Chapter 9: Temple of Fear

[Inferno]

Chapter 9: Temple of Fear

Day Seven.
Briarsgate. The Abandoned Windmill (NW of 24)
Early morning. Saturday, October 22nd, 576 CY
Cloudy, damp, cold, misty

windmill.jpg (199.88 KiB) Viewed 6215 times

The shadow council is adjourned. The mysterious villagers and the strange old hermit depart, offering heartfelt prayers and gratitude. The investigators of Briarsgate set a watch, and rest in the cellar of the abandoned windmill. Townsfolk surreptitiously bring them food and drink. The sail blades turn, creaking in the breeze, counting the hours.

At nightfall, the adventurers quietly emerge. They creep south through the ominous, writhing shadows of the hermit's grove.



Then they turn left and follow the tree-lined path north around the black, still lake at the heart of Briarsgate village.



All is as dark and quiet as a crypt. They reach the walls of the church of Merikka and hide among the majestic elms that line them (at X). Moogeye scrabbles up the tall, stone wall with a rope and grappling hook.

wall.jpg (383.93 KiB) Viewed 6215 times

She peers into a courtyard of grass and trees. The majestic grandeur of the church reminds her of the wealth and prosperity this rich farming region once enjoyed, before all hope was lost.



By the ghostly light of the full moon, she sees motion... temple acolytes coming this way from the north (at A).



The young nun doesn't recognize these ceremonial vestments.



(Unlike these images...) The acolytes hold hooded lanterns and the leashes of guard dogs.


Actions?


Map:

Church of Merikka.jpg (173.69 KiB) Viewed 6215 times

One square = 20 feet. Lighter area marks visibility.





Status:

• Avril Hollysword, Half-Elf Fighter/Cleric 1/2: AC 7, HP 10/10, Spells: 1/4 1st lvl
  Grey Mouser, Half-Elf Magic-User/Thief 1/2: AC 5, HP 10/10, Spells: 1/1 1st lvl
  Grothnak Uthglukh, Half-Orc Fighter 3: AC 4, HP 25/28
  Ingrid Esthof, Human Cleric 3: AC 3(1), HP 15/16, Spells: 1/4 1st lvl and 3/3 2nd lvl
  Long Bo, Human Druid 3: AC 6, HP 20/22, Spells: 2/5 1st lvl, 3/3 2nd lvl and 1/1 3rd lvl
  Moogeye Comcra, Human Monk 2: AC 8, HP 11/11
  Pelias Blanchflower, Human Paladin 2: AC 2(0), HP 17/19, Laying Hands: 1/1
  Telkis Brassfang, Gnome Fighter 3: AC 0, HP 23/28

Magic:

• Protection from Evil (Pelias): -2 to AC and +2 to saving throws against evil, in a 10 foot radius around Pelias.

Resources:

• Map of Briarsgate
  NPC List for Briarsgate
  The Story So Far (in words)
  The Story So Far (in pictures)

[ChubbyPixie]

Telkis holds as still as he can. If this whole thing goes end up, he doesn't want it to be because he was clanking around in his armor. He gazes around them along the walls and occasionally behind to make sure they aren't surprised while they scout the temple. He wonders what Moogeye is seeing up there, if anything.

[Zhym]

Grothnak stays hidden and waits for the signal to scale the walls.

[OGRE MAGE]

Bo wonders where Sephus has gone off to. He fears for his friends safety since another entire day has now passed and he still hasn't returned to him yet. He holds up his finger on the walk to the temple, hoping that this damn cult has not amassed yet another alley into their disgusting ranks while the group rested.

The man stays as still as possible once the walls are reached. He hopes that his group hasn't just walked directly into a trap set up by these damnable cultists. He fingers the stopper of his as of yet unused potion and awaits the report from the monk.

[AleBelly]

Pelias looks up impatiently. He grows weary of waiting around, and hopes for a sign from Moogeye to snap to action.

[Grognardsw]

Grey Mouser hides in the shadows and tries to determine which direction the breeze, if any, is blowing.

[Starbeard]

Apologies for being late to the party, folks.

Moogeye makes a quick count of the acolytes she can see, then quietly slips back down the rope to the others and whispering to them how many she saw.

"Acolytes in vestments strange to me patrol the courtyard with hounds. They pass by us just now from the north. Shall we continue to monitor them from the wall, to see if they establish a patrol pattern?"

[Inferno]

Day Seven.
Briarsgate. The Church of Merikka (21)
Night. Saturday, October 22nd, 576 CY
Cloudy, damp, cold, misty







Dark shapes this way come.

Moogeye Comcra descends through the cold shadows of the church's high, stone wall. Her foot touches the ground as she whispers to her companions: "Acolytes in vestments strange to me patrol the courtyard with hounds. They pass by us just now from the north. Shall we continue to monitor them from the wall, to see if they establish a patrol pattern?"

Mouser, trying to hide, notices the wind blows east.


Actions?


Rolls and Rulings:

Wind direction? N=1, then clockwise. [1d8] = 3 East.

Status:

• Avril Hollysword, Half-Elf Fighter/Cleric 1/2: AC 7, HP 10/10, Spells: 1/4 1st lvl
  Grey Mouser, Half-Elf Magic-User/Thief 1/2: AC 5, HP 10/10, Spells: 1/1 1st lvl
  Grothnak Uthglukh, Half-Orc Fighter 3: AC 4, HP 25/28
  Ingrid Esthof, Human Cleric 3: AC 3(1), HP 15/16, Spells: 1/4 1st lvl and 3/3 2nd lvl
  Long Bo, Human Druid 3: AC 6, HP 20/22, Spells: 2/5 1st lvl, 3/3 2nd lvl and 1/1 3rd lvl
  Moogeye Comcra, Human Monk 2: AC 8, HP 11/11
  Pelias Blanchflower, Human Paladin 2: AC 2(0), HP 17/19, Laying Hands: 1/1
  Telkis Brassfang, Gnome Fighter 3: AC 0, HP 23/28

Magic:

• Protection from Evil (Pelias): -2 to AC and +2 to saving throws against evil, in a 10 foot radius around Pelias.

Resources:

• Map of Briarsgate
  NPC List for Briarsgate
  The Story So Far (in words)
  The Story So Far (in pictures)

[Zhym]

Grothnak nods. "Know your enemy's habits as if they were your own," he whispers as if were a mantra.

[Mant72]

Ingrid Esthof:

“Aye,” the priestess curtly whispers in response to Moogeye’s suggestion. She crouches silently in the shadows of the wall, pressing her lips to her triskelion medallion, and anxiously awaiting word from the others.

[Starbeard]

Moogeye pauses for a moment. "The wind blows east. There is a good chance that their hounds will smell our scent if we stay on the west wall. I will try to spy from the eastern wall, downwind from the patrols."

Assuming there are nods of agreement, she will wait a short while to give the patrol enough time to pass by, then grab the end of the rope and attempt to dislodge and retrieve the grappling hook. She will move clockwise around the building until she is against the eastern wall and try again.

If anyone who knows more about animals seems to think this would be a waste of time, she'll just stick to the original plan and spy from where they are.

[Grognardsw]

Grey Mouser follows around to the east wall with the others.

[OGRE MAGE]

Bo also moves with the group, watching behind the party closely in case the patrol exits the compound.

He whispers softly. Its is a good idea to get downwind of the hounds. I wonder if it is us who they seek?

[Inferno]

Day Seven.
Briarsgate. The Church of Merikka (21)
Night. Saturday, October 22nd, 576 CY
Cloudy, damp, cold, misty





The investigators of the sinister secrets of Briarsgate descend upon what they believe is the last bastion of evil within that beleaguered village: the Church of Merikka.

Church of Merikka.jpg (462.7 KiB) Viewed 6132 times

Moving between its wall and the elm trunks, to mask their passing from prying eyes within and without the church, the adventurers walk north around the shrine to position themselves downwind of it.

There, they patiently monitor the patrol rotation as the moon slowly crawls across gulfs of infinite void above.



In an hour's time they learn there are four watchmen and two dogs whose path results in a pattern of being absent for thirteen minutes. The shadowy sentinels of Merikka and their hounds begin another such period of absence.

sentinels.jpg (239.67 KiB) Viewed 6132 times

Moogeye alerts the others from her vantage point high atop the stone wall. Grothnak's iron grappling hook is in place; the climbing rope hangs down, its end idly writhing among the overgrown weeds.


Actions?


Map:

Map of Church of Merikka.jpg (269.13 KiB) Viewed 6132 times

One square = 10 feet. Lighter area indicates visibility. Border of map is the courtyard's wall. A= Acolytes. MC = Moogeye. The rest of the party is east of Moogeye near the wall.
Church's interior is from description of the shadow council villager.[/ooc]






Status:

• Avril Hollysword, Half-Elf Fighter/Cleric 1/2: AC 7, HP 10/10, Spells: 1/4 1st lvl
  Grey Mouser, Half-Elf Magic-User/Thief 1/2: AC 5, HP 10/10, Spells: 1/1 1st lvl
  Grothnak Uthglukh, Half-Orc Fighter 3: AC 4, HP 25/28
  Ingrid Esthof, Human Cleric 3: AC 3(1), HP 15/16, Spells: 1/4 1st lvl and 3/3 2nd lvl
  Long Bo, Human Druid 3: AC 6, HP 20/22, Spells: 2/5 1st lvl, 3/3 2nd lvl and 1/1 3rd lvl
  Moogeye Comcra, Human Monk 2: AC 8, HP 11/11
  Pelias Blanchflower, Human Paladin 2: AC 2(0), HP 17/19, Laying Hands: 1/1
  Telkis Brassfang, Gnome Fighter 3: AC 0, HP 23/28

Magic:

• Protection from Evil (Pelias): -2 to AC and +2 to saving throws against evil, in a 10 foot radius around Pelias.

Resources:

• Map of Briarsgate
  NPC List for Briarsgate
  The Story So Far (in words)
  The Story So Far (in pictures)

[ChubbyPixie]

"I'll happily volunteer to go first, in order to cover the others with my bow if needed," suggests Telkis. "Does anyone else have a grapnel, so we can get down the other side without exposing ourselves on the top overlong?" He ponders a moment. "What do followers of Merika usually wear for robes? We are sure the guards you described are bad guys, right, and not simply patrolling to protect themselves from the lizard creatures?"

[Grognardsw]

"Or I," Grey Mouser bravely volunteers.

[AleBelly]

"If not first, I should go immediately thereafter. If evil purposes drive the patrollers, Heironeus will provide those near me protection" says Pelias steadily as he regards the wall.

[Zhym]

"Let us go together," says Grothnak.

[Mant72]

Ingrid Esthof:

"Yes, let us proceed as one. I wouldn't want to risk anyone getting separated." With this, she loosens her mace, and prepares to be off.

[OGRE MAGE]

Bo is not surprised that the group wants to argue about who should go when.

He continues whispering as he awaits his turn on the dreaded rope. My question is, what are we doing once we are on the other side? Do we make a break for the front doors or what?

If these guards are as Telkis suggests, they might not be our enemy at all. I don't think we should harm them if we don't have to. Do we have a way to bring them down quietly? I can use an enchantment that will make the grass and weeds hold them in place but it won't keep them quiet.

We really should discuss these things before going over the damn wall.