GMG's Tears at Bitter Manor

Game Master Magabeus

While you are doing this the scream of the old man fades away into nothingness, their images also have gone...

Orin, a reflex safe from you please and Hurok can take his actions. Then it is up to round 2

reflex: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (19) + 6 = 25

"Orin, Noo!" Hurok shouts as he runs forward to help a failing Raymond against Orin.

Grapple Orin: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (3) + 10 = 13

However Orin brushes his attempts aside just as easily as Raymonds'.

Just to be clear, I'm making my own check to grapple, not using aid another

You can all take your round 2 actions!

"Is... is it gone?"

Does it look like Orin still wants to attack his allies?

Orin shakes his head as if trying to sling water out of his ears.

"WTF WAS THAT. Why. Why did..."

Orin stops mid sentence and looks frustrated.

"...Sorry"

He mulls over in his mind what this could have been.

Arcana: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (17) + 13 = 30

Orin knows that it usually takes something to fully destroy a haunt and that until it is destroyed it will return. It might be in a few minutes, it might take years, but the haunt will return...

Ping, journal updated. Where do you want to go?

"I suppose we should still head to the house? That was more than mildly disturbing, but we still have a job to do. Orin, try not to throw your damn cards at us anymore, yeah?"

"Yea. Let's get out of here. I don't have the tools to get rid of it."

"Agreed. Hopefully there will problems with more solid solutions."

Located on the northeast side of Cassomir, Taergan Flinn’s townhouse appears worthy of a lifelong adventurer. Large, clear windows overlook manicured bushes, presenting a posh face to the front drive. A small building holding servants’ quarters sits on the north side of the property. The townhouse’s second floor is constructed of wood, and has many windows. The building’s southern wing appears to house a laboratory of some kind. The house is as quiet as the neighborhood surrounding it. You see no lights coming through the windows.

Map updated, I have placed you near the front door

"May as well knock, though I have a feeling no one's home."

Raymond walks up to the door and gives it a firm knock. If no one answers, he'll try the handle.

Nobody answers Raymond's knocks. After a while he decides to try the handle and the doors opens. Some light from the street spoils into the foyer. You can see expensive furniture and painted wooden doors that probably lead to other rooms. Everything seems to be tidy and in place, there is no sign of any disturbance.

Orin steps in the house and speaks loudly, not quite a yell but louder than normal.

"Hello?"

"Yeah, let's just bring all the damn ghosts right out. You stay in front, ya git." Raymond mumbles as he walks in behind Orin.

"Oh, Right. Ghosts."

Orin then casts mage armor.

Hurok crumples his face in disgust as the loud city-men carelessly wander into a strange place mere moments after being haunted.

Perception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (1) + 7 = 8

Orin: 1d20 ⇒ 8

Orin steps into the foyer and calls out. Nobody answers his call. There are three other doors that exit this room.

Enrithel casts resistance on himself as he follows the others inside. He does not participate in the banter - he is intent on listening for trouble.

Perception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (2) + 7 = 9

"Oh, well then. Lead the way. I'm sure your backwoods expertise is exactly what we need in a MANSION."

Orin then gestures ahead for Hurok to lead the way.

Heh. Well-played. :-P

"Back-woods can be useful sometimes. Leave the savage to his savagery. We've got work to do."

Raymond moves in, ignoring Orin's suggestion that Hurok lead, and looks around the room. If nothing jumps out at him, he'll head to the door to his right and open it, watching for dangers along the way.
Perception: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (7) + 8 = 15

Now that everybody is inside Orin closes the door behind the party, so not to get unwanted attention from the streets. Everybody is tense and quiet.

Thump!

It seems as something falls upstairs ...

Thump Smash!

After three occurances the sound disappears again and Raymond decides to open the door to his right. A tasteful menagerie of Flinn’s travels and victories packs this large room. Paintings and memorabilia fill the perimeter, and a large glass display case with a prominent lock on its front lies in the room’s center. Inside the case rest several rolled maps, a pair of worn leather journals, and a shining iron chalice. A fine painting of Flinn and his four adventuring friends hangs on the eastern wall, behind which a wooden staircase rises to the second floor.

I am assuming you have some way to see in the darkness?

"Orin, turn on a light, ya nincompoop. I can't see a thing."

I didn't realize it was dark. How dark are we talking here? House with no lights on in mid day, or windowless room?

Orin scowls at Raymond, shakes his head, then casts light.

Orin then reaches over and touches Hurok's blade. It now glows with light like a torch.

"Thanks, Orin."

Enrithel takes note of the painting so he has an idea what Flinn's face looks like.

"Sounds like there might be a scuffle upstairs. Let's go check it out."

Hurok draws and looks at his axe and then back at Orin "I suppose you do have your uses."

Hurok leads the way up the stairs with the luminous axe in front of him, moving carefully and with his senses alert.

Perception: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (5) + 8 = 13

Orin gives Hurok a head start, then heads up after him.

I didn't realize it was dark. How dark are we talking here? House with no lights on in mid day, or windowless room?

House with no lights on after night has fallen

The stairs open to a bookshelf-lined hallway punctuated by tall windows. Books on advanced mathematics, magical theory, history, anthropology, and alchemy fill the shelves, along with several volumes of the Pathfinder Chronicles—including volumes 6 and 36. Two closed bedroom doors rest along the wall opposite the windows.

Kadeng! comes from behind the southern door

Ernithel is clearly interested in the books, particularly those on magic theory. He lingers briefly by the books as the group heads to the southern door, disappointed that this isn't a time when he can read them.

Orin heads up and quickly scans the room looking for anything that looks remotely like a scroll, wand, or other magical object. If he finds something he will focus his detect magic on that item and items around it. If not, he picks the most populated shelf and casts.

Hurok walks up to the southern door and puts his ear against it to see if he can hear anything more.

Perception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (13) + 7 = 20

Yeah, that's the way, just put your face right up on the door, see if it don't explode out on you. Raymond whispers to himself. He lets the esoteric two look at books and goes over toward Hurok, ready to strike at anything that might pop out of the southern door.

"If the resident trap-checker did his job, Hurok wouldn't have to check with his face."

All is silent within the room, but it does not last long as another

Thump is heard from within the room.

Enrithel's cantrip does not detect anything magical within the room that has not been brought by the heroes.

*Orin's cantrip

Enrithel approaches the door behind Hurok and calls out.
"Is that you, Finn? Are you alright in there?"

No reaction other than a Bump comes from behind the door

Orin palms a card from his pouch and starts juggling it nervously through his fingers.

Orin is on high alert to possible threats.
perception: 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (19) - 1 = 18
WOW he may actually see something this time.

"Lets get in there."

Enrithel sets up a Protective Ward.
Allies within 10' of me get a +2 deflection bonus to AC for the next 6 rounds.

"Always need a comment, don't we"

Hurok tries the doorknob.

If the door is unlocked, he will open the door and look inside. If it is not, he will attempt to kick it in and then look around.

Perception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (14) + 7 = 21

Strength Check: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (19) + 5 = 24

Hurok opens the door to the master's bedroom. Flinn’s private room has been turned over roughly. Signs of a struggle include a broken window in the south side of the eastern wall, a displaced mattress, a broken chair, and a spatter of dried blood on the floor. On the south wall, a tall mirror appears to hang just off kilter. The same muffled thumping is louder here than elsewhere in the house.

"This don't bode well for our man Flinn. And what the hell is that damn noise??"

Raymond looks over the mirror. Perception: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (4) + 8 = 12 He sees himself in the mirror.

Raymond, you can open that spoiler ;-)

Raymond somehow notices that there's a seam around the mirror, and pulls at it. It pops open, revealing an opening. "Hey guys, I found a secret passage."

Raymond pulls open the mirror and enters a small closet. On the other end there is also a secret door which leads to a large study that has clearly been ransacked. Papers and inkwells have been thrown around the room. A large wooden cabinet lies on its back, its closed doors facing the ceiling. A window in the east wall has been broken out. The west wall is a large tinted window overlooking a well appointed alchemy lab. Several clay pots appear carefully piled on a rack on the study’s floor. Something makes a loud thump from inside the fallen cabinet.

Raymond holds his hand up to silence his colleagues as they walk in behind him, and points down at the cabinet. He circles around the other side of that cabinet, trying to quietly surround it, and readies to pull it up and see what's underneath.
Stealth: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (5) + 12 = 17

Orin stand at the doorway, card in hand.

Enrithel is quiet, and moves such that everyone is in range of the protective ward.

The cabinet shakes as more loud noises come from it.

I have positioned you based on your descriptions. Enrithel, you have 2 more rounds for your protective ward

With that, Raymond grabe the bottom edge of the cabinet and heaves upward.
Strength: 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (17) - 1 = 16

Hurok slides past Orin and Enrithel in the doorway and stands next to Raymond, pulling out his axe and preparing for whatever is about to pop out.