(036) The Remains of the Day

[waysoftheearth]

waysoftheearth wrote:
The Second Vault
(Olaf, Ulric, Desmond/Mondes)

The trio move to the heavy, stone door that has sealed one of the passages to the right. Ulric holds his lantern over it while Desmond and Mondes (both) examine it hastily for any mechanism that might open it...

meanwhile Olaf kneels down, unshoulders his pack and unhitches his lantern from it. Then he extracts the tallow soaked wick which he had in the casing, straightens it, and sets it to burning in Ulric's flame, and with this he is able to "quickly" ignite his own flame. It takes him scarcely a minute to accomplish all this...

...the door itself is a thick slab of cold stone that seems to have dropped vertically into position. It must weigh some considerable amount, and would probably require some system of pulleys and leverage to draw it up again. The face of it is graven with an impression of a single fell knight, wearing a great bull-horned helm, who stands defiantly, blocking the way. There is no obvious handle nor hold by which the door could be lifted.

WHat now?

[waysoftheearth]

coffee wrote:

Dieter keeps hacking at the foe, giving ground when he must. He's the only chance his allies have.

But right at this moment, he really misses his shield.

Even in the near dark?

Yes, Dieter particularly misses his shield in the near dark!

;D ;D

As I indicated earlier, we're going to fall back a bit so Dieter is more in the passage than on the landing (at least, that was my intent).

And yes, Dieter will fight even in the near dark. He doesn't have much of a chance of getting a torch out (if I'm even carrying one, which I forget).

I realize it'll give me a penalty of some sort, but I'll just have to take that as it comes.

[waysoftheearth]

doctorx wrote:

Perhaps the fiend is repelled by Josiane's song?

O.O.C: Everyone's a critic! (Sigh!)

( ;D)

[waysoftheearth]

waysoftheearth wrote:
The First Vault
(Dieter)

It is almost completely dark in the first vault as Dieter falls back toward the passage down which his companions vanished under the hungry assault of the undead! At least there is a modicum of light that way, but it won't help our hero much right now.

(Initiative is rolled: 1d6; Dieter=2+1, Foe=3) claws and swords swing just as fiercely in the dark, however, and they fall upon one another all at once.

They seems to be coming at Dieter high and right, then low, and now left... they seem to be everywhere and Dieter can hardly see a thing! (3d20=10, 7, 17) and it's hardly surprising that he is dealt a savage scratch for (1dd=3) 3 hit points. Dieter may not be able to see much, but he can still hear them and -- by the Gods -- smell them, and he gives them broad swings (2d20=12, 6) and connects with... something?.. dealing it (2dd=5,1) 7 hit points, which might (by the sound of it) have been enough to drop it... impossible to tell.


There maybe three of four of them still clawing at him (unknowable in this dark). But now, at least, Dieter is backed into the narrow passage with the enemy ahead of him and a faint light behind him.

What now?

[waysoftheearth]

coffee wrote:
Dieter fights on, of course. What else could he do? He's just that kind of guy.

[waysoftheearth]

ehiker133 wrote:

The Second Vault
(Olaf, Ulric, Desmond/Mondes)

The trio move to the heavy, stone door that has sealed one of the passages to the right. Ulric holds his lantern over it while Desmond and Mondes (both) examine it hastily for any mechanism that might open it...

meanwhile Olaf kneels down, unshoulders his pack and unhitches his lantern from it. Then he extracts the tallow soaked wick which he had in the casing, straightens it, and sets it to burning in Ulric's flame, and with this he is able to "quickly" ignite his own flame. It takes him scarcely a minute to accomplish all this...

...the door itself is a thick slab of cold stone that seems to have dropped vertically into position. It must weigh some considerable amount, and would probably require some system of pulleys and leverage to draw it up again. The face of it is graven with an impression of a single fell knight, wearing a great bull-horned helm, who stands defiantly, blocking the way. There is no obvious handle nor hold by which the door could be lifted.

WHat now?

Desmond starts pushing and pulling on the relief carving of the knight with the bull horns to see if he can trigger some sort of mechanism to raise the door.

[waysoftheearth]

tonneau wrote:
As the chill in the air seems to lessen somewhat, Gustave begins to breathe again, letting out a low whistle. After a moments pause, his eyes again sharpen.

"It seems the fell thing has passed, for now. We should fall back while we have the chance and join our comrades, if indeed they still stand" he says, "I will go assist our partially sane friend with the last of the dead - if he has not finished them already. Come after me as you can", he finishes, turning again on his heel to go back the way he came.

"...and bring light!" he calls over his shoulder as he disappears into the gloom.

[waysoftheearth]

rleduc wrote:
If the others go, Guntrum follows, taking occasional looks over his shoulder.

[waysoftheearth]

danhem wrote:
"Splitting up some more?" Ulric asks Olaf. "Let us go and finish off those infernal beasts together and then we can all return here. Either that or we all die alone in the dark. Let's move now! Desmond, Mondes leave the door; it will wait."

Putting action to words Ulric moves back to passage leading to Dieter.

[waysoftheearth]

doctorx wrote:
As far as she is able without disturbing the Soliloquy, Josiane begins to back slowly towards the stairs, trusting to her friends to stop her tumbling down them. She keeps her prayer focussed on the corridor leading to the exit.

She is not as convinced as The Gustave that the threat from that direction is as receded as he seems to think...