Pizazz's Ravenloft and Beyond

(I meant compare by the look - are they identical? No need to disturb the body for this)

Oh, I see.  Mordekai holds up the amulet Meepo found next to the one in crypt 11, for them both to compare.  Can either Lionel or Mordekai tell anything about the new one worth noting?

     Ketch, still in crypt 26, picks up this skull and holds it aloft. "So, Intree...  How many questions will you be answering?"

     Ketch, whether the skull answers or not, peeks outside the skull and keeps track of his companions - where they are going, what they are doing.  "I could sort the magical knickknack from the non with a bit of ritual," he calls out to Lionel and Mordekai.  "Though the specifics of what they do will still be beyond me. ((Detect magic, no Identify...))  No knowing which is the 'real' one til we find out all the specifics..."

"But you do see if the magic is different, right? Though I still think we already have our Raven amulet - it was exactly where the cards say it will be. Still that new one can be useful too. Would you take a look?"

     "I will look, of course.  But first let's gather everything we think may be useful.  If it's all in one place I could spend some time and at least reveal what is magical, what is not... And likely what school of magic each comes from."

Mordekai and Lionel compare the two. It's obvious that one is not an attempt at a replica. They are both unique and different. As they examine it closely, you both suddenly hear a ghostly, female voice whispering in the air, "There is a grave to the west, with roses that never die, in a place built by healers, in a village called Krezk. When all turns to darkness, touch this holy symbol to the grave to summon the light and find a treasure long lost."

The voice is gone a moment later, though you feel a slight tingle on your skin. 

Ketch picks up the skull and asks his question, Intree responds, his voice calm and measured as the jaw bone clatters up and down, "I will answer four additional questions today." 

From within his bag Ketch here, "Dnnbmmmm bmmmehmmm ahhhthmmm hmmmm smmmmsss!!" 

Meepo wanders around.  Some part of himself, deep inside, feels a rush of joy and happiness.  Soon Meepo starts to realize he may need one of his floating discs.  He finds : 

Numerous rags and bones. A wooden box. Seven wood-handled paint-brushes. Seven small gourds of dried paint. Three jewelled necklaces (worth 750gp each). A red rose that seems as fresh as if it were just picked. Three dice carved from what are likely knuckle bones. A small signet ring with a bat engraved on it. A carving of a small canoe holding a coffin within it. A stone with a smooth hole carved through its center. A lavender smelling silk handkerchief with blood stains on it. 

Meepo is unable to investigate in the room Mordekai recently opened. From outside, the painted sun on the ceiling seems to give off real energy, but only to him, and though he doesn't burn, just being within sight of it causes him extreme discomfort. 

     "Fair enough," Ketch says, addressing the new skull.  "But we may have some chatting between ourselves, my friends and I.  Or even between myself and I.  So we're not asking you anything unless we address you by the name Intree first."  Ketch will take a deep breath and try to steady his thoughts.

     "No disasters out there for a moment.  I got another skull willing to answer a few questions... So gimme a minute to do that before anything needs saving or destroying..."

     Ketch will spend some time explaining the situation to the skull.  Carefully.  Being sure not to inadvertently leave any remarks dangling all question like...  Ketch explains that he and his group have the aim of destroying Strahd and freeing Barovia and finding freedom for themselves and whoever else wishes it.  He'll be brief but give as big a picture of the situation as he can.

     "Intree," Ketch will say, wrapping up.  "With all that explained, what three questions could I ask that would allow you to best assist us in our goals?"

"See, desecrating the graves of saints and clerics pays off, it would seem.  Hmm, put like that it doesn't sound great.  What I mean is, useful items and no traps to be seen.  But both entities clearly expressed their desire and consent for us to take their treasures to be used to defeat Strahd and his evil."  Mordekai is quick to rationalise and justify their actions.

(Edited to remove anything that might possibly be misconstrued as a question given Ketch beating me to posting.)

Quote from Xarboth >>

(Edited to remove anything that might possibly be misconstrued as a question given Ketch beating me to posting.)

     ((Hate when that happens!  Though I did try to put in a trigger of needing to use his name for the question to ask... though I have NO clue if that would actually work or not.))

A very careful now - with two chatting skulls around! - Lionel answered to Mordekai slowly, checking every word before it escapes his mouth. "Yes, I heard it too. It does seem like in that particular case we are given a worthy advise and desired help. As surprising as it sounds for Strahd to keep around so many things that can harm him, I am not the one to look the gift horse in the mouth. We take it." Lionel took the amulet in his hands: "we might want to check that transporting room again, may be there is a stone that can bring us straight to that village. But I am willing to walk if it does not."

(Did we ever make it to Krezk yet?)

(You've never been to Krezk.) 

The skull stares blankly at Ketch. It neither confirms nor denies its agreement to any of his conditions, but just....sits there...unmoving.  Finally he asks a question. The skull does not respond. Ketch is starting to wonder if it's broken, and considering wether he should ask a question to find out, when it starts speaking, "Can I remove you from the crypt and retain your ability to answer questions daily. Where can I find the holy symbol of Ravenkind? Where can I find the skull of Argynvost?"

As Ketch continues this conversation with the skull, Mordekai will continue to push his luck on what he sees as a winning streak with holy figures, and will open one final crypt - number 30.

Feeling a bit lighter than he has in days, Meepo soon has a floating disk following him around, piled high with all sorts of things.  He frowns as the symbol above one of the crypts keeps him away.  “Meepo need know if lost things inside.” He tells Mordekai.  “Can Mordekai go get all lost things for meepo?”

     "Intree...  I think you're the skull that I like," Ketch says with a foolish grin, feeling as if he had just somehow cheated the teacher out of the answers. 

     "Intree, where can I find the skull of Argynvost?" Ketch asks, curious if his two sources will confirm each other before he moves on to other questions.

Ulthan opens up picklewidth's tomb and will probably take anything that looks useful or valuable.

(Woah, now you guys are spread out ALL over the place. If there's combat, people are going to have to spend their first turn hearing a caffufle and moving to support each other, but ....just FYI.) 

Mordekai wanders over to the crypt labeled as "Prefect Ciril Romulich (Beloved of King Barov and Queen Ravenovia): High Priest of the Most Holy Order".  He pushes open the stone door.  A marble slab in the center of the crypt displays a skel­eton draped in red vestments, a golden holy symbol clutched in one bony hand. The domed ceiling fifteen feet above is painted to look like a canopy of trees with bright autumn leaves. A narrow stone ledge encircles the crypt ten feet above the floor. Perched on it are dozens of stone ravens, their eyes fixed on the marble slab.

Meepo asks Mordekai to look into the only crypt he can't, for lost stuff, and finds him over at yet another holy crypt with more holy symbols glaring at him. 

Ulthan heads over to "Pidlwick - Fool of Dorfniya" and pushes the crypt open. A small skeleton wearing the remains of a fool's costume lies atop a stumpy marble slab in the center of the crypt.  Ulthan sees a small, flat wooden box on the marble slab next to Pidl­wick's bones. The box contains a deck of cards. They shimmer with magic. 

Ketch asks the skull where to find the skull, not giving the fact he's asking a skull where to find another skull much thought.  "The skull is in the Hall of Bones naturally, which can be found one floor up from here, on the western side of the castle." 

Lionel watches as people spread out in every which direction.

(I like to think that with everything that's happened - particularly in the Amber temple - and the state of Barovia,  not to mention the fact that we seemed to lose every significant quest item we found earlier on, now finding ourselves in this room, in the darkness of the castle and in such close proximity to Strahd, a certain madness and hunger for treasure would natural creep up in the party. Makes sense to me. And as long as the combat isn't triggered by Mordekai... like these ravens are probably about to... Mordekai is very happy to be away from the group to cast at range.)

Mordekai looks up at the ravens. Normally he'd take them to be a bad omen, but his experience of ravens in Barovia makes them the closest thing he's seen to defenders of the realm. He gives them a collective nod,  almost a respectful bow, and picks up yet another holy symbol. 

Then (assuming no combat jumps out at him) he'll go to Meepo and place whatever "lost things" Meepo wants on the floating disc. 

Lionel would return to Ketch to show yet another holy symbol retell the message they got and ask about the village Krezk. "Ever being there? The voice talked about help in the darkest hour. Can not get darker than what we have now, I'd say. Might be worth a trip."

Should he learn about Ketch's discovery of "worthy questions" he would add that two are already a bit too late - the Raven Symbol is found and another skull proved the magic works outside the crypts, but he still do not interfere with interrogation of the dead.

(Meepo has his most trusted allies all around him, all of his skeletons...)

Meepo thanks Mordekai for helping with the two holy crypts, then moves along, searching to see if anything else is lost in these crypts, his floating disk following a pace behind him as he does so. The skeletons he has either created, or has had with him, rattle along as they walk across the goo-covered floor.