Pizazz's Ravenloft and Beyond

Did our host leave any wine out?

The host was rather careful to take all of the wine with him into his bedroom.  Checking the door, you find something seems to be lodged against the door to keep it closed. You could undoubtedly force it open if you wish.  (Let me know.)

Otherwise, the group slinks out into the dark of the town. The stands of trees make everything feel closed in and dark.  Your feet crunch through the light crusty snow that is sprinkled amidst the grassy paths. The occasional glowing light through the fog from a lit torch along the main paths gives you some sense of direction in the fog.  You move through the town towards the north end where the path turns into a switch back trail up the hillside to the abbey.  Just near there you see the pool of water at the north end of the village. In the darkness, the water seems to shimmer and sparkle. Near its shore, crouched in the fog, sits an old gazebo on the verge of collapse. A wooden statue of a mournful, bare-chested man, its paint chipped and faded, stands in the gazebo with arms outstretched, as though waiting to be embraced. You turn to the switchback road that hugs the cliff.  It is ten feet wide and covered with loose gravel and chunks of broken rock. You begin heading up it, realizing that it indeed is rarely used and littered with fallen rocks and debris from storms past. The ascent is slow and somewhat treacherous, and the air grows colder as you near the top.

The road climbs above the mist after several hundred feet, to the wide ledge on which the abbey is perched. A light dusting of snow covers the trees and the rocky earth. The gravel road passes between two small, stone outbuildings, to either side of which stretches a five­ foot-high, three-foot-thick wall of jumbled stones held together with mortar. Blocking the road are iron gates attached to the outbuildings by rusty hinges. They ap­pear to be unlocked. Viewed through the gates, the stone abbey stands quiet. Its two wings are joined by a fifteen­ foot-high curtain wall. A belfry protrudes from the roof­ top of the closer north wing, which also sports a chimney billowing gray smoke.

From here, the cliff face tumbles 700 feet down to the foggy village below. The cliff faces are not sheer though, and you're able to walk all the way around the outside of the curtain wall to any point if you wanted. Being only five feet high, you could easily crawl over the curtain wall at any points if you wish.

((We do not want to bust open a door to steal wine before quietly going to visit a grave...))

     Ketch scratches his head.  "Forgive me, I've had my nose buried in the book and have been largely ignoring things...  But must we enter this abbey to find the grave we are trying to visit?"

No, Mordekai has no intention of trying to steal wine if there's not a bottle left out. 

Mordekai replies to Ketch as they wander up the hill, "I don't know that we need to go into the Abbey itself, but certainly into the grounds i would imagine."

Mordekai will quietly circle around 50ft or so from the gate and look over the wall to see if he can see the graveyard yet. As he approaches the wall, he'll cast Guidance on himself. 

You can see the graveyard through the rusty gates, it’s immediately to the right inside the abbey grounds. 

Mordekai will silently point this out to the group and begin to climb over the wall, assuming they come to join him.

((Why climbing if the gates "ap­pear to be unlocked"?))

Before, in his previous life, Lionel would not even think twice about going over the wall. Now he did think before doing anything height related. Before jumping over he tried the gates.

 Meepo waits until the Lionel tries the gate. Climbing a 5 ft wall is not as easy when you are only 2 and 1/2 ft tall yourself...

(Because they're rusty and therefore potentially loud. And possibly watched. And everything in Barovia "appears" to be something it's not. Aren't we trying to sneak in? Or was the plan to innocently walk up for a visit? If we're just brazenly walking through the gate, at least check it for magic or traps? I don't trust Strahd and I don't trust the Abbott)

Mordekai is still going to sneak over the wall. If no-one confronts any of them they'll regroup on the other side and Mordekai will prove to be a little paranoid. If the others raise any kind of attention, Mordekai will use it as a diversion to sneak into the graveyard.

     "If we're not calling on the Abbot himself, then we should be sneaky.  I can easily assist the two of you in climbing over before I do so myself," Ketch will point out. ((Can probably just pick up and place Meepo upon the wall...))

There are two, small, squat gatehouses on either side of the rusty gate, so it's possible someone is in there.  Climbing over the squat, 5 foot stone wall is simple enough, especially with the half-orc to help, but staying quiet is always a challenge with armor, and stone, and crumbling mortar.

Everyone roll Stealth. 

Lionel did not see the problem with the gates (if they are squeaky but open, they should squeak all the time anyway  at the slightest of wind) but did not argue. He only was not sure that noise will be less during his attempt to climb over.

Stealth: 10

(Are we all going over the wall?  Or is Lionel using the gate?)

Mordekai Stealth (with guidance): 20+3

(Over the wall. Still need check for the noise)

((If one used gate we all should...  But gates may be heavy enough that most winds do not shake them enough to make them squeal...but *shrug*))

Ketch Stealth:  6

Not as bad as I thought, but I knew I would blow it :)

Meepo stealth: 21

(I need Ulthan's roll for the party's stealth check tie breaker!)

Ulthan feels conflicted feelings for no reason at all. Ulthan matters! Luckily Ulthan is like a sleek panther made of ooze as he slinks so quietly that no one even realized he was on the other side already. Unless things go horribly, horrible wrong. 11.
The gods punish Ulthan for his continuous mockery it seems.

(To be clear, your target was a 12.  You just needed NOT a 1.  lol) 

Ulthan is the last over, and hops up onto the stone wall, supremely confident. A bit of crumbling masonry gives way under his bulk though and he comes crashing to the ground on the far side.  He stands up, abruptly, and brushes himself off.  There is a sudden stirring from each guard house and two creatures emerge. One is under 5 feet tall, and seems to prefer squating on all four rather than standing upright. He is a beardless dwarf, though has strange patches of animal fur covering his face and body.  He has a normal ear, but also what looks like a dog or wolf ear for the other, and a wolfs snout protrudes from his face in agruesome way.  He is armed with a dull looking shovel. The other looks to be female, wearing a tattered brown cloak. Also quite short, under 5 feet, the left side of her face and body are covered with lizard scales, while the right with gray wolf fur. Between the two, tufts of pale skin can be seen. One of her eyes appear feline.  The wolf snout man speaks first, "Hey, who are you now sneaking into our Abbey?  Hey, what are you all about, some thieves in the night?  And damned ugly ones by the look of you!"  The woman snears at the group, "And judgey ones too!"  She glares at Ulthan, "What are you looking at hunh?  You have a problem with something you see?"

Mordekai quickly and discreetly casts Guidance on himself and walks confidently towards them, flashing his most charming smile.  That may or may not come across as something of a leer these days. Still...

"Ah! There IS a gate! See, I knew there would be!" He turns back and winks to Lionel at this, amused by himself. "Good friends, we simply wished to visit the grave of an old ancestor, and didn't think it worth disturbing the Abbott on such trivial business. Forgive us, if we'd seen the gate, I assure you we'd have used it."

If he gets close enough he'll use his Fey Presence ability to charm them, as he speaks. 

Deception: 20 (+4 of he was able to cast Guidance discreetly enough)

Edit: just realised the Fey Presence needs to be within 10ft, which is presumably unlikely.)