FR PbP

Silenus, the pupils of his eyes starting to dilate normally now, and his breathing coming under control, looks down at his body, as if for the first time noticing the injuries he suffered while grappling with the undead.

"A few bumps and bruises, dude, but always up for more," Silenus says and then looks up to the ceilings and shadows. "Why'd those bogus ghoulies all take off? Think they're scared? We might want to keep going if they are. If we give them time to regroup they might attack again."

(( Like the floor above it, this level feels vast. You can see the gravid ghouls retreating along the ceiling backwards, still facing you. There are stirge corpse along the floor beyond the fallen ghouls, but you don't see walls or other features yet.

Silenus looks over at the others.

"Do we go out, rest and come back with a lot more fire and light or keep pressing on?" Silenus asks.

“I say we regroup outside. Enjoy the comforts of the camp and head back in in the morning?...” Robwin looks around the group for ideas.

"I'd say that sounds like a plan, they really tore me a new one and Ydri is gone"

"Alright," Silenus says. "Let's go find some grub and somewhere cozy to take a nap."

With torch in one hand, Silenus starts retracing their steps back to the outside.

"Is there another way to get inside that doesn't go through that hella big room?" Silenus asks. "If we can sneak up on those ghoulies or take a couple of them at a time, it might go amazingly better next time."

Robwin thinks… “Hmm… we found some ways in from the top but that won’t help much with the lower floor. It’s a bit like a warren down there. I think we need a methodical approach. As long as we come off better than them each time, we’ll get there!…”.

Robwin will usher everyone back out, but try and keep to the rear so he’s still between everyone and danger. He’ll keep glancing behind and making sure nothing is following them from behind.

(( Gathering your extremely shaken Electice and Shanyria, you back out of this lower level, engaging the portcullis above the stairs, and make your way back north across the entry floor of Axeholm to the encampment baracade within. 

It hasn't been much more than a candlemark, an hour, since you delved into what the map said would be the throne hall. 

In the encampment, you can take a long rest, four hours for you meditative reverie bunch, as well as time to find food, healing, wash and plan. 

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The encampment is set up in the northwest corner of Axeholm keep's entrance floor and its mezzanine as well as outside this dwarven fortress. 

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Electice, Hill-Dwarf/Wood-Elf, Archery and Animals, Rinn's spoke w/ her. Yian & Silenus briefly interacted. Speaks dwarven and elvan  

Shanyria, Moon Elf, Alchemy, Healing. Twin Moon Elf w/ the encampment. 

Once Silenus crosses the barricade, he continues straight out of the mountain,  through the gauntlet, to the sun soaked exterior the party following. 

Breathing deeply in the sunshine and still visibly shaken by the experience, Electice say in Dwarven, "I'm not going back into this mountain. I'll... I'll go with the first available out to Phandalin or Leilon." 

Silenus smiles up at the sunshine.

"Ahh. What a totally tubular day," Silenus says, already forgetting about his injuries.

While they get cleaned up and grab some food he questions Robwin about the upper floors.

"So dude, there's no way to get from the upper floor down to somewhere behind where we were today? If we could sneak up on those gnarly ghouls, we could kill a few before those nasty big undeads come calling."

Robwin thinks on Silenus’s question about a route down from the upper floors to surprise their foes… ((@DM… would Robwin know of such a route to a new part of the basement levels from above? I forget the exact layout from what we’ve already explored)).

Robwin looks like he is about to answer, but thinks some more. “Hmmm… A sneaky back route? Hmm…”.

(( Robwin and Rinn would know the second floor - the floor above the mezzanine had a nearly vertical tunnel from the south side behind the armory. It likely comes out somewhere below the first subfloor you were on. )) 

[Edited - fixed direction to match original description]

Shanyria speaks up in Elvish, "I'll find my brother. You will need stronger aid. And we need to talk. What were those grey fiends that turned to ash? I - I thought we were finding a safe haven and...", she looks at Yian addressing her still in Elvish, "Are you well? I can bring balms and herbs or heal a bit...", looking more quickly to the rest, "any of you, of - of course." 

She waits, slightly fidgeting for any replies. 

Robwin relays the potential alternative route to the group. “We could maybe try that way in next time…”.

Silenus looks down at the bite marks and wounds that cover his upper body. He smiles over at Shanyria and speaks in Elvish to her.

"I suppose a few rad healing balms would be good. Those creepers tried to take a chunk out of my hide," Silenus says. "Not sure what those gnarly ashy ones were, but all we have to do is take them all out and this place will be home sweet home for you."

He then smiles over at Robwin.

"There we go, straight down the chimney and we catch them from behind." Silenus says then adds. "But maybe we grab some chow first."

Shanyrria reenters Axeholm and soon returns with her twin brother, Sudryl, the Half-Elf, Valindra, TT, Eline and a few dwarfs. They brought food, healing balms, wash basins, and some clean work clothes you could use while caring for your own gear. 

Eline addresses Robwin, "We barely bedded down. What's happened? You look a mess!"

(( If you have any planning or collaboration before your long rest, let me know. Otherwise we'll jump to mid afternoon.

You can find anything in the encampment under 15 gp in the pgb.

You don’t have to detail what you pick up, but record it and the reduction of gold on your character sheet. In events you 'need' something and don't have it, you'll have a 'luck' roll d20 with DC based on the item and situation. ))

During your preparation Valindra tells you, "The only reason we knew of this Axeholm is because the twins, Shanyrria and Sudryl", he gestures to them, "came looking for".

"Our relation.", Shanyrria interups. She gets a look from Sudryl, but continues producing an old parchment written in an older elven dialect. She hands it to Robwin first and continues. "The Banshee, our aunt, Vyldara, was an ambassador of our minor court. I do not know how this missive was lost, found or how she became the corruption you destroyed. I do know what we saw today is the darkest corruption of the necrotic path I have ever seen. The missive demands our court retrieve Vyldara from the Axeholm royal guard and pay reparations for her part in a coup. We had no knowledge of the loss or passage of time we have found."