Ravenloft game thread

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Dec 17, 2015 4:39 pm
Mardak looks but the sound has gone, and there is no sign of anyone being there. The CLIK-CLIK-CLIK coming from the secret door is slowly getting a little louder, as the gnomish-like mechanism is still running.

http://i.imgur.com/5PWE9ht.jpg

Given the panic of the brief encounter with the ghosts, along with your dwindling resources, your minds quickly wander to finding a means of escape or perhaps somewhere to rest. Baldur and Mardak are aware that they can return downstairs via the main staircase*, but in the rush they were in did not spot any path leading upwards.

The others know no route other than through the chapel, and they have no idea where other doors and staircases lead. There is a feeling here that you are being watched or pursued, but you can't quite figure out the source of your anxiety.

*not drawn on the map. Whoever made this map forgot to add them in, so they are marked as visible 10' squares on the room to the left of the screen. Come to think of it, I will just add counters to show what they are!
Dec 17, 2015 9:16 pm
Grizel studies the resting ghost and the thrones, determined to learn something from them. She attempts to enlist Victor's help. "They said they was older'n Strahd. 'Praps they know somethin' 'bout him or this place. Help me look fer clues." Grizel says, adding grimly, "Gimme that symbol we found downstairs. If I have to I'll wake this ghost up 'an question it."

"There's things t'be learned here. Things t' help us fight Him, Madame Eva said. But damn, I'm tired! What the hell is that clickin' an' clankin'?"

OOC: Is Grizel's weapon still enchanted?
Last edited December 27, 2015 7:45 pm

Rolls

Investigation - (1d20-1)

(15) - 1 = 14

Dec 17, 2015 10:45 pm
Grizel notes that the wooden thrones are very large and ornate, and they seem well positioned to look upon the altar in the rubble-strewn chapel far below. The pale misty figure in the chair is barely recognisable, her form swirling with colours of purple and pale fog.

[Concentration on Magic Weapon was broken when you hit 0hp]
Dec 29, 2015 6:02 pm
Still getting up groggily from his recent bout with being nearly dead Victor stands shakily. He can still feel a little residual burn in his muscles and bones as the magical energy knits him back together. He manages to cough out a response to Grizel, ...I...I can't figure it out anyway. He pulls the idol out and hands it over to Grizel.

After handing it over he looks around to find where Zinnerath has gotten off to. Seeing her visibly shaken he does his best to not appear hurt, despite the dull pain he still feels, Looks like the gnome stood up to the fighting a bit better than that half-orc. He smiles, but it quickly turns into a grimace as he winces with a sharp pain in his side.
Jan 6, 2016 2:20 am
Seeing that some of the injured and scared party members seem to be reorienting I walk up next to the Paladin, and look down at the unconscious (?) ghost.

"Strange that one denied eternal rest may rest so; however, I do not think now is the time to ponder this riddle. Perhaps we may have been able to converse with this creature, but that time most likely has passed, as my master told me many time, "Do not anxiously expect what is not yet come; do not vainly regret what is already past." Many of you are hurt, rest would do us all some good, perhaps we can see if this room I have found can be secured, if so, it may make a sound place to rest.

I then gesture back to the secret contraption room I found, giving what I hope is a friendly grin. Years of living as an orphan on the streets has left my face marked by pox scars and old cuts, several of my teeth are also missing. My current state of cleanliness cannot altogether make the marks of my past disappear.
Jan 8, 2016 6:13 pm
So the group gathers in the secret room with the lift mechanism, shutting the panel behind. Whatever is rising up through the shaft (the shaft is adjacent to the room and you could jump down it) is approaching. It looks like a mosaic stone platform and is rising about 20ft per round. If you left it, it would just continue up the shaft to an unknown location.

Would you like to:
- short rest?
- long rest?
- both?
- jump on the platform?
Jan 15, 2016 8:39 am
Grizel slumps against a wall and plops herself down on the floor. "Damn, I'm knackered!" She looks up at the newcomers. "Mardak, is it? Call me Grizel. Did I thank ye fer savin' me life yet? Thanks." She looks around at her companions. "Ye alright there, Zinn? Ireena? Faelor? What the hell is this room, Victor? I don't feel safe here."

She takes a long moment to stare at the holy icon in her hands. "So many things t' puzzle out here. An' I've never been good with puzzles."

Grizel closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. She reaches out to her steed. "Alastor. I don't think ye can follow where I'm goin' my friend. You go back home. Thank ye fer yer help."
Last edited January 15, 2016 12:14 pm
Jan 15, 2016 4:07 pm
"If it's a rest you all need, I'm not going to sour our chances at survival by insisting we carry on." I check my crossbows, reload them, and hunker down against the wall, "I'm still quite refreshed, it's been a long day, but I've survived longer in harsher conditions. I'll take first watch."
Jan 15, 2016 5:46 pm
Zinnarath waits by the inside door while the group starts to catch sleep. The oily spray from the lift mechanism rings in your nose, and you hear a crescendo of a downpour outside echoing in the halls of the castle. A storm has brewed, and it sporadically lights the edges of the door with lightning flashes. Noon is just fading but your tiredness calls for respite, and the thunderclouds make the halls outside seem dark as night.

The lift never came back down, leaving a dark, stony chamber that drops into the void. You all avoid sleeping near it.

Two hours pass and Zinnarath chooses the second watcher for the night, or a waking person may volunteer.

Rolls

Secret Roll

Jan 15, 2016 6:44 pm
I will volunteer for second watch, I am hardly exhausted and could afford some time to think.
Jan 16, 2016 3:33 pm
Mardak sits in the darkness for 2 hours and Zinnarath goes to sleep. He hears distant wails and screeching, only just masked by the heavy rain. You think you can hear villagers shouting from far down the shaft, but it could have just been a ghostly whisper. Nothing passes the corridor in your watch.
Jan 16, 2016 4:08 pm
I remain alert, but I allow the party to continue to rest undisturbed. Is the contraption in the center of the room still moving?
Jan 16, 2016 5:57 pm
The contraption stopped about a minute after it started. The lift mechanism moved a platform far below to an unknown location far above, and the lever reset, indicating that it had stopped.

Mardak takes another 2 hour watch. He muses that dusk may be approaching, and that could be a dark time for you all in more ways than one. (Mardak may take the benefits of a short rest now to regain ki). Child-like footsteps pass in the hallway outside, like someone is creeping slowly and deliberately.

2 hours remain to rest.

Rolls

Secret Roll

Jan 16, 2016 6:58 pm
Grizel dreams.

She sits on a throne, arrayed in power and splendor. She dispenses justice, and is loved and revered by all for generations. She is Grizel the Radiant.

She turns and smiles to her consort, Strahd the Undying, just as Jonah and Ellie are escorted into the throne room. They kiss her and bow to her, lovingly and proudly. Of course they are alive and well. All is as it should be.

Her cup-bearer, Ireena, enters and stands beside her throne. Grizel drinks deeply.

Umbert and Garrett Carnly are brought before her. They are beaten and flogged, and savaged by wolves before Grizel descends and beheads them as the court cheers applauds. She dispenses justice. All is as it should be.

Grizel crooks her finger and Ireena approaches adoringly. Ireena, her cup, is warm and compliant. Grizel drinks from her veins, the blood rich and honeyed. She is Grizel the Everlasting. All is as it should be.

Jan 18, 2016 9:40 pm
OOC: I will take advantage of the short rest to regain Ki Points thanks for the reminder :)

Though I am curious to see who is sneaking in the hallway, since the rest of my party is indisposed I will resist the temptation. Since my watch is over I will wake up our next watchman, if we have no one else I can remain watching as I didn't need a long rest.

I have no reason to suspect something is going on with Grizel correct?
Jan 24, 2016 8:46 pm
Grizel sleeps deeply with a solemn look on her face.

The footsteps stop and start but disappear after about a minute.
Jan 25, 2016 3:56 pm
Victor will remain awake for the last two hours of the rest. He is a little quieter than his normal self. Having nearly died seems to have slightly brought down his mood. He summons his bird into this world again and it rests on his shoulder as he feeds it some portion of a ration.

The bird doesn't actually need to eat, but it makes it feel more like a real creature to Victor.

Rolls

Perception Check - (1d20+2)

(19) + 2 = 21

Feb 1, 2016 1:05 am
I thank victor for taking over the responsibilities of the watch, and curl up in a corner.

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