"That's a good point, Lureene," Mithra comments. "We didn't really observe them very long. All I saw was them digging."

A bad thought just occurred to her.

"Oh, I hope those aren't Dwarven bones!"

Concerned that a squeaky door will carry over the booming, Victor creates another sign: Anyone have oil for the hinge?

Ero rubs his fingers on the hinges, leaving a sheen that glistens in its own light.

Minor Conjuration

Victor opens the door slowly, during the next boom. He enters the room shield first, his other hand empty, ready to draw a weapon or cast a spell. He takes a look around.

Victor is about to enter the room when he spots the four-foot diameter floating orb in the middle. It has one large eye and four stalks with an additional eye at the end of each one.

Victor can also see the brazier in the center of the room. An eerie green flame dances and crackles faintly in the brazier.

Scorched worktables take up two corners of the room, and the plaster on the masonry walls has been burned off.

Hello, burbles a thick deep voice in Victor's head.
This message was last edited by the GM at 18:49, Mon 26 Feb 2018.

As Alexia continues to uncover the bones, she easily tell that the bones appear a lot older than a recent burial would account for. The clothes are mostly all rotted away, too.

By the time she uncovers the head, it's also clear that the bones probably belong to a Dwarf, and she sees that the right bony hand still grasps a wand in it.

After kicking around a few more rocks, she's pretty sure that there is only one body down here.

It didn't attack on sight. Victor pretends that's a good sign, pointedly blocks the door so none of his allies can enter the room yet, flashes the hand sign for Caution behind his back, and says, out loud, "Hail! Sorry to intrude, but, I'm looking for some dwarves who went missing in the area. Have you, by any chance, seen them."

11:23, Today: Victor Harkness rolled 16 using 1d20 with rolls of 16.  Diplomacy on eye monster.
11:23, Today: Victor Harkness rolled 20 using 1d20+3 with rolls of 17.  Arcana to identify eye monster.

Lots of Dwarves all over the mine... digging, hammering, moving, yammering, the voice replies. Rocks. They like rocks. None of the Dwarves are missing.

The creature floats over closer to Victor. It doesn't appear threatening, other than its normal look.

"Does their noise bother you?" asks Victor. "You seem to welcome company. What is it you do here? I've never seen your like, before. Are you a prisoner?" The thing looks fearsome, but, Victor supposes, so does he. He remains polite, but wary. He stays between his party and the door, wondering if they hear the creature's voice in their heads too.

OOC: Did Victor succeed in identifying the creature?

Noticing Victor is conspicuously blocking the doorway, Ero decides the best course of action will be to flank whomever -- whatever is in there.  He taps Nixon on the shoulder and indicates he should follow.  Ero then, as quietly as possible, starts to head around to the back of the building.  That lasts for about three steps before Ero steps on a brittle board, breaking it with a loud SNAP!

Sigh....

18:17, Today: Ero Sulaanin rolled 4 using 1d20+3 with rolls of 1.  Stealth.

Noise? What noise? I don't have any ears, so I can't hear any noise, the voice replies. I do sense vibrations. Is that what that is--noise?

I guard the magic items created in the Forge of Spells. I am not a prisoner. Not exactly. I was summoned to guard.

It suddenly spins around to look at the opposite wall, and a green ray shoots out of one of its eye-stalks.

Don't come any closer! You touch that sword and you die!

Victor cannot see anyone in the direction the creature appears to be looking, nor does Victor see any sword.

Stories of similar creatures abound in nearly any inn in the Realms, and the descriptions vary quite a lot. Victor 'recognizes' it as what is generally labeled a 'beholder-kin', and specifically as a 'spectator'. As just demonstrated, each of the eye-stalks is capable of projecting a spell-like ray, though each ray is different, and may even be different from one spectator to another.


The others can hear Victor talking to someone.

As Ero tries to head around to the back of the building, he realizes the building is built against the side wall of the cave. If he heads around to the front of the building, he can see through the half-open double doors. And sees what Victor sees.

Nixon joined Ero in returning-for Nixon at least- to the main doors that he had referenced to the party.  Victor's one-sided conversation with the - was that a baby beholder?  Always thought the adult ones had more eyestalks. By the gods!

Nixon's feet very carefully and slowly moved him to the side to watch.

Despite being certain that he had not been seen or heard, his hand froze as he moved to raise his sword, and the beholder called out a warning to not move... then he laughed mentally at himself.  His last sword lay victim to a sword-breaker outside Waterdeep harbour.  His replacement blade was as unmagicked as could be, and surely could not have drawn attention beyond being good steel.  Ah, perhaps another of the group was inside the wall, drawing the beholder's attention.

---

OOC:
Presuming the telepathy is not broad-band?

Sighing at the noise Ero made, Victor continues to talk to the spectator, "So, you guard magic items from the Forge of Spells, and you'll kill anyone who touches them with those beams from your eyes? You can't hear, so you communicate with thoughts?  And you can sense vibrations without even touching the ground! I imagine you are good at your job. It must be impossible for anyone to sneak up on you! Especially with all those eyes. You are quite impressive! You are the perfect guardian! I bet you never need to sleep either! I wish I could summon you to guard my treasures!"



18:51, Today: Victor Harkness rolled 21 using 1d20+2 with rolls of 19.  Perception. Wasted a 19 to hear Ero fail at sneaking.

Raus glances back as Victor opens the old, damaged door. He finds it quite strange that Victor is having a conversation with someone, but know better than to move and left the rear unguarded. As apparently Victor is having a conversation by himself, Raus is more and more drawn to the door, and he is slowly and carefully walking closer, hoping to get a better view of what Victor is doing.

OOC: I'm not sure is Raus can see the beholderkin or not

Raus cannot see into the large room from where he's at. He can see through the front door of the small building, but seeing into the second door in the room would be seeing around a right-angle turn.

"Digging up then, not burying, and these bones are too old to be the dwarves we are trying to find. No doubt they were looking for that wand. Let's take it to identify later and move on."

"Don't that beat all!" Mithra whispered in surprise. "How do you suppose they knew the wand was there in the first place?"

She looked around the area again, trying to find some clue that would suddenly reveal itself.

Almost as it was in response to her question, someone suddenly appears next to Alexia and then Alexia disappears.

A few seconds later, another person appears next to Wendell, and then Wendell disappears!

Eredan blinks furiously then turns instinctively and throws up on the ground behind him. Standing he wipes his mouth on the back of his sleeve.

"Oy! Firehair - whaT did you - ". Suddenly the half-elf found himself somewhere else. This was - unexpected.

"Salutations, sir," Ero says.  "We were apprehensive as to the sustentation of our cohort.  But now that we understand our presentiment is baseless, we will no longer attempt an ambuscade."

The elf gives the creature a flourished bow.  "Ero Sulaanin, sir."

In reply to Eredan Corlinus (msg # 953):

Ezguar beats his chest for a moment and let's out ,to him, a hearty burp. Ah that was quite unexpected... he was so rash ha. Ah cheer up Eredan I told you the first  times the worst. Ezguar dusts himself off and looks at his surroundings then looks to the people around him. We have been sent here to a *hic* help! I'm Ezguar and this is my new friend Eredan.. Do you mind if I ask about our current situation?

In reply to Ezguar Grimlock (msg # 955):

Thressa stands nearby remaining alert.

Eredan shakes his head, clearing the cobwebs from his brain. From the dazed look on his face it appears he was rather unsuccessful.

"Ezguar old chap - I fear it was the ale more than the sudden moving through the cosmos that upset my stomach so."

Taking his cue from Ezguar he let loose a loud burp and patted his stomach.

The beautiful priestess's eyes widen and she steps back half a step, her mace at the ready. She eyes the newcomers carefully. "Who are you, and what did you do to our friends", she demands to know, tightening her grip on her weapon.

In reply to Lureene Raventree (msg # 958):

Ah careful now wouldn't want anyone to get hurt. Ezguar nervously eyes this person's mace. We were sent here as back up by the triumvirate of casters at the local inn. I cannot say as to what happened to your friends but I assure you that we had nothing to do with it. Ezguar reaches out with one hand an attempt to make peace via hand shake. Ezguar Gridlock  wizard apprentice at your service. Oh and this here is my compatriot Eredan the fantastic warlock. We heard there was trouble but I at least expected that they would have told you that we were coming.