Epik, how are you feeling about Dalamus opening the kitchen up for us? I would like to see if Pad is in the kitchen still and talk to him when no one else is around.
Stealth d20+4
"Yes, let's start with the Kitchen".
Move silently roll =
The normally quiet half-elf cringes every time Magma, Malcolm or Epik breathe as their armor creaks and groans causing him to scrape his tools along the lock making what sounds like a horrendous racket. Several times, he pauses and waits, but the party hears nothing and the rogue easily unlocks the door. He turns the handle and the door doesn't open. He frowns, and says "Odd, there's another lock" and disables it as well.
Inside the kitchen is not what you would have expected. Large metal tables used for preparing food near the western firepit are covered in cooking implements as well as less savory devices for carving up meat. Some of them look very similar to something you might read about in a torture novella.
Stairs on the eastern side of room lead up, ostensibly to the bridge over the courtyard. Four doors lead out of the room, including the double doors to the outside. The remains of a shattered door hang on hinges underneath the staircase. There are stairs descending down into the darkness
But the most noteworthy item is the tongueless head of a human male set upon a spear at the top of the steps to the basement. His head is arranged with its eyes toothpicked open and mouth open in a silent scream. The man had a full head of dark hair streaked with grey, most notably at the temples. A holy symbol of St. Cuthbert is impaled in his forehead.
"Well, this is all the evidence we will need. Let's quickly check the room and then keep going through the door. Let's but the head in the bag of holding for proper burial."
Epik will say a prayer to Iomedae for the fallen cleric.
Holy s~$$...
Con Check
I retch quietly and manage to not throw up.
I think we now know where the tongue in the other room came from, well Epik, I think you made the right choice in allowing Dalamus to pick the lock. Is this the priest?
Should we venture down?
You search the room and find nothing else of interest.
There is no light other than the moonlight shining in through the windows and the back door. The stairs are near pitch black.
I will pull out a scroll tube from my belt that is capped on both ends, I remove one cap and it will flare to light like a torch.
I will also have my pistol out and ready
Weapon out (bow) and I'm ready to move forward as well. I'll have previous informed the party of the baboons that are out, and the weird feeling having left (when we were out in the inn and starting to snoop around). I'm guessing we're all feeling like this place is a bit creepy now!
With Dalamus leading, sword drawn, and the cone of light from Malcolm's contraption beaming down the stairs, the party descends into darkness. The stairs open up into a larger room, dominated by several large tanks, kegs, and other brewing equipment. All but one of the tanks are now empty and hacked to pieces, and the floor is a stinking morass of muddy earth soaked with a mixture of beer, mead, and blood. Something terrible took place here.
A mutilated, headless body of an fit, human man wearing the priestly vestments of St Cuthbert lies slumped over the still functioning keg.
A hall leads to the west with three doors along it. There is a door to the east. They are listed below:
- 40 -- This room contains several empty wine racks.
- 41 -- This rooms contains fruit and vegetables, although most have been cast carelessly to the dirt floor.
- 42 -- This room feels moist and humid. Several sides of meat hang from hooks set into the ceiling and a number of storage bins line the west wall. The far end of the room is empty except for an open metal box lying on its side; the box is lined with slowly melting frost. A large sign hangs near the door, its bold red letters reading: "NO FIRE BEYOND THIS POINT!"
- 43a -- The door at the end of the hall is a solid, iron-reinforced wooden door that bulges at the seams, almost as if the wood had melted and expanded to clog its frame. The iron bands t reinforce the door are caked with frost, as are the bodies of 3 malformed humanoids huddled on the ground before it. One of the bodies grips and extinguished torch. The air is noticeably colder near the door
I will spend a few minutes spreading some of my caltrops on the stairs and around the foot of the stairs in case we get surprised, I will spend some time to collect them as we get ready to leave.
Caltrop Rules -
I will examine the body and look for the wands and anything else it has on it.
I will also look at the malformed humanoids. Malformed how?
Does this warped door look like it was to keep someone in or to keep these humanoids out?
I'm happy with the order, unless one of our comrades with a bit better armor wants to take up the rear!
Why no fire? Is this common for a 'cold room', or was this room not cold before? I haven't ever seen anything like this before...
Why no fire? Is this common for a 'cold room', or was this room not cold before? I haven't ever seen anything like this before...
We had something like this on my family's estate, I have heard that there are spells that can keep a room cold for months and only need to be refreshed from time to time. It could also be that there is an ice elemental inside that is bound somehow and keeps the room cold and fire could destroy it. It could also be something else entirely, I have read that there are molds and funguses that radiate cold and are used in cold storage locations like this, I know fire is not allowed, but I am unsure as to why.
i believe Elder Nowzai has some sunrods.
if the warped door was to keep Tork out then let see if there is another way into the room, what is wall adjacent to warped door in room 42 made of.
i believe Elder Nowzai has some sunrods.
if the warped door was to keep Tork out then let see if there is another way into the room, what is wall adjacent to warped door in room 42 made of.
Stone.
Malcolm, no wands on the body and at first blush, you can't say what the warped door is supposed to prevent. You're guessing it would be hard to open from either side.
The malformity is shriveled skin and significant exposure-based frost bite covering the entire body.
How thick is the ice on the door?
Should we try and break this down? Any way through the stone Magma?
I would also like to examine the metal box with the frost on it, I will touch it with my gloves on, is it inscribed at all?
I have mining tools it might make we a couple of hours to see how thick that stone is. i will to discern how thick the stone walls are with my mining tools.
that was a dungeoneering check
I'll also do a few knowledge checks:
Knowledge Nature
Knowledge Religion (not sure if this will help pick up something we didn't know with the headless priest)
Knowledge Dungeoneering
Malcolm hunts around in the box and finds a fine bit of a brownish-mold. As he gets close to hit, he can feel the heat literally being sucked from his fingers and reaches deep into his bones.
At the same time, Magma steps closer to the warped door and feels the same heat-sucking sensation and notices the brownish-red mold all around the edges of the door, previously blended in. The feeling here is except much much more intense and Magma takes of non-lethal cold damage before he steps away from the door.
i tell the party what the brown mold is let them know to stay away from it.
is there any ice up in the kitchen?
i will take out my mining tools to see how thick the wall next to the warped door. i will stay far enough away not to take anymore damage
Epik will detect evil on each room in the basement and the warped door.
Forcing that door open will make too much noise. There may be an alternate route around. There were several additional doors in the kitchen. Let's explore the rest of the area first before we try to open this door.
if i look up what do i see? Wood or stone?
We looked all over before for a way down here and couldn't find one, I feel that this is the only door to this room. I think what I am most concerned about is that someone might be trapped behind that door, we know the priest wasn't traveling alone, and we haven't found any other bodies. If this mold hurt Magma this much just touching the doot, someone could be dying behind that door.
I have a few vials of acid, any thoughts on the best way to use them?
I am thinking about putting the acid around the door jam if it's possible or maybe use it to eat enough stone away to go under the door or through the wall.
Magma estimates the wall is about 8-12 inches thick. The ceiling is made of wood (the floor from above).
There is no ice in the kitchen. If there were, it would have melted by now.
We looked all over before for a way down here and couldn't find one, I feel that this is the only door to this room. I think what I am most concerned about is that someone might be trapped behind that door, we know the priest wasn't traveling alone, and we haven't found any other bodies. If this mold hurt Magma this much just touching the doot, someone could be dying behind that door.
I have a few vials of acid, any thoughts on the best way to use them?
I am thinking about putting the acid around the door jam if it's possible or maybe use it to eat enough stone away to go under the door or through the wall.
the acid might work but we will still take damage prying the door open. we really can't afford to take any damage before meeting up with Tork. Once the building is secure we can cut through the floor and see who is behind the warped door.
Let go find Tork it's time for some Retribution.
what room has the stairs to the basement?
Is there anything around that we could use as a battering ram to keep our distance from the door? The broken shelves maybe?
Magma, do you know if acid will work on the mold? I don't think we have anything cold enough to hurt it.
save the acid for the door hinges, just in case cutting through the floor does not work. we can cut down a tree from out side to make a battering ram but that will make to much noise.
we need to secure building first and then try and help who ever is in that room
My concern Magma, is look what this mold did to these 3 outside the door and they could have moved away so it must have happened quickly, if there is someone in the room, they might not have any time left. This isn't a bad spot to hold up from a defensive standpoint even if we do make noise, there is only one way in so we can have a natural choke point. I have spread the caltrops which will slow anyone coming down the stairs and I have a bag of marbles we could use to slow them down farther.
I will search the headless body. I am looking for things that could help us as well as anything else it has on it.
Epik, Nemoris, Dalamus do you have any ideas before we bring everyone down to us?
i would rather we did not fight in this trap space. this is where Sacrem fell to Tork.
Maybe we can block the doors in the kitchen to buy us more time to free who ever may be inside with the brown mold. Dalamus, can you break the locks?
Is there anything around that we could use as a battering ram to keep our distance from the door? The broken shelves maybe?
Magma, do you know if acid will work on the mold? I don't think we have anything cold enough to hurt it.
I have 50' of rope, we could perhaps tie a few of these wine shelves together to form a makeshift battering ram. I also have several spikes and a hammer that we can use to either spike the kitchen doors shut, or to bind the shelves together.
Epik, Nemoris, Dalamus do you have any ideas before we bring everyone down to us?
i would rather we did not fight in this trap space. this is where Sacrem fell to Tork.
I think fighting down here might not be a great idea either. While there's only one way in, there's also only one way out. What if someone throws a torch down here and just lets the mold have it's way with us?
Do we know that there are more people missing? I think anyone back there is most likely already dead. We've been in this inn for what, 3-4 hours?
I also have marbles, rope, and a crowbar as well as masterwork Artisan's Tools.
Dalamus, could you sneak back to the gardners supply room and see if he has a saw or anything we could use to cut through the floor above with a combination of acid and tools?
One reason I believe that there could be someone behind this door is when I asked Tork about the half-elf monk who was seen with Triel he said she left recently with our priest, and he was lying. I didn't know at the time if he was lying about the priest leaving or about the monk leaving, but we now know he was lying about the priest, so I fear she is trapped in that room and knows where Triel and my sister could be.
Malcolm i promise we will not leave without checking,
Lets get Tork and secure the building.
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I am not willing to miss an opportunity to save someone who might know about my sister to confront Tork, who at the moment is unaware of what we are doing and we can confront him after we prove or disprove my theory, if there is a way to get through the floor above quietly and quickly, I am going to take it.
Okay let get upstairs, that warped door is what 40 feet from the bottom of the stairs. If we go 50ft and use your acid on a five foot square and see if anything is down there.
i will examine the Sacrem body before going up and ask St Cutberth for a blessing to avenge his death.
I am not willing to miss an opportunity to save someone who might know about my sister to confront Tork, who at the moment is unaware of what we are doing and we can confront him after we prove or disprove my theory, if there is a way to get through the floor above quietly and quickly, I am going to take it.
\
That's a lot of assumptions, and I highly doubt getting through the floor is going to be quick or quiet. I think we should secure the building and then search... Anyone who's survived in that room while we've been discussing this should most likely last another 10 minutes while we make sure we are safe.
I don't want to come across wrong here, it's just that this is as close as I have been to finding someone who might know more about my sister that I have been looking for these past 5 years, it's been my focus for a long time, and I can't miss a chance to help someone who might know more. There is a good chance that there might not even be someone down there, or if there is, they might be dead or far enough away from the mold to be fine, but I can't take the risk that if I do nothing that person could die and leave me with a cold trail again.
Confronting Tork is very much a secondary concern for me at this point and if I can do this quietly no one will be the wiser and we can still get the drop on Tork afterwards.
I apologize if I am coming across callous, I just wanted you all to try and understand my point of view.
Whoever warped that door never intended to open it again. Most likely they put something in there that they never want to be found. If there was someone in there, they're most likely dead by now. If by chance they are still alive, they may be able to call out to us.
Epik will tap on the door with his war hammer and will listen for a response.
Perception roll:
By the way I don't detect evil anywhere in the basement, or behind the door. I still think we explore the rest of the inn before we deal with this door. Also, I'm not convinced Tork is behind this. He's a brute, but he's not evil. Whomever tortured and killed these people is definitely evil. We don't know what we're dealing with yet, but it's not down here. Let's take a couple of minutes and finish exploring the inn before we attempt to batter the door down or burn through the floor. Malcolm, I understand your urgency, but I don't think your sister is down here.
I will list the reasons why I think someone is trapped in that room.
- 1) We know the priest was not traveling alone
- 2) Tork lied to me about the half elf monk traveling away from here with the priest, since he is dead here in the basement we know that wasn't true
- 3) There was a fight down here, I don't think the priest was alone in his fight because of the amount of damage
- 4) The box that held the brown mold out in this other room, so I believe that someone who used to work here and knew what it was, the half-elf monk Tork mentioned worked here, grabbed the box and threw it at the door in attempted to stop the three dead humanoids who are here on the floor next to the door from killing her. I am unsure how she managed to warp the wooden door but maybe the cold from the mold did that.
- 5) Perhaps she can't answer us because she thinks it's a trap or maybe she is to badly injured to speak from her battle here helping the priest.
I don't think it will take very much time or make almost any noise for me to use the acid on the wooden floor above to see if that is indeed what happened, I don't think that Tork is aware of what we are doing at all so I don't think that this has a downside to it, and the upside is maybe we save someone's life.
Aren't there magical ways to hide what truly lucks in your heart? Maybe Tork has something that stopped you from sensing his evil. Or maybe he has nothing to do with this and is just an innocent Inn owner, I honestly don't know. But I know I have no idea which room is his and you are opposed to opening every locked door in here so how were you planning on finding him in the first place?
I am not willing to miss an opportunity to save someone who might know about my sister to confront Tork, who at the moment is unaware of what we are doing and we can confront him after we prove or disprove my theory, if there is a way to get through the floor above quietly and quickly, I am going to take it.
Dalamus will walk over to Malcolm and place his hand on his shoulder.
"Come now friend, we are all here help others and to not get killed in the process. I think we are going about this all wrong....We should find Pad and get the real story. For all we know, they are captured, but Tork could have them in a lot of places. If we were to tear this area apart making all that noise, only to find that door is bowed, simply because that was a side affect of the mold....well then we have just killed them ourselves, because Tork would surely make sure that he killed them.""The way I see it, we have 3 options.....We could confront Tork now, We could find Pad and get all the information we seek, or we can bust this door open. Malcolm, I have but one question for you. If it turns out we are wrong once we bust that door open, and then the others are killed somewhere else, can you live with that decision? Honestly if they are in that room, they are either already dead or cowering in a distant corner, and I think we all know that"
Dalamus will vote to find Pad
Alright lets get upstairs and find Tork and Pad.