Pizazz's Ravenloft and Beyond

2. 20

The one with the wolf snout responds, his voice full of gravel and snarl, "Well, be that as it may, that ain't how things work around here. You seem all nice and well mannered...but no one outsmarts the smartest guy around. Me. So...now you know, that's all well and fine, all visitors must see the Abbot. That's my job and that's what you gotta know. But, bein nice and all, we'll overlook your mistake. You lot just follow me and Zygfrek and we'll take you to him." 

A little hard to follow, and clearly preoccupied with, himself, but he seems intent on making sure you follow. 

Zygfrek glances at Lionel who makes brief eye contact with her, "You see something you gotta a problem with dwarf?  Maybe I should judge you and your beard if you're going to look at me and make your own judgements so hastily!"

     Ketch grunts and dusts himself off.  “I told you there had to be a gate!  It is beneath my dignity as a holy man to be climbing over walls when there is a perfectly fine gate to be using!”

     In general, Ketch does all he can to aid Mordekai’s deception...

Were those dice rolls insight checks or Saves against the charm effect? If just insight, then at this point, Mordekai does get within 10ft of then both and use his Fey Presence ability to charm them (DC16 WIS save).

"Now, my fine friend, there is really no need to disturb the Abbott. We will only be a moment, just to see if the grave is there and pay or respects. All we wish is an undisturbed moment, and in return we'll give the Abbott an undisturbed evening, rather than deal with the bother of us all intruding on his comfort. What do you say? Turn a blind eye to us, and we'll be gone in a moment."

(they were charm saves, which they both failed)

The wolf snout man snorts, "Would that I could friend, but orders are orders and there's no doubt about them.  And I wouldn't want to be accused of having a blind eye, since I'm the best most aware watchmen in this whole place. What could be worse than to be found incompetent?  Nothing, especially when you're actually better than everyone else."

The girl growls, "Otto, no one judges you more harshly than a friend, and they be judgin us right now!"

He snorts back, "You maybe, but me, obviously, am above such judgement, it's clear to see. Handsome, smarts, and good looking never looked as good as somethin...." his words trail off having lost cohesion.  He shakes his head, "This way."  Their breath plumes in the cold air and their feet crunch as they walk across the snow littered ground.

To the right you see stunted pine trees grow out of the rocky earth in the graveyard near the foundation of the abbey's north wing. The windows of the structure are cracked panes of leaded glass. Ancient gravestones burst from a thin crust of snow in the yard. Beyond the low wall that surrounds the graveyard, the ground falls away. The village lies four hundred feet below, and the view would be lovely, were it not for the blanket of fog obscuring everything.

They make towards an entrance to the Abbey's courtyard. From here you can see a fifteen-foot-high curtain wall joins the abbey's two wings. Behind its battlements, two guards stand at attention, their features obscured by fog. Below them, set into the wall, is a pair of ten-foot-tall, wooden doors re­inforced with bands of steel. To the right of these doors, mounted on the wall, is a tarnished copper plaque that reads, in pitted old metal inscribing, "May her light cure all illness."

Otto looks back to see if you're following. (you're at S6 on the map. He's leading you towards S10, where the plaque is. And the graveyard is S7. Apologies to Meepo who can't read the map, but it's not super germain, just gives a better idea of the layout than I can with words.) 

Lionel had enough time to collect himself and do not rush with making salad out of these two abominations (truly, a natural reaction,t nothing more). He answered with a palace-worthy politeness. "Would never think  to be judgemental in any form. Was contemplating shaving for a while now myself. Glad to see I am not alone in my desire."

He even gave a perfectly polite smile, letting Maordekai to work his charm.

Meepo shrugs and moves with the others, taking several steps after the pair of guards, as he looks over a shoulder to see if his companions are following.

As walking Ulthan tells the woman "hrmpfh yeah problem woman need good pelts and furs not burlap sack hrmpfh"

"And what better mark of competence for a guard than to deal with visitors such as ourselves with initiative rather than disturb the master of the house, so to speak? Such action would indeed prove your intelligence and competence - which it is clear, are truly without equal."

Mordekai turns to his companions and says quietly. "We could always just turn back and ...leave by the gate... rather than disturb the Abbott." The pause, he hoped would give indication to his friends that he had more in mind.  "Unless you think we may as well meet the man himself? He's not what we came for, but our very competent new friend seems to be giving us no choice. Do we just go along with it?" 

"I do not see why not visit the kind Abbot." Actually, Lionel could name two right now - they were waking in front of the group, but they came here anyway, the guards now were aware of their existence, and they wanted to see the graveyard at all, it seemed the meeting was inevitable. Then why not now?

(Roll Persuasion vs. 18 to convince him if you wish.)  (Nevermind, you can't fail.) 

He stops and thinks this through. "Yes of course. And of course I already knew that. I was just thinking that myself, but didn't want to make my stupid companion feel like an idiot."  The half wolf half lizard 'girl' glares at him.

"I have decided that it's best we not bother the Abbot with your visit when I can show you the way." 

He abruptly turns right and leads the group into the graveyard.  You begin moving through the gravestones, seeing them engraved with various names. What are you looking for? 

"a grave to the west, with roses that never die" - most likely so roses on the tombstone but any "undying" flowers are worth attention.

     "Is there perhaps a particular grave with flowers engraved upon it?" Ketch asks, pondering the phrasing for the first time...

Otto scoffs, "Of course, one as intelligent as I have them all memorized. It's just that perhaps you should look yourself. I like people to do things themselves so they don't become too dependent upon my brilliance."

Zygfrek snorts, "I spend much time here. There are four with flowers carved on them.  Brother Mar­tek, Brother Valen, Sister Constance and Petrovna."  She walks you around showing you each, until you find the one carved with Petrovna. The gravestone bears a 3-inch-diameter sun-shaped indentation on its surface. Engraved beneath the indentation is the name.

You hear sounds of commotion within the abbey's main curtain wall then. Hooting, hollering, and all manner of animal noises from excited creatures can be heard. Otto mutters, "The Abbot comes...."

Mordekai quickly finds the Holy symbol. "Touch it to the grave," he wonders. The thought occurs to him that this Abbott's presence could be construed as such, by all accounts, but he dismisses the thought as his own desire to find some kind of poetic meaning to the words. He holds out the holy symbol towards the indentation on the gravestone to see if it fits. 

The holy symbol matches the indent perfectly.  As Mordekai holds the symbol against the spot, both the indentation, and the symbol vanish. From the black sky above, a ray of golden sunlight breaks through the dark night time clouds from the west and shines upon the grave. The fog and the gloom shrink from its brilliance as the sunlight causes the grave­ stone to crack and crumble, revealing a ring within.   Then the light is gone.

The creatures with you cowered away from the bright light and gasp as the grave stone crumbles. 

"My gosh, I was expecting that to happen, but still....quite brilliant..." mutters Otto.

Zygfrek gathers her cloak about her, afraid that someone may have looked too closely at her and judged her...given the sudden bright light.

Mordekai basks in the glorious sunlight for the fleeing moment, not normally one to do so, but having not seen such sun in so long, the relief it brings is indescribable. As it fades, he winces slightly, as all hope gone of going unnoticed. But even if they still had wanted to go unnoticed, that brief sunshine was worth it. Mordekai picks up the ring and looks it over. (Presumably it's just a ring until we can properly identify it?)

"Meepo think leave now?" Meepo suggests, glancing to where the sounds had come from, wondering how long before the leader of this place arrived. "Meepo think maybe not good idea meet abbot..."

     “You expected...  that??” Ketch asks, alarmed and slightly angered.  His hands had instinctually gone to his weapons when that all had started and were still there.  “Perhaps a little warning next time, huh?  Or, by Gruumsh, I’m as apt to behead a person as wet myself!”

     Once over being startled, Ketch looks around their surrounding again.  “And the quickest way to depart here would be...” He’s mainly asking himself but totally open to input.

"Thank you both most kindly for your competent, intelligent, and..." Mordekai deliberately makes eye contact with Zygfrek here, "...truly beautiful help.  You are both an inspiration to guards everywhere.  Now, to help you avoid disturbing the Abbott, I think we should take the quick exit from here.  Farewell."

With that, Mordekai moves briskly to the nearest point of the wall and climbs over.

 I guess Lionel follows, making a notice about light sensitivity of the aberrations in this place.