The Elven Coast Road: N: To Castle Tempesta, Frisco, and Kolumbus Bridge.
S: To Omlet, Morgrond, and Where Evil Lurks.
E: To Fort Holva.
"Holva is a ruin," explains Valdar, "Perhaps built by the same people who built Koozle."
He leads you northwards.
By late morning the weather has deteriorated again. It is still foggy, by the overcast has thickened to the point that it is nearly twilight. The wind has picked up, too, and you find yourselves leaning into it to maintain your balance. You are wet and miserable; the horses are skitterish.
After struggling on for awhile in these conditions you realize that there is a high brick wall running along the left-hand side of the road. After a little longer you come to a rusted iron gate set in the wall. It is open, and a brass plaque affixed to it reads -
Castle Tempesta
A gravel driveway winds away through overgrown grounds within the walls, and through the trees you can see a large, sprawling mansion. It must be inhabited, for you can see quite a few lights shining through the windows.
"While I know of the existance of this place, I do not know anything about the lord of the manor," says Valdar. "Still, I wonder if he or she might offer us shelter until the weather improves? I would dearly love to dry my clothes before a crackling fire. What do the rest of you think..?"
Occa says, "Maybe they have a mage there....let's go, I could go for a nice dry night and this camping is hurting my back. A bed would be wonderful!"
"I am all for it," Salaam says, shaking a bit in the cold dampness.
"That sounds a grand idea!" Dani replies, rubbing her hands and trying to keep her teeth from chattering. "I for one want a nice, warm, soft, cuddly, bed to go to! All this sleeping on the ground and in nasty inns is for the birds!"
Who Knows states that his little feet are sore from all that walking and starts off towards the manor.
You turn off of the Elven Coast Road and enter the grounds of Castle Tempesta.
The drive winds through the trees, and finally ends at a circle before the castle itself.
More a palace or a mansion than a castle, before you is a long building, two storeys high with a peaked roof, built right on the very edge of the cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean. It measures 210' X 60' on the ground floor, oriented north - south, including a 10' wide verandah which runs the length of the east side (facing you). The place is clearly no ruin...everything is in perfect condition, painted a bright, clean white. All of the windows look into well lit rooms.
To the right and to one side is a second, low building...obviously a stable. Unlike the mansion itself, though, this place is in poor shape, with peeling paint and overgrown with moss and vines.
You leave the wagon and horses in the care of Op Code's followers in the lee of the stable and head over to the house.
You climb the steps up to the verandah.
Everything here from the walls to the pillars to the floor itself is an immaculet, freshly painted white. Here and there along the length of the verandah are white painted, wrought iron chairs. There are windows in every other 10' section of the west wall for most of the length of the building. There is a door here...in the 100' - 110' section as measured from the north.
Dani runs her hands over the walls, then using her grubby finger will try and scrape a chip of paint away.
The paint was applied just the previous summer, you suspect, and you are unable to chip it.
You knock at the door.
After a few moments you hear approaching footsteps.
The door opens to reveal a large entrance foyer, with floors of polished marble and walls painted a deep tan. The furnishings are of deep mahoghany, and paintings depicting important looking men and women hang from the walls. (30' X 50', 10' north, 10' south, 50' west, doors in 10' - 20' sections of north and south walls, stairs up in northwest to second floor balcony along west wall.)
Facing you is a butler...a middle aged man with a balding pate, dressed in tails. His face is crinkled with laughter lines, as he smiles.
"Good morning, travellers! What urgent errand has you out on a day such as this?"
"To get out of this miserable weather! Errands! Piffle and poppycock! These young rascals here will put me in my grave before my time - I tell you! Now, are you going to let an old women get warm and rested...or stand there blathering to me all day while I die of cold?" Dani grumbles.
"Of course! Please enter."
You step into the foyer at his bidding.
"Fair servant, whose abode have we come upon ?" asks Salaam.
"This is the estate of Lord Tempest and Lady Tempest."
"Good sir, as the lady has indicated, we are traveling and in search of shelter from the weather. Could we impose upon the hospitality of you and your Master to seek a warm fire and perhaps a place to sleep this night.
"In exchange, I would be willing to entertain your hall with songs and stories from near and far. My name is Jesse, a traveling bard, and this ladies 'fool'."
"Eh? What?" Dani grumbles. "What ladies 'fool'?"
"That sounds like a fair offer to me," replies the butler. "But I shall ask the lord first. In the meantime, why don't you come with me to the kitchen and warm yourselves by the fire?"
You follow him through the door to the south, which leads you down a short hallway and into a large living room. Then, through another door, which leads you into a vestibule, and from there into a kitchen.
This busy place is filled with the cook and her assistants and serving maids. The air is rich with the aroma of cooking and baking. There is an open fire, over which bubbles a cauldron of some savoury stew. An oven is built into one side of the fireplace, and from it comes the smell of baking bread and roasting pork. At a counter along the west wall an assistant is preparing condiments in fine china and cut glass cruets, while across the room another girl is washing dishes.
The cook is an amply endowed lady who obviously enjoys sampling her own cooking. Her assistants are four young girls and boys who bustle about.
The butler leaves you here to warm up.
A short time later he returns.
"Lord Tempest tells me to bid you welcome to his humble house, and says that you are welcome to stay here until the weather eases. I am to assign you to guest quarters upstairs. He also wishes for the pleasure of your company at dinner, served in an hour. Is this agreeable to you?"
Dani nods in satisfaction. "Fine house this is...just like in the old days!"
"Tell the Lord and Lady that I am honored by their invitation and will see them at the appointed hour." Dani gathers herself together, leaning on her staff.
"Will we be shown to our rooms then? I would like to get ready. An hour is such little time..."
Occa says, "Aye, I will join your lord for dinner."
The butler - whose name is Edwards - leads you back out to the entrance foyer and up the stairs to the second floor. There, he shows you to your rooms.
They are all along the east side of the house, overlooking the front. Each is comparatively small but well furnished and comfortable.
You clean up and change if you wish, and 55 minutes later the butler knocks, to take you back down to the dining room.
It is a large place, 30' X 50', located at the back of the mansion near the kitchen. There is a row of windows in west wall.
A large, formal room, it is dominated by the long dining table which runs down the length of it. Chairs run down each side. The walls are hung with portraits of men and women in formal dress in formal poses. Along the walls are cabinets and tables.
In here are two beautiful young women. One is fair haired and fair skinned, with a sweet blush of innocence upon her. She wears a white gown trimmed with lace and ribbons. The other is dark haired and of deeper complexion, with red lips and deep eyes. She wears a low cut gown, adorned with but a single strand of pearls.
"Good afternoon," says the fair haired one. "I am Elucia, and this is my sister Vanessa. It is such a pleasant change to have visitors."
"Yes, things get so boring here in the dead of winter," adds Vanessa, looking over the males in your party with interest.
"Would you like a glass of wine?" asks Elucia.
"Or something stronger..?" says Vanessa.
Jesse chimes in. "Actually a glass of cold milk would be lovely. I need to keep my wits about me to sing and entertain, so I'm not used to drinking anything like wine or spirits."
"I'll get it for you," says Elucia, and rings for a maid.
"I love music," purrs Vanessa, moving closer. The delicate scent of her perfume wafts over Jesse. "Would you play for me after we eat?"
Op Code asks the butler "What will we be dining on this evening?"
"Roast suckling pig, sir."
Occa smiles at the young women and says, "Well, I would like some Uthian wine....a specialty of the underdark, but I expect that you do not have that here. Perhaps some whiskey as you humans call it, then perhaps we can trade tales...you can tell me why such lovely creatures are sequestered away, and I can tell you of the lands beneath this world of yours."
"Oh, that sounds wonderful," Elucia says with a warm smile. "We'd love to hear about you."
"Winters are so dreary around here," says Vanessa, with a lingering look at Jesse. "We get so few visitors."
Drinks are served. The scotch is of excellent quality, the milk cold and fresh.
A short time after two more people enter the dining room: Tempest and Lady Tempest. Dark haired and of slender build, Tempest is a middle-aged man of youthful appearance. His wife is of similar age, with a timeless beauty that her warm smile only serves to accentuate.
"I am so sorry that the weather has delayed your travels," he says, after you introduce yourselves. "I hope that the company of my two daughters has not proved tiresome? Tell me, where are you bound?"
Salaam gets up and formally bows to the two ladies, " Ladies, after dinner could I interest either one or both of you in some exploration... that of the history of this majestic place and anything else you would like to discuss..." he finishes with a smile.
Vanessa looks at the cleric with interest.
"I'd love to show you around the place," she replies. "I love curious men."
Her father smiles.
Two maids bring in dinner. As the butler mentioned earlier, it is a giant roast wild boar, trimmed with parsnips, potatoes and carrots. Tempest carves the beast and portions out the meat, while a servant dishes out the vegetables.
Occa eats sparringly and sips some water as dinner commences. While he is eating he says to Dani, "I hope that isn't your natural form...the other one was most lovely, but you seem to come back to this one. Ugh."
Dani snorts, "Form matters not...it is what is inside that is important - everyone is not what they appear to be, isn't that right?" Dani asks, looking to the host and hostess.
"But pride in one's appearance usually reflects a pride in ones whole self, doesn't it?" asks Elucia. "People who take no pride in the way they look usually have a poor opinion of themselves, haven't you found?"
"Well, it matters to us superficial people!" Occa gobbles up a piece o' pig and looks over to the host and hostess to see their response to her insinuation.
"Things are never as they appear, lady," Tempest says, smiling from where he stands at the head of the table.
As he speaks, the lights in the room dim, and the appearance of the place and the family changes. The room is a vision of decay, with filthy walls streaked with dirt, mildew and blood. The food is rotted and undentifyable. The four hosts are vampires.
"Let the feast begin," Tempest says.
Elucia and Vanessa lunge at Op Code and Jesse, respectively, fangs bared.
Everything happens at once...
"I knew this was too good to be true."
Jesse casts a spell, as Vanessa lunges for his jugular. By the time she gets there he is no longer there. He reappears right behind her.
Occa grips his staff and says, "Blahbideblu". Ten magic missiles slam into him during this time...from Tempest. Occa suffers 34 hit points of damage. Suddenly a great flash of light fills the room, blinding Who Knows and Op Code and doing big damage into the vampires. At the same time as the staff lets go, five more magic missiles hit Salaam...from Lady Tempest, for 12 hit points of damage.
Op Code pulls out his magical long sword and, cursing under his breath, start attacking Elucia. She misses him, and his sword thrust is wide...probably because he is blinded.
Dani slips under the table.
"Fancy meeting you here," says Valdar, who is already under it, and in the process of pulling out a scroll.
"I WILL BANISH YOU FOUL BEASTS BACK TO THE INFERNAL REALMS FROM WHENCE YOU CAME !" Salaam cries aloud as he grasps his holy symbol towards the vampires and attempts to turn them.
The vampires turn and flee...through the south door.
"Ouch, that hurt," Salaam says as he shakes off the pain from the magic missiles. "Is everyone ok ?" he asks as he looks around the room. If everyone is ok, he chants, "Oh Great Thoth, please grant your humble servant sight beyond sight.. Let us go after them," he finishes, grasping his hammer, striding towards the south door. Then, he pauses, looking at himself, then Occa.
"Accck! I am sorely wounded by that foul Tempest!" Occa slumps down into a chair and pushes his fork through the rotten food...a grimace coming over his face. He says, "Anyone have any healing? I dare not go after them in such shape...one more missle of magic and I will perish."
"Shall we go after them? What hurts them?" pants Jesse. "We can't leave them here, to cause mayhem to other travellers."
Dani, back to the young half-elven form, frowns and clears her throat.
"Ummm...I don't see the need to go after them...I mean...weren't we on our way somewhere to do something? Do we have the time to chase them down?" She asks, looking to Valdar.
"I mean - hell, I go along if that is what is decided...I'm just confused on our priorities here..."
"My priority is clear," says the Elf Lord. "And that is to destroy these vermin before they have a chance to prey upon any other travellers. If I have to do this alone, then by Corellon I will."
Op Code and Who Knows regain their sight after less than a minute.
Phil speaks a word and blinks out of sight.
Op Code suggests that maybe you search this room first.
Dani grins, "That however I wouldn't mind doing right now." She walks over to the various cabinets and tables, pulling open drawers, tapping the walls, etc.
The room in reality is only slightly different than what you had thought earlier. The place is filthy, the furnishings are falling apart, the windows are boarded up. The general layout remains the same, though, ie. 30' X 50' with a door in the middle of the east wall, another door in the middle of the south wall, and another soor in the same wall, beside it in the east corner. The vampires fled through this latter door.
Valdar pulls out a glowing longsword and walks about the room, but says nothing more.
Orlon casts a 'Cure Serious Wounds' into Occa for 16 hp.
Occa says, "Thank ye, Orlon, mayhaps another? T'would take two long weeks to heal these most grevious and foul wounds and I am eager to pursue these malignant creatures and put a swift end to the harm they casue this world."
Too late.
That door in the south wall, east corner bursts open, and in come the cook and her assistants...now revealed to be five ghouls.
You also hear the howling of approaching wolves...
Salaam, by the door, thinks about casting a fireball but realizes that he and the rest of the party would be caught in it as well.
Besides, he finds himself under attack by the lead ghoul...who, it turns out, is really a ghast if the stench she starts emitting is anything to go by. The cleric suffers a bite for 5 hit points of damage.
Dani quickly casts another spell - directed at the ghouls.
"Anyone want to roast some marshmallows?" Dani asks with a grin, as a mass of sticky webbing springs up across the doorway, pinning the undead as well as Salaam. He, however, has little trouble in tearing himself out of it. The ghast is also working her way out, but much more slowly, while the rest - normal ghouls, apparently - are stuck fast.
"Thank you for the help Dani and yes, Lord Valdar, we shall not leave this accursed place until all this malevolent evil is eradicated !" Salaam says to Valdar.
Orlon stands ready to turn the ghouls.
Op Code will draw his magic longsword.
Oh Well will have magical longsword #1 ready.
Who Knows will climb an available wall, and watches from above.
Phil is not to be seen.
At that moment a pack of 8 wolves comes running into the vestibule behind the ghouls, from the kitchen. They stop before hitting the webs, then four of them turn and run out through the east door, into the living room, and make for the other entrance into this room to the east. The other four turn and run through the west door, and then the other door in the south wall of this room bursts open and they barrel in.
Occa pulls out his wand, and says jojobbie! A cone of cold strikes the wolves as they come through the east door. All of them die on the spot...frozen in their tracks.
Salaam savagely attacks the one ghast that attacked him. "Onward, my friends, let us destroy these evil creatures !" he says as he swings his hammer at the closest undead, trying not to get caught in the webs.
The hammer cracks the skull of the ghast wide open, but still it struggles to free itself from the web.
Op Code and Oh Well will attack the wolves that came through the south door.
The wolf attacking the ranger misses, but Op Code rams his blade into its chest for 6 hit points of damage. Oh Well dodges a nasty bite, and nearly decapitates his target with a single blow. His next swing does decapitate it, and the wolf drops.
Orlon will use His Footman's mace (big bruiser) to attack the wolves from the south. He wastes no time, either, in cracking the canine over the skull. The wolf in turn misses him.
Valdar meets the last wolf. Slicing into it, he all but kills it right off. The wolf, with a blood curdling cry, lunges at him but misses.
Jesse looks around and casts a spell. Suddenly he winks out of sight.
The ghast breaks free and claws at the cleric of Thoth, but her filth encrusted nails are turned by his armour. The hammer flashes, and the ghast collapses in a heap.
The ghouls are still held fast.
Op Code dispatches his wolf this round, and turns to help anyone else who needs it.
Both Orlon and his wolf miss each other.
Oh Well, seeing that the ranger has matters in hand, spins about and skewers the wolf on Orlon. It yelps once, rolls over, and dies.
Without further ado, Valdar finishes off the final wolf.
After that, it is an easy job to deal with the held ghasts.
Orlon will cast "Invisibility to Undead' on himself.
Out of thin air, you hear Jesse's voice. "Shall we continue?"
Dani grins, "Well, what now? Shall we sweep through the house?"
"Providing that evereyone is ok, I suggest as a group we go and search for the foul creatures that vainly attempted to harm us. It is pointless to barricade any of the doors or windows, because the vampires can transform to mist. At least, the ones on my world could..." Salaam says with a slight wince as he rubs his left arm.
Occa says to Orlon, "Can you give me that other healing that we didn't have time for before? I am still fairly injured."
Orlon will cast a CSW into Occa for 11 hp. Op Code suggests "Why don't we go through the south door where the wolves came from?"
Occa, realizing it is early afternoon, says, "Apparently the time does not affect these vampires if they are out now....of course, they are not in the sunlight, so they may be harmed by that. In fact, that must be for my sunburst did sorely hurt them. Still, if it is day now, then they will be more prepared by this eve. We must find them and destroy them now."
"Oops, I lost track of time. If these creatures can come out during the day, we may have a problem."
"Ladies and Gentleman, these vampires are evidently Greater vampires, with the ability to be active during daytime, my suggestion then is to move quickly, b/c they have full possession of their powers during the night and it may not seem to be the reality, but weakened during daylight. So, let us heal and move quickly or we may have difficulty seeing the next sunrise."
Occa nods at Salaam, "Uh, good plan, Salaam, they do seem to be active in the daytime...very observant. Since I was the only one who was hurt badly, and I am now mostly healed, I say we move on! We should be wary of Lord Tempest for he is a powerful mage."
Occa says, "Okay, let's go with Op code and Orlon in front. Next line will be Oh well and Valdar. Next Line will be Phil and myself. Next line will be who knows and Dani. Bringing up the rear will be Jesse and Salaam. Any problems with that?"
Out of thin air appears a bullseye lantern filled and ready to be lit. Phil says "How's this for a light?"
Occa says, "That is great for normal light, but against magical light it will be useless. Hold on a second." He takes his staff and touches to the inside of the unlit lamp. He says, "Goggle." Suddnely a bright light appears within tehe lantern.."That should do it..continual light."
The bullseye lantern disappears again.
Here's the dining room description again:
30' X 50', oriented north-south. Door in middle of east wall; door in middle of south wall; door in south wall, east corner. Windows in west wall, now seen to be boarded up.
A large, formal room, it is dominated by the long dining table which runs down the length of it. Chairs run down each side. The walls are hung with portraits of men and women in formal dress in formal poses. Along the walls are cabinets and tables. Now it can be seen that the place is filthy, with grime and molds streaking the walls.
Looking through the south door in the middle of that wall, you see a smaller, more intimate dining room (20' X 30': 10' west, 30' south; open door in east wall, north corner; windows (boarded up) in west and south walls).
There are four frozen, dead wolves in the doorway.
Looking through the door in the south wall, east corner, you see a 10' square room with an open door in each wall. The east door looks into a living room. The south door looks into the kitchen. The west door looks into the small dining room.
There are some dead ghouls entangled in a web across the doorway, here.
Going and looking through the door in the east wall of the formal dining room, you see a living room beyond (20' X 40': 30' south, 20' east; open door in west wall south corner; 10' wide passage running north out of north wall, west half; boarded up windows in east wall).
There are four more dead wolves in this doorway.
You head into the small dining room to the south, after knocking the frozen wolves aside.
This dining room is smaller, less formal, and more intimate...or was once. A once-fine oak table with matching chairs runs the down the centre of the room, and around the periphery are a number of chests, cabinets, chairs and sofas. The walls are adorned with paintings depicting scenes of vampires feasting on hapless victims. The place is filthy, and stinks of decay.
Searching, you find nothing of interest or value. The chests are filled with china and cutlery...most of it chipped and broken.
You go through the east door into the vestibule. This small room is unfurnished.
You look through the south door, into the kitchen. This room is 20' X 30' (10' east, 30' south; door in south wall west corner; doors in east wall at each end; window in south wall beside door.
Occa says, "The south door is fine, let's go!"
You chop your way through the webs, and return to the formal dining room.
As you enter, though, you hear a low voice speaking from through the east door. Tempest pops into view, as simultaneously a fireball explodes in the dining room, engulfing you all in searing flames.
Op Code, Oh Well, Orlon, Salaam, Occa, Jesse, Phil and Valdar hit the deck in time, and each take 24 hit points of damage.
Who Knows and Dani, though, suffer the full force of the attack...47 hit points.
"Yeooow!" Dani screams as the flames immolate her.
Who Knows says moaning "Damn. I knew I should have drank that potion".
"Ouch !!" Salaam says as the burns pain him. "Oh, Great Thoth, allow me to heal those who are wounded by these foul creatures." he casts a cure serious wounds on himself for 8 hit points and offers another cure serious wounds to Who Knows for 10 hit points and a heal to Phil, returning him to full hit points save 4. Afterwards, he casts a resist fire and resist cold upon himself to protect against anymore such attacks.
Occa casts magic missiles at Tempest. However, the glowing projectiles are stopped and obliterated by some sort of barrier about a foot away from him.
Tempest returns the favour, and his first missile is stopped before striking Occa in much the same fashion as the mage's missiles were. Seeing this, the vampire redirects the rest of his spell, and Jesse takes 5 hit points, Who Knows 2, Orlon 5, Dani 5, Op Code 5, Oh Well 4 and Valdar 2.
"You know, these 'people' are really beginning to piss me off!" Dani curses. "I say we trash the whole house - blow holes through all the windows, walls, and even the roof. Flood this place with sunlight."
From her finger springs a forked lightning bolt...each bolt directed at a boarded up window in the west wall. One board shatters like glass while the other holds, but smoulders.
Through the now open window comes a dim twilight...accompanied by fog and blowing rain.
Phil will take out a scroll and read "Otiluke Death screen" and hope for the best. Nothing dramatic appears to happen.
"Scram!" yells the elf lord, waving his holy symbol at the vampire.
Tempest scrams...to the north.
"Damn!" Dani curses again, disappointed in the results of her spell and the vampire running away. "Those yeasty-faced, fang-ridden, abominations are really beginning to get me mad! Come on! Let's get those poor excuses for buzzard bait and roast 'em!"
"I echo Dani's thoughts, I am really pissed" Grasping his hammer, Salaam slowly follows the vampire.
Occa says, "Okay, they are going to do a hit and run tactic with us."
He giggles and says, "Everyone close your eyes!" Booom! Suddenly the room is lit by a very, very bright light.
Occa says, "That is just in case the others are here invisible waiting for us todo something stupid!"
Dani casts another spell, this one taking quite some time to cast. When she is done, nothing obvious happens...but she grins.
"Okay, I have cast a wizard eye and am sending it down the hallway after our fleeing hosts. It won't last terribly long...but hey, I would rather be able to see ahead than stumble into them..." she shrugs.
Jesse chimes in. "I think that we have a small problem here. We're getting our butts kicked without the possibility of retaliation. If these are greater vampires, as it has been thought, are they still tied to a coffin or somthing like that? Can we destroy those, forcing them out in the open? I wonder..."
Valdar glances at Jesse.
"I do not know where you are from, but I am glad that we here are not cursed with these 'greater vampires'. This Tempest I am sure is but a normal vampire, but retains the magical skills he once possessed in life. That is enough to make him a deadly foe...as we are learning."
"They would probably have spare coffins, any vampire worth his salt, heh, pardon the pun, for salt is dangerous to vampires, would have at least one or two spare coffins about."
"What happens if we destroy their primary coffins, would that force them to the other coffins? Would they attack us, or lose some power? I wish I knew."
"We have no knowledge of which coffin is the primary and there is no primary per se. The only way we know they gone is to kill them, behead them and stuff the head with garlic. Now, that's Italian! sorry, reference from an another world that I have frequented."
"Really? About the salt I mean? I have about a pound or so here...maybe we can make a salt bomb or something!" Dani laughs.
"If you place salt in the earth in their coffin, it makes it inert, hence the vampire needs a new place to rest or it will die..permanently."
Occa says, "Okay, let's get organized here! Anyone have detect invisiblity? Or true seeing? Or detect magic? If so, cast it... they will be coming at us invisible...Also, any sensory or protection spells you may have...cast them, we are going to need them. Tempest is an Arch Magi! I will cast wizard eye as well...very smart of you Dani...I will look through the other entrance way." He does so...
Occa then adds, "Also, you must now use higher power magics against him...he has a globe of invulnerability up."
Occa says, "Now I am going invisible."
He disappears from sight....
You move through the east door from the formal dining room, and into the living room, from whence Tempest just fled. It measures 20' X 40'(30' south, 20' east; windows along east wall; open door leading to vestibule in west wall, south corner, 10' wide hallway running north in the north wall, west half).
A large room, formally furnished with couches, divans and armchairs that are nevertheless comfortable. Paintings hang from the wall, mostly depicting scenes of the local coastline. Of course is everything is now in disarray, and filthy.
Looking north up the passage, you see that it runs for 20' and ends at a door in the north wall facing you. There is also an opening in the last 10' section of the east wall.
Valdar has out his glowing longsword along with a scroll in his shield hand.
"Protection from undead," he says. "It could be of use..."
"I can cast Detect magic and protection from evil...that is about it for those kinds of spells - we will have to exchange spells one of these days." Dani replies with a rueful grin.
Dani pauses to cast both of these...
Occa says, "Now I am going invisible."
He disappears from sight....
"Ah, good idea!" Dani casts another spell...and soon disappears from sight also.
Dani relates to the group what she sees with the wizard eye...
Occa says, "I will send an unseen servant ahead to open doors."
He casts a spell and sends it ahead to open the door.
A moment later the door opens. Beyond is the large entrance hall, but you see no one there to greet you...even with your spells.
You move up the passage. Glancing into the cloak room as you pass, those of you with true seeing of detect magic spells in effect note that one of the cloaks radiates magic.
Dani and Occa send their wizard eyes into the entrance hall. This is a large chamber, 30' X 50' (10' east, 30' north, 50' west, 30' south, 30' east; door in middle of east wall leading outside to verandah, flanked by boarded up windows; door directly across from you in north wall; stairs going up along north wall immediately west of door for 20' to a 10' wide balcony which runs along the west wall (doors in north and south walls at either end of the balcony); boarded up windows in west wall under the balcony).
The room is now seen to be a veritable vision of decay, with walls streaked with mold and mildew, the floors coated with caked mud. The furnishings are broken and rotted. The paintings on the walls depict the horrible visages of vampires, some of them feasting, their faces bloodied.
The place appears deserted. The door directly across from this one (in the north wall) is open, revealing a large room beyond.
Salaam enters the cloak room and looks at the cloak that radiates magic. It is a filthy, motheaten garment, of wool. Ther are stains upon it...they look like blood.
Occa says, "Let's just take the cloak...we can examine it later."
You take it.
Dani sends the eye through the open doorway into the large room...
Occa says, "Might as well start sealing off possibilities." He uses his wand of ice to create a wall of ice behind them...just on the other side of the cloak room. "No need having them come up behind us." He scratches his head and says, "We might be wise to go outside of this place and seal up any other entrances so that they cannot escape...what do you think?" He asks the group. "We might also want to check on Op Code's followers, although I expect they are either untouched or dead by now."
Occa says, "I don't remember that door being open...this looks like a great room for a trap with the balcony." He then says, "Orlon or Salaam, can you cast Augury to determine whether it is wise to go through that door or not? I have a bad feeling about this room...of course, it could be something I ate..." He then says, "Whoever is going foreard, tell me...I will make you invisible."
Orlon tells the party that, with his true seeing, the door leading outside from the foyer radiates magic.
"Everyone, Thoth has advised us to move into the foyer with haste..." says Salaam, after casting his augury.
Occa says, "Everyone into the other room..." He dashes for it.
And Dani is right behind him...
Who Knows is bringing up Dani's rear.
Dani turns as she runs and giggles. She gives Who Knows a smile filled with future promise....
Followed by Orlon, Op Code, Phil, and Oh Well.
As soon as everyone gets into the Foyer...Occa watches the cloak room to see what happens...he keeps an eye out for any appearing vamps...
Nothing happens to the cloak, but Who Knows and Jesse hear a noise from above and to the west...and those of you with true seeing or detect invisibility spells running see Edwards the butler - now revealed to be yet another vampire - up on the second floor balcony.
He is murmuring in a low voice while gesturing and doing the two-step...obviously in the process of casting a spell...
Occa says, "Fire, Dani!"
"Where? I can't see anything...Oh..." she says, seeing some folks look up to the west. She says the magic word and shuts her eyes.
Orlon will throw hammer #1 at the butler in hopes of disrupting his spell casting.
The staff flashes as the vampire pops into view as a forked lightning bolt shoots from his hands and strikes Occa and Dani.Neither take any damage.
The flash dazzles you all, and the vampire takes some damage from it...then a little more as Orlon's hammer grazes it.
Valdar speaks and magic missiles pour from his outstretched finger for 19 hit points of damage into Edwards. The vampire replies with three missiles of his own directed at the Elf Lord, but to his surprise and dismay one of them bounces back and hits him! Before he can do anything else, Valdar has unloaded another spell into him, and the vampire abruptly pops out of sight.
Orlon and Salaam can see Edwards, in gaseous form, wafting towards the north door which opens off of the balcony.
Orlon will tell the party that Edwards is heading towards the north door.
Hearing that info, Phil will face the open doorway and cast 'Gust of Wind' on it.
"Damnit all to hell, I'm getting tired of this crap!" Dani immediately beings casting a spell, hurling it toward the fleeing form, through the north door...
A fireball erupts against the doorway in the northwest, and comes billowing towards you, searing everything in its path. Amazingly enough, though, you *just* barely miss getting engulfed in it yourself, by cowering back in the doorway through which you came.
By the time the flames abate, Salaam and Orlon just see the last of the gaseous vampire disappear through the cracks of the door...apparently unharmed by your spells.
"Orlon and crew, follow that mist.. here are two vials of holy water. Go, now! Well, my dear Dani, if you were truly wounded, 'twould be my honor to heal you," Salaam says with a deep bow and kiss on her hand. "Let us go now, and kill some vampires..."
You hurry up the stairs.
By the time you reach the top Salaam's true seeing has worn off, but Orlon's is still going strong.
You open the door at the top of the stairs in the north wall. On the other side is a hallway, 10' wide, running east for 40' in total, but turning north after 30'. There is a door in the east wall, facing you...and Orlon notes a secret door in the south wall 20' - 30' section (as measured from the west wall), which apparently opens into thin air on the other side...
The high priest of Thor and Idun just glimpses the gaseous form of Edwards disappearing around the corner to the east, so you follow.
Looking around the corner to the north, you see that the passage runs for 80' in total from wall to wall. There are doors in every 10' section of the east wall. In the west wall, there are doors in the 10' - 20', 40' - 50', and 70' - 80' sections.
You follow the diffuse gaseous form of the vampire up the hall...to where it slips under the last door to the west.
Who Knows pulls his eyes away from Dani's behind and puts his ear to the door. Through it, he hears a low, animal growling...
"Someone knock open the door as I throw my hammer in... it'll give ANYTHING a real nice surprise, heh, heh !"
Occa says, "Get ready everyone!" Occa uses an unseen servant to open the door....
The door opens, revealing a large bedroom suite (30' square: 10' north, 10' south, 30' west; 20' long partition coming down from north, 10' to your west; door in east wall to your right).
Just vanishing through the gap at the bottom of this door is Edwards.
The eastern half of this room is a sitting room, with a sofa, several armchairs and some tables. A fireplace faces the doorway.
Coming at you is a worg...half starved and ravenous.
Salaam hurls his hammer, conking it on the head. The animal leaps through the doorway at Orlon...and bounces off of the cleric's gleaming full plate armour.
Occa also keeps an eye looking up and down the hall for others coming...and it is just as well, for approaching you from the south are Elucia and Vanessa.
"Come to us..." they whisper in voices aching with hunger and lust...
Occa says, "I would love to come to you babes, but I don't think there would be much life to our relationship."
"Not bloody likely, bitch!" Dani shouts as she raises Occa's staff and says the magic words...
There is a flash, and the ladies take 20 hit points of damage apiece. Still they advance.
"We are for you..."
Phil casts 'Ice Storm' down the hallway at Elucia and Vanessa.
Giant hail stones pelt them, but they seem to take less damage than expected...only 7 hit points... Nevertheless, they are both looking pretty ragged, when...
Occa casts a disintegrate at the lovely Elucia....to no effect...
Salaam involks Thoth's aid and casts a blade barrier in the center of the ladies. A whirling orb of blades springs up, engulfing them, and suddenly they are gaseous.
Meanwhile, Orlon attempts to turn Elucia and Vanessa, then, seeing the results of the spells, stops, for he sees the ladies retreating in gaseous form back down the hall whence they came.
Meanwhile, Op Code attacks the worg with his magical long sword. An easy hit, and he almost floors the canine, but summoning up every last ounce of its strength, it leaps at him...and misses.
"I need not say it, but we must follow those gasoeus ladies !" exclaims Salaam.
Occa says, "I don't think we should just go chasing any old gas cloud right now...let's think about this. We have been set upon by all of them at one time or another...hit and run. And we have yet to face Tempest or his 'lady'....we need to turn this around and bring the battle to a climax."
He pushes his long white hair back and says, "Any of you priestie boys have a locate object? Or another divination? We need to find Lord Tempest and put an end to him."
Orlon Replies "Sorry. Not today. How about you Salaam?"
Valdar speaks up.
"It appears to me that we have a choice. We have knocked three vampires out of commission for the next eight hours, anyway. That leaves two left to deal with...that we know of. So, we have a choice: we can follow these 'old gas clouds' to their coffins and finish them off for once and for all, or we can search for Tempest and his fair lady. What is it to be?"
While the clerics and spell casters ponder, Op Code continues to battle the worg for his life.
"Arf! Arf!" it says, as it is still unable to penetrate the ranger's disgustingly high armour class. Op Code, however, has little trouble in penetrating the worg's, and the canine expires with a final yip.
Dani looks to Valdar. "Would it make the other vamps weaker to get the Lord and Lady out of the way first? That would make it worth the risk...if that is the case, I vote we go after the big guys..." Dani frowns.
Occa says, "The other vamps are out...only the two remain it looks like. We just need to find them, finish them and then stake 'em all in their coffins."
"But do we have the resources to finish them off if we do find them? How many spells does everyone have left? I used most of my good ones already. Occa? This staff...how often can I use it?"
Occa says, "Until it is out of charges...I don't know how many it has in it, although I was told it was nearly full...each sunburst uses three of it's charges...so we have used 12 charges so far."
Occa hears that the clerics don't have divinations and says, "We should plan out our spells next time so that this isn't a problem...we can discuss that that later, though. I do have a contact other plane spell, but that is a risky thing...let's wander around a bit longer. I think Temepest will attack again...he has to...we might stumble upon his defenseless servants."
Occa then says, "Is that a secret door? That seems to be a good place to try (I think I saw one on the map...)"
Occa heads over that way and has an unseen servant open it.
Orlon tells Dani, "I don't have many offensive spells, but I do have healing spells left. Does anyone need any healing before we go after the main vampires?"
Orlon says "Yes Occa, that there is a secret door just around the corner down the hallway, but let's watch our backs as we go down."
Occa says, "Okay, dont' worry...we are watching from all directions..."
Orlon tells Dani "Weren't we going to check out the secret door? Or maybe we should just sit and have a bite to eat while the gods are busy. How about the rest of you?"
You head back south down the passage and around the corner to the west. Orlon leads you to the secret door that he spotted, in the south wall, 10' - 20' section as measured from the east wall. After a few minutes you discover that a greasy spot on the wall, when pressed, causes it to open, and you look out across the first floor foyer. The floor is about 15' below you...not a problem if you are a vampire with flying abilities...
Otherwise, the place is deserted. All is quiet...perhaps ominously so.
Occa sighs and says, "This sucks...we are wandering around in the dark...if we survive this, we need to coordinate better so that we can seek and destroy more easily. We should be the hunters not the hunted!"
He scratches his head, then shrugs his shoulders..."Okay, we will leave no stone unturned. I recommend we finish this level off and then head downstairs again."
He sends his unseen servant forward opening the first door on the East side of the hall...
This opens into a bedroom (10' X 20': 10' east, 10' north. Window in east). This small but comfortably furnished room has a double bed, dresser, chest of drawers and a chair in it. You move in and search, but find nothing of interest.
Next door...
This opens into a bedroom (10' X 20': 10' east, 10' north. Window in east). This small but comfortably furnished room has a double bed, dresser, chest of drawers and a chair in it. You move in and search, but find nothing of interest.
And next...
This opens into a bedroom (10' X 20': 10' east, 10' north. Window in east). This small but comfortably furnished room has a double bed, dresser, chest of drawers and a chair in it. You move in and search, but find nothing of interest.
And the last door on the east side...
This opens into a bedroom (10' X 20': 10' east, 10' north. Window in east). This small but comfortably furnished room has a double bed, dresser, chest of drawers and a chair in it. You move in and search, but find nothing of interest.
You return to the south end of the hallway and Occa's servant opens the first door on the west side...
This is a large bedroom (20' X 30': 10' south, 30' west. Window to west).
Luxuriously furnished with a four-poster bed, divan, chairs, chest of drawers and a dresser, the place is also thickly carpeted. A fire blazes in a fireplace in the middle of the south wall. The curtains are drawn.
A young girl is in here. Barely pubescent, she is nevertheless clad in a long, flowing, low-cut, full-length sheer gown which displays her ripening young body to its full advantage...leaving nothing to your imagination. Her hair is long, blonde, and hangs loose; her lips full and parted.
She moves towards you with a boldness and an expression that you find surprising in a girl her age...her womanly needs are obvious.
"Boy...what I wouldn't give to look like that." Dani smirks, catching the reactions of the males in the party.
"There's a song in that, you know." Chimes the still invisible Jesse.
"There's a song in what?" Dani asks, puzzled.
Hearing the confusion in Dani's voice, Jesse speaks out. "Oh, sorry. I guess I was talking outloud again. Why don't we deal with this lovely young lady and be on our merry way."
"Heads up!" Dani calls out in warning.
She raises the staff again and says the magic word...
...and nothing happens.
The girl approaches Op Code. With hunger in her every move she lunges at the ranger, but gets her fangs entangled in the 2' long growth of hairs hanging out of his nostrils. Op Code takes this opportunity to chop at her with his glowing longsword...striking a glancing blow.
"Don't fight me," she breathes to him, and her breath smells of fresh-turned earth. "We can be together...for all eternity."
Again the vampire tries to bestow her deadly kiss upon the ranger, and again he declines.
Op Code lashes out again with his long sword, striking another glancing blow and then missing.
There is a noise behind her, and suddenly Jesse pops into view as he plunges his glowing shortsword into her side.
She hisses in pain.
Meanwhile Orlon will try to turn the jailbait. The girl turns and flees into the room before the wrath of the cleric. Hurrying over to the centre of the north wall, she presses a hidden stud and a secret door opens. She runs through it and it closes behind her.
Occa suddenly wakes from a mental visit to a beach resort (and a fine young beach bunny this nasty vampire reminds him of) and says, "Damn! I missed that completely." He sends his unseen servant to open the secret door...
Jesse follows the creature. "I hate it when my date runs out on me like that."
"Let's try to kill them without turning them, because they seem to flee. If we can turn them to mist, they are easier to follow. Let us go through the door, carefully though."
Salaam grasps his hammer in one hand and his holy symbol in the other.
Opening the door, you look into another bedroom (30' X 30', door in east wall north corner, wall on north wall 10' west of east wall running south for 20' - in similar fashion to the room where you battled the worg).
The eastern half of this room is a sitting room, with a sofa, several armchairs and some tables. A fireplace faces the door, in the west wall.
The western section of the room has a large coffin in place of a bed, a divan sofa, chairs, chests, tables and a dresser. Several closets are against the walls. There is a fireplace in the east interior wall.
There is no sign of the vampire girl.
"Shall we check the "bed" here. Perhaps there is someone sleeping in it." Chuckling Jesse continues. "That shoulds like the story of the three bears."
Salaam finds the nearest chair or sofa and breaks off a leg as he pockets his holy symbol.
Hefting a nice leg, "Just what I needed, a little stake.." he advances on the coffin, "Could someone do the honors of opening the coffin as I send one of these creatures back to the hells that they come from ?"
Occa says, "Don't mind if I do..." He has the unseen servant open the coffin.
The servant opens the coffin while Salaam and the rest of you stand ready.
The coffin is filled with soil...there is no vampire within. Salaam prods at the dirt with his stake...and you all hear something clink. Digging, he pulls out a leather bag.
You open it and dump the contents out on the floor: 50pp, a vial, a scroll, a wand, a black silk robe, and a necklace.
Since Salaam can detect magic at will, he quickly focuses on each item, AFTER he pours a little holy water in the soil of the coffin.
All of the items radiate magic but for the coins.
"If anyone has any salt, now is the time to use it !"
"Were you kidding about the salt or not? If you weren't - here is some."
Dani pours the salt onto the dirt.
Occa says, "Now where did that little vixen go...how dare she get us all excited and leave! What a tease!"
He looks around the room and says, "Okay, is she invisible (hopefully someone with detect magic and/or true sight will look)"
Your true seeings and detect spells have expired. Salaam detects no more magic here.
Valdar unsheathes his longsword and takes a walk around the room.
"Secret door right here," the weapon says...north wall, centre section.
You search for a way to open it, and soon find that a brick on the fireplace can be depressed. Opening it, you find yourself looking into the room where you fought the warg.
You enter.
"Secret door here," says the longsword again...in the floor immediately inside the doorway.
Otherwise, the room appears to be deserted. Again, though, there is a coffin in place of the bed.
Salaam picks up the items for later evaluation, carefully wrapping the items and placing them in his portable hole. As you approach the second coffin, he re-enacts what he did at the first. "Thank you, Mistress Dani, for the salt in the last coffin, may I borrow some more ??"
This coffin turns out to be unoccupied as well, and you find no treasure here either.
After pouring in more holy water and salt, you turn to the secret door in the floor.
You open the door, and look through.
Below you is an office (10' X 20': 10' west; door in east wall, window in west wall).
A richly furnished and carpeted room. There is a desk and chair before the window. They are large and of oak. A large bookshelf is along the north wall.
The place appears deserted.
Occa says, "Now, where did she go? I wonder if she circled back out into the hall (send wizard eye out to investigate)...nothing...
Occa says to the clerics or Valdar (since he seems to be knowledgable), "Is there anyway to stop them from entering rooms? I would like to seal off the upper level to them so that we don't end up chasing them in circles...garlic? Holy water or symbols? Any ideas on what would work?"
"In gaseous form they are almost impossible to keep out of a room," replies the elf.
"There is but little stop a vampire's movements, unless ye have a source of running water, that would do !" says Salaam.
"A source of running water?" Dani asks doubtfully. "Well...hey...what about a well? I mean - it sounds silly - but if between us we don't have a spell that does water - what about using 'dig' to find a well...and then maybe something to control or direct the water...don't know how we would get them nearby...though we ourselves seem to be good enough bait." Dani says.
Op Code mentions that, if his mapping is correct, the east door should open up into a room just north of the ballroom on the main floor. From there, the vamp could have gone anywhere.
"First though, there is a door in the NE corner of the room which we have not opened yet. Let's check out behind there first."
You open the last door in this wing, to see a bathroom...10' X 20'( 20' east).
Luxuriously appointed, there is a bath tub, sink and WC here...as well as the pubescent vampire girl.
"Take me..." she whispers, lips parted, reaching to take Op Code in a deadly embrace.
"Op Code, don't you know that she is probably too young for you. Her parents might get mad if you two continue. As the duly appointed chaperon to this group, I am going to have to put my foot down. I don't think I can let you date her." Jesse smiles and tries to move around to get a good attack at the little girl.
Still clutching the sofa leg, Salaam tries to get in position and stab her in the chest. "You guys seem to get all the young girls, of course, I like a more mature woman," he says with a wink to Dani.
Dani smiles and winks back. "Just hurry up then ... your invitation sounds wonderful." Dani replies.
Jesse frowns. "Excuse me. Have you asked the duly appointed chaperone for permission yet."
Dani looks startled for a moment, "Duly appointed chaperone!" Then she laughs. "Okay. Hope you know what you are in for!"
"Besides, as a Bard, I reserve my rights to try to endear myself with all the ladies we meet. If you don't believe me, you'll have to check my guild rules and regulations. It's all part of the territory."
"Ah, I see. I had quite forgotten that. What a sweet job you have then! *All* the ladies you said ... right?" Dani scratches her head, while regarding Jesse with a smile.
She suddenly turns into the old crone again...and laughs.
"God, I love my job."
"Besides, Dani, I think that we have a lot in common, and I would love to share time with you. The stories I could tell, the songs I could sing." Jesse gets lost in remembering, while still trying to get a stab in at the vamp kid.
"Sounds just lovely ... lets take care of this little vamp then and we can get cozy ... " Dani cackles ...
"I can't wait." A smile crosses Jesse's face. "I love older women, they are much more experienced than younger ladies. However, I also love to provide my expert talents where they will be best appreciated."
"The only thing is ... I have little left in the way of spells and it doesn't seem my blade will be terribly effective here...what shall I do to best assist..."
"Jesse, Dani is a beautiful and mature woman, she can make up her mind with who and when she wants to spent time with, but can we discuss this later..." as Salaam tries to maneuver in position.
Alas, Orlon and Op Code are blocking the doorway, preventing any others from getting at the lovely little wench.
Occa laughs and says, "If she can stand listening to either of you prattle on, then she has the patience of a saint...and thus deserves whatever torture your continued conversations would provide!" He laughs again and magic missles the vampire vixen!
The drow pumps 8 missiles into the sweet thing, as she puckers up for Op Code. Her sweet flesh burns, blisters and blackens under the attack...and then begins to regenerate immediately.
While the rest of the party is waxing philosophy, Phil zaps her with an 'Ice Storm'...engulfing the entire party as well in the spell, for 13 hit points of damage apiece. The vampire chick suddenly goes -
"Pouf!" and disappears -
- as Occa collapses unconscious and pummelled to the floor.
Valdar steps up and casts a death's door into the drow...followed by a cure light wounds...bringing him back to 7 hit points.
"Gee whiz, there, Phil, watch it!" he says, straightening up and checking the bathroom for secret doors. Sure enough, his sword detects one...in the ceiling at the back of the room.
"PHILIP, BE MORE CAREFUL NEXT TIME OR BY THOTH, I WILL STRIKE YE DOWN !"
Salaam shrugs off the minor cold and suggests, "I think we must barricade this area and rest, I know Dani is low on spells as are many others of us. Dani, I will help you rest
Dani shudders, "You can't mean we are going to rest here?!?!?!?!?" she
replies, in disbelief.
"Not in the bathroom, my dear, I suggest, in one of the rooms we have passed
through !"
Orlon suggests that you might as well go back to basecamp and rest. "That way we won't have to watch out for the vampires, like we would if we stayed here."
He brushes himself off and gives Phil a whack on the head and tells him
"We'll send you back to the talkshow circuit if you're not more careful."
Occa pulls ice out of his long white hair, his red eyes burning into the
caster of "ice storm". "I have been to death's door and back now, thank ye!
Now, I know you probably regret your actions, or should, at least,
pretend to do so, so I will not belabour your mistake."
He rubs his arms and says, "I need healing? Salaam? Orlon?"
Then he looks around, "We can't rest...if we rest, then they regain their
entire force tomorrow, which is bad news...well, minus the ghouls and
wolves, but all the vamps will be back. Do we want to face them again? In
their own home, knowing what is coming? I expect things will be worse.
However, let's take an assessment of our situation. How badly is everyone
injured? Is everyone out of spells or Just Dani? We can always give her
a wand or a couple of grenades from the chest. I am weakened but can go
on if I am healed...I have a wand of fire and one of ice if that will
help Dani."
"Thoth has already granted me my limit on healing for the day, I am still
ready to vanquish these foul creatures if everyone is up to it, I must agree
with Occa and retract my last statement. Let us move on, quickly !"
Occa says, "Okay then...what of you others? Valdar, Orlon, do you have
any healing?"
Occa casts a series of spells....first, several images of him appear (mirror
image), then he disappears altogether (invisibility)...he continues
casting...
Orlon says that he's all out of healing spells. He doesn't know about the
other spell casters, but that's why he wants to go back to basecamp.
Occa says, "Oh, hmm, in that case we are worse off than I expected...no
healing is bad. Okay, let's get out of here. We will have to set up
a base camp, though, since we thought we would be coming here. We can
also count on getting attacked. Hmm, I guess the question is this...do
we leave this building standing or burn it down?" He says, "Of course, if
we do that, then we lose whatever may be in this building...not that that
might be such a bad loss."
He looks to everyone and says, "Well, let's get out of here then."
Jesse speaks, "I think that we should torch the place now, and not
worry about what might be in here. I still have a fireball spell, and that
should start a nice big fire."
"I agree wholeheartedly!" Dani adds, eager to leave. "Just do it!" She
says to Jesse.
"It is agreed, then," says Valdar. "Most of you wish to leave, so let us do
so. However, torching the place will not kill the vampires, so the threat
will remain. Also, I still have most of my healing spells."
"I don't think that the goal of torching the place is to kill the
creatures. However, as I see it, the goal is to have a wonderful fire and
perhaps roast some marshmellows. Further, it is probably a good think, in
my opinion, to do this. I like fires."
Valdar raises an eyebrow in his best Mr. Spock imitation at Jesse, but says
nothing.
Occa says, "No, I expect it won't kill them, alhtough it is possible if
they are stupid, which I doubt. I expect they have coffins elsewhere,
maybe underground. However, the threat will not remain here...no
weary travellers will enter this place. BUT, how much healing do you have
left? I am greviously injured, but willing to continue if I can
be healed....I would rather take care of these vampires once and
for all."
Occa says, "What about the rest of you...are any hurt here?" He scratches
his head and says, "I expect if we try to leave it will also draw
the vampires out...they are predators and if they feel we are injured
enough to leave, they will probably attach with all their fury, so we
should expect the worst if we try to leave. If we stay, they will
probably continue the hit and run tactics until they think they can
wipe us out....just something to consider."
You go back through the bedroom and into the hall. In passing you note that
the secret door leading down into the office is closed.
Occa says, "Uh, anyone have detect invisibility? I expect something is
up here with us, or down there...although I expect we have an invisible
vamp in your midsts!"
Valdar starts to incant, when suddenly Lord Tempest himself appears in your
midst! The vampire lunges at the elf lord, who just ducks out of the way of
his touch in time, though his spell is ruined in the process.
Valdar pulls out his longsword as Tempest goes for his jugular...
"AAAAAAAAA!" cries the elf, as the vampire buries his fangs deep into his
neck. Blood spurts, and a terrible cold spreads from the wound.
Swinging his sword, though, the glowing blade chops into the thigh of Tempest.
Dani draws her longsword and attacks Lord Tempest ... rather than her usual
yelling and cursing though, she is focused and serious...and her blade too
connects.
"If he's here, we better be careful 'less the others be here as well."
speaks Jesse. He then draws his sword and stands on guard. He'll begin to
look for an opening in the fight.
The vampire is sorely wounded, now, as Occa casts prismatic spray on
Tempest at point blank range. A sheet of violet engulfs him, but nothing
else happens.
Tempest abruptly winks out of sight.
Dani attacks again where he last stood. Her blade slices into something,
and you hear a curse. She stabs again and connects...but this time there is
silence.
You seem to be alone again.
Op Code inserts his contact lenses. He immediately takes them out again...they are very uncomfortable and he is unable to see properly through them.
It is early evening.
Dani looks around with a puzzled frown and shrugs. "Ummm ... wonder what
that was ... " Suddenly she claps her hand over her mouth and stoops
down to feel around on the floor while looking around to see if anyone is
missing....
"Uh ... were any of us invisible ... "
She finds no invisible bodies on the floor.
Occa says, "Well, he either took off or turned gaseous...can anyone see
invisible? His gaseous form may be invisible, since he was invisible.
We should follow him."
Dani gives Occa a strange look. "I thought we were going to rest - away
from here. I have only my sword to fight with now. And I am not quite
sure what I hit as he disappeared ... guess it could have been him ...
but not gasious ... "
Occa hands Dani two wands, "This is a wand of fire, and this is a wand
of ice." He whispers something to her and then says, "Now you have the
command words....that should help. Are you hurt?"
Dani looks down at herself. "To be quite honest, I'm tired as hell, and
i think I am hurt ... just can't tell how badly. I can go on if I have
to, it can't be that bad." She says with a tired smile.
"I have been asking everyone that for a while. Besides, if we rest, they
rest, which means they are at full strength...as it is, we may have
weakened 4 vampires enough that they are easy kills. Do you want to start
over?"
Dani is pensive a moment. "As much as I hate to agree - you do have a
valid point. Okay, more hit and run then?"
He looks over to Valdar and then to Orlon and Salaam, "Either of your
powerful enough to cast restoration later?" Then to Valdar, "Sorry
about your loss, but do you have any healing still?"
Valdar groans.
"I've just been reduced to a mere Patriarch by that creature! No, I can't
do a restoration!"
He casts another spell...the same magic that was ruined by the appearance
of the vampire. He looks about...and heads for the washroom.
"Up there..." he points at the ceiling. "Tempest has gone through the
secret door in the ceiling."
He looks over the rest of you and starts casting curative spells. Occa is
healed for 8 hit points, Jesse for 1, Dani for 3, Phil for 5; Occa an
additional 7, Jesse for 10 more, Dani for 5, and Phil for 12.
"That's it for healing from me," he says when he is done. "Now, lets get
after him."
Occa says to Valdaar, "Thank you for the curing, also, no, I
didn't ask if you could cast restoration, but rather Orlon or
Salaam....your the one who is going to need it. Oh wel, if
neither can do it, then we can find you a cleric somewhere to
restore you. We should be able to buy one or two." He smiles
and slaps Valdaar on the back and says, "Don't sweat it...I
once went from Arch-Magi to prestidigator in one day! Hell
of a day and years of work gone. Anyway, you will be restored,
whatever the cost."
"I'm not worrying about the cost of regaining the powers that Corellon has
granted me...it is just that I could use them right now."
Orlon says "I have the ability of casting Restoration, but not at the
moment. Anyways, I am very tired and I wish to make a basecamp. I think it
is very foolheardy to go chasing these vampires when we are depleted in
offense and healing. If anybody cares to set up basecamp with me, the more
the merrier. Who is coming with me?" With that, Orlon starts to leave.
Oh Well, Phil, Who Knows, and Op Code state that they wish to set up
basecamp as well and follow Orlon out of the door and into the hall.
Occa says to the group, "If he went up,then that is where they probably
are...everyone get ready." He sends his unseen servant up to open the
secret door...while muttering, "Let's see...Lady Tempest, the young
playboy bunny and..." He scratches his head, "And I guess we will
find out."
"According to my calculations," Valdar says, checking his abacus, "We've
trashed every vampire we've met up to this point, except for Lady Tempest.
Hopefully that means that they're helpless in their coffins...until
sometime after midnight tonight. This is the time to finish them off. If we
retreat now and return tomorrow morning then we'll be starting from square
one again."
The elf points at the secret door in the ceiling, speaks several words, and
it springs open.
Occa stands stunned for a moment, he watches Orlon and the rest start to
leave. "Oh, this isn't good, all the people who are in fine shape are
'tired', that is just great." Occa giggles and says, "Orlon, who do you
worship? The mighty god of Thunder?" He laughs and says, "Sorry, I
couldn't help myself...well, maybe I could have..." He looks at Valdar,
who has lost some of his life, Dani, who is nearly dead herself, and
Jesse, also greviously injured...all willing to go on in order to vanquish
this evil and then says, "Okay, well, I guess we have no choice but
to withdraw in that case...we surely can't do it without ALL of them."
He shrugs and prepares to leave as well, saying, "Hey, Orlon, you going
to wait up for the rest of us or you just going to leave us behind? I
realize how tired you must be so you must be real eager to get back, but
some of us probably wouldn't make it back alone...I don't expect we will
be allowed a peaceful exit."
'I vote we continue.' speaks Jesse.
Dani nods in agreement.
Occa says, "Okay, Lady Tempest then...it is worth a shot, and we, at least
have the knowledge that if we fail, we can rip out Orlon's throat
tomorrow night...as vampires." He giggles, and sends the wizard eye up
through the opening in the ceiling.
The eye - which has only 10' infravision in the dark - shows that it is in
the northeast corner of a large, unlit, junk-filled room...the attic, as a
matter of fact. The roof slopes upwards to the west, and through the
doorway you can hear the rain pounding on it.
Valdar casts fly on himself and wings it up into the attic. A moment later
a rope drops through the opening.
You shinny up and look about.
It is a large room, 50' X 80' (40' west, 70' south), filled with all manner
of junk...old furniture, portraits, kitchen things, clothes...and, you
discover, a closed coffin.
There is also a door, in the south wall, middle section.
Dani looks thoughtfully up to the roof. "Wonder how hard it is raining?"
Occa says to Valdar, "You saw Tempests gaseous form come up here right?
Do you see it now?"
"Not a thing," replies the elf.
"I suggest we vanquish these foul creatures. Let us move on ! By
Thoth, we shall survive this night !" exclaims Salaam in his usual low key
manner.
Occa says, "Get ready everyone, I am going to open this coffin up..."
He will send his unseen servant and open up the coffin, he giggles a bit
as the lid starts to come up...
Inside lies Tempest on a bed of fresh graveyard dirt...snoring loudly.
Dani again listens to the rain on the roof. She makes a motion with her
hand indicating the rain and an expression that asks, 'any way of making
use of it?'.
In a quiet voice, Jesse will ask, "What good will rain do?
Should'nt we use a stake throught the heart instead?"
"Immersing a vampire in running water kills them," explains Valdar.
Jesse will then look around for an object that could be used as a
stake.
Dani offers her staff to Jesse, while pulling out the wand of fire Occa
gave gave her ...
Occa says, "That staff is too long and dull....I just happen to have some
wooden spikes." He pulls one of the sharp spikes from his back pack and
leaves it hanging in the air (unseen servant has it)....it goes over and
rests the stake against Tempests chest (over the heart). He then says,
"Valdar, you should have the honor since he sucked some of your life away."
Still possessing the couch leg Salaam says, "If ye would like to, I could
do the honors."
"Be my guest," says the elf lord with a humourless smile.
Salaam positions the wooden leg over Tempest's chest and with a slam of his
hammer, he drives it into his heart.
Tempest stops snoring, and his eyes pop open. There is a gasp, and he goes
rigid. His eyes glaze over...and he is still.
You search him and his coffin.
He wears a ring, and within the pockets of his cloak you find a scroll and
a wand. Salaam checks to see if these items are magic, and discovers that
they are.
You find nothing in the coffin.
Valdar is already eying that door to the south...
"Thats it?," whispers Jesse. "That's all we have to do to kill one of
these creatures, we don't have to do anything else. Wow."
"Before anyone leaves, please remove Tempests' head and Dani, my dear, do ye
have any garlic in the folds of your robes and if you'd like I can check
myself
Occa says, "Salaam is right, we need to remove his head. I have some garlic
we stuff in his mouth. Anyone have holy water to mix in with the dirt...or
salt?"
"I have some holy wafers," says Valdar, reaching into his pack and pulling
out a package of Oreos. "I worship a chaotic deity, you see."
You behead the vampire, stuff his mouth full of garlic and holy Oreos,
while Salaam torches the coffin.
Occa says, "And behind door number 1!" He opens it with his unseen servant.
Beyond is another junk-filled attic room (50' square, door directly across
from you in south wall). However, between it and you are three floating,
glowing spheres of light...coming towards you...
"Oh-oh," says Valdar...
Occa screams, "Run away! Run away!"
Dani steps back a little, but pauses to ask, "Why? Can't I just fireball
them?"
"Holy Thoth, Let me dispel the magic that seeks to harm us."
"Save your spells," says Valdar, pointing his finger at the closest one.
"Only magic missiles affect these, I think."
He opens fire, unloading three spells worth of missiles. The air crackles
with energy, and one of them winks out, while a second looks wounded.
Occa says, "Aren't those willow wisps?" He backs away....
The injured one releases a burst of energy of its own, but the elf dodges
it just in time.
"What do you think?" asks Valdar...
Occa says, "I think they are...physical attachs work as well, but they
are very hard to hit!"
Occa casts his last magic missile...his target flickers does not quite expire.
"Can we fire-ball them with out putting ourselves at risk?" asks
Jesse, somewhat eagerly. "Otherwise, Dani, you might want to let loose with
your wands."
Occa says, "The only magic I know of that harms them is magic missle...I
think a protection from evil will keep them at bay, but that is it."
Salaam holds his dispel magic in check at the advice of his teammates.
Invoking his knowledge of the Art, he aids his mates with the casting of a
magic missile at the nearest orb of light. The first of his three missiles
kills the will-o-wisp, so he directs his last two into the last one.
Dani also quickly casts magic missile into the last one, as it swoops at
Occa....for 18 hit points of damage.
The drow dodges as Valdar unloads another spell into the 'wisp, blowing it
to pieces.
"Thank goodness for Rary's..." he mutters, as you hear a noise behind
behind you. Turning, you see Op Code just climbing up into the attic
through the secret opening...followed by Orlon, Oh Well, and Phil. There is
no sign of Who Knows.
Occa says, "Hi! Tempest is dead...where is Who Knows? We also just finished
off 3 will-o-wisps. Any sign of lady Tempest?"
Orlon will tell Dani, Salaam, Occa, Jesse, and Valdar "We ran into Lady
Tempest. She threw a fireball at us and damaged us seveeerely. Who Knows was killed and is downstairs right now. Since she was my main concern, and she is now out of the way. We are sorry if we caused anguish in the party. Shall we look for the rest of them now?"
Dani gieves Orlon a toothless smile, trying to smooth the rats nest
of her hair. "Good work - between our two groups we have
dispatched the two biggestt threats. Let's go then and find the two
young vamps!" Dani straightens her singed and ratty clothing and grimaces.
"Uh, Orlon? Have you any healing left? I am sorely injured ... "
"Sorry Dani, I'm all cleaned out of healing of any type."
Occa says, "Well, I think we have finished all of them, except for perhaps
the young vixen. The only task left, unless we run into other creatures,
is to find the coffins and dispatch each of them in turn. However, the fact
that these will-o-wisps were here makes me think that we will encounter other creatures. Hopefully none as bad as the vampires, though."
He shrugs and says, "Healing would be good, but I don't think any is left."
He sends his eye into the room the wisps came out of..."let's search up here
for anything else and then search out the rest of this manor of hell."
Dani steps back from Orlon with a frown. "You say you were fireballed?"
She asks. "Then why are you uninjured ... I mean, look at me ... " Dani
indicates her torn and burned clothing.
She clasps the rods in her hands tighter, waiting for an answer...
Occa scans the room where the will-o-wisps resided with his wizard eye,
and turns up no other threats.
You move in and poke about.
The attic room is 50' square (20' east, 20' west, 50' south; door in
middle of south wall). Like the previous room, it is piled high with
junk. However, it does not take you long to find a large pile of bones
and garbage...and searching through it you find the following pile of
loot: 1000gp, 40 small gems (which you instantly appraise at 10gp each in
value), 19 assorted articles of jewelry (which you appraise at 3000gp
each), a brightly glowing longsword, 6 darts, and a vial.
You gather up the goodies and continue searching.
A short time later you find another closed coffin.
Occa frowns at Orlon and friends as you make for the coffin, and says, "You
sure as shit don't look like you were fireballed! Hey, Valdar, do you have
any detect evils? I wonder if this is really Orlon or not."
"Sure smells like him," replies the elf.
Orlon tells Occa "I have Detect Evil, if necessary."
Occa sighs loudly and says, "I wanted to know if someone had a detect
evil to check to see if you are evil Orlon! You say you were severely
injured, but you come to us uninjured. How do we know that you aren't
vampires or shapeshifters that are trying to trick us? We don't! So,
you checking your own alignment is not much good."
"So, Orlon, why aren't you hurt if you were fireballed man? I mean, you
were out of healing, so you should have been hurt, especially if the
fireball was enough to kill one of your cronies."
Orlon looks dumbfounded at Occa. "How do you explain all of my singed
clothes and hair, or what's left of it? If you want, go right ahead and cast
Detect Alignment on me, Or if it will make you happy, we can go outside to
where Lady Tempest's body is, and I will immerse myself in running water.
Any other tasks you want me to perform to show you that I'm not a vampire?"
Occa says, "What about a stake through the heart?" He giggles and says,
"Well, you sure don't look wounded to me...besides a good shapeshifter
would have accounted for that fireball that hit us all." He gives Dani
an evil look then winks.
"Occa, if you doubt me, I could show you what we did to Lady Tempest, and
after that you will believe that what we killed was a vampire and not a
shape-shifter. As for the stake, I would say do it, except that I am so low
in hit points and nobody has any curing left, that it may actually kill me."
Occa says, "Fine...I guess there isn't much point in arguing."
Dani walks up to Orlon and hugs him. "Don't worry about it. Occa is
just a little ... paranoid. You guys did a good job in dealing with Lady
Tempest. Let us not fight amongst ourselves. Where to next?" Dani
asks, giving Orlon another quick hug.
"I'll open the coffin if anyone would like to do the honors, I am all out of
stakes !" Salaam quickly scans the coffin for any magic - there is none -
and opens it.
You see lying within Edwards the butler, upon a layer of fresh soil.
"Hsssssss! Begone!" he says, struggling to rise, but very weak all the same.
Valdar takes one of Occa's stakes, pushes the vampire back down with it,
and then plunges it into his heart.
"Arrrrrrrghhhhh..." gurgles Edwards, then is still.
You repeat the process that you carried out with Tempest.
Searching the coffin, you find no treasure.
You open the south door.
Beyond is another large attic room (50' X 80': 20' east, 20' west, 80'
south) filled with even more junk. Otherwise it seems to be unoccupied.
You search, and find two more coffins.
You open them.
The first is empty but for dirt.
The second contains the sexy vampire girl, a picture of virginal innocence
as she lies there sleeping peacefully.
Occa says, "Did we get her to turn to gaseous form? I remember her
disappearing, but that is it. Anyone recall?"
He will have his unseen servant place a spike over her heart, but won't
get too close himself.
You repeat the process of driving the stake through the vampire babe's heart.
She utters a low groan, and that is it, as you kill her.
Chopping off her head and whatnot to finish the job, you then search the
coffin and the room, but find nothing else.
Valdar walks around the room but finds no secret exits.
It is mid-evening.
Occa says, "Well, let's check out the rest of the house..."
As you return to the second floor...
Occa says, "Maybe I am delusional Orlon, but you and your companions look
fine. You do not look injured at all. Why is that? I suspect it is
because you are either shapeshifters who are trying to trick us, or you
have been holding out healing on us. Which is it Orlon?"
You begin your search of the second floor...recalling that you never had
the opportunity to search out the babe's room.
Again, the bed is really a coffin. Opening it, you find that it is empty
but for dirt. Sifting through it, though, you find: a potion; a scroll;
another potion; another scroll; and a third scroll.
You move on to the southern half of the second floor.
Opening the door at the south end of the balcony, you see a passage running
east for 30', turning south after 20'. A door is in the east wall.
You head east and look around the corner. From the corner the passage runs
south for 70'. There are all sorts of doors. In the west wall, there are
doors in the 0' - 10' section and every other 10' section thereafter. It is
the same with the east wall...starting with the door mentioned in the
previous paragraph. As well, there is a door at the far end of the passage
in the south wall, facing you.
While Orlon and Dani flirt with each other...
Op Code says "Let's start with the door right in front of us." He then
proceeds to open the door.
You open the first door to the east.
This reveals a 10' X 20' room (10' east, 10' south). There is a window in
the east wall.
This small but comfortably furnished room has a double bed, dresser, chest
of drawers and a chair in it.
You search it and find nothing.
Before you open the next door the arguments break out anew.
"Thor has looked kindly upon my companions and I. Is there anything wrong
with that?"
Occa, for the first time, looks angry. "YES, THERE IS! You have been
holding out on the group...what if one of us dies because you don't want
to be as injured? YOU ARE A COWARD AND A SCALLYWAG!!!!! Sure, we
haven't been with this group as long as you and these others (points to
Orlon's cronies), but if we are to work as a team then we should act like
it. That means helping when you can!" He paces for a minute and says,
"This is my team here..." He indicates Jesse, Salaam, Valdaar and Dani.
"They are not cowards and give full effort to doing what is right!" He
sighs again and says, "How could you leave like you did? Most of us were
seriously injured? You had plenty of healing left it would appear and you
were mostly uninjured!"
He stomps his foot and says, "You have no honor!"
Valdar looks at Occa.
"Making accusations the way you are is far more devisive than anything I
have yet seen Orlon do, Occa. Or is that drow blood in your veins affecting
your mind?"
Orlon Replies "Get a life Occa, I took mega damage from Lady Tempest, and
now have 12 hit points left. Does that sound like an uninjured Cleric who
can cast the maximum level spells. Why do you keep going on about me not
being damaged. We all make mistakes, but as for just letting other party
members die willfully, there are many other people back at camp who will
tell you otherwise, that my history does not include doing this. It sounds
like we're back to square one when we all met. That is bickering and
fighting between us. If it will please you, I will save my next healing,
after I pray for it, for you."
Occa says, "Careful there buddy...and you make it out as if you are
wounded, but you do not appear so. Unless someone is casting illusions
upon us in order to trick us. Can anyone divine this?" Occa says, "My eyes
tell me that you are not injured Orlon...Dani, does he look injured as he
says? I am not making this up Orlon."
Dani hesitates, looking from Orlon to Occa. "Well, Orlon does not look
like someone fireballed. Orlon? Do you and your men have some spells
that protect your clothing from fireballs? That is all I can think of
that would account for your condition .... unless we are being bedeviled
... " Dani pauses for a moment.
"But ... what if I don't believe what I see .... in fact, I do not
believe what I see. Orlon is truly in his base camp ... and not standing
here talking to us ... I do *not* believe this ... " Dani stares deeply
at Orlon and his men, trying to see past the illusion ....
All remains as it was to her eyes.
Occa pauses and says, "If what you say is true, then someone is tricking us.
If you are lying, I will not want any healing from you."
Salaam speaks up.
"Wait a minute, gentlemen, regardless of who is holding out on whom, we
are still in the midst of a particluarly deadly situation. Let us extract
ourselves from this situation with haste and minimal loss of life, and then
we can deal with the apparent problems at hand !"
Occa says, "I will agree with you there, Salaam. This will wait."
"No it won't," replies Valdar. "Your runaway mouth is threatening to tear
this party apart. I have known Orlon and Op Code for quite a few years, and
the actions that you accuse him of are completely out of character. Now,
they claim to have been fireballed, but we see no indication that they
have. Therefore, there must be a reason for this conflict. Let's resolve it
now."
Dani frowns, still glaring at Orlon. She sidles up to Occa and whispers
to him. ...
"I suggest we check on Lady Tempest first. I would feel much better if I
saw for myself that she was taken care of. And, I wouldn't mind getting
out of this house for a bit. It really gives me the creeps."
Dani turns to face Orlon. "Would you please show us where the remains
are?" She asks sweetly.
Orlon says "Follow me. That means you too Occa. Let's go downstairs and
outside to where we killed her off under the running water pouring out of
the eavestrough. You can see Who Know's body on top of that."
Occa says, "Hey, hey...I have a problem with authority, so don't be
ordering me around! I am not one of your monkies!"
"For the sake of 'your team', Occa, you had better follow his orders!"
snaps Valdar.
As you set out for the ground floor, Jesse breaks his silence.
Jesse looks confused at all the arguing going on. He then
looks at Orlon and asks, "Sir, what is a hit point? Is this some
measure of life force? If so, can you show me your 'hit point'
indicator and where I can get my own? I think that it would be a
useful thing to have."
"However, I am not sure if this will help, but when we first
joined up together, I sang a song about a racehorse, and another about
the life of a man. Can you tell us what the name of the racehorse or
what the man was doing throughout his life?"
While Orlon ponders the $64 question posed by Jesse, he leads you
downstairs to the foyer.
There, you see the body of Who Knows lying by the door leading outside.
There is no sign that he was fireballed...but he is quite dead
nevertheless. Indeed, if Lady Tempest set off a fireball in this room there
is no sign of it.
Looking about, you see a trail of blood leading from the ballroom (the door
into that room is open) to the door leading outside.
Attempting to open the door leading outside is fruitless, though. It will
not budge.
Occa looks around....and looks at the dead party member. He then looks at
Orlon and says, "I guess I owe you an apology...you were struck by a
fireball, but it would appear to be an illusionary fireball."
Then he says to everyone, but looking at Valdar especially, "You didn't
think it was important to resolve this?"
"You did not listen to me. I did say that we should settle this."
"Consider my perspective on this and also consider that I haven't known
Orlon as long as you have and, thus have no reason to necessarily trust
him. From my perspective it looked as if he had held out on the entire
group, which I consider a heinous act, especially if we need to rely on
someone."
"Perhaps you should have put a little more trust in his word, then, before
launching attacks," replies Valdar. "You as a spell caster who uses
illusionary magic should be more aware than any of us of the powers of such
abilities. It is clear now that they were all enspelled by a powerful
illusion."
Occa shrugs, obviously frustrated by the whole ordeal and says, "To hades
with it."
"Agreed. The gods of evil are probably laughing at our bickering."
Orlon has a stunned look on his face "Was this one big illusion we suffered?
If it is I disbelieve it. I am so sorry Dani, Salaam, Jesse, and especially
Occa, for all this confusion. It felt so real. Oh Thor please forgive me for
my actions."
"I hope this doesn't mean that our killing of lady Tempest was all an illusion"
"Will one of you go over and wake Who Knows up please?"
Orlon goes over to the halfling and tries to awaken him...to no avail. His
death is no illusion.
Salaam joins him.
"Occa, Dani, watch my back... Oh Great Thoth, allow to me to speak to the
spirit of our my friend," I invoke as I hold Who Know's head.
There is silence for a moment...then you hear Who Knows' voice...cold and
distant...
"What?"
Meanwhile...
Jesse speaks, "I, too do not consider this a fruitless
exercise, for several reasons. First, we are battling a very powerful
foe, a group of vampires, who have demonstrated that they can cast
magical spells. We do not know the extent of their powers. What is
to say that we had not seen illusions of our missing party members? I
think that this is an important consideration.
"Secondly, we still are learning to trust each other. As it
has been said time and again that we have not worked together before,
and we need to learn to work together and trust each other. At the
present I have no reason to distrust any of you.
"Third, the death of a comrade is always hard to deal with.
However, I must point out that this illustrates an important issue we
need to deal with. It is always better to stay together as a group,
especially when some of our members are injured. I think that we need
to avoid the unilateral decisions to seperate the party. That, or we
need to apoint a group leader to make these decisions. I perfer the
later method, 'cause there are times when it is important to make a
quick decision, and not debate and discuss an idea. The leader need
to also be aware of other considerations and take other points of view
into acount.
"At present, while it is approaching evening. I favor trying
to find the two teenage vampires and check to see where Lady Tempest
is. I do not favor having to fight full strength vampires again,
especially when they have time to set up and prepare an ambush for
us."
Jesse looks long and hard at the rest of the party members,
"What do you all wish to do?"
Dani, who has been nodding during Jesse's discourse, finally speaks. "I
agree completely - the question now I guess is - who will lead us? Are
you volunteering, Jesse?"
"I am honored, dear lady, that you would consider that I might
have the ability to perform such a task, and I will not shirk from the task.
However, I do not think that I
am the best suited for the job: I am not the best fighter in the group,
my magical abilities are pitiful compared to the rest of you, I have
few spells and little knowledge of tactics and the like. My calling
is as a bard. I was born to sing only mirth and make people merry,
not to lead."
Op Code says "How about taking care of the Lady Tempest business first. I am
curious to see if her body is really there myself. The door is probably
magically held. Can anyone open it?"
Valdar knocks the door open, and you are looking outside. The rain is still
a torrential downpour...the wind screaming like a banshee.
Op Code leads all but Occa, Salaam and Orlon outside and to the north end
of the verandah.
There, still under a downspout gushing water is Lady Tempest, beheaded and
with a 10' wooden pole driven through her heart. She is quite dead.
"Well, that is a relief. At least that was not an illusion. Good work
Orlon - despite the misunderstanding it caused." Dani says with a grin.
"So, shall we find the little vixens and put an end to them?" Dani asks.
After coming back inside, Op Code says "Let's go find the two daughters. All
in agreement?"
Occa says, "Yes, let's return upstairs and go to the next door."
Oh Well says "after you."
When Salaam is finished with Who Knows, you return to the second floor.
You make for the next door...the one on the west side of the passage south
of the balcony.
This leads into a bedroom (20' X 30': 10' south, 30' west, window in west
wall). A well appointed room, with a large four-poster bed coverd in satin
sheets, a couch, tables, chairs, chest and dresser. A fire blazes in the
hearth in the east wall next to the door.
However, you realize immediately that the bed is really a coffin.
Readying your equipment, you fling the lid open, to reveal Elucia, lying
there quietly.
You soon dispose of her.
Searching the coffin and room, you find 1750gp and 175pp.
You go to the next door on the east side of the hall and open it.
It opens to reveal a room identical to the one next door. This small but
comfortably furnished room has a double bed, dresser, chest of drawers and
a chair in it.
Searching it, you find nothing of value or interest.
To the next door down...on the west side. Opening it, you see another 20' X
30' room. A well appointed guest room, with a large four-poster bed coverd
in satin sheets, a couch, tables, chairs, chest and dresser. A fire blazes
in the hearth in the east wall next to the door.
However, waiting for you here is a spectre.
Before any of you can react, he touches Op Code for 1 hit point of
damage...and the ranger feels the life force draining out of him...
Salaam, Jesse, Phil and Valdar can react. The rest of you are
surprised.
Salaam reacts.
"I BANISH YOU, BY THE POWER OF THOTH, BEGONE, FOUL BEAST !"
he invokes extending his holy symbol at the spectre.
The spectre turns and flees, as Phil casts 'Cone of Cold' at it and Occa
fires a lightning bolt. The first spell has no effect on it, but the
lightning bolt does...destroying the thing utterly.
You move in and search the room, and find a cloak and a potion.
You head back across the hall and open the next door on the east side.
This is another room with the same dimensions as the others on this side of
the passage. This small but comfortably furnished room has a double bed,
dresser, chest of drawers and a chair in it.
You find nothing of interest or value here.
The next door on the west side opens to reveal another 20' X 30'
room...like the others but unoccupied. Searching, you find nothing.
Opening the last door on the east side, you find a room similar to the
others. Again, searching turns up nothing of interest.
The last door on the west side opens into another room like the others on
this side. The bed is again a coffin, so you open, prepared for the worst.
However, it is empty. Searching it, though, you find four necklaces which
you value at 3000gp each, a potion, a scroll, a potion, a scroll, and
another potion. Going through the rest of the room you find little of value
or interest, though going by the large collection of rather daringly styled
dresses and gowns in the closets, you are able to determine that this is
Vanessa's room.
You open the last door, at the south end of the passage.
This reveals a bathroom (10' X 20': 10' south, 10' east). Luxuriously
appointed, there is a bath tub, sink and WC here. Searching, you find
nothing else.
You have completed this floor.
Salaam ponders Vanessa's empty coffin.
"Either this means there are extra coffins somewhere or she was not
"killed" by us, I forget, ahh, I don't believe we forced her to go gaseous,
everyone be careful, she might be around."
Op Code asks "How about the ballroom downstairs? If I recall, there were a
couple of doors in the room. There were also some doors in the kitchen that
we haven't checked out."
You head for the ballroom.
As previously described, this room measues 30' X 60' (10' east, 10' west,
60' north; doors in west wall, 10' - 20' section and 40' - 50' section;
door in middle of north wall.
This impressive room is again painted in white, with a black marble floor.
Small tables and chairs are located here and there around the periphery,
there is a small raised dias in the northwest corner for a string quartet,
and a small bar in the southeast corner. Otherwise, the place is deserted.
The whole place is filthy and grimy.
Apart from a bloody patch on the floor where Op Code beheaded Lady Tempest,
there is nothing of interest here.
Occa sends his unseen servant over to open the closest west wall door.
Revealed is a 20' X 30' room (10' north, 10' south, 20' west; door in north
wall east corner, windows in west wall). A sitting room. A once comfortable
looking place, furnished in light colours with sofas and armchairs
scattered about, with a number of tables in here as well. Now, the
furniture is rotten due to the dampness of the ocean air, and the walls are
streaked with grime and blood.
You search the room, but find nothing of interest.
Occa sends his servant to open the north door.
This leads to another 20' X 30' room (same orientation as this one; door in
middle of east wall, door in north wall east corner, windows in west wall).
This is the music room.
It is dominated by a large grand piano in the southwest corner. A half a
dozen chairs face it. Various other musical instruments rest in
glass-fronted cabinets here and there.
You examine the room. The piano is unplayable, but the other instruments
could be restored.
You open the north door.
This is the office that you found when you opened the secret door in the
floor of Tempest's bedroom upstairs. A richly furnished and carpeted room.
There is a desk and chair before the window. They are large and of oak. A
large bookshelf is along the north wall (10' X 20' - 10' west, door in east
wall).
The place is deserted.
Op Code asks "Shall we open the east door in this room?"
That door opens into a library (30' X 30': 20' north, 30' east, door in
centre of west wall, door in centre of south wall, windows in north and
east walls).
This large room has deep brown painted walls, which, along with the dark
furnishings and rows of floor-to-ceiling bookshelves, make the room appear
sombre and smaller than it actually is. The floor is covered in a plush
carpet.
The shelves are filled with books, manuscripts and scrolls, many of which
look to be quite ancient and valuble.
The place is unoccupied.
"Ahhhhh....lookee here." Dani says, seeing all the scrolls and such. She
takes out a large sack from her pack, and using her sword, sweeps a bunch
of the scrolls and books into the sack.
Salaam scans the shelves with his detect magic ability and then scans the
titles for anything about the deities of this land and also the history of
this land.
Six of the books radiate magic. They appear to be spell books...5 are
travelling while the last is a standard book.
Op Code and Phil will search the place thoroughly.
You spend a good long time examining the other books and scrolls here. Most
of the books concern the subjects of literature, botany, nature, geology,
biology and anatomy...apparently the interests of Tempest. You realize
that these books would be worth something to a sage or mage in a city.
There are 5258 of them.
One last scroll is of a historical nature.
"Gee," says Valdar, after reading it. "That Melnar sure got around, didn't he, Orlon?"
Orlon says to Valdar "That name rings a bell. Where have I heard of him before?"
"That was the lich that you, Stiff and the gang battled some years back,"
Valdar replies. "He was certainly right about humans having to go to the
elves to learn their own histories, wasn't he..?"
Occa says, "Immortality? Galaxies? This needs to be studied...to fly
among the stars and to live forever...now those are worthy goals!" He
seems very interested in the scroll but as soon as the spell books are
discovered, he will begin to examine them...
He will first have his unseen servant open one of the travelling spell
books. If it doesn't go boom...he takes a look. Same with all of them...
Phil will take an interest in the spell books. He says to Occa "When we get
out of here, maybe we can compare spellbooks."
None of the books explode.
I made a mistake earlier about what types of books they were...you see that
they are as follows...
1 travelling spell book, 6 pages, blank.
3 standard spell books, 24 pages, blank.
1 travelling spell book containing the spells Otiluke's telekinetic sphere
and power word blind.
1 standard spell book containing the spells monster summoning 6 and mind blank.
These last two books are full, BTW.
Occa says, "Anyone mind me using these blank books? I could really use
them to finish copying the spells I haven't used in my memory to paper."
Phil says "I could always use more blank books. Since there are four of
them, two for each of us sounds right. Take any two, and I'll take the other
two. Does everyone agree with this?"
"Well, I wouldn't mind having one either ... but if you really need them,
that is fine." Dani replies.
Occa says, "Oh, I am sorry...I guess I didn't make this clear to you guys
earlier...I thought I had...anyway, I have been trying to tell you that I
LOST MY SPELL BOOKS coming to this world. I have no spellbooks....just what
is in my memory and what I have been able to scrounge from the community
chest. Therefore, I could really use these books. I would be willing to
compensate both you for...ah, forget it. I can wait till we get to another
town."
"Geez Occa! I said I would have one if no one else needed them. I had
forgotten your plight - you need them - take them. I only wanted a spare
- my need is not as great. Okay? Next time listen to what I say!" Dani
replies in mock anger.
"Listen to you? You didn't listen to me." He smiles and says, "Sorry, I
guess I am a little over sensitive...a mage without spell books is not
a good thing. I must say it is really putting me on edge."
"Geez! Men! Always twisting everything around .... " Dani continues
muttering long after you can make sense of the words.
Occa giggles at the obvious joke...
Finally spent, she asks, "Okay, where to next. I hate spending this much
time standing around - as interesting as all these things are. We may
need to come back for some of this - I don't want to be encumbered with
one of the vamps still out there. You strong fighter types want to lead
the way? After Occa's servant though ... " Dani grins.
Occa's servant opens the door in the middle of the west wall. This reveals
a reading room (20' X 20': 10' north, 20' west, windows along west wall.
This room is also done in dark colours and furnishings. There are a number
of armchairs, tables and lamps in here. Otherwise it is unoccupied, and a
thorough search reveals nothing of interest or value.
It is midnight.
Occa says, "Well, that is it. We didn't find the other vampire, which
means she is probably up to full strength again. We could probably take
her just fine, but it would be harder." He scratches his head and says,
"Maybe we should make a camp now and then return in the morning...she
will be at full strength and so would we....of course, just one vampire..."
He pauses and says, "What do you all say? A nights rest and some healing
would be very nice."
"That would be nice ... " Dani replies.
"Praise Thoth, I like it !"
"While I feel strongly that we should continue, it might be
best to sleep and rest. Then we can tackle the remaining vampire
in the morning." Jesse yawns.
Orlon, however, wants to continue.
Orlon says "Let's go polish off the doors in the kitchen."
Op Code reminds Occa "There is still the south end of this level that we
have not explored. Maybe her coffin is in there. Do you really want to rest
now?"
Orlon says "When we were upstairs, you guys were determined to get the
vampires at all costs. Now you want to rest, even when there is part of the
house to explore and one vampire left, who is not at full strength, to
dispose of. I say let's at least check out the doors in the kitchen area."
With that he casts 'Create food and drink' at which he creates pizzas with
nothing but cheese on top and coffee which he says is the finest blend of
undertaker's decaffinated coffee that he has recaffinated.
Valdar, not to be outdone, casts the same spell, creating a box of Tim
Horton donuts. Then, he pulls a coffee maker out of his backpack along with
a can of the cheapest Portuguese coffee ever seen, and proceeds to brew a
pot.
"Real men don't use coffee filters," he comments, as he pours each of you a
cup and you note the grounds floating about. "Actually, I usually get my
leetle wife to make de coffee..."
You note that the elf has acquired an accent...
"But Orlon, what is this white powder that you want us to put in our
coffee..?" he asks, holding up a jar of Coffee Mate. "Usually you have the
real thing..."
He frisks the high priest - who seems to like it - and comes up with a
carton of half and half. "Aha! Trying to keep the good stuff for yourself!"
(Sorry, Frank and I are lampooning a few of the players who have been in
this group previously... ;^))
"Yes, I agree that this was the decision. However that was hours
ago. I have no problem with continuing, because I am not injured. However
I am out of any magic spells that might help us.
"However, let us continue, and I will be willing to take the point, so
that I can bare the brunt of any attack that might occur."
Jesse hefts his short sword, testing it's weight and then moves
to the front of the party, ready to move out.
"Oh! Yummy!" Dani takes some coffee and a rather large slice of pizza.
She gulps down the coffee and starts on the pizza.
"This is great!" Talking around a mouthful of pizza, Dani asks, "Is the
vamp at full strength or not? I mean, do they get restored or something
at midnight? Did we ever wound that one? I admit, I am the mercy of
your decisions. I have no experience with vamps. I'll rest or continue
based on what ya'll know." Dani takes seconds on the coffee, and as she
polishes of the first piece of pizza, takes a second.
"Sorry guys, but they say food is sleep and all ... " She grins, wiping
a bit of sauce from her lip with the sleeve of her tattered dress.
"Anyway," continues Valdar, "This time I think I'll have to side with Occa
and Dani, Orlon. It's been over 8 hours since we gassed Vanessa and she
will be recovered by now...while we are all tired and depleted. God, this
pizza is the most bland thing I have ever tasted!"
Occa says, "Yes, it is back to full strength...but if everyone wants to
go on, then let's do so." He has his unseen servant open doors fo rthe
party as we move ahead....
"This is my point. If the vampire is back to full strength, then
what point is there for us to attack it now. It will be at full strength
now and tomorrow."
"On the other hand, we are at greatly reduced capabilitites. The
logical course of action is to rest ourselves, and return our party to
full strenght, in so doing we are fighting the creature on a more even
par."
"If we fear that the vampire is at full strength, then we should
rest and restore ourselves to full or near full strength. Otherwise
if we believe that our foe is weakened still, then we sould attack. The
famous elven general Sun Tzu once wrote, 'The wise general chooses his
battlesites with care. Remember to ensure that your foes have little
choice in their paths of attack while you have many.'"
"Since you Occa, who seems to know more about vampores than I do,
fear that our foe is at full strenght, then we should rest to restore
ourselves. If anyone else has information to contridict this, let them
speak now. Otherwise, I vote we rest."
Jesse looks around, waiting impatiently while the others speak.
"Okay then, based on the information we have, lets go rest. And Orlon,
could you do this again once we settle down somewhere - this pizza is
*good*."
Dani licks her fingers, then wipes them on her dress. With a toothless
grin, she motions that she is ready to settle down and rest for the night.
Occa says, "Well, it looks like everyone wants to rest now that the vampire
is up to strength again. What do you say Orlon?"
Orlon says nothing more as he stuffs himself with pizza and donuts, while
simultaneously spilling coffee all over his maps.
You head back to the foyer, to discover that the exit is closed again.
Valdar fires his last knock spell, and you go outside. It is still a
torrential downpour, and the wind continues to howl.
Even the short walk over to the stables is exhausting. There, inside the
cold and leaky building you find the others as well as your horses and
wagons...all sodden and miserable.
"It's about time," mutters Robert at your appearance. "Did you forget about
us, or what?"
Occa says, "Maybe we should sleep in the stables...better than the open
air this night."
To Roberts he says, "Nay, we didn't forget you. We ran into several
vampires. A most tiring experience."
He moves over to the wagon and spreads a large wool blanket out
underneath it. He crawls under the wagon and lays down for a few minutes
before he starts to study his spells.
Salaam finds a cozy spot near Dani, sits cross legged and mediatates to Thoth.
Jesse walks up to Dani and in a clear voice ask, "Dani, would you like me
to help you relax while you study and meditate? I am very skilled with my
hands. Perhaps a neck rub, or back rub would be to your taste."
The old crone, though, is not interested in either of her would-be suitors.
Dani, tired and aching from her wounds, finds a spot in a corner, away
from the others. She tries to read from her spell books, but soon rubs
her eyes wearily and falls asleep right where she is with the book open
still in her lap. Soon you hear soft snoring.
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