Sébastien seems to just stare at the body, as if the halfling is willing it to rise!
After a few minutes, he shrugs and takes his place at the rear of the cart.
Should of brought some garlic.
Both Oona, and particularly Cato, seem uncomfortable having the extra cargo, er, passenger, onboard. Vilmos's extra pale appearance is truly disturbing to gaze upon. At least, the Watch is just around the next bend.
It is near noon, and the weather continues to cool as another storm seems to be moving in from the north. In the approach to Silverpine Watch, the road winds through steep-sided wooded hills. The Watch itself sits straddling the road between two such hills. The road passes through a central gatehouse, as tall as it is wide. Passage along the road is currently blocked by two heavy black iron portcullises. A series of narrow arrow slits look out upon the road from either side of the portcullis.
Two towers are built into the hills adjoining and flanking either side of the gatehouse. The tops of the hills reach the second story of each tower. The western tower is the taller of the two, reaching 50 feet in height. The Watch is built of masonry, plastered and whitewashed, although age has cracked and peeled the plaster in places, exposing the masonry underneath.
The hills flanking the Watch are too rocky and rough for any wagon to cross, but climbable for a person on foot
Silverpine Watch sits in silence, no sentries nor guards are visible near the gatehouse nor on the towers. Even the forest here seems eerily quiet.
Oona squirms uneasily in her seat as she draws the cart to a stop, "This doesn't look good. Those gates should be open during the day. There's usually soldiers posted outside. What's going on here?"
"Perhaps I could climb up the hill and enter the top of the tower and see if I can find anyone."
Danus waits to see if anyone else has a plan before climbing the hill.
Everyone's worst fears seem to be getting confirmed. "Sneakin' up the hill sounds good, Danno." Boros seems to be intentionally mispronouncing the ranger's name. "Let us know whatcha see."
"Oona, you gotta get this wagon outta sight. Fer all we know, the Watch is full o' bandits now. Keep a low profile and let the professionals take care o' this." He spins a dagger in his left hand, looking about ready to get violent.
Nodding in agreement and smiling at his "new" name, Danus treks over to the hill and stealthily attempts to climb to the top so he can view the tops of the towers. He tells Tor to remain with the wagon.
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Danus finds a small footpath leading up the western hill and follows it. With some light scrambling, he gets there pretty easily. It doesn't lead to the top of the tower, but to the second story, where he finds a wooden door.
Moving forward, Danus examines the door.
Perception:
Once complete he checks the area for tracks that might tell him if anyone has been this way lately, and maybe the number and composition of the tracks.
Survival:
The door looks solid, made of wood and reinforced with iron. It appears to be closed. No sound emanates from within.
Like everywhere else in the forest, the ground is soft and wet from recent snowmelt. There is no sign of recent foot traffic coming or going from the door.
"I do not have a good feeling about this. How long do we give Danus? We should have set up a signal."
Shamar is feeling rather exposed out here.
After assisting with hiding the cart off the beaten path, Sébastien takes a last long disappointed look at the vampireI, before the halfling heads off to follow Danus.
Probably best to search for some garlic gloves, Cato. Just in case.
Winding his way up the game trail to the top of the hillside, the bard wonders about until he spots the Ranger.
Nothing? I bet there is a coven of vampires behind that door.
Sébastien seems excited at the possibility.
If no one else follows, let's open it and find out!
The bard waits for a bit less than the time it takes to grin, retrieve a dagger from his pack (placing it at his belt), and start reaching....
Valkor stayed with the cart waiting for Danus, ”Lets give him five more minutes.”
"Wait... don't!! What if there ARE vampires?? Let's take it easy and listen before we just rip it open...we might hear them...I don't know...growling??"
He goes to the door and places his ear on the reinforced wood.
Perception:
"Um, If we do need up needing to leave the wagon to open the gate, how about we tie Cato to the wagon before we go. ...and maybe Vilmos too?" He adds sheepishly.
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Boros rolls his eyes at the suggestion that Vilmos should be tied up. He cheks with Oona. "Oona, you okay holdin' things together here? I'll go once Valkor's ready ta go." He looks to Elry. "Wanna come with us, Elry, or stay back with the wagon?"
Elry agrees to stay back with Oona and Cato. She whispers a prayer over the group holding her symbol of Aleria in the air as she does.
Danus hears naught but the whisper of the cold north wind rustling through the silver pines.
"I hear nothing...maybe we should call the others up before we go in...you know...safety in numbers!"
He looks over at Sébastien to see what he thinks.
Sébastien withdraws his hand from the door, nods to his friend, and jogs offs back down to retrieve the others.
Danus found a way in. We need to secure it before we know if danger is lurking!
The halfling then jogs back up the game trail to stand in front of the door.
I told them.
Shemar will look to Valkor, and then head up the hill as well.
Sébastien waits until everyone is situated about the entrance to the tower, before casting Light on his shield.
Are we ready to explore, cooroperate, and report?
The halfling then begins to reach for the door....
”Ready to stab some not-vampires”
Valkor stood ready and watched as Sébastien opened the door.
Shemar catches up with the rest, making himself ready.
Before the others join Sebastien and Danus at the door, Oona advises them, ”It looks like the Watch is abandoned, but if you find anyone within, ask about Bartoz, the smith and quartermaster. His workshop is in the lower level of the eastern tower. Or, find Sir Arpaad, the Lord and Commander of Silverpine Watch. If you don’t find anyone within, you’ll have to lift the portcullises from inside so we can get through with the wagon. Good luck!”
Once everyone has gathered and prepared on the hill, Sebastien opens the door with a groan. Sunlight and his shield illuminate a dark and windowless room. Motes of dust hang about the still air, and the foul odor of death wafts from within.
The light of Sebastien’s shield falls upon a heavy wooden door on the far side of the room, and a flight of stairs to the south leads down below. It is cold and drafty within, dust and cobwebs cling to the corners. The tower is windowless, and the room dark save for the light coming through the door. Even so, the light from Sebastien’s shield seems not as bright as it should in the darkness of the room.
Boros and Danus are the first to file in, and as they do, a mournful cry is heard and a ghostly figure appears before the door on the far wall. The figure is colorless, translucent, and appears dressed in a full plate of armor, the breastplate is visibly caved in. The now familiar insignia of Silverpine Watch is emblazoned upon the ruined breastplate. Blood stains the figure's hands and beard, dribbling out of his mouth. His face is twisted in fear and despair.
an undead spirit formed from the torment, guilt, despair, or unfulfilled purpose of someone who died suddenly or tragically.
”Begone!” the apparition moans, ”Only death awaits you within these walls!”
Stealth
Perception
Perception
Perception
Perception
Stealth
The apparition follows with a howling moan that fills all who hear it with dread.
Although they can't see the apparition, they can hear it, and both Shemar and Valkor have some second thoughts about entering the Watch.
Frightened Condition
The apparition then passes effortlessly through the far door, and a clunking sound can be heard as a locking mechanism falls into place.
As the apparition leaves the room, the light from Sebastien's shield seems to return to its normal glow.
Religion:
Society:
"Oh great..not only vampires but now ghosts! This just keeps getting better and better."
Boros steels himself as the door opens, and actually laughs at the apparition. "What was that, an illusion spell? C'mon--let's take care o' some business here."
Boros looks around warily for traps as he enters. Approaching the door, he'll take out his Thieves' Tools assuming the door is indeed locked.
Reacting quickly at the sounds of wailing and the suggested tone, the bard Counter Performance over it!
Sébastien then stares at the apparition, as it Michael Jackson 's it's way through the far door.
What the f&+* just happened?
"What was... Did you see that? We can't fight ghosts! We can't touch them, but they can touch us! They... Hey, that sounds kinda nice Sebastian."
Boros feels a blessing from Elry spare him from breaking one of his thieves' tool picks!
”Maybe we should listen to it and leave,” Valkor suggested obviously spooked by the apparition.
Luckily, Shemar and Valkor regain their courage in a matter of seconds, and all file into the entrance hall.
Boros gets to work on the locked door. For a moment, one of his picks gets stuck, and nearly snaps in two when he tries to unstick it. But in the last moment, Elry's voice pops into his head, and he remembers it's Righty Tighty Lefty Loosey, and not the other way around. After that, unlocking the door is an easy matter.
Opening the door leads into a gathering hall. Two long benches sit near the far wall. Hanging from the easter wall on pegs are eleven heavy, furred cloaks, and on the floor beneath each cloak is a pair of warm winter boots. A twelfth peg is empty, its cloak missing, and an empty patch of floor where some boots should lie.
Other than that, there is a stairwell going up on the northern end of the hall.
Danus enters the room and begins to look around.
"Tor, watch the stairs while we check out this place!" he asks his companion.
Perception:
Still with a face of one who has recently seen a ghost, Sébastien watches Boros rushing to the Ghost Door, lock picks in hand, a smile on his face.
Ummmm....perhaps, give me time to Refocus myself? I may have shat my trousers.
The halfling did not shat his trousers, but the bard does take 10 minutes to Refocus himself.
Counting the cloaks and the boots, Sébastien thinks that they may be truly.....
The bard enters the long hall, his Observant Halfling blue eyes darting about.
Not much going on here except for the fur-lined coats and boots, each being a set of Winter Clothing.
Tor sniffs and snorts around the base of the stairs.
Everyone taps their feet while Sebastien tries to remember the words to that sonnet. Now was the rhyme scheme A-B-A-B or A-B-B-A?
"It would seem that up would end sooner than down. So we can 'up' for a short while before continuing with a longer 'down'. Also, is that ghost going to come back?". Shemar obviously does not want to encounter that ghost again.
Valkor nodded in agreement to both going up and avoiding contact with the ghost.
"Hocus focus!" huffs Boros as Sebastién insists on composing himself. He also chooses to focus--his attention on rifling through the coats and boots. "All o' these are oversized," he says, disappointed at their human proportions.
Once their ready, Boros concurs with the group's inclination. "Up. We can get a good look 'round from the top."
Sébastien nods in agreement to the others. The bard will also take a set of cloak and boots.
It is cold outside.
There seems to be an intentional lack of appropriately sized cloaks and boots. Let's see, I must have put the complaint box for discriminatory practices around here somewhere. Oh well, I'm sure a decent tailor could have them resized.
After Sebastien recollects himself, the group heads upstairs, Boros in the lead, being the sneakiest of the bunch.
As Boros reaches the top of the stairs, he finds himself in a dark, windowless room. It feels cold, drafty, and the stench of death hangs in the air. As Sebestien and his shield of light gathers at the bottom of the stairs, Boros catches a glimpse of movement in the shadows, and hears a low, growling moan, "Braaaaiiiins..."
Stealth
Perception
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Edit:
Glorious light illuminates the room. Boros sees a handful of zombies aimlessly wandering about between rows of bunks. They appear in soldiers garb, hey, not unlike that body you found murdered in the cairn.
As everyone files up the stairs, they turn their heads in unison.
Perhaps it was just as well that he didn't find some nice jackets and boots. The zombies' attention was drawn to Danus and Tor, allowing Boros to slip into a corner of the room and then attempting to eviscerate a zombie!
;
;
Valkor‘s years of training kicked in and he entered the Iron Mountain stance and rushed into the room toward the nearest zombie sticking at the creature with his fists.
Danus moves from the stairs to allow the others to enter the battle. He sends Tor off to attack the zombie that Valkor has struck. Meanwhile, he takes aim with his bow and fires at one of the zombies (see green line on map)
◆ Stride, ◆ Attack (Hunters Shot)
Attack (Hunted Shot):
Damage:
Tor
Attack:
Damage:
Moving forward until he can see what is transpiring within. Seeing the Siverpine zombies, Shemar shuffles his feet along the floorboards before pointing two fingers forward, sending a zap of static electricity shooting forward.
Zombie in front of Valkor and the one Danus has a line drawn to. Or the next closest to me if one has already fallen.
◆ stride
◆ ◆ spell
Did the silverpine guy we found in the crypt escape his fate here to fall victim only after his salvation? Is it a coincidence that he died in a crypt after escaping undead? I hope these don't get close to me.
Boros maneuvers in the shadows and sneaks up on an unawares zombie. He whiffs on his first attack though , his second dagger flashes with deadly intent, and he finds slashing through his enemy as particularly effective. Sadly, now the zombies know he’s there.
Valkor takes on another zombie, keeping him and his allies from being surrounded. He clobbers with his first punch, his fist smacking cold rotting flesh, but misses the second.
Tor rushes into the melee, tusks goring into stinking flesh, while Danus fires two quick shots at the zombie between the bunks. His first arrow strikes the zombie in the knee, the second sticks in the far wall.
Shemar unleashes a store of static electricity that arcs across the room, dropping Valkor’s contender, and frying Danus’s target.
That zombie hobbles over towards Boros, stinking of charred and rotten flesh. , and lurches for the halfling.
The first swipe misses Boros, and he nimbly dodges the second.
Sebastien bursts up the stairs to see the undead shuffling about violently and with malintent!
The bard then ◆Raises his Shield, before beginning his dissertation on how zombies suck!
◇Lingering Composition
The halfling looks across at Boros.
Please, make this count!
Everyone within earshot of Sebastien feels encouraged to take down these shamblers as swiftly as possible.
A fresh zombie shambles over to Valkor, arms outstretched, mouth hanging agape.
It can’t get a hold of our humble monk.
The first zombie tries for Sebastien.
It gets a rotten hand around his shield a claws into his skin, bony fingers grab hold of our brave bard.
Grabbed
Having been thrown off guard, a second bony hand knocks Sebastien off of his feet.
The last zombie shambles towards the juicey pig.
The Lingering Composition performed by the downed Bard carries on!
Sounds of soft snoring come from the halfling colored in red....
Valkor continued his assault, fists and elbows flying toward the zombie in front of him.
◆ Attack (flurry of blows) ◆move 20 ◆move 5