well all of them sound inviting how bout we check the remains of the basement first
"That's as good a plan as any" Gilda agrees.
"What a wonderful area. This prison must have been awful," Shel groans. She takes the lead, heading toward the pleasantly named Hell's Basement.
Perception
The party boldly strides into the hall to the east labeled "Hell's Basement." There they find several wet spots which once were ectoplasmic monsters.
A shaft in the ceiling leads to the floor above. A knotted rope dangles unmolested providing you an egress route.
"Sorry, I got a little sideways there. Stupid ghosts have me off my game, I suppose. We've already hit the basement, so we need to find another direction. How about if we head east? I've always preferred to go east for some reason."
Perception
"Um, that's still back to 'Hell's Basement,' Shel," Awnara offers. "You're still a touch shaken from being attacked by Father Charlatan, I'll make you a good pot of tea once we return to the manor. Until then, though, what about the 'Nevermore?' We have to explore everything until we find the other spirits, so one way's as good as the other."
Agreed.
Gilda looks around warily.
"Alright then."
After enjoying a good route on smashing the undead, Edrik joins up with the others.
Nodding agreeably with Awnara's suggestion, Edrik adds "Aye, the Nevermore it is then."
The southern passageway into the Nevermore leads to a rusted iron portcullis preventing you from reaching the cell block.
A small room to the side is mostly a burnt out shell - with a damaged mechanism that once controlled the winch.
"Is this fixable or is there another way?" Gilda muses aloud.
Shel tries to figure a way to raise the porticulus.
Disable Device
The gears are melted beyond repair (replacement or magic might help, but even then it would be substantial).
You could bash down the portcullis.
"Should we take the time to try and bash this down, or should we look for another way around? I don't think we should make as much noise as would be necessary to get through that porticulus."
"I agree with you, Shel," Awnara replies. There's still two other ways to go. How about 'Reaper's Hold', then?[/b]"
Vachordi follows with a grunt
One's as good as another at this point." murmurs Gilda and follows.
Shel leads the others to the room as Awarna described.
Perception
Garin follows close behind.
Harumph!
The hall ends with a closed and locked portcullis. A door is north and south of the gate.
A brass nameplate, its face caked with soot,
hangs above a portcullis leading into a large
cellblock. Many of the iron doors along the
walls within the cellblock hang open, revealing empty
cells within.
Gilda examines the nameplate, then looks around
Shel helps Gilda look around as good as she can.
Aid another Perception
Stopping dead in his tracks at the portcullis, Edrik's attention is drawn directly towards the name plate "Can anyone make that out?"
Awnara squints at the nameplate. "I can barely read it. Maybe if one of you taller folk wiped to soot away?"
Vachordi will send his dancing lights forward
The lights dart 10 feet beyond the portcullis and find that the cellblock extends north and south. You can see the doors to two cells from your vantage.
Shel moves to inspect the cell doors.
Perception
Shel reaches the portcullis and can't get any closer than the 10' distance.
"Anyone else have any ideas?"
Inside you find the winch affixed to the wall which can raise and lower the portcullis.
This guardroom contains a single large table with two chairs
astride it and a single sagging cot pushed up against the eastern
wall. Several battered cabinets line the northern wall, with a few
arrows and bits of chainmail lying scattered on the floor nearby,
yet the most eerie sight are the three fractured skulls sitting on
the table next to a heavy hammer. It looks as if someone has
arranged the fragments of the skulls in some sort of pattern, as
if an attempt had been made to construct a fourth skull from
the broken fragments of the trio on the table. The leathery body
of a long-dead dwarf, his wiry red hair and beard still strangely
vibrant in death, lies slumped on the ground behind the table.
If you're reading this: Initiative!
Initiative
"Oh, there's a hammer. That's bad," was all Shel was able to get out before the action started.
Vachordi follows into the south room
init
Garin heads to the door to the north at Shel's suggestion of having ideas, peeking inside until he hears the others head to the south, perhaps starting a commotion.
"A hammer? Why is that - OH!"
Staring at the spectacle, Edrik shakes his head and mumbles "Barbaric... anyway, what was that about a hammer?"
Eyes growing wide suddenly, Edrik leaps into action with the realization that danger is afoot.
The dessicated body of the ghost seems to sigh- and as it exhales a ghostly spirit of an angry, disheveled dwarf rises. Orbiting the head of the ghost is a ghostly skull; as it rotates you can see it's missing a jagged piece of cranium. The dwarf slams a ghostly hammer on the skulls sitting on the desk, causing pieces of ghostly skull to spiral around the ghost.
After the hammer blow, the ghost turns to attack you. With him rise the three cracked skulls from the table- launching into the air and snapping their jaws at you.
(who carries the hammer?)
Round 1 Order:
Enemies
Vachordi
Gilda 16
Shel (14)
Garin
Edrik
Awnara
Positioning herself to get them all in the cone of effect as much as possible, Gilda calls upon the good in her heart.
Shel pulls out a soul cypher and prepares to use it, depending on Gilda's result with her channel.
Vachordi begins to chant as he steps back
Inspire courage up
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
"It's the Marauder!", Awnara cries, her eyes already glowing white. "Why won't you find peace?!?" The holy light erupts from her eyes and streaks towards one of the three skulls.
Disrupt undead on the smelliest of the three skulls.