Donal the Seeker |
Donal steps back, allowing the body to slump to the ground, Let's clear this out.
Pulling his shield up in front of him, the warrior continues forward, jerking his head back over his shoulder, indicating behind him and to the left, Do you all want to sift through $#!% or move through? Looks like there is a room out that way.
We crossed that sewage-filled room, right? So the X is currently across the room?
GM Infinity |
Yep, you are now at the corner south of the sewage room. X updated. Continuing on would take you back to the intersection of the religious themed doors. West Bhaal, east Bane. Back through the sewage there is a body still there floating in the water, and a little unexplored chamber southeast.
Gorn Steelbreaker |
As the ambusher falls lifelessly down, Gorn quickly crosses the sewage to retreive his javelin. "Hey man, nice shot," he says at Tibs, admiring the dragon-man's efficiency at killing.
"I'm going to sift through this carrion. It'll just take a moment," he answers Donal. The first steps seen too, he puts a meaty hand on the newly killed woman and thoroughly pads her down.
Why no, there's nothing weird about that. Why do you ask?
"Mal" Malaric |
Mal hops down from Gorn before he starts groping the woman's corpse. He was going to thank him for the ride across the sewage, but evidently the chef had other things on his mind, besides food.
The mean-looking halfling gets lost among the bumps into some big people, in order to prowl into the little unexplored chamber southeast to explore it.
Stealth: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (5) + 5 = 10
Perception, 120 ft Darkvision: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (11) + 5 = 16
GM Infinity |
Mal, the small flooded chamber looks to have once been some sort of maintenance area for the plumbers. Any useful tools have long since corroded to barely recognizable lumps. However, you notice a halfling-sized portion of the back wall is actually small piece of paper-mache designed to meld with the surrounding limestone...pushing it aside reveals a hidden passage.
"Mal" Malaric |
Mal returns to the crew and reports, ”hey, I found a small secret tunnel. Come get me if I start screaming please.”
He heads back and stealths into the tunnel with a shortsword in hand.
GM Infinity |
The murky water continues on through the hidden tunnel a few feet before opening again into a larger flooded passage. Floating in the water about 15 ft ahead is another pale corpse, but more striking is a giant steel mask hanging on the wall above a large stone altar, cast in the form of a frowning skull.
A strange hissing noise startles you for a moment, but you quickly realize the relatively benign source. There appears to be a steaming pile of entrails atop the altar, human or animal you cant be certain from this distance, but its the vapors escaping the tight intestinal tract making the high pitched whisper. Beyond the altar the passage seems to continue to the right around a sharp corner.
"Mal" Malaric |
Mal returns to the crew and reports, ”hey, I found a small secret tunnel. Come get me if I start screaming please.”
He heads back and stealths into the tunnel with a shortsword in hand.
@GM I'm confused. Are you describing Mal's exploration of the hidden passage?
Religion: 1d20 ⇒ 16
"Mal" Malaric |
Got it. Thanks. I looked at the map before you updated it.
Mal returns to the crew and describes what he has seen. "I think the passage enters the rooms behind the Bhaal-marked door. Do we want to split into two groups? One to open the front door, and a second to come with me?" He looks at his crew wondering if there was a natural division or concensus.
Evendur "Grim" Greymantle |
I'm not the most stealthy... perhaps our Chef is lighter on his feet than I. The rest of us could hazard the front door.
Gorn Steelbreaker |
Gorn shrugs and indicates his new scale armor. "I might be, but I'm not used to moving in this heavy METAL yet. I could take it off, but only if I knew that we'd need t'be stealthy.
If yer just looking for a hammer to cover the other exit, I can do that just fine."
If not confronted by objection or better plan, Gorn will follow Mal around to the other entrance.
GM Infinity |
The hidden passage group sees the flooded corridors unchanged from Mal's description, another corpse in the water...the altar with its strange entrails still sizzling with divine energy. The frowning skull steel mask in constant overwatch.
Moving past, there is a small fork: one direction leads down about 15 ft before ending with a very old tapestry. Nearly a man's height and just as wide, it depicts a grisly scene of four faceless figures ripping apart a fifth figure, who is screaming. There seems to be some smaller details but its hard to see from a distance.
The other side of the fork leads mercifully to a set of stairs again rising out of the murky sewage. You quickly come to a closed door, which is quite obviously trapped. It's only obvious from this side, of course. Hastily assembled, a few scraps of wooden planks form the brace of a deadfall...the opening door would knock out the brace and release the rocks from above.
-----
From the other side, the other half of the party sees the intersection much the same as it was. The door to the south where Myrkites played dead is still ajar leading down to the sarcophagus. The bodies are no longer there, however.
You've pretty much eliminated all the paths except the east door (Bane). Or you could explore the known dungeon, there remains 2 bodies (one at beginning, one near altar), the altar, the tapestry, and the sarcophagus.
"Mal" Malaric |
Arriving without event to the backside of the door with Gorn, Mal sees the trap. "Gorn, the door is trapped. We need to warn them." He grabs his crystal and points it at the door toward where he expects Myl to be and whispers. Myl, this is Mal the door is trapped do not open the door. Stay there or come around. I repeat do not open the door.
"C'mon Gorn. Let's examine that tapestry and altar. Should we just burn the tapestry?" Mal stows his crystal and walks away from the trapped door. He pauses to look at the tapestry wondering if it would be better burnt.
Arcana or History: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (18) + 2 = 20
GM Infinity |
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Mal, as a Baldur's Gate native you quickly infer the artistic direction of the tapestry. It depicts the Children of Bhaal, tearing apart one of their own. During the Time of Troubles, when the gods walked Faerun, some took lovers...Bhaal in particular took many (by force).
His children grew and carried a spark of the divine, often fighting each other for reasons the sages still argue about. Some say that with each Bhaalspawn killed their tiny divine spark was returned to the greater Bhaal, making him stronger. Others say that with each Bhaalspawn killed, the remaining Bhaalspawn were made stronger.
There seems to be some golden gilding interwoven with the fabric in some places, which might give it some value.
"Mal" Malaric |
Nature: 1d20 ⇒ 16
"Hey Gorn, that tapestry depicts the Children of Bhaal, tearing apart one of their own. During the Time of Troubles, when the gods walked Faerun, some took lovers...Bhaal in particular took many by force. His children grew and carried a spark of the divine, often fighting each other for reasons the sages still argue about. Some say that with each Bhaalspawn killed their tiny divine spark was returned to the greater Bhaal, making him stronger. Others say that with each Bhaalspawn killed, the remaining Bhaalspawn were made stronger."
"That apparently golden gilding interwoven with the fabric in some places, which might give it some value, is actually yellow mold. The spores are released when the patch is disturbed and can be poisonous to those without a hearty constitution. Let's leave it for the ignorant." He follows Gorn to the altar. Hmm. There's a joke in there.
Gorn Steelbreaker |
The hidden passage group sees the flooded corridors unchanged from Mal's description, another corpse in the water...the altar with its strange entrails still sizzling with divine energy. The frowning skull steel mask in constant overwatch.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Come to big daddy," Gorn rumbles as he lays eyes on the mask. His large hands reach up to gently take it down from its staring, silent vigil and turn it over, examining it. In time he analyzes how easily it would fit over his head. Yeah, that'd be cool.
Religion!: 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (3) - 1 = 2
He has no idea why it was staring at the macabre alter. And he doesn't care. He just thinks its metal AF.
"It looks like no one is coming out of either of those then," Gorn says, indicating the trapped door, and the deadly, mold-infused tapestry.
"I had been against lighting it on fire, but, if we want to advance and join the party, we'll have to. Otherwise we're stalemated here."
Mylivanni |
Myl nods at her part of the team... "I'm not sure this is wise. I've often heard separating is the death of the part....y.... Wait!!! Don't open it. It's trapped. Let's go around and join the others".
Donal the Seeker |
Donal's hand was a mere inch from the door handle. He involuntarily jerks his hand back, What is our next move then?
Evendur "Grim" Greymantle |
Wait for Mal, he has a good handle on things... Though I am in favour of burning that tapestry.
GM Infinity |
Gorn, surprisingly you don't feel as bad as one might expect for desecrating a god of murder's shrine. The mask is 3 ft tall...so a retrofit to your own face seems somehow doable with the right strappings and counterweights.
Those on the trap side could get around it by taking the door off the hinges, therefore disallowing it to swing into the brace. A longer method would be to disassemble the deadfall. Of course you could also just walk back around.
Mylivanni |
"Let's just walk around the way the others went. No need to reinvent the wheel".
She leads the others back to rejoin the reminder of the party just in time to see Gorn trying on the large steel mask.
"What are you doing"?
"Mal" Malaric |
"Come on. We've been behind two of the Dead Three doors. Time for the last one. Anyone good at looking for the expected trap?" The mean-looking halfling says while wading back to the three door room.
Mal can unlock and potentially remove a trap. But he's NOT good at finding traps.
Evendur "Grim" Greymantle |
The priest takes time to examine the door, not wanting to get hit with another trap...
1d20 + 3 ⇒ (5) + 3 = 8
If there is a trap, it's more cunningly hidden than my eyes can see.
Gorn Steelbreaker |
Apologies. This week has been very hard.
"Psssh. Being awesome," Gorn replies, unable to see how someone would -not- want to wear a large metal skull mask. "Man the only thing more BA than me wearing this thing would be a lich with a crown," Gorn states, storing away the mask for later re-work.
"They like deadfalls, Grim, so look for something that melds with the existing woodwork," Gorn says helpfully.
Aid action for Grim to get Advantage on that roll.
Evendur "Grim" Greymantle |
Investigation: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (4) + 3 = 7
Looks good to me... I can't see anything.
GM Infinity |
The instant Bane's door swings open, one of the strange echoing noises in the pipes becomes much more clear...a human scream. Not terror, not the shock of surprised pain...but agony. Agony of one who is so exhausted he can't scream by choice, instead just releasing a sad moan by instinct.
Joining the repeated sounds of this agony is the crack of a stiff whip.
But no threat is immediately visible, instead what you see is a long stairway leading down about 40 ft...one that unfortunately ends again in murky water and turns abruptly to the right.
The sick rhythm of the moans and agony continue relentlessly.
Evendur "Grim" Greymantle |
Wait!, he whispers harshly... Prod and test those stairs before you go down each one.
Donal the Seeker |
Donal looks at Grim, then shrugs, Wise...
The begins prodding at each step with his war mace before stepping down...
Wisdom (Perception): 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (15) + 3 = 18 If it is Intelligence (Investigation) then remove the bonus.
GM Infinity |
The tediousness of testing each step is made extra wearisome from the continued cries of suffering from below. Each step after the next answers Donal's prod with a sharp note of steel.
But it pays off.
About a quarter of the way down, a step gives way almost instantly at the probe, falling apart like a house of cards. In fact, it was a thin layer dried plaster set over a small hole where the step used to be. A hole now serving as the lair of a tiny poisonous snake that lashes instinctively at the mace head. Had you stepped on the false step, your foot and upper shin would be down with the snake.
Gorn Steelbreaker |
After Donal crushes the snake and moves on, Gorn reaches down for the corpse. He rips the poisonous head off, makes sure the blood has stopped pumping, then stuffs the reptile into a pouch he keeps for just such an occasion. "Man, snake steaks is good eatin'. You don't wanna let all that go to waste. A little garlic, some salt, this'll be great."
Evendur "Grim" Greymantle |
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You say that about everything, Evendur mutters. A little salt, a little butter, a little garlic... it's a blessing that you're always damn right about it.
GM Infinity |
As you turn the corner at the bottom of the stairs, the narrow passage opens into a larger chamber. The eastern part of this room is unlit, flooded, and braced with floor-to-ceiling wooden beams. Rough-hewn steps rise out of the murky water to the western portion of the room, which is dry and lit by two torches in sconces that flank a stone altar. Shackled to the wall behind the altar is a sickly man in a loincloth with a burlap sack over his head. An alcove in the north wall contains a freestanding suit of plate armor missing its helm.
Standing before the altar are two grim figures: a powerfully built woman clutching a mace, and an even bigger man wearing a bucket helm. The helmed man is jabbing the prisoner with a spear, causing him to twitch...while the woman giggles in delight. Both figures are clad in chain mail, and the woman carries a wooden shield with a leering skull painted on it in fresh blood.
Presumably seeing your light sources reflecting off the surface of the water, and the waves from your steps rippling outward, another heavily armed and armored figure emerges from the shadows to greet you. He laughs for an exaggerated amount of time, in the end dislodging a nasty toothpick and spitting it towards you all. He then does something truly odd, raising a single foot out of the turd-water and standing like some white heron saying "Kiss it. Kiss my boot."
The torturer snickers before lashing the bound man much harder than before, then turning to regard you all. "What the hell is wrong with you, Carl. Just slit their throats."
The woman adds with an evil smile "Come now, Yig, you're spoiling the game."
1d20 ⇒ 9
Donal the Seeker |
Wisdom (Perception): 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (14) + 3 = 17
Man, in the corner. Mal, Tibs, mind taking care of him? Donal hefts his war mace, and steps forward to allow the others into the room.
Just clarifying, four folks all together, correct? The three in the open: Big dude with bucket helm (Yig?), buff lady with whip, this heavily armored dude (Carl?), and hidey crossbow dude?
GM Infinity |
Yig and the woman are on the dry area up the steps (see map) near the statue and bound prisoner. Carl is closer to you down in the water having emerged from behind some of the supports, as is the hidey guy who is near the door in the southeast corner. Except for the hidey guy who is in lighter leathers, they are all in chain mail, carrying shields and maces. Yig also has a spear, and there's some other torture equipment up there (including whips). They are all within 30 ft of your current location.