I'll probably be good by the end of this week, so as long as we don't hit combat til next week, Vrrsk't can stoically follow the group around and I should be okay.
__________________
Vrrsk't
Vrrsk't - Dragonborn Paladin 2
Initiative +2 Passive perception 13 Passive Insight 13
AC 22 For 16 Ref 15 Will 14
HP 35/35 Bloodied 17 Surge value 10 Surges: 11/12
Speed:5 | AP: 0 | 2nd Wind: unused
Basic Melee: Flail +7 (1d10+4)
Powers:
Holy Strike Bolstering Strike Lay on Hands x1 Radiant Smite
Sun Strike
Channel Divinity
Dragon Breath Paladin's Judgment (used)
Martyr's Blessing
Catein
Catein- Warforged Invoker 1
Initiative +0 Passive perception 14 Passive Insight 19
AC 16 For 14 Ref 11 Will 16
HP 26/27 Bloodied 13 Surge value 6 Surges: 7/9
Speed:5 | AP: 1 | 2nd Wind: unused
Basic Melee: Spiked Gauntlet +4, 1d6+2
Powers: Avenging Light Grasping Shards Thunder of Judgment
Channel Divinity
Warforged Resolve Binding Invocation of Chains (used)
Between some not-entirely-unexpected incompetence from Virgin Media and the fact that I totally underestimated how much work it is to move house, I'm a day or two behind where I'd hoped to be on this game. But I'm making good progress, and hope to have it started up this weekend. Thanks for your (continued) patience.
The address on the paper from Belingras proves to be a nice house in a modestly well-to-do neighborhood on Daunton's upper west side. The streets are conspicuously quiet as you approach, except for the sound of teams of carpenters working hard on several homes. On inspection, they seem to be installing reinforced doors and fancy new locks. Clearly word of the murders has circulated through the neighborhood.
The house in question is easy to spot, since a pair of Daunton's city guards in well-oiled chainmail and polished halberds stand in front of it. The guards nod and step aside as you approach. Clearly they are expecting you.
The inside of the house is a horrible mess. Actually, there are two different kinds of horrible mess. Throughout the house, there are signs that it was thoroughly and invasively searched: pillows are slashed and the stuffing spilled out, desks smashed to flinders and the remains combed through, drawers upended, their bottoms punched through in case they be false, and cast aside in heaps. The walls bear regular signs of heavy impacts, here and there actually breaking through the surface plaster and splintering the wood beneath. Whoever did this was looking for something.
The other mess, though is concentrated in one room. A grand central hall, surely the pride of its owner once, has been hastily cleared, and five bodies lie there in the middle of a huge, ragged pool of blood, still sticky in places. Each body is bound hand and foot, gagged, and has been repeatedly slashed and stabbed many times in careful patterns.
Skill challenge: Investigate the house
Six success before three failure. Primary skills are perception and thievery; those skills count toward the challenge any number of times. Also available are up to one success each from Insight and Dungeoneering. Skills available may change, depending on what happens. Everyone has to go once before anyone can go a second time.
Any other skill can be used to try to provide a bonus to a primary skill check, if I think it's appropriate. Be creative, but realistic.
As part of working up to starting this adventure, I went through the previous one and took some notes for the wiki, which you can find here: Broken Wards. Check it out if you feel like it, and feel free to clarify anything I've missed or messed up.
I've started a similar page for this adventure, which I intend to (try to) keep up as we go along: Daunton's Dead Shadow
Morvannon looks around wide-eyed at the destruction. "Whatever the motives here, I doubt very much that greed was among them. There's a lot of items still here that would fetch a good price to folks like the Red Boots."
Mechanics and OOC
Streetwise skill check tohelp a primary check: 1d20+10=21
As the neighborhood grew nicer and more orderly Magnus seemed increasingly out of place. He hardly seemed to notice though as he stumped his jangling way along the streets, instead his attention was captured by the work being done on the various doorways. More than once he stopped and watched with intense interest until someone pulled him away.
When they finally arrived at their destination, the mad dwarf had stood at the threshhold, eyes sharply perusing the threshhold from underneath a heavy brow. If one did not know him, all this attention to the liminal space might perfectly practical given the situation. He studied for a long while before entering the house and looking around.
Walking through the chaos Magnus made his way to the bodies. With a soft jingling sound he paced around them slowly, his staff clacking at regular intervals on the floors. Occasionally he would stop and cock his head to the side or walk off and confer with Kamotz in muted, though confusing, fashion or he would trace his stubby finger through the air trying to follow the patterns that had been cut in the victims.
Are the patterns cut into the the victims recognizable as anything in particular. I didn't know what was appropriate to roll to recognize the symbology if there is any.
__________________ Oni
"Each man, one way.
Each horse, one stance.
Each church, one buddha.
Each master to his own technique."
It seemed that the nicer the houses got, the more intricate their trim and decor, the harder it was getting Magnus to keep moving.
The shifter failed to notice the mad dwarf pause in the entryway, and kept moving into the house. It wasn't until Kamotz noticed the silence that he remembered to pull Magnus through the entryway, pausing long enough for him to doodle if he wished.
Once inside, Kamotz surveyed the damage, and strolled each room, sniffing. Finally coming to the pile of bodies, and pouring attention over them... After his search he went to the kitchen to examine the refrigerator.
The comforting sound of Morvannon softly mumbling, and Magnus Jangling was heard as Kamotz made his food. Both were speculating on the case, offering insights into the turn out. Kamotz chips in what he has found, and helps to synthesize a good starting hypothesis.
Morvannon surmises that whoever ransacked this place must have been looking for something specific, rather than just to steal valuables.
Magnus examines the bodies, but gets distracted by all the blood. So much of it, intermingled from so many bodies...
Kamotz examines the bodies as well. They are all human: two older men, one in rich nightclothes and one in simple servant's garb; a middle-aged woman in a cook's apron, and two teens, a boy and a girl, both richly clothed. Kamotz notices that most of the bodies have their mouths locked closed, as if in a rictus of pain. But one body, the teen girl's, has a mouth that gapes open in a rather unlifelike way. Peering close, he sees several teeth are broken or chipped, their jagged edges still fresh.
Status
Morvannon grants +2 to the next thievery check. Magnus grants no bonus. Kamotz gets a success, unlocking Heal as a primary skill for a single success. Regarding the patterns of cuts on the bodies, Arcana or Religion or Heal could potentially give different kinds of information.
1 success, 0 failures. +2 to next Thievery check. Vrrsk't, Grakk, and Vixo are up.
The shifter comes out of the kitchen, and back into the grand central hall, joining his Pack. Notice how all the bodies have closed mouths, except this girl here. Taking a bite out of his meal, Kamotz chews and swallows before continuing.
When you look into the open, oddly open, mouth... he takes a finger, and taps his claw against some of the teeth, here, here, and here... he removes his finger so the others can look, if they can stomach it. The teeth are jagged, where-as for someone this age, they would be worn down a bit. These broken and chipped teeth are relatively recent, either just before, or just after the murder. taking another bite, he lets the heavy scent of death, taint the flavor of his meal.
These bodies are getting ripe, we should either refrigerate them, or take them to the Temple... They shouldn't have been left by the last group, must have been in a terrible rush...
OOC
This house sure does look like the Closed Eye crew has been through it!
Everything absolutely smashed, tortured/bound dead folks littering the floor, and seemingly nothing of value left!
Yup, Palindrome, Woe, Atreus, and Tander written all over this.
thanks for taking over covaithe. Sorry everyone for the delay. I was away from a computer for 3 days
Grakk carefully inspects the entry wounds in hopes of finding the weapon that caused these inhonorable deaths. Maybe in learning instrument of death, he could then provide a clue as to who would use this type of weapon to do such an act of violence. After serious observation for a long period of time, Grakk shakes his head in anger, obviously upset that he couldn't find what he was looking for.
Grakk reaches down a puts his finger in the pool of blood. He swipes the blood down both of his cheeks. "We must kill the ones responsible for the deaths of these people."
Grakk now has a minor quest: gain revenge on the murderers. In addition, he gets +1 to intimidate checks made towards that purpose.
Also, I meant to do this before, but forgot: Kamotz has a minor quest; earn a promotion in the Temple of Lauto.
Vrrsk't is up, but since roadtoad said his ability to play would be limited, I'd appreciate if one of you could take his turn for him, just to keep things moving.
sweet! A sub quest. Can't wait...Congrats to you as well CaBaNa...even though as you read in my post, my character is being a little harsh towards yours...sorry, Grakk's got a temper. No hard feeling?
Quote:
Originally Posted by CaBaNa
No Grakk, that wouldn't do any good... We capture them, and use Vrrsk't's people's method. Remember how Slardazial was saved upon death.
Grakk glares at Kamotz and then calms himself in order to speak "Where I come from...when people do something like this, they pay with their lives...an eye for an eye...Do what you feel you must cleric, but someone is definitely going to pay for this act of horror when it's all said and done. I'll make sure of it." He grips his greatsword tightly as he says his last words. Blood, again trickles from his griping hand.
Grakk examines the bodies, but his anger is too fierce to take in details.
Vixo, aided by Morvannon's insights, takes in the thorough ransacking of the house. Whoever did this search was thorough, and competent. In fact, Vixo feels fairly confident that any mundane hiding place would have been revealed by such a search. Perhaps there is magical concealment involved?
Vrrsk't falls with a crash to his armored knees beside the young woman's body, heedless of the blood, and begins carefully examining her face and teeth, looking for further clues.
Status
Grakk's perception fails.
Vixo's thievery succeeds, unlocking arcana as a primary skill.
Vrrsk't aids another with Heal, succeeding with 1d20+3=10.
Linear Mode
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