stonegod's Expedition to Castle Ravenloft: Ch. I [IC]

[stonegod]

Urik kneels motionless next to the dissolving corpse of the former priest, a haggard look on his face. As Janis spills her invective, the man smiles a bit wryly, though tinged with sadness. "Speak not too loudly. Such curses have a way of being twisted here, in this place."

The holy warriors, Flamic and Sovereign, being their healing work. Most of the parties immediate wounds are healed, and the cloud from Urik's mind mostly clears with Jarrith's assistance. [Sacred healing 15 hp; 8 wand charges to heal Khensu; 23 hp lay on hands for Urik; lesser restoration for 4 pts]

Ashlyn's absolutions for her companions find that they have been stripped of their gear. From the brutal bite marks about their neck, the cause of their death is as obvious as the rotting pile of flesh in the center of the room.

The shock of today's events are too much for Ashlyn, and she cannot recall even the slightest bits of her training regarding what Danovich's abomination might be. [Kn: Religion 12 fails] Marot however, looks thoughtful as he hovers over the remains.

"The speakers in the Silver Keep speak of blasphemes against nature, stitched together from the bodies of ones near to the evil one's heart. But the creation of such is beyond the ken of most." He looks over at the now unrecognizable remains of Danovich. "He must of had some guide..."

[sblock=Current Status (Updated for healing)]J: 40/40, -700 XP
K: 54/55
J: 31/31
A: 49/49
D: 31/31
M: 34/34[/sblock]

 

[Stormwind]

Having seen to her former companions and laid them out carefully, Ashlyn ponders over Marot's comments, "A guide ... perhaps some tome or grimore ..."

Ashlyn then begins to look around the room, attempting not only to find her former companions possessions but also trying to find any paperwork and notes of the late priest.
[Search +2 (She is only doing a general look around, not a proper search due to the shock of recent events)]

 

[drothgery]

Taking his cue from the paladin, Daellin looks around for anything that might give him -- or one of the others -- a clue as to how this was accomplished. (spot +13; search +10; spot to see if anything jumps out at him, and search to investigate further)

 

[DEFCON 1]

Jarrith sees Ashlyn and Daellin begin the searches of the basement, hoping for some clue. He nods once, then turns and heads for the stairs. "If we are going to look for answers... I will go upstairs to search. I also want to make sure Bergeron's body is not taken. He deserves his rest."

Jarrith walks up the flight of stairs, then moves over to the body of the halfling. After a quick check to make sure that there are no signs of him possibly animating, Jarrith lifts and moves him to one of the pews, lying him down for now.

Soon, Sir Khensu joins Jarrith upstairs, having finished all healing and nothing left to do down below. "What have you found, my Brother?" "Nothing thus far. But I have not looked hard as of yet." "What shall we do with the body?" "I'm not sure. I noticed a graveyard out back when I searched the perimeter... perhaps that is where he should be put to rest." The shifter nods, then turns to walk towards the front door. "Continue your search here... I will go out back to the graveyard to check the feasibility of that idea. We should make sure that the bodies put to rest out there have remained interred and at rest."

(Jarrith searches the upstairs for anything of note / Sir Khensu examines the graveyard)

 

[stonegod]

Her companions temporarily set aside, Ashlyn and Daellin begin an examination of the basement. Its largest feature, aside from the partially collapsed ceiling, is the ruins of an alchemist's workbench in the northern corner. Vials, strange liquids, and dark stains from sources they seek not to know can all be found within, though broken glass and shattered wood makes recovery of anything of value difficult. No notes or any record are kept within, however. If Danovich did his experiments here, he did not record them here.

Daellin's sharp eyes pick up the slightest glimmer of a belt buckle in the light left from Khensu's lent torch from the far side of the room. On closer examination, Ashlyn confirms it is the belongings of her former companions. Much of it has been torn or otherwise destroyed; however, a sword and a few other sturdier belongings remain intact.

Meanwhile, Jarrith attends to the church proper. Bergeron remains undisturbed, his final look of fear etched forever on his small face. After setting the halfling on the pew, the Stalker examines the ground floor. The side rooms are bare, their furniture long since destroyed by the zombie plague. However, in the ruins of the altar that Janis' magics shattered he does turn up something interesting---a few meager belongings of the once holy priest of Barovia. Of particular interest is a black-bound and battered tome scattered amongst the rubble of the man's former life.

Khensu leaves his Brother to his search, exiting the front doors to move around to the graveyard in the back. As he does so, however, he is greeted by a peculiar site---the largest wolf he has ever seen, standing in the middle of the street before the church. As the paladin starts, the large wolf just looks at the shifter intently with pale, red eyes. Before the paladin can call out or otherwise respond, the creature bounds into the mists and quickly vanishes.

[I'll update the RG thread with the found items when I get access to my books.]

 

[stonegod]

Ashlyn and Daellin recover a greatsword which Marot identifies as magical, some half-plate armor, and scrolls that are quickly identified. Marot's magical sight also identifies that the fallen priest's armor is magical---both shield and full plate.

As Jarrith gathers the remains from the altar, he finds a few healing potions and slightly warped clerical jewelry---a golden goblet and pair of silver bells. What is more telling is the fragment of leathery paper hanging out near the end of Danovich's journal. Though he cannot understand it, at a glance Jarrith knows is a thing of evil---depictions of unwholesome flesh crafting are clearly visible from where it was placed.

[RG thread loot posted]

 

[DEFCON 1]

Sir Khensu immediately steps back into the church and closes the door behind him. At the sound of the slam, Jarrith looks up at the shifter. "Something wrong?" The Inquistor doesn't immediately answer... and instead he strides forward into the church, up the aisle, then stops at the edge of the hole in the floor. Peering down into it, Khensu calls out. "Daellin... question for you... what is the size of an average wolf? Or perhaps a dire one? And what color are usually their eyes?"

Jarrith's eyes widen a bit from Khensu's queries, and then wisely decides to let the ranger respond before he throws in his own comments and theories. He drops his head back down to the journal he's laid out on the alter, and flips the journal's pages to find the last several posts. The leathery paper with the incomprehensible has been put to the side and ignored for now... and the Shadowbane Stalker begins reading on what had occured to the errent priest in his final days.

 

[drothgery]

"I'm afraid I learned tracking on Karrn scouts, not creatures of the wild." Daellin says.
(Daellin may be an elf ranger, but that doesn't mean he has any ranks in Knowledge (nature))

 

[Stormwind]

After gathering various gear from the fallen, Ashlyn carries it all upstairs and piles it by the main door. Then returning just inside main upper hall of the church, Ashlyn finds a place to sit for a moment and absorb the horrors of the last few minutes. She looks surprisingly tired and worn as she sits there with her eyes closed.

After sitting for a short while, she rises to her feet and walks over towards Urik, "I do not know how to reduce your loss, but perhaps I can take your mind off this unfortunate incident for a few moments. Back at the crossroads, you spoke of an order of which you were the last, an order against the darkness. If you do not mind then perhaps we could speak of this now whilst my companions here determine what they can of events past. I would still be interested in hearing more of an order that has produced such a man as you."

 

[DEFCON 1]

"I'm afraid I learned tracking on Karrn scouts, not creatures of the wild."

Sir Khensu sighs, and then turns to look back to the front of the church. "Well... then we might be going into something a bit blind I'm afraid, folks. I just saw a large wolf... well, a wolf at least the size of a small horse. With burning red eyes. I do not know if that is typical for this kind of area... or if perhaps we are dealing with one more infernal thing that this accursed land holds within." He pulls out his axe and his whetstone, moves over to one of the pews and starts sharpening the axe. He then says loud enough for all within the church to hear, "Prepare for another fight when we leave this building... for I have no idea whether that creature was alone nor if he saw me as a possible next meal."