Withstanding the Crimson Host

[Riggdgames]

Laith Khouri Fallen Aasimar Paladin AC: 21 HP: 64/76 PP: 10 PIv: 8 PIs: 10 Conditions: -- Concentration: -- "As you say," Laith starts, nodding at Calin, "if the evil is gone then we should too." Laith's confidence in Calin's judgement is plain for all to see based on the templar's background and his capabilities. Leading troops and swinging a greatsword were two things he understood well and respected. The same couldn't be said for everything. "Fig-ur-ative-ly," he says slowly, pondering the word for a moment as understanding comes slowly. He frowns, both annoyed with the difficulty of following what Neth is saying and the content of her words. He looks down at his axe for a moment, trying to make the connection that bones are like any other tool or weapon, but Laith is still struggling with the concept even after they start heading for the surface. "Careful," he says to Zaddion regretfully as he packs the explosives back into the bag and hefts it over his shoulder. "Do not delay in being back at the bridge with us."

[MCerberus]

Llane

"Yes much better not delaying, and we'll have time to come back and explore this place before the villagers leave on the river." Llane takes a moment to look over the magically-messed-up room the party has congregated in. It reminds him of awkward situations and that means...

"There was another who speaks looking into the corruption as well. He is not all-together and would like to literally burn the bridge before he changes his mind."

[Seanfall]

Zaddion removed a tinderbox and a torch from his pack and lit it up. "If I'm to be left alone, then I shall only take a quick look through the library I'm not one to push my luck. I'll follow after in a few minutes." Before separating he handed the dagger to Neth, "I can't detect magic, I'd be very grateful if you could see if there's anything special about this dagger other than it's ornmentation. I'll bring you back any nice books on the undead that I find." He winked, and made his way towards the library.

Once at the library Zaddion would light any other light sources in the room and take a quick look through the collection. Looking for anything that stuck out. "Now let's see what a Vampire considers light reading."

[sandmote]

Spoiler: Updated Maps

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Ground floor:

Underground:

Okay, presenting some options for everyone to do:

• Religion (Intelligence) check to study the religious iconography: casket, maze, or the destroyed objects around the casket. Roll separately for each listed item.
• Investigation (Intelligence) check to search the library.
• Athletics (Strength) or Sleight of Hand (Dexterity) check to open up some boxes.
• Perception (Wisdom) to wander the hall for anything that might have been missed.
• Head back to the village; asking about an item you've brought them requires a Persuasion (Charisma) Roll separately for each brought item.
• History (Intelligence) check to study the changing room.

You are in no way required to all go together.

[Xihirli]

Neth looked back at the library as she took the dagger. "...Actually, all my zombies and skeletons!" she ordered. She pointed to Llane. "Follow him. Do what he tells you to do." She sent the M squad off and went into the library, searching for spells or any other knowledge the vampire had accrued... particularly on necromancy.

Spoiler: Investigation!

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(1d20+7)[19]

[Bobthewizard]

Calin

Calin goes around to the crates and boxes. "Can someone give me a hand trying to open these."

Spoiler: OOC

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As requested, here are a bunch of athletics checks to open crates and boxes, assuming someone is helping to give advantage. If you only wanted one check then just use the first one.

1st (1d20+8)[14] or (1d20+8)[27]
2nd (1d20+8)[10] or (1d20+8)[19]
3rd (1d20+8)[18] or (1d20+8)[17]
4th (1d20+8)[19] or (1d20+8)[18]
5th (1d20+8)[16] or (1d20+8)[27]
6th (1d20+8)[15] or (1d20+8)[15]

Edit: Sorry I posted this before I saw your OOC post about only one roll.

[MCerberus]

Llane

Llane rolls his eyes as the others seem to casually want to deal with what could be an extra-dimensional leak of energy that may be responsible for blighting the area. Right then, blowing up the bridge. "Do you care if any of your puppets are blown up or fall in the river doing this?" Without very much of a wait for a reply, Llane starts moving back towards the exit. He looks around a bit on the way out, not having to rush like when they arrived.

Presumably, unless stopped, he'd make it back to the bridge to do skeletal demolition work.

Spoiler: ooc

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going to see if I can do a perception check on the way out
Perception - (1d20+8)[12]

[Xihirli]

"Bring as many of the bones back as possible, Mavis has a bag for them," Osterneth answered shortly as she leafed through a book.

[sandmote]

Most of the books in the library are heavily destroyed, but Neth does manage to find three tomes wrapped in a leather bag. The first lists methods for burying the dead of various faiths, the second a series of instructions for battling the undead, and the third is a collection of seven stories extolling several groups known for fighting undead, primarily the Knights of the Eternal Order.

In most of the boxes, Calin finds rotten food and grey cloth that had long been eaten. One of the smaller boxes falls over and makes a metallic clink. When Calin checks inside, he finds a silver longsword and a potion. The liquid inside shifts slowly in color, appearing like liquidized rotten flesh.

When Llane checks the basement out, there appears to have been a battle in the chamber before; blood as spilled on the inside of the big door leading to the main room of the temple. Otherwise, there wasn't much to see the first time around.

[Bobthewizard]

Calin

Calin holds up the longsword and offers it to the others, "Would anyone like this toothpick?"

He keeps the potion for now, and the sword if no one else wants it, and then heads up to join the others on the way to the bridge.

[Seanfall]

With the others making use of skills Zaddion had never...sought to master, yeah that sounds good, for surely he would have had he put his mind to it. He decides to wait till they've gathered and make use of his supreme vocal skills to ask about the various items found during this excursion to see if the people of the village know anything about them. "That is a very lovely weapon, perhaps served better in the hand of one with the strength to weild to it."

Spoiler: ooc

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Persuasion

The dagger
(1d20+7)[14]

The Silver Sword
(1d20+7)[13]

The Potion if Calin wants, I'm prerolling to save time but IC I don't know about it.
(1d20+7)[25]

Let me know if I'm forgetting anything or if there is anything you want me to roll for thank you.

[dangelo]

Salos doesn't explore the room, rather fetching and doning his armor.

[Xihirli]

Neth left the books where they were.
"Useless. Why does a vampire collect books about destroying the undead?" and she followed the M squad to the bridge.

[Riggdgames]

Laith Khouri Fallen Aasimar Paladin AC: 21 HP: 64/76 PP: 10 PIv: 8 PIs: 10 Conditions: -- Concentration: -- At Calin's offer, Laith reaches out and gives the silver longsword a few swings, but in short order he hands it back, shaking his head. "Not me. It just isn't feeling right, not like an axe. Maybe one of them back at the Keep can be making use of it when the host bears down." Making his way towards the exit, Laith follows Llane. Now that he knows goblin scouts are already in their midst, he's eager to see their work at the bridge done. Spoiler: OOC Show Unfortunately I think I'm a little late to grant Llane or Calin advantage, so I will take a moment at the crowd Seanfall has gathered and ask about the dagger and sword before continuing to the bridge with Llane. Persuasion: Dagger - (1d20+8)[19] Silver Sword - (1d20+8)[15]

[sandmote]

As Zaddion is asking around the old woman he bumped into earlier comes up to him, marveling at the silver blade. "Why, I haven't seen one of those since I was a little girl. Old man Berde used to have one. My meemaw said it was from an old order dedicated to fighting the undead. Said they'd been wiped out." She muses for a moment before continuing, "I think his son, Madhav, sold it to buy a new boat, because no one in the family was trained with it anyway. Where did you find another one?" When asked about the potion, she identifies it as a Potion of Necrotic Resistance.

The villagers don't appear to know about magic items, but Aswanth recognizes the wizards fighting. "That's the symbol of a group of battlemages trained in fighting dark wizards and their ilk." If given the opportunity, he begins casting detect magic on the weapon.

Salos dons his armor without issue.

[Seanfall]

Zaddion let the man cast his spell, he thanked the old woman the man for their aide. As the man cast his spell he looked down at the silver sword. "Used to slay the undead huh?" Zaddion had no real skill with a sword, but still a weapon useful against the undead might be worth keeping around. "Calin found it so it's his by right of plunder. But perhaps I can convince him to not sell it just yet."

[Bobthewizard]

Calin

Despite normally using his magic great sword, Calin will hold onto the longsword if no one else wants it, "Neth, when you have a chance, could you tell me whether this sword is magic or not and what it does?"

He keeps the potion for now, and the sword if no one else wants it.

[Xihirli]

"Certainly," Neth said. "I will do so once we are back on the road."

[Bobthewizard]

Calin

While the others prepare the charges, Calin walks to the middle of the bridge, summons his echo, and sends it the rest of the way across to look for any threats."I'll look for any danger on the other side. We need to make sure they haven't set an ambush."

Calin sits down while he looks through the echo.

Spoiler: OOC

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The echo lasts for 10 minutes and will scout the area within 1000' of the bridge.

[MCerberus]

Llane

With the bone puppets working the actual explosives, Llane leans on his focus staff and sighs, trying to make sense of the past few minutes. Realizing that there are others in the area it would seem awkward to not have some kind of conversation.

The druid asks of Laith, "Any of those dead things have its mind? The ones that think usually have some sort of curse or can carry a disease."

[sandmote]

As Calin's echo searches the surrounding area, it finds the smoldering remains of the warg rider's camp across the river. The total size of the group appears to have been over a dozen hobgoblins, but he doesn't find any of them.

As the charges are set, first on the far side of the bridge, then closer as the undead retreat. It collapses cleanly, leaving embankments on either side but otherwise disappearing into the deep water below. The villagers aren't happy about this, but they don't raise a fuss either. If the host doesn't pass by, their homes are certainly safer.

---

Most of the villagers appear to be setting up for a night of (non-celebratory) drinking before they set off down the river tomorrow. Whenever the party isn't otherwise busy, they are welcome to join. Aswanth appears to in fact know a few villagers (even if he isn't particularly liked) and has sat down to partake himself.

[Xihirli]

"Spill out the bag," Neth ordered to Mavis, and once the bones were out she demanded that they rise. "Hey. Get up." And the bones brought themselves in to form two more skeletons. "Rise, Mindy and Marge!"

[sandmote]

Many of the villagers are very horrified by the raising of the dead so near them, but none are brave enough to tell Neth to stop.

[Xihirli]

Neth refreshed her control over her preexisting undead. They’d get used to it. She set the newer members to the task of carrying her pack and anything else that the party wanted to keep, and was ready to rest for the night.

[Seanfall]

Zaddion watched the undead literally pull themselves together. "Interesting...tell me do you need a full skeleton? Or could you say simply use a skull and a hand to create an undead? How far can you push the spell?" Zaddion removed his lute from his back and strummed a few bitter notes. "On less morose subjects, what is our next move? Should we get some rest or make haste towards collecting new allies?"

[Xihirli]

"I will be resting here," Osterneth answered, having her undead surround her. "Keep anyone but Mavis from waking me up," she said to them all, then zeroed in on Mavis."Wake me up when threatened, or when the sun comes up."
That dealt with, she laid out her bedroll, then pulled out her pearl and started identifying the weapon Zadion had given her.

Spoiler: OOC

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What was it again?

[Seanfall]

Spoiler: ooc

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It was a dagger evidently displaying battle mages.

[sandmote]

The dagger turns out to be a Wand of the Warmage, as well as the obvious available function. A Dagger of the Warmage, if you will.

Someone has started playing a violin in the village.

Spoiler: OOC

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If no one has any interesting in seeing what's happening, we can skip to the next morning.

[Xihirli]

After a good night's rest, Osterneth arose and stretched. She passed the dagger to Mavis. "Give that to Zaddion, won't you?" she said, nodding to the sorcerer. "Tell him it will enhance his spells."

The zombie shambled over to Zaddion and passed him the dagger, hilt-first. "Bwag gwuh pleh," it said.

[Seanfall]

Zaddion took the dagger and stowed it nodding sagely, Not a clue what that meant but...meh. At the sound of a violin the sorcerer's ears perked up. "I do believe I hear a chance to show off!" The magic maker turned and headed towards the sound, strumming his lute lightly and feeling slightly more awake than he had previously, despite the arcane might he'd displayed earlier having drained him.