[PFS1] GM Pudding's The House on Hook Street (Inactive)

Game Master Tom G

Actually having read the rules again the primary caster of the ritual must succeed at the check to decipher it themselves, so having Huxwren and Eldrin succeed gives you options

You all get back to work studying the ritual. Together with Dru's help both Huxwren and Eldrin manage to achieve that crucial leap that bridges rote performance with true understanding.

The ritual is very involved and requires some specific items as well as practices. Certain incenses must be burned in a bowl filled with fresh grave earth, each practitioner must have a full bottle of wormwood wine to open and pour a single glass from and drunk as part of the ritual. While the others chant, one must take the ash from the incense, mix it with the grave earth, then use it to draw shape of a door or portal all while speaking the chant. Finally a mithral key must be place on the drawn portal and turned, and if successful the way will be opened. The whole thing will take around an hour to complete all the incantations.

The research also reveals that the thin boundary to the dimension of dreams here will make the ritual more likely to succeed, as well as that the unique key the Clavis Somnus will also provide aid.

Even if the ritual succeeds, the powers involved will likely draw unwanted attention, and the book speaks of nightmares made manifest, evil incorporeal outsiders from the dimension of dreams that can impose a curse to live a waking nightmare.

You could roll knowledge (planes) on these creatures, but even if you fail you could go to a library to look them up if you want

I'll get into the mechanics of the ritual shortly, but there's something else to deal with before that...

Guard: 1d3 ⇒ 3

A few days after your encounter with the ex-communicate and her alien hound, shortly after Eldrin and Huxwren have satisfied themselves that they have a good handle on the ritual and while Taariik keeps watch, Drusilla and Grunyak bolt awake, the memory of a terrible dream lingering in their consciousness.

Drusilla and Grunyak each remember going to sleep as they do each time, and quickly being swept up into the warm and secure environment of Madame Carrington's dream sanctuary. It is very crowded in there, and as they are not lucid dreamers their memories are fragmented and hard to recall, but one terrible thing that sticks in their mind is the screams of the dreamers as the sanctuary is penetrated, and the terrified cries of "Sally Scrabblebones is here! Run for your lives"

What do you do? It is early morning, around 6am

"We need to get into the dreamworld and help. Or can we attack Sally Scrabblebones in this world. Either way we have to help and quick."

Can we get all the stuff we need and perform the ritual in a few hours?" Would Grunyak and the others have their daily preparations done? Would we need to get the grave dirt and special incense and enough to perform the ritual several times?

Assuming Grunyak and Drusilla mention the dream to everyone else:

“Or we could go find her physically,” Huxwren suggests, for once the voice of practicality. “She’s got her butler and phantom to tell us more about what you saw, and we can always hold the ritual there if need be.”

Is this a new day? And do we have an idea what sorts of skills/abilities might be needed for the ritual - if so, Huxwren would try to tailor their spirit to match.

I posted some details in the discussion. I have one vote for checking on Madame Carrington, anyone else?

Let's check On miss Carrington's place. She could gives us hints about what we are about to fight, and how to fight it more efficiently

You decide to check on Madame Carrington after the strange commotion that Drusilla and Grunyak experienced in the dream world, quite unlike anything you remember before. After completing your daily preparations, you rush over to her Parlour, the much smaller and more mundane real-world counterpart to her dream sanctuary.

You are met by a sorrowful Maynard, her assistant. He has tears in his eyes as he leads you into the parlour. The room is in tattered disarray; some of the furniture is overturned, accoutrements scattered, and the sofa itself is overturned pinning the helpless form of Madame Carrington beneath it. Her body is horribly twisted and her wide eyes locked in terrible fear, but she appears to be alive. The soporific Xtabay plants she uses to lull her clients to sleep are in their usual place behind the sofa.

As you are surveying the scene, Drusilla and Taariik lift the sofa off of her and Grunyak confirms that she is alive but unresponsive, Maynard steps into a corner.

"We were asleep, and they just walked into the dream sanctuary... the hag... her bloody children... and a terrible shadow of a man..."

His eyes flare as his features darken and the color drains from the room.

Drusilla and Eldrin both notice that Maynard has an uncapped vial hidden in his hand, and can react in time before he drinks it!

The Brainwashed Butler

Surprise Round

Taariik
Eldrin one move or standard action
Drusilla one move or standard action
Grunyak
Maynard
Huxwren
Xtabays

Eldrin and Drusilla are up! Note that it's a surprise round so only a single move or standard action, and no-one has any weapons drawn (including Maynard). Drusilla can take a free action to tell Eldrin what she noticed, so Eldrin can open the sense motive spoiler too

Drusilla takes her morningstar in hand

It's quite rude to drink in front of guests without offering them something to appease thei thirst first, you know. Quite blasphemous, in fact. Heretic, even. But your brain doesnt give the orders to your body any longer, so you got a pass on that one. You're just a puppet for someone's else will.

Sorry for being slow. Things have been really busy this last week.

Eldrin reacts immediately at the strange behaviour of Maynard, launching into an incantation and reaching out toward the man with the flat of his right palm.

Will Save DC: 20

Casting Hold Person and expending one Arcane Reservoir point to raise the DC to twenty.

No worries Eldrin! I didn't want to bot you on this action as it's potentially quite pivotal

Maynard brings the vial up to his lips lightning fast, but not quite as fast as Eldrin or Drusilla. In the same moment Drusilla draws her morningstar and quips, and Eldrin casts a quick spell.

Will: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (5) + 5 = 10

Maynard freezes in place, his pursed lips almost at the vial frozen an inch from his face. The only part of him that still moves are his eyes that dart between you in a desperate cry of help! The domesticated Xtabay plants remain motionless.

Amusingly it's a full-round action to attempt another save, so this round he can only begin it using a standard action. I'm keeping us in initiative as he might escape on his turn, but you're in a very strong position

The Brainwashed Butler

Round 1

Taariik
Eldrin
Drusilla
Grunyak
Maynard Paralysed, helpless
Huxwren
Xtabays

Taariik, Eldrin, Drusilla and Grunyak are up!

Got Improved Sunder feat, so I 'll try to smash the vial out of his hand

Smash vial: 1d20 + 14 - 2 ⇒ (16) + 14 - 2 = 28
Dmg on vial: 1d8 + 7 + 4 ⇒ (1) + 7 + 4 = 12

With frightening accuracy, Drusilla's morningstar hits the bottom of the vial without hurting the man's hand

Grunyak will attempt to figure out want will help Madame Carrington.
heal check: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (2) + 11 = 13
He will then casts cure light wounds on her trading in divine favor.
healing: 1d8 + 5 ⇒ (6) + 5 = 11

Taariik tries to grapple!

“Stand still!!“

cmb : 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (18) + 10 = 28

Round 1 Will: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (7) + 5 = 12
Round 2 Will: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (3) + 5 = 8
Round 3 Will: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (8) + 5 = 13
Round 4 Will: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (12) + 5 = 17
Round 5 Will: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (19) + 5 = 24

Taariik grabs hold of Maynard, and has plenty of time to fully restrain him by the time he eventually shakes off the spell some 30 or so seconds later.

Eldrin's quick thinking has allowed you to entirely bypass this encounter! I'd give you a hero point if this was 2E. As written the adventure wants me to have him drink his invisiblity potion without giving you a chance to stop him (then command the xtabays to attack while he attacked from invisibility), but I thought it was only fair to give you a chance to spot it vs. his sleight of hand, which Eldrin only just got with his natural 20

Grunyak looks over Madame Carrington and heals her superficial wounds, but he can't tell what is keeping her unconscious, only that it is magical in nature rather than a mundane ailment.

Maynard himself looks entirely uncooperative and struggles against his restraints.

Whatever has happened to Madame Carrington and your faithful servant, it is clear to all of you that without her sanctuary the residents of Bridgefront are in grave danger, and with every night that passes the dreamstone comes a little closer to covering the world with nightmares.

What would you like to do with Maynard? Will you conduct the ritual to go to the dimension of dreams straight away, or wait to recover spells? There is no dream sanctuary right now so sleeping in bridgefront is likely to lead to you waking up exhausted and unable to recover spells

Knowledge (Arcana DC: 19): 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (6) + 14 = 20
Knowledge (Arcana DC: 15): 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (15) + 14 = 29

"I think he is under the magical influence of another. Unless we can break their hold on him I don't think he'll be able to tell us much."

"I don't think there is much we can do for Madam Carrington, If I had to guess; I'd say something has happened to her in the world of dreams."

"I think we should go ahead with the ritual as soon as possible, the nightmares are only going to get worse and there is no shelter for us or any of the other people in this part of the city."

“Here! I think we might use this scroll of protection from evil?!“ he asks and hands it over to Eldrin.

"We must go across into thw realm of dreams. I cannot help Madame Carrington from this side, at least not the cause of her unconscious. I think we need to perform the ritual."

Grunyak is down 3 spells, but we can't rest. So, let's go across.

You could rest by doing so in another part of the city, from what you can tell the bubble doesn't extend past the borders of Bridgefront (yet). The only risk would be to any Bridgefront residents that don't have that option and are naturally lucid dreamers who have been protected by Madame Carrington. That's because non-lucid dreamers (i.e most people) who die in the dreamscape wake up exhausted, but lucid dreamers (including shiver users) die in the real world. On the other hand if you run out of spells in the dreamworld and fail to stop the growth of the dreamstone the material plane itself might turn into an endless nightmare, so the stakes are high!

Eldrin casts Taariik's scroll of protection from evil on Maynard, and he immediately starts to sob.

"I'm sorry I didn't want to but a terrible shadow grew in my mind. The man that came in with the hag held me in the dream world, I couldn't wake up. The nightmares he showed me tore my mind apart until it was if I was watching from outside my body."

Tears stream down his face as he remembers.

"Please help Madame Carrington, you cannot let this be her fate. I'll do anything I can to he-"

As the protection spell ends his face abruptly returns to the blank slate as he starts struggling against his bonds, murdering you all his only thought.

Rest in another district or perform the ritual? 2 votes moves the party

"There is not time to waste, let's prepare the ritual."

I agree, we have to take care of Madame Carrington first.

With all haste, you rush around the markets of Bridgefront to find the ritual components, finding it surprisingly easy - Bridgefront occult shops are well stocked in everything you need it seems.

Where do you want to perform the ritual? You know from reading the Paginarum Lethargica that normally the ritual would put you in a random place in the dimension of dreams, but performing it within the dreamstone's bubble changes that, you'll appear in the nightmare Bridgefront near (1d8x10 yards away in a random direction) where you performed the ritual. You also know from your experience in the House on Hook Street that Nahum Caligaro, the architect of this disaster, was in the dreamscape version of the house, suggesting he is using it as a base. Wherever you decide this is what you need to do:

1 - Choose who leads the ritual. I think this needs to be Eldrin as only Eldrin and Huxwren deciphered the ritual, and you can only have secondary spellcasters equal to the intelligence bonus of the primary caster. Anyone who wants to come must be a secondary spellcaster, so Eldrin's +5 will allow that.
2 - Make 3 DC 27 Knowledge (arcana) checks. The primary spellcaster can ask anyone to make these checks, but as primary Eldrin will have a +5 from the key, a +1 from the secondary spellcasters, and a +2 from his own caster level, so he probably would be the right choice.
3 - Make 3 DC 27 Knowledge (planes) checks. Unless I'm mistaken I think Eldrin's effective +17 will be the best choice here too. I suppose if Eldrin uses his re-roll during an earlier check it might make make sense to have someone else try a later one. They wouldn't get the +5 from the key though.
4 - Eldrin will always take 2d6 damage and become exhausted whether the ritual succeeds or not, so it would be wise to have some way to mitigate that prepared.
5 - If 3 or more of the skill checks were successes the ritual succeeds and you can pass through, if not it fails and a monster from the dream dimension will arrive to punish you

With all that said I think you just need to choose where to perform the ritual and have Eldrin make the skill checks (remembering that you still have your chapter 2 re-roll available). These checks cannot be aided

"How about the book shop? It's as good a place as any for a ritual."

Grunyak will use his pearl of power to get back his bless spell.

"I will heal you Eldrin with my wand once the ritual is over." "Good luck and let's end this crisis."

He'll also be exhausted, but a couple of scrolls of lesser restoration will cure that, which are readily available. There may be other cheaper ways too, I'm not sure. The bookshop is a fine place to conduct the ritual, take it away Eldrin!

I have 5 scrolls of lessor restoration and 1 potion of lessor restoration. I am happy to put them to use on Eldrin.

"I think the bookstore is as good as any to do the ritual."

Taariik bought lots of scrolls.

“I am guarding this place!!“

OK, ritual time!

Knowledge (Arcana) Bonus: 7 (Ranks) + 3 (Class Skill) + 5 (INT) + 1 (Ioun Stone) + 5 (Key) + 2 (Caster Level) + 1 (Aid) = 24
Knowledge (Planes) Bonus: 3 (Ranks) + 3 (Class Skill) + 5 (INT) + 5 (Key) + 2 (Caster Level) + 1 (Aid) = 19

Eldrin leeds the way back to the book shop, stopping in the door to take a good look around at the space. "Right, yes, this will do nicely. Taariik, Grunyak, could you help me move this furniture out of the way? We're going to want plenty of space. Dru, could you close the shutters over the windows?"

With everyone's help the main room of the shop is cleared and swept clean. Going to the packs and bags of supplies, Eldrin moves around the floor placing items carefully. With regular whispered conferences with Huxxwren a large magical formula takes shape on the floor of the shop.

Knowledge (Arcana) DC: 27: 1d20 + 16 + 5 + 1 + 2 ⇒ (4) + 16 + 5 + 1 + 2 = 28

With the room prepared, Eldrin instructs everyone where to stand and what to do; guiding each member of the group to a specific place on the edge of the design.

Knowledge (Arcana) DC: 27: 1d20 + 16 + 5 + 1 + 2 ⇒ (3) + 16 + 5 + 1 + 2 = 27

Once he has everyone positioned to his satisfaction he takes his place at the north most point of the diagram on the floor. "Right, is everyone ready? Any questions?"

Knowledge (Arcana) DC: 27: 1d20 + 16 + 5 + 1 + 2 ⇒ (13) + 16 + 5 + 1 + 2 = 37

Once everyone is prepared Eldrin pulls the Paginarum Lethargica from his haversack and places it on the ground in front of him. He flips to a specific page and in a loud clear voice begins to speak the words of the ritual.

Knowledge (Planes) DC: 27: 1d20 + 11 + 5 + 1 + 2 ⇒ (16) + 11 + 5 + 1 + 2 = 35

Time passes, seconds turn into minutes and the minutes stretch out and Eldrin continues to speak his voice calm and controlled.

Knowledge (Planes) DC: 27: 1d20 + 11 + 5 + 1 + 2 ⇒ (18) + 11 + 5 + 1 + 2 = 37

The room seems to grow dark despite the candles set at key points in the design appearing to grow brighter. Everyone starts to see or think they see strange shadows or shapes moving around the edges of the room.

Knowledge (Planes) DC: 27: 1d20 + 11 + 5 + 1 + 2 ⇒ (10) + 11 + 5 + 1 + 2 = 29

As the power begins to build, the air in the room ripples and everyone starts to feel very weary. The lids of the eyes grow heavy as time ticks by but Eldrin chants on.

Just to make sure we're all on the same page, You were all rested and spells recovered after the fight with the Hound of Tindalos, it's just the encounter with Maynard that you haven't rested from

After an hour or so of Eldrin leading the ritual while the rest of you perform the chanting as instructed, Eldrin finally takes the bowl of grave earth and draws a shape of a door onto the wall. He dabs a little earth in the approximate place of a keyhole, places the Clavus Somnus against it, and pushes.

Bearing: 1d360 ⇒ 356
Distance: 1d8 ⇒ 8 80 yards or 240 feet

With a brief flash of light the key enters the keyhole, and Eldrin turns it effortlessly. The bricks of the wall become wavy and indistinct as Eldrin turns the key and the section of wall swings inwards, revealing a dark street shrouded in fog.

As you each step through into the dreamscape, you a greeted with a strange version of Bridgefront. Everywhere is shrouded in a darkness, and screams echo down the empty streets. Overhead bizarre faceless creatures fly around hunting for prey, and the very architecture of the buildings seems threatening and hateful. Getting your bearings you see that you've emerged a fair way north of the Winding Way bookshop, you appear to be near the "Quill and Inkwell", a popular magical tattoo parlour.

I've stuck Drusilla on the city map to show you where you've emerged

When the last of you step through into the dreamscape, the doorway that was previously floating in the air a foot away from the wall of the building fades slowly away, leaving you all trapped in the communal nightmare of the citizens of Bridgefront.

This concludes Part 2! What would you like to do?

If spells and rest happened after the fight with the nightmare cultist and dog. Grunyak would have all his spells as he could recover shield of faith with the pearl of power.

"Great job, Eldrin. I think we are through to the sream realm. Are there any precautions for using magic here. Does the book have any warnings?"

As Grunyak looks to Eldrin he notices that he looks utterly exhausted.

I forgot the damage

Backlash Damage: 2d6 ⇒ (5, 6) = 11

I also forgot something else, you're also level 8! That would have happened before you rested so you can prepare spells and such as level 8 characters

Eldrin and Huxwren know from their hours with the Paginarum Lethargica that the stable dreamscape that the dreamstone creates is slightly different to the normal dimension of dreams; magic functions normally, and it is more stable and less morphic.

That means I was mistaken when I let Taariik do an impossible act during his earlier shiver-induced lucid dream; apologies, I hadn't noticed the altered traits at that time

Taking a minute, Grunyak pulls out his wand and taps Eldrin twice.

clw charge: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (8) + 1 = 9
clw charge: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (7) + 1 = 8

He then pulls out a scroll of lessor restoration and casts it on Eldrin.

He hands the potion of lessor restoration to Eldrin.

"Take this when you are ready. It will remove your fatigue."

charges 17 and 16. Will update Grunyak to 8th level soon. That is good news.

"Should we see if we can help Madame Carrington or try and find the cultist leader, whatshisname?"

Grunyak is keen to help Madame Carrington. The nightmare madman will wait or better yet come to us.

Leaning against a wall for a few minutes Eldrin tries to catch his breath. Clearly exhausted from the effort of casting the ritual. He gladly accepts Grunyak's healing and stands straighter as the magic takes effect. "Yes, Madam Carrington; maybe we should try her shop first. Then we can proceed to the house on Hook street."

Resolved to try to help Madame Carrington, you begin moving through the dark streets of the nightmare Bridgefront. Having gotten your bearings, you know that it's not far, a short way south on Shale Street, following by a right turn and less than a hundred yards west on Arkona Street, where it meets Nacre.

The journey is rather more dangerous than its equivalent on the material plane though, as there is ever present howling of unseen hounds echoing around forcing you to keep a wary look-out, as well as dark shapes flying in the sky. Occasionally a scream will pierce the night as a dreamer runs past you, or an especially unfortunate one is dropped from the sky to "die" in agony on the cobbles.

Rushing as cautiously but quickly as you can to Madame Carrington's, you find the place not at all what you remember from your dreams. The shapes of the walls and windows seem to have shifted slightly to appear like an evil face, and the shadows inside flicker and move to suggest menace. Inside it is empty and cold, and even the least sensitive of you feel strong emotions of fear, rejection and despair inside. Portraits on the wall are dark reflections of the ones in the real world, with Madame Carrington crying in fear in each one.

All of you remember this place as warm and welcoming, with Madame Carrington's calm and benevolent presence suffusing it with the feeling of home, but now it's as far from that as Elysium is from Hell. No sign of what happened here is forthcoming, indeed you'd swear that no-one had been here in decades if you yourselves hadn't been here in your dreams recently.

As you are leaving, the feelings of hatred and animosity come to a head, and the house itself starts to move! It elongates and bends over toward you all, the door morphs into a gnashing maw with bricks for teeth, and it smashes into you all to try to eat you!

Bludgeoning: 8d6 ⇒ (2, 3, 5, 3, 3, 5, 3, 1) = 25

25 damage to Drusilla, 12 to everyone else

All of you save Drusilla manage to move out of the way enough to avoid the worst of the damage, but Drusilla is trapped beneath the ravenous building. As she is pinned there, it slowly begins to chew on her.

There's no map for this. Drusilla is trapped beneath rubble, and we're using the same rules as a cave-in or collapse:

Characters who aren’t buried can dig out their friends. In 1 minute, using only her hands, a character can clear rocks and debris equal to five times her heavy load limit. The amount of loose stone that fills a 5-foot-by-5-foot area weighs 1 ton (2,000 pounds). Armed with an appropriate tool, such as a pick, crowbar, or shovel, a digger can clear loose stone twice as quickly as by hand. A buried character can attempt to free himself with a DC 25 Strength check.

Drusilla is trapped beneath 2 tons of rubble, and it's actively trying to eat her so it's a bit more dangerous than a regular cave-in. Everyone can act, post how much rubble you clear if you decide to do that, or if you have any cool spells that can help that's fine too, this "round" will cover the next minute. Drusilla you can make a DC 25 strength check to escape but can't clear any rubble

Grunyak has Freedom of movement. Can I use this spell on Drusilla to allow her to free herself? If not Grunyak will cast bull's strength on himself and this will allow him to clear 300lbsX5 in 1 minute. I think Taariik as 21 strength with a belt of mighty strength. Bull strength will not stack with this or I could cast it on him. He might also have a crowbar. Grunyak does not. If Taariik has a crowbar, he could get her out in slightly less than a minute.

"Hang on, Drusilla! We are digging you out."

Before entering the dreamland Taariik took off his armor and cast 'defending bone' on himself by channeling the archemage!

1 round of spirit dance used so 12/13.
Spell effect: DR5/bludgeoning for 6 hours and it can absorb a maximum of 30 damage. So the stones do not count as they are bludgeoning.

-

Taariik is shocked when the rubble hits Dru!

He immediately tries to help!

Taariik's heavy load limit is 520 so if he can clear rocks and debris equal to five times her heavy load limit that is 2600.

Huxwren jumps out of the way and back onto her feet with a triumphant yell. "Hah! Did you see that!? Barely a scratch..." Her voice falls as she looks back at her companions, mentally counting them before frowning. "Alright, who's trying to play a joke..." Spotting Drusilla, she gasps. "Dru-babe! This is no time to be lying down on the job!"

Unfortunately, the only spell Huxwren has that could possiblly be useful here is reduce person.

The halfling gets to work grabbing some of the smaller stones and pulling on Drusilla's arm. "Stay with us dear - no time for lights at the ends of pipes or whatever it is."

75 lbs max means 375 lbs of rubble.

Taariik's prodigous strength allows him to shift the bulk of the rubble himself, requiring only minor aid from the other pathfinders. Within a minute Drusilla is excavated and pulled clear of the ravenous rubble, which begins gradually reassembling itself into a house in a most unnatural manner.

While you dust yourselves off and plan your next move, the baying of hounds seems to get closer...

Madame Carrington is nowhere to be found, and the nightmare dreamscape is a dangerous place, what would you like to do?

Grunyak will channel to heal everyone.
channel: 4d6 ⇒ (1, 4, 4, 1) = 10

"Well, that makes things easy. We are now only able to go to the other house."

clw wand charge: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 1 = 5 for Dru

clw wand charge 14: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (7) + 1 = 8 More for Dru

Thanks for the help. Even with my magical belt, I doubt I could have get out of the rubble all by myself. All this dust woke my thirst, I'll admit.

Drusilla gets a sip from her side flask as Grunyak heals her wounds, and offers some refreshment to the dwarf

Want some?

"Don't mind if I do. A little nip might make this place more bearable."

Grunyak takes a swallow from the flask.

"let's find that madman and get the stone back."

“Didn’t that butler fellow mention some Sally Scribblebones?” Huxwren asks, cleaning the dirt out from under one of her nails. “Or was that somebody’s dream? Not that I have the faintest clue where to find her in this cheerful place.”

Or do we, GM?

Yes from Grunyak and Drusilla's dream, as well as what Maynard said, you can gather that Sally Scrabblebones is a night hag of whom you heard some rumours when you first arrived, then later a bit about when speaking to some addicts in fever dream alley. She assaulted the dream sanctuary with a man who you assume to be Nahum, trapped Madame Carrington in the dream world, and enslaved Maynard. Their presence is currently unknown, but you do know that Nahum was in the dream version of the House on Hook Street in the bedroom upstairs, as the vision of him and his demonic familiar terrified several of you

If you did want to return to the House on Hook Street, would you go to the front door, or back through the sewers? The front door on the material plane was boarded up, but Drusilla got a good view of the dream version, it is a grand and fully functional entrance

"If we use the front door, why not just paint a bulleye on our breast plates?" "I think we aught to be a little more discreet."

"But whatever we do, let's do it soon. I don't like this strange place."

Let's check the side door so. No need to take unecessary risks

Electing to try the subtler approach of the secret entrance into the House on Hook Street, you search for the nightmare equivalent of Greeley's Hideout just round the corner from the Night Market.

The Night Market appears just as it did in the waking world, the Red Oliphaunt every bit as detailed as you remember, but as you head round the corner to the various ramshackle residences, things get a bit more sparse. The building where Greeley's hideout stood against the city wall looks a little different than you remember, like it was drawn from a description rather than direct observation. The drains are on the opposite side, and the building here sags threateningly.

The secret door into the wall proves hard to find as well. The toilet is there, but the wall behind it appears solid. It's not until Eldrin has a look and convinces himself that it's the right place, that he finds a latch that causes the wall to move back and open up into the dark passage you remember.

The passageway itself seems empty and deserted. A few spider-webs cling to corners, but you see no sign of life until you reach your destination - or what you assume to be your destination, as it looks very different.

Instead of the portcullis leading to the second floor of the house (using first floor to mean the one at ground level), you instead find stoney floor giving way to to grass underfoot, and the same grand front-door of the house that Drusilla saw in her dream stands embedded into the stone of the tunnel! It is surrounded by a porch that is very incongruous down here, and there is even a set of wooden stairs down from the door that leads directly into a wall in contravention of sense and sanity.

Thick black ivy crawls across the porch, and bizarelly a fully-grown oak tree stands across the other side of the odd stairs.

Eldrin, Grunyak and Drusilla notice that the plant-life seems very unusual for the kind that might surround a house, they are moving in a way that suggests they might be hostile and dangerous. Indeed Eldrin recognises the nature of the plants exactly.

Map updated

What do you do?

Eldrin quietly calls out to Drusilla "Drusilla, Stop. Carefully take a few steps back. That tree over there is potentially dangerous and you are within its range."

Assuming Drusilla is able to move out of the range of the tree.

Once everyone is safely out of immediate danger Eldrin shares what he knows about the plant life. "There are two vines that will try to strangle anything they can get at and that tree has a huge range. All of them have some resistance to fire and cold and electricity wont hurt them at all. The tree, is called a Quickwood and it can turn magic cast on it into an area of pure dread."

Pulling out his spell book, Eldrin flicks through the pages. "I don't have many spells that will be efficacious, but I can potentially enhance your strength Drusilla and maybe yours too Taariik."

DC 15 Perception, distance: 1d20 + 21 - 8 ⇒ (16) + 21 - 8 = 29

As soon as Eldrin mentions the dangerous tree it lurches into motion, apparently possessed of excellent hearing. The vines seem to react to it and start slithering toward you as well.

The Ruined Grounds

Round 1

Note that porch area is a raised a few feet up, and has a railing. It's not hard to get over. It's a DC 15 acrobatics check to vault it as part of movement, or a DC 5 climb check to get over it as a whole move action

Huxwren
Grunyak
Taariik
Vine 1
Quickwood
vine 2
Eldrin
Drusilla

Huxwren, Grunyak and Taariik are up!

Free action: Champion spirit dance round 1. All within 30 ft receive +2 to non-spell damage rolls.

Taariik moves forward and uses his mind arsenal ability to hurl his Greatsword towards the nearest vines.

+1 adamantine Greatsword, mind arsenal 1/8, To hit: BAB +6, Champion +2, Cha +5, Enhancement +1; Damage: Str +6, champion incl. seance +4, Enhancement +1: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (12) + 13 = 252d4 + 11 ⇒ (3, 2) + 11 = 16

"Haha! Two can play that game, viney-boys!" Huxwren pulls herself over the railing and waves her dagger in the, uh, "face" of the distant vegetation.

Climb vs DC 5: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (17) + 3 = 20

Climbing the railing and casting long arm.