Chapter 11: Arrival at Devil's Elbow

[setanta14]

Anything of use to be found for signalling?

[Upweekis]

Is it the end of the day?

If we're staying in the tower Jorm will set about securing and stabilizing the building, blocking windows, blockading the entrance and stabilizing the platform at the top of the tower. Maybe setting up a deadfall at the entrance, or is that a different skill?

rolled 17 + 5 (engineering) = 22

[NukeHavoc]

"Sorry Jehru, but the ships in Riddleport harbor were never flying distress flags, so I don't know what they look like. However, maybe we can look around in this lighthouse tower and find a big mirror or a lens or something?"

Skender's Perception (Search): 20 + 9 = 29 (31 for traps).

Moving around the piles of crumbling crates, Skender is surprised to find a large trap door leading to a basement. Skender is further surprised when he discovers a sizable stockpile of supplies in this basement, including a number of large bronze mirrors that seemed to have been destined for use in the lighthouse, but never installed. Skender also finds the components needed for the lamp to power the lighthouse, as well as several casks of lamp oil. There are also some well-preserved carpentry and masonry tools.

Is it the end of the day?

It is early afternoon.

If we're staying in the tower Jorm will set about securing and stabilizing the building, blocking windows, blockading the entrance and stabilizing the platform at the top of the tower. Maybe setting up a deadfall at the entrance, or is that a different skill?

rolled 17 + 5 (engineering) = 22

After looking through the lighthouse, Jorm has grave concerns about its long-term stability, especially if there is an aftershock. There are large cracks in the basement foundation, and you suspect it wouldn't take much to send the whole structure pitching into the ocean.

However, you also think that you could use some of sturdier timbers from the collapsed building to buy you some time, and shore up the most troubling issues with the lighthouse. It will take most of you working throughout the remainder of the afternoon to make the repairs. It will likely take another day to properly install the mirrors and light-house lamp.

[NukeHavoc]

Is it a good idea to travel with the infected people, who might zombify enroute, or should we wait and see who is gonna make it?

Based on what you've seen so far, it seems like the incubation period is 12-48 hours.

[setanta14]

I guess we better get building then, put the spellcasters on the mirror/lamp set-up, and the martial types on the heavy work. We can take turns standing watch over the infected people and for more zombie attacks.

Maybe we can lock the infected people down in the basement under the trap door? I can't think of any other way to quarantine them safely...

[Upweekis]

I'm thinking that once the incubation period is done and the tentacles are out there is no helping these people. We either cure them or kill them. So we have to take care of Tholyr asap. Are there no other villages, settlements, hamlets, lines of smoke from a house fire visible where a healer might live. Every island has a healer right?

Plan B would be to throw all the infected ones, except for Tholyr, down into the basement, after we haul all the supplies out of there, and hope they can fight the infection. We don't want Tholyr to beat the infection only to get infected again.

What if we killed him now and resurrected him later? ...just a suggestion.

[NukeHavoc]

What if we killed him now and resurrected him later? ...just a suggestion.

Now you're thinking like a true Blackrazor.

[setanta14]

Nah, costs too much

[setanta14]

Anyways, as the saying goes: tracers work both ways, so when we get the lighthouse put together, we'll be telling Clegg AND the other bad guys where we are, so we'll need to be prepared for anything. Hopefully their own nefarious plans don't include attacking us just for the hell of it if we haven't discovered their hideout yet. They likely can't get the skymetal off the island unless they use a ship (unless they have tunnels here to the Darklands, which would really suck), so we can spot their approach (if they haven't already left, that is).

Then the question is whether Clegg will respond to our signal, as even though his forces were halved by the "dragon turtle", his greed may be such that only a thorough search of the crater himself without finding anything will disuade him to coming to Witchlight. Well, that and tentacle creature/zombie attacks.

I guess once we know who is a zombie and who isn't, we hole up any noncombatants atop Witchlight tower (are the apprentices all at least 1-2 level wizards?) and try to find Depora, et. al. ASAP before everything collapses. If there is only one approachable place on the whole island where a ship can come in, we know where the bad guys will likelky be eventually; where they are now is the problem. Good news is we have an excellent view of the docks from here, just don't know if we could cross the island before they could depart.

[EvilGenius]

I think we should find Clegg sooner rather than later. The longer we wait, the more chance of the dwarven-tentacle monsters finding them. Fortifying the tower isn't that big a concern. IMO, we should meet up with Clegg, hunt the drow, fight off the remaining tentacle monsters when they come for us.

And whomever harvested the skymetal doesn't necessarily have to take it out through the harbor. they could always try to hoist it down a cliff face if they're trying to be sneaky or throw us off the trail.

[setanta14]

Yeah, but all of the cliffs have reefs off of them too, the only break is the narrow channel to the docks.

I think finding Clegg sooner rather than later is better too, if we can manage it, but I'm not sure we can with apprentices/infected people in tow.

There's always dividing the party

I mean, the dwarves and the gnome are slower cross-country, while Skender, Kwava, and especially Jheru are faster. Kwava or Jheru (and Emeryon/Korlandril if were saying they're here) can stay to protect the apprentices and deal with the infected people while we find Clegg. Without Skender there, Clegg probably won't listen to anyone else, so even though he'd prefer not to go, he'd have to go. So, what does everyone else think?

[Jonkga]

Jheru will say:

Well, it took us more than a day to get to the crater, and then to Witchlight. So, it would probably take more than a day to get back to the harbor. Although, we didn't just take the road, and that might speed things up. Also, we were beset by stirges and then the tentacle-lions and their resulting zombies. But, it would probably be safer to assume there'd be more encounters on the way back as well, so yeah, probably longer than a day to get there.

Given that it is later in the day already, I'd say our efforts are best spent in shoring up our location, setting up a perimeter, and starting big fires. Yes, I'd like to get to Clegg and his folks before any more danger befalls them, but I'm not sure that is our best course of action. They won't find the skymetal at the crater, and if they see someone is here, they are bound to come investigating.

I also don't know that running right after the dark elf lady is the wisest thing to do. If folks are going to become zombies spontaneously, we might need to know that before we have another big fight with her and her minions. However, if the infected are going to live fine and only become zombies after death, then we will know whom to protect suring an encounter. Either way, a delay only serves to help us understand and better prepare, even if it does give her more time as well.

Also, there are not many places they could be hiding on the island. So, I think we should be making this tower as safe as possible, rigging up the signal light, demolsihing and burning unusable buildings, making barricades, etc. so we have this refuge for us and any survivors. Then, we can start exploring the other two towers, each in turn, to see if they give us info about the fate of the skymetal and/or the dark elf lady and her focres. If those locations don't prove fruitful, we can then start combing the forest to see if there are any locations we can't see yet that might be important.

[erilar]

Ken -

If I remember correctly, we had some evidence that Depora left for Devil's Elbow via ship, correct?

That doesn't necessarily mean that there is not Underdark route from DE to Riddleport, since a ship would be faster, but it may give us some confidence that she'll be trying to leave DE by ship?

Also, there was the whole bit about some glyphs down south that she was fiddling with. No evidence of glyphs or cavern entrances on this island so far, so maybe that means her plan was to snatch up the skymetal and then haul purple butt for the island where the glyphs are?

I'm confused about DE geography. The tower in Witchalock is a different tower from the one Ken referred to as the lighthouse, correct? Except there happened to be some signalling mirrors and such in the Witchlight tower, yes?

If that is the case, then Phil thinks that our priorities should be as follows:
1) Send folks out to warn Clegg. We have three reasons to do so. First, it's the decent thing to do. Second, both we and Clegg's party will likely need more numbers if we are to survive. Lastly, if Clegg's band gets waxed by tentacle-lions, then we're going to be doubly-boned by tomorrow night. I like Skender's suggestion that the faster folk run out to warn Clegg while the rest of us fortify.
2) If the Witchlight tower is not the "lighthouse", then I think we should strike out for the lighthouse in the morning. We NEED to be able to signal our boat (or any boat) should it return, so why spend precious time cobbling together a signaling system if there's already a working lighthouse? Instead, we can board up the Witchlight tower for tonight so our defenses are the best they can be, and then book it for the lighthouse in the morning, assuming there's no sight of another ship in port come dawn.

[NukeHavoc]

If I remember correctly, we had some evidence that Depora left for Devil's Elbow via ship, correct?

Yes. "After the heroes chased Depora Azrinae from the subterranean lair, she jumped on a schooner fleeing the city. The schooner – the Morning Star – is a small, fast moving ship, and was the first in the harbor to recover from the tidal wave."

Also, there was the whole bit about some glyphs down south that she was fiddling with. No evidence of glyphs or cavern entrances on this island so far, so maybe that means her plan was to snatch up the skymetal and then haul purple butt for the island where the glyphs are?

Based on her journal, Devil's Elbow is the island where the glyphs were located. From what she wrote, it seems like there must be a cave complex somewhere on the island, likely close to the water based on the hints she gives.

I'm confused about DE geography. The tower in Witchalock is a different tower from the one Ken referred to as the lighthouse, correct? Except there happened to be some signalling mirrors and such in the Witchlight tower, yes?

There are three towers:

1) A western tower, crumbled an broken
2) The Witchlight tower, which is where you are currently located. It was designed to be a lighthouse, but never completed. It is here that you found the mirrors.
3) An eastern tower, forlorn but intact.

If that is the case, then Phil thinks that our priorities should be as follows:
1) Send folks out to warn Clegg. We have three reasons to do so. First, it's the decent thing to do. Second, both we and Clegg's party will likely need more numbers if we are to survive. Lastly, if Clegg's band gets waxed by tentacle-lions, then we're going to be doubly-boned by tomorrow night. I like Skender's suggestion that the faster folk run out to warn Clegg while the rest of us fortify.
2) If the Witchlight tower is not the "lighthouse", then I think we should strike out for the lighthouse in the morning. We NEED to be able to signal our boat (or any boat) should it return, so why spend precious time cobbling together a signaling system if there's already a working lighthouse? Instead, we can board up the Witchlight tower for tonight so our defenses are the best they can be, and then book it for the lighthouse in the morning, assuming there's no sight of another ship in port come dawn.

So just to reiterate, the Witchlight tower *is* the lighthouse.

[setanta14]

This should clarify:

Docks on north side towards the middle

Witchlight on the south side in the middle, slightly further west than the Docks

Other two towers at the far ends east and west

Crater is east of Witchlight/southeast of Docks

Can't see the scale clearly, maybe Ken can give a hint as to distances?