Lira come when she was asked and then listen to Oliver as he filled her on on what the Sergeant has said. Other then a quick nod in acknowledgement she said nothing as se followed the men.


-

Oliver notices something is distinctively off with the men. Even if they were ordered to stay here, that doesn't really explain why they've been foraging for food, instead of sending someone for supplies. Oliver can't help but wonder what Lieutenant Frame may have done to inspire such bizarre loyalty. And of course the actual orders they'd received made little sense. There was no discernible reason for the men to stay here if the tower was somehow dangerous, and no wholesome reason to bring the corpses into the watchtower.

The men seem otherwise sound of mind and relatively healthy, if a bit malnourished. It is all very suspicious, but when Oliver states his intention to explore the tower, the men make no effort to stop him. The lieutenant ordered them not to enter the tower, after all, and Oliver was of the Royal Lancers, and not at all subject to some Ranger officer's authority.

When Oliver finishes his tea, Sergeant Cooper shows him to the staircase to the watchtower. In the space beside the stairs, the men have set up a small indoor archery range, and many arrows are clustered tightly in the bulls-eyes. Evers and Weirhart go to fetch Lira, and Callum unslings his blunderbuss from his back. He knows the lieutenant isn't in the tower, but isn't about to sit around and drink tea beneath a tower full of corpses and mystery.

Walking halfway up the first flight of steps, the trio sees a dull green glow emanating from the landing on the second floor of the tower. There looks to be two more floors above the glowing one, judging by the height of the tower they'd seen outside.

[OOC: Lira can make an Intelligence check and add her Antiquarian trait. Give me a marching order, too! Callum is all to willing to go to first, being a fighter with a blunderbuss after all.]
This message was last edited by the GM at 17:26, Sun 14 Oct 2018.

Lira stops the small group for a minute as she studies the glow and then seems to cock her head to one side and took into the nothing above their heads. Her fingers seem to dance over something unseen as she takes another couple steps.

Lira rolled 15 using 2d6+3.  Glow roll.

Callum, Oliver and Lira for marching order.

-
This message was last edited by the player at 19:21, Sun 14 Oct 2018.

Once they were behind closed doors Oliver turned to Callum and Lira, "This is really strange, I have not seen loyalty from men at arms like this before, it is like they are compelled to stay here, regardless it is strange and I think may have something to do with up here and the summoning."

He unslung his carbine and followed behind Callum.


-

Having been filled in on the lieutenant's strange behavior by Oliver, Lira knew that Frame was  a daemonologist, having apparently already summoned a daemon in one of the lower rooms. If only Frame had access to the tower, it would have been pretty trivial for him to create some additional other summoning circles.

Something about the thrum and ebb of the glow reminded Lira of the summonings she'd seen at the academy. Summonings could persist pretty much indefinitely if not cancelled by their creator or a third party.

It seemed they were walking into an active summoning, which was confirmed when Callum suddenly let out a horrible gasp and stumbled backward, colliding into Oliver as he tried to flee back down the stairs!

[OOC: There is a daemon summoned on the second landing, please make Morale checks for Lira and Oliver. If you fail, you won't be able to advance into the room for 24 horus, at which point you can attempt the morale check again. If you succeed, though, you can actually negotiate with the daemon.]
This message was last edited by the GM at 20:29, Sun 14 Oct 2018.

As he last finger drops as if touching a key in thin air Lira lifts her skirts and runs down the stairs past Oliver.

Lira rolled 5 using 2d6.  Morale.


-

As his team descend the stairs without him, Oliver raises his arms in exasperation "Well I can't do this without you, Lira wait."


Oliver Fitzwilliam rolled 11 using 2d6+2.  Charisma roll to stop Lira +1 cha +1 trait.

Not sure if he can but will give it ago.


-

[OOC: You can't convince Lira not to flee, it's sort of a magical compulsion. She is fine, though, and perfectly sound of mind as long as she doesn't try to make line of sight with the daemon. If you were to, for example, just try to grab her and drag her through the room with the summoning circle, she'd struggle and fight in terror, even she rationally knew she needed to enter that enter room to progress.

If you want, you can use your roll for that Charisma check as Oliver's Morale roll. You wouldn't add the trait, but wouldn't need it.

Ending a summoning is trivial, you just smudge the summoning circle a bit and it dissipates. Of course, Oliver can try to bargain with the entity before he does so.]

Lira is inconsolable, frozen on the stair with terror, but as Callum squeezes past them both to reach the safety of the bottom floor, the green-limned path to the second floor landing is now clear for Oliver...
This message was last edited by the GM at 21:32, Sun 14 Oct 2018.

"Wait here then..." Oliver enters the room with the glow and checks what is going on.

OOC: Thanks I already did his morale roll and he made it just for got to add it from the roller.


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Oliver enters the first landing of the staircase leading up to the watchtower. It's a small 20' by 20' room, and in its center is a ring of daemonic symbols arranged in a glowing green ring. Inside the ring is the slightly transparent image of a well-dressed man in green clothing. He is handsome and clean-shaven, but has a hollow gaze. There is a bow slung over his shoulder. He is completely still and silent, save for his green eyes tracking Oliver's every movement.

The stairway continues up and down, with a clear path edging around the summoning circle.

Oliver stands looking at the man in the circle. He then asks "I was wondering if you could help me, I am looking for the man who summoned you and what he asked of you ?"

-

[OOC: Daemons really don't talk, and if they do talk, only do enough of it to negotiate new contracts. It's extremely unlikely he'll answer your questions. However, talking to the daemon was enough to get it to offer you a pact. I rolled a bargaining roll for you, and you barely made the threshold of 7.]

The archer in the circle stares blankly at Oliver for a moment, then moves to the very periphery of the circle, just inside the glowing ring of symbols and runes. The man in the circle opens his mouth as if to speak, but a stream of pus and unwholesome blood flows from his throat. Oliver is disquieted, but not quite afraid, as the whole thing has a strange and dream-like quality to it.

The stream of filth continues for a moment, until the man raises his hand and reaches gingerly into the pink void of his mouth. From the stream of pus, the man pulls a thin scroll. Once it's extracted, he closes his mouth and the flood of gangrenous blood and filth ceases. The creature inside the ritual circle then unfurls the scroll for Oliver to read, where he finds written in clear Aven:



There was then a clear space for a signature. The archer's fine clothing was now streaked with the horrible filth, but the contract presented was somehow miraculously clear. Oliver would have to reach into the circle to take the contract.

[OOC: And to be clear, physically taking the contract does not necessarily mean that you have accepted the terms of it. You can take it and study it, take it and not sign, take it and give it to someone else to sign... etc.

I also forgot to mention, please have Lira make a magic saving throw. I don't think any of her traits apply, but add Wisdom.]
This message was last edited by the GM at 23:01, Sun 14 Oct 2018.

Breathing heavily as Oliver ascends the stairs Kira stays where she is for the moment.

Lira rolled 9 using 2d6+1.  Magic saving throw.

-

Oliver nods at the entity and reaches in to take it. He then studies the wording for a few minutes to see what boon he would receive should he sign it. Once he is done he places it in the inside pocket of his tunic as he continues up the stairs.

OOC Are you able to be more specific on the boon ?

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This message was last edited by the player at 01:13, Mon 15 Oct 2018.

[OOC: Nope, unless you study it, which takes 8 hours:

quote:

With 8 hours of time and 100 GP worth of arcane reagents, a careful daemonologist can study a pact to try and glean more information about the exact nature of the agreement. With a successful threshold 7 Intelligence check, the daemonologist can ask the GM three yes or no questions about either a pact's Price or Boon. For example, if study a pact's Boon, they might ask the GM:
- Will this Boon allow me to cast a spell?
- Will this Boon increase my caster level?
- Will this Boon allow me to cast the spell Fireball? The GM must answer these questions truthfully, but with only yes or no answers and no additional information. A daemonologist can only study one aspect of a pact at a time: if after studying the Boon, the daemonologist decides he wants to learn some details regarding the Price, he will need to spend another 8 hours of devoted study, and another 100 GP worth of arcane reagents to aid the research.

So Lira can study it, or at least she could if she had 100 GP of reagents and 8 hours of time. It's intended to be kind of a leap of faith, unless you're willing to invest time and effort in knowing exactly what you're signing.]

Oliver knew that daemons were not always clear in the terms of their pacts. They seemed to have their own unique lexicon, and did not always use words in the same way humans did. The boon was always beneficial, and trying to cheat the price was always folly, but as far as what specific "spells and blandishments" were being offered, Oliver could only guess.

[OOC: Also, to be clear, you're going to the next room alone?]
This message was last edited by the GM at 17:55, Tue 16 Oct 2018.

OOC: Now you say it like that I suppose not.:0


Oliver will listen at the door if there is one at the top of the next flight of stairs. As he returns to the demon on the landing he scuffs the circle to dismiss it and then continues down.

I assume that having dismissed the demon the potential pact still stays valid.

Oliver Fitzwilliam rolled 4 using 2d6.  Listen test.

Oliver descended the stairs to where Lira was. "I guess you are not up to going on and I think there maybe undead above. So it would be prudent to regroup and try again."


-
This message was last edited by the player at 04:43, Mon 15 Oct 2018.

Lira shook her head and followed Oliver down she had stopped suck in air but still was not herself. Just before they came to the bottom Oliver turned and handed her a piece of paper, adding "This might be to your liking, look it over at least." The paper had the whiff of sulfur and she suspected what it was as she placed it into her pocket without looking at it.

-

As Oliver scuffs the line of daemonic runes with his boot, the strange glow emanating from the summoning circle immediately dissipates. The interior of the watchtower is now much darker, with only the dim light from a few stray arrow slits illuminating the interior. It's plenty to see by, however.

After a moment, the daemonic apparition of Leraje also fades from view, first melting into an indistinct green haze, then disappearing entirely a moment after. Satisfied, Oliver walks downstairs to quickly gather his less stout-hearted companions.

Meanwhile, on the staircase below the first landing, Lira chastises herself for letting the alien and fearsome nature of the daemon get the better of her. She was supposed to be the daemonology expert, not a wilting flower! There was something else, though... a strange lingering sense of doom she couldn't quite shake, even after she'd escaped the daemon's aura of terror. She wasn't sure what it could be, except for a definite understanding that it was bad...

[OOC: I realized I forgot to adjudicate the results of Lira's failed magic saving throw. Now, in a "real" game I feel like I would probably keep this secret, but for the sake of the playtest (and to make sure I don't forget), I will let you know: Lira is cursed!

Now, it's a weird and highly specific curse that, at the moment, doesn't actually do anything. It has a trigger that might cause something bad, though. And no, I'm afraid you don't know what that trigger is, and have no real means of finding it out. I'm being a little generous here in letting you know that Lira was cursed at all.

The other shoe may or may not drop on this over the course of the playtest. I would recommend getting a Remove Curse spell cast on her when you get the chance... which, again, you may or may not get the chance to over the course of this playtest. *mysterious evil GM laugh*

Callum is fine, and made his save despite failing the Morale check, too.]

She shook it off, however, and Lira and Callum followed Oliver cautiously into the second floor chamber. Once they saw that the daemon was indeed gone, the trio approached the second staircase, leading upward. Listening at the door, Oliver couldn't hear anything at all inside. With a small shrug and an affirmative nod, Oliver gave Callum the signal to crack the door. The Golish survivor hefted the heavy wooden door open and began plodding upstairs, his blunderbuss at hand...

[OOC: Please give me Wisdom checks for Lira and Oliver. No traits apply, I don't think.]
This message was last edited by the GM at 02:21, Wed 17 Oct 2018.

Having regroup and found their courage the party advanced again up the stairs and onto another landing.

Oliver pulls back the door and then steps behind the postman with his carbine raised and at the ready. If nothing is apparent in the room Oliver will walk in his firearm at his shoulder, its muzzle following the cavalry mans eyes as she scans the room for any threats.


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This message was last edited by the player at 03:39, Wed 17 Oct 2018.

Rather crestfallen Lira readies her crossbow once they were on the landing, trying not to look at the circle as she does so. She takes a knee behind the two men so she can get a clear shot should she need it.

Letting her breath out slowly as Oliver opens the door Lira raises her weapon slightly on her shoulder ready to fire should a target present itself once the door and her companion were out of the way.

-
This message was last edited by the player at 03:35, Wed 17 Oct 2018.

At the last moment, as Lira shoulders her crossbow to ready a shot, she spots a trap!  A thin rope is strung along the top of the last stair, barely visible from that angle and in the dim light of the watchtower. She spots it just in time to warn Callum, who was seconds away from stepping on it...

Of course, the tripwire is blocking actual access to the landing, and no one has the angle to see what, if anything, it is attached to. They could try simply cutting the rope, but that would risk setting off whatever device held it taut...

[OOC: Lira saves the day and spots a trap! The way I see it, you can either try to disarm it in some fashion (likely by cutting the rope) or trying to jump over it. Jumping strikes me as riskier and dumber (since you're jumping up a stair, and also trying to clear a tripwire), so I'm putting that threshold higher.

Strength check versus 9 to jump, Dexterity to 7 to disarm. I don't think anyone's traits apply. It's possible one person can jump over it, and then find an easier way to disarm it. And of course if you cut it, there's not much danger to anyone else.]

Lira grabs Oliver and then points out the trip wire. She moves closer and traces the path of the wire with her eyes, but get to close and sets the trap off in her eagerness.

Lira rolled 4 using 2d6+1.  Trap disarm.

-

Oliver steps back and lets Lira have a go at disarming the trap, who knows what skills she pick up on the farm. He makes his way down the stairs enough so they are out of the way of any potential harm as he lets the girl do her thing.


-

Callum wisely makes the decision to stand aside, moving down the staircase along with Oliver and away from any potential danger... save perhaps a sizable explosion. Lira sawed carefully through most of the trap, but the last strand of the rope tugged just enough to set of a thunderous boom! Thankfully it was not an explosion... but a gunshot!

It seems a blunderbuss, quite similar to the one Callum carried, had been secreted along the left-hand wall, its muzzle pointed at the doorframe. Lira recoiled as the shot from the weapon whizzed through the air, carving divets into the stone of the walls. Lira somehow survived miraculously unscathed, pulling her arm back in time. It was a good thing she had spotted the trap... better to accidentally set it off from the relative cover of the stairwell then point-blank after blundering into the trap.

[OOC: So although she set off the trap, I rolled an attack from the trap and gave Lira cover, since she did see it soon enough to try and disarm it while out of the danger zone. It missed by 1!]

After everyone breathes a collective sigh of relief, they come to the second landing. Above them is the lookout of the watchtower itself. This room seems to have been used as a makeshift bedroom for whoever was on watch, or perhaps the lieutenant after he'd ordered his men out and started to lace the place with paranoid traps. There is little here now besides a flea-bitten pallet on the floor, some lightweight wooden furniture, and the stairs up and down the tower.

Oliver searched the furniture and bed before they continued on up the staircase. Oliver kept and eye out for more traps or other potential hazards now they knew they could be present.

He approaches the stairs and with Callum leading again they begin to climb.


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