No, like I said, not having a melee weapon is enough





As they return to their resting spot, the group sees the floor being dry, the frozen surface a distant memory to the place.

They go to the door on the other end of the corridor. Upon opening up the door, the group sees a large room, a little sparse in details. In that room is several doors, one left and two to the right. In the centre of the room, there is a partially enclosed, spiraling staircase. Not the most utilitarian tool for ascension, which stands out from the general "form over function" attitude to most of the monastery.

(Discern Realities: 15:30, Today: Syrio rolled 6 using 2d6 ((2,4)). Fail.

Syrio marks 1 xp.)


Syrio studies the room, then the staircase, trying to determine if it looks safe to ascend... but he can't decide, at all. He turns to his companions. "I want to go up there... but... anyone got an opinion about if that thing looks safe to ascend?"

While Syrio didn't make out anything that would alarm danger, he was able to take note that the enclosed staircase had a door with a keyhole lock. One or two statues adorn the staircase and the doorway.

Zand seems ready to get going, Syrio knew the non-verbal cues of impatient youth all too well.

"It seems very quiet right now." Jagga's tone denoting that this seemed to be all the evidence required.

"It's about time things started going well for us." Sai said in disagreement.

Abrisham almost hesitates but then shrugs as she decides to speak her mind."I think you want to keep your caution. We never knew where that light went in this direction for."

(For heaven's sake! Why did I have SYRIO do Discern Realities?!?!? Got it confused with Spout Lore, basically...

...Can I ask Abrisham to Spout Lore on the statues/staircase/lock...?)

And here I thought you wanted Syrio to get XP ;)
Well let's see how well Abrisham does in this.

Dice roll later
Neat

Abrisham looks at the statues as the group moves closer. "Wait -" Abrisham warns as she grabs Syrio's arm. "I think, no, I know those statues are golems. From their position, I'm sure they must intend to protect the stairwell by whatever means at their disposal."

Abrisham points Syrio's line of sight to the statue heads. "See the markings? If they were held at bay, I can deactivate them by changing the marking." She advises. Her smile of confident certainty went back to a cautious, stoic face. "But let's hope it doesn't come to that."

"Bah. It may... but let's try to put it off until later..." Syrio sighs. "Let's search the rest of this area. Maybe we can find a key that will fit the lock... if so, I hope that it might avoid the need for a struggle."

So... anything else on this floor besides the dorm rooms or whatever they are...?

The two doors on the right are both more barracks and mess hall space. Not too much there, except for a complete mess of the tables and chairs. Like a rampaging bull had a field day in there.

Within the damage, the group finds a key, a simple thing of a simple metal. It lay on the ground shattered. On close examination, the insides of the metal, exposed when it shattered, there appears to by crystals of some sort.

"Well, that just... bites. Abrisham, unless you or Jagga have a spell to repair this, it looks like we'll have to either find another key, or do some very troublesome breaking and entering... if we want upstairs at all..."

"I don't have a spell for this. But I will, keep, these, for, now." Abrisham says as she pockets each piece into her cloak pockets. "Just in case we find something useful."

Jagga had picked up a stick from all the damage in the mess hall and ponders out loud "Why don't we just tie the key head on and..." He inserts the stick into the air and rotates it within an imaginary lock.

"A good idea mechanically speaking, but I think this is magic, so I'm afraid that a broken solution will produce a broken response, and I think half the monsters running around in the world are because someone tried to force a broken magical response... Let's keep searching... Is there anywhere else on this floor to search?"

There is a storage room on the left, for numerous things from notes to extra bedding. This room saw less destruction, and didn't seem to hold as many exotic things as the entrance foyer had. Maybe it was utilized less somehow by the current resident?

But what matters right now is if there is anything that will help them in their current predicament.

Tell me a detail about the room that catches the eye of the characters (at least the ones you control)

Roll Wis for what the group as a whole may find using any character with high Wis score

There's a bunch of baskets laying around... each seems to have a different sort of item in it... (I'm thinking of the big wall of spare parts and things they had handy on the tv show Mythbusters)

(18:12, Today: Ravnar rolled 12 using 2d6+2 ((4,6)).)

For achieving the high score. Let's go with this: Select 3 for your choices of items

- Aid when facing Guardians
- Spreading around compassion
- An instance of grace from calamity
- A renewal of the lost
- A means to stem the tides

We'll go with the reds

-Aid when facing Guardians

Syrio comes across an amulet with a simple metal and a humble sized gem of a green/yellowy colour. It fits snugly enough that Syrio already has to look down to remember it's there.

While wearing this, Syrio will have +1 forward on all friendly interactions with golems in this place.

-An instance of grace from calamity

Through the clinking of glass of numerous bottles within a few baskets, Ragnar finds one particular bottle with a fiery feather. Seeing it's radiance, Abrisham admires the beauty of a phoenix feather.

On a failed Black Gate roll, consider it a success and regain 10+1d8 HP. (If you were fully feathered it would be a full regen of health).

-A renewal of the lost

Nimol was rummaging around the baskets when he finds a stick that feels incredibly light, the wood smooth to the touch. When he was examining it, a flick of his wrist extended the length of the stick, revealing it to be a spear.

Consider this a spear with 0 weight and the thrown property (if they don't already)

--feather: but it has to be carried by the one who has to make the roll...? I guess maybe we could PUT it on the one who has to make the roll...?

If you're at the scene and don't dawdle, getting the feather to them should be fine.

Got it...

...Where else have we not explored yet on this floor...?

Not really on this floor, no new spaces, just more of the same, it's a modest monastery. You could search this room again, but reduced returns and chance for things to happen to the group.

...If there's no other way upstairs than the golem stairs... what have we not searched on the ground floor...?

Thinking back, there is a door in the hallway that holds the stair well (Ground to 1st floor) the group hadn't seen to. As well as another bit of stairway which leads to the underground section.

Mm, yes, let's check there... Carefully, though...

From there, they went to the door. Syrio (naturally being the leader) reached for the door to check if it was unlocked. Luckily enough, it was (in fact the slot in the frame where the lock would insert had been broken.

When he peeks in, he sees a hall similar to the foyer hall, except from this angle, it appears there are not so many of those boxes of wizard/worldly paraphernalia. The only noise coming from the direction appears to be some sort of "thunk" sound.
This message was last edited by the GM at 20:05, Fri 01 Mar 2019.

Syrio doesn't like the thunk sound, and gestures Ravnar over to see what Ravnar makes of it. Without opening the door any further (nor having anyone be so foolish as to stick their head in the doorway), Ravnar tries to evaluate the situation...

(14:56, Today: Ravnar rolled 6 using 2d6+2 ((2,2)).

Ravnar gets 1 new xp.)

Ravnar doesn't know what the heck to make of it either...

(Pausing now in case something bad happens...)

There is a silence after the "thunk". For a moment at least, and then there is a thunk, and another, yet again in a constant, rhythmic fashion. Thinking about it, it sounds like stone stepping on stone.
The distance the sound comes from doesn't seem to change all that much. This limited angle leaves something to be desired in determining what is going on.

Either make the door open wide to get a better view, which might chance whatever "it" is seeing you.
Or, you keep attempting to observe while ajar. In which case, roll Con for how well he can hold himself in place and not be seen.