Kendra says "It's a haunt! Help me!"
She mutters a word of abjuration and points her finger at the chains. (Disrupt Undead) A greyish beam lanced out and seems to make one of the links fade a little.
You see Ereviss give a strong twitch, and you see another one of the ghostly links creak and fracture.
Ereviss seems to choke as the chains seem to tighten in reaction.
The good father seems to flinch a little at your outburst.
"Calm yourself my son. I am sure she is alright. He mutters brief word of blessing, touching his holy symbol at the same time.
Make another will save.
The good father nods.
"Of course my son." He puts his hand on your head and mutters another prayer.
Take damage. You feel more stinging twinges around your arms and legs.
You don't really feel better, but Father Grimburrow does.
Make another Will save.
"Yes, it's a haunt!" Ysabot calls back to Kendra as she moves over, "and it's linked to Father Charlatan's holy symbols!" Ignoring the rest of the skulls for now, she starts rifling through Ereviss' clothing and pockets. "If we get them off of him, maybe it will get rid of these," she mutters feverishly, finding time between sentences for that shrill laugh.
Ysabot: You can do both.
Everyone: Remember, a lot of the things that affect Undead can also affect Haunts.
As Ysabot feverishly searches what she can get at of Ereviss' clothing, she sees that the tangled cluster of holy symbols is in his hand. But it is clenched so tightly you can't get it loose.
You see Ereviss start to bleed at places where the ectoplasmic chains start cutting into his skin. He gives a violent twitch and one of the links breaks apart, leaving a couple of ends loose. Another link cracks.
For a moment you can't seem to breathe, but you give a great gasp and the pain seems to receed a bit. Father Grimburrow flinches.
"You seem to be in some distress my son. I can help with the pain, but you must surrender your will, that my divine power can work through you." He said kindly. The others in the choir smile and nod, encouraging you.
"They won't come free!" Ysabot exclaims in frustration. Sighing, she takes stock of her prepared spells - she only has one healing spell available, but, well... this was an emergency.
Speaking a chain of syllables in the Aklo tongue, she presses a hand flat against the chains, sending a burst of positive energy through them.
"By the Light of the Sword!" Agrimar roars.
You can see Ereviss is in trouble, his lips are turning blue.
Then Agrimar channels and he seems to perk up a little. Two more links of the chains binding him shatter into bright shards that evaporate.
Kendra casts Disrupt Undead and another link breaks.
But the chains are still binding Ereviss.
You feel yourself weakening, the good father smiling unctuously. But at the last moment, you seem to hear at a great distance Agrimar roaring holy words and Kendra shouting your name.
Father Grimburrow is suddenly flung away from you and into the nave, scattering candles and choir members. And suddenly you are able to breathe again. You feel you can act now. You can attack or cast.
Ereviss cast and throws his rope at the 'priest'.
He holds on to his end missing badly.
School transmutation; Level bard 1, sorcerer/wizard 1
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S
Range medium (100 ft. + 10 ft./level)
Target one rope-like object, length up to 50 ft. + 5 ft./level; see text
Duration 1 round/level
Saving Throw none; Spell Resistance no
You can animate a nonliving rope-like object. The maximum length assumes a rope with a 1-inch diameter. Reduce the maximum length by 50% for every additional inch of thickness, and increase it by 50% for each reduction of the rope's diameter by half.
The possible commands are “coil” (form a neat, coiled stack), “coil and knot,” “loop,” “loop and knot,” “tie and knot,” and the opposites of all of the above (“uncoil,” and so forth). You can give one command each round as a move action, as if directing an active spell.
The rope can enwrap only a creature or an object within 1 foot of it—it does not snake outward—so it must be thrown near the intended target. Doing so requires a successful ranged touch attack roll (range increment 10 feet). A typical 1-inch-diameter hemp rope has 2 hit points, AC 10, and requires a DC 23 Strength check to burst it. The rope does not deal damage, but it can be used as a trip line or to cause a single opponent that fails a Reflex saving throw to become entangled. A creature capable of spellcasting that is bound by this spell must make a concentration check with a DC of 15 + the spell's level to cast a spell. An entangled creature can slip free with a DC 20 Escape Artist check.
The rope itself and any knots tied in it are not magical.
The spell cannot affect objects carried or worn by a creature.
Hissing in frustration, Ysabot attempts to force the positive energy onto the chains again.
Your throw is a little short, and the good father easily sidestepped it as he stood up again. Straigtening his mitre, he pasted another smile on his face and approached.
"Resistance is a sin; one you will repeat over and over again. For Eternity."
You feel another twinge in your chest...
Kendra desperately cast Disrupt Undead, and a link broke.
Agrimar shouts a prayer and put his hands on the chains, and one of the chains shatters; rapidly one by one, like a zipper.
Ysabot lays her own hand on the chains, and another chain unzips.
And then...
Suddenly you hear your friends shouting as from a vast gulf, and you feel a warmth flood through you... And bursts out in a great flash of white. All your pains vanish, and the good father gives a thin scream before his flesh peels away and everything disappears...
You all see a brilliant flash as all the chains shatter and fly apart.
Ereviss opens his eyes and finds himself flat on his back, his comrades gathered around him looking down at him.
"Ereviss?" Whispered Kendra hopefully.
Ereviss sits up and blinks away tears.
"I had a vision that time had passed and I was all alone. You had left me, and Father Grimbarrow pretended to comfort me and hurt me instead. It was quite sad and scary."
He jumps up and gives Kendra a hug. Truly shaken by the ordeal.
You hear a hissing sound as as a transparent coalesces out of the air near Ereviss. He is wearing the robes of the clergy of Abadar, but wearing a number of different holy symbols. His features were once noble, but now distorted by mania.
"No! No, you'll not escape me! You STILL hold my tokens..." He trailed off in disbelief as Ereviss turned his hand over. The collection of holy symbols he found in the evidence vault became untangled and fell from his hand in a metallic clatter as they hit the floor.
YES... Intoned Vesorianna. The figure of Father Charlatan shrieked as he shrank, and as he grew smaller the hands of Vesorianna came into view as they took ahold of him and dragged him away through the walls.
Silence now.
That was Father Charlatan.
With your previously eliminating the Piper of Ilmarsh, that is two of the five major spirits haunting Harrowstone taken care of.
Only three remain.
You can rest (fitfully) here if you like before descending.
"Who the blazes was that?"
Now that you have a luxury of time you see in the northeast
part of the room the floor around a dark jagged hole is surrounded by black scorch marks.
This room was where the fire that doomed Harrowstone began. The fire burned so hot that much of the eastern wing of the dungeon below collapsed once its wooden supports failed. The jagged, soot-caked hole in the floor was once the location of the lift that connected the two floors—the machinery that powered the lift tumbled into the dungeon below during the fire.
Looking down into the hole you can see it’s a 20-foot drop from this point—the edges of the hole may appear dangerous but the unstable portions have long since fallen away, leaving the remaining rim solid enough to support the weight of numerous creatures.
overhang and ceiling of the chamber below, and then a number of DC 10 Climb checks to navigate the ruined stone and timber wall down to the ground 20 feet below. With rope, it's a great deal easier, especially if it's knotted.
"I have no idea," Ysabot murmurs to Agrimar, glad to see Ereviss back on his feet. She glances down the hole, her hag's eyes cutting through the darkness below. "Shall we go down now? Or rest awhile?"
"This would be easier with rope." Agrimar says, peering over the edge of the pit.
Ereviss gets his rope out. He make ti be able to easily lower people down one at a time.
When everyone is ready...
HELLS BASEMENT
The first one down the rope sees that this area is huge. The walls are at least fifty feet away and mostly made of collapsed rubble.
The crumbled walls are thick with mold and stained with soot, and heaps of fallen stones and charred wooden beams line the area. Water drips and seeps along the walls, collecting in a dark, murky pool in the middle of the room. If you drop off the rope, you will land knee deep in the filthy pool.
Just to the north, the twisted remains of a wood and iron lift lie in a heap in a shallow portion of the pool.
A jagged hole in the roof yawns twenty feet above this ruin; this is where you have descended from.
To the west, a partially blocked opening seems to open up after several feet into a dark but stable tunnel.
Agrimar takes point and goes first.
Agrimar lands right at the edge of the pool. He looks around, but sees nothing living or undead.
One by one, the others slide down behind him and start poking around, looking for something. Anything.
Xiuj nodded, looking up at the shaft and then at the equipment pile in the pool.
"Ah, that was a lift shaft. Of course! That must be what is left of the lift itself."
He puffs contentedly at his pipe.
KENDRA:
Kendra stepped on something that shifted under her foot. Kneeling down, she picked up a filthy dirt covered stick. Knocking the dirt off, she realized it was a human thighbone.
With a brief yip she tossed it away from her.
"That was a human bone!" She said defensively.
"Looks like west is the only way to go."
Ereviss grips his bow.
"West it is"
As Agrimar stepped up to the narrow gap, the room fills with a cacophonous roar of screams and howls, echoes of the cries of those who burned to death in this room.
And you lucky person get to act in the surprise round!
"This is bizarre," Ysabot mutters, curiously picking up a set of rusted cuffs still attached to a skeletal arm. "The dirt here is so flat, so smooth... and there's no dust. I wonder why?"
Surprise________________
Only Ereviss is able to react in the moments the surface of the dark pool of water began rippling, as four ectoplasmic spirits rise up, dripping and horrible, to attack.
These slimy, shifting masses have the shape of a humanoid, but are made out of what appears to be some form of glowing green sticky rope or cloth. Their bodies lurched jerkily, struggling to maintain their horrid forms.
Hit! for slam plus horrifying ooze. Will save DC12 or Shaken rounds.
Miss.
Hit! for slam plus horrifying ooze. Will save DC12 or Shaken rounds.
Hit! for slam plus horrifying ooze. Will save DC12 or Shaken rounds.
After Erevis takes his Surprise action, it becomes Round 1.
Round 1__________________
Agrimar swings his falchion at the dripping horror that struck him.
Ereviss fires a ghost touch arrow with arcane power.
Then he moves to add good energy with a touch on the one on Kendra.
Missing he holds the charge.
Ysabot takes a step back from the spirit, trying to edge closer to her brother as she does so - he was better-equipped to go toe-to-toe with them, after all. Persimmon, latching onto the shoulder of her dress, hisses angrily, swiping a claw through the air, yellow eyes glaring.
Fixing the spirit that attacked her with a wicked glare, she spits out a curse, attempting to hex it.
Round 1__________________
Agrimar__________________
Agrimar swings his falchion at the dripping horror that struck him. He hits; much of the force passes through the creature, but he does some damage.
Ereviss Ladyhunter__________
[Surprise] Ereviss fires a ghost touch arrow with arcane power. He hits, and does full damage.
[Round 1] Then he moves to add good energy with a touch on the one on Kendra. He tries to touch, but misses horribly (just missing a fumble). Missing he holds the charge.
Ysabot_____________________
Ysabot takes a step back from the spirit, trying to edge closer to her brother as she does so.
Fixing the spirit that attacked her with a wicked glare, she spits out a curse, attempting to Misfortune hex it.
But the creature shook it off.
Xiuj________________
He is not sickened.
Xiuj swings his staff at his opponent.
Hit! (No Crit) for crush damage. The creature seems to absorb all the force and takes no damage.
Kendra_____________
She is shaken at the touch of the slime.
She takes a step back and points a finger, casting Disrupt Undead.
Hit! for damage. It is very damaged as a great hole is disintegrated through it.
ENEMY______________
Miss.
Miss.
Miss.
Hit! for slam plus horrifying ooze. Will save DC12 or Shaken rounds.
Slimer 1: 14
Slimer 2: 15
Slimer 3: 15
Slimer 4: 4
Round 2__________________
The concerned elf attacks the one on Kendra, touching it and hurting it badly.
Ereviss' touch on #4 causes it to burn like flash paper, and it disintegrates.
Agrimar swings his falchion at the creature again.
Shifting closer to Agrimar again, Ysabot attempts to hex the creature attacking him.
Round 2__________________
Ereviss Ladyhunter____________
The concerned elf attacks the one on Kendra, touching it. Causing it to burn like flash paper, and it disintegrates.
Agrimar____________________
Agrimar swings his falchion at the creature again, but just misses.
Ysabot_____________________
Shifting closer to Agrimar again, Ysabot attempts to hex the creature attacking him.
Misfortune hex on spirit #1
It just saves.
Xiuj________________
Fail! Xiuj is Shaken.
Xiuj swings his staff at his opponent.
Hit! (no crit) for crush damage. Again it seems to absorb all the force and takes no injury.
Kendra_____________
She takes a step back behind Ereviss and points a finger, casting Disrupt Undead against #2.
Hit! for positive energy damage.
ENEMY______________
Hit! for slam plus horrifying ooze. Will save DC12 or you are Shaken rounds.
Miss.
Miss.
Slimer 1: 14
Slimer 2: 12
Slimer 3: 15