The wizard follows Perdita and murmurs to himself as he pulls a thin pink crystal rod with sharp black streaks in it from his belt. The orc's eyes narrow as magic flows through him and he casts a spell...
Illufaus follows.
"Uruk, can you sense anything?"
Current Map: Death House Floor 1
As Uruk cast his detection spell the entire house lit up with auras in his vision, the walls, floors, ceilings, objects. While nothing exact, the entire house radiated powerful illusionary magic.
Uruk cast detect magic. (10 minutes remaining.)
Uruk has 2 of 3 first level spell slots available.
Uruk has 2 of 3 first level spell slots available.
Uruk cast detect magic (10 minutes remaining.)
In Game Time: 11:12am
Hack follows the others into the room.
Nilan walks behind Shenkt, keeping the Area illuminated as best he can.
Uruk gasps at the sudden display of information, Nothing here is real. Layers of illusion, of deceit. Nothing precise yet...everywhere.
Uruk shakes his head and then cuts his hand through the air in front of him for some unseen purpose. We should trust nothing we see here as anything but an attempt to manipulate us. Wherever that mist brought us, it is not good...
"Speaking as a Fey of the Moonwood, illusions can be powerful, yes -- but if one knows the truth they can lose their ability to deceive. .... Concentrate, allow yourself to know that what you see is not real."
Hack shakes his head, trying to clear his thoughts and see what is real.
Illufaus attempts to see reality.
Current Map: Death House Floor 1
Everyone tried to disbelieve what they were seeing with all their mental might that they had but when they looked around everything was the same, nothing had changed. You could physically touch the table and the chairs and the silverware, the crystal glasses, everything. You could see everything. If the things before you was truly illusionary then it was the strongest illusion you had ever witnessed.
Uruk has 2 of 3 first level spell slots available.
In Game Time: 11:19am
"I don't like this." Illufaus says as he goes to inspect the fireplace.
Nilan begins murmuring a prayer to the Lord of the Dead to give him the bravery to face whatever conjurer created these illusions.
The Holy Books say that powerful illusions such as these are poor substitution for faith. Nilan says, not at all helpful in this situation.
Uruk merely grunts at Nilan and then sighs, Only so many places left to look. Let's get this over with. Uruk moves past the others and throws open the other door leading out of the room...
Move to and open G/H 7
"Yes, let's keep looking though I think there's no more need to rush. If we find no evidence here of a "monster" or the home owners, and if we see the Mist still lingering outside, we may just want to knock down a wall or put a hole in the fireplace -- it's one way to get through any illusion."
Current Map: Death House Floor 1
Illufaus goes over to study the fireplace, it is clean, almost too clean for a fireplace and has fresh logs that look like they are just waiting to be lit.
Uruk has 2 of 3 first level spell slots available.
In Game Time: 11:23am
Come, let's join Uruk, before he gets too far ahead. Hold on there, big fella.
Iffufaus follows Uruk.
Uruk shrugs as the others move to follow, I'm not going far...Just figured it would be easier if we just opened this next door...
Uruk moves to open the next door.
Current Map: Death House Floor 1
Uruk opens the next door....
The kitchen is tidy, with dishware, cookware, and utensils neatly placed on shelves. A worktable has a cutting board and rolling pin atop it. A stone, domeshaped oven stands near the east wall, its bent iron stovepipe connecting to a hole in the ceiling. Behind the stove and to the left is a thin door while a small halfling sized door is on the south wall.
Nothing other than the description. Nothing special. the painting is of an Alpine Vale and the tapestry depicts hunting dogs and horse-mounted aristocrats chasing after a wolf hanging from an iron rod.
Uruk has 2 of 3 first level spell slots available.
In Game Time: 11:27am
"Come shine your light in here, friend, so we can see the larder."
Current Map: Death House Floor 1
Perdita moves to the halfling sized door in the southern wall and opens it...
Behind a small door in the southwest corner of the kitchen is a dumbwaiter—a 2-foot-wide stone shaft containing a wooden elevator box attached to a simple rope and pulley mechanism that must be operated manually.
The shaft connects to areas in the upstairs of the house but does not seem to go any further down than the kitchen that you are standing in. Hanging on the wall next to the dumbwaiter is a tiny brass bell attached by wires that lead up the shaft.
Uruk has 2 of 3 first level spell slots available.
In Game Time: 11:29am
Illufaus, not wanting to be left behind, follows the others.
Perdita Imogen moves to J 3 and opens the door.
Nilan continues following Shenk, providing Light from his staff.
Uruk grunts at the lack anything of interest. Half contemplating ringing the bell the wizard thinks better of it and follows after Perdita.
Current Map: Death House Floor 1
Perdita moved to the north kitchen door and opened it...
The north door revealed a wellstocked pantry on the other side.
Nilan enters the kitchen and his light illuminates the area for everyone to see clearly that did not process the ability to see in the dark.
Uruk has 2 of 3 first level spell slots available.
In Game Time: 11:33am
"Should we explore the basement or top floor now?"
"My vote is basement first: There's still no absolute proof that those kids were purposefully leading us in here for some nefarious plot. We don't know that they were malevolent illusions so on the off chance there could be helpless people down there,-- ....And we have no reason to go upstairs before downstairs, assuming we're planning on searching this whole illusory house anyway."
Let's head upstairs. There were no stairs found to a basement.
"I think upstairs too. If we find whatever we need up there, we don't have to go downstairs. If we are downstairs, we can only escape by running up. If we are upstairs, we can always jump out a window."
Current Map: Death House Floor 1
Uruk has 2 of 3 first level spell slots available.
In Game Time: 11:38am
We walk upstairs.
Hack climbs the stairs.
Illufaus proceeds up the stairs.
Uruk waits to be the last one heading up the stairs...
Current Map: Death House Floor 1 / Death House Floor 2
The five would be heroes climbed the red marble staircase to the second floor...
Unlit oil lamps are mounted on the walls of this elegant hall. Hanging above the mantelpiece is a wood-framed portrait of the Durst family: Gustav and Elisabeth Durst with their two smiling children, Rose and Thorn. Cradled in the father’s arms is a swaddled baby, which the mother regards with a hint of scorn.
Standing suits of armor flank wooden doors in the north and south walls. Each suit of armor clutches a spear and has a visored helm shaped like a wolf’s head. The doors are carved with dancing youths.
The red marble staircase that started on the first floor continues its upward spiral to the next floor above. A cold draft can be felt coming down the steps.
Floor 2 map is now active.
Uruk has 2 of 3 first level spell slots available.
In Game Time: 11:42am
"I wonder what the baby is that the mother doesn't even hold it and bears a countenance of scorn."
Hack moves forward to the north door and listens, as he checks to see if the door is open.
Nilan continues on with Shenkt, holding his staff high so all can see.
Current Map: Death House Floor 1 / Death House Floor 2
Perdita looks at the painting closer and determines that the portrait was painted about a year ago judging by the age of Rose and Thorn in the picture and comparing it to the children that they had met outside. The swaddled baby can not be seen other than the blanket bundle it is wrapped in and the mother's look is definitely that of disdain and/or disgust while eyeing the child.
Hack moves to the northern set of double doors and listens against them but doesn't hear anything from the other side. The door does not appear to be locked as he turns the handle and opens it....
Red velvet drapes cover the windows of this room. An exquisite mahogany desk and a matching high-back chair face the entrance and the fireplace, above which hangs a framed picture of a windmill perched atop a rocky crag. Situated in corners of the room are two overstuffed chairs. Floor-to-ceiling bookshelves line the south wall. A rolling wooden ladder allows one to more easily reach the high shelves.
That is a door at I/J 9
Uruk has 2 of 3 first level spell slots available.
In Game Time: 11:45am
Uruk wanders as the others open doors and look at various items. Looking over Hack's shoulder the wizard lets out a grunt, If I had any confidence this place were what it appears I might find such a sight of books appealing. As it is I am filled only with frustration that the contents would be as...artificial...as this place is.
Hack glances over his shoulder at Uruk.
Aye, probably still worth a look, no? Maybe we can find some books on where we are. Come, Nilan, let's check it out. Library in here for the bookworms!
"Books? I like books." Illufaus says as he runs to the shelves, pulling the most interesting looking book out and opening it.
Perdita Imogen moves to G6 and begins examining the titles of the books, first looking to see if they are in any order (subject or author or such).
After a moment or two of perusing she will open and browse, assuming she finds one, a book on the following subjects in order of preference (so if there is more than one of these subjects on the shelves, this is the order in which she will pick her first book):
Family History of the Dursts,
Geography or sociology of the village,
Illusions & fog,
Fiends from the Lower Planes
"If you guys want to keep looking around, I'm going to stay here and see what I can find out in the library. I recommend we stay in earshot of each other and call out every few minutes, but, well, we've been here an hour-and-a-half and nothing's happened."
Current Map: Death House Floor 1 / Death House Floor 2
Hack moves into the library and begins to remove books from the shelves and examining them. The bookshelves hold hundreds of tomes covering a range of topics including history, warfare, and alchemy. There are also several shelves containing first-edition collected works of poetry and fiction. The town the house is set in seems to be called Barovia Hack quickly learns.
Illufaus runs to the shelves, looking for the most interesting looking book. He spies a red one that has no wording on the spine and reaches for it, as he pulls on it a bookshelf to the far end of the row slides aside revealing a secret room.
This secret room contains bookshelves packed with tomes. A heavy wooden chest with clawed iron feet stands against the east wall, its lid half-closed. Sticking out of the chest is a skeleton in leather armor. Something is clutched in its left hand.
Perdita enters the library and begins to look for certain books, after a few moments she finds the information she is looking for. A book on the family history of the Durst and prior lineage of the family. The current family line seems to consist of Gustav and Elizabeth Durst and their children Rosavalda and Thornboldt Durst. There is also a mention of another child named Walter but his name has been scratched out on the page.
Her next book was on the geography or society of the area. She to found that the town was named Barovia. Barovia is a mountain valley within the Balinok mountains. The terrain is densely wooded and the climate is one of frigid winters. The valley hosts a small village (also named Barovia), over which looms Castle Ravenloft, ancestral seat of the Zarovich lineage.
There are no books here on illusions or the mist/fog etc. or fiends from the lower planes.
Uruk has 2 of 3 first level spell slots available.
In Game Time: 11:49am
"So, we're in a place called 'Barovia' in the Balinok mountains. .... I've studied the geography of Faerun and even a bit of the rest of Toril and am not familiar with any of this. Any of you heard of Barovia?
"The valley crouches beneath a 'Castle Ravenloft.' The ancient seat of House Zarovich. Hmmm."
Perdita looks for a map or illustration of the area, hoping to find the Balinok Mountain range and see what lies beyond.
"The Dursts had a baby named 'Walter" but his name has been scratched out. There is no further mention of him.
"Illufus, you've found something...."