RQG 74 - Upstairs Downstairs

## Content Warnings

Undead (Western-fantasy zombies), trapped by fire, explosions, fatigue, blood, vomiting. SFX: fire, squelching

## Summary

The party takes on the final problem in the now post-haunted house. Grizzop is absolutely fine and doesn't need any help, Bertie is still feeling a little under the weather, Hamid prestidigitates, and Sasha has got this.

## Synopsis

The episode opens on Bertie feeling terrible, and Hamid trying to convince the other two to go into the basement to help Grizzop. From far away, Hamid and Sasha hear Grizzop yell that there are lots of monsters in the basement. Hamid starts jogging down the stairs, and Sasha keeps pace with him as she looks through the bag. It’s all pretty old, defunct coins, but they are gold and silver, so she’ll be able to sell it as raw metal - probably about 1,000 gold worth in the bag.

In the basement, there are loads of zombies emerging from the pit, and they are all on fire. The heat is moving up rather than down, so the lower zombies are not being set on fire. The timber on the ground floor is beginning to blacken with soot.

(The following moments are in combat time, but there were no initiative rolls or a set order.)

Grizzop backs up the stairs and throws the alchemist’s fire down at the zombies. and it catches a bunch of them along with the base of the stairs.

The rest of the party begins to hear fire crackling and see plumes of smoke coming from the basement. Grizzop starts to head back up to the party, saying that he’s okay, but before he can make it all the way out of the basement, the stairs crumble beneath him as he drops into the inferno below.

Bertie sighs, long and weary, and steps slowly over to the entrance and lowers the rope he has in his kit to Grizzop. Hamid and Sasha help out with the rope. The zombies make it to Grizzop, but aren’t able to attack, and Grizzop grabs the rope. Together, Bertie and Sasha pull and start hauling Grizzop up, but lose grip of the rope and Grizzop falls back into the basement. They try to pull him up again and nearly successfully do so, but Hamid accidentally shoots the rope as he tries to shoot a zombie with a crossbow. Grizzop grabs the end of the rope above where Hamid shot, and pulls himself the rest of the way up. They all decide to head out of the burning house, and Sasha throws a bomb behind them as they leave to make sure the zombies won’t be getting out. Sasha, Grizzop, and Bertie all stride away, looking cool, and Hamid excitedly talks about how cool the explosion looks before tripping over a branch and falling. All three of them make a pun and high five each other. Hamid gets to his feet and casts *prestidigitation* to get rid of the smoke and such on his face, and then catches up with the rest of them.

Bertie says that he’s feeling under the weather, and asks Grizzop (or Artemis) if he can help. Grizzop knows how nasty wraiths are, and how they affect a person. Basically, Bertie will need to rest in order to slowly regain his constitution, but for the time being, Grizzop can get rid of his fatigue.

They head away from the burning house. Grizzop says that one ley line is down, and they’ll need to move on to the next one. Sasha pulls out the map as they walk through the gate, and they all find the next plague pit to investigate. There are six marked plague pits on the map, almost like six spokes on a wheel: two (the teleportation circle one they found and the now-burning house) are crossed off, and they see another nearby one at the docks. The other three are: near the original walled gate to Prague, in the middle of a large public garden, and in the depths of the industrial district. Hamid thinks that they’ll need to destroy all 4 remaining spokes, and says they should head down to the docks. Sasha counters it, saying that dockhands are tough and can handle themselves, and that they should head to ones that are more public with more soft people around. In order to get to the opera on time, it’s possible that they would be able to get to 2 or 3 assuming that everything went completely according to plan. Grizzop asks Hamid if there’s a way to unbalance the wheel instead of simply destroying everything. Hamid’s eyes unfocus for a moment, and briefly flash a different color, and he remembers that they should be able to unbalance it if they take out one entire side.

They head to the docks instead; Bertie doesn’t notice anything as they make their way there, and Grizzop and Sasha hear a disturbance down at the docks. Hamid notices that it seems like everything is going south quickly, and Grizzop calls for everyone to get their weapons out. There are a few guards there, but they seem about to be overwhelmed.

## Quotes

**Bertie**: "*[groans]*"
**Sasha**: "That's what I feel like when I'm near you as well."
―Bertie is suffering from con drain due to the wraith.

**Hamid**: "We've got the gold and the jewels now, can we just go downstairs and see if Grizzop's alright?"
**Sasha**: "There might be more gold and jewels."
**Hamid**: "There might be more monsters!"
**Sasha**: "Yeah... so I'll stay with the gold and jewels."
**Hamid**: "We can get them after the monsters are dealt with!"
**Bertie**: "We've not known him for very long, I'm not that attached yet."
**Ben**: "From very far away you hear *(Grizzop voice)*,"Oh no, loads of monsters!""
―Hamid tries to convince the party to go rescue Grizzop.

**Alex**: "You are at the base of the stairs."
**Grizzop**: "Okay."
**Alex**: "There are more zombies than you can count, they are all on fire but they are not all instantly dead."
**Grizzop**: "That's lucky I can only count to three."
**Alex**: "There are more than three zombies."
**Grizzop**: "Oh no."
―Grizzop is alone fighting the zombies.

**Ben**: "Being a fifth level paladin is great!"
**Alex**: "You seem better having stuff than just being... a Dwarf with a shirt."
**Ben**: "I get my Charisma bonus to my reflex which doesn't make any sense but God said so, so ..."
―Grizzop gets bonuses from Artemis.

**Alex**: "I'm not even gonna do any rolls for this, rule of cool is supreme. You all head out, Sasha—"
**Ben**: "Can we save to look at the explosion."
**Alex**: "You know what, that is fair. I need a Will save from everyone, *to be a cool person*."
―The party leaves the abandoned manor.

**Bertie**: "We really *brought the house down.*"
**Grizzop**: "Ayy! *[He high fives Bertie]'"*
**Sasha**: "It, it went down *a-bomb*."
**Grizzop**: "Ayy! *[He high fives Sasha]*"
**Lydia**: "I did it."
**James**: "Not an edit."
―Sasha makes a pun.

**Alex**: "I believe I can get you out of this small garden. What do you do next?"
**Bryn**: "Well first, first, I walk across the grass, then I walk across the flower bed, through some bushes, then I walk across the gravel path, and open the gate slowly."
**Ben**: "But then, but then he closes it again, oils it and opens it again."
**Alex**: "Stop picking a fight with the editors, they literally control what you say."
―The party leaves the manor.

**Ben**: "Oh, I've just realised, cause I'm a Paladin and I can do things, I'm gonna Lay On Hands myself."
**Alex**: "You're so down on Clerics, Clerics can do things too..."
**Ben**: "Eh ... Yeah, they can spend all their time trying to *prepare their spells.*"
**Lydia**: "Alright, hurry up and touch yourself."
**Ben**: "I touch myself and it feels ... great."
**Alex**: "How great? It feels 11 great."
**Ben**: "Almost maximally great."
―Grizzop heals himself.

**Sasha**: "I can handle it! There's only 4 of them and 1 of me, and I'm ill-equipped for this! Really it's nothing, it's fine."
**Alex**: "For once it's maybe fair for them."
**Sasha**: "Yeah, right, like, this is a challenge that's good. Alright."
―Sasha attacks the zombies.

## Dice rolls and Mechanics

Everyone rolls perception: Sasha gets 17, Bertie gets 4, and Hamid gets 24.

Sasha rolls an appraise check: 24.

Grizzop rolls a perception check to see if the fire is going down: 22.

Grizzop rolls an attack on the zombies to throw the alchemist’s fire: 25.

Grizzop rolls a reflex save: nat 1.

Grizzop takes 5 damage from the fall, and 2 fire damage.

Bertie makes a strength check with Sasha aiding: She aids successfully, Bertie rolls a 7.

Bertie makes a strength check with Sasha aiding: She aids successfully, Bertie rolls a 21.

Grizzop makes a reflex save: 23.

Everyone rolls a will save to be cool (and look at the explosion as they leave): Sasha gets a 20, Bertie gets a 17, Grizzop gets a 16, Hamid gets a nat 1.

Grizzop makes a knowledge religion check: 22.

Grizzop lays on hand on Bertie: gets 8 HP back and isn’t fatigued anymore.

Hamid rolls knowledge arcana: 14.

Hamid rolls knowledge arcana: 28.

Sasha rolls a knowledge local: nat 20.

Everyone makes a perception check: Sasha gets 19, Bertie gets 3, Hamid gets 27, Grizzop gets 19.

Before the fight kicks off, Grizzop uses lay on hands to help. Bertie gets 4 HP, Grizzop gets 11 back.

## Combat Breakdown

**Initiative:** Hamid (23), Zombies, Sasha (14), Grizzop (11), Guard 1, Guard 2, Bertie (3)

**Round 1**

Hamid: Moves up behind one of the warehouses and casts *magic missile* at a zombie, hitting the one nearest him. Deals 6 damage. He calls out where the zombies are.

The zombies: Immediately swarm toward the two guards holding the line. One makes an attack, hits, and deals 9 damage to guard 1 as it sinks its teeth into their neck. The rest of the zombies move to the beginning of the docks.

Sasha: Runs around the back of a small building and is with one of the dockhands. She throws a dagger at a zombie. Rolls a 14 on attack, and hits. Deals 3 damage.

Grizzop: Moves toward the zombies.

Guard 1: Looks incredibly beaten up and bloody. Sees the party and starts to flee from the zombies while apologising.

Guard 2: Fails to hit a zombie.