A Fool's Errand

[Lazlow]

It was a fool's errand.

You were all suspicious of the "mysterious stranger in the tavern" - I mean, how cliche can you get? But you were waiting on a messenger, so you indulged the stranger a few minutes and let him tell his tale, a tale you'd heard thousands of times before. A tale of power-hungry mages (this one was named Ualraig) biting off more than they could chew, terrible curses, and - of course - vast riches, hidden away for untold millenia.

Apparently once every thousand years the mysterious, magical Tower of Ualraig appears for a single day in its former resting place, deep in the snow-capped Taraghlan Mountains. Inside lies a powerful, forgotten artifact - of course - which this stranger is more than happy to pay a ridiculous amount of gold to recover. While you were more than familiar with the mountains, as they were only a week's travel away from your base of operations, he noted that he could provide transportation to the very spot where it was rumored to appear - almost directly near one of the taller mountain peaks. He had access to a portal leading just there, you see.

You kindly thanked the stranger for the story, and told him you'd "think about it" (knowing full well you wouldn't - I mean, come on). Besides, you said, you're under contract with a local noble to recover a family heirloom that went missing. Sure, it was that same noble who had a nearby hill leveled so he could have a better view of the river from his bedroom window, the same noble who levied a "hat tax" on the bald... The same noble who instituted the ridiculous law that all citizens should henceforth go by three-letter names for "ease of remembrance". But he paid well. And it was that noble's messenger for whom you were waiting that night in the tavern.

Now, right here is where you should have suspected something. You see, right about then that messenger waltzed into the tavern and handed you an official message: Your services were no longer needed, the heirloom had been returned. Apparently, it was "all some kind of wacky misunderstanding," the messenger stated with a shrug and a smile that made you want to smack him.

"I'll pay you half again as much as you would have received for that job," the stranger said.

Of course.

Finding yourself suddenly unemployed, you reluctantly agreed to listen to the particulars of this new job the stranger was offering. "Somewhere in the tower," the stranger began, "lies an object of incredible power. You will know what it is when you find it. When you do, you will bring it to me. Anything else in the tower that you care to take is yours to keep." He paid you each 200 gold pieces as a retainer, and promised four times as much upon successful delivery of the object.

Three days later you sat huddled in your tent, still wondering how you let that crazy man talk you into this job.

But you're an adventurer, right? What's more adventurous than the unknown? And even when that tower didn't show up at dawn the next morning like he kept insisting it would, you've already got a decent sum in your purse just for your trouble. And you didn't even have to walk here. You all slept soundly that night.

Come dawn, you all had already been awake for at least half an hour, despite only one of you having the early watch. You had already packed up half the camp, ready to head back to town - it'd be a long walk, but at least it was all downhill, right?

"It'll never show," Bob huffed. "Let's finish packing so we don't have to stay here in the snow any longer than we have to."

"Keep quiet," Kat replied, knowing it'd rile the old codger. "The sun's about to break over that rise..."

All eyes set firmly to the East, you watched the light creep slowly through the crags and crevices of the Taraghlan peaks... Red hues gave way to orange, to yellow, and finally to a bright shining white, almost blinding against the snow-capped mountaintops. Your eyes adjusted slowly...

Of course.

No tower.

"As I expected. Welp! Let's finish pa--"

You all turned, puzzled at Bob's stopping short. He stood there, tent stakes in hand, jaw gaping open, and eyes West, where just now the bright beams of the morning sun lit up the opposite mountainside in a dazzling display of nature's beauty. You followed his gaze...

A tower. A tower that wasn't there last night. The tower.

You were on the wrong mountain.

Of course.

Spoiler

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Character sheets:

Oli, Gnome Paladin (Oliana), and Fsu, his mount
Bob, Dwarven Cleric (Diarmuid)
Leo Leo III, Human Wizard (kentma57)
Kat, Human Rogue (an kobold)
Ric, Human Bard (Hank Pym)

OOC thread

Dead characters:
Dan

[Lazlow]

The group has made camp on a large shelf-like outcropping of rocky dirt mostly covered with snow. You had little choice, as it was both where the stranger's portal dumped you, and it's really the only place to make a camp this high up in the mountains. The clearing is roughly moon-shaped, hugging the mountain, and has about 50 feet of flat space. The edge of the shelf drops off nearly straight down for about 15 or 20 feet, after which it slopes away sharply. Bob figures that you're at least 12,000 feet up from sea level, maybe more.

The tower stands on the steep slope of a mountain that is probably higher than the one you're on. Its a sleek, black spire jutting up through the snow, and the top of the tower just barely peeks over the top of the mountain.

The problem, of course, is the distance between you and the tower. It's not a great distance, linearly speaking, as it's probably only 300 feet or less as the crow flies. As the adventurer walks, however, it would be an arduous trip down the mountain you're currently on and back up the one the tower's on. Luckily the two mountains are connected by a ridge of sorts that spans the chasm between them. This ridge starts about 100 to 120 feet below your shelf and ends a fair bit off to the side of where the tower stands.

[Diarmuid]

Bob

The cleric sighed loudly as he remembered not too fondly the trek it had been getting up this mountain in the first place.

"Well...does anyone have any bright idears fer getting across to that peak...a'fore the durn thing disappears fer another hunnerd years...or however long it is between? I didn'a pray fer any spells that will help...an I cannae pray for more blessings until high noon, that high time o' Genericus's divine light."

[ooc] How far apart are the two peaks, and how long did it take us to climb from the base to where we are now? [/ooc]

[oliana0]

Oli

The small creature stares blankly at the tower on the different peak. Scratching a hand in his shaggy hair, and then checking to make sure he hadn't lost anything in his sleep, Oli looks around the camp and starts scurrying to put everything back in its place. He is talking the whole time while he packs up for the day. Oli folds up his blanket and stuffs it into his pack, followed by a losely rolled bedroll. He pulls the tent stakes up and colapses the tent down, folding it quickly and stuffing it too into the pack. The hammer and stakes are tossed on top of it all.

"An interesting predicament, to be sure. How indeed should we proceed to get from here to there as quickly as possible. Certainly if a bridge existed that would be simplest, but building a bridge would take time, and would be far quicker if there were two teams building from each end, but that would mean half of us would have to be over there, and building a bridge would take time, which we don't have. Another option would be to fly; for certainly the phrase 'as the crow flies' refers to this very predicament. How close it would be if we were just crows. But if we were just crows, would we care for going inside the tower and find all that Genericus has meant for us? A wise option, is to simply immediatly commence to travel down thes mountain and back up that mountain and hope that we will have enough time to explore the tower. But of course, what happens if we get there before the tower disappears and are exploring it when it disappears? Do we disappear with it? Will we notice the passage of time? Will we exit it the moment we entered not matter how long we are inside? If we fall asleep, will we wake up 100 years later? My parents would be upset if I did not return for 100 years. The price of alchemy ingredients will likely change a great deal in that time, and though I care little for such things, my family does and I care for my family, so I have to care a little for such things, I suppose. Hmm, maybe I should pray a little."

Oli sits down and prays a little, but is easily distracted and stands back up. He claps his hands together and from the ether in the air a large fuzzy rodent appears. Most of you immediatly recognize Fsu, Oli's giant riding weasel mount. Fsu immediatly looks around inquisitively, sniffing the air and investigating things around the camp.

"Fsu! How did you sleep? Well, I hope? Yes, yes, the same people again. No need to resniff everyo- okay, resniff everone! Make sure no one has changed skin overnight! Ha ha!"

[Bitzeralisis]

Dan

"Well, what do you know? The tower's on that peak," says Dan, as if though nobody else had figured it out yet. He's probably in his little dream-land, where he pays attention to little other than significant things and his own voice. Reaching to his belt, he slowly draws a spyglass and stares through it at the tower, attempting to eye the distance between himself and it. He hands Fsu a nut when he comes a-sniffing. He then starts wondering if weasels even eat nuts, and loses his train of thought after several seconds.

[an kobold]

Kat

Kat blinked, then took her waterskin, poured some liquid into her hand, and splashed her face. With the confirmation that the tower was not a stowaway from dream land, she continued packing at a faster pace. After her sleeping roll was packed away, Kat stood up, clearly shivering, and spoke with misting breath.

May Genericus forgive or reward me for impatience, but we frankly don't have time to wait 'til midday or 'til I grow black feathers. I rather got the impression getting in, it, and out was going to take a full day, what with the overnight freeze and all. No time to waste, either with prayers or climbing, if ya get my drift. With or without diving Uraq's or Ulrake's tower, I'm out of there by sundown. So if it's to be by tramping down and up again, we best be at it.

Upon the finish of her little speech, Kat set her eyes on Fsu uneasily and tentatively reached out a hand to pet the critter as it drew near. She decided getting used to working with trained animals instead of being chased by them would take some getting used to.

[Diarmuid]

Bob

A dreary, "Ach no!" escaped the dwarven cleric as the dreaded weasel once again popped into their midst. The damnable thing apparently did not like the fact that all his squishy, smellable bits were covered in meticulous layers of mithril plating and spent far too much attention trying to find a crevice to shove its nose into to verify his smell was one it remembered and liked.

Try and fight it as long as he could, eventually the overgrown rodent would have him pinned down, little claws scrabbling for purchase against his perfectly shined armor apparently appeasing its olfactory needs.

Spluttering curses unbecoming the faithful of Genericus, but very becoming most surly dwarves he considered, not for the first time showing Fsu the business end of his hammer, but once again thought better of it.

Seeing Dan with the spyglass out, he clomps over to confer with his companion,

"So, 'ow far is it to tha other peak? I've a couple spells fer travelling, but they wouldnt help everyone. One'll let me step through a portal with three others up to..oh.....about eight hunnerd feet somewhere else. The other'll give someone the ability ta fly fer about 10 minutes. Should allow for travellin about 4 and a half miles in 10 minutes if they really hustled."

Scratching at his black beard, he offers another possible solution,

"Depending just how far it is, I could summon a giant eagle that could carry someone, but it wouldn'a last very long. Only be able ta take someone a little o'er have a mile before tha spell bringin it here ta help expired."

[Hank Pym]

Ric straightens his cleanly cropped moustache and looks at the tower on the far mountaintop as if it had kicked his dog. “Wrong mountain, of course. Crazy old codger doesn’t have a clue.”

Ric pauses for a moment to pat the weasel nuzzling at him and then takes out his own spyglass. He snaps it sharply open and steps up next to Dan, looking at the tower. “Looks like about 300 feet, wouldn’t you say?”

After examining the tower as best he can, assuming he sees nothing that will provide a better way to cross the gap between the mountaintops, Ric lowers his spyglass and says, “Looks like we have two choices: climb down and cross on foot or expend some of our magical resources. There are five of us (assuming that the weasel can ride on someone’s shoulder). If Bob can take himself and everyone except myself through his magical door, he can save his summoning magic and I will use my own magic to turn myself into a cloud of gas and float across. I hate for us to have to expend spells before even entering the tower, but ...”

He looks over the edge down the drop and continues “If we go this way, by the time we get into the tower it might disappear before we can get out again. Do we really want to risk being trapped in there for a thousand years? Like Oli said, when we do get out: who knows what the price of potion ingredients will be?”

[Lazlow]

Peering through their respective lenses, the spyglass wielders are able to make out some detail on the tower. It rises over 100 feet from the mountainside, the top tapering into a thick spire, with two smaller spires jutting up next to it on either side. Small windows dot the surface of the tower here and there, but you can't see anything inside. There doesn't appear to be a door of any kind, but you can't quite make out the base of the tower as it is nestled in the snow.

[Bitzeralisis]

Dan

Dan states "Dimension door time!" before starting to wonder what would happen if the tower disappeared in it. He mirrors Bob's comment on alchemy ingredient prices in thought before starting to think in actuality for once today. And once Dan's mind gets running, it starts running. For a long time. In this state, Dan might be more alert and useful, but that is countered by his newfound irritability in his knowing state.

Know Arcana - (1d20+24)[32] Lore - (1d20+21)[26] — Looking for information on anything that might have to do with magical towers like the one we're trying to enter.

[oliana0]

Oli

Oli picks up a stick and starts scribbling on the ground. "300 ft. in just under a minute as the very laden crow flies, no? How much can you carry, Bob? If you were stronger, how many can you carry?"
{OOC: Two minutes round trip (40'/rd (fully loaded), 300 in 8 rds, 1 rd to turn around, 6s to spare). Bull's strength. Three and a half trips?}

[Diarmuid]

Bob

At the mention of the spell name he had been considering, the cleric perked up a bit.

"Oy, Dan...if'n ye can cast the Dimension Door spell, and I can cast it....that should be enough ta get us all across to that other mountain. I figure your spell should about as powerful as mine, so each of us could take up ta three others with us"

[an kobold]

Kat

Kat's gaze traveled between Dan and Bob, who seemed to have a very clear idea on how to get to the tower without a descent and ascent. Her cape's hood was drawn tighter against the wind and she approached the chatting dwarf and human with haversack slung over her back.

Well, if you two think you have a solution, what are we wasting time here for?

[oliana0]

Oli


"Ah, yes, let us go that way. Less there and back, and more right there. I will ride Fsu through the door, just point me at it, is there a place where we will appear that is most safe, can you that can see that far see a good landing point?"

[Hank Pym]

Ric holds his spyglass out invitingly in the direction of Bob, Dan and Oli. "Take a look for yourselves. I wouldn't want to say right and mean left when describing it. We could end up yet another wrong mountaintop!"

He steps back to take a look at the figures Oli's written on the ground. "So you're figuring just summon the Eagle and let it carry us across one at a time, or in addition to a magic door? If you're thinking both, I'll volunteer again to get myself across if it'll allow Bob to save a spell for later. But I'll gladly take a ride across either by eagle or magic door, if we can get everyone across with just one spell."

[Diarmuid]

Bob

The dwarf gladly accepts the spyglass to better focus on the spot he plans to aim his spell,

"Well, if'n Dan 'n I were ta both cast our Dimension Door spells that should be enough ta git everyone across ta the other peak."

[Lazlow]

Bringing Ric's spyglass to bear on the other peak, Bob notices a dark spot some 200 feet or so below the tower itself.

[Bitzeralisis]

Dan Miller

"Okey dokey then. To the tower we go. Who's coming with me?" says Dan. Three seconds later, a look of utter wonderment appears on his face. "Say, have we said where near the tower we're teleporting to?"

[Diarmuid]

Bob

A look of concern crosses the dwarf's features as he brings the spyglass down from his eye and hands it to Dan.

"Well, I had been all fer poppin up right next ta tha tower, but now I'm thinkin' we may wanna make sure that there aint a cave with some nasties who'd be wanting ta crawl up our backsides while we figger'd out how ta get inside tha blasted tower."

As he talks, he points to where he saw the dark spot on the mountainside.

[Hank Pym]

Ric

Ric looks over Dan's shoulder at the other tower. "I didn't see a cave. Where? Down there? Is there a way up from the cave to the tower?"

[Lazlow]

Examining the dark spot a bit closer, you notice that the walls are smooth and squared off. There doesn't seem to be any snow inside, despite the fact that the mountainside is covered with it and the wind is kicking it around a fair bit so high up. Indistinguishable piles of something lay in the opening, and although you can't see but maybe a few feet in, you think you make out the faint flicker of torchlight.

[oliana0]

Oli

"Maybe the cave is the way into the tower? Even without your spyglass there, it's obvious that there are no doors on this side. And any magical tower worth its reputation won't be easy to get into. I suggest that we use the dimension door spells to pop us out there, on that flat area near the tower." Oli points to any area that looks large enough for the group to land in.

"Then, do a round-about the tower to check for doors or other methods of entry and if there is no way in, we check out that cave? Is it even a cave?" Oli squints a bit.

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I'm just guessing there's a spot large enough for the group to land that isn't too close to either the tower or the "dark spot." Because why have a magical tower in the mountains if it's not approachable, no?
300' is not that far. It's only a football field! Most of us should be able to make out some details without the use of a spyglass. It's not that Oli has a problem with using it, I just don't want us fighting over them.

[Hank Pym]

Now that Oli has become succint for a moment, Ric finds he quickly agrees with him.

"You Gnome something, Oli? I think you're right. I second your suggestion of using magicians' doors to go to the lower entrance -- where-ever it entrances to. If it turns out it's not the right way in, one of us can climb (or magic) up to the tower, tie a rope and everyone can climb up. But I've a strong suspicion that's the door. See how it's squared off and made of stone?"

[Diarmuid]

Bob

The dwarf nods at the logical assessment of his companions and gets ready to cast his spell.

"I kin take 3 others with me through my portal, I'm guessin Dan is about the same. So oo's with me, and oo's with Dan?"

When 3 people have spoken up that they will come with him, Bob casts his spell with the target location being near the dark cave-like spot on the peak.

[Bitzeralisis]

Dan Miller

Dan puts away his spyglass. "Alrighty then," he says, slightly optimistic. "Step foreward when the distance becomes short, and immediately when it becomes short. The spell lasts no longer than that." He thinks for a moment, and then says four words, the last one held for a moment. In that moment, the magic being channeled through Dan's mind became more orderly, orderly enough to warp the space-time continuum and make what seemed to be three hundred feet's distance a mere inch. As Dan held that note, he leaned forward slightly, using tendrils of magic to make the others with him do so as well (despite his precautionary warning). This mere half-inch of movement was all that was needed to carry Dan and his passengers three hundred feet, across a large gap that was truly three hundred feet across. The space was opened up and compressed allowing the caster of the spell to move through a momentary nothingness to reach his destination — and in this case, the destination was the entrance of the cave. The apparent effect was a sudden teleportation and, for a second, a circular bluish glow at the two points affected by the spell.

[oliana0]

Oli

Oli follows along with whomever is closer.

[an kobold]

Kat

Kat is closest to Dan and is drawn/steps into the doorway over the abyss he created.

[Hank Pym]

Ric rolls his shoulders and stretches his neck. He then stretches his mouth a bit, making nonsense noises to get his vocal chords ready for action. With a final falsetto "AAAUUUUUAAAWWWWWAAAAA!", he cracks his knuckles, ready for rock and roll and HIIIIIIIIIIIIGH ADVENTURE!

He steps through the doorway Bob has created, throwing a sideways glance at Bob, saying, in Dwarvish, "Thanks for the lift!" Before he can finish the phrase, though, he's aleady on the other side.

[oliana0]

Oli

Oli holds tight to the weasel with his legs as the weasel immediately begins sniffing the new smells; the weasel changes direction haphazardly several times.

Oli speaks nonchalantly, "Well, now that we are here, anyone for a quick once around the tower, or shall we skip straight to the 'cave'? Fsu would happily go around the tower once, but he'd also be very happy exploring a cave, wouldn't you Fsu? Do you remember that one cave with all the pretty glowing moss? Phew, the smells in there!"

[Lazlow]

Stepping through the arcane archways you created, the party easily traverses the chasm between the two mountains and arrives safely at the mouth of the cave.

And as you guessed before, 'tis no cave. 'Tis a man-made tunnel, about fifteen feet wide and maybe half that in height. Carved slabs of strange, dark stone line the tunnel, which is lit by torches ensconced in, uh, sconces, set about eight or nine feet inside. Another ten or so feet behind the torches is a staircase leading up, disappearing quickly under the low ceiling.

But more interesting than the ensconcing sconces are the two large, disgusting-looking vaguely-human things standing next to the sconces. Barely fitting under the low (to them) ceiling, they look as if they were stitched together from various human corpses and somehow animated. They wear no clothes, but thankfully they don't seem to be anatomically correct.

Scattered around the two things' feet are what appears to be the remains of many creatures, both humanoid and non.

As you set foot onto the stone of the entryway, the two fleshy things slowly start to shuffle forward. They awkwardly open their mouths quite wide, and strange guttural noises are coughed forth: "Gle-ek nishhh..."



===========================

Kat, Bob, Dan:

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You notice that the two things are "wearing" amulets of some kind - although in this case "wearing" means "sewn into their flesh". You can't make out exactly what they look like.

Ric:

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You think what they're speaking sounds like an ancient dialect of Elvish, but you have no idea what they're actually saying.

Dan:

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Thanks to your spectacles of comprehending languages, you understand what the things are saying. They are asking, "Password?"

Bob:

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You notice that the stone lining the tunnel is not from anywhere near these mountains - or even any of the surrounding country that you've been to or heard of, for that matter.

Oli:

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Fsu doesn't like the smell of these creatures at all.