D&D Adventure #3: Vicious Circle

[Dog Pants]

Yep, go on then. The bodies are in the infirmary, right? I'll have a trundle about and scope out the building first, look for points of entry, signs of life, escape routes. I'm thinking the bodies will be low in the building, basement if there is one, and probably not through too many doors. Nobody wants to hump dead bodies up stairs and through loads of doors. I'll also ditch most of my kit, taking tools, rope, dagger and armour (since the armour doesn't give me a penalty and I'm scared of the bodies being zombies).

Shit, we've had zombies before... Nah, that can't be connected.

...

[Grimmie]

Yep, go on then. The bodies are in the infirmary, right? I'll have a trundle about and scope out the building first, look for points of entry, signs of life, escape routes. I'm thinking the bodies will be low in the building, basement if there is one, and probably not through too many doors. Nobody wants to hump dead bodies up stairs and through loads of doors. I'll also ditch most of my kit, taking tools, rope, dagger and armour (since the armour doesn't give me a penalty and I'm scared of the bodies being zombies).

Shit, we've had zombies before... Nah, that can't be connected.

...

The infirmary and local undertaker are adjoining buildings, and for anyone who's spent any time getting over goblin attacks in the wards (almost certainly Bartholemew) they would know that the mortuary is down below, and spans both buildings. Bodies are both examined and prepared for burial here, and some of the races that live in Orhedge request for their loved ones to be preserved, so there's even an embalming facility down there. Fortunately the two buildings don't seem to be manned by anybody externally this late at night, though the front entrances leading on to the south-circular road of the town is well within the line-of-sight of the guard post.

The back of these buildings lead on to a small lawn dotted with trees, and beyond that a paved area used to store stock by the local businesses. The undertaker is flanked by houses, and as you're well aware the infirmary is flanked by Prince's Wine.

There's a back-door to the infirmary, and both buildings have front-doors leading on to the road.

Map of Orhedge

[Dog Pants]

In through the back door it is!

Stealthily:
Roll(1d20)+8:
20,+8
Total:28

Silently:
Roll(1d20)+8:
4,+8
Total:12

Pick the lock:
Roll(1d20)+8:
3,+8
Total:11

And keep an eye out for trouble:
(Spot)
Roll(1d20)+5:
4,+5
Total:9
(Search)
Roll(1d20)+3:
16,+3
Total:19

Talk about diminishing returns

[FatherJack]

Pfft. You fumble with the lock while making a terrific din, but at least nobody can see where all the noise is coming from.

[Grimmie]

As far as you can tell, you remain hidden throughout your lock-picking attempt.

It might be worth having a look at the "Take 10" and "Take 20" rules* on page 65 of the player's guide if you're going to be doing things in non-combat situations. If you want, you can take 10 on your open-lock check, and if so then the brass rollers inside the lock click open, and the door becomes ajar.

There's a dim light inside (which you didn't spot from the shutters outside), there appear to be a row of three beds against each wall with a curtain drawn around each of them by a wooden railing near the ceiling, allowing the in-patients to sleep in peace.

If you want to go inside, I want a Move Silently check

--

* In brief, Taking 10 allows you to artificially roll a 10 to complete simple tasks so long as you're not being distracted by your environment or an attacker. Taking 20 takes twenty times longer than the normal check, incurs any penalties for failiure (as it assumes that you keep on trying till you get it) but does give you an artificial 20 on your roll.

[Dog Pants]

Sorry, I'd checked this on my phone and forgot to update when I got home.

Move Silently:
Roll(1d20)+8:
6,+8
Total:14

I'll try to find the stairs down to the mortuary.

You know, it occurs to me I could have just been honest and asked, but they'd probably just think we were being morbid.

[Grimmie]

As you manoeuvre around the curtain nearest the back door, you spot one of the infirmary workers at a desk, and before him a trap-door style affair that presumably leads down to the basement mortuary. Fortunately he's asleep, head down against the wood, a pot of ink balancing precariously on the edge of his desk.

The sound of snoring and fidgeting fills the room.

[Dog Pants]

I'll gently slide the ink somewhere safer and try to open the trapdoor quietly. I'll keep an eye out for anything that might alarm, although I'm not expecting it.

Move Silently:
Roll(1d20)+8:
9,+8
Total:17

Search:
Roll(1d20)+3:
15,+3
Total:18

Phew. Hope I don't have to make too many of those, my luck's going to run out sooner or later.

[Roman Totale]

I like P'waro's style - do you think we'd get a reward if we beheaded everyone in the town?

Also, did I find Bali at the library or had he gone by then?

[Baliame]

We should be at the crime scene now.

[Grimmie]

I assume you gave Thoroar the book, but he doesn't seem to have done anything with it.

---

The trap-door opens easily enough, and it balances on a locking hinge that keeps it open at about a 60 degree angle, unless you knock the hinge out and close it after you?

With your low-light vision, you can see the stairs leading down to the tiled stone floor and a collection of empty wooden coffins piled up horizontally to one side of the room. There also appears to be something that resembles a giant wine-rack against the far wall with further lidded coffins slotted in the holes.

[Dog Pants]

I think I'll close the trap door, checking first that it can be opened from the inside (that could be embarrassing). Ah, before I do though, do I see a register of which coffin belongs to who? I'll not go rooting for it, but if it's within sight I'll check it out. Then I'll tip-toe down and see if I can find our men.

[Baliame]

I assume you gave Thoroar the book, but he doesn't seem to have done anything with it.

Well, I open the book and start reading it. If it wasn't obvious.

[Grimmie]

Well, I open the book and start reading it. If it wasn't obvious.

It wasn't I explicitly asked what you wanted to do with it on the previous page and you ignored me.

Do a sense motive check, using your Int modifier instead of your Wis modifier, seeing as you're Searching a book for anything dodgy.
It will take you the rest of the night to skim-read through it, however.

[Grimmie]

I think I'll close the trap door, checking first that it can be opened from the inside (that could be embarrassing). Ah, before I do though, do I see a register of which coffin belongs to who? I'll not go rooting for it, but if it's within sight I'll check it out. Then I'll tip-toe down and see if I can find our men.

No register in sight from where you're standing, and the chance of you spotting one decreases as soon as you shut the trap door behind you (which seems to open just fine from below). Your low-light vision was relying on the ambient light from the ward above, and now there's nothing to illuminate the cool, dry cellar beneath.

It is dark.

[Dog Pants]

Meh, I'll open it again then. I nearly put that I wouldn't close it I couldn't see, but I didn't know if there was enough ambient light when I closed it. Consider it a test. I'll furtively try to identify the corpses/coffins of the two victims.

[Grimmie]

There's a stone plinth off to one side of the room covered in rusty-red stains from dried blood. It seems to have been recently washed, and apart from the grating around its base, it seems to be the only damp object in the whole room. A dry room makes for happy corpses after all.

It does not smell pleasant here, this is the age before disinfectant and clinical hygene, and the mortuary is clouded over with the stink of slowly decomposing flesh and bone. One of the lowermost coffins is acting as a deep trough in which to store dried flower petals, which doesn't seem to be doing a very good job of masking the smell, but just good enough to make inspecting the dead bearable.

The four coffins in the large rack are all labelled with short strips of parchment pinned to the bases.
"Lahaed, Enkah" and "Pyn, Arthur" are accompanied by "Blackor, Rlig" and "Katelijne, Christina".

[Dog Pants]

Result! Erm, maybe. How accessible are they? Am I easily able to look inside? If they are I'll check out our men, and a cursory glance at the other two in case there are victims we don't know about.

Search:

Roll(1d20)+3:
7,+3
Total:10

Hmph. I'll take ten if I can.

[Grimmie]

They're all on the lower shelves for easy access, and you can sort of slide them out and peek under the lids without much hassle. It's difficult to see what's inside, but all the bodies seem to be wrapped in wide, beige bandages. Some of the coffin lids are a bit slimy and sticky.

Stephen and Enkah's bodies seem to have blotted red bandages over their chests.

(PS. I totally meant "Pyn, Stephen". Not Arthur. Silly Grimmie. Arthur's dead and buried.)

[Dog Pants]

Yeah, probably not a whole lot left of poor Art.

Gah, fuck I do not like this. Either I start rooting around and taking off bandages, which I really don't want to do, or I walk away with nothing. Fuck it, I need to check for tattoos and suchlike. An autopsy report would have been so much easier. You guys in SLA don't know you're born. Grimmie, how easily can I get to see the bodies under the bandages? Does it look like they still have clothing and possessions etc?