9. Five Months Later

[Storm11]

He left that in his other purse, he only has hallucinatory terrain (which he was adviced against using in town and hasn't memorised besides, or Phantasmal force, which he isn't allowed to concentrate on forever, but which could shield the group in a glamour whilst they rested.)

"oh yes," says the gnome tugging on his long sleeved robes to straighten them out,"There is an unused fortress just up the road. We just thought we would stay in this dump for months because it's got a nice ambience!"

[Inferno]

Agax Gryyg, game mage:

Agax grinned. "Ha! I see. Perhaps another 'dump,' then? Anywhere but here, or in open country," he said pleasantly, even as he wondered whether any intelligence was gathered during five months of operating in enemy territory.

[Storm11]

we tried intelligence gathering and Zhym basically said we couldn't do anything or find out anything no matter what we tried. So apart from a trip to gypsy rose mcguffin we were stuck. Until you guys arrived.

Castran leads the spaced wizard aside.

"Personally I think we would be foolish to move somewhere else and settle down again. After many days of searching the town this slum was the best there is here in town. Unless we pay astronomical prices to the gypsy band that run the inn. To leave a place we have warded heavily (though clearly not so cleverly, some more glyphs of warding actually on the floors before the exits would be prudent, and if the Druid could fire trap the actual doors too that would be peachy keen help been, and possibly some snares at each exit to boot) for somewhere new, just as exposed and without the necessary magical protections, that if we did put in place would mean more hours of rememorisation again tomorrow which would then put us back in the same predicament as we are in today. If you catch my meaning?" the gnome looks at Agax for his own thoughts.

"Do any of you clerics have spells of negative planar protection, they would be most beneficial to memorise before we re-enter the castle, for energy draining undead roam the halls in abundance, ready to feast off our life energy. Perhaps if our dear Druid could prepare some goodberries as well, for healing and recovery and rememorisation within the castle will be next to impossible. Madame Eva told us to look in the lower catacombs of the castle for the devil creature, a place we had not explored before it is true. We have looked into the peaks of the castle, and there are entrances along the open catwalks to the towers, but flying everyone there is beyond my skills, though with enough time I could memorise a spell to fly myself. Do you have such means of getting us all up above the castle spires? We haven't flown around the outside of the castle either yet, there maybe a quick way in to the dungeons that doesn't require traversing the corridors perhaps. I know not."

[GreyWolfVT]

Gragog "Well either way it appears we are either stuck here for the night or elsewhere. We've got some time left of the day or so I presume it is hard to tell in this place. We either do as yon gnome has suggested and double the protections on this place or move onto another building that is less fortified or pay an ungodly price to stay at the inn."

[Zhym]

"I could fly to the castle," says Shinyah, "as could my owl Hihu, of course. But Honeynose and Treescratcher cannot fly, and would not want to be carried in any event, even if one of us could change into a form capable of such a feat. I fear that some of us, at least, must travel to the castle by foot."

"I can, of course, place a flame trap as a defense, given time to prepare the necessary rituals. However, I must note that I cannot place such a trap on anything on which another spell has been placed. A door will not hold both a Glyph and a fire trap. Even the attempt might cause one or both wards to trigger. At the very least, one spell would negate the other."

Explanation/Description: Any closable item (book, box, bottle, chest, coffer, coffin, door, drawer, and so forth) is affected by a fire trap spell, but the item so trapped cannot have a second spell such as hold portal or wizard lock placed upon it except as follows: if a fire trap/hold portal is attempted, only the spell first cast will work, and the other will be negated (both negated if cast simultaneously). If a fire trap is cast after a wizard lock, the former is negated, if both are cast simultaneously both are negated, and if a wizard lock is cast after placement of a fire trap there is a 50% chance that both spells will be negated.

A Glyph would be "a second spell" on the door. Best case, the spells negate each other. Worst case, they both go off when the second is cast.

[Dram]

Bragar- Looking out windows for anything attacking. I say we need find another place to rest. We will most definitely have company tonight He knows where we sleep now.

[Cwreando]

Lar says, "So what I'm hearing is that we can make it to the castle from here in 2-3 hours? I agree then, if that is the case, that we can rest in the town tonight and I agree we can find a new spot, but Strahd may have ways to track us we are not aware of so don't plan on an uneventful night. We also need to make the priority of getting to Strahd and dispatching the evil as quickly as possible. We should resist any other options. Once Strahd is defeated secondary concerns can be looked into if we can do so safely. Can we agree on that?"

[Inferno]

Fyi, here: viewtopic.php?p=215299#p215299

[GreyWolfVT]

Gragog "I can agree that we have few options. I'm starting to rethink entering this town now but we're here so we need to do something. No matter what it is we wont have a lot of time to spend in the castle today two to three hours then if we plan to make a return trip to rest back here somewhere we only get maybe an hour or two before we try to survive the trip back out. I'm just the brawn in this adventure so really you smarter folk tell me what we are going to do and I'll be there where and when you need me."

[Inferno]

Agax Gryyg, game mage:

After listening intently to everyone's many words, the mercurial dreaming wizard changed his mind. Again.

Sometimes Agax received visions or hunches. Other people called them delusions, but the mage sincerely believed they were potent messages from the enigmatic 'Gamers of Urth,' distant, pan-dimensional cosmic beings who controlled our every action through a series of elaborate games of life and death, played for pleasure or whim. This felt like one of those times.

A manic smile suddenly grew on his face. "Let's walk to the castle now, shall we?" he said. "Shinyah, I'm sorry. You may have to leave the bears behind. There will be no way to magically escape the castle with them."

Zhym, was there time to swap in a Fly spell between 10am and 1:30pm, or are we at 1:30 already? Thanks.

[Zhym]

The druid gives Agax a stony look. "You seem to have mistaken my friends for pets," he says. "I will not leave them behind. This house is no place for bears, and I will not leave them to fend for themselves against the wolves and worse things that prowl the forests in this place. Where I go, they go. Where they cannot go, I do not go."

[GreyWolfVT]

Gragog "Stated simply if the animals cannot go inside the castle than neither does our druid friend."

[Inferno]

Agax Gryyg, game mage:

The druid gives Agax a stony look. "You seem to have mistaken my friends for pets," he says. "I will not leave them behind. This house is no place for bears, and I will not leave them to fend for themselves against the wolves and worse things that prowl the forests in this place. Where I go, they go. Where they cannot go, I do not go."

Agax grinned, "If you can't bear to leave them, then by all means bring them. The more the merrier!"

[Dram]

Bragar- So we walk to the castle. I would like the protection of your friends druid. They have good danger sense. He watches the bears. Hoping that the innocent beasts survive the castle.

[Zhym]

Okay, then. Is everyone set to head to the castle?

[GreyWolfVT]

yup guess so.

[Cwreando]

Lar decides to see if Castran and Bragar can provide any knowledge of what they fought in the castle or as they escaped the castle, "Castran and Bragar is there anything you can tell us that might help us fend off the evils that await us at the castle? Anything we might watch out for if you fought a vampire or other undead when you escaped? The more we know how to fight these things the better. I believe you mentioned a jelly/pudding earlier so we can watch over head to help us avoid something like that. A rust monster I believe you mention too. I'll get a staff/club along the way from the woods."

[Storm11]

"we fought and were captured by giant spiders. A girl cleaning the castle charmed most of the party and tinted out to be a vampires, everytime we rested we were attacked by either super tough zombies whose limbs fell off when struck and also continued to attack or dark spirits that drained the very essence of those they touched, the ooze/slime, we encountered some rowdy reckless villagers who managed to scale the castle walls and leave as well, they took a human girl held hostage but with her consent back to the village, or at least tried to. That's all I can recall at the moment." the gnome replies

[Inferno]

Agax Gryyg, game mage:

The unpredictable wizard scowled darkly at the survivors' tales. "Let us be on our way, friends. Good Castran, have you any enchantments to conceal our approach?"
Regardless of the gnome's answer, Agax is ready to undertake in earnest this epic quest at last.

[GreyWolfVT]

Gragog "Hmm well that is far more than the tales told that drove me to come here. Though I still must say... Challenge accepted. Shall we go now?" the half-orc smiles grimly.