Sébastien packs his belongings. He has a silent breakfast. The halfling then returns to the haunted outpost.
Things should go better this time, yes.
His nervous eyes dart about continously.
Mage Hand can move unattended objects, but this object has been incorporated into the stick, mud, spit, and blood structure of the bug nest.
Waedin sighs and tries to get whatever is out of that nest with her natural strength.
She doesn't try very hard though. Maybe we can just get a long pole and break the nest up? she suggests.
Shemar stretches his arms and legs. "I feel like I can do this today.
No immediate fear of death does a wonder for limbering you up. That was a good try Waedin. Let me give it another try."
Shemar comes down with the mystery item, proud of today's already.
"What have we here?"
Boros keeps a close eye out for the horrible bugs that came from the nest. Or zombies. Or a ghost. "You sure that's not just junk Shemar?" Nevermind that he was trying (and failing) to grab the same thing just yesterday.
Shemar climbs up into the rafters and comes face to face with the bloodsucker's nest. There are no bugs left in there, but he does spot some eggs. He also spots the metal object and pulls it free. Turns out to have been the buckle to some sort of belt.
Shemar spends ten minutes concentrating on the shiny object. It looks like he is weaving some sort of spell into it before he finally looks up. "Bravery Baldric! Interesting little item. Each time you resist a feat effect, you place a charge on it that you can use to move faster... Now then..."
Shemar spits several 'produce flame' spells into the next, looking to exterminate the eggs. "That will be enough from them "
Nice work, I got this nice shiny wand so I don't think I'll take the belt. Adventurin's not so bad... other than nearly getting killed.
Crafting (Crafter's Appraisal)
Stepnik also looks over the item in question. "Okay... I'll take your word for it".
"That would be useful, I guess. So if I understand what you're saying if you aren't frightened you can run away faster"?
He then shurgs and gestures forward. "Let's move on".
Sébastien seems a bit perplexed at the running faster if not frightened theory, but the halfling shrugs.Someone should wear it, so the frightened can follow!
"I ain't afraid of stuff--hand that thing over to me!"
Boros wears the baldric with pride!
"That's fine with me. I'm sure those little legs of yours could use some extra movement. Now, let's find a dagger and a lever to pull."
Sébastien smiles at Shemar.
Both describe my prom night.
The halfling prepares to follow the lead.
Travis had been silent as they investigated the room the night before. And had felt like Stepnik when they left to bury the priest. He felt out of depths after all he was only a farmer and militia member. But he had decided to take on adventuring to help his family with their debts and to improve the farm so he had to get used to this kind of life. He had slept, but not well. The next morning he went through the ritual of checking and cleaning his armor and weapons before turning to the others as they reintroduced themselves in the unhurried morning light.
I'm Travis Meadows. Just a farmer and militia man. I've got to help my family so I've turned to adventuring.
"Nice ta meet ya, Travis," says Boros, offering a small hand to shake. Looks like the perfect stooge to take some hits for us! he thinks to himself.
From the east tower landing you descend once again into darkness, with someone casting Light I'm sure. The stairs end in a large open room with three fireplaces, and chairs, benches, and stools scattered about the area. Weadin, Sebastien, and Boros all spot the trail of dried blood spatter leading from this stairwell to the other on the opposite side of the room, leading down.
Near the other stairwell is a heavy, reinforced interior door leading into a room in the southwest corner of this level of the tower. The door is locked.
Well downstairs is the obvious choice for the dagger. Waedin says.
"Yeah, I'm not opening that door, unless we have a key."
Shemar continues to use detect magic, and keeps a couple people in front of him, with his hand on someone's shoulder like they are in a scene from a scary movie. Or Scooby-Doo.
You found a key on one of the first zombies you fought, but it doesn't work on this door.
Boros sidles up to the door, peers into the lock, turns, and shrugs. "I know a thing or two 'bout locks, and this one ain't easy. Better find the key, or have someone tough try bustin' it down."
Boros continues to play scout for the part as they decide to head downward instead of onward.
Stepnik steps closer and looks at the lock, impressed with its design. "Looks kind of complicated. The way I see it we could attempt to destroy it... which would be a shame considering its masterful construction... or try to find the key somewhere else and come back to it. Perhaps the corpse of the ghost we keep having to kill might have the key on it".
He then tries to imagine the layout of where they are. "Do you think perhaps there is another entrance to this room? Another door or a window". .
"If we decide to break it I could pour some acid into the lock or the hinges to see if that helps to weaken it".
You may have noticed the Watch is basically symmetrical in design, two towers with the gate concourse and bridge between, with the western tower o e story higher than the eastern. You may have noticed there are no windows in the towers. You may have noticed that there are four hearths on each level of the towers, and may have surmised that a small creature may theoretically climb down the chimney from the level above to enter the locked room.
Shemar detects the presence of magic nearby.
"Hey ?Boros. Feel like dropping into this room from above and letting us in the door? We could drop you down on a rope, then you could let us know whether to pull you back... or if you could sneak over and let us in the door"?
Yes, yes, but maybe we follow the bloody... bloody footprints first? Waedin says. Then we can go about climbing down chimneys and the like.
"There is magic close. I don't now if it's a magic item behind the door, or a trap in the fireplace. Best be careful for now." He says with a grimace. "And so maybe we go with the easy areas first...like following the bloody footprints."
Shemar shakes his head at the absurdity of their situation. This is not what he envisioned 'adventuring' to be.
"Hey ?Boros. Feel like dropping into this room from above and letting us in the door? We could drop you down on a rope, then you could let us know whether to pull you back... or if you could sneak over and let us in the door"?
"Oh, hell no! I ain't gettin' paid enough fer that crap! Boros starts heading down the stairs. "C'mon, let's re-kill some dead things." Boros starts heading downstairs, scouting for the team.
Sébastien absolutely looks away when chimney suggestions are bantered about. The Bard follows going downstairs.
I'm glad I'm not small. Note to self, don't advertise the spell 'reduce self' if I ever learn it.
Boros scouts ahead down the souther stairs. Of course, he can’t see far in the dark, but Sebastian’s light behind him helps him to see a little. At the bottom of the stairs, he thinks he can make out what appears to be a workshop as he can see a work table with some tools.
Boros catches some movement out of the corner of his eye. In the shadows he spots a pair of eyes, glowing red like burning coals.
The creature is an undead known as a Wight. Beware it’s touch as it can drain your life!
◆ Stride - Away from the beast
◆ Recall Knowledge (Lore Necromancy)
"Beware all! That is a Wight. Don't let it touch you as it can drain your life force".
◆ Quick bomber (Alchemist Fire):
Bombs Away
Fire damage (+1 Splash, +1 Persistent)
Sébastien begins muttering something about undead being bad!
The bard begins Inspiring his team!
The bard then casts Magic Weapon on Travis'weapon!
Shemar quickly moves away from the ethereal creature, he now has no love for ghosts, backpedaling much of the way.
◆ stride (25 ft)
And then he puts his biggest,most lethal, guaranteed damage spell into the ghost!
◆ ◆ magic missile
I probably should have stood my ground and put more power into the spell, but I can't let it touch me!
"Do we have another holy water?" Shemar asks, almost frantic.
Boros sure hopes this new ghost is stabbable as he moves up to attack it!
◆ stride ◆ attack ◆ attack
;
;
Stepnik and Boros may be pleasantly surprised to find this wight very corporeal. It appears to have once been a very large and muscular man, although his transition into undeath has left greyed and rotting flesh hanging onto a skeletal frame. Bright red flames burning within empty eye sockets marks a semblance of intelligence left. It seems to burn with hatred for the living.
Good thing Stepnik smacks it with a bomb and Shemar follows with a Magic Missile, all the while being inspired by Sebastien's utterances, before Boros moves in for the kill.
Boros slashes into the wight, nearly cutting it in half. If only his backhand swing were as effective.
Travis moves down and around the stairs, between table and anvil to set up for a wail with the flail.
Travis smashes the wight's head in with a well timed strike!
The team acts with precision and takes the wight down before it can even act. Seems like that fight was easier than it should have been. Perhaps it has something to do with sanctifying that altar upstairs?
With the wight out of commission, the group looks about the room. It is a blacksmiths workshop, with anvil and cold furnace in the southeast corner, a worktable in the center of the room, and a stone workbench on the northern wall. The workshop is stocked with tools for metalwork, leatherwork, woodwork, and stonework. Of note is a woodcutter's axe and a crowbar.
Of more significant note, the Blacksmith's Maul seems to be a modified and repurposed warhammer. It is well made, ornate, with an ironwood handle and bronze head. One side of the head tapers down to a small polished nub, like a spike that has been rounded off. Shemar detects magic and notices the maul has been etched with a Potency Rune.
There are three doors out of this room. A heavy wooden door on the western wall, and two doors on the northern wall. The northwestern door is heavy wood and locked. The northeastern door is plain and unlocked.
Ooh,, that is surprisingly well made, not compared to the highest Dwarven standards of course, but very competent. Waedin admires the Maul.
The bard just looks at Travis'limited time only Magic weapon and desperately looks for Anything else he can Smash!
Looking around the room, Weadin finds enough tools to put together her own Repair Kit.
Sébastien finds an empty clay jar and tosses it Travis's way. Ceramic shards fill the air in a glorious moment before falling to the floor. Sadly, a ruby does not fall out.
Boros gets into a stealthy position, then opens the door to the northeast!
Stepnik is distracted by all the crafting supplies, and almost misses it when the group moves on.
Finally seeing they have moved on; he joins the group.
The axe is considered a Long Tool
Anything else in this room would be considered Artisan's Tools applicable to the crafts listed above.
Moving on, Boros heedlessly, recklessly, sneakily opens the northeast door to find a darkened, small and cramped bedroom, containing bed, table, chair, and cold fireplace. The chair is toppled, and the table is covered in loose sheets of parchment and a bottle of spilled ink. Ash, soot, and half burned firewood has been swept out of the fireplace and scattered across the floor.
Stepnik deduces someone was working at the table when interrupted and likely never returned to the room. Could be the Wight was once Bartoz, the smith and quartermaster Oona spoke of.
"Bartoz, where is that dagger? And what is that soot? Perhaps hiding a loose brick hiding a dagger?"
Shemar's expression changes drastically as he has his thoughtful revelation.
Sébastien pushes Travis through the door!
Swing!
Why move this stuff out of the fireplace... Waedin mutters and moves in to look inside the fireplace. Is something destroying evidence?
Shemar and Weadin check out the fireplace. They notice one of the flagstones is slightly out of place. They simultaneously reach down to investigate further, and bump heads as they do. They both look up, and for a moment, eyes meet. I'm sure at least one of them blushes, while the other says, "Please, after you." In the end, the flagstone is moved aside to reveal a wooden box stashed beneath. The box contains 5gp, 5sp, 10cp, and a thumb-sized cut and polished amethyst gem.