Bazim is able to crush the insects still on his armor while Urrnir and Emron work at crushing centipede after centipede with their weapons. Urrnir shows Emron that a wide sweeping motion with a weapon is more effective no matter what the weapon is used.
The swarm is noticeably smaller now, but still aggressive about their territory. A few find their way onto Emron's arms and bite.
Centipede Attack:1d20 + 3 ⇒ (11) + 3 = 14
But their pincers are stopped by Emron's clothing and armor as he shakes them off of him.
Everyone may act
Emron's attack did not hit except as flavor, everything else did.
Removing the squashed remains of the bugs from his armor, Bazim looks into the coffin and sees its empty.
"Best go and see what that noise by the stairs was....maybe it is the spirit of this place and we can finally put it to rest and be rid of this foul place."
Bazim sees the door at the top of the stairs to the attic replaced with an impossible structure of slashing black blades moving wildly. The blades look identical to the ones that took Geth's head, but they are now constantly slashing wildly like metallic tentacles.
Beyond the door the dusty attic room with covered furniture looks broken and ancient, the walls are rattling and the floor sags and has multiple breaks in the floorboards. The planks are now warped and look loose.
As if on cue, black smoke begins to pour out of the stove heater in the room. The room quickly fills with acrid black smoke.
If you want to move past the door, you will need to roll initiative. You can try and dodge the blades, figure out a pattern and move through, or anything else - just let me know.
Urrnir uses the leverage from her glaive to pry a gap in the wood, and Emron drives the magic longsword into the split with his maul. A little prying back and fourth and a large hole is opened into the floor below. The wood is so brittle and ancient that is crumbles into splinters without much resistance.
Looking out you see the landing of the 3rd floor - the one where the animated armor was - in front of you. The lights are out, but with the little light you have you see the doorways to the master bedroom and bathroom have been replaced by the same writhing blades. You hear the sound of wild squeaks and claws scraping on plaster echoing from the opening, it is coming from the gaps between the staircase wall and the wall to the hallay.
Ok, well you can do that but it would take one more set of checks - you opened a hole into the 3rd floor from the stairs, so now you can break through the ceiling to go up or try to walk up.
OK... guess you guys are going back to the attic...
Urrnir breaks through the ceiling standing on Emron's shoulders and pulling the boards apart. The squeaking intensifies as an enraged pile of rats pours out of the opening on top of the party.
Emron waits for Urrnir to get off his shoulders. When she does, he hits the rats with his mace.
attack:1d20 + 5 ⇒ (1) + 5 = 6 damage:2d6 + 3 ⇒ (1, 1) + 3 = 5
Urrnir quickly hops down from Emrons shoulder and readies her glaive. "Ugh, this place is rotted to the core" she hisses. She starts to stab at the rats.
You are all in the hallway at the top of the spiral staircase running from the first to the third floor of the house. You have put a sizable hole in the floor of the attic above you.
Working together you make it to the hallway of the attic. The doorways you see have been replaced with the same whirling black blades you have seen everywhere.
"I'm getting the feeling that we should be done with these rooms up here. We need to track down the spirit which caused all this trouble...but I cannot think where it might reside."
Ok, to be honest, I think I am lost here. As far as I know we have searched the entire house, and defeated the evil creature in the basement...but I know we must have missed something. I think the blades are telling us that there is nothing else up here...or maybe I am wrong. Any thoughts?"
Well if you defeated the evil creature in the basement, what might be an option now that wasn't before? Especially if the walls and floors are brittle and easily broken.
D'oh...don't I feel dumb! I forgot the door was locked and we could not get out! Thank you!!
"With tha house fallin' apart around us, maybe we can get out now! Let's escape this asylum!"
Bazim begins to make his way to the main floor and, he hopes, freedom.
He helps Urrnir and Emron down the hole and the three of them rush to the front door.
Emron raises his maul and charges, screaming something incoherent.
Once he gets there, he charges straight through the door.
strength:1d20 + 3 ⇒ (17) + 3 = 20
I'm going to rush this along because the escape of the house has been really boring PbP. It went really quick the two times I did this IRL.
Realizing the weaknesses in the houses walls and aged appearance my mean a weakness in the front door, the group rushes to try and exit the house with hope in their hearts. Dropping to the floor below, you rush down the spiral staircase to the first floor. The fireplaces on the second and first floor begin coughing out thick smoke from a popping and spitting fire.
It's only moments, but the smoke burns Urrnir's and Bazim's lungs.
Smoke Damage:1d10 ⇒ 5
There is one more set of slashing blades, but you see the front door beyond it. Thinking quickly, you attempt to smash a small hole in the wall to get around it.
It's a bad angle but Emron smashes the wall open as more rats pour out onto the floor. Focusing on pressing forward you ignore the rats and rush for the door where Emron shoulders the door wide open to reveal a city street. The black smokes begins to fill the entrance hall, and Urrnir and Bazim rush past while Emron gets attacked by rats.
Swarm of Rats Attack:1d20 + 2 ⇒ (10) + 2 = 12
Shrugging it off steps through the door into the small fenced yard of the house. Behind him the rats pile up in front of the door refusing the step through. The black smoke fills the doorway, and the rats collapse as the poison fills their lungs. The door slams shut, closing away the horrors of the house once more.
Looking around, you are now standing in front of a much older sagging house. The expansive yard is replaced with centuries old cobblestone road that has grass poking through the stones. Lining the road to either side are more sagging and old buildings that feature the same architecture as this home that is foreign to the Sword Coast from which you hail. A mist settles low on the road, and obscures vision past a quarter mile or so.
You hear a groan as morning mists retreat from the roads, and a naked silver scaled dragonborn sits up. Balandusk is seemingly alive in front of you, though without any of his equipment of clothing.
Urrnir cries out and collapses to her knees.
Urrnir:
These buildings are clearly the style of your home of Barovia, but they are dilapidated and shuttered tight like it's winter. Even the grey cobblestone is familiar, cut from Mount Baratok like the stone that build Castle Ravenloft and the great halls of Argyvostholt.
You have stepped forward out of time, and you get a rushing of deja vu. This exact scene has happened over and over again. Each time with different faces, but the result is the same. You know these people, and you will see them die - unless you die first.
Urrnir Charisma Save:1d20 + 4 ⇒ (20) + 4 = 24
You calm yourself and dimsiss this phantasm. Something is wrong, but it must be part of that Devil Strahd's dark magic.
Balandusk looks over at the others as he sits up. He starts to stand, but then remembers what always happens when he "wakes up". "While I am glad that you are so happy to see me, you wouldn't happen to have my old clothes, would you?"
Of course, Balandusk has no idea why Urnir has that reaction, or what the reaction is about.
Urrnir, collapsed on her knees and breathing heavily, feels hot tears start to roll down her face, out of control. She quickly rubs them away and gets back to her feet, locking the sorrow away behind a scowl. She doesn't reply immediately to Balandusks question.
"Where are we now? Urrnir are you ok? Balandusk! Your alive?! Have I died and this is my afterlife?"
The bewildered dwarf takes a deep breath and clams himself.
"Ok, sorry about that. Now I guess congratulations are in order for our friend Balandusk. Although I do not know how you came to being here, I am glad you are! Now...where is here?"
"Here?" He looks around with a confused look. "I have no idea where here is. As for your other question, I am alive, if you want to put it that way. So no, you haven't died that I am aware of." He glances from Bazim to Urnir. "I do hope she's alright."
