[Game Thread] Welcome to Belhaim

[DoverianDragoon]

Rone's eye twitched as the Baroness continued to dole out orders. They'd already gotten off to a bad start, what with the arrest and all...

... But then she mentioned payment, and suddenly Rone wasn't being bossed around; he was being hired.

Well. That's different, then.

The half-elf visibly relaxed, and his eye-twitching glower shifted into the barest hint of a smirk - the closest thing to a smile the others had seen from him so far. "... We're not friends. But you have a deal."

As usual, he wasted no time. There was a pile of rubble to

Dice climb the rubble!:

1d20+4

(9)+4

Total = 13

climb. He'd barely seen the half-orc - what was his name again? It didn't really matter at the moment - work his way up some of it as they left for the manor. If there was an entrance to the tower, the climb was the answer.

[Avelestar]

Raufinius Raufinius is unable to get a grip on the creature with his now unsettling large teeth, but its enough to make the creature rear backwards offbalance. Bringing his falchion around in an arc he slices deep into the side of the reeling centipede, the blade hits between two segments and slices it near in two. Unphased the other centipede strikes at Raufinius' exposed back, pushing him forwards but leaving him unharmed.

Alun, Dania, Rone The baroness relaxes as all three accept her terms and opens her mouth to continue speaking but Rone is already halfway up the rubble mount. "Please be careful, that tower has seen the death of people before." As you turn towards the ruined tower you think you see the hint of a tear forming in the baronesses' eye, but she quickly blinks it back and moves down the hill to break up the crowd of watching townsfolk.

[Khalil]

Raufinus was unpracticed in the use of weapons, and yet the long blade felt like it belonged in his hands. He gripped it tighter even as the other centipede tried to assault him from behind. He brought the weapon around and with another ungraceful motion he tried to Dice To hit Falchion: 1d20+2 (14)+2 Total = 16 Dice Damage: 2d4+3 (4, 4)+3 Total = 11 chop the thing down.

[zevonian]

"Going to throw us a rope, Rone? Need some light up there?"

Alun supposed that Rone was an experienced climber eager to earn coin from the Baroness, for why else would he head up that mass of rubble without waiting for strategy witheither of his fellow hires? So, while at the base of what was left of the tower, the human with the elven sister waited for a response, and scanned the area for footholds and doorways.

ooc contingency If Rone asks for light, then Alun casts Dancing Lights and places a quartet of them as needed, in a manner as to not blind any climbers.

[Avelestar]

Raufinius Having learnt the best way to get through the creature's thick carapace Raufinius easily dispatches the second centipede. He glances around the dark room, eyes scanning each nook and cranny for more enemies, but finds none. A strong musty scent arises from the centipede corpses and Raufinius breathes it in deep as he recovers his breath. Feeling safe he lets his guard down and takes a few steps further into the room. The entire room is made of heavy stone bricks and obviously below ground level. The construction is good, even after being abandoned for centuries and a number of the stone pillars collapsed the roof and walls seem strong. To the south a thick wooden door is set into the wall, while the rest of the room extends out for at least sixty feet in both horizontal directions. In one corner sits a metal statue of a woman crying and other than the rubble the room has a number of rotten wooden beds lining the wall, small and basic, but functional. There also seems to be the remains of weapon racks, though the weapons are missing. Perhaps this was the barracks for the castle?

Alun, Dania & Rone Rone charges up the rubble mount without issue, finding wispy moustache awaiting him on the second floor. He smiles nervously as the large warrior approaches and points at the trapdoor in the corner "Your friend went down there and into the basement, there's some kibild corpses too." He pauses for a second with a puzzled look on his face "Kerbald? Kebel?" he muses as Rone pushes past him, clearly not the smartest of folks. Not getting any help from Rone, Alun decides to climb the rubble mount on his own. Taking his time he's able to climb it without much issue, only slipping once or twice. Dania follows behind him, deftly stepping over loose bricks. The pair of them reach the second floor to find Rone halfway down the ladder. With a sigh Alun summons a quartet of lights and prepares to follow the warrior, expecting him to be forced to wait for a light source as he went deeper into the castle ruins.

OOC You're all caught up timewise, feel free to head down whenever you want to find the centipede corpses and something that is apparently Raufinius. Also if I ever make your character do something you don't like/agree with, tell me!

[zevonian]

"Rone, going to put some lights below you. Mind your eyes a second."

Alun recast his spell once more, for its duration was not the greatest. The quartet of false torches blinked out, only to be replaced by four purplish wisps of light at the bottom of the ladder. The wisps had a certain formation to them as they moved a few feet away from the ladder. Two on top, one between and below them just a few inches, and the fourth a foot below that. The lowest light moved from side to side with a curve. Alun had shown off this trick on previous nights. Eyes, nose, mouth.

He was approximating a smiling face, likely to let Raufinius know who was coming to join him.

[Khalil]

Raufinus heaved as he tried to regain his breath. Definitely the intense action was not something that he was used to. He stared at the centipedes still somewhat doubtfull that they were fully dead. He prodded them a few times with the falchion. Their poison glands might come in handy... He thought, but before trying to harvest the materials, he decided to keep searching the room. When he came upon the bust of the woman he Dice Perception: 1d20+5 (13)+5 Total = 18 stared at it for a few moments. Raufinus found the statue to be quite beautiful and somewhat haunting. For some unknown reason the thought reminded him of the mother he had never had. Sometimes he wondered what she was like, and if she ever regretted abandoning him. Thoughts for another time... He then moved over to ther door and Dice Perception: 1d20+5 (19)+5 Total = 24 listened through it as well as he tried to determine if it was trapped.

[Coelubris]

Dania followed behind Alun with a thoughtful expression, even as she, too, moved down the ladder to the space below. She was keeping her eyes peeled, especially when they got down to where the kobold corpses lay. That indicated potential for trouble, and she wasn't going to just ignore that fact. Where they came from was still unknown, so she glanced around, and once down beside the kobolds, she casting dancing lightssummoned her own spheres of pale light, these a soft bluish shade with a tendency toward aqua-teal, although one of them was a blood red that glimmered and danced the furthest she could see to send it.

[DoverianDragoon]

Kobold corpses were nothing new, nor did they offer any clues or get this slapdash group of investigators any closer to grouping up; Rone ignored them, went straight for the old ladder. He didn't have any fancy magic lights to cast, and he found Alun's smily-face pattern particularly annoying... but that didn't stop him from making use of it as he slid down the ladder, sword drawn and laid flat against the top of his shield. His boots crunched on centipede leg, but since there were only more corpses, he paid them no more mind than the kobold ones.

And there, in the dim, dancing lights, he saw a man - if it could be called a man - poking about the ruins of a barracks and staring at a statue of a woman. Rone cast his eyes about the room, then regarded the monster-man closely. For a long, tense moment, his sword remained leveled at Raufinus...

And then he relaxed, sheathed the blade in one smooth motion. "Clear!" he called up the ladder before he walked through Alun's lights and knelt to light one of his torches with a flint and tinder. It flared to life in a few moments, and he took it up in his shield hand. The flames licked at the thin, metal rim of his otherwise wooden shield, but the light was unimpaired. He joined Raufinus in

Dice Perception:

1d20+5

(11)+5

Total = 16

examining the door. "... You got ugly. Which one is your real face?"

[Avelestar]

Raufinius runs one finger along the center of the statue, spotting a small seam. Poking, prodding and knocking on the statue he notices that its metal and mostly hollow. He finds a small keyhole on the backside, but its rusted over with age. Figuring any mechanisms inside are probably similarly rusted he takes the tip of his falchion and pries the statue open. A jumble of bones tumble out of the now open statue, revealing the entire inside to be lined with large spikes. Clearly a torture device of some kind.

A glint of metal catches his eye in the pile of bones and rags now at his feet. A pair of daggers, unmarked by age are jammed between the victims ribs. From his schooling in healing Raufinius can tell these wounds were meant to harm, not kill immediately. The man suffered for a long time inside that device. Picking up the daggers he's amazed at how light they are and each with a strange series of notches carved into the flat of the blade.

He also finds a small rusted key in one pocket and takes it for himself. Rone arrives shortly after, staring at him intensely for a moment before recognising the half-orc. The pair examine the door, finding it to be locked and free of any obvious trap mechanisms. Alun and Dania make their way down the ladder, unsure if the changes in Raufinius are a trick of the light or not and immediately recoiling at the strong odor of the dead centipedes.

OOC Up to Rauf if he shares the daggers/key or not and you're assumed to have vision out to 30ft so long as you're close to Dania/Rone or 60ft if you're Rauf. I'll likely be levelling people up after certain plot points, the XP given is really all over the place and happens every quickly.

[Khalil]

It isn't like I was any more handsome before. He stared dumbly at the man, then he just shrugged, But if you must know. My body seems to be having a reaction to the insects' vileness. I should be fine, as long as I my treachea does not start to constrict.

Raufinus then went along towards the centipedes and tried to harvest a couple of components.


(Typing from phone. Avelestar can you roll my survival check to harvest poison or anti venom components? )

[Avelestar]

Raufinius attempts to harvest venom sacs from the slain centipedes, but finds the first drained of all venom and the second sliced by his falchion. What leaked onto his arms during the battle is stained into his clothes, sticky and pungent but unable to be extracted.

OOC Biology degree ho! Poison is something you eat and get sick, venom is something you get injected with and get sick. Badluck on the 7.

[zevonian]

Alun made his way down the ladder. He recast his spell as it ended, allowing Dania's to cover the gap between his illuminations. The lights were in a tighter circle-like pattern now, and placed behind him after Dania made her way down.

"Were you bit? Scratched? Something in the air?" His words were for the affected Raufinius. Whilst waiting for a response, Alun moved his lights about to provide himself a better chance to examine the place.

[Khalil]

I was indeed assaulted by these... things. Raufinus looked up and toward Rone. We should catch up with him. There might be more of these things... Glad yall decided to come. How did it go at the wizard's tower?

[zevonian]

"Kobold tried to break into the wizard's place. The manor's warded, killed the kobold dead." Alun was very matter of fact about it all. "He wasn't home, or at least wasn't answering. He might be in here, Baroness actually hired us to root around the collapsed ruins."

As Alun paused for a reply, he recast his illuminating spell, all the while remembering that a guard had confiscated his last sunrod but didn't give it back.