Check-In Question: What is something you are proud of?
- Shannon: Moving to New Orleans. K’un-Lun is proud of being a hero.
- Ian: Getting to tour Brazil. Professor is proud of amputating his own arm alone and replacing it with something mechanical.
- Miranda: I am proud of my daughter and how she knows what she likes and doesn’t care about others’ opinions. Lysithea is obviously proud of how much smarter she is than most people.
- Kevin: I’m decent at my job (the bar is set low). Gobbles is proud of how well kept his armor is. He squeezes a fresh orange over it every day to keep its hue.
- Cordelia: Getting all As on my report card; Surina is proud of defeating monsters.
- Justice: Hearing how well my former students are doing. The Queen is proud of her beauty and how everyone bows down to her pure gorgeousness.
- Liz: I am proud of myself for getting through this past week. Octavia is proud of becoming a beast master, mastering the beasts.
We last left the party in Ryphyet, having dropped off some found instruments and corpses (see Session 14). They are seeking a boat to take them to the islands of Doompit Falls, where they believe the Queen’s statue is located (see Session 11). There is a clear dock, called “What’s Up Dock”, with a variety of boats. One is obviously a passenger boat. There’s a sign that states “Doompit Falls This-a-way”.
Lysithea: I would like to get on the boat and get out of this silly place, please.
The party agrees.
Thistle Winkle Frost: Hey hey funny guy, where are we going?
Gobbles: We’re going on a boat.
TWF: We’re going on a boat? Will it go fast?
Gobbles: One can hope.
TWF: Do you have a nautical themed pashmina afghan? *one appears on Gobbles*
There’s a clean shaven captain with an eye patch and trifold hat. Perception check (Octavia Nat 20, Lysithea adjusted 20, Gobbles 16, Surina 15, Professor 10, K’un-Lun 18). This man looks very captainy, but Octavia notices his uniform is a bit raggedy looking with patches where there shouldn’t be. It looks like it was once a very fine uniform, but now it’s not. He also had red hair tied up in a ponytail under his hat. He’s talking to 3 very well dressed people, 2 men and 1 woman, who all have the same brown wavy hair and similar facial features. One man looks a bit older than the other two. The woman is wearing a nautical blue noble’s dress. She is carrying a bag made of velvet and wearing a My Fair Lady hat and umbrella. But again, the outfit looks a bit faded. The man next to her has the same features in a matching blue overcoat. His hair is perfectly styled back. The look about him is very pompous and snooty. The older man is wearing a black outfit with matching top hat with a monocle and Snidely Whiplash mustache. All three of them are talking with the captain on the dock.
Professor: I got this, I know how to talk to these kind of people. *approaches captain* AARRGH mateys! We be seeking passage on this fine pontoon. We be paying many doubloons for passage to this Doompit Falls (persuasion, 16).
They all turn and look at him like “who is this”.
Captain: Well… we are heading to Doompit Falls.
Professor: ARRRg
Woman: But this is a private vessel today.
Professor: Is it?
Octavia: How much to make it not a private vessel?
Captain: Hmmm..
Woman: It is private.
Man: Yes, yes only the Beauregard family on this vessel.
K’un-Lun rolls history with advantage (11) and Surina without advantage (12). K’un-Lun remembers this family is an old family. They provide the city of Dalvok with fruit, juices, jams, and other drinks of this particular fruit.
K’un-Lun: I knew your great great great great great great great great great great great grandmother and great great great great great great great great great grandfather. Hey, I used to have your family’s jams all the time back in the day. They would give it to me all the time for free for saving them. I am a hero, you see. Your bloodline owes me (persuasion, 5).
Woman: Well thank you. Maybe giving it for free is why they encountered issues in the past.
K’un-Lun: It wasn’t for free, I saved their lives!
Professor sneezes and the noble’s note blows out of his mustache (see Session 11).
Gentleman: What is that?
Professor: Oh, it’s a note. It’s for you from the Beauregards.
Captain: Whelp, they get passage. Marcus says that they deserve it because they saved his life. They get to go to the estate.
Professor: See, saving y’all’s booties.
The other three puff and walk on the before the party. There’s some deck hands carrying luggage.
Lysithea to Octavia: Are there no competent people on this continent?
Octavia: I don’t think so.
The party boards the boat. They do not have cabins, so the party stays on deck. As they sail Thistle Winkle Frost, still perched on Gobbles’s head, starts singing a sea shanty…
TWF: There once was a ship that put to sea, The name of that ship was the Billy o’ Tea, The winds blew hard, her bow dipped down, Oh blow, me bully boys, blow.
Gobbles plays along with his kazoo (performance, 8). K’un-Lun covers his ears. Octavia sings along (performance, 3). Lysithea starts singing along just because it’s the only way to drown out the noise (performance, 12).
TWF, Octavia, Lysithea and Gobbles’s Kazoo: Soon may the Wellerman come, To bring us sugar and tea and rum, One day, when the tonguing’ is done, We’ll take our leave and go…
Lysithea is singing okay, but the combined cacophony is so bad that those not singing take 1 point psychic damage. K’un-Lun’s eye begins twitching, and Professor looks for something to stuff his ears with.
K’un-Lun: For once we agree on something Professor.
Captain: DOOM PIT FALLS COMING UP!
Gorgeous islands come into view as they make their way to the center island. The side islands are made up of beautiful, lush jungles, leaving the party in awe.
Lysithea: Well, that’s not worthy of it’s name at all.
Octavia: It’s awesome and scary at the same time.
Gentleman: You are seeing the gorgeous lands of my people. My aunt’s aunt’s cousin’s land.
K’un-Lun: What is your name?
Gentleman: My name? I am the Baron Ralas Morose.
K’un-Lun: That name is kind of familiar. I knew your great great great great great great great great great great grandpa (history, Nat 20).
K’un-Lun knows through his knowledge that the Morose family was part of the Beauregard family as distant cousins. They were not as wealthy and well-to-do, and often competed with the family. There’s a lot of tension between the Morose and Beauregard family.
Baron: So I’m going to ignore how many greats you put, I don’t understand that. But I’m the one to talk to, not the Beauregards. There’s changes coming. Ah these fruits… *mumbles about fruits as he walks away*
There’s a small makeshift dock, and in the center island there’s nothing else except for a very large mansion.
Professor: Is that your house Mr. Morose?
Baron: It’s my uncle’s cousin’s house, Nathaniel Beauregard.
Professor: So no.
Baron: Well we’ll see. My poor departed uncle…
The boat slows and they lower rowboats. The three wealthy people each take their own rowboat. Gobbles and Octavia get in the boat with the Baron and the captain. Professor goes to the boat with the woman. K’un-Lun goes with the man. Lysithea is greatly annoyed by the snootiness of their new company, but sucks it up and goes with K’un-Lun. Surina goes with Professor. The captain’s boat goes first.
Baron: Ah, Captain Hareng, how have the islands been? Producing much fruit?
Captain: Yes, actually, we have, but things have been happening on sea.
Baron: Ah, we need to change that.
K’un-Lun and Lysithea are with the man, who is staring into nothing.
K’un-Lun: Hey… guy… How are you doing? You doing okay?
Man: *Putting on fake accent* Oh, as well as can be. My dear uncle has passed away and we are coming for this very sad occasion.
K’un-Lun: Ah, a funeral I see.
Man: No no no, will reading. It’s sad you are coming. Why are you coming?
K’un-Lun to Lysithea: Why are we coming?
Lysithea to K’un-Lun: The statue…
K’un-Lun: Oh, I should be in the will, too. I did things for your uncle (deception, 5).
Man: You can’t be in the will…but maybe… Oh, let us mourn together then. Let us mourn our dear uncle.
K’un-Lun: Sure thing, nephew.
Man: My name is Ansel.
Lysithea to herself: Don’t light him on fire, don’t light him on fire…
Professor and Octavia are in the rowboat with the woman and her enormous hat.
Professor: You’re going to want to hold on to that.
Professor pulls out a red ball, tosses it to the back of the boat, and activates his flamethrower to rocket boost them to the island.
Professor: RACE YOU! (acrobatics to balance Nat 1, used inspiration to get 16)
Surina starts falling off of the boat (acrobatics 8), but she grabs the sides of the boat (athletics adjusted 20) and holds on tight. The woman is holding on to the boat for dear life, screaming at the top of her lungs. Her hat falls off, but K’un-Lun (11) catches it and puts it on.
Lysithea: I wish I could wear hats…
Professor and Surina’s boat crashes to shore first.
Professor: ALL RIGHT! *packs flame thrower back up*
The woman is trembling, holding on to the boat and gasping for breath. As the rest of the party makes land there’s a very tall, thin, pale gentleman standing on the porch. He is wearing a suit and carrying a briefcase. It is midday, getting closer to evening.
Professor to Woman: Do you recognize this ghostly thing of a man?
She is out of breath and still afraid and cannot answer. Surina tries to help the woman (medicine, 19). She soothes her and pulls her hands out of the wood of the boat.
Woman: I’ve never… where’s my hat.. Where’s my hat? *pulls out a fan and starts fanning herself* My stars…
The tall gentleman slowly walks down towards the rowboats.
Tall Man: You two are different, but Missi let me help you there. Let’s get you inside. You two, I assume, you’re here for some business?
Professor: Yes, I’m Mr. Beauregard.
Tall Man: No. I assume the captain knows why you’re here. *helps Missi into the house*
The other boats pull up to shore.
K’un-Lun: Look what I got! *poses with the hat*
Professor: Where did you find that?
K’un-Lun: It just flew in my face. Must have flown off some bird.
The other rowboats that aren’t destroyed turn around and go back to the ship.
Captain: Sir Ludlow! These other people had a letter saying they are welcome into the house to look for something.
Ludlow: Then they are welcome here. Thank you, captain.
Captain: I didn’t think I introduced myself to you all. My name is Rouge Hareng, captain of the Doompit Falls Ferry. *waits by his rowboat*
Ludlow: You are welcome into the main sitting room. *proceeds inside with Ansel and the Baron*
The fourier looks very welcoming. Two giant candelabras light the area. Perception (Gobbles 16, Octavia 7, Lysithea 7, K’un-Lun 21, Professor 4, Surina 11). K’un-Lun notices the floor is sagging a bit as he steps. There are 2 decorative suits of armor. The party is led towards the sitting/receiving room. Missi is sitting on a fainting couch, sprawled back fanning herself.
K’un-Lun: I believe this is yours madame. *hands back hat*
Missi: Thank you.
Missi brushes it off, inspects it, looks at K’un-Lun, and tosses the hat to the side.
K’un-Lun: You don’t want it anymore?
Missi: No, no, it is soiled.
K’un-Lun: Okay, I’ll take it. Professor, you want this hat?
Professor: You know it!
K’un-Lun gives Professor the hat. Missi pays them no attention.
The largest fireplace ever dominates the room, with smoke coming into the room from it.
Lysithea: This is my kind of room.
K’un-Lun: Hey, y’all got a chimney or what? I noticed the infrastructure in your fourier is decaying.
There’s a giant portrait of Nathaniel Beauregard from his younger days over the fireplace. He’s sitting in a giant easy chair (which is currently in the room) holding a glass filled with a brightly yellowish-tinted juice, and a bottle of juice next to him. There are 2 large couches with a large table in between. In the corner off to the side there’s a rack of bottles with the same colored juice as in the painting. The Baron and Ansel are sitting on a couch, and Missi is still fanning herself on the fainting couch. Professor goes to sit in Nathaniel’s chair. His legs don’t reach the edge of the seat. Surina remains standing, while Gobbles starts inspecting the juice.
Octavia: I’m very suspicious, so I’m gonna stand in the entryway against the wall.
Gobbles: What kind of fruit is this made out of? (perception, 14)
The label reads “Beauregard Bidi Juice”. Ludlow enters the room, pulls out a scroll, and begins reading the will of Nathaniel Beauregard:
To those gathered here, I have called you all as I have passed away. Know that here in writing that I have disliked you all both in life and death. Though because I need to leave my fortune to someone, I have summed my only living family not named Marcus to my mansion. To receive my fortune, you must do the one thing none of you did while I was living: stay the whole night in my mansion. Those who do will receive a portion of my wealth and the deed to my land on Doompit Falls. NO boats will be coming until the morning. Hahahaha
Ludlow: The laughter is actually written… So that’s the will. If you’ll excuse me, I won’t be staying here. This place is creepy.
Professor: Excuse me, Lurch, can we cook?
Ludlow: It doesn’t say you can’t, so yes.
He turns around and walks out of the room. K’un-Lun attempts to follow him out. Ludlow is a few steps ahead and closes the door behind him. As the door shuts a gust of wind blows through the entire house, blowing out all the candles.
Octavia: Eep!
Evening approaches.
Professor: I call the master bedroom!
Missi: I’m not saying I’m not staying, but I think we should check if we can get out.
She stands up and proceeds to the entrance and tries to open the door.
Missi: It’s stuck!
Octavia checks the windows and they are also stuck shut. As the wind and fires die down a green glow fills the room.
Lysithea: This is my kind of house.
A cloud of smoke is forming by the fireplace. Lysithea tries to control the smoke with Thaumaturgy, but the smoke is not created by fire. The smoke fills the room and a figure in a green glow steps forward. It’s the same figure as the painting.
Octavia: The ghost of the guy in the picture!
Nathaniel’s Ghost: How dare you trespass, you unwanted guests and leeches. You are all unworthy of my fortune. Leave, or this will be your tomb!
The smoke begins swirling and there’s a bright flash!… and the figure is gone.
Octavia: That was deeply upsetting.
Professor (arcana 18) can tell that there’s adoration magic going on.
Lysithea: Okay, but can we do what we are actually supposed to do while we are here?
Gobbles: Yes, if there’s time.
Lysithea: We’re stuck here anyway. Can we just get this over with?
The nobles look frightened. Surina senses that there are undead in the house somewhere.
Surina: I sense undead!
Octavia: Undead? I mean, we did see a ghost…
Ansel: If I’m going to stay the night I’m going upstairs to relax. This is ridiculous, so I’m going to lock myself in a room and stay there.
Professor: Goodnight.
Professor follows him to make sure he doesn’t take the master bedroom.
Gobbles: Does anyone want to come check for the statue?
Lysithea: Finally! Let’s go.
Octavia: I’ll go too.
Surina: Me too.
K’un-Lun goes with Professor. The Baron just walks off. Missi stays in the parlor fanning herself.
Professor and K’un-Lun make their way upstairs following Ansel. They find a small room (U5).
Ansel: Why are you following me?
Professor: We are going to make sure you are safe before you fall asleep. Inspect the room. We have weapons.
K’un-Lun: Yes, we must keep you safe.
Ansel: Yes, thank you.
There is a large queen bed inside the room, and a small armoire, but no sheets on the bed.
Ansel: Of course he took them and put them somewhere.
Professor: Check the armoire, my friend.
Ansel opens the armoire but it is empty. There is a warm breeze on their necks.
K’un-Lun: Did you fart, Professor?
Professor: You know I can’t fart on your neck.
They turn around and see the image of Nathaniel Beauregard standing there.
Nathaniel: Can we be friends?
Wisdom saving throw (K’un-Lun 12, Professor 11, Ansel 9). Professor has to make an attack against K’un-Lun, K’un-Lun against Ansel, and Ansel against Professor. Professor (6) misses K’un-Lun with his arm. K’un-Lun (25) hits Ansel with his brass knuckles, does 7 damage and bloodies his nose. Ansel missed his attack against Professor.
K’un-Lun: Whoops, my hand slipped. I don’t know what that was.
Nathaniel disappears. K’un-Lun rushes to get a handkerchief for Ansel’s nose.
The other group begins searching for the Queen’s statue (investigation Octavia 8, Gobbles 16, Surina 8, Lysithea 19). Upon inspection Gobbles finds a note.
Gobbles: I found a piece of book!
Journal Entry 1
I am fascinated with all things Dragons and ancient. I have recently bought a fascinating statue of a beautiful goddess. She said she got it as a gift from the queen, but the statue is thousands of years old. She mentioned she was now heading to Haalata’Ozo and asked to be on the lookout. I have placed the statue on display in the main room. Luck may be coming!
The party checks the mantel and finds a round spot clear of dust as if something had been there.
Lysithea: So we know that the statue was here, but now it is gone…
Lysithea stores the note and continues investigating. She finds traces of black powder where the ghost appeared.
Lysithea: Hey guys, come check this out. (Intelligence check Gobbles adjusted 20, Octavia 13, Surina 8).
Gobbles can tell the powder is from a smoke bomb and leads to the fireplace. Octavia and Lysithea investigate the fireplace (Octavia 17, Lysithea 19). The fireplace is blocked up, holding more soot than it should. It has not been properly maintained for quite a while. Lysithea’s Mage Hand reaches up and spiders start crawling down the walls. Octavia is in stunned silence, while Lysithea starts taking notes on the spiders.
Back upstairs K’un-Lun and Professor inspect Ansel’s room (investigation K’un-Lun10, Professor 14). They notice a greenish, unidentifiable stain on the mattress.
Professor: Eew, have fun sleeping with that.
K’un-Lun: Yeah, I’m gonna peace out of here
Ansel: Fine, leave.
They move to a bigger room (U8). This upper area has a breakfast nook with windows looking out. The sun is setting. There’s a baby grand piano. Professor walks in to the breakfast nook to the piano (investigation Professor 22). The piano looks poorly maintained – the ivory keys are chipped and yellowed, and the black ebony wood is tarnished. Professor opens the lid and the strings are maintained. Between the strings is a piece of paper. Professor reaches in and grabs it.
Professor: What’s this here?
Journal Entry 7
This will be the final entry. The ritual will be finished! They have been summoned. Fools.
Professor: That is all that is says here.
K’un-Lun: That sounds like a conclusion to something.
Professor: Are we fools?
K’un-Lun: No, we are not fools, we are heroes!
Professor: No, we aren’t.
K’un-Lun: I brought that lady her hat back.
Professor places a chromatic scale on the piano. The slightly out of tune sounds drifts through the halls of the mansion. After a while he realises he is playing a duet, and another set of hands is dancing over the keys. Professor stops and looks up and sees the ghost of Nathaniel Beauregard next to him.
K’un-Lun: gggggggGHOST!!!
A swarm of bats fly up from under the table and attack (initiative Professor 8, K’un-Lun 6). The bats swarm Professor, but simply fly over him. Professor attaches his hammer arm and swings at the bats, but he doesn’t hit any. K’un-Lun does a punch and a kick, and hits with a 25 and a 24, doing a total of 12 damage. The bats try to bite at Professor again but miss. Professor shoots Fire Bolt (Nat 1), but he hits the piano instead and it catches fire.
K’un-Lun: That somehow sounds better than what you were playing.
K’un-Lun punches at the bats and hits with a 16, then hits again with a Nat 20 defeating the swarm. K’un-Lun holds up the alchemy jug and commands “Mayonnaise”, which he then pours over the piano to put out the fire.
The other group starts searching the rest of the first floor. Gobbles and Surina check M1A, which turns out to be a closet. It’s mostly empty except for 1 single ratty, moth-eaten jacket hung up on the right side. Gobbles looks at it suspiciously (investigation 4), but it’s a jacket. Surina takes a look (investigation, 5) and it’s still just a jacket. As they inspect the jacket a clattering is heard from the left side of the closet. A skeleton moves towards them and falls forward. Wisdom saving throw (Gobbles 14, Surina 14). They are unimpressed. Medicine check (Surina, 7). She notices that the skeleton is fake.
Surina: It’s fake.
Lysithea and Octavia open M1B and find a washroom. It’s broken, and the chain to the toilet is missing. On the other wall is an old sink with a dirty mirror. Octavia checks the mirror (4), followed by Lysithea (16). Lysithea notices the mirror can open to a cabinet. Inside she finds a jar of glowing yellow goop that is labelled “Bidi Fruit Face Cream”.
Lysithea: I am not putting that on my face. (Investigation 10)
The cream has a sweet scent to it, and it has a yellowish green glow.
Lysithea: Gobbles, you want to try this on? *puts it in her bag with the note*
Gobbles: Yes, and we have a fake skeleton in here.
As she closes the mirror there is the face of Nathaniel Beauregard cackling. (Wisdom saving throw, 7). Lysithea runs out of the washroom. The rest of the party grabs the fake skeleton and follows her.
Professor and K’un-Lun go to room U6, a lounge with a worn out billiards table.
K’un-Lun: I rule at billiards.
Professor: Let’s play a game.
The fine leather of the pockets are breaking down. There’s a cue rack with balls off to the side. There’s also a dart board with several sharp darts stuck in the wall, and a chessboard with golden pieces. On the northern wall are 2 crossed swords. K’un-Lun investigates the table (adjusted 1) and notices nothing. Professor takes the darts off the wall and starts throwing them at the dartboard. While throwing the darts he suddenly feels a slam on the back of his head. He is hit with a 17 for 4 damage.
K’un-Lun: What happened?
Professor: Something hit me on the head!
He turns around and nothing is there except for a glowing green stone on the floor. The glow on the stone is in the shape of a hand. Professor walks over and observes the chessboard. The game is about half done.
Professor: How about a quick mid-game chess match?
K’un-Lun: Fine, but I pick the one that is winning the most.
Professor: Fine.
They each go to pick up a piece and feel a prick in their hands. Each piece is covered in barbs.
K’un-Lun: Why does this always happen everytime I play chess?
The life force is draining out of them (constitution saving throw K’un-Lun 18, Professor 24) and both lose 1 HP. K’un-Lun sucks on his finger.
Professor: We are done playing. How did they get halfway through a game?
K’un-Lun: Maybe they had gloves on. Maybe you’re supposed to play this in chainmail.
They investigate the swords next (K’un-Lun 7, Professor 12). They are nicely made swords with light rust. Professor takes one off the wall. When he pulls on the sword the wall spins and sends Professor to the other side of the wall. K’un-Lun sees a bookshelf in its place.
K’un-Lun: I ain’t no nerd but I’ll read books.
Professor is now in the master bedroom. K’un-Lun notices that there are fewer books than there should be and starts pulling books off the shelf. He eventually picks the correct book and the wall spins around, putting him in the room with Professor, who is now on the master bed.
Back downstairs, the other group hears a man screaming from M5. The party runs to the room and notices they are in a kitchen. There is no sign of whoever was screaming. In the room are 2 large wooden tables, large enough to make a grand meal on. One wall is filled with cabinets, most of which are open and broken. There is still food in the cabinets. There are 2 wash basins, and the one on the northern wall is dripping water. A few pieces of silverware and kitchen tools are seen scattered about. On the center table is an open book. Arcana check (Lysithea, 15) reveals no magic in the area. Octavia looks at the book and sees recipes (investigation 6). Lysithea checks the dust covered book titled “How to Cook Dragon”. She wipes some of the dust away, revealing more of the title, “How to Cook For Dragons”. She removed more dust and the title now reads “How to Cook Forty Dragons”. Rolling her eyes she wipes away the rest of the dust to reveal the full title, “How to Cook For Forty Dragons”. Lysithea rummages through the pages of the book (investigation, 19) and notices a page has been ripped out from the middle of the book. The book is handwritten, so there is no table of contents or index for them to find what recipe is missing. The pages surrounding it are based around a particular fruit. The recipe for the drink and the face cream are in the book. There’s a familiar *poof* as smoke fills the room. The ghost of Nathaniel Beauregard appears, cackling with glee.
Nathaniel: I have taken one, I will take more!
A knife flies from his hand. DC wisdom (Gobbles 8, Octavia 13, Lysithea 21, Surina 16). Gobbles is frightened that the knife is coming straight at him. He now has disadvantage to ability checks. Lysithea throws a knife back (10) but the ghost disappears. There is a monocle lying on the ground.
Lysithea: So obviously the “ghost” has taken the Baron. *eyes rolling*
Professor is jumping on a large 4 poster bed in the master bedroom. On the wall is another large portrait of Nathaniel Beauregard, but he looks younger, healthier, and more powerful. Professor feels eyes watching him as he jumps on the bed, so he stops and investigates the painting (investigation 14). He notices the portrait blink and the eyes lock with Professor’s. The portrait lunges forward, biting at him as the Professor shoots his crossbow at it. The painting misses Professor, but he hits the painting with a 15. It falls down lifelessly. DC wisdom saving throw (K’un-Lun 19, Professor 6). Professor has the feeling that any painting of this man will scare him. As long as he is in a room with a painting of Nathaniel Beauregard he is frightened (disadvantage). K’un-Lun looks under the bed…
Professor: Thank you.
…and finds nothing (investigation 2). Professor also checks but finds nothing. Some divine intervention (aka the DM) inspires K’un-Lun to crawl under the bed. He crawls out the other side with the note in his mouth.
Journal Entry 6
I have had to sell many of my belongings. The accidents have added up. The creditors are coming more often. Little do they know. I have called Ludlow to begin.
Fools! When it is done I will be free. I have prepared everything. The statue… it has been right all along. They will be here soon.
K’un-Lun: He’s in on it, obviously!
One more investigation (Professor adjusted 20, K’un-Lun 14). There is a fake wall panel where the portrait was, with a locked safe behind it. Professor uses Thieve’s Tools (no disadvantage because the painting is face down on the floor, Sleight of Hand 21). He pops it open and finds a wand. Arcana check (16) reveals it to be a Wand of Secrets – it will let you know if there is a secret door or trap within 30 ft of you. It has 3 charges, none of which have been expended.
The other party moves to room M6. This is a dining room and it is completely destroyed. A massive table carved from unidentified wood is split in twain, as if something heavy slammed into it. Shattered glass covers the floor, cups and glasses are thrown about, and there are claw marks on the walls.
Octavia: Seems like a dragon has been in here.
Gobbles: Or a cat.
Octavia investigates the broken table (5) but doesn’t find anything of significance. Surina also investigates the table (10) and finds a key on one of the legs of the table. Gobbles tries to identify the claw marks (investigation 17). As he inspects the marks liquid starts dripping from them. It starts spilling faster and faster, then starts bursting from the walls. It covers his mouth as he tries to scream, the delicious liquid pouring in (wisdom saving throw, 17). He blinks and everything is back to normal, except for the sweet taste in his mouth.
Lysithea checks out the cups and glasses (13) and finds another journal entry.
Journal Entry 2
Marcus has been obsessed with the statue. He has also heard the rumors and has set off to marry her. I told him he can promise her our wealth. I pray his idiocy will trap him in quicksand. Will be the fastest thing about him.
More mad news, though. Another shipment has been lost at sea. I feel like something is causing this. Weird sounds are occurring. This house is too old.
Lysithea: Yeah, that Marcus guy is gonna die.
Gobbles: We warned him.
Lysithea: Yeah, we tried. (see Session 11)
The gang still needs to find more clues before they can solve the mystery. Do you know who the culprit is? End Session.
Check Out this session was Shannon’s (K’un-Lun) birthday!
Analysis: Although she didn’t say much, Cordelia was super into this session. If you couldn’t tell, this is a Scooby-Doo type mystery the party has gotten entangled in. Our children have fallen in love with Scooby-Doo (particularly What’s New Scooby-Doo and A Pup Named Scooby-Doo) and Justice wanted to design some fun sessions based around it. It took the party a little bit of time to catch on to the theme, but Cordelia figured it out right away. I was hoping she would say some things like, “Let’s split up gang” or the like, but she still wasn’t too keen on speaking. Justice put a few Scooby “Easter eggs” in this session and the following. Cordelia had fun identifying them all. Were you able to?