Once again covered in blood, but not visibly harmed the Bear takes one last look into the northwest tower to make sure that nothing dangerous is moving around in there, or takes one last sniff of whatever makes it smell so bad, and turns away to follow and quickly catch up with the two legged people heading for the next tower..

Inside the tower northeast tower, filthy furs and discarded bones litter the interior. The rank animal smell is only increased by the corpses of the keelboat crew and the filthy bugbears.

Morg, Makari, and Gorm make their way back to the southwest tower with whoever else accompanies them.

---

Tana, Magdrak, and Durik remain in the northwestern tower unless you decide to follow the others.
This message was last edited by the GM at 00:34, Fri 26 June 2020.

Magrak shakes his head at the question.  "I will live, I am sure."  He follows along with the others to the southwest tower.

---

OOC:


Current HP: 27/51
Lay on Hands: 20/25
Channel Divinity: 1/1
Current Spells:
1st: 2/4
2nd: 0/2

When Magdrak leaves Durik follows him to the other tower.

Tana shrugged and followed the others.

"You ummm... you kill cultists then?"

She said, licking her lips.

"You've certainly made a habit of it."

She gestured around vaguely.

"Is that something you wish to keep doing?"

Makari frowned and looked back at Tana. He opened his mouth to respond, but then realized the comment was directed more at some of the others at him. He hadn't been with any of these people for any prior cultist raids or battles.

He shrugged. "I have not made a habit of anything yet personally, but I suppose the night is young."

Magdrak grunts at Tana's questions.  He responds as they walk along.  "I did not set out to kill cultists, mind you.  But they have been wreaking havoc in the area, not to mention recruiting and then killing friends of mine.  I finally figured they might need stoppin'."

He shrugs.  "But that's just my story.  Not really sure about the others."

The group all returns to the southwest tower safely, with no other figures in sight anywhere. Rowan remains here with one unconscious guard, another tied up, and a locked coffer underneath a nearby hammock.

---

What now? Search room? Go somewhere else?

"Well things look somewhat secured here now, perhaps we search the place for clues? I mean these folks were up to no good-they may even have others held prisoner."

"Aye." Morg says to Durik.

He walks over to the tied up guard, "The bugbears and others in the northeast tower wouldn't co-operate, so they're dead now." he says as he wipes the blood off his greatsword. "If you answer our questions honestly and don't attack, I'll let you live."

"Any prisoners here, and if so, who are guarding them? Any magic swords recently rrived? Do you the genasi pirate Shoalah Quandehil, and/or Gah Shatterkeel?"

---

PS: I didn't mention it, but Morg will always collect his javelins if action economy isn't an issue, like after a battle not run away from.

22:53, Today: Morg Danforge rolled 16 using 1d20+3 with rolls of 13.  Trying to intimidate bound bandit during questioning.
This message was last edited by the player at 20:57, Wed 01 July 2020.

The guard gives Morg a level look, but doesn't test his bonds or otherwise give sign of discomfort.

"Aye, seems you've got control of the castle then. Ain't no pris'ners here 'cept me an old 'Holger there, seems to me. Shoalar be the pirate captain, an aye, I know 'im. An' Gar be the leader of this here group. We're all just good honest smugglers, no need to be goin' on about slaughtering us all."

Either uninterested in, or unconvinced by, the pirate's claims the bear that never really came into the room more than a snout's length to sniff at it a bit pulls her head back out and heads off in the direction of the nearest as yet unopened door.  Presumably to investigate it with a little bit more heavy knocking.

Tana was at last quiet, following the dwarves on softly booted feet rather than with her magic.

"What's your name?" Morg asks the bandit.

While checking the coffer for traps and looking for other items in the tower, he says to the rest of the party, "My friend Zora was looking for this Gah Shatterkeel, and if we can capture him and the pirate captain alive, I'd lke to return them, and the rest of these bandits to the constable at Red Larch."

---

08:54, Today: Morg Danforge rolled 16 using 1d20 with rolls of 16.  Investigate SW tower.

"Name's Estebana." the bound guard spits.

In the north end of the tower, there is a chain mechanism that presumably raises or lowers the portcullis to the outside gate below, and another that controls the gate bars. The holes in the floor nearby look down in the passage below, and are presumably murder holes.

Aside from a few coins strewn about the southern chamber in the tower proper, the only thing of interest appears to be a locked wooden coffer beneath one of the hammocks.

---

@Gorm, where you headed specifically? The nearest doors might include a door into the main keep on the northwest, at the end of the western wall; doors leading into a long building in the interior of the keep grounds, on ground level; and the southeastern tower that a number of figures ran into as they were being attacked by Makari earlier.

Durik keeps an eye on the court yard and on Morg as he questions the prisoners.

Makari left the dwarves to their prisoner-taking and -talking. He stepped back outside and looked around. He stared at the beast. "Hey. Bear. Who ARE you? Why are you following us?"

He then gestured. "Also, there were some bandits in that tower, but maybe we should see if anyone's interested in helping us explore the main keep? I mean, the smart thing to do would be to keep going through all the towers and make they're cleared out first I suppose."

Tana changed course, and moved close to Makari.  He had been the most talkative of the group, though they were all opening up.  She kept a wary eye on the bear, however, having just assisted in felling the boar.

"My magic is largely spent, but I can still summon the Lesser Banefire.  I will go with you."

She said as she draw closer.

"If we kill every bandit in this keep, whose does it become?"

Which was a little aggressive, as Morg had spoken of capturing them alive.

The blood covered but mostly unharmed bear turns to look over its shoulder at the half elf for a few moments, then proceeds on to the entrance to the south eastern tower, the most likely place to find more of the humanoids that fled in the initial stages of the assault.

"Shall we check downstairs?" Morg says as he tries to open the coffer.

---

If coffer isn't open, and the key that was around Holger's neck doesn't open it, and Estebana doesn't offer a way to open it without breaking - then Morg  will use his crowbar to try to break coffer open: 25 brute Strength check.

09:16, Today: Morg Danforge rolled 25 using 2d20+5, dropping the lowest dice only with rolls of 15,20.  Strength check with advantage (crowbar) to try to open coffer.

Makari looked at Tana and flashed her a smile as she spoke up and came with him. "Oh, now, don't sell yourself short! I know you still have some Eldritch Blasts left in you as well."

He gave a small start and looked at the bear. "Uh. No. You were following us for several days on our way here. I noticed you." He gave a small sigh that barely hinted at exasperation. "Don't try to riddle me or be mysterious, bear. What's your name? What's your interest in us and/or this keep?"

Placing a calming hand on Makari; "For what its worth this bear has been quite useful to us on our travels-it may have its reasons for being here like us, could also be as simple as it is using us to find food."

Morg finds the coffer locked. The key around his neck fits perfectly into the keyhole however, and he opens the lid to reveal a pile of coins arranged around two tightly stopped bottles.

---

There is 150 sp and 40 gp in the coffer, and two unidentified potions.

Loot thread updated!

This message was last edited by the GM at 18:19, Sun 05 July 2020.

Tana either ignored the short joke, or missed it entirely.

"Eldritch Blasts?"

She instead replied, her roughshod voice clearly questioning.

"Hmmph, that seems as good a name as any for the working."

Her eyes narrowed as she considered this information.

"That's what they are called then?  Yours are different though..."

She trailed off, clearly her mind off wandering along its own path.

Leaving the humanoids to talk shop the bear continues on its quest to find and apparently remove all the previous inhabitants of this particular fortress.