(IC) PLANESCAPE: Intrigue

Li Shenron · Sep 15, 2026

"I would want to see the rest of that room and its stash destroyed by fire... assuming fire is really enough to eliminate the threat. But I wouldn't risk ourselves getting accidentally infected while doing the cleaning here. Perhaps it's best to leave it there, and head to the palace with haste."

doghead · Sep 16, 2026

Sky wonders why the Arch Lector wanted these three brought to the place.

<<Or someone in his employ with authority over the Hounds,>> Tempered adds. It's a valid point, but doesn't really go any way towards illuminating the reason for the interest.

Sky is drawn to a halt as the other three have their attention captured by a partly destroyed building. Sky inspects the interior of the building. Sky gets the feeling that there is a connection between this place and his three companions. He considers the map in his head. It is feasible that they were coming from this direction when Sky met them.

"Fire is an unruly servant, constantly trying to slip its masters leash. Cold can be just as capable, and is more disciplined," Sky observes in response to Grim's statement while continuing to observe the ruined interior. [[1]]

"The room upstairs has the appearance of a laboratory. It would, I am of the view, be of interest to the Plague Doctor.

After a moment sky adds, "Recovering the contents may also be of interest to the owner. Thus the probability of informative observation is elevated in this location."

Sky turns his attention to the surrounding area.

"Ascertaining the points of access to the laboratory and identifying a suitable observation point would be the tasks of essential requirement for success." [[2]]

Just to confirm, my understanding is that Sky has cast 3 of his 7 spells, and provided 22 Gooseberries to the Doctor.

Note 1: Sky's breath weapon creates a 15' cone doing 2d6 damage (half on CON save). What percentage of the ampules would he be able to affect without climbing into the ruins of the building? How effective is it likely to be in destroying the contents?

Note 2: Sky will move around to make the assessment, but not so far as to lose sight of the others at this stage.

TaranTheWanderer · Sep 16, 2026

Name: Orris Hariri
Race: Air Genasai
HP: 44/44
AC: 16 (18 shield)

Pass Perc: 10
Pass Inv: 10
Pass Ins: 13
Initiative: +2

Auran
Common

Speed: 35
Size: Medium

Lay on hands: 25/25
Divine Senses 2/5

Rapier To Hit: +5
Damage: 1d8+2

Spell Save DC: 15

STR: 10 +0
DEX: 14 +2
CON: 14 +2
INT: 10 +0
WIS: 10 +0 (+3)
CHA:18 +4 (+7)

Deception: +10*
Intimidate +7
Insight +3
History: +3
Persuasion: 7
*expertise

Slots
1st: [X] [] [] []
2nd: [] [X]
1/Long Rest: [X]Feather Fall; [X} Levitate;
Prepared spells
Cantrip: Shocking Grasp; Toll the Dead; Decompose
1st Heroism; Shield of Faith; compelled duel Charm Person*; Exped retreat*
2nd Locate Object, Invisibility*,Aid; Mirror Image*

@doghead

Orris asked this previously
“What if Alto is infected? Do you have any plans or instructions for what to do?”

Orris looks up at the lab with curiosity,

I agree with our draconic friend: I imagine there is useful information there - for the plague doctor or others... Maybe a clue as to who is behind this 'three teardrop group'" - Orris made a grimace at the awkward, makeshift title and tried a different name - 'The Purple Tears'"

"They are the heart of this chaos. It may be worth investigating if whatever we find will prevent the city from slipping into the Abyss....or clues to Alto's whereabouts."

Orris gave Grim a knowing look.

Part of him was on the same page as Grim: why get involved? Instead, stick to the mission and get Severin to the Palace. But their deal was to make a concerted effort to stop the chaos - not just deliver Severin to the Palace.

But also... Orris couldn't resist the temptation to find some leverage against whoever was causing the chaos...there could be ways to profit...

Although, climbing the debris of a collapsed building would not be my first choice. Perhaps there's another way in...

I put Orris' inner thoughts in spoilers in case people want to "stay in character"

Nordom · Sep 16, 2026

Sky's examination of the ruined structure revealed more as he moved his attention away from the exposed …laboratory… itself and considered the buildings around it.

The collapse had done considerably more damage than was apparent from their first angle. Grim's earlier handiwork had pulled much of one building into the street, but the adjoining structure had survived with its lower floors largely intact. The laboratory occupied what had once been an enclosed upper room, concealed behind ordinary walls until the neighboring building tore part of them away on its way down. From here, the black-streaked tables, broken glass and hanging restraints looked less like something hastily assembled during the outbreak and more like a place someone had expected to remain private.

There was more than one way to reach it.

The most direct route was over the rubble itself. Broken masonry had formed an uneven slope almost to the laboratory's exposed floor, though several sections looked unstable and much of the black ichor from the shattered ampoules had drained across exactly that approach. Anyone climbing there would have to choose their footing carefully.

Farther along the street, Sky could make out a narrow door belonging to the surviving lower portion of the building. It stood crooked in its frame but had not collapsed. Reaching the laboratory from there would mean entering below it and finding whatever stairs or passages remained inside. There was no way from the street to tell whether the interior route was intact, blocked, occupied, or considerably safer than the rubble.

A third possibility presented itself from above. The neighboring building on the opposite side remained standing, and its upper story came close enough to the damaged laboratory that a narrow gap separated the two roofs. A weathered balcony and projecting stonework offered a possible route upward without crossing the ichor below. From there, someone could get a much better look into the exposed room before committing the entire group to entering it.

The surrounding street offered its own possibilities. A recessed doorway across from the ruins provided a reasonably protected view of both the lower entrance and much of the exposed laboratory, while a narrow alley continued around the rear of the structure. Someone patient enough to watch might learn whether the place was truly abandoned. Someone willing to circle it might find another entrance entirely.

Severin followed Sky's survey, his attention lingering on the restraints visible through the broken wall.

"Grim's right about one thing. Whatever is in there isn't worth getting infected over."

He looked toward the purple cloth hanging inside.

"But Orris is right about another. Someone attacked us with plague-filled bolts, and we've just found where they may have been made."

There was no particular enthusiasm in his voice for either course. He studied the route toward the palace, then the ruined building again.

"The palace isn't going anywhere in the next few minutes. Probably."

A faint trace of dry humor accompanied the qualification as his eyes passed over Plague-Mort's increasingly unreliable streets.

"If we're going to look, I'd rather know what's around us before we put four people inside a building that's already half fallen down. If we're not, best ti keep moving."

Beyond them, the road toward the Arch-Lector's residence remained open. People continued to move through it in ones and twos, some carrying possessions, others supporting the wounded. The laboratory offered no obvious invitation and no visible movement from within. It simply remained where the collapse had exposed it: blackened, broken and silent above the street.

For the moment, Plague-Mort had given them several roads and left the choice of which one to take to them.

Sky's survey identifies several approaches without requiring anyone to commit yet: the rubble gives direct access to the exposed laboratory but crosses unstable, ichor-contaminated ground; the damaged lower door may provide an interior route; the neighboring building could provide an elevated observation/entry route; and the alley continues around the rear of the structure.

The recessed doorway across the street would also work as a reasonably concealed observation point.

The route toward the palace also remains open.

Li Shenron · Sep 17, 2026

"If you want to climb up there, be my guest. The ichor is all over the place... be very careful where you put your hands and feet. I won't join the climb but I can promise I'll keep watch and cover you from the doorway across the street or from the roof of the building in front."

TaranTheWanderer · Sep 18, 2026

Name: Orris Hariri
Race: Air Genasai
HP: 44/44
AC: 16 (18 shield)

Pass Perc: 10
Pass Inv: 10
Pass Ins: 13
Initiative: +2

Auran
Common

Speed: 35
Size: Medium

Lay on hands: 25/25
Divine Senses 2/5

Rapier To Hit: +5
Damage: 1d8+2

Spell Save DC: 15

STR: 10 +0
DEX: 14 +2
CON: 14 +2
INT: 10 +0
WIS: 10 +0 (+3)
CHA:18 +4 (+7)

Deception: +10*
Intimidate +7
Insight +3
History: +3
Persuasion: 7
*expertise

Slots
1st: [X] [] [] []
2nd: [] [X]
1/Long Rest: [X]Feather Fall; [X} Levitate;
Prepared spells
Cantrip: Shocking Grasp; Toll the Dead; Decompose
1st Heroism; Shield of Faith; compelled duel Charm Person*; Exped retreat*
2nd Locate Object, Invisibility*,Aid; Mirror Image*

Good idea, Grim. We already have an idea what those buildings across the alley are like. I beleive that room is part of the adjacent building. Let us find a way in while Grim overwatches.

Split up? I'm for going in the adjacent building instead of climbing the rubble. Orris doesn't climb - he has staff for that.

Nordom · Sep 19, 2026

The exposed laboratory looked considerably less inviting from below. Black ichor had run through the broken floorboards and down sections of masonry beneath it, staining much of the rubble Grim had created during the ambush. Whatever route the collapse had opened directly into the room, it was difficult to imagine using it without coming uncomfortably close to the stuff.

The surviving portion of the adjoining building offered a better possibility.

Following its exterior around the corner revealed a narrow entrance set beneath a shallow stone lintel. It was deliberately unremarkable: no sign, no window, nothing that advertised what occupied the floor above. The collapse had twisted the frame enough that the door now stood several inches ajar.

Beyond it was darkness.

Enough light entered through the opening to reveal a narrow passage littered with plaster and splintered wood. Unlike the rubble beneath the laboratory, there was no obvious black ichor across the floor immediately inside. Several yards farther in, the passage disappeared around a corner. A staircase rose somewhere beyond it; only the first few steps were visible from outside.

Across the street, Grim's recessed doorway offered a clear line of sight to this entrance and much of the road around it. The opposite rooftop remained another possibility if she wanted a higher angle on the exposed laboratory instead.

Severin examined the doorway without crossing the threshold.

"Better than climbing through that."

Then, from somewhere inside the building, came a sound.

It was faint beneath the creaking of damaged timber: something scraping once across stone.

A few seconds passed.

Nothing followed.

You've found a ground-level entrance into the surviving portion of the building. There is no visible ichor immediately inside, but you can't see beyond the first turn in the passage.

Grim can use either overwatch position she described. The doorway gives her the better view of the street and entrance; the opposite roof gives her the better angle on the exposed laboratory.

TaranTheWanderer · Sep 19, 2026

Name: Orris Hariri
Race: Air Genasai
HP: 44/44
AC: 16 (18 shield)

Pass Perc: 10
Pass Inv: 10
Pass Ins: 13
Initiative: +2

Auran
Common

Speed: 35
Size: Medium

Lay on hands: 25/25
Divine Senses 2/5

Rapier To Hit: +5
Damage: 1d8+2

Spell Save DC: 15

STR: 10 +0
DEX: 14 +2
CON: 14 +2
INT: 10 +0
WIS: 10 +0 (+3)
CHA:18 +4 (+7)

Deception: +10*
Intimidate +7
Insight +3
History: +3
Persuasion: 7
*expertise

Slots
1st: [X] [] [] []
2nd: [] [X]
1/Long Rest: [X]Feather Fall; [X} Levitate;
Prepared spells
Cantrip: Shocking Grasp; Toll the Dead; Decompose
1st Heroism; Shield of Faith; compelled duel Charm Person*; Exped retreat*
2nd Locate Object, Invisibility*,Aid; Mirror Image*

In his native plane, Orris was used to having massive islands float between glowing orbs of vast skies, darkening the floating island where he'd grown up. Whole months would pass without light depending on where in the plane the land-mass would lazily sail. His eyes were, therefore, well accustomed to the dim light.

Hearing the noise, he drew his shield and sword and quietly entered the building making his way towards the far wall, hoping to surprise whoever skulked around the corner.

Orris has darkvision which allows him to see up to 60 feet in the dark

Nordom · Sep 20, 2026

Orris slipped through the damaged doorway, leaving the gray daylight of the street behind him. Darkness gathered quickly beyond the entrance, but it offered little protection from eyes accustomed to the long shadows of the Plane of Air. Color faded into shades of gray, while the passage itself remained clear enough: cracked plaster, fallen timber, and dust disturbed by the collapse above.

The building seemed larger from within than its narrow frontage suggested. Past the first bend, the passage opened into what had once been a workroom beneath the laboratory. Part of its ceiling had come down, leaving broken beams angled across overturned shelving and fragments of masonry. A staircase climbed along the left wall toward the floor above, its upper landing lost behind the wreckage. To the right, another doorway stood open, though a fallen cabinet and a section of collapsed wall blocked most of Orris's view into the room beyond.

That was where the sound had come from.

Keeping close to the far wall, Orris could make out something he hadn't been able to see from the entrance. A thin, dark trail crossed the dusty floor beyond the doorway. In his darkvision it was impossible to judge its color, but it began somewhere behind the collapsed wall and ended in a smeared handprint against one of the fallen stones.

Then came the sound again.

A slow scrape. A pause. The faint shift of rubble.

Whatever was behind the obstruction was close.

If Orris is specifically trying to approach without whoever is around the corner noticing him, give me a Stealth check. Everyone outside still has the opportunity to act/reposition before Orris goes farther.

TaranTheWanderer · Sep 20, 2026

Name: Orris Hariri
Race: Air Genasai
HP: 44/44
AC: 16 (18 shield)

Pass Perc: 10
Pass Inv: 10
Pass Ins: 13
Initiative: +2

Auran
Common

Speed: 35
Size: Medium

Lay on hands: 25/25
Divine Senses 2/5

Rapier To Hit: +5
Damage: 1d8+2

Spell Save DC: 15

STR: 10 +0
DEX: 14 +2
CON: 14 +2
INT: 10 +0
WIS: 10 +0 (+3)
CHA:18 +4 (+7)

Deception: +10*
Intimidate +7
Insight +3
History: +3
Persuasion: 7
*expertise

Slots
1st: [X] [] [] []
2nd: [] [X]
1/Long Rest: [X]Feather Fall; [X} Levitate;
Prepared spells
Cantrip: Shocking Grasp; Toll the Dead; Decompose
1st Heroism; Shield of Faith; compelled duel Charm Person*; Exped retreat*
2nd Locate Object, Invisibility*,Aid; Mirror Image*

Orris freezes. Melding into the shadows, he squints into the gloom to see what might be trying to free itself from the rubble.

stealth: 1D20+2 = [20]+2 = 22

Perception at disadvantage:
perception at disadvantage: 1D20+0 = [20]+0 = 20
I also rolled a 10
Total: 10

EDIT: could we get a map???