D Perception
T Perception
sergeant carefully explained Harrowstone’s rules to the new “guests.” Once this procedure was complete, the guards led the prisoners out one by one, probably to their new accomodations behind bars.
It's wierd how clear it is to you. You can almost hear the Psychic echoes of shame and anger filling this room.
Jevault has kept a short distance between himself and the party, trying to filter out the ambient auras that coat this place just as thoroughly as the cobwebs do, to pick up something that may be useful; it's to no avail.
Bringing up the rear, his eyes gleam in the darkness, his gaze everywhere as the group presses on, to who knows what.
"Looks like a holding room of some sort. Is there anything in this place that isn't completely-" Ysabot's words are cut off with a low moan, and she sinks to her knees. She feels manacles clamp around her wrists, but looks down and sees nothing. "The chains... The sobbing..." she whispers fearfully, looking around. "Do you hear them, too?"
You hear a faint sobbing and the clanking rattle of chains, while at the same time you are filled with a momentary sensation of hopelessness. You fall to your knees and you have the strange feeling of heavy manacles clamping over your wrists.
Int Domminia
Int Theodoric
Agrimar drops to his knees, looking about the room for the source of the sobbing.
Agrimar, Ysabot and Jevault:
The sensations pass quickly, leaving you relieved that the bands around your wrists aren't real.
Everybody:
But as soon as the three who fell to their knees gasp in relief and seem to come to their senses, the spirits of the prison cause manacle chains to rise up, animate, and attack.
Miss.
Miss.
Miss.
Hit! Ereviss is shackled around the left leg.
Hit! Kendra is shackled around the right wrist.
Hit! Jevault is shackled around the left wrist.
Hit! Xiuj is shackled around the left wrist.
Begin round 1.
Ysabot manages to climb to her feet, swaying slightly as she does so, the feelings of manacles at her wrists fading. As she sighs in relief, chains animate around her, but don't seem to strike at her at all. She gasps in surprise as they begin shackling her companions.
"What in the nine hells is this?" she exclaims, swinging her quarterstaff at the chains shackling her closest companion, who happens to be Xiuj.
,
Theodoric goes over to Kendra and tries to rip Kendra's chain from the wall
Strength with both hands and he says, "Kendra, thou hath been set free!"
If not, Domminia steps five foot back from the wall and with the reach of her spear attacks the chains for
Ysabot hit the chain binding Xiuj, but it bounced off with no effect.
Theodoric snags the chain grappling Kendra (grabbing it near the wall where it cannot dodge) and in a terrifying display of strength rips it free from the wall. It then collapses and releases Kendra.
Domminia CMB to wrap the chain around her spear with reach, she twists the spear in a circle trying to get the chain twisted upon her shaft.
Domminia tries to wrap the chain around her spear, but it slithers out of her grip.
"Iomedae!" bellows Agrimar as he brings his falchion down on the chain binding Ereviss.
Jevault is barely back on his feet when the manacle comes at him. He raises his shield but too slowly; the chain wraps itself around his outstretched wrist.
Thinking quickly, the dhampir lowers his shield arm and, raising his morning star, attempts to smash the chain as it lies on the floor. Unfortunately, in his haste, he succeeds only in catching his own shield and the blow misses by a good distance.
The elf grabs his sword cane and attacks the manacle on his leg.
Round 1______
Ereviss is shackled.
Kendra is shackled.
Jevault is shackled.
Xiuj is shackled.
Ysabot is free.
Domminia is free.
Theodoric is free.
Agrimar is free.
Ysabot________________________________________
Ysabot hit the chain binding Xiuj, but it bounced off with no effect.
Domminia Vorsaife________________________________________
Theodoric snags the chain grappling Kendra (grabbing it near the wall where it cannot dodge) and in a terrifying display of strength rips it free from the wall. It then collapses and releases Kendra.
Domminia tries to wrap the chain around her spear, but it slithers out of her grip
Agrimar_________________________________
Agrimar’s falchion comes down on the chain binding Ereviss and cuts halfway through it.
Jevault Ardain_____________________________________
Jevault tries to smash his chain but misses.
Ereviss Ladyhunter_______________________________________
Ereviss attacks his chain with his sword cane but misses.
Kendra________
Newly freed, Kendra throws an Acid Splash at Ereviss’ shackle.
for a possible
Xiuj_____
Xiuj swears in Tian and also throws an Acid Splash at his shackle.
for a possible
Enemy______
Miss.
Hit! Theodoric is shackled right arm.
Hit! Agrimar is shackled right arm.
vs. The chain drags Ereviss to the wall.
vs. The chain drags Jevault to the wall.
vs. The chain slams Xiuj into the wall for bludgeoning damage.
1: 10
2: 10 Shackling Theodoric.
3: 10 Shackling Agrimar.
4: 6 Shackling Ereviss.
5: Destroyed.
6: 10 Shackling Jevault
7: 10 Shackling Xiuj.
Round 2______
Ereviss is shackled at the wall.
Kendra is free.
Jevault is shackled at the wall.
Xiuj is shackled at the wall.
Ysabot is free.
Domminia is free.
Theodoric is shackled.
Agrimar is shackled.
Seeing the manacle close around Agrimar's right wrist, Ysabot dashes over, swinging her quarterstaff at the chain shackling her brother. Persimmon's claws latch into the back of her cloak as she moves. The cat doesn't seem impressed by this new development, despite its effectiveness as the witch lands a solid blow.
,
Theodoric rips the chain restraining him with both hands from the wall.
Domminia takes a 5ft away from the chain to be out of reach and attacks with her spear for
Ereviss pops the top off his haunt siphon.
"Take that!"
Agrimar attempts to break free.
The sussurrus in the background grows louder, the sounds of prison inmates shouting in anger, growing into a prison riot.
Ysabot's mighty blow manages to dent one of the chain links holding her brother.
Theodoric again grasps the chain shackling him and tears it from the wall.
Domminia attacks one of the chains with her spear, but it bounces off.
Ereviss pulls one of the haunt siphons and twists the cap.
Immediately, the shouting turns to howls of fear. What seems like green vapor seems to be drawn from the chains and walls, extending into the haunt siphon. After a few seconds, it is all drawn into the siphon and it snaps shut again. All the chains sag now; Lifeless again.
Ereviss can see that the little whirlwind in the haunt siphon, which used to be white, is now a glowing green.
Agrimar pulls free of the shackle now.
Free of the chains, Jevault rubs his wrists as he crosses to pick up his weapon, dropped as he was dragged over to the wall.
"Nice work, Ereviss." he says, nodding to the elf. "Everyone OK?", he adds, looking around at his companions.
"I'm fine," Ysabot says quietly, looking down at the chains. "That was one of the stranger things I've been through, I must say."
"Seemed the time to use it. Anyone want me to have another one? I passed them out. But seems us back liners may have more opportunity to pop these off."
"You can use it again, this time as a negative energy grenade." Xiuj said, standing up and brushing himself off. He was a little rattled at being manhandled so by chains.
"You see green?" He said to Ereviss. "You use on living, not haunts! Or give me to recharge!" He left off muttering in Tian.
You sense that the Haunt here has been thoroughly destroyed; almost erased. For now at least.
Checking the room, you find nothing but wrecked wooden benches, time corroded shackles and dust.
From here you can go out the door North up the large hallway, across the hall to the other door filled with webs, or South then West down the narrow hallway.
Ereviss looks at Xiuj with a smile.
"You can recharge? Please do this. I have plenty of weapons that work on the living and ghosts, but not many for haunts."
Ereviss hands Xiuj the siphon. "If it cannot be recharged and is to be used as a bomb, I am sure you can use it better than I could."
He points south down the narrow hallway; "Let's go this way."
Agrimar nods and takes point.
Ysabot slips into line behind her brother. "I'm sorry I couldn't free you sooner," she says quietly. "I think I kind of panicked." She swallows heavily, preparing herself for what may lie ahead.
Moving down to the narrow hallway, you head West again. Another fifty feet and you come to a sharp right. Heading north, you see a door on the left. The corridor continues past the door and continues North.
"Worry not sister,", Agrimar whispers reassuringly, "Bravery is not the absence of fear, but the will to overcome it."
This stark room is roughly 40'x30' and abutting the exterior wall. You can see the dull gray light coming through several high windows, and smell the musty dampness of the steady rain outside. This chamber contains a low stone bench against the north wall and a ruined desk to the west that sits under three high narrow, barred windows. An old brass brazier lies on its side to the south, surrounded by several rusty branding irons.
Steps into the room and interposes himself between the branding irons and the desk, covering anyone who should want to investigate the ruined desk.
Domminia casts Detect Magic
The witch slips into the room behind Agrimar, and starts looking over the desk.
Jevault remains in the corridor, a few paces past the door. Realising just how tense he is, he forces himself to relax by focussing on his breathing and shaking his limbs free of the fear that grips them.
In the darkness, the dhampir allows his mundane senses to, once again, attune to his environment: to filter out the ambient sounds of the prison that could easily overwhelm dread-filled minds; to see the shadows for what they are.
Once done, he concentrates, attempting to pick something useful out of the myriad undead auras that swirl around him, auras that have frustrated his previous efforts.
The stench of burning flesh assaults your sense of smell as an undead aura explodes in the room your friends went into; it's another Haunt!
Beyond that, out of the myriad auras that swirl around this whole edifice, you seem to feel something to the North...
The desk is mostly intact, though dry rotted. If you put too much force on it, it will break fairly easily.
As you start looking through it, you notice the rising scent of burning flesh...
The branding irons rise up into the air, their tips glowing red-hot. Then they lance forward!
for a possible damage plus prisoner brand.
for a possible damage plus prisoner brand.
for a possible damage plus prisoner brand.
for a possible damage plus prisoner brand.
for a possible damage plus prisoner brand.
for a possible damage plus prisoner brand.
for a possible damage plus prisoner brand.
Ereviss gestures to Ysabot.
"I don't have my siphon. Can you do the honors here?"
Agrimar roars and strikes at the brand attacking Ysabot.
Ysabot winces at the pain of the branding, but nods. After a moment of rummaging through her pack, she produces the haunt siphon and opens it, hoping for the best.
Ysabot pulls one of the haunt siphons and twists the cap.
Immediately, the screaming of tortured men and the stench of burning flesh explodes as what seems like green vapor seems flows from the flying branding items. One by one the irons drop as the vapor is drawn out of them and into the haunt siphon.
After a few seconds, it is all drawn into the siphon and it snaps shut again. All the branding irons clatter to the floor, cold and lifeless again.
You can see that the little whirlwind in the haunt siphon, which used to be white, is now a glowing green.
Domminia, Theodoric, Ysabot, Kendra and Xiuj were all hit by the branding irons in the same places, in the middle of the forehead.
The brand is a six letter/number combination, now seared into your flesh. Xiuj takes a potion of cure light wounds; which eliminates the wound, but the brand remains. And judging by his steady stream of curses, the pain of the brand remains as well. A constant risk of distraction.
"Keep those siphons ready. They have been our best defense. Xiuj, let me know if you can recharge mine. We have two left now. Since Ysabot and I are in the back, maybe we can handle them?"
The witch nods, swallowing a lump in her throat. "There also seems to be little I can do against these haunts... I would greatly like to keep a siphon ready." She touches the brand on her forehead gingerly and winces. She casts her only healing spell, which removes the burnt flesh around it, but not the brand. She gives a shaky laugh, despite the circumstances. "Well, this place is certainly keeping us on our toes, isn't it?" She kneels beside the lifeless branding irons, examining them closely.