Khessa, happy that the pages have at least partially calmed down and that a Tricksy Fey Spirit has been found to watch over them, is ready to resume the cleanup work, even more determined than before.
The pages' story of how the Duke was influenced disturbs the blonde arcane warrior... but it does not resolve her doubt as to whether the Nefarious Duo managed to manifest themselves in person or whether they had to send emissaries instead. 'Patience,' she thinks 'we'll find out soon enough'.
[[ OOC: We were missing a door to explore on this plane, right? If so, Khessa intends to continue from there... ]]
[[OOC: It was a little unclear whether we checked all of the rooms. There were three doors on the north side of the empty hall, but we only got two room descriptions. I basically assumed that @Aaggie's intent was that 2 of the doors led to the kitchen.
North wall
Door on the right (closest to the wine cellar and stairs): Kitchen
[[OOC: It was a little unclear whether we checked all of the rooms. There were three doors on the north side of the empty hall, but we only got two room descriptions. I basically assumed that @Aaggie's intent was that 2 of the doors led to the kitchen.
North wall
Door on the right (closest to the wine cellar and stairs): Kitchen
You are correct, the other door went into the kitchen, all rooms have been searched, there is the stairs going up next to the wine, and the spiral stairs going up by the barracks room
[[ OOC: Well, if all rooms have been searched, I'd say it's time to head back upstairs... Shall we the stairs going up next to the wine? Do our scouts want to carry on as usual? ]]
You are correct, the other door went into the kitchen, all rooms have been searched, there is the stairs going up next to the wine, and the spiral stairs going up by the barracks room
[[OOC: That's two stairs other than the ones we used to come up from the dungeon, right?]]
Vrox asks which stairs everyone wants to take. Indicating the stairs by the wine cellar, Vrox says, "I'm fairly certain that the wine cellar is under the chapel, so these stairs lead up to one of the two stairways in the chapel." He looks back to the dining hall and barracks at the other end of the hallway. "The stairs we used just lead back up to the banquet hall and then upstairs. I'm not sure where the stairs off of the barracks lead. That must be south of the main entrance hall, but I don't remember seeing another spiral staircase other than the ones we took across from the banquet hall. Maybe it goes straight out to the courtyard, or maybe there's an enclosed guard tower?"
Vrox asks the page boys where the the stairs by the wine cellar lead and whether they know where the stairs from the barracks lead. After they answer, he says, "And do you know of any secret ways to get around the castle? Either hallways for the servants to move around unseen or maybe some secret passage you've seen the Duke use? I know that it may be a secret, but we're here to help, and a secret passageway may help us defeat these awful monsters."Persuasion22
You are correct, the other door went into the kitchen, all rooms have been searched, there is the stairs going up next to the wine, and the spiral stairs going up by the barracks room
[[OOC: That's two stairs other than the ones we used to come up from the dungeon, right?]]
Vrox asks which stairs everyone wants to take. Indicating the stairs by the wine cellar, Vrox says, "I'm fairly certain that the wine cellar is under the chapel, so these stairs lead up to one of the two stairways in the chapel." He looks back to the dining hall and barracks at the other end of the hallway. "The stairs we used just lead back up to the banquet hall and then upstairs. I'm not sure where the stairs off of the barracks lead. That must be south of the main entrance hall, but I don't remember seeing another spiral staircase other than the ones we took across from the banquet hall. Maybe it goes straight out to the courtyard, or maybe there's an enclosed guard tower?"
Vrox asks the page boys where the the stairs by the wine cellar lead and whether they know where the stairs from the barracks lead. After they answer, he says, "And do you know of any secret ways to get around the castle? Either hallways for the servants to move around unseen or maybe some secret passage you've seen the Duke use? I know that it may be a secret, but we're here to help, and a secret passageway may help us defeat these awful monsters."Persuasion22
The boys shake their head no. The boys indicate they use the spiral staircase to take wine to the banquet hall. The other stairs to the right of the wine cellar does up to the servant's entrance. It is right outside of the servant's quarters. "Its how they get down here and is out of the way from the nobles and guests. There is another set of stairs that goes up on the other side of the servants quarters, that level is for the Duke's family and his personal area is another floor above that one. We don't go up there much, us pages aren't allowed."
The boys shake their head no. The boys indicate they use the spiral staircase to take wine to the banquet hall. The other stairs to the right of the wine cellar does up to the servant's entrance. It is right outside of the servant's quarters. "Its how they get down here and is out of the way from the nobles and guests. There is another set of stairs that goes up on the other side of the servants quarters, that level is for the Duke's family and his personal area is another floor above that one. We don't go up there much, us pages aren't allowed."
Vrox bows as though he's interacting with a gentleman and not a servant boy. "I am the Warden of the Bees from the Summer Court. In my court, it is rude to accept anything valuable -- even information -- without giving something in return." As he talks, he unties a large rust-colored bag from his pack. He reaches into the bag and pulls out what looks like a small, mottled brown pillow or cushion. He tosses it toward the middle of the empty hallway, and before it even touches the ground, you see that it's not a pillow, but an eagle owl. The owl spreads its wings (with a wingspan of about 4 ft.) and glides up the hall and back to Vrox, landing on the top of his backpack. It's bright, orange eyes stare over the top of his head at the page boys. Vrox says something to the owl in Syvlan. Then he turns back to the boys and says, "I give you this owl, to keep watch for you and protect you. She will stay with you until dawn unless she dies defending you before then. May the Luck of the Good People keep you safe until we can return for you." The owl flies from Vrox's backpack and lands on one of the casks in the wine cellar.
Vrox turns back to the group and says, "I assume that we want to go up the stairs on the other side of the servant's quarters since that leads to the level for the Duke's family and the duke's personal area above that."
If everyone agrees, Vrox switches again to his shield and leads the way quietly up those stairs, moving stealthily, watching for any traps or other signs of danger on the stairs, and listening periodically for anything that might be at the top of the stairs as they approach the next level.
The boys nod their thanks, and retreat back into their hiding place. Following their directions, you go up the stairs next to the wine cellar, and it comes out at the servant's entrance, the door of which is open. To the left, is the door to the servant's quarters, and at a quick glance, it is empty. You get to the top of the stairs and it comes to a balcony. A sculpted stone railing encloses this long balcony, which overlooks the chapel. Two ornate thrones stand side by side in the center of the balcony. The thrones face away from the double doors that give access to the balcony.
If the spell that allows Khessa to perceive emanations of magic has expired, she ritual-casts it again; if there is active magic in the room, she prefers to find out before accidentally triggering its effect!
The blonde arcane warrior then goes to examine the two thrones, to see if anyone is sitting on them... or if there is evidence that someone has sat on them recently (I don't know, maybe a part of the throne still warm from the body heat of the person who was sitting on it... or a thread of clothing caught somewhere).
You get to the top of the stairs and it comes to a balcony. A sculpted stone railing encloses this long balcony, which overlooks the chapel. Two ornate thrones stand side by side in the center of the balcony. The thrones face away from the double doors that give access to the balcony.
[[OOC: The stairway that we used (north of the thrones) ends at this balcony. It does not continue going up?]]
If the spell that allows Khessa to perceive emanations of magic has expired, she ritual-casts it again; if there is active magic in the room, she prefers to find out before accidentally triggering its effect!
Assuming that Khessa has to cast that spell again, Vrox will use the 10 minutes to look around the balcony. But he firsts asks Aya whether she sees anything.
[[OOC: I'm pretty sure that Aya already told the party that she is able to see things that are invisible or hidden/ethereal.]]
Vrox moves quietly around the balcony, looking for any secret doors or compartments. He confirms that there's a second set of stairs south of the thrones that he saw earlier on the ground floor (post #2015). Finally, he listens at the double doors behind the thrones.
You believe this is where the duke would take in his services, there is nothing else nor anything secret on the balcony. As you listen to the door, you do hear the sound of shuffling, like something is on the other side of the door, and its speaking in an unknown language.
You believe this is where the duke would take in his services, there is nothing else nor anything secret on the balcony. As you listen to the door, you do hear the sound of shuffling, like something is on the other side of the door, and its speaking in an unknown language.
(OOC: Before we move on, do either of the stairs continue to go up from this level? Either the ones we used to come up from the servants' quarters or the stairs that are on the southwest side of the balcony (currently blacked-out, but I think that there's an opening to some stairs in the west wall, south of the thrones).
Regarding the unknown language, don't forget that Vrox is an emissary of the Summer Court and speaks quite a few languages: Abyssal, Common, Elvish, Giant, Infernal, Primordial, Sylvan, and Undercommon.)
(OOC: Oh! OK. I thought that we had seen a second set of stairs in the chapel that would lead up to the balcony. But maybe they were just going down or skipped this level. We'll figure that out later.)
Vrox whispers to the others about what he heard through the doors. Once Khessa has finished her spell, Vrox stows his shield and gets out his bow. He hides east of the thrones, using them for cover, and gets ready for when Tyek and Khessa open the door.
Tyekanik is happy that they've finally found the enemy again. When the group is ready, he enters a rage, imbuing Annam's Greataxe as his Elemental Cleaver with thunder damage and growing to Huge side. He fills almost the entire space in front of the double doors and then glances back to ensure that the whole group is ready for another fight...
Khessa is also happy to continue the cleaning work... After all, the poor pages have had to hide long enough already - she can't wait to leave a de-nefarious-duo-ized Castle behind and escort those poor guys to safety!
As soon as everyone is ready, the blonde aracane warrior joins Tyekanik and opens the door, announcing with a mocking smile to those inside: "It's your lucky day, demons' 4ss lickers! You were looking for humans? Well, I'm here!"
As you open the doors, you see it's a twenty-foot-high hall with a vaulted ceiling. it is 10 feet wide by 35 long. In the middle spread out, are three red blood demons (red abishai), and five blood converts (Ashen Riders).
As you open the doors, you see it's a twenty-foot-high hall with a vaulted ceiling. it is 10 feet wide by 35 long. In the middle spread out, are three red blood demons (red abishai), and five blood converts (Ashen Riders)
[[OOC: I assume that everyone is going to attack immediately, but who has initiative here?]]
Does Vrox recognize the "blood converts"? That is, if those are demons, does he know anything about them?
As you open the doors, you see it's a twenty-foot-high hall with a vaulted ceiling. it is 10 feet wide by 35 long. In the middle spread out, are three red blood demons (red abishai), and five blood converts (Ashen Riders)
[[OOC: I assume that everyone is going to attack immediately, but who has initiative here?]]
Does Vrox recognize the "blood converts"? That is, if those are demons, does he know anything about them? Would that be Nature?
Nature: 20 (advantage to recall information about Fiends because they are one of Vrox's Favored Enemies).
Khessa, happy that the pages have at least partially calmed down and that a Tricksy Fey Spirit has been found to watch over them, is ready to resume the cleanup work, even more determined than before.
The pages' story of how the Duke was influenced disturbs the blonde arcane warrior... but it does not resolve her doubt as to whether the Nefarious Duo managed to manifest themselves in person or whether they had to send emissaries instead. 'Patience,' she thinks 'we'll find out soon enough'.
[[ OOC: We were missing a door to explore on this plane, right? If so, Khessa intends to continue from there... ]]
[[OOC: It was a little unclear whether we checked all of the rooms. There were three doors on the north side of the empty hall, but we only got two room descriptions. I basically assumed that @Aaggie's intent was that 2 of the doors led to the kitchen.
]]
You are correct, the other door went into the kitchen, all rooms have been searched, there is the stairs going up next to the wine, and the spiral stairs going up by the barracks room
[[ OOC: Well, if all rooms have been searched, I'd say it's time to head back upstairs... Shall we the stairs going up next to the wine? Do our scouts want to carry on as usual? ]]
[[OOC: That's two stairs other than the ones we used to come up from the dungeon, right?]]
Vrox asks which stairs everyone wants to take. Indicating the stairs by the wine cellar, Vrox says, "I'm fairly certain that the wine cellar is under the chapel, so these stairs lead up to one of the two stairways in the chapel." He looks back to the dining hall and barracks at the other end of the hallway. "The stairs we used just lead back up to the banquet hall and then upstairs. I'm not sure where the stairs off of the barracks lead. That must be south of the main entrance hall, but I don't remember seeing another spiral staircase other than the ones we took across from the banquet hall. Maybe it goes straight out to the courtyard, or maybe there's an enclosed guard tower?"
Vrox asks the page boys where the the stairs by the wine cellar lead and whether they know where the stairs from the barracks lead. After they answer, he says, "And do you know of any secret ways to get around the castle? Either hallways for the servants to move around unseen or maybe some secret passage you've seen the Duke use? I know that it may be a secret, but we're here to help, and a secret passageway may help us defeat these awful monsters." Persuasion 22
The boys shake their head no. The boys indicate they use the spiral staircase to take wine to the banquet hall. The other stairs to the right of the wine cellar does up to the servant's entrance. It is right outside of the servant's quarters. "Its how they get down here and is out of the way from the nobles and guests. There is another set of stairs that goes up on the other side of the servants quarters, that level is for the Duke's family and his personal area is another floor above that one. We don't go up there much, us pages aren't allowed."
[[OOC: rolled a 2 for the Rust Bag of Tricks. (in game log)]]
Vrox bows as though he's interacting with a gentleman and not a servant boy. "I am the Warden of the Bees from the Summer Court. In my court, it is rude to accept anything valuable -- even information -- without giving something in return." As he talks, he unties a large rust-colored bag from his pack. He reaches into the bag and pulls out what looks like a small, mottled brown pillow or cushion. He tosses it toward the middle of the empty hallway, and before it even touches the ground, you see that it's not a pillow, but an eagle owl. The owl spreads its wings (with a wingspan of about 4 ft.) and glides up the hall and back to Vrox, landing on the top of his backpack. It's bright, orange eyes stare over the top of his head at the page boys. Vrox says something to the owl in Syvlan. Then he turns back to the boys and says, "I give you this owl, to keep watch for you and protect you. She will stay with you until dawn unless she dies defending you before then. May the Luck of the Good People keep you safe until we can return for you." The owl flies from Vrox's backpack and lands on one of the casks in the wine cellar.
Vrox turns back to the group and says, "I assume that we want to go up the stairs on the other side of the servant's quarters since that leads to the level for the Duke's family and the duke's personal area above that."
If everyone agrees, Vrox switches again to his shield and leads the way quietly up those stairs, moving stealthily, watching for any traps or other signs of danger on the stairs, and listening periodically for anything that might be at the top of the stairs as they approach the next level.
Stealth 26, advantage from Shadowfell Brand Tattoo
Perception 22, advantage from Sentinel Shield
"Go for it" Khessa shrugs. "I have no strong preference, for we'll need to explore everything anyway..."
The blonde arcane warrior follows the scouts from distance, ready to rush to the front if a combat starts.
The boys nod their thanks, and retreat back into their hiding place. Following their directions, you go up the stairs next to the wine cellar, and it comes out at the servant's entrance, the door of which is open. To the left, is the door to the servant's quarters, and at a quick glance, it is empty. You get to the top of the stairs and it comes to a balcony. A sculpted stone railing encloses this long balcony, which overlooks the chapel. Two ornate thrones stand side by side in the center of the balcony. The thrones face away from the double doors that give access to the balcony.
If the spell that allows Khessa to perceive emanations of magic has expired, she ritual-casts it again; if there is active magic in the room, she prefers to find out before accidentally triggering its effect!
The blonde arcane warrior then goes to examine the two thrones, to see if anyone is sitting on them... or if there is evidence that someone has sat on them recently (I don't know, maybe a part of the throne still warm from the body heat of the person who was sitting on it... or a thread of clothing caught somewhere).
Khessa's Investigation, if needed: 16
[[OOC: The stairway that we used (north of the thrones) ends at this balcony. It does not continue going up?]]
Assuming that Khessa has to cast that spell again, Vrox will use the 10 minutes to look around the balcony. But he firsts asks Aya whether she sees anything.
[[OOC: I'm pretty sure that Aya already told the party that she is able to see things that are invisible or hidden/ethereal.]]
Vrox moves quietly around the balcony, looking for any secret doors or compartments. He confirms that there's a second set of stairs south of the thrones that he saw earlier on the ground floor (post #2015). Finally, he listens at the double doors behind the thrones.
Investigation 14
Perception 22, advantage from Sentinel Shield
You believe this is where the duke would take in his services, there is nothing else nor anything secret on the balcony. As you listen to the door, you do hear the sound of shuffling, like something is on the other side of the door, and its speaking in an unknown language.
(OOC: Before we move on, do either of the stairs continue to go up from this level? Either the ones we used to come up from the servants' quarters or the stairs that are on the southwest side of the balcony (currently blacked-out, but I think that there's an opening to some stairs in the west wall, south of the thrones).
Regarding the unknown language, don't forget that Vrox is an emissary of the Summer Court and speaks quite a few languages: Abyssal, Common, Elvish, Giant, Infernal, Primordial, Sylvan, and Undercommon.)
It is Abyssal, speaking of following the orders to find more humans so the summoning will succeed. You see no other staircases here.
(OOC: Oh! OK. I thought that we had seen a second set of stairs in the chapel that would lead up to the balcony. But maybe they were just going down or skipped this level. We'll figure that out later.)
Vrox whispers to the others about what he heard through the doors. Once Khessa has finished her spell, Vrox stows his shield and gets out his bow. He hides east of the thrones, using them for cover, and gets ready for when Tyek and Khessa open the door.
Tyekanik is happy that they've finally found the enemy again. When the group is ready, he enters a rage, imbuing Annam's Greataxe as his Elemental Cleaver with thunder damage and growing to Huge side. He fills almost the entire space in front of the double doors and then glances back to ensure that the whole group is ready for another fight...
Khessa is also happy to continue the cleaning work... After all, the poor pages have had to hide long enough already - she can't wait to leave a de-nefarious-duo-ized Castle behind and escort those poor guys to safety!
As soon as everyone is ready, the blonde aracane warrior joins Tyekanik and opens the door, announcing with a mocking smile to those inside: "It's your lucky day, demons' 4ss lickers! You were looking for humans? Well, I'm here!"
As you open the doors, you see it's a twenty-foot-high hall with a vaulted ceiling. it is 10 feet wide by 35 long. In the middle spread out, are three red blood demons (red abishai), and five blood converts (Ashen Riders).
[[OOC: I assume that everyone is going to attack immediately, but who has initiative here?]]
Does Vrox recognize the "blood converts"? That is, if those are demons, does he know anything about them?
[[OOC: I assume that everyone is going to attack immediately, but who has initiative here?]]
Does Vrox recognize the "blood converts"? That is, if those are demons, does he know anything about them? Would that be Nature?
Nature: 20 (advantage to recall information about Fiends because they are one of Vrox's Favored Enemies).