Sketch doesn't press it. At first you think he just might be trying to be polite. But after a moment you realize that he is staring out over the vast emptiness below the cliffs to your right. It appears very much the same as before, when you and Ileosa were exploring the area north of the Outpost.
It is the first time either Sketch or Allessia have seen it.

The cliffs end abruptly to the north, falling away into a gray-blue nothingness. As before, huge chunks of rock float out in the expanse, like flotsam drifting on invisible waves. The "islands" are all rock underneath, but you can see vegetation growing on the topside. Some even have streams of water flowing over their edges, dissipating into mist before ever reaching whatever bottom might be far below.
At the edge of the trail, Nibs is producing hooks and ropes from his pouches and other equipment, as if he intends on... well, you're not sure what.

"Depends on what you expect," Sketch says after the initial shock of the expanse wears off. "Bryn's good in a fight, but needs to be the boss of everything. Allessia's great to look at, but I ain't seen her do much else. Duncan's a great foreman, but I don't know how he'd do outside the mines. Soapy... Well, he's really important. I'd leave him back at home.
"Ileosa would have been my choice," he says with a shrug. "But you let her go.
"Actually, Bryn and Duncan might be good choices. They're dwarves, and the drawing we saw of the door looks like it's made of stone. And if it's carved into the cliff, perhaps a dwarven perspective is what you need."

"Hey, what do you think Nibs is doing?" he says, watching the pale-skinned guide prepare the hooks and ropes.

"Ah, crap. He's going to make us climb from island to island with grappling hooks, I think. It's not too late to turn back."

Nibs is indeed preparing for you to move from island to island via his ropes and hooks. He, himself, traverses the distance with a single rope and hook, attached to a special harness ingeniously built into his belt and baldirc. Like a bird, Nibs leaps into the expanse and tugs on the rope. Within one or two seconds, he slides along the rope and lands on his feet on the other island.
Without saying anything, he finishes securing three other ropes he had begun on the previous island. It doesn't take him more than a moment, and he's strung a make-shift rope bridge spanning the two islands.
"Come," he says, and you realize it is the first time you've heard the man speak.
Allessia steps forward, noticing three hooks attached to leather straps affixed to the top-most rope. Following Nibs's gestures, she straps the leather around her waist. A dozen or so steps later, she is safely on the other side.

"Liam!" Allessia shouts across the void. "You have to try this! It's amazing!" Honestly, walking a tightrope across a chasm of incalculable depth to a floating "island" while strapped to a rope is probably the wildest thing she's done in... well, probably forever. As scary as it had seemed, it was quite easy, and completely exhilarating.
Her skin flushes and she finds that she cannot stop giggling.

"Well, we'll have to do it next time. Might as well practice now. At least this way we can impress Brynn with our expertise."

Liam puts himself into the harness, making sure to double-check everything and then triple-check it.

"This will make for a great verse in the Chanson de Sketch! 'Boldly flew the halfling, across the dang'rous void...'"

Thanks to Nibs's ropes and harnesses, traversing the void between the "islands" is easy. Allessia and Nibs are both there to catch you and help you out of the leather strap harness. It feels equal parts dangerous and exciting, but is otherwise quite safe.
Neither does Sketch have any issues making it across.
As Nibs recovers his equipment, and Sketch recovers his breath, the latter asks how many more of these "islands" they'll have to cross. Nibs raises two fingers before leading you and your companions further along the path that cuts through the tiny landmass. The trail continues for about another one-hundred yards of twisting, rocky outcropping and wind-blown cliffs.
Twice more does Nibs make it possible for Allessia, Sketch, and yourself to easily (and relatively quickly) span the expanse between the floating masses that slowly gravitate near the coast.

The door itself is located in a small alcove, situated perhaps ten or fifteen feet into the side of the cliff face. Liam does not approach the door, but from that distance, he can still see the shapes and patterns embossed into the stone.
A myriad of sea-shapes decorate the entire surface, save a small sections at the center--presumably where the runes appear during the tides.

Seeing Nibs in action, Liam suddenly becomes curious about the creature. What race is he? Why would he associate so closely with the Merfolk?

Liam makes note of the many crossings they make, and an uncomfortable thought occurs to him. If the Merfolk ever wanted to lose him in an accident, this would be the place to do it. The miners wouldn't even think twice about accepting such an explanation -- especially if Sketch or Allessia were still around to recount how dangerous the crossings seem.

He puts the uncomfortable thought aside for the moment.

At the door, Liam addresses Sketch. "What do you make of it? How would you break in?"

And to Allessia, he says, "What's the religious significance of this place?"

You know that Nibs is a member of a race known as the Kor. However, as to why he might be helping the merfolk--his motivations are probably more personal, rather than racial. How did Liam first learn about the Kor?

Sketch examines the door, looking closely for any exposed hinges or other mechanical mechanisms. At length, the halfling shakes his head.
"Hard to say, Boss. I can't find the lock. That is to say, not a mechanical one. If this opens, it'll probably have something to do with those," he says, pointing to the sections present on the front. Most of the door is decorated with sea iconography, swirly shells, sea stars, fish, and the like. The the center area is devoid of any carvings or etchings.
"I think they said runes appear with the tides?"

Allessia shrugs. "I see a few symbols that remind me of the Cult of Dagon; but that could just be coincidental. I guess it depends on what these tidal runes might say when they appear."

Liam first discovered the Kor while drunk at a revel. Or rather, he discovered one very specific Kor. He never caught her name, but she was a marvel on the ropes and trapezes of the big-city carnival. Afterwards, he sat through a friend's lecture on the history and culture of the Kor, but he didn't pay much attention. His mind was rapt with the memory of her grace on the lines.

Seeing Nibs in action, he's starting to understand that ropes and vertical agility are a part of the wider culture. Maybe most Kor women move that way?

---

"This place gives me the creeps. I don't mean, like, spiritually. I just feel like we're going to get sucked into that place and not be able to get out. Let's come back when we have a crew."

He listens to Allessia and Sketch, but he watches for a reaction from Nibs. The Kor are notoriously self-sufficient and brave. He wonders if Nibs will perceive his own caution as cowardice.

Nibs doesn't protest when Liam announces his intent to leave. He had been setting up a make-shift camp, expecting to stay at the door at least long enough for the newcomers to witness the changing tide. The kor simply shrugs and begins gathering equipment for the return hike. Unless spoken to directly, Nibs doesn't say anything regarding Liam's retreat from the door.

You return to the colony shortly before sunset. Again, you find the village of Ocho Oyo wrapped in the quiet and peaceful embrace between the cliffs and the northern sea. Villagers move about their properties concluding their daily business; and most of the fishing boats are returning to the pier. Thin wisps of smoke waft from chimneys as they prepare their evening meals, granting the little seaside village a quaint aura reminiscent of a Meignaud painting.
A mist obscures the horizon line but captures the rays of the setting sun, washing the sky in multicolored hues of pinks and purples. Looking to the northwest, you can barely make out the dark hulks of the floating islands, lurking beyond the mist. Occasionally, you spy a flash of what must be lightning inside the mist.

Nibs takes you back to the monastery, and you are again greeted by Abbot Limu. He asks if you've learned anything from the door and insists that you stay the night in town before returning to your Outpost.
"It will do you no good to travel through the night on the mountain side," Limu says. "Besides, I feel a storm coming. Stay with us here at the monastery, or perhaps with Lady Wavecrest. I would not advise being unsheltered tonight."

"I'd prefer to stay here tonight," Allessia confides with Liam. "I don't relish the idea of roaming through the woods at night, especially with those creepy centaurs about."

"Bah! I hate it here," Sketch says, if asked his opinion by Liam. "Everything smells like fish, and everyone thinks I'm a human child. And so long as they see me that way, they won't let me drink or gamble. And the women here… well, let's just say I've been to kratan whorehouses that smell better." Afterword he smiles sheepishly. He is sure Liam knows full well there are no kratan whorehouses, for there are no kartan whores. But he is satisfied, his point being made.

"I've never heard of a Kartan whore, but I'm sure that for you they would create the whole industry from scratch."

"We will stay here tonight," he says to the abbot.

Liam spends the night ruminating on the door and, more specifically, which of his new subjects to bring along for the exploration party.

The storm began in earnest shortly after sunset. Gusts of wind and rain buffeted the monastery into the night, punctuated by flashes of lightning. Each thunderclap sounds closer than the last, sending violent vibrations though the stone walls.
A contingent of monks remain awake throughout the night, tasked with tending fireplaces and keeping various sconces lit despite the wind that occasionally tears through the drafty tower.
Most of the rooms that share exterior walls have some sort of leak, allowing a little water inside. However, it isn't too bad considering the alternative of being caught outside tonight.
The evening meal consists of fish-head stew, some kind of white tuber vegetable, and flat-bread.
Allessia, Sketch, and you are given beds in a sparsely furnished common room. A wide fireplace dominates one wall, while five rows of bunk style beds jut from the opposite wall.

At some point during the night, a particularly menacing thunderclap wakes you from sleep. The accompanying rumble lasts far longer than the crash of lightning. In fact, it continues for several minutes. The unoccupied beds slide and skid across the flagstone floor, grit and thick dust bunnies fall from the rafters above.
"An earthquake?" Sketch asks from the bunk next to you.
From across the room, Allessia is up and making for the door, trying to keep her feet as the ground trembles fervently. After a few steps she is forced to crouch low and wait for the shaking to stop for fear of falling over.
A low droning can be heard from somewhere in the monastery, probably the monks praying or chanting, however the storm outside makes it nearly impossible to make anything out clearly.

After a time, the shaking eases, but doesn't fully stop. Just as the barefooted Allessia makes it to the door, it swings open to reveal huge monstrosity standing just beyond!
Instinctively, Allessia jumps back as the creature enters, ducking through the door. The beast stands over eight feet tall and is as wide as two men. Six tusks protrude from its upper jaw, three on either side of its flattened, reptilian head.

What do you do?

Liam's first instinct is to run. And maybe he will. But first he waits to judge this beast's intent. Is it sentient? What is its mood? Is its danger immediate, or subtle?

Liam ponders all that whole looking for an escape route.

Other than the doorway the creature came through, there is one other door on the opposite wall. The only other potential escape is the fireplace, which is still burning.

The creature snarls before lunging at Allessia. However, she is quicker, having expecting something violent from the beast. She dives under the nearest bunk in an attempt to escape the monster's massive hands. Anger flares as it chases her, smashing the wooden bunk to kindling in a single blow. It bellows loudly as it raises its thick, tree-like arms for another attack.

What do you do?

I continue to hide while trying to evade the monster's attacks. I crawl from one bunk to another, moving toward my bunk and where I stored my gear for the night...

I roll out of my bunk and begin rummaging though my equipment. Somewhere I have a dose of goldenroot. Once I find it, I'll begin applying it to one of my throwing daggers...

Liam has no attachment to this place, nor need to defend its people.

He just needs enough to time to get his own party and gear to safety.

He moves between the creature and the fireplace, and begins shouting.

When the beast charges, he'll get out of the way so it's charging the fireplace.

At least, that's the plan.

What you're describing sounds primarily like you're evoking the Defying Danger move. Ultimately, you are wanting leap out of the way as the monster charges you causing it to crash into the fireplace for damage, yes?

Under normal circumstances I would post a description of it as it charges you before asking you to roll a Defy Danger check using DEX, and then another descriptive post detailing the results of that roll. However, since I goofed up and went into the woods for two and a half weeks without telling you, I think it might be more appropriate to give you a little more. I usually wouldn't roll for you, but I'd like to further the scene quickly, given the delay I caused.

The creature hunts Allessia for a moment before it turns its attentions to you. You shout and taunt it, doing everything you can think of to capture its ire. Your efforts pay off, per se, as the monster turns and charges at you! You hold your ground, patiently waiting until the last possible moment before leaping away…
11:30, Today: GM, on behalf of Liam, rolled 7 using 2d6-1. Defy Danger (DEX).

[Worse Outcome] Somehow, Liam is able to remain standing directly in the beast's path until he can smell the stink of its breath. He dives away and can feel a burst of wind as the monster flies past him just before slamming into the fireplace stones. There is a sickening thud as it collides with the hearth, followed immediately by a terrible hollow sound as the wall falls away. The timbers above, holding the ceiling up, crack and spilt, serving as a final warning before a section of ceiling collapses.

Ash and embers are blown all through the room along with a thick cloud of dust! The particles ignite, causing the beds and linen to catch fire. Liam loses sight of Sketch in the conflagration; and the last known position of Allessia was under one of the beds.

The lower half of the creature begins to spasm, its lower extremities lashing out violently from under the pile of debris. The compromised wall groans loudly, threatening to collapse further if the assault continues.

What do you do?

Liam drops to all fours and tries to get a clear view under the smoke. He'll try to spot Allessia and ascertain her state of health.

If he has to move, it will be away from the beast.

Crouching low and moving away from the beast still spasming under the rubble that was once a fireplace, Liam can see Allessia under a row of bunks to his left. Her hands outstretched with her palms up in a peaceful gesture, she is softly—and urgently—chanting a mantra that Liam cannot quite make out from his distance from her. However, he can clearly see the effect of her spell: as if engulfed in a shimmering bubble, the area immediately surrounding Allessia is free of dust, smoke, and rubble.
Other sounds assail Liam's ears as he strains to make heads or tails of his current situation. The closest is the death throes of the monster crushed under the weight of the collapsed chimney behind him, but he can also hear cries of pain and terror, seemingly from the monks residing in the tower.
"Oy! Boss," Sketch shouts to him from somewhere to his right. "I think it's time to go. The ceiling is coming down." As if to accentuate his point, another beam gives way with a sickening crack, dumping more rubble into the room.

The creature entered the room through a doorway to the left (near Allessia's position), and Liam remembers there is a doorway to the right that leads farther into the tower (possibly where Sketch might be now). A hole has opened in the ceiling, granting access to the second floor thanks to the piling rubble of the collapsed fireplace.
However, most of your gear is still in this room…

Do you risk your health to collect your gear, or do you flee the burning, collapsing room? And if you do flee, which exit do you choose?