Daimon takes a moment to poke through the web-covered bones under the hanging chains. He is pretty certain that the bones are those of an adult halfling. A glint in the torchlight catches his eye, and he recovers from the pile two pea-sized, red, grime-encrusted gems and a wide, plain gold ring.
Looking closer at the ring, he notices an inscription in Taldane inside the ring:
"To Beltran: May our love last until the end of days. Saree"
You continue through the web-choked corridor for two dozen yards or so, where it ends at the landing of a spiral staircase made of gray, dusty stones. From here,the stairs wind both upwards and downwards into darkness.
Petracleus glaces at the ring, "Beltran? Saree? Does that mean anything to you Ireena? Think... are those names familiar perchance?"
...and then, at the spiral staircase, "Up? ...or Down? Maybe heading upwards to the higher ground may be our best option? If we head downwards, who knows how far we may descend...", Petracleus smiles thinly.
"Let's go upwards, I have a feeling we'll be better off spending our time there until the morning." Theodora suggests to the others, her expression a mixture of concern for her comrades and the determination to thwart Strahd.
|
Verran, seemingly lost in thought, follows along offering little input. Normally he'd do everything possible to ensure a soul was at peace, but their resources were limited at the moment and there were likely bigger challenges ahead.
"Agreed, I'd rather not know what Strahd keeps or allows in the lower levels at this time."
Countessa says nothing, just waits for her companions to make a decision and follows silently.
Unlike the corridor, the stairwell is not particularly choked with spiderwebs. You ascend the worn, dusty stone steps into the darkenss above you, passing only the occasional empty rusting torch sconce. A few finger-length centipedes scurry from your light.
After climbing upward approximately 40 feet, you come to a landing. A 10-foot wide corridor heads west into darkness. The stairs contiue to spiral upward into the gloom. As you reach the landing, the rumble of distant thunder echoes through the hall.
1-Celowyn, 2-Countessa, 3-Daimon, 4-Petracleus, 5-Theodora, 6-Verran
Upon reaching the landing, Theodora takes a few tentative steps forward and looks around, her falchion in hand in case of immediate danger.
Peering into the darkness, Petracleus listens for movement along the western corridor... cursing beneath his breath as thunder rumbles around the castle, he has the feeling that he and his friends are, once more, far from alone...
You all feel a distinct draft in the hallway, causing the cobwebs in the corners of the ceiling to dance in the uneven breeze. You don't see or hear anything other than the flickering shadows cast by your lights.
Ireena shudders slightly at the gloom on the landing. She glances up the stairway, then down the hallway, then back down the stairs. Glancing between Verran and Celowyn, she whispers, "I'm not sure if Strahd's horrors are worse upstairs or below!"
Her longsword is drawn, regardless.
"Okay, let's work our way up to the top and clear it down from there." Theodora suggests after Celowyn's comments, "At least we'll be closer to daylight once morning comes."
Morning? I pray we all yet live come dawn, Petracleus - wisely - keeps his thoughts to himself as he follows the others up the stairs...
"Works for me". Varren chimed in. He then started looking around somewhat nervously while muttering a prayer to the Lady of Graves. Something bad was going to happen, and soon.
...hmmm...
As you wind your way up the uneven steps of the spiral staircase, the air becomes damp... then the steps themselves. You also begin to feel more movement to the air, and hear the sound of wind and rain getting closer. The stairs lead to an open-air alcove, behind the battlements of the inner keep. A ten-foot wide walkway runs between the battlements and the third story of the inner keep. The worst of the storm seems to have moved on toward the valley of Barovia, yet the wind still howls and a steady, cold rain falls from the black sky above. Between your torches and the flicker of distant lightning, you can make out that you are at a juncture: The walkway leads west between the battlements and the outer walls toward the southwest tower; and south along the top of the curtain wall that separates the inner and outer courtyards. Looking over the battlements, you estimate that the drop is about a hundred feet. A few grimy windows look into the castle along the westerly walkway.
At Celowyn's question, Theodora looks back with concern, "What's going on?"
Countessa brings up the rear, still weak from the poison of the spiders.
Cold rain dripping from his brow already, Petracleus peers over the ramparts and shivers. He is stating the obvious when he makes the rather trite observation, "A long way down..."
...and, with his hand ready at the hilt of his rapier, the bard awaits Damion's response, We have lost one friend to the Count's enchantments already... are we to lose another?
As the group stands shivering in the wind and rain, Celowyn can't help but notice that Damion seems surprisingly jumpy.
"Is something the matter Damion?"
"There is someone watching me. I can feel their eyes on me."
Damion takes a long careful look around...
Daimon peers up at the vaulted ceiling above the spiral staircase... and at first doesn't realize what he's looking at... the oddly-textured ceiling then ripples as hundreds of eyes suddenly open and stare down at him! He gasps as a dense colony of bats that had been hanging from the ceiling spreads hundreds of wings, and erupts into a flying cloud of tiny bats that swarm the party, biting at you all with a thousand fangs!
Round 1
"Gah! I told you something was watching us!"
He'll retreat from the swarm as best he can.
Staggering backwards as the tight staircase becomes alive with the swarming vermin, Petracleus shouts, "Fire... Use Fire..."... blood is already running into his eyes from the various cuts on his forehead...
Celowyn notes that these are particularly large bats, each with a wingspan of about four feet... regular weapons that cut or smash would likely help drive them off...
Looking for a way to retreat from the bat swarm, your choices are: Run back down the stairs; run west onto the rainy battlements along the inner keep, or run south onto the rainy battlements over the curtain wall separating the outer and inner courtyards.
Well... and there's also over the wall...
Since the bats appear large enough to fight, Theodora pulls out her falchion and attempts to clear out the swarm. Sadly, the bats get into her eyes and her swing hits absolutely nothing.
Well in that case...
"Get your beady eyes off me, vermin!"
Plus 3 AoO's as the tiny creatures enter his space to attack him (subject to GM approval :-)
Round 1
...nit
Monster status
swarm #1: 1/13
swarm #2: 9/13
swarm #3: 13/13
swarm #4: 13/13
Celowyn shouts a warning that fire might drive them off, and she and Petralceus manage to light torches in the midst of the swarming, bloodthirsty bats.
Theodora, Daimon, and Ireena all swat at the bats swarming around them with their swords. Daimon manages to cut nearly a dozen out of the air, while Ireena manages to slice through a few. The swarming bats manage to disorient Theodora enough that she can't connect.
The swarming bats continue to bite and scratch you all.
Countessa spends the first round shielding her eyes and clawing frantically at the bats that surround her. A yelp escapes her as several bites land.
More from instinct than anything else, she tries casting a spell, but the swarm disrupts her spell.
"If you don't have a strong weapon, move out of the swarm!" Theodora strongly suggests as she tries to swings her falchion through the swarm once again.
Waving his lit torch around, Petracleus defends himself as best he can...
Damion will take a wild swing then move out of the swarm (in hopes of getting another AoO when they move back into his space to attack him)
...hit
...hit
...hit
Monster status
Swarm 1 (Daimon): destroyed
Swarm 2 (Theodora & Ireena): destroyed
Swarm 3 (Verran & Petracleus): 5/13
Swarm 4 (Celowyn & Countessa): 9/13
This isn't all that intersting... ending the combat.
After a few momemts of vigoroursly swatting at the swarming bats with weapons and torches, you drive most of the swarming bats off. Dozens of dead and dying bats lie on the walkway and parapets, twitching.
The sky still flashes on occasion with distant lightning, but now the storm is too far off to hear the thunder. The rain has lessened to a heavy drizzle, and mists start to roll in.
The open-air walkway stretches east toward one of the east towers, and also south along the top of the wall separating the main and inner courtyards. Along the walkway that skirts the upper floors of the keep, there are shuttered windows on the walls, the bottoms of which are about seven feet above the floor of the walkway. Other than over the wall to the courtyard below, the only other passage is the spiral staircase that you took to get here.
Theodora takes a moment to look over her compatriots, "Is everyone okay? Do you need any healing?"
As she awaits responses, she looks along the open-air walkway, "I say we should examine the top area first and work our way down while we wait for the dawn. That fiend doesn't control the sun, that's the providence of Sarenrae."
Petracleus, enjoying the coolness of the night air for a moment, nods in quiet agreement with Theodora's suggestion.
Damion glares about, "What other full creatures inhabit this place"
"This place is enormous... there are towers still above us from which Strahd could be looking down upon us", Petracleus feels a shiver, imagined or otherwise, climb his spine, "Let's head westwards around the battlements, after checking the curtain wall... and if the opportunity to get into some of those higher towers arises, I think we should take it".
Strahd is nothing if not overly proud... surely his pride would raise him to the highest precipices from which to look down upon us mortals.
"I'd like to get a quick look at this curtain wall first, but your way might be faster, Petracleus."