3) The Return to the Not Exactly Haunted House

[OGRE MAGE]

Time passes quietly and no intruders accost the party while they make suggestions and arrangements. It is entirely possible that the whole gang of smugglers has already been done away with but, it is best for the group not to take chances this badly injured.

Burly gets back to work in Sanbelet’s private room again, just like he did 2 days ago. Everything looks pretty much the same except for one thing. Now that he has time to take a closer look at the floor under the bed, he sees something that he didn’t before. There is a minute 2’ by 2’ square outline in the stone floor, possibly indicating something hidden or concealed.

Umrick and Doubtful keep themselves busy with moving furniture against the door, hoping to prevent any unwanted entries. (Sorry, I am still not sure if Ben has joined the group now or remains outside by himself. Did I mention that this game has a 48 hour posting rate?) Doubtful and Keilif help the still blinded Jervis, making him as comfortable as possible. Now resting on one of the beds, the boy continues to clean his eyes with water but it has no effect. Doubtful mentions that they might have to seek help from someone in town. Keilif wonders if his high priest would be able to reverse this terrible effect while he administers care to the other wounded party members as well.

A listen at the barred door produces nothing audible from beyond. Keilif suggests turning the skeletons while Doubtful fantasizes about burning them instead. Umrick cautions against the use of fire lest there be something inside that might be valuable, confirming another of Doubtfuls thoughts.

The gnomish fighter and the human druid dismiss the idea of burning the place to the ground, much to the chagrin of the pyromaniac. Instead, they concoct a plan that they think might draw the undead out of the room one at a time, making them much easier to combat. Keilif again suggests that the group rest in here again this day so they can regain strength and vitality before initiating another fight.

Jonas remains silent. He doesn’t look too good now that you think about it, appearing even more green than usual. He mumbles to himself a lot more now and he seems uptight to be just sitting in here doing nothing for another entire day. He keeps a close eye on the trapdoor that leads up into the house, remembering the horror that he witnessed up there and down here not long ago.

[coil23]

Doubtful suggests a watch schedule to make sure nothing can sneak up on the group while they rest then settles down to rest after meditation and prayer. He secretly hopes that a good night's sleep may be all that is needed for the boy's blindness to finally pass.

[ravenn4544]

Ben is still keeping watch at the boat and trying to get what rest he can due to recover from his wounds.

[OGRE MAGE]

Okay then, Ben is going to stay with the boat so, his actions will now be handled in his private thread.

Everyone else is inside the cellar "barracks" room. Doubtful wants to rest, hoping for a good nights sleep.

It is about 10:00 in the morning at present. You have been awake for about 2-3 hours.

I need to know if the party agrees on resting here until nighttime and then sleeping here again until morning. (about 22 hours from now)

If so, please go ahead and post any actions that you might want to do from now until then.

[Mant72]

Keilif:

"I will willingly agree to whatever works best for the watch order. It is wise to remain vigilant; an ominous place such as this invites ambush," he continues, "If Jervis' condition does not change for the better soon, I suggest we return to Saltmarsh. The temple priests have healing that greatly surpasses mine. They may be able to return his sight." Keilif then follows Doubtful's lead, finds a comfortable place on the cavern floor that faces the sea, and commences to commune with Shiliel.

[Scott308]

Umrick Histix, Gnome Fighter

After making sure the doors are barricaded, Umrick will spend time searching the room, looking for any other secret doors, false bottoms in chests or desk drawers- basically tossing the place looking for any possible hidden item the party hasn't already found. Since he wasn't here the first time the group searched, maybe a fresh pair of eyes may see something that was overlooked. After all, they did miss a secret door, and it appears he may have many hours to kill- unless people are interested in beginning to kill skeletons.

[hedgeknight]

Burly gets back to work in Sanbelet’s private room again, just like he did 2 days ago. Everything looks pretty much the same except for one thing. Now that he has time to take a closer look at the floor under the bed, he sees something that he didn’t before. There is a minute 2’ by 2’ square outline in the stone floor, possibly indicating something hidden or concealed.

Burly attempts to pry up the stone tile piece, using a paring knife he keeps in his belt.
If that doesn't work, he will cast "Hot Rize" on the stone square in an attempt to levitate it just enough to see what's in the hole.

[OGRE MAGE]

Doubtful and Keilif pray and meditate, the priest suggesting a trip back to town if Jervis doesn't regain his sight soon.

Burly is able to flip the loose flagstone in the floor up to reveal a hollow space underneath it concealing a large iron lockbox.

Umrick tears through the entire room again, reminding those who can see him of the now deceased halforc. Other than the secret door that he entered this room through initially, one that the others have not yet seen, he finds nothing else of value or interest in the room. He pops the door open to show the group where he has been so far and exposes the ransacked wine cellar beyond. Shelves of broken wine bottles line the walls. The decomposing body in the shining suit of plate mail still lies on the floor next to the stairs that lead up into the first floor kitchen. A longsword and shield lay on the floor nearby the dead fighter.

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[coil23]

Doubtful rests and then gets up to look through the ransacked wine cellar.

heal [1d2] = 2

He scrutinizes the beplated body to see who this person might be, also looking through the man's belongings and armaments. The shield could be very useful for a certain blind young man- and cause much less collateral damage than a sword in the same hands.

[Mant72]

Keilif:

After resting, Keilif joins the druid in his exploration of the cellar. "Take caution, Doubtful," he warns as he eyes the corpse with trepidation. "Plate mail is quite expensive. Are there any markings or insignias? I wonder who this man might have been, and why would he be traveling alone...? That is, if he was alone..." Keilif shudders at the prospect of being watched.

Forgot to add my healing from rest: Healing from Rest: [1d2] = 1

[wolfpack]

At the talk or plate maail, swords and shield Jervcis perks up.

It sounds glorious! Describe it to me, damn the demon for taking my sight!

[Scott308]

Umrick Histix, Gnome Fighter

Do not touch the armor without first cleansing it with fire! That body was infested with rot grubs, parasites that eat flesh on contact. They gave me a small taste of what the foul bugs can do, removing it before it could do me much harm. That would be a horrible way to die.

[coil23]

Doubtful smiles grimly at the encouragement for fire and heeds the advice to only look without touching. Very well. Looking to Keilif and the others, shall we fire it?

[OGRE MAGE]

The party takes advantage of the comforts of the barrack room. After another long resting session of meditation and prayer, mixed with study and complete boredom, the gang rises again. (you can roll 1d2 for regained hit points if you haven't done so already)

Doubtful let's his curiosity about the dead man get the best of him as he incautiously moves in to check out the fighters belongings. Just as he is about to reach for the mans pack, Umrick shouts out his warning, essentially saving the druids life. When Doubtful pulls his hand back from the corpse he sees a nest of wriggling worms inside of the hollow chest cavity. One of the little creatures snaps up at his hand as he backs away.

The druid seems less than grateful about the gnomes timely warning but, he smiles at his suggestion about using fire.

The blind Jervis badly wishes he could see the shining suit of plat mail, asking in vain for someone to describe it to him. Burly continues tinkering in the private bedroom. Jonas seems to be getting sick. He is shivering badly and unable to calm down. He sits on the floor in the corner under the barred door into the skeleton room. He whimpers a little bit occasionally but otherwise says nothing.

[hedgeknight]

Burly is able to flip the loose flagstone in the floor up to reveal a hollow space underneath it concealing a large iron lockbox.

If the box is locked, Burly will take it to his companions and ask if someone can help unlock it. If it is not locked, he will try to open it.

[Scott308]

Umrick Histix, Gnome Fighter

The dwarf will walk near enough to the plate mail to be able to see it without risking contact with the rot grubs. Well Jervis, the plate mail is still shiny, so it is obvious the person who had worn it took good care of it. It appears to be standard, human-sized plate, which means that unfortunately I cannot wear it. The only distinguishing feature that I can see from where I stand is an engraving on the breast plate. It features a flower, roses I believe, over each breast, as well as leafy vines that work their way down, covering a good portion of the front piece. It is a very nice looking set. Is this something you might recall having seen before?

After he finishes describing the mail, he takes a blanket off one of the beds and brings it to Jonas, putting it over his shoulders. Here. This should help keep you warm. You appear to be sick. Is there anything we can do to help? Do you know why you seem to be getting ill?

Healing Rest: [1d2] = 2

[wolfpack]

[1d2] = 2


jervis racks his brain trying to recall the description the gnome gave him.

[Mant72]

Keilif:

The accolyte helps tend to Jonas, doing what he can to ease his pain and discomfort. "Yes, tell us what seems to be ailing you? Is there anything we can provide?"

Even though the waves are turbulent and dangerous, Keilif begins to think that returning to Saltmarsh is sounding more and more like a prudent plan.

[OGRE MAGE]

Burly inspects the heavy metal box, looking for a latch or a keyhole of some kind. There is a tiny cover over the lock that needs to be flipped up before inserting a key. When this is done, the mage feels a tiny prick on the end of his finger. The pain is minimal but he can now see a tiny discolored needle sticking out of the latch. When the mage inspects the pinhole wound in his fingertip, expecting to keel over from the poison, the end of his finger begins to turn a strange blue/green color. It doesn't feel bad but, the discoloration moves down his finger until the entire digit has turned blue. He is easily able to discern that the box is definitely locked.

Umrick describes the shiny armor in detail to Jervis. The armor sounds exquisite in design but isn't ringing a bell with anyone as far as someone ever seeing it worn before. Again Umrick sees the disgusting worms wiggling around under the breastplate. It brings him back to the terrible treatment that he recieved when he first entered this house.

Jonas is helped by a few of the party members, trying to make him as comfortable as possible. The young, fishy looking boy seems to be getting worse instead of better. I'm sorry guys. He says weakly. I think I got bit by something when I was under the water out there. He holds up his arm to show you a large red spot on his pale skin. It looks like a rash or something similar. There are tiny red bumps on his skin where it is discolored.

There is still no sign of Ben who stayed outside to guard the boat.

Current hp after resting:
Alec -6/10 dead (-6=death)
Jervis 5/11
Jónas 6/6
Keilif 4/9
Doubtful 7/10
Burly 3/6
Ben 3/6
Umrick 8/11 (-6.5=death)

[wolfpack]

the fire should kill the worms long before it destroys the armor and weapons, I believe they could be saved.