Chapter 22: The Horror at Vicar's Head

[ravenn4544]

Mouser attends to the drawer and tries to remove any traps or pop the lock...

Find Traps / Open Locks [1d100] = 21 / [1d100] = 38

[ChubbyPixie]

“Hurry up, will you?” whispers Telkis, becoming antsy. As the moments tick by he clutches Cranach with whitening knuckles and imagines the worst.

[wolfpack]

Brevos continues to watch out a window

[rredmond]

"We've been too long," whispers the hobbit, "if we're to do any good we need to get out of here. Mouser let me know if I can help, but I'd go to the crowbar at this point if I were you." One can almost see the gleam of Rudolph's teeth smiling at what he feels is professional repartee. "I'll join the guards outside to give you more room to work."

[OGRE MAGE]

Looking rather uncomfortable, Bo starts towards the injured purloiner with the stuck finger until he sees that he has escaped further complications from the hidden trap.

“I can try to distort the wood with my magic, but I don’t know if that will help much in this case.”

The tall druid searches the higher shelves that some of the other searchers may have missed.

[SocraticLawyer]

The invisible gnome Urdur grabs as many of the texts as he can, stuffing them into his pack for a more thorough examination at a safe(r) location.

If there is time before Mouser gets the drawer open, the little gnome reviews the scroll that he and Telkis had left behind on their first trip. He tries to discern if it contains any magical incantations, and if so, what type.

[Inferno]

Vicar's Head, Gran March, Greyhawk
Day Seven. Night. Friday, November 18th, 576 CY
Cold, foggy, cloudy





In the lonely tower's clandestine study, Telkis implores, "Hurry up!" and Rudolf's disembodied voice urges, "We've been too long!"

Rudolf and the grey druid find nothing hidden in the hidden room.

Suddenly, haunted books rise up, float weightlessly and then disappear into thin air!



It is just the latest trick of Urdur the illusionist.

Brevos watches the window outside. Nothing stirs in the village of the damned.

By the pricking of his thumb, Mouser has discovered an insidious deathtrap. The thief expertly disables the poisonous needle trap, and then picks the lock of the table's lone drawer.

Within it, he discovers a journal, a dead sprig of wolfsbane, and a simply wrought dagger of silver.




Actions?!


Map:

The PCs are near the X.





PC Status:

• Brevos, Half-Elf Ranger 3: Move: 9", AC: 2(1), HP: 31/31
  Grey Mouser, Half-Elf Magic-User/Thief 3/4: Move: 9", AC: 5, HP: 19/19, Spells: 2/2 1st lvl, 1/1 2nd lvl
  Ingrid Esthof, Human Cleric 4: Move: 6", AC: 3(1), HP: 22/22, Spells: 5/5 1st lvl and 4/4 2nd lvl
  Jerome, Human Paladin 3: Move: 9", AC: 3(1), HP: 20/20, Laying Hands: 1/1
  Long Bo, Human Druid 4: Move: 9", AC: 2(1), HP: 30/30, Spells: 6/6 1st lvl, 3/3 2nd lvl and 2/2 3rd lvl, Torch
  Rudolf Rassendyll, Halfling Thief 4: Move: 9", AC: 3, HP: 16/16, Invisible
  Telkis Brassfang, Gnome Fighter 4: Move: 9", AC: 0, HP: 34/34
  Urdur Shimmerstone, Gnome Illusionist 4: Move: 12", AC: 4, HP: 11/11, Spells: 3/3 1st lvl and 2/2 2nd lvl, Invisible

PC Magic:

• Invisibility x2 (Urdur): Targets: self and Rudolf.

Player Resources:

• Tale of Terror (the story so far)
  A Dark and Terrible World (maps)
  Blasphemous Iconography (the story so far in images)
  Desperate Struggles (clues and player notes)

[ravenn4544]

Mouser raises his eyebrows at the sight of such a wonderfully crafted dagger. "that's awfully pretty...." and takes it to examine it in loving detail. He waves it around in mock combat to test it's weight. The journal remains to be explored...

[Urson]

Jerome
I agree with the others. This is taking a dangerous amount of time.
Jerome maintains his guard post, calling his questions over his shoulder.

[Scott308]

Ingrid Esthof

Grab whatever is in the drawer, it's time to go! We can look it over later, when we're out of this gods-forsaken town, the cleric urges in a harsh whisper. When the others are ready to head out, she will take her place in the marching order.

[ravenn4544]

Mouser coughs embarrassingly. He stashes the dagger in his belt, takes the journal and the flower thing, checks the drawer for any other possible compartments and even under the lining if there is any - he doesn't want to come back again...

"Um, ready." He follows the others out...

[SocraticLawyer]

Let's get out of here, says the disembodied voice of Urdur. He follows the group out of the room, the building, and (hopefully) the town.

[wolfpack]

When ready Brevos leads the way out of town and to the trail

[Urson]

Jerome

When the group leaves, Jerome will take his position near the front, alert to potential evil.

[rredmond]

Unseen Rudolph takes his spot in front and to the right of the ranger. "Let me take a peek outside the door, before we troop out," he'll whisper to Brevos,"can't be too careful around here. Then once we're out, you are more than welcome to lead again." Again the hobbits smile can only be felt, not seen.

[OGRE MAGE]

Bo takes the dead sprig from the thief so he can investigate it closer.

If he finds nothing strange about it, other than it’s location hidden in a secret library desk, he puts it away for future study.

“Wolfsbane! I think we all know what that can be used for,” he says ominously.

[ChubbyPixie]

"Wolvesbane? I have some in my pack. It hasn't seemed to help, so far," says Telkis, hustling away with the others when they begin moving. An exit from this cursed city couldn't come a moment too soon as far as he is concerned. He listens attentively for any more howling.

[Inferno]

Vicar's Head, Gran March, Greyhawk
Day Seven. Night. Friday, November 18th, 576 CY
Cold, foggy, cloudy





In the clandestine library, the unlocked drawer divulges no more of its secrets to Mouser. The grey druid confirms the dead sprig is wolfsbane. And the disembodied voice of Urdur the conjurer urges in the whisper of a whisper, "Let's get out of here!"

They bolt. Having gotten what they've risked their lives for, the heroes plunge down the stairwell of the forlorn tower and peer out into the square of the horrific siege massacre. Nothing stirs. The howling of the wolves is palpably absent. The desolate silence of the pious settlement of Pelor is absolute... except for the groan of a rusted chain dangling a dead witch above a shattered mercantile.

It feels as if the entire town is holding its breath. Then the heroes break for it, rushing headlong from the tower to flee the village of the damned at last.

Something stirs. In a town square filled with the stench of death, black shadows detach themselves from the holocaust of human remains. There is a sickening clatter of bones as dead men lurch and stagger into the wan moonlight.



The ghastly legion of living dead stand between the heroes and where they entered the doomed hamlet.

At the center of the writhing mass of decomposing bodies is a lone figure, calm as the eye of a storm. A nun of Pelor. Or at least that's what she was in life. Accused of witchcraft, a noose still grips her broken neck.

Her deathly gaze turns toward the heroes.



Their blood freezes in their veins as abject terror threatens to consume all that they are.


Actions?! (Please Save vs Spells to act freely! Wisdom bonuses apply.)


Map:

The PCs are near the X.





PC Status:

• Brevos, Half-Elf Ranger 3: Move: 9", AC: 2(1), HP: 31/31
  Grey Mouser, Half-Elf Magic-User/Thief 3/4: Move: 9", AC: 5, HP: 19/19, Spells: 2/2 1st lvl, 1/1 2nd lvl
  Ingrid Esthof, Human Cleric 4: Move: 6", AC: 3(1), HP: 22/22, Spells: 5/5 1st lvl and 4/4 2nd lvl
  Jerome, Human Paladin 3: Move: 9", AC: 3(1), HP: 20/20, Laying Hands: 1/1
  Long Bo, Human Druid 4: Move: 9", AC: 2(1), HP: 30/30, Spells: 6/6 1st lvl, 3/3 2nd lvl and 2/2 3rd lvl, Torch
  Rudolf Rassendyll, Halfling Thief 4: Move: 9", AC: 3, HP: 16/16, Invisible
  Telkis Brassfang, Gnome Fighter 4: Move: 9", AC: 0, HP: 34/34
  Urdur Shimmerstone, Gnome Illusionist 4: Move: 12", AC: 4, HP: 11/11, Spells: 3/3 1st lvl and 2/2 2nd lvl, Invisible

PC Magic:

• Invisibility x2 (Urdur): Targets: self and Rudolf.

Player Resources:

• Tale of Terror (the story so far)
  A Dark and Terrible World (maps)
  Blasphemous Iconography (the story so far in images)
  Desperate Struggles (clues and player notes)

[rredmond]

"Let's stay out of doors this time as we escape," says Rudolph as he runs the other way. He doesn't want to engage, but neither will he lose sight of the party.

Or at least that's what he does if he Saves vs Spells 11: [1d20] = 14 excellent!

[ravenn4544]

Mouser sees the hoard of undead approaching - again. The words, "I knew it--", only get caught in his throat as the hideous corpses eyes pierce his soul and freeze him in his tracks.

Save vs spells (12) [1d20] = 11