The Only Way to Fly

[HorizonsDream]

"The rest of us aren't going anywhere at the moment, so just come back here once you find a way in," Imani says.

[Breila]

"Jerrard, could you make me invisible?" Babushka asks the mage.

[JadedDM]

"Indeed," Jerrard says. He casts the proper incantation and touches Babushka's shoulder, rendering her invisible.

Locky pouts and crosses her arms, clearly upset at being left out.

==========

Jerrard casts Invisibility on Babushka.

[Breila]

Being invisible, Babushka can walk ahead with more confidence and less delay than she would be able to otherwise. As she approaches the fortress, she keeps an eye out for any sign of a heavily-laden group branching off the path. She had heard ogres were quarrelsome, perhaps a fight had broken out, or the group who had found it wanted to hide it outside the fortress for some reason...

If the path is well-travelled, she'll try to keep behind a group so there is less chance for someone coming towards her to bump into her.

[JadedDM]

Babushka, invisible, approaches the fort on the main road. She falls in behind what appears to be a patrol returning to the fort. They speak to each other casually in the ogre language.

There is no sign of any groups or individuals off the path.

[Breila]

Seizing the opportunity, Babuhska follows in the goup's wake into the fortress, watching the guard setup as they pass, and tries to remember the parole if there is any.

[JadedDM]

Upon entering the keep, behind the patrol, Babushka finds herself in the main hall. The main hall is a huge, nearly empty room with a banquet table to the left and a throne on a dais to the right. The walls are bare of any plaques or coats of honor. Behind the banquet table is a fire used for roasting the occasional catch. Stairs leading both up and down are on the far side of the hall from the door. A doorway is in the far left corner. Five ogres stand guard by the front gate.

The banquet table appears to be in the process of being prepared for dinner. A handful of human and elven slaves, steel collars around their necks, set the table carefully.

A metal grate in the center of the room covers a pit of some kind.

[HorizonsDream]

"This might take awhile," Imani says softly as she looks to the others.

[Breila]

if the path is reasonably clear (no great risk of somoene stumbling into her) Babushka approaches the grate in the room's center and looks what it's covering.

[JadedDM]

Babushka approaches the pit and looks down into it. She sees three willow trees and numerous bones scattered about--bones that are large enough to be human. As a ranger, Babushka instantly recognizes the trees as Black Willows--evil, sentient and mobile man-eating trees. Sort of the evil counterpart of treants.



Meanwhile, outside the keep, Jerrard nods to Imani. "Indeed," he says.

"This is boring!" Locky complains. "I'd rather do something interesting."

"Boring, interesting, boring, interesting," Ulster mutters. "Don't you know any other adjectives?"

[HorizonsDream]

"Locky, this is infinitely more exciting than walking around in the snow, or watching over some weird flying contraption like Thuskar and Fikod are doing. Stop complaining," Imani says.

[Breila]

Disgusted and sad at this perversion of Nature, Babushka turns away and starts looking around. She needs to find out two things:
1. the place where the flywheel is stored
2. a way to get there and back with it when they come as a group.
Is there anyone around who has treasure, or is showing off something to someone else? Are there groups of ogres discussing? What is the genera layout of the place?

[JadedDM]

Is there anyone around who has treasure, or is showing off something to someone else?

Nobody in the nearby area is holding any treasure or showing off treasure to others.

Are there groups of ogres discussing?

The guards stand at attention and the slaves busy themselves with setting the table. The only other people in the room are the patrol, and they are talking among themselves--in the Ogre language.

What is the genera layout of the place?

The main hall is a huge, nearly empty room with a banquet table to the left and a throne on a dais to the right. The walls are bare of any plaques or coats of honor. Behind the banquet table is a fire used for roasting the occasional catch. Stairs leading both up and down are on the far side of the hall from the door. A doorway is in the far left corner. Five ogres stand guard by the front gate.

Meanwhile, Locky sighs. "I'm a cleric of Paladine, you know. You all should be more respectful to me." She pulls out her holy symbol as if to show it off to everyone.

[HorizonsDream]

"Respect is earned, not given just because you follow a specific God," Imani says, a little dumbfounded by Locky.

[Breila]

(Sorry, I had meant to ask if there are more bulidings than this main hall in the fortress, perhaps rings of walls enclosing courtyards with outbuldings etc.)

Babushka thinks she has some time to explore before the meal begins, and so she walks to the doorway to see where it leadx.