"Alright, everyone in position,"Ezmerelda checks. "Next time it flashes red, Dadeveth. Here, we go! Now!" she yells as she shoots a fire bolt at the fire rune on the door. This is quickly followed by Dadeveth's Prestidigitation spell, frosting the cold rune.
The runes flash a deep blue before turning red and disappearing. After the runes have disappeared the disk in the centre of the door turns and fades away to reveal a large metal ring-handle.
"Looks like it worked," Ireena says hopefully, "but how do we tell?"
Sandu - Through your detect magic spell you are able to determine that whatever magic traps that were in place are currently dormant, they will not trigger should the door be opened.
Ezmerelda smiles broadly. "Only one way to find out. Does anyone want to give the handle a turn?"she questions.
In between Ezmerelda's warning shout and the runes flashing bright Sandu had no time to dive behind the wagon for safety. The best he could do was to close his eyes and hope that, should it go wrong, it would at least be quick. One second passed. Then another. After five had passed Sandu opened his eyes again. He did not feel burned, nor did he taste or smell fire. All things considered, he was still very much alive. Sandu raised a fist in triumph. It seemed that it had worked. 'Hells yeah!'
He was still a bit hesitant to just walk up to the door. His magical senses told him that the magic was currently dormant but that did not mean that could still not be a mechanical trap. He told Ezmerelda as much. 'The magic is dormant but what if there still is something like a tripwire or something? That when we pull open the door,' Sandu mimed the gesture of putting his hand on the handle and turning and pulling it, 'something terrible lunges at us. A scythe or something. Wizards are a paranoid bunch, let me tell you...'
Unbeknownst to Sandu, who was espousing the notion that all wizards were some degree of crazy, a translucent skeletal had appeared out of nowhere right next to the door. It mimicked Sandu's own hand movements and grabbed the handle to turn and pull it.
Sandu unknowingly casts Mage Hand and uses it to open the door.
Tentatively the translucent skeletal hand turns the handle and pulls. The door slowly opens, letting out a loud creaking noise as it goes. Nothing. Moments go by, still no noises, no traps, no monstrous creatures... Nothing.
Having followed the party's lead up until this point, Ezmerelda pokes her head from cover and walks towards the open doorway. "Looks like it's safe enough. Great work everyone!"she says as she steps through to the tower's interior.
Inside the tower, the flagstone floor is strewn with debris, and a few old crates stand near the east wall. A torn curtain to the south partially obscures the tower vestibule. A five-foot-square indentation in the centre of the floor contains four pulleys attached to taut iron chains that stretch up through a similarly sized hole in the rotted wooden ceiling. Standing next to the chains are four tall clay statues.
"What now?" Ireena hisses under her breath to the party.
"We enter a wizard's tower." Dadeveth says with a frown at the place. She grits her teeth and clomps forward, following the woman inside. She keeps a wary eye on the statues in the center, half-expecting them to come to life and attack. "I imagine there are other traps, just in case the door trap was circumvented." She warns the others. To herself she thinks, At least that is what my family would have done...
Galqarin sheepishly uncoils from his hiding place behind the wagon and follows the others into the tower. Curiously he touches one of the statues ((how does it feel? Is it realistic or ornate?)), twitches the curtain to see if anything is hidden behind it and gives an experimental tug on the chains.
"Nice tricks,"Cerio mutters as he steps cautiously into the tower's interior. He looks past the curtain into the vestibule, but doesn't step inside just yet. Instead, he looks up and around, allowing the tendrils of his consciousness to creep up along the walls, like ivy, probing for the presence of a mind unseen.
(Cerio casts Detect Thoughts to locate the presence of thinking creatures within 30 feet).
GM:
From Detect Thoughts: You can also use this spell to detect the presence of thinking creatures you can't see. When you cast the spell or as your action during the duration, you can search for thoughts within 30 feet of you. The spell can penetrate barriers, but 2 feet of rock, 2 inches of any metal other than lead, or a thin sheet of lead blocks you. You can't detect a creature with an Intelligence of 3 or lower or one that doesn't speak any language. Once you detect the presence of a creature in this way, you can read its thoughts for the rest of the duration as described above, even if you can't see it, but it must still be within range.
Galqarin - Your hand reaches out and touches one of the statues, it feels cold, lifeless. Perhaps relieved, you let your guard down a little. Then a stoney hand moves and momentarily brushes you as the statues reach up for the chains. In unison, they start to pull. It appears that they are more focused on undertaking their task than they are on the party.
Cerio - You cast Detect Thoughts but sense nothing from the clay golems currently operating the chain pulleys. No other thoughts can be sensed within a 30ft radius of you, other than those of your current company.
Moments after the clay golems sprang to life, the scraping of metal on stone can be heard as an elevator descends from the floors above, coming to rest in front of the party. It is vacant. All four of the golems turn in unison and perform an awkward bow before ushering the party to enter the elevator.
The golem that momentarily touched Galqarin points up with its right arm. After a few seconds, another golem points up with its right arm. Then the third. Finally the fourth. It seems like a deliberate routine with timings as the golems put their arms down in unison and then in perfect timing repeat the process again; 1 golem raises its arm, then 2 raise their arms, etc. Otherwise, they say nothing and do not try to communicate in any other way.
Cerio - The clay golems briefly pause their routine. All turn to face you and offer a single nod. The golem closest to you holds out its right hand and points upwards. Its left hand holds up two fingers, then three, then four. It peers at you silently, waiting on your answer.
Dormark looking at these golems in a bit of wonder as they move and respond to the others. as the Golem holds up his fingers in a certain manner an idea pops into his head.
"Are you asking which floor we would like to go to," asks Dormark.
"Why not just have stairs?", observes Galqarin disdainfully. He steps onto the elevator platform. "The top floor", he says emphatically. "Maidens and wizards are always at the top of towers."
Dallid - You shuffle on to the elevator, it seems sturdy enough.
Dormark - The golems, in unison, point at you and nod.
Galqarin - Looking between each other, one of the golems raises four fingers. Confirming their understanding, the other golems mimick the gesture.
Following Galqarin's instruction, the golems begin to pull at the pulley system. They effortlessly hoist the elevator up the tower, it creaks and squeaks as it goes.
Moving past the second floor, you notice that the floor is rotting away and has partially collapsed. Dust and cobwebs cover this floor, likely undisturbed for many years.
The elevator continues upwards. Similarly to the previous floor, the wooden floorboards on the third floor have started to rot, falling away in places; a pungent smell of damp and rot fills the air. Time and the elements have all but destroyed this chamber, leaving a gash in the northwest wall and slimy black mildew on the walls.
Further upwards you go, until you come to a stop on the fourth, final floor. Unlike the levels below, this room shows signs of recent habitation, and although the place reeks of mould and mildew, it has plenty of creature comforts, including a cosy bed, a desk with a matching chair, bright tapestries, and a large iron stove with plenty of wood to feed it. Light enters through arrow slits as well as through dirt-caked windows with broken shutters. Other features of the room include a standing suit of armour and a wooden chest. Old wooden rafters bend under the weight of the tower roof, which has somehow remained intact. Mounted to the rafters are pulleys around which hang iron chains that support the tower’s elevator platform.
"This must be where he stayed,"Ezmerelda gasps, "I wonder if he left anything useful."
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Dallid sits in the chair as though examining it for comfort before settling in. He feels in the cushion for anything stuffed in between - a favorite book perhaps.
Ferelyon moves about the room in a sniffing investigation. (Anyone hidden up here?)
Ferelyon instantly heads towards the iron stove located to the east of the floor. He lets out a low growl and nuzzles what looks like a sheet of paper partially caught in its door.
All - Please feel free to make any investigation or other checks you feel prudent.
Dadeveth tentatively steps off of the elevator, making sure it will hold her weight, as the lower floors did not look very safe. If it does so she moves over to the desk and starts to look through its content. Perception roll is a 13.
Dadeveth - You search through the draws and find something of interest; a map of Barovia someone has sketched. The map includes a few points of interest, though it is not fully complete ((see spoiler below)).
Galqarin will start by examining (14) the suit of armour. If he finds nothing suspicious, he'll then move on to the chest. If it is locked, he'll try to gauge the size of key required and tell the others to look out for a key of that size, whilst searching around for it himself in the kind of places he'd hide a key (high up, on top of rafters).
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Late Morning - Day 7 - Khazan's Tower
"Alright, everyone in position," Ezmerelda checks. "Next time it flashes red, Dadeveth. Here, we go! Now!" she yells as she shoots a fire bolt at the fire rune on the door. This is quickly followed by Dadeveth's Prestidigitation spell, frosting the cold rune.
The runes flash a deep blue before turning red and disappearing. After the runes have disappeared the disk in the centre of the door turns and fades away to reveal a large metal ring-handle.
"Looks like it worked," Ireena says hopefully, "but how do we tell?"
Ezmerelda smiles broadly. "Only one way to find out. Does anyone want to give the handle a turn?" she questions.
DM - The Call of Strahd (CoS); Feyrealm Campaign, Chapter 0 - Bleak Prospect (BP), Chapter 1 - Destination Unknown (DU)
In between Ezmerelda's warning shout and the runes flashing bright Sandu had no time to dive behind the wagon for safety. The best he could do was to close his eyes and hope that, should it go wrong, it would at least be quick. One second passed. Then another. After five had passed Sandu opened his eyes again. He did not feel burned, nor did he taste or smell fire. All things considered, he was still very much alive. Sandu raised a fist in triumph. It seemed that it had worked. 'Hells yeah!'
He was still a bit hesitant to just walk up to the door. His magical senses told him that the magic was currently dormant but that did not mean that could still not be a mechanical trap. He told Ezmerelda as much. 'The magic is dormant but what if there still is something like a tripwire or something? That when we pull open the door,' Sandu mimed the gesture of putting his hand on the handle and turning and pulling it, 'something terrible lunges at us. A scythe or something. Wizards are a paranoid bunch, let me tell you...'
Unbeknownst to Sandu, who was espousing the notion that all wizards were some degree of crazy, a translucent skeletal had appeared out of nowhere right next to the door. It mimicked Sandu's own hand movements and grabbed the handle to turn and pull it.
Sandu unknowingly casts Mage Hand and uses it to open the door.
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Late Morning - Day 7 - Khazan's Tower
Tentatively the translucent skeletal hand turns the handle and pulls. The door slowly opens, letting out a loud creaking noise as it goes. Nothing. Moments go by, still no noises, no traps, no monstrous creatures... Nothing.
Having followed the party's lead up until this point, Ezmerelda pokes her head from cover and walks towards the open doorway. "Looks like it's safe enough. Great work everyone!" she says as she steps through to the tower's interior.
Inside the tower, the flagstone floor is strewn with debris, and a few old crates stand near the east wall. A torn curtain to the south partially obscures the tower vestibule. A five-foot-square indentation in the centre of the floor contains four pulleys attached to taut iron chains that stretch up through a similarly sized hole in the rotted wooden ceiling. Standing next to the chains are four tall clay statues.
"What now?" Ireena hisses under her breath to the party.
DM - The Call of Strahd (CoS); Feyrealm Campaign, Chapter 0 - Bleak Prospect (BP), Chapter 1 - Destination Unknown (DU)
"We enter a wizard's tower." Dadeveth says with a frown at the place. She grits her teeth and clomps forward, following the woman inside. She keeps a wary eye on the statues in the center, half-expecting them to come to life and attack. "I imagine there are other traps, just in case the door trap was circumvented." She warns the others. To herself she thinks, At least that is what my family would have done...
Galqarin sheepishly uncoils from his hiding place behind the wagon and follows the others into the tower. Curiously he touches one of the statues ((how does it feel? Is it realistic or ornate?)), twitches the curtain to see if anything is hidden behind it and gives an experimental tug on the chains.
Investigation: 2
Dallid rubs at his hands to ease the writer's cramp before going into a flurry of writing about anything that catches his eye, one at a time.
Paladin - warforged - orange
"Nice tricks," Cerio mutters as he steps cautiously into the tower's interior. He looks past the curtain into the vestibule, but doesn't step inside just yet. Instead, he looks up and around, allowing the tendrils of his consciousness to creep up along the walls, like ivy, probing for the presence of a mind unseen.
(Cerio casts Detect Thoughts to locate the presence of thinking creatures within 30 feet).
GM:
From Detect Thoughts: You can also use this spell to detect the presence of thinking creatures you can't see. When you cast the spell or as your action during the duration, you can search for thoughts within 30 feet of you. The spell can penetrate barriers, but 2 feet of rock, 2 inches of any metal other than lead, or a thin sheet of lead blocks you. You can't detect a creature with an Intelligence of 3 or lower or one that doesn't speak any language. Once you detect the presence of a creature in this way, you can read its thoughts for the rest of the duration as described above, even if you can't see it, but it must still be within range.
Late Morning - Day 7 - Elevator
Moments after the clay golems sprang to life, the scraping of metal on stone can be heard as an elevator descends from the floors above, coming to rest in front of the party. It is vacant. All four of the golems turn in unison and perform an awkward bow before ushering the party to enter the elevator.
The golem that momentarily touched Galqarin points up with its right arm. After a few seconds, another golem points up with its right arm. Then the third. Finally the fourth. It seems like a deliberate routine with timings as the golems put their arms down in unison and then in perfect timing repeat the process again; 1 golem raises its arm, then 2 raise their arms, etc. Otherwise, they say nothing and do not try to communicate in any other way.
DM - The Call of Strahd (CoS); Feyrealm Campaign, Chapter 0 - Bleak Prospect (BP), Chapter 1 - Destination Unknown (DU)
"Don't think anyone else's here right now," Cerio offers. "Think we's safe t' ride up?"
Cerio - The clay golems briefly pause their routine. All turn to face you and offer a single nod. The golem closest to you holds out its right hand and points upwards. Its left hand holds up two fingers, then three, then four. It peers at you silently, waiting on your answer.
DM - The Call of Strahd (CoS); Feyrealm Campaign, Chapter 0 - Bleak Prospect (BP), Chapter 1 - Destination Unknown (DU)
Dallid shuffles onto the elevator and calls Ferelyon to stay close to him
Paladin - warforged - orange
Dormark looking at these golems in a bit of wonder as they move and respond to the others. as the Golem holds up his fingers in a certain manner an idea pops into his head.
"Are you asking which floor we would like to go to," asks Dormark.
Dormark Calling of Strahd (warforged cleric) 4
"Why not just have stairs?", observes Galqarin disdainfully. He steps onto the elevator platform. "The top floor", he says emphatically. "Maidens and wizards are always at the top of towers."
Midday - Day 7 - 4th Floor
Following Galqarin's instruction, the golems begin to pull at the pulley system. They effortlessly hoist the elevator up the tower, it creaks and squeaks as it goes.
Moving past the second floor, you notice that the floor is rotting away and has partially collapsed. Dust and cobwebs cover this floor, likely undisturbed for many years.
The elevator continues upwards. Similarly to the previous floor, the wooden floorboards on the third floor have started to rot, falling away in places; a pungent smell of damp and rot fills the air. Time and the elements have all but destroyed this chamber, leaving a gash in the northwest wall and slimy black mildew on the walls.
Further upwards you go, until you come to a stop on the fourth, final floor. Unlike the levels below, this room shows signs of recent habitation, and although the place reeks of mould and mildew, it has plenty of creature comforts, including a cosy bed, a desk with a matching chair, bright tapestries, and a large iron stove with plenty of wood to feed it. Light enters through arrow slits as well as through dirt-caked windows with broken shutters. Other features of the room include a standing suit of armour and a wooden chest. Old wooden rafters bend under the weight of the tower roof, which has somehow remained intact. Mounted to the rafters are pulleys around which hang iron chains that support the tower’s elevator platform.
"This must be where he stayed," Ezmerelda gasps, "I wonder if he left anything useful."
DM - The Call of Strahd (CoS); Feyrealm Campaign, Chapter 0 - Bleak Prospect (BP), Chapter 1 - Destination Unknown (DU)
Galqarin looks smug. "Told so."
"Why wizard want suit of armour? Could be another trap."
Dallid sits in the chair as though examining it for comfort before settling in. He feels in the cushion for anything stuffed in between - a favorite book perhaps.
Ferelyon moves about the room in a sniffing investigation. (Anyone hidden up here?)
Perception 24
Paladin - warforged - orange
Ferelyon's Perception check:
Ferelyon instantly heads towards the iron stove located to the east of the floor. He lets out a low growl and nuzzles what looks like a sheet of paper partially caught in its door.
All - Please feel free to make any investigation or other checks you feel prudent.
Map of the Tower:
DM - The Call of Strahd (CoS); Feyrealm Campaign, Chapter 0 - Bleak Prospect (BP), Chapter 1 - Destination Unknown (DU)
Dadeveth tentatively steps off of the elevator, making sure it will hold her weight, as the lower floors did not look very safe. If it does so she moves over to the desk and starts to look through its content. Perception roll is a 13.
Dadeveth - You search through the draws and find something of interest; a map of Barovia someone has sketched. The map includes a few points of interest, though it is not fully complete ((see spoiler below)).
DM - The Call of Strahd (CoS); Feyrealm Campaign, Chapter 0 - Bleak Prospect (BP), Chapter 1 - Destination Unknown (DU)
Galqarin will start by examining (14) the suit of armour. If he finds nothing suspicious, he'll then move on to the chest. If it is locked, he'll try to gauge the size of key required and tell the others to look out for a key of that size, whilst searching around for it himself in the kind of places he'd hide a key (high up, on top of rafters).