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"Good speech," says Grothnak, handing the paladin his ring back. "But the statue does not move. The secret door is behind it. And no one goes alone. No one. We need you alive, not in thrall of an evil demon thing! Now get your pushdug-hosh down the hole or I'll put you down there myself. Go!"

"Paladins," he mutters again under his breath.

Urdur follows the others down the trap door.

"Thanks, Pelias, but I'm not really the shield type..." says Telkis, handing it back. "Anyway, meeting them outside the door will just make them certain we came this way. Plus, Grothnak's right, we need you with us. The girl needs you. There may come a time for you to sacrifice yourself, but this isn't it, I think. Safety in numbers, etc..." He'll try to get toward the front of the retreating group if he can, being the second or third one down, in case they run into something.

Before his head completely disappears into the trap door Mouser adds his argument to the others, "it's not about whether or not they find that we've gone this way, it's about how much distance we can put between us and them before they find it, and..." he looks down into the dark and smiles grimly, "whether or not they'll be brave enough come this way. I think you'd rather die fighting the real evil, behind what is controlling these people, rather than be put in the spot to have to fight ensorcelled innocents who we may save yet!" Then he smiles a real smile, "of course, I'd rather not die at all, so there's that," he adds as he disappears into the dark.

Sorry if I'm retconning my original action post, figured just jabbering won't cost my PC too much. If it's too much and too late, just strike it. It's more just for AleBelly anyways!

Long Bo is pleased to hear the words of Mouser as they make their descent down. He is glad that he isn't the only one in the party that thinks killing every villager we come across is wrong. Why couldn't the others see that this mission obviously goes deeper than simply euthanizing an entire town full of frightened commoners? "These villagers are here to be saved, not slain." He mumbles under his breath as he descends.

Perhaps a bit embarrassed, Pelias snaps back at Bo "I wasn't going to kill them, you godless faerie-humper. Just knock them out with the flat of my blade."

Ingid admires the paladin's valiance, but sternly adds, "It is settled, no one stays behind."

She rushes down the hatch with the frightened girl, continuing to try to soothe and assuage her fears.

Hoom Feethos:

Hoom waiting at the bottom of the hole for the rest of the group with the half naked woman.
"What's taking them so long?" He turns to the woman. "So you from around here? Got a husband, suitor? What are your views on interspecies dating? Ever date an elf?"

The Church of Merikka (21)
Village of Briarsgate, Gran March, Greyhawk
Day Seven. Midnight. Saturday, October 22nd, 576 CY
Cloudy, damp, cold, misty





Dog barks and the iron shod footfalls of men come from the west (16? 17??).

The girl bolts and Grothnak pulls open the trapdoor behind the towering abomination, revealing a thin, clandestine stairwell spiraling down into darkness.



"Down. Now," the half-orc barks. After a brief debate about valor and sacrifice, the party descends.

The tight stairwell forces them into single file as they wind lower and lower. Hoom leads. Followed by the girl, who took one of the candles. Then Mouser. Then Telkis, Ingrid, Long Bo, Urdur, Avril and Pelias, each in turn disappearing down the hole. Finally Grothnak is last, shutting the trapdoor behind him. The cramped, curving arc limits visibility to one person directly ahead and behind.



"What's your name?" Mouser asks, trying to keep the trembling girl calm.

"Verity Clayborne, sir," she quavers. "My family owns the General Mercantile..." (building 12)

They follow the winding steps down. Grothnak hears nothing above.



The stairs end on a small stone floor with a trap door in it. A rope ladder is coiled aside it.

Hoom whispers, "So you from around here? Got a husband, suitor? What are your views on interspecies dating? Ever date an elf?"

The sobbing, abused girl savagely slaps Hoom's face with all her might.


Actions?





PC Status:

• Avril Hollysword, Half-Elf Fighter/Cleric 1/2: Move: 9", AC: 7, HP: 7/10, Spells: 0/4 1st lvl
  Grey Mouser, Half-Elf Magic-User/Thief 1/2: Move: 9", AC 5, HP 8/10, Spells: 0/1 1st lvl
  Grothnak Uthglukh, Half-Orc Fighter 3: Move: 9", AC: 3, HP: 24/28
  Hoom Feethos, Elven Magic-User/Thief 1/2: Move: 9", AC 3, HP 3/8, Spells: 0/1 1st lvl
  Ingrid Esthof, Human Cleric 3: Move: 6", AC: 3(1), HP: 4/16, Spells: 0/4 1st lvl and 0/3 2nd lvl
  Long Bo, Human Druid 3: Move: 9", AC: 6, HP: 3/22, Spells: 0/5 1st lvl, 0/3 2nd lvl and 0/1 3rd lvl
  Pelias Blanchflower, Human Paladin 2: Move: 9", AC: 2(0), HP: 4/19, Laying Hands: 0/1
  Telkis Brassfang, Gnome Fighter 3: Move: 9", AC: 0, HP: 5/28
  Urdur Shimmerstone, Gnome Illusionist 2: Move: 12", AC 6, HP 4/6, Spells: 1/2 1st lvl

Light Sources:

• Verity's candle

PC Magic:

• Protection from Evil (Pelias): -2 to AC and +2 to saving throws against evil, in a 10 foot radius around Pelias.

PC Resources:

• Map of Briarsgate
  NPC List for Briarsgate
  The Story So Far (in words)
  The Story So Far (in pictures)

Hoom Feethos:

"I'll take that as a maybe." he says as he rubs his check. He then bends down and checks the trap door. "Looks like we go down folks. Could you bring that candle a little closer so I can get a better look. I want to make sure this thing isn't going to explode in our faces when I open it." Hoom checks around the perimeter of the trap door for any extra material between the door and stone work. If all looks clear he will slowly lift it up checking for hanging wire or other items that could suggest a trap.

Grey Mouser, Half-Elf Magic-User/Thief
"Nice Verity! You got moxy," Mouser says with a chuckle, trying the lighten the mood as he draws both his blades. He stays armed until he gets the opportunity to look for traps. "You're spirit honors your family," he says quietly. "We've got to move quickly, he finishes quietly, somewhat anxiously, but imperitively to the rest of the party.

Grothnak, now stuck in the back of the single-file line, keeps an eye and ear on alert for anyone approaching from above.

Once on the next floor, Bo continues to look from Grothnak to the front of the ranks, wondering why the most hale member of the group is taking up the rear. He notices that the half-orc is thinking the same thing so he keeps his mouth shut this time.

"Would they bother to trap their own escape route? I find that unlikely. Mouser is correct! We must make haste! Open the door and toss down the ladder! We should let Grothnak lead us to our escape in case we find trouble!"

While the tall folk see about opening the door, Urdur pulls a torch from his pack and lights it, hoping that having more light than just the poor girl's candle will help speed things along.

Telkis keeps quiet but frowns at Hoom's shenanigans and shakes his head. He pats the girl's hand in a fatherly way, then, for lack of something more useful to do, begins scanning the floor, walls and ceiling around the new-found trap-door, to ascertain its general structural integrity. "Whatchya think of this stonework, Urdur?" he says. "Those rats up there were real jerks, huh?... The mice in town are nice..." he adds, lamely.

The Church of Merikka (21)
Village of Briarsgate, Gran March, Greyhawk
Day Seven. Midnight. Saturday, October 22nd, 576 CY
Cloudy, damp, cold, misty





Near the top of the narrow labyrinthine stair, Grothnak and Pelias hear distant, obscure sounds from above. The top of the stair channel remains dark; the upper trapdoor must still be shut.

At the bottom of the crowded stairwell, Verity weeps softly as Hoom stops to examine the trapdoor by her trembling candlelight. Telkis soothes the girl and sees the stonework of the byzantine backstair is sound. Urdur gets a torch alight.

Hoom finds no snares waiting for him and slowly, silently raises the trapdoor far enough for one of his pale eyes to peer below.




He is looking down from a high ceiling into a woman's bedroom that is black and empty of human life. (9)





Unholy votaries illuminate the chamber from atop occultic altars.




Profane symbols are etched upon the floor, though not in human excrement. Over them are scattered blood red rose petals from the briar wall that surrounds the village of the damned.

Hoom sees the bedroom has two doors, north and west. A wooden stepladder rests against a tall bookshelf. A stained glass window on the eastern wall is large enough to admit a man were it to be shattered.


Actions?!


Map:

Hoom is peering down from "S."





PC Status:

• Avril Hollysword, Half-Elf Fighter/Cleric 1/2: Move: 9", AC: 7, HP: 7/10, Spells: 0/4 1st lvl
  Grey Mouser, Half-Elf Magic-User/Thief 1/2: Move: 9", AC 5, HP 8/10, Spells: 0/1 1st lvl
  Grothnak Uthglukh, Half-Orc Fighter 3: Move: 9", AC: 3, HP: 24/28
  Hoom Feethos, Elven Magic-User/Thief 1/2: Move: 9", AC 3, HP 3/8, Spells: 0/1 1st lvl
  Ingrid Esthof, Human Cleric 3: Move: 6", AC: 3(1), HP: 4/16, Spells: 0/4 1st lvl and 0/3 2nd lvl
  Long Bo, Human Druid 3: Move: 9", AC: 6, HP: 3/22, Spells: 0/5 1st lvl, 0/3 2nd lvl and 0/1 3rd lvl
  Pelias Blanchflower, Human Paladin 2: Move: 9", AC: 2(0), HP: 4/19, Laying Hands: 0/1
  Telkis Brassfang, Gnome Fighter 3: Move: 9", AC: 0, HP: 5/28
  Urdur Shimmerstone, Gnome Illusionist 2: Move: 12", AC 6, HP 4/6, Spells: 1/2 1st lvl

Light Sources:

• Verity's candle, Urdur's torch

PC Magic:

• Protection from Evil (Pelias): -2 to AC and +2 to saving throws against evil, in a 10 foot radius around Pelias.

PC Resources:

• Map of Briarsgate
  NPC List for Briarsgate
  The Story So Far (in words)
  The Story So Far (in pictures)

Hoom Feethos:

"A bedroom?" Hooms says as he opens the trap door fully.
"Pelias, you're going to love this place. There are two doors and a large stained glass window we could break through. How much knowledge of the floor below do we know?" he remarks as he kick (or pushes) the rope ladder down into the open shaft.
"After you." he motions to the Paladin.
Hoom moves back from the hole and stands next to Mouser and speaks quietly to him.
"Pure Evil that room is. No way am I going first into that."

Grothnak makes his way to the front if he can. "The window is tempting, but we would be heard and followed. We should search the room. Our work here may not be done just yet."

He lowers himself into the room (assuming he can do so without taking falling damage; if he needs to have someone lower a rope of something, he'll do that) and begins seaching it.

Telkis will go down after the half-orc, then stand guard with his bow ready while others search the room.

Grey Mouser, Half-Elf Magic-User/Thief:

Mouser moves to ensure that folks can get past, and down into the hole. "No worries Verity," he says quietly, "it's fully my intention to get outta here as well."

Hoom wrote:"Pure Evil that room is. No way am I going first into that."

Mouser nods at his fellow elf as he looks down. "When you meatshields, erm I mean stronger folk," he says with an obvious smile flashing in the dark, "are done clearing out the big stuff, we'll come down and search for the little things... of course I mean secret passages and ways out and the like!"