Expedition: Markd/On a Mission from Baudh II - 02 June 2021

[Rusty Tincanne]

No worries! I had actually typed the whole thing in first, then rolled both rolls, not being sure which was needed. I had hoped to keep things rolling along. Now they are just rolling along uphill. C'est la vie. Or maybe not "vie," per se... Maybe Bremen has a funeral pyre waiting in the near future after all.

Next time (maybe) I'll just let you roll.

Any word about the sigil? I rolled prematurely for that as well.

Captain Bremen quickly scoops up the coins and warhammer with a confused look on his face.

"Baudh requires that the faithful provide tribute in gold."

He opens his shirt to show his most recent scars from the centions and the ghouls below and does what he can to remind the ghost of the Decretum of Dominion.

This group has fought against those abominations below. We are on a quest for Baudh. The ghost bears responsibility for protection over any weaker than himself, ensuring the care and well-being of the community. Clearly, the ghost is the strongest here.

Again, he asks for guidance to the relic and inquires if the ghost desires anything of the group in exchange for information.

While fighting the ghouls, the group retrieved several artifacts from the undead. He offers them as proof that they are neither in league with the abominations, nor simple grave robbers. Bremen (and Irving) desire to become knights one day and looks to this ghost for guidance.

If he recalls anything about the knight's sigil, he will use the stories to flatter the knight.
Also, does Bremen see anything that looks like the artifact as described by Markd?

[Marullus]

The knight shakes his head, making a negating swipe with his hand, then showing his mailed fist.

"Priests demand gold. Knights witness strength."

Bremen pulls open his armor, exposing his chest, showing his wounds. He conveys that the priests became ghouls and now are slain, at the cost of his own blood. The knight calms, looking over the group stoically. He draws a jagged line in the dust with his sword tip, then sets his stance firmly, crossing his arms.

"This tower is for Knights. You shall not pass. Seeking your priestly relics, go below. If you are pure and true, you'll survive the crooked path. Seek your rite of passage."

His expression seems final. You find more indepth conversation, such as the meanings of his sigils, is too difficult without real language.

Date: Time 8:10am, 07 June 2021
Light: Sunlight
Spell Effects: None
Injuries: Bremen (moderately wounded), Bandy (minorly wounded), Irving (minorly wounded)

Bremen 15 CHA [4d6] = 21
Bremen 15 CHA [4d6] = 14

[Rusty Tincanne]

Bremen looks dumbfounded.

The Crooked Path... Is that a door down below? Is the relic in the tower? If so, should it be given to a priest when Bremen has proved himself true?

Was the crooked path the doorway by where we ambushed the cention?

[Rusty Tincanne]

page 16: the crooked path is accessed from the chamber where we killed or first cention.

Looking down the trap door, Bremen tells the others what he's learned. This guy is a knight. He says we need to go back below to find "priestly relics." Or we can try that Crooked Path behind the ornate door, but we'll only survive if we are pretty and true. So I'll make it,
at least... He winks at them and twists his mustache.

He turns back to the knight and asks again where the relic is likelier to be. Is it priestly?

Captain Bremen wants to walk the Crooked Path, but the group has a quest and need to follow it through.

If they need to explore the priestly route, will he offer aid to them as they battle the undead?

[onlyme]

Markd stands behind the others listening and watching while his bff dagger in his hand. He slowly but confidently speaks.

We can make this place glorious again in the eyes of all followers. What can you tell us about this tower? How did it become soiled by vile blood from the unworthy?

He watches and adds,
We need the relic to strength the burgeoning parish in Gaul. From there we can raise a mighty army to clear these lands and restore all back to Baudh.

[Marullus]

The ghastly knight seems resolved to bar you from rising further up the tower, but has encouraged you to seek righteousness in the halls below.

Markd, who has remained cowled and in the rear to hide the marks of mystical abhorement, expresses further questions and it appears he understands the words of the Spectre. He translates to the rest of the group as the ghostly knight answers.

"This is the tower of the White Riders, the truest bastion of goodness and justice in this realm and loyal to the Law of Baudhon. Only those willing to devote themselves to true service to the realm can stand as a knight, willing to burn their own self-will away to embody the selfless nature of Baudhon's just will. The kingdom prospered, spreading all across the Yoldaessi plains under the divinely-appointed rulership of King Danorr." He straightens his shoulders proudly. "I rode with King Danorr in my final battle, despite the tragedy he suffered in the trial of Agheth's virtue. We knew the hordes of Dreadlord Nystoraeth could never be allowed to stand."

He sighs and shakes his head. "I know not what fell sorcery brought my return, or that which keeps me at this place of eternal vigil. I found the Order debased and years passed... Eadcen the Divine, Cafreya the All-Seeing, Gundrat the Luminescent..." he speaks their names and superlatives without respect. "These were not selfless clerics but beings who rose with self-interest and greed. That they returned in foul forms is of no surprise to me and I commend you in slaying them, removing them from this world." He shakes his head. "There are none like Cardinal Caelethon, not any more, not among you." He pauses, pointedly, regarding Bremen, Florin, then Markd. "I am summoned to vigil, and it is the Cardinal's chamber which I guard above. Only true White Riders can aspire thus." He points his sword back to the trapdoor. "You seek power for your priests. The priests kept their power in the chambers of trials below. I wish you luck in your journey to become worthy of knighthood, whatever knighthood that might be in this new time. Stand firm on the crooked path. Seek truth in your rite of passage. I wish you, and your burgeoning army, well as you cleanse this land. But... it shall never be what it was, when White Riders remained true."

Date: Time 8:20am, 07 June 2021
Light: Sunlight
Spell Effects: None
Injuries: Bremen (moderately wounded), Bandy (minorly wounded), Irving (minorly wounded)

[Alethan]

"So," Bandy says after Markd translates to the rest of the party, "It looks like we're going below? How much of those tunnels did you all explore? Because I saw several passages down there. But it seems that we need to go to the 'Chambers of the Trials'... is that where you all were? Or maybe there are more chambers?"

He looks at Florian, "Do you know? Were you lot in the proper Chamber of Secrets, er, I mean Trials? Or are there more?"

[Marullus]

Florian shrugs, seemingly cowed by the spectral knight. "The Crooked Path is labeled... If we trust his directions, it seems straight forward. We passed earlier through a Door of Strength - such places are deemed straight," he paused, "I don't know of doctrine regarding crooked pathways... At least not as a desired road."

[onlyme]

Markd nods,

Thank you, our good knight. I can only hope the days you speak of return, and I will do my best to see to it.

with that, he readies the group to head toward the crooked path from the main chamber.

[Alethan]

Bandy, well rested now and ready for more adventure, indicates his readiness to walk the crooked path...

[Rusty Tincanne]

Captain Bremen is confused. Wait. You understand that guy? How come you didn't understand those other ghosts back in the barrow, then?

When Markd is about to leave, Bremen interrupts. I know the ghost isn't all about the money, but he's not living. We are. And we need money. Can we leave all this treasure up here for him to guard for us? We'll get it out again when we leave so we don't clutter up his space. It'd just be a shame if the centions or kobolds come and steal all this ancient stuff related to our god, is all.

Once back in the 3rd floor, Bremen points out that Florian could use another night's rest so his healing abilities are at full capacity. We're out of wards and healing potion. We've go to be more careful. And what bugs me is that that guy never said that our relic is on the Crooked Path. He called it a priestly relic and he said that that stuff is in the priest section.

Also, he made it seem like there was someone else in the tower. Someone he was guarding.

Or did I miss something? I don't recall him having any idea where the relic might be in the building. How tall is the tower? We've only seen 4 levels, right?

[Marullus]

Or did I miss something? I don't recall him having any idea where the relic might be in the building. How tall is the tower? We've only seen 4 levels, right?

The ground floor has the sacks of looted goods which the Centions collected and also the exit door. You rested on the second floor. The spectre is on the third floor. There is at least one more floor above him. You figure that hippogriffs are nesting on the roof.

[Rusty Tincanne]

Bremen sits down next to Bandy and speaks in hushed tones.

That ghost alluded to guarding another person in the tower. We can't get up from the outside because of the hippogryphs. But you went up the chimney. How high does it go? Could we get to the upper levels that way? Seems foolish to go into the tunnels again if the relic might be in the tower.

[Alethan]

Bandy shrugs at Bremmen's suggestion.

"I don't think this specter is trying to mislead us. I remember the one ghost from the catacombs that gave off the aura of malice and mistrust. I think this bloke's just a knight, like he said, and doesn't have what we want. Seems to me that it would be a bad idea to try and cross him or deceive him..." He looks warily up at the trap door. "He seems like he would be... difficult to fight."

"In any case, I never went up the chimney; I just stayed in the fireplace while they tried to burn me out. I don't think what we seek is located in the tower; I think think he has the right of it and we need to head back down and explore some more..."

[onlyme]

Markd agrees.

let's try the crooked path.

[Rusty Tincanne]

Bremen shrugs back. He does seem the honest sort. It just seems a shame to bother with tunnels full of ghouls and skeletons if there's a chance our prize is on the top. Down we go, though.

He walks to Markd and inquires again how the ugly fighter managed to speak so clearly with the ghost.

[Alethan]

Before they head down to find the crooked path, Bandy scampers up to the second floor and returns with some things.

"I think it's safe to pull these out of hiding now. I snagged them when the Centions were still here and I was sorting through all of this stuff they'd stockpiled up. Grabbed what I could in case I needed to bolt and didn't want to leave empty handed..."

He shows the others:
- an electrum armband, with electrum accents and set with 3 Red Garnets. It is of exotic workmanship.
- a bronze and silver breastplate, adorned with a Diamond
- an Adamantium bracelet, with the inscription “Safeguard Against the Fiery Wolf” written in Common and set with 7 Mellochrysoss

After they've been examined by the rest of the group, he stows the armband and bracelet safely in the bottom of his backpack. "I can keep these two for safe keeping, but the breastplate likely needs to be left here with the crates of valuables because it's too big to easily haul around. At least too big for me..."

In case anyone hasn't examined the crates in the main tower room closely, Bandy points out that they contain:

...goods stripped from the chamber's below, boxed up for transport. Light fixtures, flatware, plates, goblets, and all sorts of metal goods are gathered together and packed in wooden crates. Specifically, he finds:

200lbs of copper (20gp)
200lbs of silver (200gp)
400lbs of electrum (2000gp)

If everyone else is well-rested, Bandy doesn't have any problems leading the group down the ramp. He wonders if the Centions are really all gone, so he goes down with longsword in hand...

[Rusty Tincanne]

HP:

(AC 4) Bandy: 9 / 13
(AC 5) Bremen: 7 / 13
(AC 2) Markd: 19 / 19
(AC 4) Irving: 13 / 15
(AC 8) Florin: 6 / 6
(AC 6) Guaire: 7 / 7

Prior to sleeping, Bremen will broach the subject of healing again with Florian. If you're of a mind to, I'd certainly appreciate some healing before we lay down to rest. Captain Bremen offers to take first watch.

He also rearranges his trappings, placing a sack full of odds and ends and loot into the chimney for safekeeping, packing some food and oil into his backpack.

I think full HP and full casting ability is best before heading down. What is one more night in this tower? Maybe Markd can convince the ghost to offer more information, even. About the hippogryphs, when the order went astray, about the cataclysm, what the relic was used for, what on earth that black box of plane-jumping is...
We can use the time to bring things to the second floor of the tower, figure out a safe place for piety and Guaire to stay...

2 days of rations deducted (Guaire and Bremen). Let me know who else eats hippogryph.

Character sheet updated with equipment changes.

[Rusty Tincanne]

Oh. Bremen has 7 torches, 6 flasks of oil, 2 large sacks, 50' of rope, 9 iron spikes and 4 days worth of preserved rations with him.

He has a grappling hook, but I don't know if it is worth bringing along. What do you all think? And should he bring more food? And what are we doing with Guaire and Piety? Is there grain for the mule? Because grazing seems like a bad idea here.

[Alethan]

Dont forget the pony - Bandy's pony.

Close the gate and lock it. The animals can eat grain. We rest up on the second floor and try to get a day of healing in. Then head down.