Caelius and Baghotir both smash what feels like an endless supply of spiders. The swarm engulfs Belwick. He suffers 3 points worth of spider bites.
BOT VENN:
Venn uses a lit torch to clean the remaining spiders off of Belwick. The last of the spiders flee into the crevices of the floorboards, fearing the flame. Venn extinguishes his torch.
In the room, Both Caelius and Baghotir note a brick in the chimney, just above the mantle is askew. Moving the brick, they discover a hidden compartment with a small wooden box inside of it. Inside of the box is 30 copper coins and two small pouches of some kind of powder.
Enough time has passed. Those affected by the fear in the west wing may attempt a new Wisdom Saving Throw. Venn was one... . Venn is now at peace and is no longer afraid.
Baghotir: Baghotir still hears the demonic laughter in his heart.
Baghotir was interested when he heard coins rattling around in the box. But when they were revealed to be but copper, he must admit to himself he lost some interest.
"Shall we try this next door? See where it leads?" He asks of the group as he gestures to the northern door.
Belwick makes a point to divvy out the coins that they find right away. "It'll at least pay for some of the drinks tonight. For when we do find the riches."
He then takes a moment to study the strange powder. If they're not immediately obvious, he will cast Detect Magic as a ritual.
Casting Detect Magic reveals that the powders are not magical.
"Maybe it's medicinal. You know, cocaine. Clears the nostrils."
"Yeap. That's what it looks like all right. I wouldn't snort it though if I were you. I hear it works so well you get nosebleeds. That can't be good."
"I'm seeing a few wounds around. Why don't you let me dress them properly before we get too much further. Let's take a little rest, shall we?"
Happy to rest an hour or two so folks can get some healing in.
"I could use a breather. And I'd like to put the powder and these books in the mules saddle bags."
Baron Belwick strolls out of the house to the gate. Before he gets there, he can see that the mule is gone.
Belwick issues a string of abusive epithets aimed at the mysterious person who stole his mule.
He goes back to the group. Though hard, he wrangles a degree of calm back. "Maurice is gone."
"What happened to Maurice? What was Maurice carrying that we need?"
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"Nothing yet. I had him tied up so that I could load him up with our finds."
"Nothing yet. I had him tied up so that I could load him up with our finds."
"Yeah, 'cuase the six whole coppers we've each gotten so far will really overburden the beast!" Baghotir laughs.
But then he grows somber, "Do you think the weasels got him?"
He'll look around for tracks briefly to see if they tell a story.
That roll is far greater than you needed!
Yes, from the tracks, scent of musk and some blood left behind, your best guess is that the weasels got him.
Belwick curses some more when Baghotir explains the fate of Maurice the Mule. "That is not at all how I expected this to start off. Vicious bloody weasels."
Of course, given that he has no desire to be caught out with the weasels nearby, the baron heads back to the manse. Ostensibly to rest, but also to massage his bruised ego.
After the group takes an hour to rest, the magic behind the unseen servant unravels. "Give me a few more minutes, so that I can re-bind my servant."
He once more repeats the casting of Unseen Servant, and once ready commands the servant to open the northern door.
Assuming a 1 hour short rest in the main entryway. Baghotir's fear subsides, and he believes he can approach the West Wing now.
Spend Hit Dice and refresh abilities if you can and need.
After the group has taken an hour to rest, the magic behind the unseen servant unravels. "Give me a few more minutes, so that I can re-bind my servant."
He once more repeats the casting of Unseen Servant, and once ready commands the servant to open the northern door.
If you rest for 1hour and cast a ritual, the current time should be 9:50 in the morning.
When someone seconds, I'll describe the northern room.
Alisanne idles the hour away practicing on her flute, playing snippets on various tavern songs.
Once everyone is ready, she follows after the butler and peeks into the room after it.
"There were weasels big enough and blood thirsty enough to take down a mule?" Caelius' eyes go wide at the thought. He spends the next hour sitting on a nearby rock as he provides weasel watch duty.
Alisanne follows Arthur the Unseen to the northern door. The servant opens the door and enters.
This kitchen is dirty and damp, with patches of gray mold and cobwebs on the floor, walls, and ceiling. In the southwest corner is some iron cooking equipment with a chimney above. Next to it, under the window, is a cracked and discolored stone sink.
To the right of the sink, a small, closed wooden cupboard is fixed to the wall about five feet above floor level.
Against the far wall, a flight of wooden stairs leads upward from west to east; the woodwork of the staircase is decayed, and a few of the treads are missing.
Note the door exiting this room to the east.
Map revealed in Roll 20
Baghotir rests as well, though he too keeps watch as he has no injury to heal or magics to replenish. At least not with a short rest.
"They were some nasty weasels. We should've taken them down when we had the chance. So far our adventure has cost us more than it's gained us." he chuckles.
"Let's check to the east first," he says as he looks about the mess, "but after that, I think I want to know what's through that trap door. I'm sure it'll be our doom, but I've always been one to say 'face your fears', so I guess I should take my own advice."
"Unless we want to complete the search of the ground floor first." he leaves it to the group to decide.
Oh, forgot to mention. The second trail of footprints you found leads into this room and exits to the east out of the kitchen.
"Be careful. Eventually we're going to find the one who left those tracks."
Venn adds his eyes to Baghotir's search before preparing to leave out the eastern door.
Both Venn and Baghotir stop and take stock of their senses. Both of you hear a faint tick... ticktick... ticktickticktick coming from the sink. Like... fingernails against something metallic.
Venn motions for everyone to stop. He digs his gloved hand into his left belt pouch and withdraws a Keolandish sparrow (one of the ones recovered in the other room) and tosses the coin into the sink.
The coin lands in the sink and bounces a couple of times against the cracked stone before settling with a thunk. There is dead calm for a moment.
Then a centipede the size of a party-sub springs from drain in the basin and snaps it's pincer jaws at the coin. It rears back on fixes black compound eyes on Venn.
What do you do?
AS per slack... Initiative!
Alisanne---Caelius---Venn---Centipede---Belwick---Baghotir
Gods, Venn, what did you find? That thing looks like something Incabulos shat after a bad burrito.
Send that thing back down the drain, Venn!
Wisdom Save: Alisanne's words are more than mere jest, as the sounds themselves are laced with bardic magic. Though it speaks no human language, the centipede twitches in pain and emits an audible hiss. Then it looks downright dejected. If such a thing were possible.
Similarly, Venn feels inspired!
Alisanne nominated for inspiration in Slack Chat. Accepted! Inspiration Awarded.
Thankful that his gambit paid off, Venn steps forward with a singular stride, and uses the moment to snap his hips, shoulders, and ultimately greatsword down on the centipede.
"Incabulos can rot Alisanne."
Venn ultimately can't tell if the creature is bisected or crushed first, but both ultimately happen. The creature dies and emits a strong, foul odor. More tickticktickticks sound from down the drain.
Caelius is up.
Caelius raises his shield expecting more to come pouring out of the drain. He grabs at his handaxe ready to chop anything that comes out next. "Anyone have anything to plug the drain ot maybe some acid to pour down it?"
HP 12/12
AC 17 (+2 (19) w/ Shield)
Short Rest Die Used 1/1
Caelius muses aloud about the merits of plumbing, but he doesn't have long as three more centipedes spew forth from the drain. His readied attack isn't quick enough to kill the horror.
Bite Attack Vs. Venn: Hit for Points of Damage and He needs to make a DC 11 Constitution Save or take another points of poison damage.
Bite Attack Vs. Caelius: Hits for points of damage and he ALSO needs to make a DC 11 Constitution Save or take points of poison damage. This poison isn't lethal, however. If this drops Caelius to zero, Caelius is unconscious, stable, and paralyzed by the toxin.
The third remaining centipede may not survive Venn's Oppo Attack. If it does, it will take it's attack after all others here have resolved.
Caelius isn't ready for the horror to come. He hacks into the sink with barely a moment to scream as he is quickly overcome by the large centipedes.
HP 0/12 (Unconscious, Stable, Paralyzed)
AC 17 (+2 (19) w/ Shield)
Short Rest Die Used 0/1
Caelius is actually up, current HP is 6. He made his saving throw. Player mistakingly didn't use his proficiency bonus for the Con Save.
Venn grits his teeth and tries to flex the muscle in order to lessen the depth of the bite.
He turns that into a quick return cut, pulling his massive blade back and in towards the hip, hoping to make quick work of a second centipede
for
No poison and no third centipede attack--Venn cuts down a centipede as it moves to flank Caelius.
Belwick then Baghotir.
Baghotir leaves room for others to close with the centipedes as he summons up some spell power! He casts Sacred Flame
Dex 14
- - -
Dexterity Save:... Centipedes aren't good at very much beyond biting and crawling. Unfortunately, this one is good *enough* at dodging. Radiant silver shards of divine fire rain down from above, but the creature is unharmed by Clangeddin's light.
Belwick!
Belwick takes several strides in to get close enough to see the danger. "This place is crawling with vermin. Literally!"
He then weaves a spell, causing a ball of flame to coalesces at the tip of his finger. He points it at the centipede in front of Venn and barks the final word to fire it!
Miss, I'm sorry to say.
Top of Round 2. Alisanne, Caelius and Venn.
Oh, great! More giant turds with delusions of grandeur. The only thing dangerous about these is their stench!
Wisdom Save:... Hit.
The centipede is dejected and questioning its purpose in life as a... Nah, it's a centipede. It feels pain in what passes for a nervous system.
Venn tries to make it three!
But after 2 quick kills, the sword is out of position for a third as the centipedes keep coming.
"Centipedes have delusions of granduer?" Caelius wonders as he continues to hack at those in the sink basin.
HP 6/12
AC 17 (+2 (19) w/ Shield)
Short Rest Die 0/1
Caelius kills a centipede! One remains, and it attacks Venn!
... Not even close!
Belwick and Baghotir are up.
The nobleman repeats the gestures from before, once more firing a bolt of fire at a centipede.
Baghotir swears as his itty-bitty flame does nothing.
"Fiddlesticks, that ain't worth spit!" He moves around the end to get in a proper swing.
- - -