NEW CAMPAIGN - RAVENLOFT 1983

Briella shall follow Martha but keep her distance from the mongrelfolk.

And Martha will follow the Mongrelfolk and just watch them in silence.

ABBEY COURTYARD, S12

AFTERNOON

The thick fog that fills this courtyard swirls, as if eager to escape. The courtyard is surrounded by a 15 foot high curtain wall on which stand several guards with their backs to you - or so it seemed at first. It's clear now that these guards are merely scarecrows.

THE DOORS - Wooden doors to the north and east lead to the abbey's two wings.

THE WELL - In the center of the courtyard is a stone well fitted with an iron winch, to which a rope and bucket are attached. 

THE SHEDS - Along the perimeter, tucked under the overhanging wall, are several stone sheds with padlocked wooden doors, as well as three shallow alcoves that contain wooden troughs. Two wooden posts pounded into the rocky earth have iron rings bolted to them, and chained to one of them is a short humanoid with bat wings and spider mandibles.

THE SCREAMS - The quiet is shattered by horrible screams coming from the sheds.

Quote from JcAndD >>

“Does anyone have a piece of paper? Might allow them to communicate with us. Grishkar, you’re like a wizard, aren’t you? I’m sure your bound to have some parchment or something, right?”

Quote from Barlow >>

Quote from JcAndD >>

“Does anyone have a piece of paper? Might allow them to communicate with us. Grishkar, you’re like a wizard, aren’t you? I’m sure your bound to have some parchment or something, right?”

 For a moment, Grishkar appears defeated and offended, "You think that because I am a student of the arcane that I am also some travelling scribe? You all accuse me of base and corrupt character, and yet you make slanderous assumptions like this? I am not some flighty-minded bard or romantic poet. I am a weaver of the forces which control Life and Death!" A long, awkward moment hangs in the air. As the party is led on my the monstrosities, Grishkar produces a piece of parchment and throws it at Martha in a crumpled ball.

Bors  moves closer to the chained humanoid. Is it alive? 

OOC: From an earlier note: "You remember Madam Eva's words as to where the Holy Symbol might be: "Look to a place where sickness and madness are bred. Where children once cried, the treasure lies still."  This sounds like the place where sickness and madness are bred!

Imryll lets out a yelp upon hearing the screams coming from the sheds.  Pulling off the hood of her cloak and jumping out from the shadows of the wall, she cries out "What on EARTH is in there?!"

"Speak, beast!" she yells out to the mongrelfolk.  "What is going on here?!  Where is the Abbot?"

Kia steps into the courtyard lightly, eyes and ears roving. She is watching for trouble.

Perception: 13

Which way do the  morlocks  mongrelfolk turn?

OOC > Sometimes you walk into a wall when you're peering carefully about. Sigh.

Quote from DarthAvarice >>

Bors  moves closer to the chained humanoid. Is it alive? 

Quote from o_Merlin_o >>

OOC: From an earlier note: "You remember Madam Eva's words as to where the Holy Symbol might be: "Look to a place where sickness and madness are bred. Where children once cried, the treasure lies still."  This sounds like the place where sickness and madness are bred!

Imryll lets out a yelp upon hearing the screams coming from the sheds.  Pulling off the hood of her cloak and jumping out from the shadows of the wall, she cries out "What on EARTH is in there?!"

"Speak, beast!" she yells out to the mongrelfolk.  "What is going on here?!  Where is the Abbot?"

Quote from Mingofaust >>

Kia steps into the courtyard lightly, eyes and ears roving. She is watching for trouble.

Perception: 7

Which way do the  morlocks  mongrelfolk turn?

OOC > Sometimes you walk into a wall when you're peering carefully about. Sigh.

Entering the open area, Grishkar moves closer to the sheds, but stays out of reach of the chained abomination. Behind him is the usual macabre entourage. Crouching with his wicked, crooked smile, Grishkar whistles a few notes that sound eerily like a funeral dirge. His raven lands a few feet closer to the chained monster and squawks. "My, my, you are interesting. An abomination in every right. An affront to Life and Death. At least my pets are only a walking offense to one if these."

Quote from Barlow >>

Quote from JcAndD >>

“Does anyone have a piece of paper? Might allow them to communicate with us. Grishkar, you’re like a wizard, aren’t you? I’m sure your bound to have some parchment or something, right?”

 For a moment, Grishkar appears defeated and offended, "You think that because I am a student of the arcane that I am also some travelling scribe? You all accuse me of base and corrupt character, and yet you make slanderous assumptions like this? I am not some flighty-minded bard or romantic poet. I am a weaver of the forces which control Life and Death!" A long, awkward moment hangs in the air. As the party is led on my the monstrosities, Grishkar produces a piece of parchment and throws it at Martha in a crumpled ball.

The mongrelfolk look at the paper, then look at you, and gesture towards the Main Hall. (S13)

Rubbing her nose, Kia passes Martha, "They cannot comprehend, perhaps their minds are as mixed up as their bodies." She will pass the slow mongrel folk and approach the doors. She ignores the sheds to the left and right of the doors, and opens the doors ahead of the mongrel folk.

OOC > What are the structures to the left and right of the doors? Arrow slits? It is unclear from the map.

Edit: Wait, are those some of the sheds with the screaming?

As Kia says that, Martha frowns and nods in agreement. An expression of pity is clear on her face. With all this chaos around them, it’s been far too quiet. This place is letting them have too much of a rest. Normally, some horrid beast or abomination or Germanic werewolf would pop out, but this place, masquerading as a church, it was just far too unnerving.

Bors  follows Kia to the doors, probably a few steps behind her.  The screams can wait a few moments longer.

“So Bors... any idea? I mean, that... thing chained to the wall. With the bat wings and the...” Martha grimaces and shivers, “spider parts?”

"Well,they look to me like someone  is building new creatures from old ones. Perhaps from the dead bodies in the village mixed with whatever animals were at hand."

“I hadn’t even thought of that... I’m hoping that these poor souls are just cursed... necromancy of this caliber would be much worse. Wait.” Martha shouts over to Grishkar, “Hey ‘Weevil of Life and Death’ or whatever, think this is necromancy?”