Ghosts of Gauntcliff: Chapter Five

[steveflam]

"Yes, let's find Gruz and Smezel. They are smaller than I am with one eye and look really funny. I don't think they are too bright however so should be easy enough to trick with gold. They absolutely love the metal and gladly helped me when I gave what gold I had. They almost fought over it as a matter of fact."

Juergin begins walking with Benn in the direction of where he promised to meet with his two friends. "Those were lost princes? But then who are the Dodd's? I think I saw a painting of them somewhere in this bizarre place. ACtually when I first exited the place in search of you, this whole land was different. I closed the door and thought of my two friends and lo and behold the land became different and I remembered how to find them. But now I remember where they are, so let us go find them. Smezel seems to have some magical ability, though I think you will make more sense of it."

[RocEter]

GROUND FLOOR OF THE ABBEY RUINS


Eustace runs about madly, trips, gets up, and runs more. He swings his fists into the stone walls, bloodying his knuckles. The mad monk curses and raves.


Thom can see that Everline is hurt, but not mortally wounded. A big bruise over her right eye looks like it was made with brass knuckles, or maybe a sword hilt.

Eustace stops raving, he staggers over to Thom and Everline and looks down the the injured girl. He seems calm now, though he is breathing hard.

Thom looks at Eustace as he approaches him and Everline. Seeing that he appears calm and back to his normal self, he gives the man a nod. "Tend to her wounds Eustace I will help the others." He says to him.

Walking over to the pit, he stops and pulls out a vial of some kind and pours it over his silver dagger.

[Ken of Ghastria]

Primeiro backs away from the embedded sword, then - having seen the creatur's reaction - wields the sunrod like a club, swinging it viciously at the shadowy foe. "What's the matter, SERVANT? Does the light reveal how pathetic you are? How young girls are the only things a quisling like you can master?"

After he swings, he says to Petrie, "keep destroying the workshop!!"

[ewancummins]

THE NIGHTMARE CITY

He awkwardly pats the boy on the back before extracting himself from his hug.

"I cannot leave without my son," Bennedict regretfully sighs. "Safe journey, Lost Princes. If I cannot convince you to wait for me, I suppose this is the time for us to split up."

He turns to leave, pulling the boy behind him. "Let's find these friends of yours. And let's hope there is a way home in that dungeon."

"So be it. We depart."

One of the creatures turns the key in the wall, and a door of silvery light appears. The three Exiled Princes step through, vanishing from sight. The luminous portal disappears, leaving the sooty bricks unmarked.

Juergin speaks to Benn-

"Yes, let's find Gruz and Smezel. They are smaller than I am with one eye and look really funny. I don't think they are too bright however so should be easy enough to trick with gold. They absolutely love the metal and gladly helped me when I gave what gold I had. They almost fought over it as a matter of fact."

Juergin begins walking with Benn in the direction of where he promised to meet with his two friends. "Those were lost princes? But then who are the Dodd's? I think I saw a painting of them somewhere in this bizarre place. Actually when I first exited the place in search of you, this whole land was different. I closed the door and thought of my two friends and lo and behold the land became different and I remembered how to find them. But now I remember where they are, so let us go find them. Smezel seems to have some magical ability, though I think you will make more sense of it."

When the two Lamordians reach the alley where Jürgen left his two little friends, they find it empty. The moldering gowns are missing too. In fact....Jürgen isn't even sure it's the same alley. It looks similar, but in this cursed city where the streets shift just out of sight like a magician's card tricks, how can he be sure of anything? He is lost.



IN THE DUNGEON

The monster retreats from the sunrod with a soft hiss, sinking into the shifting shadows that fill most of the workshop.

Dorgio brushes a hand over his face, as if to clear away a spider's web. The priest stares at the retreating enemy.
It's not Strahd; it's the shadow monster.

[Brock Marsh Runoff]

Dorgio blinks in disbelief, and his posture goes slack with exhaustion. "Not...Strahd?" he shakes his head, almost violently, in an attempt to rouse himself. "No. The pit!" He turns to join Primeiro and Petrie. "You said destroy the workshop?"

Dorgio pulls at the spear to free it from the shadowy wall, now intent on destroying this "workshop" and preparing for the shadow creature's inevitable return.

[Ail]

Eustace notices Primeiro and Everline lost in confusion hacking at each other, and quickly dispels the magic in the area, aware of some malign influence over them. But as soon as the potency of his magic works to the end, he feels the environment around him darken, and become crowded with shadows and red-eyed demons. The magic must have released the anger of the foul inhabitants of this abbey.

Attacked by them with relentless fury, Eustace defends desperately with his staff, hacking wildly in the hopes of keeping them away and sometimes even going on the offensive. At last, exhausted, the shadows seem gone and he leans on the wall, resting for a second. When he looks up, he seem Thom looking at him, and Everline, prostate on the ground, bleeding.

The editor says something at him, which he barely registers as he tries to understand the incongruity of the scene. Then he stoops over Everline and still unsure of what's happened to the others and of what he may do to help them, he channels his healing powers over Everline.

OOC:

Eustace uses the remaining two charges of the Healing Belt to heal 3d8.
3d8 = 13
http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3482564/

[Rock of the Fraternity]

(OOC: I'm assuming that being healed brings Everline out of her unconsciousness, and that she is no longer insane-o.)

Everline's eyes flicker open and she sits bolt upright, her eyes still full of blood and murder. And yet, they are somehow clearer than they were before she went down.

"The ogre," she says, her voice trembling with barely suppressed rage. "The darkness monster, the liar, the trickster, the bastard, the thing that must die! Where'd it go?"

Her hand blindly seizes the morningstar, and Everline starts to struggle to her feet. "Hell's bells!" the young woman curses, grimacing. "What hit me?"

(OOC: I have a wand of Cure Light Wounds handy if such is needed. Now let's rock! )

[ewancummins]

IN THE DUNGEON
Dorgio, Petrie, and Primeiro demolish the workshop, smashing or tearing apart all the paintings and easels. Everything dissolves into liquid shadow after being destroyed.
Primeiro drops both his rapier and the sunrod. He casts about in apparent confusion, a crazy look on his face…



THE PIT

After anointing his daggers, Thom leaps into the pit and sinks thirty feet to the bottom, as lightly as a bit of goose down.
He lands unharmed amid the rubble, tangled rope, and bits of smoldering pitch.


The door hangs open, and beyond it Thom sees faint lights in the dungeon. He hears voices and breaking, ripping noises.

[Brock Marsh Runoff]

Dungeon

((OOC: Edited to add LoM spell))

Dorgio wipes a layer of sweat from his brow as he finishes smashing an easel. "Primeiro, now that we are doing this, why are we doing it? What power does this workshop give the Shadow?"

He turns to look at Primeiro, and suddenly sees the madness in his comrade's eyes. "Kurva!" when Primeiro drops the rapier, Dorgio kicks at it, to get the weapon away in case Primeiro succumbs to the madness. The same madness that had come on Dorgio after the beast struck him...

"The Shadow, it must be nearby!" Dorgio barks out a guttural prayer, invoking the aid of Mercuria.

[Ail]

Eustace prepares to go down. He takes some rope from his sack, looks for a safe point to tie it and then starts climbing down.

[steveflam]

When the two Lamordians reach the alley where Jürgen left his two little friends, they find it empty. The moldering gowns are missing too. In fact....Jürgen isn't even sure it's the same alley. It looks similar, but in this cursed city where the streets shift just out of sight like a magician's card tricks, how can he be sure of anything? He is lost.

"This is what I was telling you. I think that this place changes on a whim. I am sure if I think about where they were originally, we'll find them. Otherwise it might be a bit harder. As for who I saw . He was a mad looking man with but a loin cloth. Is he one a Dodd maybe?"

[Ken of Ghastria]

The Dungeon

Primeiro sinks to his knees and starts to wave his arms around fiercely, as though trying to shake off invisible arms. "NO! I don't want to go away again!" he shrieks. "WHY?? Daddy! DADDY!! I don't wanna leave again!! I don't wanna!! I didn't DO anything!!"

[ewancummins]

THE DUNGEON


Dorgio hears a hollow voice that seems to come from every deep shadow in the room, all about him.

"A gentleman who used to employ my artistic services once told me that inside every grown man, no matter how sober or dignified a face he shows the world, there hides a little boy who just wants to play, to feel a child's simple joy."
The voice lowers to a hoarse whisper.

''But there's more. Not only childish joys lie hidden in your heart, Dorgio. Every bedtime terror, every boogeyman your Old Nan warned you about; they all are close by. So very close to us now. Would you like to meet them again? Would you like to play with me? "

The shadows moving on the walls grow and take on the shapes of the monsters of Dorgios’ boyhood; skulking vampires, deformed goblins, giant wolves, and Barovian soldiers.

[Adam]

When the two Lamordians reach the alley where Jürgen left his two little friends, they find it empty. The moldering gowns are missing too. In fact....Jürgen isn't even sure it's the same alley. It looks similar, but in this cursed city where the streets shift just out of sight like a magician's card tricks, how can he be sure of anything? He is lost.

"This is what I was telling you. I think that this place changes on a whim. I am sure if I think about where they were originally, we'll find them. Otherwise it might be a bit harder. As for who I saw . He was a mad looking man with but a loin cloth. Is he one a Dodd maybe?"

"I have no idea," Bennedict says, "I've not heard of these Dodds until you came around, and frankly I could not care less who or what they may be. We are here to find Jonas and get out of this accursed city. Lead me to those miserable cyclopean rats so we can make them take us to my son."

[steveflam]

When the two Lamordians reach the alley where Jürgen left his two little friends, they find it empty. The moldering gowns are missing too. In fact....Jürgen isn't even sure it's the same alley. It looks similar, but in this cursed city where the streets shift just out of sight like a magician's card tricks, how can he be sure of anything? He is lost.

"This is what I was telling you. I think that this place changes on a whim. I am sure if I think about where they were originally, we'll find them. Otherwise it might be a bit harder. As for who I saw . He was a mad looking man with but a loin cloth. Is he one a Dodd maybe?"

"I have no idea," Bennedict says, "I've not heard of these Dodds until you came around, and frankly I could not care less who or what they may be. We are here to find Jonas and get out of this accursed city. Lead me to those miserable cyclopean rats so we can make them take us to my son."

Juergin closes his eyes and concentrates, thinking about Gruz, Smezel and where he last saw them.