"Never Winter, Seldom Spring" - A Loose Collection of Adventures

“We can put some more rocks, or if the stove can be shoved over, that might work. I’ll also set out my hunting trap. How do you want to deal with the twig blights? I think someone suggested fire earlier, which is an option if we’re careful to make sure it doesn’t spread to the forest. Or we could just try to scare them away.”

I agree Brother, and if there is daylight after dealing with the twigsters, a more thorough search of wherever we went through quickly. Or, to be honest, somebody with better fortune than I should look wherever I have passed. I assume there is a key to do with this chest, somewhere.

to Therne: My guess, my good druid, since the conjuration was no longer detectable from on high, is that it must be in the cellar. Odd, in most epics, the necromancy is subterranean. Still, not all of that school is so foul - there are soul-preserving and life-restoring magics within that art. Though those things often come with side effects, at least in the tragedies.

I would prefer to take the watch after midnight, to be about when our Sister is re-fleshed. She may need healing and our Brother has used his Hands-y work already. And we might be wise to take it slow in the morning, if Sister Adri needs a rest afterwards. For her, it will be as a blink since the fight.

[ooc not sure if we are allowed to fight the blights without DM present, but if we lay out our plan maybe Mojake would just say if it worked or not. Broz' breath and Ab's burning hands ought to do it. I have a bucket for water or sand to keep fire from spreading]

Abner

Abner holds his hands in the air. "I won't be opening THAT box."

With the others' approval and backup, Abner's prepared to stealth into the edge of the garden via the ballroom and blast those twig blights with Burning Hands.

He'll also help drag stone bird bits onto the trap door before trying to camp for the night.

"Are we camping with Adri tonight?"

(OOC - Did somebody succeed in healing Abner? Or is he still injured from the fall?)

[ooc Brozak healed Abner in post 286]

Camping there is what we've agreed so far. I think we should store the alter and casket, along with the valuables we've found, in a corner of the entrance hall, wherever there is some protection, and camp there. We can use the drawing room or step outside for privacy when needed.

Red will try to examine the shrine and casket for details while carrying to (probably SW, wherever has decent protection) corner of entrance, and set them up in their original configuration, singing an appropriate tune for Sune ... we're beautiful - - words can't bring us down...

Investigation 16

You all step out towards the overgrown garden under direction from Therne. Whilst there, Abner uses his burning hands spell to obliterate a large patch of the western side, whilst Brozak reciprocates on the eastern side. The blights within are eliminated immediately, and through fast action from Red and Therne, the blaze is quickly quelled before more damage can be done to the manor or the surrounding glade. The garden is obliterated and nothing more than embers. Anything that may have been worth looking for within the tangled briars is absolutely destroyed.

Afterwards, Brozak works to lift the piles of masonry in the kitchen over the trapdoor to try to keep whatever is in there isolated from the group. Meanwhile Red works to move the valuables into a corner around the Adri statue.

A watch rotation is set into place. During Red's watch, as he is attempting to decipher the symbols on the casket chest, Adri suddenly comes to - immediately reverting to her fleshy self - shouting a war cry and following through with her mace swing, which almost connects with Abner's sleeping form. You are all jolted awake by the sight of Adri, covered in furs and cushions, stood looking confused at both the time of day and the lack of enemies abound. 

Once you have explained the situation to the half-orc, and she has healed herself of wounds, you each bed down again - although Adri has difficulty falling into a slumber (it has only been a few hours since she last slept according to her body clock) and instead rests and dwells on the information the rest of her companions found out in her stony absence.

Those of you who do sleep, do so somewhat fitfully for the remainder of the night. Your dreams are plagued by shadowy figures that sit in the peripherals of your mind. Dark tendrils and inky claws grasp from the shadows and try to pull you into their depths. You do not wake prematurely, but when you do eventually rise at the intrusion of the first rays of dawn's light, you feel a little groggy. As a few moments pass, you each forget what you had dreamed about, and just feel happy to be rested and recuperated as a whole group again.

[OoC]: Make sure all of you hit those long rest buttons on your sheets so that all of your HP and abilities reset. 

Brozak wakes with a stretch and a groan. He looks about and sees Adri has returned to her normal self.

"Adri!! I am so glad you are better now.  How are you feeling?  Do you need anything?"

Adri smiles, "I'm happy to be back, but I feel quite disoriented even after resting. You will have to fill me in on what you've found so far. I'm assuming you didn't search the whole house because we're still here, but I also doubt you didn't explore more after I was... petrified." 

As you tell her of your discoveries, her smile fades. 

"This sounds much worse than we thought. What are our next plans?" 

[OOC]: I just asked about what we knew for rp purposes, but no one has to explain the situation to me in character. I've been keeping up to date on everything. 

"I suppose we should prepare to enter the cellar.  Apparently it is filled with such ill will that even Abner's usually capriciousness was stifled.  Let's check with the others and prepare ourselves."

Brozak begins his morning prayers to Bahamut, holding his talisman, and meditating.

"Agreed," Therne says. "I need to prepare my own spells as well -- I suggested yesterday that I could prepare Goodberry; if I do so I'm not sure that I'll also be able to prepare that Entangle spell, which I used on the Kenku. Does anyone have any preferences? I'm leaning towards the former, as the healing properties of Goodberry can be split between multiple people, and if we're fighting spirits, I don't know that they can be tied down with vines. But it could be something other than spirits."

"With Adri back to functional, and my Lay on Hands, do we need more healing?  But it would be better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it.  Spirits are one possibility in the cellar, but we have detected necromancy as well, so it could be undead, which Entangle would work well on.  I am not sure what course we should take.  Should I start removing the barricade from the cellar door now?"

Ah, to be able to adjust each day. Four of us have some ability to heal, if that makes a difference, and it is hard to keep up with an enemy by healing if one cannot stop them attacking. Though Goodberry is famously useful, say the tales. Perhaps we count on your mighty staff if on offence. 

Trying to rid himself of the horrible luck, Red will quietly offer a song to Tymora, and add in Milil and Sune (cause its her house) for good measure Stagger Lee met Billy, and they got down to gambling, Stagger Lee throwed seven Billy said that he throwed eight...

When we descend, let us try to find a way to keep the hatch open, the one we worked to hard to shut. Or maybe rip it off it's hinges? No, we may need to shut it behind us on the way up. If it lays flat when open, heavy stuff to keep it there?

Abner

"Not all of us can see in the dark, but I can produce Light whenever I want. That cellar gives me chills –I plan to light the whole thing up like a summer day."

While steering wide of that chest, Abner is still curious about the shrine from upstairs. Does it open? Secret compartments? Have we looked it over thoroughly, physically? Investigation: 5

Lady Wildcloak, could you speak to the cellar rats right before we go down, if you think it a good idea, or maybe right after if you need to be closer? Master Abner said he heard them scurry. Maybe they could give us some information?

I don't think we could possibly surprise anything coming down the ladder - but maybe those of us with dark-eyes go first (Sister A, Master A, and I) for a scan before we introduce light? 

Therne will cast Goodberry, and distribute the berries, so everyone should have two. "You can give one to someone who has fallen and it should get them back up again for a bit, so this way we are all prepared. If someone needs more, we can redistribute as needed." To Red, she says "I think it would be better for me to have Detect Magic rather than speaking with the cellar rats. It takes too long to cast either as a ritual to have them both up at once, unfortunately. I also don't have the ability to see in the dark, but I can go directly behind whoever is first, if you like."

“No offense, Red, but I feel it would be better for me to go first, since I am a little tougher to hit than most.  I agree with Abner about lighting it up like day.  Anything that dwells in the dark may be at disadvantage in the light.  Therne and I neither one can see in the dark.  Going in with a possible advantage seems like a better idea than going in with a definite disadvantage. “

None taken Brother; I'm not best at the front in any event. I was just thinking our Sister Cleric is very nearly as tough with the advantage of darkvision and spells. And, all credit to our Sorcerer, but Light can light up a small circle like a lantern on a summers evening. But that is my last point - I'm in the middle in any case. I submit to your decision and Sister Adri's.

Adri interjects into the conversation.

"Brother Brozak, while I greatly appreciate the offer, I believe I should descend first. I have the ability to see in the dark and you do not."

Abner

"My Light is pretty bright for at least 10 feet all around. But I can produce them all day long - just takes me a few seconds - that's a lot of lights! They last about an hour.
Believe me - I won't be leaving any shadows alone down there."

”As you wish, Adri, but I will descend second.  As for the trap door staying open, a couple of well placed pitons should do the trick.”

[ooc you can only have one light on at a time]