Ogden sighs and takes the pitcher, promptly setting it away from Omast, "Look here, son, no use crying over yer friend's death if'n it means he gets no justice. Ye've been given a chance ta make up fer whatever it is that weighs on ye. We are here ta help. If ye know something, tell us so we can find this culprit and ye can take out yer misery on someone deservin' of it other than this here pitcher." He lays a hand comfortingly on his shoulder, "Won't do yer friend no good ta sit on something important, and the way I see it, if ye feel this bad, then ye know somethin' worth tellin'."
"Let's be careful and check for tracks to see if anyone has been here recently. Looks like we'll need a boost to get in."
Once the area is scouted and determined to be clear, Tegnar gets down on his hands and knees to act like a step-stool for the others to get to the front door.
Wow I bet it was beautiful in its day, I wonder what hides in it now
As the clan stops at a safe distance to observe the plague house, Boram admires the large stained glass window, nods toward the building and says quietly
”while we are waiting for the others I will double check the outside of the building, and come back here and report”
Boram quickly made his way to the plague house, and carefully went around the building listening at windows and doors, looking for any sign of life, like tracks or trash.
"I'll see what I can find in the way of tracks."
Looks like this place has seen better days. Hopefully we can clean it out and maybe it will serve a higher purpose again.
Augier lets the meatshields experts take the lead.
Once Dolgrym took his time tracking, Dvalin will try and take a look at the entrance door. Mainly to check if it was recently opened/closed(e.g. dirt or spiderwebs covering it, if the hinges are completely rusted or in working order etc.) and if there's some kind of trap connected(thinking something that causes a mechanical alarm.)
+1 for Trap
Yarask follows the others all teh while muttering to himself in incomprehensible half speech:"Something is amiss... I can feel it. Something is not right but... what could it be?"
When they reach the plaguehouse he let's the others scout around before pointing at the door:"Listen people, no use trying to be stealthy at this point. We go in, and Torag helps whoever stands in out way!"
So saying Yarask giver the doors one last hard look before pushing them open!
Ogden lets Yarask take the lead entering the building, unless something from Boram and Dvalin's searching (or his own perception check) shows something amiss, in which case he would attempt to chastise Yarask towards patience while those equipped to deal with traps and ambushes do their work and try to prevent him from kicking in the door.
Once everyone is in, Tegnar will look for a hand to help him up to the front door.
Augier sticks his finger in his ear and wiggles it around before flicking something into the grass.
Boram scouts around and notices it is as quiet as a church. It is an easy climb (DC5) to get up to the burned out steps, and, when you do, you see a hallway with double doors on the right. Further down, a single door on the left.
"Let's start to check this place out! exclaims Yarask gently pushing the doors on his right open with his hammer head and preparing himself to strike any unknown horror that might lurk in the shadows...
quiet as the grave, I'm a little surprised
Boram works his way around the church, listening under windows, watching the ground for trash or footprints, smelling the air carefully for wood-smoke or excrement or rotting food; making sure that if there was anything to find he would find it. He sneaked around the church walking carefully making no noise and leaving no tracks, carefully peeking around corners, moving bush to bush, shadow to shadow; making sure that if anyone was there he would not be seen.
well. everybody is here
As he returned to the group, shillelagh in hand he shrugs his shoulders and says
"everything is quiet, I listened at every window, checked every door for life sign. Its as quiet as a church mouse, frankly I was a little surprised. Shall we head in?
following Yarsk into the building Boram climbs the burnded out steps and stays behind Yarsk, shillelagh in hand, keeping a keen eye out and a tuned ear for anything out of the ordinary.
When the Group enters into the corridor, Dvalin tries, as per his training, to secure the inmediate open area.
He sneaks ahead through the open corridor, trying to get a look on whats ahead, peaking from around the cover of a corner, and preparing to head back deeper into the corridor at the first sign of trouble he does not feel confident enough to take on by himself.
Augier enters behind the others, spear gripped tightly and eyes a darting.
Ogden watches, helping to point out any dangers, following behind the first two.
As the dwarves form up and explore the house, the door to the right opens revealing.....
Two rows of scorched, wrought-iron bedframes take up most
of the space in this soaring chamber, resting between a fireblackened
altar to the southwest and double doors to the
northeast. A second set of double doors leads to the northwest,
and a single iron door exits the chamber to the southeast.
Brightly colored holy figures stare down from the stained-glass
windows built into the blackened stone walls, their visages
noticeably less damaged than the rest of the room.
The four near the front look in horror as: the burnt corpses of plague
victims appear on the bedframes, sitting straight up and
screaming, their mouths full of fire and ashes. The sight is unsettling, and it takes a strong will to keep from fleeing.
Augie is taken aback by the sight of the corpses but steals himself. Walken dead here? Not surprised
Ogden looks on in horrification at the corpses.
Boram turns and spits like he is trying to wash some evil taste out of his mouth.
"Well gentlemen that may be the most disgusting thing I have ever seen, shall we continue?"
Boram enter the room and takes a quick look around
Whoa there, we got walken dead.
"By all that's holy! That nearly made me soil my armor. I wasn't expecting that. Ugly orcs but not ugly corpses."
No one runs, and the group overcomes their fears.
Searching through the ashes of furniture and in the
corners of the room Boram turns up a small haul of ornamental
valuables, including an ornate hopeknife, a
heart-shaped gold locket, and 63 sp.
At the end of the hallway to the right......
The support walls and pillars that once connected the Plague
House to the huge boulder behind it have burnt and crumbled
in this ruined chamber, revealing nearly the entire face of the
monolithic stone as well as much of the sky above. Jagged red
runes have been painted onto the rock in long, broad strokes
that reach from top to bottom. A cabinet on the southeast wall
and a tall bookcase against the northeastern wall are all that
remain of the room’s furnishings.
At the end of the hallway to the left......
The wooden staircase here that once led to the upper story has
all but crumbled to ashes. The northern wall has collapsed, and
the floor underneath has sunk entirely, leaving a dark, gaping
hole in the ground surrounded by rubble. A single door exits the
room to the northeast.
The dwarves immediately notice that the floor is unstable around the gaping hole.
I wouldn't count on us getting down the hole with so much bad flooring.
Well, no good keeping dangers in your back...
Satiesfied that no inmediate threat seems to lurk in the area(having expected a half-dozen or more half orcs with crossbows or worse), Dvalin turns his attention to the door to his side, and quietly attempts to open it, before taking a look in that room.
If no apparent danger is there, Dvalin will search the area.
As Baram glances around the room he finds a few silver pieces, a locket and a hopeknife, drawing the hopeknife out he inspects the blade as he returns to the dwarves,
”found these few items, , and a few silver, here Aggghhh take a look at them. And if we need someone to go down the hole, tie a rope to me and I can take a look”
Giving the knife and locket to Aggghhh, turning to the other two scouts, Dvalin and Dolgrym he says
”there appear to be doors going to the south, what do you gentlemen think the red runes on the rock mean? Could it be our graffiti artist?”
As the dwarves discuss what has been found Boram goes and opens the cabinet taking a look inside and then inspects the bookcase.
Augier uses detect magic on the locket and hopeknife.
Yarask gives the hopeknive a thorough examination before handing it back to Boram:"Any chance for this to be Rodrik's hopeknife?"
Yarask follows Boram down the hall and point at the door on the southern wall:"Shall we proceed?" he asks.
"Let us check this entire floor and then I think we may have to figure out a way to go down the hole."
Back into the loving grasp of mother earth.
No tracks or disturbance were found outside the Plague House.' You suspect the door in the south of the infirmary may lead to the same room as the door to the right at the end of the hall.
Boram finds a hopeknife on one of the shelves, it bears the inscription: 'For Rodrik, my love.' Boram opens a false back to see a ornate gold coffer studded with gems.
This stops Yarask from examining the other hopeknife. The wizard begins detecting magic, and the inscribed hopeknife begins to glow. Dvalin stops himself from walking into a web, and is the only reacting as a pair of giant spiders crawl out of the rafters and attack.
In the heat of the battle, you realize Tegnar has fled from the Plague House. The visions at the infirmary must have overwhelmed him.
Unable to ambush the wily Dvalin, web spinners unfurl targeting Boram and Yarask. Hit by small webs, it requires some effort for them to escape.
Initiative
Surprise round eligible
ORDER OF ACTION
SURPRISE ROUND standard only
Dvalin
Spiders
Round 1
Boram entangled in web
Dolgrym
Dvalin
Spiders
Ogden
Aaargh
Yarask entangled in web
Note: Dvalin has surprise action std and full round -- we are moving the action to save time where feasible. Spiders are on the map and ten feet up.
Ogden spits, "Spiders! Hateful things, ware the stinger boys!"
He begins to shout tips and warnings to his comrades, inspiring them to do battle against the new foe.
Augier grunts as the spiders attack and hustles forwards a bit before he extends his hand, sending a ray of frost at them
"Going to be hard to get at them up there! I might have the answer though."
Dolgrym drops his warhammer and readys his Dwarven Longhammer, and moves forward.
ORDER OF ACTION
SURPRISE ROUND standard only
Dvalin
Spiders
Round 1
Dolgrym
Aargh
Tegnar
Yarask entangled in web
Spiders
Boram entangled in web
Dvalin
Ogden
Aaargh - casting ray of frost
Yuck, spiders. 8-legged freaks. Disgusting beasts, I hope someone else catches their attention
Are those poisonous? I'm not certain I remember-and would they not attack others who came here? Like Half-orc conspirators or Rodrik? Is it possible they were placed here as a form of guards?
Dvalin, having carried his Battleaxe two-handed, lets go with one hand as he sees the spiders. Instinctively, he grasps for one of the javelins he carries, and throws it at the beast.
Total if hit and sneak possible: 13 damage on the spider to the right.
With a roar Yarask breaks free of the webs entangling him and moves forward ready to unleash his earthbreaker on the arachinds!
"Prepare to die, disgusting vermin!" he shouts as he advances
Dolgrym drops his warhammer and readys his Dwarven Longhammer, and moves forward.
Tegnar also moves up to engage the spiders should they come down to attack.
Dvalin throws a javelin, and sinks right in the neck of a large spider, blood spurts out. Yarask breaks free and Tegnar moves up, both ready for action as the wizard shoots a bolt of frost of wide.
Round 1
Dolgrym
Aargh
Tegnar ready
Yarask free
Spiders
Boram entangled in web
well looky looky, that’s an interesting ornate gold coffer studded with gems.
Boram distracted by the ornate gold coffer studded with gems, doen’t see the spiders until its too late.
As Boram fails to escape the net by slipping out of it, he continues to consider his options.
”well, vermin, not surprised, wonder if their guarding the knife or just a coincidence”
With the ambush having gone awry, and one spider seriously wounded, with a screech the spiders retreat through a mass of webbing to top of the debris filled church. In the confusion, Dvalin finds himself beset by two centipedes in the north hall that have crawled through the porous walls and debris.
Dvalin takes a nasty bite and Tengar two bites
ORDER
Party in order of posting
Centipedes AC 14 (12 touch) 5hp each
Finally ready for action Yarask runs towards the nearest centipede sending the head of his earthbreaker blazing straight for the overgrown creatures's body!
As the weapon's head hits the centipede is crushed and cut in two by the impact, dead but not really aknowledging it the two halves still writhe, frantically their many legs moving with no sense of direction nor purpose.
Augier is shocked at the level of vermin in the area and stabs at the one north of davlin