GM MattMorris Fall of Plaguestone (Inactive)

Game Master ChesterCopperpot

"I believe our next errand was to find Finnick."

"It sounds like we must be off. I'll come by to give you what help I can with that sword when I have a spare moment."

You suit thought to action and head back through town to explore the Dead Houses, abandoned since the area was ravaged by the plague.

No sooner do you start poking around the area than you encounter the goblin in question! However, when he sees you he does a double take and quickly turns to heel.

The goblin takes off through town.

Assuming you pursue, he leads you on a merry chase.

Attempt the following skill checks, and we'll see if you catch him!
1) The Market: DC 13 Athletics to push past carts, OR DC 15 Acrobatics to vault around them.
2) The Road: DC 14 Fortitude save to sprint.
3) The Alley: DC 15 Reflex save to avoid falling in the mud, OR DC 13 Survival to pick a better path
4) Backyard: DC 16 Stealth to Sneak past the guard dog, OR DC 18 Nature (trained only) to calm the dog.
5) Turnip Field: DC 16 Reflex save for the PC to keep their feet, OR DC 13 Society (trained only) to remember a shortcut.

Go ahead and try all of the checks and I'll figure out the successes.

Market: athletics: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (3) + 7 = 10
Road: Fort: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (13) + 8 = 21
Alley: Survival: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (3) + 5 = 8
Backyard: Nature: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (1) + 5 = 6
Turnip Field: Reflex: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (14) + 4 = 18

christ, that was some great rolling

1) The Market: Acro: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (3) + 5 = 8 DC 15 Acrobatics to vault around them.
2) The Road: Fort: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (16) + 5 = 21 DC 14 Fortitude save to sprint.
3) The Alley: Survival: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (1) + 7 = 8 vs. DC 13 Survival to pick a better path
4) Backyard: Nature: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (5) + 7 = 12 vs. DC 18 Nature (trained only) to calm the dog.
5) Turnip Field: Reflex: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (6) + 5 = 11 DC 16 Reflex save for the PC to keep their feet

Right there with you, Uhtred

Acro DC 15
1d20 + 6 ⇒ (12) + 6 = 18

Fort DC 14
1d20 + 4 ⇒ (6) + 4 = 10

Reflex DC 15
1d20 + 8 ⇒ (9) + 8 = 17

Stealth DC 16
1d20 + 6 ⇒ (3) + 6 = 9

Reflex DC 16
1d20 + 6 ⇒ (19) + 6 = 25

mixed results, there. not in the thing I'm meant to be best at, but good enough for a lvl 1 rogue!

~Botting~
Guldan
Acrobatics: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (20) + 7 = 27
Fort: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (8) + 8 = 16
Ref: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (7) + 9 = 16
Stealth: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (3) + 7 = 10
Ref: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (16) + 9 = 25
Telly
Acrobatics: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (15) + 6 = 21
Fort: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (6) + 5 = 11
Ref: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (7) + 6 = 13
Stealth: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (5) + 3 = 8
Ref: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (1) + 5 = 6

Mired by various inconvenient circumstance, most of you are left behind by the fleeing goblin. Guldan leaps into action so quickly, though, that she catches up to him in the slippery alleyway.

She manages to grab Finick by the tunic and lift him into the air. His feet kick weakly for a moment before he stops squirming, merely muttering "Oh no, oh no, oh no..." in a pathetic fashion.

"Now, my dear boy. Is that any way to carry on? We mean you no harm."

Diplomacy to calm him down
1d20 + 7 ⇒ (12) + 7 = 19

He calms a bit at the kind words from Uncle Good Good, sniffing and wiping his nose.
"Don't hurt me! I didn't mean it! I didn't know!" He hangs his head, but he seems to know why you are here. "You are investigating your friend Bort's death, I know. People all over town are talking about it! I'm so, so sorry. Hallod made me slip those spices in Bort's porridge, but he said that they would only make Bort sick, not kill him!"

Finick rubs his own neck. "And he said that he'd stick me with one of his nasty blades if I didn't do it, or if I said anything to anyone!"

"I ran out during the brawl, so I didn't even know what happened to Bort until later. I know I'm involved, but I swear I didn't mean to hurt him. Please, have mercy on me!"

"It's going to be okay. I'm sure you had no idea what was going on. Now just tell us a bit more about this Hallod, what he wanted you to do, and why, and we'll be sure to make sure you're cleared of any blame."

"Hallod is a terrible bully. He pushes me around constantly. This time, he told me that he wanted to give Bort, 'a little payback for a
bad deal he made with the merchant the last time he was in town.' He made me slip the herbs into his porridge." Finick is hanging his head in shame as he talks to you.

"I can talk to Rolth if you want me to, but I don't think he likes me much. He'll probably lock me up. If you want to question Hallod, he lives in Dead Willow, a ruined house on the north side of town. I can give you directions to it, but please don't tell Hallod I said anything. He'll kill me too!"

"Please do, lad. We'll take care of this Hallod. In the meantime, why don't you go to our caravan and get something to eat. Don't mention anything about the spices until we have a chance to speak with Rolth."

Do you folks want to do anything before you go to Hallod's hideout?

can you please remind us what we know about him?

Not too much. Basically what Finick told you. You also saw him pushing Finick around when you first arrived at the Feedmill.

I can't remember anything else that was on our list, so i'm happy to head straight to Hallod. If others remember something else we were planning on doing, I'm happy to do that first as well.

I can't remember anything else on the to-do list either. Do we need any gear for fighting?

I believe Uhtred wouldn't have left home without it, but I'm happy to head back to camp first.

Sounds like you are headed to investigate.

It's not far to the site that Finick describes as Hallod's hideout. A huge, dead willow stands in front of a house that appears to be in serious disrepair. It might have had a second story at one time, but that long ago collapsed into ruin, taking parts of the first floor with it. The windows are all boarded over, and the front door hangs open about a foot, kept from swinging wider by a frayed rope.

This is labeled Dead Willow on the town map.

The yard is a complete mess of overgrown weeds. The house itself is constructed from thick wooden posts, slats, and plaster. It’s barely standing, with the entire second floor having collapsed.

]Dead Willow

Uhtred takes his axe out as they approach and continues towards the door (unless someone asks him to stop so they can stealth ahead).

UGG will stealth into the tall grass, allowing his dwarven friend to proceed.

Stealth
1d20 + 6 ⇒ (12) + 6 = 18

Vetch creeps along with his newfound friends, pondering the strange turn of events that have led him to this moment. Not what he ever expected to be doing, but he's loving life!

Stealth: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (16) + 5 = 21

Seeing Vetch and Good-Good sneaking in the tall grass, Uhtred nods to Uldan to join him in the walk to the front door

The front door to the house no longer sits properly in its frame and is kept from swinging wide open by a simple rope attached to the inside latch. Even with this, it still hangs open about a foot.

"Hello? Hallod?
Uhtred unhitches the rope and opens the door, scanning the room before taking a step in.

When Uhtred unhooks the rope, it pulls out of his hand with a zing! and flies into his room.

Perhaps you feel a moment of unease, then there is a distinctive twang, and a crossbow bolt comes flying through the door.

crossbow trap!: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (19) + 14 = 33 for piercing: 2d6 + 6 ⇒ (3, 1) + 6 = 10

Well, it's a good thing you're a barbarian!

The bolt sinks deep into Uhtred, critically hitting him.

Beyond the door, the foyer empties into a clearly abandoned living space. The hearth is choked with branches and debris from above, the furniture is smashed and soiled, and a thick layer of dirt and grime covers every surface. It seems obvious that no one has used this room in years. The only other exit leads to a room thoroughly filled with debris from the collapsed roof above.

Uhtred calls to his allies, letting them know that while there was a trap on the front door, it doesn't look as though anyone has lived in here for years.

"Do you all think Fennick mislead us on purpose, or is Hallod living in a camp near by? I'm not sure why the door would be trapped if no one is living here, and it's not as though there was any chance of the trap taking out all of us. Was Fennick or Hallod hoping it would scare us off? If so, I'll add that to the list of things to disabuse them of."

Uhtred begins administering first aid on himself
medicine: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (4) + 5 = 9 10 minutes
medicine: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (8) + 5 = 13 so close, 10 more
1d1d20 + 5 ⇒ (13) + 5 = 18 30 minutes total unless we're interrupted
for healing: 2d8 ⇒ (6, 6) = 12

As Uhtred is tending to himself, Guldan notices evidence that someone does frequent the property; their trail leads up to the front door, circles the house, and leads down to the stream.

Alex, no big deal this time, as we aren't in a time-sensitive situation, but failing a Medicine check makes you immune to first aid for an hour. (Unless you have a certain Medicine skill feat.)

Uhtred and Guldun, you notice that one of the boarded windows is actually a false shutter. It's latched from the inside, but you might be able to get it open.

UGG crosses through the grass to get closer to the house without breaking cover.

whoops. forgot that. sorry. however you want to play it is cool.

No, it's all good. I'm just laying in wait while you guys kick in the door.

It's fine fr you to be fully healed. We'll just go from there.

Assuming that we've gathered together to share our information and watch me tend to myself, and tend to myself, and tend to myself:

"Shall we head down to the stream? I'm interested in having a 'talk' with whomever set that trap."

Checking the bank of the stream, you see a set of Medium-sized boot prints. They are sunk deeply enough into the bank that you could assume they belong to a fairly heavy person.

The tracks only lead back and forth between the stream and the house. Some of them seem very recent.

UGG will stealth over to the house and look in the window.

Stealth
1d20 + 6 ⇒ (9) + 6 = 15

Perception
1d20 + 4 ⇒ (14) + 4 = 18

The window is shuttered, but you think you could manage to unlock it with a Thievery check or force it open.

Thievery
1d20 + 6 ⇒ (7) + 6 = 13

:(

i thought the front door opened when I got hit by the trap. if that's the case, does someone want to scope out for traps and we can head in that way?

Sorry, the box text is a little useless in this section; I should have just explained it better myself. Let me try again:

The door Uhtred opened was a trapped decoy. It leads into a room of the house that's basically only filled with trash and rubble. The rubble is blocking access to the rest of the house. Looking at the outside, you can tell that there's at least one room on the west side of the house that you can't see into because it's "boarded up." The boarded over window is really just a shutter though--that BGG is trying to open. Also, I don't see any reason that you wouldn't just keep trying, Tim, so I'm going to assume that you do until you open it.

Uncle Good Good works his magic on the trick shutter, and you can see that it opens into a half-collapsed room that is little chocked with debris from the fallen ceiling.

There’s just enough room for two Medium creatures to stand in this space, and a cursory inspection from this spot uncovers a crawlway under the debris. Unlike everything else, this crawlway is mostly free from grime and dust.

If you decide to explore the crawlway, it looks like you culd move through the crawlway only in single file. Medium creatures could crawl 5 feet per action; Small and smaller creatures can move at normal speed.

Vetch comes out of cover to look inside after Bennington works his "magic" - never afraid of a hole in the ground, Vetch is ready to go in, as long as Uhtred and Guldan lead the way.

For what it is worth, Vetch has a +7 to those first aid checks via Natural Medicine, so feel free in general to assume he'd help you in those situations and use his mod if you'd like

Bennington will politely stand aside and allow the hardier party members to go first into the crawl space.

Uhtred does what scanning he can for traps
perception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (6) + 7 = 13
before heading in.

Uhtred manages to squeeze through the tunnel without dropping any debris on himself. After about 15 feet, the tunnel takes a sharp turn.

Beyond the turn, the crawlway continues for another 10 feet before opening up into a small chamber that appears to have once been a closet.
The door leaving the space is barred by debris on the other side and cannot be opened, but there is a hatch built into the floor. It is very old, but free from debris and dust.

You could ease the hatch open with Thievery or come up with a another solution. Otherwise, the hatch will make a loud noise when you open it.

Uhtred motions for everyone to back up and head out. Once out of the tunnel, he explains the situation and asks his compadres if someone with nimble hands wants to try to quietly open it while checking for traps, or if they would like him to just charge in.

The goblin butler will crawl into the space, slip on his white gloves and set to work.

Perception for Traps
1d20 + 4 ⇒ (17) + 4 = 21

Thievery
1d20 + 6 ⇒ (15) + 6 = 21

BGG will remove his gloves, tuck them neatly away and crawl back out. He stands to the side and bows precisely at the waist as though holding the door for a distinguished guest.

The trap door eases open with nary-a squeak. Uncle Good Good also notices a bit of a chancy spot in the rubble that might have collapsed on unwary hatch openers. It seems to be safe now.

Under the hatch is a stone-lined chute that descends almost 30 feet. Handholds have been carved into the stone wall, but they are uneven and treacherous. Climbing them would be slow going (though it wouldn't require a check, as long as you can see the handholds).

do we head in with the barbarian in front or the trap spotter?

Barbarian ho!

I think the barbarian is the trap spotter.