Taking his slow and careful time with it, Ruso is finally able to spring the lock on the maple chest in the room that Ten-Penny told you belonged to Rokhar, the leader of the bandits here.
Inside is a variety of valuable objects: a gold ingot with the Taldan royal seal, a spyglass, a silver lady's ring, three shards of tiger's eye gemstone, a fine pair of leather riding boots of elven make, a silver dagger, and a leather portfolio filled with pieces and scraps of parchment.
Irina studies the scrolls. She manages to identify three of the four scrolls.
The three identified scrolls are: Endure Elements and two scrolls of Magic Weapon. The fourth remains unread until Peltra takes a look and determines that it is a scroll of Unseen Servant
"Well, well, well... This is a nice little haul we have here. Before we try to lay claim to it though perhaps we should make sure it does not belong to the fair lady."
Ruso gathers up the items from within the chest and carries them out to the table in the common room. "Fair Lady, would any of these items happen to be your personal property?"
The Lady Argentea demures, shaking her head as she looks over the treasures from the maple chest. "These are not my things. I did have some jewelry I stashed in the carriage when the bandits attacked, but it is probably still there. It was just trinkets really, so if someone has made off with it, it matters not."
When you discuss going to bed, the Lady claims the big comfortable bed in Rokhar's room, complaining all the while about how hard and lumpy it is.
Jack looks over what has been discovered. Seeing the breastplate, and his wounds, he decides to strip off his armor and replace it with the better protection.
"Does anyone have a stake or climbing spike on them? If so we can use it to secure that door at the top of the that short staircase."
Jack looks over what has been discovered. Seeing the breastplate, and his wounds, he decides to strip off his armor and replace it with the better protection.
Ruso decides to make the most of his time and continues to search the first floor of the lodge. He approaches the unopened door near the base of the stairs and checks it over in his usual careful manner.
Ruso opens the door carefully and looks inside checking for any remaining threats to his or the others safety.
Ruso carefully opens the door into that leads into the room. He steps into the door and scans the room looking for any obvious threats to his safety.
Iriana will keep the Lady company until she goes to bed. "Shall we finish searching the house. There should be more people someplace." She will follow Ruso around several feet behind him as he searches.
Jack stands ready with bow in hand, as he covers Ruso.
The south door is neither locked nor trapped, and as Ruso pushes it open the stench of sickness assaults his nostrils before he sees the inside of the room.
Four beds, two large chests, and a single table with four chairs occupy this room. Windows look out to the east, west, and south, but since it is dark outside the grandeur of the view is lost on you.
Four or more men, coughing or shivering, lie in the bunks, groaning for water or for someone to ease their fevers. One man tries to stand, reach for his shortsword at the bedside. "Halt intruders!" he calls stirring a few of the others, the rest too ill to stir.
Jack firmly says "Lay down. You are in no condition to fight, and there is no need anyway. We are the ones that were brought in to take over while you are ill."
Dizzy from fever, the man stumbles but complies, returning to the bed. "Rokhar said he sent for more men, but I didn't believe him. Thought he was just waiting for us to expire so he could turn us. But guess he meant it. Can you bring us more soup? I'm starving, and so thirsty..."
Irina moves into the room, and looks around for water to give the sick as she checks them over. "What do you mean turn?" she asks.
"Can someone go get soup please?" These poor men. I know they are bandits, but they don't deserve to be left alone while sick like this.
Ruso steps clear of the sick room and moves to finish checking the rest of the first floor. Best to let those skilled in handling the ill and diseased tend to those poor sops.
Ruso visually looks over the door, door handle, and door jam as he checks for traps and/or the door being locked. His hands are deft and steady as if he is well practiced and experienced at this skill.
Ruso once again turns his keen eyes to another door. He inspects if for any sign of danger or being locked.
The first room Ruso checks out is unlocked and untrapped. It appears to be a small bedroom, that is currently unoccupied. There is nothing remarkable about this small room.
The other door leads to the lodge's kitchen. A large fireplace takes up most of the north wall of this room, its radiant heat providing palpable relief from the cold weather outside. Cabinets and shelves line the remaining wall space, and four windows look out on the wintry landscape surrounding the lodge.
A large iron kettle of soup stands just off the fire, simmering with an aromatic flavor. There are the various pots, pans, dishes and foodstuffs one might see in a cabin here, though the food supply is looking rather meager.
In the sickroom, the man answers Irina with a glassy-eyed stare. "Have you met Rokhar? I mean he's waiting until we die to bring us back to serve him again. Undeath! Abomination! But that's his play, I know it."
Irina remembers reading about this form of disease with Old Woman Theodora. She has little trouble recognizing the fever, shakes, and unique cold blisters that cover the sick men. Chillbane fever is a highly virulent and contagious disease that is usually endemic to the frozen north, like Irrisen. She also knows the disease is easily spread, and she may already have been exposed.
There is a pitcher of water in the room, that she uses to distribute small rations to all the sick men. One seems to far gone to actually try to drink.
Skyne clearly stays far from the sick room, and stays behind Ruso, covering the rogue with his crossbow.
Irina shakes her head, and moves out of the room, but stays away from the others. "It's a disease called Chillbane. It's from the north. It's virulent and contagious. I'll stay far away from you just in case I've contracted it. I don't want everyone ill. There isn't much I could do for them. I don't have enough knowledge to help them get better."
She looks at the other two doors. "Have you found a room I can stay away from you all in. Just in case?"
"Irina, there is a small bedroom by the front doors. It is clear and able to be isolated from the rest of the lodge. Go there for now while we finish clearing this place. Also please pass along the healing stick we where given by the old women back in town just in case someone gets gravely injured as we finish our task."
Ruso moves up the stairs to the second floor and checks the door.
"As soon as we are secure, I will come and watch your door."
Jack follows Ruso to back him up.
Irina passes over the wand, and heads into the small bedroom.
As Irina moves off to her self-appointed quarantine, Lady Argentea turns in for the evening, pleased to have a real bed to sleep in, and even it its not exactly warm, it's a sight better than the basement on a mat.
Ruso, finishing his exploration of the lodge, moves up the stairs, with Jack not far behind. Ruso attends to the door, checking for traps or locks, and is surprised when the door bursts open, a skeletal figure swirling with ice and snow plows outward, ready to attack with an ear-splitting shriek.
Planning Room - Round 1
20 Red Skeleton
20 Jack
18 Wulfgang
18 Green Skeleton
16 Blue Skeleton
16 Irina
13 Ruso
10 Skyne
8 Semik
4 Peltra
Red Skeleton attacks the elf lockpicker with his chipped and notched shortsword, stabbing it woefully into thin air, missing any living creature even in the tight confinement. Ruso does feel the air temperature drop precipitously as the undead thing draws near.
”Ruso, get back behind me!”
Jack uses both hands two try and cleave the closest skeleton into many pieces.
Planning Room - Round 1 - continued
Reacting quickly to the sound of battle from upstairs, Wulfgang rushes around the table and up the stairs taking his place behind the northern ranger.
Jack, hemmed in by the narrow hall, has to wait for Ruso to move before he can act. He impatiently waits telling the elf to clear the area.
Surprisingly, the two other skeletons don't rush the door but instead back away from it, moving to the far side of the room.
Iriana moves out of the room and up the stairs. She gets in line with everyone else. "What is up there?"
Ruso seeing no safer option makes a back flip over the railing and lands on the floor below with a flourish. Just as he finishes the flourish he immediately succumbs to his injuries and falls into an unconscious heap on the rough hewn floorboards.
"Come back down the stairs! Bring it out where we can all get a shot!"
Planning Room - Round 1 - concluded
Hearing the shriek and the start of a fight from her quarantine room, Irina risks the infection and rushes to aid the others, getting in the queue at the stairs.
Weakened from exposure to the icy cold skeleton, Ruso nearly faints, but before he does, he flips himself over the railing of the lodge stairs, avoiding any attack by the undead foe, and lands on his feet on the table. Then he promptly passes out...
Acting to fill the gap, Jack rushes forward cleaving the air with his scythe but the blade fails to connect with the skeletal foe.
Neither Skyne or Semik see the value in getting in line at the stairs, so the oracle suggests the others bring the undead down to the ground floor where more firepower can be brought to bear. In the meantime, they delay.
Peltra moves to the fallen Ruso, and tends to his wounds using her healing kit, such that he doesn't continue to wither, but remains unconscious but stable.
End of Round 1
Planning Room - Round 2
20 Red Skeleton
18 Wulfgang
18 Green Skeleton
16 Blue Skeleton
16 Irina
13 Ruso (unconscious, stable)
20 Jack (had readied)
10 Skyne (delay)
8 Semik (delay)
4 Peltra
Red Skeleton stabs at Jack, but the ranger's new breastplate turns aside the rusty shortsword harmlessly. The skeleton then steps backward into the room.
Heedless of his allies calls, Wulfgang rushes into the room and his mighty blow fells the nearest skeleton, which explodes in any blast of cold air and icy shards. The viking warrior is able to move quickly to avoid the worst of the damage, but the cold still harms him somewhat.
Green Skeleton moves up and attacks Wulfgang but misses. Blue Skeleton leaps on the impressive table in this room, and presses the attack on Wulfgang.
Jack moves in, knowing it isn't tactically sound, but doesn't want to leave Wulgar to face these monsters alone.
If he gets in alive, he swings his longsword at the blue on standing on the table.
Irina turns around and heads toward Ruso. "Back away everyone. He's got the wand. I can use it on him but I want you to stay back from me please."
She digs for the wand on Ruso's person.
Planning Room - Round 2 - continued
Irina watches Ruso's graceful dismount but frowns as he fails to stick the landing and ends up unconscious on the table. She races back down the stairs to his side, searching and eventually finding the healing wand.
Back upstairs, Jack takes a deep breath and, knowing it might really hurt, charges into the planning room despite the close by presence of the skeletons to attack as he moves. Both undead warriors stab at his movement, but both react too slowly to harm him. Turning on the nearest, he slashes at it with his longsword, and grimaces as the target explodes in a ball of ice and cold.
Jack is able to avoid the worst of the cold, but Wulfgang is less fortunate and suffers the full amount of exposure.
Irina acknowledges Wulfgang's words, but continues to work on Ruso. She uses the wand on him. After she's done she moves to the front door to guard it from anyone trying to leave.
Planning Room - Round 2 - concluded
Hearing that something invisible might be in the works, Semik and Skyne take positions near the side door, ready to fire if anything tries to brush past them.
Peltra goes towards the main front door, which is still barred, stepping around the corpses of the fallen bandits to do so.
End of Round 2
Planning Room - Round 3
18 Wulfgang (9hp dmg)
18 Green Skeleton
16 Irina
13 Ruso (unconscious, stable)
20 Jack
10 Skyne
8 Semik
4 Peltra
Beginning his turn next to a frozen skeleton, Wulfgang is affected by the icy undead.
Planning Room - Round 3 - continued
Wulfgang's next axe blow is more clumsy as he starts to get woozy from the wounds and cold damage he has suffered. His best effort at an attack misses.
Counter-attacking, Green Skeleton moves with surprising speed for an undead creature, stabbing the viking in the belly, and giving him a wound that drops him unconscious as well.
Irina uses the wand on Ruso, and moves to block the outside doors with Peltra.
Ruso clamors back to his feet and hears the sounds of combat still coming from upstairs. "Fish guts! We are still fighting." Ruso draws his rapier as he prepares to get back into the fight.
Planning Room - Round 3 - continued
Seeing Wulfgang go down with a belly wound, Jack is determined to end thet last of the exploding skeletons quickly. He leaps up on the table himself, and brings his sword down in a power attack but the bag of bones is able to avoid the blade and the fight continues.
Skyne and Semik ready actions to fire their crossbows at any foe that appears, while they stand guard at the side door.
At the bottom of the stairs, a voice is heard, even though no one is seen. The voice seems to be chanting or reading magic as if casting a spell. It is a man's voice deep and sonorous.
Peltra listens to the voice, trying to make out its words and position. Suddenly she shouts, "I can't make out where he is, but someone is casting a spell to animate those dead brigands. we're about to have a bunch of trouble down here again."
Indeed, if you can see the base of the stairs, you see the brigand who fell there start to stir. Unlife filling its dead arms and legs. It sits, rises and stands, roaring in its strange undead anger.
Semik sees the corpse rise and immediately fires a crossbow bolt across the room at it but the shot is unsteady and misses. Try as he might, Semik cannot see who cast the spell.
End of Round 3