Chapter 32: From Beyond

[Scott308]

Ingrid Esthof

The cleric helps Faron regain his feet. No thanks are necessary. I'll do everything in my power, whether through Tritherion's blessing or my own two hands, to keep all of you alive and hale. Now, she asks, addressing the entire party, how do we get that door open? Could we lift someone like Faron or Mouser up to open the door? Maybe attach a rope to an arrow and fire it at the door, pulling on the rope to open it?

[jemmus]

Faron uses his experience as a thief to appraise the situation with the door. Would climbing a wall get him in position to somehow open the door?

[Inferno]

The Accursed Mansion, The Dreamlands
Day Two. After Nightfall. Sunday, December 25th, 576 CY







In some dark dimension, not in the spaces they know, but between them, the doomed heroes recover from the frightful attack. They scan their horrific surroundings; a ghastly chamber holding an unspeakable pile of corpses.

Ingrid and Long Bo heal Faron with godly blessings (+11hp) and the thief rises from the blood that covers the floor.

Then the grey druid and Urdur creep up the secret stair and peer through a crack in the concealed door.



They find the grand entry chamber devoid of life... and undeath.

Behind them, Faron believes he can scale the walls and reach the trap door in the ceiling above the heinous mound of cadavers. Telkis readies rope, believing in that way lies the master of this hellish mansion.


Actions?!


Map:

One square = 10 feet. Lighter areas are visible. All else is from memory.





PC Status:

Faron, Human Thief 5: Move: 9", AC: 4, HP: 5/22
Grey Mouser, Half-Elf Magic-User/Thief 3/4: Move: 9", AC: 5, HP: 8/19, Spells: 0/2 1st lvl, 1/1 2nd lvl, Sickened
Ingrid Esthof, Human Cleric 5: Move: 6", AC: 3(1), HP: 14/25, Spells: 1/5 1st lvl, 3/5 2nd lvl, 2/2 3rd lvl
Jerome, Human Paladin 4: Move: 9", AC: 3(1), HP: 10/23, Laying Hands: 0/1, Sickened
Long Bo, Human Druid 5: Move: 9", AC: 2(1), HP: 35/38, Spells: 3/6 1st lvl, 0/4 2nd lvl, 1/2 3rd lvl, Torch on steps, Sickened
Telkis Brassfang, Gnome Fighter 5: Move: 9", AC: 0, HP: 27/37
Urdur Shimmerstone, Gnome Illusionist 4: Move: 12", AC: 4, HP: 11/11, Spells: 1/3 1st lvl, 2/2 2nd lvl, Torch, Torch in sconce, Sickened

PC Magic:

Protection From Evil, 10' Radius (Jerome)

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)

[jemmus]

Bloody and weak from wounds, Faron looks up at the ceiling of the stinking charnel house and absently rubs at is freshly- healed and re-closed throat. He looks around at his companions. Jerome, Urder and Bo-- pale with nausea. Mouser, just as nauseated, weak from wounds as well. You all a quite a jolly site to see, he gallow humor jokes. Well, let's get a rope on that door, then we can decide what comes next. Up and carry on, or back out and rest. Well, rest-- maybe. It least if I fall there'll be plenty of cushions... He sweeps his hands to gesture at all of bodies on the floor. ...Who are not poor Urdur. They'll have one last chance to contribute to the effort, right? It's not a lot, but you do what you can do. Eh? Am I right? He chuckles. Not really expecting to get a chuckle back, but at least to try to inject a little levity into the foul situation.

He takes another appraising look at the walls and ceiling, rubs the back of his neck, nods to fellow Guild member professional Mouser, then to Telkis with the rope, and starts scaling.

Climb walls 88% [1d100]=10

[ChubbyPixie]

Telkis watches the attempt with interest. As Faron climbs, he catches himself wondering if this is all just a dream. And why he keeps ending up in dreams like this.

[ravenn4544]

Mouser - with no immediate threat apparent - leans against a bloodied wall as bile continues to roil his insides.

[SocraticLawyer]

Urdur leans against the wall, torch in hand. He waits for Faron to explore the door above.

[OGRE MAGE]

Bo picks up a random arm bone and carries up to the open doorway into the grand stair room. Tossing it out onto the open floor to see if anything happens.

He listens carefully for a moment, and if nothing happens, makes a suggestion.

"If there is anything dangerous found above, some of us who aren't great climbers could take the stairs up. Might give us an advantage to come at them from multiple sides."

[Urson]

Jerome
That's a good idea.
Jerome licks his lips. He thinks By the Saint, I'm thirsty

[Scott308]

Ingrid Esthof

The cleric waits, watching to see the progress Faron makes. If he should fall, she will do her best to catch him. Should he be in need of new healing after a fall, she will provide it.

[Inferno]

The Accursed Mansion, The Dreamlands
Day Two. After Nightfall. Sunday, December 25th, 576 CY







In the mysterious realm that Men call the Dreamlands, Long Bo tosses a severed limb into the surreal splendor of the mansion's entry hall (area 1). It lands with a crimson splatter on the magnificent marble floor.

Nothing comes to investigate.

The grey druid closes the concealed door and descends the secret stair into the heinous dungeon of corpses.



There, he suggests that the doomed heroes divide their number to surround whatever horrors might lurk above.

Meanwhile, with a rope tied around him, Faron the thief painstakingly scales the stone walls of the unspeakable cellar. He eventually reaches the trap door in the ceiling, directly above the ghastly cadaver pile, and finds neither hinge, handle nor keyhole.


Actions?!


Map:

One square = 10 feet. Lighter areas were visible this round. All else is from memory.





PC Status:

Faron, Human Thief 5: Move: 9", AC: 4, HP: 5/22
Grey Mouser, Half-Elf Magic-User/Thief 3/4: Move: 9", AC: 5, HP: 8/19, Spells: 0/2 1st lvl, 1/1 2nd lvl, Sickened
Ingrid Esthof, Human Cleric 5: Move: 6", AC: 3(1), HP: 14/25, Spells: 1/5 1st lvl, 3/5 2nd lvl, 2/2 3rd lvl
Jerome, Human Paladin 4: Move: 9", AC: 3(1), HP: 10/23, Laying Hands: 0/1, Sickened
Long Bo, Human Druid 5: Move: 9", AC: 2(1), HP: 35/38, Spells: 3/6 1st lvl, 0/4 2nd lvl, 1/2 3rd lvl, Torch on steps, Sickened
Telkis Brassfang, Gnome Fighter 5: Move: 9", AC: 0, HP: 27/37
Urdur Shimmerstone, Gnome Illusionist 4: Move: 12", AC: 4, HP: 11/11, Spells: 1/3 1st lvl, 2/2 2nd lvl, Torch, Torch in sconce, Sickened

PC Magic:

Protection From Evil, 10' Radius (Jerome)

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)

[jemmus]

Faron thief realizes that the door's hinges may be on top, and that it may only open upwards. He looks down at his comrades, with an expression of, "Well, here goes," and tries to push the door up a little.

[Scott308]

Ingrid Esthof

The cleric continues to watch and make sure Faron does not need assistance or potential healing.

[OGRE MAGE]

Bo watches the thief with great interest, moving back towards the door along with anyone else who might be willing to rush up the stairs with him if once things go badly.

[Inferno]

The Accursed Mansion, The Dreamlands
Day Two. Night. Sunday, December 25th, 576 CY







High above the heinous corpse mound, Faron reaches the trapdoor.

Far below, his friends watch with tense anticipation. Bo edges toward the secret stair.

Precariously clinging to the ceiling, Faron gently pushes on the trapdoor. In the breathless quiet, the groan of its iron hinges seems deafening to him. Beyond the thin gap lies darkness and silence.


Actions?!


Map Detail:

One square = 10 feet. Lighter areas are visible. All else is from memory.





PC Status:

Faron, Human Thief 5: Move: 9", AC: 4, HP: 5/22
Grey Mouser, Half-Elf Magic-User/Thief 3/4: Move: 9", AC: 5, HP: 8/19, Spells: 0/2 1st lvl, 1/1 2nd lvl, Sickened
Ingrid Esthof, Human Cleric 5: Move: 6", AC: 3(1), HP: 14/25, Spells: 1/5 1st lvl, 3/5 2nd lvl, 2/2 3rd lvl
Jerome, Human Paladin 4: Move: 9", AC: 3(1), HP: 10/23, Laying Hands: 0/1, Sickened
Long Bo, Human Druid 5: Move: 9", AC: 2(1), HP: 35/38, Spells: 3/6 1st lvl, 0/4 2nd lvl, 1/2 3rd lvl, Torch on steps, Sickened
Telkis Brassfang, Gnome Fighter 5: Move: 9", AC: 0, HP: 27/37
Urdur Shimmerstone, Gnome Illusionist 4: Move: 12", AC: 4, HP: 11/11, Spells: 1/3 1st lvl, 2/2 2nd lvl, Torch, Torch in sconce, Sickened

PC Magic:

Protection From Evil, 10' Radius (Jerome)

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)

[ChubbyPixie]

Telkis figures the time it will take them to scale a rope one by one could be disastrous, and agrees with Long Bow. He makes his way to the stairs as well, to be part of the flanking party.

"That looks to me to be not so much a secret door, as a garbage shoot for whatever's up top," he says. "All its scraps are thrown down here, by the looks of it."

[ravenn4544]

Mouser hadn't thought of that until now. "Ugh. You are probably right! Maybe we take a chance at the stairs - assuming all those zombies aren't waiting for us..."

[Urson]

Jerome
Jerome nods, and moves to the foot of the stairs.

[SocraticLawyer]

Urdur waits to see if Faron descends before joining the others at the door.

[jemmus]

Faron decides on what he knows may be a foolhardy move. He's made it this far, he might as well do just a little scouting. He climbs through the hole into the darkness, unties the rope from around his chest, feels for one of the door's hinges, and ties the rope onto it. Holding it in one hand and ready to rapidly descend it if needed, he crouches and draws his glowing longsword.