Valen steps into Malthorn's place and attacks the creature viciously with a righteous cry and a well aimed thrust of his blade.
Valen hacks into the Grick!
Malthorn moves away from the vile creature and it lashes out as he moves hitting the Warlock for . Malthorn then blasts the thing!
Gail casts a spell and the creature shrieks in pain.
Round 2
Talus attacks with his spear missing.
Grick attacks Valen missing.
Valen
Malthorn
Gail
Round 3
Talus
Grick
Valen
Malthorn
Gail
Encouraged by Valen's titanic strike, Gail digs deep and attempts to boil the great open wound. Again she whispers a prayer and a heat haze envelops the tentacle.
Valen is relentless in his assault on the monster.
Gritting his teeth as the creature catches him once more, Malthorn calls out "Nice hit!Valen" as the paladin strikes into the creature. Aiming once more at the creature...
Valen hacks into the creature once more!
Malthorn unleashes a blast, but misses.
Gail calls down holy fire and the creature catches fire and dies!
Round 3
Talus
Grick
Valen
Malthorn
Gail
The room goes silent as the abberant creature burns.
Talus, his spear raised high for another strike, let's out a long breath, "Where this house isn't spooky and strange, it's down right vicious."
Valen nudges the creature with his rapier, "Well, this thing is spooky, strange AND vicious. Lovely combination really."
Gail breaths a deep ragged sigh of relief, "That thing! Ugh this house gives me the creeps..." She then checks on everyone's wounds and says, "Er Gents, it looks like both Talos and Valen have some nasty looking wounds. Come the morning I could heal them but right now I'm spent. What do you want to do?"
"If we clear this basement we might find a room to hole up in for the night." Valen moves down the steps within the current room to continue investigating.
Talus smiles at Gails offer, then grimaces at the pain of his injury.
"That's alright, Gail. Though the experiences here have been horrific, they've given me insights into my abilities. Watch."
Talus' eyes half-close and he brings a hand to hover over his wound. Slowly, the space between hand and body seems to shimmer and the wound begins to heal.
"Ah, that feels better." Talus says with a smile, then turns to follow Valen, "Yes, this place won't explore itself."
At Gails mention of Valen and Talus's wounds Malthorn reapplies his temp health benefits. Cast Feindish Vigor
"We can rest a bit if needed but not the most likeable of places to rest your head."
Valen leads the heroes to some stone steps that lead down a few feet. Directly ahead of Valen are another set of steps going down and a hallway stretches off to Valen's left
"I suppose resting for a moment isn't a bad idea." Valen turns to the others, "A few minutes and then continue down these next set of stairs?"
The party rests for a few minutes in the ghastly dining room before moving forward.
Valen heads down the set of steps and finds
A 4-foot-diameter well shaft with a 3-foot-high stone lip descends 30 feet to a water-filled cistern. A wooden bucket hangs from a rope and-pulley mechanism bolted to the crossbeams above the well. Five side rooms look as if they once served as quarters. Each contains a wood-framed bed with a moldy straw mattress and a wooden chest to hold personal belongings. Each chest is secured with a rusty iron padlock
"Odd. Who would have lived down here?" Valen investigates the well for any oddities first. [b]"Malthorn, do you think you could maybe open the locks on the chests? Could be more clues to what this place was for in them."[b/]
Gail has a good look around while the others methodically search the area. Perhaps her sharp eyes will catch something?
Noticing the well, Gail checks if the mechanism is still working. If it is, she tries to get a bucket of water. The stories insisted wells often contained secrets, Gail thought this was fanciful but some cool water would be welcome.
Talus peers over the edge at the water below, "This must have been servant's quarters....gloomy place to live."
He then looks interestedly over Malthorn's shoulder as he deals with the chests.
The well does indeed work, it brings up cold water that tastes faintly metallic.
Valen searches the room but finds naught but dust.
Valen considers Talus's answer, "I suppose your right. This is one family I would certainly not want to be a servant for!"
"This should lead back in the direction we entered from," he comments on the only other path leading out of the quarters. "I suggest we go in deeper first and cover that path on our way back."
"Very well, lets go." Gail renews her light spell and cautiously heads down.
Valen heads south down the tunnel. The ghostly chanting heard throughout the dungeon gets discernibly louder as one heads along this tunnel.
Valen moves forward and suddenly the floor gives way beneath him!
Valen narrowly escapes the rotten floorboard trap. Gail's light shows a 5-foot long, 10-foot-deep pit hidden under several rotted wooden planks, all hidden under a thin layer of dirt. The pit has sharpened wooden spikes at the bottom.
Malthorn gratefully leans back against the wall, finding a somewhat clean spot and rest, whistling a light tune quietly under his breath. Feeling much better after a little while.
Moving up behind Valen he grabs at the paladin as the floor gives way.
"Lucky soul you are Valen that would've hurt" he quips eyeing the sharpened stakes lining the bottom of the pit. Before backing up a bit and jumping over the pit.
Talus shakes his head at the close call, waits his turn, thinks about jumping....instead takes the safer route, climbs down then back again...
Valen, Malthorn and Talus make it over the pit. They wait for Gail on the other side.
Gail looks down at the pit trap with unease, this place was seriously twisted. Resigning herself to it she jumps over with no fuss.
Nonchalantly she comments, "I guess that's all of us, time to push on with our investigation." She then starts to go south very cautiously!
The party comes to a set of steep stairs, its obvious from this point that the chanting comes from below.
"Things could be about to get dangerous. Is everyone ready to face what's below?"
"Would it matter if I said no?" Malthorn grins in response "We're still in a haunted house. Lead on sir Paladin"
Tightening his grip on his staff Malthorn moves in place behind Valen ready to move forward.
"Hmmm, indeed." Talus says, "Let us get to the bottom of this whole affair"
He joins Malthorn in following Valen, then his lips twich as he realized the pun he unintentionally uttered.
Valen leads thr group down the set of steps. As it descends the chanting grows louder and more distinct.
The ghostly chant fills this room. You can discern a dozen or so voices saying, over and over, “He is the Ancient. He is the Land.” There are 13 niches carved into the walls at even increments, different items are placed in each niche. Two tunnels lead south. The southernmost tunnel slopes down at a 20-degree angle into murky water and ends at a rusty portcullis
• A small, mummified, yellow hand with sharp claws on a loop of rope
• A knife carved from a human bone
• A dagger with a rat’s skull set into the pommel
• An 8-inch-diameter varnished orb made from a
nothic’s eye
• An aspergillum carved from bone
• A folded cloak made from stitched ghoul skin
• A desiccated frog lashed to a stick
• A bag full of bat guano
• A hag’s severed finger
• A 6-inch-tall wooden figurine of a mummy, its arms
crossed over its chest
• An iron pendant adorned with a devil’s face
• The shrunken, shriveled head of a halfling
• A small wooden coffer containing a dire wolf’s withered
tongue
"The echo in here makes it feel like they could be around any corner." Valen wanders past each of the niches, inspecting the objects inside with his divine senses unmasked. "This place gets more and more pleasant. Inspired decorations really." He will then check both southern paths and attempting to discern which direction the chanting comes from. If he can figure it out he will lead the party that way, if he cannot he will lead them down the non-submerged path.
In a voice that wasn't fooling anyone Gail attempted nonchalance, "Not even remotely creepy. Look at all this junk, a shrunken skull, a devil pendant, a bone aspergillum. Let me guess that never had holy water in it did it? Mind you if it doesn't have an aura it might be handy. Er Valen, could you er... Actually I'm not sure here is a good place for that really, what with the demonic chanting. Oh you're doing it anyway aren't you...." Brave man, I'm not sure I'd want to see.
She pauses for a moment as the chanting reaches a crescendo before subsiding, "Yeah that chanting is kind of annoying. Anyway maybe some Holy Water isn't such a bad idea. I don't suppose anyone has any powered silver? No? Oh well."
Gail cautiously follows Valen's lead.
Valen doesn't sense anything untoward in the room.
Valen leads the party south and into what looks like a prison. There are twelve areas where rusted shackles are bolted into the wall.
Malthorn will move forward investigating the cells as he goes.
"13 niches in the previous room and 12 cells in here, could they be corresponding to each other? Perhaps the niches depict something about those who were in the cells and the last niche belongs to the master of this lunacy."
Talus eyes the hideous curios with suspicions, muttering, "I advise a no touching policy..." before hurrying to follow the others into the 'prison'.
"You may be right, Malthorn" he says, joining the tiefling in searching the cells.
Not really believing her eyes, Gail snorts, and mutters, "What a delightful family home. The sort that doesn't come on the market very often... Three stories plus attic conversion and rooftop access for weather mancery. Extensive sub-basement levels including servants quarters, prison with playful Gothic and neo-demonic motif throughout. Haunted. Would suit necromancer with large family and or skeletons to hide in extensive closets."
She tries to help Malthorn and Talus with their search but is a more than a little distracted by then incessant demonic chanting, I mean seriously will somebody stop them!
The party searches the cells and hanging on the back wall of a cell is a human skeleton clad in a tattered black robe. On the the skeleton find a gold ring (worth 25 gp) on one of its bony fingers.
Valen looks about the room one last time and finds nothing of interest.
Valen considers their options, "I suppose we may need to attempt removing that portcullis to continue onward." If no one else notices anything he will move back to the previous room and attempt to get the portcullis out of the way.
Putting the ring in his pouch for the moment Malthorn moves to help move the portcullis when he notices Valen struggling with it.
"If we can't move it we may have to destroy it, Valen. Talus, Gail suggestions?"
Talus watches Malthorn put the ring away,and offers, "Mal, you might have been on to something earlier...perhaps this ring belongs in the vacant niche?"
Looking at the portcullis, "Hmmm, there must be a way to trigger the mechanism...somewhere...."
He examines the wall of the niche room, looking for hidden activators, but careful not to touch any of the curios. If he finds nothing there, he shrugs and returns to the cells , now specifically looking for activators for the portcullis.
"Mal, you might have been on to something earlier...perhaps this ring belongs in the vacant niche?"
Taking a bit for Talus's word's to sink in, Malthorn looks up.... Empty niche? Hmm had forgotten about it. You might be right." looks at everyone to make sure they're ready just in case "look lively now." Then places the ring in the empty niche.
Malthorn places the ring from the skeleton in a Niche, and nothing happens.
Malthorn and Valen struggle with the portcullis but cannot get it to open.
Gail asks, "Is there something we could use to lever it up? Maybe one of the planks from a bed in the other room? If not I suppose we could batter it down although that'll be hard backbreaking work. It may be rusty but I suspect it's stronger than it looks"
Malthorn places the ring from the skeleton in a Niche What empty one?
Malthorn moves back into the room with the niches looking for something to use as a pry bar, finally remembering his staff and taking it back to the portcullis.
or
Where it becomes obvious he's never tried this type of thing with it before...
"Some help here please. Can't seem to get a grip on this thing..."
"Here , put it there in the middle, easy now...push" Talus says as much to himself as to the others.
Valen watches expectantly as Talus gives it a shot.