With a roar, lines of fire shoot out of the boiler as Karl sprints across the room. Dodging at the last second, Karl manages to evade a particularly deadly looking blast. He enters the room to see Oorin lying on the floor.
Karl stumbles into the room, his cloak singed, but otherwise none the worse for wear.
He rubs at his smoke-reddened eyes. I don't see any wounds, do you? What could have happened to him?
Oorin blearily opens his eyes. It takes him a second to remember where he is and what he was doing.
"I'm...I'm not sure," he says in a confused tone. He struggles to recall what happened. "I dodged the fire and made it to the room safely; an infirmary. It's a mess but not everything was destroyed. I used magic to detect some potions among the debris. Then...nothing. How long have I been out?"
A slight jingling noise starts coming from all around you. Several of the items on the ground have started to move around, causing the jingling sound as they play a rapid staccato against the stone floor.
We need to get out of here before we get turned into pincushions!
Karl grinds the heel of his boot into a nearby sharp object, hoping to shatter it or render it less deadly.
Confused by what's going on, Oorin let's himself be led out. He reaches to touch the back of his head and winces in pain as he does so. He seems mesmerized by the blood on his fingers as if he can't quite comprehend what he's looking at.
Karl follows Shanoa, Oorin and the others out of the infirmary.
The noise ceases as the three of you rush out. Several items had been rising up into the air, but everything falls back to the floor.
You also notice that the furnace in the boiler room has gone out.
Arthur pushes forward to the doorway, extends his katana into the room and nudges some of the debris on the floor. Seeing no reaction, he says, "Whatever was happening appears to be finished... or waiting."
Oorin leans against the wall, still feeling a bit woozy. "It's hard to fight something when you don't know the source."
Roland is actually left behind in the other room in the sudden flurry of activity. He's clearly not a man of action.
"Wha...?" He says as Arthur and Shanoa sprint out of the room. "Where...? As Karl leaps through the inferno room.
Suddenly, he's left standing alone. In the haunted prison.
This isn't good.
Slowly, Roland begins to backtrack, following the path Shanoa and Arthur took.
[ooc]We already investigated S7 and S8, right?[/b]
Oorin leans against a wall and put a hand to his throbbing head. "I suggest we continue examing the outer rooms before using the stairs. We don't need any surprises at our backs."
Karl leads the others into the corridors to the west. He pauses outside the door to S8.
Ready?
Having rejoined the group in the hallway, Roland is obviously relieved - both to see Oorin safe, and to have found everyone so quickly.
"I admire your decisiveness... but next time, ah, perhaps a warning before you rush headlong into danger?"
He follows as Karl leads everyone to door S8.
"Ready?"
Roland gives a weak nod, clutching his cane and the enchanted dagger tightly.
"I'm still seeing a bit of double-vision and that makes me feel quesy. I'll be hapier when we can rest for the night but as long as there are no more surprises, I think I'll be okay."
Oorin has his Xbow out and loaded.
Seeing Shanoa call upon her goddess to restore Oorin's health, Roland clears his throat.
"In a pinch, I, ah, also know a few quick extracts that can restore your vigor." He interjects. "Assuming you wish to reserve calling upon your deity for, ah, emergencies."
Karl checks to see if the door is locked or trapped while Shanoa heals Oorin.
I believe Arthur has some healing magic as well, if memory serves correctly.
As you approach the door, you see that it has in fact fallen from its hinges and is currently lying on the floor inside the room. The rectangular chamber beyond seems to have once been a chapel, but now thick sheets of what appear to be cobwebs drape everything within in gossamer threads.
Arthur shakes his head, "At the moment, I am only prepared to defeat our enemies."
I'd like to clear away some of these cobwebs before we investigate this room. Should we clear them away with our weapons, or perhaps burn them?
"I'd like to clear away some of these cobwebs before we investigate this room. Should we clear them away with our weapons, or perhaps burn them?"
Roland looks around at the cobwebs.
"I'd be hesitant to do anything related to 'burning' in Harrowstone," he says. "Considering the circumstances that created this tomb."
Karl frowns in thought for a moment, it's good that you're here to point these things out to me, Roland before doing what he can with his axe to clear away the cobwebs as he advances into the room.
Oorin will cast Detect Magic as the group slowly enters the room.
The group slowly enters as Karl begins hacking the cobwebs away. Oorin casts detect magic and notices several auras at the rear of the room.
A chittering sound grabs everyone's attention as three large spiders emerge from deep within the web.
Oorin would like to fire his Xbow at one of the spiders before his sight is blocked by his friends in front of him. If he's unable to use his Xbow then he'll simply drop it and cast Produce Flame on one of the spiders.
Assuming the spiders go first, Karl will assume total defense and attempt to back out of the room and lead the spiders into a bottleneck.
Let's not fight them in these webs. If we back out, we can force them to attack us one at a time, Karl says through gritted teeth. We can flank them on either side of the doorway, and not allow room for more than one to get out at a time.
Roland will take Karl's advice, backing out and moving to one side of the door to flank.
Round 1
24 Spiders
15 Roland
11 Oorin
09 Shanoa
08 Karl
The spiders quickly scurry toward the group, their movements unaffected by the mass of webbing that covers the room.
Spider Alpha leaps at Karl, sinking its fangs into his arm . Karl's arm burns as the venom from the spider begins affecting him.
Spider Beta heads toward Roland and bites him on the leg . Roland feels intense warmth where the spider bit him as the venom enters his bloodstream.
Spider Gamma lunges for Oorin, but its bite misses widely and the monster lands on its side, legs flailing around as it struggles to its feet.
Roland pulls back out of the room and around the doorway.
Oorin backs up out of range, firing his crossbow at the spider that attacked him, scoring a direct hit on the bottom of the creature's cephalothorax (upper segment). With a blast of air and a high-pitched shriek, the spider dies as its legs curl up.
Karl assumes a defensive posture and backs up out of the room, pulling to the side of the doorway opposite Roland.
Shanoa moves backward out of the room, taking a position to attack any spiders that exit.
On to the next round!
[spoiler=DM Screen]
Karl's arm burns as the venom pumps through his extremities. He prepares to exact his revenge on any spiders that emerge through the doorway.
Roland stops outside the door, wincing and bracing himself against the wall, dagger held in front of him. Already he can feel a numbness spreading in his leg, and a tingling in his fingers.
"I've been poisoned." He says matter-of-factly, but to no one in particular.
+
Round 1
24 Spiders
15 Roland
11 Oorin
09 Shanoa
08 Karl
The first spider comes out the room and narrowly dodges Shanoa's morningstar as it crashes down on the stone floor.
The spider lunges at Karl again but it's bite cannot penetrate the half-elf's armor.
The second spider chitters angrily in the room, blocked from exiting.
Roland takes advantage of the first spider's focus on Karl and expertly sinks his dagger deep into its body and twists it, eliciting a high-pitched squeal. It dances for a moment before collapsing into a heap.
Seeing an opening, the second spider darts forward, biting Roland on the hand.
Oorin reloads his crossbow and prepares to fire if an opening presents itself.
Karl sees the second spider emerge from the room and brings the handaxe down, sinking the blade deep into its head, slaying it instantly.
-----
Both Karl and Roland feel the effects of the poison lessen.
You search the room and find a small cupboard in the corner covered with webs. Inside are four vials:
potion of cure light wounds x2
potion of lesser restoration x2
"Well, that was unpleasant but nothign surprising from an old moldy prison," Oorin states rather blandly. "Apart from the two...self-animating rooms I suppose you could call them, I haven't seen anything that really strikes me as suspicious."
He looks around. "It seems we have the room across the hall and the north-west rooms yet to explore; shall we?"
S8
The door to the room across the hall still hangs from its hinges, though it is open and allows you to clear view of the interior. This chamber is in a shambles—old wooden benches lie in ruins along the walls, while rusty chains and bits of rotten rope lie scattered on the floor. Piles of old and rotting clothing lie piled in back corners.
I... don't like the way that room feels. It feels like the end of all hope, and irons on my wrists. I think... I think we might not want to go into that one...
Having just entered the room, Oorin looks at Karl. "Really?" he pauses for a moment. "I don't feel anything."
Oorin will move towards the back of the room but a bit more cautiously now. He'll take the time to reload his Xbow.
Karl attempts to grab Oorin and restrain him before he can make his way further into the room.
"What the...?" Oorin exclaims as Karl restrains him.
Oorin glares at Karl. "What in the name of Calistria's butt cheeks are you doing?"
Oorin stops as the sensation hits him. "That's a strange feeling; it's as if the room doesn't want me in there. Like there was no point to anything."
He looks up at Karl. "Will you please let go of me? It's not going to go away on its own. Perhaps another one of the murderer's objects is in there and that's what's causing this. We came here to get information; we aren't going to find it in the hallway."
Roland has been nursing his spider bites and following behind the others, and his attention has drifted. It snaps back as Karl and Oorin begin to scuffle in the hallway.
"We came here to get information; we aren't going to find it in the hallway."
"Indeed, best to ensure there's nothing dangerous left on this level before pressing on."
Even as he says that, seeing Karl's vehemence at not pressing onward into the room has clearly left him little desire to do so himself, and he hesitates to move on.
Karl releases Oorin and sighs, his shoulders slumped. You're both right, but Oorin, if you go charging in, how do we get you out? I just want you to be cautious. There are plenty of angry spirits here already, no need to add to that number from our own group.
He takes a step back from the doorway. Do you really think there are more objects? We have one for each of the murderers, hammer, holy symbols, flute, book and my axe. Whatever restless dead are here, it's not just the murderers. I think it's all of the prisoners.
"I'll be cautious," Oorin says and then smiles. "As for how you get me out, I expect you to come and get me."
With his Xbow out and loaded, Oorin will slowly advance to the back of the room, shrugging off the feelings of despair that seem to haunt the room.
Unfortunately, Oorin doesn't find anything of value.
What he does find, however, is a decaying book, apparently a log of some kind. Flipping through, Oorin discovers that the final five names are very familiar...
From the benches, manacles, and details in the book, it seems like this was the final room the criminals saw before being sent to their cells.