Carrion Crown: The Haunting of Harrowstone, Pt. II [IC]

[Moriar]

"Hopefully we will find some more friends in that direction," Angelo says cheerfully and ignorant of any discontent.

[lostsole31]

The party heads south across the large central chamber to the southern cell block (true west is relative south on this map). The plaque leading to the western (south) cell block reads: "Nevermore."

Unlike the northern cell block (which you just finished looking over), the portcullis is down. Also as before, there is a door, but this time it is closed and not ajar as it was for the headless skeleton.

What do you do?

[SwordChucks]

Hargrimm checks the braids of his beard as he asks "Does 'Nevermore' mean anything in particular? Maybe these prisoners would be free 'nevermore'?"

"More importantly, is there a way to raise this portcullis without straining our backs?"

[Tippnick]

Zauberei says, "I can enlarge someone. This will help with opening the portcullis. But let's test how hard it is to raise first before expending a spell."

[Moriar]

"I could try to dissolve the bars before someone, err Lexi, tries to open it, " Angelo says before grinning at his brother.

[BuckGodot]

Alexandru grins back at his brother… ”Like that time we snuck into the broth… er… freed that imprisoned lady… from… her… imprisoners and… um. Nothing…”

[lostsole31]

"Well, in the last guardroom," says Wren, "there was a lever handle that was probably for the portcullis. I am sure there is the same in this guardroom here."

[BuckGodot]

Alexandru nods his agreement and begins searching for a lever.

[lostsole31]

Alexandru fails to find a lever out here in the hallway.

[BuckGodot]

Alexandru collapses and has a seizure of shame on the floor… crosses to the guard room door and opens it and if he doesn’t die, looks around for a lever.

[lostsole31]

Alexandru sees a lever on the southern wall.

[BuckGodot]

”Theres a lever here… Mist- Um. Wren? Will you check it?”

[lostsole31]

Wren goes in, checking for danger in the whole room first before returning and throwing the lever, which does nothing to the portcullis. He informs the rest of the party.

[Tippnick]

"Before trying any spells, let's try to have a couple of the strongest lift the portcullis", Zauberei suggests.

[lostsole31]

Alexandru is the obvious choice of primary, but as far as a strength assistant, it comes down to Hargrimm, Marius, and even Wren. Any volunteers?

[SwordChucks]

Hargrimm offers his dwarfly might, or mite as the case may be.

[lostsole31]

The two heavers - Lexi and Hargrimm - do what they can, but they cannot raise the portcullis.

[Ason]

Marius quietly watches the initial proceedings, puzzling over the situation. Attempting to be helpful he asks, "Wren, would you mind inspecting the portcullis mechanism with me? If a piece is broken or missing--either here or back at the lever--maybe you and I can fix it?"

Marius then inspects where the portcullis connects to the ceiling in the hallway, after which he inspects the lever in the guard room, looking for signs of damage, wear, or tampering in both cases. He then wracks his brain for explanations as to why this mechanism is no longer working and how it might be fixed.

Spoiler: Mechanics

Show

I am thinking Perception checks to look for clues as to what's broken, followed by maybe a Knowledge (engineering) check to fit those clues together toward an understanding of what has gone wrong here, but you know the rolls he would make better than I, so I defer to your adjudication.

Marius is inviting Wren to join him so that one can Aid Another the other.

[lostsole31]

Wren ... doesn't know what to think. While a clever fellow, well-read in a variety of subjects, it turns out that Wren has no grounding in engineering beyond the most basic everyday concepts. It is Zauberei who ends up being a good engineering assistant to Marius.

While most of the mechanism is behind the wall, Marius and Zauberei's check at the lever shows there is no resistance ... as there is no load. And they determine that it is because the Harrowstone fire ... while keeping the northern block mostly clear ... made it own to the southern block and melted/ destroyed the winch and chain mechanism. There is no way to get to it, to feed a chain through properly if you had one of your own, or otherwise repair the portcullis without a major undertaking beyond the scope of simple dungeon exploration.

[SwordChucks]

Hargrimm looks around for a moment before saying "It looks like we may need to use magic to bypass this. I'd prefer Angelo's idea to dissolve the bars, at least enough to crawl through. If we use Zauberei's Enlarge, we'd need to pile something under the portcullis so we would be able to leave once the magic ends."

[Ason]

After relaying this discovery and hearing Hargrimm's response, Marius pauses to think for a minute, stroking his chin while he inspects the portcullis to determine its material, before adding, "You're right. Sundering the bars, with magic or muscle, may be our only option."

Perking up, he adds with rare optimism, "But this may be a blessing in disguise, because this will stop any corporeal undead from sneaking up on us. Why don't we just search the western hallway for now? In the meantime, we can keep our eyes open for suitable objects to pile under the portcullis, smash it down, or lever it up."

Spoiler: Mechanics

Show

I don't know what check it would be to identify a mundane material, but a portcullis primarily made of wood or that has rusted over time might be easier to deal with than one made of adamantine.

[SwordChucks]

Hargrimm turns to Marius "That sounds best for now. Maybe we'll find another way in during our search and not have to herniate ourselves."

[Moriar]

"Good point. I don't think Lexi would want another hernia." Angelo says with a sly grin.

"To the west!"

[BuckGodot]

Alexandru looks at his brother and shakes his head with a smile before moving over to once again join Wren heading west.

[lostsole31]

The party heads to the west, where the brass plaque (once cleared of soot and grime) reads: "Reaper's Hold."

The "Reaper's Hold" corridor goes in much farther than others have gone, as it is nearly 60' not to one door, but two facing doors of the hall. The portcullis itself leading to the cell block is down.

Which door do you wish to check first .... the northern or southern?

[Moriar]

"Don't know why, but North seems like a good place to start." Angelo says.

[BuckGodot]

”Because when we then turn south it will seem like we’re travelling downhill?”

[Ason]

"As you wish," Marius says with a nod. He then inspects the northern door for any traps or other hazardous things.

[lostsole31]

It really is more about Marius assisting Wren looking for traps, but both are perspicacious men in this regard. They do not detect anything untoward about the door. Marius gets back with his polearm at the ready, and Lexi puts up weapon and shield to get the door. Unlike the doors on the main level above, it should be noted that while there is a little bit of resistance, the doors down here are not rotted through. So one can open the door instead of simply pulling it off its hinges (and watching it fall apart). Despite the pool of water that came into the eastern cell block, it is not nearly so humid down here.

And so, Lexi easily opens the door (and next time he does this he can ready his shield and possibly open a door one-handed unless that specific door has an issue). The western cell block guard room is in here. This guard room is decorated similarly to the others, with a table, a few chairs, and a pair of cots, yet unlike the others, no undead or haunts seem to lurk within. There is also a winch on the western wall.

As Lexi readies his shield again, Wren goes in carefully to check the safety of the room and winch area (taking a minute), and then he spends a MA to release the lock, and another FRA to raise the portcullis.

Does the party do a search in this room? If so ... quick or deep?

[SwordChucks]

Hargrimm elects for a deep search. "The guards might have stashed something useful, and if not there may be some personal items their families might want for closure." he explains.