When Qvar volunteers to walk the drawbridge first, Zertin unpins a winged brooch from his cloak and pins it on Qvar instead.

“Wear this, Q. It is a safewing emblem. It is just a loan, of course, as I don’t think you will really need it. But if you fall it will activate the Feather Fall spell within and we will be able to pull you back to safety. Walk on the line above the beams of the drawbridge. That will be the strongest part of the drawbridge.”

Qvar hugs his brother then holds him at arm's length and laughs.  "Thank you Zed, but you know I can't borrow anything from you - not even Nanna's knitted bathers if you've still got those in that magic bag of yours."  He unfastens the brooch and presses it back into Zertin's hand.  "I'll do as you said and walk on the beams ... and Pelor will be with me.  Should I fall, be sure to watch, it's sure to be spectacular."

If Violet is able to secure the rope then he will make the crossing as described earlier.

Looks like it's 'going to the ground'.  Leaning out the window again, Violet checks the distance to the ground.  100'; quite a drop.  She could climb down...and honestly, that seems to be the best possible choice, given the circumstances.  If she lowers herself, that's going to be problematic, because then the rope will be up THERE, and...how will people use it to work their way across the dangerous bridge?

Best to take the risk, herself.

At least there's nothing in the tower, living or Un-alive, to assault her as she gets her climbing gear out and strapped to her hands and feet.

OOC - Okay, as I understand it Violet is basically going to climb down the tower and then secure the rope so people can cross the dangerous drawbridge?  Did I miss something?  If not, that's what I'm doing.

Violet will take 10.  That'll give her a 21 climb, which should be sufficient to climb down "An uneven surface with some narrow handholds and footholds, such as a typical wall in a dungeon or ruins".  Better yet, it's a tower connected to a wall, so she should be able to get herself into a corner (hopefully) and use that to get another -5 on the difficulty.

Once she's down, there's plenty to attach the rope to, to allow the group to easily cross the damaged bridge.

OOC: perfect!  And thanks for taking on all the risk.  And should she fall, please make it spectacular :-)

Caesius relaxes, a little, when Violet reveals that she is able to provide light for herself.  Then a little more when he sees her preparing to descend the outside of the tower.

His gaze wanders, taking in the rest of the gatehouse, the bridge, and their surroundings.  Still, he keeps looking back at Violet, assuring himself that she is safe.  Relatively.

Since his vow forbids Qvar to even borrow his brother's token which might afford him safe passage, Violet abandons her investigation of the tower's innards to carefully and painstakingly climb down the weathered stone blocks of its wall, landing lithely on solid ground at the opening of the entry tunnel.

Without a spike or piton, there's precious little to secure the rope too on this side, but the skinny priest looks light enough that with her holding tight to one end, and with Ashlyn anchoring the other, they'll easily support his weight should the planks give way ...

... which they do not, as Pelor guides his servant safely over to join Violet upon the far side, Caesius keeping a watchful eye upon the pair while he stands guard.

The climb down is no treat, but she manages with only a few dicey areas.  The lamp goes brighter, at least in the direction of the group, and Violet secures the rope as best she can.  Then its Qvar's turn to come over.

Finally the priest arrives, and she heaves a sigh of relief.  "One down," the young woman mutters.  "Let's see about the rest."

OOC - I'll do my best next time to make any plummets amusing.  Is there anyway to secure it to the portcullis, or the chains, or something? 

Zertin grins and hands the winged brooch to Caesius instead. Then he simply walks across the drawbridge in Qvar's footsteps, holding onto the rope with both hands as he goes.

"You continue to astound us all, Violet."  Qvar beams back at the courageous young woman.  He adds his own slight strength to the rope as Zertin crosses.  Glancing through the gateway towards the lit doorway across the courtyard he murmurs a prayer.  "Not far to go now, Pelor light our way."

With a nod of thanks, Caesius fastens the brooch to his cloak, next to the sigil of Heironeous that sits there.  Then he waits for Zertin to clear the bridge, before assaying the crossing himself.

The ancient timbers creak beneath his booted feet with every step, but the paladin continues without hesitation, one hand resting lightly on the rope.  The other grasps the shaft of Nail, and he uses the butt of the spear to test the soundness of the wood before him.

"Pleasant day for a stroll, is it not?" he calls to his companipns, as he passes the half-way point.

Violet turns her gaze speculatively to the rotting wooden portcullis, green with growth, that hangs in the entry tunnel ten feet behind her ... but even were it to prove sturdy enough to bear the strain, its base is twenty feet or so above the ground below ... and her companions seem unwilling to wait.

With Qvar safely across and adding his thin frame to the cause of anchoring the far end of the rope, Zertin follows next, trusting to the rope for support, and makes the passage without incident.

Caesius is both heavier, in his armour, and, even with the brooch lent him by Zertin, less trusting, sparing only one hand for the rope while the other grasps his spear, testing each plank before setting his foot upon it ...

... proving the wisdom of his actions as one rotten piece gives way with a crack beneath his probing staff sending shards of wood falling into the deep chasm below !  Undaunted the Paladin nonchalently continues on in the same manner, eventually gaining the solid ground on the other side.

That scare past, the rest follow in turn, each copying Caesius's example, testing as they go.  Ashlyn brings up the rear, tying the rope about her waist before she too makes the crossing.

Ahead is the entry, about thirty feet high and twenty wide, the rotten portcullis raised to allow access, with a warm rich light from the main doors of Castle Ravenloft spilling into the courtyard beyond the tunnel.

"Good... " growls Caesius, with a grin.  "The beast seems to be at home."

Ducking her head against Qvar's compliment, Violet turns to regard Caesius with a raised eyebrow.

'A stroll?'  Is he whistling in the dark?

Somehow, Violet figures that would not be the case.  Instead, the man seems almost annealed against fear.  She wishes she might say the same for herself.

Then it's onward, toward the keep within the castle, and Violet purses her lips at the sight of the open doors.  Something awaits and, as Caesius states, it is most likely a beast.

One of the undying.

Arrow to bow, she keeps herself in the fore to ensure she might spot any issues before they become urgent.

Qvar smiles in relief as Caesius crosses safely and in good spirits, clearly eager to confront the beast.  And that is well, for clearly this is the purpose to which our God's have summoned us here.  He follows Violet at a distance, his own warm glow reaching in anticipation towards that in the far doorway.

While they are still in the entry tunnel Zertin decides it is finally time to dress to impress. With a flamboyant wave of his hand his dusty clothing is transformed into a noble's outfit suitable for an honoured guest of the local lord. He slips on a signet ring and a jewelled necklace to complete the picture. He still has his dagger on his belt as his only visible weapon, but he passes his backpack to Randal to carry for him ("Just while I am trying to look like a nobleman, if you don't mind?").

Somewhat amazed at Qvar's almost playful attitude (and perhaps no less by the eagerness that Caesius displays), Violet leads the way into the courtyard, as Zertin magically transforms his robes to take on the semblance of a noble, pressing Randal into service as a bearer ...

... though such disbelief does not cause the young woman to lower her guard, and you all come to full altertness as Violet suddenly jumps back, narrowly avoiding a patch of the moss that on that instant falls from the raised portcullis to land on the stone flags at her feet.  ]

Qvar glances down at his own worn robe, with its darned tears and scrubbed scorches, then quirks a smile back at his brother.  "Slaying a vampyr is a formal occasion?"

The smile freezes on his face as he watches on in alarm as Violet avoids ... moss?  He looks up.

08:06, Today: Qvar rolled 13 using 1d20+3.  spot.

OOC: Where are we now? Are we out in the courtyard with the portcullis behind us, or are we still in the tunnel needing to pass under the portcullis before reaching the courtyard?

Zertin rolled 13 using 1d20+5.  Knowledge Architect/Engineering check: condition of the portcullis.
Zertin rolled 5 using 1d20+4.  Spot check.

Any upset at Zertin's display vanishes, subsumed by the immediate danger.  "Don't...don't touch that," Violet states, pointing at the fallen 'moss'.  "I've seen it before, around here."  Nervously, she glances up, raising her lamp.  "If you have shields, cloaks, hold them over your head.  Discard them if this slime touches them."  Grimacing, she continues to watch above, as long as there is stonework overhead.

"It will sink into you.  Rot you."  Her lips writhe in disgust.  "Kill you, slowly and painfully."

Not something they had in Chaville; had it been, Violet has no doubt the rich would have made a night's amusement of watching one of the poor scream and dance when infected by the foul ichor.

Nodding, Caesius raises his shield above his head.  "I've heard tell of this before, or something very like it, though I've never seen it until now.  One of my order got some on his hand a couple of years ago.  His captain cut the arm off to save his life, and burned the stump with a torch."

"But Faerel still says he can feel his hand burning sometimes, when he is on watch during the night."

Thanks to Violet's warning you advance warily ... but luck is with you and no more of the rotting slime falls, and you pass safely through the tunnel into the courtyard beyond ...

Thick cold fog swirls around the darkened courtyard as sporadic flashes of lightning lance the angry clouds overhead.  Thunder pounds the stone flags beneath your feet as a light drizzle begins anew.  Ahead torch flames flutter in the wind on each side of the keep's open main doors.  Warm light spills out from the doorway.  Although windows and arrow slits are visible in the walls of the castle above, no illumination escapes from them.

Behind you stand the two towers that hold the mechanisms for the drawbridge and portcullis with wooden doors at the base of each.  The courtyard itself is split in twain by a massive wall that joins the outer wall of the castle to the keep.  On either side there is a single gate, twenty feet wide leads through this joining wall.  A rusting portcullis blocks each gate.

"The light is like the call of flame to a moth," Ashlyn notes grimly.  "No warm welcome will we find here."

"What did the seer tell us? To seek the chapel that we might restore the symbol so dear to Ireena's family line."

"Hard it is to believe that any bastion of light might yet stand amid this darkness."

Zertin glances up in irritation at the light drizzle that has started to fall.

"Oh, curse this weather. My finery will be ruined. Come, let us seek the hospitality and shelter offered by the open doors of the keep ahead of us," he suggests, apparently determined to keep up the pretence of the arrival of a noble visitor.

Qvar chuckles softly at his brother's discomfort.  "Yes, let's use the front door, and see what awaits."

He would have to agree with Violet ... nothing good awaits.  And yet he looks up into the falling rain, knowing that above the clouds there is always a blazing bastion of light.  He smiles and nods encouragingly for Violet to lead the way.  "Yes, we should first try to find a chapel." 

"Aye, the chapel." Caesius agrees, and starts towards the door, with its blazing beacon of welcome.  "There is a saying where I come from: light drives out the darkness within and without.  So let us go inside.  With luck there's, at least, a sound roof to stave off the weather."

"And if our host proves less than welcoming, then all the better."