A wrought-iron gate with hinges on one side and a lock on the other fills the archway of a stone portico.  The gate is unlocked, and its rusty hinges shriek when the gate is opened. Oil lamps hang from the portico ceiling by chains, flanking a set of oaken doors that open into a grand foyer, where you find yourselves.

Hanging on the south wall of the foyer is a shield emblazoned with a coat-of-arms (a stylized golden windmill on a red field), flanked by framed portraits of stony-faced aristocrats (assuredly long-dead members of the family).  Mahogany-framed double doors leading from the foyer to the main hall are set with panes of stained glass.


OOC: North is to left

Digger turns to catch Morek's eye then points at the shield. He continues to the other doors and opens them.

As they made their way into the house, Morek turned back to the kids, "Which way to get to the basement, Rose?"

Seeing the shield, Morek tries to pull it down off the wall for his own use. Hopefully the family wouldn't mind, but if they did...oh well.

Morek turns to question the children, but discovers that they are no longer there.  In their place, the mist has thickened and moved in close behind you.  It obscures everything beyond the gates of the house.

The shield come off the wall easily and appears to be in good condition.
This message was last edited by the GM at 00:32, Fri 26 Feb 2021.

Kyra turns with Morek to see the mist and children gone, a furrow on her brow. She looks at the others. "Anyone else have a feeling that we've been set up here?"

She however moves between Morek and Digger, her hands twitching

Digger frowns at Kyra, "Obviously nothing is coming in behind us, so you'll be safe with Tantalus back there." He indicates Sarelor, "Let the shield and club back me up, please."

Kyla glares at Digger but says nothing.

In reply to Kyra (msg # 7):

Digger gestures for her to move back and let Morek back in his spot guarding Digger's back.

Sarelor addresses Kyra, saying, "they're humans, rushing in where elves fear to tread is their way. Of course we were set up. Do you really think those well-fed children belonged to parents living on a fallow farm?"

Sarelor continues to follow the others, taking the rearmost position and watching behind. He does offer one piece of advice, "since the wayward not-children wanted us to go to the basement, would it bother anyone if I suggested we go upstairs first?"

Kyra sneered at Sarelor's comments, clearly amused at the comments. "I have no fear, but I also know caution as well as the value of people....ALL people. "

She looked back towards tbe courtyard, then Sarelir again. "Everything about this place seems wrong....children alone outside in this barren land, parents trying to placate a monster. Something just doesn't feel right."

She none the less nodded. "The fact they wanted us to go to the basement, I agree....we go up and try to find the baby" she sighed.

"...if there is one."

A wide hall runs the width of the house, with a black marble fireplace at one end and a sweeping, red marble staircase at the other.  Mounted on the wall above the fireplace is a longsword with a windmill cameo worked into the hilt.  The wood-paneled walls are ornately sculpted with images of vines, flowers, nymphs, and satyrs.  The decorative paneling follows the staircase as it circles upward to the second floor.



This message was last edited by the GM at 03:15, Fri 26 Feb 2021.

Digger points at the sword, "Sarelor, can you use that?"

Morek focused on his spell to see if anything had revealed itself yet. If so he would point it out to the others. If not then he would continue upstairs with the others, "Going upstairs sounds good t'me."

Active: Detect Evil, 30 ft radius (including up/down)

Kyra, a few steps behind Morek and Digger, looks in the room, noting the stairs and doors. "I'm not one for tactics, but should we maybe check this floor first, or start at the top and work our way down?"

"Doors to the outside are on this floor, so best to check here first. Just because there isn't an outside to us, doesn't means there isn't one to others, which is why Sarelor should carry that sword, if he knows which end is which. Keep an eye out for wedges or the like that can be used to jam doors shut". Digger looks around the room...if there's anything to look at. "Besides, if there's a kitchen it will be  on this floor. Kitchens have knives. I hope. We need tools."

OOC: I haven't seen any mention of...well, anything: Furniture, books in bookcases, knickknacks, rugs, etc. Other than the two way displays, of course: Sword and shield.

Is the place really that bare? If not a couple well placed candlesticks might well close out the out of doors.

If so...well, that's awhole other worry.

OOC:  There's been no furniture yet, but you've only been in an entryway and a 'main hall' so far, so I don't know if much furniture would be expected to this point.  I do imagine there are probably a couple other innocuous paintings and such on the walls.

Also please note I tweaked the map a bit.
This message was last edited by the GM at 03:17, Fri 26 Feb 2021.

Sarelor shrugs and attempts to retrieve the sword. "It's more sword than I've been using, but I'm certain I could adapt to its use."

As with the shield, the longsword easily comes off of its mount.


This message had punctuation tweaked by the GM at 03:23, Fri 26 Feb 2021.

Digger points to the door directly across the room, "Kitchen is likely to be in back, with outside access. I'd say let's work our way back, then around." He proceeds to follow his own advice and heads for the door.

OOC:
If I've got placement right, we're at the double doors next to a fireplace? The door on the other side of the fireplace, although I'll probably kick myself for not sticking my head up the chimney.

OOC: I wouldn't let you just walk by it!

Digger moves to the door on the other side of the fireplace, opens it, and enters.

The centerpiece of this wood-paneled dining room is a carved mahogany table surrounded by eight high-backed chairs with sculpted armrests and cushioned seats.  A crystal chandelier hangs above the table, which is covered with resplendent silverware and crystalware polished to a dazzling shine.  Mounted above the marble fireplace is a mahogany-framed painting of an alpine vale.

The wall paneling is carved with elegant images of deer among the trees.

Red silk drapes cover the windows, and a tapestry depicting hunting dogs and horse-mounted aristocrats chasing after a wolf hangs from an iron rod bolted to the south wall.

Digger nods in satisfaction, "Dining room. Kitchen will be next door. These knives are eating knives, but they seem like they might be silver. Howling monsters in basements always mean skin changers when the bards tell of them. It's a cliche, but it doesn't hurt to be prepared. Pity there isn't a fruit bowl" He picks up one of the silverware knives and sticks it in his belt, then heads for the other door hoping the kitchen is next door.

Kyra, following digger and Morek, looks around the dining room, notingbthe pictures and such. The knives were of little use, so she left them where they were.

She followed the others sikently

OOC: Since there's no real action items yet, I'll just keep revealing the rooms.  If anyone wants to take an action while exploring, just let me know.

The kitchen is tidy, with dishware, cookware, and utensils neatly placed on shelves.  A worktable has a cutting board and rolling pin atop it.  A stone, dome-shaped oven stands near the east wall, its bent iron stovepipe connecting to a hole in the ceiling.

Kyra looked at the carvings and frowned. "Seems the theme here is not what it seems...even the decor has evil lurking in the shadow"

She grimaced then continued to the next room

In the kitchen, she searches for a sharper knife to use as a weapon
This message was last edited by the player at 04:23, Fri 26 Feb 2021.

Digger starts searching for anything useful. "Folks, you know what you need most, but  keep an eye out for water ale, wine, foodstuffs, and empty flour sacks and bottles. Also knives strong enough to whittle with. They'll be good as weapons or tools."

When he's done, he'll check the closet to the south, then the door north.

Rummaging through the kitchen, Digger finds two kitchen knives which would function well as daggers.

Behind the stove and to the left is a thin door leading to a well-stocked pantry.  The food inside appears to be fresh.

Behind a small door in the southwest corner of the kitchen is a dumbwaiter—a 2-foot-wide stone shaft containing a wooden elevator box attached to a simple rope-and-pulley mechanism that must be operated manually.  Hanging on the wall next to the dumbwaiter is a tiny brass bell, to which is attached wires, presumably leading to buttons in other areas.

Sarelor grabs one of the silver knives from the dining room and sticks it in his belt. In the kitchen, he takes a utensil and stirs around in the oven to see what's been cooked.

Kyra makes her way to the pantry, grabbing some food and anyt water/wine/ale and waterskins for the group, bringing it to the bench. She takes a piece of bread, and tearing a piece off, takes a bite.

<OOC: I'm assuming there will be stuff like flour, salt, herbs, etc, as well as bread, dried meat, fruiot, cheese, etc.  Please correct me if i am wrong GM>

In reply to The Narrator (msg # 27):

Digger passes a knife to Kyra and offers the other to Morek. Then he checks the NW door hoping for a taste of water, cool water.

OOC:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=amDo-KqUjpA

Kyra takes the offered knife without a word, but nods to digger in thanks. Holding it, she keeps it in hand.

Digger takes the knife and tucks it and his belt. To err on the side of caution and preparedness was always a good idea.

Salelor finds nothing of interest in the oven, just some leftover bits of now-burnt scraps.

The pantry is fully stocked and would certainly have everything Kyra listed.  She takes a bite of the bread and...it is certainly bread!  Quite bland, but edible and filling.

A couple jugs of ale and a barrel of fresh water is also found in the pantry.

Well, hell, if we've found water, Digger will join Kyra at her work of reducing the pantry's contents by at least half a loaf and a chunk of cheese.

"We can eat later, you'll neither starve nor die of thirst in a single day. If we stop to eat, we're wasting time for what we came in here for. If you eat on the way then you've got full hands when we may have need of fighting. Focus on why we're in here, get it done, and then we can worry about the rest of it."

Digger shrugs, "Even coal mine owners give lunch breaks. It isn't for morale purposes. The miner's work harder with a full belly. Trust me, 5 minutes for a quick bit of bread and cheese is well worth it after a skipped breakfast. And it IS what we came here for, originally. Suspicious screaming which seems to have stopped and disappearing children and countrysides can wait 5 minutes, as well. I'd rather find out what was going on with a full stomach. Something is trying to rattle us. Don't let them or it or whatever."

OOC:
Were there pokers by the fireplaces? One would make a good crowbar.

Kyra smiled as an idea pops in her head. "Digger, Sarelor...gather some food, enough to do us all a day. Morek....follow me."

The half elf returns to the dining room and points to one of the silk drapes. "Tear that down and follow me." She pulls down one of the drapes and returns to the kitchen.

With dagger in hand she curs a big square and a long strip. Getting the food, she places half in the square and begins rolling it up tight. With the strip, she tied each end, making a makeshift pack for the food.

"my mother was a seamstress...taught me a few tricks." her smime faded as her gaze went far away, remembering something. Becoming sombre, she focused on getting the small packs of food, taking one and handing the other to sareldor.

"That solves that problem. something for water and we will be good. I suggest we take a drink them move upstairs." Thr half elf takes a deep drink, then with dagger in hand, was ready to move.

Morek did as he was told, and set to getting the curtain down. First he tried to whip it, in order to dislodge the curtain rod so that it could be used as another improvised weapon. Failing that, he leapt up and grabbed on, using gravity and his own weight to try to rip it down.

Digger looks up from his meal, then points at the jugs of ale in the pantry. "Two jugs, already filled. And better than water after a long day." Then he reminds her, "And we still have a couple unknown spots down here before moving up. Closet in front of the dining room access between the two dining room doors, and something large across from it."

OOC:
Believe it or not, Beer/Ale is the original sports drink (not the modern light stuff, so much, of course). Good nutrition value when your electrolytes are wonky and your fluid levels low. Pickles, too.

Sarelor assists with the raiding of the pantry, and while at it he looks to see if there is some way to fire the oven. They may have need of an open flame before they get through this.

Each fireplace has a set accompanying tools, and the pokers look as if they could be used as a light-work crowbar, or perhaps a sickle-like weapon.

Sarelor is able to locate the tinderbox used to light the oven.

OOC: Smart, Sarelor...I wouldn't have thought of that.


This message was last edited by the GM at 13:28, Fri 26 Feb 2021.

Morek didn't bother with the food, "The floor could be thick enough to block my spell, and the home itself certainly tall enough to out of my range, but so far I've sensed no supernatural evil anywhere around us." Instead he wandered back out to the central area near the stairs. He stopped at the base of the stairs, giving his magic a moment to sense upward, then went to have a look in the small room they'd skipped. He wouldn't venture too far off alone in this situation, but there were more important things than food at the moment. (the little 5x5 closet-looking room)

Morek opens what seems to be a cloakroom with several black cloaks hanging from hooks on the walls. A top hat sits on a high shelf.

Morek grabbed the top hat and put it on, along with a cloak, then threw the others over an arm and took them back to the group.

Digger will grab a "Crowbar". He's not partial to cloaks.

"The hoods have a bag-like shape that will make for an easier sack than sewing one completely from scratch. The cloaks can be cut into strips as needed for tying off wounds, making a sling, or just to tie things together. It may be the closest thing to rope we find in here that is already designed to easily be carried without requiring use of your arms."
This message was last edited by the player at 16:39, Fri 26 Feb 2021.

When it looks like folks are done eating, Digger will head to the door on the other side of the staircase.

With food in your stomachs, you carry on through the house.

This oak-paneled room looks like a hunter’s den.  Mounted above the fireplace is a stag’s head, and positioned around the outskirts of the room are three stuffed wolves.

Two padded chairs draped in animal furs face the hearth, with an oak table between them supporting a cask of wine, two carved wooden goblets, a pipe rack, and a candelabrum.  A chandelier hangs above a cloth-covered table surrounded by four chairs.

Two cabinets stand against the walls. The east cabinet sports a heavy lock.

If there are candles in the candelabra, Digger will grab them, "We may need light in  the basement. Sarelor, did you keep that tinderbox?" Regardless of the answer, he'll check the pipe rack's vicinity for another.

You find three unused candles in the candelabrum, but no tinderbox.

Morek has a look in the north cabinet.

Sarelor is examining the lock on the cabinet. "Yes, I thought we might need it."
Using the tableware he previously picked up, Sarelor attempts to open the lock.

In reply to Sarelor (msg # 52):

Digger, "Good. You want the candles?"

The north cabinet is unlocked and holds a small box containing a deck of playing cards and an assortment of wine glasses.

OOC: Sarelor, roll a Dex check with disadvantage.  Nevermind, I see it in the roller.  You're not able to pick the lock, but you do suspect it could be snapped or pried off.
This message was last edited by the GM at 19:49, Fri 26 Feb 2021.

Morek shut the doors and went back to toward the door as he watched the opening of the other cabinet, "Naught but playing cards and wine glasses in this one."

Kyra looked at the new room, placing a hooded cloak over her shoulders. With knife in hand she lets the others attend the cabinets. She goes over and looks at the locked chest. “Given it’s locked it might have something of use.”

Sarelor nods to Kyra, "yes, that's why I tried to open this lock."
He motions towards Digger, "do you think you can pry this lock open?"
Then he walks over to the locked chest, and tries his luck with the butter knife on that lock.

Digger sticks the end of his poker into the lock's loop and leans on it.

OOC: I Think that's a Strength roll, with a crowbar giving Advantage.

20:22, Today: Digger rolled 21 using 2d20+2, dropping the lowest dice only.  Str w/crowbar vs lock.

OOC: Correct with a strength roll, but no advantage.  The DC already accounts for using a tool.
This message was last edited by the GM at 04:57, Sat 27 Feb 2021.

In reply to The Narrator (msg # 59):

OOC:
ok, then: 22:11, Today: Digger rolled 17 using 1d20+2.  str check vs lock.

Digger uses the fire poker with the best leverage he can muster and is able to snap the lock off of the cabinet!

Inside, you find the tools most likely used to slay the wolves positioned around the room.  It contains a heavy crossbow, a light crossbow, a hand crossbow, and 20 bolts for each weapon.

Kyra smiled at the bounty within the locked cabinet. She looked at everyone. “I am able to summon magic, but if no one claims it, I have used the light crossbow. The heavy one almost took my arm off, and that small one I have never seen. If you three could use them then my magic will be enough.”

"I'm not a great shot, but I know how to use it. Never tried one of the small ones, though. The larger version I never could catch hold of how to aim correctly."

I've only got a +1 Dex, so I can use it but not to great effect

Sarelor picks up the hand crossbow, with its bolts. "We had one of these at home, used it to put rabbits in the pot. If no one else wants it, I can use it."

Digger, "I'm good without one. Throwing rocks is more my forte."

heavy stays, Kyra/Sare have the other two

Morek pointed out the obvious, "No sign of a way down inside or out."

Digger nods, "That makes the whole 'monster in the basement' story a bit suspect, doesn't it? There wasn't a door outside, either." He shrugs, "I suppose we go up after all. Or just move into the kitchen until the cupboard is bare."
This message had punctuation tweaked by the player at 20:05, Sat 27 Feb 2021.

"If there is a baby, I have to see to its safety. If not, then we go to the kitchen."

In reply to Morek (msg # 68):

Digger shrugs, "I'm willing to bet my last coin that the baby is as real as the basement, but we've got nothing better to do." He stick the poker back in his belt and heads for the stairs up.

Morek follows Digger up the stairs, feeling out with his spell for any supernatural evil.

Active: Detect Evil

You see that the second floor landing is just as elegant as the first, with wood paneling and a large, marble hearth on the back wall.  Above the hearth is a family portrait of an aristocratic man and woman and their two smiling children, who you immediately recognize as Rose and Thorn.  Cradled in the father's arms is a swaddled baby, which the mother regards with thinly veiled scorn.

There are standing suits of decorative armor flanking each of two pairs of doors.  Each suit of armor clutches a spear and has a visored helm shaped like a wolf’s head.  The doors are carved with dancing youths.

The red marble staircase that started on the first floor continues its upward spiral.  A cold draft can be felt coming down the steps.

The set of doors to the west is set with stained glass and you can see the warm glow of lamplight coming from within.  As you watch, you see the light flicker as someone moves behind the door.




<-------North

"There's an undead creature of some kind up above us, off to the west. Could be the baby, could be a threat to the baby." Morek clearly wanted to continue up to the third floor, but he hesitated looking expectantly at Digger; like he was waiting for permission, or an order perhaps.

In reply to Morek (msg # 72):

Digger points west at the movement of light and shadow, "Undead tend to be patient, from what the bards say. Let's see who the hell that is, first" He heads for the west doors.

Sarelor examines the suits of armor. He experimentally tugs on a spear, attempting to remove it from the tableau.

Looking at the armor, Sarelor discover that it's mainly decorative.  Although with a little time and ingenuity, he suspects that deconstruction and salvage could yield some usable armor.

The spear comes out of the armor's hands with ease and looks to be perfectly usable.

OOC: There are four spears.  Let me know if anyone else is grabbing one.

Morek tucked the tree branch into his belt, just in case, and upgraded to the spear. He hadn't often used such a weapon, but at least it was an actual weapon fashioned as such. The armor was certainly appealing, but that was going to cause noise and take more time than he felt could be spared right at this moment.

Morek moved into position to attack anything that came out of the door, as Digger prepared to open it.

Kyra gladly accepted the crossbow, taking a strip of cloth and fashioning a belt, she attached the bolt case of light crossbow bolts and held it. She was a reasonable shot, but relied on her magic more. She walked behind the others up the stairs to the second floor. When Morek spoke of undead upstairs, but the movement  of something in the next room.

Seeing the armour and spears, she watches the dwarf upgrade, and resting the crossbow on the wall, grasps a spear. More akin to a staff she is used to, she nodded and again tying material so she could keep it on her back, again picked up the crossbow.

She looked at the others. “Lead the way.”

Moving cautiously with weapons drawn, the group moves towards the western door.  Digger puts his hand on the doorknob, takes one slow breath, and opens the door inward.

Gossamer drapes cover the windows of this elegantly appointed hall, which has a brass-plated chandelier hanging from the ceiling.  Upholstered chairs line the walls, and stained-glass wall hangings depict beautiful men, women, and children singing and playing instruments.

Near the fireplace is a large standing harp.  Alabaster figurines of well-dressed dancers adorn the mantelpiece.  A harpsichord with a bench rests in the northwest corner, and hiding underneath it is an emaciated old hound dog.  He growls defensively as the group enters the room.


<---North
This message was last edited by the GM at 18:39, Sun 28 Feb 2021.

Digger looks down at the dog, "Kyra, you have any meat in that drapery sack of yours? A bit of ham or the like?"

Digger makes a quick run downstairs to the pantry for something dog appropriate, if anything is left.

OOC:
Also a good way to check to see if we CAN go downstairs, come to think.

Morek took a knee, leaning on the spear for support, in order to appear less threatening to the dog while he waited for Digger to return with a treat for the dog.

Digger encounters no resistance while heading downstairs to grab a morsel of food from the kitchen.

OOC: Digger, you can make a Handle Animal check, with advantage.
This message was last edited by the GM at 18:27, Tue 02 Mar 2021.

In reply to The Narrator (msg # 83):

Digger comes back with a bowl of bite sized bits and a bowl of water and sets them next to the harpsichord.

OOC:
12:08, Today: Digger rolled 14 using 2d20+4, dropping the lowest dice only with rolls of 10,1.  Animal Handling w/advantage.

Kyra looked around the hall closely while trying to stay away from tbe dog, letting digger do his thing.

Sarelor watches Digger toying with his new "pet", then sidles towards Kyra and mumbles "does this mean those kids had a dog? And if it does why are we playing with it?"

In reply to Sarelor (msg # 86):

Digger looks up from the bowls, "We aren't, we are feeding it. Less chance of it attacking us out of sheer pain and hunger that way. Besides, it's a nice thing to do. Didn't you ever have a dog, before?"
This message had punctuation tweaked by the player at 02:02, Wed 03 Mar 2021.

"The dog's hearing is better than ours anyway, he might notice danger before we do. Man's best friend can save man's life."

As Digger approaches the old dog with food and kind words, it's tail begins to slowly wag.  After a few more moments it creeps slowly out from under the harpsichord before very tentatively taking the food from the human.  The frail animal is wearing an aged leather collar, with the name "Lancelot" on the collar.

Once satisfied that you all are both friendly and have food, he looks set to follow you.

Digger peeks inside the harpsicord body and the bench (assuming it's one of those that has a flip top for music score storage) then heads across the hall to try the east doors.

"I really don't think it was the dog that we saw moving across the door." Morek went about the room looking behind paintings, under rugs, and so forth for any sign of where someone may have hidden.

Digger pops back in with Lance to grab the bowls. He sticks them in his shirt front, "Morek, as bad a shape as Lance, here, was in, I'm thinking the baby is as real as the basement. If it's been unattended as long as Lance was, it's dead. If not, why didn't the nanny or whatever feed Lance? And why isn't he up with them? I'm thinking we might want to see what we can do with the armor before we go upstairs. I could get them back into shape if I had my tools, but without them, I'm not sure."

His plan is still to hit the east doors first when folks join him out in the hallway (after they are done in the...music? room).

Morek watched Digger for a moment in silence, looked up at the ceiling for a moment, and then let out a deep breath he hadn't realized he was holding. "Aye. Let's have a look and see what can be done."

As digger and Morek see to tbe armor, Kyra searches the room, then goes downstairs and gathers some food for the dog as well as a bowl of water, returning to the room, she will sit down near Lancelot and let him eat and drink his fill.

"He really is a good dog....been neglected for a while which makes me think those kids weren't telling the whole truth. But the fact their is no obvious entrance to a basement or sounds of a child, that's obvious." the half elf took a bite of bread as she held a hand out to the dog to absently scratch its ear.

"All we can do is search this place, room by room and keep each other safe."

She looked at Lancelot. "...that means you too."

Digger performs a quick search of the harpsichord and moves on across the upper hall.

Morek performs a thorough search of the room, but doesn't find anyone or anything hiding. 

Kyra takes a moment to attend to Lancelot.  The old dog takes the food warily, but eats it eagerly.  As he laps up the water it sloshes and splashes around the bowl, some of it getting on Kyra.  He looks up at her with tired eyes, water still dripping from his mouth.  When finished he follows the group, moving slowly but purposefully.

In the room across the hall, red velvet drapes cover the windows.  An exquisite mahogany desk and a matching high-back chair face the entrance and the fireplace, above which hangs a framed picture of a windmill perched atop a rocky crag.  Situated in corners of the room are two overstuffed chairs.  Floor-to-ceiling bookshelves line the south wall.  A rolling wooden ladder allows one to more easily reach the high shelves.


<---North

Digger will check the last door. Library/home offices aren't his thing.

Morek went to the eastern wall and pulled back a curtain to have a look outside before going to have a look through the desk.

Sarelor sighs, and moves to the bookcase to examine the books.

Digger opens the last door on the floor, revealing an undecorated bedroom containing a pair of beds with straw-stuffed mattresses.  At the foot of each bed is an empty footlocker.  The dumbwaiter is also present on this floor.  Tidy servants’ uniforms hang from hooks in the adjoining closet.

Morek moves to the windows.  Pulling the curtains aside, all he sees is a thick wall of mist.  Moving to the desk, he finds several items resting atop it: an oil lamp, a jar of ink, a quill pen, a tinderbox, and a letter kit containing a red wax candle, four blank sheets of parchment, and a wooden seal bearing the Durst family’s insignia (a windmill).  The desk drawer is empty except for an iron key.

Next to him, Sarelor takes a look at the bookshelf.  The bookshelves hold hundreds of tomes covering a range of topics including history, warfare, and alchemy.  There are also several shelves containing first-edition collected works of poetry and fiction.  Moving down the line,   he notices a red-covered book with a blank spine.  Intrigued, he pulls on it and hears a soft *click*.  Simultaneously, the last section of bookshelf swivels out to reveal a hidden room!

This secret room contains bookshelves packed with tomes describing fiend-summoning rituals and the necromantic rituals of a cult called the Priests of Osybus.

A heavy wooden chest with clawed iron feet stands against the south wall, its lid half-closed.  Sticking out of the chest is a skeleton in leather armor.  Three darts are stuck in the dead adventurer’s armor and ribcage.  Clutched in the skeleton’s left hand is a letter.


<---North

Digger will look under the beds. It just feels like that kind of place...

Sarelor tries to figure out where the darts came from, in the event he had to duck. Then retrieves the letter from the skeleton.
"Perhaps this can shed some light on our predicament," he says.

Kyra was interested in the books, shadowing the other half elf. When he opened the secret door, the woman smiled, looking in. The presence of the skeleton and darts. “Careful with the darts...they may have poison on them.” She put the crossbow down and went to look at the skeleton, then Sarelor. “The armour looks a bit beat up, but could be of use to you. I think the darts could be too.”

She looked at the box. “If you give me the letter, can you look at that chest...maybe open it up?”

Morek moved the oil lamp, tinderbox, and the wooden seal, off to the far side of the desk near the middle of the room, for picking up later. He grabbed the key and went to go check on the others. He saw that two were in the secret room behind the bookshelf, and left them to it. Digger, it seemed, had gone off on his own, so Morek went in search of him. He also kept a look out for the dog to see who he had chosen to follow.

Digger finds nothing under the beds.

Sarelor warily moves into the room but it appears as if the darts came from within the chest, and no further danger is sensed.

Lancelot waits patiently as the group explores, but doesn't seem to be following anyone in particular.  Occasionally he will nuzzle someone's hand in hopes of finding another morsel of food.

Kyra is correct in her assumption that the leather could be salvaged for use, as well as the darts.

Sarelor takes the letter and shows the group:


This message was last edited by the GM at 18:48, Thu 04 Mar 2021.

Digger grimaces and scratches Lance behind the ears, "Charming imagery. I wonder if this 'baby' is the bastard baby borne of madness? That seems to mesh well with this place."

He shrugs, "We ready to work on the armor Morek?"

"It sounds more feasible the more we discover. If the skeleton that you found with the chest is the father, then everything comes even more into question."

"Aye, let's have a look."

Kyra read the letter out loud, then silently again as the others spoke. She bit her lip as she thought. Her eyes narrowed as she again looked at the letter.

"This is conserning. Whoever this Straht Von Zarovish is, he commands some power. The fact these people think he can lead him to immortality and were his servants, and these people sacrificed others, means whoever lived here was in some dark religion or cult. The fact this Straht has not only refused them, but abandoned them..."

She left it hanging as she folded up the paper and collected the darts.  She looked at Sarelor. "Take the armor....I'll use the darts."

Sarelor nods, but instead of moving right away to take the armor he moves the skeleton off the chest. "That armor didn't help him, so I'll try to get this open without it," he says as he examines the chest before lifting the lid.

Sarelor carefully digs through the chest and finds a handful of items:

The chest contains three blank books with black leather covers, three spell scrolls (Morek can read them as bless, protection from poison, and spiritual weapon), the deed to the house, the deed to a windmill, and a signed will.  The will is signed by Gustav and Elisabeth Durst and bequeaths the house, the windmill, and all other family property to Rosavalda and Thornboldt Durst in the event of their parents’ deaths.

Kyra tucks the letter away and the group then heads back downstairs.  Working diligently, Morek and Digger are able to find and combine the most sturdy pieces of the decorative armor.  At the end of their efforts, they have two piecemeal leather-and-metal armor sets (scale equivalent).


OOC:  While Digger and Morek work on the armor, Sarelor and Kyra can take a short rest if they want.

Also, I'll use bold to indicate the loot which would be sellable.

In reply to The Narrator (msg # 109):

Digger will take a walk on the wildside (for him) and don one of the sets of scale.

Morek strapped on his makeshift armor as well. "Still no sign of a baby, or either of the kids." With the armor taken care of, he gave a look toward the scrolls that the others had found. "One for a blessing, another to protect from poison, and a third to summon a weapon. That's a useful stash, there."

Kyra looks at the gathered items from the chest, and as Sarelor removed and drones the armour, she gathered the three leather bound books, the deeds and wills and places them in her makeshift bag, resting with Lancelot as the others armour up. She held the darts, looking at them and smiled.

Listening to Morek, she nodded. “Very useful....they will no doubt come in handy.”

She the. Waits for them ready to move upstairs

When everyone is ready, Digger leads the way upstairs to what is likely at least one undead.

Morek followed in the second position, shield and spear at the ready.

Kyra, behind Digger and Morek, had her crossbow in hand with the darts packed away, her eyes constantly scanning as she followed the human and dwarf

Sarelor brought up the rear, still sore from his ill-fated attempt at climbing the tree. He carried the spear previously obtained at the ready, though occasionally he leaned on it as if favoring one leg or the other. Of course, anyone watching closely would note that which leg he appeared to favor wasn't consistently the same.

Now a bit armored, the group moves warily up the drafty staircase.  Arriving at the top, you find a room which opens into a rather nondescript dusty balcony.  Standing against the wall in front of you is a suit of black plate armor, draped in cobwebs.

Oil lamps are mounted on the oak-paneled walls, which are carved with woodland scenes of trees, falling leaves, and tiny critters.

Several doors lead out of the lofted room, one of which (the brown door on the map) is heavily boarded and locked.


<---North

Making their way up the stairs, "The undead that I detected was off to the west."

Digger opens the west door at the base of the stairs and pokes his head in, hoping not to pull back a bloody stump.

OOC:  To clarify, this is the top of the stairs, and a balcony overlooks the stairs you're moving up.

The western door closest to the balcony, which is colored brown on the map, is locked and boarded up - it won't open without a good amount of effort.

In reply to The Narrator (msg # 120):

Then it can wait, and is probably where the idead is. Save the work for last.

Try the one north of it?

Digger shrugs, "This one can wait until we know we won't be interrupted."

The group ascends the stairs and begins to exploring.  But...

...as Digger moves in front of the black suit of armor, it lurches forward and attempts to push him over the balcony!

OOC: Digger, please make a strength (Athletics) or Dexterity (Acrobatics) check.

Everyone, roll initiative!


This message was last edited by the GM at 21:35, Sun 07 Mar 2021.

15:23, Today: Morek rolled 6 using 1d20+1.  Initiative.

Morek was quite surprised to see the animate armor, and slow to react.

Digger looks at the armor in surprise, "I wasn't expecting an armor upgrade that soon." He balls is fists in preparation.

OOC:
13:27, Today: Digger rolled 9 using 1d20+1.  initiative.
13:27, Today: Digger rolled 11 using 1d20+4.  Athletics.

Kyra, already alert, first heard the creak as it moved. Her eyes went up to the landing as it moved. “DIGGER...MOVE! She yelled as she held her hand out. Dropping the crossbow with one hand, she held the other, her eyes turning completely black as a bolt of green/purple Eldridge energy flew from her hand.

<OOC: Kyra rolled 17 using 1d20+2.  Iniative.

Action: casts eldrich blast at armour

Kyra rolled 20 using 1d20+5.  Attack - eldrich blast.
Kyra rolled 5 using 1d10.  Damage - eldrich blast.>

Sarelor looks on, stunned, as the empty armor begins to move. But after seeing it attempt to push Digger off the balcony Sarelor runs back down the stairs to get as close as possible to where Digger might fall.

OOC: prepare to catch falling people

Bits of dust and cobwebs fall off the black armor as it suddenly moves forward and reaches out at Digger.  The armor moves at exactly the right moment and catches Digger's center mass, knocking him off balance and flipping him over the balcony railing.

OOC: I should have clarified the armor is acting on a surprise round so Sarelor wouldn't have an opportunity to move yet.

However, Kyra and Sarelor - since you are both on the stairs - if you want to try and grab Digger as he falls past, roll a Strength (Athletics) check.


Initiative Order
Kyra
Armor
Sarelor
Digger
Morek

This message had punctuation tweaked by the GM at 23:00, Sun 07 Mar 2021.

<OOC: Kyra rolled 17 using 1d20>

Seeing Digger go sprawling over the railing, Kyra acts quickly and decisively.  She reaches out and snags the collar of Digger's armor as he falls past.  The weight of the fighter pulls her down across the banister of the stairs, but she is able to both hold on to Digger and keep herself from falling over.  Sarelor helps to pull him back up to the stairs and safety.

Turning blackened, angry eyes to the shambling creature, she raises her hand and sends a bolt of green/purple Eldritch energy at it.  The bolt strikes the breastplate of the armor and sends visible shock-waves coursing through the metal.

Completely silent except for the squeal of old metal, the armor turns to Morek.  It swings at the dwarf with two heavy gauntlets.  Morek is able to duck under the first, but the second connects solidly with the side of his head. 

OOC:  Nice!!  What a clutch roll...that was right on the button! :-)

Initiative Order
Kyra
Armor
Sarelor
Digger
Morek

Morek tried to take advantage of the armor now focusing it's attention on him. He pulled his shield up squarely between himself and the armor, prodding it with the spear to keep the attention on him as he circled around behind it.

Action: Dodge
Move: circle around, staying within threatened range, but trying to face it away from the party

Digger, with blood in his eye, throws a punch at the armor's Helmet and tries to get a firm grip on it's codpiece, but it's a lot easier when the opponent is half drunk (or more) and he fails to get a good grip.

OOC:
16:48, Today: Digger rolled 8 using 1d20+4.  grapple Athletics check.
16:47, Today: Digger rolled 4 using 1d4+2.  unarmed damage.
16:46, Today: Digger rolled 18 using 1d20+4.  Unarmed strike.

Sarelor looks, distressed, at the armor and darts back up the stairs. Using his spear, he tries to push the armor back into place.

OOC: yes, I rolled a six

Sarelor moves forward and tries to use the butt end of his spear to strike the armor, but misses wide!

Seeking revenge, Digger storms up the stairs right next to the black creature and to everyone's surprise, punching it straight in the helmet!  Digger tries to use the momentum of his swing to pull the armor into a headlock, but it's able to resist and shove him back.

Morek carefully circles around and now the standing suit of armor is completely surrounded.




Initiative Order
Kyra
Armor
Sarelor
Digger
Morek

Kyra put the crossbow against the wall, again summoning the innate magic gifted to her, the green/purple energy striking the armour.

<OOC: attacks armour with eldrich blast

Kyra rolled 24 using 1d20+5.  Attack - eldrich blast.
Kyra rolled 7 using 1d10.  Damage - eldrich blast.>

Kyra summons another blast of energy, so well aimed that it actually enters through the visor slit of the armor's helmet - headshot!  The blast strikes the back inside of the helmet and explodes in a burst of muted light.  The shock causes the helmet to permanently (and comically) bulge out.

Mindlessly undeterred, the armor swings twice at Digger but the fists skip harmlessly off his makeshift scale mail.




Initiative Order
Kyra
Armor
Sarelor
Digger
Morek
This message was last edited by the GM at 02:55, Mon 08 Mar 2021.

With the armor no longer focused on him, Morek swapped to using the spear more aggressively.

Action: Attack w/ Spear (flanking)
Result: Hit AC 12 for 7 Piercing damage

21:01, Today: Morek rolled 12,7,10 using d20+4,1d6+2,d20+4.  Attack w/ Spear.

Sarelor attempts to strike the armor with the spear, again.

OOC: Well, that's better? Nope. Rolled a 3.

Digger brings his knee up until he hears a clang, then grabs a chunk of animated breastplate and holds on tight.

OOC:
19:20, Today: Digger rolled 20 using 1d20+4.  grapple Athletics check.
19:20, Today: Digger rolled 6 using 1d4+2.  unarmed damage.
19:20, Today: Digger rolled 18 using 1d20+4.  unarmed strike.

Sarelor makes a fairly feeble attempt at striking the armor, whiffing badly.

Digger seizes the advantage of surrounding the armor and leaves a deep dent in the lower portion of it's breastplate with his knee.  Using his own momentum, Digger then quickly twirls behind the armor and wraps it in tight bearhug.

Despite the fact Digger is hold the armor as still as possible, Morek still misses his attack!


OOC: I think, technically, Digger and the armor now occupy the same space but I'm too lazy to go in and edit :-)
Everyone will now have advantage in attack rolls.


Initiative Order
Kyra
Armor
Sarelor
Digger
Morek

With the two hits against the armour, Kyra again called upon the power, feeling it drain her a little every time. She held her hand out, her eyes again black as coal as a blast of eldrich energy flies towards it, but misses and hits the wall.

<OOC: Attacks armour with eldrich blast

Kyra rolled 6 using 1d20+5.  Attack - eldrich blast.

...well there goes my great rolling run!>

Sarelor moves to his left and throws the spear at the armor, taking advantage of the unexpectedness to get a little extra twist on the spear.

OOC: ok, got a good roll on the d20, then lower rolls on damage

Digger does his best to pry a chunk of the armor off of the armor.

OOC:
Having problems getting the die roller to load tonight, please excuse the unlabeled roll

23:04, Today: Digger rolled 6 using 1d4+2.  potential unarmed damage.
23:03, Today: Digger rolled 6 using 1d20+4.  unarmed with advantage 2nd roll.
23:03, Today: Digger rolled 16 using 1d20+4.  a.

OOC:  Quick clean up...

Sarelor, while you're getting advantage from Digger's grapple/flanking, you lose advantage for using a ranged weapon within 5'.  Those should cancel out to just a normal roll, and it looks like the first of the two dice was a 20.

So, you still hit and you do critical damage.

Your total damage should be 2d6+3 plus 2d6 sneak attack.  You've only rolled 2d6 so far, so go ahead and roll the remaining 2d6+3.
This message was last edited by the GM at 16:04, Mon 08 Mar 2021.

Kyra tries to blast the suit of armor once more, but her attempt flies wide.

Struggling in Digger's grip, the walking plate mail struggles to escape.  It reaches back and tries to elbow Digger twice, connecting solidly with one strike. 

Sarelor takes a sidestep and hurls his spear, point blank, at the armor.  It finds a weak point at the base of the helmet and flies clean through...decapitating the armor as it passes right by Digger's head.

Digger feels the armor release itself and the pieces fall to the floor with a booming crash.  After the echoes pass through the house, all is silent again.


<---North
This message was last edited by the GM at 18:38, Mon 08 Mar 2021.

Digger takes a couple of deep breathes and gets his temper under control.

OOC:
10:38, Today: Digger rolled 2 using 1d10+1.  Second wind.

Can we re-assemble it into a suit of platemail?

OOC: The plates are mostly unusable, but the padding and chain underneath can be salvaged for one set of chain mail.  You estimate it'd take about an hour to disassemble and reconfigure everything.

Digger bundles up the bits of chainmail as well as he can and tries the second west door.

Kyra snorted as the armour fell, assuming the warriors would at some point, need it to salvage some armour. She, however, follows two steps behind digger, gathering her crossbow again. She looked again at the dwarf. “Are you sure you don’t want the crossbow....my magic is potent.”

"Sure, I may find it useful."

Digger leads the way through the non-boarded western door and the group finds themselves in a dust-and-cobweb covered but elegant bedroom.

The bedroom contains a large bed, two end tables, and an empty wardrobe.  Mounted on the wall next to the wardrobe is a full-length mirror with an ornate wooden frame carved to look like ivy and berries.

Double doors set with panes of stained glass are pulled open to reveal a balcony overlooking the front of the house.

In the southwest corner of the room is you see a translucent shape: a skeletally thin young woman backing away as if trying to hide.

Digger waves at the apparition (at least I think that is what translucent means in this context) and looks out the balcony doors.

OOC:
No he's not crazy. She's backing away, and he wants to see what the disappearing outside looks like.
This message was last edited by the player at 03:20, Tue 09 Mar 2021.

Morek took a step into the room (near the unopened door on the left) and stopped, holding up a hand to call the people behind him to a halt. He watched Digger wave and go to have a look outside, with the hairs on his neck rising up. He cautiously waved to the spirit as well, "Good...morning?"

Kyra stepped in behind Morek, stopping at his hand gesture and looked at the cowering aspiration of the woman. More confused that worried, she speaks to the dwarf. “Is this what you sensed earlier on?”

Morek nodded his head in reply, but said nothing more as he waited to see the thing's reaction.

The apparition straightens herself up a bit and responds "Oh...good morning.  You must be guests of the Dursts.  They are busy at the moment, but you can wait for them in the main hall downstairs if you'd like."

Digger sees nothing outside but thick fog.

Digger nods at the apparition. Then he pulls a pillowcase off one of the pillows.

OOC:
I'm assuming standard bed lines, anyhow?
This message was last edited by the player at 03:54, Wed 10 Mar 2021.

"Thank you. Yes, we're here at the Dursts' invitation. We also met the little boy and girl. Oh! Excuse me, how rude, I haven't even bothered to introduce myself. Morek Falnhammer." Morek bowed his head to the woman, slightly unsettled by the woman's reactions thus far.

"Oh!  You must mean Rose and Thorn," she says, "they are so dear, as well as their little brother Walter."  The apparition seems to relax a bit and begins to move towards the center of the room.  "I haven't seen them in a minute...they must be out playing.  It's nice to meet you, Mr. Falnhammer.  I'm Margaret, the Durst's nursemaid."

She starts for a moment as Digger picks up the pillow from the bed.  "Oh, that's my bed.  I'll need that." she says with an inquisitive half smile.

In reply to The Narrator (msg # 158):

Digger looks at her with pity, "I somehow doubt it. You're dead, in case you weren't aware."

"Oh, that's silly!  I'm certainly not dead.  If I was, who would look after the children and Mr. Durst?" Margaret says.

In reply to The Narrator (msg # 160):

Digger raises an eyebrow, "The father is being 'looked after' by the nanny?" He rolls his eyes, "Anyhow, the kids are outside...and there IS no outside, so..."

He turns to the others, "We should probably leave her to it." He heads for the landing and north door. He keeps his new sack.

Kyra looked at the wraith of a woman with a furrowed brow, and held her hand up to digger. “Hold a minute...something curious here.” She looked at the woman and smiled. “My name is Kyra...a companion of master Fainhammer. Would you mind if I ask a few questions before we move on our way?”

She stepped forward. “We have met Thorn and Rose...outside in fact. They were concerned for their parents and brother and asked our help. Could you tell me.....is there a basement in this abode? And where can we find master Durst and the baby?”

Sarelor surreptitiously pulls the silverware knife he obtained from the dining room, preparing to throw it. He risks a glance around to see if anything was coming for them.

Margaret frowns as Digger exits with her pillowcase, but turns to Kyra.

"A basement?  Hmm, not that I know of.  Although the Durst's have been known to disappear for lengths of time.  One moment they're up with the children and the next I can't find them again!  It's such a large house, though."

"Walter is in the nursery, sleeping." She indicates the northern door, which is slightly ajar.  "Mr. Durst must be around here somewhere.." she trails off.
This message was last edited by the GM at 18:28, Thu 11 Mar 2021.

"Thank you, Margaret. We'll see finding Mr. Durst now, and let you get back to your duties. Good day." Morek made his way out into the hallway, indicating to the others with his eyes to do the same. Once everyone was out, he closed the door.

~A day without having to face off against a ghost is a good day.~

Kyra smiled as the dwarf said his goodbye, but Kyra still had questions. With a smile she spoke to the woman “We will take our leave, but before we do, may I have a look in on young Matthew...I’m a sucker for babies. I promise I will be quiet and let him sleep.” As she move she crept to open the nursery, turning her back to the wraith, her smile faded as she opened the nursery door silently

Sarelor kept his eye on the ghost, preparing to strike if it moved on Kyra.

Morek pause at the door as Kyra speaks more with the apparition and then turns towards the nursery; Sarelor watches warily.  She slowly pushes the door to the room open.


This message was last edited by the GM at 03:14, Sat 13 Mar 2021.

Kyra entered the nursery silently, and drew back the shroud

PM

Kyra looks at the bundle closely for movement

<OOC: Is it completely wrapped? any signs of openings, etc?>

PM

Kyra steps closer and gently picks up the bundle, feeling it for any signs of movement or life

PM

Kyra sighed, but wrapped the bundle up and turning, smiled as she left the room. "Sleeping like an angel. we will take our leave now and find your master."

With that, the half elf left, her smile dropping as she left the room. "No baby there, as I thought. I had to check though." she sighed, then looked at the others. "Lets keep going...."

Margaret nods approvingly as Kyra and Sarelor exit the nursemaid's suite with a smile.

Digger explores the remaining doors on the landing, discovering a bathroom and an old storage room containing folded sheets, blankets, old bars of soap and a cobweb-covered broom.

The group follows Digger across the landing to a set of double doors with dusty panes of stained glass set into them.  Like the rest of this floor, the room is filled with dust and cobwebs.  Deep burgundy drapes cover the windows.  Also in the room, you see a four-poster bed with embroidered curtains and tattered gossamer veils, a matching pair of empty wardrobes, a vanity with a wood-framed mirror and jewelry box, and a padded chair.  A rotting tiger-skin rug lies on the floor in front of the fireplace, which has a dust-covered portrait of Gustav and Elisabeth Durst hanging above it.  A web-filled parlor in the southwest corner contains a table and two chairs.  Resting on the dusty tablecloth is an empty porcelain bowl and a matching jug.

A door facing the foot of the bed has a full-length mirror mounted on it.  The door opens to reveal an empty, dust-choked closet.  A door in the parlor leads to an outside balcony.

A dumbwaiter in the corner of the west wall has a button on the wall next to it.


<---North
This message was last edited by the GM at 17:07, Sat 13 Mar 2021.

Digger picks up the smaller chair and hefts it, determining it's value as a maul. He sets it back down, "Too much to carry around. Pity, that would break nicely over someone's back or head."

Kyra looks in the room and sniffs, searching the room in hopes of finding something suitable for her spellcasting. She had something that may help with groups, but for her other magical ability, she needed a crystal able to focus her magical ability or a certain item

...and she doubted she'd find a dried eye of a newt here.

She none the less searched the room, focusing on the jewellery box or any hidden doors or nooks.

As she looked, she spoke. "This is strange.  Children that lure us here under false pretenses, a wraith of a woman who believes herself alive, a child missing ., even though there is evidence  he existed. This gets stranger and stranger."

She looked at the others. "Those children, wether alive or not, wanted us in here for some reason. And by the gods, it gives me an ill feeling."

"If those children were alive, they're likely to be the only ones. Well, aside from us. I'm still not sure about that, as well."

Sarelor wanders over to the dumbwaiter, and after a moment's pause loads it with the dishes from the table.

Digger checks this porch, too.

The groups sets about to explore the room.

Digger notices nothing special about the chair, and out on the balcony he sees the same thick fog surrounding the house - even at this height.

Sarelor loads up the dumbwaiter, but nothing happens.

In the jewelry box on the vanity (which looks rather expensive itself), Kyra finds three gold rings and a thin platinum necklace with a topaz pendant.

Also sitting in the jewelry box is a note.  Kyra reads it aloud:



OOC: In case it's difficult to read:

My Dear Mrs. Petrovna,
Your advice on dealing with the unwanted fiend in my home
is very good advice indeed. Tonight's ceremony will proceed
as planned when the moon is at its highest peak - without, of
course, the attendance of Mr. Durst. I must agree with you
that, yes, with such an innocent sacrifice our proceedings may
have better results. Although, "innocent" is not quite the term I
would use.
My Thanks,
Mrs. Elisabeth Durst

Kyra sits at the vanity and opens the jewellery box. It in itself was beautiful, crafted with different grains of wood, etched with silver. She opened it, and saw the three rings and the pendant.  Taking all four items she placed them in a pocket, and then picked up the note.

She read it once, looked up with a dumbfounded look, then read it again before speaking.

"Ahh....boys. We might have a problem here."

She stood up and read the note out loud. "The fact they had a fiend here is disturbing enough, but to speak of sacrifice is even worse." she looked back towards the nursery and a grim look came over her face, one of steely resolve.

"We need answers about these people, this house and what in the nine hells was going on here."

"The word 'fiend' could be literal, but it's also used quite loosely when you're upset. 'Sacrifice' is a different matter, of course. Could have been nurse; she's the only one we've seen since we got here. Other than the kids that disappeared on us."

"The ghost might be able to provide us with some answers, if we ask the right questions. She doesn't seem to have any grasp on the present, but she may know something of things that happened in the past."

The half elf hoped the cleric was right, but something in the pit of Kyra's stomach thought otherwise. "Given the lack of life in here other than poor Lancelot, tbe strange fog and stranger goings on, I'd think more literal. there is a woman who is dead who thinks she isn't, two kids that led us here for gods knows what reason and disappear on us, missing parents AND baby, and now a note suggesting the mother of these kids was sacrificing an innocent for some reason."

She read the note again. "Whoever she was writing to, this Mrs Petronas, knows about fiends and how to deal with them, as well as sacrificing rituals all seems very omnious...and now we're stuck here."

She looked at the dwarf. "But your right....maybe she knows something."

Without pausing, the half elf left the room and returned to the room with the wraith.

Lancelot, who has been dutifully following the group, now sits in the landing.  He watches patiently as the group moves and explores the floor.  He collects head scratches as each of you pass by.

Kyra moves across the balcony room and back to the nursemaid's suite, where Margaret remains.  She moves about the room, tidying up here and there.  She smiles at Kyra and whoever follows her, "Isn't Walter such a beautiful child?
This message was last edited by the GM at 16:41, Sun 14 Mar 2021.

Kyra smiles at the woman. "He is....and so well behaved to. If you have a second, I have some questions. I was going to ask your master but he is indisposed at the moment. I won't take too much of your time."

The half elf sat on the bed and looked at her. "There are stories going around about your mistress, Mrs Durst and that she knew a Mrs Petrovna. Have you ever met her? And some of the people of town speak of your mistress involved in something....unusual."

"Mrs Petrovna...yes, of course.  She is one of the Durst's close friends.  Part of their inner circle, you might say.  They come over almost nightly, and then retire to..." she pauses for a moment, "elsewhere in the house.  Strangers will come over, too, but I rarely see them leave.

"The noise when their friends are here is horrendous.  In fact, Gustav and Elisabeth normally lock Rose and Thorn in their room so they can't" she stops suddenly.  "The children!  I was supposed to check on them!"

She then turns and moves quickly towards the mirror, her ghostly from disappearing through it.

Kyra holds her hand up at the distress of the woman. "the children are..." The woman disappears through the mirror and she sighs in frustration. "Damnit." She mutters

Digger starts checking over the locked door to the west.

The door is boarded up very securely, and locked on top of that.  You estimate it would take about an hour to pry off all the material and be able to access the lock.

In reply to The Narrator (msg # 190):

Digger dumps the chain mail parts on the landing and looks over to Morek as he pulls out his poker, "You may as well work on that, it's going to take a bit to remove these boards."

He loosens his shoulders, examines the door a moment, then picks his spot and starts prying boards off.

Morek picked up the bits and pieces of the armor and set to it, as Digger worked on the door.

Kyra steps out of the room and notes diggerbworking on the door, she nods with satisfaction. "Good....you read my mind. Let's search every inch of this house. The wraith confirmed my fears...the parents were up yo something."

She then returned to the nursery and waited for the return of the wraith

Sarelor notes the work on the door, nods, and follows Kyra to the nursery, where he tells her, "I doubt that any of us should be alone with any of the spirits in this place."

Digger and Morek begin on their respective tasks.

Kyra and Sarelor wait patiently in the nursemaid's suite, but Margaret doesn't return.

After about hour, Morek's efforts have yielded a set of chain mail and Digger has pried off enough boards to reveal the door and a very strong-looking lock.

OOC: Kyra and Sarelor can take a short rest, if desired.

Digger steps back, then turns to the doorway and yells, "Sarelor, you want to work on this lock, or should I just start banging on it?"

Edit: I assume it opens into whatever room is on the other side. If not, I'll just pull off the hinges.
This message was last edited by the player at 16:04, Mon 15 Mar 2021.

OOC:  Digger can make a strength (athletics) check.  Or, Morek vaguely remembers a key he found in a drawer downstairs...
This message was last edited by the GM at 16:33, Mon 15 Mar 2021.

Sarelor walks out of the nursery and answers Digger, "sure, I'll give it a shot. Can you keep an eye on the stuff in here for me?"

Digger positions himself to look into the room Sarelor vacated and the door he's working on, both.

OOC:  It'll be tricky without thieves' tools, but you can roll a Dexterity check to pick the lock.
This message had punctuation tweaked by the GM at 16:35, Mon 15 Mar 2021.

"Oh, wait. I did find this key earlier. Give it a shot there, Sarelor."

Sarelor starts working on the lock with the utensils from the kitchen. As he turns to get the key from Morek, something clicks.

Sarelor waves off the key and gets to work with his makeshift tools.  He gives Morek a sly wink as the lock clicks open.

Digger moves up to the door and waits for everyone to get thier things together and take positions, "Ready, folks?"

Kyra, waiting in the room, listens as digger and Morek work on their respective works. When digger asks for Sarelor’s help, Kyra exits with him quietly, still pondering the information. As the door opens, and digger asks, she is snapped out of her musing. “Uh, sorry.....yes, I am ready. But stay alert, this house has too many surprises to catch us off guard”

"Aye, let's have a look."

Digger opens the door and a slow rush of dank, musty air with a slight hint of death pours through.  With deep breaths of resolve, you move forward.  Lancelot's tail tucks slightly between his legs, but his lot has been cast with you and he follows behind.

A dusty staircase is revealed, leading up to a bare hallway choked with cobwebs.  A lone window reveals only thick fog, and the first door to the north is locked with a thick padlock.



<---North
The image on the left is the floor above.

Digger takes a whiff, "How does that much moisture get up here while skipping the lower floors. Odd." He moves aside for Morek, "Another chance to try your key, Morek."

Morek took out the key and gave it a try in the lock.

Kyra, the spear in hand, follows behind digger and Morek, sniffing at the smell. “I don’t think this mist is normal.” She muttered

In reply to Kyra (msg # 210):

Digger gives her a puzzled look, "The mist that's been following us since we woke up, and has the whole building sealed? No, probably not."

"What do you mean, the mist has the building sealed?"

Digger quirks an eyebrow, "You mean I'm the only one that's looked outside? There were two exterior porches downstairs. Mist comes up to the edges of each. Nothing visible beyond them. Come on, you're a dwarf, surely walls everywhere and no outside doesn't bother you?"

"I thought you meant the mist was impenetrable, keeping us locked inside. I know it's closing in, getting thicker."

In reply to Morek (msg # 214):

Digger shrugs, "It's moving with a purpose. I'm not going to try to force my way through it. As far as I'm concerned right now, it is impeneratble."

"So, we're being swallowed up by an evil mist? Usually I have this nightmare by myself, how did you guys get in here."
"Unless I was right the first time, and we're all dead."

Kyra rolls her eyes and looks at Sarelor.  "your not dead....getting trapped in a house by mist, two wayward children, ghosts and all of us sharing it. No, it's more a nightmare than dead. I never looked outside...I'm glad your observant digger. But we are here now, and mist or not, we have to move forward."

Morek approaches the door and puts the key in the padlock.  He turns it and feels a satisfying *click* as the lock falls open.  He removes the lock and slowly pushes the door open...

This room contains a bricked-up window flanked by two dusty, wood-framed beds sized for children.  Closer to the door is a toy chest with windmills painted on its sides and a dollhouse that’s a perfect replica of the dreary edifice in which you stand.  These furnishings are draped in cobwebs.  Lying in the middle of the floor are two small skeletons wearing tattered but familiar clothing.  The smaller of the two cradles a stuffed doll that you also recognize.


This message was last edited by the GM at 13:09, Tue 16 Mar 2021.

Sarelor shrugs and says, "like I said. A fallow farm fails to feed children; those we met were most certainly apparitions."

Morek tucked the lock and key away for later, "My magic would have recognized them as undead..." Morek trailed off in thought. "Either real, or illusion. If they were mere illusions, then who cast them? And how did they know to answer our questions, unless the controller was near enough to hear?"

Digger looks at the skeletons, "They could have been spirits from the afterlife. A house with no outside world, ghosts, spirits of the dead...maybe we ARE dead. Why should we be the only one around here that aren't?" He reaches down and pets the dog, "Which makes you a hell hound, little buddy, so go start a fire in a fireplace, would you?"

Digger starts examining the dollhouse, specifically comparing it's design to the what has been  seen in the house.

OOC: Anything in the house that isn't in the doll house? More importantly, anything in the dollhouse that hasn't been seen in the house?

Morek walked over to the window to have a look outside, and then tried to stick his hand through the wall....just in case.

Morek moves to the window and sticks his hand into the fog uneventfully.  As he stands close to it, however, he does feel that breathing in the mist seems to sap a bit of energy.  He feels it would be tough to make it far if he were to breath in full breaths of the stuff.

Digger takes a closer look at the dollhouse, which matches the house you're in to the finest detail.

Suddenly, two small ghosts appear, which you recognize as Rose and Thorn.  Except this time, the children are ghostly and transparent.  "Please don't touch...it's fragile," she pleads, "we don't have many toys now."  She sighs and looks with forlorn at the skeletons on the floor.

Digger keeps his hands off. Visual inspection should be adequate. Probably.

Morek saw the children's skeletons and was...shocked, angry, confused, sad. It answered questions, but brought more questions at the same time. He squatted down onto the balls of his feet to speak to the children, "You told us your parents are in the basement facing a scary monster, but we can't find any basement, and we've neither seen or heard any signs of a monster. Other than the suit of armor that tried to knock us down the stairs."

"We thought you were real, so we came to help. But now we come to find this. You. We don't even know where we are or how we got here in the first place. Why did you ask us for help? Why are we really here, Rose?"

Rose looks inquisitively at Morek, "Told you?  We've never seen you before.  We've been trapped in this room since we went to sleep.  We were so very hungry," she sighs.

"We've never seen it, but it sounds like people screaming; Mommy and Daddy said it was a monster when we asked.  When it starts, they lock us in here to keep us safe.  Nanny Margaret will check on us, but she never came again."  Her ghostly voice gets low, "We think something is wrong with the house, like it's cursed."

She takes a moment and points to the dollhouse and says still in a whisper, "There's a secret door in the other room that leads down.

Could you check on Walter?  He was crying so loud and I'm worried about him."
This message was last edited by the GM at 01:50, Wed 17 Mar 2021.

Morek turned a concerned face toward the others before looking back to the kids, "Aye, we'll check on the wee one. Thank you for your help, Rose."

He stood then and spoke to Digger, "I think you were more right than you knew about that mist. It'll suck the life right out of you. I don't know what in the nine hells a cursed house is, but I think we need to find another way out of here. If the baby is here, I think it's quite clear he's no longer living either. We can check on him, but..." Morek seemed a bit torn, "The spirits of these children will remain stuck here until they can find peace. They should be buried properly, and whatever foul deeds the parents were involved with, we may have to undo in order to release them."

In reply to Morek (msg # 227):

Digger shrugs, "We might have to cremate them. The ground is outside, after all."

Digger moves to the North door on the East wall.

"For richer families, it's not uncommon for the basement to also include a crypt. If we find otherwise, cremation is an option."

In reply to Morek (msg # 229):

Digger nods, "The House should burn well enough if we start at the bottom. Not sure where we can go to survive it, yet, however."

Sarelor nods. "We need to see the basement, that's certain. There may be a crypt down there, that's possible. If we carry these remains to the basement, would we be able to inter them in hallowed ground?"

"I am capable of consecrating the ground for their internment, but it requires a fair amount of silver to perform the ritual. I could pray for a blessing upon the ground, but it would only come to be if my God chose do so. With the silver, I can use my link to him to do so myself, as a conduit of His energy. It will take a good amount of silver though, about twenty-five crowns worth."

"Oh, and I'd need a night to prepare it. I wasn't planning to perform such a ceremony, so I'd not be able to do it until tomorrow."
This message was last edited by the player at 02:52, Wed 17 Mar 2021.

"We might find enough silver, if we scrounge through the house."

Holding up the utensils he had appropriated as an example, he continues, "I'm not sure how much would be thirty-five crowns worth. Does that valuation include workmanship, or just weight?"
This message was last edited by the player at 02:58, Wed 17 Mar 2021.

Kyra, shocked to silence at the appearance of the skeletons, had a single tear in her eye as she looked at them. When the ghosts appeared, she was serious, almost stern. She crouched and looked at them. "Lying to us to get help from you isn't the right way...If you had been honest, we could have saved a lot of confusion and probably would have helped you anyway."

she looked around, then at the children. "Where are the secret doors, and how do they open?"

"Oh no, no, Miss.  We didn't lie.  I promise, we've not left this room!" Rose says while shaking her head back and forth, "the house can do strange things."  Thorn half-hides behind his sister, nodding in agreement.

"The secret door is in the storage room across the hall," she points to the room in the dollhouse.

Lancelot pads into the bedroom and sniffs the skeletons with a huff.  Peering inquisitively at the ghosts, he also tries to smell them but his face goes right through Rose's body.  The children beam at the dog and try to pet it, but their hands also pass through.  "You have a dog!" they beam.

By the estimated time the children have been dead, it's obvious that Lancelot was not their dog.  Perhaps a runaway.

The room Digger looks in is web-filled and contains a slender bed, a nightstand, a rocking chair, an empty wardrobe, and a small iron stove.

OOC:  Since the dollhouse is effectively a map, here's the entire floor.  The red door is where Rose pointed.


<---North

Digger tries the North West door next.

OOC:
Furniture under sheets?
This message was last edited by the player at 15:14, Wed 17 Mar 2021.

OOC: Yep!

This dusty chamber is packed with old furniture (chairs, coat racks, standing mirrors, dress mannequins, and the like), all draped in dusty white sheets. Near an iron stove, underneath one of the sheets, is an unlocked wooden trunk.

You think that this furniture could be broken down into clubs/greatclubs if desired.

With the burial of the kids now being a thing, Morek kept an eye out specifically for silver, of any kind.

With the silverware, how much silver do we have right now gp-wise?

Morek senses that the silverware won't do anything towards the value of a component (OOC: there's a reason for this), but he does feel that one of the gold rings Kyra collection should do the trick.

Morek addressed the children again, "We'd like to take you with us when we go down below. I know it sounds scary, but we're going to get rid of all the scaries down there so you won't have to worry about them any more. Would that be ok with you? You won't have to worry about being stuck in this scary house with its mean curses anymore, either."

I may have forgotten since I was mostly paying attention to my own stuff, but does Morek know about the rings?

Digger looks towards where a door is supposed to be, "That can wait, let's clear the rest of the floor, first. Just in case." He takes a peek in the trunk before heading to the next door (West wall south?) "Interesting that this one room was packed up for non use, but none of the others."

Digger is able to notice the secret door right where it's supposed to be.

OOC: It's just a plain gold ring, but worth some gold.


This message was last edited by the GM at 18:26, Wed 17 Mar 2021.

OOC: 11:52, Today: Digger rolled 16 using 1d20+2.  medicine.

PM

In reply to The Narrator (msg # 244):

Digger looks at the collection of knife holes in the body and shrugs, "Well, we found the sacrifice. Charming people lived here. Nanny and two kids dead, but no parents and no baby. Can't wait to find basement."

He ignores the outside landings and head for the southern west door. "But, first..."

Kyra follows the others from the room to tbe others, helping search. When they come to the secret door, she waits at the side, letting the warriors go first

In the last room, Digger sees a dust-choked room contains a slender bed, a nightstand, a small iron stove, a writing desk with a stool, an empty wardrobe, and a rocking chair.  A smiling doll in a lacy yellow dress sits in the northern window box, cobwebs draping it like a wedding veil.

In reply to The Narrator (msg # 247):

Digger looks at the doll, "We've only been told about three kids, right? Baby and the two in the other room? Whose doll, do you think? It rather seems like there might have been four, now."

He rifles the desk, just in case it has a clue to presumptive child #4.

Digger finds nothing of interest in the drawer, nor anything to confirm the presence of another child.  The way the room is set up, it looks like a spare bedroom.

Digger turns to Morek and Sarelor, "Ready for the basement? A basement that can only be reached from the top floor and that has a hidden door. Nothing to worry about in that."

Kyra follows digger in, looking at the area with a even glare. At the humans comments, she raises her eyebrows. "Seems pretty normal to me....travel the whole house up just to go down again through a hidden stairway. Not creepy at all." she snorts.

"Though the ghosts, skeletons and letters suggesting sacrifice,  demons and foul play - creepy enough."

"The nurse's baby, perhaps? The top floor seems like a good place for shoving your help off to so they're out of your sight when they're not working. Could have died at any point, though. For that matter, could be alive and well in a faraway land for all we know."

Morek shook his head, "The only thing I know for sure about this place is that I'll happy to see it fade away far behind me once we're gone. I've heard of plenty of cursed items, but never an entire home. I suspect there are fouler powers afoot than a cursed building." Morek was ready to descend down into the basement, but first he would wrap the children's remains in their bedsheets to be buried down below. If that were even possible.

His brain had been lagging behind a bit from reality as he thought over the ceremonial ritual for the children, "Wait, what was in... Is that when you..." Morek went to have a look inside the chest, as he recalled that had been where Digger was standing when he mentioned a sacrifice.

Sarelor nods to Morek, "that's it, in the trunk. I was wondering when we'd find Margaret. I've been thinking about these spirits. The ghost children claimed they hadn't left the room where their bodies lie, yet we met apparitions outside that approximated these children. The apparitions didn't appear to be undead, so, maybe the source of the apparitions isn't the same as the source of the spirits."
"Maybe it's a bit of a stretch, but I wonder if the children outside weren't so much ghosts as they were bait. If their only purpose was to lure us into the house, then we're not approaching the basement to aid these children so much as we're being drawn there to assuage some thing's hunger."
"I think, lady and gentlemen, we're prey."

In reply to Sarelor (msg # 254):

Digger nods, "Well, sure. We woke up striped of anything useful and herded by the mist. It's how rich folks hunt."

You open the door and reveal a narrow spiral staircase made of creaky wood contained within a 5-foot-wide shaft of mortared stone.  It starts in the attic and descends into darkness, seeming to pass through the lower levels of the house.  Thick cobwebs fill the shaft and reduce visibility in the staircase to 5 feet.

OOC: From this point, everything is dark.  Those without darkvision will need a light source to see (which I think is only Digger).

In reply to The Narrator (msg # 256):

Digger pulls a candle out of his sack, "Someone pass me a tinderbox, please?"

"If I had a symbol to use, I could summon a light for us." Morek seemed frustrated at having lost his things; perhaps a bit more frustrated than he'd shown up to his point.

Sarelor takes the tinderbox he obtained in the kitchen and hands it to Digger. "Perhaps we could get a makeshift torch or two from the furniture and sheets we just passed."

Digger shakes his head, "No, you need pitch or lamp oil to make torches. The fabric just burns up if it's not wicking something, and dry wood doesn't burn in flame, just embers. He lights his candle and passes the tinderbox back to Sarelor, "Thanks."

He starts heading down, candle in one hand, the other cupped around it blocking air currents.

"You mean like the oil in the lamps by the armor we had the disagreement with? Besides, even the lamps might be better than the candle."

In reply to Sarelor (msg # 261):

Digger nods, "Yep, those would work."

Kyra narrowed her eyes and spoke a single, elvel-like word. From the candle,  the wick immediately lit as if itself. The half f smiles. "Handy trick I learnt." she muttered.

<OOC: Casts Prestidigitation on the candle to light it....who needs tinder!>

The lamps are removable from the wall.  You could either take the entire lamp, or use the oil for torches.

OOC: Either way, there's enough to not have to worry about running out.

The wooden spiral staircase from the attic ends in a carved out tunnel of earth, clay, and rock.  The narrow tunnel stretches eastward before branching north and south.  The tunnels are 4 feet wide by 7 feet high with timber braces at 5-foot intervals.  Rooms are 8 feet tall and supported by thick wooden posts with crossbeams.

The moment you step foot on the stone floor, you hear the distressed cries of a baby coming from somewhere in the basement.  At this point, it's impossible to determine the direction.

OOC: I'll also need a rough marching order.


This message was last edited by the GM at 13:41, Fri 19 Mar 2021.

Digger raises his lamp for a good look, then turns to the left and peers north.

OOC:
Added lamp, moving east, then looking north. Might as well fil in the corner then work our way down.

Looking north, Digger can make out what seems to be a large stone slab leaning against a nearby wall.

OOC: Assuming North is up now, I want to peek west behind the stairwell.
This message was last edited by the player at 18:51, Fri 19 Mar 2021.

Morek will have a peak off to the east while Digger checks to the left.

Kyra, behind the others, looks south to guard their backs from anything  sneaking up.

Morek investigates to the east and finds several crypts have been hewn from the earth.  The northern crypt is empty.

The stone slab meant to seal the southern crypt also leans against a nearby wall.  Etched into it is the name Walter Durst.  The crypt is empty.

Digger looks west and can make out a table with some chairs.

You continue to hear the cries of a baby.

OOC: Any sense of direction on the sound of crying?

"Well, here's a place to bury the little ones. They may have their own already set aside for them." Morek takes a peak to the west,then suggests checking south for the children's crypts.

OOC: No discernible direction of the crying.

Morek continues to explore southward.  To the east, he finds the crypts of Elisabeth and Gustav.  Both chambers contain a coffin atop a stone bier.

To the west, he finds the same, except with the names of Rosavalda and Thornboldt.  Both also contain a coffin atop a stone bier.

Morek can also see what appears to be a long wooden table in the room to the south.

"This is where the children are meant to be laid to rest. Give me a hand with the lids here, and I'll lay them inside."

Digger raises a lid and checks to make sure the container is empty.

OOC:  Which one?

Whichever one Morek indicated. Let him decide which one kills me.

OOC:  I wish I could laughing emote on the boards.

Thorn first

Digger takes a tentative peek into the coffin inside Thorn's crypt and finds that it is indeed empty.

After placing the remains inside Thorn's coffin, the entire group feels a sense of satisfaction, as if the air itself is relieved.

Digger waits for Morek to point, then lifts another for the second dead kid.

Morek gives Digger a nod, pointing to Rose's tomb now that the little brother has been taken care of.

Digger and Morek place the last remains and close the casket.

The same refreshing feeling of satisfaction washes over the group, except much stronger, and the stone walls themselves seem to sign in relief.

OOC: You've all received inspiration!
This message was last edited by the GM at 14:59, Sun 21 Mar 2021.

Kyra watches as the bodies of the children are layed to rest with an sense of satisfaction and relief. Even the very house itself seems a little more at ease with the children at rest. She looks at the others with a smile. "Let us search the rest of this place and get some answers."

Digger nods and heads back north, turning wet when he's gets to the end, ad continuing past the table.
This message was last edited by the player at 04:34, Mon 22 Mar 2021.

"Mission accomplished. What do you say Digger? Work our way 'round from the outside in?" Morek followed to the north.

Digger moves on to the west and finds short set of steps which lead to the wooden table and four chairs.  To the south are four alcoves containing moldy straw pallets.

A search of this room yields nothing of interest, and so the group move down another small set of steps.

Here, you find a 4-foot-diameter well shaft with a 3-foot-high stone lip descending 30 feet to a water-filled cistern.  A wooden bucket hangs from a rope-and-pulley mechanism bolted to the crossbeams above the well.  A hallway leads out to the southeast.

Five side rooms each contain a wood-framed bed with a moldy straw mattress and a wooden chest.
 Each chest is secured with a rusty iron padlock.

Lancelot pads behind, occasionally stopping to sniff something or to nuzzle your hand in search of affection.

You continue to hear the baby's crying echoing through the stone basement.


This message was last edited by the GM at 21:14, Mon 22 Mar 2021.

Digger draws a bucket of water for Lance. "This is interesting. If the kids and their nanny were upstairs dying, who was living in the basement? And where are they now?"

He contemplate the stairs up, "Before we try those, we should probably check the other side of the crypts and see what was over there. Might be more living facilities."

Kyra, on edge at the whole living area underneath the house, looked around, grasping the spear. "If we can, open those chests as well...they may have weapons or something useful." She looks at Sarelor and nods to him, hoping he starts doing what he does best.

She then looks at Digger. "I agree...a throught search of this place before moing on is needed. Check under the beds, everywhere. I need answers about what these people were doing."

Digger shrugs, "I'm more interested in where they are now."

"Of all the lies they've fed us, a monster living in the basement seems the most likely to be true. Wherever these people are, they're not here. Not right now."

"If you want to take a look through some of the chests, I can perform a ritual to see what magic lies in store down here. It won't help us with ghosts and the like, but it may reveal other things instead.

Sarelor shrugs, and tries his luck on the nearest padlocked chest. "This looks almost like a barracks, so I doubt these chests will hold much of interest. Still, nothing ventured... and so on."

Kyra looked at the dwarf and simply nodded. “Magic may also hide something.”

She none the less was in guard, her developing arcane arts at the ready

Lancelot happily laps up the water from Digger.  Exploring is hard work!

With the others on guard, Sarelor digs into the task of trying to open the padlocks, but has no luck.  There's always brute force.

Frustrated, Sarelor steps back from the chest and says, "obviously the rust has bollixed the works. The only way to open this would be with a hammer."
He reverses one of his 'found' knives and pounds the lock a time or two with the hilt, but his expression suggests he has little faith in his ability to overpower the thing.

In reply to Sarelor (msg # 295):

Digger pulls out his newest poker, "Let me have a try at it."

OOC:
11:58, Today: Digger rolled 20 using 2d20+2, dropping the lowest dice only with rolls of 18,9.  Crowbar the basement padlock.

Cool the high roll was first, so even if this isn't a crowbar job, I did pretty well.

Seeing Sarelor struggle a bit with the lock, Digger moves forward and with one sharp pry of the fire poker, cracks it open.

Inside the chests, the group finds:

-11 gp and 60 sp in a pouch made of human skin.
-A medallion embossed with the image of a road travelling into a sunrise.
-Three moss agates in a folded piece of black cloth.
-A black leather eyepatch with a carnelian sewn into it.
-An ivory hairbrush with silver bristles.
-A silvered shortsword.
-A grimy black leather journal.  This logbook maintains a list of names, physical descriptions, and the negative results of some event. 

In reply to The Narrator (msg # 297):

Digger nods at the gear and pulls out his sack, "And no one else thought to grab the other pillowcase. Anyone feel the need for a silvered weapon?" He starts packing up the rest of the goodies, saving the medallion for last, "Morek, you're a priest. This thing mean anything to you?"

Morek looks at the medallion with wide eyes as his breath catches for a moment.  "I can't imagine what this would be doing down here but that is the symbol of Lathander, the Morning Lord.

"Perhaps in all this darkness we might find some light after all.  I'm curious about that journal.  Could the list of people have something to do with the guests that the children mentioned?"

Digger shrugs, "Whatever it was, there's also a pouch made of human, so I'd say it was nothing good." Digger empties the pouch into the sack, "In fact, let's find someplace to ut what's left of this guy to rest."

Sarelor nods to Digger, "if no one else wishes it, I could use the shortsword. However, thus far the most useful tools we've found have been those from the fireplace."

In reply to Sarelor (msg # 301):

Digger passes Sarelor the silvered shortsword.

Kyra looked at the elvish rogue and smiled. “Though I am capable of using a sword such as that, I am more used to a staff and magic. As far as I am concerned, you may have it.”

She looks around the area. “Let’s finish searching down here before we rest....I’d rather have nothing sneak up on me.”

Digger quirks an eyebrow, "You need ANOTHER rest?"

Kyra looks at him and shrugs. "I don't need one, but whatever is down here may take time"

In reply to Kyra (msg # 305):

"Well, then, let's wait for a rest until someone actually needs one. That way we spend less time down here, not more, and things don't creep up on us while we're just laying about." Digger rolls his eyes and heads for the room with the other table in it.

OOC:
South end of the map past the crypts, I think. I'm too far past the map to scroll down to it, currently

Sarelor looks at Kyra, and shrugs, "humans. Always in a hurry to reach the end of the road."

In reply to Sarelor (msg # 307):

Digger calls back over his shoulder, "Nah, it's called a work ethic."

Morek held the symbol of Lathander and then tapped the top hat that was sitting atop his head, "Shine." The hat then glowed with a light of its own, similar to that of a torch. "Now we're talking! I don't know how this ended up here, but I'm sure it was left here so that we would eventually find it. The Light still shines, even in this place."

cast Light on my top hat

Kyra winces at the sudden flare of light, but nods. Perhaps it was some higher order that left it here, but for now, lets save theology for a safer place and keep looking." Grasping the spear, she ignored Digger and Saredor's comments.

Sarelor mumbles, "I thought that meant you had to work hardest on your ethics."
He shrugs and follows Digger.

The group moves up a short set of steps to a small landing which reveals an intersection.  To the east is another set of stairs leading upwards; to the south is a narrow hallway which ends in a in a descending set of steps. 

The sound of the crying baby persists, and appears to be echoing from the eastern and southern directions.


This message was last edited by the GM at 21:14, Sun 28 Mar 2021.

Digger heads east to the room and table Morek found, then follows the sounds, "No one's been down there for a bit, so they aren't likely to come from there behind us."

Morek followed along closely behind, invigorated after having found the holy symbol. He might be missing his own possessions, but with this he was able to perform all of his magic once more as well.

Kyra follows the two men, her spear in one hand almost like a staff, as she scans the area. "It's disturbing...no signs of life down here for a while, yet the cries of a baby. It couldn't survive here alone, so either there are people here nourishing it, or it's a trap. Either way....be ready."

Digger shrugs, "Well, yes. It's a trap. That has been made clear already. The children that sent us after the baby weren't the children dead in the house, after all. They just looked like them."

Kyra raised here eyebrows at diggers logic. "Yes the house was a trap, but I meant that whatever this leads to will be the apex, the trap of traps. I believe that at the heart of the crying we will find answers...and we may not like what we find."

Sarelor began to peer ahead and behind, seeming to be more on guard than before. He says, "I feel we'll be hard pressed to like them, no matter what form they take. But, I don't think we've arrived at the trap, yet. Except for the suit of armor, there has been little actual threat. The real danger is likely to be ahead of us."

In reply to Kyra (msg # 317):

Digger nods, "Yes. As I said, that's been made well clear from the beginning. The Baby is the core of things. Makes sense, really. What species doesn't protect their newborn? It was used to get us in the house, and it's still being used to direct us. I HAVE been paying attention."

The group climbs the steps and winds through the stone tunnel before coming to what appears to be a dining room.

This room contains a plain wooden table flanked by long benches.  Moldy humanoid bones lie strewn on the dirt floor.

In reply to The Narrator (msg # 320):

Digger looks at the bones and nods, "That does seem to be the pattern. Bodies for every bed but the crib and parents." He counts skulls to test his theory.

"And far more questions posed than answers given. Carrying on, then."

Digger will head south after his skull count

It's tough to tell from the remains, but there's probably the partial remnants of at least three bodies strewn about the room.
This message was last edited by the GM at 01:58, Wed 31 Mar 2021.

"Only a few, it looks like. Not quite enough, which means there are more yet to find."

Moving south, the group can start to determine that the baby's crys are coming from somewhere southward in the basement.

Digger leads the group through a short winding hallway, and to an intersection.  As he pauses to think about which direction to go in, four obviously undead creatures suddenly rise from the ground!  They have razor sharp-teeth and jagged claws and are dressed in tattered robes.

"Sssoooooo tassssstyyyy..." they seem to whisper as they leer hungrily at the group.

OOC: Roll initiative!


This message was last edited by the GM at 03:18, Thu 01 Apr 2021.

22:29, Today: Digger rolled 12 using 1d20+1.  initiative.

22:43, Yesterday: Sarelor rolled 20 using 1d20+3.  initiative.

08:56, Today: Morek rolled 21 using 1d20+1.  Initiative.

<Kyra rolled 11 using 1d20+2 - iniative.>

OOC: The creatures go last, so everyone can go ahead and post actions.

Srelor readies his hand crossbow and hops onto the table behind him. "I'm out of the door," he says.

In reply to Sarelor (msg # 332):

Digger does the old right-left-right to the undead in front of him, but only the rights connect.

OOC:
13:55, Today: Digger rolled 5 using 1d4+2.  action surge damage.
13:55, Today: Digger rolled 4 using 1d4+2.  damage.
13:55, Today: Digger rolled 5 using 1d20+4.  Bonus action attack with fist.
13:54, Today: Digger rolled 23 using 1d20+4.  Action surge attack with fist.
13:54, Today: Digger rolled 17 using 1d20+4.  Attack with fist.

If Digger eliminates one (unlikely) he'll move in to make room.

Morek calls down the Mourning Lord's fire on the undead, trying to finish off Digger's target. "We should either fall back to the kitchen where we can all be useful, or have both of us take a hallway so they're bottlenecked between us."

13:28, Today: Morek rolled 2 using 1d8.  Sacred Flame, Dex DC 13.
This message was last edited by the player at 21:32, Sun 04 Apr 2021.

Kyra, her eyes narrowed, spied the undead and held a hand up, again her eyes going completely black as the eldrich energy coalased from her body, to her hand, sending the bolt to the closest undead.

<OOC: attacks with eldrich blast

Kyra rolled 22 using 1d20+5.  Attack - eldrich blast.
Kyra rolled 11 using 1d10+3.  Damage - eldrich blast.>

Morek quickly barks some suggestions while focusing and invoking a column of flame, seemingly from the stone ceiling.  Caught off guard, the undead is fully bathed in the flame, although the damage seems minimal.

Sarelor jumps back to make room for a tactical withdraw, while Digger launches a flurry of blows at the snarling corpse in front of him.  The first two connect with gross-sounding thuds and his third misses.

The surge of energy which erupts from Kyra's hand strikes the creature in the chest, leaving a gaping hole as it slumps to the ground motionless.

The corpse to Digger's east swings a razor sharp claw at his face, but it misses.  The now-lone creature to the south shambles forward and also swipes a claw at Digger, its talons ripping deep into his flesh. 


OOC: The picture change is just me finding something a little less cartoon-y.

Combat Order
Morek
Sarelor
Digger
Kyra
Monsters

Digger grabs the undead in front of him by the neck and pounds it 2 good solid blows to the face. That usually ends things in the bar, so pass him that jug of ale.

OOC: 20:50, Today: Digger rolled 16 using 1d20+4.  Con save.
07:57, Today: Digger rolled 4 using 1d4.  crit damage on bonus attack.
07:57, Today: Digger rolled 20,6 using 1d20+4,1d4+2.  bonus attack.
07:56, Today: Digger rolled 2 using 1d4.  crit damage on attack.
07:55, Today: Digger rolled 24,5 using 1d20+4,1d4+2.  attack.

Damage is only 15. Bonus doesn't get the +2 damage from str.

This message was last edited by the player at 15:00, Wed 07 Apr 2021.

Sarelor aims his hand crossbow, attempting to target the undead. Not seeing a clear shot, and thinking about the whole issue, he trades the bolt for a piece of silverware and continues looking for an opening.

Morek slipped behind Digger's back, to flow into the other hallway opening. There he called down the holy flames once more.

Move: down 1, left 1
Action: cast Sacred Flame on Digger's target
Result: Dex 13 vs 4 Radiant damage
13:12, Today: Morek rolled 4 using 1d8.  Sacred Flame, Dex DC 13.

Morek moves into the tunnel and around the corner.  As he does, the undead takes a swipe at him - fortunately the claws bounce off his chain mail.  He turns and repeats the holy incantation which brings holy fire upon the corpse.  This time though, it sees the attack coming and is able to press itself against the wall, avoiding the damage.

Sarelor readies himself for action, watching the opening to the tunnel with the focus of a hawk.

Digger's flurry of blows almost stuns the undead, opening up bloodless lacerations on its face.

Kyra takes a step over and targets the creature standing in the spot her last victim occupied, sending another vicious blast of energy with deadly accuracy.  The corpse falls onto the the first one in a pile.

The first undead in the only remaining hallway swings its claws at Digger, catching him under the armor and leaving a good sized gash.    It then steps back as the creature in the rear, encouraged at the sight of Digger's blood, pushes forward to rake at the fighter.  Its claws find a home, too, slashing deep into Digger's thigh. 



OOC: Sarelor, if you want to take a move action at the end of the round, before Morek acts, you can.

Combat Order
Morek
Sarelor
Digger
Kyra
Monsters

This message was last updated by the GM at 16:04, Wed 14 Apr 2021.

Digger falls.

OOC:
20:02, Today: Digger rolled 8 using 1d20+2.  con save 2.
20:01, Today: Digger rolled 21 using 1d20+2.  con save 1.

And now making Death Saves

Morek called out to the rogue for starters, "Sarelor, you want to take up behind me? You've got an opening!"

Then he looked back to Digger, "Rise!" healing word

Then his eyes shot to the ghoul across from him, "And fall." sacred flame

Bonus: Healing Word on Digger (restores 10 HP)
Action: cast Sacred Flame, Dex 13 vs 8 Radiant

22:26, Today: Morek rolled 8 using 1d8.  Sacred Flame, Dex DC 13.
22:25, Today: Morek rolled 10 using 1d4+6.  Healing Word.

Sarelor advances into the opening and puts away his hand crossbow. Drawing both swords he has obtained, he prepares to strike against the creatures barring their way.

Digger stands and distracts the ghoul with a wild swing, then follows up with a gntle tap on it's nose. Bleeding out takes such a lot out of you....

OOC:
11:35, Today: Digger rolled 1 using 1d4.  bonus attack damage.
11:35, Today: Digger rolled 21 using 1d20+4.  Bonus attack.
11:35, Today: Digger rolled 8 using 1d20+4.  attack.

Move: stand (costs 15')

This message was last edited by the player at 20:07, Fri 09 Apr 2021.

Morek breaths some life into Digger, then turns his attention to the creature across the way and again brings a torrent of holy fire upon it.  With hungry eyes focused on Digger, the undead takes the full brunt of the damage.

Sarelor moves in behind Kyra and looks for an opening.

Digger gets back to his feet and gives the nearest corpse a love-tap!

Kyra again musters a blast of eldritch energy and sends it flying towards the creature she can see, but it miss and harmlessly dissipates against the wall.

The two undead, almost visibly disappointed in missing their meal, take take another round of swiping at Digger.  The first misses, but the second painfully catches him. 



OOC: Using the same map because there was no critical movement and I'm a touch lazy :-)


Combat Order
Morek
Sarelor
Digger
Kyra
Monsters

Morek continued his divine assault, hoping these creatures would fall soon, before his magical reserves were depleted in full.

Action: cast Sacred Flame, Dex 13 vs 2 Radiant
23:32, Today: Morek rolled 2 using 1d8.  Sacred Flame, Dex DC 13.

Digger is struggling with all the ghoul venom in his system. All he can seem to do is bleed and wave at the undead.

OOC:
21:40, Today: Digger rolled 7,4 using 1d20+4,1d4.  bonus attack.
21:40, Today: Digger rolled 6,5 using 1d20+4,1d4+2.  attack.
21:39, Today: Digger rolled 12 using 1d20+4.  Con save.

Kyra, having just avoided the houl's attack, looked at it, her eyes again going black as a black of green/purple energy shot from her hand, flying wide as it hit the wall.

<OOC: Kyra rolled 7 using 1d20+5.  attack - eldrich blast.>

Sarelor wishes he had kept the spear he used earlier, it might provide the reach he needs to help. Rather than leave the others completley undefended, he whips out a knife and flips it around the corner of the wall at the ghoul. Yep, a silver knife, from the kitchen. A silver butter knife.

OOC:
21:22, Today: Sarelor rolled 13 using 1d20.  throw silver butter knife at ghoul.
if he is considered proficient with this weapon, add two
if this weapon benefits from dexterity, add five
if both are the case the attach would be a twenty
what sort of damage do you get with a silver butter knife?

In reply to Sarelor (msg # 349):

OOC: I think the best way to address is to treat is as an improvised weapon.  No proficiency, thrown using dex, and 1d4 damage.  Not that far off from a dagger.

The other way it could go is to treat it as a dull dagger, which would be proficiency, throw using dex, and, perhaps 1d2 damage.

Either way it's a hit, so we'll go with the higher damage!