[pnpgm] Game Update #94b - File #509 - Second floor explored
Scott Adams
longshot at darktech.org
Fri Dec 5 19:13:15 CET 2008
HT Alias/Player Character Name Type Status/Notes Sex
-- -----------------------------------------------------------------
R1 John Haight...........Arawn.............Druid .Normal/Alfar Ma
?? Chris Wells...........Ben'dar...........Warrior.Normal/Human Ma
R1 Tom Corckett..........Caladan...........Wizard Normal/Human Ma
W2 Marcel Liberty........Chion.............Sailor..Normal/Human Ma
-- Tobie Bonahoom........Fremea............Sidh....NormalFaerry Fe
Do David Sanders.........Kiet.Sunan........Acrobat Normal/Human Ma
R? J H Hooten............Raban.Usherwood...Bard....Normal/Human..Ma
W4 Wout Broere...........Unali.............Ninja...Normal/Human Fe
R4 Alex Koponen..........Z'leyra...........Healer..Normal/Human Fe
Animals: Corona [Eagle] Z'leyra, Boyzdar [Wolf] (Strie'bog),
Game Web Site - http://www.funport.com/longshot/pbem
Public posts/actions to pnpgm at abroere.xs4all.nl (mailing list)
Private emails (not public actions) to longshot at darktech.org
Game Update #94b in sequence (file #509)
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Admin Notes: None.
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[Recap]
[Last post]
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[New Stuff]
[Ma 2nd, 1633TH. 5th Day of Adventure #4.
[Location: Chaos domain, Dark Lands, 9 Miles up, Flying Island]
[Time: 11:38am]
[the party sets out from the main room toward the entrance stairs.
Some check the front door and still finds it locked and well
secure with the brace bar. Kiet watches them leave and knows soon
he'll be able to question the first guard. Maybe now only mere
minutes away.]
[Upon leaving the stairs the group notices the a long hallway
heading straight ahead. A door at the end of the hall and 3 doors
on the right indicate rooms. Immediately to the right is a small
hallway leading right and a few more doors. The group decides on a
zig zag search pattern and head straight down the hallway with
Fremea and Arawn in the lead for magic scans.]
[The first 3 doors are simple wooden with simple locks. But
in this case all doors are unlocked. Spreading out and being
alert the team opens the first to reveal a bedroom that is
empty. Moving down the hall the next 2 rooms are bedrooms as
well all empty of people. There is little of value here in
the rooms and the team leaves them after a quick search.]
[Time: 11:47]
[The room at the end of the hallway has a metal door with a metal
bar like the bone room from the hallway's side. Upon lifting up
the bar and opening the door the scene is nothing but rubble. It
seems at one point this must have been a tower based on the size
of rubble and rocks. It is hairy movement but after a couple
minutes signs of steps and thick walls are found in the rubble
that seems to confirm the theory. There is just too much material
here to be a simple ceiling and room. The ceiling itself is open
to the stormy sky. Rain falls into the room and in the side walls
that seem to be halfway still up there appears to be destroyed
windows. The glass is gone but there are signs of heavy bars and
locking devices. The team figures based on the layout of normal
castles this must've held some defensive position for the house.
It seems it has seen damage long ago. Based on the level of dust
and destruction it could be decades if not centuries old. Why it
was never rebuilt the party isn't sure. Nothing but rubble and
debris is found in this area of the castle.]
[Time: 11:49am]
[Leaving the destroyed tower area the party heads north down the
hallway to a door on the left. The door is wooden but the lock
seems rusty and is easily bypassed. The party finds a small dark
room 20' by 12' foot. The level of dust gets some to sneeze in
this room. There is a large stone table and wooden chairs with a
fine layer of dust. The table is littered with bits of metal,
debris, empty flasks, empty jars and tools. There are some
cabinets that store tools as well but are rusty and very old
looking. The shelf is full of dust but has some scrolls with
what might be sketches of notes. The text and ink though is so
faded its near impossible to make out. The scrolls itself are aged
and feel like they could turn to nothing with the slightest touch.
The floor is stone and a single unlit old candle lantern seemed to
have been once the source of lighting. Those who have been to
Z'leyra's place seem to feel this is some form of lab or workshop.
The layout and tools indicate that. Some scholarly pursuit must
have taken place here but not in the recent years it seems. The
tools are so old they are of little value and nothing else seems
to be of great value in here.]
[Time: 11:50am]
[Turning right down the hallway to complete the circle there are
four sets of doors on the left. Opening each and exploring the
empty rooms they are more bedrooms of various shape and design.
All bedrooms found so far have a bed with a small nightstand.
There is a chest or dresser for clothes. A small desk or table
with chair (some with a mirror - bottom bedrooms). The floor is
a simple brown carpet. Lighting is done by candles on the night
stand and desk/table. The doors are all wooden with a simple
lock. All the bedrooms are empty and some have lit candles while
others do not. It seems some beds are made up and others aren't.
In the chests or dressers there are various sets of clothes
in various shapes and sizes. Little of else is found here and
the party guesses this is either visitor bedrooms or bedrooms
for the guards based on the lack of personal items. Little
treasure beyond furniture is found in these rooms.]
[Time: 11:54am]
[Back near the stairs the party turns right toward one room they
skipped. From the walls around it the room must be small. This
room has a metal door and a lock that seems to be of a weird
design. Scans indicate nothing so the party opens it and finds a
dark room. It has a stone floor and is only 10' by 8'. There are
some candles in one corner and a blanket. Fremea notices the door
from inside has a metal bar that seems to indicate it blocks entry
from inside rather than blocking entry from something inside
getting out? The door seems to also have a heavy lock from inside
and the party are confused by this until Raban comments on
something he has seen in some merchant houses. It reminds him of
panic rooms he has seen where merchants need to be safe until help
arrives. If their home is invaded they can enter the room and
keep safe for a bit from normal intruders like a thief. Raban
comments that he has mainly seen them in Donara but few in
Marentia. Based on the empty room the people here seem to have
no need for the room from the party.]
[Time: 11:55am]
[Going back to the lab area the party turn north and find a room
to the left. Here a metal door and lock is found and it is
locked. But in one bedroom a set of keys was found and they are
tried. On the second attempt the door is unlocked. The room is a
open room with no roof. It is 20' by 12'. It is a open area with
stone table and wooden chairs. It looks to be open like a balcony
outside for eating and relaxation. The west wall is low and can be
lowered further it seems for better viewing. The wall itself
seems to be some form of soft metal and the crank on the side
seems to move it up and down. The group figures this was for
outside eating or games on nice sunny days. A stone bench with
soft outdoor cushions is in the north east corner. Lighting is
done by the outside or candles can be used if needed. The stone
floor seems to have minor debris of water from the rain with
pieces of stone that seem to have come from the roof blown in.
The door here is locked from inside likely to avoid security
issues. There is nothing here aside from the furniture and the
room is open and wet due to the storm. A small drain seems to
collect the rain and probably send it elsewhere.]
[Time: 11:57am]
[At this point the floor opens up to the balcony areas. Two
distinct covered ledge hallways lead to the north end of the floor.
This area looks down to the food area, courtyard and the water
collection area. The shield seems to still be in place and rain
doesn't fall in. Crossing the ledge the party gets a good look at
the storm in the sky. It seems to be slowing down. Less rain and
less lightning it seems. But Chion and Arawn notice something odd
about the storm. It actually doesn't seem to have been moved away
but has gone up? Then Arawn has that tickle in his mind again.
He scans the sky and notices the winds are drawing the storm
clouds west as before but they seem far higher than they did
before. He finally realizes then that must be what someone was
trying to warn him. This place is falling or the storm is rising.
The others don't seem to notice it. But Caladan notices how
Arawn's face changes. He notices how the Alfar is staring
at the skies and glances up. It takes him a few seconds to
understand than his training in storm powers from Woundenal kicks
in. He raises a hand and speaks out loud.]
Caladan: "The storm! Its rising upwards. I don't recall ever
seeing storms do that. I've seen clouds lower but maybe I missed
rising storms? That can only mean one thing. This place is
falling. It doesn't feel like it but it must be we should rush
and find what controls this place fast!"
[High above the noon day sun should be seen but it is only dark
clouds at this point. On the far edges east and west lighter
gray clouds and sunlight filters through in light bands.]
[Suddenly from the north a massive cloud maybe 40-60 feet in
diameter comes over the viewed angle of the roof of the
north. It is a massive dark cloud that brings the courtyard
into darkness. Lightning flashes and thunder is seen and
heard from the cloud as it rumbles southward and seems to
stop just above the top of the courtyard. Near the second
balcony/hallway and stairs of the courtyard. Standing on
the third floor it seems a man suddenly appears. He stands
some 6 feet tall. His hair is flying rapidly in what could
only be a windstorm around him. His clothing seems to ripple
in every direction from winds. Those who squint can see what
appears to be sparkles from his head, maybe his eyes/ But
from this angle and distance it is unclear.]
[As the party watch this new turn of events and the man who seems
to look east and west, winds seem to pick up. In the courtyard
below sand seems to swirl around like as if a tornado has hit the
ground. Water from the fountain seems to swirl as if drawn to
some wind area. Another wind vortex tornado like thing seems to
have appeared in the water collection room. Pieces of pipe, stone
and water fly in various wild directions. But there seems to be
no structure to what is going on and it is hard to figure out if
its just a downdraft or something else as it has no form.]
[As the party collects their thoughts in this sudden turn of events
which has taken all of 3 seconds they recall what Arawn said in the
basement. Something about Elementals? Then suddenly a female's
voice can be heard behind and to the left (north-west) of the
party. Those who turn see the door at J5 open and a female stands
in the threshold and seems to be drawn back as if either pushed or
pulled by something. She gives a soft yelp that can be barely
heard over the new storm. Raban growls as it is a female in some
distress it seems. This new male and female are the only ones seen
on this floor. Two seconds later a creature walks out the door and
the door seems to shut from the inside. The thing stands 6 and a
half feet tall. It has the body of a man but a head of a maned
lion. It flexes its hands and flash of white seem to be seen
briefly as if it holds a weapon. It stares at the party and
looks around and the lion head's expression is hard to tell
what it is thinking.]
--------------------
[Time: 11:57am]
[Meanwhile at the same instant the cloud comes high above and makes
the place much darker for the middle regions the sound of thunder
increases in the main foyer. Z'leyra attends to the ipanza
warriors who seem nervous around the dead guard stack. They are
unsure of what will happen to them. When some food and water is
given, Z'leyra checks for wounds. Aside from their clothes which
are mangy and some fleas they are in decent shape. Kiet taps his
fingers on the glass table waiting for the first guard to wake.
Now he has a second guard who was in plate, but is now in his
simple tunic. Kiet taps his fingers and glances at the barbarians
wondering if he should question them. Then the sleeping guard
seems to stir. The basement guard remains motionless but the
guard taken out in the foyer battle opens his eyes and glances
around. He tries to move but his hands and legs are bound tight.
He glances at Kiet who stands and walks near and smiles down.
Finally Kiet might be able to talk to this guard assuming language
isn't a problem. Z'leyra glances over and notices the waking
guard. At that instant something is heard from the hallway as
something hits the wall of what must be the north wall of the
hallway - maybe the courtyard? Almost sounds like the storm
picked up something heavy like a tree limb and it hit the wall.
The noise though is muffled as it is heard through a wall and
a set of doors. As the party watch this new strange turn of
events rain can be felt and seen entering the middle region.
This may indicate the shield is down?]
Actions? Comments?
Next Update...Monday...
GM: Just a recap on the last update. The death of the apprentice.
When I write these updates 80% isn't known in advance. When
I plan something its generic. the vault room was one of those
things. I had a general plan but it was redone when it didn't
make sense. When I looked at my old notes on the prisoners I
had to get into their mindset. Their backgrounds. When I do I
tend to see their own motivations not mine as a GMs. As a
result even my npcs can surprise me and do. When he was captured
he realized the threat to the Dark Lands. When his tongue was
cut out for not helping he didn't see much hope. Not until set
free. Then he wanted to join the group. That was the first
part of his writing. Then when he saw the arguments over the
door he felt it was dangerous based on the gestures and the way
the winged one and pointy eared one was acting. So he quickly
redid his phrasing on the scroll and said good bye just in
case. If he knew what would happen or not isn't clear. But
he wanted to take the risk for those who set him free. It was
clear he wanted to do anything to regain his honor in the eyes
of his family - especially his father. As to whether or not
he knew of magic regeneration he may or may not have. I had
paused in case folks wanted to mention it during one update
break. Of course he could be resurrected but he would be
even far weaker than he is now. With only one spell that may
indicate he isn't smart enough or a late bloomer. I did it
based on his background and motivation. Just wanted to explain
it in case folks thought it was a bit oddball.
GM: Map of second floor is below and will be on the player map
version on the web for viewing anytime in case browsers don't
show all the high ascii characters (ie the walls).
GM: With new votes it is 4 to 2 for main foyer stairs. So it
will go that route (Raban no vote so technically will assume
5 to 2). I wrote the second floor stuff anyway before I got
the 2 new votes. Lucky it worked out. :)
GM: It is important to remember the map scale. The third floor
is seen only from the middle region. With the open areas
that marks rows M and W it can be seen there is some floor
above that either a roof or a new floor. Little else can
be seen from the angles. It is important to note the
Windy Man is ABOVE the second floor where he is marked on
the map now. As if he is standing on the 3rd floor or the
roof in that area. He isn't level with the party. The
clouds are 40-50 feet above even him. The windy things
in the courtyard and water collection areas are too hard
to figure out their center/top/bottom. The balcony is
only 4 feet wide so usually 1 per person width wise. If
there is some detail I forget (likely) then let me know.
I'll email you back or the group if needed.
GM: Player map on website updated without the player locations
listed if needed to view.
Map Legend -
1 - Windy Man - L36, Third floor 10 feet above second floor
2 - Wind - T34, hard to pinpoint center
3 - Wind - N46, hard to pinpoint center
4 - Lion Head - K5, on the second floor level with party
5 - Female? - Somewhere in Room X
A - Arawn - P17, on second floor, in covered balcony
B - Ben'dar - T17, on second floor, in covered balcony
C - Caladan - R17, on second floor, in covered balcony
H - Chion - S16, on second floor, in covered balcony
F - Fremea - O16, on second floor, in covered balcony
Kiet - Main Foyer, 1st floor
R - Raban - Q16, on second floor, in covered balcony
U - Unali - U16, on second floor, in covered balcony
Z'leyra - Main Foyer, 1st floor
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[Second Floor]
Legend - North /|\
1 Row = 2 feet
1 Column = 2 feet
° = Solid wall or earthen rock
/ or \ = Door
,, = Stone Steps
@@ = Table
## = Cabinet, Storage Chest or locker
* = Chair
o = Barrel
` = Shelf
~~ = Pull lever
I = Stone wall
$ = Bed
: = Window
[Some symbols may be different and will be described if that
changes for each room.]
1 2 3 4 5
12345678901234567890123456789012345678901234567890
????........................................????
__/\I__ F
Room I I°°I G
X I I°°I H
I I°°I I
I___/\_____I______/ I°°I_____/\______°°°°°°°°°°°°I J
I 4 I K
: Stairs 1 : L
I_______________ __________.._______ ___________I M
M I I [ ] I..[[. [ ]I 3 I N
i : I [F ] I[[[[ [ ]I [~] [~] I R O
d I ... ... I [ A] * ____ [ ]I [~] [~] : o P
->I ... ... [R ] / \ [ ]I [~] [~] I o Q
L : ... ... [ C] ( * ) [ ]I [~] [~] I m R
e I ... ... [H ] \___/ [ ]I ~ ~ : S
v I ... ... [ B] 2 [ ]I o o I G T
e : ... ... I [U ] * [ ]I #I U
l I I+ [ ] .......... [ ]I #I V
I___________I__[ ]__________________[ ]I_________I W
I /\ /\ I X
: \----Ledge/Balcony/// : Y
I____/\_____ ____________________________________I Z
R I [--]I I `###` $I `###` $I `###` $I### @I aa
m I * * I I ### I ### I ### I### *I bb
I ### \ I ### *@I ### *@I ### *@I` : cc
F I ### / I* @I @I @I $I dd
I * * *I I___/\____I___/\____I___/\____I__/\_I ee
I__________I Bedrooms I ff
R I@@ @@ ``I I gg
m I \ _________________________ ______I hh
I #### / I @@I @@I @@I I Rm I ii
H I ##* I I` *I` *I` *I / P I jj
I ## I I### I### I### I \ I kk
I__________I I### $I### $I### $I I_____I ll
R I ... ,,,, I I` I` I` I I...°°I S mm
m I ,,..., \ I___/\__I___/\__I___/\__I I...°°I t nn
I ...,..., / Bedrooms I...°°I a oo
G I ..,..., I [[.°°I i pp
I________,_I__________________________________[[°°°I r qq
Tower [destroyed] Stairs
Mid Level -
This is the middle of the floor. Remember this level is open to the
sky (shield). The second floor looks down onto the first floor from
this area. The walls (rows M and W) are ledges that are 5 feet tall
and made of solid cement like walls like the normal castle walls. A
small wooden railing is on top of this wall. The ledge/balcony
hallways that connect the north and south end of the floor is covered
above from the sky (in case the shield goes down). The roof of this
balcony is on the third floor about 10 feet up. It is a simple wooden
roof. The floor of this balcony is the roof to the covered ledge on
the courtyards. the floor itself is stone. The balcony area
connecting north and south has a railing that stands 5 feet tall. It
is a iron railing and open. Like one might see at a normal estate
balcony. The metal railing has four north-to-south poles that connect
the areas and give the aesthetic feel to the ledge sides. This means
those looking up from the first floor can see what folks have below
the waist with little cover compared to the wall ledge (Row M/W)
which does provide a blocked view below the waist. Lighting in this
middle level is done by the open sky. At night torches from the
courtyard may provide more light.
Room F - Open Balcony - 20x12'
This is a open area with no roof. Open as a balcony eating and
relaxation area. The west wall is low and can be lowered further for
viewing. A stone table (##) and chairs (*) allows for eating or
playing games. A stone bench ([-]) with soft outdoor cushions is in
north east corner. Lighting is done by outside light but candles can
be used. Floor is stone. Doors are locked from inside and are metal
as its a weak point of security.
Room G - Crushed Tower - 20x10'
This open area used to be some tower of some sort and now is just
rubble of rocks and stones (, and .). It appears to have been damaged
long ago. The doors are barred metal and windows are also barred but
the roof is open from the fallen ceiling.
Room H - Lab - 20x12'
This dusty room seems to be some form of workshop. A table of stone
(##) and (chair) are littered with bits of metal, debris, flasks, jars
and tools, The Cabinets (@) store tools as well but seem old. The
shelf (`) is dusty but has some old scrolls of notes but is so fainted
impossible to read. Floor is stone and light is done by a old candle
lantern.
Room I - O - Bedrooms - Various Sizes
All bedrooms have a bed (##) with a small nightstand (`). There is a
chest or dresser ($) for clothes). A small desk or table (@) with
chair (some with a mirror (bottom bedrooms). Floor is a simple brown
carpet. Lighting is done by candles on night stand and desk/table.
Wooden doors with simple locks.
Room P - Panic Room - 10x8'
A bare stone floor room. Door is a metal barred from inside with heavy
lock. It is empty and shows signs of no use over long years due to
the level of dusty.
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