This level formed the main living quarters for Al and his servants, and houses the upper level of the temple area.
Area 19
The stairs descend to a room that looks like a solo dining area, with a small table and a single chair. There is a fire place in the corner, and two doors, both currently closed. You are constantly on the lookout for traps, and moving as silently as possible. At the south door you listen for noise, but hear nothing on the other side, and likewise you also hear nothing from the east door. You decide to proceed east.
The south one is locked, use pick lock action as per Area 17.
Area 20
Carefully opening the door, you gingerly step into the next room. It appears to have been living quarters, possibly for servants. It contains four beds, a table and five chairs, but little else of interest. Two windows on both the north and south walls, and a door at both the east and west end, the one you are now entering through.
As you make your way across the room, a sudden movement catches your eye. From the northern windows, grotesque, writhing appendages slither into view—living things, pulsing with unnatural energy. One from the western window bears a twisted, fleshy ear, while the other, emerging from the northeast, ends in a jagged claw. Before you can react, the clawed limb lunges at you with terrifying speed.
It strikes—once, twice, again and again—raking across your skin in a relentless assault. Each blow lands with a sickening force, leaving you battered and bleeding (1 HP per hit, four times). Desperate, you lash out with your sword, slicing into the abomination. The blade bites deep (3 HP damage), and the thing recoils, withdrawing hastily back through the window. But as it vanishes into the darkness, you catch a glimpse of its severed flesh already knitting itself back together, regenerating before your very eyes…
Already battered from the relentless attacks of both the Homunculus and this Thing—whatever it might be—you desperately try to escape through the western door. It's locked. Frantically, you pull out a lockpick and start working the mechanism, but in your haste, you're too rough—the pick snaps in your trembling fingers. Cursing under your breath, you grab another, your hands slick with blood from the wounds you've already suffered.
Behind you, you hear the grotesque appendage slithering back into the room, feeling, searching for its victim once more. You take a steadying breath, pushing the rising fear from your mind, forcing yourself to focus. Click. The lock releases. Just as the claw lunges toward you, you wrench the door open, dive through, and slam it shut behind you. A sharp thud reverberates as the claw digs into the wood, scraping, clawing—then silence. You hold your breath. A moment later, you hear it withdraw, shifting, searching for another way to reach you…
Area 21
You're relieved to find youself in a former kitchen area, that contains a well and fireplace, along with stone slab work surfaces. There are four doors, one in the middle of each wall. All of them closed. You can recover slightly. You reach into your jacket for the Noxblossum Potion you acquired in Cipello. You pull out the stopper, and pour the contents down your throat. Immediately you feel momentary easing of the pain from multiple wounds all over your arms and face. You regain 5HP from consuming the potion. The empty bottle goes back into the inner pocket where it was previously kept.
Before you take any rash decisions, you carefully listen at the north door. Beyond you hear a slithering sound, realising one of the appendages cannot be far from the other side. You move across to the east door. You hear slithering but its much fainter, so you cautiously open the door. It leads onto a balcony (#17), but you decide not to go out there. You retreat back into the kitchen and close the door. Only one route remaining.
You open the southern door and move into the next chamber.
Listen at north door
Suzi roll Perception DC10 (plus Hear Noise) - success
Listen at east door
Suzi roll Perception DC10 (plus Hear Noise) - success
The north and east doors are locked, use pick lock action as per Area 17.
Climb down hole to next level
½ turn to Level D, Area 32
You drop down to the floor below with ease, landing stealthily and silently.
Climb up hole to next level
Not possible, would lead to Level B, Area 8 if it was.
While lowering yourself down through the well hole is easy, going back up is just not possible.
Area 17
This is a wooden balcony at the rear of the building. It originally housed numerous cages where livestock were kept before being used in the kitchen. You can still see—and smell—the remnants of its former occupants. There are two doors leading into the building.
Search for traps
Movement is 3 spaces per turn on balcony
Suzi roll Investigation with Find Traps DC10
You don't find anything.
As you step forward, you can feel the balcony give slightly, and you can tell this part won't take your weight. It's not a trap, just rotten wood most likely
Move over F square, on a 5/6 of 1d6, it will give way
Grab onto balcony as it breaks away beneath you
Suzi roll Acrobatics DC15
The balcony gives way beneath you, and you crash through to the muddy street below. Take 1d3 damage.
The balcony gives way beneath you, but as you crash through, you grab the balcony to prevent you falling further. You do however get a nasty laceration from the broken wood. Take 1HP damage.
Try any door
The door is locked
Pick lock on door
Suzi roll Sleight of Hand DC15 with Open Locks
You twist slowly, and then you hear that .. snap, as your lockpick breaks. How many do you have left?
You twist slowly, and then you hear that .. click, as the tumbler clicks open.
Area 23
This was once a storeroom for kitchen supplies, etc. The two barrels against the east wall are now empty, as are the shelves to the west. Empty grain sacks litter the floor. The east window is bricked up, and there is a window facing inwards on the west wall. Doors are in the middle of north and south walls.
You look through the window into the internal space, and can see it leads all the way down to the central courtyard busy with the local thieves gang below. On the other side of the room the sealed window looks intriguing.
Search the window/room
Suzi roll Investigation DC20 - success
You don't find anything.
There doesn't seem to be anything odd about the window. It looks like there has been a construction beyond. But just as you're pulling you head back, you feel a gentle breeze on your cheek. You look closer, and it appears that there is a spy hole, looking into this room. You need top get to the other side. Go south and try to loop back.
The south door opens onto a spiral straircase going down.
Area 15 & 16
Similar instructions for both.
This is a balcony at the front of the building. There are two doors at either end of the balcony. You can see another balcony off to the side.
Try Area 16 west door without checking
Caught by trap
You attempt to open the door, but instead you receive a stabbing pain in the hand as a spring loaded small needle pierces your skin. Take 1HP damage.
Search for traps on Area 16 west door
Suzi roll Investigation with Find Traps DC10
No traps are found. If the door is opened, you receive a stabbing pain in the hand as a spring loaded small needle pierces your skin. Take 1HP damage.
You spot the hidden sprung needle near the door handle. There is no way to open the door without either disarming it, or being stabbed.
Try other doors without checking, or after checking and finding nothing
The door is locked
Pick lock on door
Suzi roll Sleight of Hand DC15 with Open Locks
You twist slowly, and then you hear that .. snap, as your lockpick breaks. How many do you have left?
You twist slowly, and then you hear that .. click, as the tumbler clicks open.
Search for traps on other doors
Suzi roll Investigation with Find Traps DC5 for each door
No traps are found.
No traps are found.
Remove trap on Area 16 west door
Suzi roll Sleight of Hand with Remove Traps DC10
You receive a stabbing pain in the hand as the spring loaded small needle pierces your skin. Take 1HP damage.
You successfully disengage the hidden sprung needle near the door handle. However, when you manage to open the door, you find it opens onto solid wall.
Area 18
This is the lowest level of the north-east tower. The steps to the east are very steep going upwards. There is a grille on the floor in the south-west corner, and looking through this you can see down to street level. The grille is built into the stonework and cannot be removed.
Climb up steps
They take 3 squares worth of movement to climb and emerge through the hole in Level B, Area 6.
Area 22
This was most likely Al's study and library. There is a huge desk against the east wall, with a chair behind it, and bookcases line the other walls. To the south a bead curtain hinders vision (but not movement). And to the north a door. The bookshelves are all empty. There is a drawer in the table, but it is half pulled out and empty. There are windows in the middle of both the east and west walls.
The north door is locked, use pick lock action as per Area 17.
Area 24
This small room 10' by 10', has a sundial in the middle. The room also contains three arrow slits, two of these are shuttered, but the west one gives a view into another room via a peep hole.
Try to use the sundial
Area 25
This room is brightly lit by something unnatural. It contains a large 4 poster bed, and there is a window high on the south-east wall in the alcove, which permits nocturnal astral contemplation. There is a door in the alcove on the west side of the south wall, and 3 other wooden doors. Two on the east wall and one on the west. A curtain of beads hangs over an open doorway at the north end. There is a small well in the north east corner. It is to small for a person to fit down.
Try the door in alcove. It opens to a small chamber that smells badly, and has a wooden bucket that has something festering at the bottom of it.
The west door is locked, use pick lock action as per Area 17.
The other doors are unlocked.
Area 26
A dressing and clothes storage area. The three wardrobes against the south wall are empt, as are the hooks in the north east corner, but a large silver mirror is still against the north wall in between two inward looking windows. There are doors on both the east and west walls, and a small well in the north west corner, that is too small for a person to fit down.
Hide in wardrobes to not be found/heard
Suzi roll Stealth DC10 with Hide in Shadows
Whatever is out there knows you're in the wardrobe, and you can hear it moving around the room, trying to find a way in, or it's just waiting.
Whatever is out there does not know you're in the wardrobe. You can hear it moving around the room, and then slither away.
Area 27
This room is completely dark, and even the light from the open doorway does not seem to penetrate.
Navigate room by feeling way round
You feel you're way around the room. Nothing impedes your progress but you feel the stone change to wood on the south, east and west side. The wooden part feels like a door.
The south door is locked, use pick lock action as per Area 17.
Area 28
There are two doors on the western side of this passageway. The passageway goes east leading to a stone balcony that has no bannister, and a wooden door on the far eatern wall.
Entering here alerts the guardians (skeletons) in Level D, Area 40. They will move at 6 spaces a turn, half speed coming up the stairs.
Area 29
There is a stone balcony that has no bannister, and a wooden door on the eastern wall, one on the north wall, and an open window high on the south wall.
There are two sets of stairs going down and an arch to a passageway on the west wall.
Entering here alerts the guardians (skeletons) in Level D, Area 40. They will move at 6 spaces a turn, half speed coming up the stairs.
Climb down central hole to next level
½ turn to Level D, Area 40
You drop down to the floor below with ease, landing stealthily and silently.
Climb to window
Suzi roll for Athletics DC10 with Climb Walls
You try to scamper up the wall, but lose you're footing and fall backwards onto the balcony. You're lucky you don't fall down through the hole in the centre of the room.
You scamper up the wall and onto the window ledge with ease.
The north and eastern doors are locked, use pick lock action as per Area 17.
You managed to unlock the northern door, but are surprised to find it when open you are faced with a solid stone slab wall.
Search the stone slab
Suzi roll for Investigation DC10 with Find Traps
There must be something here you think. Take another turn looking.
You're initially frustrated when faced with a slab of stone, but wait a minute..... What's this? A tiny key hole? I wonder......the key, maybe?
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