In reply to Maeve Hassan (msg # 3):

Keef shrugs at the cathedral.

It needs to be torn down to make space.

In reply to Keef (msg # 4):

"The bell?" Carnaue  responds silkily. "Or the whole cathedral?"

In reply to DM (msg # 5):

Aye... all of it.

Well, the bell seems like a good place to start.

[Casting Fey Flight]

Boreas flies straight up until he is level with the bell.  He examines it and the structure surrounding it.

In reply to Boreas Highwind (msg # 7):

On the Ground

"I... yes," the cleric stammers, gaping at the looming cathedral standing fast against the darkening skies. "Yes, that would be for the best. But... but I can help you first."

She utters words of power, and goes from person to person until everyone is healed. Fortunately the group had sustained little overall damage, but the process still seems to leave the her pale and drained.

"Good luck," she says with a nod. "I'll let the others know where you are and what you're doing."

***

In the Sky

The air is choked with smoke and ashes from the fire raging through the city's northwestern quadrant, which makes Boreas's first unaided flight altogether less pleasant than he'd have preferred.

Traveling straight up, Boreas does not cross the threshold of the cathedral proper, and from 100 yards out it is difficult to make out any fine details. Boreas can, however, see that the pinnacle of central spire of the cathedral appears to house a single enormous bell, though he cannot see how it is being operated from your current location. As the range of Detect Magic is only 60 feet, he cannot tell if it is magical, either.

Below, Boreas can see that the cathedral's circular courtyard extends in all directions with a radius of 100 yards, and looks like it probably serves as Nekria's central park when the city is not at war. There are paved walkways, manicured lawns (of swampgrass, but still), and plenty of benches and statues scattered throughout.

At least two-score people occupy the grounds -- none of whom appear to be civilians. They patrol the area in groups of 3s and 4s, and do not appear to have noticed the P.A.R.T.Y. as yet. This is likely in part thanks to the fire. They do look alert, though... and you can blame the fire for that, as well.

Boreas flies toward the spire to get a closer look.  He is, of course, invisible.

In reply to Boreas Highwind (msg # 9):

Auriel begins to take wing, but Carnaue puts a hand on his shoulder to stop him.

"Perhaps we leave this one to the invisible among us, aye?"

***

Boreas, shrouded in light-bending magic, slips across the courtyard by air and arrives at the bell tower spire without incident.

The belfry itself is comparatively large, with ornate stonework visible around the perimeter. Boreas can see no guards or bell-ringers, but does note that there are several grotesque gargoyles among the carvings and other ornamentation. The bell itself is an enormous piece that appears to measure roughly 8 feet tall and 10 feet in diameter. Four quarter bells are placed around it, though they do not seem to be ringing at all.

Boreas watches at the bell tolls again, its regular cadence continuing unabated despite the active observation. There does not appear to be a pull rope, so the mechanism for the ringing remains a mystery for now.

Of specific note:

• The largest bell carries a distinct magical aura.
• The bell can be viewed through glass-less stone arches, which rest in the center of each of the belfry's four sides.
• The belfry is quite large, measuring about 25x25
• There is probably a door or passage somewhere, but Boreas cannot see it without getting even closer
This message was last edited by the GM at 16:33, Fri 16 Oct 2015.

Boreas looks to see what is attaching the bell to the surrounding structure.

In reply to Boreas Highwind (msg # 11):

The bells appear to be fastened to the stonework by a combination of ropes and iron brackets. None of which are magical.
This message was last edited by the GM at 13:56, Mon 19 Oct 2015.

In reply to DM (msg # 12):

Keef squints to see where the flying/invisible ranger went to.

For some reason his thoughts turn to magical brackets and the possible applications thereof.

Chubbs croaks loudly.

Keef nods, Indeed.  Most likely, they'd fetch a fine price with fantasy sports fans.
This message was last edited by the player at 15:22, Mon 19 Oct 2015.

Boreas starts circling the tower, shattering brackets as he goes.

[Casting Baleful Utterance]

He moves after each loud burst to disguise his position.

In reply to Boreas Highwind (msg # 14):

The shattered brackets eventually weaken enough to cause the bell to fall, slamming onto the floor of the belfry with a horrible clang and clatter. The eerie silence that follows is almost worse than the constant cadence Boreas just put to an end... or did he?

If he listens carefully, Boreas can still hear the regular gong-like tones emanating from the largest bell, but they are greatly muffled by the bell's current position and likely cannot be heard at all from beyond the belfry itself.

Two cloaked men quickly appear in the belfry, climbing up from a trapdoor set into the flooring. They look at the bell in alarm, and scratch their heads as they set about the task of inspecting the brackets.

In reply to DM (msg # 15):

Keef takes a seat to wait while people mess with their fantasy brackets.

Chubbs croaks.

This DOES seem familiar... Keef agrees.

Somewhere in the melee and fire, a deceased horse is being flogged.

In reply to Keef (msg # 16):

Carnaue narrows his good eye at the reverberation of the crashing bell.

"Was the point to let the entire city know we were here first, prior to going inside? Between that and the fireball, I cannot imagine there is any element of surprise remaining to us, despite the fire and the battle at the gates."

In reply to DM (msg # 17):

Keef shrugs.

Surprise wasn't the goal.  Destruction is.

Keef squints at Chubbs.

But I'm no tactician.

In reply to Keef (msg # 18):

"You can't destroy anything if you're dead," Carnaue says, exasperated. "If you're going to be this reckless throughout, I'm not sure I want to be anywhere near this place... or any of you..."

He glances around, as if gauging his options.

Boreas floats back down.

Pretty sure the city is aware we're here anyway.  And the guards have... bigger problems.  He gestures in the general direction of King Prak's forces.

Let's do what we came here to do.

In reply to Boreas Highwind (msg # 20):

Keef only shrugs.

In reply to Keef (msg # 21):

"We came here to infiltrate the cathedral," Carnaue says, stressing the fifth word with a glance at Keef. "Your actions probably did draw some of the defenders to the top of the structure, all things considered, so a ground-floor entry may be best."

He points to the gate and the courtyard beyond it.

"We merely need to work our way through the gate, across the courtyard, and past the front door. The grounds are patrolled by knots of Serpentsworn, as you have seen, so we are likely to be seen unless we get more creative. Unless we simply don't care if we're seen, of course."

He looks at the rest of the P.A.R.T.Y., eye settling on Boreas.

"You're probably our best bet, depending on how often you can do your shifting spell. If you can take us one at a time past the front door -- even if it takes a series of jumps -- we can secure the foyer and go from there once everyone has been brought across. I'm open to other ideas, of course, if someone has another plan."

Shouldn't be a problem.  Who's the lucky volunteer?

In reply to Boreas Highwind (msg # 23):

Keef raises one hand.

Chubbs chortles.

In reply to Keef (msg # 24):

Carnaue begins to object, then pauses, smiles, and shakes his head.

"I'm fine with that."

Alright, get ready and I'll take you in.

[Casting Walk Unseen]

Boreas waits for Keef to cast whatever he wants in preparation, then casts Fey Step to teleport both people to the appointed area.

In reply to Boreas Highwind (msg # 26):

Outside

Keef buffs himself up, and then the pair of casters disappear.

Inside

Keef and Boreas materialize in a spacious, ornate foyer that is resplendently decorated with a kind of casual opulence clearly designed to impress and awe any who enter. The room is 30x30, and has an arched double-doorway to the north, east, south, and west. The main entrance door leading outside to the courtyard is to your south, and both the northern and southern doorways are closed.

There are no doors at all to the east and to the west, and gazing down each passage you can see a long, richly carpeted hallway of polished marble extend in either direction.

Miraculously, you appear to be alone. For now.
This message was last edited by the GM at 15:49, Thu 29 Oct 2015.

In reply to DM (msg # 27):

The sound of echoing footsteps can be heard reverberating from the hallways on either side. To the north, the door muffles the sound of what might be chanting, singing, and music of some kind.

By the time Boreas has finished transferring everyone else to the lobby, the sound of footsteps from the east and the west is unmistakable, and even accompanied by hushed voices talking.
This message was last edited by the GM at 16:35, Fri 30 Oct 2015.