DM Corvus' Carrion Crown PBP (Inactive)

Game Master CorvusRed

The ranger grins at Sour Heck and Iesha. "If you're after wanting something to do with th' evening, I could leave th' planchette with you. 'Tis supposed to be great fun at parties."

He returns to his search, eventually stopping by the center of the room. "There's something in th' pit. Of course." Peredur examines the grate to see how it might come up.

The grate itself is unlocked. Pulling it open is easy enough.

The Dancing Lights, when sent down the the pit reveal the body of the Lopper in a crumpled heap, as well as several different weapons and items strewn around the bottom of the oubliette. An extra skull, most probably that of the burning skeleton from the hallway, lies on the ground near the Lopper's corpse.

A heavy mace, a broken crossbow, a longsword, a small stone cube, and a ring of keys. Three purses contain 150 gp.

Detect Magic plus Spellcraft 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (5) + 9 = 14.

"I'm not on my best game," Eloise says, shaking her head. "The mace and the cubic rock are magical, though. The cube carries an abjuration effect."

The Magus makes a face. "Bah, I was hoping for a soft bed tonight... but Sour Heck is right. Talia, can Kieli carry a message to the lady Lorrimor to let her know we're alright but staying here? I don't think we should split up the group."

Spellcraft w/ Detect Magic 1: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (10) + 9 = 19
Spellcraft w/ Detect Magic 2: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (6) + 9 = 15

"Hmmm..." says Talia, her lips pursing in thought. "Both the mace and that cube-thing are magical. I believe the latter to be an alarm stone. I'm unsure what the mace might be. I can fetch the items, though."

Talia steps out over the pit and gently floats to the bottom, her hair floating around her on an unseen breeze.

A second after her feet settle on the floor of the pit, she lifts each foot in turn, looking at the bottoms of her shoes and wrinkling her nose in distaste. "Ugh. Oubliettes are disgusting. I'm going to have to wash my clothes in lye."

Gathering up the items to bring back, she looks askance at the skull and leaves it alone. Her feet lift off the ground as she levitates up the pit and deposits the items on the floor. "Eloise? Iesha? Can either of you tell what type of mace this might be? I'm no good with weapons..."

Talia then turns to Sour Heck with a nod. "I, too, am willing to stay and help tonight, Sour. Kieli can help keep watch."

Oh, TWO Spellcraft checks! Right, then: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (3) + 9 = 12.

"Not a blessed clue, luv," Eloise replies to Talia's question, shrugging. "Anyhoo, how about that letter? Can Kieli play carrier pidgeon for us?"

"He can, yes. He'll just grumble about it and demand extra special eats, or something."

Iesha studies the weapon. "Well, it's a big mace...unfortunately, I'm not trained in identifying magics such as this. Sorry."

[spoiler=Eloise]
your sleep is not easy. Bloody letters and a deep unsettling laughter skirt at the edges of memory. When Eloise awakens, her name is scrawled in blood upon the ceiling. Glancing away and back, however, and the

It takes some doing, but the party bundles up the equipment for the cache, as well as the warden's bones. By the time the goods and remains are safely tucked away in Vesorianna's corner of the prisoner, darkness has fallen, and sleep comes quickly.

The Lady of the prison spends the night sitting next to her husbands remains, wistfully humming and running her fingertips over the makeshift coffin.

When day breaks, she nods solemnly to each in turn.

"Today is your greatest undertaking as guards of this prison. The last and most malicious and powerful of the prisoners remains. May the gods keep you. Your purpose is true... be strong."

"How many times did laughing boy write down his target's name before he tried taking them out, again?" Eloise asks, her voice tight as she glares at the place where the letters were written.

"Anyway. Let's have a looksee..."

The Magus selects a handy spot and takes out her spellbook for study. The cover is certainly colourful, black and read separated by a diagonal line, with a white lion rearing in the centre.

Any recommendations for good spells against the last of the boogeymen? I'm leaning towards Magic Missile, but any Wizard worth his salt is going to have Shield prepared.

Talia yawns in wakefulness, then stands up and stretches before running her hands through her hair. "Kieli, let's find a quiet corner, shall we?" she says to the raven, taking him aside and feeding him a bit of food from a pouch. She sits down, gazes into his eyes, and they whisper quietly to one another...

Not sure, Eloise, but Shield yourself as well, in case he has the same idea. :) And I think I'm going to swap Mage Armor for another Ghostbane Dirge, just in case. Almost wish I'd picked up CLW... :)

Iesha sings softly as she meditates for her spells.

Forgot my 0ths: Guidance, Light, Mending, Resistance.

She refills her battle aspergillium.

"Well, let's go get the Splatterman. I'm as ready as I'm going to be."

How much holy water does the aspergillum use? I'll need to update the inventory.

One vial gets you five melee attacks

And +1 damage to undead for each attack, at least according to the PRD. I realized I could just look it up *after* I posted, of course.

Here's a thought: I've got the Weapon Wand spell. I can put the wand of CLW inside of Iesha's aspergillium for even more positive energy damage. Good idea/bad idea?

As the faint light of a cold dawn begins to shine between the boards and stones of the decrepit old jail, Sour Heck drums a reveille to wake everyone up, then beats out the accelerating pulse of Triple Time.

Triple Time gives Eloise, Peredur and Iesha +10’ movement rate for the next hour. 11/12 bardic performance rounds remaining.

He hefts the mace from the Lopper’s pit. “My knowledge of ancient tales tells me that the magic on this weapon makes it good at hitting things. Or it’s cursed. Or both. Probably just cursed. I’ll try it on the Splatterman and find out.”

He double-checks his salted sling bullets and haunt siphon, then sighs. “The one good thing about a miserable cold morning like this is that you don’tthink so much about all the great weather you’ll miss when you’re dead. I'm ready.”

A sense of finality, maybe even a little optimism (sans the bard) fills the party as they return to the basement of the prison.

Only one of the prisoners remains, the last and worst, lurking somwehere to the south in the wing titled The Nevermore.

Approaching the portcullis to the wing, torches throw oddly angled shadows in to the room beyond. To the left slightly ajar, waits the iron door to the room that most certainly holds the means to lift the gate.

The ranger seems hesitant to approach the open door at first. It was only a dream, only a dream. Then he shakes his head, straightens up, and advances. "It's wondering I am what sort of thing guards th' winch for this one. Skeletal letters?"

"I couldn't say, but let's be on our guard ourselves," says Talia, following behind Peredur as she keeps a careful watch hall around, curling her nose up at the damp stone.

Sour Heck suddenly lets loose a scream, a shockingly loud wail that echoes through the claustrophobic darkness beneath the prison. His cry goes on and on as the party stares, then trails off into a strangling death rattle.

“Sorry, just practicing for my last performance,” he says. “Are we moving on soon?”

Eloise draws her black sword with apparent ceremony. "When battle comes, I want to be ready," she says by way of explanation. "And I agree with Sour Heck; let's get moving. The bloody ghost's had all night to prepare, which is too much time by half."

"So have we. With Shelyn's blessing, we're better prepared. Let's get this gate open."

Iesha moves to check the winch.

The guardroom is blessedly empty, only the ruin of the winch that was once used to open the portcullis remains, and it is in no shape to do anything but rust and rot away at this point.

"We should've tried to find a scroll of Knock," Eloise sums up the situation. "Is there a way to get around this portcullis, or is it the only way through?"

“Maybe we can get around using the secret door Iesha spotted in the torture chamber? Or maybe there’s another secret door? Sure are a lot of them--maybe the architect didn’t like the look of doors.”

Perception, looking for secret doors or whatever: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (6) + 6 = 12

"Aye, at first it's thinking I was that th' secret door led out of Harrowstone altogether. It points in th' direction of th' Nevermore, it does." He grins suddenly. "And it takes us to th' last haunt, it's lucky we are that we didn't follow it there yesterday."

"Well, then? Back around and into the dark area." Talia shivers slightly. "Let's get this done with and get back into the sunlight. I've had my fill of this place."

"Well, we can't leave just yet, but darkness, I can fix," Eloise says. "Lumen."

Eloise's black sword starts to shine with a bright, cold light, like the full moon, brightening the room.

"And there's Sour Heck's spell, too," Eloise says, gesturing courteously to the dour Bard.

Plunging back down stone hallways, following their own footprints left in the ash and dust, past empty cells and the remains of violence both recent and long past, to a rough, uncut passage that leads--hopefully--to the final wing, the final spirit, the final obstacle to a victory, temporary, minor, or fleeting as it may ultimately be.

Pressing on through the passage, they come to a smooth stone door. A handle, a keyhole, a natural fit for one of the keys found with the Lopper's spoils of the riot.

The lock clicks open and the door slides, revealing the cell block of the Nevermore.

As before, iron doors line the walls of this partially ruined cellblock. The doors hang askew, revealing empty cells. Partially burnt support structures still hold up the prison above to the north of the passage, while to the south they have begun to fail, causing the cell walls to crumble.

Rivuleta of water run from the cracks in the stone, creating a pool in one corner. The oubliette in the center of the room is full of the dark water too, almost to the brim.

"Hold up," Eloise says, raising a hand. "Everyone who can, start using Detect Magic. This character has at least some faculty with Illusion spells, so we need to watch our step, not just for mundane traps, but magical ones as well. Occultum Video."

Eloise's dark eyes flare briefly as the magic takes effect.

Detect Magic! DM Corvus, Eloise will be maintaining Concentration on the spell and refresh it as needed from here on in.

Before they open the last door, Iesha will cast Protection from Evil on the group and Magic Weapon on three of he group's weapons.

"That should help, and I'll stick with my battle aspergillum and channeling. Who wants their weapons enhanced? I can do three of us."

“How about my sling, Iesha? And I’ll take those salted bullets back if you’re not going to use them, Eloise. And here, you take this, and you cast...” The bard starts handing gear back and forth, keeping a confusing patter up the whole time, but when the comedy routine is done, everyone’s got their weapons at the ready.

Here’s the loadout Sour Heck’s switcheroo leads to--alter it as you like. Peredur ends up with his bow in hand, enchanted to +1 by Iesha, with three ghost salt arrows at the ready, plus four ghost touch arrows, two undead bane arrows and ten +1 arrows in his quiver. He keeps his +1 longsword at his side along with his light mace, enchanted to +1 by Eloise. Iesha carries in her arms one of the two masterwork crossbows, loaded with a ghost salt bolt, with five +1 bolts at hand. She also has her loaded aspririlithingummy, which she has enchanted to +1, at her side. Talia carries the other masterwork crossbow, loaded with a ghost salt bolt, and has the final ghost salt bolt and five +1 bolts as backup. She also has a staff, silver dagger, spells, healing touch and claws. Eloise grips her shining black blade and looks for magic missile targets. Sour Heck has his sling, enchanted to +1 by Iesha, with four ghost salt bullets, plus the mysterious heavy mace.

Everyone carries two vials of holy water each. Eloise, Talia and Sour Heck each carry an unused haunt siphon.

Again, please swap stuff around however you like--just tossing a list out there for expediency.

After all this preparation for a shadow or wraith, I’m 100% sure he’ll be a ghoul...now I’m beginning to sound like Sour Heck.

unless an objection is stated with your next post, we have a consensus and will move forward armed accordingly.

area map

Peredur takes a first, hesitant step into the Nevermore, and the party follows behind. The room is silent, still, and unmoving, save the occasional drop of water succumbing to the inevitability of gravity.

Peredur and Eloise press into the center of the room, Heck lingering back with Iesha and Talia.

Eloise, glancing at the ceiling suddenly gasps and recoils from something, and Talia gives a sudden cry, stumbling away from the wall behind Iesha, and leaning against the wall of the northwest cell. Pain and fear are evident on both faces.

"Bastard...!" Eloise growls.

The Magus pushes away from the wall, briefly roots in her pack and brings out the spellbook she claimed the day before.

"You like writing down names, do you?" she shouts, waving the book in the air one-handed. "Well, it's a bit murky down here for reading. How about I set something on fire to read by? Got me some scrap paper here, that should burn nicely! Any of you fellows got a light?"

Bluff to provoke: 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (14) - 1 = 13. I could probably use an Aid Another or two. ^^

Sour Heck’s voice, surprisingly calm, cuts through the dark. “You’re seeing something we don’t, which means you’re crazy, we’re crazy, or the Splatterman’s haunting you like Father Charletan haunted me. Or we’re all crazy and you’re being haunted.”

He pulls out his unused haunt siphon. “Let’s bottle this bastard up and head home. Where is he? Open your siphons at him and I’ll do the same.”

"He spelled out the first letter of my name on the ceiling," Eloise says through gritted teeth. "Probably illusion magic. It hurt."

"Show yourself! Let us send you to your final rest. There can be mercy even for such as you."

Iesha steps to the space between Heck and Eloise and channels.

2d6 ⇒ (3, 1) = 4

Not her best effort.

Not that kind of hurt. ^^;

Sorry, I meant channels to harm undead.

Iesha's channel meets with an audible sizzle, and the bloody letters are seared from the stone. the daze passes over Eloise and Talia, and their faculties feel fully restored. Wisdom Damage healed.

But not long after, the letters begin to appear again, this time before Heck, Eloise, Talia and Peredur: the first letters of their names, in blood smeared by some invisible hand.

[ooc]-2 wisdom damage to Peredur, Eloise, Talia and Heck.

Talia gasps in pain and shock. "My name is being spelled out, too!" She looks around the room frantically, trying to pinpoint where the specter might be.

"Aye, I'm seeing it, too." Peredur looks around for any sign of the haunt.

Perception check (incl. WIS penalty & favored enemy bonus): 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (8) + 13 = 21

"So far is hasn't hit me. Still..."

Iesha channels to harm undead again.

2d6 ⇒ (3, 2) = 5

Status:
HP: 19/19
AC 14
Conditions: None Duration: (if applicable) x out of x rounds)
Spells: 0th: 4/4; 1st: domain: 1/1; standard: 3/3
Channel Energy: 6/day; 4 remain

"This one's clever. He's trying to force us to expend all of our resources before he attacks."

Eloise holds her sword under one arm, and takes the last legible page of the Splatterman's spellbook -- then rips it out.

"Burn it," she orders, holding the loose page out to the others.

Sour Heck groans. "At least for you, it'll be over quickly. I have to suffer through the entire Hecsadmir Chevedzku. And you know he won't spell it right the first time." He points his haunt siphon at the bloody H he sees, braces himself, and opens it up.

[dice=Haunt Siphon effect, if it's the same as when Talia used it on the Piper of Illmarsh.]3d6[/dice]

Iesha grabs the paper and shoves it into a torch.

Iesha's channel sears away more of the letters, and when Heck activates the siphon, the remaining ones peel away from the stones, flecks of spectral blood hurling into the void created by the siphon.

Wisdom damage healed to All pcs.

Eloise tears out one of the pages, and Iesha sets it alight, and a howl of unearthly rage and pain resonates throughout the chamber.

"I know your names! I've seen your dreams! I know what you fear!"

Another bloody letter appears before Peredur and Talia, another attempt to spell out their names. -2 wisdom damage to Peredur and Talia.

Shrieking in fear and pain, Talia claws at the letter spelling out her name, trying to scratch it out.

To Hit Wall, Dam: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (10) + 1 = 111d4 ⇒ 2

If this doesn't seem to work, Talia will try healing it away with a touch, but she's a little frightened at the moment... :)

Talia's panicked clawing cuts deep gouges into the wall, and she scrapes away the letter.

Talia's Wisdom damage healed