Hack follows Il's lead.
Perdita Imogen follows behind Hack.
Act 1: Death House
Scene 5: The Basement
Active Maps: Death House Floor 1 / Death House Floor 2 / Death House Floor 3 / Death House Attic / Death House Basement
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As Illufaus worked to secure rope to each side of the pit he climber down and then up, throwing up some illusionary magic at the intersection as he moved past and to the end of the corridor, Illufaus found that the passage turned and doubled back on itself with steps going down. The sound of the chanting much louder here and the source of which was definitely down these stairs now.
Hack followed Illufaus's lead and followed the elf into the darkness as did Perdita. Jiang remained behind with the torch, not sure if he should come forward with the light source in hand.
In Game Time: 6:14pm
Jiang has a torch lit. (14 minutes remaining.)
Illufaus has Mage Armor (AC 16)
Illufaus has False Life (8 Temporary Hitpoints)
Perdita Lay on Hands (0 of 10 remaining.)
Perdita has 15 of 16 hitpoints remaining.
Illufaus descends to the next level.
Perdita Imogen follows behind, "Psst, Illufaus, I suggest keeping a sharp eye out for more traps; we can afford to move slowly and be careful."
Meanwhile I'm going to pay attention to other details. It's hard to believe all of this is underneath so unexceptional a house above, a house of ignorant dilettantes pretending at Abyssal magic. But the House itself -- and the Mists -- still concern me.... Could this be more of the same elaborate illusion?
Jiang follows the others after a moment, working his way through the pit and across tho the stairs. Hearing the chanting grow the monk merely frowns but follows the strangers deeper into the bowels of this odd place...
Act 1: Death House
Scene 5: The Basement
Active Maps: Death House Floor 1 / Death House Floor 2 / Death House Floor 3 / Death House Attic / Death House Basement
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Illufaus led the group down the stairs, then their was a short passage and then turned east and down another short flight of stairs, then they came to an opening....
The ghostly chant fills the room ahead. The group can discern a dozen or so voices saying, over and over, “He is the Ancient. He is the Land.” The chamber has thirteen niches around the walls, each holding an item inside like some museum or display area. There are two exits to the south, the one closest to Illufaus looks to be a regular corridor, the furthermost tunnel slopes down at a 20-degree angle.
This is the list of items in the niches, this list starts in the northeastern most niche and works around clockwise:
• A small, mummified, yellow hand with sharp claws on a loop of rope
• A knife carved from a human bone
• A dagger with a rat’s skull set into the pommel
• An 8-inch-diameter varnished orb made from a nothic’s eye
• An aspergillum carved from bone
• A folded cloak made from stitched ghoul skin
• A desiccated frog lashed to a stick
• A bag full of bat guano
• A hag’s severed finger
• A 6-inch-tall wooden figurine of a mummy, its arms crossed over its chest
• An iron pendant adorned with a devil’s face
• The shrunken, shriveled head of a halfling
• A small wooden coffer containing a dire wolf’s withered tongue
In Game Time: 6:17pm
Jiang has a torch lit. (11 minutes remaining.)
Illufaus has Mage Armor (AC 16)
Illufaus has False Life (8 Temporary Hitpoints)
Perdita Lay on Hands (0 of 10 remaining.)
Perdita has 15 of 16 hitpoints remaining.
Working clockwise across the room, Perdita Imogen listens at each item briefly, distinguishing whether the chants come from the relics. She names aloud each item as she passes it for the others to hear.
She pauses at the ninth artifact and whispers aloud, "Mother." Slowly, purposefully reaching out a hand Perdita Imogen almost, almost, takes the relic from its profane place of rest, before looking sheepishly back at her allies, "This withered Fey finger reminded me of my wicked mother, that's all."
She uses her Paladin's Divine Sense first at the Direction of the Hag Finger, then the other items in the room, breathing in their smell of Desecration.
Hack stands in the middle of the room, awaiting the others' investigations. He appears disinterested in the trinkets.
Illufaus walks over and picks the dagger with the rat skull up.
Act 1: Death House
Scene 5: The Basement
Active Maps: Death House Floor 1 / Death House Floor 2 / Death House Floor 3 / Death House Attic / Death House Basement
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Perdita makes her way through the room and quickly determines that the chanting lies not with the relics but to the south down the slopped passage, she makes her way over and peers down the slope.
The southernmost tunnel slopes down at a 20-degree angle into murky water and ends at a rusty portcullis. Beyond the portcullis Perdita can see a large water filled chamber beyond. The chanting was definitely coming from the large chamber.
Perdita then opens her divine senses do detect the presence of anything undead or fiend or celestial. She detected nothing in the immediate area.
Illufaus removed the dagger with the rat skull embedded on the handle, waiting for something to protest or attack him but nothing happened.
Hack moved into the center of the room waiting on the others, from his vantage point he could see that the other southern passage went south for about ten feet before turning west.
The group startled as Jiang's torch flickered violently for a moment, a sign that it was close to going out. It only had a few more minutes of light left in it.
In Game Time: 6:20pm
Perdita used Divine Sense (3 of 4 remaining.)
Jiang has a torch lit. (8 minutes remaining.)
Illufaus has Mage Armor (AC 16)
Illufaus has False Life (8 Temporary Hitpoints)
Perdita Lay on Hands (0 of 10 remaining.)
Perdita has 15 of 16 hitpoints remaining.
Perdita used Divine Sense (3 of 4 remaining.)
An Infernal Pendant in this alcove! Intriguing.
whispers-- "The chanting comes from down there; shall we try to draw them to us, possibly allowing them to prepare, or shall we brazenly enter their spider's web unannounced? ....I vote for going down."
Act 1: Death House
Scene 5: The Basement
Active Maps: Death House Floor 1 / Death House Floor 2 / Death House Floor 3 / Death House Attic / Death House Basement
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Perdita continued her search of the room, removing the two items from their niches in the wall.
In Game Time: 6:22pm
Movement noted. The Divine Smite detected no desecration effect on the area. Please record the trinkets in your inventory.
Perdita used Divine Sense (3 of 4 remaining.)
Jiang has a torch lit. (8 minutes remaining.)
Illufaus has Mage Armor (AC 16)
Illufaus has False Life (8 Temporary Hitpoints)
Perdita Lay on Hands (0 of 10 remaining.)
Perdita has 15 of 16 hitpoints remaining.
Perdita used Divine Sense (3 of 4 remaining.)
whispering: "If you guys are right behind me, I can lead the way down if Hack doesn't want to...."
As long as I have light, I can lead.
Jiang grunts, You will have light, as I require it as well.
Jiang continues to stay at the back end of the group and pulls a torch from his own bag and lights the new one before tossing the flickering one into a corner.
With light from behind them, Perdita Imogen follows Hack's lead, with The Dying Star and the human behind her. Turning the corner at K27 we look ahead and continue forward if nothing peaks our interest.
Hack moves forward cautiously, but with purpose. His axes held before him.
Act 1: Death House
Scene 5: The Basement
Active Maps: Death House Floor 1 / Death House Floor 2 / Death House Floor 3 / Death House Attic / Death House Basement
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As Hack led the group forward the passage turned south into some kind of hall with cells off to each side, rusty shackles, some still holding the arm bones of their victims hand in the back of each, the prison stretched forth as far as Hack could see with the light provided. Bones lay scattered on the floor.
In Game Time: 6:27pm
Jiang has a torch lit. (1 hour remaining.)
Illufaus has Mage Armor (AC 16)
Illufaus has False Life (8 Temporary Hitpoints)
Perdita Lay on Hands (0 of 10 remaining.)
Perdita has 15 of 16 hitpoints remaining.
Perdita used Divine Sense (3 of 4 remaining.)
We step cautiously forward, looking and listening ahead.
Act 1: Death House
Scene 5: The Basement
Active Maps: Death House Floor 1 / Death House Floor 2 / Death House Floor 3 / Death House Attic / Death House Basement
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Moving forward the group could see more cells ahead, hanging on the back wall of the cell marked H32 on the map is a human skeleton clad in a tattered black robe.
In Game Time: 6:28pm
Jiang has a torch lit. (59 minutes remaining.)
Illufaus has Mage Armor (AC 16)
Illufaus has False Life (8 Temporary Hitpoints)
Perdita Lay on Hands (0 of 10 remaining.)
Perdita has 15 of 16 hitpoints remaining.
Perdita used Divine Sense (3 of 4 remaining.)
"Well, we ought to use a moment to search the cells; see if there's any prayers scratched on the walls, perhaps we can add our prayers in voice."
Lathander, for whomever died here, I hope they found The Morning somehow.
Jiang will follow Perdita and provide light as she needs it asshe moves from cell to cell...