Day 35 - Bjorn goes out on a ledge

We have half a day to complete the task otherwise the flight spell will run out before we get back to where we began Land approx. 150ft away from the ‘structure’ which rises up through the trees. Way up high (250ft up) we can see a flickering flame emitting light. Fang leads the way towards the tower. We attempt stealth (Yesne and Bjorn only roll 6). Progress through the undergrowth. As we approach the structure, Fang realises she is becoming attuned to the jungle much like she would be able to blend at ‘home’.   Within 25ft of tower. Roughly 50ft on each side of ‘square’ structure extending upwards as much as you can see. It is a naturally formed pillar of stone but has been worked. From side we are on Fang cannot see an entrance. Fang goes to try and find an entrance and in doing so he moves a branch which lets out a very loud horrible moaning kind of noise. About 100ft up Kailyn notices the canopy moves in an unusual / unnatural kind of way. Fang hides successfully as two Petrafolk come down to inspect the area, as they didn’t spot anything they swoop back up through the trees. Fang goes back round the corner and spots a ladder dangling. Fang returns back and beckons that we head towards the ladder. Azaka confirms the plant is a death pitcher plant. We find the ladder. There’s a lot of crumpled portions on the floor and the actual ladder starts around 25ft up. The broken ladder looks more like it has been ‘sabotaged’. Fang scales the wall and makes it to the ladder, she uses the broken part of the ladder to attach to the fixed part. Looking up she sees there is around another 60ft of ladder before it reaches an entrance. We start to climb the ladder. Azaka is reluctant to climb. Kailyn manages to persuade her. As Kailyn reaches the part of the mended ladder, he unloops it.   Fang reaches the top of the canopy and can see a cave mouth to the side of the ladder. She stealthily breaks the canopy and peers into the cave. Cliff edge is around 10ft wide opening into the cave. She can only see darkness.. the cave continues onwards. She climbs into the mouth of the cave enough to not be seen from above. The rest of the party reaches the mouth of the cave.   Inside the cave is a big pit and a loop of a path (which leads nowhere). Fang looks into the pit, finds nothing and goes inside. As Yesne cannot see in the dark she reaches out her hand and finds Azaka, she will guide her. At the other side of the pit is a tunnel leading onwards.   As Fang enters the pit some tendrils start to enter the chamber, they belong to a one eyed creature bigger than fang (a Roper ). The tendrils begin to envelope Fang. Azaka manages to cut off two tendrils, Yesne traps it in a web and the party try to escape. Fang gets another tendril but they notice that they are beginning to grow back. The web hampers it’s ability to attack. Azaka grabs Yesne and jumps out of the pit with her (dealing 1 point of damage). The party successfully escape around the corner of the exit tunnel.   Once round the corner, Yesne extinguishes her light and mentions that Azaka hurt her – she looks slightly embarrassed. We are now in a cave. Kailyn notices that the air is moving strangely. They discover the ‘exit’ is actually directly above them – a tunnel about 10ft high and around 3.5ft in diameter. It goes beyond the limit of vision. Edges are rough and the tunnel itself changes from around 3.5 to 5ish foot in diameter. Bjorn gives Fang a leg up into the tunnel. Once inside, Fang realises it’s relatively easy to climb. Bjorn boosts everyone up. Yesne lights the bottom of Azaka's feet so she can still see. Azaka ties rope around herself and Yesne . The chimney is 90ft upwards and we all make it to the top and come out into another cave.   When Fang reaches the top something smells ‘off’. It smells like something has died and Fang would guess at several months ago. Fang and Kailyn enter a 15ft high chamber, around 10/15 ft diameter and an opening directly ahead of us. Kailyn can hear flapping / shuffling and hums coming from down the corridor. Kailyn thinks it may be a sleeping Petrafolk, Fang and Azaka stealthily make their way down the corridor. They don’t see anything at first, then they hear the noise from above there is another chamber off the corridor and look up – they look like bat – like creatures, mottled in colour, no fur. Fang knows they are not bats, they have long bone-like proboscis. Azaka can smell the death – something slumped on the back of the cave. Azaka Stormfang knows them as Stirges – blood sucking parasites, dangerous in large numbers (like the quantity in the cave currently) best not to be disturbed or spooked. The party walk slowly past the cave one by one, Kailyn casts detect magic to see if there is anything in the room that is magical. He makes it to the corpse – appears to be an elf. Had fine blue robes, tight braids of jet black hair on one side and shaved on the other. Was a female. She has something hooked around the body – it’s a pouch tucked inside the robes. She is clutching the back but the magical item is a ring on her hand that is invisible – Kailyn can only see it because of detect magic. When he removes the ring it appears, he puts it in a pocket and removes the pouch too. Both in his pocket. He then retreats from the cave (successfully). He then opens the pouch and inside is 18gp, 21 plat, a carnelian ring worth 60gp and 2 very well carved onyx figurines that represent chewingas (worth around 50gp each).   We reach the ledge outside. We are now around 160ft up. There is a ledge that runs the whole of the fascia – curling to both left and right. Fang goes right – stealthily. Fang finds another ladder which goes upwards. She motions to Kailyn to the corner so that Kailyn can relay when it’s ok to climb. Kailyn ties a rope around herself and hands it to Bjorn . As he starts to walk a big gust of wind appears and Kailyn manages to dig in against the wall. As Kailyn looks around he hears a squawking, piercing sound as two large creatures start banking straight towards Kailyn . Upon seeing this Bjorn leaves the cave mouth to stand with Kailyn (who is apoplectic with rage due to his desire to return to the cave and not be left on a ledge when he can’t fly). Once those two are dispatched, 4 more Petrafolk come around from the other side and start attacking. Two were killed and the other two retreated upwards.