The party searches the lab and the dead thulid, specifically Lucille uses a dagger and ensures that the thulid remains dead. With it slain, the party searches the lab. They find the following:
(x1) Ring of Animal Control
(x1) Scroll Case with the following scrolls: Charm Person (x3), Invisibility, Silent Image, Fly, and Haste - A lot of good scrolls that the Thulid did not get to access. However, the party is only kind of aware that they have special magical scrolls and they are unaware of what they have beyond a residual feeling of power that Nindur is feeling. He will require time and the use of Detect Magic and Arcana skill in order to decipher. The party does secure the ring and the scroll case together as they prepare to venture through the complex.
The other item the party finds is an armband that the Thulid had used to control the shield guardian. While the guardian is destroyed, it is possible that Alias could repair the shield construct. For now, all she has is a silvery armband with a blue gem embedded into the band that the Thulid had to interact with. It is placed in the same bag as the scroll case and ring. ---
"I wonder if these are the creation of the Thulid or whatever treasures remained from this castle,” Alias asked as she looked over the collected treasures for a brief moment before they were stuffed into Cuthbert’s back. He had no claim to the items, but he had the strongest back to carry goods until the party had a chance to take the material back to a safe haven and study them.
“Well, at least we know what this does,” Nindur noted the armband. The Thulid had used the item to awaken and control the shield construct that lay in ruins, “I don’t suppose you know how to fix this.”
“It would take time,” Alias noted, “It was probably meant to be a Shield Guardian but the Thulid only got so far.” ---
The party uses this time to take a Short Rest. Cuthbert rolls a 10 + 2 for 12 and has 40/40 HP. HD: ¾
Fenthick spends a Hit Die during the rest and opts to take average (1d8 = 5 + 1 Con = 6) 23/27 / Favored Foe recharges on Short Rest (2/2) ---
Then came to the matter of the orc who had been pressed into service of the ogres making his way to the exit. Although he may have gone on the raids, Lucille and Nindur simply watch him make his way to the exit, a pack in hand with scraps of food, a crossbow and his knife. Will he cause more trouble? It is an issue that weighs on the ranger’s mind. He could have also been simply a victim of circumstance, captured and pressed into service due to his orcish heritage. The orc stops and looks back at the doorway to find the eyes shadowing him. He pauses for a moment, making no move to knife or trying to unsling his crossbow.
Lucille tilts her head to the door, but warns him in his native tongue: “If we catch you causing any mischief on the road, there will be no quarter next time. I’ll see you shot down or hanged.”
The orc slowly nodded it understanding, “Don’t trust the maiden when you see her. She’s a monster like the rest of the things here.” He turns and starts towards the door. ---
“Maiden?” Nindur asked after he asked Lucille to translate. She repeated what the Orc had said, warning the pair about another threat in the castle.
“I’m sure the others are ready to get this over with,” Lucille said before she turned back, “Let’s find out what our next move is.” ---
Lucille and Nindur let the orc go, who knows where this act of mercy will lead to. There was at least one orc and one dire wolf running around out there, but it was a few days journey from Caer Mortling to the next point of civilization, perhaps the orc had learned its lesson, and as for the dire wolf, while it is a large predator, it is a natural creature and not some sort of malevolent entity like a worg. The others accept Lucille and Nindur’s decision as none of them show any designs of being bloodthirsty. ---
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The party moves from the Thulid’s lab to the right (South) towards the next door they see on their left when facing the back wall heading east. Alias checks the doors and finds that it is safe to open. Once open, the party faces the grim stone statue in the shape of a dark bronze colored fire giant with glowing eyes and appearing as if it is about to pound on a war drum that is a part of the statue.
Alias moves in and glances over the statue. Perception: 11 - She sees nothing out of the ordinary.
As the party moves and finds two other doors on either side of the room, leading to different corner towers, Cuthbert gets a Stonecunning check. Result: 10 - While the statue is interesting, it is nothing special as far as Cuthbert can tell.
The party heads towards the right door (South) and they pass near the statue. As a Ranger and an Elf, both Lucille and Fenthick get a last minute Perception to detect any signs of danger.
Lucille Perception: 15
Fenthick Perception: 10
Lucille notices that the internal heat of the statue seems to brighten as they get closer, suggesting something is amiss. She warns the party as the statue activates.
“Look out!” Lucille cries out to Cuthbert.
Round #1 - Initiative Party: 10 GM: 15
The Stone Living Statue activates. It is bound to where it stands, fighting instead by spraying magical lava at targets. It targets Cuthbert.
Statue attacks Cuthbert with Lava Spray. Attack: 17+6 = 23 - Hit. Damage: 8. Cuthbert HP: 32/40
Alias does not move. She stands still for Aim and attacks with Sneak Attack: 20 - Hit. Damage: 18 (Magical Piercing). Statue HP: 30/48
Nindur casts Ray of Frost at the statue. Attack: Natural 20 - Crit. Damage: 3 + 2 = 5 (Cold). Statue HP: 25/48
Cuthbert moves in melee and attacks Statue. Attack: 16 - Hit. Damage: 12 (Magical Bludgeon). Statue HP: 13/48
Lucille fires a Shortbow at Statue. Attack: 20 - Hit. Damage: 9. Statue HP: 4/48
Fenthick moves up and casts Word of Radiance. Statue Save: 22 - Save. No Damage.
Round #2 Lava Spray Recharge (5-in-6): 6 - Charged!
Bangs the drum creating Molten Spout and forcing Cuthbert and Fenthick to save for ½ damage vs. 2d8 (Fire). Dex Save: 13. Damage: 7 / 3
Cuthbert Save: 10 - Failure. Damage: 7. Cuthbert HP: 25/40
Fenthick Save: 11 < 13. Failure. Damage: 7. Fenthick HP: 16/27
Cuthbert starts his turn in 5 feet and takes pulsing fire (1d4): 3. Cuthbert HP: 22/40 - Cuthbert attacks with Warhammer. Attack: 22 - Hit. Damage: 10. Statue HP: 0/48 - Slain
---
Fenthick breaks out his healing kit and uses his Healer feat to treat Cuthbert and himself without dipping into other resources. Out of combat, Fenthick treats die results as the maximum, meaning he does 1d6 (6) + 4 + HD (4) in healing for 14 points per use. He spends 1 Healing Kit charge on Cuthbert raising him to 39/40 HP. 3 charges remain on Fenthick’s healer kit. The charges do not recover at a Long Rest and a new healer’s kit has to be purchased in a city.
Fenthick then treats himself, healing himself 14 hit points and bringing his current HP to: 27/27. 2 charges remain on Fenthick’s healer kit. ---
The party moves to room 19, which is a scorched room where whatever furniture or equipment was in here had been reduced to soot, with the charred remains of a ballista in the middle. Whether or not this was an experiment gone wrong from the Thulid, or from a previous incident when the castle fell, was anyone’s guess. Alias and Lucille conduct a search while the rest of the party stands watch.
Alias Perception: 17
Lucille Perception: 9
Alias recovers a scorched copper copper circlet and a pair of scorched silver rings. All together, the three art pieces are worth 20 gp (10 gp for the circle; 5 gp per silver ring).
The party is satisfied that the room was searched and they cross the room to find Room #18 has a locked door. There is no trap, even though Alias does make a search. She first tries to pick the lock.
Alias Thieves Tools (+4): 8 < 13 - Failure. She cannot pick the lock.
Finding the lock cannot be picked, Cuthbert pulls out a crowbar and tries to press it between the jam and the frame to break the door down. Strength check (+3): 13 vs. 15 - Failure.
Cuthbert grunts with aching arms and when Nindur asks for a chance to try his hand at breaking the door down. Cuthbert gives him the nod and says, “Be my guest.”
Nindur spends a Portent roll (17) for a total of 17+1 = 18. Whether by luck, or perhaps Cuthbert helped weaken the door, Nindur pops the door open on his turn and offers Cuthbert back his crowbar. ---
“I’m certain you did most of the work, my friend,” Nindur says with a wink.
“I know I did most of the work, ya lucky…” Cuthbert snorts and shakes his head, taking back his crowbar and putting it back in his bag. “There must be something interestin’ if this room was locked. There is a massive hole in the middle of its floor given how all that rainwater flows in.”
Nindur nodded, “That’s true, this is the same tower we used to collect all of that rainwater. I noticed there remained some upper floor to it. Not sure how safe that will make this.”
“Might have to send Alias and Lucille as they are the lightest in the group,” Cuthbert said.
---
The party finds that the central floor has collapsed, some of the boards creak as Alias and Lucille move across the outer edge towards a surviving landing where three iron bound chests sat on an old rug. Alias reports the three chests to the rest of the group, who have an idea to tie a rope around each chest so that the group could carefully pull a tethered chest towards the safety of the doorway and they can bring the chests in. Alias offers to stand outside to ensure the chests are guided in. She has a rope tied around her waist with the other end tethered to a torch sconce to ensure that if she falls, she won’t hit the ground floor below.
Q: Does the landing become unstable?
A: No, and the party is able to move two out of the three chests before a Random Encounter roll is made.
Random Encounter (1-in-6): 3 - No Encounter
The third chest is pulled towards the doorway. The party is able to drag the three chests back into the main chamber where the broken stone statue lays in pieces. Alias begins to try and pick the locks while Fenthick and Lucille spike the doors leading into the room. This should cut down on a random encounter getting the drop on the party as they have to get through the spiked doors.
None of the chests are trapped, meaning that while Alias makes checks, none of them are needed to be recorded. She begins working on lockpicking the chests.
Alias lockpicks vs. DC: 14
Chest #1: 17 - Success
Chest #2: 16 - Success
Chest #3: 12 + d4 (3 - Fenthick Guidance) = 15 - Success!
The party finds the following across the three chests:
Chest #1 — The Crown’s Coinage
This chest is unlocked and contains neatly packed leather sacks.
4,000 cp
2,200 sp
1,000 gp
All coins bear the crowned-bear sigil of Caer Mortling’s last ruling family.
Chest #2 — Warlord’s Spoils
Locked with a rusted iron padlock (DC 12 Thieves’ Tools).
Inside are the spoils of raids performed by ogres and their orc servants.
1,400 gp
600 pp
8 ingots of worked silver, worth 25 gp each
A set of gold-threaded court vestments ruined by mildew but still worth 100 gp
Chest #3 — The Gem Coffer
This chest contains 69 gemstones wrapped in linen.
None are magical, but all are quality stones sortable by value tiers:
Unfortunately, neither Nindur or Fenthick possess a cantrip such as Presdigitiation or Mending which could clean the outfit. Instead, it is stuffed in a separate sack so that none of the mildew tarnishes the rest of the treasure. It is certainly an impressive haul!
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