Noe that the local trouble is over the immediate passages away no longer loop in on themselves.
Assuming you eventually explore further, what are you seeking?
Trying to follow the Vampire? Looking for Lady Smallwood? Maybe your way back out? The heart of the place? etc?
Feel free to discuss as you go, or during the exploration montage.
"Well we're not going to figure anything out waiting here. Whatever or whoever is running this is probably going to send someone or something to stop us." Arayas says looking around at everyone else.
"I say we track down the undead beast that fled. Something's responsible for the cold, attacking the village and the Lady's disappearance. And I say we kill it, before it kills us." She says bluntly.
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As the group heads downwards to search for the vampire and for Lady Smallwood, they come across a strange room. The floor seems to gradually tilt, until it is entirely vertical, as if direction was continuously twisting. Walking through this area turns out to be very disorienting, and it proves difficult to avoid tricking oneself into falling an incredible distance while navigating what turns out to be a maze of perception.
Eventually, the group realizes that if they close their eyes the real path through the room ceases to move about, and only the false ways continue to present a danger. By crawling along on hands and knees and feeling their way with eyes shut, the group is able to warn one another when the floor begins to slope away from the real path. There are a few close calls, but they're soon through it.
Farther on, Dernaras holds up one hand for a halt. The patch of hallway ahead is a tiled floor, and she's noticed a slight depression of one of the tiles: a pressure trap! Each of the tiles has a different pattern on it, and the group quickly determines that almost all the tiles are traps!
Arayas squats down, picking up a rock and tossing it into the room. She smiles as it hits a tile and is immediately engulfed in flame.
"Well then..."she mutters with a smile.
As the group discusses how best to identify the tiles and possible clues that may be around, Arayas stares out across the room. Without warning she leaps forward onto one tile, then the next, and the next till she's across the room.
"Look for the tiles without any dust on them!" she calls from across the room, the rest of the party just noticing she's across the tiles. She smiles smugly, as the rest of the group makes their way across. "Come on, try and keep up!" she says with a tone reserved only for overconfident youth.
She follows the group down a twisting hall until they reach an area with a series of spike pits filled with skeletons and a wall with a series of glyphs that flash and seemingly random intervals.
"Er... this one might be a bit out of my league..."
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Dante watches the runes, wondering if there are any clues to be discovered. After a couple of minutes, he realizes something.
"There's a pattern to them," he says. "Look at that one, then look at that one over there." He points at a rune just as it lights up. "Note the similarity, as if... as if we are looking at numbers."
"Arayas, hand me your coin pouch," he asks. "I'd use my own, but I'm afraid I don't carry coppers these days."
After a moment of thought, the first rune lights up, and Dante hops to a particular spot as it fades, and looks toward another rune, just in time for it to light up as he predicted. He drops a copper piece from Arayas's pouch where he is standing. As the rune fades, he leaps to another spot, and watches another predicted rune light up while he drops another copper piece. Over the next minute, Dante hops and jumps his way through the course of traps, leaving a copper trail as he does.
"All right, on my mark..."
-Posted with Wayfinder
Dante leads the party past the glowing runes. Numerous other dangers and mazes block the party's way but after overcoming them they come to a set of double doors. Beyond which eerie piano music and some sort of dirge come from beyond.
Opening the doors reveals a grand theater. The vampire from before stands over Lady Smallwood (or at least another look-alike) while haunting spirits sing a dirge and play the piano.
As you bust in they solidify a bit, their pale white flesh pierced by burning red eyes.
The Vampire glares at Dernaras... "You again..."
before baring its fangs and staring down Dernaras.
Dealing 10 cold damage and causing Dernaras to be vulnerable until the end of the vampire's next turn.
The Vampire then steps partway behind the curtain.
Initiative:
Dante
Dernaras
Wights
Arayas
Henrick
END OF ROUND
Vampire
Dante and Dernaras are up!
PD 17
MD 15
HP 90
PD 17
MD 13
HP 48
Dernaras grimaces and tries to shake off the unpleasant feeling emanating from the vampire. Raising her bow and affixing a magical emblem to her armor, she sends an arrow flying at the evil creature.
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With Dernaras keeping the vampire occupied, Dante dashes toward the stage, his eyes set on the wight in his way...
-
His attempt to distract the wight having failed, Dante slides towards the piano and readies himself with the instrument at his back.
"Elizabeth?" he calls towards the stage. "All you all right?"
Dernaras powers her armor up while Dante boldly charges into trouble.
The woman on the couch seems week but Dante can almost hear her whisper back. Don...?"
3 of the wights pounce onto Dante
The first once claws at Dante, hitting for 10 damage and Dante begins to feel his strength sap away. 8 Ongoing negative energy damage.
The other two seem somehow empowered by the energy coming off of Dante.
The second wight misses completely, while the 3rd gets in an attack for 10 more, plus 8 more ongoing negative energy damage.
One of the wights climbs up to the balcony, while the final one charges Dernaras.
Dernaras's armor blocks the blow, but she still feels her life force being sapped away. 8 ongoing negative energy damage.
Henrick does recognize these foul undead and knows that they are strongest when fresh, and once staggered can no longer sap the lifeforce of the living.
Initiative:
Arayas
Henrick
END OF ROUND
Vampire
Dante
Dernaras
Wights
Arayas and Henrick are up!
AC 20
PD 17
MD 15
HP 90
AC 21
PD 17
MD 13
HP 48
"Ach! More vampires! Begone creatures of the dark!" Holding up his hammer, he channels the wisdom of his ancient ancestors towards the undead.
Nearby: Generally, all the heroes and their enemies in a battle are nearby. That means they can reach each other with a single move action. Sometimes, as an exception, heroes or enemies can be far away.
Henrick steps forward before intoning a short spell. "Here goes nothing." He heaves his hammer at the wight in front of him, trying to weaken it a bit, but only catches the corner of an arm.
Arayas fires an arrow at the vampire
but misses for 4 damage.
The Vampire spreads its arms and glides down, gracefully landing on the Piano behind Dante clawing at his back.
Critting for 36 damage!
and exposing Dante's Neck to a bite.
Dante somehow manages to avoid the Vampire's deadly bite!
Initiative:
Dante
Dernaras
Wights 4 (0|0|0) 0
Arayas
Henrick
END OF ROUND
Vampire 13
Dante and Dernaras are up!
AC 20
PD 17
MD 15
HP 90
AC 21
PD 17
MD 13
HP 48
Down at 0 hp: When you drop to 0 hp or below, you fall unconscious and can’t take any actions. But you do get to make death saves (see below).
Dead at negative half: Keep track of how far below 0 hp you go. You also die when you reach negative hit points equal to half your maximum hit points.
Healing while you’re down: If you’re able to use one of your recoveries (or otherwise get healed) while you are dying, ignore your current negative hit points. Start from 0 and add the hit points you’ve regained.
Make death saves while down: At the start of your turn, roll a death save on a d20. Death saves are hard saves (16+).
If you roll 16+, use a recovery to return to consciousness and heal up to the number of hit points you rolled with your recovery. Tell everyone what form of courage, willpower, stubbornness, or quest brought you back from the brink. But that is all you can do on your turn.
If you roll 15 or less, you take one step toward the grave. After the fourth failed death save in a single battle, you die.
If you roll a natural 20, you get to take actions normally that turn after telling everyone what inspired or caused your heroic return.
Dernaras' eyes widen as the undead converge on Dante. Slinging her bow quickly across her shoulder, she grabs her spear and charges toward the vampire with deadly intent.
The wight claws at Dernaras
hitting for 10 damage as she bravely charges forward to save Dante.
Dernaras does land a telling blow on the Vampire, staggering it.
The wight up on the balcony, scrambles around, double moving into melee with Arayas.
The one that Dernaras left behind turns to Henrick and claws him.
but stumbles on a chair, allowing Henrick to pop-free if he wants.
Seeing Dante go down, the other three wights converge on Dernaras.
Dernaras only gets hit directly once for 10 points of damage but also feel her life force being further sapped away by a pair of 8 ongoing negative energy damage effects.
Initiative:
Arayas
Henrick
END OF ROUND
Vampire 57
Dante
Dernaras
Wights 4 (0|0|0) 0
Arayas and Henrick are up!
AC 20
PD 17
MD 15
HP 90
AC 21
PD 17
MD 13
HP 48
"I think we might be in a little over our heads, lads and lasses." Henrick concentrates momentarily, then calls out, "Mother Maghda, save this human's tuchus!"
Arayas tumbles away from the wight and fires at the vampire some more.
4 Miss
The Vampire looks down from atop the piano and claws at Dernaras.
Missing.
Initiative:
Dante
Dernaras
Wights 4 (0|0|0) 0
Arayas
Henrick
END OF ROUND
Vampire 79
Dante and Dernaras are up!
AC 20
PD 17
MD 15
HP 90
AC 21
PD 17
MD 13
HP 48
Dernaras continues to stab at the vampire as she knocks its claw away with her spear. "Back!" she cries, driving the tip and part of the wooden haft deep into the creature's heart. Unable to pull the weapon out all the way immediately, she turns and kicks one of the wights in the face.
Dernaras stabs at the vampire and it turns to mist and sinks into the piano before she kicks at a wight.
Dante dazes one wight before causing another to collapse.
The dazed wight clumsily tries to retaliate against Dante.
Hitting for 10 damage and causing 8 ongoing negative energy damage.
The other wight at the piano desperatly claws at Dernaras.
Hitting for 10 damage.
Finally the 2 wights in the back scramble after Henrick and Arayas
Arayas takes 20 damage and 8 ongoing negative (16 for the first tick)
Henrick takes 10 damage and 8 ongoing negative.
Initiative:
Arayas (-20 + 8* Ongoing)
Henrick
END OF ROUND
Vampire 79
Dante
Dernaras
Wights 4 (0|0 Dazed) 0
Arayas and Henrick are up!
AC 21
PD 17
MD 13
HP 48