The Adventurers are in Strahd’s study, close to where Mirafir found Gertruda. There are three Spectres about to attack.
Thora is in the doorway to the Dining Hall of the Count. Ismark is in the corner holding his Sentient Long Sword up. Sigune has just taken down the painting.
Mirafir: “I know where I am this is where I found Gertruda.”
Mirafir previously cast ‘Detect Magic’.
The ‘Holy Symbol of Ravenkind’ is radiating two types of strong magic… Sigune’s sword is not glowing because she put it down to take down the picture. Thora sees a Spectre come through the door and go across the cake table! There are two Spectres at each of the other doors on the north side of the study. The Spectres suddenly dissipate!
Thora: “Priest!”
She throws the Holy Symbol up to him.
Sigune grabs the Sunsword but strangely it does not glow…
In fact, she feels nothing from it.
Mirafir is ‘Detecting Magic’ but does not detect anything from the fireplace; he does note that Sigune’s items, including the Sunsword are still radiating magic.
Galan: “That was Strahd’s trap!”
Mirafir looks back into the cake room and suddenly notices something that is moving:
Mirafir: “Unseen Servant Someone is directing it nearby!”
It vanishes from his vision.
Mirafir: “I wonder where Gertruda is?”
Thora: “Wizard, check the instruments for Magic. I’ll cover you!”
The ‘Lute’ radiates magic, but the Harp does not…
Before Mirafir’s spell is spent, he spots a bottle of something on the table next to Sigune. She opens it and has a sniff, so does Frimly but neither can discern what it might be… It will have to be checked later. Or perhaps it is a ‘Potion of Flying’?
Sigune starts to put out the fire by removing the burning logs.
She then decides just to walk to the back of the fireplace.
Thora: “I can hear running water.”
The blazing fire is huge as Sigune steps within. A closed chest containing Silver, Copper and Gold coins. A Skeleton in Plate Mail lies within… Clutching his throat and holding a torch from the sconce in the wall.
Frimly: “It must be a trap!”
Sigune quickly leaves the room and tells the others what she has seen.
There is a debate about how to remove the charm placed by Strahd on Sigune and then Frimly opens the door in the NORTH wall to the right, revealing a plain corridor.
Frimly: “Galan! Check for tracks, either Rahadin or Strahd!”
Meanwhile Sigune starts bringing out the logs from the fire, and throws them into the corridor. After a while, the fire goes out. She also notices that there are two alcoves at the end of the corridor.
However, more than that she cannot see. Frimly locks the door to the cake room. As he locks it, he hears something, or someone, try to open a door! Gertruda maybe?
Is it the Unseen Servant coming back to add more wood to the fire?
The path through the fireplace to the hidden room beyond is now cleared.
The doors are opened to the bedroom by the unseen servant. Gertruda lies on the bed… Snoring…
The doors to the bathroom are also open, the way Mirafir and Gertruda fled. The thunderstorm outside seems to be intensifying.
Frimly enters the secret chamber with the chest.
He re-emerges having discovered a secret door. Suddenly, Galan has a flash of inspiration and realizes that the ‘Holy Symbol of Ravenkind’ is probably a fake – but a fake that does closely resemble the genuine artefact! Perhaps it could be used as a catalyst for the ‘Locate Object’ enchantment!
Frimly explains that the chest was trapped with a Magical Sleeping Gas Poison.
Outside, Mirafir casts ‘Dispel Magic’ from a Scroll on Sigune but it doesn’t seem to work.
Sir Ly attempts to Detect Evil intent on Gertruda. There is none. Ismark wants to protect her.
Frimly and Galan are suddenly attacked by Giant Spiders in the secret chamber – quick thinking Frimly throws the vial containing the sleeping gas and it puts many of them to sleep – three of them are still up! Frimly and Galan battle the still conscious Giant Spiders and dice them into large spider smoothies.
The webs are then burnt, before Sigune and Sir Ly step in to dispatch the unconscious spiders.
The Adventurers, particularly the Elves, search for secret doors in the secret chamber beyond the fire place. Mirafir finds grease marks on the floor where he is standing. The decision was taken not to risk Gertruda’s safety by taking her from the bedroom. She has been safe there so far, so why risk any more dangers such as the ones she was already exposed to with Mirafir before?
Mirafir, meanwhile, finds the secret door, which indeed appears to connect to the lift trap shaft that brought him here before. Frimly enters to investigate and realizes that the connecting room has not been visited for many countless years.
Galan takes the sconce out of the wall in the first fireplace chamber. It opens and closes the door to the hall beyond.