Cold Embraces

[at]

The group gather up near the cave. From Tinks description the wolf wasn't large and unless it was rabid or protecting young Vadania doubts it would do anything but run when faced with the party.


(one of the party can move in to try a handle animal test, or you can just try to scare it out)

[Jasmine]

First things first. Tink will fly in ahead of everyone to scout it out, get an idea of the terrain and see if there's just one wolf or if it's a pack. She'll also scan for magic—no sense running right into someone's old Glyph of Warding. On the way out, she'll scan for evil, too.

[at]

Tink can only see the one wolf, who seems unhappy about the glowing ball of light flying around in the cave and ducks away from Tink as she flies past.

Beyond the wolf appears to be a natural passage that has been chipped away at to widen it, and she can see fixtures for torches on the wall. The passageway continues on for dozens yards, heading underground, before opening out into a cavern containing furniture, scattered papers and other objects, barred cells and hanging chains, a small forge, and a skeleton with two crossbow bolts lodged in its ribslaying near the back wall.

Nothing in the room detects as magical.

[sageaqua]

Kaolin will cast speak with animals to talk to the wolf, "Why are you here?"

[at]

The wolf doesn't seem happy to see Ka'lion approach, "my food. you go"

[sageaqua]

"What are you eating?" asks Ka'lion, "We just are looking around. We don't eat your food. We are not hungry."

[at]

"you go, you leave!"

The others standing a little way back can make out the wolf growing at Ka'lion, though he is being less verbose than usual.


It's a scared and quite young wolf protecting a meal - Ka'lion can take a bit of time to try and calm it (handle animal) but it's not going to be much of a conversationalist, though it does understand the basic concepts he is communicating.

[sageaqua]

"I'll make you a trade. I'll have my friend get you some food if you'll lets us look around and take junk you can't use. You keep the cave. I'll even get you some fresh water." offers Ka'lion to the wolf.
animal handling
+5-1+qiV1kXR5p_1-20=201-20

[at]

The wolf doesn't seem to understand the finer points of the trade but accepts that its going to keep its meal if it stays out of the way, and perhaps even share in something more - though the group has no fresh meat to make good on Ka'lions offer.

(path is clear)

[sageaqua]

Ka'lion sends his owls to hunt some birds or rabbits and to bring it back to Ka'lion. The party watching for traps takes a look around. But Ka'lion suspects there art any or the wolf would of already set them off.
search +8+efN1A_MHp_1-20=131-20

[at]

The room inside is as Tink described it, something of a mess. There are several curiosities though -

1) Despite this place having been apparently abandoned for some time no animals have made it their home. Even the wolf that Ka'lion would have expected to retreat deeper into this place clearly has not moved far from the entrance.

2) The skeletal corpse lays near the wall as if he were standing against it when shot, but he lays on his back and the crossbow bolts struck his chest. Ka'lion might have assumed that he had been turned over and looted but he still has all his possessions including what appears to be a coin pouch - though the barbarian does not disturb his body.

3) The scattered papers are a mix of mundane texts and maps, some that appear to be magical writing, and many that are in a language that Ka'lion does not understand - however he suspects a code as the lettering is mostly in common interspersed with odd symbols and numbers. As with the body he does not disturb them.


Beyond these things the room itself seems like an odd prison, or torture chamber given the implements and restraints, as it contains bedding, a work desk, shelves, barrels of what Ka'lion suspects may be provisions, and various other sundries for several people to rest here.

[sageaqua]

Ka'lion will collect the papers and maps. As long as his horse can carry it he'll collect all of it. When the party has some time he'll organize it to see it it's useful.

[harknail]

As Vadania enters the room, she'll pull the shard of sunlight out from under her armor, casting bright light throughout the room. She'll look around carefully for anything that might be a trap or a concealed door. She will also blends of the papers to see how old and delicate they appear to be. Does it seem like they would crumble at the slightest touch?

Spot:9Z0NwRq7p_1-20+14 =30

How was the body oriented in respect to the wall? Is he parallel to the wall? Feet towards the wall? Head towards the wall? If his feet are towards the wall and he is lying on his back, then it seems as if the wall shot him.1-20

[at]

None of the paper or scrolls seem particularly fragile, though they are dusty and Vadania suspects it has been decades since they were last used. Ka'lion takes sheets from the bed and begins piling scrolls and anything else that looks valuable into them.

Inspecting the room Vadania discovers no obvious traps, indeed the man appears to have been shot by the wall but there is nowhere for the bolts to have been fired from. There is something about the wall that seems particularly suspicious.

[sageaqua]

Ka'lions just collecting clues as to the persons identity and and anything of value including books. maps, scrolls etc.

[harknail]

Suspecting an illusionary wall, Vadania approaches carefully from the side, feeling the wall to tell where the actual wall ends.

[at]

Vadania finds the edges easily enough, and Brennen notes that the room must be warded against detection to have thwarted Tink - rechecking the papers that Ka'lion had taken outside she notes that some now radiate faint magic.

[harknail]

Vadania will try peering though the wall by poking her face and shard of sunlight though. She'll try to have the solid part of the wall shielding most of her body in case there were any more arrows waiting to be launched.

[Jasmine]

Spellcraft check to identify the divination-blocking effect:
bixRngu8p_1-20+13 Brennen
p_1-20+11 Tink1-20�1-20

[sageaqua]

Ka'lion will sort the scrolls
spell craft +12+cRIjQZDsp_1-20=211-20