Chapter 37: Castle of the Living Dead

[Inferno]

Chapter 37: Castle of the Living Dead



The Old Road to Castle Ravenloft, Greyhawk
Day Two. Late Morning? Sunday, January 15th, 577 CY



Hooded and trapped in a prison of their own flesh, the doomed heroes are dragged along the Old Road to Castle Ravenloft.

Their heinous captors' continuous grip keeps their victims paralyzed. The craven fiends labor mightily as they croon deranged orisons to their lord.

"Lives! Fresh lives for the Master!

"Lives to devour... to live forever!"

"Master, see how well I serve you!"

Endless hours pass and they hear thunder rumbling above in the unseen sky, ravens cawing, and a distant howling of wolves. Then the demented litany reaches a crescendo as the sound of the footfalls change. They are crossing a wooden bridge.

"Master! See me! See what I have brought you!"

The wood gives way to smooth stone and then a sharp descent into colder air. Dragged down stairwells, twisting, turning in the darkness, the villains' voices echoing all around them now. And then they plunge into filthy icy water, and are hauled through it.

The creaking of rusty hinges and each of the doomed heroes are propped up against a stone wall with freezing water up to their chest. The gnomes, up to their chins. And then comes the slamming of iron bars for each of them.

"Soon, the sun will set! And the Master will awaken... and feed!" their tormentors laugh gleefully as they depart.

Blind, there is only the stench of foul water and fungus, the sound of intermittent dripping, and the bonechilling water in which they rest.

Perhaps an hour passes this way, forsaken and despairing, and then their paralysis leaves them.


Actions, everyone except Telkis?!





PC Status:

Faron, Human Thief 6: Move: 9", AC: 4, HP: 16/27
Grey Mouser, Half-Elf Magic-User/Thief 4/5: Move: 9", AC: 5, HP: 12/21, Spells: 3/3 1st lvl, 1/2 2nd lvl
Jaelen Mwyr: Human Cleric 5: Move: 9", AC: 4(2), HP: 17/34, Spells: 4/5 1st lvl, 5/5 2nd lvl, 2/2 3rd lvl
N'Rogara: Human Ranger 5: Move: 9", AC: 4, HP: 49/53
Telkis Brassfang, Gnome Fighter 5: Move: 9", AC: 0, HP: -3/37
Urdur Shimmerstone, Gnome Illusionist 5: Move: 12", AC: 4, HP: 12/15, Spells: 3/4 1st lvl, 1/2 2nd lvl, 1/1 3rd lvl

PC Magic:

None currently.

Player Resources:

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

[rredmond]

N’Rogara rips off the hood as soon as his slowly unstiffening muscles allow. He will attempt to locate Telkis and bind his wounds if he is able. That was as well fought a battle as I have seen Sir Gnome, he says quietly to Telkis, looking to see that Cranach is safe. Then he takes in the surroundings and tries the bars to see if they are bendable.
We are all in separate cages?]

[ravenn4544]

Mouser's eye's finally flutter and open on their own... "Where in God's name are we..!?!"

After a few minutes of reality sinking in, he will quickly gather his wits and try his hand at the lock on the cage.

Open locks (52) [1d100]=60

[jemmus]

Faron says, Well, looking on the bright side, at least we're all still alive. He quietly moves through the freezing water and examines his cage's lock, testing its mechanism.

Pick locks 62% [1d100]=41

[ChubbyPixie]

Faron says, Well, looking on the bright side, at least we're all still alive.

Telkis, unconscious, says nothing, but the way he refuses to stir and barely troubles the surface of the water with his shallow breathing seems to nonverbally reply "Uh... barely."

[corum]

Jaelen removes his hood and checks for his belongings... "Did they remove my lord's symbol?"

what do we have DM? Did our stuff get taken?

[SocraticLawyer]

Urdur emerges from his paralytic stupor, surprised to still be alive after being captured again. Not for the first time, he longs for his fallen animal companion, Mittens.

Can Urdur cast spells while chin-deep in water? How wide are the bars of his cell? Could he squeeze through them with a Change Self?

[Inferno]

Beneath Castle Ravenloft, Greyhawk
Day Two. Late Afternoon? Sunday, January 15th, 577 CY







Free from the insidious grip of paralysis, the doomed heroes pull off their hoods and find themselves imprisoned in a dungeon beneath Castle Ravenloft!

Stone walls and iron bars surround them. A flickering torch outside their cells offers the only light. The fungus-laden ceiling drips liquid and they are submerged in two and a half feet of icy, black water.

The humans stand up, trembling with cold. All their gear is with them, and soaked through. Telkis and Urdur had been propped up in a standing position to keep them from drowning.

N'Rogara grips the prison bars and finds them solid.

The two rogues, Faron and Mouser set their lockpicks to work against their doors, working by feel since the keyhole faces away from the cell. (-20% modifier) After a few moments, Faron's expert fingers deftly spring his lock!


Actions?!


Map:






PC Status:

Faron, Human Thief 6: Move: 9", AC: 4, HP: 16/27
Grey Mouser, Half-Elf Magic-User/Thief 4/5: Move: 9", AC: 5, HP: 12/21, Spells: 3/3 1st lvl, 1/2 2nd lvl
Jaelen Mwyr: Human Cleric 5: Move: 9", AC: 4(2), HP: 17/34, Spells: 4/5 1st lvl, 5/5 2nd lvl, 2/2 3rd lvl
N'Rogara: Human Ranger 5: Move: 9", AC: 4, HP: 49/53
Telkis Brassfang, Gnome Fighter 5: Move: 9", AC: 0, HP: -3/37
Urdur Shimmerstone, Gnome Illusionist 5: Move: 12", AC: 4, HP: 12/15, Spells: 3/4 1st lvl, 1/2 2nd lvl, 1/1 3rd lvl

PC Magic:

None currently.

Player Resources:

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

[rredmond]

While waiting to be freed, N'Rogara checks the back wall for any secret doors or compartments. Darn this water... no tracks, he mutters under his breath.

What material are the hoods? Are they dry enough to use as torches, when the flickering one goes out? There's only the door on the east wall, correct? Thank you!

[corum]

Jaelen will search around the floor of the cell to see if he can locate a rock.

If he can, he intends to cast continual light on it.

Whispering so as not to arose our hosts"Faron, what can you see past these cells?"

[jemmus]

I don't know how to answer Jaelen's question, because I don't know what Faron sees!

Faron moved quickly but quietly to Mouser's cell. He'd do his best to open it first, so he fellow thief could also work at picking the locks. Then to Jaelen, who could perhaps help Telkis. And then to Telkis and the others.

Pick locks 65%
Grey Mouser - [1d100]=29
Jaelen Mwyr - [1d100]=21
Telkis Brassfang - [1d100]=88
Urdur Shimmerstone - [1d100]=51
N'Rogara - [1d100]=77

[SocraticLawyer]

When Faron opens the door to his cell, a cold and wet Urdur mumbles his thanks. The gnome swims forward towards the door. If he can, he tries to get a torch lit although that seems highly unlikely.

[Inferno]

Beneath Castle Ravenloft, Greyhawk
Day Two. Late Afternoon? Sunday, January 15th, 577 CY







Deep in the flooded dungeons beneath Castle Ravenloft, the would-be rescuers of Ingrid Esthof now need rescuing themselves!

Attempting to escape, N'Rogara searches the moldy walls of his prison cell and finds them rock solid.

Jaelen reaches his hand into the icy water of his flooded cell, searching for a stone, and finds a human skull.



Perhaps a tooth could be pried loose for his spell?

The sure-handed urban rogues, Faron and Mouser make short work of the cell door locks, freeing themselves and all their doomed companions.

Urdur swims from his prison, through the frigid black water. The torches in his pack are soaked through, but a torch burns in a wall sconce. The gnomish conjurer treads water near the solid iron door set into the eastern wall. It holds no keyhole.


Actions?!


Map:


Behind the DM Screen:

Mouser Open Locks (52%): N'Rogara: [1d100]=52, Telkis: [1d100]=37 Succeeds in both.

PC Status:

Faron, Human Thief 6: Move: 9", AC: 4, HP: 16/27
Grey Mouser, Half-Elf Magic-User/Thief 4/5: Move: 9", AC: 5, HP: 12/21, Spells: 3/3 1st lvl, 1/2 2nd lvl
Jaelen Mwyr: Human Cleric 5: Move: 9", AC: 4(2), HP: 17/34, Spells: 4/5 1st lvl, 5/5 2nd lvl, 2/2 3rd lvl
N'Rogara: Human Ranger 5: Move: 9", AC: 4, HP: 49/53
Telkis Brassfang, Gnome Fighter 5: Move: 9", AC: 0, HP: -3/37
Urdur Shimmerstone, Gnome Illusionist 5: Move: 12", AC: 4, HP: 12/15, Spells: 3/4 1st lvl, 1/2 2nd lvl, 1/1 3rd lvl

PC Magic:

None currently.

Player Resources:

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

[ravenn4544]

Mouser is grateful to be out of the cage - and a bit frustrated to be in another one.

“I have a spell that may open that gate there - are we ready to go if it works? Or do we need a minute to collect ourselves?”

[ChubbyPixie]

Telkis seems to communicate by his unconsciousness that he needs a minute to collect himself...

[rredmond]

N'Rogara punches the unyielding (in both secrets and sturdiness) wall, turning to leave his cage. Should a couple of us could put a shoulder to the door first? See if it opens, he offers. Do we have any way of helping Telkis?

[corum]

Jaelen

Will pry the largest of the teeth loose from the skull and cast continual light... "fingers crossed we can all see a little better with this!"

[SocraticLawyer]

Urdur swims back to Telkis, helping his fellow gnome with whatever first aid he can give.

[jemmus]

Perhaps a moment for friend Jaelen's diety to heal Telkis, Faron says. Then I'd be ready to get out of here. Before the things come back for us when night falls. If it hasn't already. Mouser, you have a spell for opening locks? A multi-talented member of the Guild indeed. That's almost an unfair advantage over us ordinary pickpockets and cutpurses. He smiles to indicate it being a friendly jest.

[ravenn4544]

A multi-talented member of the Guild indeed. That's almost an unfair advantage over us ordinary pickpockets and cutpurses.

Mouser nods with a smirk, "Indeed, skill and handsome! It's a burden I've learned to bear!"