Pizazz's Ravenloft and Beyond

     Ketch dodges and weaves and evades the further attacks from the wolf spiders.  Before Ketch can even choose which weapon to wield against them, his companions have cut them down and they all lie squashed and sliced and diced.

     “I’m not cleaning that up,” Ketch complains as he continues his walk around.  He shares the information he is able to garner with everyone else until the spell finals fades.

     “I’m not usually one to ransack the dead, but I also am not afraid to do it in a pinch.  We’re wandering a vampires castle with no clue how to get out, how to defeat him or even what we’ll face before we even get to him.  I think we can use any advantage we can find, no matter where it comes from...”

As they move around Meepo will try to summon some of the skeletons to add to the ones already following him.

(Confirmed : Ketch has thighbone.  Mordekai has holy symbol.) 

The wolf spiders, slain quickly, are also now covered in an icy frost and filled with several arrows.  The skeletons conveniently retrieve their arrows from the dead bodies. 

Meepo conveniently finds several skeletons in the crypts that he can raise to bolster his numbers.  Though, the new skeletons are lacking weapons, except what you find in these crypts.

 ((assuming nobody want to rest to get to know the amulet or anything...))

   “Knowledge is power, as Gruumsh... well he never actually said that but still...” Ketch let’s the comment trail off and heads towards Crypt 25.  
     “Be on guard, I sensed some small whiff of necromancy Magic’s inside this one...”  once the rest are position, Ketch will start opening this crypt.

The bats continue to flutter above. Some guano drops onto Mordekai's shoulder.  The floor, partially natural stone and partially massive flagstone bricks is barely visible through the slippery guano covered floor.  Darkness stretches off in all direction between the massive hollow supporting pillars that are the crypts. Ketch brings you all over to "Stefan Gregorovich: First Counselor to King Barov van Zarovich"...and glances around, seeing if his allies are indeed ready.  Then he pushes the heavy stone door open, putting his shoulder into it.  It grinds open slowly revealing the dark ten by ten space within. A skeleton draped in rags lies atop a marble slab in the center of the crypt. Most of the bones appear dusty and neglected, but the skull is well polished.

     "Hello?  Are we disturbing you?" Ketch asks, only partially in jest.  

     After a moment, if no reply, Ketch will step slowly in, trying to get a closer look at the skull.  Is it bone?  It it natural? Anything carved into it?

The skull, perhaps not entirely surprisingly, responds to Ketch, "Hello!  Of course you are disturbing me!  But, if I do say so, not all disturbances are negative and I must say it's nice to have someone to talk to, even if I can't see you." 

As it talks, the jaw bone moves open and closed, but the skull doesn't float or anything, so it just sort of wobbles around staring at the ceiling. It seems to be natural, a normal bone skull, except that of course it's talking.  There doesn't appear to be anything carved into it that you can see from this angle. 

The skull continues, "Of course my time is limited and you have used up one of your questions now...so...you know, I must say, make the best use of your time as it were." 

     ((I suppose it best I not point out that Ketch asked hello, didn't just say it....))

     "Um... well...  Yes. I see.  Apologies for the disturbance, we were unsure what we would find here.  And please pardon a very slight delay, I believe it best I consult with my companions before blundering through any more questions..." Ketch says slowly, carefully watching his words so as to ensure they do not comprise a question in any sense.

     Ketch will step back out of the crypt, ushering the others out in front of him.  "Well, I certainly didn't expect that," he admits.

     He quickly follows that up with a warning. "Careful, careful!  Our words and discussion must be careful. We don't want to accidentally ask anything to one another and be overheard and lose more chances at knowledge... From what I know of this type of thing we will have about four questions to ask before the skull will speak no more.  We must choose them carefully.  But we also cannot blindly believe the answers we get."

     "Now if you think you have a question that should be asked, tell me what the question is.  Do NOT ask the question," Ketch says this with emphasis. "State the question... Such as 'I believe we should ask if they know how many toes a chicken has.'"

"I know that one!!  I know that one, ask me that one!" says the skull from within the crypt behind you. 

"Would not me my first choice for a question," admitted Lionel who looked at the chatting skull disapprovingly (at least Meepo's undeads were quiet), "though has some potential. Do you think ..." He interrupted himself to rephrase the potential question. "I think we would like to know the best way to defeat Strahd once and for all. Something in that direction."

Mordekai leans in and talks quietly. "If, as you say, we should not immediately believe the answers, our first question should be one we know the answer to. His name, for example. That would be a natural and innocent question to ask, and would give us a gauge of his truthfulness. Although perhaps it would be better to find out how much he actually knows, rather than how truthful he would be. I'm not sure how we do that though.

I don't know how much information he could give us, given how long he has presumably been dead, except for maybe some tales about Strahd's younger years. He may know information about the castle and its layout though. Those would be the two main areas he might be useful in, but I don't know specifically what questions would help us."

     "It's not a case of always or never deceiving us. It has free will, or it's fashion of it at least," Ketch explained. "It can choose how honest or not, how helpful or hinderful. And it may not know a thing past the time of it's death..."

     Ketch turns to face the skull... "What do you know of the current state of Strahd and Barovia?" Ketch asks, suddenly.

"Hmmm, well, that's an interesting question. Very very interesting. And, the answer is, absolutely, without doubt.  Yes.  I do think.  I'm sorry.  Was there another question?  Oh, yes...right, current state of affairs.  Well, I am rather stuck down here, so I only really learn from those doomed souls that wander through here.  Strahd is less than forthcoming, the little so and so. I did hear that there was an uprising!  And that it was promptly put down.  I heard that a great mage came and fought Strahd.  And then...was put down.  Oh, and there was this Paladin that came through this one time.  He told me the wine from the vineyards was doing well and created three lovely vintages. Later...he was put down.  But, if you're all arguing about what to ask me, the best questions may not be which wench is dating the head of the town guard in Vallaki...but I was alive when this castle was built and do know an extensive amount about it." 

Ulthan shrugs, fully confident in the group's ability to ... sadly he loses his train of thought as he notices a bat paying way too much attention to the group and stares back into its eyes.

Meepo stays back and lets the others think of quesitons, since he doubts if anyone wants him to ask about lost things...

     "Oohhhhh kay," Ketch says slowly, trying to sort that out in his head.  "Well then, what are you willing to tell us of this castle and it's secrets?"

     Even while asking the question, Ketch was wondering about the skull itself.  It was clean. Polished.  Maintained.  He wondered if it was more than the magics letting him answer these questions, maybe he was a constant source of information.  Typically such things could answer questions only once and then be done, but this skull talks as if it's done so before and before.  Perhaps it can be consulted once a day, or week or something, perhaps some enduring enchantment.  Anyway, best to get out of it what he could, if they survive they could always check on this again later...

"hrmpfh Ulthan remembers not if we found funny man or bride hrmpfh"

"If you mean Pidlwick's crypt - no, we did not find it yet, Ulthan. Though you are right, the ghost said there is some reward in it... Ketch, it might be wort to ask our new bony friend where the thing is. Would work as a test too, I'd say." Talking about someone even if it is "something" as if "it" was not present was strange but Lionel followed Ketche's request as best he could.

The skull confidently states "I am willing to tell you anything I know!  Next question!"

At this answer Mordekai loses patience with the skull and goes carefully to investigate the inscriptions on the remaining crypts.