Not a bad idea maybe with some BBQ sauce mmmm Yummy

I'll be traveling again the next two weeks. I will try to keep up.

Thought, Ulthok has Stone to Mud so do want to make the door fall open by making the hinge area mud so they pull out?

Just one option.

Alyia could send Xin to do some reconnaissance on the tower now that were closer?

Sure send Xin no problem.

Just to clarify, I am here - back from a week's vacation. I'm unsure how to proceed. Roan's lady love suggests we prepare, but hadn't we been doing exactly that for some time?

Is there anything to do other than open the door? Or have someone inspect it first? I like the stone to mud theory, but it seems silly to do that before we try simply opening it, doesn't it? Maybe?

what more preparation is there to do? I might suggest finding a flock of sheep we could bring with us to use for escapes, but besides that, I'm short on options. Is there anything in particular to look for?

who inspects for traps and such? Who opens the door, asks the big meat shield . . .

So how about we send Roan or Lothor up to the tower to check the door? Ulthok and Rayne man their bows in case the birds try to swoop in.

Oh..so you want the rogue to go check for traps? Ok, but he'd like a meat shield to come along and protect his back.

Did anyone lookup the birds to see that lightening doesn't work on them?

If you post that your going to go look at the door, Lothor will do his best meat-shield impression to watch your back. I'll try to look up the birds tonight.

I've got no problem with that. Heh, maybe it'll tick off Rayne a little bit.

Ok......... Basically Ulthok will venture out carefully to check the door for traps and to see if it will open. Lothor can follow but need to look out for drive booming birds. Don't let one peck you.

So then, are we all just waiting for Ulthok to check the door and heading forward?

Well, maybe checking for magic?
Trying to talk Ulthok out of hurry off to open the door until more thing were check.
Trying to find those more things??

Noting how cute Ulthok is????

So these things rotate and we have to align them?

EDIT: Nevermind I get it.

Following the pattern as I see it:
Goldfish: Right. [Right | Left | Right | Left | ___ ]
Lobster: Down. [Rotating 1 section counterclockwise each time]
Whale: Left [Rotating 3 section CCW each time]
Eel: Left [Rotating 3 section CW each time]

If the patterns go either straight up or down - staying within the same image - the pattern is easy. It might confuse a goblin, but not much else.

Is there any other way to see it? Can you read it sideways like a book in any way? So far I haven't seen a pattern, but is it safe to assume that the obvious vertical read is the correct one?

Well, I'd say we need to have our smarter characters run a few intelligence checks to see. I for one imagine myself at about 11 to 12 INT, so Roan kind of outsmarts me.

Barring any results from that, I say we run with the simple solution.