Thirst - A Ravenloft PbP

Game Master Celestial Healer

Will:1d20 + 3 ⇒ (7) + 3 = 10

Well s$*$. :/

Still waiting on Eliva, Res, and Urdrin.

Will: 1d20 + 6 + 1 ⇒ (15) + 6 + 1 = 22

will: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (12) + 7 = 19

Rolling for Urdrin 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (1) + 2 = 3

Nathaniel, Eliva, and Res are particularly resilient to the plague's effects. The rest are beginning to feel strangely elated, almost giddy. It's a bit like being drunk and finding everything a bit more funny than it ought to be. These early symptoms are readily apparent to the more perceptive among you, and do not bode well.

While the disease is magical, I am using the disease mechanic to adjudicate its increasing effects. Saves are 1/day. Right now, those who failed their initial save are taking 1d4 Wisdom damage.

Angalia 1d4 ⇒ 1
Erfan 1d4 ⇒ 4
Tiffana 1d4 ⇒ 3
Urdrin 1d4 ⇒ 2

Those of you who spoke with Sister Cecile in the infirmary know that the magical disease is not airborne, so it may be worth thinking back on what you all did together that might have infected you. Or you can hope to find out when/if you visit the funhouse.

For reference: Damage to your Wisdom score causes you to take penalties on Wisdom-based skill checks and Will saving throws. This penalty also applies to any spell DCs based on Wisdom.

For those who are particularly observant, the Wisdom damage means the longer you have the disease, the harder it is to make your saves, since they penalize Will saves. It's a particularly insidious affliction.

That leaves Erfan with only 4 Wisdom left. Another day like that and he'll be a vegetable. He was already pretty giggly and absent-minded before. He's practically a lunatic at this point.

"Wouldn't it be funny if those adorable honey rolls had infected us?"

Angalia finds the thought more amusing than not.

You still have leftovers, if I recall, should you want to inspect them more closely.

For Erfan's sake, I hope you get to the bottom of the plague before the poor gnome has to make another save (at an additional -2 penalty, no less). Call it motivation :)

Angalia giggles as she unpacks the honey rolls. "Go on. Find out if they're the cause."

Nathaniel looks at his friends with real concern. When Angalia mentions the honey rolls he smacks his forehead with the heel of his hand. “Of course! The honey rolls ... we should never have let our guard down like that. The only other thing I can think of is the singing of the twins – did all of us hear that?”

Will: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (19) + 1 = 20

I'll give it to you, Urdrin, especially since I rolled a miserable 1.

sorry..... by the time I posted you had posted for me

"There is power in song, there always has been."Tif seems somewhat "flighty" in her speech, "Did I not say I wished to return to her before? I will go alone if need be, but I would prefer to have company."

"I don't think it was the honey rolls. Remember, I tried to detect poison on the honey rolls and found nothing. Now the singing, on the other hand, that is another story. I think Nathaniel and Tiff are onto something. Tiff, I and maybe Urdrin can accompany you to see the twins, as we seem to be resistant to the plaque at the moment, I can also watch you in case your symptoms get worse." Looking at Erfan deteriorate quickly, Res continues, "Eliva, Nathaniel, maybe you can take Angalia and Erfan to the convent. Sister Greta may be able to use her magic to stave off the disease for a while. She cast calm emotions to soothe the patients. Tomorrow, during my meditation, I can add that spell, but today I am of no help."

“Hold on,” says Nathaniel. “I don’t think it’s wise for a few of us to go back to the carnival during opening hours. That man Nik will have his eyes open for us, and may feel bold enough to try something if he spies just one or two of us. No, we’ll be sneaking back in there tonight after closing anyway, I suggest if Tiff wants to speak to the twins we do that as part of the same trip.

“If we don’t all go together, then I agree, we should take Erfan in particular to the convent. But I wonder whether we might be able to find a cure when we investigate tonight? It may be a false hope, but if there is any hope I would say that Angalia and Erfan would want to be part of it, rather than stuck in the convent.”

Edited for Res’s edited post above.

Detect magic could be a way to find out if honey rolls are enchanted, you know.

"Nathaniel, You may be right about the danger of splitting up, but look at Erfan, I don't think he has a lot of time. I'm not sure we can wait until tonight. While we decide, let me take another look at those honey rolls." Res casts Detect Magic on the roll in case there was something he missed the first time.

“Is there any way to determine how quickly this plague gets worse?” Nathaniel wonders. “The symptoms seem to have come on fast, but how quickly will they progress?”

From a metagame point of view, what is the frequency – if once / hour or something like that then Erfan is in trouble, if once / day then we can probably afford to wait a bit before getting help.

"If I've got the plague then I couldn't ask for better company."

Angalia wraps her arms around Tiff and Erfan and hugs both of them.

"Should I be taking this more seriously? It's hard to care much."

In this case, detect magic reveals nothing, but if it had been the honeyrolls, the detect poison probably wouldn't have caught it.

Based on what Sister Cecile said about the plague and what you have observed first hand, you can deduce that this is a 1/day effect. In other words, you are best off sorting this out tonight than waiting until tomorrow.

Tif shrugs the other woman's arms from around her shoulders, snikkering as she does, "I care not if Nik is watching for us, if they challenge us then we can force a confrontation on our terms in regard to timing. I say we go, waiting only for the crowds to thin. And if need be we burn the whole damn thing to the ground and salt the earth when we're through!", flames leap and dance in her golden eyes as she speaks, her anger and determination boiling to the surface.

You expect that crowds should thin after dark. What's the plan?

Eliva looked at her companions with concern. "It seems we should do what we can to track this down quickly. Do we know if any of the carnival workers have been affected? Might they have a cure for it? Or do they just avoid exposure?" She sighed. "I think the best idea is to try to investigate under cover of darkness."

“Alright. Let’s go back there once it gets late enough; I’m not scared of Nik and his friends, but if it does come to a fight – or burning the whole place down,” Nathaniel adds with a glance at Tif, “I wouldn’t want any innocent visitors to be caught in the crossfire. We’ll all go, unless Angalia or Erfan doesn’t feel up to it, in which case I’ll escort them back to the hospice first. Otherwise – let’s get ready to go.”

"Don't be silly. I need to be there. We're betrothed."

"Sounds like we are waiting until Dark. Which way should we head first, I strongly suggest the twins are the source of the plaque, but they may simply be a tool. Do we go directly to the funhouse to find the root of this evil? With the giggling and laughing from the disease, I think it will be difficult to sneak our way in. Does anybody have a silence spell?"

It sounds like you are going after dark. Am I to assume that everybody is going?

Sounds like it.

"I think we should go to the funhouse - even if the twins are the source, confronting them won't necessarily solve our problem, it may just expose more of us to the curse. I don't have magic ... But would it help for those afflicted to tie cloths around their mouths, to muffle the sounds of laughter?"

Sounds like we're all going, a few hours after nightfall maybe?

"I was going to suggest you gag me!"

Angalia's eyes darken slightly despite the merriment in her voice.

"This is going to get worse before it gets better, however funny it all seems now. Don't let us end up like those poor souls Res and Eliva saw at the hospice."

As darkness falls, villagers light their feeble candles in Tillich. The village is quiet, like so many dreary thorpes in the countryside.

As you approach the carnival grounds, you hear quiet voices from an encampment behind the grounds. The flickering flames of cooking fires are dying down, and few carnival workers seem to be up and about. The front entrance of the carnival has been obstructed by a rickety sawhorse - hardly a security measure, but then, given the place is surrounded a by a low fence, securing the front entrance would be pointless.

The tents are tied shut and the stalls have been closed down for the night. From a distance, however, you can see that the boards that once held fast the doors of the funhouse have been cast aside. The door is ajar.

As the group approaches the fence and ‘gate’, Nathaniel sneaks forward (stealth: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (7) + 8 = 15) and has a look about for any signs of ambush or other trouble (such as traps) (perception: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (7) + 8 = 15, further +2 vs humans). If it all appears to be clear, he gestures the others forward, then steps over the barrier at the gate.

Nathaniel does not detect any signs of an ambush. There are no signs of activity besides the low voices of the carneys far behind the carnival and the grunting of the caged animals.

Lead the way, stealthy-like, over to the funhouse, keeping an eye out for trouble. I’ll assume my previous rolls carry for now, if you want me to roll again, let me know.

1d20 + 11 ⇒ (15) + 11 = 26 - Stealth
1d20 + 9 ⇒ (7) + 9 = 16 - Perception (+1 to identify traps)

Wrapping her scarf around her mouth to stop herself laughing, Angalia sneaks closer.

Nathaniel grips Angalia encouragingly on the shoulder and flashes her a worried half-smile before the two sneak in in advance of the rest of the group.

As you advance into the carnival grounds, you remain warily alert. The grounds are eerily still, but for the lazy flapping of unsecured tent flaps which, from the corner of your eye, resemble grasping hands in the darkness. The painted faces that festoon the colorful banners of the carnival, now barely discernable in the starlight, look more like sneering gargoyles, obscured by long shadows.

The freakshow tent is tied shut and darkened for the night; no light shines from its loose seams and nothing stirs within. As you near the funhouse, however, you hear an unlikely sound. From within, muffled by the intervening walls, you can make out the strains of an organ played at a frenetic pace.

Nathaniel raises an eyebrow at Angalia, unseen in the dark, then continue to creep forward in advance of the main group (except for Ange and perhaps Eliva), up to the door of the funhouse. Warily, he places his back against the wall beside the door, then peers around the corner, looking through the open doorway.

Stealth: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (5) + 8 = 13 Perception: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (11) + 8 = 19 plus 2 vs humans.

As he advances a discarded leaflet crunches under his foot. He winces, hoping that the sound of the organ will cover the noise.

As Nathaniel peers in the doorway, he is immediately startled by the movement of a human figure inside. That lasts only a moment before he discerns that the figure is his own reflection in some sort of large mirror. The room beyond the front door is small and deserted, but for the many reflections that play on its mirrored surfaces.

Nathaniel gives the others the all clear, but whispers a warning about the mirrors. Cautiously, quietly, he enters the building, after readying his shield and taking his axe in hand.

Angalia follows, her hands moving quietly to her daggers.

Seeing the all clear sign, Res tries to move quietly up to Nathaniel and Angalia's position. When the group has reassembled near the door, he holds up a finger to get everyone's attention. In a low voice he murmurs a prayer to Gorum asking his help as they enter the funhouse.

Res casts bless on everyone: +1 to attack rolls and saves against fear effects for 3 minutes. Also, just in case you need it, I'll make a stealth roll: 1d20 - 4 ⇒ (15) - 4 = 11

Tif follows as stealthy as she can, her mind racing as she readies to unleash spell against any threat she finds.

Stealth:1d20 + 3 ⇒ (14) + 3 = 17
Perception:1d20 - 1 ⇒ (4) - 1 = 3

The door opens with a faint creek. Within, you enter into a hallway lined with mirrors on either side. In the faint light, the mirrors facing each other cast your reflections infinitely in several directions. It gives an impression of never being truly alone. The narrow corridor twists and turns, casting your reflections in every direction. While the path never splits, the myriad reflections are disorienting and confounding.

What is the light source here? Is it enough for us to see well enough to find our way and not trip over our own feet?

Close to the entrance, you can get some ambient light from outside to see where you are going, amplified as it is by the many mirrors. As you progress, however, that will not suffice, and additional light will be necessary.

“We’ll need a shrouded light of some sort,” Nathaniel whispers back along the line. “Anything too bright will bounce off these mirrors and alert anyone further inside this place.”

Having said so, he leads the way forward, trying to remain stealthy and alert.

Take 10 on stealth for 18, take 10 on perception for 18, +2 vs humans.

Erfan is far too out of sorts at this point for anything resembling rational behavior. Unless he is physically escorted by the others, he wanders aimlessly about in the fields outside the fairgrounds, giggling to himself and talking to crickets.