Overview

Redmane Redmane would like nothing more than to head back to town and rest after that embarrassing defeat. Still, he will have to lick his wounds on the move as they continued onwards. "Yes, onwards it is. Carefully though, the floor before was trapped afterall." Even with taking the beating that he did, he still proceeded to the front of the party.

Sorry. I will not be able to post today, but will a concerted effort to do so tomorrow.

Ahem.

Tabitha Brandythorne "There is no need for dramatics," Tabitha said with a roll of her eyes. She held up her lantern for any of the others to fumble with their belongings as they saw fit. With this light, they could, after all, see. Thus far, in her estimation, this venture had proceeded in a manner befitting agents of the law. Grousing about something as inconsequential as torches did not adhere to that precedent. Although, to be fair, she had certainly heard the sheriff grumble and whine about any number of similarly trivial complaints. Still, it would not help. "This way, I think." She pointed to the door ahead, in the southern wall. "Might as well get on with pursuing this hard-won lead."

Character Name: Tabitha Brandythorne Careers: Lawyer, Inquisitor Attributes 1 Strength Melee attacks, lifting, climbing, breaking free 0 Dexterity Dodging, sneaking, sleight of hand 0 Constitution Physical resistance, item slots, wounds 1 Intelligence Lockpicking, alchemy, spells per day 1 Wisdom Ranged attacks, foraging, navigation, spell resistance 0 Charisma Initiative, persuasion, companions, blessings Stats Level 1 Experience 0 Armor Class 11+AP Armor Points 2 Max Hitpoints 1d6 Hitpoints 3 You can carry 10 + Constitution slots worth of items. 500 coins fills one slot. Multiple small items may fill one slot if together they could all fit in a hand. Inventory 1. armored vestments (chest) 11. 2. law book 12. 3. armored gauntlets (arms) 13. 4. manual 14. 5. Spell: Bend Fate (roll Int+1 1d20 and sub rolls at any time) 15. 6. 2 rations 16. 7. 140 coins + certificate 17. 8. 50' rope 18. 9. sword, 1-handed (1d6) 19. 10. lantern 20. Point of favor with Waverly Movement 40' Goal: Restore faction

Hey! You! Yeah, you! Get in here and post!

Kenric Penbotham Kenric had practically preened at his good fortune of his good idea with the key swap. So much so, that he'd barely even been a part of the negotiations with the stone guardian and it's formidably eagerness to go into one-on-one combat. So it was well into the first bout before he even realized what was happening to Redmayne, and just how poorly things were going for him. When he failed, Kenric too felt it, metaphorically. Redmayne had proven to be quite the warrior and to be ousted was to leave them all as bloodied and bruised as Kenric already felt. His own wounds still fresh from the unproven potion incident. Percival proved luckier and when the stone guardian lamented defeat with a bow, it was all Kenric could do to hide his heavy sigh. As the open was made clear, Kenric wondered what lie beyond that staircase that might prevent him -them- from conquering this place. Kenric, contented to be near the back of the troupe as was becoming customary to their exploration, set foot upon the lower floor landing with that same sense of endured melancholy. Ricardo felt it too and chittered at his owner with a few companion tugs on the man's hair and ear to emphasize his point. Kenric adjusted his borrowed helmet to hide his hair from the small mammal and set about looking around. When the torches went out, Kenric and Ricardo both gasped. "Damn it all! A light, a light, my kingdom for a light!" He prattled on with a hint of a whine.

With the party looking more battered and bruised every passing minute, they press on down the hidden stairway revealed by the statue. The stone steps are covered in dust, but there are clear marking of something ascending and descending the steps recently. Based on the multiple thin lines scraped in the dust, it appears it may have been skeletons. Ending their descent, the group comes to what appears to be an entry chamber. About 15 feet from north to south, and 25 feet from east to west. The room is made of the same dark stone bricks that the upper floor was made of, and the air is less damp. Glancing around in the torchlight, the group sees a closed door along the southern wall, directly across from where they came in, as well as another door in the southwest corner, set in the western wall. The room around you is eerily silent other than the noises of your feet shuffling about or your own conversations. Dungeon Hazard As you are taking in your surroundings, any torches you have lit begin to burn out. If you have unlit torches, you may light them using the embers of your old torches.

Character Name: Kenric Penbotham Careers: Actor, Boatman Persona: Fanatic Goal: Lead the Faction Liabilities: Outcast Mannerisms: Lilting Attributes 0 Strength Melee attacks, lifting, climbing, breaking free 0 Dexterity Dodging, sneaking, sleight of hand 0 Constitution Physical resistance, item slots, wounds 1 Intelligence Lockpicking, alchemy, spells per day 2 Wisdom Ranged attacks, foraging, navigation, spell resistance 0 Charisma Initiative, persuasion, companions, blessings Stats Level 1 Experience 0 Armor Class 11+AP = 14 Armor Points 3 Max Hitpoints 1d6 = 2 Hitpoints 1 You can carry 10 + Constitution slots worth of items. 500 coins fills one slot. Multiple small items may fill one slot if together they could all fit in a hand. Inventory 1. Spellbook: Gravity (1/day, target decides what is "down") 2. Instrument: Banjo 3. Costume 4. Short Bow : d6, 120 range 5. Padded cloth: +1 AP 6. 40 coin, 1 key 7. Helmet (from Alma, mushroom formed and painted): +1 AP 8. Bracers: +1 AP 9. Ricardo the Monkey: 1 Inventory Slot: Spellbook: Control Plants 10. Quiver: 17 arrows

Well this is an unexpected gift on this Monday morning.

Character Name: Careers: Attributes 0 Strength Melee attacks, lifting, climbing, breaking free 0 Dexterity Dodging, sneaking, sleight of hand 0 Constitution Physical resistance, item slots, wounds 0 Intelligence Lockpicking, alchemy, spells per day 0 Wisdom Ranged attacks, foraging, navigation, spell resistance 0 Charisma Initiative, persuasion, companions, blessings Stats Level 1 Experience 0 Armor Class 11+AP Armor Points 0 Max Hitpoints 1d6 Hitpoints 0 You can carry 10 + Constitution slots worth of items. 500 coins fills one slot. Multiple small items may fill one slot if together they could all fit in a hand. Inventory 1. 11. 2. 12. 3. 13. 4. 14. 5. 15. 6. 16. 7. 17. 8. 18. 9. 19. 10. 20.

The Party: Percival the Actor Redmane the Jailer Alma the Assassin Tabitha the Law Kenrick and his monkey Ricardo The group began in Woodedge village, where they had met up and decided to investigate the newly discovered ruins. The reports said that the guardians attacking travelers were skeletons in rusted metal armor. They set off immediately after purchasing a mule and cart because, "UNDEAD ARE AGAINST THE LAW!" ~Tabitha. Though the untouched treasures that could lie below the surface were also a strong motivation for some of the group. Upon arriving in the general area, some time was spent exploring to find the tower. The area is mostly covered in temperate forest and had there not been reports of attacks nearby, would not have stood out in the slightest. The tower is tucked away amongst the hills and trees, and no longer stands above the forest foliage. After 4 hours of searching, the following locations were discovered and explored in this order. A destroyed campsite A well at the center of a clearing The Crumbling Tower The destroyed campsite appears to have housed 5 travelers. Their belongings are largely personal effects, and they did not appear to be well-armed, so the group concluded they were probably just trying to make it from one town to the next. Evidence of a fight can be seen in the dirt and ripped tents. There is blood on the ground, but no bodies. After some searching Kenrick spotted drag marks leading in the direction of the tower, and Ricardo the monkey found a half-finished rag doll. The well at the center of a moderately sized clearing appears to have been the center point of a settlement at one point, and now is the only remaining structure. Though ground foliage has grown up and consumed whatever was here in the past, there are still depressions in the ground, marking out what the group assumes is where cellars collapsed in on themselves as the wooden beams rotted away. The well itself no longer has a covering or pulley to send a rope down, only the stone keeping it from collapsing in on itself. Percival volunteered to climb down the well with a rope and check the water, finding it to be cool and refreshing, but noting nothing of interest besides that. After returning to the surface, the group pondered on their quest a moment, questioning if whatever necromancer lay hidden in the tower was perhaps pulling corpses from this old village to gather his army. The Crumbling Tower, now approached, is 40 feet in diameter, and the top has clearly collapsed off to one side leaving it only about 25 feet tall now. The entrance, which appears to once have held a large pair of wooden double doors, now sits open with rusted hinges holding nothing. While deliberating in the tree line about 30 feet from the tower, the group watched as 2 skeletons in rusted chainmail and holding spears stepped forth from the entrance, walked a slow and methodical circle around the outside of the tower and then returned back inside the tower. After watching this a couple more times, the group timed their patrols to be about once every 5 minutes or so. The group planned a surprise attack, waiting until the skeletons were halfway through their route around the tower, quickly dispatching them, while also learning that piercing weapons don't affect them, and they do appear to be capable of some autonomy given Kenrick was able to distract them with loud music. Ricardo the monkey decides to abandon the half-finished doll in favor of a skull from one of the defeated skeletons. Tabitha reflects for a moment and fills the group in on some details she understands about undead. There are 2 types, those that function purely on inscribed instructions, more like an automaton, and those given a semblance of life, able to take in surroundings and form an opinion on how to react, acting as thralls. Based on Tabitha's observation of these undead, she believes these are thralls, since they hesitated when Kenrick attempted to distract them as if momentarily unsure of what to do. Tabitha also noted that undead do not tire, and could effectively stand guard forever until they are destroyed by time, or outside forces. Percival decided to climb over the top of the crumbling walls to get a view of the area before everyone else came in through the entrance. The main floor and a spiraling staircase that climb the outer wall were all that was left aboveground. The group found a heavy metal trapdoor blocking a staircase downward into what they presumed was dungeon rooms below the tower. Redmane propped the grate open so that it could easily be closed if the group had to flee later. The hallway down is made of stone brick. The air is damp and stale, and there is moss and some small plants that have taken root between the bricks. A faint coppery smell emanates from the dungeon ahead. Lighting a torch and a lantern, the party proceeds down into the tunnels. Coming to an intersection, there are stone doors to their left and right, and in the distance ahead, another door can be seen. Opening the left door first, they find a fountain, which Redmane recognized as being trapped. Coins lie at the bottom of the fountain, below a barely visible crisscross of tripwires that look like they are designed to activate if anything larger than a coin or small trinket falls in. The group discusses some possible ways past it, but ultimately decides to leave the fountain for now, promising to come back on their way out. Across the hall they find a decayed storage room, finding nothing but a small brass key amongst the rotting boxes, paper, and rusted tools. Continuing down the main hall to the third door, they find it unlocked, leading into a small intersection room with doors to the north and south, and a skeletal corpse collapsed in the corner. The skeleton is wearing robes typically worn by arcanists for the comfort and range of motion, and holding a thick tome that Tabitha and Kenrick both recognize as a spellbook. Approaching the skeleton, they notice a rune begins to glow bright icy blue on the cover of the spellbook, and recognize it as an arcane trap. After testing out various theories, Kenrick is convinced to take the suspiciously unmarked potion bottle from Percival and attempts to take the book. Upon touching the book, an icy blast is released, giving Kenrick a bit of frostbite as the "potion" offers no protection from the trap. The spellbook seems unharmed though, and contains the spell Control Plants. After some argument about the ineffectiveness of the potion despite Percival's insistence that it would work, the group presses on. Heading north first the group finds what appears to be a dungeon, with shackles lining the wall. There's a man across the room, dead for a long while based on the mummified look and various mushrooms growing out of it. Redmane, knowing there are undead around, carefully taps the corpse with the end of his polearm, and it gasps, taking in a deep breath of air before coughing and beginning to speak. It speaks in a hoarse voice as he asks who is there, before the group introduce themselves and he give them his name as Waverly Bullfer. Through some time questioning him, the group learns he was brought here long ago and held captive by the former owner of the tower, an archmage that Waverly never learned the name of. He was brought here and forced to use his knowledge of rare fungi to try and breed a mystical mushroom that would grant immortality. Waverly remarks that he doesn't believe it's possible, though given the apparent age of the man, he must have at least partially succeeded. Percival offered Waverly water, which he thanked Percival for. After some deliberation, the group agreed to free the man, and realizing the key they had found earlier fit the cuff of Waverly's shackles. Upon his release, he plucked a mushroom off his back, and pulled a thin ring with a metal mushroom cap off of the stem, and offered it to the group. Alma stepped forward and took it, gaining a relic, as the group gained a point of favor with Waverly, the Mummified Saint. The ring contains a boon: "This ring functions as a Chaos Spellbook, allowing one random spell to be cast per day" Currently no one in the group has enough Charisma to claim the boon granted by this Patron. Waverly then left the dungeon, stating he was headed for the old well, and gave the group a rough description of the rooms that lay ahead, though possibly a bit out of date as he has not left the dungeon in a very long time. As the group heads south, the first room of 3 they were told about, they find a deep hole that appears to be bottomless that was not mentioned by Waverly. While moving around it carefully, Percival tosses a pebble toward it to see if they can hear how deep. The pebble instead stopped roughly even with the floor, as the whole hole began to ripple and warp, bubbling up into a massive blob. The floor mimic lashes out, startling the party, before they band together and put it down. When it falls, Tabitha stands over it and speaks "It is illegal to pretend to be a hole in the ground!" While no one else really believes that is a law, they also don't say anything to the contrary as Tabitha seems happy. Entering the next room, they find it circular in shape with a heavy iron door to their left. It is locked with a keyhole, and across the room stands a giant skeleton with a key hanging from a chain around its neck. After attempting to open the door with brute strength and with the shackle key, neither succeeding, Kenrick speaks to the skeleton, who has done nothing but watch the group so far. With some persuasive words, he convinces the skeleton to trade the key around its neck for the brass key Kenrick has, allowing them access through the door. This final room appears to have no other exits, but contains a stone statue with its palms outstretched and a pouch on its hip. An engraving in the floor reads: If it's gold that you seek, it's gold that I'll take, If weapons you wield, give me one and I'll wake, I've been tasked to keep guard of the treasures within, If you win in fair combat, I may let you in. The party deliberates and comes to the conclusion that if you place coin in one hand and a weapon in the other, it will awaken to fight in a duel. Testing this theory, Redmane steps up first, and though he gives a valiant effort, the statue lands two hits in quick succession, injuring him, and ending the duel. The statue returns to its original position, still holding the spear that was given to him. Percival decides to attempt the duel since Redmane failed and didn't want to receive any more injuries. The fight was close, with both Percival and the statue exchanging blows several times, but in the end, Percival succeeded in damaging the statue twice before he was struck. When the second blow landed, the statue bowed, returned to his position on the pedestal, offered the spear back, and gestured to the stone wall beside him which slid open revealing a staircase down to a deeper section of the dungeon. (If there are any details that were left out that you feel were important, please post them below)