Passage to Paradise

[madtinker]

You reach the second floor to find Sam staring down a dog-sized rodent. It's spitting, hissing, and stamping its feet from the mound of junk from the other side of the cylinder with spokes. It must have been disturbed by your fall.

[Manwhoisthisman]

I'll grab a small bit of jerky and lightly toss it toward the animal and grab Sam's shoulder and gently tug him back behind me. I'll try to use body language to suggest we're not a threat. diplomacy - (1d20+6)[11]

[madtinker]

The creature snarls at the jerky as it falls, then sniffs it cautiously. As you back away, it picks it up and carries it back to the junk pile. You hear a chorus of whimpers; it must be the creature's nest.

[Manwhoisthisman]

"Ugh, rats are so disgusting. Lets check out the other side of the room," I say to Sam as I move toward the other end of the room.

[madtinker]

It's much the same story. Rotten casks, moldy sacks of what was probably some kind of grain, and a few large bones covered in tooth marks. At one time there were enough supplies here to feed a good dozen men for several weeks.

[Manwhoisthisman]

How dusty is the place?

"What do you think Sam? About how long ago does it look like this place was abandoned?"

[madtinker]

A thick layer of dust covers most surfaces; interesting that you didn't notice until now.

"I dunno; at least twenty years, but maybe two hundred."

[Manwhoisthisman]

I sigh, "I've been thinking about this all wrong. We should have been looking for signs of recent activity instead of interesting stuff. Now I've gone marching all over and falling through the floor, it'll be harder to make things out anywhere but the top level. But, I think there is a glidewing up there and that means trouble. How do you feel about some trouble Sam?" I ask with a grin.

[madtinker]

"Glidewings I can handle. The rest of this place gives me the heebie jeebies."

[Manwhoisthisman]

"I'll second that. Here, take some of Father Feodor's healing drought before we go to battle."
a dose of cure light for Sam (1d8+1)[9]
and a dose for me (1d8+1)[2]

[madtinker]

"Go to battle, eh, like the Valkyries of old? Suits me." He downs the potion. Immediately his bruises from the earlier fall fade.

[Manwhoisthisman]

"Eh, well, sounded better than 'let's go do something stupid,'" I shrug. "Hopefully we don't have to mess with it at all, but it may get hostile if we poke around too much and I want to search more thoroughly for signs of recent activity."

I'll climb up the stairs and check out the nest. If nothing has changed, I'll go ahead and start searching for signs of recent activity.

Spoiler

Show

search - (1d20+3)[21]

[madtinker]

You reach the top of the ladder; the glidewing nest is the same as before. You can still see a glidewing crest above the top of the nest, but it doesn't seem to be concerned about you or Sam.

The floor is strewn with leaves, moss, and refuse from the nest, but you do notice what looks like a trail through the debris leading from the wall to the nest. Right at the top of the ladder is a large locked cabinet.

[Manwhoisthisman]

Are there any foot prints through the dust near the chest? I'll try to slide it a bit, about how heavy does it seem?

[madtinker]

No recent footprints near the cabinet; it is about a cubit deep, two cubits wide, and as tall as you are. It looks anchored to the stone wall.

[Manwhoisthisman]

I'll try to force it a bit strength - (1d20+1)[3] strength - (1d20+1)[21]
"You don't happen to know how to open a lock without a key do you?" I ask Sam.

[madtinker]

On your second try the wood splinters and you bodily tear the door off its hinges. Inside you find:

• Something that looks like two short versions of Tom's spyglass, but connected side by side
• A slim book written in an unrecognizable language
• A slightly concave mirror about two handspans across with a small hole in the center
• Quills, parchement that turns to dust in your hand, and dried up bottles of ink

[Manwhoisthisman]

"Well, this isn't a lot to show for our efforts, but it's something." I'll load the looking glasses, slim book, and mirror into my bag.

About what time of day is it?

[madtinker]

It's late afternoon; you've been exploring for a while. It would be difficult to make it back to the village before dark.

[Manwhoisthisman]

"Well Sam, methinks we have three options for the evening. We can try to walk home through the dark, which I think is a very bad idea, we can try to find someplace out there to camp for the night, or we can try to hole up here until morning and then get on our way. I know this place creeps you out, but it might be a better shelter than we'll find out in the woods."

[madtinker]

Sam glances at the glidewing nest and surveys the jungle. "Well, I think... INCOMING!" He points frantically out at the sky, from whence a second glidewing is fast approaching your position, and starts to tug you toward the iron ladder.

[Manwhoisthisman]

I'll move back with Sam and head down the ladder with him. Does it looks like the glidewing has a rider?

[madtinker]

In fact, there does appear to be some kind of creature clinging to its back, but its hard to make out details.

[Manwhoisthisman]

Oh, I have a tool for that! I'll pull out the double-spy-glass and look through one of the lenses in that awkward way unknowing children sometimes do.

[madtinker]

The lenses induce momentary dizziness, but you quickly recover. The glidewing suddenly appears much closer, and you can see that the creature on its back is roughly the shape of a human, but its skin is spotted with strange patterns and it is clothed in scraps of dinosaur leather. It even has a leather saddle strapped around the glidewing in such a way so that by leaning this way or that the creature can direct the glidewing's flight path. Comparing its size to the glidewing, whatever it is can't be larger than a child.

[Manwhoisthisman]

I'll quickly toss the lenses back into my bag. "Down the ladder, Sam, down the ladder -- that glidewing has a rider." I'll climb after Sam, but stop at the second floor rather than going all the way down.

[madtinker]

Sam is already way ahead of you; he scurries down the ladder like a rat escaping a terrier. You stop on the middle floor. The giant rats there regard you with beady eyes, but make no move to defend themselves.

After what seems like eternity, but is probably only thirty seconds or so you hear the booming screech of a male glidewing from the floor above, and an answering cry and chorus of smaller squeaks from the nest.

A friendly voice begins speaking in a language you've never heard. If you had to guess, it sounds like ol' man Gunnison crooning to his oxen. At least, that's the tone of it. But the voice cuts short after a few sentences. Apart from the glidewings, there is silence above.

[Manwhoisthisman]

Oh, hadn't thought about how obvious it would be that we're here. I need to gauge this quickly. I'll call up to the floor above, "We're still here, but we don't mean any trouble." I'll climb a bit to see if I can see the creatures. If things get hostile, I'm ready to let go of the ladder quickly.

[madtinker]

You climb the ladder only to find a miniature stone spear pointed right at your head. Following the spear shaft upward you find a well-muscled set of arms joining a tattooed chest and a fierce face decorated with bone piercings. The mouth moves uncertainly, "Hoo ar uooo?"

[Manwhoisthisman]

"I am Tobias." I answer calmly, before adding with surprise, "Do you know the language of my people?"