Ars Magica 5e, Rhine Tribunal, 1220

[ArghMark]

Strahd: Have a wonderful trip!

The Baron first looks merely surprised, and then angry at Leo's outburst. It is obvious he is a god-fearing man, and mentioning that you are a Pagan clearly puts you on the far side of his good graces. He is about to speak again but it seems Ilshana's words calm him somewhat.

'Well, if you wish to see the barricade, it is easy enough.'

You follow the baron through the empty halls and find a bricked up section of wall from an old passage on the bottom floor of the keep itself. You can clearly see the difference between the bricked up door and the stone around it.

'Here is the place. They say sometimes if you listen hard enough, you can hear singing. A beautiful woman.'

 

[Shayuri]

"Or a beautiful woman's voice at least," Ilshana muses. "Tell me, Baron...you said the curse is triggered by the birth of a baby within the castle. Does the curse always end in the death of the baby?"

 

[Walking Dad]

Although Thomas wanted to stay silent, he says softly to his fellow mage: "We already know it ends after 'someone' dies, not just the baby. Maybe this force allows for only so many humans in this walls."

 

[ArghMark]

'Yes... the gentleman is correct.' nods the Baron. 'Occasionally it is a frail, elderly person. Mostly the babies, though.'

 

[Shayuri]

"I only ask because there's usually a kind of symmetry to these things," Ilshana says, her forehead creased in thought. "Either a curse for a boon...which doesn't seem like it's happening here, or a curse for vengeance. Blood for blood."

She sighs and shakes her head.

"But only your brother would know that for sure. I guess we'll just have to go down there and see for ourselves."

 

[ArghMark]

The baron nods. 'Well, I suppose I can have some men clear away the bricks in the morning, if you are so interested. I don't know if its my imagination or not, but how much worse can it be?'

 

[Yair]

"That", says Leo, "will not be necessary. We should investigate this place now, while the cursed sleep is emenating from it".

Leo breathes deeply, and starts walking very slowly towards the wall. As he does, his body changes into that of a lion. Throughout his walk he intones in Latin, a chant that doesn't stop until his head butts the wall, ever so slightly. From somehwhere, a trumpet sounds, and the wall crumbles before Leo, the bricks falling to the side as if to make room for his passage. The lion Leo turns his head to the others, panting slightly. His eyes glitter as he says "After me!" and, in a moment, he steps through the opening.

OOC: I just realized Leo doesn't speak German. Ooops. I suppose someone would need to translate for him....? I can shift some Abilities to get German 1 or 2, but I don't think I can get higher without really hurting the character. Frankly, I prefer to just take German 1 from the XP I gained while researching Area Lore; that will disturb my character least.

Leo casts Undoing the Mason's Handiwork, in lion form. He has +11 to his roll, and his dice comes up 1d10=4,for a casting total of 15. This is enough to pull the spell off with a -5 aura, so I think I made it. If needed, Leo will invest a Confidence point, which should allow him to pull the spell off even with an aura of -8. If the Divine aura is even higher, he'll butt his head against the door futily...

I think the baron would not approve, but Leo isn't used to making such considerations and I didn't want to wait till the morning.
Hopefully Ilshana will mend fences. If it's any consolation, this is far better than the baron actually talking to Leo and finding out just how deeply pagan he is...

 

[ArghMark]

Indeed, the masonry falls away as you described. The Baron's jaw simply drops. 'Magic?'

The aura (eh.. foul smoke, evil air, so on, may give you the idea it isn't a divine aura) gives a - 2 to all spellcasting checks.

An ancient passage leads down in a tight spiral. An odd light emanates up the stairs, illuminating it with a bluish light.

 

[Shayuri]

"A simple trick, else we'd all be here all night just picking away at those bricks," Ilshana confides in the Baron with a bright smile, as though this sort of thing were perfectly ordinary. "Now we can get the heart of the matter much faster."

"Even so, it would probably be best if you waited here. There's likely to be dangers down there, and though we'd try to protect you, I'd hate for any misfortune to befall you."

She waits for the others to move in, then brings up the rear as the mages forge ahead into the strange witchlights of the catacombs.

 

[Walking Dad]

Thomas is a bit shocked by Leon's display of power before a normal, but he quickly nods at Ilshana gesture and moves in.