Nylar's Solo Flight

[carldjcross]

Pulling back from the frightening visage at the window, Nylar investigates the room.

He can see numerous boot prints in the dust on the floor as well as a short trail as if something heavy has been dragged along it. Following the trail Nylar discovers a trapdoor in the northeast corner of the room.

[Arnu]

Nylar will inspect the trapdoor for traps

Investigation 14

If it looks un trapped he will turn in to a spider and crawl in to take a look around.

[carldjcross]

There are no obvious traps but try as you might you can't crawl through the gaps.

You certainly ought to be able to do so, there looks like plenty of room. Nylar can even feel the wind as it whips down from the tower and roof towards some as yet unseen room. But every time you try you simply can't make any progress. It looks and feels like trying to make crawl through Vaseline.

[Arnu]

Nylar Will turn in to imp form (whilst still Invisible) and try to search for a hidden release. 

Feel for catches tap to see  if there are and hidden panels.  See if anything slides.

[carldjcross]

In Imp form Nylar systematically works around the trapdoor looking for something, anything that might release it. But finds nothing.

[Arnu]

Nylar will back track to the roof (remaining invisible) and look for other possible places to search.

[carldjcross]

Nylar backtracks to the roof where he first landed.

In the room with the faded furniture the cats perk up and make some playful jumps into the air but it's difficult to know if they're chasing some vestige of an image of the imp or flies and dust motes and are easily avoided.

The only other direction to take is over the bridge. As a small, flying creature Nylar is not at all disconcerted by the vertiginous fall on either side of the slender bridge and the broken and fallen guard rails, the remnants of which flap and clank in the whipping crosswind.

Nylar finds himself on a spiral staircase leading either up or down into another tower. In the centre of the tower's highest floor, a fifteen foot diameter hole drops into the cold heart of Ravenloft itself. Cold air rushes up out of the shaft sending a chill through his soul. Arrow slits line the walls and ageing beams support a steep, cone-shaped roof. One beam and part of the roof have fallen away, leaving a gaping hole into the stormy sky.

[Arnu]

Nylar will scout the core of the tower from top to bottom looking to see what is there (he will fly and be invisible)

[carldjcross]

Deciding to start with the top of the tower Nylar flits upwards over the roughshod stone stairs.

The stairs end at a dark and dreary room with manacles attached to the walls. In the middle of the room is a wood-framed bed fitted with leather restraints. At the foot of the bed rests a closed iron chest, its lid sculpted with an emblem.

A wooden ladder leads up to a trapdoor in the ceiling. Thin streams of water drip through the trapdoor's rotting wood, forming a puddle around the base of the ladder.

[I know you said you wanted to scout further, but did you want to do anything in here first?]

[Arnu]

Yes Nylar will do the following:

Look under the bed

Carefully open the chest (if there is a stick or something that he can use to open the chest at a distance.

Look through the trap door to see what is beyond it

[carldjcross]

Underneath the bed is what looks like a marble. Carefully manoeuvring it out Nylar is disgusted to see it is a single varnished human eyeball. [You may have seen this somewhere else, roll on perception to see if you remember. I will also accept it anyone reading this remembers where you might have seen it before]

You recognise the emblem embossed on the chest as the Strahd Family Crest. You find a broom in the corner of the room and try to pry the chest open but it's either stuck or locked.

Nylar wiggles through the trapdoor and pokes his head through the gap. He finds a windy tower roof surrounded by stone battlements. The thunderclouds above suddenly coalesce into the terrible visage of Strahd . The face utters a ghastly moan as thousands of bats fly out of it's gaping maw and descend upon the tower.

[Arnu]

Nylar only got a 7 on his perception but Edryss will tell the others (as she can see through Nylar's eyes)

Nylar will fly back inside to avoid the bats.

Can Nylar lift the chest? (Strength 11)  (55 lbs lift; 110 lbs encombered; 165 lbs max lift)

If so Nylar will take the chest.

[carldjcross]

If it were only a matter of strength Nylar could lift the chest but I can't see how he could because of his size.

I would be happy for him to drag the chest to the bridge with no guard rails and choose a side to drop down from in a "controlled" crash landing.

If you're happy with that just tell me which side you want to come down on.

[Arnu]

Nylar will drag it to the roof of the tower he started from and hide it for one of the party to fly in and recover.

He will then nip back and check the rest of the tower (just to be sure he has found the seed)

[carldjcross]

The chest is easy enough for Nylar to drag wherever he wants it given enough time.

The top of the smaller tower is bare. The best you could do would be to hide it in the "corner" formed where the wall meets the spiral staircase.
Consider that done if that's how you want to play it.

On the way back to the tower Nylar sees a column of bats dive straight the gap in the spiral staircase. They seem to pay no attention to Nylar and he waits until the impressive sight is passed before crossing.

A good look around the room doesn't uncover anything new. If the seed is indeed anywhere in the towers, you reason it has to be in the chest.

[Do you want to rejoin the rest of the group now?]