Patrick, you said in earlier post 2 points of damage for failing check. Your math on this post equals 4 points of damage. Which?
Thale strength check DC9 or be pushed down the stairs by the impact. DC for this check is 5+damage taken people, so if you were not damaged, you do not need to make this save.
"Blue Blistering Blazes" yells Basil as he throws himself aside the armoire missing him and thudding into the simply dressed man behind.
"Come on"he yells.."get that man..whoever he is"
At the top of the stairs Belthic sees a figure in a dusty cloak let go of the furniture on his friends. Only it's arms are exposed and they are pale and blotchy, the hands wearing black leather gloves with the figures cut out. The figure turns to face Belthic.
Belthic: Belthic roars at the figure in black robes and charges him.
No friend. You only take two points of damage, the strength check was to avoid being pushed back down the stairs,stumbling over PC's in front of you.
No friend. You only take two points of damage, the strength check was to avoid being pushed back down the stairs,stumbling over PC's in front of you.
Initiative (1d20=1) +6 = 7
Basil moves forwards swiftly up the stairs sword held low . He slashes 2 handedly at the figure in black
Cold iron Bastard Sword(MW) attack 1d20+7=23, Damage 1d10+3=5
With a might swing of his reclaimed Warhammer, Belthic attempts to smash the beast beyond recognition.
I also move towards the furniture throwing freak, and then I dive through his legs to flank him.
Tumble = 25
I have a speed of 40 ft. so hopefully I can still attack.
Attack = 12
The top floor is 10' by 40'. Most of that is hallway which extends north past you when you get to the top of the stairwell. The hooded figure starts out against the south wall next to the rail of the stairwell. The rail along the stairs goes out from the southwall for ten feet, then there is another 10' area perpendicular to this before walls on each side of the hallway start.
Summary of round 1:
Hooded Figure: 21: Grabs the south wall and skitters up and over to his right.
Sir Basil: 19 ; rushes to the end of the hall and swipes with his swords extending his reach. The blade catches the edge of the black cowl, but not the figure beneath it.
Belthic:16; Moves in behind Sir Basil but his short yet powerful swing hits nothing but the rail, which shatters like twigs where the hammer fell.
Garrett:14 you leap over the rail and roll under the knight coming up against the south wall.
Thale: 7 you get to the top of the stairs, turn and face the hooded figure who cackles under his hood and raises pale fingerless-gloved hands. Black energy crackles back and forth between the fingers and hands of this foe.
Round Two
The Hooded Figure speaks to you " Attempt to slay me now heroes and we will all die when the Ravenous enter this meager building. Parley with me, in exchange for non-aggression I can provide information that will save this town and all our lives. What say you?"
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Basil looks grim..his mind working ..He looks up at the figure and speaks softly..as he does he focuses on the man..if man it is trying to determine his motive(detect evil)
"Fine words from one who attacks us without provocation...Who are you and what has happened to the priest who was here.I swear by my honour that no harm will come to you if you if you speak truthfully."
Thale spot check:5; doesn't see through the cowl. He also commands the figure to explain his attack, and moves down the hallway to the first open door.
Hooded Figure: "I will answer truth for it is all around us and impossible to deny. Death. Death is the truth we face. Mendrivus faced it though he did not know it and it overtook him before he realized the danger. The common people also faced it when they let the Hooded through their gates. The living can be such fools when faced with only the vague potential of death, and such simpering bags of flesh when it breathes fetid breath in their little faces.
In short, the good father is dead. Killed by an assassin-not me I might add, though it could have been- and by the by, the good father wasn't so good to begin with. Double allegiences and all that."
Window shatter downstairs and furniture against the door starts to shift from the Ravenous assault upon it. The servant screams for his master, and the dead pound the structure harder at the sound.
Sir Basil
"Your words are coated in slime. Speak plainly and speak quickly, for I have little patience. What do you know and why should we believe anything you say."
I'm trying to discreetly discern any potential exits on this floor.
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Basil ushers his servant up the stairs along with the sergeant and places himself at the top ready to defend the way if necessary.The young knight is conflicted..his duty calls upon him to slay this man ..yet if he does he may condemn himself and those with him to a living death and his honour will be as dust if he allows more innocents to perish through pride.
"St Cuthbert forgive me for this..I will do penance" he whispers to himself and his god..then raises his voice
"If you have a way to save the innocent then speak quickly...though it crawls in my throat to say this we will have peace... for now"
The hooded man raises his head then removes the cowl, revealing a pallid face and a wide smile full of black teeth. Tiny red eyes look into each of you. The figure slowly reaches into a sachel and pulls forth a slender piece of ash wood tipped with a copper ball. " A gift then, to honour our...pact. For a pact it is. A pact with evil forces for both sides-yes both sides- for both sides see each other as such, and as such we are alike. Therefore, since we are alike we are one, and in our oneness we will work together to defeat our enemies, for in that we are also alike, furthering our connection. One happy family."
He tosses the item towards Thale who catches it awkwardly.
" Dresden is my name. And this fellow," he points to a floating skull coming out of his cowl " is Edwin" The animated skull chatters its' teeth at each of you in turn.
Desden continues speaking while moving along the left hand wall of the stairwell, still out of reach of weapons from your current position.
"A gift in good faith I give to you and in return ask for Good Faith as a gift. The first room on the right of the stairs is where Father Mendrivus lies, quite dead. I ask we go and see him- before the Ravenous enter here and make away with our evidence. " With that he lands on the top of the stairwell, closest to the servant and Sergeant Whitbourne.
Garret mutters "To the abyss..." and heads to the room on the right.
Basil follows the half orc his demeanour grim. Dresdens words have given him pause..could those he sees as evil really see him in the same light. No this cannot be..he fights for right and justice not some foul perversion of it. Berating himself for his momnentary doubts and increasing his own penance he steps into the room
Sergeant Whitbourne looks disgusted as Dresden stands next to him and tries to introduce him the the animated remains of a sewer rat. Thale looks at the wand in his hand, determines it has curing properties, and pratices its' use. Belthic stomps closer to Dresden eyes him with revulsion and lowers his warhammer onto the skeletal rat with a satisfied cruch. Dresden cries out fowl, and the dwarf ignores his rants- he doesnt understand the language anyway.
The Ravenous Dead make more headway on the barriers downstairs. Windows are broken and the door shakes in it's frame.
Sir Basil and Garrett look into the first room on the right. It is a five by ten room that contains a bed, a small table and chair against the far wall under a window. There is a wash basin on the table and the window has a bloody hand print on it. Through the window, between the tops of the red tile roofs of nearby buildings you can make out clouds of smoke in other parts of the city. On the floor lies Father Mendrivus.
He lies in a pool of blood, face up. The father's throat has been cut and another long slash appears to have been made in his side,indicated by pooled blood in the region. The expression frozen on his face is a mix of astonishment and fear.
THe bedding has been ruffled though there is little blood on it, or his belongings which lay in an untidy pile on the foot of the bed.
"What are we looking for, Dresden?"
Sledge will carefully make his way into the room and start looking through the priest's belongings for some sign of who did this or why.
" Sah! Permission to gut the wretch sah! He touched me! It was cold, sah, cold." Whitbourne barks.
Dresden steps past, holding Edwin close to his chest, patting the skull like a child would a kitten.
" Priest turned on one too many Gods I fear. One of his allies did him in. Serrated knives did those cuts -see how wide? Pretty- Your goodly Father was a double agent see? Markings should be on his person somewhere-not too obvious, Servant of the Heart be smarter than that or we would have defeated them by now. Looking for a holy symbol- unholy to you- somewhere secret. Yes, secrets are good, like Vecna says." Dresden continues to mutter to himself and nuzzle Edwin which clacks at him with ghastly adoration.
As you are looking through the corpse, he adds that the assassin was a man named Omar ibn Sharazahd of Ket. An assassin sent from the Mount, also rumored to be in Ket. He came into the city and smuggled in the fanatics of the Black Hand. A Necrotic death-cult that worships Demons and Undead Gods alike.
"Looks like you should give your man permission, Basil. I can't find anything."
Thale looks at the wand in his hand, determines it has curing properties, and pratices its' use.
"Dresden's gift appears to be a wand of some curing. Odd...."
" Priest turned on one too many Gods I fear. One of his allies did him in. Serrated knives did those cuts -see how wide? Pretty- Your goodly Father was a double agent see? Markings should be on his person somewhere-not too obvious, Servant of the Heart be smarter than that or we would have defeated them by now. Looking for a holy symbol- unholy to you- somewhere secret. Yes, secrets are good, like Vecna says."
Thale walks over to the Paladin. "Sir Basil, a word with you." He lowers his voice, " I do not wish to pain you, but this may confirm Dresden's story or damn him. Depending on whether you believe it belongs to him or the dead father or the alleged assasin. I found it downstairs. " Thale shows Basil the defaced symbol of Cuthbert.
Facing the (presumed) necromancer Dreden, Thale asks, "WHere is this assaain now?"
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Basil turns to the half orc.."Would you do me the favour of stipping the late father...much as I do not want to believe this tale of treachery Ido want the truth...We do not as is commonly believed condemn out of hand. Sergeant help this gentleman please"
He turns his attention to the pile of objects on the bed taking his time to search through them for anything unusual(take 10 on a search for a total of 10)
"Sah, yes sah!" the Sergeant suddenly barks, ignoring Dresden and moves in to help Garrett, happy to be of use.
Thaleasks a question to Dresden who replies: " I have no idea where the assassin maybe but I know his plans are ruined by the GraveMaster Khale here in this city. He could not have gotten far. I presume he went up instead out down when the choas erupted in the streets a short while ago" Dresden chuckles to himself. "Edwin thinks the assassin has served out his usefulness, but I disagree as he has not yet delivered what he stole from the preist-of-secrets. The fanatics blew themselves up too soon-or he murdered the secret-priest too late- either way he may already suffer the Ravenous as his fate!" Dresden chuckles again at his little rhyme.
Sergeant Whitbourne and Garrett remove the bloody garments quickly and roughly, and get their hands covered in blood. Just over the hip of the corpse you find a strange brand, like a tattoo but rougher and filled with scar tissue. It is in the shape of a one-eyed skull with a bone wreath.Surrounding it are what appear to be a halo of teeth marks, also scarred over.
Dresden says " I have seen that symbol before, when GraveMaster Khale spoke of it in StoneHarrow, though why he would I did not know at the time, though it makes sense to me now."
Sir Basil As far as you can tell, all the equipment (chain armor,mace and cudgel) are in good working order and standard issue for most clerics of St. Cuthbert.
More windows break downstairs, increasing the noise the Ravenous are making. It seems as though the barriers have only a limited time left before the building becomes unsafe. Sir Basil's servant huddles in the corner at the top of the stairs, too terrified to do anything but whimper and jump at each new cracking pane of glass.
"Dresden, do you know an escape route for us? "
"I will search the rest of the building." Thale will quickly look into other rooms first on this and then higher floors, seeking the assasin or a means of escape.
Either after Dresden's answer or as Thale departs on his search: "Sir Basil, perhaps your man might watch the stairs. "
Dresden replies to Thale" Why I know of two. There is a skylight in the ceiling in the hall-maybe you were too busy to notice- and of course there are the doors downstairs, hehe."
Sergeant Whitbourne adjusts his small axe and dagger and takes the mace. He sets himself at the top of the stairs in a loose and ready stance.
Belthic and Sir Basil are at a loss of the symbol scarred into the priest's flesh. Dresden says " That symbol represents the Twice Dead God Doresain. I have seen it before you know, though why Master Omicron would allow talk of such a creature in his Necropolis I know not. More importantly, I can think of no reason why GraveMaster Khale would ally with that creature either. IT goes against what he is if you ask me."
The backdoor to the kitchen finally breaks and so do the barricades on the common room windows. Ravenous start to crawl into the building, but you do not know how many as you are upstairs.
The Servant looks as though he is about to scream.
Dresden replies to Thale" Why I know of two. There is a skylight in the ceiling in the hall-maybe you were too busy to notice- and of course there are the doors downstairs, hehe."
Dresden says " That symbol represents the Twice Dead God Doresain. I have seen it before you know, though why Master Omicron would allow talk of such a creature in his Necropolis I know not. More importantly, I can think of no reason why GraveMaster Khale would ally with that creature either. ...."The backdoor to the kitchen finally breaks and so do the barricades on the common room windows. Ravenous start to crawl into the building, but you do not know how many as you are upstairs.
Thale's head spins: Dresden is speaking obliquely. Doresain, Omicron, Khale, Necropolis. What does any of that mean? The splintering of the barricades below provides a fresh focus for Thale's thoughts. We need a way out. Thale strides into the hall to examine the skylight. "Does anyone have some rope?"
initiative to stop servant screaming 1d20+2=13
If he fails to stop him Basil will take post at the top of the stairs and order the sergeant to help with furniture etc
Sir Basil moves to stop the servant from screaming and alerting the roaming zombies downstairs but Sergeant Whitbourne beats him to it. He pulls the man back from the stairs as firmly and quietly as he can.
You can all hear Ravenous downstairs, but do not know how many. As yet they seem not to know you are upstairs.
Thale
Everyone ponders on Dresdens' annoyingly cryptic words, but no one seems to know much about Doresain, or what ' GraveMaster Khale' is, or who he is.
Dresden quietly suggests to the Paladin that they could throw the body of Mendrivus down to the hungry dead. It may buy them the time they need to escape upward. He also offers to make them look like corpses with his magic to aid with there search for Omar.
Garret softly pads over to underneath the skylight while pulling out his rope and grappling hook.
Move Sliently = 20
He whispers "We can't fight the entire city full of undead. If we stay here, that's what we'll eventually have to do. If the assassin did go up, as the ghoul says, then we may be able to catch sight of him before he's out of the city."
"If it is as bad as you claim- and I believe the Black Hand did attack each market square in this city- then we are to fight zombies each way we go. Then again, so will Omar. He will move slow to avoid that. He would not have left the city so soon... Basil, let's feed the- what do you Furyondians say? Chaps?- downstairs with Mendrivus. And if they wont' take that, what about the servant? Only his death seems to be of use at this point, and his sacrifice will save our lives, possibly many more. What say you?"
Whitbourne clamps harder down on the servant's mouth and holds him tightly as the terrified man tries to desperately get away. Dresden bobs his head in time to the flailing limbs of the man.
Garrett you expertly move to the skylight. It is about 10 feet to the peak of the window from the floor, but only eight to the edge. You can see where Omar cut the glass pane out of the window to get in. One pane will be too narrow for you to get out with your broad shoulders.
Garret softly pads over to underneath the skylight while pulling out his rope and grappling hook.
He whispers "We can't fight the entire city full of undead. If we stay here, that's what we'll eventually have to do. If the assassin did go up, as the ghoul says, then we may be able to catch sight of him before he's out of the city."
Thale grins in satisfaction at the sight of the rope and nods at Garret's words, whispering in reply, "Agreed. But we have to get everyone out of here first. " He sizes up the half-orc. "I am sure you and I can climb the rope, but what about the armoured ones? And the servant. It might be easier with knots in the line, or something for them to stand on."
"Simple logic for you, Dresden. Those things kill someone and one rises. Do we need more of 'em?"
"Thale, it's barely ten feet high. Give 'em a boost. We don't got time for knots. And I could use a boost right now"
Garrett You silently take out another pane of glass so that you and the dwarf can fit. You make arrangements for people to climb up the rope.
"You underestimate GraveMaster Khale's power my orcish friend. These Ravenous can create more zombies yes, but not like them. No-no-no. Khale has other plans for them, but lucky for us, it will take him time for them to come to term. He only has so many fingers does he not? Can't touch them all-all at once yes? Besides, this man's death as inevitable-so his time is little-important yes?. He was a weak man, and will make a weak dead man walking. The time he could buy us in catching Omar could be worth it. I say to you all- Help me get Omar by whatever means, and I will reveal a way to save this town from GraveMaster Khale. You will all be heroes... to whoever is left. hehe"
Dresden wraps his cowl around his face and pulls out a black wand with a dried monkey paw attached to the end of it; palm up, fingers straight and close together, like the little thing is saying 'stop'.
Dresden whispers to his little skull which flies up to the window and out into the day beyond looking this way and that, like a little sentry.
"Simple logic for you, Dresden. Those things kill someone and one rises. Do we need more of 'em?"
"Thale, it's barely ten feet high. Give 'em a boost. We don't got time for knots. And I could use a boost right now"
Thale obliges Garret by sqatting and cupping his hands to form a stirrup for the half-orc to step into. As Garret steps in, the monk straightens his knees, lifting Garret to the skylight.
From what he hears, Thale would like to take issue with Dresden, but more important things need to be done.
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I think the servant and the sergeant should go next followed by Belthic,Thale,Dresden and finally myself.
Climbing 1d20-1=0, Move Silently 1d20-2=3
"Dresden, how do you know he won't be the person to save all of us? I'm not for sending anybody to their death just to buy a few seconds."
"I'll go first and then help pull out the others." Garret then steadies himself in Thale's hand and pulls himself through the window, bringing the rope and hook with him. And a second later he whispers, "It's secure."
Between helping the others up, Thale hisses, "Basil, your spirit is noble, but your plan weak. Your armour will make the climb difficult unaided. I will go last."
Belthic looks at the climb and mutters under his breath. "I'd just about as soon take my chance with the zombies as try to climb that thing, but here goes".
Basil mulls over Thale's comment and nods
"Aye, you have the right of it...my training was remiss in the scaling of ropes in full armour. If I survive this I'll recommend that it be included in our squires training. If the others can get a good enough hold of me and it looks like the undead are too close keep a hold of me and get drawn up yourself"
You all make it up onto the red tiled roof of the Inn, though not without noise. By the time Thale is pulled up, Ravenous have heard the commotion made by those in armor and have moved to get upstairs. Their efforts to get past the lodged furniture in the stairwell alerted others, who also came to investigate. At this time two Ravenous wander the hallway beneath you, though neither have looked towards the skylight yet.
You find yourselves in the middle of the Inns’ roof. Around you is the white washed and red clay-tiled roofs of Sassarine. In front of you to the south is the Dawn Market, where the chaos started about ten minutes ago. There are still many Ravenous in the square, feeding, trying to break into other dwellings near the square or assaulting the local garrison across from you. There are human guards in the turrets of the fort, firing crossbows at the undead, but they seem to be having little effect. To your left, east lies the nearest canal and the small islands that make up so much of Sassarine. In other markets across the city, you see fires burning and standards of war raised in forts among other districts of the city. Amid the screaming and crying of the Dead and dying, you can hear bells and war horns. To the north behind you lie a small cluster of buildings so close together a person could walk from one roof to the other. It would just take a short jump from the edge of the roof to get to them. Beyond those buildings lie Marble Street and then several blocks more worth of buildings’ roofs of the Sunrise District stretches out before you. To your right of the edge of the Inn lies the end of Spice Street as it heads into Dawn Market, then some buildings and Lantern Street, followed up by a line of buildings against the West Wall and its still guarded gate (currently closed). There too, are warriors firing bolts into roaming figures.
In terms of distances, you are roughly in the middle of the north end of Dawn Market square. Two hundred feet as the crow flies from either the West Wall or the canal in the east. Two hundred feet or so across the open square lies the garrison and part of the Sunrise District to the north.
Sgt. Whitbourne still struggles with the servant to keep him quiet. The servant in turn keep wanting to shout at Dresden to stay away from him’. Dresden smiles pleasantly with blackened teeth at his antics and takes in his surroundings. Deferring to your group and waiting for a decision on his offer which he repeats again, insistent: “We will now help each other yes? You get me to Omar so I can get him dead and I will tell you and yours of GraveMaster Khale. Get him stopped you can yes? Be heroes to the remnants. I will help you stop him from turning the whole city- Edwin and me –poor Eddie (he pets the skull). Trust me friends, this will spread like gangrene in the limbs –oh yes- this Day of the Dead is horror and the Night will be worse than this day. The Ravenous are only an introduction –not Khale’s power, nononononono, his creations will be worse I assure you. If he is allowed to continue, the Dawn of the Dead next morn will seal Sassarines’ fate.“
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East 1d20+0=16, South 1d20+0=19, West 1d20+0=11, North 1d20+0=1
Basil scans the scene unfolding around him his face set like stone.. At Dresdens words he spins on the man his voice hissing as he whispers
"Stop talking in riddles necromancer..where is this Omar of whom you speak and what do we need to do to kill him"
North = 20; South = 18; East = 10; West = 25
Garret takes it all in. The destruction is too much. It doesn't matter if he's stops it now. This city, his home, will never be the same. He can't let it spread.
"It's a deal. We'll... I can't speak for anyone else, but I'll help you."
Spot checks, N, S, E, W: (1d20=9, 1d20=14, 1d20=8, 1d20=12) +3 all around is: N 12, S 17, E 11, W 15.
Thale coils the rope and hands it back to Garret. "That was most useful. Thank you." He scans the city around them. His gaze lingers on the square. The book, the letters, the paints, the crossbow. Gone. His mouth tightens with vague regret. The scene in the square sickens him. Would I had the power to call down Pelor's flame to cleanse this place.
Amidst the chaos, some of you notice a couple of things:
To the South: Sir Basil, Garret, Dresden and Belthic See soldiers shoot a zombie through the eye with a crossbow. It goes down and stays down, where as another zombie next to it has two quarrels sticking out of its' chest and seems no worse for it.
To the East: DresdenAcross from the markets are three bridges to some of the smaller islands within the city. It appears that maybe a defense of the bridges is being made by ment-at-arms against the zombies to stop them from spreading. A fire has been lit on one of the bridges.
To the North: Belthic,Garret,and Dresden see a tightrope strung from the small group of buildings behind you to a building across marble street. Though Belthic misses it, in the distance the others see a figure bounding across the rooftops about 200' away. It is not possible to see who or what the person is as they are covered in tan robes.
To the West: Garret and Dresden see another zombie shot through the head and laid low by a crossbow from a soldier on the Western Gate. Also, you see a group of a dozen people struggle out onto the roof of the Griffonback Inn next to the wall. There appear to be no weapons among them and they are shouting for help to the guards on the wall. This has alerted zombies below who start thrashing to get into the building. A fire is lit somehow, and it is spreading through the dry building quickly. You also notice zombies backing away from the fire, their eyes covered.
The Sergeant says to the servant: " If you don't stop your whimpering I will give you something to truly suffer for! (sniff) Aughh, Good Pelor man, you've soiled yourself!"
Garret points north, "There he is, about 200 feet away and moving."
Dresden takes off after Garetts looking west once and laughing at the commoners trapped there. "Ravenous like their food raw, but if perish from flame they will still eat you when you cool down! HAHAHAHA"
Both Dresden and Garret jump the distance and land on their feet. The former errily so,the later due to skill.
"Whoa!!"
Tiles crack under your muscular form, you start to slip back to the edge and the drop it promises. Just then, Dresden lands after you, feet planted firmly on the edge and he places a hand on your upper shoulder before you go over. It sticks to your skin as you slide past him and over the roof edge. His strength is not what yours is and he buckles backward with your momentum. You hear joints pop and muscule tear, but you do not fall.
You look up to see his upside down face staring calmly at you. " Kitten steps are needed in this chase big cat! Grow smaller in steps but keep the teeth long and sharp yes? Climb me now back to the roof manling."
as you climb he notice he feel cold despite the sub-tropic heat and heavy black clothing. He smells of earth and mold. When you reach the safety of sure footing, you watch him put his limbs back into their proper places, black energy from his hands flowing across his body. His feet never once moved during the ordeal.