Differences

This shows you the differences between two versions of the page.

--- paldegora:session_17_the_zombies_and_tombs_of_stonebridge [2023/04/29 15:24] – created davidm
+++ paldegora:session_17_the_zombies_and_tombs_of_stonebridge [2023/04/29 16:47] (current) – davidm
@@ Line 11: / Line 11: @@
 ==== Summary ====
+They started this session with the invisible Eryn searching the dock area. She found a trap leading into the area with multiple crossbows pointed at the opening in the fence to the dock area and a trip wire to set them off. She stepped over the trip wire and searched the area. Two buildings with smoke coming from the chimneys. She heard some voices from the western building but couldn’t make them out. She also couldn’t see in as there were no windows. She returned to the group. The discussed strategies for entering the hotel., They decided to use a scroll of silence on a dagger and for Eryn to break into the boarded up windows.
+As they were about to enact this plan, Eryn spotted a girl sitting in a barrel outside a building, two buildings back. It was odd only in that it was misty and rainy and very cold out and she wasn’t really dressed for it. She was sitting there eating an apple, getting soaked, while swinging her legs as if not a care in the world. Eryn snuck down near the girl and checked out the building.As she was doing that, the girl spoke to her, and looked directly at her. They had a pleasant enough conversation where Eryn learned her name was Zara and she was board. Her mother and  sister were off doing something and not here with her having fun. She was interested in the party so they walked down to meet them. Eryn introduced them and pointed out that the girl could see her. They asked how it was that she could see Eryn. Her only answer was that she can just see things, that’s all. She appeared human. There was a conversation where they learned that her family were practitioners of the arcane. Her mother had pretty strong magical abilities.
+She asked about the fight we had with Roger’s crew and we explained that they started it and we defended ourselves. She pointed out to the party that Roger and his crew are bad people. She convinced Symon to play a trick on the gnomes, Fred and Freddie, with an apple. He put the apple near the door and knocked and waited. They came out, squabbled over the apple and each took a bite. A bright light flashed and they suddenly found themselves floating for a moment and then fell to the ground. They grumbled as they went back into their shop and closed the door. Zara also notice Angelique who was standing off a bit. She asked about her and approached her. As she got closer, she looked past Angelique and waved at nobody. After a second, she rolled her eyes and said, ”I guess I need to go!”. They tried to get her to tell them what she saw but she wouldn’t. She finally thanked them for talking with her and left, returning to the building where they’d found her. Just as she was approaching it, she turned and wavered again and moved north between the buildings. Eryn moved quickly to the north side of the hotel to see where Zara went but she never came out on the next street up. They tried to find the invisible sneak and though Cal-El did spot some fresh tracks, he was unable to follow them and they lost any chance of catching the sneak.
+They returned to their plan to enter the building from the eastern side. As they were about to cast their silence spell, Eryn notice six men approaching from the direction of the fight with Roger. They weren’t waking normally so Eryn moved closer, still invisible, to check them out. They were shambling, with cuts and wounds and Eryn recognized them as the six that were killed in their battle with Roger. They had been reanimated. They were somehow a little bigger than they were when they’d fought them. Eryn moved back to the party and waited to see if they were headed to the hotel to meet up with Roger. They didn’t go there but past the door. Then they picked up speed and went after the party. It was a difficult fight as these weren’t normal zombies. They were somehow stronger. They took much more damage to kill and they managed dropped Eryn and Xor in the fight. Symon was able to get a potion to each of them and get them back. Cal-El had sacrificed one of his attacks to throw a rock at the door of the Alchemy shop. Fred and Freddie did come to the door and upon seeing the undead, began squabbling over who should attack what. Angelique just shouted, “Just hit something!”. They cast magic missile at one of the undead and deanimated it. The battle finally finished with everyone back up and all the undead down. Eryn removed their heads and threw them out of town.
+They finally enacted their plane after making a show of leaving the town and then later sneaking back in. They used the silence spell on a dagger that Eryn carried. She used it too pry the boards off the window, breaking the window, and then climbing in. Everyone followed. All of the rooms were empty of people but several showed signs that people had been there recently. The stairs leading up were completly blocked. They finally found a set of stairs in the back of the kitchen heading down. They went down the stairs and found it was a hallway to another set of stairs going up, probably to the livery next door. There was a hallway that broke off to the north between the two stairs and they went up there. It came to a set of double doors, very heavy stone. It had a design on it and a phrase they couldn’t read. Angelique remembered a helmet they’d found that gave the wearer the ability to comprehend languages. She passed it to Symon who put it on and read the inscription. it said, “Here lies the hero’s of the north! The last resting place of the order of the wolves of the north!”. They remembered Sir Evan being given such a title when he assumed mantle of “Sir”. Eryn finally opened the door and exposed the ani-chamber within. It had four unlit braziers, one per corner. There were two statues against the outer walls facing in, holding lanterns that glowed green. They appeared to be Nah priests dressed as they would have dressed hundreds of years ago. Angelique entered the room and kneeled in the center of the chamber to pray. She got the distinct feeling that something was very off and let the others know.
+They moved to the next door where upon touching it, triggered a mouth to show up and in a female voice said, “Go away, I’m busy!”. Everyone tried to talk to it but it didn’t reply. After a moment, Eryn checked the door for traps again and triggered the mouth again. This time it said, “I just told you, I’m busy! Go away!”. Again they tried to talk to it but got no response. Eryn iognored it the next time and simply opened the door. A new message was spoken, “Okay, you asked for it!”. The door opened to a large chamber. There was a circle on the floor in the room that glowed. On either side of the circle, there were alters with cloth across the top. There were six pillars supporting the ceiling. There were two braziers glowing green near it. There were stone sarcophagus in the room, Strahd made a cameo appearance. First thought, who would have thought this was down here. There is another alter to the north, four braziers along the back wall, also a raised dais with a throne on it. Two more statues in either far corner. There were also partitions that look like curtains. On the eastern and western walls were arches and a room divider that you would have to unfolded to go in and out. There were also candles stands with candles that were glowing blue.
+That is where we stopped.
+Start the recorder!
 ==== Detail ====
-Well, last week started off with an exiting battle. The rest of that night was mostly spent determining where Roger ands his crew were and how to get to them without endangering Cassandra or themselves.
+Well, last week started off with an exciting battle. The rest of that night was mostly spent determining where Roger and his crew were and how to get to them without endangering Cassandra or themselves.
-We started this session with an invisible Eryn following the trip wires she found near the docks, back to the trees. She found multiple crossbows pointed in the direction of the entrance to the dock region. She stepped over the trip wire and explored the area, checking each building. The had smoke coming out of their chimneys but there were no windows through which to peer. The building to the east had a metal door on the eastern side of it. She heard no noise coming from inside. The building to the west had a sliding barn door on the eastern end and a metal door on the north side closer to the western end. She circled that building and then the other. She returned to the rest of the group to let them know what she found. Symon suggested that she return and listen to see if anyone is down there. She heard some talking from the metal door on the western building but not from any of the other doors. She couldn’t make out what they were saying. She tried the door on the eastern building, it wasn’t trapped but was locked. She tried to pick the lock and failed. She decided she shouldn’t try to open a door and backed out, returning to the party.
+We started this session with an invisible Eryn following the trip wires she found near the docks, back to the trees. She found multiple crossbows pointed in the direction of the entrance to the dock region. She stepped over the trip wire and explored the area, checking each building. The buildings had smoke coming out of their chimneys but there were no windows through which to peer. The building to the east had a metal door on the eastern side of it. She heard no noise coming from inside. The building to the west had a sliding barn door on the eastern end and a metal door on the north side closer to the western end. She circled that building and then the other. She returned to the rest of the group to let them know what she found. Symon suggested that she return and listen to see if anyone is down there. She heard some talking from the metal door on the western building but not from any of the other doors. She couldn’t make out what they were saying. She tried the door on the eastern building, it wasn’t trapped but was locked. She tried to pick the lock and failed. She decided she shouldn’t try to open a door and backed out, returning to the party.
 They began debating how they might enter the old hotel building. Options included Eryn sneaking in on the east side of the building through a boarded up window, making her way through the building checking it out. Another option was to throw a rock through the window and then inviting Roger to come out, much as he had done with us. Symon suggested that he could make himself look like Theo and we could drag him in front of the inn and pretend to kill him. The problem, as Symon pointed out, was that with any option where the party announced they were here, they would have time to drag Cassandra out and hold her hostage, killing her if the party attempted to attack them. There was more talk of Eryn going in on the eastern end of the building but after Angelique used a scroll of silence on her so she could penetrate without making noise. We finally decided that sneaking in the east window would be best, with the silence spell on a dagger that Eryn would carry. They determined that the silence spell would last for about 6 minutes.
-They started to execute the plan when Eryn noticed a young girl sitting on a barrel in front of the building past the livery to the west. It’s odd because it’s cold and drizzly and she’s just sitting there eating something and swinging her legs. Since Eryn was still invisible, she decided to go check that out. She moved down toward her, on the opposite side of the street. She moved up to the window east of her peaked in, seeing as kitchen. Angelique moved to an area beyond the hotel, into the trees, preparing to be able to cast a spell from cover. As Eryn got a better look at the girl, she saw that she was a young woman, 18-20 years old, short black hair, dressed fairly well, she had a cloak but she didn’t have it pulled up over her.  She was not wearing any shoes, and she was eating an apple. There was a basket with jar in it with more apples and she is humming. Eryn passed her to look into the window on the other side of her.
+They started to execute the plan when Eryn noticed a young girl sitting on a barrel in front of the building past the livery to the west. It’s odd because it’s cold and drizzly and she’s just sitting there eating something and swinging her legs. Since Eryn was still invisible, she decided to go check that out. She moved down toward her, on the opposite side of the street. She moved up to the window east of her peaked in, seeing as kitchen. Angelique moved to an area beyond the hotel, into the trees, preparing to be able to cast a spell from cover. As Eryn got a better look at the girl, she saw that she was a young woman, 18-20 years old, short black hair, dressed fairly well, she had a cloak but she didn’t have it pulled up over her.  She was not wearing any shoes, and she was eating an apple. There was a basket with a jar in it with more apples and she is humming. Eryn passed her to look into the window on the other side of her.
-As Eryn walked past her, the girl said, “You shouldn’t sneak around like that, someone might think you’re up to something!”. Eryn asked, “Who are you?”. The girl answered, “Me? I’m, Zara!”. Eryn said, “Hello Zara!”. She replied back, “Hello! Would you like an apply?”. Eryn said, “No thank you! Do you live in this building, is this your home?”. Zara replied, “I live in this town!”, and followed up with, “You’re new here?”. Eryn answered, “Yes, we just came into town today!”. Zara stated, “You don’t look bad! Most people that come here are bad!”. Eryn said, “No, I try not to be bad, I try to be helpful whenever I can! So do all of my friends!”. Zara looked in the direction of the rest of the party and asked, “What are they doing?”. Eryn answered, “They’re waiting on me to come down here and find out who you are and why you are sitting out in the rain!”. Zara said, “I was bored. It’s a beautiful morning too. I love this time of year! Things are dieing and dead and going to sleep. Isn’t that great?”. Eryn said, “Yes, I do like this time of year!”. Zara asked, “Can I go meet your friends?”. Eryn replied, “Oh yes, you are welcome to go where ever you want. If you want to, we can start walking that way.”. Zara hopped down and followed as Eryn returned to the party, skipping along thew way and twirled a couple of times.
+As Eryn walked past her, the girl said, “You shouldn’t sneak around like that, someone might think you’re up to something!”. Eryn asked, “Who are you?”. The girl answered, “Me? I’m, Zara!”. Eryn said, “Hello Zara!”. She replied back, “Hello! Would you like an apple?”. Eryn said, “No thank you! Do you live in this building, is this your home?”. Zara replied, “I live in this town!”, and followed up with, “You’re new here?”. Eryn answered, “Yes, we just came into town today!”. Zara stated, “You don’t look bad! Most people that come here are bad!”. Eryn said, “No, I try not to be bad, I try to be helpful whenever I can! So do all of my friends!”. Zara looked in the direction of the rest of the party and asked, “What are they doing?”. Eryn answered, “They’re waiting on me to come down here and find out who you are and why you are sitting out in the rain!”. Zara said, “I was bored. It’s a beautiful morning too. I love this time of year! Things are dieing and dead and going to sleep. Isn’t that great?”. Eryn said, “Yes, I do like this time of year!”. Zara asked, “Can I go meet your friends?”. Eryn replied, “Oh yes, you are welcome to go where ever you want. If you want to, we can start walking that way.”. Zara hopped down and followed as Eryn returned to the party, skipping along the way and twirled a couple of times.
 The party can’t see Eryn but they can see a young girl approaching. As Eryn got closer, Zara stopped back a little ways, eating her apple, while Eryn explained, “She wanted to come down and meet you all, and she can see me.”. Symon asked, “So she told you she wanted to come meet us and she stopped right there?”. Eryn motioned to her saying, “Come forward and meet everybody!”. She stepped a little closer and said :”Hi!”. Eryn asked her then, “How is it that you can see me.”. Zara answered, “You’re not that hard to see, come on.”. She looked at Symon and said, “You can see her, can’t you? I told her she shouldn’t walk around like that. People will think she is up to something.”. Eryn answered her saying, “Well, to everyone else, I am invisible but for some reason you can see me. How is it that you can see me?”. Zara replied, “I see lots of stuff.”. Eryn notes that Zara does appear human. Zara continues, “I’m so bored! Mother’s away at her project. Sister’s got her nose in her school stuff. I wanted to come out and see what all the commotion was about!”. Symon noted that she was standing there in soaking wet clothes, barefoot, hair is wet from it. Symon’s breath is a vapor from the cold air. None of this cold rain seemed to phase her. Zara asked, “Does anyone else want an apple? Apples are good for you and they’re very important. ”. Xor turned down an apple.
@@ Line 38: / Line 53: @@
 Cal-El took one down and grabbed a rock and chucked it at the door of Fred, Freddie, and Fredricks, hoping they won’t like the undead outside their shop. Xor attacked and hit. Symon missed again. Angelique fired at one and missed. Eryn hit hers again but remained standing. Eryn was hit for just enough damage take her down. Xor missed followed by Cal-El hitting his opponent. Symon took out the one Eryn was fighting with a magic missile and almost killed another one. Xor was hit and fell. One of the zombies turned and headed toward Angelique. The door to the alchemy shop opened with Fred and Freddie looking out onto the bloody scene. They saw the undead but what they really saw them more as ingredients for potions. They briefly argued over which ones they should hit. Angelique shouted, “Just hit something!”. They began casting. Angelique took another shot and hit one. Symon applied a potion of extra healing to Eryn and healed her quite a bit. Cal-El took out another zombie. Angelique hit and dropped one as well. Fred and Freddie took out another one In a flurry of missiles. Angelique hit another target. Eryn handed off her remaining extra healing potion with two doses to Symon and then moved between the remaining zombie with her shield and went defensive to blocked it. Cal-El hit the remaining zombie for quite a bit of damage but it remained standing. The gnomes were fighting over the hair from the zombie they’d killed. Symon applied the two doses of extra healing to Xor. The remaining zombie attacked Eryn and missed. Angelique hit it again but it didn’t fall. Symon used his sling and fired at the remaining zombie and missed. Eryn attacked and missed. Xor got back up. Cal-El attacked the last undead and re-deaded it.
-The battle over, Symon asked the two gnomes if they new a necromancer and they said they used to know one, they don’t know one here though and then babbled and digressed slowly back to, “Have you seen Fredrick?”. They went after hair, tongues, and other parts of the undead that they could use. Eryn decapitated the zombies so they couldn’t rise again, throwing their heads over the fence that is the border of the town, well away from the bodies. They were pretty wiped out at this point. It was late afternoon and the party discussed what to do next. They redistributed their healing potions. The extra healing meant for Eryn was passed on it Symon and a regular healing was given to Eryn. They weren’t quiet so Roger and his crew surely knew they were here. Symon was spent, except for his wand. Xor was back to about where he was when thery started this last battle, Eryn also. Symon felt that Roger would kill Cassandra if he kept her much longer. There was an exit from the town to the east. Symon suggested that one plan would be to make a big show of exiting the town and then sneak back in the next morning. He also suggested that maybe Roger and his remaining crew were inside, hiding from the undead they knew would rise, letting the undead take care of the party. Eryn wondered aloud, ”Then why haven’t they made their move on us now?”. Symon said, ”For all we know, there are only two people in there. We don’t know enough yet.”. He also suggested that if we left to return tomorrow, they may leave, “They may even be gone now, we’re not sure. We don’t know if there is anybody in there.”, Symon said. It was noted that smoke was coming from the chimney. We went back to the scroll of silence. Eryn can still sneak, the silence spell would really improve that.
+The battle over, Symon asked the two gnomes if they knew a necromancer and they said they used to know one, they don’t know one here though and then babbled and digressed slowly back to, “Have you seen Fredrick?”. They went after hair, tongues, and other parts of the undead that they could use. Eryn decapitated the zombies so they couldn’t rise again, throwing their heads over the fence that is the border of the town, well away from the bodies. They were pretty wiped out at this point. It was late afternoon and the party discussed what to do next. They redistributed their healing potions. The extra healing meant for Eryn was passed on it Symon and a regular healing was given to Eryn. They weren’t quiet so Roger and his crew surely knew they were here. Symon was spent, except for his wand. Xor was back to about where he was when thery started this last battle, Eryn also. Symon felt that Roger would kill Cassandra if he kept her much longer. There was an exit from the town to the east. Symon suggested that one plan would be to make a big show of exiting the town and then sneak back in the next morning. He also suggested that maybe Roger and his remaining crew were inside, hiding from the undead they knew would rise, letting the undead take care of the party. Eryn wondered aloud, ”Then why haven’t they made their move on us now?”. Symon said, ”For all we know, there are only two people in there. We don’t know enough yet.”. He also suggested that if we left to return tomorrow, they may leave, “They may even be gone now, we’re not sure. We don’t know if there is anybody in there.”, Symon said. It was noted that smoke was coming from the chimney. We went back to the scroll of silence. Eryn can still sneak, the silence spell would really improve that.
 They finally went out of the east gate, making a show of leaving. After a few minutes, they slowly snuck back into town on the eastern side of the building and made their way through the trees back to the side of the hotel. It was still overcast with a lite drizzle. The leaves were soaked so they made little noise as the party moved over them. Eryn peaked in through the boards again and could see a candle light. She picked the window that looked to be the easiest to clear of boards for entry and held up the dagger for Angelique to cast the silence spell on. Angelique cast the spell and when Eryn heard all sound stop, she knew it was successfully done and she began prying at the boards to that window which came off very easily. She used the blunt end of the dagger handle to smash the window and climbed in. It was a bedroom and there were lit candles but nobody there. She turned and motioned that everyone else should follow her in. They did.