They Who Dwell in Shadow (ooc and questions lll)

[Inferno]

Hi Dads,
Hoom is at a disadvantage here because he arrived at the church hooded. The other PCs know the lay of the land better.

What do the grounds of the church look like? Merikka is a nature goddess. The courtyard has young trees and plants which have become unkempt, overgrown and choked with weeds.

How high are the walls? Hoom sees the granite walls are 20 feet tall.

Is the gate the only exit? Hoom has no idea. (The other heroes know of no other exit.)

Can we see the gate from our current positions? No. Visibility is marked by the lighter area on the map. Everything beyond that is from the memories of the other heroes.

[Zhym]

Y'know, I completely forgot about the wall and gate factor when Grothnak was arguing against fleeing through the window. Good luck, y'all.

[rredmond]

That's okay the front gates work fine! And since a marauding mob just came in, those suckers will be wide open.
Buh bye!

Of course we have to [murderhobo]kill the Widder Hochstedt first[/murderhobo].

[OGRE MAGE]

Yep, gates are right around the corner.

And even Bo won't complain about her being murdered.

[Inferno]

Urdur Shimmerstone, gnome illusionist
Am I misreading the map, or is there another door along the west wall?

There is. I mentioned it in my post on Tuesday.
It's the same door that Grothnak is referring to now.

[SocraticLawyer]

Sorry, I misread a portion of that post, and it confused me. At times, I can be easily confused....

[Inferno]

No problem.

[rredmond]

Hey "those that are surrounded" over the wall is better than missile weapons at this point, yes?

[OGRE MAGE]

Seems like staying inside is the better choice.

I'm with you on going over the wall, though. There will be many more of them on us soon enough it would seem.

[AleBelly]

I agree - let's go for the wall. The dogs won't be able to climb it, so we should gain some ground on the dogs and maybe even throw them off our scent.

Not sure if it will be terribly clear from my post in the game thread, but Pelias means to leave the lantern in the yard of the church (but out of range of the wall so it doesn't illuminate it) so that it will reveal villagers and we can shoot those chasing us full of arrows.

He doesn't like killing villagers, but the widow's words make him think that at least some of them joined this cult voluntarily. So eff them. Plus, he's pissed that one of them stabbed Verity.

[rredmond]

We can make a ruckus that makes them think and slow down too, "don't loose your arrows until you have a clear shot" etc.
We don't need an illusionist for that kind of diversion.

--Ron--

[OGRE MAGE]

Great ideas!

Let's do this thing!

[rredmond]

Avril, Pelias and Mouser are the only ones still on the ground?
Glad we went for the wall, the gate is closed. That'll slow them down!

[Inferno]

Yes, Avril, Mouser and Pelias are on the ground because climbing nearly takes a full action. Those three PCs either threw a grappling hook, or shot arrows last round.

Fyi, I NPCed Avril for this post. Greg's been a little busy lately.

[Inferno]

Socratic asked:

I don't understand the layout. Are there little "rooms" that were once just graves but that have been built over? No.

The slabs are flush with the floor, so what was built up over them? Brick walls that form this hallway.

Or are the mausoleums "sealed" by the brick walls built over them? No, the remains of the dead are below your feet, sealed by the slabs that are flush with the floor upon which you stand. Often times, these slabs are the floor.

Sorry. It's a medieval crypt beneath a church. The floor has "gravestones" set flush into the floor, their inscriptions facing straight upward. Then, atop that, for some unknown reason, brick walls were built.

Gamewise, the walls are where they are indicated on the map. The floor has tombstone writings, relief images, and very low steps in a pattern that has nothing to do with the placement of the walls, because they predate the walls.

I'll take another crack at better explaining this in my next DM post. It's pretty unusual, so the characters might be a little baffled. Thanks.

[Inferno]

Mouser
Is that an island in the river to the northish-west there?

Ron, please have a look at the map's key in its lower left corner.
Water is solid, pale blue.
I think what you are referring to as the "river" are contour lines, indicating the hill upon which sits the church.
The "island" you mention is a vineyard.
I hope that's clear.

A very detailed map of Briarsgate can be found here: viewtopic.php?p=209299#p209299

[rredmond]

Bwa ha ha! Sorry about that!!
Holy crap I was way off. Thanks!

[OGRE MAGE]

I don't know about the rest of you, but I think we might be able to rest up some in the safety of the windmill. I think we should make our way there as long as we are sure that we aren't being followed. Hopefully the bird can help us out a little with that.

[Zhym]

Inferno, how do you play infravision? I just realized that all three of us in the basement have it. Is infravision enough to move about in tunnels (e.g., see the walls)?

I'm thinking that maybe Telkis and Urdur move the torch forward while Grothnak looks back the way we came after the torch no longer interferes with infravision.

[Inferno]

I don't have any house rules on Infravision. I'm pretty btb.

...they note differences in thermal radiation, hot or cold. They do not "see" things which are the same temperature as their surroundings. Thus, a room in a dungeon might look completely blank, as walls, floor, ceiling, and possibly even some wooden furniture within are all of the same temperature.

It lets you detect temperature differences like living things in a cold room. In this game it's also exposed hidden wooden trapdoors that lead to a room of a different temperature.

Demihumans have 60' infravision. Humanoids and monsters have a greater range.