Mordekai completes a breath taking speech. Each of you feels adrenalin and vigor rushing through your veins. The wind whips at your cloaks and hair, and you almost feel like an artist could paint a rendering of the great group of heroes about to go into combat against the winery full of evil druids.
Meanwhile, Rat flaps drunkenly towards the winery. He flaps up and lands on a ledge. The stable door is closed, but he hears the sound of a horse within. The loading bay is open. Parked in the loading dock is a wagon with three barrels set in braces on the bed. A raised wooden walkway runs along the west, south, and east walls. Through a hole in the ceiling Rat can see the wooden arm of a loading crane with ropes and hooks dangling from it. The loading bay is quiet. There are two doors in the back of the loading bay that lead into the winery. One has been forced open and damaged and is ajar.
The front steps lead to a door with a small window it in. Rat clambers to a ledge on the door and peers through. Strips of iron and wood lie in neat piles on the floor of this workshop, the walls of which are lined with tools. Two worktables stand against the east wall. They make barrels in this room, no one is currently here.
To the other side of the building is an open air veranda. It's covered by the 2nd floor of the winery. Resting on the flagstone veranda are three five-foot-diameter wooden tubs, their insides stained with grape juice. Each tub has a short ladder bolted to its side and a catch basin tucked underneath. At the back of the veranda is a large set of sliding wooden doors as well as a normal-sized wooden door. Stone pillars and arches support the upper floor above.
Rat flies around to the side, spotting a side door. Looking in through the damaged ajar door, he sees bare hooks that line the walls of this storage room. Shelves to the south hold several pairs of stained wooden sandals with oversized soles. Both doors to this room hang open. The outer door is fitted with iron brackets. Lying on the floor next to it is a five foot-long wooden beam. The other inner door is also ajar and leads further into the building.
The back corner of the winery is a round parapet. Rat lands on a ledge looking into a window and sees stairs that wind up to the 2nd floor, and continue down into the cellar.
An add on room to the back of the building has a window in it. The dirty window allows dim light to enter the room. Wine bottles are manufactured here, as evidenced by the tools lying about, the wooden rack full of freshly blown glass bottles along the south wall, the hearth built into the southwest corner, and the barrel of sand standing next to it. A staircase descends under ground, and between it and the rack of bottles stands a barred door that leads out to the rear of the building. Another door leads further into the winery inside, but it's closed.
The other back corner of the winery is another turret style tower with windows. Peering in, Rat sees that this turret has a sloping, wooden floor that spirals from the cellar to the upper levels. Scratch marks suggest that barrels are rolled up and down the ramp on a routine basis.
Seeing no activity down below, Rat flaps up to the top floor. Windows line all of the walls around the outside of the top floor. He flaps from window to window looking. The front windows show the top floor of the loading bay. Next to that is a master bedroom, then a small kitchen, then two other small bedrooms. Finally a chamber that has a desk, a chair, a tall wooden cabinet, and a strange contraption that takes up most of the northern end of the room. Rat spots three creatures here. One appears human but is so caked with dirt and mud that it's hard to know for sure. Her hair is full of twigs, and her face is hidden behind a veil of moss. She is rooting through the contents of the cabinet and haphazardly tossing them onto the floor. Be hind her stand two creatures made entirely of dead vines.
Other windows on the side show a hallway. The windows at the back look into the 2nd floor of the winery large fermentation room. This large two story chamber, is dominated by four enormous wooden casks, each one eight feet wide and twelve feet tall. A wooden staircase in the center of the room climbs to a ten-foot-high wooden balcony that clings to the south wall, which has four windows set into it at balcony level. The balcony climbs another five feet as it continues along the west and east walls, ending at doors leading to the winery's upper level. Underneath these side balconies are several doors, some of which hang open. Beneath the sloping roof stretch thick rafters, upon which scores of ravens have quietly gathered. A wild-looking figure hunched lounges on the balcony, her legs dangling down over the edge where she sits. She wears a gown made of animal skins and a headdress with goat horns, and her hair is long and unkempt. Rat see something skittering across the floor. It looks like a tiny creature made of twigs. It moves from its hiding place under the stairs and disappears behind the easternmost cask.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
What's the difference between a Wizard and a Sorcerer? Class.
Lionel listened, imagining the layout as Meepo was explaining it. "Sounds like we can simply walk in from the west side, clear out the small room - if we are fast it will be quiet. And then go to the big one and deal with what sounds like the man threat." "Though, talking first - kill later still can be an option."
Just to clarify, the one in the small room is upstairs in W20. You'd could get there via the loading dock, ramp up, and through the kitchen, but if you go through the west door, you'd have to go through the big room first. I'm not sure which one you're considering the threat, but the one in the big room would see you going through his room on the way to the stairs.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
What's the difference between a Wizard and a Sorcerer? Class.
The group decides to try to east door inside the loading dock, so they can sneak upstairs and approach the first druid there. The group slinks down the muddy ruts. It starts to drizzle as everyone in half crouches feels the stairs of the winery's front windows glaring at them, exposing them. With haste you all reach the building and press up against the outer wall, feet making wet splats as you pad up to the slightly raised ground around the winery covered in tufts of grass and well worn dirt. As you do so, you notice small wooden figurines, six of them, pressed in amongst a bed of flowers just beside the front steps. They appear to be in mid combat, two lay on their side just in front, discarded. Meepo picks them all up absently and tucks them into his pocket.
"Uh, guys..." says Olin as he tugs absently at Mordekai's sleeve. Everyone looks away from the loading bay which stands empty and quiet, and turns there heads to Olin. Rather than looking at the winery, Olin is staring out at the vineyards that are strewn out across the fields. Throughout the vineyards you see movement. Inhuman shapes are emerging from the vineyards, maybe three dozen, as large as a man, they seem to be made of chunks of leaves, roots, with conifer like needles growing out across their body. They emerge with little haste and begin stalking towards you. They are about 120 feet away from you, and between you. and the road away as they shuffle into the main path to block your exit.
No need to roll init, but we are now in initiative. Let me know what you do and say for your first action. If they don't start running, they'll be upon the winery in 4 rounds.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
What's the difference between a Wizard and a Sorcerer? Class.
"Agree - or we will be surrounded when those inside hear the noise." Lionel opened the door and let everyone inside, covering the retreat. "So much for "everyone in the winery". I wonder if it means we are discovered now".
A quick check of the front door determines it's barred, so you head into the loading bay quickly. There are two doors there. One leads into the main winery room with the fermentation vats and a druid, though Rat noticed it was barred from the inside. That leaves you only one option, the other door leads into a short hallway and the ramp that goes up and down. That door hangs from one hinge and has been bashed down. You probably can't close it, but you could probably sorta of push it closed and barricade the entrance.
In this short hallway, on the right is a set of double doors that are open, but undamaged, that also lead into the fermentation room. However it's under the walkway in that room, so it's possible for you to sneak past it without the druid upstairs spotting you. The ramp goes up and down.
Do you stop here and try to barricade the broken door and make a stand, or do you rush into the fermentation room where the druid is, or do you sneak past the double doors and head up the ramp or down the ramp? Or do you do something totally different? With the door open to the fermentation room, you don't seem to hear any sound of alert or commotion at this time, so unless they're quietly waiting to ambush you, they don't seem to be aware of a pending confrontation.
A mountain of a man, perhaps 7.5 feet tall emerges from the downstairs ramp. He has bloodshot eyes and a furrow on his brow. He sees you all, weapons out, ready for combat, looking around for your next move.
The Rat did not report anything about bloodshot giants (on the other hand, that walking stomps out there were also unexpected). Not to break ancient tradition, in a quiet but firm voice Lionel asked an eternal paladin's question: "Friend or foe?"
"Umm, hello. I don't really know how I got here. I had too much to drink last night and this is where I ended up. I'm Hart by the way." Hart reaches out his hand for anyone to shake it.
You see a hulking half giant, battle scarred from head to toe. Tattoos and branding that indicate that at some point he was a slave to many different masters through his life. His demeanor and voice doesn't match his appearance.
"Not a druid, then, and not a foe. At least for now," commented the young knight-like looking man who questioned Hart before. "That must have been hell of a party to wander into the druid infested territory and not to remember about it." He answered Hart's handshake. "My name is Lionel. It was nice to meet you. Now you might want to hide, Hart. It is about to become dangerous in here."
"Nice to meet you, Hart. Odd place to make new friends, but I'm not sure now's the time for a chat. Can I suggest heading upstairs? If it comes to a fight, the high ground might be useful. And I certainly don't want to be trapped in a basement with a small army of...tree-zombies?...approaching. I'm Mordekai, by the way."
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
With Mordekai's prompting, the group moves past the hulking man, the hushed exchange complete for the moment, and head up the ramp.
Hart, this group seems to have come through a door that is bashed down and hanging from one hinge. Beyond them you see a loading dock for wagons. Beyond that, out in the drizzling countryside you see vineyards and...indeed...what appears to be dozens of creatures that look like men formed from branches, twigs, clumps of grass, and covered in spiky needles. They shuffle slowly towards the building.
The group runs as quietly as possible up the ramp to the second floor. At the top of the stairs you come out into the upper floor of the loading bay. There is a wooden floor with a ten-foot-square hole cut into the middle of it. Looming over the hole is a wooden winch. Perched atop it is a man with wild hair, rotted teeth, and skin painted red with blood. He waves a gnarled staff made from a black branch and babbles at you, though doesn't appear immediately threatening. Because of his perch on the winch, Rat must have missed him when looking around.
There are four windows in this room, two to the front of the house, two to the side. There are two doors as well, both closed. The first leads into the upper level of the fermentation room. The second leads to the front hallway that takes you to the kitchen, master bedroom, and, via the kitchen, the other bedrooms.
Through the hole in the floor you can see through to the loading bay. You see the first few creatures just arriving outside of the bay.
Everyone roll init. Man with skin painted red with blood: 9. Tree zombies: 21
If you go before the man or zombies, let me know what you do.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
What's the difference between a Wizard and a Sorcerer? Class.
Mordekai completes a breath taking speech. Each of you feels adrenalin and vigor rushing through your veins. The wind whips at your cloaks and hair, and you almost feel like an artist could paint a rendering of the great group of heroes about to go into combat against the winery full of evil druids.
Meanwhile, Rat flaps drunkenly towards the winery. He flaps up and lands on a ledge. The stable door is closed, but he hears the sound of a horse within. The loading bay is open. Parked in the loading dock is a wagon with three barrels set in braces on the bed. A raised wooden walkway runs along the west, south, and east walls. Through a hole in the ceiling Rat can see the wooden arm of a loading crane with ropes and hooks dangling from it. The loading bay is quiet. There are two doors in the back of the loading bay that lead into the winery. One has been forced open and damaged and is ajar.
The front steps lead to a door with a small window it in. Rat clambers to a ledge on the door and peers through. Strips of iron and wood lie in neat piles on the floor of this workshop, the walls of which are lined with tools. Two worktables stand against the east wall. They make barrels in this room, no one is currently here.
To the other side of the building is an open air veranda. It's covered by the 2nd floor of the winery. Resting on the flagstone veranda are three five-foot-diameter wooden tubs, their insides stained with grape juice. Each tub has a short ladder bolted to its side and a catch basin tucked underneath. At the back of the veranda is a large set of sliding wooden doors as well as a normal-sized wooden door. Stone pillars and arches support the upper floor above.
Rat flies around to the side, spotting a side door. Looking in through the damaged ajar door, he sees bare hooks that line the walls of this storage room. Shelves to the south hold several pairs of stained wooden sandals with oversized soles. Both doors to this room hang open. The outer door is fitted with iron brackets. Lying on the floor next to it is a five foot-long wooden beam. The other inner door is also ajar and leads further into the building.
The back corner of the winery is a round parapet. Rat lands on a ledge looking into a window and sees stairs that wind up to the 2nd floor, and continue down into the cellar.
An add on room to the back of the building has a window in it. The dirty window allows dim light to enter the room. Wine bottles are manufactured here, as evidenced by the tools lying about, the wooden rack full of freshly blown glass bottles along the south wall, the hearth built into the southwest corner, and the barrel of sand standing next to it. A staircase descends under ground, and between it and the rack of bottles stands a barred door that leads out to the rear of the building. Another door leads further into the winery inside, but it's closed.
The other back corner of the winery is another turret style tower with windows. Peering in, Rat sees that this turret has a sloping, wooden floor that spirals from the cellar to the upper levels. Scratch marks suggest that barrels are rolled up and down the ramp on a routine basis.
Seeing no activity down below, Rat flaps up to the top floor. Windows line all of the walls around the outside of the top floor. He flaps from window to window looking. The front windows show the top floor of the loading bay. Next to that is a master bedroom, then a small kitchen, then two other small bedrooms. Finally a chamber that has a desk, a chair, a tall wooden cabinet, and a strange contraption that takes up most of the northern end of the room. Rat spots three creatures here. One appears human but is so caked with dirt and mud that it's hard to know for sure. Her hair is full of twigs, and her face is hidden behind a veil of moss. She is rooting through the contents of the cabinet and haphazardly tossing them onto the floor. Be hind her stand two creatures made entirely of dead vines.
Other windows on the side show a hallway. The windows at the back look into the 2nd floor of the winery large fermentation room. This large two story chamber, is dominated by four enormous wooden casks, each one eight feet wide and twelve feet tall. A wooden staircase in the center of the room climbs to a ten-foot-high wooden balcony that clings to the south wall, which has four windows set into it at balcony level. The balcony climbs another five feet as it continues along the west and east walls, ending at doors leading to the winery's upper level. Underneath these side balconies are several doors, some of which hang open. Beneath the sloping roof stretch thick rafters, upon which scores of ravens have quietly gathered. A wild-looking figure hunched lounges on the balcony, her legs dangling down over the edge where she sits. She wears a gown made of animal skins and a headdress with goat horns, and her hair is long and unkempt. Rat see something skittering across the floor. It looks like a tiny creature made of twigs. It moves from its hiding place under the stairs and disappears behind the easternmost cask.
What's the difference between a Wizard and a Sorcerer?
Class.
Based on the description and what you can see from here, here is the map:
W20 is where 1 druid is with 2 vine creatures.
The upstairs of W9 is where another druid is, with some hiding stick creatures down on the main floor.
What's the difference between a Wizard and a Sorcerer?
Class.
Meepo quickly details all of this to the group... Just if that needed saying.
"What do?" Meepo asks the others as he finishes.
Lionel listened, imagining the layout as Meepo was explaining it. "Sounds like we can simply walk in from the west side, clear out the small room - if we are fast it will be quiet. And then go to the big one and deal with what sounds like the man threat." "Though, talking first - kill later still can be an option."
Meili Liang Lvl 5 Monk
Dice
"No look friendly." Meepo pipes in. "One looking for something..." He adds, considering the one that was digging through the cabinets.
Just to clarify, the one in the small room is upstairs in W20. You'd could get there via the loading dock, ramp up, and through the kitchen, but if you go through the west door, you'd have to go through the big room first. I'm not sure which one you're considering the threat, but the one in the big room would see you going through his room on the way to the stairs.
What's the difference between a Wizard and a Sorcerer?
Class.
Wait, on what side of the balcony that figure sits? Though, the sound alone might be enough.
Then east door?
Meili Liang Lvl 5 Monk
Dice
The group decides to try to east door inside the loading dock, so they can sneak upstairs and approach the first druid there. The group slinks down the muddy ruts. It starts to drizzle as everyone in half crouches feels the stairs of the winery's front windows glaring at them, exposing them. With haste you all reach the building and press up against the outer wall, feet making wet splats as you pad up to the slightly raised ground around the winery covered in tufts of grass and well worn dirt. As you do so, you notice small wooden figurines, six of them, pressed in amongst a bed of flowers just beside the front steps. They appear to be in mid combat, two lay on their side just in front, discarded. Meepo picks them all up absently and tucks them into his pocket.
"Uh, guys..." says Olin as he tugs absently at Mordekai's sleeve. Everyone looks away from the loading bay which stands empty and quiet, and turns there heads to Olin. Rather than looking at the winery, Olin is staring out at the vineyards that are strewn out across the fields. Throughout the vineyards you see movement. Inhuman shapes are emerging from the vineyards, maybe three dozen, as large as a man, they seem to be made of chunks of leaves, roots, with conifer like needles growing out across their body. They emerge with little haste and begin stalking towards you. They are about 120 feet away from you, and between you. and the road away as they shuffle into the main path to block your exit.
No need to roll init, but we are now in initiative. Let me know what you do and say for your first action. If they don't start running, they'll be upon the winery in 4 rounds.
What's the difference between a Wizard and a Sorcerer?
Class.
"Inside and close doors?" Meepo asks, moving in that direction.
"Agree - or we will be surrounded when those inside hear the noise." Lionel opened the door and let everyone inside, covering the retreat. "So much for "everyone in the winery". I wonder if it means we are discovered now".
Meili Liang Lvl 5 Monk
Dice
A quick check of the front door determines it's barred, so you head into the loading bay quickly. There are two doors there. One leads into the main winery room with the fermentation vats and a druid, though Rat noticed it was barred from the inside. That leaves you only one option, the other door leads into a short hallway and the ramp that goes up and down. That door hangs from one hinge and has been bashed down. You probably can't close it, but you could probably sorta of push it closed and barricade the entrance.
In this short hallway, on the right is a set of double doors that are open, but undamaged, that also lead into the fermentation room. However it's under the walkway in that room, so it's possible for you to sneak past it without the druid upstairs spotting you. The ramp goes up and down.
Do you stop here and try to barricade the broken door and make a stand, or do you rush into the fermentation room where the druid is, or do you sneak past the double doors and head up the ramp or down the ramp? Or do you do something totally different? With the door open to the fermentation room, you don't seem to hear any sound of alert or commotion at this time, so unless they're quietly waiting to ambush you, they don't seem to be aware of a pending confrontation.
A mountain of a man, perhaps 7.5 feet tall emerges from the downstairs ramp. He has bloodshot eyes and a furrow on his brow. He sees you all, weapons out, ready for combat, looking around for your next move.
What's the difference between a Wizard and a Sorcerer?
Class.
The Rat did not report anything about bloodshot giants (on the other hand, that walking stomps out there were also unexpected). Not to break ancient tradition, in a quiet but firm voice Lionel asked an eternal paladin's question: "Friend or foe?"
Meili Liang Lvl 5 Monk
Dice
Meepo sees the giant come up and frowns. "You big..." He says as he takes in the so-tall figure. "You druid?" He asks.
"Umm, hello. I don't really know how I got here. I had too much to drink last night and this is where I ended up. I'm Hart by the way." Hart reaches out his hand for anyone to shake it.
You see a hulking half giant, battle scarred from head to toe. Tattoos and branding that indicate that at some point he was a slave to many different masters through his life. His demeanor and voice doesn't match his appearance.
"Not a druid, then, and not a foe. At least for now," commented the young knight-like looking man who questioned Hart before. "That must have been hell of a party to wander into the druid infested territory and not to remember about it." He answered Hart's handshake. "My name is Lionel. It was nice to meet you. Now you might want to hide, Hart. It is about to become dangerous in here."
Meili Liang Lvl 5 Monk
Dice
"Nice to meet you, Hart. Odd place to make new friends, but I'm not sure now's the time for a chat. Can I suggest heading upstairs? If it comes to a fight, the high ground might be useful. And I certainly don't want to be trapped in a basement with a small army of...tree-zombies?...approaching. I'm Mordekai, by the way."
Mordekai | Tiefling Warlock/Bard (Lv.12) | Pizazz's Beyond
RavenloftAnnihilation"Meepo fierce dragon..." Meepo says, then stops, deciding that his dragon roar might not be appropriate just now.
With Mordekai's prompting, the group moves past the hulking man, the hushed exchange complete for the moment, and head up the ramp.
Hart, this group seems to have come through a door that is bashed down and hanging from one hinge. Beyond them you see a loading dock for wagons. Beyond that, out in the drizzling countryside you see vineyards and...indeed...what appears to be dozens of creatures that look like men formed from branches, twigs, clumps of grass, and covered in spiky needles. They shuffle slowly towards the building.
The group runs as quietly as possible up the ramp to the second floor. At the top of the stairs you come out into the upper floor of the loading bay. There is a wooden floor with a ten-foot-square hole cut into the middle of it. Looming over the hole is a wooden winch. Perched atop it is a man with wild hair, rotted teeth, and skin painted red with blood. He waves a gnarled staff made from a black branch and babbles at you, though doesn't appear immediately threatening. Because of his perch on the winch, Rat must have missed him when looking around.
There are four windows in this room, two to the front of the house, two to the side. There are two doors as well, both closed. The first leads into the upper level of the fermentation room. The second leads to the front hallway that takes you to the kitchen, master bedroom, and, via the kitchen, the other bedrooms.
Through the hole in the floor you can see through to the loading bay. You see the first few creatures just arriving outside of the bay.
Everyone roll init. Man with skin painted red with blood: 9. Tree zombies: 21
If you go before the man or zombies, let me know what you do.
What's the difference between a Wizard and a Sorcerer?
Class.
Meepo initiative: 8