Finishing his meal, Caesius pushes himself to his feet and looks around the chapel while he waits for others.  In particular, his eyes return often to the balcony where the great bat had stood. 

"This place... this chapel in particular... was once a place of righteousness.  It troubles me that it has fallen into darkness.  The castle once bestowed comfort and protection upon all who lived nearby.  And now it squats on the crag like some foul toad, spewing a miasma of terror and misery across the land."

Zertin nodded agreement with the paladin's words.

"We can but take one step at a time and hope our journey will take us to a better place," he commented philosophically.

Violet grimaces.  "A chapel in hell.  Curious; someone clearly had some hope," she mutters.  "Perhaps once we put a stake in the evil that inhabits it, the light might return."  A safe oasis in the pit of despair...the young woman shakes her head, dispelling such hopes.  "Any place would be better than this," she whispers in reply to Zertin's words.

There is no succor in hell; there is only existence.

With a small sigh, she follows the priest's gaze.  "Upward, then?"  A grimace twists her lips.  "Could have been worse; could have been down."

"It could indeed!"  Qvar echoes Violet, smiling.  "The nearest blazing fire is somewhere in the centre of the castle, perhaps two floors above where we now stand." 

He looks up optimistically at the balcony again.  "Shall we start up there?  Perhaps that will give us a safe passage for the first level up."  Not to mention looking for bat droppings.

Zertin looks toward the stair and shrugs.

"It seems as logical as any other choice," he agrees.

Finishing your god-gifted meal and with the leftovers packed away for later, you take one last look around the chapel, perhaps the last glimmer of light and life in this benighted land, before heading to the northern stairwell. 

Guided by Qvar, you traverse the short, arched-roofed passageway that lies between the vast chapel and a rising, wooden staircase.  Either side of the passage is an alcove each holding a shadowy humanoid statue within its dark confines.  The stone forms display mighty muscled arms and legs, but their faces are hidden in black shadows.

Thankfully neither statue stirs beneath your watchful eyes, and satisfied that they are harmless you take to the stairs.

The old wooden steps climb shakily up a stonework shaft, with a wide landing punctuating the midpoint.  With each step upon it, the wood strains underfoot, creaking and groaning, trusting to Zertin's assessment that it is sturdy enough, matter not how alarming the noises. 

The staircase leads you out on to the upper balcony that overlooks the rubble-strewn chapel.  Two large, ornate thrones stand in the middle of the balcony, facing the altar far below. 

OOC: Map of the proceedings updated ...

"Well that was easily done."  Qvar says brightly.  "We're halfway there already."

He inspects the balcony where he'd heard said a great bat sat last night, and points out claw marks that have scored the stone railing.  "No droppings." he muses.  "Perhaps it was as you thought, Caesius, no natural creature but a minion of Strahd sent to spy on us."

He concentrates for a moment to reset his divinely inspired bearings "...blazing fire, blazing fire.." and looks toward the door to the west.  "Perhaps through there next?"

"That does seem the logical next step," Zertin agrees.

Naturally, he is not going to be the one to step forward to lead the party onward. He will wait patiently for someone more suited to that role to take the lead.

Violet stares uneasily at the claw marks graven in the stone.  "Cut right through boiled leather, that would," she mutters with some despair.  Her head swings left and right as Qvar notes the direction of travel, and the young woman waits a beat, and a beat more as Zertin holds steady.

Finally she sighs.  "All right," Violet murmurs, readying her bow, arrow nocked but not drawn.  "There could be traps -" they've already discovered that fact "- so I'll take the lead.  Someone stay behind me - close, but not too close - with the light."

That said, the young woman sidles to the door Qvar indicates, and proceeds to give it a cursory once-over before proceeding.

OOC - Yes, Violet is going to search for traps.  If I can I'll take ten, thanks, for a total of 15 + 2 (trap sense) + 10 = 27.

Ashlyn looks to Caesius and Saeko. "If you stay close to the two brothers and keep them out of mischief.. if you can!" she grins at the Paladin, "And you watch over Ireena," she suggests to Saeko, "I will take the fore with Violet."

"Can you place a Light spell upon my shield ?" she asks Zertin and Qvar.

"Sunfather, Light our way." Qvar smiles, touching Ashlyn's shield.

Nodding his agreement to Ashlyn, Caesius moves a little closer to Qvar and Zertin.  The recent lack of threats has done nothing to lessen his state of readiness.  "Qvar, Zertin?  As we go on, further into this place, let me go ahead of you."

He keeps an eye on Violet as she approaches the door and starts doing... whatever it is she does to perform her own special kind of miracle.

Though she checks them carefully, Violet finds no traps upon the double doors, and so she prises one open, the hinges creaking in the silence as everyone holds their breath, intent on what lies behind it ...   

Shadows seem to move in the light that shines from Ashlyn's shield, dancing across the high, vaulted ceiling of the wide hall that is revealed, a mirror of the one you trod on the level below, down to the same double doors at the far western end, about seventy feet away, though it lacks the statuary that lined the walls of the former, indeed lacks any decoration or furnishings.

As Violet moves forwards, the armoured woman at her back, Caesius a pace ahead of Qvar and Zertin, Saeko at Ireena's side at the rear, a low moan rises and falls, intoning sadness and despair.

Of course.

Lips tight and bloodless, Violet throws an almost weary look back at the others.  "You heard that?" she laconically inquires, before returning her gaze to the front.  Mostly.  The young woman keeps an eye on the sides, as well, as she slowly paces into the hall.  Vaulting, wide, open spaces...not the best situation for those wanting to hide, but decent enough for arrow-work.  "Big place," she breathes.  "Could hold a ball."

Or an ambush.

That arrow is mostly definitely ready, the bow at half-draw.

Zertin follows those in front quietly, alert for any sight or sound signalling immediate danger. He holds his wand of magic missiles ready for use if required.

"Yes.  A draft perhaps?"  Qvar replies reassuringly to Violet, the mutters a prayer to reassure himself.  "Sunfather, there are no restless spirits about, are there?" 

He nods agreement for Caesius to go on ahead then falls in beside Zertin.  That wand gives him comfort too.

Caesius, too, hears the sound.

"I sense nothing evil ahead of us." he states simply.  Still, he doesn't relax.  A bear isn't evil, after all, but is no less dangerous for that.

The view beyond the door, another large hall where shadows dance and flee before the encroaching light, gives him little concern, at least for his own well-being.

You move slowly down the hall.  Violet, and Zertin somewhat further behind, warily looking for signs of trouble at which they might fling missiles of metal and wood or pure magic, while Qvar and Caesius reach out with their senses, trying to touch the evil.

Ashlyn and Saeko also look out for threats that might assail their charges, though it is only Ireena who seems affected by the low, despairing cries, that grief reflected on her own visage ...

As Violet looses the tension on her bow string to stoop by the the double doors at the far end of the wide hall, Ashlyn raises a hand to bid the rest of you hold while the young woman examines the second portal, swiftly determining that it too has no traps to harm the unwary, though her brow furrows as she rises.

Zertin notes Violet's wariness as she rises from examining the doors. He raises and eyebrow enquiringly, but waits silently for her to communicate whatever has unsettled her.

Qvar waits beside Zertin as Violet and Ashlyn scout ahead.

He smiles reassuringly at Ireena, "I hear the voices too, but there are no restless spirits here now."  He continues to concentrate on Detect Undead, looking towards the door ahead. He makes sure he stays close to Ireena, brightening his glow a little, and his Circle of Protection from Evil 10'r possibly giving some comfort also.

Violet responds to Zertin's questioning gaze, advising the mage that she believes she was able to hear voices beyond the doors at the end of the hall, though very faintly and indistinctly, and in light of the strange cries that haunt the passageway, perhaps just another symptom of the past terrors that transpired within these walls, rather than anything tangible.

Neither Qvar nor Caesius can detect anything undead or evil, respectively, beyond the doors.

Zertin moves into a position where he is ready to fire his wand at anything waiting beyond the doos, or anything that attacks Violet. He nods for Violet to proceed whenever she is ready.

Qvar continues to concentrate on Detect Evil Undead, mostly towards the door ahead although his gaze occasionally wanders around the shadowy corners of the empty hall.  His mind wanders back to the ferret joke he told Zed a day or so ago.  Got the punchline wrong, as usual ... should have been a hobbed goblin.  Oh well, never mind.  Must say, though, even a rat scurrying past would be a welcome sight in this barren land ...
This message was last edited by the player at 00:43, Sun 05 Nov 2023.

"Whatever, or whoever, lays beyond the door doesn't carry the taint of evil,  But it could still threaten us.  Servants or minions perhaps." Caesius says quietly, "Or it could be prisoners, or hostages.  Though this does seem like an odd place to hold captives, when I'm sure the castle has perfectly adequate accommodations for such in the dungeon."

He moves a couple of paces closer to the door, and aims his crossbow at it.

"If you are ready to open the door, Violet, we stand prepared."

Violet nods, if not without misgivings ... once everyone is ready she turns the handle, then steps swiftly aside as she pushes the door open, so as to be out of the line of either devil-magic or metal shaft !

OOC: GM Ghosting