Ques Stone's page

The barricade is moved for your convenience and the group follows the trog into the fort. The thing has an odd unpleasant smell, but it does nothing other than make you wrinkle your noses. You pass through the outer gatehouse, through a courtyard, and finally into a domed room where you wait for a few minutes.

The lizard folk are quite cagey and keep their distance, other than the guide, and are blatantly on high alert.

The first room (C1, see link labelled Grundmoch's Lair above), which has seen far better times as you might expect, has decomposing walls and violated mosaics. Faded tiles have crumbled into small piles at the foot of mud-bricked walls. Once colorful mosaics are painted with sloppy, blood-scribed writings in an unknown language interrupted by gnoll scalps spiked into the walls. Gnasher is getting far more than his fair share of hostile looks, including the stares of mostly hidden eyes peering in from the doors to the lef and right as you pass though.

The second room (C3) has two sets of double doors on opposite ends of an open-air court. On either side, narrow wings extend for 15 feet. Three large pillars run down the center of each of the wings. Swept against the sides of the walls lie piles of rubble from the collapsed ceiling. The walls hold dim traces of calligraphy written in Ignan, though the writing style is antiquated and the engravings are barely legible, and judging from what remains they are prayers to Rovagug.

The waiting room (C4) crests 20' above the floor, supported by stone arches inlaid with glittering fragments of rock crystal. The dome itself is damaged, missing several sections that have been crudely repaired with stretched hides. Beyond the arches, tiled walls square off the outer perimeter of the dome. Set into the floor beneath the dome is an elaborate mosaic of an intertwining sun and moon. The once stunning inlay is badly chipped. Chained to several of the arches hang the half-devoured remains of slain gnolls, their corpses crawling with flies. Most of the bodies are missing the majority of their legs and feet. A single word has been crudely carved into their chests.

At either end of the dome, double doors provide exits, while a small staircase in the southeast corner of the chamber leads down.

Yep, thanks for the fun while it lasted.

Is the game still active?

Who needs to do their action in gameplay right now?

I think you are the only one. The rest of us are outsiders.

Ques does the duck and run thing mentioned above since it seems I jumped the gun on his post.

Ques has quite the different reaction. He immediately casts a DC 13 Daze spell on the brute and heads for cover, leaving Grey to fend for himself.

Some Day he will have more useful spells :)

oooh. Never heard of low luck rules. Sounds like just the thing for me. Nothing as frustrating as losing a battle badly that you should have won easily. Over and over again.

*wince*

That game hates me.

And so he does. Ques heads towards the middle area and looks through the open doors, ready for trouble. As he reaches an open doorway he readies his spear and darts into the opening ready to jab.

Ques will tap each of them with a wand of infernal healing before he wanders off.

Ques stands there and gawks for a bit.

"Wow. this place is beeeeautiful. I really like the dryads."

Ques steps around to the other side of the table, examining the table and the windows and the chandelier and... let's just say he give rubbernecking a new meaning.

I believe Ques and Grey are fully healed. Is anyone still injured?

As does Ques, as soon as he figures out the guard is not about to warn anyone.

"Let's follow the guard. That way we surprise anyone he alerts instead of the other way around."

"Ques quickly turns the mirror towards the wall and says [b]"Uh oh. May have just announced our presence."

Ques makes no move to claim the CLW when asked and shows no interested in the other potions. He does take some interest in the bolts though.

"Say, I have a crossbow. Don't know if these odd bolts will be of any use, but they fit! I guess I'll take them. Are we done here?" With the realization that he just telegraphed their location, there is a new sense of urgency in Ques's voice.

Since Nox asked, Ques moves over to the mirror and starts focusing his talents on it.

spellcraft: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (14) + 7 = 21
It occurs to him, however, that all this analysis might be unnecessary.

"Say, fellow, would you happen to know what any of this magic stuff does?"

"I'll give it a shot."

Quest casts a detect magic and starts examining the potions.
spellcraft: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (12) + 7 = 19

Ques waits there, tentatively, to see if the man gets better treatment than the last fellow who surrendered. He draws his wand of infernal healing, not sure whether to use it on anyone or not, basically frozen there in anticipation.

Ques enters the room and sticks the guard unlucky enough to be standing there.

to hit boar spear: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (18) + 5 = 23
damage: 1d8 + 3 ⇒ (2) + 3 = 5

Itharial did a dazzle (i.e., flare) and Ques did a daze. Not sure which spell he saved against or if a another save is needed.

Ques follow along more reluctantly, setting up shop behind the two and tagging the fellow behind him with a DC 13 Daze spell.

I think he is stuck on the pillar. I am able to select the icon and even rotate it, but it is anchored in place.

Speaking of Ques he seems a bit flat footed (i.e., I cannot move his icon on the map).

Still unable to move Ques. He is supposed to be next to Grey. I cannot see what is in front of him so I cannot figure out what it is possible to do.

Ques and Grey move to the north to cover that avenue if they come boiling out of that door, though he hopes not.

Ithariel, Nox, wanna' break this standstill? Kill or capture?

I'm all for taking out the guards even if Ques is not.

Speaking of Ques he seems a bit flat footed (i.e., I cannot move his icon on the map).

Sure. I'd be interested. Almost always interested in an AP.

Embarrassed and confused, Ques tries to express his concerns and reservations but fails epically.

"Well, yea, you did. I'm just... You know."

"Huh... Look at that. It's starting to ice over. I wonder if that thing was there to keep it from icing over. Hey, maybe all it wanted to do was offer us a drink and we beat it up for nothing!"

As usual, Ques shows his tendency to trust. And then his dislike for battle.

"So, are we going to deal with the guards or just move on? We could just try a portal now."

Ques wanders the room for a bit to get a feel for where things are and end up on the other side of the fountain.

"Which of the portals lead to the top? The guards are through here, right?"

Ques points to the doors behind him and Grey.

Ques gives his DC 13 daze spell a try, the best he can do from the back like that.

Ques's stomach feels a bit queasy at the thought of having to execute more guards, not made any better by the thought that there might be some monster lurking in the pool.

"Probably goldfish or something? Lots of people put goldfish in their ponds. It can be quite soothing. Grey, take a peek will you?"

Ques turns his back to the others and puts his hands over his ears.

Ques looks a bit disconcerted, but slowly nods his head.

"Well, I guess so. It's just that I'm not used to living where we have to be the law. At home we would just hand them over to the sheriff. It is way out of my comfort zone to go around executing people. Are you sure we should start down that road?"

Though the arguments make sense, overcoming a lifetime of learned social barriers is going to be hard for Ques.

"Maybe just throw them outside? We had quite a problem getting in without help."

Ques is about to say he'd rather avoid conflict but shuts his mouth. There is some sense in taking out the guards. But guards have families too!

"Try not to kill them though."

"I think we have to pass though the portal to the dining area and take another portal from there. This place is not hooked up like normal places - you HAVE to use the portals. I'm just waiting to see what you guys do with the guard. I say let him go if he promises not to interfere, there has been enough killing."

Ques quickly releases his spear and gulps.

"Huh, he was going to attack you? Why would he do that after surrendering?"

Ques stands there gaping.

"Wha? Why?"

Ques is a bit frightened too and grips his spear defensively.

Ques is flummoxed, flat-footed, and flabbergasted. No help from him.

"What should we do with these guys? Let them go if they promise to leave and not come back?"

Ques examines the parapet and other areas accessible via mundane means, then returns to the group and says, "Well, then, lets secure these guards and try one of these portals."

Addressing the fey companion, he asks, "Any idea which one leads to the girl, or should we just try one randomly? Or are the only portals out of this area the ones that lead to the dining area?"

Could you mark the ramp with something and put Ques on it so I know where it is?

"Found the way up. Let's go rescue the kid."

I will be on vacation Thus-Mon. I'm pretty good at keeping up while vacationing but there are two 10+ hour drives involved so I may not be able to respond promptly at times.

Ques goes poking around looking for stairs, exploring the outer hallway.

Ques backs up into the room, embarrassed at himself for seeing things.

"No, wait, that was just a shadow."

Eager to prove himself after the gaffe, he offers, "If anyone needs healing come on over."

Assuming you move Stel's token over by Ques, she receives a dose of infernal healing.

Ques does not like where the conversation is going and tries to divert the subject.

"Tell us how to get up to the top of this place."

He enters the hall to the southeast and takes a peek around the edge, Grey in tow, once the infernal healing finishes healing his eidolan up.

Seeing someone he pulls his head back quickly and says "Someone is there"

Seeing some figure labelled "Doctor" in roll20 at the end of the passage to the north.

"Well, we were tasked with shutting down the portals we all came through. That way our loved ones won't be attacked. Though we are stuck here for a while since we accepted a geas in return for some help. You may feel differently about closing the portals. if so you might want to hurry back b3efore we finish our task."

Ques takes this opportunity to tap Grey with his wand of infernal healing too and makes sure everyone has their gear back.

"We still need to deal with those two on top."

Ques picks up his spear and heads over towards the wounded, wand in one hand and spear in the other.