Pizazz's Ravenloft and Beyond

Mordekai continues to rain eldritch energy on the creature from above.

Attack: 12 Damage: 15

Attack: 24 Damage: 11

(Since the dice roller overlay is back working again, I included the Hex damage in those dice rolls - not that I think damage type is an issue here anyway, and it makes it simpler in the case of a crit.)

The creature doesn't survive Lionel's strikes and the creatures body collapse before the group in a heap of dead sinew, bone and gnarled flesh.

Mordekai stands atop the wall.  The rest stand on ground level.  The portcullis finishes closing.  It sure took a while.  Good thing it didn't get in the way of the battle.  *eye roll, face palm*

The rope hangs from the spike.  It's quiet here, aside from the steady thrum from the green flame and the howling of the blowing wind.  You are all still frigid in this weather, despite the warm rush your received from battle.  Maybe standing in the green flame for a few moments might warm you up. 

Lionel let the blade disappear and breathed a sigh of relief. "Cursed place! Would not want to stay here a moment longer. Anyone needs help with climbing that rope?" He himself returned on the wall, much preferring traditional ways of worming himself up.

Mordekai looks over the other side of the wall to see what he can see.  He remembers seeing arrows hitting the creatures from that side of the wall, and looks to see more specifically where those arrows may have come from.

(Perception: 13)

Meepo and his zombies climb up and over the wall with the others.

Mordekai glances around in the darkness. The tower top with crenelations seems clear, the dark windows of the 2nd floor of the tower seem clear, and the bottom floor door looks to be open slightly. 

Lionel clambers up the wall next to Mordekai, followed by Ismark, the human warrior. Olin is next, with his long spear he climbs awkwardly, his face blank as he looks about. Then the black haired elf Kasimir who looks about, a troubled look on his face as he scans the scene.  Finally Meepo, the small kobold, and two undead zombies pull themselves onto the wall.  The rope is tossed down the far side by Lionel, the armored blonde knight, who clambers down onto the wind swept icy gravel road before the white tower.  Mordekai, his tiefling horns just poking from his head climbs down next. Ismark is next, and then Kasimir.  Then Olin.  Finally Meepo and then his two undead servants clamber down the rope. A few minutes later, everyone is up and over the wall.  Meepo's undead cat appears at the top of the wall, and leaps over and chews at the knot for a while.  Eventually the rope slides down onto the icy ground.  It's gathered up and put away.  The black wall and green flame is now at your backs. 

The road continues along the mountain side in a rough bend to the left. The ancient white tower clings to the edge of the cliffside on your right.  There's no sign of whomever was firing arrows from over here.  The towers windows are dark.  The heavy door at its base sit's open slightly. 

Lionel glanced at the door: "If not out curiosity, then for the sake of survival we might check the tower. A night outside might as well kill us."

The group moves cautiously towards the tower door. The old, iron bound wood door stands open slightly and the group pushes it open to peer within.  A ash and ember filled hearth stands across from the door, the wind howling down its chimney stirring up small wiffs of smoke. A makeshift spit sits inside it made from bone, sinew, and wood.  Its scorched and has fresh grease along the main spit. Bits of charred and broken animal bones are scattered amongst the ash and fire. A stone staircase is on the south wall. Three windows look out over a black night and a sea of fog.  Bits of mud and ice are scattered about the floor and there is minimal dust. This room appears to be recently used.  On the floor on the north side of the room, the massive stones are engraved with arcane markings. They don't mean anything to Meepo.  

The group cautiously investigates up the stairs.  The upper level of the tower is an icebox with windows set in almost every wall. A rusted iron ladder bolted to the floor and ceiling leads up to a wooden trapdoor. Mounted above the stone hearth is a dire wolf's head. The wind coming down the chimney howls in its stead.  This room appears much more dusty.  Though shows signs of recent use, it's not nearly so much as the lower floor. Your breath emerges in white plumes as you pass through this cold room. 

Checking the final part of the tower, you cautiously investigate up the ladder.  Pushing the trap door open with a squeal, you access the roof.  Ten-foot-tall, gold-plated statues stand atop the battle­ments, facing outward. Each one depicts a female hu­man knight holding a lance. The cold wind stirs the snow, under which you see human skeletons clad in rusty mail.

You look around each place but find not much else of interest.  Eventually you return to the main floor room of the tower, the only one that isn't freezing. 

Mordekai casts Mage Armor on himself and goes carefully to investigate the fireplace. Are the embers still hot? 

Meepo would first cast animate dead on the skeletons above. Raising two to serve him.

downstairs he would do a ritual casting of comprehend languages to see if it helps with the magical markings he spotted earlier.

Lionel will look around in search for something that can be used as firewood - to warm up the place. (What can I say - he loves himself a nice fire)

Meepo doesn't bother with the magical markings. They're not letters or anything, just some engraved designs into the floor. They could be anything.

Mordekai examines the fireplace.  It's been dying for several hours, probably since an hour or two before dark, but it's still warm.  Embers still glow amidst the ash. 

Two snow crusted skeletons pry their frozen forms off of the floor of the towers top.  Meepo now has 2 skeletons and 2 zombies.  (But, you'll have to cast 2 spells to stop them all from going free after 24 hours, yes?)

A stack of firewood is next to the fireplace. Branches and deadfall. He begins stoking up a fire with it, and soon the temperature in the room is nice and toasty, holding back the icy cold weather outside.  

Quote from NathanPizazz >>

Meepo doesn't bother with the magical markings. They're not letters or anything, just some engraved designs into the floor. They could be anything.

Mordekai examines the fireplace.  It's been dying for several hours, probably since an hour or two before dark, but it's still warm.  Embers still glow amidst the ash. 

Two snow crusted skeletons pry their frozen forms off of the floor of the towers top.  Meepo now has 2 skeletons and 2 zombies.  (But, you'll have to cast 2 spells to stop them all from going free after 24 hours, yes?)

A stack of firewood is next to the fireplace. Branches and deadfall. He begins stoking up a fire with it, and soon the temperature in the room is nice and toasty, holding back the icy cold weather outside.  

 One casting of animate undead reasserts control over up to 4 undead.

So it does, brilliant!

Are you spending the rest of the night here then?   Watches?   Ismark frowns at the rotting zombies as the warmth in the room begins to rise.  He sniffs a bit.  Finally, he turns to Meepo, "They smell bad, do you think you could put them somewhere else while we sleep?" 

"Meepo no mind." Meepo says, giving a sniff.  "No smell bad as Rat..."  He nods to his familiar.  With a shrug though he sends the zombies to wait up on the roof area.

Meepo casts Leomund’s Tiny Hut as a ritual.

Meepo take care of us tonight." He says as the hut takes shape.

"Neat trick!" Lionel was as tired as everyone else, even his (generally moderate) curiosity could wait until morning, and safe space to sleep without worrying about sudden attack was a very welcome sight. "Good night, everybody. Wake me up if anything happens. Anything needing some bashing, I mean." Whit that paladin allowed his tired and quite beaten body to get some rest.

Everyone sleeps well inside the hut, knowing they're safe from enemies at least for the evening. The next morning you awake. A steady snow fall fills the air and the fierce wind continues, icy and stiff. The sea of fog remains below the mountain heights. Through the snow, but with the light of day you can see the path clings to the side of the mountain for perhaps another two hundred feet before it runs into a stone bridge that reaches across a deep chasm between the mountain cliffs. At each end of the bridge is a thirty-foot tall, thir­ty-foot wide stone arch. Atop each one are two statues of armored knights on horseback with lances, charging toward one another. The wind bites and howls like wolves as it passes through the gorge.  Everyone bundles up tight in preparation for your continued winter journey into the snowy mountains. 

I was a good rest! And really needed after yesterday battle. But if those monstrosities they fought yesterday was of any indication, they have not even started yet. Amber Temple had to be a particularly nasty place.

"Kasimir, do those knights figures depict someone famous or their role is only decorative one?" Lionel did not rush at the bridge, remembering the tower entrance. "Or this bridge did not exist either when you last time visited the Temple?" Lionel was not making fun of the dusk elf, but was genuinely curious. And somewhat hopeful - if the bridge was familiar to Kasimir, probably those statues were just that -  decorations made of stone, with no danger to turn into animated nightmare.