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I am going to have to withdraw from the game. I keep running into roadblocks with work and life to me having time to sit down and be thoughtful about my postings. I really appreciate all of you, and have enjoyed the time that I have spent playing and posting. I love my character and hopefully will get a chance to play with him again in the future. Cheers all, and good luck! ZetaGilgamesh
"Could someone strike them? Cause them to drop? I imagine we cannot get the keys without the blobs dropping on us."
Valiard slides to the side of the door to allow Rai and Lectrum past, dagger readied in his hand for any eventuality.
I feel you. I got wrecked this week. I am finally back after getting destroyed at work.
Seeing that the surge of positive energy seemed to have some effect, and not having a mace or some other blunt object to smash the chains, Valiard pulls on the warmth inside of himself one more time.
Did Valiard's channel do anything? and I don't think its supposed to be a fortitude save, but a will save.
Valiard, seeing the swarm of weapons sweep across his allies decides to try something different. He moves into the doorway, to allow his special boon to extend to all corners of the room. Then reaching down inside of himself, he pulls at the happiest memories of his life, and a sense of warmth and peace radiate out of him for a moment.
Nope, still a mess. However I have the day off, so I am posting shortly.
And now my hospital system is suffering from IT issues...this has been a most eventful week.
I have been getting killed in the ED for the last few days. I have had 12 hr shifts without breaks both days and have been finishing charts after I leave. I don't think that I will be much use until Thursday guys, sorry.
"Oh, right. I am still trying to get my bearings about the details of our mission here. Visayn, Valiard, do either of you recall if we need to ... cleanse these hammers somehow?" "Honestly, I am as much in the dark as you are. If we need to rest, we should, but if we can press on and complete more of this place, the sooner, the better." "The Warden's wife might be able to answer the question of what we are supposed to do with the artifacts."
Valiard moved over to inspect the portcullis and look for any mechanisms.
"Don't know how I missed that..." Valiard muttered to himself, eying the secret compartment that Raj pointed out. He moved over to the door and looked it over for a few moments. "I think I have seen something like this before..." he said, and removed a small kit of tools from his satchel. He rummaged around for a few moments before producing a few long probes which he put into the lock.
He bent over, picking up a piece of rubble from the floor and slammed it against the ends of the probes, with a clank. Then, with a slight grin, he twisted the probes and with a grinding noise, and the lock disengaged. "Stone doors equal old locks in my experience. No need to pick somthing, when you can just break it." he said as he pulled the door open, revealing the room beyond. "Well. That's something." he said, moving into the small alcove to inspect the items within.
Valiard shuddered at the repeated screams.
While the first scream unnerved Valiard, the second caused him to drop his dagger and dash back up the hallway, heart hammering away in his chest. After little more than half a minute, he was able to re-orient himself and return to the room, picking up his dagger on the way. Later he walks over to Vsliard and offers two of each of the undead bane arrows to him. "Thank you Drake. I hadn't thought of this. I haven't fought undead in such numbers before. I have a few holy water flasks, but I was thinking to save them for something I could throw them at...now I am not sure what that would be." "I think I will use these arrows first, then toss the holy water next time and see how it goes." he mused.
Valiard moved out of the way of the group moving into the room. His eyes scaned the hallway, watching for anything out of the ordinary. "I don't have silver or holy arrows, otherwise I might be of more use." he called out. "The door is a great choke-point if you need a fighting retreat!" he called, not really certain what was going on inside the room, beyond the sounds of fighting.
"I will keep an eye out for traps, or anyone trying to flank us." Valiard said, moving away from the portcullis and back toward the door. Valiard kept an eye out as he moved, looking for anything out of place.
"Anything behind the door Calin?" Valiard whispers from beside Calin as he checks the door for traps.
Certain that he had dealt with anything deadly, Valiard stealthily opened the door to peer beyond.
Valiard stopped, realizing that he slightly ahead of him, he could no longer see the flagstones. What is going on here...? he thought. He raised and lowered his dark-vision spectacles without any noticeable change in the path ahead. "Well that isn't going to work." he said, before backing away from the darkness stealthily and moving back to the group. "What Calin said...any thoughts?" he seconded.
Valiard nodded in agreement as the decision was made, then moving quietly and swiftly he motioned to Visayn and entered the southern corridor ahead of the party, watching for traps or tricks. [ooc]Planning to move into the corridor stealthily as a team with Visayn, watching for traps Trap-spotter 10'[./ooc]
Valiard quietly motioned to Visayn as he moved into the passageway, urging him to move out back into the main room to join the group. As he stepped out of the gloom of the passageway, Valiard stood up and returned to his normal, casual gait, walking over to the rest of the party. "I marked the traps I found in the entry to the south and west passages. The north and west passages also have more activity coming from them...the south...it feels off somehow." he said, quietly. "If I was going to guess, there are more active undead with bodies moving around in the north and west. It sounded like clanking chains and moaning." "If I was going to follow my gut, I would head south. Could be something, could be nothing. But at least its not likely to be zombies...I hate zombies...and ghouls for that matter." he said, revulsion plain in his voice.
Valiard stayed quiet as the sounds of combat drifted off. Moving swiftly he checked the entrance to both the north, west and south tunnels, looking for traps and magical effects. Something around here moved me to the surface last time I was down here...don't want that happening again.
Valiard has fast stealth, so he moves his normal speed.
Too many undead that are immune to criticals...I need something squishy to stab!
Valiard continued to skulk forward in the darkness, avoiding the malevolent gaze of the undead. He continued watching for any foe that might try to flank or surprise the party.
Valiard continued into the room, sticking to the shadows, watching as his companions decimated the skeletal foes.
My daggers are near enough useless against these... he thought as he snuck along the wall.
Valiard, seeing the skeletons once again, takes the initiative to slide into the shadows, looking for opportunities to change the tide when possible.
I have been getting wrecked in the emergency department the last few days. Really really long shifts without a break. sorry I have been so absent.
"Imrik, if you don't mind grabbing and moving the rope out of the water when you are safely down, the rest of us can come down too!" Valiard called down as the half-dragon descended into the depths.
"Weren't there undead in the water the last time we were here?" Valiard asked, staring over the edge to the blackness below. "I know that I had moved beyond this room into another larger space, and a door slammed behind me. There were plenty of undead still up and walking around in there...they may have wandered out here."
Running Bayshore Half Marathon tomorrow, I may not be functional for a day or so afterwards.
"Not exactly...its more of a personal quest of Drake's...with benefits. If the towers are active, they will defend the ruin, make it that much harder for anyone to disturb things in the future. And who knows, it may be useful to the townfolk in the future if there is an invasion or something." Valiard said before giving a small shrug. "Drake is good people, and this place could use a protector." he finished as they walked.
Valiard has the holy symbols I think.
Valiard moved out of the scrub, silently merging once again with the group. "Drake! Good to see you hale and hearty." he said, speaking up. "I think we would appreciate getting down to the basement as quickly as possible. Dr. Ramada's life may depend on it. It seems that he was attacked, and while he has stabilized for the moment, we may need to end the curse on this place to ensure that his life isn't under threat." Valiard said, motioning towards the tower.
Valiard continued to circle around, looking for a place where he had some cover from the elf on the tower above. Who is the other elf on the tower above? Perhaps I can get a better view? Valiard thought, as he moved along quietly. Valiard moved until he could get a better view of the elf above.
Sometimes life is like that. We appreciate your efforts and are glad that you are feeling better!
With everyone distracted, and the party between the elf and himself, Valiard moved quietly into the brush, pulling his brown cloak around him to break up his outline.
He moved smoothly and silently into the scrub, watching for any opportunities, or new dangers.
Valiard attempts to rest that evening, his mind racing over thoughts of his friend and his curse.
After some time Valiard drifts off to the deepest of sleep.
"I think that everyone in town is being tormented by these nightmares...which is why we need to end this soon. Not only for Ramada's life, but can you imagine the fear and hostility spiraling up into violence if you have nightmares every night?"
"I recommend we quickly investigate these new towers before we press on into the prison to try and pillory some poltergeists."
"Perhaps some holy water? I want to see if I can find another potion of invisibility. Actually, do we have anything to sell?" Valiard answered, scratching at his chin.
Bringing the body to Father Grimburrow, he looks over it. [Dice=Heal]1d20+10 He prepares it for burial but comes back to the group stating, "Dr. Ramada still bleeds... I took my time to check and he doesn't breathe as often to be observable by the untrained. Even I had trouble noticing it. I believe he is cursed, likely with some kind of sleeping curse. So I will do what I can to keep him alive, you go take care of those restless spirits." Relief flooded into Valiard, relief followed by hope and finally a cold sort of anger that focused his mind. "We need to get back to the jail so we can destroy those vile undead. This needs to end."
Over the next few hours Valiard and the other close companions of Dr. Ramada work to organize a small burial for the prolific scientist with the assistance of Kendra Lorrimor. All too soon they stood around the grave, Father Grimburrow having made his blessing. "Dr. Ramada was a complex man. A man of learning and whimsy. A man with the a mind that bordered on the intricacy of a clockwork golem. He was a stalward defender against the Darkness encroaching around us, pushing back with his faith in rational magic and the rightness of the cause. I am proud to have been his friend." Valiard said, then tossed a bit of grave-soil into onto Ramada's corpse. "You will be missed. Pharasma guide you."
Valiard tore his eyes away from the body of his friend and glanced around the room. "He was fine moments ago! Where did the blood come from?" he asked, confused. "Is there an assassin among us? How was he injured?"
"Ramada?" Valiard said a he glanced over at his old friend, "Not a very good joke."
Valiard got to his feet and moved closer to the Doctor. "Hey Ramada, why do you have so much..." Doctor Ramada- Doctor Ramada... He's dead. Valiard looked back at Maevus, mouth agape for a moment before turning his gaze back to the corpse of the Doctor, when he realized that his friend drew breath no longer. "What is going on?! How is he dead? Ramada! Ramada, if this is some sort of sick joke you need to knock it off. Playing with death is not an experiment a sane person makes..." Valiard said, looking more and more distraught by the moment. "Perhaps he is just poisoned...or mimicking death? Some sort of magical potion?"
Valiard glanced around at the assembly. "Someone do something!! This must have just happened! We can still save him!" he said, his voice rising with desperation.
Valiard scratched at his chin a moment before responding. "Well, yes, we are talking to her ghost. She perished in the fire and has remained there in the prison ever since, and now works to finish her husband's work and restrain the prisoner's spirits." "The professor's skull was caved in by a large chunk of rock...it seems a bit more than improbable that the gargoyle statue decided to jump off the roof right at that moment when the professor was leaning over just so...but beyond that, no we don't have any hard evidence. Honestly I am not sure if we ever will, beyond a confession of the murderer, a ghost-eyed witness may be the best we will ever get." "As for the necromancers, I haven't the faintest beyond what Visayn has said. At the moment though, it doesn't much matter. We have far more pressing concerns as the town is imperiled by these ghosts as well as the soul of an innocent woman."
Valiard has the holy symbols.
[b]"Its a bit of a mess to be sure. But once everyone has rested and re-grouped, we need to get back to the prison to delve further beneath and see if we can figure out what is going on. Why were necromancers here? Were they looking for information? Or a specific spirit?"[b/] Valiard conjectured.
Valiard stopped at the door, and blinked, a bit stunned by the motley array of adventurers in the room.
"I don't think that I have ever seen a more heavily armed group of individuals...ever." "Valiard Tessar, herbalist and occasionally occult investigator. I somehow find myself bound up into these events." he said from the doorway. "But I must say that my concerns about our safety in the prison have now evaporated. I feel like the entire host of the Knights of Lastwall has crammed themselves into the room!" he said with a slight smile before he moved into the room and found a seat around the large table in the room. "You all want to know what is going on? Well its a bit of a mystery," he began. "The good doctor was murdered at the prison up the way by an unknown group of likely necromancers.” he said, and then fell silent for a moment, allowing that bit of information to sink in. ”So that’s the short bit. Now for the long story: Harrowstone was a prison. A prison for some of the most vile and evil people that Ustalav had. Back in 4661 there was a prison break, and the mass of prisoners broke out. The warden at the time, sacrificed himself to start a fire and trap the prisoners in the prison, which burned down. The wife of the warden passed away from smoke inhalation and has remained here in the prison ever since.” ”We have had a bit of a chat with the Warden’s wife. Seems that her husband’s spirit has been keeping the vengeful spirits of the prisoners contained all this time. Well, up until just recently. The wife saw black robed figures, who inscribed strange runes around the prison, worked some magic and captured the spirit of her husband and spirited it away, releasing the prisoners. She also mentioned that same night of the ritual a man had been slain by a thin grey skinned human who wore a bone breastplate and carried a black staff capped with a skull gagged by a black cloth. That dark man used foul magics to strike down the other man who had been exploring…who I now assume was the good Professor…and she said that they smashed the face and head of the man with a fragment of a gargoyle from the roof.” he said grimly. ”Since that night the spirits have been unquiet and causing problems. 5 spirits in particular. One of whom, the Splatter Man is attempting to destroy her, by spelling out her name…Vesorianna. She requested our assistance in binding the 5 powerful spirits, which when contained, and with the aid of her husbands badge of office, would allow her to bind the spirits forever and release her from the world and end the haunting of Harrowstone.” ”We have found what appears to be the personal affects of those spirits, now we just need to find them…and defeat them.”
”Oh, let me sketch this out so you see what I am talking about.” he continued as he pulled out several pages of paper from his satchel and drew out in quick strokes a rough map of the prison and its various floors.
That's fine, between my wife being out of town and the ED this weekend, I was wicked far behind on checking my posts. My kids were not doing a good job of going to bed in a timely manner.
Valiard froze as the skeletons rose up, trusting in his stealth and that he had nothing shedding any light on him. Did I miss a trap that activated? If these skeletons cannot see me, then I have some time to see if I can disable the mechanism that slammed the door.
Valiard slipped a potion of invisibility into his hand, just in case the skeletons noticed him. Better to be prepared.
"Visayn...you look rough...would you like me to go first?" Valiard suggested, motioning at the door that Drake is standing near. Valiard moved cautiously to the door, straining his senses for any hint of activity. "We haven't encountered any of the main ghosts yet...so I imagine that they are down here somewhere." Valiard said, glancing around as if half expecting something to jump out at him.
"This is where I wish I had some way to become invisible." Valiard said as he tied the rope off and then moved closer to the edge to look down into the dark. Valiard took out a pair of dark spectacles and placed them on his face, shading his eyes. These glasses will make all the difference when I need to move unseen...I don't know how I ever lived without darkvision! "Drake, since you are already down there, and haven't been eaten by anything yet, I will assume that the bottom is secure." Valiard said as he shimmied down the rope and into the blackness.
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