DM Carbide's The Dragon's Demand (Inactive)

Game Master John Woodford

Can i see the enemies with my dark vision from where i am?

”Hey, Miss Oranna,” Huc mutters, frowning off into the darkness, ”can you drop your light down here?”

Huc will Delay until Oranna does so (assuming she’s fine with it). Then…

Then he stoops and picks up a stone from among the rubble at his feet, touching it softly to the glowing edge of his axe. The heatless flame transfers onto the rock, and Huc tosses it towards the sound.

So this is more than 1 round of actions, but unless these actions are interrupted, here’s his plan to get a better look into the room (and where the noise is coming from).
Round 1: pick up rock (move), case LIght on it (standard) - this means his axe-light goes out.
Round 2: toss it towards the sound in the room.

The angle is wrong for Oranna to see what's making the noise. If she were down the ladder she'd have a better shot at it.

Oranna, because of her leg decides not to risk injury and climbs down the ladder, "Don't start killing things without me."

It's normally a move action to go down the stairs, but it'll be a full-round action for Fynn, Oranna, and Master Temperance unless they make a DC 5 Climb check.

I’m confused. Is it a full-round action for me to climb down, as well?

No--it's a move action for Arien. It's just that everyone but you and Huc has <30' speed (or lacks hands), and Huc was already down.

Ahhh… I’d just continue down, as before.

Down in the comforting shadows, Arien looks about for the source of the dog’s agitation, drawing her blade as she does so.

Double move

And it's worth noting she has Darkvision. :D

Once she is down the stairs, Oranna draws her mace from her belt.

Oranna and Arien can see a pair of creatures scuttling low to the ground, advancing on the party. It's two giant centipedes, and they move up and bite at Huc and Fynn! Both, however, miss cleanly.

Round 2:

Initiative order
Arien
Huc & Fynn
Oranna
Master Temperance
Foes

Everyone can act again.

”Fynn!” Huc yells, ”Flank!”
Handle Animal: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (7) + 7 = 14; success!

The dog responds instantly, dodging around the centipede (both centipedes get an AoO vs an AC of 22). As he skids to a stop, the young man and his dog go to town on the centipede with blade and tooth.

Both attack the northernmost (flanked) centipede. Fynn will power attack.
Huc, greataxe: 1d20 + 3 + 2 ⇒ (10) + 3 + 2 = 15
damage: 1d12 + 4 ⇒ (10) + 4 = 14
.
Fynn, bite, flank: 1d20 + 5 - 1 + 2 ⇒ (1) + 5 - 1 + 2 = 7
damage: 1d4 + 4 + 3 ⇒ (3) + 4 + 3 = 10

EDIT: oh, and what does Huc know about these things?
Know (Nature): 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (20) + 4 = 24

Dashing through the shadows, Arien moves up next to Huc and lashes out with the weapon of her people.

Elven Curve Blade: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (20) + 3 = 23       Crit?
Damage: 1d10 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 1 = 5

Confirm: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (16) + 3 = 19
Bonus Damage: 1d10 + 1 ⇒ (8) + 1 = 9

They're fast, they have a weak paralytic poison (does DEX damage), and that's about it.

Both of the creatures snap at Fynn, but their mandibles close only on fur as the agile hound leaps past them. Huc cuts one in half while the dog misses. The two halves continue to writhe on the ground for a while. Arien steps up and slices the other one in half.

Out of combat!

The walls of this large chamber have buckled precariously in several places, and masonry and dirt are scattered across the floor--the smell of fresh dirt would indicate that the damage was done by the collapse above. The dry-rotted frames of five simple cots lie against the north and south walls. A rusted, grinning iron statue stands against one wall, and in the wall to the south is another iron door.

Arien grimaces as she flicks the gooey ichor from her blade. “The fall must have stirred the bugs from their nests… and who knows what else?” She looks over the damaged walls, before continuing on.

Kn(Engineering): 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (14) + 7 = 21     Looking for any clues as to the cause of collapse.

Arien, with what you've seen above and down here, it looks like the bulk of the tower collapsed into a sinkhole. Despite the buckling, you're reasonably confident that this part of the basement is unlikely to collapse any time soon (though a hard rain might change that).

Huc gives Fynn a pat and Arien a thumbs up. ”Nice.” You’re not sure if he’s talking to dog or half-elf.

Giving his axe its own ichor-slinging-swing, he then begins a circuit of the room.

Perception for any clues, threats, or interesting tidbits in here
Perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (14) + 6 = 20

”Yah, who knows. Also, if we see any more of those centipedes, don’t let’em bite you. They have paralytic poison.”

And if nothing is found,

Huc makes his way to the only door he can see, pressing his ear to it.
Perception, door: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (13) + 6 = 19

Arien freezes mid-step at the nature lesson. “Of course they do. Crawling into a collapsing building, swallowed by the ground itself wasn’t dangerous enough. We need paralytic bugs.” Her tone is light, but her expression holds no love for the creepy-crawlies.

Huc, the centipedes seem to have nested here for a while. There are latches on the side of the iron statue, hinges on the other side, and a seam where you'd expect if it could open. In the centipede nest you find a tightly latched iron case around two feet by nine inches by four inches. It opens to reveal a pair of mithral daggers, single-edged, with a pattern of notches along the spine.

Huc barks a laugh, "Well, we knew it wouldn't be easy in here, right?"

As he fins the blades, Huc lets out a long, low whistle. "Now look at these fancy-pants knives." He holds one up, noting the notches, "What do you suppose these are for?"

Waht kind of roll to ID them?

“I think you’re supposed to stick the pointy bits into folks you don’t like all that much…” Arien responds wryly. “It’s a wonder they made it this long, undiscovered…” mumbling half to herself, she looks over the statue.

Perception/trap: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (3) + 7 = 10

Disable Device: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (8) + 6 = 14

"HA! Fynn, we got ourselves a jokester," he jokes as he considers the blades.

Cast Detect magic on the blades

Mithral blades means they're automatically masterwork, correct, Carbide?
Anyone want to use one?

Tucking the blades into his pack, he seems happy to let her check the doors before they proceed.

Yes, they're masterwork. Not magic, though.

Arien, the "statue" seems to be an iron maiden, and the stains are blood. There are no traps on it that you can see.

Muttering a curse, Arien begins opening the ‘statue’ for further investigation. “What did they say this place was for? Didn’t mention a dungeon, did they?”

The statue comes open with a creak, revealing a skeleton clad in the decayed remnants of some sort of uniform. It tumbles to the ground in a clatter. Arien's keen eye picks out a rusty metal key on a ring that might have been worn at the skeleton's belt in life.

"Poor bastard, died in that thing. Guessing this place was more than just a wizards tower."

Just to clarify, in case I messed up the description: what you're in was called the Witch Tower before it came down, and the wizard Hunclay had been trying to get it torn down since he came to town. You won't get to Hunclay's manor house until Part 2.

I’m a little fuzzy on what a witch tower is in this setting. Is it just a mundane prison or tower, or was it used to incarcerate suspected witches? My assumption was that magic was never that taboo (at least in this region.)

Huc indicates the door. "I didn't hear anything there." He prepares to open it once everyone is ready.

Snatching up the key, Ariel nods and moves to the door to move through with Huc.

perception/trapped door?: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (2) + 7 = 9

Arien detects no traps on the door. It opens with a creak, revealing an apparent cell block--numerous jail cells line the dusty corridors. Each of their solid iron doors hang ajar. The doors include a shuttered peephole at eye level and a smaller slot for food and water at floor level.

The line drawn in the hallway is a semicircular stone ridge about six inches across running along the ceiling.

Arien silently ponders the design and purpose of the toothy protrusions in the ceiling.

Engineering: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (4) + 7 = 11

Arien isn't sure...more information would be needed. It could be a gutter for liquid--water or sewage--or it could be a conduit for a chain.

"Mmm. I wonder if a portcullis could fall upon us," says Temperance, gazing at the ceiling.

Master Temperance walks along the hall, looking up at the ridge, when he notices something else--a door that might once have been better hidden, but the way the building shifted left a gap between door and jamb. I moved MT to near the secret door.

You said the cells were open? Are there any doors here (besides the secret one) that aren’t open here?

“Hey, that’s good work, Master T… let’s have a look.” Sliding her dagger around the edge of the disguised aperture, Arien prods for a hidden latch.

Trapfinding: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (5) + 7 = 12     Doh!

Disable Device: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (20) + 6 = 26     Woo hoo!

The cell doors are all open. There's another set of closed doors at the east end of the cell block, and there's a hallway that goes west past the secret door.

Arien doesn't spot any traps on the door, and opens it easily without incident.

ETA: I suppose I should say something about what's on the other side, whouldin't I?

A short jog west reveals a hallway with another row of cell doors, all still closed, stretching south before turning east.

Moving Huc & Fynn forward, since Eben is out.

Moving carefully into the secondary hallway, Arien begins checking doors as she moves along its length.
 
 
Pre-rolling for convenience. I’ll check each door in turn.
Trapfinding - hallway: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (13) + 7 = 20

The doors are all latched from the outside and untrapped; they're different from the cell doors you saw in the previous room only in that they have small barred windows instead of latching peepholes. Two of the cells are empty, but there are long-dead bodies in rags in the other two. Further on from where the hall turns east, you see another five identical cell doors, all closed, before the hall turns back north.

Arien Knowledge (Engineering) check: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (12) + 7 = 19

Arien, you've run across similar designs elsewhere--this would seem to be a cell block for prisoners whose presence needed to be kept secret.

“What a lovely little hamlet you have here…” the investigator chides Huc. “I wouldn’t expect a little barony like this to have a black site with torture chambers.” Giving the bodies a cursory inspection for clues to their identity, she heads back out to check the rest of the hall.

Perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (17) + 6 = 23

It used to be rather bigger, in the old days.

Arien and Huc make their way down the hall. The first two cells appear to be empty, but when the party reaches the third door a face appears at the barred window, and filthy hands grip the bars. It's a human, looking pale and haggard. "Oh, gods, kind faces! Aroden bless you, noble souls! I ain't seen the jailers in ages, I think they forgot about us! We ain't eaten in days and the water's all but gone--my cousins're both sick. I swear we'd give back the boar if we could, but we ate it, starvin' as we was. We didn't even know it was the baron's lands, didn't know we was poachin'! I beg you, some food or water, please, or we're all gonna die in here! Kindness, noble souls, we've suffered awful! Good Baron Sarvo wills it!"

Like the other cell doors, incidentally, this one has a slot at the bottom.

Orann follows along, keeping an eye out for trouble. Upon seeing the prisoner, Oranna raises a brow.

1d20 + 2 ⇒ (19) + 2 = 21

What's the die roll for, Oranna? If it's Perception, this certainly looks like a human man who's much the worse for lack of food and water.

Huc’s face is guardedly neutral as he moves down the hallway, looking into each of the five doors, ”This isn’t my lovely hamlet. I don’t even—”

Huc nearly jumps out of his skin at the filthy man’s words. He hefts his lumberaxe, watching him through the door.

Does Huc sense any deception from the man?
Sense Motive: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (16) + 5 = 21

"What's your name?" he finally asks, trying no to sound as paranoid as he feels.

Arien’s horror at the men’s state is soon overshadowed by her natural skepticism. She eyes the floor and walls for dust or mold - some evidence of how much time has passed since the captors were last here.

Perception ?: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (10) + 6 = 16

“Where did your watchmen go? Perhaps we can find their keys…”

Bluff: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (6) + 7 = 13

Huc senses no deception.

All of the floors down here are dust-covered, but some of it seems to be fresh from the building collapse above.

"Please, just some food or water...good Baron Sarvo wills it!"

Despite not noting anything overt, Huc exchanges a suspicious look with Arien. "That name mean anything to any of you?" he whispers to them, low enough that the man shouldn't be able to hear.

He turns back to the man, "Talk plain, man. What is your name? Why are you here?"

Does Huc know the name Baron Sarvo?
Know (local/history/noble); untrained: 1d20 + 0 ⇒ (15) + 0 = 15

The Knowledge (History) DC to recognize the name is over 10, so you can't make it untrained.

"Poachin', like I said." His voice seems to be growing weaker.

No key is needed to open the door--it's barred from the outside, but nothing holds the bar in place. There's also the slot at floor level.

Understood on the knowledge. I'm hoping some other team members (who actually have relevant skills trained) will make the attempt.

Also, just to be clear. He seems to be trying to avoid answering the question "who are you?" or "what is your name?" ... am I understanding that correctly?