Suffering from the sudden wave of psychological dissociation, Bashiel tries to think if there's a way to stop Zellara from being sucked into the vortex.
Seeing their ally being dragged away, Kalem did the only thing he could think of. Thrusting out his scythe, he pushed the shaft towards her and yelled "Hang on!" He reasoned that if his weapon could cut down ghosts, then logically speaking she would be able to hold onto it. While he knew that it wouldn't be a long-term solution, it would hopefully give the other (smarter) members of the group time to figure out a solution.
Bashiel informs the party he thinks the only way to avoid this to happen would be to teleport Zellara's deck out of the fortress. He is confident though that lifting the curse will safe her too.
Zellara grabs Kalem's scythe shaft, and the tiefling becomes suddenly aware of the strong pull the fortuneteller is suffering "The curse! You have to lift the curse of the fortress!"
"Zellara, we'll break you out. Don't worry." Bashiel calls out against the whirling ghostly wind. "We'll break the curse!"
He backs off and away from the room. Having experienced the Castellan's rather enervating touch, he has little desire to stick around close by until the remaining anchors are gone.
With Zamanda going a different way, he calls out "Where to?"
Zamanda calls back There's only one way. Right turn is a dead end.
With a sinking feeling Kalem watched as Zellara was pulled away. He didn’t like the feeling of powerlessness at all. Against a foe he could fight, then he would have stood his ground for her, even against the monstrous owner of the Castle itself. But against the pull of a spell? All he could do was watch. He didn’t say a word as he followed Zamanda and Bashiel deeper into the fortress.
Zamanda calls back There's only one way. Right turn is a dead end.
"I was thinking we jump!" Bashiel indicates to the courtyard below. "Fastest way to get some distance!"
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"The anchors! Break the anchors!" Zellara shouts while she is being definitely absorbed by the Fortress. When the spirit disappears within the walls, the breeze finishes.
You all follow Zamanda through the balcony. The windows are arrow slits, too narrow to jump through .
The chained spirit keeps appearing following you and attacking until you manage to reach the end of the corridor. By then, it appears through the walls with rage, but he does not manage to reach you for an attack.
At the end of the corridor you find out a small portcullis and a door. After opening the door and fighting a single skeleton minotaur guard you manage to find the mechanism to lift the portcullis getting yourselves out of the building again, over the roof of the western wing.
Outside there is still daylight, but Sun is coming to its zenith.
This parapet offers a haunting view of the crater lake and the ragged cliffs beyond.
The door in the eastern wall of the central roofline opens into a staircase that leads down.
At the northeast area of the parapet, a narrow ledge leads to a side door of the donjon.
The heavy oak door leading into the donjon is firmly locked and the seams around its edges are sealed with lead.
Below the roof, about 15', you get a good glimpse of the courtyard.
This wide courtyard gives an inside view of the castle’s looming walls and towers. A chill breeze whips through the courtyard, carrying a few dry leaves from scraggly scrub bushes that grow fitfully at the yard’s edges. A broad, stone-rimmed well stands at the western end, though the stone lip is crumbling and has collapsed in places. Thick patches of vegetation grow in and around this well, despite the apparent lack of soil to root within. To the north, stairs rise to a platform fifteen feet above the courtyard. Atop it, a black double door provides entry into the castle donjon. A double door to the east stands open, creaking on its hinges, as if left open by someone leaving in a hurry. Bent, rusted, and in some cases partially broken spikes protrude from the walls of the courtyard, and here and there, holes in the hard-packed soil hint at long-missing structures or poles that once stood within.
Zamanda tries to jimmy the heavy oak door to the Donjon.
Amazingly, it works!
With an amazing display of skill Zamanda makes a series of wedges around weak spots in the lead sealing, and with a precise hit makes the surrounding rock to collapse and crack, enough that the door can be open with some strength effort.
Beyond there is another door that opens to a small hall leading to another door.
As you open this second door, you do feel a palpable evilness emanating out of the donjon.
There are a couple of powerful auras of abjuration overlapped there.
There a single strong evil aura emanating from the donjon.
You recognize this as a Forbiddance effect like the one that protects the Dead Warrens back in Korvosa. You have no idea what alignment it might be tight to, but you feel some kind of interference.
Bashiel spends a short while catching his breath after the Castellan's attack, but finds his head remaining foggy. He shakes it and looks down into the courtyard. "Strange, it looks like there was something built here once." He realizes he's getting weirdly distracted and adds "Alright. So we need to destroy the other anchors? The last two are something in a kennel with a killing breath, and one on a stone amid ash and bone. It'd be best that we focus on finding them first rather than just wandering. I'm not sure what that magic will do to Zellara in the mean time."
He does a circuit of the eastern balcony battlements, looking for any sign of an area densely packed with ash and bone, or any building or chamber that looks like it could be a kennel.
When Ilsa mentions the auras, he focuses his attention on the dungeon entrance and nods "Concentrated evil, but only a single aura. Not sure if that means there's a single anchor alone inside."
"As for the defensive magic... it could be holding something inside or blocking crusaders like ourselves from entering. Unless we think that's our anchor in there, we should hold off for now until we learn more, I think."
Whomever sealed the door that Zamanda just opened, he really take special measures to make sure no one entered. Or perhaps for whatever inside not to get out. The auras the group detect only confirms this.
You do hear a ghostly voice whispering ...the stone... and as it goes away ...inside.... You also get a sudden feeling of great dread and evilness.
The kennels must be at the lower level, as the owners of the castle would not like to move hounds through the luxurious interior.
The only area at that level that leads to the exterior is the courtyard. The kennels must be open to there.
The open doors to the east in the courtyard, moving freely with the wind over their hinges, definitely lead to a place that could be an abandoned kennel or a stable.
The courtyard is 15' below your current position and there are no stairs from here to there though. It is likely you could use the side door of the donjon you are standing in front of, and moving through to the main entrance of the donjon you could use the main stairs there to descend to the courtyard. Or you could just jump down to the area round the well.
You all see a series of lights on the windows of the southern section, from where you just came from. The lights intensify, then just fade off disappearing.
I think I know where the kennels might be. Probably if we go through the donjon we can find some stairs that lead that way.
"Follow me then." Kalem said. "Though it's starting to feel like it would be a better idea to just blow this entire place up so nothing is left. Got a spell for that, Zamanda?"
As you enter the donjon, there seems to be a burst of conflicting energies. Bashiel and Zamanda's goodness protects them against one of the forbiddance auras in effect. The conflict seems to disable both the evil protecting and the good protecting auras for some seconds, letting the whole party to enter safely as the magic fizzles out only to reappear some seconds afterwards.
Opening the next door you find a corridor. There is a door to the west, and another door to the south at the eastern side. At that eastern side the corridor turns to the north. Likely stretching some few other meters forward.
Oh, the "Obliteration of Everything" spell. Sure, I can cast that. But I think we have to be farther away...
She grins.
Then, after they go further and see several different ways to go, she says
This southern door seems like it would go in the direction of the courtyard...
She looks questioningly at the others to see if they want to try it.
"Through the donjon it is." Bashiel looks even more alert than usual, having heard an evil disembodied voice earlier. He keeps looking from side to side in case the source of the voice reveals itself. When it doesn't immediately, he comments "I heard something talking about a stone. It was very faint, but maybe it came from inside the dunjon."
When Zamanda offers her suggestion, he nods "There might be an entrance staircase."
Rather uncomfortable regarding the voice and the general ambiance of the donjon, Bashiel invokes his angelic guardians for protection.
The floor of this foyer is tiled in blood-red marble. An altar resembling a skull, its lower section wrapped in iron chains and its top cut off flat to form a level surface, stands in an alcove to the east. A ten-foot-diameter pool of what appears to be stagnant water, its rim fashioned of white marble, sits in the western alcove opposite the altar.
Inside the room you find the animated skeletons of three human cultists. They are no challenge for a medium level party, less even for seasoned adventurers like you. They quickly fell under easy blows of your weapons.
An examination of the altar reveals a small knife with rusty stains on its blade. The pool of water to the west is 5 feet deep.
On reentering the donjon after a visit outside, a priest would cut himself on the knife to release some blood, then bathe in the water to cleanse himself of the “impurities” of the outer world before returning to the sacred chambers within. You know what is expected of this obscure Kuthite ritual.
Malen retells for you everything he knows.
You do hear a ghostly voice whispering ...dead... and as it goes away ...they are all dead.... You also get a sudden feeling of great dread and evilness.
The exit door to the south is solidly sealed with lead like the one that served as a side entrance to the donjon.
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Ilsa taps her forehead with a finger.
"Anyone else hearing anything? I know I sometimes see and hear things the rest of you don't, but something's whispering to me about everything being dead. I get a chill down my back thinking about it. It's evil,' she says.
"Let's go through this door to the west," she suggests, trying to get her bearings."[/b]
”Don’t hear anything myself, but it doesn’t mean that the voices aren’t real. As long as we stay together we’ll be fine.” Kalem replied. He had come to the conclusion that a person could get rich looting this place, but it probably wasn’t worth the risk.
Nope, don't hear anything.
When Ilsa suggests a different door, Zamanda says
Wait, let me try to get it open first.
Zamanda moves forward into the room to try to get the door open like she did the last one.
"I was hearing it before Ilsa. Maybe its something evil trying to talk to us..." Bashiel focuses on examining the water, knife, and altar with his spiritual senses, trying to pre-empt the appearance of any haunts that might be lingering here. Malen's description had put him on edge.
"Zamanda, if you can manage that door, it might be best to do the kennels first. If not... well, I'm getting the feeling there might be another anchor here as well."
Zamanda attempts to repeat the deed but for now she fails.
Meanwhile Bashiel starts to detect evil towards the western area where the water is located.
Zamanda gives it another try.
But the lead sealing these doors seems more resistant than the previous ones.
Bashiel starts to sense and distinguish the different evil auras, but the evilness irradiated by the donjon itself completely masks away whatever faint evilness the knife or the water hold.
Zamanda tries one more time and then says
Sorry Bash, I can't. I'm pretty sure it's unlocked, but it still won't open. I think it's the lead around the edges... it came loose on that other door, but I can't seem to get it all on this one. We might be able to bash it open...
She flicks a glance to Kalem
...but if you think we have something else we can do first, that would work too. Or, I can just keep trying. I'm bound to get it after a while.
Bashiel shakes his head "It looks seriously sealed shut. Maybe we can find another way out." He stares for a moment at the water and altar and comments "Considering the intensely evil auras all over this place, I would rather not have this donjon open behind us anyway, not unless its been cleansed of whatever is infesting it."
"Lets see what might be this way." He points to the north east, then inspects the door for any hazards.
If Zamanda gives the OK, he opens it up.
Zamanda looks over at Ilsa, then back at Bash, and decides to just check all the doors.
Kalem nodded, glad that he didn't have to try and bash the door down. A door that was sealed shut so tightly would probably have meant breaking his foot rather than the door.
Bashiel and Zamanda are starting to inspect the door to the north-east, without finding any trap, when the waters of the pool churn and thrash before exploding upward in a torrent of rage as a mass of violent water.
Quickly filling much of the western portion of the room as it grows, the water starts bashing Bashiel with its powerful torrent.
But the powerful angelic spirits around the paladin protect him from the unexpected attack.
The creature says something in a strange bubbling language.
Stepping into the room, Kalem's scythe flared to life as flames licked across the blade. "I have no idea what you just said." Kalem muttered as he sliced his weapon across its watery form.
As Kalem slices part of the water, he feels the damage is less than expected and the scythe flames deal no damage.
Bashiel understands absolutely nothing of the bubbling, but the malevolence of the watery torrent is clear enough. "This place is even animating the water against us..." He strikes in with his rapier, testing the creature's form to see if it'll even be injured at all.
"Ilsa, Zamanda, hope you two have something up your sleeves against this thing!"
Zamanda attempts to jump backwards, out of the way of the watery creature.
Then she starts to sing.
Bashiel scores a hit with his rapier, but he notices the water resists part of the damage.
Zamanda attempts to escape the reach of the creature, but the water hits her hard on her chest as she is jumping back acrobatically.
Malen takes attention to avoid attacks of opportunity and raises his holy symbol uttering a powerful word of destruction "Being of the water depths, I free you from your hold in this place, and if not, be reduced to dust!"
The water suddenly ignites in holy flames, with a terrible shriek of pain the water is consumed in pharasma's sacred power and disappears from existence.
With the entrance back to calmness, other than Zamanda's discordant voice, the group is able to easily open the north-east door into a long corridor full of doors.
Zamanda stops singing.
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"Well. Remind me not to anger Pharasma." Kalem said, looking at the remnants of the elemental.
When they entered the corridor full of doors the bloodrager sighed. "Damn. This is going to take awhile. I'd bet a copper piece that this is either full of traps, or that ignoring the doors is going to come back to bite us. Zamanda, you're the expert on this, right? What do you think?"
Okay, I'll check these ones too. I already checked the doors in the other hall though, in case anyone wants to go that way.
Malen smiles at Kalem "You better behave, tiefling. Your soul will be judged in the afterlife"
Zamanda is working on the southern door when 5 translucent, ghostly figures fade into view from the damp mist, its face distorted by wrath into a hideous mask as they traverse through the door and walls to attack you!
Malen raises his voice to warn you "Spectres! Incorporeal undead creatures, be aware of their touch because it drains your life energy!"
Zamanda takes a step back from the ghost in front of her and again begins to sing.
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As Zamanda began to sing, so too did Kalem. "I can see clearly now, the rain is gone..." He joined in to her tune. While it was clear that he was not anywhere near her caliber, or that he was even close to being a bard for that matter, at least his voice wasn't half bad. While his first swing completely failed to connect, from there he began to get his bearings and his attacks became more and more accurate.
Zamanda is quick to react and steps back at the first sight of the spirits. Her voice inspiring all the party.
Kalem is too quick to swim and his scythe just strikes the wall, but then, he takes the caliber of the creature in front and slashes mightily. The blessing of the ancestors makes his blade to cut the first spirit as if it were corporeal, and with a third swing he ends the undead altogether with an interesting singing tone.
Two of them attack Kalem back.
Both spectres touch Kalem stealing his life essence.
While the other two go after Bashiel.
Both spirits have their hands going through Bashiel's armor as if it was not solid and touch his heart. The paladin feels a part of his essence being consumed and
Meanwhile Malen raises his holy symbol and casts a powerful circle of undeath to death "Evil spirits, make your final passage and find the River of Souls!"
Two of the spectres disappear with a fearful shriek of malevolence!
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Whatever spirits are left undestroyed, Ilsa instead tries to control.
"Servants of the black harvest--heed my call and help us instead of hindering us!" she exclaims, her mind reaching out to what is left of these malevolent spirits.
"Redeem yourselves with one final act of service!"
The spectres listen to Ilsa's command but they seem unperturbed.
Bashiel gasps as his soul is raked by the spectres. He raises his rapier in attempted defiance, but his grip on it is shakier than usual. "Urk. I'm going to need a rest after this one..." He tries to strike down the closest of them with a trio of strikes.
Despite the cover and weakness, Bashiel manages, just barely, to strike with all his attacks on the spectre, thanks in part to Zamanda's inspiring voice. The undead remains, in part thanks to its drained energy, but in a very weakened state.
Zamanda backs up another step, still singing, and decides to try hitting the ghost with her trusty oathbow, hoping it would do *something.*
(point blank, inspire)
(acid, cold, sonic, undead bane, point blank, inspire)
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...I can see all obstacles in my way..."
"...Here is that rainbow I've been praying for..."
"...It's gonna be a bright, bright..."
"...bright, bright sunshiny day."
Kalem sang, each verse coinciding with a swing from his scythe.
With two precise shots and a discordant but inspiring voice, Zamanda destroys the remaining energy of the spectre that fades away from existence under the magic of her arrows, and despite the door cover.
Kalem's song seems to please the Ancestors, whose shoanti blessing let's his scythe cut through the remaining spectre with total ease. Overtaken by the damage the spirit is destroyed to never come back.
Without the spectres hindrance, it is easy for the group to explore the doors as they intended in the beginning. Zamanda finds no traces of traps and you open all of the doors.
Each of these dingy, empty cells once acted as a homeand private shrine for some acolytes. Likely the spectres you have just defeated. Their bodies remain here as desiccated, brittle skeletons wearing fragments of black robes and rusty links of chain.
The gear on the bodies is mostly ruined.
A worn but colorful carpet covers most of the floor of this room, and a number of wooden tables and comfortable chairs are spaced about the chamber for informal gatherings and meals. A small kitchen has been set up by a low stone fireplace alongside a cupboard holding some dishes and utensils as well as a few desiccated remains of foodstuffs.
A sets of stairs go down.
You feel a cold silence coming from downstairs.
"Come here Bashiel, let me help you" Malen casts restoration on Bashiel, removing all his temporal negative levels before they can become permanent.
He then takes a scroll "Come here Kalem, this one is for you" as he recites the scroll, the same restoration effect returns Kalem's drained energy to his body.