Firefinger, Part 2
1 Uktar, The Year of Twelve Warnings (1494 DR)
Day 19 of 79
Firefinger Signal Tower, Chult
Atwix and Nip'hto were both tasked by Captain Perne Salhana of Camp Vengeance to clear the signal tower called Firefinger of any pterafolk who have been preying on hunters and explorers along the river. Despite a dangerous climb, both made it halfway up the tower encountering deadly spiders and stirges along the way. Atwix was nearly killed by the stirges, so they both decided to rest for several hours and heal up.
It was some two hours past midnight when Atwix and Nip'hto stepped out of the stirge cave and onto a narrow ledge that skirted the western face of Firefinger Signall Tower.
A strong wind gust threatened to blow them both off the tower and plummet them to the ground nearly 200 feet below but they made it to another ladder that led to yet another cave nearly 80 feet above the ledge.
When they reached the next level, they entered a cave where they encountered two elderly pterafolk sleeping around a campfire. The chamber they were in was hot and smoky. Littering the stone floor around the fire were carvings of grisly totems made from the bones of their various prisoner the pterafolk had captured in the past.
Atwix and Nip'hto easily dispatched the sleeping pterafolk then followed a narrow tunnel which led to a smaller cave. In it, they discovered a male aarakocra imprisoned behind a makeshift cage. The aarakocra said his name was Nephyr. He said he was part of a small patrol from Kir Sabal and was ambushed. The other aarakocra with him was slain and he was taken prisoner. Nephyr asked to be freed and offered as a reward his friendship. He also urged the Atwix and Nip'hto to visit Kir Sabal and petition his matron leader, Asharra, to perform the Dance of the Seven Winds. This dance, he said, was part of a magical ritual that granted nonflying creatures the ability to fly.
After freeing Nephyr, the aarakocra departed, leaving Atwix and Nip'hto to continue on with their mission.
Searching the area, they both found a 50-foot-tall chimney with plenty of handholds that ascended to the pinnacle of Firefinger.
The spire’s pinnacle was flat and roughly 40 feet square. The edges were crumbling away. They both realized it wouldn’t be safe to stand too close to any of them. Vines and low brush grew in profusion. Bones and scraps of meat from dozens of creatures were scattered everywhere. A crumbling stone tower rose another 30 feet above the northern corner of the platform. A roaring flame floated in the air, hovering above the tower. Even from afar, they could feel the heat emanating from the fire. They also saw tumbled debris from the tower heaped around its foundation.
On a clear day, they both figured one could see up to 20 miles in all directions from the top of the tower.
Three humanoid creatures with needlelike beaks and leathery wings were asleep, huddled together for warmth. The last shreds of flesh from well-chewed bones near an open doorway into the base of the tower made it apparent they had feasted on prisoners they had recently captured.
Again, with great stealth and skill, Atwix and Nip'hto were able to kill all three while they slept. They then threw the dead pterafolk off the spire. The slain pterafolk fell some 300 feet to the jungle below.
The two searched inside the tower. Inside the tower were crude nests and four moldy wooden chests. The chests weren’t locked. All together, they held 2,000 cp, 730 sp, four gemstones which they figured were worth 50 gp each, a spell scroll neither one could read, and a wooden mask resembling a stylized tiger’s face that was wrapped in cloth.
Gathering everything they found, Nip'hto and Atwix carefully made their way back down the spire taking their time so as to avoid falling.
After a while, they were both on solid ground again. Careful to avoid any further encounters, the two made their way back to Camp Vengeance arriving just as the sun was rising.
Session played on December 3, 2020
Stylized Tiger Mask
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