DM Carbide's Giantslayer

Game Master John Woodford

Jarrek, huffing and puffing from the exertion of killing a rat, grins at the others. "At least they weren't spiders, right?"

"Survived" is right. Geez. Let's hope the RNG will have greater respect for lvl 2 heroes than lvl 1s.

Svarog eyed the acid dripping off his blade, and decided against wiping it clean.

"Let's see what lies up those stairs," he said gruffly, still embarrassed by his subpar fighting against, of all things, vermin.

Some RNGs just want to watch the PCs burn.

Svarog will go up the stairs. I guess there's no need for stealth now... at least, I hope not. Yelling at spiders and rats and ghosts probably gave us away. :P

Haftor sighs, letting out a deep breath and squaring his shoulders. He's not sure exactly how he became a glorified exterminator, but now that he has begun the task, he intends to see it through to the bloody end.

He nods to Jarrek, acknowledging his joke, though he doesn't understand it.

He then follows Svarog up the stairs.

The stairs go down.

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Ahem. Right. We go down the stairs.

Kira nods as she follows the group down the stairs, giving a short chuckle. "Hopefully nothing else is down here but evidence."

Kira, please level up.

This room looks like it was intended as an annex to the main building; the wall that the door is in is an outside wall. There are two iron doors to the room, the one you came through and one that leads back to the haunted plague ward. A large steel lockbox sits in front of a steep stone staircase that winds down into darkness. One of the narrow windows in the southwest wall has been broken out. Svarog notes the presence of half-orc or orc tracks in front of the window, indicating that one has stood there frequently.

Svarog went to look out the window, trying to guess at what the orc-blooded might be spying on.

Perception + fe: 1d20 + 7 + 2 ⇒ (15) + 7 + 2 = 24

Then he turned, and gestured at the lockbox. "Can one of you unlock it?"

Unless it's unlocked. Then he'll just open it.

There's a fire ring outside the window, and more tracks around it.

The lockbox is, indeed, locked.

Jarrek walks over to look at the lockbox, hefting his falchion thoughtfully. "Assuming there's nothing breakable in there, sure."

There is that, yes.

Haftor can't condone the wasteful destruction of such a useful piece of equipment as a functioning lockbox. "We should bring the box to a proper locksmith, to be opened responsibly."

Ready to go down the stairs. DM C - Does Haftor get his new spells when he gained 2nd level, or does he need to rest and pray first?

Taking note of the fire ring, Svarog decided to examine it, and the tracks around it, after they had investigated what lay down the stairs.

"Come. Let's find what there is to find," he grunted, hefting his sword and going down the stairs.

Temporarily botting Kira:

"Hold on--let me look at this." Kira quickly realizes that without tools, she can't open the lock on the chest.

Jarrek nods. "Fine, then. Do you have room for it in your pack, Haftor?"

I forgot to answer this question before. You get your additional spells, extracts, bombs, etc. for the new level.

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The stone stairs end in a stark subterranean chamber. Doorways to the northwest and southwest offer egress from the room. Around the corner to the south, a lone statue of a warrior woman in plate has been relegated to a dusty corner under the stairs.

Haftor will put the lockbox in his pack, if it fits. If it's too big, he'll leave it there, making a mental note to pick it up on their way out.

Haftor casts guidance on himself, then walks into the center of the room.

Haftor has Darkvision. Can he see what is beyond the doorways? Also, what knowledge might we use to identify the subject of the statue?

It's a DC 10 Knowledge (Religion) check, so anyone with average or better INT can make it by taking 10.

The statue depicts Iomedae in a more peaceful pose, her gauntleted hands clasped on the hilt of her sword. The sheathed sword is point down, but Haftor notices that it seems askew in the statue's hands.

Kira shakes her head as she looks around the room, "Yay... more dust... I like going down the right hallway, at least there we don't have to deal with another door ambush.

Jarrek nods at the statue. "The Inheritor, again." He nods at Kira. "Sounds good to me."

Anything Haftor or Svarog want to do before going down the hall?

Haftor chuckles as he points at the statue. "Her weapon is out of plumb. That's too shoddy even for human work. Must be a switch, or trigger, or such. Be alert...something may happen when I touch this."

Haftor grips the sword and straightens it. If nothing happens, he keeps trying to move it, this way and that, to see if it triggers anything. If nothing happens after that, he'll try to remove it. Is it made of the same material as the statue, or is it an actual steel sword?

The sword comes away easily. It is, in fact, a steel sword in a sheath that has clearly seen better days. There are a few superficial spots of rust on the blade, but nothing that wouldn't clean up with minimal effort. As the dwarf hefts it, he realizes that it's quite well made. Yes, it's a masterwork longsword.

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"Bring it with us. We need it more than Iomedae does," Svarog said, not even thinking twice about possible sacrilege.

I moved him on the map so he could see what was down the hall in front of the door. Are those dots bars?

It's a heavy wooden portcullis, currently closed.

The room on the other side of the portcullis is empty. The sword emblem is a granite circle on the floor, faded by time.

"Do I look like a pack mule?" Haftor grumbles, trying to fit the sword somewhere in his gear. "I don't even use a sword."

Kira gives a small smile, "I'll carry it, can't exactly swing a sword, but I'm not overly burdened at the moment."

To clarify, Kira is going to carry the longsword, instead of Svarog or Jarrek using it?

Svarog grunted. "If you don't use swords, give it to me. It looks well-made, and will serve."

Or Jarrek, I'm not picky.

Going to the hall to the northeast or the door? The portcullis seems to be fixed in place; you figure you could chop through it, but it would take some time.

Haftor's shaggy eyebrows raise in surprise. "A portcullis...down here? There must be a mechanism to raise it on this level somewhere. We did not see a winch above."

Corridor first, then door?

If Svarog will use it, that works. If not, Jarrek can carry it. J likes his two-handed swords, so he wouldn't use it.

Time for a Bend Bars/Lift Gates roll? :)

Jarrek grins at Haftor. "Surely the three of us could lift that thing! Let's have a go, boys!"

Given the width of it, unless you have a clever idea only two of you can have a go at lifting the portcullis at one time.

Svarog isn't as strong as the other guys, I think, but he'll cheer them on, if you consider "cheering on" to mean "standing back and looking grim."

Not sure Haftor and Jarrek can swing a DC 25 Str check on their own.

Str check: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (11) + 3 = 14 Aid Another, I guess.

You can do it if Jarrek takes 20 and Haftor manages to roll an 8 or higher for the Aid Another. It'll take some time and be loud, though.

Kira stays back from the portcullis, letting the boys try to lift it as she keeps a lookout.

That works for me.

With some huffing and puffing, Jarrek and Haftor manage to lift the portcullis. The room on the other side contains the sword seal on the floor, its gold and white pigments faded by time. Four passages lead from the room in different directions; the western exit is sealed with a sturdy (albeit wormeaten) wooden door. A ladder in the southern corner of the room leads up to a trap door in the ceiling, and a small chest and decrepit bookshelf face one another from opposite walls.

Svarog squinted at the trapdoor. "That must open in the haunted room." His face darkened at the memory of his conduct, and he turned away.

He went to look at the chest, opening it carefully from one side if it wasn't locked.

Then he moved to examine the bookshelf.

The chest is unlocked, and nothing apparently happens when Svarog opens it. It contains an assortment of random gear and items: a signet ring, a noble's outfit, 50' of silk rope, a set of thieves' tools, a partially-used disguise kit (6 uses remaining), three vials which Kira identifies as an ounce of sovereign glue and two doses of universal solvent, and coins (237 gp, 155 sp, and 55 cp).

The bookshelf is far less interesting, holding only the moldering remains of several copies of the Acts of Iomedae.

Svarog is quite sure that an orc or half-orc has spent considerable time here, and quite recently--within the past day or two.

Svarog poked at the books, then returned to the chest, and scowled at it. "Noble's clothes. A signet ring. A disguise kit. I don't like what that implies. Could this have fooled Rodrik?" He picked up the ring, trying to remember if he'd seen the signet anywhere before.

"An orc, or a half-orc, has spent time here within the last two days. A lot of time."

The signet ring has a simple "C" with stylized keys carved on the band.

K:local: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (19) + 2 = 21 +2 vs. orcs

"This could belong to one of the councilors," Svarog said, showing it to the others. "Lessie Crumkin, the Abadarian banker. Let us see if more than just the ring has been missing."

Haftor gives the equipment a disparaging look. "Pfaugh. A thief, and trickster. It seems that every rock we overturn reveals a less respectable player in this tale."

Rodrik was investigating something here but didn't specify what, right? And we've got some half-orcs acting weird, along with wolves inside the walls. I'm not sure what a noble's outfit could have to do with that, unless it was bluffing a way past the guards for the wagon with the wolves?

Jarrek nods at Svarog. "Good find. We've at least got another lead now." The big man grins at Haftor. "Hey, say what you want about this guy but he's got good taste in clothes." He gestures at the chest. "Anybody mind?"

He grunts a second later as he looks at the glue and the solvent. "I get the disguise and thief stuff, but what was he gluing and un-gluing with this?"

Haftor grunts dismissively in Jarrek's general direction, uninterested in speculating on how some criminal passes his time. He strokes his beard as he does a slow circuit of the room.

East hall?

What had originally piqued Rodrik's interest in the Plague House was when he encountered a flood troll there--they don't usually get this far south, and he found it suspicious.