Post by hubertbartels on Mar 16, 2022 13:41:13 GMT -5
Pavane for an Otyugh
So… where to look for an otyugh in this city of more than 45,000 people, an area of 1.2 square miles? We begin by searching the parts of the city closer to the Duntide River. After 10 minutes of searching, Dunkin locates several otyughs in a northerly direction. We move in that direction, passing through a city gate and out into a region of estates, villas and truck farms.
Dunkin points us to a former manor house, a three story structure built of stone and surrounded by outbuildings and courtyard. The building was now a hotel and a caravansary. Although the building advertised itself as the Vineyards, it was now surrounded by roses, not vines.
We dined at the very nice cafe inside the hotel, inquired of the ostler if horses could be rented at the stables and walked through the courtyards. One of the courts featured various realistic statues but Kerwin found one that seemed to move – if some catch was released. Gideon chatted with some nearby crows, learning that two-legs often disappeared underground. The crows also told Gideon of the areas pressed to release the statue’s locking mechanism.
Returning to Rel Mord, we spent some time in the library searching the archives. We learned of the Vineyard’s owner and his relationship to the Mordane family who originally built the house. While the family served the kingdom in mostly clerical roles, some of the family had arcane powers. The best known of them was Lascinda Mordane, a powerful witch. She was listed as a member of no known temple.
In the late afternoon, we dropped by the Grey Seer’s rooms to bring him up to date. We talked to him about our plans – to explore the area underneath the courtyard after dark. But first, we have to avoid the geese in the courtyard and the caravansary's guards.
Approaching the Vineyards by the back roads and orchards, we came to the back gate to the courtyard. Kerwin climbed the gate and swung over to let us in. Immediately, he was spotted by a guard with a lantern and a bell who started calling for aid. Kerwin returned over the gate and we scattered among the orchard’s trees.
An hour later, we tried again, this time climbing a section of the wall. Saphy put a wandering patrol to sleep as we made our way to the statue. By the time Kerwin had unlocked the statue’s locking mechanism, voices were raised – the patrol’s sleeping bodies had been discovered.
We quickly descended down the stairs, locking the entry statue behind us. Twenty feet below the ground, we stood in a four-way groin vault. Facing an iron gate. Kerwin opened the lock and then noticed a small tunnel. Gideon takes rat form to explore this secret passage but is spotted by an undead with claws and a bite – he barely makes it back. Sir Thabo steps up to the tunnel and the undead retreated into the darkness.
Kerwin turned his attention to the second iron gate. As he unlocked the gate, he heard a voice in his head saying, “Speak the password.” He hesitated. The otyughs erupted from a pool of filth and attacked.
We fought them off, almost losing our thief to the muck and filth. As the otyughs slowly sank in the stinking pool, we cleaned ourselves up and decided to follow the passage in the same direction as the small tunnel.
Kerwin was having a hard day. He triggered a glyph as he unlocked the next iron gate and then another glyph at the second iron gate. Then as he was shaking off the effects, an undead woman standing on the ceiling, reached down and grabbed him as the undead man from the tunnel slid up to bite him. They’re vampire spawn, deadly and fast. We hit them hard and forced them to retreat.
Further down the passage, we came to a stone wall with a stone door in its center. Kerwyn was able to disable the warding glyph but the door stumped him. He finally was able to pry the thing open.
On the other side, the walls were smooth, seamless stone. The passage continued to stairs leading further down. The stairs end in another stone door. The door was smooth, featureless except for a bell pull and the bell rope leading through a small hole. There are no traps but it appears that we have to pull on the bell to open the doors. There are no hinges, no handholds, just smooth stone.
So… where to look for an otyugh in this city of more than 45,000 people, an area of 1.2 square miles? We begin by searching the parts of the city closer to the Duntide River. After 10 minutes of searching, Dunkin locates several otyughs in a northerly direction. We move in that direction, passing through a city gate and out into a region of estates, villas and truck farms.
Dunkin points us to a former manor house, a three story structure built of stone and surrounded by outbuildings and courtyard. The building was now a hotel and a caravansary. Although the building advertised itself as the Vineyards, it was now surrounded by roses, not vines.
We dined at the very nice cafe inside the hotel, inquired of the ostler if horses could be rented at the stables and walked through the courtyards. One of the courts featured various realistic statues but Kerwin found one that seemed to move – if some catch was released. Gideon chatted with some nearby crows, learning that two-legs often disappeared underground. The crows also told Gideon of the areas pressed to release the statue’s locking mechanism.
Returning to Rel Mord, we spent some time in the library searching the archives. We learned of the Vineyard’s owner and his relationship to the Mordane family who originally built the house. While the family served the kingdom in mostly clerical roles, some of the family had arcane powers. The best known of them was Lascinda Mordane, a powerful witch. She was listed as a member of no known temple.
In the late afternoon, we dropped by the Grey Seer’s rooms to bring him up to date. We talked to him about our plans – to explore the area underneath the courtyard after dark. But first, we have to avoid the geese in the courtyard and the caravansary's guards.
Approaching the Vineyards by the back roads and orchards, we came to the back gate to the courtyard. Kerwin climbed the gate and swung over to let us in. Immediately, he was spotted by a guard with a lantern and a bell who started calling for aid. Kerwin returned over the gate and we scattered among the orchard’s trees.
An hour later, we tried again, this time climbing a section of the wall. Saphy put a wandering patrol to sleep as we made our way to the statue. By the time Kerwin had unlocked the statue’s locking mechanism, voices were raised – the patrol’s sleeping bodies had been discovered.
We quickly descended down the stairs, locking the entry statue behind us. Twenty feet below the ground, we stood in a four-way groin vault. Facing an iron gate. Kerwin opened the lock and then noticed a small tunnel. Gideon takes rat form to explore this secret passage but is spotted by an undead with claws and a bite – he barely makes it back. Sir Thabo steps up to the tunnel and the undead retreated into the darkness.
Kerwin turned his attention to the second iron gate. As he unlocked the gate, he heard a voice in his head saying, “Speak the password.” He hesitated. The otyughs erupted from a pool of filth and attacked.
We fought them off, almost losing our thief to the muck and filth. As the otyughs slowly sank in the stinking pool, we cleaned ourselves up and decided to follow the passage in the same direction as the small tunnel.
Kerwin was having a hard day. He triggered a glyph as he unlocked the next iron gate and then another glyph at the second iron gate. Then as he was shaking off the effects, an undead woman standing on the ceiling, reached down and grabbed him as the undead man from the tunnel slid up to bite him. They’re vampire spawn, deadly and fast. We hit them hard and forced them to retreat.
Further down the passage, we came to a stone wall with a stone door in its center. Kerwyn was able to disable the warding glyph but the door stumped him. He finally was able to pry the thing open.
On the other side, the walls were smooth, seamless stone. The passage continued to stairs leading further down. The stairs end in another stone door. The door was smooth, featureless except for a bell pull and the bell rope leading through a small hole. There are no traps but it appears that we have to pull on the bell to open the doors. There are no hinges, no handholds, just smooth stone.