Kawrock pulls out his war razor and starts slicing happily into Arval's neck - however the worm is nowhere to be found as he continues to dig in. This thing moves very, very fast.
Whiskeyjack, nobly putting his patient first, tries to work on Arval as well.
His short stubby fingers have a certain magic, and with aplomb he pulls out the worm! Kawrock and Whiskeyjack then cooperate on his neck, and between the two fo them they manage to extract the final slugspawn!
It is thrown to the ground and stomped out of existence. The group has avoided infection.
The man and woman just watch in horror.
The moment Kawrock puts a sword against his neck he punches the bird in the face.
"WHAT?! ARE YOU MAD?!"
He screams, the slug burrowing deeper every second. After he realises what they are trying to do he tries to hold still as much as possible. After the fact is done he remains seated on the floor, his hand on his neck and slightly shivering.
"Anyone got a bandage or something? There is a gaping hole in my neck and it won't stop bleeding..."
The burly warrior seems worn by the whole affair. After a while he stands and moves to the last door still unopened in the building, he places his hand on the handle and checks if everyone is ready.
Whiskeyjack grabbed a rolled bandage from his pouch and cut it into two pieces. One went around the wound in Arval's neck, and the other on his own.
"Aye, le's be gettin' outta this place."
Wren tries to keep the bile and birdseed in her stomach as she watches the glory spectacle.
"Oh you poor land bound dearies, so close to the wormies that crawl onto you," Wren remarks, feeling pity for the non-flying. "It must be so hard for you all to be."
Wren waits to move on, thinking that the next door would be a good one to open.
"Not sure why you hit me Avral," Kawrock says as he rubs his head. "For one thing I wasn't infected and bashing someone's head not an effective treatment." He adds as he moves to check and open the next door.
Eldon's hand moves to his own neck. He suppresses the urge to shiver and nods to indicate he's ready.
You get instructions to Undiomede house from the strange, but helpful Tulbys (who volunteer their name, insulted nobody asked) and then head off to find the Whispering Way rider - and whatever the hell else is going on in his strange town.
House Undiomede has a strange beginning considering the obsession with bloodline and ancestry in Ustalav. It came about after a smuggler named Cassius Undiomede was too much of an irritant to the Count of Versex to ignore. Deciding to recruit, rather than punish talent, he granted him a lordship and a stretch of coastline from the Destatch River to the northern edge of the Soddentimbers. The town of Baytown was established over top of Undiomede's smuggler's camp.
Connecting the name of Undiomede to Illmarsh, you recognize that Illmarsh is in fact Baytown - hundreds of years later.
Baytown prospered as a fishing and trading community, and he established his residence amongst a ring of ancient stone menhirs. The prosperity of Baytown was astonishing, but for reasons unknown to scholarly wisdom, the line died out abruptly, when Manus Undiomede murdered his father Cassius and vanished, never to be seen again. With the death of the Undiomedes, Illmarsh dwindled into negligence.
Rather than stopping to inform the mayor of your progress on his assigned task, you make straight for the Undiomede house, a two-mile journey from Illmarsh. It is built on a small, swampy lake near the edge of the Soddentimbers. You spot the stone mansion as you approach frmo the south up a carriage path.
The carriage path is well disused and is now a muddy, overgrown trail, which you now walk on. A swampy lake is to your left.
There are several sets of shod humanoid tracks, including one set of tracks that is much larger than the others. They are less than 24 hours old. The tracks overlap so much it is hard to discern how many humanoids walked here. At least three. There is no return trail.
The largest tracks belong to a marsh giant.
You also spot faint tracks of a single horse heading towards the house. These are several days old and have been rained on. There is no return trail.
As you approach the house, the you spot movement in the dark waters of the pond. You spot no creature, only the expanding ring of ripples in the water.
Around 50 yards east of the house on a low rise, you spot an overgrown graveyard. Barely visible.
"At least three humanoids," Eldon shares. "The track's less than 24 hours old, and I don't see any footsteps going the opposite way."
Eldon points in the direction the footsteps are going. "Let's follow them!"
"Be wary of the pond. Something might be lurking there." Kawrock says as he points to the fading ripples on the pond.
Wren keeps herself flying, most of the time at 15' or higher, while the party moves to the Undiomede. She keeps an eye out for danger (and feathers) as they trek, letting those with woodland skills demonstrate them with only a correcting word or two.
I don't know how these people survive without me.
Perception
Perception
Wren floats even further from the pond, confirming Kawrock's warning.
"Oh dearies, be careful there."
"Yes, at least three men or women, and something big... Sometime later a rider came through the same path. I think we are on the right path."
As Kawrock warns about the water he moves as far away as possible.
"Let's move quickly here, no use to attract unwanted attention."
Giving the pond a wide berth, you head northwards to the house proper.
A long-since overgrown garden is in the front of the house with a path leading through it. You can spot several entrances. The main entrance facing the path, which are double doors. A single door in the south, and the west. You could also circle around the house to approach from the east side or the back.
Wren gawks at the manor, planning the best route.
"Kawrock, you see anything of interest?"
Eldon sees Wren look at the double doors to the far left. If no one comes up with some kind of clever plan that requires another course of actions, then Eldon heads over to those doors. He'll make sure to stay clear of the water either way.
Kawrock shifts into his fire bug form and joins Wren up in the air. Keeping a sharp eye out from any activity from the house or pond.
-Posted with Wayfinder
The house is two-storeys, and there are in fact a multitude of windows to peek in to. There are windows in the west and southern wings, and several windows above and to the left and right of the double doors. There are no windows which look into the room directly beyond the double doors, however.
Arval walks beside Eldon, watching around to see if they walk into a trap. He also tries to keep an eye out on the road, for tracks of the rider. Once at the door he waits for the birds to land before trying the door.
Wren floats along with Arval.
"This reminds me of this time I was following in the footsteps of my good friend, Feathers...blahblahblah...eerie haunted mansion...blahblahblah...talking halfling with a fetish for...blahblahblah...many options for where to stick things...blahblahblah...liked when it was accomplished from behind...blahblahblah...and that's how we learnt the bird was male...blahblahblah...and he was 'henpecked', get it? GET IT!?" Wren titters as she tells a really good joke.
Wren and Kawrock circle around the house. Beyond being two-storeys, there is a widow's walk (a circular balcony) on the top floor which is easy to see.
A railed widow’s walk stands atop the manor’s dome, looking
out over the surrounding marsh. The bricks lining the floor of this cupola are sunken as if from a great impact. In the center of this shallow crater lies a mangled and gore-spattered corpse in the shredded remains of red and green finery. A trapdoor provides access to the house below.
A strange shadow passes over the widow's walk as the two circle over it... but looking up you see nothing but clear skies.
Keeping a safe distance, the two of you circle the house from a distance, peering into windows with keen eyes.
First floor:
- Several empty dilapidated hallways
- The east wall is partially collapsed, revealing a dining room and a bedroom
- An intact living room
- A kitchen, which was in a broken outbuilding to the north
- One area of the house with boarded windows
- A bedroom in the west wing
Second floor:
- A drawing room
- A nursery
- An unusually cold library
- A master bedroom
- A lounge, which appears to be occupied due to some movement within
Notably, several large boulders appear to be sticking out of the walls from within the first floor of the house. It looks like the house was built over them.
Finally Eldon heads over to the west door. He hears a horse on the other side.
Kawrock lands next to Avral. "Based on what we saw there might be something big and smashy inside." Kawrock advises his friend. "Hope you can move well in that armor because dodging is probably your best bet." The Tengu then pauses to wait for his elven companion to add some inappropriate story related to their observations.
Wren follows Eldon to the west side, floating above and making mental arrangements to enter and she she might react to various threats. She draws her wand of magic missile and clutches at it protectively.
"Oh, this reminds me of that abandoned mansion," Wren squawks and waits for Eldon to enter.
Arval nods to the little halfling and tries the handle of the door, the stables being a good place to enter. He makes a shushing motion as to not draw unwanted attention by Eldon's blabbering.
"I heard a horse inside," Eldon whispers as he places hand on the doorknob, then turns it.
You get instructions to Undiomede house from the strange, but helpful Tulbys (who volunteer their name, insulted nobody asked) ...
...Now, who be ye? Simple folk jest happenin' t' be sittin' all alone in a temple full o' murderers an' monsters?...
Whiskeyjack followed Arval and Eldon as stealthily as he could, meaning he didn't exactly shout at them to wait for him. It was a firm whisper, hardly heard at all over the noise of his plate armor on the cobbled stones around the building.
The group prepares for a deadly opponent and opens the door to reveal... a horse. A piebald mare to be specific.
Two sets of double doors open into this wide chamber, large enough for a carriage to parked inside. Spare wheels and the rusted remains of a small forge show that one was once housed here. Two horse stalls occupy the far end of the room.
She's not a very happy horse. This poor creature looks to have been ridden half to death and is extremely weak - so much so she can barely stand. A peculiar brand of a figure eight with an arcing line extending from each side is on her rump - matching her to the the ledger from the Thrushmoor stables. This is clearly the horse of the dark rider, who you have chased all the way from Feldgrau.
A hallway stretches east into the dilapidated house.
Wren sweeps in, still flying (5' up) and glances around for trouble and things of interest. She casts Detect Magic out of curiosity and maintains concentration for the initial entry.
Perception w/Detect Magic
"These human habitations are horrid. How does your kind manage to live in places like this? Wouldn't a nice bed of straw in a warm spot be nicer?"
"Shall we let the horses free? I don't want that rider to run away again. We could also kill them to draw less attention, though the thought to kill a good horse pains me..."
Arval says as he walks up to the exhausted stallion, letting the animal sniff his hand.
Seeing Wren do a smart thing, Eldon decides to copy her.
"Maybe we can sneak the horses out?" Eldon suggests. "I'm awfully good with animals. I could lead them out."
Eldon doesn't know anything about handling animals.
With a small flash Kawrock shifts back to his regular bird like self and gently pats the horse. "Easy now lets see if I have any food for you." Kawrock retrieves a nice apple from his bag and uses it to lure the horse outside. He feeds the horse the apple and removes the saddle and bridle. "There you go all better now you can go on your way." He moves a safe distance away and sets the riding gear a blaze. "He'll have a tough time getting back on that horse now."
"No t' mention tha' horses dinnae really like fire much." Whiskeyjack added as the beast began to whinny and toss its head.
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Part Four: Undiomede House
When last we left our heroes...
After the fall of Auren Vrood and his skeletal army, you discovered the strange Sausage Seasage Effigy had been handed off to a black rider, who rode south into Versex County, to the puritanical town of Thrushmoor. From there, after uncovering an killing a Whispering Way agent in the stables, you rode east for the strange, smelly town of Ilmarsh. On the way, you saved the life of a strange inventor named Horace Croon.
Within Ilmarsh, you were given a task to solve several strange disappearances in town by the mayor, who asked you to investigate the local temple of Gozreh. Upon entering the temple, the Gozrans turned out to be none other than worshipers of the demon lord Dagon! You defeated the cultists and their strange, delicious mega-lobster. Further within, you found several headless bodies, and a couple of locals who had given their daughter up for 'fostering' to the Neighbors, residents of a mysterious village that was just vaguely down the bay.
It turns out the bodies had been infected with the spawn of an Elder God, and that one of the dead bodies was a Whispering Way agent who had been staying in town under the cover of a merchant. From there, all signs pointed to Undiomede House. The black rider had apparently gone there, as well as the child the couple had voluntarily fostered to these strange Neighbors.
You now stand in the stables of Undiomede House the original noble seat of the area, apparently built over an ancient druid circle. The house seems strangely unoccupied so far, save for one lone man on the top floor. However, you have found the very tired horse of the black rider.
Your mission here is simple. Locate the black rider, discover the plans of the Whispering Way, and stop them!
***
Kawrock finishes feeding the horse an apple, which she eats very gratefully before he burns the saddle and bridle. The horse is now free to do as she pleases. She just stands around, still too exhausted to do much. Wren searches the area but doesn't find much.
While the group works with the horse, some of you also peer into some of the nearby rooms, which are unoccupied.
Nearby is a storeroom, and bedroom. The bedroom is completely empty except for a bed frame. You also find a privy.
The store room looks like so:
This chamber holds only old crates and sacks of food stores, largely disintegrated over the years.
From here, there is a door leading to the entrance foyer. Interestingly, huge boulders are sticking out of the walls in the centre of the house - they appear to be keeping the house up rather than support pillars.
Eldon puts a finger to his lips and sneaks up to one of the doors, which he carefully opens to take a peek at whatever's beyond.
Wren casts Detect Magic then concentrates into the store room, then the bedroom.
"This seems older than I am," Wren squawks.
Arval scrapes his adamantine sword against the stone boulder, chips flaking off.
"I think we could bring the whole house down if we wanted to..."
"Aye lad, bu' then th' locals'd dearly have cause t' fear an' mistrust us. Le's no' be knockin' down any houses tha' we dinnae have t' be."
The dwarf considered this for a moment, then said, "Bu' if'n we be havin' t', ye ken be th' one t' be doin' i'!"
Whiskeyjack moved into the rooms with Lena, looking closely about for any signs of the dark rider, or documents showing his purpose and plans.
[ooc]Using detect magic in each room, as part of the searching process.
The group mills about and Whiskeyjack actually manages to find something in the store room. With Kawrock's help, they mangae to realize that there was some kind of struggle in this room. It looks like it was chaotic, but it's impossible to tell who was victorious and how many combatants there were.
While searching, a saddlebag is found under under some rubbish. Within the saddlebag is a box packed with straw, that contains the clear impression of an object.
A strange tentacled statue. This is very likely to be the box the Seasage Effigy was carried in.
There is no sign of the object that was in the box. However, a scrap of parchment is found in the bag.
"Ask Lucas about Raven's Head."
Meanwhile, Eldon heads up to check out the landing and the doors to the room ringed with boulders. He listens at the door, and hears the distinct sound of loud, heavy, feminine breathing. There is someone on the other side, and she sounds big.
Kawrock eyes the straw in the box. "Based on what was described to us earlier I am almost certain the...what did Wren call it again? The sausage effigy, use to be inside the box." Looking around cautiously the tengu adds. "We are definitely on the right track. Be ready there is certainly danger ahead."
Int
Wren shrugs, thinking that Kawrock might be right. She looks more closely to see if there is any magical residue in the box, inferring that the Sausage Effigy might be magical and there might be residue to see and to gauge the strength of such.
Eldon rejoins the others to share that, "A heavily breathing woman of considerable size stands on the other side of that door."
He points at the door, in case the others were too busy doing their thing to notice him sneaking off. With Eldon being a professional and talented sneaker, that's not a hard thing to imagine.
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Whiskeyjack looked at Eldon, then glanced over at Arval. In a hushed voice, he whispered to the bard, "Dinnae be sayin' tha' too loud, ye daft wee loon! D' ye think Arval needs t' be hearin' tha' a freakish big woman apantin' heavily be standin' beyond th' door? Th' fool'd like t' tear 'is armor off, aye an' 'is tackle too, in his rush t' be seein' such as tha'! Humans be almost irrepressible when i' comes t' such things, an' 'e's been on th' road a long time. Ever'one knows humans cannae restrain themselves when i' comes t' matin'!"
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Oh, but he's restrained himself admirably with me so far, my dear Whiskeyjack. Wren thinks to herself while smiling through her yellow and crooked teeth. He seems able to restrain himself quite well.
Wren waits for the door to be opened. She draws her wand.
Kawrock draws his sword. "Enemy or not, I get the feeling I'm not going to like what's on the other side of that door." Kawrock says as he avoids looking at Avral, just in case what Whiskeyjack said was true.
The group line up at the door, count down, and swing it open.
A vast chamber occupies the space below the mansion’s cracked dome. Sweeping stone stairways, their wooden railings long since rotted away, climb to a balcony overlooking the room below. From the center of the floor rises a rough, flat stone with scorch marks on its center, large enough to be a table. More surprising are the columns that support the dome high above. Rather than the finished pillars one would expect in such a stately chamber, seven massive stones stand along the walls instead, crudely chiseled and set on end in a rough circle. It appears that the lords of Undiomede did not just place their seat at an age-old sacred site, but built their house upon the ancient stone menhirs of the druid ring itself.
Within the room towers a green-skinned giantess! She has a strange, slightly deformed face, like she's halfway to a frog. The giantess is not surprised at all to see you. A very, very large rock is in her hand.
She grins cruelly and hoists the rock to throw.
However, she's as slow as she looks and most of you can act first!
Lena
Arval
Wren
Kawrock
Whiskeyjack
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Yib
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Eldon