Naught quickly searches the room before they leave.
"Rebuild his wife's skull? OK, that's nuts right there. What kind of prison was this?! Wow."
"Well, there's one door we haven't tried. Let's see where it leads, shall we?"
Govannon heads over to the next door, tucking the haunt siphon back in his pouch so as to have his hand free to open the door. He hangs onto the morning star for now... though he's missing his scimitar mightily.
Naught quickly searches the guard room but finds nothing of interest.
Govannon opens the southern door to reveal a charred and burned room. The blackened remains of a winch lie in the corner. You can tell that the winch controls were hopelessly ruined by the fire.
"We've got to find a way to open these portcullis... portcullises? portculli? Whatever they're called, we need to open them. Does anyone have any suggestions?" He looks frustrated.
Govannon will take-20 at each one trying to lift it for a total of 23. Just to see if there's any chance at all of getting them to budge.
"Nope."
Govannon, you find that the western winch is operational and will raise the associated portcullis.
Ali shrugs at Zelda. She whispers, "I can sew. A little."
She observes Govannon try the cranks with baited breath. Then she whispers loudly, "Maybe, um, we should try going around first, see if there's another way in? See what we're dealing with first? Cause... they're going to, like, know we're here if we lift the gate." Looking at the other two winches, "Maybe they raise the other two gates? Do they still work?"
"Another way in?" he stops grappling with the winch. "Cool! Show me, I'm right behind you." Govanan heads in the direction Aliseya suggests leaving the winches in place for now.
The group cautiously explores the southern passage, but finds no way to bypass the rusty portcullis. In the western passage, Govannon is able to raise the portcullis using the guard room winch.
As he prepares to enter the darkness beyond, Govannon notes a brass nameplate, its face caked with soot, hangs above the portcullis. Wiping the away the dust, he sees that the area was called "The Reaper's Hold".
Going forward, he enters a large cellblock. Many of the iron doors along the walls within the cellblock hang open, revealing empty cells within. Govannon notes a door on the southern wall exiting the cell block area.
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Aliseya shivers when she reads the sign for herself. Looking inside the dread cellblock, it is then that she realizes one of her hands is instinctively squeezing Naught's upper arm in fear. Smiling apologetically, she releases the storyteller's arm, and returns her tight grip to her staff.
Eyeballing the southern exit, Ali motions for Gov and the others to head there. She cautiously treads south. Her eyes are wide with anticipation, though determination for Kendra's welfare keeps her moving on.
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"My arm's warmer than your staff. Stronger too." Naught replies half-jokingly in order to reassure the Dancer.
Govannon nods at Aliseya's gesture. He walks carefully to the south, watching for skeletons. He still has his morning star out.
The chanting recedes into the distance the further you head down the west wing of the dungeon. Within the cells of the cell blocks you find nothing but bones and ashes.
Opening the southern door, you behold a large square chamber. Numerous grisly tools of torment decorate the room, from cages to hanging chains along the walls to a stretching rack, a large wooden tank, and a fire pit in the middle of the room. To the east stands a grim iron maiden, the lid closed and presenting a stern decoration of a tormented woman upon its face. The broken, twisted skeleton of a human dressed in a tattered guard’s uniform lies upon the stretching rack in the middle of the room; the body is surrounded by several discarded knives, branding irons, and pliers. A large, bloodstained wicker basket sits at the head of the rack.
Aliseya shivers once more as thoughts run through her head of what this room was once used for. Looking around, she shivers yet again as she focuses in on the skeletal remains of a tortured prison guard... and what must be his skull in the blood-stained wicker basket.
"Well I'm not looking in that."
Ali's knuckles grow whiter as she clutches her staff ever tighter. She looks on at the headless skeleton, half-expecting it to suddenly get up and assault them, the way things have been going...
A disturbed look crosses Naught's face as she looks into the room before her eyes latch onto something hopefully less unpleasant.
"Hey... there's footprints going to the wall, maybe there's another secret wall." she says as she starts to head towards the eastern wall.
"... or one of the ghosts can leave footprints or something, I'unno."
Govannon, though he has travelled a bit, has never been inside a prison, working or defunct. And this one is not pleasant. If they're all like this, I must be sure to keep out of them. he decides unnecessarily.
He'll search the room casually, keeping his distance from the more unpleasant aspects as he looks around. When Naught points out a possible secret wall, he approaches it and stands ready to defend whomever finds the opening.
"Good eyes Naught."
"Thanks."
|
Zelda looks around the room in fear and disgust. "How can anyone do this to someone else!" She moves around slowly afraid of what she might find. Hearing Naught she quickly moves to the wall.
"There must be a trigger around here somewhere." she exclaims as she begins to search the wall.
[ooc]knowing how important this is Zelda will take 20 to carefully examine the wall to find the device to open the secrete door. Perception is 26 and to unlock the door if needed I have a +10 just let me know if I should roll for it.[ooc]
Zelda's careful search of the room reveals a secret door on the east wall.
You all notice that the basket near the stretching rack is quivering - something is moving within!
;1=Z, 2=G
"Huh? No. No. Nonononononononononono." Naught hurriedly lets out and begins to move as she sees the iron maiden slowly begin to open. Pushing against the "doors" she hopes to make whatever is in there stay in there.
Naught cannot prevent the iron maiden from opening. The door swings open to reveal Kendra impaled upon the spikes. Blood oozes down her pale, lifeless body from multiple puncture wounds.
Zelda walks to the open iron maiden and the doors swing closed around her.
At this point six severed, ghastly hands begin rapidly crawling out of the basket. Two move towards each of you.
Round: 1, Initiative: 5
Weapon Equipped = Morning Star, Haunt Siphon
Conditions = Arcane Morning Star (1/10r)
melee: Attack: BAB +1, Str +3 Damage: Str +3
ranged: Attack: BAB +1, Dex +1 Damage: +0
Arcane Pool (su/swift): 1/4
Spells (Caster Level 2, Concentration +5 (+4 defensively))
Zero (13): Acid Splash, Dancing Lights, Detect Magic, Prestidigitation
First (14): Color Spray, Shield,
Govannon wonders if damaging the hands will damage the iron maiden the way the skulls did with the last nightmarish visage. He does his best to find out - attacking with his morning star (standard), quickly beefed up to be a magic weapon * (swift).
(arcane)
(arcane)
"Hang on Zelda, we'll get you out of there!" he shouts hoping it may be true at some point.
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Too focused on Zelda's imminent danger to even begin to even fathom the loss of Kendra at this moment, Aliseya rushes to the trapsmith's aid. Rage overcomes her...
With wrathful visage and body language, Aliseya curls her free arm inward, towards her bosom, gripping the seemingly empty air before her chest. Her free hand, once more, and even her forearm now as well, take on the bony appearance of one belonging to an old crone. Yet this time, a greenish hue visibly displaces her normal and smooth flesh tone, appearing desiccated, and with small wartlike growths manifesting along her bony forearm. Fingernails protrude like sharp claws as she grips the empty air.
A seemingly tangible darkness weighs heavily in the air as Ali seems to gather a dark power to her. With sudden force, she thrusts her clawlike and cronish hand forward, jetting the abhorrent energy towards the maiden and hands alike. She shrieks in the dark tongue at those undead manifestations... her voice sounding almost preternatural, and high in pitch. Now both reddish in hue and faintly glowing with dark power, her eyes appear sunken, surrounded by unearthly darkness...
And the hands, "FLEE FROM MY SIGHT! BACK INTO THE BASKET FROM WHENCE YOU CAME!"
Ali yells at Naught something in the horrid language...
Panicking, Naught is brought to once Aliseya calls to her in the language they shared.
With a quick nod she'll then frantically pull out the siphon and pop the top.
Naught pulls the cork from her siphon and a greenish stream of energy begins to be pulled from the iron maiden. As she does so the crawling hands swarm over the floor to attack. One hits both Naught and Aliseya . One of the hands latches onto Naught.
Aliseya commands the undead and four of the six crawling hands scurry back into the basket. One hand remains latched on Naught and the other continues to attack Aliseya.
Govannon swipes at one of the hands with his enchanted morning star, but is unable to hit the undead.
The iron maiden remains closed.
; A
; G
; N
; A
; N
Round: 2, Initiative: 5
Weapon Equipped = Morning Star, Haunt Siphon
Conditions = Arcane Morning Star (1/10r)
melee: Attack: BAB +1, Str +3 Damage: Str +3
ranged: Attack: BAB +1, Dex +1 Damage: +0
Arcane Pool (su/swift): 1/4
Spells (Caster Level 2, Concentration +5 (+4 defensively))
Zero (13): Acid Splash, Dancing Lights, Detect Magic, Prestidigitation
First (14): Color Spray, Shield,
Seeing how ineffective the hands are, and now that there are just two remaining, he concentrates, with Naught, on the iron maiden. He does what Naught does, and brings his Haunt Siphon to bear.
He moves to the Iron Maiden and opens the Siphon he was already carrying.
When Govannon pulls the cork from his siphon green, ecotoplasmic energy again leeches from the iron maiden into the vial. After several seconds the energy dissipates and the iron maiden doors open. Zelda falls out onto the floor. She is weakened and her body bears dozens of deep, bloodless punctures . Kendra is nowhere to be seen. Strangely, the interior spikes within the iron maiden have long since rusted away, rendering the torture device harmless.
When the iron maiden haunt is captured, the remaining crawling hands scurry away to join their fellows in the basket.
Govannon grimaces as Zelda collapses. He helps her up and stands nearby as a prop if needed.
"That was my last siphon." he looks inside the maiden, "Where's that other woman? Was that just a part of the haunting?"
He backs away. "If we're going to fight a lot more of these haunts, we're going to need more siphons. I think Zelda and Aliseya each have one left, but that's it. Do you think there's a place in the town we could buy some?"
"I can totally keep going. Just a little nervous is all."
"Zelda!" Naught cries out as she goes to help her fallen friend. "Where'd Kendra go? Did it smush you two together? Are you Zeldra now?"
Naught shakes her head to Gov's inquiry. "No, these ones were hidden, and temple of Pharasma tried to sell them as fast as possible after they took them from us and the only other authority in town is apparently working with the ghosts and, ugh..."
After resting for a moment to recover from her ordeal in the iron maiden, Zelda actuates the hidden mechanism that opens the secret door. A portal slides open in the eastern wall. The dancing lights around Govannon reveal a rough hewn cave beyond. The rough stone walls of this natural cavern drip with moisture, leaving stagnant pools of water on the uneven floor.
"Sorry Zeldra, I'll try to keep a better eye out..." Naught murmurs.
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Aliseya's flesh returns to her normal tone, though that wrathful look in her eyes... remains. Unflinchingly carrying on, she mutters something in that foul unlanguage once more...
Ali's still-bony fingers point ahead into the cavern...
Naught nods to Aliseya, but holds off on speaking lest a happy giggle escape her lips.
A smile however does through as the Dancer talks to her before the Storyteller begins to head in the direction she pointed.
Unable to understand, Govannon promises himself to learn the language, and follow along.
He walks along with the others, keeping his eyes open for further haunts.
Stepping into the cavern, Govannon's dancing lights reveal a dank chamber dripping with moisture. The cavern tapers into a passage on the eastern end. The passage dead ends after about 30 feet.
Her ears flapping and unfurling a bit Naught will silently bring a finger to her lips in front of the others while she points down the eastern passage.
Crouching a bit she'll start to make her way down.
Her ears flapping and unfurling a bit Naught will ...
Wait. What?
"My dear woman, your ears... they're flapping!"
Govannon is taken somewhat by surprise, and has trouble following along without staring.
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Naught sighs and lets her head slump. "Really? That's what you take from all of this?" she asks as the tendrils covering her head begin to writhe erratically.
Naught stealthily creeps to the end of the cavern passage. The passage dead ends without any visible exit.
Ali peers into Govanon, looking back to Naught, then shrugs. Seeing no visible exit, she begins to more carefully search the tunnel on its northern face, looking for another secret portal...
Both Aliseya and Zelda find the secret door. Zelda finds no traps on the door.
Close to the door, muffled chanting is audible on the other side.
"It's okay Zel, this is almost over." Naught tries to say reassuringly to her friend before opening the door her and Aliseya pointed out.
Govannon moves up next to the door with Naught and, gripping his morning star, waits for the door to open.
"I hope you're right. I've only another fight or two left in me - well good fight anyway. I can struggle along for a while if I have to." he grins.