Engelheart looks into the room after Valania, sharing a similar concern. Then a thought crosses Engelheart' mind, coukd this be an elaborate creation to give the impression that Lohse wasn't here because of a confrontation. Probably not, but there are a few too many oddities then to be explained by a mere struggle. He will inspect some of the floating objects.
Investigation: 9
You walk over to the nearest floating object, a book with a leather cover titled "The Nature of Vampires." Prodding the book, you see it float for a few seconds before coming to a stop. You can't seem to determine what exactly is making it stay airborne.
Vannithos gives a slight frown, not liking the looks of this. Figuring the floating items may be hostile, he hurries past them (disengage) to check the bedroom.
Perception: 15
You enter the bedroom, and see a small bed on the left and a journal sitting on the bedside table. You see a wardrobe on the opposite side of the bed, and out of the corner of your eye, you see a glint of red sitting atop the wardrobe.
Vannithos is relieved not to see bloodstains despite the signs of a struggle. Noticing the telltale shine of what he assumes is another amulet, he hurries to put it in the box.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
| Kaelen - Shadar-kai Gloom Stalker Ranger - Old Keep| Lira - Half-elf Thief Rogue/Druid - Allansia | Zoveldra - Kalashtar Open Hand Monk - Eberron| Vannithos - Shadar-kai Astral Self Monk - Von Nichts |Kessintra - Drow Assassin Rogue - Curse of Strahd |
Engelheart will grab the floating book to see it there is a strange force resisting it or if it simply can be moved. He will also try releasing it after to see if that exercise "broke" the power keeping it afloat.
Assuming no repercussions from that test, he will follow Vannithos into the next room. First Engelheart would go to inspect the journal, possibly read the last few entries. Then he would be interested in looking within the wardrobe, perhaps it has a hidden spot within.
As Engelheart touches the book, a small burst of magical energy disperses from the book. As he lets go of the book, it falls, and lands on the floor with a thwack. In the bedroom, he looks at the journal's last few entries, but they all seem to be gibberish. At the back of the journal is a small map leading into the woods, and the a small note reading "1 -> 7."
Journal:
(1 ckkq hkluxk vxkyktz):
O yayvkiz zngz znk sgtux ot cnoin znk bgsvoxky xkyojk oy nojjkt yuskcnkxk coznot znkyk cuujy. O igt’z osgmotk cne oz ngyt’z hkkt luatj znuamn. Vkxngvy g mxkgz orrayout iuarj iutikgr znk vrgik? O’s vxuhghre payz mxgyvotm gz yzxgcy. G yvkrr ul zngz sgmtozajk cuarj xkwaoxk suxk vuckx zngt gte bgsvoxk iuarj iutpaxk av grutk. O’rr tkkj yusk cge zu lotj znk sgtux hkluxk O igt yzgxz jxgcotm iutirayouty.
(2 jgey hkluxk vxkyktz):
O’bk iusk gixuyy gt gsgfotm joyiubkxe. Uaz ot znk cuujy, O igsk gixuyy g euatm bgsvoxk, irkgxre waozk ckgq xkrgzobk zu znk gbkxgmk bgsvoxk. Oz ngj sgyyobk mgyn sgxqy gixuyy ozy inkyz, haz oz yusknuc xksgotkj grobk. O ynajjkx zu znotq cngz qotj ul hkgyz sgjk yain g cuatj. Gy O yzuuj vutjkxotm cngz iuarj ngbk jutk znoy, O igsk av cozn znk ojkg zu nkgr oz hgiq zu nkgrzn, znkt jusotgzk oz. O iuarj gyq oz lux otyzxaizouty ut cnkxk znk sgtux oy ruigzkj, ux cnu znk nkgj hruujyaiqkx oy.
(1 jge hkluxk vxkyktz):
Znk vrgt cgy g yaiikyy. Oz ykksy O cgy xomnz; g mxkgz orrayout oy cngz nojky znk sgtux. Haz cngz iuarj znk bgsvoxky ngbk zu mktkxgzk yain gxigtoi vuckx? O sayz ruuq otzu znoy laxznkx. O’bk sgjk g sgv ot znk hgiq ul znoy puaxtgr, ynuarj O kbkx ngbk g tkkj lux oz. Zu suyz, oz corr rkgj zu g irkgxotm ot znk cuujy, haz yvkgqotm znk vnxgyk “kbgtkyikz, gvvgxktz” ynuarj xkbkgr znk sgtyout. Znk bgsvoxk gryu zurj sk ghuaz znk vxosk bgsvoxk. Nuryzkot but Toinzy oy noy tgsk. Nk oy jkbuzkj zu vuckx gtj iutzxur, giiuxjotm zu se rozzrk nkrvkx. Glzkx O kdzxgizkj cngz otluxsgzout znk euatm bgsvoxk iuarj mobk sk, O qorrkj nos. Ut noy huje, O luatj g ysgrr xkj gsarkz cozn g xatk igxbkj ot oz. Oz ykksy yu lgsorogx, haz O igttuz lux znk rolk ul sk xkskshkx cnkxk O’bk ykkt oz.
Lohse's wardrobe only has a few simple outfits, some an amethyst color and others a plain green.
"Looks like Lohse had terrible spelling. Well we might as well try and piece this together. Assuming the letters correspond with a different letter that isn't a changing pattern, I am going to say "G" and "O" must be either "a" or "i" due to they are the only one letter words that I know of. And look, the "O" is always large and "G" is not. So "O" must be "i" and "G" must be "a". There are a few "KK", maybe that's a double vowel, probably "oo" or "ee". To many words end in "K" to be "o", must be "e" then. This is going to take a while, hopefully it is a incantation or some magic mouth trigger we are attempting to decipher. Any thoughts?" Engelheart hands the book to Vannithos as he inspects the wardrobe.
Vannithos skims the pages as well. It looks like it will take a while indeed. "Hm...the only part in quotations might trigger something. K is e...b must be v, to form 'I've' it looks like. Similarly s is m or d to form 'I'm' or 'I'd' and r is l for 'I'll'. G is a...I'm guessing zn is th, to form 'the' with k at the end. So far we have 'eva_e__et, a__a__t'."
((Guys should I just say the answer to the puzzle? like out-of-character? I don't know if it would be meta-gaming or not. Or what the proper TTRPG etiquette here is.))
While the party is checking the Room, Vadania will stay with Gareth. She is worried that Lohse might have been injured and she doesn't want the kid to see it. Besides, she'd want to make sure he stays safe while the party investigates. She is not very good with puzzles or clue hunting.
I'm completely fine with Zulk sending the answer. That being said, I'd be willing to give out some inspiration if you do manage to solve it in character (even if that includes Vadania accidentally saying something smart that helps decipher the journal).
"Well lets play safe and decipher this this back with the others. Perhaps we should write out what we think we know and see if it makes any pattern. Hopefully that will be easier then doing it one by one." Engelheart continues to look around the room for anything else of note, including the wardrobe.
Perception: 16
If nothing else of note, he will grab something to write with and on on his way out to see if the pattern theory works out or to log/transcribe what they can.
(OOC: Pretty sure between Engelheart's and Vannithos's observations should prove the shifted alphabet out, at least it did for me once I actually wrote it down)
"Alright, kids like puzzles right? Here is a book of code we need you to decipher. I will write out each letter for you, and here are the few we think we know. 'O' is 'i', 'G' is 'a', 'K' is 'e'. What did Vannithos say, 'B' is 'v' and 'S' was something. Oh and 'R' was 'l' and 'ZN' might be 't' and 'h'. Why don't you and Vadania here figure this out. I want to scout around a bit more out side." Engelheart would proceed to walk around the house.
Vadania looks at all the letters and the evidence very confused. After some staring she admits, "I'm sorry... I just... have trouble with this. I can read but I was 13 when I first learned to speak and even older when I learned to read and write so... my literacy isn't the best."
Looking at all the letters she flips through the journal and points to the note that says "1 -> 7". She says, "Do you think that has some kind of key to solving the puzzle? A hint or clue or code for which letters may mean what?"
(OOC: I kept going back to the journal and didn't even see the 1 to 7 lol but writing it out you can see the shifted pattern. Any volunteers to decode?)
(As long as you get the first sentence of the first paragraph, I'll consider it solved. I won't make you decode the entire 1700 characters.)
Engelheart can't find anything more that seems important. As he walks around outside, he notices a trail of floating objects (mushrooms and flowers and such) every few yards leading into the woods.
Staring at the floating objects, "It appears we have upgraded from bread crumbs trails." Making his way back around the house to the others. "There's a suspiciously obvious trail into the woods behind the house. Let me see the journal."
Engelheart sits cross legged on the cart and starts to make his code translator.
I suspect that the manor in which the vampires resoide is hidden somewhere within these woods. I can’t imagine why it hastn't been found though. Perhaps a great illusion could conceal the place? I’m probably just grasping at straws. A spell of that magnitude would require more power than any vampire could conjure up alone. I'll need some way to find the manor before I can start drawing conclusions.
You walk over to the nearest floating object, a book with a leather cover titled "The Nature of Vampires." Prodding the book, you see it float for a few seconds before coming to a stop. You can't seem to determine what exactly is making it stay airborne.
You enter the bedroom, and see a small bed on the left and a journal sitting on the bedside table. You see a wardrobe on the opposite side of the bed, and out of the corner of your eye, you see a glint of red sitting atop the wardrobe.
Vannithos is relieved not to see bloodstains despite the signs of a struggle. Noticing the telltale shine of what he assumes is another amulet, he hurries to put it in the box.
| Kaelen - Shadar-kai Gloom Stalker Ranger - Old Keep | Lira - Half-elf Thief Rogue/Druid - Allansia | Zoveldra - Kalashtar Open Hand Monk - Eberron | Vannithos - Shadar-kai Astral Self Monk - Von Nichts | Kessintra - Drow Assassin Rogue - Curse of Strahd |
Had a busy 10 days so kinda lost track of this...
Who are we waiting on again?
Engelheart will grab the floating book to see it there is a strange force resisting it or if it simply can be moved. He will also try releasing it after to see if that exercise "broke" the power keeping it afloat.
Assuming no repercussions from that test, he will follow Vannithos into the next room. First Engelheart would go to inspect the journal, possibly read the last few entries. Then he would be interested in looking within the wardrobe, perhaps it has a hidden spot within.
As Engelheart touches the book, a small burst of magical energy disperses from the book. As he lets go of the book, it falls, and lands on the floor with a thwack. In the bedroom, he looks at the journal's last few entries, but they all seem to be gibberish. At the back of the journal is a small map leading into the woods, and the a small note reading "1 -> 7."
Journal:
(1 ckkq hkluxk vxkyktz):
O yayvkiz zngz znk sgtux ot cnoin znk bgsvoxky xkyojk oy nojjkt yuskcnkxk coznot znkyk cuujy. O igt’z osgmotk cne oz ngyt’z hkkt luatj znuamn. Vkxngvy g mxkgz orrayout iuarj iutikgr znk vrgik? O’s vxuhghre payz mxgyvotm gz yzxgcy. G yvkrr ul zngz sgmtozajk cuarj xkwaoxk suxk vuckx zngt gte bgsvoxk iuarj iutpaxk av grutk. O’rr tkkj yusk cge zu lotj znk sgtux hkluxk O igt yzgxz jxgcotm iutirayouty.
(2 jgey hkluxk vxkyktz):
O’bk iusk gixuyy gt gsgfotm joyiubkxe. Uaz ot znk cuujy, O igsk gixuyy g euatm bgsvoxk, irkgxre waozk ckgq xkrgzobk zu znk gbkxgmk bgsvoxk. Oz ngj sgyyobk mgyn sgxqy gixuyy ozy inkyz, haz oz yusknuc xksgotkj grobk. O ynajjkx zu znotq cngz qotj ul hkgyz sgjk yain g cuatj. Gy O yzuuj vutjkxotm cngz iuarj ngbk jutk znoy, O igsk av cozn znk ojkg zu nkgr oz hgiq zu nkgrzn, znkt jusotgzk oz. O iuarj gyq oz lux otyzxaizouty ut cnkxk znk sgtux oy ruigzkj, ux cnu znk nkgj hruujyaiqkx oy.
(1 jge hkluxk vxkyktz):
Znk vrgt cgy g yaiikyy. Oz ykksy O cgy xomnz; g mxkgz orrayout oy cngz nojky znk sgtux. Haz cngz iuarj znk bgsvoxky ngbk zu mktkxgzk yain gxigtoi vuckx? O sayz ruuq otzu znoy laxznkx. O’bk sgjk g sgv ot znk hgiq ul znoy puaxtgr, ynuarj O kbkx ngbk g tkkj lux oz. Zu suyz, oz corr rkgj zu g irkgxotm ot znk cuujy, haz yvkgqotm znk vnxgyk “kbgtkyikz, gvvgxktz” ynuarj xkbkgr znk sgtyout. Znk bgsvoxk gryu zurj sk ghuaz znk vxosk bgsvoxk. Nuryzkot but Toinzy oy noy tgsk. Nk oy jkbuzkj zu vuckx gtj iutzxur, giiuxjotm zu se rozzrk nkrvkx. Glzkx O kdzxgizkj cngz otluxsgzout znk euatm bgsvoxk iuarj mobk sk, O qorrkj nos. Ut noy huje, O luatj g ysgrr xkj gsarkz cozn g xatk igxbkj ot oz. Oz ykksy yu lgsorogx, haz O igttuz lux znk rolk ul sk xkskshkx cnkxk O’bk ykkt oz.
Lohse's wardrobe only has a few simple outfits, some an amethyst color and others a plain green.
(( Okay so I am fairly sure I know how to decipher this puzzle but Vadania would be too illiterate to figure this shit out. What do gang?))
"Looks like Lohse had terrible spelling. Well we might as well try and piece this together. Assuming the letters correspond with a different letter that isn't a changing pattern, I am going to say "G" and "O" must be either "a" or "i" due to they are the only one letter words that I know of. And look, the "O" is always large and "G" is not. So "O" must be "i" and "G" must be "a". There are a few "KK", maybe that's a double vowel, probably "oo" or "ee". To many words end in "K" to be "o", must be "e" then. This is going to take a while, hopefully it is a incantation or some magic mouth trigger we are attempting to decipher. Any thoughts?" Engelheart hands the book to Vannithos as he inspects the wardrobe.
Vannithos skims the pages as well. It looks like it will take a while indeed. "Hm...the only part in quotations might trigger something. K is e...b must be v, to form 'I've' it looks like. Similarly s is m or d to form 'I'm' or 'I'd' and r is l for 'I'll'. G is a...I'm guessing zn is th, to form 'the' with k at the end. So far we have 'eva_e__et, a__a__t'."
| Kaelen - Shadar-kai Gloom Stalker Ranger - Old Keep | Lira - Half-elf Thief Rogue/Druid - Allansia | Zoveldra - Kalashtar Open Hand Monk - Eberron | Vannithos - Shadar-kai Astral Self Monk - Von Nichts | Kessintra - Drow Assassin Rogue - Curse of Strahd |
((FYI ahead of time, I'll be on vacation from Nov 4th-12th and not posting. Feel free to have Vann do whatever monk things while I'm gone.))
| Kaelen - Shadar-kai Gloom Stalker Ranger - Old Keep | Lira - Half-elf Thief Rogue/Druid - Allansia | Zoveldra - Kalashtar Open Hand Monk - Eberron | Vannithos - Shadar-kai Astral Self Monk - Von Nichts | Kessintra - Drow Assassin Rogue - Curse of Strahd |
((Guys should I just say the answer to the puzzle? like out-of-character? I don't know if it would be meta-gaming or not. Or what the proper TTRPG etiquette here is.))
While the party is checking the Room, Vadania will stay with Gareth. She is worried that Lohse might have been injured and she doesn't want the kid to see it. Besides, she'd want to make sure he stays safe while the party investigates. She is not very good with puzzles or clue hunting.
((Personally I'd rather figure it out together in character, but will leave it to dm's discretion.))
| Kaelen - Shadar-kai Gloom Stalker Ranger - Old Keep | Lira - Half-elf Thief Rogue/Druid - Allansia | Zoveldra - Kalashtar Open Hand Monk - Eberron | Vannithos - Shadar-kai Astral Self Monk - Von Nichts | Kessintra - Drow Assassin Rogue - Curse of Strahd |
I'm completely fine with Zulk sending the answer. That being said, I'd be willing to give out some inspiration if you do manage to solve it in character (even if that includes Vadania accidentally saying something smart that helps decipher the journal).
"Well lets play safe and decipher this this back with the others. Perhaps we should write out what we think we know and see if it makes any pattern. Hopefully that will be easier then doing it one by one." Engelheart continues to look around the room for anything else of note, including the wardrobe.
Perception: 16
If nothing else of note, he will grab something to write with and on on his way out to see if the pattern theory works out or to log/transcribe what they can.
(OOC: Pretty sure between Engelheart's and Vannithos's observations should prove the shifted alphabet out, at least it did for me once I actually wrote it down)
"Alright, kids like puzzles right? Here is a book of code we need you to decipher. I will write out each letter for you, and here are the few we think we know. 'O' is 'i', 'G' is 'a', 'K' is 'e'. What did Vannithos say, 'B' is 'v' and 'S' was something. Oh and 'R' was 'l' and 'ZN' might be 't' and 'h'. Why don't you and Vadania here figure this out. I want to scout around a bit more out side." Engelheart would proceed to walk around the house.
Vadania looks at all the letters and the evidence very confused. After some staring she admits, "I'm sorry... I just... have trouble with this. I can read but I was 13 when I first learned to speak and even older when I learned to read and write so... my literacy isn't the best."
Looking at all the letters she flips through the journal and points to the note that says "1 -> 7". She says, "Do you think that has some kind of key to solving the puzzle? A hint or clue or code for which letters may mean what?"
((1 -> 7 has the answer))
(OOC: I kept going back to the journal and didn't even see the 1 to 7 lol but writing it out you can see the shifted pattern. Any volunteers to decode?)
(As long as you get the first sentence of the first paragraph, I'll consider it solved. I won't make you decode the entire 1700 characters.)
Engelheart can't find anything more that seems important. As he walks around outside, he notices a trail of floating objects (mushrooms and flowers and such) every few yards leading into the woods.
(( I suspect that the manor in which the vampires reside is hidden somewhere within these woods. ))
Staring at the floating objects, "It appears we have upgraded from bread crumbs trails." Making his way back around the house to the others. "There's a suspiciously obvious trail into the woods behind the house. Let me see the journal."
Engelheart sits cross legged on the cart and starts to make his code translator.
A=u, B=v, C=w, D=x, E=y, F=z, G=a, H=b, I=c, J=d, K=e, L=f, M=g, N=h, O=i, P=j, Q=k, R=l, S=m, T=n, U=o, V=p, W=q, X=r, Y=s, Z=t
(This is a pain to do via phone!)
(1 week before present):
I suspect that the manor in which the vampires resoide is hidden somewhere within these woods. I can’t imagine why it hastn't been found though. Perhaps a great illusion could conceal the place? I’m probably just grasping at straws. A spell of that magnitude would require more power than any vampire could conjure up alone. I'll need some way to find the manor before I can start drawing conclusions.