Chapter 1: To seek a Great Perhaps

[GreyWolfVT]

Kurt in reply to Langston "It's magnificent."

[Grognardsw]

Gwar! stares about the great hall and takes a swig of his wine-skin.

"If the treasure in here is as big as everything else, we're in trouble."

He and Butchness of Wrath move to look through the north archway.

Map

I've always found it easier to look at maps in the IC thread so I'll periodically put a copy here.

[mb.]

If the gaps around the rightward slab are large enough, Schroff squeezes through behind the slab, eyes and nose open. Otherwise he sniffs around the slab, as...

Deet and Odric struggle to push the slab to the side far enough for someone to get through. Odric calls over to Langston, "what I think is you two could help us over here!"

Deet & Odric are STR 15 together, but help's always welcome. And good idea Grognardsw! I'll post a spoilered map in this thread from now on, whenever I make an update.

[coil23]

Horton seems unnerved by the idea of moving the slab. Didn't we just replace a slab in the foyer to block off a passage with likely danger? Wasn't that likely what someone did here as well? Rather morose over discovering the books turned out to be far too large to have edificational efficacy for the likes of him, he decides that if foolishness is the consensus then he will be a team player. He moves to help shift the stone.

[Pulpatoon]

The slabs take two PCs of STR13 each. Apologies for the lack of clarity.

Schroff cannot fit through the gaps, but he can get a good sniff:
The Left Slab: smells of blood, bronze, and woodsmoke.
The Right Slab: smells of mice and cedar. You can hear faint noises through the slab: wooden objects being squeaked across a marble floor.
Which slab do you shift?

GWAR! and Butchness peer down the open archway. It is dark, but you see a long room with a series of marble-columned galleries running along the side, protruding into the room from the walls. There is faint birdsong.

[mb.]

Ah, STR 13 each means Odric and Deet have no chance, so I guess they're shoving agains the rightward slab, to no avail.

Deet steps back and points at the left slab, calling out to everyone, "smells like fire and blood, that one. And here's mice and movement," pointing at the left one. He smiles and drops a few small scraps of jerky, which Schroff catches with relish. "Both smell better than the open one though, yup yup."

[Wizard Lizard]

"y'think it just wanted a hug kid? Hah!"

"We did attack it before it had a chance to show us how evil it was. But it ate Petit-Four, and didn't seem intelligent enough to retreat, so I'm pretty sure we at least prevented others to get munched on. Maybe the rags came from previous explorers."

All are signs of a people who take themselves far too seriously.

"I'll keep that in mind. These we can probably avoid fighting if possible, though. I'd rather pander this kind of imbecile than risk getting my head cut off in the name of ignorance. It seems the place attracts a whole lot of bad people, from what the door said and what you heard. Hell, some drunken mariners whispered to me that Bluebeard, the assassin, had ascended the beanstalk a month from now. I wonder what he was looking for. Or whom..."

Yay, rumors!

[Urson]

Odric snorts over at Jake with a smirk, "y'think it just wanted a hug kid? Hah!"

I never said that. Just that it might have been basically peaceful.

[mb.]

Odric snorts, digs in a pouch, and pulls out a claw longer than his knife, "forgive me if I assume anything with four arms, a toothy vagina mouth, and claws as long as this doesn't want to make new friends and invite us to tea."

He slaps his palm on the rightward slab, "now, if we're done jawing about the monstrosity's feelings, maybe someone would like to help us move this damned slab?"

[Grognardsw]

Gwar, barbaric warrior, and Butchness of Wrath, unbalanced

"A hall with columns," grunts Gwar of what he sees beyond the northern archway.

He considers the options.

"Fire and blood you say?"

Gwar and Butchness of Wrath help move the left slab.

[mb.]

Odric steps back from the rightward slab, dusting off his hands, "now now, let's not go opening everything at once, aye?" As if he'd been able budge the slab even an inch. He saunters over to stand behind Gwar and The Butchness, drawing his sword.

He looks around, then calls to Deet, who's sitting on the floor scritching Shchroff's belly and grinning, "get over here boy, and ready your bloody boomstick!"

Deet trots over, fumbling with his musket, "boom powder is sulfur, charcoal and saltpeter, yup yup." Schroff sits loyally by his feet, whining softly.

Looks like Gwar will need the help of someone with a 13+ STR. Jake?

[GreyWolfVT]

Kurt would offer assistance but he is just a pretty face and no body builder. "I've heard that if you make love to nine different people in the castle you will get a boon from the ancient gods."

[Stirling]

'Shaggy' Beaker looks at the ceiling, then back down the stairs, then at the ceiling again."Grand, grand, very grand," he utters and rubs Mouses' mousey head, flicking a nit into the floor in disgust.

He proceeds towards the open archway and peers around the corner."Hell's bells if there's any trouble!" he says to the others patting his ding-dong.

The urchin Mouse runs ahead to have a sneaky look beyond.

[coil23]

As an oh so casual aside to Kurt's remark, do the nine have to be residents or can they be fellow visitors as well?

[Pulpatoon]

GWAR!, Jake, and Shaggy are the three characters with STR<13. GWAR! votes for the door on the left. Deet seemed interested in the door on the right.

As the party investigates the stone slabs, a loud crash echoes through the open archway, loud but distant. After a second's pause, a pained scream sounds. five starlings fly out of the darkness, swoop in tight, agitated circles, and then dart back through the arch.

[GreyWolfVT]

As an oh so casual aside to Kurt's remark, do the nine have to be residents or can they be fellow visitors as well?

Kurt shrugs "I don't rightfully know, the mystery of the rumor I suppose as it was not specific enough to say they need be visitors or natives of the castle just nine of them."

Will ignores the conversation and marvels at the artwork.

Hans just shakes his head at the conversation and wanders over to see if he can assist with the slab.

[mb.]

GWAR!, Jake, and Shaggy are the three characters with STR<13. GWAR! votes for the door on the left. Deet seemed interested in the door on the right.

Just to be clear, in my last post Odric, Schroff & Deet gave up on the rightward slab they couldn't move, and are now standing behind GWAR! & The Butchness, waiting for someone (Jake? Shaggy?) to help them them move the leftward slab.

[coil23]

Horton whispers, should we find out more about this new starling tragedy before we open up another possible portal for dangers?

They'll likely all die soon but it would be nice to learn something new before that happens. The tired librarian creeps over to the archway, peering and straining to listen into the darkness while standing to the side and not making a silhouette of himself.

[Urson]

You may be right, Elder Horton.

Jake is available and willing to help move slabs, but has stepped back for the moment, watching for further developments through the open archway.

[Wizard Lizard]

As the party investigates the stone slabs, a loud crash echoes through the open archway, loud but distant. After a second's pause, a pained scream sounds. five starlings fly out of the darkness, swoop in tight, agitated circles, and then dart back through the arch.

Vanis, eager to meet something that might be willing to talk to his company instead of trying to eat it, rushes in the direction of the scream, hoping someone will follow if danger awaits. We can go check out this other horrible place anytime, but if someone is in danger, we might not be able to talk to them in a few minutes, is what goes on through his mind. Maybe the sight of the birds reminded him of the late Petit-Four and something clicked inside.

I'm probably doing something stupid but I can't resist the call of NPC interaction