Lost Mines of Phandelver by kyleh2486

The frozen lock shackle shatters and falls to the ground. The door is free to open now. Inside you find weapon racks holding twelve spears, six shortswords, four longswords, six light crossbows, and eight quivers holding twenty crossbow bolts each. Does anyone want to take a few proficient weapons to add to their inventory? 

((OOC - Is there a skill to check the quality of the weapons?))

Vah'Lhorn hefts a longsword and gives it a small swing to test the balance of the blade. "These seem serviceable enough. Anybody else want some extra weight to carry? Axe much as I prefer the axe, sometimes the sword is more effective." With that, he stashes the longsword with his other gear.

After a quick search for any secret nooks and crannies, since this place seems to have a penchant for those (Investigation:16 (Passive:13)) Vah'Lhorn moves down the corridor towards the other door.

Quote from PolarBearSoup>>

((OOC - Is there a skill to check the quality of the weapons?))

Investigation would be the best fit. These seem like standard weapons. Nothing special, but it's not total junk either. If you take something. Just add that weapon as a base weapon into your inventory. 

Gramgran 

After taking some crossbow bolts to renew her quiver, Gramgran looks at the group, acknowledges Kim’s whisper and tells everyone, “We might have different views about how to do this but we still have to do it. So let’s try to get along for just a little longer until we find Iarno, okay?” She gives Kim and Vah’Lhorn two long looks, seeing if they could work together.

Yuri is sorely tempted by the weapons littering the walls of the small room. His face lights up as if he is a child.

Reaching out to take a spear and test it's weight, he pauses. Recalling his earlier conversation with the others, and his desire to avoid killing any Redbrands if he can avoid it, he decides discretion to be the better part of valour on this occasion. It's always easier to convince people you aren't actively trying to kill them if you aren't covered in too many weapons.

Pulling back, he gives Gramgran's words pause enough that they sink in. 

"Now, which way? Onwards?" 

Yuri points towards the door Vah'Lhorn allowed to open a crack,

"Or back?"

Gramgran 

Seeing Yuri hold back she smiles at him, then focuses. “Well, we don’t know where Iarno is do we? Might as well check everywhere, right? What do you think Morpetor?”

"Fear not gentle one, frost and fire might may oft work against each other, but when combined properly, they can crack the mightiest mountains. The ice queen and I need not see eye to eye on all matters for my shield to defend her and my axe shatter her victims." Vah'Lhorn nods to Kim. "I vote the room adjoining, I am fairly confident it is clear of people. Explore there, then press onward through the other hidden entrance."

Morpetor throws down his staff and picks up a longsword, “a weapon of my people.” He slides the sheath into his belt and tightens it. “Agreed, we will probably end up searching this whole place before we find what we are looking for.”

Yuri looks round the group for a moment. Glad their disagreements seemed to be secondary to the survival of each other. At the edges of society, where adventures tended to lend their services, your skills, your equipment and your friends were what you truly relied upon.

Nodding curtly, not to anyone in particular, more in recognition of this new resolve, Yuri edges the door at the end of the corridor open, fractionally at first, then with some confidence and steps into the next room.

When Vah'Lhorn makes mention of still using his shield and axe to protect an ally even with vast differences, Kim sees the common ground they could both stand on. Even if he seems to dislike the military code, he is at least following, at least in her mind, the most important one.

Kim glances at Vah'Lhorn then steps in front of him, face to face, then glances at the others one by one. Finally looking back to Vah'Lhorn, she extends her right hand for a handshake. "You shield me and I will lay our enemies to waste." She cracks a small grin, steps back and looks at the group once more. "Let's be safe. Who wants to lead the way? I have a few too many bruises to take another surprise attack. But I will be ready if we need to react, though I am slightly hoping we can avoid more conflict." Kim starts frosting her hands again, just to prepare for more enemies or locks.

"Well met Kim, we have an accord!" Vah'Lhorn takes her offered hand, grips if firmly and shakes. "I would lead if Yuri were not so keen." As Vah'Lhorn takes position to cover Yuri's back and enters the room after him.

Quote from Legoslost >>

Morpetor throws down his staff and picks up a longsword, “a weapon of my people.” He slides the sheath into his belt and tightens it. “Agreed, we will probably end up searching this whole place before we find what we are looking for.”

OOC: You can keep your staff as well as the sword. 

Yuri pulls on the rusted ring as a screech fills the hall you are in. The large stone door swings in on the hall and reveals a large room. Kim must light a torch before she enters the dark room, as she is the only one without dark vision. From where you currently stand in the door way, you can see three large stone sarcophagi stand within this dusty crypt. Propped up against each sarcophagus is a human skeleton clad in bits of rusty mail. False columns along the walls are carved in the image of spreading oak trees. The double doors in the southeast corner are sheathed in tarnished copper plate. An eerie silence comes over the room as you all stand in the door way. 

"Looks like a mausoleum. Has the feel of one too..." Struggling to see much in the total darkness, Vah'Lhorn pulls out a torch, "Anyone light this?" Or do I need to fumble with tinder? I think with the screech that door made, stealth will matter little."

As Kim steps forward and casts Prestidigitation, the torch flickers into life and the room illuminates considerably. Vsh'Lhorn carries the torch above his head unless there are any wall brackets for it. As he moves around the room, he inspects tge bodies, sarcophagi and pillars for any unusual markings that would indicate the occupiers or likely house traps.

Investigation: 23

Religion: 7

Yuri lets Vah'Lhorn lead the way.  He follows and crosses the room to the large tarnished copper doors. He casts his eyes about the floor near them, looking for any movement of the dust on the floor of the room from the opening of the doors. 

The room does not appear heavily trafficked, but the Redbrand armoury in the corridor beyond would indicate differently.

Perception/Survival 18 Yuri is trying to determine whether the doors are capable of opening into the room and whether the room sees a lot of traffic through it.

 Gramgran

Looking at the skeletons sadly, she walks over to one. "Poor dears, didn't even get a proper burial." 

Do the sarcophagus look like they've been opened recently? And do the skeletons look like they've been disturbed?

Perception 7 or Investigation 10

As everyone begins to enter the room, light fills the room. Anyone looking at the sarcophagi notice that each stone lid depict the person entombed within—two human males and one
human female. Van'Lhorn notices that all of are of noble bearing according to the way the sarcophagi are marked. Yuri notices that the room appears to have been well traveled for a tomb. Tracks are left in the dust on the floor, but you can't tell as far as numbers go how many have been through. Gramgran investigates the sarcophagi in the room. The tomb lids appear they have not been moved. Cobwebs cover the tombs. Gramgran notices a slight twitch to the bones in the room just before all three skeletons begin to move and stand up. All five of you stand in the center of the room surrounded by the three animated skeletons, each holding a rusty shortsword. 

• Initiative:
• DM - 7
• Grangram - 8
• Kim - 13
• Morpetor - 22
• Vah'Lhorn- 15
• Yuri - 7

• Skeleton 1 - HP 15 
• Skeleton 2 - HP 14 
• Skeleton 3 - HP 17 

OOC: Van'Lhorn, I roll for the HP of monsters, I like the variety. I also roll initiative, saves time waiting for players to roll. Also, during combat, I run a group initiative. This means if anyone's initiative is higher than the DM, they go as one in any order. The DM then will act. Then the rest go in any order before we go to the top of initiative for the next round. 

• Initiative:
• DM - 10
• Yuri - 9
• Vah'Lhorn - 8
• Morpetor - 5
• Grangram - 3
• Kim - 0

• Skeleton 1 - HP 10
• Skeleton 2 - HP 12
• Skeleton 3 - HP 13 

Everyone is taken aback as these seeming dead bones reanimate and begin to rise from the floor. Each holds a rusty shortsword in their bony hands. A faint red glow fills the eye sockets. 

Skeleton 1 attacks Yuri as he begins to make his way to the other door. The skeleton raises his sword high and brings it down on the fighter. Attack: 21 Damage: 7 slashing

Skeleton 2 will take note of Van'Lhorn investigation the tomb. Skeleton 2 reaches out with the tip of his sword, trying to put it deep into your gut. Attack: 9 Damage: 3 slashing

Skeleton 3 will leap forward and attempt grapple Grangram with its free hand. 5 vs Gramgran's contested roll

OOC: Grapple rules (because I don't think grappling gets used enough)

Grappling

When you want to grab a creature or wrestle with it, you can use the Attack action to make a Special melee Attack, a grapple. If you’re able to make multiple attacks with the Attack action, this Attack replaces one of them.

The target of your grapple must be no more than one size larger than you and must be within your reach. Using at least one free hand, you try to seize the target by making a grapple check instead of an Attack roll: a Strength (Athletics) check contested by the target’s Strength (Athletics) or Dexterity (Acrobatics) check (the target chooses the ability to use). If you succeed, you subject the target to the Grappled condition (see Conditions ). The condition specifies the things that end it, and you can release the target whenever you like (no action required).

Escaping a Grapple: A Grappled creature can use its action to escape. To do so, it must succeed on a Strength (Athletics) or Dexterity (Acrobatics) check contested by your Strength (Athletics) check.

Moving a Grappled Creature: When you move, you can drag or carry the Grappledcreature with you, but your speed is halved, unless the creature is two or more sizes smaller than you.

Grappled condition

• A grappled creature’s speed becomes 0, and it can’t benefit from any bonus to its speed.
• The condition ends if the Grappler is incapacitated (see the condition).
• The condition also ends if an effect removes the grappled creature from the reach of the Grappler or Grappling effect, such as when a creature is hurled away by the Thunderwave spell.