Runt squeezes between Lavenor and the desk, holding out her hands as if to keep him from approaching.
"Lavenor, what's wrong? Is this place getting to you?"
Kizzy stares at the bloodstain, listening to Isabella and trying to hear the song of the Foxglove's; certain it is a tragic tune full of death and loss. She remains lost in her own thoughts...
Lavanor lunges past Runt shouldering her aside and he grabs the dagger.
Forest has absolutely nothing to the discussion on haunts and ghosts and necromancy. Not something he's ever dealt with, not. something he's ever wanted to deal with.
Runt shouts out a warning and prepared to defend herself. Lavenor is being influenced. I don't know what he is going to do with that dagger, but it won't be good."
Camil, seeing Lavanor grab the dagger, snaps out his scarf, attempting to disarm the ranger.
"I do... its quite obvious, the haunt is forcing him to attempt to follow the same actions as previous occupants." he says flatly, "In this case...suicide". He nods a Camil attempts to disarm him, "Yes, yes... disarm him."
A quick step into the room and Camil's scarf snaps out. The ranger, not quite himself, is unable to defend against the attack and the dagger falls to the ground. When it hits, everyone can see it is but a long splinter of wood, but still capable of killing a man. Lavanor then comes to himself, his pulse racing but fully in charge of his own faculties again.
Giving Lavenor a close look and seeing that he is no longer acting odd, Runt rifles through the desk, hoping to find something with a clue and looking for any hidden compartments.
It's a writing desk with no drawers but there are no papers upon it and the silver inkwell (3gp) is dry and the quill has dry rotted. A search of the room reveals nothing else of interest other than the lack of fungal growth, which seems to permeate everything else, inside the room.
Lavanor shakes his head as if waking up. "What happened? I felt as if I wanted to end my life after killing my true love. This family is cursed. I think the whole place should be burned to the ground," he says as he rubs his wrist and looks down at the long piece of wood.
"We may just end up doing that. Whatever is haunting this place would probably like that, particularly if some of us got caught in it."
Losing interest in the infested room, Runt makes her way to the next door and opens it.
While sometimes a purifier, I hear tell devils and demons dance in flames. It would seem that murder and betrayal are the cords of the Foxglove song... let us continue searching and to find answers, to learn the rest and bring it to a close. Let us continue on. Kizzy then moves into the hall to support Runt's continued investigation.
The door Runt tries is locked. Camil is able to step up and unlock it. You find it is a stairwell leading up. The sobbing can be heard more strongly here.
Runt casts a summons another raptor and then heads up.
"Follow me, guys."
Runt heads on up the stairs. She finds a door immediately at the head of the stairs on her right. The hall turns to the left where a quick peak reveals a hall of doors; two on the left and three on the right before it turns to the left. Her velociraptor takes the lead and she is followed by Forest and Larry.
Camil looks up the rickety staircase and follows Runt and Forest, cautioning Larry to watch their backtrail instead. Come on friends, let's see what Runt's following up there. he focuses on Lavanor, You okay Lavanor? We're counting on you. seeing that the ranger is well enough, the gambler heads up the stairs with others, checking the first door they come to and helping open it.
Lavanor follows up the stairs. "Yes, I believe so. Thanks for asking. All of us need to keep an eye on each other while we are searching the building. It seems that any one of us can be affected by these haunts," he says.
Follows carefully the others.
Kizzy follows along in the middle of the group, prepared to start a song; especially since they have heard crying and with all the other haunts, she is preparing for sounds. Plus, she can't really see past the corners or her companions, so she listens for the next notes of the Foxgloves song to reach them.
Do we need to send light up? Kizzy asks noticing the guards with light are all now at the back of the group.
Runt just opens the door she is next to, not waiting for the others to catch up. Seems to her that the traps in this place are not the kind a rogue is going to disable.
Larry moves back as requested. Then before Camil can get to the head of the stairs Runt opens the door. A large number of planks of wood, rope, and other repair supplies are stored here. The ceiling above sags noticeably; in several areas patches of the sky above are visible. Dozens of ceramic urns and metal pots sit on the floor below to catch leaks. The sidewalls are covered in what appears to be newer plaster but the fugal growth has encroached even on it. The sobbing can be heard from down the hall.
Runt eyes teh room dubiously.
"Anyone feel a great need to explore every room in light of what keeps happening?"
If no none responds she moves on towards the sound of sobbing.
Camil ponders a moment before responding, I, for one, don’t like jumping to the end of the game and betting without seeing all my cards first. I think we may have clues and should check all these doors before we approach the sounds. ‘Revealing it’s song’ as Kizzy would say.
"Well... OK. Go ahead and explore. I think I'll just wait out here this time."
Camil steps into the storage room but find nothing of interest nor does anything interesting seem to find him.
"We never know where we might find a useful clue," says Isabella. "We need to be thorough, even if it is dangerous."
Kizzy smiles at the reference to her, pleased she is able to help.
Once we have all the clues, the song will be revealed. But I must admit, I fear this song is sad and dark, perhaps more-so than we yet know.
The next four rooms are full of old furniture, rugs, knick-knacks, etc. You take about a half-minute in each, moving quickly. Nothing supernatural happens when you open them and you find nothing of any real value. Someone who was a good carpenter might be able to revitalize some of the furniture and make some money at market but otherwise the items are worthless.
As Runt rounds the corner at the end of the hall, there is a shriek of pain from down the newly revealed hall.
Camil looks at the rest of them and nods, Sounds like someone is in danger? OR could it be another one of those odd vision things? I guess we should check it out. He grimly looks down the hallway and shrugs.
"Yes, that is the quandary ... more of these sins of the past haunting whomever dare trespasses, or something in the actual here and now" he comments as he follows along.
It takes a scream to get them to stop messing around. If only I had known.
"By all means, yes, let's check out the screaming girl."
Runt is no rescuer of troubled maidens, but it serves as a good excuse to go charging into the room.
Kizzy ponders how devastating a lightning bolt would be as the line moves forward, waiting for word about what new lyric is to be sung from the room ahead.
This room is cold and damp; a few crates sit near the north wall. The ceiling slopes down to only four feet high to the northeast, leaving lit- tle room for a small window, while to the southeast, a mold-encrusted pillar of brick marks the passage of a chimney. A full-size mirror in a dark wooden frame of coiling roses leans against these bricks, angled toward the tiny window. A blanket lies at the foot of the mirror. Kneeling in the room is a woman in a tattered blue dress. She faces the mirror with her face in her hands, sobbing. Her skin is pale but her hair is dark and lustrous.
Just in case, Runt casts a weapon of awe before entering because this place is THAT messed up.
Upon entering she blurts out what she is thinking.
"What in the abyss is going on here, young woman? Death everywhere and haunts in every other room."
The woman does not answer nor react to your presence in any way.
Forest shoves his way to the front of the cramped hallway. Normally he was one to rush to the aid of a distressed maiden, but he trusted nothing here. "Miss, we're going to burn this place to the ground so you should make ready to leave. We can help you get back to Sandpoint." He says, poking his head into the room.
Runt eyes the mirror suspiciously. Entering the room she gently turns the mirror to the side. Just in case it is some kind of evil talisman, she avoids looking into it.
The woman apparently peeking out from between her fingers stops sobbing when the mirror is shifted away. She drops her hands revealing horrible bruising around her neck and dried blood that has dribbled from her mouth to her chin. She rises and gives a horrific scream that strikes everyone to the core of their being. She then cries out, “Aldern! I can smell your fear! I’ll be in your arms soon!”
Camil, KIzzy, Lavanor and Zherxikas are overwhelmed with an irrational guttural fear of this woman and they recoil from whence the scream came.
Kizzy stands frozen in place trembling.
Runt, who finds the display distasteful but not at all scary, shouts at her, "Oh for crying out loud. Quit your caterwauling and tell us what this is all about."
"There has to be something in the drinking water. Nobody here is normal." Forest grumbles, sheathing his scimitar and approaching the sad lady, grabbing for her wrist. "Come on, dear, you can't stay here."
Forest grabs her wrist and is almost certain she is not alive. The woman’s skin is cold, room temperature at best. The muscles underneath the skin are strong though and you are barely able to control the arm.
You mean this is the round after Runt turned the mirror?
If not, just for yucks, I think I will have her step back and use a scroll to cast magic weapon on her cold iron falchion.
Camil cowers on the ground, mind racing in fear, What can cause this kind of paralysis and fear? I can gamble hundreds of gold coins away in a minute with no fear, and I've fought demonic things before. So this is clearly a supernatural fear - a she's undead. A revenant - they hunt their killers mindlessly - so Aldren killed her, and she's cursed to try and hunt him down. Perhaps an undead ally in this... Dammit, if only I could stand up.... but he only moans slightly in fear on the ground as his muscles tense with supernatural terror.