Nov 16, 2021 5:12 pm
"If you see a spot you like just say the word and we'll bury them there. Shouldn't take more than a half hour considering their size."
Part 7: Return to the Moathouse Dungeon
load previous
Nov 16, 2021 7:13 pm
The group presses forward with the bodies of the slain pixies tied to their mounts until Gilly finds a spot that is to her liking. It's a small clearing next to the river that runs alongside the trail heading north to the ruins. Without a proper shovel the digging is slowed, but the pixies are only a foot to a foot-and-a-half tall, and besides the shallow grave, the river provides enough stones to build a small burial cairn.
It's a little after 2pm as you're finishing up, and you begin striding your mounts when Gilly and Eltrezar look up and spot another familiar sight. Sitting on the nearby tree branch, overlooking the makeshift funeral, is the remaining pixie the party encountered. As the halfling and wizard spot it, it suddenly disappears and the group is left staring at a odd shimmering that indicates an invisible pixie's presence. A moment later you all hear the vibrating of wings rush away.
Eltrezar, recognizing the shimmer in the air for what it is now, begins noticing the odd spots of wavering of shimmer in other locations. Some on other boughs of the tree. A few seem to be staying motionless in the grass nearby, and with a buzz, one or two seem to dart over and land on the cairn itself. Then with a storm of commotion the sound of two dozen or more pairs of dragonfly wings erupts around the party, circling the horses like a wall and setting them at unease.
As you fight to keep the horses steady within the invisible eye of this cyclone of wings fluttering suddenly around you, the pixies take off again racing into the distance until Eltrezar sees no more of the shimmering spots, and the day is calm once again save for the light drizzle.
It's a little after 2pm as you're finishing up, and you begin striding your mounts when Gilly and Eltrezar look up and spot another familiar sight. Sitting on the nearby tree branch, overlooking the makeshift funeral, is the remaining pixie the party encountered. As the halfling and wizard spot it, it suddenly disappears and the group is left staring at a odd shimmering that indicates an invisible pixie's presence. A moment later you all hear the vibrating of wings rush away.
Eltrezar, recognizing the shimmer in the air for what it is now, begins noticing the odd spots of wavering of shimmer in other locations. Some on other boughs of the tree. A few seem to be staying motionless in the grass nearby, and with a buzz, one or two seem to dart over and land on the cairn itself. Then with a storm of commotion the sound of two dozen or more pairs of dragonfly wings erupts around the party, circling the horses like a wall and setting them at unease.
As you fight to keep the horses steady within the invisible eye of this cyclone of wings fluttering suddenly around you, the pixies take off again racing into the distance until Eltrezar sees no more of the shimmering spots, and the day is calm once again save for the light drizzle.
Rolls
Secret Roll
Secret Roll
Secret Roll
Secret Roll
Nov 16, 2021 8:11 pm
"Well that was fairly nerve wracking."
Mal strokes her steed's neck to steady his nerves and then reigns him back to the road.
"Hopefully we have earned a little credit with the fae folk."
Mal strokes her steed's neck to steady his nerves and then reigns him back to the road.
"Hopefully we have earned a little credit with the fae folk."
Nov 17, 2021 12:38 am
Bors looks at Mal. "Huh. You know, I never thought about fairy banking before. I hope their credit isn't like leaves or berries or something." Bors shrugs. "Well, let's press on. I want to finish exploring this place so we can put all this behind us. So many bad memories already. And bad smells."
Nov 17, 2021 12:50 am
Hrmph! "It can be dangerous having the kindness of the faeriefolk. One can never expect what may come. In the meantime, I agree with our warrior here. Let us continue on while we still have the energy."
Nov 18, 2021 3:16 am
The rest of the ride to the moathouse is uneventful and you arrive at front of the ruins at around 2:40pm.
Nov 18, 2021 1:03 pm
"I suppose that was some sort of blessing, was it, Mal? You’d know that sort of thing. They might come help us in our time of need. Like were we to run into another ogre!"
Gilly grabs Timber’s reigns.
"Still… reckon I’ll bring Timber a little further inside this time. Just in case it weren’t a blessing!"
Gilly grabs Timber’s reigns.
"Still… reckon I’ll bring Timber a little further inside this time. Just in case it weren’t a blessing!"
Nov 18, 2021 2:41 pm
"Tis a fine idea Gilly, beyond the fairies there could well be whoever last occupied that cave out and about. A little extra caution would serve us well."
Gilly and Mal lead the rest of the group into the moathouse itself where they secure their horses thoroughly.
Gilly and Mal lead the rest of the group into the moathouse itself where they secure their horses thoroughly.
Nov 18, 2021 3:12 pm
Eltrezar allows his Dwarf and Halfling subordinates secure the horses, a task best reserved for those of their stature. He grumbles a bit and stretches, as riding is quite difficult in his advanced age. A long yawn, a wide-armed stretch in which his sternum crackles, and a quick beard check. The wizard is ready.
Ahem! "Now, where were we? I recall the two doors we could not open with the skills of our oh so reliable friends, those shifty ones. And there was that hidden passage leading even lower." He tugs at his beard in thought, curling his mustaches only for them to fall back down limp.
Ahem! "Now, where were we? I recall the two doors we could not open with the skills of our oh so reliable friends, those shifty ones. And there was that hidden passage leading even lower." He tugs at his beard in thought, curling his mustaches only for them to fall back down limp.
Nov 18, 2021 10:38 pm
OOC:
One moment please... We're gonna have to retcon Eltrezar's action.Rolls
Secret Roll
Secret Roll
Nov 19, 2021 4:13 am
As the party dismounts they begin heading across the rotting drawbridge one at a time. When the moathouse was taken many years past before it fell to ruins, part of the drawbridge was battered through, and men crossed on planks to gain access to the inner gates. The chains of the drawbridge were broken, and it fell; it has remained thus since. It has always been strong enough to bear a man's weight, but the only time mounts were seen to cross over was the first time the party came and sacked the group of bandits occupying the ruins, and only Gilly and Maloria were present.
Perhaps Gilly Puddlefoot, newcomer to the party that she was, was distraught by the death of Sister Alice at the time, and perhaps Maloria Stoneforge was distracted as well at the relief at having been rescued from the fate of becoming the Giant Snake's next meal, and neither remembered or paid mind to the bridge's rotten planks groaning and bending under the weight of the heavy horses. But as the party crosses over today, memories are brought back.
Gilly and her pony cross first, and the drawbridge over the moat creaks. Maloria moves forward next and the bridge sags under the weight of her steed. As she approaches the center there's a sudden crack and the planking stretching over the rotten bridge finally gives way. Mal and her horse tumble to the moat below, and despite the brackish murk of the water below giving the illusion of depths unseen, the moat is only a foot or so deep in some spots, including that directly below.
Mal crashes into the water with a splash, sinking a bit into mud but managing to keep her head above water, grateful that she hit a shallow spot. The cleric's heavy plate armor would have surely dragged her down to a horrifying death had it been as deep as it would have been when the moathouse was in use.
Unfortunately, the shallow waters below are not for lucky for Mal's horse. As Mal lands with a grunt, there's a huge splash of water beside her throwing mud and brown sludge in her face, and she hears a horrifying scream from her mount. As she wipes the sand from her eyes she looks to the horse, beside her, which is thrashing and bucking and trying to right itself, eyes bugging out in panic and agony. It's instantly obvious the animal has broken it's front leg. It continues to cry out and whinny in pain, even as it regains it's feet, now favoring her badly broken leg by holding it off the murky silt underneath it's hooves.
From the south side of the moat, Eltrezar and Bors and their two new companions look down at Mal and her injured mount below, then over at Gilly and her pony on the other side of the moat, separated by a ten foot chasm.
A look of surprise crosses Turuko's face and he suddenly looks over at Kobort.
Perhaps Gilly Puddlefoot, newcomer to the party that she was, was distraught by the death of Sister Alice at the time, and perhaps Maloria Stoneforge was distracted as well at the relief at having been rescued from the fate of becoming the Giant Snake's next meal, and neither remembered or paid mind to the bridge's rotten planks groaning and bending under the weight of the heavy horses. But as the party crosses over today, memories are brought back.
Gilly and her pony cross first, and the drawbridge over the moat creaks. Maloria moves forward next and the bridge sags under the weight of her steed. As she approaches the center there's a sudden crack and the planking stretching over the rotten bridge finally gives way. Mal and her horse tumble to the moat below, and despite the brackish murk of the water below giving the illusion of depths unseen, the moat is only a foot or so deep in some spots, including that directly below.
Mal crashes into the water with a splash, sinking a bit into mud but managing to keep her head above water, grateful that she hit a shallow spot. The cleric's heavy plate armor would have surely dragged her down to a horrifying death had it been as deep as it would have been when the moathouse was in use.
Unfortunately, the shallow waters below are not for lucky for Mal's horse. As Mal lands with a grunt, there's a huge splash of water beside her throwing mud and brown sludge in her face, and she hears a horrifying scream from her mount. As she wipes the sand from her eyes she looks to the horse, beside her, which is thrashing and bucking and trying to right itself, eyes bugging out in panic and agony. It's instantly obvious the animal has broken it's front leg. It continues to cry out and whinny in pain, even as it regains it's feet, now favoring her badly broken leg by holding it off the murky silt underneath it's hooves.
From the south side of the moat, Eltrezar and Bors and their two new companions look down at Mal and her injured mount below, then over at Gilly and her pony on the other side of the moat, separated by a ten foot chasm.
A look of surprise crosses Turuko's face and he suddenly looks over at Kobort.
Nov 19, 2021 4:21 am
Eltrezar looks to the two hirelings. Ahem! "Don't just stand there, get her out of there!" He dismounts and moves to tie his horse to, well, anything around; his eyes, however, keep darting back to the drawbridge, inspecting what remains.
OOC:
Is the entire bridge destroyed, or a section of it?Nov 19, 2021 5:23 am
"Gods!"
Mal stands up and checks herself for injury. She casts a mournful look at her steed and then calls up to the others.
"I'm fine, but I think we're going to have to put my horse down. Mind throwing me a rope?"
Mal stands up and checks herself for injury. She casts a mournful look at her steed and then calls up to the others.
"I'm fine, but I think we're going to have to put my horse down. Mind throwing me a rope?"
Nov 19, 2021 12:50 pm
"They don't build them like they used to. Or at least that's what my pa says. Don't worry Mal, I'll get you out of there." Bors will borrow rope from whoever has some and fasten it to a more stable part of the bridge and toss the other end down to Mal.
Nov 19, 2021 10:19 pm
OOC:
First-things-first, that drawbridge "trap" has been a looong time coming!
I think you guys first encountered that one back in December of last year, and the only time it really was relevant was after you killed the bandits and took their horses back over it when you left with Alice's and Coulson's bodies and none of the animals triggered the percentile rolls and collapsed it then, remarkably enough.
I figured you'd probably set it off next time you came to the ruins, but you basically have always kept your horses hitched outside the ruins each time you returned, and a regular PC walking across the bridge doesn't trigger it, so I pretty much gave up on it ever happening. In fact, I almost forgot about it when you said you'd better bring the horses inside this time because whatever killed the pixies might be nearby.
So I opted to take it as close to how the group decided to move across based on the time each player posted:
@KCC posted first, saying she was bringing her pony inside.
@dominion451 posted just after that saying Mal and Gilly were walking the horses inside the ruins.
@cowleyc posted right after that to say Eltrezar was taking his horse inside.
So I rolled in that order: Gilly first with a 20% chance of a pony triggering it. Then Mal with a 50% chance. Then Eltrezar would have been next with a 50%.
That's why we had to retcon @cowleyc's post about Eltrezar crossing.
cowleyc says:
OOC:
Is the entire bridge destroyed, or a section of it?OOC:
Well the bridge is about 7-8' wide, I would say. As probably Maloria was walking side-by-side with her horse when the horse fell through, I would say that probably the right half of the bridge as you're facing the ruins collapsed, and the left half is still intact, but Eltrezar would probably be able to deduce that while the other half is possibly strong enough for a man to cross, trying to take another horse over that thin and compromised left half would be pretty chancey indeed. Not to mention Gilly's pony already made it safely across when there was a whole bridge to support it's smaller weight, and now only has half a bridge to support it on the way back across again..."Does anyone have a rope in your packs? We could help the dwarf up with a rope. Tie it to this felled tree here," he indicated the fallen tree the group usually uses to tie their mounts while the party explores the ruins. Then we can have her tie it around her waist and just pull her up!"
dominion451 says:
"I'm fine, but I think we're going to have to put my horse down. Mind throwing me a rope?"OOC:
I can't recall where we posted it. Maybe in the OOC thread, but I thought Maloria received either Coulsen's warhorse after it died or Alice's. Correct me if I'm wrong on that, or at least remind me where Mal got her horse (I'm really gonna have to sit down one of these days and get your horse inventory sorted out... It's horses all the way down!).In any case, it should be noted that the when the moathouse was built, they kept it filled via the same tributary of the Velverdyva River that runs through Hommlet proper, which then passes southward and makes up the river tributary that the parallels with the trail leading here. If Maloria wanted to keep the horse alive, she can opt to have the horse try and follow the moat to the draining tributary a ways and eventually you would find a nice sloping bank to climb out of. It would be an ordeal, and slow going no doubt, but if the cleric's at all emotionally attached to the horse she rides, it's possible. Likely, the druid of the grove would be an option for magical healing, as I can't imagine the man would let an animal like that suffer.
nezzeraj says:
Bors will borrow rope from whoever has some and fasten it to a more stable part of the bridge and toss the other end down to Mal.OOC:
Probably the bridge would be pretty sketchy at this point, but the fallen tree the group uses to hitch their mounts outside would probably be sufficient. I guess the first question is, does anyone have any rope? That counts as part of the 80-coin Miscellaneous gear for purposes of tracking your encumbrances, so I don't keep detailed record of the individual items in your gear on my spreadsheet.Nov 19, 2021 11:33 pm
OOC:
Mal has rope on her sheet, and a grappling hook! I suppose I should try to keep the horse alive, but messing around with that is pretty much the last thing I want to do right now, plus the whole group would have to come along incase of attack :/Nov 20, 2021 5:10 am
OOC:
Not adverse for either option. Both sound plausible and interesting to explore. I feel like leaving a broken legged horse to sit and wait for you to explore a dungeon seems ethically questionable, but that's just me, so I'm excited to see how you address this situation.load next