[IC] Chapter 1-4: Cellars of Hate

[Silent Giant]

OOC - if the issue of the trampling noise is brought up aloud Murkatos recalls that it came from abovehead; i.e. above the attic; whatever that may mean.

The party spends the next hour with routine search of the entire known area without immersing into the nitpicking details. Finally Maul calls out from the back of the guard room.
"Keys here!"

Indeed, there was a wall hanger behind a fallen plank, right behind the door, and since it was cracked open the priest took the liberty to peek inside. There are nine hooks in three rows; each hook labelled with some ancient runes Murkatos manages to decipher.
The first row of three keys are labeled "MaB", "MiB" and "Lib".
The second row of three keys are labeled "WGR", "BGR" and "GGR".
All these six keys are about the same size and design; made of brass based on the oxide color.
The third row contains three hangers; "Ent", "Din" and "Arm". The middle one is smaller than the rest while the two on the sides are larger than all the others. Correspondingly, there is a quite large iron key on the hanger labeled "Ent" and a quite small brass key on the hanger labeled "Din". The hanger labeled "Arm" is empty.

It's impossible I have checked the guard room two times. - he mumbles indignantly

He agree with Lugar to check the cellar first. He puts the sack (Merri) into Mistress's bed.

ooc - If there are more undead they can go accross the door and Merri will be the next "ghost". But Giant hasn't better idea

ooc - Master Bedroom, Mistress Bedroom, Library, Entrance, Dinning room(?), Armory(?), so first we should start with WGR, BGR, GGR. I don't have idea what they mean, maybe BGR is below garden But we have more chance that "??R" means the three rooms on the south :-)

Can't we remember what was the size of keyhole?

ooc - You can’t take 10 on a skill check to aid another in other cases not only in Giant's case

[DM Surranó]

OOC -thanks for the take 10 brush-up

The only thing Giant remember about the door is that it was massive and thus likely needs a strong key; more like steel than brass or pewter.
Maul and Murkatos think it needs a large key.
Lugar spent quite some time trying to open the lock so he can clearly remember it needed a very strong and fairly large key. It must be unusual in design or complex in details, based on how complex the lock was.
So will Lugar take all the keys, to be sure?

Giant places the body on the Mistress Bedroom's bed and Maul offers a prayer to Pelor.
"Protected by Pelor's might she's now on consecrated ground and safe from netherworldly effects-- as long as she's not removed from the room. We have about twelve more hours to bring her to final rest."

[Lugar]

Lugar examines the larger iron key marked ENT. Is it too small then for the cellar?

"Bah, you're right Giant, we need a bigger key." Lugar laments. After listening to Giants speculation on the keys, Lugar postulates that the ones labeled GR stand for "guest room." He takes the keys and marks each one with a Dwarven rune before putting them in his pack. He will use his knife or adamantine glaive head, whichever works better. "Until we find that key we should keep exploring, to the attic then?"

[DM Surranó]

The ENT key is "about" the size.

As Lugar takes the first key from the hook his instincts urge him to move sideways and rightly so as a sizzling bolt of electricity barely misses his ears!
Maul, standing too close behind the dwarf, takes the impact and emits a startled shout and his knees waver. The bolt hit his metal armor which spreaded the pain from neck to loin. Grunting, he keeps standing but then moves aside to let the dwarf do whatever he wants to with the keys -- alone.

[Silent Giant]

Hooo ... what an evil witchcraft again? No good. Get the Arm key, maybe it is there but hidden by some witchcrafts.

After Lugar finished with keys and the room is safe again Giant checks the pockets, belts and hands of guards maybe they have the "Arm" key.

"Until we find that key we should keep exploring, to the attic then?"

Yeah. Hey, Murkatos. Can you show us the way where you come here?

ooc - We should use the wand of knock if none of the keys fit into the keyhole, we have an arcane spellcaster fortunately :-)

[DM Surranó]

OOC - does Giant suggest that the ARM key is there but invisible?

The problem with the belts and pockets of the guards is that they are crushed under heavy rocks; and that most of the clothing has fallen apart and not clothing anymore.
To do a full take20 search in the guard room including moving as much of the rocks as possible would take about two hours.

Murkatos shrugs. "I came in through the swamp."

[Lugar]

"Ooh, sorry about that Maul."  Lugar says sheepishly.  He will look for dust or loose gravel to sprinkle over the empty ARM hook, if the key is invisible as Giant suggests.

Hooo ... what an evil witchcraft again? No good. Get the Arm key, maybe it is there but hidden by some witchcrafts.

After Lugar finished with keys and the room is safe again Giant checks the pockets, belts and hands of guards maybe they have the "Arm" key.

"Until we find that key we should keep exploring, to the attic then?"

Yeah. Hey, Murkatos. Can you show us the way where you come here?

ooc - We should use the wand of knock if none of the keys fit into the keyhole, we have an arcane spellcaster fortunately :-)

"I remember you saying you hid in the attic from the spirits but I had assumed you came in from another direction.  How did you get past the swamp creatures at the entrance to the tunnel?"

[Silent Giant]

OOC - does Giant suggest that the ARM key is there but invisible?

ooc - He doesn't know about invisibility spell, he only suggests it is there but hidden by witchcraft It can be invisibility, illusion, astral cord, etc.

The problem with the belts and pockets of the guards is that they are crushed under heavy rocks; and that most of the clothing has fallen apart and not clothing anymore.
To do a full take20 search in the guard room including moving as much of the rocks as possible would take about two hours.

If there are keys or another adamantine weapons below the rocks the two hours worth it. But first we check the attic.
How large is the glaive head? Could it be a strangely shaped big key?

Murkatos shrugs. "I came in through the swamp."

I also remember you said that you had came from another direction. So you came in through the swamp but can you show us the exact way? And why are you here? I can't remember.

[DM Surranó]

The dust and gravel don't reveal anything invisible hanging from the hook.

(...)

"There were no swamp monsters when I came in."

[Lugar]

"The key isn't here, I'll give the room one last look before we go upstairs."  Lugar takes in the room, looking for signs of someone in charge who might have taken the key, but now regretting the destruction he and Giant did to the bodies earlier.  We probably destroyed a clue he thinks.  Oh well he tells himself, must move on.  This place held many mysteries, not enough time to investigate thoroughly. He pulls out the glaive head to give it another look like Giant suggested.

After his search he trots on down to the library. "Lets take another look at that library too, maybe there's a book with more information on this house."

He stops at the iron grate that leads into the "courtyard" and gives it another look over, trying to determine whether it's worth the effort to break through and dig out the rubble. Maybe the attic will hold more clues?

Search guard room again - (1d20= 8) + 7 = 15