Father Giles and the others see a guardsman leading a mastiff (Soren?) through the backyard to a gate in the stone wall, and then into the backyard of the Baron's house, closing the gate again behind him.
[Here is a little map to help illustrate the scene...]
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
PC - Ethel - Human - Lvl 4 Necromancer - Undying Dragons * Serge Marshblade - Human - Lvl 5 Eldritch Knight - Hoard of the Dragon Queen
DM -(Homebrew) Heroes of Bardstown *Red Dead Annihilation: ToA *Where the Cold Winds Blow : DoIP * Covetous, Dragonish Thoughts: HotDQ * Red Wine, Black Rose: CoS * Greyhawk: Tides of War
Figuring Soren was giving them a great distraction, Zefla heads to the other side of the house next door. First she'll try the front door since the commotion is at the back door.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Burr moved up with Zefla once the door was open, confident Soren can escape if he needs to...or convince the rest of the dogs to make a break for it....
Mastiff-Soren alternates between dragging his paws and straining sideways at the leash to distract and occupy the guard as much as he can, hopefully without earning a beating. He does not look back in the direction of the "jail house" so as not to give away his companions' presence.
“In for a copper, in for a gold…” Giles says to himself, seeing his friends start to move forward toward the house, seeking the opportunity that Mastiff-Soren has provided to get in. He moves forward as well, trying to step right behind Zefla, ready to step forward and try some bullshit fast talking if they are caught out in the open….
Stealth : 20
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
A wizard is never late, nor is he early, he arrives precisely when he means to.
[It isn't a 'leash', exactly. The guard has just tightened his belt around the mastiff's neck so he has something to grip. He is holding on by the 'collar', not to the end of a 'leash'.]
The guard struggles and strains to control Sorenas the mastiff zigs and zags, sniffing at everything. Eventually he gets the dog through the wooden gate and into the next yard. Everywhere here, Soren gets the scent of more guardsmen, and other dogs.
A guardsmen stands outside the heavy oak backdoor of the Baron's manor. "Here," says the guard holding Soren's collar, handing it off to that guard. "We found him over by the jail. He must have got loose."
The guard at the door takes a grip of the collar. "Huh. Must have snuck out the front door." He looks down at Soren. "Somebody's been a bad dog, eh? Let's go see what the Baron has to say about this...". He looks back at the other guard. "You best get back to the jail. Izek just got back and he looked mad as all hell. Everybody's on their last nerve... you don't want to have to explain why you're not at your post, even if it was to fetch one of the Baron's pups."
The guard that collared Sorenturns to leave, while the other guard leads Soreninside. He finds himself inside a kitchen. A cook wearing a white apron over a black smock busies herself in this warm, well-appointed kitchen. A staircase in one corner climbs to the upper floor. Another guard stands leaning against an interior door. Soren smells a mix of meat (cooking and raw), vegetables, hot soup, and baking bread, along with more scent of guards, dogs, and the faintest whiff of the corruption of Izek.
Hand on Soren'scollar, the doorman begins to lead him up the narrow staircase to the upper floor.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
PC - Ethel - Human - Lvl 4 Necromancer - Undying Dragons * Serge Marshblade - Human - Lvl 5 Eldritch Knight - Hoard of the Dragon Queen
DM -(Homebrew) Heroes of Bardstown *Red Dead Annihilation: ToA *Where the Cold Winds Blow : DoIP * Covetous, Dragonish Thoughts: HotDQ * Red Wine, Black Rose: CoS * Greyhawk: Tides of War
The front door of the dark manor house has a large, foreboding iron lock. Despite its appearance, it yields compliantly to Zefla'sthieves tools. The party quietly pushes the door open and steps inside.
They find themselves in the dark and empty entryway to the old house.
From their point of view entering the house, to their left the room opens up into what must have once been a parlor or greeting room. No furniture remains, but for a pair of wooden crates, and a stockade shoved into a corner. The old, mouldy curtains are drawn but you can see iron bars poking out from behind them. The front door also has no handle on the inside.
To their right, a dusty set of stairs leads to an upper floor.
Directly ahead, a long hallway leads to the rear of the house, with a pair of doors on the right-hand side. The far end of the hallway opens up to a larger room. There is a light source there, but they can see no one and that room looks empty as well.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
PC - Ethel - Human - Lvl 4 Necromancer - Undying Dragons * Serge Marshblade - Human - Lvl 5 Eldritch Knight - Hoard of the Dragon Queen
DM -(Homebrew) Heroes of Bardstown *Red Dead Annihilation: ToA *Where the Cold Winds Blow : DoIP * Covetous, Dragonish Thoughts: HotDQ * Red Wine, Black Rose: CoS * Greyhawk: Tides of War
Zefladraws back the curtains, allowing a view out into the street outside. She is able to confirm that the windows are barred with iron. While the Bluewater Inn's windows were also barred, those appeared to be defensive. In this case, the windows here are barred in such a way as to deter escape from inside, rather than invasion from without.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
PC - Ethel - Human - Lvl 4 Necromancer - Undying Dragons * Serge Marshblade - Human - Lvl 5 Eldritch Knight - Hoard of the Dragon Queen
DM -(Homebrew) Heroes of Bardstown *Red Dead Annihilation: ToA *Where the Cold Winds Blow : DoIP * Covetous, Dragonish Thoughts: HotDQ * Red Wine, Black Rose: CoS * Greyhawk: Tides of War
Despite his lack of familiarity with domesticated animals, Soren has gathered that the Baron keeps at least one mastiff of his own within his manor, and that the guards have mistaken Soren for one of them. Had he seen such mastiffs accompanying the Baron at the town square earlier in the day? In any case, he hopes that while the guards think he 'belongs' to the Baron, they will not harm him.
As he first enters the Baron's manor, he notes that there is no scent of Lady Bauer inside this house (correct?).
Regardless, he desperately tries to think how best to continue the distraction and prevent the first guard from returning to the jail house where his companions are searching for Lady Bauer. Just as the hold on his belt-collar is transferred from one guard to another, Mastiff-Soren lunges at the first guard, not to bite him, but to throw his weight against him, trying to make him lose his balance and grip while Mastiff-Soren wriggles out.
Mastiff-Soren's attempted check to break grapple: 4 (rolled 2 as straight d20 on char sheet + 2 mastiff DEX bonus).
Sadly, unaccustomed with being collared, Mastiff-Soren mostly manages to choke himself instead. (If DM permits, 1hp damage, Mastiff-Soren at 4/5hp).
Giles nods to Burr, saying quietly “We need to move swiftly, who knows how long he’ll be gone…” he moves to the other door to the right and tries to open it. He is moving at full speed, feeling they have a short window of opportunity.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
A wizard is never late, nor is he early, he arrives precisely when he means to.
The party moves into the dark hallway. Zefla tries the door on the left, while Gilestries the door on the right. Both doors are locked.
From behind the door on the left, Zeflacan hear the sound of someone whimpering pitifully.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
PC - Ethel - Human - Lvl 4 Necromancer - Undying Dragons * Serge Marshblade - Human - Lvl 5 Eldritch Knight - Hoard of the Dragon Queen
DM -(Homebrew) Heroes of Bardstown *Red Dead Annihilation: ToA *Where the Cold Winds Blow : DoIP * Covetous, Dragonish Thoughts: HotDQ * Red Wine, Black Rose: CoS * Greyhawk: Tides of War
"C'mon, you," mutters the bored guard as Soren strains ineffectually against his grip.
He leads Sorenup the narrow staircase to the second floor of the house. Soren finds himself in a maze of narrow halls with doors seemingly everywhere. This place smells differently than the downstairs. The odor of dog is stronger here, as is the odor of Izek. But there is more... rich, oiled wood floors and walls... perfumes and colognes... something else, maybe leather? There is a faint odor of cat as well.
The guard leads Soren down one of the halls, to a door leading to an interior room in the middle of the upstairs. Before they even arrive, Soren'snose picks up the strong odor of more dogs like him. At the same time, barks and growls erupt from the other side of the door, as two mastiffs begin aggressively challenging the new dog smell they have just detected. Beyond the din of the dogs, Sorenhears two men - one of them Izek, surely - yelling for the dogs to be silent. The dogs continue their barking uninterrupted.
But more! At the same time, Soren'snose detects something unexpected... a smell he hasn't detected for days and wasn't even aware his human nose had made notice of it. It is a peculiar, sweet scent, one of blade oil and roses. It is the scent of your friend Ireena.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
PC - Ethel - Human - Lvl 4 Necromancer - Undying Dragons * Serge Marshblade - Human - Lvl 5 Eldritch Knight - Hoard of the Dragon Queen
DM -(Homebrew) Heroes of Bardstown *Red Dead Annihilation: ToA *Where the Cold Winds Blow : DoIP * Covetous, Dragonish Thoughts: HotDQ * Red Wine, Black Rose: CoS * Greyhawk: Tides of War
A low growl emerges instinctively from deep within Mastiff-Soren's throat, sensing the territorial hostility of the other similar canines nearby. He notes the other smells, including the feline one, trying to mentally sort the information in a way that he might remember when he becomes a half-elf once more. But Ireena's scent is the one he fixates on, his mind intent, yet puzzled.
She is here, then. Why would theBaron keep her somewhere upstairs in this man-den whileLady Bauer is in kept captive and confined in the shabby structure nearby? DidIreena come willingly? Is she in the room conversing with theBaron (and perhapsIzek) right now? PerhapsLady Wachter lied about this too. Perhaps she is not a captive! Yet I seem to remember Ireena finding the Baron's heavy-handed ways just as distasteful as we did...
He guesses that if the Baron knows his domesticated pets well, and has them in the room with him, it will soon become apparent Mastiff-Soren is a different dog. He wonders if they will harm him then, or allow the other dogs to do so, or whether he will simply be let go. But he decides he has to at least try to identify where in this man-den Ireena currently is, be it in the room with Baron, Izek and the other canines, or elsewhere.
Once again, MastiffSoren lunges towards the man holding his collar (different guard, this time), snapping at him, not aiming to actually draw blood with his bite, but hoping desperately to distract and unbalance the guard enough to loosen his grip on the belt-collar so Mastiff-Soren can twist free.
If he breaks free, he attempts to use his nose to determine where Ireena's scent leads. Whether it is to the door behind which he hears the Baron and Izek's voices and the other dogs' barking, or to some other place on this (or another) floor. Potentially incurring an opportunity attack if the guard chooses to become violent towards him. If he reaches a door or other barrier that he cannot get past, Mastiff-Soren attempts to use his full 40' movement to make a break back downstairs. Behaving every bit like the stray dog that the Baron and his men will soon discover that he seemingly is.
(The others might hear raised voices and/or multiple dogs barking inside the Baron's manor?)
Zefla, this lock gives you considerably more trouble than the front door had. Still, with persistence you are able to work it until you hear the familiar 'click' and the door creaks open.
In the dark room, you can see a human man tied to a chair. On a table next to him are various metal implements of dubious medical purpose. The man is covered in bruises, and he flinches away when he hears the door open. He continues to whimper.
[Gilesand Burrcan hear the man whimpering and can make out a silhouette in a chair, but the other details are too dark for their human eyes to see.
*** The party can make Perception checks to see if they hear the dogs going crazy next door. It will be hard to notice... DC 20.]
PC - Ethel - Human - Lvl 4 Necromancer - Undying Dragons * Serge Marshblade - Human - Lvl 5 Eldritch Knight - Hoard of the Dragon Queen
DM -(Homebrew) Heroes of Bardstown *Red Dead Annihilation: ToA *Where the Cold Winds Blow : DoIP * Covetous, Dragonish Thoughts: HotDQ * Red Wine, Black Rose: CoS * Greyhawk: Tides of War
Hearing the sound of two dogs barking wildly on the other side of the door, a curious expression crosses the guard's face, as he seems to be going through the realization that... if there are two dogs in there... and the Baron only has two dogs... then this dog...
Sorenlunges and then pulls away at just the proper moment, taking advantage of the guard's confusion and sending him sprawling prone on the ground. On the other side of the door, Sorenhears the other dogs continue to bark and scratch at the door. "Enough!" bellows a voice from inside, there is the sound of wood scraping on wood.
Sorenbegins to sniff. Close... so close. The scent is coming from... not the door where the guard was taking you, but the door immediately across the hall from it. [The door on the right side of the guard icon on the last map I shared.]
Does Sorenremain here or head downstairs with the remainder of this turn?
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
PC - Ethel - Human - Lvl 4 Necromancer - Undying Dragons * Serge Marshblade - Human - Lvl 5 Eldritch Knight - Hoard of the Dragon Queen
DM -(Homebrew) Heroes of Bardstown *Red Dead Annihilation: ToA *Where the Cold Winds Blow : DoIP * Covetous, Dragonish Thoughts: HotDQ * Red Wine, Black Rose: CoS * Greyhawk: Tides of War
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Father Giles and the others see a guardsman leading a mastiff (Soren?) through the backyard to a gate in the stone wall, and then into the backyard of the Baron's house, closing the gate again behind him.
[Here is a little map to help illustrate the scene...]
PC - Ethel - Human - Lvl 4 Necromancer - Undying Dragons * Serge Marshblade - Human - Lvl 5 Eldritch Knight - Hoard of the Dragon Queen
DM - (Homebrew) Heroes of Bardstown * Red Dead Annihilation: ToA * Where the Cold Winds Blow : DoIP * Covetous, Dragonish Thoughts: HotDQ * Red Wine, Black Rose: CoS * Greyhawk: Tides of War
Figuring Soren was giving them a great distraction, Zefla heads to the other side of the house next door. First she'll try the front door since the commotion is at the back door.
Stealth: 13
Sleight of hand if door is locked: 22
Burr moved up with Zefla once the door was open, confident Soren can escape if he needs to...or convince the rest of the dogs to make a break for it....
Stealth- 20
Mastiff-Soren alternates between dragging his paws and straining sideways at the leash to distract and occupy the guard as much as he can, hopefully without earning a beating. He does not look back in the direction of the "jail house" so as not to give away his companions' presence.
Tanis(Ranger1): Shiverquill's Tempest City | Xarian(Fighter2): NioNSwiper's Tyranny of Dragons
Dyson/Eleo(TwilightCleric4): Vos' Beyond the Veil | Soren(ShepherdDruid5): Bartjeebus' Ravenloft | Ophelia(WildMagicSorcerer4): Ashen_Age's Risen from the Sands
Joren(EchoKnightFighter6): NotDrizzt's Simple Request | Sabetha(MercyMonk3): Bedlymn's Murder Court | Seri(NatureCleric3/DivineSoulSorcerer1): Bartjeebus' Greyhawk
“In for a copper, in for a gold…” Giles says to himself, seeing his friends start to move forward toward the house, seeking the opportunity that Mastiff-Soren has provided to get in. He moves forward as well, trying to step right behind Zefla, ready to step forward and try some
bullshitfast talking if they are caught out in the open….Stealth : 20
A wizard is never late, nor is he early, he arrives precisely when he means to.
Soren:
[It isn't a 'leash', exactly. The guard has just tightened his belt around the mastiff's neck so he has something to grip. He is holding on by the 'collar', not to the end of a 'leash'.]
The guard struggles and strains to control Soren as the mastiff zigs and zags, sniffing at everything. Eventually he gets the dog through the wooden gate and into the next yard. Everywhere here, Soren gets the scent of more guardsmen, and other dogs.
A guardsmen stands outside the heavy oak backdoor of the Baron's manor. "Here," says the guard holding Soren's collar, handing it off to that guard. "We found him over by the jail. He must have got loose."
The guard at the door takes a grip of the collar. "Huh. Must have snuck out the front door." He looks down at Soren. "Somebody's been a bad dog, eh? Let's go see what the Baron has to say about this...". He looks back at the other guard. "You best get back to the jail. Izek just got back and he looked mad as all hell. Everybody's on their last nerve... you don't want to have to explain why you're not at your post, even if it was to fetch one of the Baron's pups."
The guard that collared Soren turns to leave, while the other guard leads Soren inside. He finds himself inside a kitchen. A cook wearing a white apron over a black smock busies herself in this warm, well-appointed kitchen. A staircase in one corner climbs to the upper floor. Another guard stands leaning against an interior door. Soren smells a mix of meat (cooking and raw), vegetables, hot soup, and baking bread, along with more scent of guards, dogs, and the faintest whiff of the corruption of Izek.
Hand on Soren's collar, the doorman begins to lead him up the narrow staircase to the upper floor.
PC - Ethel - Human - Lvl 4 Necromancer - Undying Dragons * Serge Marshblade - Human - Lvl 5 Eldritch Knight - Hoard of the Dragon Queen
DM - (Homebrew) Heroes of Bardstown * Red Dead Annihilation: ToA * Where the Cold Winds Blow : DoIP * Covetous, Dragonish Thoughts: HotDQ * Red Wine, Black Rose: CoS * Greyhawk: Tides of War
The front door of the dark manor house has a large, foreboding iron lock. Despite its appearance, it yields compliantly to Zefla's thieves tools. The party quietly pushes the door open and steps inside.
They find themselves in the dark and empty entryway to the old house.
From their point of view entering the house, to their left the room opens up into what must have once been a parlor or greeting room. No furniture remains, but for a pair of wooden crates, and a stockade shoved into a corner. The old, mouldy curtains are drawn but you can see iron bars poking out from behind them. The front door also has no handle on the inside.
To their right, a dusty set of stairs leads to an upper floor.
Directly ahead, a long hallway leads to the rear of the house, with a pair of doors on the right-hand side. The far end of the hallway opens up to a larger room. There is a light source there, but they can see no one and that room looks empty as well.
PC - Ethel - Human - Lvl 4 Necromancer - Undying Dragons * Serge Marshblade - Human - Lvl 5 Eldritch Knight - Hoard of the Dragon Queen
DM - (Homebrew) Heroes of Bardstown * Red Dead Annihilation: ToA * Where the Cold Winds Blow : DoIP * Covetous, Dragonish Thoughts: HotDQ * Red Wine, Black Rose: CoS * Greyhawk: Tides of War
Zefla heads over to the moldy curtains and draws them back, holding her breath a bit as she does.
Zefla draws back the curtains, allowing a view out into the street outside. She is able to confirm that the windows are barred with iron. While the Bluewater Inn's windows were also barred, those appeared to be defensive. In this case, the windows here are barred in such a way as to deter escape from inside, rather than invasion from without.
PC - Ethel - Human - Lvl 4 Necromancer - Undying Dragons * Serge Marshblade - Human - Lvl 5 Eldritch Knight - Hoard of the Dragon Queen
DM - (Homebrew) Heroes of Bardstown * Red Dead Annihilation: ToA * Where the Cold Winds Blow : DoIP * Covetous, Dragonish Thoughts: HotDQ * Red Wine, Black Rose: CoS * Greyhawk: Tides of War
Despite his lack of familiarity with domesticated animals, Soren has gathered that the Baron keeps at least one mastiff of his own within his manor, and that the guards have mistaken Soren for one of them. Had he seen such mastiffs accompanying the Baron at the town square earlier in the day? In any case, he hopes that while the guards think he 'belongs' to the Baron, they will not harm him.
As he first enters the Baron's manor, he notes that there is no scent of Lady Bauer inside this house (correct?).
Regardless, he desperately tries to think how best to continue the distraction and prevent the first guard from returning to the jail house where his companions are searching for Lady Bauer. Just as the hold on his belt-collar is transferred from one guard to another, Mastiff-Soren lunges at the first guard, not to bite him, but to throw his weight against him, trying to make him lose his balance and grip while Mastiff-Soren wriggles out.
Mastiff-Soren's attempted check to break grapple: 4 (rolled 2 as straight d20 on char sheet + 2 mastiff DEX bonus).
Sadly, unaccustomed with being collared, Mastiff-Soren mostly manages to choke himself instead. (If DM permits, 1hp damage, Mastiff-Soren at 4/5hp).
Tanis(Ranger1): Shiverquill's Tempest City | Xarian(Fighter2): NioNSwiper's Tyranny of Dragons
Dyson/Eleo(TwilightCleric4): Vos' Beyond the Veil | Soren(ShepherdDruid5): Bartjeebus' Ravenloft | Ophelia(WildMagicSorcerer4): Ashen_Age's Risen from the Sands
Joren(EchoKnightFighter6): NotDrizzt's Simple Request | Sabetha(MercyMonk3): Bedlymn's Murder Court | Seri(NatureCleric3/DivineSoulSorcerer1): Bartjeebus' Greyhawk
Burr indicates the two doors in the passageway and begins to move up, but allows Zefla to lead the way.
Giles nods to Burr, saying quietly “We need to move swiftly, who knows how long he’ll be gone…” he moves to the other door to the right and tries to open it. He is moving at full speed, feeling they have a short window of opportunity.
A wizard is never late, nor is he early, he arrives precisely when he means to.
Zefla moves to the door Giles is not at and attempts to try that seeing Giles is anxious to get a move on.
Jailhouse:
The party moves into the dark hallway. Zefla tries the door on the left, while Giles tries the door on the right. Both doors are locked.
From behind the door on the left, Zefla can hear the sound of someone whimpering pitifully.
PC - Ethel - Human - Lvl 4 Necromancer - Undying Dragons * Serge Marshblade - Human - Lvl 5 Eldritch Knight - Hoard of the Dragon Queen
DM - (Homebrew) Heroes of Bardstown * Red Dead Annihilation: ToA * Where the Cold Winds Blow : DoIP * Covetous, Dragonish Thoughts: HotDQ * Red Wine, Black Rose: CoS * Greyhawk: Tides of War
Soren:
"C'mon, you," mutters the bored guard as Soren strains ineffectually against his grip.
He leads Soren up the narrow staircase to the second floor of the house. Soren finds himself in a maze of narrow halls with doors seemingly everywhere. This place smells differently than the downstairs. The odor of dog is stronger here, as is the odor of Izek. But there is more... rich, oiled wood floors and walls... perfumes and colognes... something else, maybe leather? There is a faint odor of cat as well.
The guard leads Soren down one of the halls, to a door leading to an interior room in the middle of the upstairs. Before they even arrive, Soren's nose picks up the strong odor of more dogs like him. At the same time, barks and growls erupt from the other side of the door, as two mastiffs begin aggressively challenging the new dog smell they have just detected. Beyond the din of the dogs, Soren hears two men - one of them Izek, surely - yelling for the dogs to be silent. The dogs continue their barking uninterrupted.
But more! At the same time, Soren's nose detects something unexpected... a smell he hasn't detected for days and wasn't even aware his human nose had made notice of it. It is a peculiar, sweet scent, one of blade oil and roses. It is the scent of your friend Ireena.
PC - Ethel - Human - Lvl 4 Necromancer - Undying Dragons * Serge Marshblade - Human - Lvl 5 Eldritch Knight - Hoard of the Dragon Queen
DM - (Homebrew) Heroes of Bardstown * Red Dead Annihilation: ToA * Where the Cold Winds Blow : DoIP * Covetous, Dragonish Thoughts: HotDQ * Red Wine, Black Rose: CoS * Greyhawk: Tides of War
Burr waits, his door opening methods are rather loud...
Mastiff-Soren:
A low growl emerges instinctively from deep within Mastiff-Soren's throat, sensing the territorial hostility of the other similar canines nearby. He notes the other smells, including the feline one, trying to mentally sort the information in a way that he might remember when he becomes a half-elf once more. But Ireena's scent is the one he fixates on, his mind intent, yet puzzled.
She is here, then. Why would the Baron keep her somewhere upstairs in this man-den while Lady Bauer is in kept captive and confined in the shabby structure nearby? Did Ireena come willingly? Is she in the room conversing with the Baron (and perhaps Izek) right now? Perhaps Lady Wachter lied about this too. Perhaps she is not a captive! Yet I seem to remember Ireena finding the Baron's heavy-handed ways just as distasteful as we did...
He guesses that if the Baron knows his domesticated pets well, and has them in the room with him, it will soon become apparent Mastiff-Soren is a different dog. He wonders if they will harm him then, or allow the other dogs to do so, or whether he will simply be let go. But he decides he has to at least try to identify where in this man-den Ireena currently is, be it in the room with Baron, Izek and the other canines, or elsewhere.
Once again, Mastiff Soren lunges towards the man holding his collar (different guard, this time), snapping at him, not aiming to actually draw blood with his bite, but hoping desperately to distract and unbalance the guard enough to loosen his grip on the belt-collar so Mastiff-Soren can twist free.
Mastiff-Soren's DEX/Acrobatics check: 22 (Natural 20 + 2)
If he breaks free, he attempts to use his nose to determine where Ireena's scent leads. Whether it is to the door behind which he hears the Baron and Izek's voices and the other dogs' barking, or to some other place on this (or another) floor. Potentially incurring an opportunity attack if the guard chooses to become violent towards him. If he reaches a door or other barrier that he cannot get past, Mastiff-Soren attempts to use his full 40' movement to make a break back downstairs. Behaving every bit like the stray dog that the Baron and his men will soon discover that he seemingly is.
(The others might hear raised voices and/or multiple dogs barking inside the Baron's manor?)
Tanis(Ranger1): Shiverquill's Tempest City | Xarian(Fighter2): NioNSwiper's Tyranny of Dragons
Dyson/Eleo(TwilightCleric4): Vos' Beyond the Veil | Soren(ShepherdDruid5): Bartjeebus' Ravenloft | Ophelia(WildMagicSorcerer4): Ashen_Age's Risen from the Sands
Joren(EchoKnightFighter6): NotDrizzt's Simple Request | Sabetha(MercyMonk3): Bedlymn's Murder Court | Seri(NatureCleric3/DivineSoulSorcerer1): Bartjeebus' Greyhawk
"Lady Bauer? Is that you?" Zefla calls out to whoever is whimpering and pulls out her thieves tools again.
Using them to unlock the door...
Sleight of hand: 15
Zefla, this lock gives you considerably more trouble than the front door had. Still, with persistence you are able to work it until you hear the familiar 'click' and the door creaks open.
In the dark room, you can see a human man tied to a chair. On a table next to him are various metal implements of dubious medical purpose. The man is covered in bruises, and he flinches away when he hears the door open. He continues to whimper.
[Giles and Burr can hear the man whimpering and can make out a silhouette in a chair, but the other details are too dark for their human eyes to see.
*** The party can make Perception checks to see if they hear the dogs going crazy next door. It will be hard to notice... DC 20.]
PC - Ethel - Human - Lvl 4 Necromancer - Undying Dragons * Serge Marshblade - Human - Lvl 5 Eldritch Knight - Hoard of the Dragon Queen
DM - (Homebrew) Heroes of Bardstown * Red Dead Annihilation: ToA * Where the Cold Winds Blow : DoIP * Covetous, Dragonish Thoughts: HotDQ * Red Wine, Black Rose: CoS * Greyhawk: Tides of War
Soren:
Hearing the sound of two dogs barking wildly on the other side of the door, a curious expression crosses the guard's face, as he seems to be going through the realization that... if there are two dogs in there... and the Baron only has two dogs... then this dog...
Soren lunges and then pulls away at just the proper moment, taking advantage of the guard's confusion and sending him sprawling prone on the ground. On the other side of the door, Soren hears the other dogs continue to bark and scratch at the door. "Enough!" bellows a voice from inside, there is the sound of wood scraping on wood.
Soren begins to sniff. Close... so close. The scent is coming from... not the door where the guard was taking you, but the door immediately across the hall from it. [The door on the right side of the guard icon on the last map I shared.]
Does Soren remain here or head downstairs with the remainder of this turn?
PC - Ethel - Human - Lvl 4 Necromancer - Undying Dragons * Serge Marshblade - Human - Lvl 5 Eldritch Knight - Hoard of the Dragon Queen
DM - (Homebrew) Heroes of Bardstown * Red Dead Annihilation: ToA * Where the Cold Winds Blow : DoIP * Covetous, Dragonish Thoughts: HotDQ * Red Wine, Black Rose: CoS * Greyhawk: Tides of War