Expedition: Fingers/Ghostly Trial - Part II - 23 July 2021

[Marullus]

Decision? Do you go back down the hill to camp at your old site, camp on the hill top, or in the museum?

[Zhym]

Let's go back to the usual campsite. It's worked so well for us before...

[Alethan]

Let's go back to the usual campsite. It's worked so well for us before...

???????? You might be thinking of a different camp site in a different game?

[Zhym]

I'm open to other suggestions. Can we all cram into a mausoleum? I didn't think it was likely, what with all the mounts we have now. Camping on the hill top doesn't seem much better.

[Alethan]

Oh, I'm fine with the usual campsite. We should just make sure and post at least two guards at all times.

[Marullus]

The group re-assembles at the bottom of the hill, setting up to camp for the night in the shadow of Kellstrom's bier once more. You set a double-watch and are particularly wary against more attacks from above.

The night, however, passes without incident. You all rise and break your fast in the morning chill, the clerics praying for divine blessings.

(Remember to all subtract one ration. Hengist, post daily spell list in your private forum.

Date: 7:00am, 24 July 2021
Light: Sunlight
Effects: None
Injuries: None

[onlyme]

Markd eats his delicious Iron Flakes granola bar and prepares for adventure.

[Zhym]

Fingers feeds Sprinkles and his mule, then hitches up his gear. "Well, guess it's time to go in," he says.

[DavetheLost]

Hengist feeds Buttercup, tightens the straps on his armour and prepares to go.

[Marullus]

A brief detour and inspection finds an archway of old hand-built fieldstones, low on the south side of the hill, sunken into the earth by centuries of age and erosion. It has been recently excavated, allowing a smooth ramp down to the doorway. Sprinkles sniffs it and growls.

Franken keeps the campfire going and hobbles the mounts. "I'll be here when you come out," he reassures them after seeing the forboding archway.

The recently excavated ramp allows easy access and you pass down through the archway, where you find a well-made hallway. Dried leaves and natural clutter have blown in and litter the floor randomly. The flagstone floor remain almost completely intact, and hewn block-stone composes the side walls and ceiling, only occasionally marred, showing gouge-marks of metal-on-stone. Keeping your compass, you enter from the eastern side of the end of the hall, the tunnel about eight feet wide and running northward from here. An iron door is embedded into the west wall right before you - it slides sideways into the wall and is wedged halfway open by a rolled up old tapestry. Without a light, you'd not see further up the north hall, except for an iron chandelier hanging from the ceiling about 80' ahead of you. A steady, amber glow comes from each of the places where four candles should be, not flickering like a candle would. You don't see anything special about that section of hallway, and the hall continues on beyond the reach of the light further northward, but it does give indication that there are two more doorways inset on the west wall, just past the light's reach north and south.

The iron door before you bears a six-pointed sun and writing in a text script that is unfamiliar to most of you. Fingers relays what it says. The door bears no lock and is built to slide into the left wall. The next doorway is 40' northward down the hallway from you, barely outlined by the light from the chandelier hanging 80' away. You think there might be a third doorway just beyond the light, 120' away. There are tattered remains of a fresh rope, shredded into lengths and scattered around them. Fingers also finds some horribly mangled iron spikes lying among the blown-in leaves.

Date: 7:30am, 24 July 2021
Light: Sunlight
Effects: None
Injuries: None

[Zhym]

"So, those doors down there have skeletons behind 'em that start remaking themselves once they're defeated, right?" aks Fingers. "And trying to spike 'em in their room doesn't work. Do we think we oughtta fight the skellies right away so we're ready for them, or what?"

"I wonder if we should have put more coins in the thing up top."

[onlyme]

Markd mentions the wight on the loose as well.

[Alethan]

Bandy feigns ignorance.

[Marullus]

*bump* You guys doing anything?

[Alethan]

Bandy worries about the skeletons, "Unless we have any reason to go that direction, wouldn't it be best to leave that area be and go through the room with the seal on the floor instead?"

[Zhym]

"Yeah," says Fingers, "I'd rather avoid them too. But the skeleton room also has doors that lead to the trial room. How do we know they won't just come out at us from behind if we don't take them down right away?"

[Alethan]

Bandy shrugs, "We don't. I'll help fight them if you think that's the best plan."

[Zhym]

"And then they start putting themselves back together after they're dead," grouses Fingers. "Well, I guess we better deal with them now. Maybe we can lay a trap for them first, though. Like, we could spread oil all over the floor. Or, hey, holy water! We could pour holy water in front of the door before we open it!"

"Did we bring holy water? Man, I've got to plan these trips better."

[DavetheLost]

"I am afraid I neglected to bring holy water. I will stand ready to hold them at bay with Baudh's holy radience should we decide to attack them now. I do not like the idea of leaving a foe capable of attacking from our rear. says Hengist.

[Alethan]

Bandy checks his pack, "I have two vials of holy water. I suppose walking through it would cause just as much damage..."