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Burial chamber hall of the Dolinar tomb, underground...
Burial chamber hall of the Dolinar tomb, underground...
Presto's lantern cuts into the dark, barely casting light to the far side of the long, wide chamber. Eric and Diana follow on either side.
They keep close as they keep close to the edges. Nooks are carved like bunks and honeycomb the walls. Relief images and nameplates atop each one must tell of those once tombed here, but all are faded and indiscernable.
DIANA
DIANA
The Dolinar family must have passed away a long, LONG time ago.
ERIC
ERIC
And yet had many, many people in it.
GM says:
GM says:
But first, roll for Recoveries.
ERIC
ERIC
2 Recoveries 10d10 ⬙(56) + 8 + Delicate Sash (20) = 84 HP recovered
PRESTO
PRESTO
2 Recoveries 10d6 ⬙(42) + 12 = 56 HP recovered
Surge Shield Recharge ⬙(15) = No recharge
Wild Flare Recharge ⬙(15) = Recharged
DIANA
DIANA
1 Recoveries 5d8 ⬙(22) + 6 = 28 HP recovered
Shield Recharge ⬙(8) = No recharge
Diadem of Fortunate Dodging Recharge ⬙(7) = No recharge
PRESTO
PRESTO
Sure doesn't seem like there's been much activity around here lately. Not even for a Crevise of Dusk or Cult of Vecna or whatever.
ERIC
(scoffs)
ERIC
(scoffs)
Huh. An empty tomb with absolutely nothing moving around inside it? That'd be a first.
Presto's light plays across an alcove that has a relatively fresh piece of paper tacked onto the nameplate, with letters scrawled amateurishly.
PRESTO
PRESTO
Hey! This one's in Common. It says... "Newmy's Room"?
ERIC
(not even paying attention)
ERIC
(not even paying attention)
I'll say, though, that for an empty tomb with absolutely nothing inside it, it's quite clean. Not even one speck of dust!
At that, a spritely ghost pops her head suddenly from the wall where Presto was reading!
GHOST
GHOST
Thank you!
PRESTO
PRESTO
AHHHHHHHHH!
The ghost, once a moon elf, merrily floats around and around Presto, then flits to Diana and Eric in turn. Wisps of etheral smoke flare from her form, and she carries a feather duster, clutching it with delight.
GHOST
GHOST
Are you Dolinars, of the Neverwinter Dolinars? I thought they were all entombed already! There's not a lot of space left, but maybe we can get you settled.
(floating back to Presto)
Not this one, though. This one's my room. I'm Newmy!
PRESTO
PRESTO
H-- Hi, Newmy. N-- No, we-re...?
(glancing as Eric and Diana to save him from Newmy's friendliness)
ERIC
(sizing up Newmy and striding forward)
ERIC
(sizing up Newmy and striding forward)
Ah, Newmy! Thank you, thank you. No, we aren't Dolinars, but we're real good friends of theirs. We're here to just check things out, get a feel for the tomb, you know, that sort of thing. You must be the, uh, custodian around here?
NEWMY
NEWMY
Why, yes! I've served the Dolinars for, gosh, years, I guess. They paid me a lot, like several lifetimes worth, to keep their tomb clean. So, that's what I do!
(she swirls about and displays her feather-dustering skills)
PRESTO
(aside, to Diana)
PRESTO
(aside, to Diana)
Boy, she and that Shanzie character should read their contracts better.
DIANA
DIANA
Say, Newmy? How long has it been since a Dolinar's been down here?
NEWMY
NEWMY
Oh, I don't know. Two lifetimes, I guess? Maybe three.
DIANA
DIANA
What about others? Other people coming around. Like people dressed in robes, for instance?
ERIC
ERIC
Or vampires, or ghouls, or zombies, or skeletons,or mummies, or, I don't know, even *bugbears* or something?
NEWMY
(giggling)
NEWMY
(giggling)
Oh, gosh no! You're the only friends I've seen in forever. I mean, there *are* folks down past the door over there that ain't resting right, all shambling around and stuff...
ERIC
(throws up his hands in victory to no one in particular)
ERIC
(throws up his hands in victory to no one in particular)
See! See, told ya.
NEWMY
NEWMY
But no one comes up here from down there, and no one comes down from up top, neither.
DIANA
DIANA
Newmy, our *friends,* the Dolinars, told us about the big Crevise of Dusk that was in the tomb somewhere. Have you seen it?
NEWMY
NEWMY
Oooh, Crevise, you say? No, I don't know anything about that.
ERIC
(softly, but accusingly)
ERIC
(softly, but accusingly)
Newmy... You said you were hired to keep the tomb tidy! You mean to say that you don't clean the *whole* tomb? Not even where the Crevise is??
NEWMY
NEWMY
Well, but, oh, uhm... the shambly things... and there's some puzzle buttons... I mean, I daren't go around *all* the tomb... and, uhm,
ERIC
ERIC
Newmy...
DIANA
DIANA
Newmy, if you have a secret, you can tell us. We're your friends, too, you know! Friends can share all kinds of things, and keep secrets together, too.
GM says:
GM says:
Roll for WISDOM plus any backgrounds in gossip, intuition, or social persuasion, normal check.
DIANA
I'm not sure I have any persuasion-skills, but my Social Skills as a bard lets me draw on all my experience with the "queen bees" of my school and put in all the body language and inflection of a high school clique.
DIANA
I'm not sure I have any persuasion-skills, but my Social Skills as a bard lets me draw on all my experience with the "queen bees" of my school and put in all the body language and inflection of a high school clique.
⬙ (3) + WIS (1) + Level (5) + Bard Social Skill (3) + Vecna's Link (2) = 14
Reroll spending Bard Social Skill ⬙ (20) + WIS (1) + Level (5) + Vecna's Link (2) = 28
NEWMY
(floating to Diana, taking her into confidence)
NEWMY
(floating to Diana, taking her into confidence)
Really?! Friends? Omigosh, I haven't had a friend to talk to for so long. OK, but just between us, OK?
Newmy leads Diana to a particular alcove. Eric and Presto can clearly see what's happening, so they just turn to each other and shrug.
The alcove is decorated with braided grasses and flowers and bits of folded paper. The stone and relief image gleams from being polished moreso than its neighbors, which makes sculpture fairly blank-- a vague, featureless bust.
NEWMY
(to Diana)
NEWMY
(to Diana)
It's Simon's. He's, (was), so handsome. The most handsome of them all! Oh, I still love him so much. If he didn't ask me to stay and be a helper and clean that one time, I don't think I'd still be here.
(sighs)
I get to see his face every day. I just hope he knows I'm still here, being faithful to my promise and keeping everything so nice for him, uh, for his family.
DIANA
DIANA
Right. So handsome.
(Diana watches Newmy, transfixed on the featureless image.)
That's... definitely a secret. Don't worry. I'm...
(she motions that her lips are sealed and locked)
PRESTO
(aside, to Diana)
PRESTO
(aside, to Diana)
Uh, what about an actual SECRET, like a hidden door, or passwords, or something?
DIANA
DIANA
Shh! Quiet. She ... doesn't know anything. Come on, let's go.
PRESTO
PRESTO
Okay... but can we at least go in a direction *away* from the so-called "shambling things?!"
Diana leads the boys toward the far end of the burial chamber and to the right. She steals a look back at Newmy one last time. Newmy is lost in thought, idly floating and dusting Simon's alcove, humming softly to herself.
Diana sighs, and continues...
continued in 3.10 Burial Vault. . .
GM FOOTNOTES:
What is with the Cult of Vecna and their labor practices?! Someone get a contract lawyer!
I wonder how other people play Newmy. In the adventure, she's not very helpful. Still, I know that capital-S SECRETS are important to the game, so I gave her something tragic to contribute. Especially since the secrets that were written into the game were all with the kidnapped victims in Chapter Two so far, and the heroes never got a chance to learn those.
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