Baldwin the Merciful's - CoT Campaign (Inactive)

Game Master baldwin the merciful

Daniel feels the evil resonate for this chamber as he looks at the hangman's noose along with the hold in the floor. His stomach has a disgusted feeling.

Underneath the bodies are two tricorn hats that must have fallen off their heads.

There are two doors additional doors in this room.

Gerard gathers the quality looking weapons and the eyewear. Phem, anything here magical?

Bastards were fishing... Don't stand a chance if you can't breathe. But they were just manning a station.

As he waits, he considers the hats and tries on the eyewear and looks down the pit, as the enemy would have done.

Gerard you can clearly see in the dark once you don the eye-wear.

It is a shaft leading to the floor below. You figure that the hangman's job was to capture those in the room/hall below, thus acting as trap to those unwary souls climbing up.

Damn... Talk about an advantage.

Do you see anything, or do the goggles do nothing?

Andrea uses Detect Magic.

Gerard you see that one of the two men has on funny looking glasses, and there is thick heavy 50 foot rope with a noose nearby him, his wears a nice rapier on his left hip and there is a short sword on the ground.

The other has a nice light crossbow handing on his side and there is a nice rapier laying beside him on the ground.

Both men wear common studded leather and each have one CLW potion marked in common along an assortment of coins and jewelry (total combined value is 600 GP

spellcraftGlasses: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (20) + 13 = 33
spellcraftNice Rapier #1: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (18) + 13 = 31
spellcraftShort Sword: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (19) + 13 = 32
spellcraftNice Light X-bow: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (14) + 13 = 27
spellcraftNice Rapier #2: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (12) + 13 = 25

2 CLW potions
600 gp

Nice dice!

I see everything...

Google of Nightvision. The rest of the items were MSW quality.

Daniel detects evil on the two men expecting to know the answer. ..

Well, shall we rouse the one still alive and see what he knows? Perhaps he knows where Ilnerik lairs..

Hmm..Daniel is the son of a noble, and nobles often have mistresses. I wonder If Fiosa if feeling upwardly mobile?

The men thoroughly resonate evil.

Thier hearts are as black as they come.
Interrogate them if you wish. The only mercy I would offer is a painless death or a life without thumbs so they may never hold a sword again. Their choice.

I wouldn't waste one of these potions on them. Perhaps Euphemia can use her healing ability to bring him around. If he tries to scream like the last one did, we end him. Andrea will help secure the man just in case.

Euphemia will heal the sole survivor a bit. He is a bit groggy and quite scared. 'P..pl...ease, don't kill me."

Well that depends on you. Everyone we have encountered here has tried to kill us and was quite happy to yell their heads off and alert the place, that is why you got daggers in the chest.

Andrea gestures to Gerard and Daniel. Now don't be going on about who attacked who first, and who is blameless, you are a member of the Council of Thieves since this is Walcourt, lair of Ilnerik, lord of the shadowbeasts. If you answer our questions truthfully you will escape with your life.

Andrea looks at everyone else. Anything in particular you want to talk to him about?

Whether you live or die depends on what you say now. I have looked into your soul and read your black heart. That taken with finding you here, working a trap in a den of theives and monsters. Tell us where Illnerik is and I will let you live, but I will cut off your thumbs so you will never wield a weapon again or you go to Pharasma's boneyard.
Intimidate: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (15) + 14 = 29

'A' thumb, on his weapon hand. Being still able to feed yourself and take care of other business is a better offer than the Boneyard or being sent running off into the night, considering you know best what lurks there.

Diplomacy as the Good Cop: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (3) + 13 = 16

The goal here is to good cop/bad cop him so he will at least spill the beans about Ilnerik or anything else we can pump out. Loss of one thumb is a whole lot better than two or a trip to the Boneyard.

Lol. The PALADIN is the bad cop!

The man listens intently, he shakes his head when he hears his thumb is to hacked off. "Your r'ght done sum bad work...ain't gonna lie...aint denyin' it." His nose running, so he sniffs it back up then spit it out. 'Got me a wife...pregnant wit our fifth...ain't no guud jobs that be legit, sucked into dis life. Use ta work leather but the old man died, so lost me job 'bout two years ago."

Andrea turns an eye to Gerard to see if he smells any falsehood. So you got something to live for..hmm..Far better than the others who preferred dying.

"Been scared shyteless fer a while now, dat Ilnerik be bad news...his 'xploding mercs been huntin' everyone...members of council or not. Me and Rex there, we worked fer the old man and been hidin' since the younger family came into control. There were 'bout a dozen of us holdin' out...hidin' really...." he sniffs up his running nose again, 'Now it's just me." His eyes fall on his comrade. "thought you were them at the door, heard the trap go off."

Old man?

"Ilnerik holds up in the cellar. Never dealt wit 'im meself...usaully dealt wit Sarg but he be kilt yesterday in the armory." He pauses, "Heard Ilnerik has some odd henchmen...be careful of Sandor in his planet room casts lots of magic...but run if ya met up with the "Commander" he shivers when he speaks the warning. the Commander ain't from this world...he's some creature from beyond. He is gaunt, vaguely humanoid creatures shrouded in ever-writhing shadow stuff wit dark tendrils jutting from his back."

"Yeh, old man Drovenge...worked fer him before they overthrowed 'im."

So how do we get to the cellar? If you have been down there, are there any sewer entrances?

"Heard there were stairs near Sandor's planet room and then there's the pit. He shakes his head, "Ain't heard 'bout sewer access but haven't down there." His eyes are wide when he says this.

He doesn't appear to be misleading or holding back information either.

Hmmm Hmmm.. Those must be the stairs north of the wizard's room. Andrea thinks to herself. So what lies beneath this floor? You looked like you were fishing for something in particular before we came along.

We looked in the pit. Are you saying it goes directly to Illnerik?

I doubt it, probably just downstairs. What's with the hats?

Gerard will not allow any thumbs to be cut off. But he will not comment until someone moves to do it.

The man eyes his thumbs while he shamefully avoids looking at the paladin, "So Sarg use ta say. Mind you, never been there meself."

He looks at Gerard, "Hats be the safe signal...sorta like a password, fer us." He blinks, "They do have humans workin' fer them too, not just the dark ones, but they were loyal to the younger family fer a long time." He points his left thumb back at his chest, "Since I didn't swear an oath early...I'm hunted." His eyes moisten from fear.

Then he looks at Andrea, "Ain't proud of me duties...told ya dat already, but we were on guard here 'gainst intruders. Lately, just been tryin' ta avoid the cleansin' of the old by the new, though." He sniffles up more snot. "First floor is more of the same as this one...Jas, he's dead now, reported yes'rday that the dark one purged it already."

Andrea looks at Gerard and Daniel. Well I think he has been most cooperative and has earned the right to keep his thumbs. I think if he stays very quiet in one of the hidden rooms and lasts through the night he can run on back home when dawn comes. She looks back at the thief. I suggest you take the offer and not do anything that might set off my friend here. Andrea nods at Daniel.

Gerard checks the other man's condition

He produces 5 platinum pieces, giving them to the rogue. Go, stay alive.

Other dude is dead.

"I'll hide." he nods appreciatively at Gerard, his eyes wide as he feels the weight of platinum. "Thanks...friend."

Andrea watches the man scramble off. So west or east door?

Nisroc. Gerard Nisroc. Take care of your family. Clean up your act... When I take over the Council come see me if you want a job. My rules my way.

Andrea watches the man scramble off. So west or east door?

I'll wait here...those rooms are bunks and storage. Got some dry goods." he points to one, "Empty bunks." He points to the other. "Pit out there offered some protection. So this is as safe as any."

MAP

Andrea turns to the rest of the group. So we have two places to go, down the steps to the first floor that are to the north, or to the cellar via the stairs north of the wizard's room.

"Gerard Nisroc...good luck, I actually hope you survive. If you do, I'll come see you...loyal I'll be." The man says.

Secret door NE?

So what are you going to do? Decisions, decisions.

That secret door is the one we came through. So..

1.Go down the steps we passed before we hit the room with all the exploding types. Leads down to first floor perhaps. Clean out the first floor?

2.Go down steps to cellar and start poking around Ilnerik's pad.

Still want to sweep and clear the main building, Gerard?

Edit: If we go after more of those exploding people, we can deprive Ilnerik and the Drovanges of valuable troops

Gerard nods.

Very well, northern stairs. Everyone heal up before we head down in case there are more of those things.

I'm going to assume you've taken 30 to 60 minutes questioning the guidlemember, Joe, healing yourself up, adjusting equipment and resting before continuing.

You all manage to make it back to northern staircase.

Map to Stairs

Gerard, I can turn you invisible so you can scout ahead and keep in touch with message.

Save it, let'em see me coming...

Down the rabbit hole.

Andrea dumps a CMW potion down Gerard's throat.

CMW: 2d8 + 3 ⇒ (6, 8) + 3 = 17

Mmm... Thanks.

Donning the goggles, Gerard descends...

Perception: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (13) + 14 = 27

Drat! Euphemia would have cast Guidance before you jumped down...