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Vennar

Vennar will follow the press ready to us his turning talents if required.

Edel

Edel and Pallas enter the room once the danger has been cleared, and look around.

I might have missed the description of the room?

I might have missed the description of the room?

Description here:

Peering through you can make out a room beyond, bereft of any furnishings, having been burnt and ruined beyond any hint of recognition. There is another splintered door set to the corner of the north wall across from you. The ceiling has collapsed for the most part, revealing another chamber above on the second floor. About 5’ft of this ceiling still remains around the walls of the room, forming a narrow jagged ledge. The ghoul champion, Ogre now lurks up there, scrambling to remove the layer of thatch and tiles that provide a covering from the outside, bullying others to move aside as some divine fear grips his tormented soul. Below him are several ghouls, lesser mortals voraciously feeding an unquenchable hunger, busy tearing apart their unfortunate goblin victim.

It is room #3 of the map pic.

Edel

Thanks Straither!

Seeing as the room seems to be bereft of anything of interest to the group now, Edel keeps watch over Goran as he climbs to the ledge.

Sneaking around the Ruin.

Ghouls lair: room #3

Rebuked by the clerics, the Ghouls flee, scrambling up the broken furnishings to the ledge of the upper storey and then following the Ghast Icon out through the thatch and rafters. Brick follows hot on their heels, determined to hunt them down and confront the former Icon turned undead. You can peek through the gap they have clawed open to view them hurriedly running along the Ruin ramparts and watch as they leap down off the wall in the direction of the surrounding wasteland graveyard. Under a divine compulsion, Ghast 'Ogre' leads them into the burrows under the tombstones. Peering around you can spot other humanoid guards cowering in the corners of the ruin, stopping their patrols along the walls to allow the Ghouls to pass without interfering. None seem drawn to investigate the reason the Ghouls flee, fearing this section of the Ruin, aware the Ghouls lurk here.

As you can close the thatch, Edel can cause Pallas to perch hidden above; with his superior vision and hearing, the owl Familiar can screech an advance warning of any Ghouls returning once the Turn duration wears off.

so let me resolve some penalty for the two failed skill checks ...

Goran scrambles upwards too but his height hampers his ability to climb over the fallen debris and furnishings, reaching by fingertips to grasp the lip of the crumbling ledge. Goran uses Edel to get a leg up, struggling to get a leg over. He spies a precious crystal vial that lies upon the ledge just out of arm's reach and in overstretching to take the bauble he causes the section of ceiling to come away. He lands up the mage and others searching in the lower room are covered in a layer of fine dust and splinters of burned flooring. The potion rolls forwards as the ledge gives way, falling in slow motion away from grasping hands to crash open upon the floor below. It is quickly followed by half a dozen egg shaped gems that drop and roll too thought these do not break or shatter as the crystal glass did.

Under Olleg's appraisal skills, the dwarf may assess them as worth several hundred gold pieces each.

Ledge collapses: potion saving throw vs normal blow 14+ [1d20]=11 fails, breaks open.

add 6 gems to trove.

Treacherous Beam room. room #4

Fawkes and Mortar elect to follow the injured Ghoul along the next narrow corridor towards a set of stairs and through a bloodied archway. The room here is in another ruinous state, only this time the floor is almost entirely gutted, opening up to the cellar chamber which lies 30'ft or more below.

There is an open archway on the opposite side of the room on this upper level. Any exits from the lower first floor or the cellar looks to have been completely filled in with rubble and earth. Looking down into the void you can note the mossy covered rubble and rotted beams that are lined with patches of vibrant coloured fungi. Large ants, each at least the length of a sword blade scuttle about, some harvesting edible bits of fungi, others carrying larvae globes between small tunnels burrowed into the earth. Even larger crimson ants aggressively wave antenna and stingers at those peering down upon them; soldier ants on a hive duty to protect the drone workers.

There are three possible ways to walk across this chamber - a charred and crumbling section of floor clings to the left wall, a narrow pathway of fallen beams stretches across the center like a bridge, and a sounder section of floor, only burned at the edge, runs along the right wall. All three paths are accessible from this end and all three lead to the doorway on the opposite side.

The wounded Ghoul has stopped here, driven to flee it is confused as to the safest route, balancing upon the beam just a step or two along. Fawkes has pursued him and as it turns, the Half-orc cleric-rogue strikes him again, this time hacking the second shoulder clean off and tumbling the Ghoul to fall upon the debris below. -7hp

Immediately its corpse is overwhelmed by a number of ants who begin to bite and sting it with abandon.

Mortar & Fawkes assess the chamber, not sure which of the three routes to the other side may be deemed the safest.



next actions please everyone

Brick

Brick will climb back down to the others. "They are hiding in the grave yard now."

He follows along once he realizes some are pursuing the ghoul that fled.

Fawkes

"None of these routes look too secure. Falling in looks risky too, death by a hundred bites." he says to his invisible companion.

I will unpack my rope, 50'ft long and some spikes. The beam looks like it may only take one person at a time and I am aware the Ghouls may return and in a rage, try to hunt us down. We need cross quickly but safely. So I will choose the sounder route and edge across, nailing the rope with spikes into the wall for extra security.

Fawkes: Climb Walls vs 91% [1d100]=62

Mortar

Waiting to see the results of Fawkes' experiment before he follows, the invisible Gnome keeps an eye on the distant entrance for him, wincing with every strike of his hammer.

"Those beams look intentionally set up like that. That screams trap to me, but perhaps I am simply getting paranoid in here, as there seems to be little foot traffic to speak of to justify such a thing."

"You may want to stagger your hammering so it sounds less suspicious."

Goran, Halfling

Goran slightly smiles at Edel, " thanks, and, um, oops. . ."

Hearing the clamor in the next room, Goran scoops up the gems for safekeeping, looks for a drop of the liquid in the vial - and if he finds any swabs them onto his tongue with his thumb, and heads out the door toward the clamor.

On his way, he jams the door to slow any pursuers.
When he reaches the next room he examines the beam and other areas for signs of any traps.

" Master Dwarf, how does this stonework look to ya?"
"Mortar, if ya around, how's the stones?"

Goran will then slip into the shadows and plant one of the gems on the nearest unsuspecting party member.

Mortar

"The stonework appears strong. The burnt wooden floor above it however, does not."

Brick

Brick heads for the hammering noise.

Vennar

Vennar will watch the groups flank while the hammering going on.

Sneaking in the Ruined Temple
Pallas the Familiar owl stats vigilant, perched in the rafters of the upper ghoul chamber, peeking out the thatch to watch for any signs of Ghoul or Ghast returning.

Undead return to Ruin lair vs graveyard burrows: 1-2 [1d6]=4

The little owl waits a turn or more, long after the normal duration of any divine rebuke's compulsion being lifted. None of the undead rise again from the burrows they fled to. Still, to be sure that vengeful and voracious creatures don't want to hunt you down and add your gnawed bones to the corridor piles, Goran locks and further spikes the splintered door to hinder any access into the northern corridor.

Folk file along, halting upon the staircase as the next room's challenge is assessed.

As shown in the picture, it is in a woeful state. The flooring gone and a choice of precarious routes to the archway opposite. Mortar advises Fawkes to stagger any hammering of spikes to occasional not repetitive pounding. The rogue acknowledges the wisdom and belayed by Olleg, inches his way along the right hand ledge, fixing a piton into place and securing the rope so others may hold fast as they cross in turn.

However, 30'ft along and three quarters of the way there, disaster strikes. Fawkes' weight unbalances a loosened beam which dislodges and falls into the cellar void below, taking a crumbling portion of support for the ledge with it. This causes a massive subsidence of the wall and with no firm foundation, a section of it collapses inwards.

Fawkes: vs 7% bend bars check to hold back dislodged wall [1d100]=10

Fawkes does his best to spread his weight and try to brace himself and the wall but he simply does not have the strength of Brick, and those missed physical workouts tell.

Fawkes: FAFO damage from falling debris: [3d6]=14

He is knocked off the wall, dangling on his rope as several falling chunks of masonry pound heavily upon his head. -14hp. The ledge disintegrates and a door sized gap appears from this interior room out to the Temple's interior courtyard.

Fawkes crashes to the cellar floor, buried under debris and squished swarms of ants.


Action please everyone.

Fawkes

Bruised, bashed and bleeding. I will crawl from under the rubble and try to chop any soldier ants that threaten me.

Fawkes: Macuahuitl melee [1d20+1]=16+1=17 [2d4+1]=7+1=8

Edel

Throws the end of his rope at Fawkes - "Grab this!" - then looks around for others stronger than himself to assist.

Mortar

Unseen, Mortar moves up to the area where the wall dropped in, hoping the floor will hold his limited weight after the much larger half-orc just walked over it.

He looks through the gap in the wall to see if anything from the courtyard noticed their little mishap, ready to warn the others of any oncoming problems.

If that floor is now completely collapsed, he will move up the other side of the remaining floor instead.

Brick

Brick steps up next to Edel. "I am here, let me anchor the rope."

He will take the rope and help haul Fawkes out.

[Olleg, Dwarf, 31/33]

Olleg rushes to to assist Edel and Brick in hauling Fawkes out of the cellar. Knowing that the half-orc will be the best anchor, Olleg takes a position just ahead of where he believes Brick is standing and begin to pull once Fawkes has the rope.

Goran, Halfling Eavesdropper

Goran steps into the nearest unoccupied shadow and covers Fawkes with his bow, shooting any ant that moves to attack the stealthy priest.

While so watching, Goran listens for any noise from the courtyard or the spiked door down the corridor.

Brick

BBLG (35%) [1d100]=14