Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition: Secrets of the Snakewood.
- Thread starter PleasantKenobi
- Start date
Recommended Videos
Roughly ten feet wide, and ten feet tall, which effectively makes for a 2 square by 2 square cross section.
Baldur
Baldur scratches his beard. "Traps are commonplace in guarded barrows and dragon's dens. I'm a little rusty on this, but let's see if I can..."
"Crap."
Damnit! The 3.5 Adventurer's Kit comes with a 10ft. pole. Ah well, I'll buy one later... or a barrel
Baldur scratches his beard. "Traps are commonplace in guarded barrows and dragon's dens. I'm a little rusty on this, but let's see if I can..."
Thievery check on the trap to disarm. 9! Shiiit. Adding Thieves Tools to the shopping list for next time.
"Crap."
Baldur clumsily attempts to disarm the first set of plates. Sliding his hand through a small gap, he feels for a connection or something. Truth be told, the Bardbarian hardly had any idea what he was looking for. Before he knew it, he had accidentally putt too much pressure on the plate, pushing it down, activating a small section of the trap.
A clicking noise from above draws Baldur's attention. He quickly pulls his hand out and dives backwards as darts fire from the funnels hidden in the ceiling. Standing up, the Bardbarian finds a bloodied, four inch metallic dart jutting out of the back of his hand. A hot searing pain passes through his arm and he feels sick for a moment, before the nausea passes.
The first five or so feet of plates all seem to have locked down together, suggesting that the trap is set up in stages.
A clicking noise from above draws Baldur's attention. He quickly pulls his hand out and dives backwards as darts fire from the funnels hidden in the ceiling. Standing up, the Bardbarian finds a bloodied, four inch metallic dart jutting out of the back of his hand. A hot searing pain passes through his arm and he feels sick for a moment, before the nausea passes.
No luck on the disarm. Trap hits against your reflex no problem, dealing 6 damage. On the upside, that is the first section of the trap fired. Only 3 more squares to go.
Furgin: 23 - 6
Boindal: 27/35 - 14
Baldur: 16/26 - 7
Pietre: 20 - 6
Kriv: 20/29 - 11
Boindal: 27/35 - 14
Baldur: 16/26 - 7
Pietre: 20 - 6
Kriv: 20/29 - 11
The first five or so feet of plates all seem to have locked down together, suggesting that the trap is set up in stages.
Anyone else? On thievery check will disarm all stages. Or feel free to figure out another way through that won't result in being filled with darts.
"You ok?" Furgin asks Baldur as the Bardbarian pulls the dart out of his hand. Furgin holds the torch closer to the trap, and sees that the first set of plates have been locked down. Setting down his pack, Furgin checks the next set of traps. "I think I might be able to do it. Besides," he smiles at Baldur, "I'm probably faster."
Furgin kneels down and places his smaller hand into the next hole. He grimaces at the musty feeling of cobwebs as he feels searchingly for something, anything that might help. Suddenly, his hand connects with something. "I've found...uh....something?" With only a minor hesitation, Furgin grabs at the object, ready to roll backwards in case he accidentally sets the trap off like Baldur.
Furgin kneels down and places his smaller hand into the next hole. He grimaces at the musty feeling of cobwebs as he feels searchingly for something, anything that might help. Suddenly, his hand connects with something. "I've found...uh....something?" With only a minor hesitation, Furgin grabs at the object, ready to roll backwards in case he accidentally sets the trap off like Baldur.
Thievery check: 17. Let's see if that works.
Acrobatics check to roll away in time if the trap activates: 24.
Acrobatics check to roll away in time if the trap activates: 24.
Baldur
"Takes more than a dart to put a Herget down. My father's father took a score of arrows and still managed to take the archer's finger as a trophy when he caught the swine."
But as Baldur tries to ignore the pain and watches the Halfling's superior agility, a great weight settles on his shoulders. "Some things are better left to the young."
"Takes more than a dart to put a Herget down. My father's father took a score of arrows and still managed to take the archer's finger as a trophy when he caught the swine."
But as Baldur tries to ignore the pain and watches the Halfling's superior agility, a great weight settles on his shoulders. "Some things are better left to the young."
Kriv finds himself somewhat balked by the elderly woman's abruptness. Most are not so quick to stand in the way of an armored knight and talk they're ear off, but this is what made him consider the woman's request.
Perhaps, he thought, there could be some connection between the disappearances and the trouble at this shop. The considerate thing would be to at least check it out for her.
"Hmmm... Very well m'lady. Point me in the direction of this general store and see if I can't help put your suspicions at ease."
I'm sure the others can do fine without me a little longer. How much trouble can one dark, anciently sealed ruin be?
Perhaps, he thought, there could be some connection between the disappearances and the trouble at this shop. The considerate thing would be to at least check it out for her.
"Hmmm... Very well m'lady. Point me in the direction of this general store and see if I can't help put your suspicions at ease."
I'm sure the others can do fine without me a little longer. How much trouble can one dark, anciently sealed ruin be?
Update will come some time tomorrow. Sorry about the day of complete inactivity. Today has been another day of being a useless shit bag and getting distracted from actually finishing work that will benefit me in the long run. I might actually make a user group so posts like this don't update the thread creating false hope for a story post.
Beneath the surface of the Snakewood, within the Dragon Burial Tomb
Furgin?s nimble fingers and experience with hunting traps pays off; each platelet slots down gently into the floor creating a cascade of clicking noises all the way up the corridor. The trap appears to be disarmed.
After moment of hesitation the party continue up the corridor, resuming the marching formation and order they had adopted before their first obstacle. Coming into the large room at the end of the hall the adventurers find four huge stone sarcophaguses spaced out evenly in the centre of the room, one of which has been smashed to pieces. Each sarcophagus is around about eight feet long and made of solid, smooth stone, except for a word written in what seems to be ancient draconic. On closer inspection, it appears that the damage to the closest one was done at least decades, if not centuries ago. Interestingly, the debris is situated on the outside of the huge stone object, suggesting the impact that caused the damage came from the inside, not the out.
The room is dimly lit by Furgin?s wondrous torch. The walls are, just like the previous corridor, lined with intricate ornamental carvings of scenes of destruction and war. Due to the room being a considerably larger size than the corridor, stretching up to a height of thirty feet or more, the carvings are easier to decipher and understand. The scenes appear to glorify the deeds of a once great dragon.
On the furthest side of the room opposite the party is a knee high altar, upon which a shiny object sits upon a faded purple cloth.
On the left wall of the room, in the farthest corner sits a set of stone doors, a smaller version of those passed to enter the tomb. Opposite them on the right door sits another, identical set of stone doors. The group only becomes aware of the second set of doors as they cautiously move further into the room, because they are covered in a thick mass of dusty webs.
Winterhaven
Old Sara guides Kriv down one of the main streets away from the market, past the local black smiths, apothecary and temple of Pelor.
?Here, sir, this is the Tenacious Trader. I will come with you, but I will enter a while after you, so it doesn?t seem suspicious that a newcomer to the town is hanging around with an old fuddy-duddy like me.? She chuckles, patting Kriv on the upper arm, ?Go on, in you go. Wow, I feel like some kind of spy or something. How exciting!?
Kriv leaves the woman outside and pushes past the heavy wooden door and enters the store. The smell of tanned leathers waft about the room as the Dragonborn enters, along with other smells which Kriv can?t quite identify.
The shop is well lit by the sunlight streaming through the wide eastern facing windows. The shelves around the room are adorned with all manner of trinkets and general goods. From hemp rope to farming tools, from bottled alchemical agents to pieces of leather armour and nightwear, the scene is quite aptly summarised by the description of ?general store?. Behind the glass counter filled with small stuffed forest animals and jars filled with assorted seeds stands a relatively short stout humanoid. At just over five feet tall, the man?s race is difficult to determine, his thick black hair, brow and beard more reminiscent of your stereotypical dwarf than that of a human. Even the man?s prominent ears appears to be lightly coated with coarse black hairs. Adorned in a black leather apron over standard cotton shirt and trousers the man eyes Kriv suspiciously as he enters. The shopkeep continues to weigh out what looks like bird feed with his scales, not greeting the Dragonborn with anything more than his initial cold stare.
Furgin?s nimble fingers and experience with hunting traps pays off; each platelet slots down gently into the floor creating a cascade of clicking noises all the way up the corridor. The trap appears to be disarmed.
After moment of hesitation the party continue up the corridor, resuming the marching formation and order they had adopted before their first obstacle. Coming into the large room at the end of the hall the adventurers find four huge stone sarcophaguses spaced out evenly in the centre of the room, one of which has been smashed to pieces. Each sarcophagus is around about eight feet long and made of solid, smooth stone, except for a word written in what seems to be ancient draconic. On closer inspection, it appears that the damage to the closest one was done at least decades, if not centuries ago. Interestingly, the debris is situated on the outside of the huge stone object, suggesting the impact that caused the damage came from the inside, not the out.
The room is dimly lit by Furgin?s wondrous torch. The walls are, just like the previous corridor, lined with intricate ornamental carvings of scenes of destruction and war. Due to the room being a considerably larger size than the corridor, stretching up to a height of thirty feet or more, the carvings are easier to decipher and understand. The scenes appear to glorify the deeds of a once great dragon.
On the furthest side of the room opposite the party is a knee high altar, upon which a shiny object sits upon a faded purple cloth.
On the left wall of the room, in the farthest corner sits a set of stone doors, a smaller version of those passed to enter the tomb. Opposite them on the right door sits another, identical set of stone doors. The group only becomes aware of the second set of doors as they cautiously move further into the room, because they are covered in a thick mass of dusty webs.
Winterhaven
Old Sara guides Kriv down one of the main streets away from the market, past the local black smiths, apothecary and temple of Pelor.
?Here, sir, this is the Tenacious Trader. I will come with you, but I will enter a while after you, so it doesn?t seem suspicious that a newcomer to the town is hanging around with an old fuddy-duddy like me.? She chuckles, patting Kriv on the upper arm, ?Go on, in you go. Wow, I feel like some kind of spy or something. How exciting!?
Kriv leaves the woman outside and pushes past the heavy wooden door and enters the store. The smell of tanned leathers waft about the room as the Dragonborn enters, along with other smells which Kriv can?t quite identify.
The shop is well lit by the sunlight streaming through the wide eastern facing windows. The shelves around the room are adorned with all manner of trinkets and general goods. From hemp rope to farming tools, from bottled alchemical agents to pieces of leather armour and nightwear, the scene is quite aptly summarised by the description of ?general store?. Behind the glass counter filled with small stuffed forest animals and jars filled with assorted seeds stands a relatively short stout humanoid. At just over five feet tall, the man?s race is difficult to determine, his thick black hair, brow and beard more reminiscent of your stereotypical dwarf than that of a human. Even the man?s prominent ears appears to be lightly coated with coarse black hairs. Adorned in a black leather apron over standard cotton shirt and trousers the man eyes Kriv suspiciously as he enters. The shopkeep continues to weigh out what looks like bird feed with his scales, not greeting the Dragonborn with anything more than his initial cold stare.
Boindal
Boindal follows Baldur as he moves to the altar to inspect the shiny object, while keeping his eyes on the sarcophagi, not wanting to be surprised should anything burst fourth from them.
Boindal follows Baldur as he moves to the altar to inspect the shiny object, while keeping his eyes on the sarcophagi, not wanting to be surprised should anything burst fourth from them.
Being out of combat I am sure I can't take a defensive stance, but maybe some form of readiness so as not to be surprised should anything pop out?
Pieter looks around in awe as he see's the rooms carvings. He always liked old places like this, there would no doubt be some hidden knowledge that would help his learning. He walked around quickly and then came to the object of interest in the room, the little shiny object. He already saw his companions take a look, but it couldn't hurt to have a third viewpoint.
I think I am going to roll Arcana, to see if it is magical in property. I am sure the others can figure out what it is, if it's not related to magic. d20+15= 29.
As the others gather round the shiny object, Furgin takes the time to check the room for traps. He makes a careful sweep around the perimeter of the room.
He feels uneasy about the whole environment; the carvings evoke a sense of wrongness. Furgin wonders if he's seen anything like this before.
Perception check for the room, to look for any signs of traps: 10. Blast!
He feels uneasy about the whole environment; the carvings evoke a sense of wrongness. Furgin wonders if he's seen anything like this before.
Two checks to try and determine the nature of the carvings; whether they mean something evil, or just anything significant.
History check: 19. With my -1 modifier that's the highest roll I could've made! woohoo!
Insight check: 15
History check: 19. With my -1 modifier that's the highest roll I could've made! woohoo!
Insight check: 15
EDITED TO INCLUDE FURGINS POST THAT I DIDN'T SEE.
As Baldur, Boindal and Pieter approach the altar, Furgin takes in his surroundings. As the three adventurers get closer they make out that the item appears to be short shaft of gleaming metal, potentially silver. Pieter eyes the metal suspiciously due to it appearing untarnished despite the decrepit crypt surrounding it. It is evident some kind of spell has been cast on the object. Nothing explicitly dangerous, but Pieter can?t tell the exact nature of the enchantment due to the age of it. It is also apparent to Pieter?s trained eye that this metal doesn?t appear to be any material from this plane of existence.
All three heroes can tell that it is a component of a larger object, with each of the ends looking as if designed to slot into something else. The object is not fastened to the altar, and could be picked up.
Furgin looks around the room, feeling at the occasional protruding stone, or obvious crack. As far as he can tell, there are no traps. The carvings bring to mind tales of the ancient dragons of Faerun. In particular, the scenes of desolation remind Furgin of a story he once heard involving an elder Red Dragon called Aerenkan-Tussahd. Whether or not this tomb, or the body buried outside is related in any way to Aerenkan?s reign of tyranny is uncertain, but the scenes of battlefields immolated and left as naught but ruined testaments to a dragon?s wrath sure fit well with the horror stories of Aerenkan. Aerenkan was famous for his devout followers, who sacrificed themselves at a moment?s notice to find out information or defend the creatures name and honour. The dragon cult is mostly famous because, much like many Red Dragons, Aerenkan was notoriously unpredictable, repaying loyalty with violence and death, as often as he would with a more conventional reward of power or money.
Future reference, just feel free to roll up one or two checks that seem appropriate. Even go as far as to argue why, eg. It is an ancient tome written in a language you don?t know. History is an obvious one, religion and arcana as secondary options. But you may argue for Streetwise if the tome is found in a library of a city or a nearby tomb, as people might have heard legends, or know the appropriate historical information that you character does not.
EDIT: Though of course, the situation has to permit the use of streetwise, haha. You can't just 'ask around' when in the middle of a dungeon crawl.
Oh and I threw Furgin a bone, as he appeared to natural 20 a history check. Go go lore!
And as Baldur and Pieter are focusing on the object, I would alow Boindal to be readied in a defensive stance, and not to be caught flat-footed by a trap or enemy due to such a stance. Depending on the situation, it would also avoid him, and maybe even the party, from suffering from a surprise round.
So, what now, chaps?
EDIT: Though of course, the situation has to permit the use of streetwise, haha. You can't just 'ask around' when in the middle of a dungeon crawl.
Oh and I threw Furgin a bone, as he appeared to natural 20 a history check. Go go lore!
And as Baldur and Pieter are focusing on the object, I would alow Boindal to be readied in a defensive stance, and not to be caught flat-footed by a trap or enemy due to such a stance. Depending on the situation, it would also avoid him, and maybe even the party, from suffering from a surprise round.
So, what now, chaps?
Furgin: 23 - 6
Boindal: 27/35 - 14
Baldur: 16/26 - 7
Pietre: 20 - 6
Kriv: 20/29 ? 11
Boindal: 27/35 - 14
Baldur: 16/26 - 7
Pietre: 20 - 6
Kriv: 20/29 ? 11
Baldur
Baldur picks up the component and examines it. "Interesting. Looks like it's part of something else, but why give it reverance by putting it on an alter?"
He looks around the room, "Well, the answer must lie beyond those two doors. Which one do we fancy?"
Baldur picks up the component and examines it. "Interesting. Looks like it's part of something else, but why give it reverance by putting it on an alter?"
He looks around the room, "Well, the answer must lie beyond those two doors. Which one do we fancy?"
"It has something to do with the dragon cult, I'm sure of it." Furgin points to the carvings. "I once heard stories about a terrible Red Dragon, Aerenkan. An unpredictable beast that would not blink at decimating its followers despite their undying adoration." The halfling shudders slightly. "These carvings show a lot of suffering. Aerenkan could only be a legend...but legends often have some grounding in reality. If only Kriv were here, maybe he knows more than I...."
Furgin inspects the sarcophagi too, uncertain of their purpose. "Perhaps these are here to guard whatever lies beyond the doors. Or perhaps they are a form of sacrifice?" At Baldur's question, Furgin shines the torch closer to each door in turn. "That one is covered in webs, meaning that no one has been through it in a while... I'm not sure which one to take." Furgin rummages in his coinpurse and pulls out a shiny piece of gold. "How about we let Avandra decide?"
Furgin inspects the sarcophagi too, uncertain of their purpose. "Perhaps these are here to guard whatever lies beyond the doors. Or perhaps they are a form of sacrifice?" At Baldur's question, Furgin shines the torch closer to each door in turn. "That one is covered in webs, meaning that no one has been through it in a while... I'm not sure which one to take." Furgin rummages in his coinpurse and pulls out a shiny piece of gold. "How about we let Avandra decide?"
I'll wait for the other two to reply before going ahead. I don't want to just assume that they'll agree. Besides, they might have something else to say/do.
Boindal
Boindal looks carefully at each door as Furgrin shines his torch near them, "Aye, if I had to place a wager, I would bet that the door which has no trace of webs be the one we be wantin. But as ye say, let the fates decide what they must." As Furgrin prepares to toss his coin, Boindal continues to stand at the ready for any surprises that may pop out.
Boindal looks carefully at each door as Furgrin shines his torch near them, "Aye, if I had to place a wager, I would bet that the door which has no trace of webs be the one we be wantin. But as ye say, let the fates decide what they must." As Furgrin prepares to toss his coin, Boindal continues to stand at the ready for any surprises that may pop out.