Into the Mists-The Condemnation of Strahd

((OOC: AoO from who?))

https://docs.google.com/drawings/d/1xpo2cqtJHJJloYK5hOl126cm08Kbd0ORSXbl4Gb9sXs/edit

Gillain notices the last shadow attempting to flee and spots an opportunity to strike. She thrusts forward with her spear...

Attack of Opportunity: Attack: 9 Damage: 10 (magical piercing damage)  ...plus 1 (radiant damage). 

Map adjusted

Attack: 15 Damage: 5

The attacks from Farris and Gillain defeat the remaining shadow.

End of Combat.

As Ban was heading to the Northern exit something catches her eye on the east wall between where 2 skeletons rest.
She sees a raised section on the floor near that section of the wall. 

As the party disperses the last of the shadows, Ban ponders if mercy for them would have been a release or a punishment. The thought passes quick, and the eladrin jauntily retrieves her daggers. She exclaims as she claps with glee, "That was stupendous! What a show of magical strength and prowess in battle! Gillian said heroes! Are you all actually heroes?!"

Walking back to the East wall, she continues with a shrug, "I try not to specialize my skills in battle, but I'm no slouch there nor with the conscience, mind you." Ban accentuates the latter sentence with a flat metal probe she retrieves from a polished set of Thieves' Tools. As the eladrin kneels down, sliding the tool into the raised section of the wall she saw, she adds, "I'm more of your passport. Destinations, knowledge, I can take you there and more." Ban checks along the gap to see what exactly this is.

Thieves' Tools: 18

Gimble:

Recovering from the fright of the shadow surprise attack, Gimble moves over to see what Ban is doing.  He keeps his distance, but is nearby in case she needs help (advantage on Thieves Tools if you want it).

Now in the room with the statue, he considers if he has ever seen it before, especially in the context of nobility or a ruler.

History:  20

Bob lets out a whoop of triumph as his more alert companion dispatches the final shadowy figure. "I'm not sure there's such a thing as release for the dead in Barovia, but at the very least these shadows won't be haunting anyone no more." He thumps his staff on the floor with a dull thud like a sort of punctuation mark for the fight. He chuckles and puffs up proudly at Ban's exclamation, giving her a pat on the back. "I'm sure you have your own set o' skills-" 

Before he had the words out of his mouth the eladrin was fiddling with a set of thieves tools with the clear evidence of much practice. He himself had a dwarf's instincts when it came to stone despite being more of a hill-dweller so he kneels down to examine the wall and see if there was anything his dwarven eyes could see that the usually more keen eladrin's eyes might have missed. (If the dwarven racial Stonecunning would be appropriate here I'd like to make a History check on the wall to figure out how it was built and any flaws, etc.)

https://docs.google.com/drawings/d/1QSoo--8vnGNQ0cuNNrEOPjeYmnbk-P290vOIwrRw5pU/edit

Ban easily finds the machine and turns the appropriate gears to open what was once a secret door. (marked by the arrow)

The party looks inside and sees a set of stairs going up for about 10 ft. At the top of the stairs is a small landing with a ladder leading up on the east wall. Collectively the party agrees that this ladder should lead to the first floor.
The party has to make a decision.
Take the ladder up, or explore the unexplored areas of this evil dungeon.

Gimble studies the statue for a few moments. It is carved with a noble bearing. Gimble is certain there is no magic emanating from the statue but, it does make him feel a bit uneasy. Searching deep into his memory, Gimble believes this statue depicts Strahd, the ruler of Barovia. The other members of the party, some of whom have met Strahd can confirm this once they get a closer look.

Bob looks at the stones of this room and notices something's wrong. For all intents purposes, it appears to be a normally constructed basement. However, Bob's not sure but he doesn't think hands constructed this place and can't place how it was constructed.

As the final shadow falls, Gillain is breathing heavily and looking left and right to make sure there are no more threats. Eventually she stands at ease, looking in wonder at her glowing spear. The spear is faintly hissing and smoking, like it’s just been forged. “It’s never done that before! I don’t know where that came from!...”. She watches as the weapon gradually fades and the holy light subsides.

Then she looks around at each of her party members. ”Well done team! Is anyone hurt? Did they even get a hit in?!”.

OOC:  Have you guys been to the first floor of this house?

Gimble:

"This secret stairwell looks interesting, but let's take care of the chanting voices down here first--they're making it impossible to concentrate properly on anything!" Gimble complains, looking to keep going on this level and ferret out all the enemies on this level first.

((yes we just have this basement left to clear I think))

Gillain agrees, and starts to head through the northeast passage out of this chamber.

If no one else grabbed the statue’s small globe thingy she’ll grab it up before heading off.

When the mentioning of anyone hurt Tio will shake her head as he Astral form continues for the next ten minutes “I am fine but I can keep my new form up for ten minutes before it exhausts itself so we should hurry.” Tio will volunteer to go down first if no one else does.

Ban sticks a dagger between the hidden door's gears to prevent them from moving and dusts off her hands. She smirks and agrees, "Agreed on the strike then. Let's do it, if we must to escape." Ban takes out a small mirror and affixes it to a collapsing, metal, stick. The eladrin holds it up above her and whomever is closest with light and says "Smile" as she flashes their image in the reflection. 

She moves to the front and will beam a bright, flashy smile to Tio. When the group comes around corners, Ban will check around them with the mirror and quietly relate what she sees to the mysterious masked female. When we proceed on, she will fall back and repeat. 

Gimble:

Following along bravely, Gimble readies to cast destructive magic on more undead or insane cultists, as the situation demands.

https://docs.google.com/drawings/d/1A42_bLFXbeO2khPGq7y0AIi1RbHOOaHZ3Tvkg8QJ_d4/edit

Going through the exit at the Northeast corner of the Shrine Room, the party finds a tunnel that leads north, back to the intersection where the party fought and defeated 4 Ghouls. 
Further north, the party finds a set of stairs going down, leading into a T-sectioned hallway. (arrows)
To the right (going east) is a long stretch of hallway and to the left is another set of stairs leading down to a landing (going west). 
As the party approaches the stairs the chanting that has been constant throughout their exploration of this house is louder than it has been before and seems to be coming from wherever these stairs lead.

Cautiously the party navigates the stairs. 
The party comes to the landing and another set of stairs going down, to the east.
As the party navigates the passageway down the chanting becomes louder. The chanting, combined with the scents of earth and stagnant water that seem to waft up from below, creates an uneasiness within the group. 
The party comes to the end of the stairs to find themselves in a 10 ft. long x 5 ft. wide tunnel. In the end, the tunnel turns to the south to a set of stairs that descend 5 ft. 
The party descends the new set stair and the lights from their torches illuminate a 15 ft. x 25 ft. room.
The scents of earth and stagnant water are thick in this room. 
The chanting is much louder than before and the party is able to make out what the chanters are saying: 
"He is Ancient." "He is the Land" is repeated over and over in a low, almost guttural rhythm and is coming from a tunnel 5 ft. from the southwest corner of this room. 

The party uses their torches to cast a light around this room and finds the following: 

Along the walls every 5 ft. is a set of support beams. In the middle of the room stands  2 rows of support beams as well, also every 5 ft. 

The party is able to count 13 alcoves  and two tunnels exiting this room as follows:
Along the east wall, spaced apart, are 4 small alcoves.
Along the south wall, spaced apart, are 3 alcoves.
Along the west wall, the party sees 2 tunnels, one 5 ft from the northwest corner and one 5 ft. from the southwest corner. 
To the right of the northwest tunnel and left of the southwest tunnel stands an alcove. There is also an alcove between the two tunnels.
To the right of the room entrance, along the north wall are 2 alcoves.

https://docs.google.com/drawings/d/1UFIg97OGdGj6TaJ0UzNpQ9bQcdN4gMyHrTZVHoqc_Qc/edit

Gillain looks around at the party, and if there are no objections, she walks cautiously into the centre of the large, alcove-room (shield and spear at the ready) and looks all around...

Perception: 7 (passive 14)

At the same time she opens up her senses, using ‘Divine Sense’ ((sensing celestials, fiends, and undead within 60ft that are not behind total cover, and consecrated or desecrated objects and places)).