A single day up the road from Khedia, the party camps for the night, and awakens in the morning in a new place.  This isn't where they stopped to sleep, and none of the sentries posted noticed the change until they were waking, along with all of the rest of the group.

Your sleep was plagued with nightmares, and when the sun rises you all look out on a world gone mad.  Instead of the site where you had camped last night, your bedrolls, mounts, and pack animals are now in a foyer of an ornate mansion.  A freshly swept carpet graces the floor.  The walls are decorated with bright, colorful tapestries.  Brass candelabras line the entranceway.  They show the signs of having been recently polished and are filled with candles.

More frightening that the sudden change from the wilderness to a mansion, is the smoky gray mist which surrounds the mansion at a distance of 30 feet, blocking all sight beyond.  No sound penetrates the mist.  One pack animal pushes through the outer doors and wanders into the mist, quickly disappearing from sight, but its lead rope remains, still, on the ground.  Moments later, when the rope is pulled back in, the animal's dead body is pulled back into the sunlight.  What killed it cannot be determined, but it died with a horrible look of pain on its face.  The mist advances on you even as you watch, but luckily it does not enter the foyer.  The double doors to the interior swing open into the main hallway by themselves.

Elboc quickly shuts the outer doors to keep the mist out.

"Are our treasures still here?" asks Elboc, raising the most important question.

Roak rubs the eyes from his sleep and stands up. "What the..." he shouts and immediately checks his bags for his gems!!

As Elboc says, first things first.

Hamburg's life prior to the party's emergence into the glorious surface world had been filled with odd and sudden changes to his situation and surroundings. He only found this odd because it was not accompanied by the pleasant euphoria he was accustomed to, brought on by the powerful mushrooms his people regularly consumed.

"Looks as if we've been invited!" he said cheerfully, and took a step toward the double doors. "Perhaps they've been expecting us for dinner. 'Twould be rude to keep them waiting..." He continued forward through the doors.

Elboc and Roak quickly look around and satisfy themselves that all of their treasure and recent acquisitions are present.  The pack animals are obviously quite nervous, and the mist swirls a bare few feet from the walls of the building, but the day outside looks to be otherwise sunny and bright.

The parted inner doors show a long hallway with another set of double doors at its far end.  Tall, narrow windows appear on the left-hand wall of the hallway, and a single door stands, closed, in the middle of the right-hand wall.

Hand on sword-hilt, Elboc follows behind Hamburg.

Elboc will look in one of the mirrors, to see whether it is an ordinary mirror.

The dark elf looks into one of the mirrors and sees only what he could reasonably expect to see in any normal mirror.

Hamburg walked across the foyer and into the hallway. His hand reached, out of old habit, into a pocket of his robes, rummaged a bit and then withdrew once more empty. His supply of mushrooms had long since run out.

He glanced out the windows as he approached the center of the hall, and then stopped before the door in the eastern wall in order for his companions to catch up. Once they'd arrived, he opened the door!

Hamburg opens the door and finds a room beyond.

This room is luxuriously furnished with plush chairs, polished wood tables, ornate rugs, and other fine furniture.  The furniture has been pushed back against the walls and the carpets have been rolled up.  In the middle of the floor, an impromptu boxing ring has been set up.  In one corner of the ring a man stands as still as a statue with his hands raised in the boxing guard position.  This man is wearing amber silk trunks.  You notice that his skin has an unreal quality.  Seated near the boxer is a man dressed in colorful silks, fancy lace, and rich velvets.  He also wears a large-brimmed hat flaunting a peacock's feather.  A jeweled rapier is slung on his right side on a supple leather baldric.  He has wavy black hair and a closely trimmed beard which comes to a point.  Two men in plate mail carrying halberds stand as guards on either side of the richly dressed man.  The guards' flesh has the same unreal quality as the boxer's.  The seated man's flesh does not have this quality.

While the chairs have been pushed back, they all face toward the boxing ring.  Floating above the center of each chair is a pair of red, unblinking eyes that turn to watch you.

Elboc looks over the scene. "Anybody fancy trying their hand at boxing this man?"

The head of the masked wizard cocked a bit as he eyed the strange scene before them. His sharp mind quickly deduced that this must be some sort of game or contest, but was at a loss as to understand the exact nature of what he was seeing. It apparently had something to do with showing off one's physique... some sort of beauty pageant perhaps?

"Good day sir," Hamburg called out to the figure with the fantastic costume, "love your hat! Can you tell us the rules of this exhibition? I rather think the short fellow here might like to try for whatever prize is at stake." The wizard gestured toward Roak.

Roak looks cross-wise at Hamburg, but waits to hear what the boxing guy has to say. If anything.

"Another competitor for my magen!" says the man with the peacock feather in his hat.  "The rules are quite simple, really.  The two of you enter the ring," and here he gestures to the square roped-off area, "and proceed to fight, bare-handed, until one of you goes down.  This can happen by a simple knock-out, going down due to repeated pummeling, or by a judge's decision that you simply can't continue fighting.

"I'm covering bets on the event, and I'll give three-to-one odds in favor of my magen here.  I've got to admire pluck, but the size difference alone will likely decide the bout."

Roak snorts. "Uh-huh. Well, maybe I should let one of my friends here soften him up then, eh? Elboc, fancy a crack at this thing?"

"Why not?" says Elboc, as he starts to remove his weapons in preparation.

Hamburg recalled having participated in games of chance a few times in a certain room of the pyramid above the city of Cynodicea. It had been thrilling, though he never really grasped many of the concepts of gambling.

He reached into a pouch and pulled out a small handful of gems. "All of this on the dark one."

1000gp worth of gems!

He walked over and patted Elboc vigorously on the shoulder. "I believe in you. I don't know what game you're playing, nor why you need to remove your clothes to do it, but be it chips, dice or cards, I'm sure you can win!"

Stepping back, he commented to Roak, "Don't feel badly about not being up to the challenge... I don't know the game either."

The eyes of the stuffed raven seemed to glimmer slightly.

"Oh, I nearly forgot!" He rifled through the several talismans he'd purchased from the street vendors, seemingly picking one at random and offering it to the dark elf. "A little bit of good luck..."

The man happily takes the handful of gems from Hamburg and sets them on a small side table.

"Excellent!  Do I have any other takers?  Three-to-one are the odds, in favor of my magen," and here the man gestures toward the unnaturally still figure in the corner of the ring.

Elboc considers getting someone to bet big against him and take a dive, but decides to back himself.

"2000 GP in gems"

"2000 for the dark fellow!" the silk-bedecked man calls out, holding his hand out to receive the gems from Elboc.  "Do I have any other takers?"

After a longish pause the man declares, "Takers?  No?  Then let's get this fight started!"

He gestures to Elboc, and then into the roped-off area.

"Please, disarm and enter the ring.  I will call for the fight to begin, and if I call for a stop, you must do so immediately.  If necessary, we will run multiple rounds of the fight, each about three minutes in length, and you will have the opportunity to rest between rounds, should that occur."

Elboc hands his weapons to the rest of the party, then enters the ring, stretching his muscles as he does so.

The velvet-clad man looks toward Elboc, confirming that he's ready, briefly glances toward the other figure in the ring, then calls out, "FIGHT!"

OOC:
Let's make three attacks, with damage rolls, for each combatant, and we'll compare them, one-by-one, and see if either of the two are still standing at the end of the round.  Elboc will roll a d2+2 for damage, and has a +2 to-hit (from his strength), and has initiative.

18:36, Today: Dungeon Master rolled 2 using 1d6.  Monsters' Initiative.
18:36, Today: Dungeon Master rolled 3 using 1d6.  Players' Initiative.

18:38, Today: Dungeon Master rolled 6,2 using 1d20,1d3.  Attack, Damage.
18:38, Today: Dungeon Master rolled 8,1 using 1d20,1d3.  Attack, Damage.
18:39, Today: Dungeon Master rolled 7,2 using 1d20,1d3.  Attack, Damage.

Elboc works on keeping his distance while getting the measure of his opponent, though he does land a nasty left-hook.

OOC:
21:25, Today: Elboc Ice Eyes rolled 7,3 using d20+2,d2+2. – 7,3

21:25, Today: Elboc Ice Eyes rolled 17,4 using d20+2,d2+2. – 17,4

21:24, Today: Elboc Ice Eyes rolled 6,4 using d20+2,d2+2.  Punch. – 6,4

Roak wagers a gold on Elboc and then cheers like a wild-halfling. "Go, Elboc, go!"

As to what exactly Hamburg had been expecting, well that was anyone's guess. It clearly was not a hand-to-hand battle royal!

"Is any of this even in the rules?!? Where's the rulebook? How did this get out of hand so quickly?" He seemed very concerned about the contest, and wasn't amused by Roak's attitude.

He glared at the match-maker, "Are you going to just let them stand there and beat on each other?"

The man in the plumed hat takes Roak's wager and laughs for joy at Hamburg's question, calling out, "Of course I am!  I encourage it!"

As the first round draws to a close the man calls, "Break!" and Elboc's opponent lowers his gloves and backs into his corner.  The velvet-bedecked man rises from his seat and goes over to examine the damage that Elboc managed, while noting the extremely minimal damage that his champion managed to inflict on the dark elf.

After a moment's examination, he returns to his seat and calls out to Elboc, "Are you ready for a second round?" then calls out, "Fight!" after receiving an acknowledgement from him.

OOC:
06:24, Today: Dungeon Master rolled 4,3 using 1d20,1d3.
06:24, Today: Dungeon Master rolled 9,2 using 1d20,1d3.
06:24, Today: Dungeon Master rolled 13,3 using 1d20,1d3.

Elboc took 1 point of damage the first round, and his opponent manages to stick two more punches on him, for 5 more damage in the second round.

Angered by the punches landing on him, Elboc launches a flurry of punches at his opponent.

OOC:
17:11, Today: Elboc Ice Eyes rolled 20,4 using d20+2,d2+2. – 20,4

17:11, Today: Elboc Ice Eyes rolled 18,3 using d20+2,d2+2. – 18,3

17:11, Today: Elboc Ice Eyes rolled 13,3 using d20+2,d2+2. – 13,3

Elboc takes a pair of moderately hard hits, but delivers three especially hard ones in return over the course of the next minute.

"Break!" calls the man, laughing and clapping at the spectacle.  Elboc's opponent immediately returns to his corner and waits.

The man waits a bare 15 to 20 seconds before calling out, "Round three!  Fight!"

OOC:
15:09, Today: Dungeon Master rolled 2,2 using 1d20,1d3.  Attack, Damage.
15:09, Today: Dungeon Master rolled 5,2 using 1d20,1d3.  Attack, Damage.
15:09, Today: Dungeon Master rolled 20,3 using 1d20,1d3.  Attack, Damage.
15:09, Today: Dungeon Master rolled 1 using 1d3.  Critical Damage.

Elboc tries to stay distant this round, not appreciating the thumps he took last round. He throws hooks at his opponent whenever he tries to close the distance.

OOC:
23:23, Today: Elboc Ice Eyes rolled 12,3 using d20+2,d2+2. – 12,3

23:23, Today: Elboc Ice Eyes rolled 12,4 using d20+2,d2+2. – 12,4

23:23, Today: Elboc Ice Eyes rolled 14,4 using d20+2,d2+2. – 14,4

Elboc both floats and stings like some strange butterfly/bee hybrid, taking his opponent to the mat and repeatedly striking it until it ceases moving, bare seconds before the end of the third round.  It remains there, unmoving, even after the man in the plumed had and velvet calls and end to the fight.

"Bravo!  An excellent match!  I'll settle up the bets!  Wonderful!" the man enthusiastically calls out while standing and clapping loudly and repeatedly, as if making a display of the act.

The man returns Hamburg's gems to him, along with another 3000 GP worth, in payment of his wager.

Elboc has his own gems returned, along with another 6000 GP worth, also in payment on his wager.

Roak has his own gold piece flipped back to him along with three others.

The pairs of disembodied, red, unblinking eyes that float above the chairs around the room continue to impassively observe the goings-on in the room.

OOC:
Each of you who won money will get individual XP equal to your winnings, which is subject to any XP modifiers you may have.

Elboc tries to dry himself as well as he can and wipe the blood off his face before putting his armour and weapons back on.

"Anybody else fancy giving that a try?" he asks.

Roak blinks and then strides forward. "Sure, why not. I'll drop a friendly wager on myself!"

He prepares for a round himself, betting 500 gp in gems on himself.

The man with the plumed hat spends quite a while going over the unmoving form of Elboc's competitor before noticing Roak in a somewhat distracted way.

"What?  What's that?  Another round?  Not now.  I have to work on fixing my magen here, and I've got to figure out why it didn't win..." he trails off as he goes back to examining the body on the ground.

"It didn't win because it punched like a girl and had a glass jaw," says Elboc helpfully. He turns to his companions. "Shall we move on then?"

Something seemed to whisper into Hamburg's mind, kindling his interest in the necromatic arts... Upon his shoulder the stuffed raven was looking rather smug.

"What is it? What's a magen?" he asked the bookie. "Elboc's quite the fighter, I'm still unsure as to the nature of this bit of entertainment, but perhaps you might consider modeling this fellow's efforts after those of the dark elf... How is this programmed animation accomplished anyway?"

The man first ignores Hamburg, then makes a shooing gesture with one hand while he continues to examine the form of his magen.

Roak looks a little annoyed but then waits for answers to his companions' questions.

Hamburg snorted, the sound somewhat muted beneath the leathery mask he wore. His fingers flexed and balled into fists and then flexed once more. His shoulder dipped a little as if in pain from the grasp of the dead Raven.

The odd wizard seemed about to say something, shook violently for an instant and then turned to leave. His hands floundered in his pockets for dried fungi which had run out weeks ago.

"Perhaps we'll return again when you've gotten it operating again. I should expect our diminutive companion here would like a go."

Then Hamburg stopped and addressed the audience of eyes... "What about you all? Wouldn't you like to see more? What is it you're here for if not to be entertained?"

The pairs of glowing red eyes which float above the chairs swivel to regard Hamburg, but give no other response or indication of his words or presence.

"Could you tell us where we are?" Elboc asks the man in the fantastic costume.

Voran steps up. "Yes, could you tell us a bit more about this place?"

The man continues with his examination of the body fore some time before distractedly asking, "What?  We're in my family's home.  Where else would we be?  I'm busy now.  Please go away."

Unless anybody wants to do something more here, Elboc suggests leaving by the far door, i.e. the one the party didn't enter by.

Roak shrugs and heads to the door that Elboc suggested!

Roak opens the door to find a room paneled in polished mahogany.  A large fireplace faced with marble is set in the south wall.  Whatever furniture was once in this room has been removed, except for an iron-bound wooden chest in the southeastern corner.  Lying around the fireplace are a dozen or so bedrolls.  Near the bedrolls are a dozen humanoids with cat-like faces, dressed in leather armor.

Elboc pulls back. He doesn't want to fight them all, but the chest looks tempting.

"Vsaati, do you fancy creeping in there and looting the chest?"

Voran steps up and holds up his hand. "Hold, hold. These may be the rightful residents of this place. We should find out more what's happening before we start stealing things."

Several of the cat-faced humanoids turn their head to casually observe those who have opened the door.  Beyond this, there seems to be little reaction from them.  A couple of them are huddled around something on the other side of the room, paying no attention whatsoever to the goings-on at the western door.

Voran waves everyone back into the prior room. "I say we leave the cat people alone. We can explore more to the north from the next room."

"Agreed. Unless someone has a mouse to throw into the far corner of the room, to tempt them away while we examine the chest?"

Lanliss grinned, clearly joking. He was happy to move along.

"Yes, let's move to the north."

The party moves into the cat-people's room and, staying away from the cat-people, investigate the door to the north, listening at it first.

"That's just a door," one of the lounging cat-faced people notes, somewhat lazily.

"It leads out into the hall," another offers.

Most all of them visually track you as you move through the room.

"That does tend to be how these things work," said Lanliss, in reply to the catfolk. He awaited Roak's findings.

Roak shrugs and opens the door.

Roak opens the northern door to reveal a wide, long hallway running east to west.  in the center of the hall is a 10 foot wide red carpet stretching from the west door to the east door.  The ceiling arches 20 feet high overhead.  Near the east end of the hall, a raised catwalk stretches across the hallway, 10 feet above the floor.  At either end of the overpass are double doors.  Thousands of one inch square mirrors are set into the ceiling and walls.  The resulting reflection of the lights from the room where the halfling stands resemble a swarm of fireflies as myriad pinpoints of light are reflected back.  The floor of the hall, where it is not covered with the red carpet, is a polished black and white marble.  The marble is so shiny that Roak can see his reflection on its surface.  Polished brass candleabra line both walls and crystal chandeliers hang from the ceiling.  All the candle holders on the candleabra and chandeliers are filled with unlit candles.

The cat people reminded Hamburg of something, but it was distant now and a thick fog obscured it. Something about the whiskers perhaps? Their faces? He wanted to ask them, speak with them, lounge on the floor with them, for that looked to be ever so much fun, but his party was leaving him and he felt he should get back to the group. He gave one of the cat people a wave as he turned away.

"Uh Elboc? Can I have my talisman back now?" he asked the dark elf as they left the chamber.

Hamburg was elated to see the miniature mirrors and the reflections in the hallway. Every one of them showed a striking figure, clad in black with a fantastic hat and the most exquisite mask...

"They remembered their masks! The cat people! They remembered to bring their masks!" The Cynidecean blurted out.

Meanwhile, the skeletal hand emerged from beneath the hem of the wizard's dark robes and skittered toward the first candelabra. With a terrific leap, it vaulted upward and desperately grasped for the candle, hanging for a moment as if trying regain its strength after such an exertion.

Voran, curious, pulls out a flintbox and lights a torch so that he can light one of the candles.

Elder Voran gets his torch lit, then brings the flame to touch one of the candles.  There is an unimaginably bright flash as the torch flame touches the wick of the candle, leaving some of the group blinded.

OOC:
Save versus spells.  If you fail, roll 3d6 for the number of turns each of your characters will be blinded by the flash.

Voran was expecting something and covers his eyes in time.

10:55, Today: Elder Voran rolled 20 using 1d20+1 with rolls of 19.  Save vs. Spells.

Roak manages to cover his eyes, too.

10:56, Today: Roak The Quick rolled 18 using 1d20-1 with rolls of 19.  Save vs. Spells.

To one born, raised and bewildered in the dark depths of Cynidecea, the brilliance was completely dazzling!

Hamburg Hartclimber rolled 5 - Save vs. Spells - FAIL!

Elboc happily gives the talisman back to Hamburg.

OOC:
22:03, Today: Elboc Ice Eyes rolled 2 using 1d20.  Save versus spells. – 2

Mirrors? Candles? Shiny polished floors? Lanliss sees what Brother Voran is about to do but is too late to stop him, but he is quick enough to cover his eyes.

13:46, Today: Lanliss rolled 21 using 1d20+1.  saving throw.

Both Hamburg and Elboc, likely due to the fact that they spent so much of their respective lives underground, fail to realize just exactly how dangerous Elder Voran's actions are.  Both of them are blinded by the incredibly bright flash.

Soft, rumbling laughter comes from the cat-faced figures as they watch through the open door to the hall, having shielded their own eyes in plenty of time.


OOC:
07:03, Today: Dungeon Master rolled 6 using 3d6. (Turns of blindness)

"Who extinguished the torches?" asks Elboc as he gropes blindly about him.

Voran looks abashed. "I am sorry, friends. Apparently these candles are a kind of trap. Perhaps these will be useful against enemies sometime, though. At any rate, we should rest here a time until you all have your sights return."

Lanliss nods and moves to stand guard, however curiosity (or boredom) get the better of him, and he addresses the cat folk.

"What pray tell, do you keep in yonder chest, my friends? Spare clothing? Brushes? Favourite hairballs?"

"UHHHnnnnghnnn..." The odd wizard groaned. The pain was different than any he'd ever felt before, and the result of blindness was rather unnerving as well. He froze, not knowing what to do to help himself. "Put it out! Someone! Please!"

Two or three of the cat-faced people turn their heads to regard Lanliss specifically, and one speaks.

"What do you keep in locked chests?  Either valuables, or a trap for those who might be looking to take your valuables, I'd wager."

Several of the others audibly snicker at this.

Voran sighs and goes over to Elboc. "Let me take a look at your eyes, Elboc. I can see if there's anything I can do to help you recover sooner."

Elder Voran examines Elboc, but soon determines that the dark elf's vision will return in time.  Perhaps this will take an hour, perhaps a bit less.  Regardless, it might be good to find a safe place to rest while this happens.

Out in the hall, four doors stand, closed, on the northern wall.  There is a set of double doors at the extreme western end of the southern wall, and another door further to the east from the party's current position.  There is a set of closed double doors at the eastern extreme of the hall, and there is a raised walkway, the floor of which is at least 10 feet overhead, which stretches between the northern and southern walls.

The hall is now well-lit, with dozens of candle flickering, and their light reflecting from mirrors all over the walls.

"Shall we wait while those who cannot see recover, or shall we investigate one of the doors we have not tried? I would rather not return by the cat folk at this juncture."

Lanliss was in no particular hurry, but the hall was clearly a difficult area to defend.

Elboc would rather not walk around a potentially dangerous place until he can see again.

Hamburg was still suffering from the intense pain in his eyes, but now that the initial shock was beginning to wear off, he was less frantic. He began to wander, keeping one hand against the wall. He pointed upward, in a very random direction, and said, "I worry about that platform, good spot for an ambush... will this ever end?" He waved a hand in front of his masked face.

The party backs up to the walls in this wide hallway and settles in to wait.  10 minutes pass without incident, and their companions are still blinded.  20 minutes pass, and the condition has not changed.  At 30 minutes in, they all wonder if their fellows will ever see again, but they have been left in the hall, unmolested.

At 40 minutes from the flash that took their sight, those blinded by it find their vision slowly returning over the course of a minute or so, and it is fully restored shortly.  No enemies have bothered them during this time.

Elboc rubs his eyes, glad to have his vision back. "Is there any way to work out how set that trap?" he says, patting his sword. "I'd like to offer them my thanks for blinding me."

Roak cocks his head at that request. "Not sure what you mean. Set it for whom?"

"I meant 'who', not 'how'. Maybe the spell is affecting my speech. Anyway, I'd like to visit excessive violence on whoever is responsible for blinding me, if we can figure out who did it."

Voran looks a little guilty. "I would hope you would not visit violence upon me for that. I foolishly sprung the trap."

Roak snorts. "You were just being stupid, Voran. As usual. I say let it go and explore the rest of the building to the north. Just leave those torches alone for now."

"North it is, if someone would like to lead the way."

Lanliss clearly had no intention of doing so.

Roak snorts but leads the way!

Hamburg had his gloved hands pressed against the lenses of his strange mask, allowing only a small amount of light to enter as he slowly accustomed himself back to normalcy. "The hall is extremely bright and my head still hurts. Please, let us leave here quickly. I've... never experienced anything like that before!"

He staggered along with the herd as it migrated northward.

OOC:
Toward which door are you going?

Elboc suggests the western-most door to the north.

Roak agrees!

The party move westward, down the hall, and opens the westernmost door on the north wall.  It reveals a short, dark hallway, with no windows, but with three closed doors on its eastern wall.

OOC:
Do I still meed to keep these images to 800 pixels wide?  We can get some better detail without greatly increasing the image size if I can pop them up to 1200 pixels wide.

Elboc moves down the new corridor, sword drawn and looking for traps.

OOC: I'm happy to have wider maps.

Roak moves in behind Elboc and listens at each door.

The odd wizard continued to ponder the significance of the brilliant hallway from whence they'd just come and that certain of his companions had been unaffected by the brilliance. "There must be some procession for which it was designed," he mused, "the far end might be a throne room, or even a laboratory!"

He followed the others, content to let them choose a door, as for some reason lately it seemed as if such things made less difference than they once had.

The stuffed raven on his should seemed to tighten its grip however, bringing him once again to the reality at hand.

Interesting what a little carefully applied pain can accomplish isn't it?

"Let us hope for a throne room...I have no wish to be a laboratory experiment."

Lanliss followed along with the others.

Roak listens at each door, but hears nothing.  There is a faint, acrid odor that is slightly stronger near the southern door, and a sharp, dry smell near the middle door, both only barely detectable.

"Shall we try the southern door?" asks Elboc.

"As good an option as any," remarks Lanliss, readying his sword and shield.

The door opens to reveal that most of the floor of this room is covered with a slimy green goo.  The only part not so covered is a small four-foot-square stone platform raised two feet off the floor, located against the east wall.  Cemented to the platform is a stone chest shaped like a three foot cube.  The entire ceiling is dull black.

Roak quickly shuts the door. "I don't like the look of that goo. Let's try the next door."

He moves north, making sure that the green goo doesn't leak under the door. He opens the next door to the north.

Roak appears to be able to close the door before any of the goo can escape from the room, or even move, for that matter.  The small warrior moves forward and carefully opens the next door to the north.

This room sppears to have been quarters for the Amber family servants.  The room is now completely filled with a mass of giant spider webs.  Three giant spiders sit in the webs.

Just as Roak catches sight of them, the one on the left moves its lets in a peculiar way that suggests intelligence and a strange feeling sweeps over the halfling.

OOC:
Roak, save versus spells, if you please.

Roak smiles broadly. "All clear, guys. Come on in. Nothing in here but some harmless spiders!"
This message was last edited by the GM at 04:23, Tue 01 Mar 2022.

"If you say so, Roak."

Lanliss is dubious of the halfling's comment, but spiders were not foes to take on recklessly. He still wondered about the room with the green goo, and how best to tackle that.

"Anyone able to fly, or...climb walls?"

Elboc looks at the spiders. "I'm not sure there's anything to see here. Why don't we shut the door and try another room?"

Hamburg took a small flask from his knapsack. The skeletal hand, which had been rather shy in its appearances since entering the strange castle, peeked out from beneath the hem of the odd wizard's cheap robes.

"Fetch this over to Roak won't you?" Hamburg implored of the dismembered appendage. He reached down and set the flask upon the back of the skeletal hand and made a little shooing motion in Roak's direction.

The skeletal hand began to haul its precarious load into the room, got almost all the way there before the inevitable disaster struck. The flask began to slide off, the hand reacted by trying to catch it, but fumbled the grasp and knocked it into the air! The flask came down and cracked, sending oil splattering around the cobwebs.

"Now look what you've done!" Hamburg chided. "Uh, Roak, you might want to move..."


OOC: Basically the equivalent of tossing a flask of oil into the room. Anybody got a light?

OOC:
Are we following Roak's advice and going into the room, tossing in a torch as Hamburg is hinting, or moving on?

My vote would be for the torch.

Seconded.

Roak turns around, waving his hand. "Whoa, whoa, guys. Let's not be hasty. I have a feeling that torching the spiders would be bad."

"Torch it quick before more of us fall under their evil spell."

"Agreed. This little fellow is seemingly bewitched. Spiders are horrible."

Voran steps over to Roak and nods. "Come on, Roak, move away from the door."

"Get him out of there!"

As soon as Elder Voran got within reach of Roak, Hamburg allowed the lighting of the oil to commence.

Voran pulls Roak back.

Roak begins to weep. "You're making a terrible mistake," he says with genuine sorrow.

The oil lights quite quickly, and spreads through the room equally quickly, burning away webs and scorching the huge spiders within, each the size of a large dog.

The suddenness of the attack stuns both Roak and the giant spiders, giving our heroes a critical few moments in which they can act before their opponents.

OOC:
17:21, Today: Dungeon Master rolled 5 using 1d6.  Players' Initiative.
17:21, Today: Dungeon Master rolled 2 using 1d6.  Monsters' Initiative.

Voran lines up a sling-stone and flings it hard at one of the wounded spiders!

Hit AC 1 for 6 hp.

15:32, Today: Elder Voran rolled 6 using 1d4+3 with rolls of 3.  Damage.
15:32, Today: Elder Voran rolled 16 using 1d20+2 with rolls of 14.  Sling on a spider.

Elboc takes advantage of the surprise to sent an arrow high over the spiders.

OOC: 22:11, Today: Elboc Ice Eyes rolled 7 using 1d20+2 ((5)).

Hamburg rummaged around in a pouch and produced yet another flask of oil which he lobbed into the room in the direction of the spiders.

Oil toss: Hamburg Hartclimber rolled 19 to... uh... hit? or purposely miss Roak?

"ROAK! Come, leave this place before you get roasted alive!"

The odd wizard considered trying to grab the halfling, but feats of strength were certainly not his forte...

Roak does not step in the way, but he is visibly crying now. "Guys, please! Please stop! It was beautiful..."

"I love the smell of burning webs in the morning..."

Lanliss fires his longbow at the nearest burning arachnid.


23:39, Today: Lanliss rolled 13 using 1d20+1.  attack roll, longbow.
23:39, Today: Lanliss rolled 6 using 1d6.  dmg.

Elder Voran's sling stone hits one of the spiders hard, causing obvious (but not mortal) injury).  It hisses in response, angry and moving.  Hamburg takes the opportunity to throw yet another flask of oil into the room, this time hitting the foremost spider solidly, which immediately catches on fire, ignited by the flames licking up from below it.  Lanliss' arrow ends the creature, which falls in an oily, flaming heap just inside of the door.

The two remaining spiders fall from their perches, the webs to which they had been clinging having melted away in the blaze.  They race toward the door and leap for both Lanliss and Elder Voran, missing both, and having been coated by still-burning oil as they exited.

OOC:
07:20, Today: Dungeon Master rolled 9,3 using 1d20,1d20.  Attacks vs Lanliss and Elder Voran.

I'm maintaining the same initiative, so you guys go again.

Elboc switches from bow to sword and shield, swinging at the nearest spider.

OOC:
19:47, Today: Elboc Ice Eyes rolled 9 using 1d8+3.  Damage (sword). – 9

19:47, Today: Elboc Ice Eyes rolled 14 using 1d20+3.  To hit (sword). – 14

Hamburg could be heard wheezing just a bit beneath the mask he wore, the thick smoke from the buring spiders and their webs was not quite filtered out. He reached across his shoulder to a new quiver he'd recently purchased, and found a balanced dart therein. He then took aim, and surprisingly made a decent cast toward one of the still-living arachnae!


Ranged Attack vs Spider (Dart): Hamburg Hartclimber rolled 17 to hit AC2 for 4 damage!

Between Elboc and Hamburg, the foremost of the two remaining spiders goes down in a heap.

Disturbed by the attack, Voran steps back a bit and flings a sling-stone at the remaining spider.

Hits AC 9. If that hits, 4 hp damage.

15:08, Today: Elder Voran rolled 4 using 1d4+2 with rolls of 2.  Damage (if that hits).
15:08, Today: Elder Voran rolled 8 using 1d20+2 with rolls of 6.  Sling on the last spider.

Roak continues to weep, mourning the beauty...

There may have been pangs of doubt, possibly, maybe, were anyone of the party to look upon the face of Hamburg Hartclimber and see them so manifest. But that could not be so, for his countenance was concealed beneath the odd mask he always wore. Upon his shoulder bobbed a very dead stuffed raven, which - when the light struck just right - seemed to look menacingly upon the denizens of the world as its talons clutched to the wizard's shoulder. In his hand was held the cheap, dilapidated lantern with its sickly yellow glow. This was held aloft to cast light upon the inhabitants of the room, but its efficacy was questionable at best. A disembodied skeletal hand climbed around him, in and out of sleeves and folds and the bottom hem of his shoddy black robes, itself almost spider-like in its behavior.

Upon seeing the success of his first cast of his new darts, the odd wizard reached over his shoulder to select another... his hand closed over what he thought were the fletchings of a dart, and he whipped his hand forward to throw it... only those feathers happened to be attached instead to the stuffed raven wired to his shoulder! The action caused him to whip around in a circle, nearly losing his balance, but becoming temporarily disoriented by the mishap!

There was a loud squawk made which sounded quite unmistakably like that of an annoyed raven... but stuffed ravens, very dead ones, don't make such sounds... at least... nah, couldn't be.

Ranged Attack vs Spider (Dart): Hamburg Hartclimber rolled a Natural 1! Doh!

Lanliss swiped wildly at the flaming spider in front of him, trying to beat it back desperately.

12:56, Today: Lanliss rolled 10 using 1d20+4.  attack roll, sword.

Lanliss' strike finishes the third of the overly large spiders, and the oily flames burn for just a bit longer.  With the death of the last of the three, Roak realizes that he was under the effect of a mind-altering spell, and shrugs his way free of it.

A scorched, but intact wooden box can be seen from the door, in the rear of the room, having fallen from where it had been suspended in the webbing.  The flames had not been quite enough to set it afire, but it is soot-stained.

Roak shakes his head, smacking his face a bit. "Whoa...sorry about that lads. Clever beasties--they charmed me somehow." He walks up to one of the corpses and skewers it just for malice.

Elboc will investigate the box and see if it can be opened.

The flames died down and Hamburg gestured toward the crisping bodies of the dead spiders. "In the caverns around Cynidecia, there lurk spiders such as these... intelligent and with subtle powers. We were lucky. Many become minions of such and work themselves to eventual death bringing food and other bits of interest to the expansive webs... could have been us." He shuddered.

"What's in the box?"

The ruby eyes of the stuffed raven gleamed...

Elboc's evaluation of the box is that it's imminently openable.  There appears to be no lock on it.

Heart in mouth, and shield at the ready, Elboc opens the box.

Elboc opens the box to find that it contains several loose gems and two pieces of jewelry.

OOC:
Five gems worth 100gp, 500gp, 10gp, 100gp, and 50gp
Two pieces of jewelry worth 1500gp and 1400gp

Stuffing his pack with treasure, Elboc stands up.

"Shall we head onwards?"

OOC: Is someone keeping track of the group's treasure?

With the baubles gathered up, Hamburg commanded the disembodied hand to scuff around in the corners of the room a bit while he made a quick glance around for anything missed. He then joined Elboc and the others as they proceeded from the room.

OOC: Did we miss anything? Then onward!

Feeling a bit abashed still, Roak simply moves to the next door to the north and listens at it!

Roak listens at the door, but hears nothing from beyond it.

Elboc will open the door and see what's in this room.

Elboc opens the door to see a closet filled with shelves of fresh linen, bath towels, soap, and other household items.

Sword at the ready, Elboc charges into the room, swinging his blade before realising that the most dangerous enemy in the room is a towel.

"Shall we, um, try another room?"

Hamburg dispatched his disembodied hand to fetch him a bar of soap. Not that anyone had ever seen him use soap, or wash up for that matter, or expose even a bit of his skin from beneath his shoddy get-up and odd mask... but the hand skittered over and did as it was directed with only a little in the way of protest.

"Yes, let's find our way to another area of this keep or manse or whatever it is..."

"Yes, onwards! Perhaps we'll find a sinister kitchen, or troublesome bedroom..."

Roak holds up his hand and searches the room for secret doors!

Roak makes a thorough search of the small room, but finds nothing hidden or concealed, including doors.

The party then moves back out and checks out another door...

We'll listen at the door at O6. If we hear nothing, one of us opens the door.

No sound is heard at the door, and when it is opened a large, ornate bedroom is revealed.  There is a large four poster bed in the middle of the room with all the curtains drawn, and some of the more standard (if quite rich) bedroom furnishings.

Elboc will enter the room and have a look around for treasures to liberate.

Roak follows close after!

Lanliss stays outside in the corridor, for now.

Incredibly loud snores come from the canopied and curtained bed while Elboc searches the room.  He finds nothing of value, aside from some female clothing, but his search does reveal a hidden door in the west wall of the room.

Elboc will try to listen at the door, hoping to hear something over the snoring.

Elboc places his ear to the door and thinks that he might have heard something, but can't be sure over the ridiculously loud snoring coming from behind the closed curtains on the bed.

Roak takes the liberty of opening the door!

Roak opens the door to show a richly furnished bedroom.  The bed is longer than normal.  Standing next to the bed is an 8' tall creature with the shape of a human and the head of a lion.  A jeweled golden crown rests atop his head.  He wears golden plate mail.

"Hello," says Elboc, not liking the idea of fighting this creature. "We were looking for the kitchens. Are they this way?"

Roak steps back sheepishly and waits to see what the man-beast says to Elboc's comment.

The lion-headed man draws himself up, appearing to be a bit taller yet, his crown glittering in the combination of dim light from the windows, and several oil lamps in the room.

"I am Richard Cour de Leon d'Amberville, and you are well away from any reasonable route to the kitchens."  He draws and flourishes a longsword from his side, which looks to be smaller than one might expect in his huge, gauntleted hand.  "Which of my siblings sent you to me?" he demands.

"Siblings? There are more of you? Nobody sent us. Perhaps it would be easier if you were to explain where we are and why you would want to draw your sword on anybody your family sent to you."

"We have offered no threat, and yet you draw a blade upon us? Is this how you greet people?"

"You speak of offering no threat, yet you come a thieves!  The door to my chamber is well-concealed, and you passed through the antechamber without disturbing its occupant.  You come armed and unannounced.

"This is exactly how I greet such people," the lion-headed man says, again brandishing his sword while taking a half-step forward.

Voran steps forward, holding up his holy symbol. "By the gods of Law, we swear to you we did not mean to disturb you. We were teleported here against our will and mainly wish to return home. Could we beg your indulgence to pardon our intrusion and aid us?"

The lion-headed man briefly goes to one knee in front of Elder Voran, the point of his sword grounded, and both hands folded over its upright pommel.

"By the light of Infinite Law, I do swear to repel all invaders, lest they immediately swear fealty unto me!" he intones, then rises again, taking his sword back into his hand.

"Well?" he demands, "What's it going to be?"

"You demand fealty of those who you know have been teleported here against their will? Do your people not offer shelter and defence freely to those in need? You would choose instead to strike down those who abide by the gods of Law?"

"Enough of this," says Lanliss, drawing his wand of paralyzation and employs it against the lion-headed man.

Meanwhile, Hamburg had begun to chatter with the Lion-headed man in the native Cynidicean tongue, mistaking him for one of his kinsmen due to the mask. He found it to be fascinating, but the real intent of his alter-lingual inquiries were evident by the sudden shaking of his gloved hands which reached into a pouch and brought forth all sorts of coins and jewels in exchange for that which he desired so much, but had been without all these past weeks!

The huge man with the leonine head almost seems to stop in place for a moment before he shakes himself and roars, moving to charge toward our curious transportees.

OOC:
07:14, Today: Dungeon Master rolled 3 using 1d6.  Players' Initiative.
07:14, Today: Dungeon Master rolled 2 using 1d6.  Monsters' Initiative.

You guys get to go first.  Tear him up!

"EVERYONE GET OUT!" shouts Roak. He waits for the others to listen to the wisdom of his cry.

Having seen Lanliss start the attack, Elboc decided to follow it up:

OOC:
22:23, Today: Elboc Ice Eyes rolled 18,9 using d20+3,d8+3 ((15,6)).

Voran backs out of the room, flinging a sling-stone at the lion-man but failing to connect.

Clean miss.

17:53, Today: Elder Voran rolled 7 using 1d20+3 with rolls of 4.  Slingstone at lion-man.

Roak growls, "We're gonna regret this," but steps forward regardless. His blade does not waver and he drive it into the lion-man's thigh.

Natural 20! Hits for double damage, 11 hp from his magical short sword.

17:55, Today: Roak The Quick rolled 11 using 2d6+6 with rolls of 4,1.  Critical hit damage!
17:54, Today: Roak The Quick rolled 23 using 1d20+3 with rolls of 20.  Attack lion-boy.

Both Elboc and Roak make solid hits on the armored, lion-headed man, hurting him quite a bit, but Elder Voran's sling stone goes wide.

OOC:
I'm waiting on Lanliss and Hamburg's actions for this round.

Hamburg raised his gloved hand and pointed toward the knight's codpiece. "Uh... There's a... um... you have something crawling... that is... erm... beneath your..."

It was then suddenly visible to everyone that a bright orange centipede with blood red antennae and verdant legs, was trying frantically to find and enter a seam in the crotch region of the armor!

"Be careful! Those things have a very painful bite and are insatiably voracious..."

Casting Summon Vermin cantrip
This message was last edited by the player at 19:26, Tue 03 May 2022.

Eschewing his wand Lanliss switches to his sword, and with a sudden dash moves in and hacks into the lion-headed man.


23:27, Today: Lanliss rolled 20 using 1d20+4.  attack roll, sword.
23:27, Today: Lanliss rolled 11 using 1d8+4.  dmg.

The huge man with the lion's head takes a massive swing at Lanliss and misses by a good margin.  Perhaps his various injuries (hidden by his armor) are the reason.  Maybe he just isn't that good with his sword, despite his size and ferocity.  Regardless, he won't last through another exchange like the last one!

OOC:
06:55, Today: Dungeon Master rolled 7,10 using 1d20,1d8+6.  Attack, Damage.

It's your turn!

Elboc tries to put an end to the lion-man.

OOC:21:08, Today: Elboc Ice Eyes rolled 13,11 using d20+3,d8+3.  To hit (sword +1). – 13,11

Encouraged by the party's success, Voran loads up another sling-stone and this time it lands squarely; one can hear the impact!!

Huzzah! Hits AC 1 for 7 hp of magical damage.

11:54, Today: Elder Voran rolled 7 using 1d4+3 with rolls of 4.  Damage.
11:53, Today: Elder Voran rolled 16 using 1d20+3 with rolls of 13.  Flinging a rock!

Roak, meanwhile, presses his doughty attack, cutting open a big vein in the lion-man's leg!!

Hit AC 0 for 7 magical damage!!

11:57, Today: Roak The Quick rolled 7 using 1d6+3 with rolls of 4.  Damage.
11:56, Today: Roak The Quick rolled 17 using 1d20+3 with rolls of 14.  Attack lion-boy.

Hamburg pointed with his finger, making a meandering line from the warrior's codpiece toward the space beneath his helmet. The frightening centipede made its way upward, dozens of legs scrambling at any given instant as it sought to crawl down inside the breastplate.

"Uh-oh, now it's angry... don't let it touch your bare skin, each segment is poison. It must be really hard to fight with that thing bothering you..."

While Elboc's attempt at an attack almost lands, Elder Voran and Roak manage to drop the frightening figure, blood flowing heavy and fast from the final wound created by the party's smallest member.
This message was last edited by the GM at 13:55, Mon 09 May 2022.

Roak then dutifully loots the room and the corpse!

The man had a very good quality sword and armor, and the armor appears to shrink just a bit as it is removed from his body.  The crown he word is obviously quite expensive, and he as a small vial tucked into a well-made pouch at his waist.

A quick search of the room yields only bedding and clothing, all sized for a person much larger than a normal man.

"Interesting! I would like to try the armor, if no-one minds? My current sword is already fine, so perhaps someone else would like his?"

"That's fine with me."

OOC: Is it plate armour, or is Lanliss's old armour plate? Elboc just has standard chainmail, so if there's an upgrade possible I'd like to get that.

Elboc will try on the crown.

Elboc finds that the crown, unlike the platemail armor, does not change size.  As such, it is so large that it fits only as a torc, and a rather ungainly one at that.

OOC:
Both Elboc and Lanliss are currently wearing platemail armor, according to the character sheets, and Elboc's has a magical +1 bonus (along with his shield).
This message was last edited by the GM at 13:57, Tue 10 May 2022.

OOC: I was confused by Elboc having chainmail listed under weapons. I've removed that now.

"What have we here?" Hamburg murmured beneath his mask as the macabre disembodied hand scurried his way, dragging the vial across the floor. The odd wizard stooped and gingerly picked it up with his gloved fingers, holding it to the light in an effort to discern more about it...

Hamburg takes the small vial and looks it over.  It's a small, apparently pewter vessel, about a finger's width thick, circular, and half the size of his palm.  There is a small spout at one end with a wax-sealed cork in it.  There is no visible inscription or decoration on it.

Roak hustles everyone inside the door and closes it. He pulls everyone together. Quietly, he says, "We still have whatever is sleeping in that other room to deal with. Ideas?"

"It might be annoyed that we just killed this creature. Shall we just creep out again?"

Hamburg made a gesture to the slain Lion-masked man who'd just met a sad end as brought upon himself through pride.

"One must wonder," the odd wizard mused, "if this perhaps was the king of this castle... crown, fealty, and an absolutely brilliant mask... we may have just made a very terrible blunder. And if that is in fact the case, whoever is making that horrific sound in the other room could only be one of three people. This man's queen, some sort of steward or bodyguard, or a dwarven traveling salesman who stayed up a little bit too late last night sampling the refreshments."

"The Queen will have our heads, as will the steward, but the dwarf might simply wish to sell us some sort of stone salve and be on his way... I vote it's the latter."

"Shall we go see?" asks Elboc, though the naked steel in his hand makes it clear that he doubts there will be a peaceful resoltion.

OOC: Yes, the platemail Lanliss wore previously was non-magical, so magical armor would be a real boon. He currently wields a Sword+2, so I thought someone else might want this new one? Has anyone taken it?

Lanliss nods with Elboc's suggestion.

"I think we shall. Better to find out one way or another..."

Roak winces and goes with the others back into the other room...

If nobody else wants it, Elboc will try out the sword.

Elboc tries out the sword.  It's well-made and swings easily for him.

Those who return to the prior room find that the loud, raspy snoring from beyond the curtained walls of the canopy bed have continued unabated.  The room is otherwise exactly as they left it.

Elboc suggests creeping past the sleeping creature and exploring further.

Roak agrees.

In short order, the party find themselves re-assembling in the hallway outside of the bedroom with the canopied bed.  The room's occupant doesn't seem to notice their leaving, and continues to snore.

Looking toward the closed double doors at the far end of the hall, there are two doors on the left which have not yet been opened, one set of double doors on the right, and a pair of doors on either side of a bridge that passes from one side of the hall to the other overhead.

Roak goes up to the next door on the left and listens at it...

Listening at the door at T6.

Roak carefully listens at the next door, but can hear no sound from beyond it.

Somehow Hamburg resisted the urge to awaken the noisesome sleeper. He followed the others back into the hall, glancing carefully back in the direction they'd come in case someone, or something, had overheard the scuffle (or the snoring) and might come to investigate.

Unless anyone objects, Elboc will open the door that Roak just listened to.

Lanliss waits for the door opening...

Elboc opens the door.

This is another bedroom filled with costly furniture.  Seated on the bed are two pale, manlike, almost transparent figures composed of thick mist.  One of the figures resembles a middle-aged man while the other resembles a matronly woman.

"Hello," says Elboc. "I fear we might have got lost. We're looking for the canteen."

Hamburg suddenly became very curious. He felt a pain in his shoulder which held the stuffed raven wired to his cheap robes. The raven's ruby eyes seemed to glimmer...

"Greetings to you, as my companion here has said, we seem to be lost... perhaps you are too..."

There was a slight difference in the intonation of the word lost.

The pair look up at the greetings from Elboc and Hamburg, vague looks in their misty eyes quickly turning to absolute rage.  The pair literally fly up from the bed and race toward our heroes to the sound of thin, wailing screams.  They swipe with nearly-see-through hands that now look more like claws, at the elf and odd little man.  Elboc easily avoids their touch, but Hamburg is not so lucky.  While their clawed hands appear to have little to nothing in the way of substance, he screams in pain and immediately looks to be greatly weakened.

OOC:
07:19, Today: Dungeon Master rolled 11,2 using 1d20,1d6.  Attack, Damage vs. Elboc.
07:19, Today: Dungeon Master rolled 13,3 using 1d20,1d6.  Attack, Damage vs. Hamburg.

Elboc immediately swings his sword at this attack, letting out a high-pitched warning cry to the group that would cut through above the noise of battle. At least that's what he would claim till his dying day. The others might have thought that he screamed like a girl.

OOC:
19:55, Today: Elboc Ice Eyes rolled 21,4 using d20+3,d8+3.  Attack, sword+1. – 21,4
This message was last edited by the player at 18:56, Wed 01 June 2022.

Voran steps forward, holding up the holy symbol of Law, and utters a harsh word, to see if he can get the ghostly figures to flee...

Turn Undead! That will successfully turn a wraith, but not a spectre.

16:06, Today: Elder Voran rolled 8 using 2d6 with rolls of 3,5.  Turn undead!!

Elboc's sword bites into the male of the pair of figures, cutting through its misty substance with surprising effectiveness.  Immediately thereafter, Elder Voran's rebuke causes both to turn tail and flee, passing through the western wall and out of sight.

OOC:
Elboc, the sword you picked up from the lion-headed figure is actually a sword +3.

Elboc smiles, admiring his new sword.

"Does anyone want this old thing?" he asks, holding out his sword +1.

Hamburg sank to the floor breathing heavily beneath his mask. He clutched at his chest. The skeletal hand worried nervously atop one shoulder while the stuffed raven perched upon the other. He seemed weakened and diminished, much as he had in the weeks following their departure from the underground city...

Roak shakes his head. "Nah, mine's shinier. Quick, let's search the room before those undead come back!"

He proceeds to do as he has suggested.

Elboc checks whether Hamburg is OK.

The odd wizard staggered to his feet, wobbly and weakened. "I feel as if... I'm diminished in some way... as if life has been robbed from me..."

And then his voice changed, reverting back to that strange tone he'd had when the party first joined with him beneath the pyramid, "It is true power Creeth! To steal the life-force of another being! I must acquire mastery over this... otherworldy arcana!"

Upon his shoulder, the raven's eyes gleamed ruby red.

And then it all was back to normal, or the closest thing to which a mask-wearing Cynodicean could imagine to be normal. Hamburg stood and began looking around the chamber as if he'd experienced nothing more than a stubbed toe...


Hamburg Hartclimber rolled 7 using 1d20.  Test of the strange amulet! TN19-20... Nope!

Roak pokes here and there in the room, looking for interesting and expensive things, and eventually finds that a mirror on the north wall conceals an iron safe that has been mortared into the wall behind it.

"Can anyone open this?" asks Elboc while indicating the safe.

Silence is the response to Elboc's question, as the party members recall their departed companion Vsaati.  They're quite sure that she would have had a better chance at opening it than any of them.

Roak sighs. "Well, anyone got a crowbar?"

If not, the party will leave and go listen at the next door on the north wall of the hallway.

That would be the door at B6.
This message was last edited by the player at 02:15, Thu 16 June 2022.

"Perhaps we'll find the key elsewhere..." Hamburg said quietly. He weakly gathered himself and made ready to follow the others to the next room.

This room is a large kitchen.  You see a dozen ghostlike hobgoblins dressed in pale amber-colored livery preparing a large meal.  The hobgoblin servants and the food they are preapring are transparent.  A flight of stairs to the side of the door rises to another door, which matches the door to the overhead walkway in the outer hall.

Feeling hungry, Elboc will try to eat some of the ghost food.

Elboc immediately finds that he is incapable of touching the food, and as such, can't eat it.

Hamburg made a sort of choking sound beneath his mask as if the sight of the ghosts was unnerving... something quite inconsistent for one who'd once claimed to be a great necromancer. He gestured quickly toward the opposite door as a hasty exit lest the ghostly kitchen staff should become angered at the intrusion! His gloved hands were visibly shaking.

Voran holds up his holy symbol and calls on the powers of Law to send these ghostly figures fleeing...

Voran auto-turns Ghouls and Wights, but falls just short of turning any wraiths. If this has any effect at all!

13:12, Today: Elder Voran rolled 6 using 2d6 with rolls of 1,5.  Turning Undead!!

Elder Voran holds forth his holy symbol and admonishes the undead to leave, in the Name of Law!

Nothing happens.

The figures continue about their transparent work, taking no notice of the good cleric or any other member of the party.

Roak shrugs and begins looking around the edges of the room for anything valuable...

Roak searches, but finds that all items in the room which could be picked up are transparent, just like the hobgoblins and the food.

"I wonder if we should move on?" asks Elboc. "We don't seem able to interact with anything here."

Hamburg, still shaken and shaking, nodded vigorously!

Roak snorts in a disgusted way and heads to the top of the stairs, listening at the door there.

That's the door at B6. If he hears nothing and it's unlocked, he'll open it.

Roak mounts the stairs, listening at the door.  After pausing for a while, to ensure that he didn't just happen to start listening at the exact time some other noise stopped, he concludes that there is nothing moving beyond the closed door.

Trying the door-pull, he finds it to be unlocked.  When he opens the door he can see that he is on the overhead bridge that spans the hallway below.  There is another closed door directly opposite where he is, in the opposite wall.

Roak pads quietly across and listens at the far door.

Hamburg, remembering the searing pain he'd felt from the mirrored chamber below, lifted a gloved hand to shade his eyes just in case. He waited until Roak gave the signal to cross, lest the bridge was somehow rigged.

Roak listens at this second door, but hears nothing from beyond it.

He goes back and waves the others up onto the walkway. Once they're there, he'll open the door.

Elboc will take up position behind Roak, ready with sword and shield.

Once everyone is set, Roak opens the door.

Upon entering, you see a dining room in an advanced state of decay.  After a short time, 12 men and 12 women in costly garb walk into the room through the solid south wall and proceed to sit down around the table.  As soon as the 24 guests enter, the appearance of the dining room miraculously changes so it seems undecayed.  If you concentrate hard enough, you can sill see the original decayed scene beneath the fresh double-images.  The 24 banquet guests are faintly transparent.  Seventeen of these guests are human, three are elves, two are dwarves, and two are halflings.  Beside the 24 chairs already filled are a dozen empty chairs with diningware and utensils set before them.  In front of several of the empty chairs are place-cards with the names of the members of the party.

"Yet again the dead walk and act unknowingly as they once did in life. By the gods, I begin to fear that we might also be shades going through the motions."

Voran enters the room, raises his holy symbol and tries to cast the ghostly figures away...

Rolled a 7, good enough to turn Wraiths.

17:15, Today: Elder Voran rolled 7 using 2d6.  Turn Undead .

The crowd of semi-transparent figures pay no attention to Elder Voran and his loud noises and pantomime.

Roak shrugs, moves into the room and starts searching for valuables.

Roak has trouble seeing the actual, decayed room under the illusion of bright newness that overlays it, but does spend some time looking over the table and a pair of buffets.  Neither has much more than small spiders and dust in it, and both feel a bit spongy, as if the wood that makes them up might be riddled with rot.

Elboc suggests trying out the next room.

The party makes their way back to the big hallway and looks at the doorway at the end of it.

Listening at the door at I9.

Roak stops to listen, slowing his breath and trying to filter out other sounds.  He can just detect a soft sussuration from beyond the door, and what might be birdsong.

Roak motions to the others. "Everyone pull out your ranged weapons, just in case. Sounds like birds in there."

He pulls out his short bow and waits for the others to follow suit.

Elboc nocks an arrow and readies to fire.

Lanliss follows Elboc's example and readies his bow.

Voran draws his sling and stands ready!

Roak looks expectantly at Hamburg.

When Hamburg finally indicates that he is ready, Roak opens the door.

Beyond the door a huge octagon-shaped building with seven domes has been turned into an indoor forest.  The seven domes are made of thick panes of clear glass that let sunlight filter into the garden forest.  The domes are nearly 100 feet high, and pierce the fog around the castle as they rise so far above the ground.  Many trees of various types, some reaching a height of 80 feet, are planted in the garden.  Numerous flowers, grasses, and bushes have also been planted.  A stream can be heard meandering through the forest, and the air smells moist, green, and alive here.  The northwest section of the forest slopes upward to form a 20-foot-high hill, identifiable only by the taller trees in that area.

A ten-foot-wide crushed gravel path wanders through the garden.  The plant growth here is so thick that the pary members are only able to see about ten feet off of the path.  Beyond that point the forest grows too thickly for anything to be seen clearly.  The most that can be noted are vague movements, swaying branches, and so on.

Elboc will try moving out onto the path, looking for any attackers from the trees.

Roak, bow in hand, follows Elboc out onto the path, looking around for any trouble.

Although it is pleasing to be amidst woodland once again, there is something about this foliage that Lanliss finds strange. He keeps his bow ready and watches his surroundings.

Lanliss, Roak, and Elboc's caution is well-repaid.  As they move forward on the path, some distance away from the entrance to this glassed-over area, a few of the trees on either side of the path begin to move and thrash, bashing down on the path ahead of the group.

OOC:
Combat time.  I'm giving you guys the initiative because of how specific you were in describing your caution as you advance.  Three trees to either side of the marked portion of the path are attacking.

Roak waves the party back. "Fall back--let's see if these trees give chase."

He does as he suggests himself.

Move to 13R.

Elboc will join Roak in retreating. With any luck, the trees won't be able to follow.

The party falls back, out of the reach of the trees, which can't follow them due to being rooted in the soil.  Their limbs thrash in the direction of the group for another minute, but eventually subside after not being able to reach them.

The quiet birdsong which had quieted in the midst of the violence slowly begins again.

Elboc raises his bow again.

"Shall we just shoot them from a distance? My favourite fights are those where the enemy can't fight back."

Roak nods, getting out his bow. "You read my mind. That's the plan. If anyone has a ranged spell that can burn 'em or something like that, that would be even better."

Roak and Elboc hatch their plan, then begin peppering the trees near the path, loosing shaft after shaft from their bows, until all movement seems to stop, then add a few more for good measure.

OOC:
You each permanently expend nine arrows destroying the trees here, but manage to recover the rest of your shafts.

Collecting up the arrows he could salvage, Elboc felt happy about their strategy in the fight. He searched around, wondering if any previous victims of the trees had dropped precious trinkets.

Voran also contributes to the assault, damaging the trees.

Voran's almost certainly doing more damage than Roak at range with his sling.

Roak nodded his approval to the others, then the party moves in past the dead killer trees. If it seems safe, he steps into the foliage to search for valuables!

The party searches the area, but finds it strangely clean of any obvious signs of intelligent life, aside from the path through it.  There are no items left behind by other supposed victims of the trees, even though it seems likely that there would be some.

As you move on, some distance further you hear branches rustling on both sides of the path.  At the limit of your sight you see a number grotesque shadows forms on both sides of the path, apparently following you.

Elboc suggests pushing on towards the shadows. He doesn't like the idea of them watching the party.

Lanliss agrees, and will move with Elboc.

OOC:
The sounds and shadows are on both sides of the path.  Are you proposing moving toward the part of the path where they surround it, or moving to one side or the other before you're in the midst of it?  If so, which side?

I'd suggest moving to the right side where they are. Walking between them sounds like going into an ambush.

OOC:
Please describe how you approach the woods to the right (I assume this is on the character's right, which is southwest from the X on the map), and what you do as you move.

Assuming the others agree, we can have a couple of us stay where we are with bows ready, while the others go through the trees, hugging the western wall until they can swing round from the west.

"Wait. Perhaps we should hold off, and wait to see if anything emerges from the trees. Going in might put us in more danger, I fear."

Lanliss has his sword at the ready just in case, but for now opts for caution.

Roak frowns and nocks his shortbow. "I say we wait here. I'll fire at the shadows and see if they charge us, whatever they are."

If nobody objects, he does exactly that!

Elboc is happy to go along with the new plan.

The party's vigilance is well-rewarded, as they soon see a nightmare of a creature the size of a small horse emerge from the southern tangle of plants.  It has too man legs, the front two sets of which are covered in suckers, and its oversized yellow head is bracketed by an equally yellow set of barbed mandibles.  Overall it has a dark brown body, with legs just a shade darker than that.

Its posture can only be described as aggressive.

OOC:
Combat time, all!  You guys are at a range that will allow a first strike with your readied ranged weapons, or a rush to attack in melee, before the creature gets a chance to attack you.

Roak lets out a string of cursing and looses an arrow...

Hits AC 6 for 2 hp. Lackluster show of force.

19:10, Today: Roak The Quick rolled 2 using 1d6+1 with rolls of 1.  Damage.
19:10, Today: Roak The Quick rolled 11 using 1d20+2 with rolls of 9.  Ye olde shortbow.

Voran's aim eludes him!

Good grief, these rolls. Hits AC 9.

19:11, Today: Elder Voran rolled 8 using 1d20+3 with rolls of 5.  Slingstone at the thing.

Elboc looses at the creature.

OOC:
19:25, Today: Elboc Ice Eyes rolled 14,5 using d20+1,d6+1 ((13,4)). That hits AC 3

The creature makes a loud hissing sound as the projectiles slam into it, one each from Elboc, Roak, and Lanliss, then it rushes forward and lashes out at elboc with one of its suckered front legs while it bites at Lanliss.  All of its attacks fail to land, but it's closed the distance to melee range, at least with the two elves.

OOC:
07:04, Today: Dungeon Master, on behalf of Lanliss, rolled 18,4 using 1d20+2,1d6.  Lanliss' Attack, Damage vs. creature.
07:11, Today: Dungeon Master rolled 8,9 using 1d20,2d6.  Creature's Attack, Damage vs Lanliss.
07:10, Today: Dungeon Master rolled 8 using 1d20.  Creature's Attack vs. Elboc.

Roak, you forgot to take the short range into account, which give you a +1 to hit, making your hit roll 12.

Short range for a shortbow is 50', 40' for a sling, and 70' for a longbow, and all shots withing that range get a +1 to hit.

Tear it up, guys!  It's hurt pretty bad.

Elboc is panicked by the sudden rush, and his weak blow goes wide.

OOC:
19:52, Today: Elboc Ice Eyes rolled 8,6 using d20+5,d8+5.  Sword +3 attack. – 8,6

With a hue and a cry, Roak drops his bow, draws his blade and with both hands slices into the thing!

Better showing in melee: hits AC 1 for 11 hp.

20:52, Today: Roak The Quick rolled 11 using 1d8+3 with rolls of 8.  Damage.
20:52, Today: Roak The Quick rolled 16 using 1d20+3 with rolls of 13.  Roak w/sword .

Voran still can't hit the broad side of a barn.

Hits AC 7 with short range bonus. Bleh.
20:53, Today: Elder Voran rolled 9 using 1d20+3 with rolls of 6.  Sling on thing.

Our heroes swiftly finish killing the monstrous creature.

Elboc will look around and see if there's any further danger or some treasure.

"I have no idea what that thing was, but let's hope it was alone."

Lanliss' expression was full of distaste, but at least the beast was gone and no harm done.

Elboc searches the area, but finds neither treasure nor any direct sign that there might be more of the creature nearby.  Even so, the shadowy forms past the edges of the path continue to menace, not completely seen.

"Do we investigate those shadows, or ambush them again?" asks Elboc, worry writ on his face.

"I saw we leave them alone, in the hope they leave us alone. If that happens, we may move along."

Lanliss was no less worried than Elboc, but hope sprang eternal.

OOC: Where are we on the map now?

This message was last edited by the GM at 14:23, Fri 30 Sept 2022.

Roak nods. "Onward down the path. Watch them, though."

With that, the party heads to the far eastern end of this walkway...

Lanliss follows along, keeping a close watch to either side.

Elboc keeps a close watch around them as they move alone the path.

Ahead of you, you see an amber-skinned woman with long golden hair sleeping in the middle of the path.  A unicorn is sleeping next to her.  The woman in wearing a dress the color of yellow daffodils.  Her head rests on a rolled up saffron-colored cloak.  One arm is draped around a small wooden chest.

The gravel path continues forward here, past the woman, and also turns to the south where it widens out and ends in a pair of closed double doors.

OOC:
The party is at the location of the red "X".

Please let me know whether or not you can see the map image.


This message was last edited by the GM at 19:50, Mon 17 Oct 2022.

Elboc whispers, "Do you think we can steal the chest without waking her up?"

"She lies with a unicorn, a creature of good. I say we gently wake her and offer her any assistance she might need."

Lanliss is not in favour of stealing the chest (yet).

Voran does not entertain any further talk of theft. He walks up to the woman and gently taps her on the shoulder a few times to wake her up!

The woman awakes with a start as Elder Voran shakes her shoulder.

"Oh, my!  Who are you?" she asks in a tone of alarm which quickly moderates into a more confused query.

The unicorn also awakes, snorting and quickly standing from where it was sleeping next to her, horn lowered and pointed at the party.


This message was last edited by the GM at 01:38, Wed 19 Oct 2022.

Voran holds up his holy symbol of Lawn and says in soothing tones, "Be at peace. My friends and I seek to pass. We seek exit from this mad realm. How did you find yourselves to be here?"

Roak winces and stands back, entirely expecting the cleric to be skewered on the unicorn's horn momentarily...

The woman looks around at the group standing near where she was sleeping, casting wary eyes around, and finally seems to fix on the holy symbol held out before her.

"You may pass if you like, good folk, but I have found no way out of this place, and for what feels like years now.  My friend here," and with this she gestures to the unicorn, which has taken a protective-but-less-aggressive stance, "and I were traveling in the mountains, and awoke here after we had stopped for the night."

OOC:
I know it's a typo, but I just had to:

"Years?" repeats Elboc, his mouth turning down. "We have a similar tale, though we have not been here so long. I have no desire to see out my long elf years in this fell place."

A thought crosses his mind.

"Are you aware of anybody here who might be able to help us escape? We will happily take you with us if we can."

Voran nods. "Indeed, we are adventurers of some means--perhaps if my elven friends could find an ally, or a wizard whose arts they could ply themselves, we could find us all a way out."

"Anyone who can help you to escape?  I don't know," she begins, somewhat hesitantly, "but perhaps Stephen Amber will be able to help.  He's appeared in my dreams several times, and he seems to be less insane than the others."

"I fervently hope, for the sake of any others, that they have not also found themselves to be here, but also that they can ally themselves with you to escape if they have done so."

"Can you lead us to this Stephen Amber? The sooner we all leave this place, the better."

"Or perhaps you could tell us more of this Stephen Amber, or the Ambers in general? Who are they, and why the madness? Failing that, perhaps we shall just move along this path, in which case you are more than welcome to join us."

Lanliss then has another thought.

"You say you have seen him in your dreams, and more than once? You must have powerful visions indeed..."

"Despite having seen him in my dreams, which are no more oracular or prophetic than most, I think, I have never met him.  He urges me to find what he calls his 'tomb,' although I suspect that he is not dead, but possibly a powerful wizard of some sort.  If you rest here more than a few times, you will likely encounter visions of him in your dreams as well.  I don't know where the tomb might be, but you people seem to put them underground, so that might be a good place to look."

"As for the other members of the Amber family, I know very little about them, aside from the fact that they are all mad.  I know not of the nature of their madness, and keep distance from them whenever possible."

"I wish you well as you travel on.  I am content to rest here for some little while longer.  Aside from the few horrors brought here by the Ambers, this place is quite pleasant."

"Thank you. It sounds as though we must push downwards then. Do we have further questions, or objections to searching for stairs to take us down?"

"Let us move on. My thanks for your time and answers, milady, enjoy your rest."

Lanliss will up the pace as the group departs, in the event the stranger turns out to be something other/worse than she seems.

As the group leaves the woman and unicorn behind, they find themselves traveling further down a stretch of graveled path, which doesn't seem to have any strange things going on to either side.

When pausing to listen for a moment, the faint sound of running water can be heard from the north.

Elboc suggests continuing onwards towards the water.

Roak nods and heads carefully into the underbrush, looking carefully and poking with his sword before stepping on anything.

"Wouldn't we be better sticking to the path, Roak? Perhaps we should look around the bend..?"

Lanliss does not follow the halfling into the undergrowth.

Roak quickly finds that the undergrowth is so thick here that he is forced to move much more slowly to make any progress.  It almost seems as if these plants were put here to prevent movement off of the path.

OOC:
Which way do you go, Roak, and how far do you move?

Roak starts hacking very, very actively at the underbrush and tries to go 10' straight north.

Elboc will keep an eye out for an ambush while Roak hacks away.

Roak moves forward into the dense undergrowth, cutting through it as he moves.  The going is slow, but he does make progress.  After about ten feet in he stops to look around.  He can see his companions behind him on the path, but can't see any further through the tangle of plants around him than he could from the path.  He still can't see more than ten feet beyond the area that he has cleared, and it's harder to hear the sound of running water from this deep inside of the foliage.

"Well if you are trying to get nowhere very quickly, in as arduous a manner as is possible Roak, then you have succeeded. I would politely suggest returning to the path would be less taxing."

Roak shrugs and hacks his way back. "All right, Lanliss, what way would you recommend, then?"

"Let us follow the path to the east, and if that fails then let us try the southern route. At least we have enough loose wood for a decent campfire now..."

Ahead, a ten-foot-wide wooden bridge spans a meandering stream.  The path continues across the bridge.  On the side of the bridge closest to you, you see a humanoid with the head and horns of a billygoat, saying, "Please don't eat me, Mr. Troll!  My brothers, who are right behind me, are much bigger and fatter than I am!"

A deep, gruff voice from beneath the bridge answers, "All right, you may pass.  I'll wait for your brothers."  The billygoat-headed humanoid exits across the bridge.


This message was last edited by the GM at 14:59, Tue 22 Nov 2022.

Elboc is moved by what he hears, and teary-eyed he turns to the others, saying, "We haven't eaten in ages. How about we catch a goat and eat that?"

Roak snorts. "No, you idiot. Those are humanoids. We don't eat other humanoids. We may have to fight whatever's under the bridge."

He moves up toward the bridge and says, "We want to pass, and we taste terrible. What do you have to say about that?"

Lanliss looks at Elboc as if he has lost his mind, or perhaps he was simply joking...

Then he adds to Roak's words.

"Indeed. We are all sharp and pointy...and our weapons even more so."

"OK.  Sure.  You guys may pass as well," comes the reply from under the wooden bridge, in the same rough voice.

Roak nods and begins confidently walking over the bridge. He will, in fact, continue over the bridge until all his companions have crossed as well.

As Roak begins his trip across the bridge, the gruff voice calls out, "Sharp and pointy just makes you crunchy!" and a troll races up from under the structure to slash at the halfling with one of its claws.

OOC:
07:18, Today: Dungeon Master rolled 19,3 using 1d20,1d6.  Troll's Attack, Damage vs. Roak.

Lanliss rushes to Roak's aid, swinging his sword at the troll and almost cutting it in two!


20:19, Today: Lanliss rolled 17 using 1d20+4.  attack roll, sword.
20:19, Today: Lanliss rolled 12 using 1d8+4.  dmg.

"I told you should have fought the goats instead," mutters Elboc, but he still throws himself into the fight.

21:00, Today: Elboc Ice Eyes rolled 19,10 using d20+5,d8+5.  Attack (sword +3). – 19,10

Voran flings a stone at the attacker, hoping to penetrate its hide.

Hits AC 4 for 4 magical sling stone damage.

17:34, Today: Elder Voran rolled 4 using 1d4+3 with rolls of 1.  Damage, if that hits.
17:34, Today: Elder Voran rolled 13 using 1d20+3 with rolls of 10.  Sling stone at troll.

Roak, meanwhile, yelps at the cut delivered by the thing's claws and retaliates, wounding it in return.

Hits AC -3 for 5 magical sword damage.

17:36, Today: Roak The Quick rolled 5 using 1d8+3 with rolls of 2.  Damage.
17:36, Today: Roak The Quick rolled 20 using 1d20+3 with rolls of 17.  Attack the troll!

The party's furious onslaught results in the troll going down, staining the wooden surface of the bridge with its blood.  It stays there, umoving.

Roak goes over the troll's corpse looking for valuables!

As Roak is searching for valuables, he can visibly see the troll's wounds knitting back together.

Elboc will attempt to sprinkle one of his oil flasks on the corpse.

"Someone strike a flame with their tinderbox."

Hamburg removed one of his long black leather gloves, revealing for the first time the pure white, almost translucent flesh beneath. He simply snapped his thin fingers and a small flame appeared, deep burgundy in color. With a flicking motion, he tossed the tiny flame at the re-knitting corpse, setting the oil alight!

With a nod at Elboc, he quickly replaced his glove.

Casting Flare, 0-level cantrip