GM WhtKnt's Giantslayer: Battle of Bloodmarch Hill (Inactive)

Game Master WhtKnt

Norasha was quite surprised by Katrezra's entrance not expecting to see the half-orc.

"Well I'll be a naughty dragon's nanny! Didn't expect to see ye here Katrezra. I'm guessing Sara here was hiding ye from whoever killed Rodrik. We were attacked ourselves actually last night. A group of hired assassins tried to do us in but we beat them. Their client was sort of tattooed half-orc but Kurst and the town militia tried to catch him when we tried to bait him with one of the surviving assassins. The villain is quite sly that's for sure. But back on topic, we need your help Katrezra. anything ye can tell us in finding Rodrik's killers will be of great help!"

The dwarf nodded in agreement with Rokar's statement.

Hearing the soft near whisper Boram turns, seeing a half-orc, albeit an old sad looking one, he grabs his Shillelagh in both hands, about to whack the old man in the kneecap. As the oracle introduces himself as Katrezra the keeper of Rodric's journal, Boram quickly lowers his walking stick back to the ground, leaning on it, hoping no one noticed. 'Well, that's a lucky bit of news, it's about time, we've had nothing but bad luck since the tug-of-war.'

After a bit Boram chimes in, "Beggin' yer pardon, Katrezra, might we's be seein' this Journal, that all this bloomin' fuss seems ta be about?"

Aisha jumps slightly as the man appears almost unannounced. "Oh! Uh, yes. Please, the details in the journal may be our only lead to finding Rodric's killer. And if he told you anything that might be important..."

"Yes," Katrezra sighs. “Rodrik had plans to go back to the Plague House, but because of the unease I felt from my visions, I suggested he leave his journal with me, which he did. The night of his death, my visions were even more terrible, though still indecipherable. When news of Rodrik’s death reached me in the morning, I knew it must have been foul play, so I fled the Sanctuary, fearful that whoever targeted Rodrik would come after me as well. His death grieves me to no end, but at least my efforts bought me enough time to share this information with you.”

He readily hands over the diary, and you peruse the last few entries. The last entry in the journal seems to hold a clue. It reads, How I wish I could divulge my fears and hopes to my beloved Brinya. The risk is too great, of course--I would hate to implicate her in the dire scheme I've only just stared to unravel. Not to mention how much I fear her ire over my loss of the hopeknife she gifted me. What a fool I have been these past few weeks. This paragraph is accompanied by a portrait of Brinya.

I still haven't found the hopeknife and whoever's making the replacement at Clamor is certainly taking her time. Katrezra was oddly quiet when I met with him today. When I asked for his thoughts, he told me to leave him be and to give up my foolish investigation altogether. He was so supportive of my mission until now--what could have changed his heart so? This paragraph is accompanied by a drawing of a hopeknife on a chain.

Katrezra's visions of the Plague House have been getting more frequent as the days go on. He claims "something wicked lurks beneath the ashes of the past." I'm fearful of what his strange dreams portend, but I must investigate the Plague House ruins once again. Tonight is Ruby's hopeknife ceremony; tomorrow I will search the ashes once more. Katrezra has recommended he hold onto my journal for safekeeping, and while I am hesitant to part with my writings for even a moment, I know his logic is sound. This last paragraph is accompanied by a drawing of the Plague House.

Also, everyone can level up!

Aisha reads the entry, feeling a bit pale. "The Plague House... so it seems he did have a lead after all. Perhaps a good one, if the culprit felt the need to silence him for his search. We may have made a breakthrough here. Thank you. May we keep this for a time? There may be more details within that could be needed for the investigation."

Norasha nodded in agreement with Aisha.

"Aye. It seems so lads and lassies. Rodrik must have....Torag's sacred beard! Do y'all see!? It fits. The white marks on the buildings? Assassins and rabid wolves trying to silence us? Rodrik being murdered? Your terrible visions? Sara's apprentice running off? By me ancestors!!! The town is going to be attacked! Sara you're on the council right? You go and get the militia prepared and stationed at every gate! We'll tackle the Plague House and even if it isn't a raid, keep the gates guarded at all times! Call me paranoid if ye like but when a dwarf says a war is coming it's a coming!"

I'll level up tomorrow after work around 5 pm. Still transferring stuff to it.

'very nice pictures, i'm always glad when they include pictures in books.. yes a breakthrough, that's what I would call it, "war is coming" if you didn't know Narasha was a dwarf you would now.' rolling his eyes a little as Norasha declares the end of the world,

Boram begins to turn to leave, remembering his manners he nods to Sara and Katrezra. "Thanks fer yer help folks, ya do Rldrik proud, hopefully we's'll be able ta bring his floggin' murderers ta justice, yeah." turning to the team he asks "So we's'll be headin' ta tha Plague House about now? Er is 'air some other place we bloody well aught ta go?"

The Plague House! Of course!

As Rokar's thoughts rush over the last few weeks, he recalls hearing of the strange lights being seen there at night, and hearing about the unsuccessful attempts by his fellow hunters and trackers to try and find some evidence of the interlopers.

"Well girl," he says, addressing Milani, "how about we succeed where the others have failed?"

Addressing everyone, but especially Sara, he continues,

"I'm not one to be excited about war, but I'll do my part- for Trunau. Let's find out what's really going on here."

The dwarven paladin nodded in agreement saying, "Aye. I may not be from Trunau but I'll do me part in defending it!"

The Plague House’s front doors sit three feet above the ground. Charred wooden beams and ash are all that remains of a small porch and stairs that once led to the entrance. The small windows flanking either side of the doorframe are broken, but a large stained glass window dominating the face of the building to the right remains in fine shape, and shows a varicolored image of Iomedae holding her sword aloft.

You'll need a Climb check or a boost from a willing ally to get to the door.

'All this talk about a war, I hope there right, better an outside enemy than local politics, I still wonder who knew that Rodrik was going there. Boram smiles as the party declares it's allegiance to the defense of the city, "I's would rather prevent a war than start one, but I ain't afraid of a little rough and tumble, yeah."

Following Rokar and Aisha out of town to the plague house, as they approach Boram looks carefully at the condition of the old temple. 'As dilapidated as the building is, it shouldn't be to hard telling if anyone has been here, just should be a few field mice and maybe a raccoon.'

once they get nearer the door, Boram stops, "If some blokes been usin' this old church as a hidie hole, they's should be leavin some kind of tracks or remains, yeah." looking around the door for any sign of occupation, before he attempts to climb in.

perception: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (17) + 8 = 25

Rokar steps forward, inspecting a path up to the door.
I'll go first, I guess.

Flexing his arms, he tests out a hold, then starts pulling himself up.

1d20 + 6 ⇒ (5) + 6 = 11

ah, whoops, simultaneous post! I can climb up after Boram checks out the door, if that works.

New map is up. Due to... issues, I an unable to make the grid align properly, so you'll have to calculate ranges, etc. manually and your token will not automatically lock to the grid.

The doors are charred and weather-beaten heavy oak. Boram finds no other evidence of tampering or traps. Rokar casually makes the climb to the level of the doors.

"Such a sad place." Aisha lingers near the front as Boram climbs up to get a look at the door. It certainly looks the part of an abandoned wreck, but that does make it an excellent place to hideout if someone was planning something nefarious.

Boram, after looking around for a moment shrugs his shoulders, "I ain't found any signs of folks stompin about out here, We's'l just see what s inside, yeah."

Looking up to the catfolk Boram smiles, "Scoot over Rokar, I's a comin up." Boram climes the wall and begins to quickly inspect the area inside the door.

assuming Boram can take 10 (14) for the climb

perception: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (15) + 8 = 23

Climb: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (12) + 3 = 15

"Aisha do ye need a hand getting up here lass?"

The dwarf then extends a hand to see if she could reach the half-orc. If she can't she'll ask one of her other companions if they have any rope on hand.

This is assuming that she makes the climb though.

Climb: 1d20 ⇒ 18

Aisha jumps, startled out of her thoughts. "What? Oh, I think I can make it. Give me a moment." She takes a minute to find a good handhold and foot hold and manages to pull herself up to the door without too much trouble.

Is the wall steep enough that Milani could make it up by climbing on her own? If not, I'll jump down and help her up.

The Climb check is only a DC 5, so I think Milani could make it with a little effort. Forgive the delay; had a family member go into the hospital today with probable heart failure. Need to see to her.

Rokar calls to Milani, who jumps up and scrambles up the face to take her usual place at Rokar's side. Rokar himself gazes down the entrance, and sniffs around for the scent of other people.

Heart Failure is pretty serious. Take all the time you need, good luck.

I know what you mean. I'm sorry to hear about that. We're here for you.

Norasha watched as both Aisha and Milani easily climbed up the wall before looking around a bit.

"Best we be careful. Who knows what we might find here."

Doing two perception checks: one for getting an idea of our surroundings while the second one is to decide on how dangerous our surroundings are (i.e. if a wall is going to come tumbling down if someone sneezes).

Aid Another Perception: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (2) + 3 = 5 Helping Boram check things out.

Perception: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (15) + 5 = 20 I figure that loose stones or faulty floors would fit unusual stonework. Right?

The dwarf looks at the others for a moment before asking, "So what do y'all know about the Plague House?"

"I'll be alright for now," Aisha assures her. She frowns, thinking about what she knows of the town.

Knowledge Local: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (17) + 10 = 27

The Plague House, also known as the Burned Church, was Trunau’s original church of Iomedae. When orc raiders burned the building down and killed the priests within, the church of Iomedae decided to build a new chapel inside the city walls. The ruined church became known as the Plague House following a tragedy 50 years ago, when Trunau was afflicted with a plague. The town’s authorities hastily rebuilt the structure and used it to quarantine the plague victims, but a mysterious fire consumed the building a few days later, killing everyone inside—patients and healers—and leaving the infamous site once again in ruins. None have attempted to rebuild it since.

The map has been updated. You are looking down a long, empty hallway that opens into a much larger room further down. There is a single door to the left and a pair of double doors on the right side of the corridor.

Norasha notes that the structure is remarkably sturdy, given its appearance, and it is unlikely to come tumbling to ruin just walking around, though excessive damage to the walls would likely bring it down.

"I know a bit about it," Aisha says after a moment. "This was once the temple of Iomedae, but it was destroyed by orc raiders decades ago. They rebuilt it to serve as a quarantine for a plague about 50 years ago, but it burned down mysteriously and hasn't been used since. It has a reputation now, so no one has dared use the sight again since. Perhaps it was bad luck, perhaps it was some sort of curse, I can't say. We should be cautious investigating it regardless."

"I see. Well for a building that was gutted by a fire and curses, it's amazingly sturdy, despite its appearance. Probably won't come tumbling down on us by just simply walking around, though if we cause a lot of damage to the walls, that might bring it down," Norasha said after hearing Aisha's knowledge of the Plague House.

Boram roles his eyes as Milani jumps cleanly onto the area near them, he jokes quietly "If we're gonna make this our secret base we's'll need ta put in stairs, yeah." as he scratches the kitties back.

she is right, the building looks sturdy to me to, need to watch for fire damage, what kind of demented jerk burns down a hospital? Boram nods his head as he listens to the the history of the building and the dwarfs astute observations.

Looking to the group he adds smiling "We'll were burning daylight, I know that don't mean as much ta you dwarves an such, but us Hobbits Halflings need it, so would you's rather I scout ahead a little an come back, or shall we all head together an I's'll keep an eye out fer locks an traps?"

never really did talk about it, team. Do you want Boram to scout ahead stealthily and report back, or do we stick together and have him check for locks anad traps as we go, I'm good either way, don't want to hog the spotlight though.

"I'd hate for you to get caught alone if there's something waiting for us here," Aisha says softly. "Perhaps it would be wise to move as a group and let you lead by a bit. That would give you enough space to look for traps and such, but let us come to your aid if we're ambushed or if you find something you can't bypass on your own."

"Aisha's right, Boram. Stay just far enough ahead to keep an eye out, and to keep us from 'finding' a trap the hard way, and we'll stay close enough that you're not in danger either."

I'm good at finding people and tracking prey, but false doors and pit-falls-- not so much.
Rokar gently taps his nose, as he references his superior sense of smell and tracking talents.

'keep a few feet ahead, check for traps and deal with locks,' "I can do that." Boram nods and moves forward quietly to the double doors on the right, he inspects the doors for locks and traps, if they are clear he will open the door and look inside.

he will take 20 (28) on perception for the door, and take 10 (18) on perception for the room

The doors appear safe, and Boram nudges them open.

Two rows of scorched, wrought-iron bedframes take up most of the space in this soaring chamber, resting between a fireblackened altar to the southwest and double doors to the northeast. A second set of double doors leads to the northwest, and a single iron door exits the chamber to the southeast. Brightly colored holy figures stare down from the stained-glass windows built into the blackened stone walls, their visages noticeably less damaged than the rest of the room.

Norasha held her shield and axe ready, as she peered around the room, checking for signs of danger.

Perception: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (20) + 3 = 23 She's also listening out for danger too, so hopefully she can spot anyone sneaking up on them.

'It looks like a hospital room' Boram, walking-stick in hand, strolls into the room carefully checking the room for any clues or signs. "Shall we's take a look-see fer any floggin' clues a'fore we mosey along?"

perception: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (2) + 8 = 10 ouch not nearly as nice a roll as Norasha's

Rokar follows Boram in and looks around as well, before sniffing the air, searching for the scent of any recent visitors.
Perception (scent): 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (20) + 15 = 35

"Worth a look."

Perception: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (11) + 5 = 16

Both Rokar and Norasha detect the particular (and unpleasant) stench of burning flesh within the room. It is faint, but definitely present.

As Boram casually strolls down the center aisle, there is a sudden stirring from the bedframes. Simultaneously, a charred and burned corpse appears on each frame, sitting straight up and screaming, their mouths full of fire and ashes.

Everyone needs to make a Will save, please.

Rokar, will save: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (6) + 2 = 8
Milani, will save: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (13) + 5 = 18

Will Save: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (13) + 4 = 17

"My ancestors' beards!"

The dwarf readied herself preparing to stop any enemy approach.

Religion: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (7) + 5 = 12

Trying to figure out what those things are. Also she's prepared fir enemy approach which will interrupt their movements.

Will Save: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (7) + 4 = 11

Aisha recoils from the flaming figure, screaming as the fiery maw lets out an unearthly howl.

will: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (11) + 1 = 12 aaaaggggggg Boram seeing the charred corpses sitting up on their beds, literally jumps, preparing for the worst.

Rokar, Boram, and Aisha are all frightened and must flee if possible.

Norasha and Milani can act normally. The bodies are doing nothing other than sitting up and screaming.

'AAAAAAAGGGGGGGG' "AAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGG" Boram, evading beds with screaming burned our corpses on them, tears out of the room, through the double doors, turning left into the hallway, sprinting out the door, jumping off of the rise, running out into the front yard, turning and facing the chapel; where he stands, breathing hard out of his nose and mouth, eyes insanely wide, holding his Shillelagh two-fisted over his head watching for charred undead to club.

acrobatics check for the jump: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (8) + 10 = 18
the benefit of 'fleet of foot' he can run his hobbot Halfling butt off.

"No. No, no, no! Get away!" Aisha screams again and turns on her heel, running flat out back toward the front door. She shoves past everyone in her way, desperate to get away from the fiery monster.

"Hold fast everyone! Um...Well...I guess it's okay if y'all leave."

The dwarven paladin looks at Milani and says, "Well, Milani, it seems that you and I were able to keep our wits about us, it would seem. What do you think we should do then?"

"I'm asking a giant cat on what to do. Ah the strangeness of adventures," she thought to herself with a smirk.

She readied herself as she slowly inched her way towards the strange fiery bodies, still prepared to react if one of them lunged at her.

She's still readied against enemy approaches which will interrupt any enemy's movement.

Just as the stench of charred flesh overpowers his senses, Rokar sees the corpses burst out from nowhere.

With a yelp, Rokar backpedals out of the room, genuinely frightened, and with every hair standing on end. As a decade of ghost stories are suddenly made manifest in front of him, he is unsure of anything except that he does NOT want to be in a room with whatever those things are.

The corpses continue their shrieking for a full two minutes, otherwise unmoving. Then, as suddenly as they appeared, they fade into nothingness.

"Well I'll be a naughty orog's aunt. Seems like we got ourselves a haunt...I think. I could be wrong Milani. But come on let's look around before it starts up again."

Please note Norasha is guessing it's a haunt. She's not completely certain but she's still on the side of caution in case she's wrong!

Perception: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (14) + 3 = 17

The corpses continue their shrieking for a full two minutes, otherwise unmoving. Then, as suddenly as they appeared, they fade into nothingness.

is this something the people outside will realize or do they need to be told? hint...hint...hint

Nope, they need to be notified and convinced to venture back inside.