"There's a wizard back in Fourtowers. She knew a few things but I've forgotten what she said."

"It was just rumors that drew us here in the first place. Green lights? A place to be avoided by foresters?" he remembers.

"Let's look at another spot close by before we return."

Let's go to the lift room. Full map of the tower is on #12. I've been trying to piece together the logic of the lift's location. It's a long walk from that spot to anywhere Modnar might have wanted to go unless there are rooms nearby we've yet to find.

Nodding her head "When we return, can you introduce me to this woman?  I have some questions that might be helpful.

Seeing that this place was all new to her she allowed them to lead the way and follow in suit.

Devin didn't have anything to add to the dwarf's answer about the tower.  Without anyone who'd lived in the tower to explain it to them, all of the rooms were a mystery.

 The party left the former buttery and moved on to the circular shaft. The ceiling rose up thirty foot. A pair of double semi-circular hatches were in the ceiling. At the bottom of the shaft was a wagon-sized, barrel-shaped wood and steel capsule. The capsule rested atop a ring of short rod-like protrusions. In total there was twenty rods. A length of black twine ran from the bottom of each and were spliced together into a thick cord which ended around the corner in the corridor.

OOC The torches have run out, who is lighting new torches?

Day 35. Time: 11:20am. Weather: Rain. Vision: Cloudy. Movement: 20’

No Light!

Wyndham lights a torch.

"You can light my lantern if that will help."

Derry accepts Valerian's offer, using the light of the lantern to follow the path of the thick cord to wither it led, preferably with a more illuminating outcome than the last time.

"Wyndham," he suggests, "you may as well search the coach again for false bottoms and hidden drawers."

Chessintra offered to help in the search for she was an Elf and it’s a bit easier for her to find a hidden door or compartment.

“Two more eyes may be better on such a search.

Wyndham goes over, through, and around the capsule pulling cords, pushing levers, pressing buttons, knocking on panels. Anything to find out what makes this thing tick.

Derry and Valerian followed the thick cord back into the main corridor where it came to a frayed end.

A single hatch allowed Wyndham and Lady Chessintra to enter the cramped interior. Inside was a single throne-like chair, bare shelves and cupboards. There was an odd smell that Wyndham had not detected before in the capsule, it was unpleasant.

Devin and Brilliance were left in the high roofed room in darkness.

OOC Party split. Valerian and Derry outside the room. Lady Chessintra and Wyndham in the capsule. Devin and Brilliance in high  roofed room with no light source.

Day 35. Time: 11:30am. Weather: Rain. Vision: Cloudy. Movement: 20’

Light
Wyndham’s torch 1 turn
Valerian’s lantern 1 turn

Valerian peeks in from the doorway, mystified.

”What sort of machine is this…?”

"It took him up to the forest. Remember when we located the hatch there?" Derry answers.

Derry examines the frayed end of the cord. Had it been snipped the last time he had examined it? He didn't remember. Does the cord terminate at the eastern or western corner of the entrance to the room?

OOC
Lady, this is as good a time as any to cast Detect Magic. Maybe something will glow for us.

The cord was in the same state last time Derry found it. The cord runs along the shorter eastern wall of the corridor and ends on the eastern corner of the junction.

Determined, Derry follows the path he imagines the cord might have taken (along the north side of the E/W corridor for 20 feet before disappearing). He searches for signs of discoloration where a hole might have been plastered over to conceal its path, concentrating his search at the end of the corridor. He will also lightly tap his hammer on the wall as he goes to listen for sign of hollowness beyond.

"Do you see anything, Valerian?" he asks. "The cord had to go somewhere."
This message was last edited by the player at 18:41, Sun 19 Feb 2023.

Valerian looks down and begins searching by lantern-light for the remains of the cable.

Left behind in the darkness, Devin looked up to see if there were any cracks of light through the hatch high above them.  He supposed the wizard had himself as well as anything else lowered in some fashion from the tower above.

"I'll light a torch," he said, once satisfied he'd spent enough time looking for light.

Saying such, he pulled out a torch and knelt down to set it alight with his flint.

An examination of the end of the cable and the area around it revealed the absence of anything of note. It appeared that the cord was supposed to end where it ended.

In the large chamber Devin was able to discern the faint glimmer of light from above, through the smallest of cracks in the roof before he lit his torch.

OOC Party split. Valerian and Derry outside the room. Lady Chessintra and Wyndham in the capsule. Devin and Brilliance in high roofed room with no light source.

Day 35. Time: 11:30am. Weather: Rain. Vision: Cloudy. Movement: 20’

Light
Wyndham’s torch 1 turn
Valerian’s lantern 1 turn
Devin's torch 1 turn

His investigations concluded, Derry waits in the lift room for Lady Chessintra and Wyndham to complete theirs.

If Wyndham cannot find anything that looks like it will engage the capsule, he will start disassembling the thing to look for hidden treasures.

"You can just see a little light," Devin pointed out, "from where some hatch was opened to lower this down from the tower.  I'm surprised it hasn't collapsed after all this time and the weight of stones that must have fallen on it."

He was ready to leave, but waited while the others poked around a bit more.

As Wyndham began to pull things apart the unpleasant smell grew worse.

"It's a ways away from the base of the tower," Derry explains. "It wouldn't have been hit by falling masonry."

Meanwhile, he lends his expertise, tools, and hands to Wyndham's deconstruction efforts.

This spot has already been located by the party.
This message was last edited by the player at 13:09, Tue 21 Feb 2023.

Wyndham pauses while trying to yank a cabinet from the capsule.
"Whew! What's that stench! Can someone keep an eye out for the source of that?"
Then he resumes his demolition.

Determined to search every inch of the barrel shaped capsule Wyndham began to break down the interior with the aid of Derry. The stench grew worse then as a plank was loosened a cloud of yellow gas was released into the capsule.

OOC Everyone in the capsule, Derry, Wyndham and Lady Chessintra, save vs Poison.

Wyndham gags as the yellow cloud fills the capsule. Searching around for its source, he glares at the dwarf.
"Let me out of this deathtrap!" he gasps, lurching out of the container.
17:32, Today: Wyndham rolled 20 using 1d20.  Save vs poison (Need a13)