Dusk approaches and falls without incident. As the party begin to gather their things, a familiar yet haunting sound echoes from the direction of the castle. The loud, distinctive bellow of a goblin warm horn rumbles through the woodland.
(OOC: Assuming you’ve camped on the opposite side of the castle! And that you’ll go back regardless)
Taking care to remain silent and hidden, the companions make their way back towards the rundown castle, ever wary of the potential of a goblin ambush. Though again, to Seraks dismay, an attack is not forthcoming.
Skipping ahead when within a mile of the castle grounds, the bard disappears into the undergrowth to scout the area.
Cragmaw castle, has clearly seen better days. Furthermore it’s current tenants aren’t too fussy about the buildings upkeep. The main building consists of several, overlapped, towers, barely able to hold their own weight. It’s upper floors now lie scattered around as crumbled masonry, having clearly collapsed many, many years ago. Otherwise the castle is generally traditional, built centuries ago.
On each of the castles rounded corners are two arrow slits, sitting roughly 10ft off the ground level. Half expecting to see beady red eyes peering out into the night, Serak is again saddened to see only darkness within.
Away from the main doorway, a small secluded pathway near the south side of the building leads to an unguarded, but firmly shut iron door. Following the perimeter, Serak remains vigilant for any other weaknesses - but finds none. A crumbled tower on the north side seems most promising, but offers no way inside.
The walls themselves offer a different approach. Three of the crumbled towers (North, North West corner, South West Corner) appear scalable, though would present a line of sight through nearby arrow slits.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Serak: Stroking his goatee as he considers all the options, Serak decides scaling the walls a bit too risky. Taking his chances, he slips through the darkness toward the iron door to the South. Slowly creeping forward, he remains vigilant for traps as he approaches, eyes never far from the arrow slits above him. Assuming the coast remains clear, he'll listen at the door a moment before checking for a lock.
Perception: 18
Stealth(Adv.): 19
Thieves' Tools(Adv.): 25
OOC: Did I really just roll two 1's with Advantage? Ouch...
OOC: yes i think the rest of us are staying put until Serak checks back but Beetle is still being as vigilant as possible and ready to rush in if he gets into trouble.
Serak carefully treads along an overgrown path towards the southern door, his feet gently crunching through the weeds. The arrow slits above him remain empty, though he knows he could be spotted at any moment. Inside, an apparent host of goblins chatter noisily amongst themselves. A clatter of crockery, a burst of laughter - at best guess the room above is a dining area of some kind.
Making it to the castle wall, he creeps quickly up the stone staircase, towards the large iron door leading inside. The bard pauses for a moment, pressed an ear to the doorway and listens intently. The commotion of voices, is gently muffled through the door - perhaps even another door separates him from the ruckus inside. Otherwise the interior seems quiet.
Quietly confident that his entry would go unnoticed, Serak reaches for the handle. A gentle rattle stiffens in his hand - Locked. Without flinching the bard flicks out a set of picks and simply clicks the lock open. The door stiffly swings open, threatening to creak with every millimetre. A long, empty corridor strewn with rubble and debris lies ahead. Roughly twenty feet ahead, a thick leather curtain hangs between two tall piles of stone. To his left, a wooden doorway, almost bursting with the sound of activity beyond.
Serak: Slowly stepping back from the doorway, Serak silently creeps back to where he left the party. Emerging from the shadows, he says, "I found a door on the south side of the castle unguarded. It seems heavily populated however. The tower to the north may be more promising."
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
"Not all those who wander are lost." - J.R.R. Tolkien
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Serak: With evidence of goblin activity near the southern door, Serak decides to avoid the danger of the obvious entry point. Leading the party through the forest, he stops at the treeline North of the Castle and says, "Hopefully this ruined tower is empty. I'll have a look and find a good place to scale the wall into the tower."
Wary of any arrow slits above him, Serak stalks through the darkness toward the Tower, looking for the best place to anchor his grappling hook without being seen. He stops and listens closely outside the tower for a long while, attempting to peak through any windows or cracks he might find.
Perception: 20
Stealth(Adv.): 24
Assuming all is clear, he will return to the party, report his findings and prepare to cast Silence as a Ritual. Targeting the area leading to the Tower and the section of wall he wishes to climb.
In the darkness, the crumbled north tower is silent. Serak slinks through the shadows cast by the moonlight, making his way to the base of the crumbled wall. The bard runs his hand along the stone - testing its strength, checking for weaknesses. The castle is old, but the well worn facade has excellent hand holds.
As he moves along, the rough stone suddenly becomes a smooth canvas, pressed tightly into a fallen section of wall. A small tear in the fabric allows Serak a glimpse inside - piles of crates a barrels line the walls, some buried in the piles of stone from the collapsed tower above. A heavy leather curtain blocks a crumbling area to the south. A strong looking iron door leads east.
Beetle watches as Serak makes his to the tower. He is ready to draw Talon and rush in as quick as possible is anything happens. "Be ready friends, we may have to move quickly once Serak is back from his scouting." Beetle says quietly to the rest of the group. As he turns back towards the castle he gets a strange feeling someone is watching and he whispers..."I know that is you Tyr... thank you once again for watching over us. Please keep our bard safe until he can return and grant me the strength and courage to over come our foes in this desperate time of need as we enter this evil place."
Serak: Cautiously stepping into the abandon tower, the Bard ventures only far enough to be certain the area is clear before returning to the entrance.
Serak waves his companions forward before drawing his crossbow, training the sights on the nearest arrow slits as his companions approach. He pulls back the camouflage canvas revealing the doorway before ducking inside.
Finally, Serak creeps slowly toward the iron door, listening closely before searching for traps and cracks to peer through.
Perception: 15
Stealth: 22
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
"Not all those who wander are lost." - J.R.R. Tolkien
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
5
Seeing the bards signal, Gundren clutches at his daggers hilt. With a grunt he nods to the others and takes off, stomping across the trampled ground towards the broken tower wall. As he dives beyond the canvas, Serak is already eyeing up the doorway.
Even from this distance, the dwarf hears the muffled voices of an argument from beyond the door. Serak picks out two distinctly - a loud growl and a soft, barely audible reply. Frustratedly the half-elf can’t make out any of the conversation - surely a further barrier between them. A slight crack in the door reveals a small corridor beyond, its ceiling barely glowing in flickering firelight. The corridor is short, barely 15ft, marrow and, most importantly, empty.
OOC: Beetle and Arkhan, if you guys are following, how are you doing so?
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Serak: Signalling for the others to hold back a moment as he has a closer look, Serak continues silently through the first door on the lookout for danger or traps. Assuming he finds nothing, he will look for a second door between himself and the voices, checking for traps and picking any lock he finds.
Thieves's Tools(Adv): 21
OOC: Note I don't want Serak to open any door he finds, just unlock it so Beetle can bust in. lol
Figured his Stealth and Perception rolls were still good, but go ahead and reroll them if needed.
Beetle sees Serak's signal and moves towards the bard quickly and quietly as he can. As he approaches he sees Serak signal to stay back a bit and once again readies himself but this time he draws Talon in anticipation of action.
Carefully striding the corridor, Serak approaches the second door. To his right, a long leather curtain holds back an orange glow of flickering, streams of which escape along the ceiling casting long menacing shadows.
A low grumble of voices accompany the crackle of fire behind the curtain, but doesn’t stir as Serak continues.
Before him, the second iron door - no keyhole or lock to be seen. The bard pauses for a moment, listening intently to the heated debate inside. “..... Grol NOT happy with this. Not think your plan will work this time! Dwarf not coming back again.” The first voice , a fierce deep growl. The second voice purrs in response, “Patienceeee, patience my friend. Your loyalty will be rewarded, I shhhhhall see to it.”
Serak: Carefully closing the door, Serak moves slowly past the curtain as he returns to the party. In a low whisper, he says, "Luck is with us, my friends. King Grol himself lies behind the next door, speaking with someone that seems his superior. Perhaps The Black Spider himself?"
Falling into formation behind Beetle and Arkhan he continues, "Beware - I sense danger lurking behind the curtain ahead. Shall we burst in on the King and pay our respects?"
"I think it would be rude of us not to..." Arkhan's grip tightens on hew and his shield. "What do you think... start with a little dragon's fire then we burst in?"
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Gash- Lvl14 Goblin Wizard - The High Court of the Aasimar Queen
Beetle with sword already drawn nods to the group he is ready....he also prepares to cast bless just before the party enters (bless will hit 3 people so Serak, Aekhan and myself)
Dusk approaches and falls without incident. As the party begin to gather their things, a familiar yet haunting sound echoes from the direction of the castle. The loud, distinctive bellow of a goblin warm horn rumbles through the woodland.
(OOC: Assuming you’ve camped on the opposite side of the castle! And that you’ll go back regardless)
Taking care to remain silent and hidden, the companions make their way back towards the rundown castle, ever wary of the potential of a goblin ambush. Though again, to Seraks dismay, an attack is not forthcoming.
Skipping ahead when within a mile of the castle grounds, the bard disappears into the undergrowth to scout the area.
Cragmaw castle, has clearly seen better days. Furthermore it’s current tenants aren’t too fussy about the buildings upkeep. The main building consists of several, overlapped, towers, barely able to hold their own weight. It’s upper floors now lie scattered around as crumbled masonry, having clearly collapsed many, many years ago. Otherwise the castle is generally traditional, built centuries ago.
On each of the castles rounded corners are two arrow slits, sitting roughly 10ft off the ground level. Half expecting to see beady red eyes peering out into the night, Serak is again saddened to see only darkness within.
Away from the main doorway, a small secluded pathway near the south side of the building leads to an unguarded, but firmly shut iron door. Following the perimeter, Serak remains vigilant for any other weaknesses - but finds none. A crumbled tower on the north side seems most promising, but offers no way inside.
The walls themselves offer a different approach. Three of the crumbled towers (North, North West corner, South West Corner) appear scalable, though would present a line of sight through nearby arrow slits.
Serak: Stroking his goatee as he considers all the options, Serak decides scaling the walls a bit too risky. Taking his chances, he slips through the darkness toward the iron door to the South. Slowly creeping forward, he remains vigilant for traps as he approaches, eyes never far from the arrow slits above him. Assuming the coast remains clear, he'll listen at the door a moment before checking for a lock.
Perception: 18
Stealth(Adv.): 19
Thieves' Tools(Adv.): 25
OOC: Did I really just roll two 1's with Advantage? Ouch...
"Not all those who wander are lost." - J.R.R. Tolkien
OOC: Ouchie! What about the others? Are you guys staying out of sight for now?
OOC: yes i think the rest of us are staying put until Serak checks back but Beetle is still being as vigilant as possible and ready to rush in if he gets into trouble.
(ooc: Arkhan would have gone with if you wanted, otherwise would have leaned against a tree until you came back.)
Gash - Lvl14 Goblin Wizard - The High Court of the Aasimar Queen
OOC: I swear I roll worse when I have Advantage. At least the other rolls were good! lol
Sadly, Serak is alone. Was planning on opening the door and making sure it was safe before going back for the party.
"Not all those who wander are lost." - J.R.R. Tolkien
Serak carefully treads along an overgrown path towards the southern door, his feet gently crunching through the weeds. The arrow slits above him remain empty, though he knows he could be spotted at any moment. Inside, an apparent host of goblins chatter noisily amongst themselves. A clatter of crockery, a burst of laughter - at best guess the room above is a dining area of some kind.
Making it to the castle wall, he creeps quickly up the stone staircase, towards the large iron door leading inside. The bard pauses for a moment, pressed an ear to the doorway and listens intently. The commotion of voices, is gently muffled through the door - perhaps even another door separates him from the ruckus inside. Otherwise the interior seems quiet.
Quietly confident that his entry would go unnoticed, Serak reaches for the handle. A gentle rattle stiffens in his hand - Locked. Without flinching the bard flicks out a set of picks and simply clicks the lock open. The door stiffly swings open, threatening to creak with every millimetre. A long, empty corridor strewn with rubble and debris lies ahead. Roughly twenty feet ahead, a thick leather curtain hangs between two tall piles of stone. To his left, a wooden doorway, almost bursting with the sound of activity beyond.
Serak: Slowly stepping back from the doorway, Serak silently creeps back to where he left the party. Emerging from the shadows, he says, "I found a door on the south side of the castle unguarded. It seems heavily populated however. The tower to the north may be more promising."
"Not all those who wander are lost." - J.R.R. Tolkien
Serak: With evidence of goblin activity near the southern door, Serak decides to avoid the danger of the obvious entry point. Leading the party through the forest, he stops at the treeline North of the Castle and says, "Hopefully this ruined tower is empty. I'll have a look and find a good place to scale the wall into the tower."
Wary of any arrow slits above him, Serak stalks through the darkness toward the Tower, looking for the best place to anchor his grappling hook without being seen. He stops and listens closely outside the tower for a long while, attempting to peak through any windows or cracks he might find.
Perception: 20
Stealth(Adv.): 24
Assuming all is clear, he will return to the party, report his findings and prepare to cast Silence as a Ritual. Targeting the area leading to the Tower and the section of wall he wishes to climb.
"Not all those who wander are lost." - J.R.R. Tolkien
In the darkness, the crumbled north tower is silent. Serak slinks through the shadows cast by the moonlight, making his way to the base of the crumbled wall. The bard runs his hand along the stone - testing its strength, checking for weaknesses. The castle is old, but the well worn facade has excellent hand holds.
As he moves along, the rough stone suddenly becomes a smooth canvas, pressed tightly into a fallen section of wall. A small tear in the fabric allows Serak a glimpse inside - piles of crates a barrels line the walls, some buried in the piles of stone from the collapsed tower above. A heavy leather curtain blocks a crumbling area to the south. A strong looking iron door leads east.
Beetle watches as Serak makes his to the tower. He is ready to draw Talon and rush in as quick as possible is anything happens. "Be ready friends, we may have to move quickly once Serak is back from his scouting." Beetle says quietly to the rest of the group. As he turns back towards the castle he gets a strange feeling someone is watching and he whispers..."I know that is you Tyr... thank you once again for watching over us. Please keep our bard safe until he can return and grant me the strength and courage to over come our foes in this desperate time of need as we enter this evil place."
Arkhan nods and dons his shield keeping Hew at the ready.
Gash - Lvl14 Goblin Wizard - The High Court of the Aasimar Queen
Serak: Cautiously stepping into the abandon tower, the Bard ventures only far enough to be certain the area is clear before returning to the entrance.
Serak waves his companions forward before drawing his crossbow, training the sights on the nearest arrow slits as his companions approach. He pulls back the camouflage canvas revealing the doorway before ducking inside.
Finally, Serak creeps slowly toward the iron door, listening closely before searching for traps and cracks to peer through.
Perception: 15
Stealth: 22
"Not all those who wander are lost." - J.R.R. Tolkien
5
Seeing the bards signal, Gundren clutches at his daggers hilt. With a grunt he nods to the others and takes off, stomping across the trampled ground towards the broken tower wall. As he dives beyond the canvas, Serak is already eyeing up the doorway.
Even from this distance, the dwarf hears the muffled voices of an argument from beyond the door. Serak picks out two distinctly - a loud growl and a soft, barely audible reply. Frustratedly the half-elf can’t make out any of the conversation - surely a further barrier between them. A slight crack in the door reveals a small corridor beyond, its ceiling barely glowing in flickering firelight. The corridor is short, barely 15ft, marrow and, most importantly, empty.
OOC: Beetle and Arkhan, if you guys are following, how are you doing so?
Serak: Signalling for the others to hold back a moment as he has a closer look, Serak continues silently through the first door on the lookout for danger or traps. Assuming he finds nothing, he will look for a second door between himself and the voices, checking for traps and picking any lock he finds.
Thieves's Tools(Adv): 21
OOC: Note I don't want Serak to open any door he finds, just unlock it so Beetle can bust in. lol
Figured his Stealth and Perception rolls were still good, but go ahead and reroll them if needed.
"Not all those who wander are lost." - J.R.R. Tolkien
Beetle sees Serak's signal and moves towards the bard quickly and quietly as he can. As he approaches he sees Serak signal to stay back a bit and once again readies himself but this time he draws Talon in anticipation of action.
Carefully striding the corridor, Serak approaches the second door. To his right, a long leather curtain holds back an orange glow of flickering, streams of which escape along the ceiling casting long menacing shadows.
A low grumble of voices accompany the crackle of fire behind the curtain, but doesn’t stir as Serak continues.
Before him, the second iron door - no keyhole or lock to be seen. The bard pauses for a moment, listening intently to the heated debate inside. “..... Grol NOT happy with this. Not think your plan will work this time! Dwarf not coming back again.” The first voice , a fierce deep growl. The second voice purrs in response, “Patienceeee, patience my friend. Your loyalty will be rewarded, I shhhhhall see to it.”
Serak: Carefully closing the door, Serak moves slowly past the curtain as he returns to the party. In a low whisper, he says, "Luck is with us, my friends. King Grol himself lies behind the next door, speaking with someone that seems his superior. Perhaps The Black Spider himself?"
Falling into formation behind Beetle and Arkhan he continues, "Beware - I sense danger lurking behind the curtain ahead. Shall we burst in on the King and pay our respects?"
"Not all those who wander are lost." - J.R.R. Tolkien
"I think it would be rude of us not to..." Arkhan's grip tightens on hew and his shield. "What do you think... start with a little dragon's fire then we burst in?"
Gash - Lvl14 Goblin Wizard - The High Court of the Aasimar Queen
Beetle with sword already drawn nods to the group he is ready....he also prepares to cast bless just before the party enters (bless will hit 3 people so Serak, Aekhan and myself)