky and be free of the underlying ground?"

"These others," says the eagle, "are mere birds, and no more of my court than the mice of the fields are of the farmer's household. The elves would fly them for entertainment, with ribbons about their legs so that they could not escape, oft time pitting sparrow against sparrowhawk for their sport. Although, through magic and trickery they captured me, they dared not try such sport with my person, for they knew all too well how eagerly I would seek them out with beak and claw, even to my undoing.

"I long to be out of this foul place, and feel the clean air beneath my wings once more, but I will yet pause to tell you what I can, little though it may be. The elves who live here, if they live here still, are cruel and capricious things, given to fits of dark humour. A day or two ago, they were overrun by the trow, with whom they war eternal, and by your presence here, I guess that they were driven from the hill.

"They call upon many spirits which aid them, for they are spell-crafty beings, but they cannot endure the touch of iron. Rings I know nothing of, save that the Elf Princess wore one when she was here with her changeling babe. It caught my eye as a bauble, but eagles care not for such things as a rule, and I cannot tell you much thereof, save that it glittered. What more can I tell you to your aid?"

Does "the trow" ring a bell? If not, Hamun will ask: "what can you tell us of these trow?"

"They are green, and large, and also of the elflands, so that they cannot bear iron. You would be as wise to have as little to do with them as possible, for they are savage, and even less to do with the cunning elves. Neither has love for the race of men."

"Do you know anything about the tower that lies in the center of this place? And of a pool of water that would be in that tower?"

and

"Do you know of the immediate environment here? What the other rooms serve for? And where this princess' rooms might be?"

"Those things I know not, for my captors did not dare bring me to other chambers. I can sense the wind and air to the north, so I know there is passage for me there. I know that natural animals - those without true thought or speech - can pass through the ceiling of this chamber. I have seen the tower from above, so I know that there is a space a man could fit into, but I am not strong enough to fly you there."

"It could be climbed." How tall is the tower? The wheel churn in Hamun Ry's mind. "How much rope have we got? Perhaps His Highness, Prince of Eagles, could fly a grappling hook to the top?"

The tower is about 150 feet high.

"That I could do for you, if you wish it," says Anweman, the giant eagle.

Yoros gets his 50' of rope from his backpack, and if anyone else has any, starts the ends together...

Maledict offers his own 50' rope. "I've been carrying the thing for 5 years, and it's never seen so much use as in the last half hour."

"Anybody else have rope?" Anybody have a grapple hook? Or is there a piece of furniture or metal debris we could use?

I didn't write down rope on my inventory, so...

OOC: reminder that I'm leaving on vacation today. Probably won't post until around Aug. 26-27 (but might, near those dates), and certainly not in the next week as I won't be in town at all. Have fun! Anyone who wishes to can act for Maledict can do it while I'm gone. If he dies as a result, please try to have a humorous parting note

***********

As Yoros ties his and Maledict's ropes together, Trav secures his to the other end. Once completed, he tops the now approximately 150 feet of rope off with his grappling hook.

He does so quietly. Apparently talking birds make him mildly uncomfortable.

"Let's go give this a try, to the hells with the normal way."

Yoros holds up his hand, and points to a ring made of bone. "Look -- I'm going last. If any of you should fall, I will use this to try to save you."

"-- We should be pretty safe."

The giant eagle bows its head. "For the sake of friendship, and to pay my debt, I do this gladly. But I council you to have as little to do with elves as possible." Then taking the grappling hook in his beak, he moves up the north corridor, and out the passage into empty air. As he takes to wing, the rope rapidly slides along the floor, following his motion. After some short time you hear his voice calling down from above: "Your hook is set! May you find your way safe to your aeries at journey's end!"

"After you, Master Thief," Hamun Ry says. "We should probably climb one at a time, just in case. Signal us if it's safe to climb up. If we hear screams, I suppose we'll know it's not."

beermotor wrote:"If we hear screams, I suppose we'll know it's not."

"As ever, the 'prearranged' signal to run the other way is a scream" winks Yoros.

Rick wrote:R_C, for a 150' climb how many checks will you need?

Three, DC 10, if you have a penalty to Strength. Roll 5 or less to fall, otherwise no progress and another check required.

No penalty to Strength? No check required for 4th level characters.

Okay, so once the Thief goes up, if no screams, Hamun Ry will follow (no checks needed).

From the current region, the thief can take hold of the rope and swing out to the tower, cutting off about 25 feet of climbing. As he comes into the ambit of the tower, the sky seems to turn rapidly until it is night, with a full moon hanging overhead. This is not apparent to any others.

The tower's upper floor projects out from the tower proper on great stone supports. The entrance where the grapple is hooked is a slot from which a great brass telescope projects.

The upper floor of the tower is fully 50 feet in diameter. It is dominated by an enormous brass telescope, pointed at the full moon that hangs large in the sky. The moon appears so close that it seems as though the thief could touch it.

Gears and chains attached to the telescope run to a control box with a dozen or more levers. Several other machines are in the room, made of wood, brass, and crystal, whose purposes are unknown. A circle 15 feet in diameter is inscribed in silver on the floor to the south.

The body of an elf lies near it, its exposed flesh punctured many times by some sharp instrument. The dead elf has a large tattoo, like a mass of shadowy tentacles, over the left side of his face, making the pale right side appear almost like a crescent moon.

once we get up there . . .

"Guard those stairs, you warriors. I want to have a look at this stuff." Hamun Ry examines the body first: recently deceased? Does he recognize the tattoo at all?

Next, the telescope... is there a place to look into it? It looks as if the telescope might be used to project an image into the silver circle, is that accurate?

Last, the other machines... any clues as to their use?