Chapter 33: Nightmare House

[Inferno]

The Accursed Mansion, The Dreamlands
Day Three. Morning? Monday, December 26th, 576 CY







Reality's treacherous condition is calmly accepted in this strange otherworldly dream-state.

Everything is normal. Ingrid and Jerome pray and heal their companions with holy blessings. They all break their fast. Some study. Others recover iron spikes from wooden floorboards. (Everyone, please mark off one day's rations if you haven't already done so)

Then Urdur lights a fresh torch and the doomed heroes ascend the servants' staircase inside the accursed mansion.



At the top of the creaking steps (A), another staircase (B) ascends further, into darkness.

West of it, on the second story, is a once-lush, circular chamber (area 17) holding dreadful contents.



Exquisite statues on the eastern wall frame a coffin. The sight triggers deja vu in Bo, Ingrid, Mouser and Telkis. Had they dreamt this before? Perhaps in that elusive dream reality called Greyhawk.

Opposite the coffin, a short hallway rises ramp-like toward a door that is slightly ajar. All is quiet.


Actions?!


Map:

One square = 10 feet.





PC Status:

Faron, Human Thief 5: Move: 9", AC: 4, HP: 18/22
Grey Mouser, Half-Elf Magic-User/Thief 4/5: Move: 9", AC: 5, HP: 11/21, Spells: 3/3 1st lvl, 2/2 2nd lvl
Ingrid Esthof, Human Cleric 5: Move: 6", AC: 3(1), HP: 15/25, Spells: 5/5 1st lvl, 1/5 2nd lvl, 2/2 3rd lvl
Jerome, Human Paladin 4: Move: 9", AC: 3(1), HP: 19/23, Laying Hands: 0/1
Long Bo, Human Druid 6: Move: 9", AC: 2(1), HP: 31/41, Spells: 6/6 1st lvl, 4/4 2nd lvl, 2/2 3rd lvl, 1/1 4th lvl
Telkis Brassfang, Gnome Fighter 5: Move: 9", AC: 0, HP: 28/37
Urdur Shimmerstone, Gnome Illusionist 5: Move: 12", AC: 4, HP: 14/15, Spells: 4/4 1st lvl, 2/2 2nd lvl, 1/1 3rd lvl, Torch

PC Magic:

Protection From Evil, 10' Radius (Jerome)

Player Resources:

Tale of Terror (the story so far)
A Dark and Terrible World (maps)
Blasphemous Iconography (the story so far in images)
Desperate Struggles (clues and player notes)

[Scott308]

Ingrid Esthof

Holding her holy symbol in front of her, Ingrid cautiously approaches the coffin, examining it from arm's length.

[ChubbyPixie]

"Careful, Ingrid," Telkis says quietly.

He readies Cranach and moves just behind her and to the right to back her up. Garl knows something was about to jump out of that coffin, or come back from the next room to find them inspecting its lair...

[Urson]

Jerome
Jerome adjusts his grip on his blade, standing about 5' back from the coffin, off to one side. He's waiting for trouble.

[SocraticLawyer]

Urdur stays back, as the others open the coffin. He keeps his attention on their surroundings, hoping nothing nasty pops out at them.

[ravenn4544]

Mouser keeps his distance... weapons in hand.

[OGRE MAGE]

Bo pulls out his magical light stone, scouring his ever fading memories for whatever he can recall about this unwholesome looking coffin and statues. He silently curses his love of the halfling leaf, uncertain where he may have witnessed anything like this in the past several hazy years.

“Is this all related to the Mother in some way? Did we find something like this back in Hochoch?”

He holds the light aloft and examines the next stairway leading up, looking for more doors or any danger above.

Bo has no rations, so if food can’t be created magically, he will need to rely on the kindness of others to keep him fed. Damn hippy.

[jemmus]

Faron returns his iron spike to his pack and holds his glowing longsword aloft, three paces away in front of the coffin.

[Inferno]

The Accursed Mansion, The Dreamlands
Day Three. Morning? Monday, December 26th, 576 CY







In what seems an unearthly dream, the doomed heroes carefully enter the disquieting chamber.

Long Bo directs arcane light up the stairwell (B) and discovers a shut wooden door at its zenith. He asks his companions in a whisper, have they too dreamt this before?

Ingrid alone dares get within arm's reach of the ominous coffin, holy symbol gripped tight.

She finds it padlocked and sealed with a wax seal imprinted with a skull.

And she sees its entire stone surface is lightly etched with symbols of death.


Actions?!


Map Detail:

One square = 10 feet.





PC Status:

Faron, Human Thief 5: Move: 9", AC: 4, HP: 18/22, Glowing Sword
Grey Mouser, Half-Elf Magic-User/Thief 4/5: Move: 9", AC: 5, HP: 11/21, Spells: 3/3 1st lvl, 2/2 2nd lvl
Ingrid Esthof, Human Cleric 5: Move: 6", AC: 3(1), HP: 15/25, Spells: 5/5 1st lvl, 1/5 2nd lvl, 2/2 3rd lvl
Jerome, Human Paladin 4: Move: 9", AC: 3(1), HP: 19/23, Laying Hands: 0/1
Long Bo, Human Druid 6: Move: 9", AC: 2(1), HP: 31/41, Spells: 6/6 1st lvl, 4/4 2nd lvl, 2/2 3rd lvl, 1/1 4th lvl, Light stone
Telkis Brassfang, Gnome Fighter 5: Move: 9", AC: 0, HP: 28/37
Urdur Shimmerstone, Gnome Illusionist 5: Move: 12", AC: 4, HP: 14/15, Spells: 4/4 1st lvl, 2/2 2nd lvl, 1/1 3rd lvl, Torch

PC Magic:

Protection From Evil, 10' Radius (Jerome)

Player Resources:

Tale of Terror (the story so far)
A Dark and Terrible World (maps)
Blasphemous Iconography (the story so far in images)
Desperate Struggles (clues and player notes)

[Scott308]

Ingrid Esthof

Locked and sealed. But, why, in this place? Is it something so horrible that even those here need to keep it locked away, or is it some aspect of good that we could use against the horrors present?

[ravenn4544]

Mouser looks puzzled by Ingrid's comments. Then he realizes that it's just been so long - he didn't immediately recognize optimism.

[Urson]

Jerome
Jerome frowns. I see your logic, priestess. But I suggest we leave it until we find some clue of what's inside. There's no need to risk making things worse.
He looks around the room (touching NOTHING), hoping to find some information.

[SocraticLawyer]

Urdur scratches his beard, unsure of what to do with the locked coffin.

I'm inclined to open it if we can, lest something nasty sneak upon us from behind. Or in case its contents prove useful. But it also seems potentially dangerous.

Do we even have the ability to open it?

[ChubbyPixie]

As the others debate what to do with the coffin, Telkis moves as quietly as he can down the hall to peer through the doorway that is ajar...

[OGRE MAGE]

Bo shudders at the thought of opening the strange coffin.

"What could we normally expect to find inside? A demon? A vampire or something similar? Worse? Why is it locked shut? To me, that indicates something inside that someone doesn't want to escape, and not the opposite."

Willing to leave it alone for now, since nothing horrible has shown itself yet, Bo follows Telkis towards the next doorway.

[jemmus]

Faron
Of course, the corpse inside could be wearing diamond rings and holding a ruby-hilted sword. But I agree, best not to stir up a hornet's nest if we don't have to. But, I'll just take a little look around.... The thief gingerly moves forward, absently rubbing his neck where his throat had near been ripped out just the day before. He looks around the statues and behind the coffin, lighting the area with the blade of his longsword.

[Scott308]

Ingrid Esthof

Clearly, the inhabitants of this foul place want whatever is in there to stay in there, but why? Is whatever inside so horrible that even the foul creatures are afraid, or is it anathema to the evil that infests this place, and potentially of help to us? I'm ok with leaving it for now, but I think we should investigate further at some point.

[Inferno]

Second Story, The Accursed Mansion, The Dreamlands
Day Three. Morning? Monday, December 26th, 576 CY







Like fabled Pandora, Ingrid is transfixed and beguiled by the macabre, locked coffin. The other doomed heroes involuntarily shudder at the thought of what horrors might be sealed within.

Faron and Jerome carefully search the eerie chamber and find nothing enlightening. Telkis and Bo edge down the creaking floorboards of the western hallway and risk a glance through its door.



Beyond is an exquisitely appointed, candlelit hallway (16) that ranges north, out of sight. A winding staircase curves upward, and the southern wall holds an ornate mirror and a window.

All is quiet as a tomb.


Actions?!


Map Detail:

One square = 10 feet.





PC Status:

Faron, Human Thief 5: Move: 9", AC: 4, HP: 18/22, Glowing Sword
Grey Mouser, Half-Elf Magic-User/Thief 4/5: Move: 9", AC: 5, HP: 11/21, Spells: 3/3 1st lvl, 2/2 2nd lvl
Ingrid Esthof, Human Cleric 5: Move: 6", AC: 3(1), HP: 15/25, Spells: 5/5 1st lvl, 1/5 2nd lvl, 2/2 3rd lvl
Jerome, Human Paladin 4: Move: 9", AC: 3(1), HP: 19/23, Laying Hands: 0/1
Long Bo, Human Druid 6: Move: 9", AC: 2(1), HP: 31/41, Spells: 6/6 1st lvl, 4/4 2nd lvl, 2/2 3rd lvl, 1/1 4th lvl, Light stone
Telkis Brassfang, Gnome Fighter 5: Move: 9", AC: 0, HP: 28/37
Urdur Shimmerstone, Gnome Illusionist 5: Move: 12", AC: 4, HP: 14/15, Spells: 4/4 1st lvl, 2/2 2nd lvl, 1/1 3rd lvl, Torch

PC Magic:

Protection From Evil, 10' Radius (Jerome)

Player Resources:

Tale of Terror (the story so far)
A Dark and Terrible World (maps)
Blasphemous Iconography (the story so far in images)
Desperate Struggles (clues and player notes)

[SocraticLawyer]

Torch held aloft, Urdur follows the others through the candlelit hallway and into the room beyond. He keeps his dagger drawn.

The gnome looks around at their surroundings as they pass through. He attempts to ascertain whether any of the stonework is dangerous or hides any doors. He also is on the lookout for anything of value.

[Urson]

Jerome
Jerome goes as far as the door to (16). Hold. How can there be a window there? There's no outside wall.