Post
by waysoftheearth » Sat Apr 10, 2010 11:19 am
waysoftheearth wrote:
The ground floor of the tower is a simple square chamber, perhaps less than two dozen feet wide with a single entrance in the western wall, and two arrow-slit windows looking out over the surrounding wilderness -- one facing east and the other facting south. The creaking rafters that hold up the ceiling are about a dozen feet overhead, and must double as the bearers for the floor of the room above. In any case, they are veritably choked with dust and cobwebs.
A steep, narrow flight of unprotected stairs ascends along the northern wall to a bare opening in the ceiling, while opposite, a similar flight descends into the tower dunjon, below.
Taines, Anwyn, Victor and Mads take up guard position on the ground floor, while Olaf leads Rodrick, Dieter, Ulric and Caine up the stair -- all with arms at the ready.
The stair is scarcely two feet wide and clings precariously to the northern wall as it climbs, weeds and the dirt of unknowable seasons accumulated in the cracks between the rough hewn stones.
Soon, Olaf is able to peer cautiously into the dim room above as he approaches the top steps. Like the ground level, the next level appears to be occupied by a single, open square room.
At a glance the room is empty but for the dilapidated, cobweb-choked remains of a few pieces of timber furniture. There is a shuttered window in each wall, creaking against its fastness as the wind whips about the exterior of the tower, and several changing, wintery shafts of dull grey light that are cast through gaps between the planks of the trapdoor at the stair top -- like searching fingers in the otherwise dark chamber. Beyond a small landing, the stair can be seen to turn along the eastern wall to what must be the final level above.
Olaf notes a vaguely unpleasant odour on the air as he takes the second last step, and more disturbingly, as he reaches the top step, he spies several ghastly skeletons dangling from the thickest webs among the rafters above...
(1d6)
...and before Olaf can comprehend what he is seeing, he is beset by a terror most foul that lurches from the darkest recess of cobwebs in a flich, a bulk of black chiten and barbed legs that strikes (1d20=12) him squarely in the breast with its hateful stinger! Olaf is knocked backward into Rodrick behind him by the treacherous puncture, suffering (1dd=3,2) 4 hit-points of damage. Worse yet, he already feels a dire venom burning through him...
Olaf has 2 of 6 hit points remaining, and I will be rolling his saving throw next round.
You are in single file on a 2ft wide stair, at the very cusp of the room with Olaf blocking the entrance.
Gentlemen, your intentions please (includind Olaf's).
[f=32]
Golgildir the Elf Medium (MV 12", AC 9, HD 1, hp 1/1, AL N) great cloak,
lantern; spells: color spray; scrolls: sleep, sleep, charm person
Hirelings: Georges;
torch[/f]