Chapter 8: Against the Cult of the Reptile God

[AleBelly]

Pelias, not practiced in the art of stealth, will follow the others. As they ready themselves, his fingers find his prayer beads, and he bows he head, seeking the benediction of Heironeus.

[OGRE MAGE]

Bo nods in agreement to Avril's suggestions.

He gets ready to move again.

[Inferno]

Day Six.
The Abandoned Book Family Farm (17)
Between 7pm and 8pm. Friday, October 21st, 576 CY.
Full moon, cloudy, damp, cold, misty.





The adventurers regroup near the abandoned farmhouse of the Book family (17) and quietly confer.

Then they move north between the corn rows. They pass the widow Hochstedt’s spread and circle around northwest, crossing the lane under cover of mist and darkness and taking shelter in the shadows between the buildings of the Gade Family Farm (19).



All appears unchanged since last they were here.
Someone must be tending the hogs. Alive and well, they grunt and snuffle as the adventurers hide nearby.

To their south looms the foreboding presence of the old Foaming Mug Inn (16). From here they can see the partially collapsed back wall of the decrepit, boarded-up manor.



All remains quiet. If any of the nearby homes notice their passing, they betray no sign of it.

Actions?


Map:

SE Briarsgate Map 2.jpg (271.15 KiB) Viewed 979 times

X marks the adventurers. Lighter area marks visibility; all else is from memory.[/ooc]





Status:

• Avril Hollysword, Half-Elf Fighter/Cleric 1/2: AC 7, HP 10/10, Spells: 0/4 1st lvl
  Grothnak Uthglukh, Half-Orc Fighter 3: AC 4, HP 24/28
  Ingrid Esthof, Human Cleric 3: AC 3(1), HP 10/16, Spells: 1/4 1st lvl and 3/3 2nd lvl
  Long Bo, Human Druid 3: AC 6, HP 18/22, Spells: 5/5 1st lvl, 1/3 2nd lvl and 1/1 3rd lvl
  Moogeye Comcra, Human Monk 2: AC 8, HP 11/11
  Pelias Blanchflower, Human Paladin 2: AC 2(0), HP 15/19, Laying Hands: 0/1
  Telkis Brassfang, Gnome Fighter 3: AC 0, HP 27/28

Magic:

• Protection from Evil (Pelias): -2 to AC and +2 to saving throws against evil, in a 10 foot radius around Pelias.

Resources:

• Map of Briarsgate
  NPC List for Briarsgate
  The Story So Far (in words)
  The Story So Far (in pictures)

[dmw71]

"We shouldn't remain here too long," Avril says, noting the hogs, and not wanting them to betray their location. "Who knows about this place?" she asks, referring to the Foaming Mug Inn. "How can we approach it?" the elven maiden asks, not having been in the establishment before.

[Zhym]

Grothnak scans the surrounding area for threats while the others decide their approach to the destroyed inn.

[Inferno]

DM:

No one answers Avril's first question. None of them have been inside the immense, abandoned inn.

[OGRE MAGE]

Bo shakes his head at the she elf's question.

We have never been inside the place that I know of, unless our missing thieves have had a look around without our knowledge of it.

It seems as though nobody is around at the moment. Why don't we just sneak up to the building for a closer look and decide how to enter from that point?

[ChubbyPixie]

"Well, what now?" whispers Telkis. "The last time we traipsed through this neighborhood at night we were spotted and nearly burned alive... spotted by someone in one of these very houses..." He stares at any darkened windows to see if any heat signatures betray occupants.

[Starbeard]

Moogeye Comcra quietly disarms her crossbow and once again takes up her glaive-guisarme. She waits for Telkis to scan the surrounding buildings. If he finds no heat signatures to indicate nosy or watchful occupants nearby and gives the go-ahead, she will take the opportunity to sneak up to the northern wall of the Foaming Mugg Inn and check for possible entrances that will allow them to enter the decrepit inn without making noise.

Monk/Thief move silently (21%): [1d100] = 73

[Inferno]

Day Six.
Outside the Abandoned Foaming Mug Inn (16)
Between 8pm and 9pm. Friday, October 21st, 576 CY.
Full moon, cloudy, damp, cold, misty.





As the adventurers creep through the shadowed, misty village, Telkis realizes they've returned to the scene of the crime. "The last time we traipsed through this neighborhood at night, we were spotted and nearly burned alive... spotted by someone in one of these very houses..."

Darkened house.jpg (242.89 KiB) Viewed 955 times

Telkis peers out into the night and his demihuman eyes see no one near the windows of any nearby homes. (15, 16, 18, 19)

Moogeye advances cautiously and investigates the back wall of the decrepit, leviathan public house. All its windows and doors are boarded up. But at this closer proximity she can see that the rotten, waterlogged, collapsing planks on the north wall have a gaping maw in them that a man could walk through.

Actions?





Status:

• Avril Hollysword, Half-Elf Fighter/Cleric 1/2: AC 7, HP 10/10, Spells: 0/4 1st lvl
  Grothnak Uthglukh, Half-Orc Fighter 3: AC 4, HP 24/28
  Ingrid Esthof, Human Cleric 3: AC 3(1), HP 10/16, Spells: 1/4 1st lvl and 3/3 2nd lvl
  Long Bo, Human Druid 3: AC 6, HP 18/22, Spells: 5/5 1st lvl, 1/3 2nd lvl and 1/1 3rd lvl
  Moogeye Comcra, Human Monk 2: AC 8, HP 11/11
  Pelias Blanchflower, Human Paladin 2: AC 2(0), HP 15/19, Laying Hands: 0/1
  Telkis Brassfang, Gnome Fighter 3: AC 0, HP 27/28

Magic:

• Protection from Evil (Pelias): -2 to AC and +2 to saving throws against evil, in a 10 foot radius around Pelias.

Resources:

• Map of Briarsgate
  NPC List for Briarsgate
  The Story So Far (in words)
  The Story So Far (in pictures)

[Zhym]

"We should proceed with caution," says Grothnak, repeating what might as well be his mantra. "This old inn looks like it's about to fall in on itself. One wrong step could bring it down upon us."

[OGRE MAGE]

Bo

I agree with Grothnak. This dilapidated building looks as though it may simply fall in on itself at any moment. I would have to guess that any clues that we might have discovered inside are either long gone by now or too far destroyed to be of any use to us anyway.

Perhaps some of us should stay hidden out here to stand guard while the others search? I will be useless inside so I will volunteer to stay out here to keep watch so we are not ambushed again.

If there is some need for me inside, all you have to do is call out and I will come at once.

The old man begins to search for a good spot to hide behind so the search can get under way. If Sephus feels well enough to help, Bo has him fly up to the roof of the place for a 360 degree view.

[dmw71]

Without hesitation, Avril attempts to stealthily follow Moogeye up to the inn. Noticing its decrepit condition, she shifts her focus to the ground, looking for an indication that there are lower levels.

[AleBelly]

Pelias thinks for a moment. "Unless you object, comrades, I will stay with Bo to watch for trouble. I will not be able to see inside without a light, and will better serve the group out here. Please do not venture far alone, and as Bo said, I will aid you immediately if you feel the need."

[ChubbyPixie]

"If the more investigatory of you want to investigate, I'll keep a lookout here," says Telkis drawing his bow. "I want to be sure we don't get snuck up on again. They could have undead types watching us and we'd never know it."

[Zhym]

"I would probably knock the thing down," says Grothnak. "I will also wait here."

[Starbeard]

"Suit yourselves," says Moogeye, throwing Avril a knowing look. "People will stand still when there is an opportunity to explore new places. I do not understand," she whispers, and carefully steps through the gap in the north wall, testing the floorboards with the butt of her pole arm to make sure they can support her weight without undue creaking.

[Inferno]

Day Six.
Outside the Abandoned Foaming Mug Inn (16)
Between 8pm and 9pm. Friday, October 21st, 576 CY.
Full moon, cloudy, damp, cold, misty.





Now, in the face of the dark, ominous manor that looms above them, the male investigators of Briarsgate decide not to enter after all. It seems that the women will brave this foreboding house of shadows and mystery alone. Advancing where men will not tread, Avril, Ingrid and Moogeye enter the dilapidated, abandoned Foaming Mug Inn. (16)

Spiderwebs brush their faces, floorboards groan beneath their feet, and the stench of mold and rot is thick in their noses.

Within, it is cold and dark. Out of the moonlight, Ingrid and Moogeye are blind, and Avril nearly so. The risk of light seems slight; all the windows are boarded up.




Outside, all is quiet and still in the eerie, murky gloom.

Actions?





Status:

• Avril Hollysword, Half-Elf Fighter/Cleric 1/2: AC 7, HP 10/10, Spells: 0/4 1st lvl
  Grothnak Uthglukh, Half-Orc Fighter 3: AC 4, HP 24/28
  Ingrid Esthof, Human Cleric 3: AC 3(1), HP 10/16, Spells: 1/4 1st lvl and 3/3 2nd lvl
  Long Bo, Human Druid 3: AC 6, HP 18/22, Spells: 5/5 1st lvl, 1/3 2nd lvl and 1/1 3rd lvl
  Moogeye Comcra, Human Monk 2: AC 8, HP 11/11
  Pelias Blanchflower, Human Paladin 2: AC 2(0), HP 15/19, Laying Hands: 0/1
  Telkis Brassfang, Gnome Fighter 3: AC 0, HP 27/28

Magic:

• Protection from Evil (Pelias): -2 to AC and +2 to saving throws against evil, in a 10 foot radius around Pelias.

Resources:

• Map of Briarsgate
  NPC List for Briarsgate
  The Story So Far (in words)
  The Story So Far (in pictures)

[dmw71]

Avril scans the interior using her infravision for any hint of life. If none is found, she suggests the group walk the perimeter of the building from the inside; hugging the wall. "I'll lead," she whispers to Ingrid and Moogeye. "Hopefully the cracks and gaps in the outer wall will provide you some light, but, here --" she says, lifting and handing the tail end of her azure blue cloak to whichever will trail immediately behind her. "Hang onto this so we don't get separated."

"There has to be something, a flight of stairs, perhaps?" she keeps babbling in extremely hushed tones before stopping herself. She nods confidently towards her companions before turning and lightly treading towards the nearest structural wall. Once there, she'll turn to her left and continue to slowly and deliberately walk forward, carefully probing the space in front of her with her drawn sword.

[OGRE MAGE]

After seeing what he has started, Bo feels a little silly just standing around outside.

Do you think we should have a look around the outside perimeter of the building, at least?