Dragon's Demand (Inactive)

Game Master R D

We can continue alongside the sludge on the ledge?

The party is welcome to try. :-)

Harlis looks into the sludge and dislikes what he sees. Peering down the passage further with light extended to see what he can he asks. "Does anyone feel lucky balancing along the edge here?". Standing in scale armor and shield Harlis obviously doesn't feel confident about his own balancing.

I'll give it a go.

I'm trying to determine where we are on the map...did we go in the circled red door?

"No, allow me to go first," Ethendril says to Agnes. "I will try to make my way through the sludge and ensure it is safe to pass to the other side."

The paladin carefully makes his way into the goop, probing the way before him with his greatsword before stepping himself.

take 10 perception for each step for a 16

Acrobatics check, please.

And, map is now updated.

acrobatics: 1d20 - 5 ⇒ (18) - 5 = 13

Whoops! My bad. I forgot that Wayreth had pulled that chain before; the ledge is wider. You may cross the sludge safely. No check needed. :-D

You follow the winding hallway and end up at a door.

Once the group passes the sludge-filled hallway, Ethendril listens carefully at the door at the end of the hall.

Once he is satisfied it is safe to open, he pushes it open.

perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (5) + 6 = 11 It probably makes sense to have a SOP where Wayreth takes 20 on each door before we open it.

While the door is being examined Harlis mentions to the others. "With all the twists and turns if it gets more complex we should probably make an effort to have someone making a map as we progress though. Less chance of being lost and sometimes things are revealed in looking at everything as a whole."

As the door is opened he turns his attention to the way forward.

So [i]that[/s] is what that chain did. XD

Taking 10 if we're pressed for time, but we're not here so taking 20 to check for traps.

perception: 20 + 6 = 26

Taking their time to search from traps and whatnot, the party gets further along. (Map updated.) You get to another door.

A small, barred window pierces the iron door at the end of this hall, revealing a plain, ten-foot-square room with a windowless iron door on the opposite wall beyond.

Wayreth searches for traps once more (taking 20), and if there are none, he tries to open it.

While Wayreth examines the door closely Harlis leans in and has a listen to see if anything moves around beyond.

Perception: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (2) + 3 = 5

But only hears the inside of his helm...

The door is locked.

It occurs to the party that they found a key in room A4...

Ethendril has an epiphany. thanks!

"Say...let's try that key we found back there..." he says.

The paladin tries the key and opens the door.

Click! open... :-)

You guys know that you skipped all of areas A5 and A6, right?

We'll go back. What's behind Door Number 1, Alex?

:-) You don't have to go back. It's just that, where you're going, there's no easy way back. You have to go a long way around. Though, I suppose we could do it on a return trip.

Id be happy to finish clearing the early rooms now, just for completeness's sake.

Alright, let's double back then, if it makes things progress quicker.

"Looks like the passage beyond will take us further from this place. Let's see what we missed back where we came before proceeding along this path."

Harlis nods in agreement while readjusting the belt on his armor. "Sorry for being so slow Wayreth, I can jog back a while since it seems clear to let you walk a more normal pace."

Speed 15' for being a short guy in armor.

You head to area A6. This room looks like it was once an interrogation room. As you approach, a pale face appears at the door's window, and filthy hands grip the bars. The desperate face immediately calls out:

"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, we're all gonna die in here! Kindness, noble souls, we've suffered awful! Good Baron Sarvo wills it!"

Knowledge History to know more.

Wayreth hisses in anger.

"Sounds like this Baron Sarvo's quite the a$+#$%~. Anyone have any food or water with them? This guy looks like he could use some fast, and his cousins too."

Harlis pulls his backpack off and starts to pull out some small packages of food and a waterskin. "Can you tell us how you got down here? This place seeems a maze." He asks probing lightly at their story.

There has already been one trickster in this place. He thinks while moving to help.

Sense Motive: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (10) + 3 = 13

Knowledge History(untrained): 1d20 ⇒ 2

Know: History untrained: 1d20 ⇒ 17

Hotspur whispers to her friends: Do you detect any evil from them?

"Just what I was thinking," Ethendril says as he focuses on the room and any potential evil therein.

detect evil

Do you give food and water first or detect evil first?

detect evil

Nope. No evil here. I remind you that evil beings below a certain hit dice threshold also do not detect as evil unless they have the "aura" extraordinary ability. Of course, this dude might simply be not-evil... You don't know. Should it matter to a paladin of Iomedae?

The prisoner repeats: "Water! Food! Good Baron Sarvo wills it!"

Handing up some halfling sized portions of food Harlis asks a bit further "Who is this Baron? Are you he?" .
Sense Motive: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (13) + 3 = 16

The prisoner doesn't answer your question. He gratefully accepts the food: "Oh! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" Then he disappears from view--presumably to consume it.

Hotspur's history lessons kick in. Wasn't Baron Sarvo the name of the ruler of this land a couple of hundred years back?

"Should we let them go?" Ethendril asks. "I sense no evil here..."

Good to know on low-level evils! Flying under the radar so the paladins can't catch you!

Hotspur says: "Wait. Wasn't Baron Sarvo the name of the ruler of this land a couple of hundred years back?"

Agnes will walk up and try to open the door.

Yeah, evil outsiders and undead are the only things who will pop up on Detect Evil every time.

Harlis frowns at Hotspur's revelation and says quietly to the group. "Well, if something here is not as it seems it should be best to investigate while he is distracted."

Well, we can at least rule out him being a ghoul since he did not register as evil.

Borrowing the key, Agnes opens the door. The prisoner is nowhere to be found! Thinking on it, Harlis realizes that this was a haunt.

I don't mind telling you out of character: Feeding the poor soul--treating him with kindness--saved you all from a lot of hurt. Specifically: 2d6 points of damage from starvation pangs. Let's see, just out of curiosity, how much that would have sucked: Sudden Starvation Pangs: 2d6 ⇒ (5, 2) = 7

Furthermore, the paladin senses that something's not right here. The haunt has not been put to rest--it has been suppressed for the time being. The forgotten bones of many prisoners are in the surrounding cells here. Would Iomedae want them to be put to rest?

Picking on the good-aligned holy types to convey this information seems appropriate.

Harlis sighs sadly as he looks around realizing the unquiet state of the spirits here. "This place was truely one that brought much suffering and injustice. So much so they still do not rest. We should do what we can to bring them peace. Let them rest into eternity instead of being further tormented." He then proceeds to start to gather what remains to give each that he can their blessings of last rites.

You guys can set the bones aside for now. As long as you bury them when you're done down here, it's all good.

You find another secret door at the back of the interrogation room that leads to area A7.

In the room at the end of this narrow corridor is a strange metallic contraption of gears and chains. A large lever extends out at a forty-five-degree angle from the front of it.

Wayreth realizes that he bypassed this lever by pulling on the chain, but down this hallway, you discover a small creature crackling with energy. Knowledge planes to know more.

Knowledge (planes): 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (1) + 10 = 11

Agnes recognizes this thing as a small lightning elemental. It's not being overly aggressive. But it is ready to attack if something it doesn't like happens.

Ethendril looks down the hallway at the creature.

"I wonder if he is guarding that lever," the paladin asks. "But if the chain you pulled allows us to bypass the lever, perhaps we do not need to engage this creature."

He looks for any additional clues in the chamber.

perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (2) + 6 = 8

Perception: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (4) + 4 = 8

There's nothing else to see.

What about me?

perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (4) + 6 = 10

...Yep, I probably see nothing eithe. XD

"Yeah, let's leave this guardian to watch over the redundant lever then, and save our strength for whatever lies beyond that passage."

Ethendril nods. "I agree. Let's return if we find a need later," he says.

Layout is kind of hard to wrap my head around...do we need to hit those double-doors to the east?

Agnes starts to pout Aw. I wanted to finally test the truth to my electricity resistance. I heard about it, but I've never actually used it.

Uttering another prayer to Iomedae for Light Harlis nods in agreement. "We should press onward. There are a pair of doors in near here should we investigate that or go back following that long passage?" he questions while repacking his away his backpack and hefting it on.

"Double doors sound good to me."