Bel's Age of Worms [IC]

[Deophaun]

Rose

Biding her time, Rose waits for the one she watched take the gold to move. Picking up her drink, she turns away from the bar and walks right into him, spilling the cheap ale over the booth of them as her hands slip freely to the coin pouch.

Spoiler

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Slieght of Hand:(1d20+19)[23]
Free Action Slieght of Hand to hide it on her person:(1d20-1)[13] ( result doesn't really matter unless Searched)

"Oy! Whatch where yer goin you clumsy git!"

Spoiler: OOC

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They didn't earn their gold fair and square: they are selling information related to their grave robbing. Fruit of the poisonous tree.

[rax]

Narl

Stepping into the night air, Narl waits for the rest of the party to join him outside the Feral Dog. When Fardus and Cyrius hove into view, he notes the bulging sack that the crusader is carrying. "That looks quite heavy. Been to the flea market, or have you taken up mugging as a hobby, friend Cyrius?"

[Deophaun]

Rose

The tavern doors burst open as Rose stumbles into the street. She pauses briefly and points at someone inside. "Yeah, well I kicked yer ma's ass in the pit!" she yells with a smile just before she staggers fully out.

Continuing forward, Rose seems to collapse on Narl's shoulders. "Hey, yer pals really need to keep a better eye on their coin," she says as she slaps a bag loaded with gold in his hands.

Rose's voice grow quiet and determined, losing the false notes of intoxication for a moment. "We have a Filge rat to attend to."

[PeacefulOak]

Fardus the Dwarf

The portly dwarf smiles at the group as they begin to make their way down the street away from the tavern. ”One might say that our windfall coincides with our Filge rat remaining unaware of his impending peril.” He chuckles after echoing the pun Rose had used. “Shall we be off, then? Where too?”

[DrK]

Cyrius

Looking guilty slightly at the heavy sack Cyrius sighs. "It seemed the right thing to do. Well done on finding where the bodies went." He leans forward whispering, "We took the orcs stuff and left him in an alley. He won't bother us tonight."

As he realises Rose stole back the money he places a hand on his own pouch and tucks it behind an armoured plate. "How far is the observatory ."

[rax]

Narl

One eyebrow raised, Narl takes the money, saying nothing.

"Not far," he replies to Cyrius' question. "It's up there on the hill, near the standing the stones. My informant said that this Filge character is a friend of Balabar Smenk's and that they had been ordered to assist him. He wanted corpses, so they brought him corpses. Beyond that, they had nothing much to do with him. Filge has been holed up in the observatory for a few weeks though, so if he's the security minded type he will surely have set up some defences by now."

[J-H]

Casper

"Well, let's not waste any more time. We can head that way now."

The group heads towards the observatory.

"You know, I didn't think doing this was going to be as bloody as this may be... you know, with actual people instead of monsters and stuff."

[DrK]

Cyrius

Looking at Casper the young man shrugs. "With a necromancer at least the gods sanction their destruction. There is no moral quandary here."

[BelGareth]

Five minutes north of Diamond Lake, on a bluff overlooking an abandoned mine, a crumbling old observatory casts its gaze to the heavens. A wide slit bisects its domed tower, where surely a great telescope once peered into eternity. Now the place bears a dark character, like a sagging tenement broken under the weight of decades of inhabitants. A slim stairway cut into the steep hillside leads to the structure's only door, on the side of the tower's attached one-story outbuilding. Flickering light filters through the observatory's only windows, along the tower's second and third floors.

[Deophaun]

Rose

Spying the stairway, Rose hides her light and creeps forward, mindfull of her footfalls to not accidentally kick any of the loose stones left over from the mine's former activity, and makes sure the way in is safe.

Spoiler

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Move Silently (take 10): 19
Hide (take 10): 21
Search (take 10): 30
Listen: (1d20+8)[11]
Spot: (1d20+3)[16]

[rax]

Narl

Trailing some distance behind Rose, Narl takes in the layout of the observatory. "If we can get onto the roof of the outbuilding, we might be able to enter the observatory directly on the second floor," Narl notes to Casper and Cyrius. "Since that's where the lights are, I imagine that's where we're most likely to find Filge."

[PeacefulOak]

Fardus the Dwarf

Somewhat further back in the group, the portly dwarf wheezes as he makes his way up the stairs, leaning heavily on the staff to support him. ”Forgive me, but I *wheeze* don’t think I will be making it through any windows, never mind the ascent! Whew... oh my.”

[DrK]

Cyrius

The cleric, sword in hand with his heavy armour of plate and mail on him looks at the lighthouse. Breathing heavily beside Fardus as the weight of the metal armour slowed him down he looked at the observatory ahead. Looking at Fardus he shrugged, "I don't know, but I expected it to look, more, well sinister. It looks unassuming and old." Glancing at Rose he raps his knuckles on the steel, "I struggle to climb I'm afraid Rose. But I'll try my best to keep up with you."

He looks over the glass dome and the doors on the outbuildings. "We could just knock? If this necromancer is there he may well be alone." He looks at the others shrugging and seeing what they think.

[BelGareth]

The stairway rises to a wide landing and two huge wooden doors. Shot through with dark blue mold, the doors form an enormous round moon carved with a lunatic's jabbering face. Beneath the landing, an unremarkable wooden door appears to lead to a tool closet under the stairs.

Rose moves forward and sees nothing amiss.

[rax]

Narl

"We've got plenty of rope and a couple of grappling hooks. Climbing a single story should be a doddle," Narl shrugs. "But if everyone's dead set against it I suppose we can at least wait and see if Rose gets torched by mystic hellfire or something first."

[DrK]

Cyrius

The young priest looks at the main door and nods at the tool closet. "Maybe we should check the tool closet? " he ventures as he heads forward to open the door. " There may be a ladder in there. "

He nods to Narl, glancing at Rose. " You think hellfire will be a risk?" he asks as he heads to check the tool cupboard

[Deophaun]

Rose

"The owner traffics in the dead. It would be tempting fate for him to employ it in his defenses.

"The outside appears unwarded. Knocking would be the way of civilized people. However, in the past I have found it advantageous for the residents to be asleep while entering."

[rax]

Narl

"So what'll it be? Front door or second story entrance? Or both? There's lights on upstairs, so we should probably assume that someone's awake at this hour."

[J-H]

Casper
"If there are traps or tricks, they'll be at the front door. Let's go through the second floor."

[Deophaun]

Rose

"Why don't we find out what's inside, first?" she whispers as she pulls out a small blue crystal. Three pairs of delicate legs appear to spring out from the rock when she moves it close to the wall, allowing it to leap onto the surface and start scuttling up towards the window.

With the crystal off on its mission, Rose turns her attention to her sandshaped equipment and begins to break it down into a long, silken strand.

Spoiler: Christmas Present

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Psicrystal's skill checks:
Hide (Take 10): 30
Move Silently (Take 10): 18
Listen (Take 10): 17
Spot (Take 10, Sighted 40'): 15

After it has successfully scouted the windows, it will return to collect the shapesand string and run a line up to the target entry point.

[BelGareth]

Spoiler

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Is Cyrius opening the lower door, beneath the landing?

Spoiler: Rose

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Psicrystals have a telapathic sense only, so...are you relying on that?

Spoiler: Map

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Map
Please place yourselves

[Deophaun]

Spoiler

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I'm relying on this:

Sighted (Ex): Although it has no physical sensory organs, a psicrystal can telepathically sense its environment as well as a creature with normal vision and hearing. Darkness (even supernatural darkness) is irrelevant, as are areas of supernatural silence, though a psicrystal still can’t discern invisible or ethereal beings. A psicrystal’s sighted range is 40 feet.

[PeacefulOak]

Fardus the Dwarf

Finally arriving at the top of the hill, the heavyset dwarf leans on his staff, his breath creating great plumes like the mightiest of dragons. "Make sure to tell what you see, Mistress Rose. With Deneir's grace, I might be able to provide some insight before we enter."

[DrK]

Cyrius

Watching Rose Cyrius nods at the small door under the stairs, "I'll just check in here whilst you look up on the roof?" He nods to Fardus, "I don't think Master Fardus and I are will be up to much climbing really!" With his sword in hand he walks slowly across to the small storage door and opens the door to see if its a way into a basement or a cellar.

[BelGareth]

Cyrius opens the closet underneath the stairs while the others busy themselves.

The door is musty and old, the paint having splintered off, peeling and crackling like old skin, the hingers however were not as tough as your thought, putting much too much effort into it, they moved easily, as if, this door was in recent use.

The door swings open and a tiny black thing stares up at you, with a sudden "Eek!" it leaps at you, biting at your throat!

Spoiler

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We'll do this freeform.

Cyrius and 2 other people can be down below, while Rose, Fardus upstairs.

Spoiler: Knowledge Religion

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DC 13 -
It is a esoteric undead creation

DC 18 -
It is a Tomb mote, made up of bone shards, matted hair, bits of shattered tomebstone, dirt, and rotting, miss-matched teeth.
They have a diseased bite attack

DC 23 -
The bite carries a disease called Corpse Bloat, that causes infected persons skin to turn green, bloat and becomes warm to the touch.
(incubation ~4 days, saps the infected persons strength)

DC 28 -
They are extremely quick, and can move much faster than a normal man or dwarf

Attacks Cyrius flat footed
Attack - (1d20+6)[18]
Damage - (1d4-1)[3] & DC 13 Fort save

It takes a while to climb up the stony wall, but Roses psicrystal-with-legs scuttles up the thing, and manages to get to the window and peer in, it sends back a pulse of *thereisnodangerwithin* emotion.

*Everyone can act*

[PeacefulOak]

Fardus the Dwarf

Spoiler: Knowledge!

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(1d20+13)[16] Religion

Seeing the tiny ball of awful leap up and attack Cyrius, Fardus strides forward and raises his symbol of Deneir. "Stand down, fiend! Obey me!"

Spoiler: OoC

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Rebuke Undead (1d20+3)[11] to affect (2d6+6)[11] HD of enemies.

[rax]

Narl

"What fresh misfortune is this," Narl mutters angrily at the sound below. Peeking over the side of the steps, he spies Cyrius trying to fend off a black smudge going for his jugular. Hoping to help the crusader, he expends a curse to try and drain the luck from the tomb mote.

Spoiler: Spoiler

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Swift action: Hexblade's curse on the tomb mote. Will DC 14 to resist.

[Deophaun]

Rose

Keep looking, Rabbit, Rose thinks to her psicrystal as she unsheathes her short sword. We're a little busy right now.

She jumps down and lands next to Cyrius. The magic blade traces a shadowy echo as she stabs it at the ravening creature.

Spoiler

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Shadow Blade
Flanking from Island of Blades w/ Cyrius

Attack 1: (1d20+9)[21]
Attack 2: (1d20+9)[21]
Damage: (1d6+6)[11]
Cold damage: (1d6)[6]

[BelGareth]

Just as Fardus compels the spirit to be gone, Rose jumps down and slashes the thing with one of her blade techniques. Fardus tries to curse the thing, but fails, evenso, it's one large eye glares at you all with a mixture of fear, contempt, and how-could-you! Before skittering away, easily avoiding your blades, and moving much faster than any of you could hope to, before your realize, it's vanished down the road.

~

You command Rabbit, but the window is locked, do you want it to go scouting all over the roof until it finds a hole?

[Deophaun]

Rose

Rose instinctively takes off after the creature, but quickly realizes she's out of her league and watches helplessly as it vanishes into the night. "Great," she says, her voice pitching up as she catches her breath. "We let an undead abomination loose on the town."

Keep looking. See if you can get a peek at what's up top.

"Shall we try the front door?"