Part 7: Return to the Moathouse Dungeon

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KCC

Jan 18, 2022 12:27 pm
Gilly rolls the barely alive man to the side and immediately wheels on the wizard. She draws her shortsword, jabbing it menacingly. She wipes the sweat from her brow as she advances!

"One body? Maybe we should make it yours, knife thrower!" she spits at him!
Jan 18, 2022 2:31 pm
Clumsily (likely due to genuine fear), Eltrezar retrieves his bejeweled dagger and holds it in front of himself defensively. Not that it would do him any good. A range of emotions cross his face before he settles on frustration. Ahem! "And just what was I supposed to do down there? Be eaten as well? I told Bors here several times that we needed to flee and fight another day. I am depleted of my magical energies, and this is my last dagger. Should I have..." His voice begins to raise before he suddenly cuts himself off, clearly holding back bitter words.
Jan 19, 2022 1:16 am
"My thoughts exactly wizard."

Mal quickly rushed back to the trap door and opens it once more,

"They can't climb,"

The dwarf unshoulders her pack and fishes out the holy water,

"Gilly I believe you are the best aim of the group, would you do the honors?"

Mal hands over the holy water and watches from the edge of the portal.

KCC

Jan 19, 2022 12:21 pm
Gilly takes the things, without breaking eye contact with the old wizard.

"I’ve seen you throw. I’d take those chances!" she says, as she marches back towards the hole, sword still in hand, ready to drop a bottle of water down the trap door.

"You’d better take a look at him. See what we can do for him." Who is she speaking to? Who knows. But she motions to Bors with her sword.
Jan 19, 2022 2:23 pm
Eltrezar follows, knife in one hand and lantern in the other. He holds the lantern over the ladderway, well over Gilly's head.
Jan 19, 2022 4:38 pm
Eltrezar holds the lantern over the hole and the three companions watch as Gilly drops a vial of holy water down the chute. For one and a half seconds the bottle descends the tunnel shaft towards the ragged hands grasping for the adventurers. Suddenly, the more voracious of the two pathetic creatures stretches a hand above and the vial breaks upon it, splashing holy water and sharp pieces of glass. it's clear and divine contents raining into the eyes and face of the monster.

The ghoul gives a grunt of shock as it's back and legs begin spasming, almost as if struck with a jolt of lightning. It staggers face first into the stone wall and the powerfully violent muscle jerks begin to pick up in tempo until the fiend is laying on the stone floor, jaws locked in a silent scream until those above hear it dislocate from the skull and see it skewer crookedly to the side. The muscle contractions intensify fuether until the ghoul is like a stone statue and ten seconds later the corpse gives one final jerk and lays still.
The other ghoul seems to not notice or care, though it seems that some of the undead creature's muscles twitch slightly where splash hit it. Though it could easily return down the tunnel and resume it's feast without having to share any of it, so long as it sees the wizard's light, and senses the presence of life above it continues to stand at the base of the ladder, snarling at the party in frustration

Rolls

Secret Roll

Holy Water Damage roll - (1d8)

(6) = 6

Jan 19, 2022 5:59 pm
"Brilliant Gilly! One more like that and we'll have cleared them!"

Seeing that the halfling has the situation handled, Mal turns to the comatose form of Bors and tries to do what little she can to revive the man.
Jan 19, 2022 6:30 pm
OOC:
Natural healing is 1d3 Hit Points per full day of rest.
Looking over the fighter, Mal realizes that the man is badly beaten and completely unconscious. Without the aid of a potion, a spell, or a divine blessing, the party can only wait and let nature takes its course. Giving further assessment to the entire party's condition, the cleric considers that being without their fighter for at least an entire cycle of the sun somewhere up above this dark place is only the start of their despairs:
The halfling is badly hurt, certainly in worse condition than she's let on as of yet, and Maloria herself is wounded. Both of their new hirelings are dead, something that's sure to be noticed should they survive long enough to return to the village of hommlet with two unridden horses.
Adding even more insult to injury, is the evidence that they've risen from the depths below far less encumbered than they plunged: The wizard stands with only a single jewelled dagger in his possession and no magics to weild. The halfling has lost the bow given to her by Angel below, and fights only with a single short sword in hand. Bors's superiorly crafted shield has been left behind, as has his even more priceless and beloved sword, only a single hand axe hangs from the fighter's belt, should he recover consciousness and attempt to fight whatever other horrors wait to destroy and consume them.
Most concerning of all to the cleric is the fact that the party's cohesion seems in danger of crumbling apart like poisonous roots through dry clods of soil, the most pervasive fracture residing between Gilly and the wizard at the moment.
Jan 19, 2022 11:32 pm
Though things seemed bleak, the night was always darkest before the dawn.

Mal musters up the stubbornness that dwarves are so famous for and returns to the trapdoor where Gilly was about to throw another vial of holy water. The good news was that the dead couldn't climb. Between Mal's sling and Gilly's bow the party had a strong chance of dispatching the ghouls and retrieving their belongings as well as the bodies of their dead retainers.

"Good shot Gilly, toss another vial at that last one and we can pick it off with arrows if it still stands. I'll not leave without our dead. We can barricade ourselves in a room upstairs for a couple days until Bors can ride, things will be alright."
Jan 20, 2022 2:40 am
OOC:
Mal's sling is definitely an option should the holy water not take it out. Gilly's bow was abandoned in the corridor below though. Weapons, as far as I can tell right now, are as follows:
Gilly: Short Sword
Eltrezar: Jewelled Dagger
Maloria: Warhammer, Sling
Bors: Hand Axe
Jan 20, 2022 10:56 pm
Eltrezar holds his light steady, trying to keep the ghoul in the edges of the lantern's glow. With Mal calling out that the party should bombard the creature should it survive, he slowly puts his beautiful dagger back in his belt, behind Gilly's back.

KCC

Jan 20, 2022 11:49 pm
Oblivious to the wizard and his actions, Gilly gets ready to toss another vial of water. If successful, she will scurry down the hole to pick up their things.

She lights and tosses and torch down before she does so, so she can more freely see anything below.
OOC:
Gilly will even check the dead bodies of their two hired helpers. Anything personal that could be used to identify them, or even something someone might care about. If free to do so, she’ll carry their bodies to the opening to be hoisted up!
Jan 21, 2022 1:45 am
Gilly drops a second vial of holy water down the hole. Much like before, the ghoul reaches greedily for the incoming vial, having no idea that it may be anything beyond a morsel to bite on... And bite on it it does as the bottle plummets and crashes into the creatures mouth, breaking teeth, and splashing it's contents into the monster's face.
Like it's companion, it begins a series of violent jerks and twitches, collapsing to the floor with no control of it's motor skills. After a dozen seconds or so the creature lays still.

The party waits a moment to confirm that there will be no surprises. The corpses lay still, these dark depths their final resting place, and none others arrive to fill the void. Eventually Gilly lights a torch and descends the ladder.
She makes her way alone down the corridor collecting the artifacts left behind. First her bow. Then Bors's sword and shield. At the end of the corridor she collects Eltrezar's five daggers.

As she collects the weapons and makes her way to the fallen hireling she makes a quick search of the ghouls' bodies, but as each of them are naked, nearly so, or adorned in tattered rags, little time needs be spent, and they turn up carrying nothing of value whatsoever.

She moves on to the corpses of the hirelings. Turuko's body lies on the floor, dead, nearest the corridor. A quick inspection finds that the smaller man carries very little besides a quarterstaff and two daggers. A search of his roves finds 6 gold, 3 silver, and 20 copper pieces. Moving on, Gilly finds Kobort laying face up. His face has been chewed off, eyes missing to Kobort, pieces of pearly bone standing in bass relief to blood and facial muscles. He wears chainmail and carries a shield, dagger, and longsword. An inspection of his pockets finds another 6 gold, 2 silver, and 20 copper.
OOC:
I assume Gilly is taking the coins. Let me know if she's taking any of the weapons or armor.
Ten minutes passes as Gilly recovers her companions weapons and searches the bodies. Looking around the room the ghouls occupied she sees she's standing in the dungeons Burial Crypts. The builders of this dungeon likely planned for a long tenancy (though their expectations were not met), as most of the niches are empty. However a few contain splintered coffins, wrappings, and gnawed and split bones.
https://i.imgur.com/xAchLZ4.png

Rolls

Holy Water Damage roll - (1d8)

(8) = 8

Jan 21, 2022 9:08 pm
As Gilly had scurried down the ladder before Mal could react, the dwarf hurriedly follows down the ladder and aids with the search and recovery.
Jan 21, 2022 11:57 pm
Eltrezar, a little shocked at everything, stays with Bors with the lantern providing comfort.
Jan 22, 2022 9:31 pm
As Eltrezar sits above with Bors, Maloria descends and see much of what Gilly has already discovered. This room was to be the burial crypts, though many niches in the wall sit empty. Chewed bones litter the floor as well as other debris. Turuko and Kobort the newest to join the dead down here. Gilly and Mal take time to observe their surroundings.
In addition to the wing running north and south, another wing runs to the east. As Gilly explores this wing she sees more empty niches lining the walls. An open doorway in the southeast corner of the room leads to a hallway running about 10' south and then turns east somewhere.

http://i.imgur.com/XT9AGeb.gif

At the end of the north south wing the back of a crypt is broken out, leading to an earth tunnel. The air emanating from this opening is foul and damp and only about 5' high. A tunnel leads back beyond. Columns of natural stone stand about 40' down the tunnel, blocking the dwarf's view of what lay beyond with her limited Infravision.
http://i.imgur.com/u7k6IGg.gif

At this point around fifty minutes has elapsed since the party first re-entered the moathouse ruins. In that time they've discovered two room stocked with well maintained weapons and armor, a burial crypt below the secret pillar door, fought and killed four ghouls, and lost their two hirelings in the process. The party is a bit fatigued, and knows they need to rest for ten minutes or exhaustion will surely begin creeping in before they know it. Even a ten minute rest to drink some water, take in their situation, and work out the knots in your muscles should suffice.

KCC

Jan 23, 2022 2:39 am
Gilly finds her way back to the dwarf cleric.

"Let’s go back up. This is work for another day. Or not at all, actually…"

She wonders if she’s had her fill of the ruins and the procession of death it’s inflicted on the party. She speaks low, in this dark place. She doesn’t want the wizard above to hear:

"I don’t trust him. Not anymore." she’s quiet another moment. "Not in a suspicious way… Just when things get hard. And they always do…"

She whispers quietly, to herself perhaps:

"Cant trust him…
Jan 23, 2022 6:04 am
Mal listens to Gilly with a sad expression on her face. She had sense some discord between the two but had been unconscious when whatever happened had happened.

"You are brave Gilly, maybe the bravest person I have ever met, and a fierce friend. Everyone deals with fear in their own way and Eltrezar is an old man. I understand your concern but he has followed us into a terrifying place and I think we should give him a chance to overcome."

Mal begins heading back to the ladder with Gilly and stops by the bodies of Kobort and Turuko.

"We must burn their bodies or we will likely see them again."
Jan 23, 2022 6:34 pm
OOC:
I would guess that burning them on the spot would likely require an accelerant. An oil flask to get the fire started, or something. Or do you think that setting fire to their clothes would be sufficient?
Jan 23, 2022 10:44 pm
OOC:
No you'd need more than clothes to cremate a body, I was thinking we'd have to drag them above and build a pyre... or maybe we could just cut off their heads?
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