6. Dawn of a New Night

[Storm11]

Robert looks the maces over for Fendt and says, "My friend, I am unable to use a mace but the scimitar I can wield. Would you be willing to take my magical scimitar in exchange for this one and take one of the maces? I would also encourage any of you other fine adventurers, that can make use of a mace, to consider taking one. I also believe we should attempt to rest using the illusion although I fear a mindless undead might not even see an illusion?"

Robert examines the maces for Fendt while he has the detect magic still active and then passes them back to him with any information he learns.

the idea is that only incorporeal undead can get to us through the secret door behind the lit fireplace behind the secret door leading to the spideroom behind the further secret treasure room door. Mindless corporeal undead would have to be pretty smart and agile to walk through fire and activate three secret doorways.

[GreyWolfVT]

Fendt "Yes Robert I'd trade your scimitar for that one. If any of these fine maces is better than my current one I will gladly offer my mace to anyone that can wield it." Fendt reluctant to give up the sword does so anyway. "Indeed the undead I doubt can trigger so many secret doorways to get to us in here Robert. The illusion I think is for the more intelligent undead that can come through the walls my friend."

[Zhym]

Mindless corporeal undead would have to be pretty smart and agile to walk through fire . . . .

Please correct me if I'm mistaken, but although you talked about restarting the fire in the fireplace, I don't believe anyone ever did. The fireplace is still cold.

[GreyWolfVT]

Mindless corporeal undead would have to be pretty smart and agile to walk through fire . . . .

Please correct me if I'm mistaken, but although you talked about restarting the fire in the fireplace, I don't believe anyone ever did. The fireplace is still cold.

that is correct that fire was never started up again.

[Zhym]

Let me correct my previous statement. As far as you know, the fireplace is still cold.

[Cwreando]

Robert says, "Thank You Fendt." Robert exchanges his scimitar with Fendt. "Friends should we endeavor to make sure we can escape before we rest or do some of you need to rest to better facilitate our escape? Clerics if you have a way of creating food and water but don't have access to cast it until you rest then we should probably all rest."

I was planning on relighting the fireplace but never got to it as other events occurred.

[Dram]

Bragar - Carefully looks over the mace he picked up. Comparing it the one he has at his side. Wondering did he fare in the battle with the Wraiths then with his non magical mace. I picked up one the Maces during the Wraith attack.

[Zhym]

Date: Nouluna 6, 1221
Time: 12:30 AM
Weather: Light rain
Moon: Waning gibbous
Location: Castle Ravenloft, Treasure Vault
**************************************

While you wait to see if the wraiths return, Fendt inspects the other two maces. They seem the equals of the mace Bragar used: exceptionally well-balanced and deceptively light given the punch they appear to pack.

Fendt and Robert agree to an exchange. Robert will take the scimitar—the only weapon in the stash the druid could use—and Fendt will use one of the maces. Bragar has another one. The third is unclaimed as of yet. Update your character sheets, please.

Five more minutes pass. It has been half an hour since the wraiths left. Castran finds a comfortable position and weaves an illusion of the party as zombies hanging out in Strahd's treasure room. Agrippo immediately curls up in a corner, the gleaming Sunsword cradled in his arm, and starts to snore. Castran works the snoring into his illusion. The Agrippo-zombie heaves as the warrior snores.

Castran remains still, concentrating on the illusion. It's going to be a long night early morning for him.

You can identify the + of the scimitar and mace by sparring for a bit. Of course, that would make noise, just as a combat would.

Everyone please confirm if you're sleeping now or doing something else.

It's not easy to maintain concentration for several hours. Storm11, please roll wisdom checks (d20) for Castran, one for each hour you plan to maintain the illusion. The checks start at -4 on the die (i.e., a "bonus") and increase by +1 each hour (i.e., the rolls are at -4, -3, -2, -1, 0, +1, +2, +3) If any of the wisdom checks fail, roll for system shock (d100). If the system shock fails, Castran has lost his concentration and the illusion falters.

Anyone snoring? [9d10s9] = 1
Who? [1d9] = 5 Agrippo!

Status: Agrippo: 32/52, Tibbius: 10/10, Iluq: 13/34, Tumbler: 24/39, Robert: 16/34; Fendt: 14/15; Castran: 13/23; Melampus: 21/30; Bragar: 31/42
Effects: None

[GreyWolfVT]

Fendt "If nobody else can use a mace then I guess we can leave it here or I'll just carry the extras." the half elf will say before everyone rests and studies spells.

[Storm11]

i tried all six but it wouldn't let me roll em all so here's the first four rolls


PbP Forum code: [1d20-4] = 0-4 = -4 : [1d20-3] = 13-3 = 10 : [1d20-2] = 3-2 = 1 : [1d20-1] = 2-1 = 1

hours five and six

PbP Forum code: [1d20] = 18 : [1d20+1] = 4+1 = 5

And system shock roll


PbP Forum code: [1d100] = 58

[Cwreando]

Robert goes to sleep and rests. Robert thinks as he prepares to fall to sleep. They're trying to be quiet, so sparring is out of the question. Once we have renewed our spells they might spare but he's not worried about it. In this place there will be plenty of time to test their new weapons.

He says a slent prayer to boost their chance of resting peacefully to his deity.

[Dram]

Bragar- Will look for comfortable place to study his spells he needs for tomorrow to lay down and rest. When he awakens he pray to Haela Brightaxe to give him power to aid his fellow companions in the next days battles.

[GreyWolfVT]

Fendt will study his spells and go into a meditative state in between studying spells and resting.

[OGRE MAGE]

Tib sleeps when he can and studies his spells.

[MonkeyWrench]

Iluq will rest as well, praying once he has woken up.

[greyarea]

Melampus prays before bed and then upon rising, if time.

[Zhym]

Date: Nouluna 6, 1221
Time: 12:35 AM
Weather: Light rain
Moon: Waning gibbous
Location: Castle Ravenloft, Treasure Vault
**************************************

You settle in for what you hope will be an uninterrupted rest under the cover of Castran's zombie illusion. Only Castran remains awake, maintaining the illusion and keeping watch.

Aside from the patter of rain against the roof and the occasional distant howl or creaking of a door, the castle is eerily silent. For nearly two hours, you sleep undisturbed.

Nearly two hours.

Somewhere around 2:30 in the morning by Castran's reckoning, five wraiths swoop through the upper walls into the treasure room. What they see is strange: nine zombies lying about Strahd's treasure room where the wraiths had recently battled nine adventurers! One of the zombies is making an awful racket, though perhaps no more so than any other zombie might make if its lungs had mostly rotted away.

Four of the wraiths hesitate. They had expected to find adventurers in this room where the light had not left all night, not zombies. But one wraith is not fooled. It immediately swoops toward the sleeping Melampus!

What will Castran do?

Only Castran gets an action for this round. Everyone else is asleep until something—perhaps Castran, perhaps an attack from a wraith—wakes you.

Wraiths are intelligent. They aren't geniuses, but they can see light shrining from a window, figure out that whoever is shining those lights hasn't left, and wait long enough to make an ambush attack. Because the wraiths suspected you were still in the treasure room, I gave each a saving throw at +4 to see through the illusion. Amazingly, only one of the five wraiths made its saving throw.

Wraiths, save vs. spell (at +4): [5d20s10] = 1
Wraith attacks: [1d9] = 8

Status: Agrippo: 32/52, Tibbius: 10/10, Iluq: 13/34, Tumbler: 24/39, Robert: 16/34; Fendt: 14/15; Castran: 13/23; Melampus: 21/30; Bragar: 31/42
Effects: None

[Storm11]

Castran will cry out at warning loud enough to wake the others and try and maintain the zombie illusion as the company waken. He will manifest many of each of us in zombie shape into being in the area of effect to try and confuse the wraiths.

[Zhym]

Date: Nouluna 6, 1221
Time: 2:31 AM - Combat Round 1
Weather: Light rain
Moon: Waning gibbous
Location: Castle Ravenloft, Treasure Vault
**************************************

Castran calls out an alarm, but it is too late to help Melampus. Melampus wakens to the sight of a wraith's face directly in front of his, its wispy black arms around his neck, feasting on his life force. (Melampus: -2 HP, -1 level!)

As the rest of you scramble up from your sleep, Castran tries to maintain the illusion, even adding to it with multiple zombie shapes for each party member. It is a difficult illusion to project, with many moving parts, each of which needs to react realistically. That, together with the one wraith's attack, is enough to spoil the illusion for three more wraiths. They join the attack, leaving only one to perhaps wonder why its fellow wraiths are attacking a treasure room full of zombies.

Actions!

Notes:

• Simultaneous initiative. The wraith got an automatic hit against the sleeping Melampus. It wasn't an automatic kill because that only applies to magically sleeping or held opponents.
• I gave the wraiths another saving throw because the illusion was getting so complex.
• Melampus loses 4 HP from his max and one 3rd-level spell (you can choose which one, please tell me which).
• Everyone can act this round.

Initiative: Party [1d6] = 6 Monsters [1d6] = 6
Wraith attack!: [1d20] = 14 [1d6] = 2
Wraiths, save vs. spell (at +4): [4d20s10] = 3

Status: Agrippo: 32/52, Tibbius: 10/10, Iluq: 13/34, Tumbler: 24/39, Robert: 16/34; Fendt: 14/15; Castran: 13/23; Melampus: 19/26; Bragar: 31/42
Effects: None

[MonkeyWrench]

Iluq will attempt to strike out at the wraiths silently, before the others release their weapons of the super nova to blind him.

Dual +1 Hammer attack: To Hit [1d20+1] = 14+1 = 15, [1d20+1] = 12+1 = 13; damage [1d4+2] = 4+2 = 6 (+1v.L), [1d4+2] = 2+2 = 4 (+1v.L)