Varrus successfully picks the lock, though it might occur to someone you all found a key not long ago that could be worth trying...
The door opens, revealing a slightly larger cell than the ones to the east or west. It also definitely feels a few degrees colder than the rest of the dungeon. Or at least, it triggers goosebumps. No obvious danger is present, it just doesn't feel right in here.
The twisted, dry remains of three humans lie amid decaying pallets and rotted wood. They give no indication of coming to unlife, but one wouldn't blame them if they did, given what was likely a horrific death.
Knowledge Religion DC 16:
The feeling in the room and the nature of the encounter with the spirit suggests, most definitely, this is the site of a haunt. Hegio's kind gesture temporarily abated it, but it usually takes more effort to be rid of a haunt permanently, usually involving undoing a desecration or seeing a body properly laid to rest.
Sahvi, perhaps as always on the alert for potential treasure, and Moss-Fingers, who was the first to notice a secret door and thus is developing a sense for odd outlines in the wall, both notice that the back wall shows consistent gaps around a door shaped section of stone... another secret door, most likely.
Sarvo was a Canteclure and anything but good. He was renowned for his cruelty and it was his rebellion the prince put down. So an odd turn of phrase from someone who was most definitely his captive.
The prisoner's fingers grasp at the ration packet, pulling it through the bars. "Bless you," the tormented spirit says to Hegio. "Remember, Good Baron Sarvo wills it."
The prisoner disappears all at once. The ration packet thuds to the ground on the other side of the door. You can see through the bars of the door three long-dead corpses, one fallen close to the door.
Hegio, closest to the door now, can feel the door itself seems to emanate cold. Not in any damaging way, but it is certainly unnatural. But nothing else seems to happen for now.
The door before you is locked, like the other two you passed. No traps are evident, nor would there likely be a reason to trap the jail doors.
Meanwhile the corridor continues westward before turning back north.
As you continue to discuss the prisoner and even try to reason with him, he attempts to thrust his skin-and-bone hand between the bars, holding his palm upward. This is clearly not an act of aggression but of desperation. "Please! So hungry!"
Varrus knows a variety of spirits wander the realm. Some are created by necromancers; others arise on their own and haunt a place due to unfinished business.
Tower: Southern Cellblock; conditions: Dark (lit by 2 light spells)
Stone grinds as the 200 year old mechanism comes to life and the door slowly, shakily slides away, revealing a much mustier passage filled with more dust and small bits of debris than the previous corridor. The passage heads some ways southward and is empty. It then turns back to the west, and on your right (north) you see two more cells. Unlike the ones in the cellblock to the north, the doors to the cells are still closed and locked, and you can see crumbling, dessicated mortal remains lying on the stone pallets through the iron barred windows on the door.
At the third cell you pass, a pale, gaunt human face appears in the door's window. Emaciated, grubby hands grip the bars. From what you can see, the man wears little more than rags.
"Oh, gods, kind faces! Aroden bless you, noble souls! I ain’t seen the jailers in ages, I think they forgot about us! We ain’t eaten in days and the water’s all but gone—my cousins’re both sick. I swear we’d give back the boar if we could, but we ate it, starvin’ as we was. We didn’t even know it was the baron’s lands, didn’t know we was poachin’! I beg you, we're so hungry! I know the Baron wouldn't have it if you let us out, but if you have a scrap of food ... !?"
Haelin and Varrus:
The man isn't just pale... he's translucent. You know, like a ghost or something.
Sorry, no new message indicator showed up yesterday
Varrus and Sahvi each take a dagger, and Hegio, after determining things are safe, takes the key.
Varrus is curious about the duct, but it is on the ceiling, so putting an ear to it would be a challenge. Tapping it with a stick or long weapon, however, indicates it is likely hollow. However, if something was flowing through it, the keen of ear likely could hear it even standing directly beneath it, and he hears nothing.
Meanwhile Rill inquires if the party has anything to trace their path. If someone has nothing, there are plenty of pebbles and bits of debris one could collect.
I'm going to take some liberties with Moss-Fingers' action because I don't want to waste that nat 20
Moss-Fingers, facing the wall, turns left (eastward) down the corridor and then down the hall to look for traps or signs of trouble. All the way down the cells are open and empty, cleared out of anything of use or interest long before the tower's collapse.
As he comes to what appears to be a hallway that ends with two empty storage closets, still staying alert for anything sinister, he notices the wall to the south of the closets has an outline cut into the stone. Patterns of moisture dripping and decay also make obvious--once he is looking for it--a stone that juts out further than the others: a pressure plate and what clearly appears to be a secret door.
PS: Speaking of the campaign slides, there's a page at the very end marked "player notes." Y'all should have edit privileges and should be able to add your notes to the document if you choose. Of course you don't have to, but if there's a detail you want to keep track of, that's what it's there for.
There's a loot sheet as well and while I've added the initial objects you've found, you are also welcome to use that sheet for tracking purposes. I wrote down that Sahvi and Varrus each took a dagger.
Kind of unrelated, but I intend to start GMing soon-ish my first PBP on these forums and I think I'll copy a lot of your method, GM, it's very efficient. (And the slides look like a lot of work, but I'm enjoying it a lot.)
Thank you! It's a lot of copy-paste work and advanced set up, but I find it really helps once combat starts.
I worked on the slides while I was reading the module; it helps me prepare so I find making them more helpful than difficult (they are there for me too!). Glad you are enjoying them.
Dust and old mold scatter with the opening of the iron maiden. Its last victim is mostly rotted to the bone. Its clothing is shredded and disintegrating, but you note it is wearing a tabard or uniform of some kind, with a seal embroidered into the shoulder featuring a dragon claw and other heraldic symbols. A large key ring hangs off its rotting leather belt, still holding one rusty key.
Knowledge Nobility or History DC 15:
The symbol is that of the Canteclures, rulers of this region several generations ago. Now that you think of it (even if you couldn't place the name when Lady Devy mentioned them), the Canteclures were listed as a family that rebelled against Taldor's prince sometime around or slightly after 4500 AR. The rebellion was put down swiftly and forcefully.
With that there is little else to find in the old barracks.
The only way further into the dungeon is through the slightly open door to the south. It is unlocked and untrapped, so passing through is easy enough.
Beyond you face a corridor that heads both east and west before heading south on either side. Open, rusty iron barred cell doors lead to what are obviously prison cells. The first two, at least, contain nothing but the moldering remains of straw pallets. You can only see so far down past your light sources, but the cellblock extends down both corridors. The only difference that you can see from here is that along the western corridor, you can see a length of stones, about six inches wide and deep, along the ceiling that begin against one wall and head along the corridor into the darkness. Some kind of duct, perhaps?
Which corridor do you wish to head down, east or west? (Or do something else?)
On the daggers
Varrus, pulling on his family's expertise as pawnbrokers, can tell that the irregular notches on the daggers are very intentional designs. Strangely, they resemble the bitting on the end of a key.
On the iron maiden
Perhaps on edge at the violent start to their exploration, some of the party fear the skeletal hand hanging out of the iron maiden moves of its own accord, but no signs of magic emanate anywhere in the room, let alone the rusty torture device and its apparent last victim. On a harder look, the hand and likely the body it is attached to is clearly most sincerely dead.
As Varrus examines the area around the iron maiden, there are no recent signs of passage or tampering. Old rust... or blood? ... marks on the stone floor suggest someone or someones dragged the iron maiden into the room from the corridor beyond; dents and scratches on the case corroborate this. Whoever brought the iron maiden here did it decades, if not centuries before. It likely has nothing immediately to do with the kobolds, other than obviously this place had its previous uses that perhaps they sought to make use of or explore.
This time Rill's more focused attack skewers the beast. The bug guts are not pleasant but the two creatures are, if not dead, will be soon. The party can easily be sure they are finished off if they wish to be certain.
Going to begin the autoexplore process here, i.e., taking 10 on Perception, but you will already have one or two choices to make by the end of the post
Now that the immediate threat is over, the party can better take in the details of the room. The centipedes had been feasting on yet another kobold corpse before you arrived, and there is not much left of it besides its little miner's pick.
In addition to the rotted beds, you find the remains of armor and weapon racks, affirming that this area was a barracks of some kind. Almost all of the contents of the racks are thoroughly rusted and broken beyond repair, but as the light spell from Rill's shield sweeps around the room, Sahvi, Varrus, Hegio and Feathers, and Haelin all spot a glint amid the pile of rust. On closer examination you find two bright silvery daggers, lacking any tarnish; on both, the spine of the daggers are notched in an irregular pattern. The blade edges are still sharp and despite the odd notches, certainly usable as a well-made weapon.
Appraise DC 12:
These masterwork-quality blades are most definitely mithral. But you've not seen notches like that on a blade before.
On the other side of the room, what looked like a metal case or coffin is actually an iron maiden, lying on its side. It is not fully closed and you can see a skeletal hand sticking out of the edges.
The door to the south lies partially ajar from where the kobolds led through. It seems to lead into a hallway that goes both right and left, but you'd need to bring your light into the hall to see what it is and where it goes.
I'll be updating the Current Area Map as we go. This one is set to view only on purpose. :) The smiley face represents the rough location of the party.
For general future, remember you can move through allies (though of course I recognize you may not wish to trigger AOOs). Attacking around a corner IIRC grants concealment but isn't impossible.
As it is, Rill's attack roll kills the beastie, so I'm include to just go ahead and end the combat.
Hegio fires off a crossbow bolt that flies wide, getting stuck in a nearby fallen beam.
Sahvi, while trying to egg on the wizard's hawk to join in the attack, lobs a shuriken at the closer centipede. Its presence just outside the brightest part of the light causes a miscalculation, however, and the shuriken bounces off its carapace.
Haelin, with keen eyesight from elven heritage, does not have the same problem, and skewers the closer beast's head with an arrow, and it falls to the ground. Moss-Fingers attempts to do the same to the farther creature but has less luck.
The remaining centipede crawls toward the warm meat it senses. Rill anticipated its attack but, eager to defend the party, swings wide. Varrus prepared an attack as well but cannot reach the bug yet.
The bug retaliates, lunging at Rill to bite her.
Attack:1d20 + 2 ⇒ (1) + 2 = 3
But its mandibles uselessly clatter against her upheld shield.
Combat, Round 2 Hegio Aeminus | HP 8/8 | Init + 7, Per +3 [+3 if sight-based in bright light] | AC 12 T 12 FF 10 | CMD 12, CMB +0 | Fort +2, Ref +2, Will + 4
Sahvi Copper-Scales | HP 11/11 |Init +2; Perc +5 | AC 15 T 15 FF 13 | CMB +4, CMD 19 | Fort +3, Ref +4, Will +2
Feathers (hawk familiar) | HP 4/4 | Init +3; Perc +14, low-light vision | AC 16 T 15 FF 13 | CMD 9, CMB +1 | Fort +2, Ref +5, Will +2
Haelin | HP 12/12 | Init +6; Per +8, low-light vision | AC 17 T 14 FF 13 | CMD 17, CMB +4 | Fort +3, Ref +6, Will +2 (+2 vs Enchant) | Immune Sleep
Moss-Fingers de'Morcaine | HP 12/12 | Init -1; Perc +3, low-light vision | AC 19 T 15 FF 14 | CMD 16, CMB +1 | Fort +3, Ref -1, Will +2 (+2 vs enchantment) | Immune Sleep
Varrus Lebeda | HP 9/9 | Init + 4; Per +10 (+11 traps), low-light vision | AC 17 T 14 FF 13 | CMD 14, CMB +1 | Fort +1 Ref +6 Will +1 (+2 vs enchantments) | Immune Sleep
Rill Ozeanschild | HP 11/11 | Init +1, Perc +3 | AC 18 T 11 FF 17 | CMD 12, CMB +2 | Fort +3, Refl +1, Will +3 | Resist Cold 1
Giant Centipede 2 | HP 5/5 | Init +2; Perc +4, darkvision | AC 14 T 12 FF 12 | CMD 11, CMB -1 | Fort +3, Ref +2, Will +0 | Immune mind-affecting
If I may, I see the OOC as purely jest. But that's me
Of course! And I am truly sorry if I came off as picking on Sahvi. Sitting through two rounds of voir dire has perhaps left me humorless. My intention is to seek clarification while also reminding folks of expectations.
Have to go back to jury duty tomorrow, so won't be able to respond to anything else until tomorrow night.
Crisischild/Sahvi, I'm not quite sure how to read your ooc response. This is a case of "text tone hard to interpret." It's really hard to tell if you are joking or if you are trying to tell Hegio's player what to do with his familiar.
If a joke, fine, but perhaps be clearer about that in the future.
If the latter, I've made clear in the expectations I set during recruitment that each player has agency over their own character and that character's companions/familiars. Folks can make suggestions to each other of course, but it's not for you to try to control or dictate what another player does with their familiar. Hegio made it clear he wanted to keep his familiar out of combat, and that's his choice. Please be respectful of other players' stuff.
And no, a Tiny sized raptor will not see a Medium sized centipede as prey. And a hawk shaped magical beast that is a familiar will definitely not do so.
I'm at jury duty today so I'll roll for the centipedes once I get home. Appreciate y'all's patience.
Sahvi, should I interpret your post as you are foregoing your chance to attack to tell another PC's familiar what to do? Which, of course, will not work. Feathers is under Hegio's player's control and a familiar will only obey their master. Or do you have an action to post this round?
Varrus has low-light vision, so the normal light radius for him should be twice as far, correct? And therefore the centipedes are within normal light for him?
Correct!
Quote:
FYI, battle map is set to view-only, so we cannot move our tokens at this time.
Also while we are giving content warnings: there will be references to torture in this dungeon, including mention of torture equipment. I will be clear about what these things are but avoid graphic details. If anyone has any concerns please let me know.
And we have entered our first combat. Warning for creepy crawlies (centipedes) which I will leave undetailed.
Folks essentially grouped together in initiative can all post their actions, which in this case is everyone since the enemies go last. I will resolve actions in initiative order, but given the nature of PBP, please just post when you can. You can always provide conditionals like, "If enemy 1 is dead, then please apply my attack to enemy 2." Or "if player X moves here, I'll try to flank with him, otherwise I'll stay put."
If someone doesn't post their turn in a day or two, I will bot them to keep us moving.
You are welcome to plan in the discussion thread ("e.g., hey, delay until I go so I can use this area effect," etc.).
Tower Barracks; Conditions: Dark (light spell 10/10 minutes
Rill leads the way down the ladder, light-imbued shield casting a glow on a wide stone room. The ladder brings you down into what looks like the middle of the chamber, directly facing a door 30 feet in front of you. Rubble both recent and ancient is scattered across the floor, bits of stone, dirt, and rotten wood. The masonry has crumbled in places, revealing natural dirt and stone walls behind them; if the recent collapse didn't cause this, it certainly made it worse--but fortunately, nothing seems on the verge of deteriorating any further at this moment. You hear occasional, faint drips of water, squeaks of rodents, and skittering noises here and there, indicating life of some sort goes on beneath the Witch's Tower.
To the left and right you see more furniture remains, including broken bedframes, suggesting the room's original purpose as a barracks or dormitory. To your right (if you are facing the doorway), an odd-shaped rusted metal case or coffin lies out of place amid the rubble.
From the center of the room, the light spell's effect barely reaches the edges. Just as the entire group makes it down the ladder, some of those skittering noises get louder, as from the darkness emerge a pair of human-sized centipedes, drawn to the sound of your arrival.
Knowledge Nature DC 10 (untrained allowed):
Like all centipedes, these likely have a poisonous bite. It is seldom fatal, but can cause painful stiffening of the joints, and even paralysis in the worst case.
Varrus does not yet have the Trap Spotter rogue talent so he needs to make active checks to search areas. I figure for the time being this is probably doors and chests, as we would progress very slowly if we stopped to actively search every 5' square of corridor. But Trap Spotter is normally my first rogue talent taken.
I will do my best to remember this when the time comes.
I'll also remind that--especially as we are about to enter a dungeon which will surely be crawled--I try to engage in an "auto-explore mode" where feasible and reasonable. The way this works is:
1. Unless the party says otherwise, I assume the party moves relatively carefully (but not at a snail's pace) through an area to be explored. They are not checking under every piece of dust but are likely looking at obvious items of interest and not just touching suspicious objects without checking them first.
2. Unless hostile creatures or dangers are present (e.g., hazards), everyone is automatically taking 10 on Perception as they go.
3. The party can add instructions to this auto-explore mode, such as "we'll explore through the area always turning right if we have to turn, until we run out of places to turn, and then circle back."
4. The party should tell me if they want to be Stealthy and make Stealth checks when they do so. Otherwise I assume, while the party is not necessarily clanking around and shouting, they are not taking pains to be quiet. I'll ask them for new Stealth checks if needed.
5. If there is truly nothing of interest in an area, I say so and move the party on.
6. If there's a lot of nothing, I'll still pause periodically to be sure the party has nothing they want to do or say or comment on or have additional exploration instructions. I'll also pause in rooms that may not have either an obvious feature or item of interest but may have some relevance the plot to be sure the party takes that information or opportunity in.
7. I will of course stop every time there is something to react to or a choice to make (e.g., you have three different directions to take). In these situations Perception will be rolled normally (because you won't have time to stop and be careful); I'll usually roll it but sometimes I might ask for it.
The goal here is to be sure you notice most stuff worth noticing while also keeping moving at a reasonable enough pace and avoiding getting bogged down in unnecessary detail. Or, as happened in at least one game I played, players refusing to leave a room because they're certain there's something hidden under the rug, when no, there actually was truly nothing in the room at all and definitely not under the rug.
I've added a "Current Area" map to my statblock by the way so you can see the larger dungeon we're in as you explore it. If it would be better to just put that in the Campaign Slides, LMK.
Marching order I hear is Rill, Moss-Fingers, Varrus, Hegio, Haelin (to keep an eye on things sneaking up behind them). Does that sound right?
Whoops! I left out Sahvi. I am so sorry. Sahvi, where do you want to go? Before or after Moss-Fingers, maybe?
Also, speaking of Sahvi, but also to everyone: I am setting up the battle map with everyone's portraits. (For, um, no particular reason ... *innocent smile*) Sahvi, I found your character portrait in your app and am using that as your icon for the battle map so it doesn't look like there's a dragon on the board. :) Everyone else, I am just using your alias portraits but if you would prefer I use a different image, let me know.
I like Sarenrae too. :) She and Desna are my favorites.
Could y'all do me a favor and look at the Campaign Info tab and see if the information under the Spoiler "GM Pastes" is correct? I copied and pasted from your sheets but there may well be copy-paste errors.
Moss-Fingers, please check your CMD for me. You have 10 on your microstatblock but it says 16 in your profile. I think the 10 is correct, but I might be missing something.
All of you gain 1 hero point for successfully launching on your new adventure! This means you should have 2 hero points.
Tower Ground Floor; Conditions: Dim Light
All of you safely make your way up the rubble pile to the second floor of the tower, now exposed completely to the elements. Fortunately what is left of the floor you stand on remains quite stable.
There is indeed a stone circular stairway down. It is blocked by a wooden beam that fortunately is easily moveable if two of you work together to move it out of the way.
The stairs take you to the ground floor of the tower. The dim twilight sky from the first floor is all that lights the room, but is enough to reveal two more quite dead kobolds lying amidst shattered furniture, small pools of blood forming beneath bludgeoning wounds on their heads and bodies. They are not under any rubble here, so they likely fled from somewhere else and succumbed to their wounds here. If something else killed them, it is not apparent from looking at them what it was. The kobolds have little on them save crude miners' picks sized for their small hands.
Nothing else lies in the room save broken furniture.
The bodies lie close to an iron trap door, still open, that leads, via iron ladder built into the wall, downward into darkness.
Here's where we determine marching order and light sources!
Lady Devy's son Arnholde, who before now seemed to be staring blankly at all that was occurring, homes in on the brazen (no pun intended) monk. "How dare you speak to my mother-" But Lady Devy stops him, her leather-gloved hand to his chest. "It's all right, Arnholde."
She steps forward and smiles broadly at Sahvi. "I am truly honored a dragon expert is among our visitors today. I am grateful indeed you are willing to help us with this possible incursion of kobolds, and I am certain you will find us valuable information worth your share of the 500 gold pieces I am offering to you and your compatriots. The dungeons below have gone unexplored for a long time, and you may also find other riches which you are welcome to keep should you find them." She spreads her hands. "I am sorry--very sorry--that you were misused by Gribb and the way the arrest unfolded. Unfortunately, it is not within my bailiwick, quite literally, to honor contracts made in Cassomir. I am also aware you were offered some free lodging which I hope helps cover some of your lost expenses. And," she adds quickly before argument may be offered, "Should you end up remaining here for more than a few days, I may even find even more work for you that shall pay far better than the caravan. That is, if you are successful with this initial task."
"As for Mr. Hunclay's manor--well, I am delighted you would consider moving into our little town! I'm certain our historian would love to consult with a dragon expert such as yourself. However, I should not like to presume he is dead just yet--and if he is, we will have to contact his next of kin and consult his will to determine what happens to his estate." She points toward the town. "In the meantime, there are other vacant properties available in Belhaim. They are not so large nor so fine as the manor, to be completely honest with you, and many are in need of repair. However, they may present an opportunity to you nonetheless, and you could decorate them as you like to your particular tastes. You can find out in the Hall of Records which are available and how much they cost to purchase or rent. And yes, you must purchase or rent them before you move in."
If there is any further argument, she changes the subject to the current investigation (repeating as necessary the pay she has offered).
Yes, sorry! Map and Campaign Slides are indeed linked under my name and I should have said that explicitly. I will also add the link to the map to the campaign notes, however; good idea.
Speaking of the Campaign Slides, I've updated the Quest list and the "what's happened so far" slide.
Rill also has a rope. So I'd say what makes sense is Moss-Fingers goes to drop off his horse; while he's gone, Rill hands her rope (if Rill's player is okay with that) to Varrus. Varrus climbs up to secure it, and Hegio (since he also rolled dice to Climb) helps secure it from halfway up, and that is all set by the time Moss-Fingers gets back (not wanting to negate his desired action, but it would take him some time to go back and forth so it would make sense that the party continues to work while he is gone). Is that okay with you all?
Going to also pause a moment and give anyone who hasn't had a chance to post yet to ask any questions or respond to the moment, and then I'll move us on.
Indulge me with at least one successful Climb check and we'll assume you can tie a rope and then everyone else can climb without checking. Not failing by 5 or more keeps you from falling, but you need the success to actually get to the top.
Sahvi, I only just noticed you ninjaed me in the tavern scene and I moved the scene on without responding to you. My apologies! Hopefully Lady Devy's offer meets Sahvi's interest in seeking the Baroness's favor and wealth. :)
Lady Devy smiles softly at Rill. "As best we've been able to tell, while the rubble covers the outside of the first floor, the staircase from the exposed second floor to the first is intact. If you can climb the rubble up to the second floor, you can see if you can make your way down into the dungeon from there. Of course if there's no way down, your investigation may be short, but I'd appreciate it if you tried." She gestures toward Haelin. "Perhaps your scout can be sure the way is clear. Or," she looks at Hegio, "This fellow mentions he uses magic. Given his companion is unhooded," she gestures toward Feathers, and then toward the hooded* hawk on her own shoulder, "Unlike my dear Janna, I would wager his lovely fellow is a familiar and might provide his master a bird's eye view." She gives another smile. "I am sure you will figure something out. I would not offer such a sum if I thought it impossible."
Lady Devy can answer any more of your questions. She lets you know she would prefer you begin right away, but as night is soon falling understands if you waited until morning--but the trail of the kobolds may go cold.
Or if you wish, you can now head back down the hill to see about entering the tower. It is true the second floor looks partially intact. The rubble piled around the building fully blocks the front door but also creates a natural ramp up to the second floor. The rubble looks a bit hazardous to climb. DC 8 climb check, or you might innovate a way to make it easier so everyone can just do it automatically.
The battle map shows the rubble "ramp" up to the tower though the stairs/way down below isn't obvious on the drawing, rest assured it is there.
In case anyone is not from the U.S., I am using American floor numbering; first floor = ground floor.
* Those of you with any basic knowledge of animals or animal husbandry know pet raptors are normally hooded to keep them from being distracted or upset by certain motions or prey.
Constable Mulle scowls at Varrus looking over the dead kobold. "Phew, you wanna touch that stinkin' thing?" It is true, the scent of scorched kobold is not pleasant. Fortunately it does not take a long investigation to note that the picks hanging out of a pouch on its belt appear to be somewhat makeshift and well used. Certainly of poor quality.
Hegio asks Mulle about kobolds, and she chews her lip. "I've heard of a tribe living by the old quarry up the road apiece, but they've never given us any trouble. Not even the farmers on the outskirts have any complaints." She scratches her head. "No idea why they were around here. Maybe just messing around? Curious?"
Moss-Fingers, backed by Haelin, rings the bell and calls for Hunclay. There is, however, no answer. You wait a bit, but there is no answer and no sign of movement within. Of course the building is so large it would be hard to tell. Very few lights are on within as well, even though twilight approaches rapidly.
"Odd," one of the townsfolk who followed you up the hill comments. "Hunclay was just by the shop earlier today. He should be around."
"Odd indeed." Another voice--a new one, a mature, female velvety voice--interjects. If you turn to see who speaks, three new arrivals approach the group: the first is the likely speaker, a woman in her late 50s with silver hair, dressed in a purple embroidered dress that is much finer than what most of the townsfolk could probably afford, though not ostentatious. On a leather pauldron on her shoulder sits a hooded and jessed hawk; she also wears a thick leather glove on one hand, obviously intended for surviving the hawk's sharp beak and talons.
The second person is a black-haired, mustached man in his mid twenties, in a red velvet coat. He has the same sharp green eyes as the woman, suggesting perhaps he is her son. The third person is a guard in purple livery.
Constable Mulle gives a short awkward bow upon seeing the new arrivals, and some of the townsfolk similarly offer a respectful gesture. A couple of them don't seem fussed to offer such honors, though they still part to give her space. "Lady Devy! We were just trying to see if Hunclay saw what happened. But he ain't home."
"Indeed," she says, "How concerning." She does not sound immediately concerned, but adds--this with genuine interest--"Were any townsfolk hurt in the collapse?" When Mulle tells her no, she relaxes a little. "Good. I think for now you can all go home. There is no point in bothering Mr. Hunclay if he won't answer the door." She gestures to the dead kobold. "And obviously visitors must beware if they are not expected." As the others begin to depart upon her word, she then turns to the six of you.
"My name is Origena Devy, I am the Baroness of these lands. This is my son, Arnholde. I have a favor to ask of you. I understand you came in on the caravan yesterday--word travels fast in a small town, and of course I was aware of the efforts to track the smuggling operation here. I know you're likely stuck here for a week, maybe two. And if you're competent enough to guard a caravan, I'm hoping you might be interested in assisting with the investigation here. Sherriff Benhovy has only left behind Deputy Bellett, whose primary talents surround signing paperwork, and Constables Mulle and Hodd, whom you've met--who ... do their best, but I don't think this kind of situation is in their wheelhouse."
She points toward the remains of the Witch's Tower. "Most have forgotten the history of that place, but it was all that remained of an ancient castle originally belonging to the town's founder, Tula Belhaim, and was used by my family's predecessors, the Canteclures, a couple centuries ago. My understanding from old records is there is a dungeon beneath the tower, but no one has been inside the ruins since..." she pauses, swallowing, as though she suddenly feels some pain. "Well, suffice to say the place has long believed to be cursed and no one has been in there in a very long time. With the tower collapsing and dead kobolds appearing in its wake, I want to know what they were doing there." She fixes a look at each of you. "I will pay you 500 gold pieces if you will investigate the ruins and see what you can learn about the kobolds. Maybe you can keep an eye out for our missing eccentric wizard while you are at it. Frankly I find it very suspicious he is not opening his door."
Sense Motive DC 15:
She is certainly genuine about asking you to explore the dungeon--and definitely distrusts Hunclay... but there's something personal about this that she's not bringing up.
Knowledge Nobility DC 15:
The Devy family holds a barony in this region of Taldor, with Origena Devy serving as current baroness. They've lived here nearly 200 years, and have a reputation of being fair rulers--unlike the Canteclures, who ruled here before 4500 AR, and had a reputation for greed and cruelty.
Some of the crowd quiets down and backs off a bit, although others scowl at Moss and mutter things about outsiders minding their own business. The male guard nods with thanks to Moss-Fingers, and he says to the other guard, "Go with them, Mulle, I'll handle things here. Lady Devy'll be here soon."
The half-orc who had suggested going to Hunclay's speaks up. "I'll help you, Hodd." The big man moves to stand beside Hodd and the child trying to rush forward suddenly decides that isn't such a good idea after all. He gently suggests most folks go home--the sun is setting and they shouldn't be out after dark if kobolds are lurking. The crowd partially disperses.
Mulle nods gratefully at the group of you, and leads you up the hill to the large manor. A three or four townsfolk, still curious, follow behind you by about 20 feet. It is built of granite, as opposed to the older limestone structures that are more typical of the town, and well maintained. Continual flames light enclosed glass sconces on either side of the door, providing a clear view of what you see next, even in the fading daylight.
Another dead green-scaled kobold lies across the doorstep. Unlike the one down by the tower, who was clearly a victim of the collapse, this one is covered in burn scars, the most egregious being along one of its hands. A warped lockpick is fused to his burnt claw.
Fortunately, explicit directions to the Witch's Tower, or its remains, aren't necessary, as following the growing crowd heading up the road toward the hills is easy enough. You go about half a mile--through the town, then across the east bridge over Rogue Creek onto the Old Quarry Road. Gentle hills rise on other side of you; to the north of you, you pass a large mansion with a tower in its center; given the absence of trees around the house, compared to the thicker woodland south of the roadway, perhaps this is the manor of the wizard Hunclay that Talia mentioned. To the south, apart from forest, you see a cemetery atop the nearest hill, and then the roof of another mansion further away.
Past the Hunclay's mansion, you see a collapsed stone tower; ancient lime rubble tumbles down the hill toward the road. It was once three or four stories, but all that is left of it is two stories above ground, with a pile of rubble and ruin blocking whereever its original entrance might have been.
Feathers sends the sense of what he sees to Hegio: a mess of stones and dead wood. Humans safe, but two not-human dead bodies among the stones. No immediate danger.
Moss-Fingers gets to Red easily enough; however, he cannot go too fast or risk trampling the townsfolk trying to reach the tower. So he arrives only a few minutes before the rest of the stranded caravanners arrive. The entire town might not be present, but a good number of them are, and several are muttering to one another about kobold corpses in the ruins and fretting about where they might have come from. "There were at least two dead." "I heard four!" "At least a dozen!"
There is at least one small green scaled dead body half sticking out of the rubble at the base of the tower.
Everybody arrives in time to witness a human man and woman, dressed in the constables' livery, trying to keep the crowd from approaching any further to the collapsed tower. You recognize the two from the smugglers' arrest yesterday, but they bore little rank or responsibility during that activity that you remember. Moreover, at least those of you with a reasonable level of logic can surmise that these two, having been left behind by the sheriff while he and senior constables escorted the smugglers out of town, are likely not exactly Belhaim's finest. The haplessness with which they try to order people away from the tower drives this home: one is overly officious, barking orders with little useful direction, the other rather lax, more begging the crowd to calm down as she chews on a stalk of peppergrass. She tries to grab one youth as he starts to clamber toward the ruins, pleading, "Stop, come on, stop. We can't investigate proper if you're all crawling all over the place." The boy dodges her grasp and sticks his tongue out at her.
A man speaks up--one of the very few half-orcs in the town, who stands a good head taller than most others present and wears a smith's apron-- "If you want to investigate 'proper,' why don't you ask Hunclay what happened? He lives right over there. Probably saw the whole thing."
At this the two constables look at each other, almost stunned, as they process this suggestion. They look back and forth at the tower, the crowd, and the mansion, clearly stymied as to how they keep the scene free of interlopers while also walking up the hill to the wizard's door.
Perception is fine Varrus certainly can confirm the sound you all heard a moment ago is that of a landslide or opening sinkhole. But from where he stands outside the inn, all folk are moving toward the east side of town. Even farmers living distantly on the south hills appear to be moving toward the bridge to town to see what has happened. No one hides or moves in the opposite direction.
But you can see folks are moving through the town to the hills to the east, so perhaps if shenanigans have occurred, they are closer to the source of the collapse.
Moss-Fingers, Haelin, and Sahvi exit the inn and join the crowd moving eastward. It looks like most of the town has left to see what has happened so it's slow going up the road. Someone replies to Sahvi, "An old cursed tower, full of ghosts. Near Hunclay's manor."
The weather is definitely clear, not a cloud in the sky.
Giving a chance for any other initial inquiries before I move us further along
An awkward silence fills the room as the conversation hits a natural lull. Perhaps one of you are just about to speak when an enormous thunderclap outside rattles the inn's leaded windows. A wooden tankard hanging on the wall clatters to the floor. "Oh my!" Talia claps her hands together. "It wasn't supposed to rain today!" The handful of guests in the room begin to murmur, wondering if it was an earthquake, and noting that the sky was perfectly clear a half hour ago. The door to the inn flies open, and a young lad, one of the stablehands from Dodgion Livery next door, shouts, "The Witch Tower has fallen!"
Obvious shock and alarm ripples through the townsfolk present, and all the guests as well as Talia and her serving girl follow the boy through the door to see what has happened; you can hear footsteps and shouts outside as a crowd pushes its way eastward up the town's main street.
Claudine the barwoman looks concerned but stays steadfastly behind her counter and says to any of you still seated, "You may as well see what the fuss is, not often something big happens around here. I'll watch the inn."
To Varrus, Talia replies, "Caspar Tymek's a lovely man, as is the whole family that runs the general store. You probably met his eldest son Gus on the caravan. Thank goodness he didn't get caught up with those smugglers! Caspar works with the farmers as well as brings in goods we need from out of town. Helps me coordinate my supply orders." The serving girl hands her a sliced loaf of bread wrapped in a napkin, which Talia arranges into the half-empty basket. "Phedra Delbin's a locksmith... and a general tinker. Shy, that one. Can't say I know her as well, but the Record Hall trust her with their lockboxes, so ..."
To Haelin she nods. Upon greeting the party yesterday, Talia looked at Haelin a bit askance, as many might upon seeing a half-drow. Especially in a town like this when the majority are human--she probably has little idea of what a drow is, only reacting to being different. It may not excuse her hesitancy, but since, she has offered Haelin the same hospitality as she has the rest without question. Now, she smiles softly at the heart gesture, with a little "Oh!" of surprise at the gentle gratitude. "Oh, it's nothing, dear, I can't imagine how hard it must be to be so far from home. I'm not sure what you mean by wilds? We've a large hunting lodge... though mind if you go, the head ranger has a mouth on him!"
"Tal! Gossip!" Claudine warns. Talia blushes and for at least a brief moment, quiets herself.
If I don't have a post up today I'll have one up tomorrow. 16 hr day at work, 6 hrs off, then a 14 hr day today. Then it's my weekend lol. Sahvi sleeping in wouldn't be out of the ordinary anyways.
Posting in discussion counts as participating! Understood about the work schedule.
I do hope you can get your IC intro soon. Either way I'll move the story along by tomorrow morning.
Myself I'll be in a professional development course Tues-Thurs so I probably won't check the threads as often.
Just a reminder that if you haven't posted in a couple days, I expect folks to at least check in the discussion thread and at least say, "Hi I'm here, waiting for others to post" (or whatever).
I know it's (1) the weekend and (2) if you are in the U.S., there is a chance your world is being covered in snowy death right now and that may be affecting access to power and internet or impacting work and school schedules. Flexibility is warranted.
At the same time I want to start as I mean to go on, and I'm serious about the post every two days rule. I've ended a whole PBP when player posting began to lapse without warning (after no one had posted for a week), and I will ask folks to leave if they establish a pattern of failing to post at the agreed upon rate.
In short, of course I'm not going to start banning tomorrow if there's no posts from someone, but I am paying attention to posting habits already and will act down the line if someone is not regularly showing up.
You don't learn of anyone in immediate need of healing--although that may be small town insularity not wanting to ask a newcomer for help. You hear the Temple of Abadar has taken in the old man who was another innocent passenger on the caravan, a merchant named Kal, is recovering from the bit of shock he experienced during the arrests last night.
The stable master, Lezara Dodgion, is a bit gruff and stiff in demeanor, but she runs the stable ably with a large staff, from trainers to stall muckers. The three horses and two mules (and several dogs) there are all well cared for. She isn't very forthcoming, but when you notice she keeps a bundle of herbs tied over the doorframe--a sign of devotion to the Green Faith--and you mention sharing the faith, she relaxes slightly and mentions that there is a small shrine near the hunting lodge to the north and that the local herbalist, Anagrit, leads members of the faith in celebrating the solstices and equinoxes--well, she does when the region's Druid, Azmur Kell, isn't in town, and he hasn't been by for over two months. She worries his pregnant wife might have taken ill, but she wouldn't know where to find them.
She mentions most seek Anagrit out for cures if they don't want to deal with the Shelyn temple's "frippery" and the eternal "pole-up-the-arse" apparently suffered by the Abadarans.
Talia nods along with the long rambling family situation, never indicating any boredom. When asked her prices, "Oh well, don't worry about that for now, but it's 5 silvers a night, plus 2 for the stabling. That includes breakfast. 3 silvers for full meal service. Drink and a la carte food prices are posted by the bar. 6 coppers for a bath. 1 silver for any laundering services." These are fairly typical prices for Taldor, and quite reasonable given you have private rooms. "Most folks go to the temples for healing, but you might ask the farmers if their animals need tending? I heard Abrassas the Shepherd's been having trouble with wolves."
Want to note: I'm providing the information about various NPCs because the module provides ways for the PCs to build relationships with the townsfolk throughout the adventure. It's up to you to take note of whatever info if you wish; while some is simply some background detail or hints into what might get them on your side, some of it may eventually become relevant to the story as well. Either way, if it's too much info dump let me know, and I'll dial it back.
"A wizard!" Talia replies to Hegio. "We ... we do have a wizard here, Mr. Hunclay. He keeps to himself, mostly ... built his big old mansion east of town several years ago. Odd duck--chopped down all the trees around his place so he could 'see the stars.'" She frowns. "I mean, I can see the stars well enough if I look upwards enough. I've heard the Baroness doesn't care for him ..."
At this, the woman behind the bar clears her throat. "Watch the gossip, Tal. We don't need to get these folk wrapped up in local nonsense."
"But I'm just trying to help, Claude!" Talia turns back to Hegio. "I was thinking, I don't know how you get an audience with Lady Devy, but maybe if you found a way to do her a favor she might find a place for a wizard in town. Not many other magic using folk in town, apart from the priests of course. Man who runs the Commons knows a few illusions to smart up the stage for plays. Our herbalist is a hedge witch. Taught the midwife a few tricks too, but just enough to help her deliveries go smoother. But no wizard who's actually willing to help out around here."
She busily refills glasses that have no need of being refilled as she listens to the others. There's only a handful of locals taking dinner at the inn--not for any failing on her, part, as the inn is comfortable and clean--and her excitement at newcomers being present is plain.
She nods solemnly at Rill, apparently taking her lofty presentation very seriously, and gives a glare when the serving girl wiping the tables nearby snorts at Rill's attempt at flowery language. Turning back to Rill, Talia clasps her hands. "Sarenrae! We've no shrine to her here--we pray at the Seven Roses--" She gestures back toward the bar, where a homemade bouquet of dried roses and chrysanthemums, tied in multicolored ribbons, sits at the center of the shelves along the wall, clearly a makeshift sort of shrine, "But I would think the house of Shelyn would welcome you if you sought allies of the cloth. Or if you seek wisdom from a knight, you could go meet Sir Pelle Benhovy ... but he's not ..."
Claudine the barwoman clears her throat again, and Talia leans closer and whispers, "He's not very nice."
To Varrus, she shakes her head. "No shame in being a merchant! We business owners are who keep the world going. I know Belhaim isn't much, but there are some empty storefronts ... I understand wanting to move on fast as you can but maybe take a look since you're here for a bit?"
I've put in the official introductory post. I've probably put too much thought and too many details into what was going on with the criminal apprehension; it's all merely backdrop but sets the stage for your being abandoned in Belhaim.
If you need to skim through, focus on the stuff at the end. :)
PS The Campaign Slides should be accessible now, but let me know if you have trouble with the link.
