Pizazz's Ravenloft and Beyond

     “Do we have a Pugh torched to give one to each skeleton?  May help burn off the fog and wave off the bats?” Ketch asks while checking his own supply.

(Ketch has 10... shall we equip them up?))

Ketch hands out burning torches to each skeleton, except the one Meepo rides.  Then, sending the skeleton ahead, with Lionel behind, the group trudges up the stairs.  At the top, there is the hallway that runs to the right.  The group follows the torch wielding skeleton down the passage, Lionel ten feet behind.  The group waves the torches at the fog along the ground, seeing momentary glimpses of the stone floor as the mist swirls about.  

Lionel is walking along, watching the foggy floor suspiciously, but nothing untoward has befallen the skeleton so far so it ...... <click>.......  damn.

The floor under Lionel gives way, and he drops out of view through the fog, into a large hole in the ground.  He finds himself sliding down a chute lined on all sides with slick marble. The group rushes forward to see the marble chute and seeing Lionel's head disappearing down it. 

"Bad traps..." Meepo grumbles as the Lionel falls away. He calls on Rat to fly downa nd see how far down this slide goes, thinking they might be able to get a rope down to the Lionel.

((What are the dimensions of the chute?  Width and height, we won’t know length until at least Lionel finds the end...And just how steep?))

     Ketch listens intently to Lionels descent, trying to gage the length of the scream how long the drop my be, kind of like dropping a stone into a well.  At the same time he’s casting his eyes about, keeping watch for anything that may seize on the opportunity to strike.

All Lionel could do is to try to slow the fall, stretching his hands and pressing hills into the marble (Athletics: 25 )

The chute is 5 feet by 5 feet, making attempts to brace against it's edges for the dwarf all but impossible. Even if he could though, it's very steep, 45 degrees, and the marble is so slippery and well put together that there are no handholds. You're not sure the worlds finest thief could ascend this without a rope or magical aid.  It descends about 80 feet, the bottom of the chute slips open revealing one of the water logged cells from the jail.  The dwarf is dumped into the 5 feet deep water, the trap door at the bottom slamming shut a moment later. The trap door here begins to lever back up into place. 

Lionel goes splash, landing in the deep water of a cell......the water goes at least a foot over his head as he stands on the bottom in his heavy armor....

"Hmm. I think we might be better one of us actively checking for traps than sending skeletons ahead to just trigger them. Wait here, I'll go and get him. But we're going to need a short rest soon. Is there anywhere we think might be remotely safe for that?"

Leaving the others to think about a safe place to take a rest soon, Mordekai jumps down the chute after Lionel. When he gets to the bottom, he'll grab Lionel and Dimension Door the two of them back to the group. 

     "Well, we can't just lose the dwarf!" Ketch will yell, climbing into the chute.  Ketch will use two of his hand axes to try to dig into the marble to at least try to slow his descent a bit.... But he goes down feet first, on his belly, axes wedged into the corners of the chute to create as much drag as possible.  He screams "Look out beloooooooooooooooooow!" the entire way down so as to hopefully not land upon Lionel's head.

((Indeed, I typed too slow!))

Ketch is about to leap into the chute after the dwarf, but the Tiefling is just a bit quicker, leaping down the chute himself.  A moment later Mordekai and Lionel, and a goodly amount of water appear in the tunnel near the group.  They are both sopping wet and water pours from their clothes and bodies.  Lionel takes an explosive breath after holding his breath for a few moments.  

The trap slowly closes.  

     "We could always retreat to the stairwell and rest there," Ketch would suggest.  "Some of Meepo's handy and reliable skeletons standing sentry far enough away to give plenty of warning of intruders?"

(Lionel is grateful nevertheless :) )

*cough* "hack* *cough* Lionel finally got last drops of water from his lungs. "Thanks. Does this bloodsucker has that bloody traps in every bloody room of his bloody "castle"?!" If Lionel ever had any hint of regrets or doubts about his crusade - it was completely gone by now. Strahd had to die! "I think I can move now. But probably skeletons better check out every stone first?"

"It is me that needs to rest, friend, if I am to use any bigger spells in an emergency."

"Let's retreat and rest then," agreed Lionel ready to follow.

You head back to the stairs and sit down to take a bit of a rest. 

 The skeletons keep watch above and below the stairs while the group sits along the stairway.  The fog slowly tumbles down from the hallway above, but evaporates fully before reaching the brazier room where warm dry air flows up the stairway from.  Ten minutes have passed when one of the skeletons at the top of the stairs turns and snaps it's bony fingers, and points down the hallway.  Rat scampers to the top and peers around the corner. Moving down the hallway are 5 shadows that lay against one wall. However there is noone casting the shadows, they're simply on the wall moving down the hallway and are just about at the top of the stairs. 

“Skeletons no trigger trap.”  Meepo pointts out, as several skeletons moved across the very area the Lionel fell through when the trap was triggered.  “Maybe trap only trigger for living...”  He shrugs, but moved with the ohters to rest.

When his skeleton indicates the shadows, Meepo has Rat take a look, to see if anything invisible is there.

     "Trick of the lights," Ketch mutters.  "We're resting.  Surely nothing could go wrong..."

Nope, Rat sees nothing invisible.

"Or I am too heavy," sighed Lionel discussing traps.

It was good to rest a bit (if a touch too wet) but to hope for the whole hour of peace and quiet in this place was naive. "Shadows... Tricks of the light..." Lionel moved up the stairs activating the sword the top (with a common warning to Meepo now, though, undead friend was probably safe down there). He mostly wanted to see those shadows in a sunlight.

Lionel heads up to the top of the stairs, turning the corner enough that Meepo wouldn't get the full brunt of the sunlight, and lifted up the hilt of the sunblade, activating it.  Light washes through the hallway and illuminates 5 dark shapes are smeared on the side of the wall. They seem to waver in the light, but are still there.  They seem to leap off of the wall and dive at Lionel. 

Initiative everyone!

Shadows : 14

If you go before the Shadows, take your turn.

Manipulated Dice rolls?!?  Lier, i did not!  I just deleted a period in the sentance above!  Anyway, they got 14. 

Lione Initiative 16

Wet bruised dwarf now got into shadow fighting. And shadow was winning...