From Across the Multiverse to Barovia: Expedition to Castle Ravenloft (IC)

[Mahrke]

Isaac will let his companions venture forth first, before proceeding onwards behind them. He pushes his glasses up onto his nose, before casting his gaze at the details of the church; his homeland had been known for its great cathedrals at one time...but the modern era had slowly stripped away reverence, and replaced it with consumerism and addiction. Even though Isaac was not a religious man, a bit of regret eats at him.

"Act with restraint, friends. Inside we may find the purveyor of this malady, but the dead can tell us nothing of a cure."

[Jeff the Green]

Little has changed inside the church since August came last save that the votive candles have burnt down, and the only light comes from the dingy stained glass windows. Nothing stirs but motes of dust.

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To recap what the main floor of the church looks like, the main door opens to a hallway about twenty feet long with a door on either side (both are shut at the moment. At the end of the hall are three rows of pews, and at the far end of the church is the altar.

[Sallera]

Naturally moving to the left-hand door without a moment of hesitation, August nods for someone to check the other before opening this one as well.

[Fireheart]

T'riss moves quietly toward the right hand door.

Before opening it, she presses her ear to the wood.

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Listen
(1d20+11)[29]

If she hears nothing, she'll open carefully a small crack a peer in...
spot
(1d20+11)[12]

darkvision 120ft
+4 to both rolls if undead in the area

[Jeff the Green]

Both rooms are apparently empty. On the left are living quarters, sparsely furnished. The bed is raised off the floor, but made merely of straw with a blanket thrown over it, and a table with a few unwashed pewter dishes stands in the corner.

The door on the right leads to storage. Candles and various ritual objects sit on shelves. There is also a ladder leading into a basement. You can't quite see where it leads for the mist that has lain so thickly across the town penetrates even below the church's foundation.

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If you want to explore below, you'll either have to leave Drifa behind or expand either the hole in the floor of the church's main room or where the ladder is and then have her jump down. They're too small as is. You can also poke around for other entrances to a basement or for other hidden spaces.

[Sallera]

"Aswin, can Drifa keep watch o'er the church while we venture within? There are two entrances to the basement, and I wish not to have the ones we seek slip past us while we try one or the other." August keeps his voice low, but ventures forward to the hole in the church floor to peer within.

"Or we could simply divide our numbers and investigate both entrances at once. In these narrow passages, it may be as much an advantage as a hindrance."

[TheFallenOne]

"If it serves our purpose she can stay behind, but as you surely noticed she is a fierce fighter in battle and we might have need of her", Aswin points out. Unfortunately I can only summon her once per day, otherwise this obstacle would be easy enough to bypass. But perhaps the wise elder's powers can help us here?"

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long as it is a single narrow passage and not the entire underground corridors a Transposition should do the trick

[al'Lan Mandrag]

"If we were to split we would be more easily over powered." Arya observed, "But an attack from two sides might catch them off guard. We might be strong enough to break them from both sides, or at least we won't all be taken out by one trap."

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If the others actually think that splitting is a good idea Arya will lead one group, but if that was just a reason to leave Drifa behind then she's fine to fight with the party as normal.

[Mahrke]

Isaac nods. "Quite. I can make use of my powers to bring the beast in with us, but I fret that it will resist me. Try to soothe it, and, once we are inside, I will see what I can do to bring the creature with us."

[Sallera]

"The matter of the entrances concerns me more; we seek answers, and we must not let them slip away. Unless this basement space is much greater in size than it seems, we should be able to meet each other soon, once we see which direction we must go. Let Aswin, Isaac and Drifa take the ladder, here, and I shall investigate the hole in the main floor with Arya and Arthros. Lady T'rissaste may accompany whichever group she wishes, of course."

[Fireheart]

T'riss looks from one group to the other.

I will go with Aswin and the others, she says finally.

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OOC: I just picked one. No real purpose to her choice here. :)

[Jeff the Green]

"Methinks I will attend with Sir Aswin and Lord Isaac," adds Ashlyn. "I fear that with my armor any attempt to climb without a latter might prove disastrous."

The hole in the middle of the church floor is indeed devoid of a ladder or any other means of descent, though T'riss notices that the pews are bolted to the floor and a rope tied to them would likely stay fast.

[Fireheart]

T'riss reaches into her pack and quickly ties a rope. Tossing it down the hole,

I'll go first, she says. My eyes can see in the dark. If there is aught below, I will shout up.

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OOC, she'll climb down, looking quickly for signs of enemies.

(1d20+4)[10] use rope
(1d20+0)[11] climb

(1d20+11)[17] spot
(1d20+0)[1] listen

+4 to the spot & listen if undead in the area.

[Sallera]

"Worry not, I am night-sighted myself." August follows T'riss down the rope, watching as much for the layout of the area as any potential threats.

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Spot: (1d20+16)[20]

[Jeff the Green]

August and T'riss drop a little more than a story before they near the floor of the church's basement. The air is musty and thick with the fog that seems to plague the town, and it is difficult to see even with their enhanced vision. There is, however, a figure to their front and to their left.

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You spotted them before you touched the bottom of the basement, which is strewn with rubble, so they may not have seen you, but from the looks of it if you drop to the rubble you'll almost certainly be heard.

Also, everybody, my PC is in for repairs and I'm doing this on a friends, which means that for the next day or two I won't be able to make a map of the battle.

What is the other half of the party doing?

[al'Lan Mandrag]

Arya waits, crouched above the hole, waiting for the others to clear the rope.

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That's perfectly all right by me. Also see my sig for days I'll be unavailable. Apologies, but just assume Arya hits things.

[TheFallenOne]

"Don't worry elder, Drifa won't resist your powers. I'll go first, secure the landing." He slung the shield over his back to free up his hands and descended the ladder. Once down, he again readied shield and hammer. "All clear, you can come down."

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so, Aswin first, then Isaac, transport Drifa, then Ashlyn?

[Mahrke]

Isaac follows the bulky warrior down the ladder...though that in itself is a trial is a bum leg. Cane is handed to their native paladin compatriot:

"Aidez-moi, s'il vous plait. I usually have the undergrads doing the running around."

And down he goes, slowly but surely making his way to the bottom, before bringing down the wolf. Gesture is made, common to the spell that switched the caster with him earlier when sieging the house, though this time pointing to Aswin and Drifa, switching the places of the pair.

"If you think I'm climbing around on that bloody thing again, you've got another thing coming." Chides the professor.

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Manifest Power: Transposition

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Cost: 1 pp, Psionic Focus
Augments: Psionic Endowment
Target: Aswin, Drifa
Effect: Aswin and Drifa switch places (DC 21 Will on either negates).

[TheFallenOne]

Suddenly Aswin was transported up again, Drifa down below in his place. "You could have told me, then I wouldn't have bothered with the shield again", he retorted playfully with a wide grin. Once again removing the shield, he took the ladder for a second time.

[Sallera]

Unable to take the initiative with any grace, dangling from a rope above T'rissaste's head as he is, August waits silently to see what decision she will make.

[Fireheart]

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(OOC: Sorry Sallera)

Seeing that there is someone in the room, T'riss tries to motion to August that there is someone below then continues her drop as silently as possible, drawing her sickle as soon as she reaches the bottom.

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OOC2

move silently
(1d20+8)[14]

climb
(1d20+0)[1]

spot
[roll]1d20 +11[/roll]

+4 to the spot if the body is undead.

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OOC3
Remind me I need to teach the rest of the party the Drow Sign Language. :)

[Sallera]

In response to T'rissaste's signal, August holds up two fingers and points toward the far corner. As she advances on the figure, August drops down behind her, unable to support himself on the rope for too long. He does not yet draw his blade, sidestepping to get around the shrouded one should it prove hostile, and keeping all three potential enemies in front of him.

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Hide: (1d20+9)[15]
MS: (1d20)[7]

That would certainly be useful.

[Jeff the Green]

T'riss suddenly slips and falls among the rubble, creating such a clatter that even Aswin, Isaac, and Ashlyn can hear it—certainly the creatures she saw through the mist did. "Are you alright down there?" Arthros asks as he begins to shin down the rope.

The lady knight tosses Isaac's cane to him and then follows down the ladder.

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I still don't have my computer back. Hopefully tonight or tomorrow.

Sorry Sallera, but you don't have time to do that before initiative is rolled; they're aware of you now.

Initiative Table
{table=head]Character|Initiative
Arya|(1d20+5)[24]
T'riss|(1d20+11)[17]
Isaac|(1d20+1)[4]
Aswin|(1d20)[11]
August|(1d20+2)[11]
Arthros|(1d20+5)[18]
Baddies|[roll]1d20+n[/roll][/table]

Edit: Blegh. No more posting before coffee. I used an external dice roller; they got 6.

[TheFallenOne]

Drawing a sunrod, Aswin tapped it against the wall to increase their field of vision. "That was a bit louder than I expect from anyone but Lady Ashlyn and myself. No offense. Drifa, lead."

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I'm wholly unsure as to what we actually see. Is there more than one way to go?
I assume the corridor is too small for riding.

[Jeff the Green]

There is a momentary pregnant silence before the creatures August and T'riss saw attack.

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Finally I have a computer that will run Photoshop. The pillars you see are supports. They don't interfere with movement for anyone except Drifa, but she can move around them just fine. There's a surprise round for August and T'riss and a few of the baddies.

The mist is particularly bad in this fight. Anything >5' out (not adjacent) has concealment (20% miss chance). Anything >20' out has total concealment.

Arya and Arthros are still up on the main floor. They can jump down, but it's a good 15-20 feet. August is still about 5' from the floor; a successful DC 10 Jump check will let him drop down and recover as a free action. Failure means he falls prone. He can also climb down, but that's a move action.

[Sallera]

Dropping down from the rope as the creatures' hostile intent becomes apparent, August slips on a loose board, one end of it tilting up and pitching him onto the floor. Bouncing off his shield, he manages to roll off the rubble and rise to his feet, his bark-tough skin undamaged and only a faint look of embarrassment on his face.

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Drop to F3, stand and 5ft step to G4.

[TheFallenOne]

Seeing a faint outline in the mist accompanied by unpleasant smell, Drifa went into the corner of the room to attack the creature. Aswin followed the loud clambering sound, and rounding the corner he ran into a zombie and swiftly swung his glowing hammer at it.

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What kind of creature is a G supposed to be?

Drifa moves to M2/N3
attack - (1d20+14)[25] damage - (1d8+12)[16] trip if hit - (1d20+12)[22]

Aswin moves to J2, smites, PA 2
attack - (1d20+14)[16] damage - (2d6+14)[23] trip if hit - (1d20+14)[24]

[Fireheart]

"Bah." T'riss spits out. "Well, they know we're here now."

T'riss moves toward the closest shape hoping to get a better look. As she does, she loads one of the Knight's arrows into her crossbow.

OOC:

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Okay. moving to G1, assuming creature is a zombie and T'riss can confirm that when she gets w/in 5 ft.

Loading crossbow as part of move action.

Attacks if zombie

(1d20+9)[12]
(1d4+5)[6] (including +4 dmg for favored enemy)
(1d6)[5] arrow bonus
(2d6)[7] skirmish dmg

[Jeff the Green]

As she moves forward, T'riss gets a clear view of her enemy, along with one of its fellows. They are indeed zombies, and unlike the others you've seen, these are dressed in armor. She fires off a bolt at one of them, but it misses and clatters harmlessly to the ground.

Just as she releases the bolt, she senses something rushing behind her. Another walking corpse, this one decayed to such a degree that only the skeleton and bits of flesh remain, rushes toward her with its skeletal fingers splayed out to slash into the drow.

Meanwhile, August hears a low moan and gurgling sound to the back of the room. A hulking figure with a hunched back appears in the swirling mist, though it appears to have only just noticed August. August is then attacked in much the same way as T'riss, but the creature charging him is different. Its skin seems stretched across its bones and its lips are curled back to reveal horrible protruding canines. Its skin is black, as if it had been tanned and died, and its fingers end in sharp claws. It lunges at August, trying to sink its teeth into him.

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G1: Partial charge August (end at F4)

Attack: (1d20+9)[10] Well aren't you a lucky duck.
Damage: (1d8+3)[8] plus DC 15 disease plus Fort DC 15 paralysis for (1d4+1)[4] rounds.

S1: Partial charge T'riss (end at F1)

Attack: (1d20+12)[18]
Damage: (1d6+6)[11] plus DC 13 disease

The Gs are ghasts. B you don't have a good enough view of to identify.

[Sallera]

Stepping back from the black-skinned shade as its claws flail through the air, August clutches the bone raven, his other hand gaining a palpable sense of malice as absences and dissolution swirl around its surface, never quite touching the skin. As he casts his arm outward, the barely-visible substance lashes toward the shade, turning to dust what it strikes.

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5ft step to H3, Extended Reach Maximized Umbral Touch on G1.
Ranged touch: (1d20+5)[14]
Damage: 30

Oh, and what are the lighting conditions like at the moment? Not that it matters for August, but it'd be nice if his opponents had to roll for concealment. :3