Chapter 31: On the Trail of The Ripper

[Inferno]

The Abandoned Manor, Blackchapel, Hookhill, Gran March, Greyhawk
Day Two. Morning. Sunday, December 25th, 576 CY
Cold, overcast







The sun is shrouded by the noxious fumes of Hookhill. Long Bo gravely speaks of the mysterious mansion: "I believe there is something happening that we might not understand in here."

The grey druid counsels that they harken to the wisdom of the animals. Then they ignore it, daring to enter the ominous, abandoned manor.

Cloaked by the choking smog, they pass unseen through an unlocked window. As each doomed hero comes within close proximity of the mansion, they experience the strange feeling of something unsensed. It quickly passes once they cross the threshold.

Within is absolute ruin.



Lost majesty and grandeur coated in dust undisturbed.

The veteran explorers carefully proceed, listening, checking for dangers, searching, testing the floor's integrity, and moving to the next room and the next. After a painstaking, long time, they cautiously cross the main floor and find it devoid of life, clues or valuables.

Without incident, they reach the inside of the front door, where the unnatural footprints from the sewer had definitely entered. But somehow, those bare, wet, inhuman feet did not disturb the dust that coats the floor. Impossibly, there are no footprints here!


Actions?






PC Status:

Faron, Human Thief 5: Move: 9", AC: 4, HP: 19/22, Invisible
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 5: Move: 6", AC: 3(1), HP: 18/25, Spells: 5/5 1st lvl, 5/5 2nd lvl, 2/2 3rd lvl
Jerome, Human Paladin 4: Move: 9", AC: 3(1), HP: 20/23, Laying Hands: 1/1
Long Bo, Human Druid 5: Move: 9", AC: 2(1), HP: 35/38, Spells: 5/6 1st lvl, 4/4 2nd lvl, 2/2 3rd lvl
Telkis Brassfang, Gnome Fighter 5: Move: 9", AC: 0, HP: 33/37
Urdur Shimmerstone, Gnome Illusionist 4: Move: 12", AC: 4, HP: 11/11, Spells: 3/3 1st lvl, 2/2 2nd lvl, Invisible

PC Magic:

Protection From Evil, 10' Radius (Jerome)
Invisibility (Urdur): Targets: Urdur and Faron

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 suggests “they wouldn’t have left such a trail to follow then not. They must have entered a different way? Or some secret trap door or other door at the entrance?”

[OGRE MAGE]

Long Bo looks up at the ceiling above the entrance area.

"Perhaps they flew upwards once inside the doorway? Or, there is a secret entrance around the doorway outside that we haven't found yet."

"Or, they changed entirely and don't leave footprints in their altered form."

[Urson]

Jerome
Jerome squeezes his empty wineskin, as if hoping to find something inside. He then kneels, studying the floor inside the door for clues.

[SocraticLawyer]

Urdur weaves an incantation that he hopes will reveal the unseen to him.

Casts Detect Invisibility.

With his enhanced vision, Urdur looks for any creatures or any hidden doors or passages, especially near the threshold. If he can safely do so, he also tries to inspect the structure to determine if there are any unsafe walls.

[jemmus]

If it walked and then stopped leaving tracks, Faron says, perhaps it transformed and flew? He looks up at the higher parts of the room, looking for any sign of a creature.

[ChubbyPixie]

When what he saw doesn't line up with what he sees now, Telkis becomes suspicious.

"Remember when you made a false wall for us to hide behind, Urdur? Is this real? Or is it like that?" he says. Crouching down, he examines the doorframe and the wall, pressing here and there with his hand, attempting to determine if it is what it seems to be.

+3 bonus to saving throws versus
magic wands, staves, rods, and spells.

[Scott308]

Ingrid Esthof

The cleric absent-mindedly grasps her holy symbol. She the calls on Holy Tritherion to help her discern where evil may lie.

She casts Detect Evil.

[Inferno]

The mystery and the horror continue in... Chapter 32: From Beyond