Eiron waits outside the door for the other two. Figuring it is better to stay together. He has no idea what might be here and after the ring, well this place seems quite sinister. "Let's check the other cells here in case others are trapped." he suggests.
He peers down the hallway. Slightly creeped out.
Ritti treads water in disappointment. She glances into the depths, then back towards the castle hoping to see more of the lake/moat now that she is away from the shore. Finally, she turns her attention on the stone pillars, looking for anything of interest, and makes a tentative try at climbing one of them.
Hit Points: 9 | 9
Non-Lethal: 5 | 9
1/day Magic Fang:
(20) Sling Bullets:
Laundry monsters are quiet. Duly noted. Archibald moves down the hall to listen at another door.
Shuo turns around when he hear's Duke's words and seems to relax a little. "What? Oh, sorry M'Lord. You're quite right. Let me see if I can do anything." As he says this, he gets closer to Duke to look at the chains to see if there are any weaknesses in them that could help Duke break free.
Perception:
Ritti Rallo
While your first climb did nothing, your second attempt allowed you to begin moving up the pillar. While doing so, a glimmer in the stonework catches your eye. Maneuvering towards it you, it appears to be a worked iron scale of some kind.
You are about 20 paces up, halfway up the pillar.
Shuo and cie.
Duke remains in chains despite his and Shuo's efforts.
Meanwhile Eiron searches the corridor and finds that all of the equipment is rusted and broken beyond repair. Consisting mostly of simple weaponry and armor, they are now extensively damaged.
Garr'ak and Archibald
Your attacks miss the monster but luckily enough, the monster collapses back into a pile of cloth.
Archibald, you hear nothing beyond your door.
He'll nervously open it.
"There's nothing out here guys!" he calls back after searching the hallway.
Waiting for the others, he gets a bit impatient and decides to check the next cell, opening it's door and peering in, weapon and shield now wielded and readied just in case, going inside if it's safe, leaving the door wide open.
Shuo attempts to pick the lock on Duke's shackles.
Disable Device:
Ritti looks the scale over carefully then glances at the mist above here... hoping something that drops iron scales isn't waiting for her. She tries to pull the scale free and pocket it, before continuing her climb.
Still infuriated by the assualt, Garr'ak would start to hammer down upon the inanimate cloth pile with the his lucerne hammer.
If the clothing makes no further movement during this, Garr'ak will move into the room to inspect it.
If nothing strikes out at him as he moves in, he'll do a more thorough check.
Ritti Rallo
Ritti, you manage to pull the scale out of the stone wall. It seems cold to the touch but aside from that nothing occurs. You continue your climbing and reach Area #1... once again.
Shuo and cie.
Eiron, you try to open the next cell but this gate is locked. You can see more skeletons inside, and a glint catches your eye. A copper key glints in the far corner, a good ten paces out of reach.
Duke's lock resists all manner of picking with simple tools.
However, Duke notices that the key needed to unlock the manacles seem familiar to the locks on the cell gates.
Archibald and Lord Smash the Clothing
The clothing has been defeated.
The Collective obtains 100 XP for having defeated a pile of Animated Vestments
Searching through the clothing however, you find a piece of cloth that is quite torn apart and blood soaked.
Archibald you attempt to open the door, but it resists your attempts. The door isn't locked but something large is blocking it from opening any wider.
He goes to listen at the third door then.
Garr'ak would take a sniff at whatever was on the clothing before taking a lick. If nothing interesting happens, he'll throw it to the side and start rummaging through the rest of the room before heading back out into the hallway.
"Nothing of interest in there other then jumping clothes, what have you found out here?"
"An obstructed--er, a door that is stuck."
Despite his best efforts, Shuo fails to pick the lock. "Huh...I guess your shackles are in better condition then ours were." When Duke offers him the Guisarme, Shuo gives him a quizzical look and says "M'lord, I know how much you want to get out of those shackles, but I don't think we need to resort to so desperate a measure as cutting off your feet quite yet. Perhaps Eiron found something that could help."
Turning to the door, Shuo calls out "Eiron, do you see anything that might help us get Duke out of here?"
"No door will stop me. Which was it?"
Seeing the door locked Eiron attempts to break it down, hoping it isn't too strong. He fails. The sound echoing down the hallway. Hearing Shuo call he returns to them. "Don't go losing your toes yet. There is a key of some kind in the next cell. Perhaps you could try reaching it with that thing," he suggests. Eiron does think he is skilled enough for delicate matters and will instead try to help Shuo.
Shuo grabs his hammer from the floor where Duke set it down and places it into his pack, then proceeds to take the guisarme from Duke and heads on over to Eiron.
"I'm not sure if this spear is long enough, but I'll see what I can do. I've got a crowbar in my pack if this doesn't work. Feel free to grab it from the side pocket on my pack, I'd get it for you myself but my hands are a bit full. I imagine a soldier like you can probably make better use of it then I."
Shuo then crouches down on his knees. He holds the polearm with one arm and reaches it through the bars of the cell with the hook on the weapon pointing downwards. He reaches for the key, the greasy liquid seeping from his arms helping him slide his arm through the bars.
Dexterity:
"This ring seems to cause my skin to excrete some sort of greasy substance from my skin. I'm a lot more...slippery. With this on my skin I might even be able to slip through the bars."
Escape Artist
Archibald motions half-heartedly towards the stuck door.
Ritti scampers over the bridge rail looking like a drowned rat but happy to be alive. Huh. I guess there's no truth to scary bridges havin' troll underneath'em. She briefly stares into the mist that she must have walked out of to arrive here - wherever 'here' is.
Brave as she is, she doesn't have the heart to test that mist... not yet. Ritti turns and walks quietly along the path she's traveled before to reach the Forlorn Battlement. Not entirely confident that the strange shadowy figure won't reappear or a gargoyle won't spring to life - she moves cautiously, blade in hand.
At the Battlement, the would-be thief turns right and cautiously walks along the mud path hoping to avoid yet another spill into the moat.
Hit Points: 9 | 9
Non-Lethal: 5 | 9
1/day Magic Fang:
(20) Sling Bullets:
As soon as Archibald gestures towards the door, Garr'ak would start to swing his Lucerne Hammer at it.
Gaar'ak will continue to swing until he at least opens a hole that they can peer through.
Ritti Rallo
You move silently through the mists once again, however, you sense as if something is not quite right. After having walked a few minutes, you seem to notice that you haven't reached the Gargoyles yet... all you see is mist everywhere, in all directions. In fact, you can no longer even see the ground at your feet.
Shuo and cie.
Your attempts to reach the key meet in failure, and the bars are simply too tight together to squeeze through. However, the guisarme does seem to be long enough to reach the key.
As you work, a loud deafening noise is heard, seeming to come from far above.
Garr'ak and Archibald
Smashing through the doorway, you find yourself in...
Area #12: Missing Cabin
The floor disappears into darkness... or what seems like it. It is instead as if the room itself does not exist. No noise can be heard... no light shines.
Garr'ak would take a long look at sight before him before poking his lucerne hammer where the floor should be.
"What is this trickery?"
Garr'ak would take a long look at sight before him before poking his lucerne hammer where the floor should be.
"What is this trickery?"
As long as you hold your lucerne beyond the floor, it simply vanishes. Stepping back makes the lucerne hammer reappear.
Garr'ak would attempt to disbelieve what he sees.
"Sch.o.lar, do you know what this foolishness is?"
Ritti stops in the uncanny mist, momentarily paralyzed by the lack of... anything.
Maybe I got turned around? Maybe the way for'ard is really back?
Ritti practices the art of invisibility; she tries to become a silent speck of nothing in the mist.
She takes a precious sling stone from her pocket, sets it in her sling, and hurls it in front of her for all she is worth . She strains to hear the slightest report from the stone, or something nasty going after it.
Hit Points: 9 | 9
Non-Lethal: 5 | 9
1/day Magic Fang:
(20) Sling Bullets: x
"Almost got it, try again,"
At the noise he looks around, hoping the ceiling isn't falling on him.
"Alright, I'll give the spear another shot. I think it actually is long enough to reach the key"
Dexterity:
"That noise can't be good"
Perception:
"It's ...totally unnatural. I suggest we avoid it. For now, at least."
Ritti Rallo
Both shots shoot out far... but no sound is heard. You get a strange sensation and suddenly feel light headed.
The feeling passes quickly, but the fog remains.
Shuo et cie
With time and effort you reach the keys and scrape them towards you. As you pick them up, another loud noise resounds from above. It sounds like it's coming several floors up.
Garr'ak and Archibald
That leaves one unopened door, a lightless void and dead clothes. And the stairs going up.
Eiron picks up the keys and runs back to Duke. They needed to get out of here but he couldn't leave a man behind to whatever unknowns might reside here. He attempts to unlock the shackles.
Shuo follows Eiron back to Duke with the guisarme in hand. He offers the weapon to Duke.
"Here's your spear back. I have a bad feeling we might need you to use it soon."
After Duke takes the weapon Shuo draws his shovel and turns back to the door to stand guard while Eiron attempts to remove the shackles, looking both ways out the door and listening for any sign of enemies.
Perception:
"Then move," Garr'ak would say as he turns and takes a swing at the only remaining door while giving Archibald little to no warning to move.
Archibald opens the unopened door.
Shuo and cie
Duke's shackles fall to the ground as the key is turned.
The rumbling has stopped, and dust settles again to the ground.
Archibald and Door Smasher
The door splinters under your strength. Unfortunately though, the room appears quite empty, except for a faint smell of salt and fecal matter.
Archibald takes twenty searching the room.
Eiron glances at the unmoving skeleton nervously. He decides now would be a good time to properly equip himself for whatever they might find. Checking his leather armour straps are tight, slipping his left arm through the strap in his buckler and thumping the outside of it with his other hand, then unhooking his morning star from his belt and testing it on the skeletons head.
"That feels better. This place was starting to get to me." He exits the room and searches any other cells, using the keys to unlock doors. He attaches the keyring to a clip on his belt. "Check for unlocked cells and see if we can find anything else interesting." He looks at Shuo's hand before continuing, "be careful though."
Garr'ak eyes would narrow as he scans the room.
"This is an odd place."
Ritti doesn't like the feeling that sweeps over her. Like someone was walkin' over my grave.
Since no direction seem any better than another, Ritti walks back in the direction she came, hoping it will lead her out of this unnatural fog.
Shuo follows Eiron's suggestions and goes to the nearest unexplored cell and carefully looks for any signs of enemies or possible treasure.
Perception:
As he looks around the dungeon, he tries to see if anything about the place reminds him of any historical landmarks he's read of, or if he can even possibly guess a rough age of the castle based off of when the styles of the rusted weapons and armor in the corridor were most commonly used.
Knowledge (History):
Ritti Rallo
As you step...backwards? You're no longer too sure where you are exactly... the mists soon fade and you find yourself somewhere else...
Area #13: Pinnacle of Sun and Clouds
Bright sunlight shines down from a clear blue sky. Clouds drift lazily pass. You are standing on a tall tower top, soft winds blowing all around you. Glancing down you can barely make out the tops of other spires... the rest hidden by mists. There doesn't seem to be any door leading down that you can see for now.
Shuo and cie
All in all, your group finds only locked cells and nothing else. However, a wooden door at the end of the couloir is discovered. Duke listens at thr door, but hears nothing on the other end.
Garr'ak and Archibald
From what you can see, the room contains nothing. The smell simply seems out of place. As for another way out, a trapdoor in the ceiling of the ship is found at the end of the hallway. It is closed though. A large metal ring dangles from it, ten paces up.
Relieved to have found nothing, Eiron joins Duke at the door. "Nothing here except us it seems." He rolls his shoulders. Hoping that he can get out of here alive, so far so good. "Anything out there?" he whispers.
"The only way to find out for sure is to open the door. Of course, that's assuming merely trying to open the door doesn't kill us. Who knows what sorts of traps the kind of people who would plant a ring like this in a cell might put into a cell."
Shuo meticulously examines the door for any signs of traps.
Perception (take 20):
"Assuming we do manage to survive opening the door, we need to come up with a plan for what we do once it's open. I suggest that I open the door while you two ready yourselves to kill anything that tries to come through. You both are clearly handier in a fight then I am, especially given the condition this ring has left me in. I'm just as likely to drop my shovel as hit someone with it. If nothing comes rushing through, we can take a quick look around to see what we see, then close the door and decide what to do next. What do you two think of this plan?"