Flynt bravely opens the secret door, and you all peer over his broad dragonborn shoulder to get a look into the next room.
You've found it. The ritual chamber. The moment you have a look in the chamber, the ghostly chanting STOPS. Dead silence now.
The smooth masonry walls stand strong in this forty foot chamber. Featureless stone pillars support the ceiling, and a breach in the south wall leads to a dark cave heaped with refuse. Murky waters cover most of the floor. The water is about 2 feet deep. Stairs lead up to dry stone ledges that hug the walls. Flynt is currently on the west ledge as you can see from the map. In the middle of the room, more stairs rise to form an octagonal dais that also rises above the water. Rusty chains with shackles dangle from the ceiling directly above a stone altar mounted on the dais. The alter is carved with hideous depictions of grasping ghouls and is stained with dry blood.
You get a sense that the cultists would shackle the prisoners up high above the alter, then cut them open and allow the alter to be bathed in the blood.
Half embedded in the north wall is a wooden wheel connected to chains which clearly control the portcullis to the north.
The half submerged refuse pile to the South can be investigated further by making a Nature check.
The dais can also of course be checked out.
Or perhaps something else?
So - this is the last room... the end of this little one shot adventure draws near. It will become more clear what needs to be done I am sure once you make your next moves.....
Renny, the ritual chamber has been flooded. Likely from very slow leaks from the water deep underneath the ground. The water has accumulated over the years in this chamber. It's about 2 feet deep and basically it's like you're standing in the garbage chute on the death star. That's what the water looks like. It's disgusting.
Ignatia stepped into the chamber to the north of the doorway and surveyed the scene. She grimaced at the carvings but seemed very pleased the chanting had stopped with her vision she surveyed the refuse pile not really wanting to step into the water.
Ignatia, both you and Shae use your dark vision to try and get a better look at the huge disgusting pile of garbage or whatever the hell knows what it is... even when getting closer to the mass, it just seems like a huge gross pile of refuse.
Ignatia decided there was nothing else for it but to wade across to the altar and have a look at it....perhaps it was the source of the curse that seemed to hang over this place....well she knew Strahd was the cause...but a curse needed an anchor....
Ignatia, your intuitions prove correct... the house is definitely cursed, Strahd is definitely the cause, but what is the anchor?
You slowly make your way down the stairs, into the murky water, and then up the stairs in the middle of the chamber up to the alter. Shae is right behind you.
As soon as you reach the top of the dais, the ghostly chanting immediately comes back, louder than ever! You also notice that 13 dark apparitions appear on the ledges overlooking the room. Each one resembles a black robed figure holding a torch, but the torch's fire is black and seems to draw light into it. Where you'd expect to see faces are void.
All of the 13 apparitions now are chanting, quite loudly, over and over: "One must die! One must die! One must die!"
Anyone can make either an Insight or a Religion check to ascertain what must be done.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Ignatia sighed and looked around at the shadowy figures, " Bunch of weak-willed slack-jawed idjits you lot. Yer dead and yer still singing the praises of a god who ain't no god and who hates ye into the bargain."
" Add into that ye killed a bunch of innocent folk and the chillun up stairs because you were so deeply stupid that no matter all the evidence before ye you wanted the lie......feckin' cultists....well at least ye weren't the missionary sort. Thats the one and only mark in yer favour."
" Are ye saying now ye want me to kill one of me friends, or meself? Cos thats not gonna be happening any time soon."
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Flynt glances at the shadowy figures as "One Must Die" continues to fill his mind. He is also worried about the possibility of having to kill his one of his new friends, or himself.
Religion - 6
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
I have an intelligence of six, I know what I'm doing.
The apparitions continue to chant "One must die! One must die! One must die!" they are now screaming it at the top of their apparition lungs! It's almost deafening!
Ignatia, Flynt... both of you know exactly what's going on here.
These apparitions are former cultists. The cult of course as you know was shunned and also murdered by Strahd, ended up possessing this house. The Murder Mansion. The cult/possessed house needs to be either appeased or denied. It seems the both of you know what needs to happen to appease the cult... someone needs to die.
You also get the eerie feeling that you are being watched, but not just by the apparitions.
Strahd can see this room, and can see all of you right now. He's been watching you the whole time. Through the house. None of your characters know this however. But he can see your every move. He could care less whether the piddly little cult is appeased or denied. Either way it will be a good show for him.
Flynt, you call upon your divine sense powers, and can determine that there are no celestial, fiend or undead presences within 60 feet of you.
You do however confirm that the entire house and dungeon itself is completely possessed, and the apparitions that are surrounding you and chanting are completely harmless figments that can't be damaged, turned or dispelled.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Flynt, taking Ignatia's advice, you raise your longsword into the air and bring it down as hard as you can onto the stone altar. It bites into the stone, and it creates quite a crack down the center of the altar. (5 damage to the altar) 9
The cult and possessed Murder Mansion house view your action as hostile. It senses that you are not listening to its chants.
The chants continue, even louder and faster now: One must die! One must die! One must die!
You have only a few moments left.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
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Ignatia follows Flynt through...
Renny gets another fire bolt ready because the last time they tried a door it tried to eat them!
"No boom today. Boom tomorrow. There's always a boom tomorrow"
"No power in the 'verse can stop me"
Flynt bravely opens the secret door, and you all peer over his broad dragonborn shoulder to get a look into the next room.
You've found it. The ritual chamber. The moment you have a look in the chamber, the ghostly chanting STOPS. Dead silence now.
The smooth masonry walls stand strong in this forty foot chamber. Featureless stone pillars support the ceiling, and a breach in the south wall leads to a dark cave heaped with refuse. Murky waters cover most of the floor. The water is about 2 feet deep. Stairs lead up to dry stone ledges that hug the walls. Flynt is currently on the west ledge as you can see from the map. In the middle of the room, more stairs rise to form an octagonal dais that also rises above the water. Rusty chains with shackles dangle from the ceiling directly above a stone altar mounted on the dais. The alter is carved with hideous depictions of grasping ghouls and is stained with dry blood.
You get a sense that the cultists would shackle the prisoners up high above the alter, then cut them open and allow the alter to be bathed in the blood.
Half embedded in the north wall is a wooden wheel connected to chains which clearly control the portcullis to the north.
The half submerged refuse pile to the South can be investigated further by making a Nature check.
The dais can also of course be checked out.
Or perhaps something else?
So - this is the last room... the end of this little one shot adventure draws near. It will become more clear what needs to be done I am sure once you make your next moves.....
What would you like to do?
Renny visibly tenses when the voices suddenly stop.. making the silence creepier somehow?
"Umm.. so what now?"
Does this room look like it was meant to have water in it or has it been flooded?
"No boom today. Boom tomorrow. There's always a boom tomorrow"
"No power in the 'verse can stop me"
Renny, the ritual chamber has been flooded. Likely from very slow leaks from the water deep underneath the ground. The water has accumulated over the years in this chamber. It's about 2 feet deep and basically it's like you're standing in the garbage chute on the death star. That's what the water looks like. It's disgusting.
Ignatia stepped into the chamber to the north of the doorway and surveyed the scene. She grimaced at the carvings but seemed very pleased the chanting had stopped with her vision she surveyed the refuse pile not really wanting to step into the water.
OOC: Can DM roll Nature for me, on phone today.
Ignatia Nature Check: 9
Shae Nature Check: 20
Ignatia, both you and Shae use your dark vision to try and get a better look at the huge disgusting pile of garbage or whatever the hell knows what it is... even when getting closer to the mass, it just seems like a huge gross pile of refuse.
Ignatia decided there was nothing else for it but to wade across to the altar and have a look at it....perhaps it was the source of the curse that seemed to hang over this place....well she knew Strahd was the cause...but a curse needed an anchor....
Ignatia, your intuitions prove correct... the house is definitely cursed, Strahd is definitely the cause, but what is the anchor?
You slowly make your way down the stairs, into the murky water, and then up the stairs in the middle of the chamber up to the alter. Shae is right behind you.
As soon as you reach the top of the dais, the ghostly chanting immediately comes back, louder than ever! You also notice that 13 dark apparitions appear on the ledges overlooking the room. Each one resembles a black robed figure holding a torch, but the torch's fire is black and seems to draw light into it. Where you'd expect to see faces are void.
All of the 13 apparitions now are chanting, quite loudly, over and over: "One must die! One must die! One must die!"
Anyone can make either an Insight or a Religion check to ascertain what must be done.
Ignatia sighed and looked around at the shadowy figures, " Bunch of weak-willed slack-jawed idjits you lot. Yer dead and yer still singing the praises of a god who ain't no god and who hates ye into the bargain."
" Add into that ye killed a bunch of innocent folk and the chillun up stairs because you were so deeply stupid that no matter all the evidence before ye you wanted the lie......feckin' cultists....well at least ye weren't the missionary sort. Thats the one and only mark in yer favour."
" Are ye saying now ye want me to kill one of me friends, or meself? Cos thats not gonna be happening any time soon."
Insight/Religion:10
Flynt glances at the shadowy figures as "One Must Die" continues to fill his mind. He is also worried about the possibility of having to kill his one of his new friends, or himself.
Religion - 6
I have an intelligence of six, I know what I'm doing.
The apparitions continue to chant "One must die! One must die! One must die!" they are now screaming it at the top of their apparition lungs! It's almost deafening!
Ignatia, Flynt... both of you know exactly what's going on here.
These apparitions are former cultists. The cult of course as you know was shunned and also murdered by Strahd, ended up possessing this house. The Murder Mansion. The cult/possessed house needs to be either appeased or denied. It seems the both of you know what needs to happen to appease the cult... someone needs to die.
You also get the eerie feeling that you are being watched, but not just by the apparitions.
Strahd can see this room, and can see all of you right now. He's been watching you the whole time. Through the house. None of your characters know this however. But he can see your every move. He could care less whether the piddly little cult is appeased or denied. Either way it will be a good show for him.
What do you do?
Renny winces at the noise, watching the others and waiting to see what they think, "So... what now?!"
"No boom today. Boom tomorrow. There's always a boom tomorrow"
"No power in the 'verse can stop me"
Ps.
I don’t want to make any easy way out, so if Shae doesn’t come back, you cannot use her as a sacrifice. She will decline!
Flynt is going to use Divine Sense to detect any undead or fiend within 60 feet.
I have an intelligence of six, I know what I'm doing.
Flynt, you call upon your divine sense powers, and can determine that there are no celestial, fiend or undead presences within 60 feet of you.
You do however confirm that the entire house and dungeon itself is completely possessed, and the apparitions that are surrounding you and chanting are completely harmless figments that can't be damaged, turned or dispelled.
One must die! One must die! One must die!
" Flynt? Can you smash the hell out of this altar?"
Flynt thinks about it for a moment and hits his sword on the altar.
Attack: 20 Damage: 7
I have an intelligence of six, I know what I'm doing.
Flynt, taking Ignatia's advice, you raise your longsword into the air and bring it down as hard as you can onto the stone altar. It bites into the stone, and it creates quite a crack down the center of the altar. (5 damage to the altar) 9
The cult and possessed Murder Mansion house view your action as hostile. It senses that you are not listening to its chants.
The chants continue, even louder and faster now: One must die! One must die! One must die!
You have only a few moments left.