"Our parents are in the basement, with the monster!" the little boy, Thorn, cries out.
Rose speaks up next. "We haven't seen the monster, but we can hear it! It makes terrible sounds!"
Bernard notices no people walking in the street, as it is too late for people to be out in the best of times. A cursory look at the other houses surrounding him reveals that no house has any candlelight lit in their windows, and likely all of these children's neighbors are fast asleep.
Walking up to the front windows of the house, aided by his light, Bernard sees what must be a hunter's den. Mounted above the fireplace is a stag’s head, and positioned around the outskirts of the room are three stuffed wolves. Two padded chairs draped in animal furs face the hearth, with an oak table between them supporting a cask of wine, two carved wooden goblets, a pipe rack, and a candelabrum. A chandelier hangs above a cloth-covered table surrounded by four chairs, and two cabinets stand against the walls. However, there are no signs of parents or any monster.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
The Solo DM. Currently running: Curse of Strahd, Out of the Abyss x2, Dragon Heist x2, and Kingmaker
Bernard feels uneasy as he listens to the pleading children, who claimed their parents were trapped with a monster in the basement. He wasn't sure what to do, as he saw neither of them. Bernard didn't want to break into a nobleman's house due to the whims of children. However, wasn't it his duty to protect against evil?
He speaks to the children again, now with a more serious tone. "Children, please, tell me the truth. Is there really a monster in your house?" As he speaks, he would like to look closely at their reactions- children tend to not be good liars. He will also see if they are hiding anything else from him.
Insight: 25+3
If he felt they were being truthful, then he must act quickly. "Children, you are not safe here. Go to the church on the hill and tell Father Donavich about this monster. Ask him to send help. I will deal with this monster."
Normally, hunting an evil being requires a team of priests and warriors, but he didn't have the time to raise one. He cautiously enters the house, staying in the shadows as he makes his way towards the basement. As he moves, if he enters a dark area, he will listen carefully for threats before casting light on a coin and tossing it over to illuminate his surroundings.
When Bernard asks the children to confirm the existence of this monster in the basement, they nod quickly, tears flowing down their cheeks. Bernard does not detect any falsehood in their words or actions. Only fear, and only the kind of fear that children can have.
"Our baby brother is in the house, too," Rose says. "In the nursery on the third floor. Please, save him!"
When asked to go to the church, the children nod, and turn to run away. Before they get too far, Rose turns around and says "Thank you" to the cleric.
Bernard approaches the entrance to the house. Oil lamps hang from the portico on either side of a set of oaken doors. He tests one of the doors, finds it is unlocked, and enters the house.
He is immediately greeted by a closed-off foyer. Fifteen feet across the hall is another set of double doors, these ones set with panes of stained glass. On the wall to his right is a shield emblazoned with a coat-of-arms (a stylized golden windmill on a red field), flanked by framed portraits of stony-faced aristocrats.
The silence is periodically broken by the distant sound of someone, or something, moaning underneath the floor.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
The Solo DM. Currently running: Curse of Strahd, Out of the Abyss x2, Dragon Heist x2, and Kingmaker
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
A chill creeps up Bernard's spine as he hears the moaning under the floor. "What is that?" He tenses up as he continues forward through the foyer.
As he passes the shield, he will like to take a closer look at the portraits, seeing if anything pops out to him(and looking to see if the children are portrayed as well). He will also like to see if he recognizes the coat of arms or anybody in the portraits.
History:6+2 Investigation/Perception: 12 or 26+3
Then, he will creep up to the double doors at the end of the halls, peeking through the stained glass. If it's too dark for him to see, he will throw a lighted up coin through the doors before entering.
Perception: 8+4
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
DMing:
Solo Hoard of the Dragon Queen
Playing:
Baral-Coliseum of Conquest, Lazarus Vernon- Tale of Mercenaries;Bernard Lionsbane- Solo Curse of Strahd
Unfortunately, the portraits and the coat of arms are as unfamiliar to Bernard as anything else he's encountered in this strange land, and the children do not appear to be portrayed in any way.
The room beyond the stained glass doors is dark, but with Bernard's light spell he is able to see it fairly clearly, distorted as it is from looking through stained glass. The room beyond seems to run the width of the house. On the wall to his left is a fireplace, with a longsword mounted on the wall over it. To his right is a large, spiraling staircase that leads upwards into the house. Directly across from him are two doors leading to other rooms in the house, and to the right of them is a small alcove, though it is difficult to see what is in it.
The wood panel walls of the room seem to be ornately carved, but it is difficult to tell what the carvings are of through the glass.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
The Solo DM. Currently running: Curse of Strahd, Out of the Abyss x2, Dragon Heist x2, and Kingmaker
Bernard cautiously enters the dark room, his holy symbol shining light. He takes a closer look at the ornate wooden walls before continuing forward to the alcove.
“Those children mentioned a baby brother, right?” After looking around this room, he will take the spiral staircase upwards into the house.
Perception: 20+2
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
DMing:
Solo Hoard of the Dragon Queen
Playing:
Baral-Coliseum of Conquest, Lazarus Vernon- Tale of Mercenaries;Bernard Lionsbane- Solo Curse of Strahd
Bernard sees that the wooden walls are ornately sculpted with images of vines, flowers, nymphs, and satyrs. Upon closer inspection, however, he is able to see serpents and skulls hidden in the carving's design.
Bernard ascends the staircase, and finds himself in another grand hall, with a fireplace and four decorative suits of armor in the four corners of the hall. Unlit oil lamps hang on the walls of this room, but Bernard is able to see clearly with his own light. Hanging above the fireplace is another portrait, though this one has two familiar faces. Rose and Thorn are depicted with two adults that can only be their parents, their father swaddling a baby, which their mother regards with a hint of scorn.
Two sets of double doors occupy this room, one to Bernard's right, the other to his left. The doors are carved with dancing youths, although close inspection reveals that the youths aren’t really dancing but fighting off swarms of bats.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
The Solo DM. Currently running: Curse of Strahd, Out of the Abyss x2, Dragon Heist x2, and Kingmaker
Serpents, skulls, and bats. All hidden within innocuous carvings. Bernard understood the symbolism behind the latter, but he chose not to jump to conclusions yet. "All that hide in the dark cannot shield itself from the Light," he mutters. He reminds himself of his mission and continues forward.
Bernard lights each of the oil lamps in this hall before he moves to the family portrait and inspects it closer, looking for any more hidden things. Then, he will peek through both sets of double doors, looking for a staircase to the third floor nursery,
(Yes, sorry, the alcove contained two more doors, one straight ahead and another to the right. The staircase that Bernard took to this floor also continues to go up, if you want him to continue up before investigating these doors.)
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
The Solo DM. Currently running: Curse of Strahd, Out of the Abyss x2, Dragon Heist x2, and Kingmaker
Bernard climbs the red marble staircase to its full height, and comes to a dusty balcony with a suit of black plate armor standing against one wall, draped in cobwebs. Oil lamps are mounted on the oak-paneled walls, which are carved with woodland scenes of trees, falling leaves, and tiny critters. As with the previous carvings, these ones too feature a hidden macabre scene, with tiny corpses hanging from the trees and worms crawling out of the ground.
Where he stands, Bernard is facing north, to the "left" side of the house. On the northern and western walls, there are single doors. To his right, on the eastern wall, is a set of double doors down a short hallway, with a door on the western wall across from the double doors.
As the cleric makes his way into the hall, he hears a creaking sound, and sees the suit of armor begin to move of its own volition. He is only just able to move out of the way as the suit of armor swings a gauntlet fist at him, striking the wall instead, splintering the oak panels.
Roll for initiative.
Suit of Armor: 9
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
The Solo DM. Currently running: Curse of Strahd, Out of the Abyss x2, Dragon Heist x2, and Kingmaker
(Bernard goes? I would like to try something a bit creative if possible...)
The holy man reacts quickly. First, he uses an action to cast sacred flame at the armor. DC 15 Dex Save, or 1 damage.
Then, he uses a bonus action to cast Sanctuary on himself. He will use his movement to go down the staircase. Bernard's goal is to draw the armor somewhere where it can't see/get to him, then return back to the third floor.
(If the Sanctuary fails and he is attacked, he will use his Warding Flare ability granting disadvantage to the attack)
Holy light pierces the armor, but it does little to deter the animated suit.
Wis Save: 2
The suit of armor follows Bernard down the stairs, rears back to strike at the cleric once more, but it freezes mid-swing, sparing the holy man from a devastating blow.
He grins as the suit of armor freezes mid-swing. “The light shields me!”
Bernard will use his action to Dash, running down the staircase into the room with the ornate wooden panels. If he has anymore movement left, he will go through the stained glass door and close it behind him. Bernard is still searching for a spot where he could be sheltered from the suit of armor. If such a spot is unable to be found, then he will test what happens when he exits the building.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
DMing:
Solo Hoard of the Dragon Queen
Playing:
Baral-Coliseum of Conquest, Lazarus Vernon- Tale of Mercenaries;Bernard Lionsbane- Solo Curse of Strahd
Dashing is just enough to get Bernard on the other side of the stained glass window. The suit of armor follows him, but is just able to get into the main hall, on the other side of the stained glass doors. The suit seems to be watching Bernard through the panes.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
The Solo DM. Currently running: Curse of Strahd, Out of the Abyss x2, Dragon Heist x2, and Kingmaker
Unfortunately, there does not seem to be any way to lock the door, nor does there appear to be a place to hide. Bernard has nowhere to go but out through the exit of the house. He manages to get outside, and turns to see the suit of armor burst through the stained glass doors and charge at him, raising a gauntlet to attack...
And as it crosses the threshold of the house, it clatters to the ground, as though whatever evil soul was inhabiting it left, leaving behind a scattered mess of armor components.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
The Solo DM. Currently running: Curse of Strahd, Out of the Abyss x2, Dragon Heist x2, and Kingmaker
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Bernard watches as the suit of armor disintegrates before him the moment it steps foot outside the house. He walks up to it and gently nudges one of the armor pieces with his boot before laughing.
"Well, that wasn't so hard, wasn't it?" Wits instead of weapons had brought him this victory, but he was certain whatever insidious creature lurked in the basement won't be so simple to defeat. He quickly searches the suit of armor for any valuables before returning to the third floor and looking for the nursery. Perception: 25+4
(I assume Sanctuary has finished? I remember the third floor having a lot of doors, so Bernard will peek through each of them to search for the nursery or of anything of interest).
"Our parents are in the basement, with the monster!" the little boy, Thorn, cries out.
Rose speaks up next. "We haven't seen the monster, but we can hear it! It makes terrible sounds!"
Bernard notices no people walking in the street, as it is too late for people to be out in the best of times. A cursory look at the other houses surrounding him reveals that no house has any candlelight lit in their windows, and likely all of these children's neighbors are fast asleep.
Walking up to the front windows of the house, aided by his light, Bernard sees what must be a hunter's den. Mounted above the fireplace is a stag’s head, and positioned around the outskirts of the room are three stuffed wolves. Two padded chairs draped in animal furs face the hearth, with an oak table between them supporting a cask of wine, two carved wooden goblets, a pipe rack, and a candelabrum. A chandelier hangs above a cloth-covered table surrounded by four chairs, and two cabinets stand against the walls. However, there are no signs of parents or any monster.
The Solo DM. Currently running: Curse of Strahd, Out of the Abyss x2, Dragon Heist x2, and Kingmaker
Bernard feels uneasy as he listens to the pleading children, who claimed their parents were trapped with a monster in the basement. He wasn't sure what to do, as he saw neither of them. Bernard didn't want to break into a nobleman's house due to the whims of children. However, wasn't it his duty to protect against evil?
He speaks to the children again, now with a more serious tone. "Children, please, tell me the truth. Is there really a monster in your house?" As he speaks, he would like to look closely at their reactions- children tend to not be good liars. He will also see if they are hiding anything else from him.
Insight: 25+3
If he felt they were being truthful, then he must act quickly. "Children, you are not safe here. Go to the church on the hill and tell Father Donavich about this monster. Ask him to send help. I will deal with this monster."
Normally, hunting an evil being requires a team of priests and warriors, but he didn't have the time to raise one. He cautiously enters the house, staying in the shadows as he makes his way towards the basement. As he moves, if he enters a dark area, he will listen carefully for threats before casting light on a coin and tossing it over to illuminate his surroundings.
Stealth: 3+1
Perception: 20+1
(Highest Perception check I've ever gotten!)
DMing:
Solo Hoard of the Dragon Queen
Playing:
Baral- Coliseum of Conquest, Lazarus Vernon- Tale of Mercenaries; Bernard Lionsbane- Solo Curse of Strahd
When Bernard asks the children to confirm the existence of this monster in the basement, they nod quickly, tears flowing down their cheeks. Bernard does not detect any falsehood in their words or actions. Only fear, and only the kind of fear that children can have.
"Our baby brother is in the house, too," Rose says. "In the nursery on the third floor. Please, save him!"
When asked to go to the church, the children nod, and turn to run away. Before they get too far, Rose turns around and says "Thank you" to the cleric.
Bernard approaches the entrance to the house. Oil lamps hang from the portico on either side of a set of oaken doors. He tests one of the doors, finds it is unlocked, and enters the house.
He is immediately greeted by a closed-off foyer. Fifteen feet across the hall is another set of double doors, these ones set with panes of stained glass. On the wall to his right is a shield emblazoned with a coat-of-arms (a stylized golden windmill on a red field), flanked by framed portraits of stony-faced aristocrats.
The silence is periodically broken by the distant sound of someone, or something, moaning underneath the floor.
The Solo DM. Currently running: Curse of Strahd, Out of the Abyss x2, Dragon Heist x2, and Kingmaker
A chill creeps up Bernard's spine as he hears the moaning under the floor. "What is that?" He tenses up as he continues forward through the foyer.
As he passes the shield, he will like to take a closer look at the portraits, seeing if anything pops out to him(and looking to see if the children are portrayed as well). He will also like to see if he recognizes the coat of arms or anybody in the portraits.
History:6+2 Investigation/Perception: 12 or 26+3
Then, he will creep up to the double doors at the end of the halls, peeking through the stained glass. If it's too dark for him to see, he will throw a lighted up coin through the doors before entering.
Perception: 8+4
DMing:
Solo Hoard of the Dragon Queen
Playing:
Baral- Coliseum of Conquest, Lazarus Vernon- Tale of Mercenaries; Bernard Lionsbane- Solo Curse of Strahd
Unfortunately, the portraits and the coat of arms are as unfamiliar to Bernard as anything else he's encountered in this strange land, and the children do not appear to be portrayed in any way.
The room beyond the stained glass doors is dark, but with Bernard's light spell he is able to see it fairly clearly, distorted as it is from looking through stained glass. The room beyond seems to run the width of the house. On the wall to his left is a fireplace, with a longsword mounted on the wall over it. To his right is a large, spiraling staircase that leads upwards into the house. Directly across from him are two doors leading to other rooms in the house, and to the right of them is a small alcove, though it is difficult to see what is in it.
The wood panel walls of the room seem to be ornately carved, but it is difficult to tell what the carvings are of through the glass.
The Solo DM. Currently running: Curse of Strahd, Out of the Abyss x2, Dragon Heist x2, and Kingmaker
Bernard cautiously enters the dark room, his holy symbol shining light. He takes a closer look at the ornate wooden walls before continuing forward to the alcove.
“Those children mentioned a baby brother, right?” After looking around this room, he will take the spiral staircase upwards into the house.
Perception: 20+2
DMing:
Solo Hoard of the Dragon Queen
Playing:
Baral- Coliseum of Conquest, Lazarus Vernon- Tale of Mercenaries; Bernard Lionsbane- Solo Curse of Strahd
Bernard sees that the wooden walls are ornately sculpted with images of vines, flowers, nymphs, and satyrs. Upon closer inspection, however, he is able to see serpents and skulls hidden in the carving's design.
Bernard ascends the staircase, and finds himself in another grand hall, with a fireplace and four decorative suits of armor in the four corners of the hall. Unlit oil lamps hang on the walls of this room, but Bernard is able to see clearly with his own light. Hanging above the fireplace is another portrait, though this one has two familiar faces. Rose and Thorn are depicted with two adults that can only be their parents, their father swaddling a baby, which their mother regards with a hint of scorn.
Two sets of double doors occupy this room, one to Bernard's right, the other to his left. The doors are carved with dancing youths, although close inspection reveals that the youths aren’t really dancing but fighting off swarms of bats.
The Solo DM. Currently running: Curse of Strahd, Out of the Abyss x2, Dragon Heist x2, and Kingmaker
(Was there anything in the alcove?)
Serpents, skulls, and bats. All hidden within innocuous carvings. Bernard understood the symbolism behind the latter, but he chose not to jump to conclusions yet. "All that hide in the dark cannot shield itself from the Light," he mutters. He reminds himself of his mission and continues forward.
Bernard lights each of the oil lamps in this hall before he moves to the family portrait and inspects it closer, looking for any more hidden things. Then, he will peek through both sets of double doors, looking for a staircase to the third floor nursery,
Perception: 21+3
DMing:
Solo Hoard of the Dragon Queen
Playing:
Baral- Coliseum of Conquest, Lazarus Vernon- Tale of Mercenaries; Bernard Lionsbane- Solo Curse of Strahd
(Yes, sorry, the alcove contained two more doors, one straight ahead and another to the right. The staircase that Bernard took to this floor also continues to go up, if you want him to continue up before investigating these doors.)
The Solo DM. Currently running: Curse of Strahd, Out of the Abyss x2, Dragon Heist x2, and Kingmaker
(Bernard will skip those doors for now and go up the staircase. He is prioritizing saving the baby brother).
Edit: (He will go up the staircase to the third floor of the building, where the nursery is).
DMing:
Solo Hoard of the Dragon Queen
Playing:
Baral- Coliseum of Conquest, Lazarus Vernon- Tale of Mercenaries; Bernard Lionsbane- Solo Curse of Strahd
Bernard climbs the red marble staircase to its full height, and comes to a dusty balcony with a suit of black plate armor standing against one wall, draped in cobwebs. Oil lamps are mounted on the oak-paneled walls, which are carved with woodland scenes of trees, falling leaves, and tiny critters. As with the previous carvings, these ones too feature a hidden macabre scene, with tiny corpses hanging from the trees and worms crawling out of the ground.
Where he stands, Bernard is facing north, to the "left" side of the house. On the northern and western walls, there are single doors. To his right, on the eastern wall, is a set of double doors down a short hallway, with a door on the western wall across from the double doors.
As the cleric makes his way into the hall, he hears a creaking sound, and sees the suit of armor begin to move of its own volition. He is only just able to move out of the way as the suit of armor swings a gauntlet fist at him, striking the wall instead, splintering the oak panels.
Roll for initiative.
Suit of Armor: 9
The Solo DM. Currently running: Curse of Strahd, Out of the Abyss x2, Dragon Heist x2, and Kingmaker
Bernard dodges as the suit of armor crashes into the oak wall. A clever defense against intruders, but not what he was seeking to fight.
Initiative: 22
DMing:
Solo Hoard of the Dragon Queen
Playing:
Baral- Coliseum of Conquest, Lazarus Vernon- Tale of Mercenaries; Bernard Lionsbane- Solo Curse of Strahd
(Bernard goes? I would like to try something a bit creative if possible...)
The holy man reacts quickly. First, he uses an action to cast sacred flame at the armor. DC 15 Dex Save, or 1 damage.
Then, he uses a bonus action to cast Sanctuary on himself. He will use his movement to go down the staircase. Bernard's goal is to draw the armor somewhere where it can't see/get to him, then return back to the third floor.
(If the Sanctuary fails and he is attacked, he will use his Warding Flare ability granting disadvantage to the attack)
DMing:
Solo Hoard of the Dragon Queen
Playing:
Baral- Coliseum of Conquest, Lazarus Vernon- Tale of Mercenaries; Bernard Lionsbane- Solo Curse of Strahd
Dex Save: 12
Holy light pierces the armor, but it does little to deter the animated suit.
Wis Save: 2
The suit of armor follows Bernard down the stairs, rears back to strike at the cleric once more, but it freezes mid-swing, sparing the holy man from a devastating blow.
The Solo DM. Currently running: Curse of Strahd, Out of the Abyss x2, Dragon Heist x2, and Kingmaker
He grins as the suit of armor freezes mid-swing. “The light shields me!”
Bernard will use his action to Dash, running down the staircase into the room with the ornate wooden panels. If he has anymore movement left, he will go through the stained glass door and close it behind him. Bernard is still searching for a spot where he could be sheltered from the suit of armor. If such a spot is unable to be found, then he will test what happens when he exits the building.
DMing:
Solo Hoard of the Dragon Queen
Playing:
Baral- Coliseum of Conquest, Lazarus Vernon- Tale of Mercenaries; Bernard Lionsbane- Solo Curse of Strahd
Dashing is just enough to get Bernard on the other side of the stained glass window. The suit of armor follows him, but is just able to get into the main hall, on the other side of the stained glass doors. The suit seems to be watching Bernard through the panes.
The Solo DM. Currently running: Curse of Strahd, Out of the Abyss x2, Dragon Heist x2, and Kingmaker
If possible, he will use a free action to lock the stained glass door.
Then, Bernard uses his action to Search for a viable location to shelter himself from the suit of armor. Perception: 23
If such an area is unable to be found, he will continue moving towards the exit of the house.
DMing:
Solo Hoard of the Dragon Queen
Playing:
Baral- Coliseum of Conquest, Lazarus Vernon- Tale of Mercenaries; Bernard Lionsbane- Solo Curse of Strahd
Unfortunately, there does not seem to be any way to lock the door, nor does there appear to be a place to hide. Bernard has nowhere to go but out through the exit of the house. He manages to get outside, and turns to see the suit of armor burst through the stained glass doors and charge at him, raising a gauntlet to attack...
And as it crosses the threshold of the house, it clatters to the ground, as though whatever evil soul was inhabiting it left, leaving behind a scattered mess of armor components.
The Solo DM. Currently running: Curse of Strahd, Out of the Abyss x2, Dragon Heist x2, and Kingmaker
Bernard watches as the suit of armor disintegrates before him the moment it steps foot outside the house. He walks up to it and gently nudges one of the armor pieces with his boot before laughing.
"Well, that wasn't so hard, wasn't it?" Wits instead of weapons had brought him this victory, but he was certain whatever insidious creature lurked in the basement won't be so simple to defeat. He quickly searches the suit of armor for any valuables before returning to the third floor and looking for the nursery. Perception: 25+4
(I assume Sanctuary has finished? I remember the third floor having a lot of doors, so Bernard will peek through each of them to search for the nursery or of anything of interest).
DMing:
Solo Hoard of the Dragon Queen
Playing:
Baral- Coliseum of Conquest, Lazarus Vernon- Tale of Mercenaries; Bernard Lionsbane- Solo Curse of Strahd
deleting...