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Sylvar is fairly certain that there is nothing of interest in this small room. The stairs leading up to the loft seem to be in good repair and whoever goes up first confirms that it is safe. Most of this wooden loft is still standing—this is the only remnant of the building’s destroyed second floor. The roofless chamber is completely exposed to the elements and filled with soot-covered debris, fire-damaged furnishings, and charred wooden beams. A large, soot-covered brass statue of a goddess with a longsword in one hand and a kite shield in the other stands precariously on the northern edge of the platform above a rickety flight of stairs.
Sylvar finds no traps. As you get closer, you realize that the hole in the floor will probably give access to the basement below, but it doesn't look very stable. When you open the door to the NE, you see a short corridor that opens to a small room. Most of this room is in shambles, and the western wall has collapsed in a heap of rubble. A staircase to the northeast leads to a wooden loft upstairs; the area beneath the loft is filled with fallen beams, jumbled bricks, and other debris.
With the defeat of the spider, you can give the area a thorough search. An abandoned hopeknife sits in plain sight on one of the shelves in the bookcase to the northeast. Its blade bears the inscription, “For Rodrik, my love.” This is the hopeknife that Brinya originally gave to Rodrik, but he misplaced it here. In addition, the bookcase contains a false back that Sylvar and Agatsu find. The small cubby behind the false back holds an ornate gold coffer studded with numerous gems. The coffer is empty, but is itself worth 500 gp. Pushing aside the rotted boards in the cabinet to the southeast reveals an iron flask containing oil of magic weapon and another holding a potion of shield of faith, a beat-up steel scroll case (worth 5 gp) holding two scrolls of knock and a scroll of summon swarm, and two vials of holy water. At the far end of the room is a collapsed stairwell. The wooden staircase here that once led to the upper story has all but crumbled to ashes. The northern wall has collapsed, and the floor underneath has sunk entirely, leaving a dark, gaping hole in the ground surrounded by rubble. A single door exits the room to the northeast.
Darren attempts to treat the poison each round as well.
Sylvar, for your first two Fort saves you get an additional +4 bonus.
Agatsu smashes the wounded spider.
Sylvar feels his strength ebbing.
Kilien hits the spider with an arrow that sinks deep into its abdomen. It then drops on Sylvar.
As you enter the room, Kilien notices movement out of the corner of her eye. Looking up, she sees the bloated body of an immense spider dropping down on the group.
I figured Sylvar is first because of his Perception and trap finding, Then probably Agatsu as he is a frontline fighter and has high Perception also. The question really is whether you want Alistaire also near the front or as rear guard?
When you open the door, you see a long narrow room. The support walls and pillars that once connected the Plague House to the huge boulder behind it have burnt and crumbled in this ruined chamber, revealing nearly the entire face of the monolithic stone as well as much of the sky above. Jagged red runes have been painted onto the rock in long, broad strokes that reach from top to bottom. A cabinet on the southeast wall and a tall bookcase against the northeastern wall are all that remain of the room’s furnishings.
Ok, I wasn't sure which door you were going through. So the easternmost door in the stairwell room?
Sylvar proves to be more skilled than previous people. There is no trap, but there did seem to be some sort of magical lock, however, Sylvar is able to bypass it and open the lockbox. The lockbox contains a potion of darkvision, a scroll of barkskin, a scroll of ghostbane dirge, a masterwork hand crossbow, and a case containing 10 normal bolts, 10 cold iron bolts, and 10 silver bolts.
The single door is a steel door. And you realize it probably leads to the stone annex on the side of the chapel. Sylvar detects no traps, and is also able to tell that it has been opened recently. When you open the door, several rats scurry away into the debris. This square room has a set of steep stone stairs leading down into darkness. Resting in front of the stairs is a steel lockbox. It is obvious that people have tried to open it before, but it remains locked. Immediately to your left is another single
It takes about ten minutes to do a quick search of the room. The only hidden thing was the trapdoor. Sylvar detects no traps on it. So, the question is, do you continue searching the rest of this floor, or do you try the trapdoor?
You find about 200gp worth of various trinkets. Sylvar's sharp eye finds a trapdoor concealed beneath one of the beds.
Darren, watches the scene which ends after a few seconds.
Darren
Darren
As you begin exploring the room, only Sylvar gets any warning as he suddenly detects the smell of burning flesh. Sylvar Suddenly, in the room, the burnt corpses of plague victims appear on the bedframes, sitting straight up and screaming, their mouths full of fire and ashes.
Pyros finds no traps on the doors. Opening them you see a large room. Two rows of scorched, wrought-iron bedframes take up most of the space in this soaring chamber, resting between a fire blackened altar to the southwest and double doors to the northeast. A second set of double doors leads to the northwest (the ones you just opened), and a single iron door exits the chamber to the southeast. Brightly colored holy figures stare down from the stained-glass windows built into the blackened stone walls, their visages noticeably less damaged than the rest of the room.
It might be, waiting to hear back from someone about it.
It is something of a climb to get to the doors, but, despite their appearance, they open with ease. Inside you see a corridor 10' wide and about 40' long that appears to open up into a bigger area. The only light comes from your open doors. At the end of the corridor, on the left, is a small door. Immediately to your right is a set of double doors.
Those windows are about 8' above the ground.
The Plague House’s front doors sit three feet above the ground. Charred wooden beams and ash are all that remains of a small porch and stairs that once led to the entrance. The small windows flanking either side of the doorframe are broken, but a large stained glass window dominating the face of the building to the right remains in fine shape, and shows a varicolored image of Iomedae holding her sword aloft.
After leaving Omast, you have an uneventful night. The next morning you head outside the walls to the Plague House. As you approach, you can see the large white cross (or maybe a sword) painted on the south tower. The Plague House, also known as the Burned Church, was Trunau’s original church of Iomedae. When orc raiders burned the building down and killed the priests within, the church of Iomedae decided to build a new chapel inside the city walls. The ruined church became known as the Plague House following a tragedy 50 years ago, when Trunau was afflicted with a plague. The town’s authorities hastily rebuilt the structure and used it to quarantine the plague victims, but a mysterious fire consumed the building a few days later, killing everyone inside—patients and healers— and leaving the infamous site once again in ruins. None have attempted to rebuild it since. There are multiple ways of entering the ruined building: through the front doors, the collapsed wall in the ruined sitting room, and the open wall or the back door in the collapsed stairwell. Unless otherwise noted, the doors on the Plague House’s ground level are of good wooden construction, while those in the basement are iron. Ceilings within the Plague House are generally 10 feet high and all rooms are dark, though those areas with exterior windows have normal light during the day.
Yoo spend several hours nursing the depressed guard sergeant back to sobriety. As he becomes more coherent, you learn more about his relationship with Rodrik. Omast blames himself for Rodrik's death, he thinks he should have been there for him after Rodrik's fight with his father. Omast can also verify several things you have found so far. First, it is evident that Omast is highly suspicious of half-orcs. He especially does not trust Katrezra, who he blames for filling Rodrik's head with nonsense. You also realize that Omast knows nothing about Brinya and Rodrik being together. When Omast sees the Hopeknife, he immediately tells you that it is odd because it is nowhere near the standards of quality to be expected from Sara Morninghawk's shop. Finally, about the graffiti. First, he can tell you the locations of where the graffiti has been placed. There are a few locations, but the one that is most baffling is the one at the South tower. This cross, unlike the others is quite large, easily visible even from outside of the walls of Trunau. How someone painted a white cross that is 30 feet tall and 10 feet wide on a garrisoned tower without being noticed is beyond comprehension. The South tower, btw, is very near the Plague House, which is located just outside of the walls. Afterwards, Omast thanks you profusely. He seems ashamed of his lapse, especially in front of Agatsu.
I will have someone soon
What time of day is it now? Do we have time to go to the Plague House? Yes, you have time.
@ Lialda: The graffitti is white swords or crosses. They are not magical, but your Alchemy check identifies them as a special alchemical marker dye (something that is rather expensive, thus probably not the work of hooligans). The dye will wear off eventually, but trying to clean it short of stripping the surface or using magic will be fruitless for at least a month.
Omast is very talkative, but mostly rambles. You find it hard to keep him on track. It's obvious he is very drunk and very hurt over Rodrik's death. Frum has always seen himself as a protector and mentor of the Grath boys. When Rodrik and Kurst came of age and joined Trunau’s militia, Patrol Leader Jagrin Grath asked Omast to make sure his sons were safe, whether out on patrol or within the town walls. The humble sergeant took this task very seriously, and in the wake of Rodrik’s mysterious death, Omast is faring poorly. He knows Rodrik shared a friendship with the half-orc Katrezra, and his jealousy is palpable (he describes the oracle as “a crippled oaf who lounges in the Sanctuary’s beds spouting curses and lies of prophetic dreams”), but Omast is unaware of Rodrik’s relationship with the halforc Brinya Kelver. Unless you take the time to sober him up, he is practically useless as a source of information right now.
What a nightmare, evidently there are different levels of "deleting cookies."
You find Patrol Sergeant Omast Frum at the South Tower of Trunau’s inner wall, dangling from the tower’s battlements by a rope tied to his belt. His futile attempts to wash away the graffiti that recently appeared there are creating quite the spectacle. You also realize that he is quite drunk, this is especially disconcerting to Agustu because he knows that Omast has been successfully sober for over a year now. The graffitti is in the form of white swords painted on the wall, and no amount of scrubbing seems to be able to get it clean. These are the same markings you saw in the room at the Ramblehouse Inn.
Ok, hopefully all projects, school, and holidays are out of the way NOW.
"Have you read the journal?"
"Why did you suggest Rodrick give you the journal?"
"Why did you want him to end his investigation?"
"Why did you refer to the investigation as foolish?"
""What scheme was he investigating?"
"How is Brinya involved?"
That's OK, everything is generally slow around this time of year.
"There have been reports of white swords painted on buildings in town. You would have to talk to the Guard about that." "As for my nightmares, I can't tell you anything specific, even I seldom understand them."
At the mention of the journal, he pulls out a slim leather wrapped journal and hands it to you. "I hope this is some assistance to your investigation. Rodrik doesn't deserve to be remembered as a suicide."
“It is no great secret that I was cursed with preternatural visions many years ago, during my time with the Empty Hand. Since I left those savages, many have sought my counsel into matters ranging from the mundane to the dire, but I’m afraid the omens that assault my dreams are nigh indecipherable, even to me, and I have no means of directing them." “Rodrik originally approached me to ask for advice while courting Brinya Kelver. The love-struck fool—bless his soul—thought I might have some special insights into the traditions of her people or visions of the couple’s everlasting happiness... but come now, do I look like the romantic type?” He smiles wryly, then shakes his head and moves on. “I couldn’t help him with his relationship, but we gradually became close friends. I’d been experiencing vivid hallucinations of white swords or crosses, and dreams of the Plague House outside town. When I told him of them, he seemed to think my dreams might help with his investigation. I told him about my visions as best I could, but the muse of my nightmares is as abstruse as she is unkind.” “As for Rodrik's investigation, to be truthful, I don’t think even he knew exactly what he was looking for. Rodrik had run afoul of a flood troll in the Plague House not long ago, and the poor fellow was convinced it was not just an isolated incident. He came to me seeking guidance, and his curiosity was piqued by my visions. I told him that flood trolls are native to Belkzen, but they rarely roam this far south of the Flood Road. Since learning of his investigation, though, I have had nightmares unlike any before, and I fear that some greater evil may be at play within Trunau’s walls.”
Although it's absurd, Kílien quickly scans Katrezra's face for tattoos. He's not even close to matching the description of the half-orc the assassin gave you.
At the mention of Katrezra, Sara relents. "Yes, he is here. We were unsure of your intentions the first time you arrived, we worried that someone would also try to kill him." You hear a rustle from behind, and on old, crippled half-orc comes out from a back room. "I am Katrezra, what do you wish to know?"
You head back to Clamor where you again meet Sara Morninghawk.
Sorry, for the slow pace. The last three weeks have been very hectic and I should have said something. I am finished with my project this week, pace will go back to once a day posting from me.
Late in the morning you head back to the Sanctuary. The confidant is probably the missing half-orc seer. Tyari Varvatos, the high priestess, again tells you the same thing, that Katrezra disappeared two days ago, after tidying up his space. She allows you to search the area, but you do not find a journal. "Katrezra was fairly well liked, perhaps you should talk to some of the prominent merchants or people to see if he is hiding there. There is no way he left the city in his condition." Tyari tells you in hopes of giving you some lead. |