Staring at the portrait a moment, Mirela appears somewhat forlorn. Finally shaking her head, she sets the portrait down and steps back while responding to Selena "Yes, my mother and her forebears were Varisian Selena, she was a gypsy dancer by trade... but she spent most of her life around Korvosa; I don't think her caravan ever got out to Sandpoint as far as I know, so any resemblance is purely coincidental." Though she had dismissed any connection, Mirela continued to gaze at the image as though in a trance "Whoever she was, I can't deny she looks a lot like me, at least superficially." Falling silent a moment, Mirela crouches down to view it closely before eventually adding "I wonder if this girl was important to Aldern... a lover perhaps? That'd might explain a lot, his obsession with me, and why it's the only unharmed painting in the room."
"And it's turned against the wall because he's ashamed to face it in his current state? Perhaps there's a bit of humanity left in him?" Barek pops one of his knuckles. "Not going to keep me from bashing his face in if we find him though."
Selena listens intently to what Miri is telling her about her mother. Perhaps it is coincidence as you suggest. Yet while there is not strong connection perhaps one of the Foxglove males saw her as he was travelling for business. It could be even your grandmother and Aldern's grandfather who had this done. It is a stretch but it is all we have to go on right now. Regardless though it seems Aldern is not infatuated with you but who and what you represent.
Selena goes to detect magic on the painting to see if it is magical. Perhaps the painting is constructed in such as way as well that whomever touches it, the painting takes on their likeness.
As the magic takes hold Selena stumbles awkwardly and goes to a knee holding her head in her hands. She remains that way without saying a word as her eyes remain tightly closed.
Listening to Selena while inspecting the painting, Mirela pauses as she considers the possibility of her forebears having had a history with the Foxgloves. Leaning the painting back down, a puzzled Mirela stands up and turns to Selena "Well, I suppose anything is possible; I'd think based on the horrors we've seen here though, my mother would've warned me of this place, but she never mentioned Sandpoint."
Realizing that Selena appears ill, Mirela concernedly rushes over to help her as she ails "Are you okay Selena? Help Seldon, quick... I think she might be sick."
"Selena!" Seldon shouts, rushing to her side. "Selena, look at me... what's the matter?" he says, placing a hand on her shoulder, shaking her gently.
Barek rushes over, but leaves Seldon space to work. "Selena?" He looks out towards Tunder. "Be on guard, something might be attacking her."
Seldon, fearing some evil enchantment, will cast his last warding spell on Selena. Protection from Evil, 4 minutes.
Does the protection from evil spell remove the compulsion effect? If so please help in disregarding the following post.
Selena takes a long deep breath as she feels Seldon gently shaking her. Opening her eyes she takes in who it is that is touching her. She nods slowly trying to figure out what just happened. I...I am fine I think. Although to be honest I don't really know what happened just now. I remember casting a detection spell on the picture that resembled Miri...
Stopping suddenly in her speech Selena looks around the room till she spies Miri. With a force that is not her own she throws off the hand on her shoulder as she starts to curse and scream. How dare you allow that vile hag into here. She is nothing more than a tramp and a conduit to hell. Kill her before her evil seed can spread and ruin us all.
Selena draws back a fist and makes to punch forward at Miri. Drawing the fist forward a compressed ball of air forms and flies at Miri.
telekinetic fist ranged touch attack for
will save
As soon as the force flies and strikes Miri Selena slumps down once again. The power that was instilled within her gone. Not able to look at the others she just sits on the floor and cries.
Tunder turns to see what's going on. "What's going on?"
As Seldon rushes to her side, Selena sits up and in a rage against Mirela, blasts her with a telekinetic fist, that mashes the unprepared Varisian hard in the gut. As soon as the force flies from Selena, she collapses to the floor again, this time sobbing for all she's worth.
Completely unprepared for Selena's sudden and violent fit of rage, Mirela stumbles backward with the wind knocked out of her. Gasping to catch her breath, she listens to the seemingly unnatural tirade in silent wide eyed horror and disbelief. After a moment of gripping her abdomen and finally catching her breath, Mirela mumbles "S-selena? Why... what's going on here?"
Realizing that the fit of rage may have been not Selena's doing, Mirela struggles to her feet and approaches the sobbing Wizard, but more cautiously this time "A-are you okay Selena? It's okay now." Looking toward Seldon, still with a look of shock, Mirela asks again "Is she going to be alright? Was it house again? This place..." stuttering a moment, Mirela looks again at the painting and resumes with a clear degree of fright in her voice "This might sound crazy, but I can't help but feel like whatever haunts this place wants me dead."
Selena continues to sob until she hears the focus of her previous rage speak to her. There is no anger or malice in Miri's voice just concern. taht realization makes Selena feels even worse. Yet the tenor of Miri's voice was cathartic and Selena eventually was able to slow her sobbing and control herself. Looking up with red rimmed wet eyes at Miri Selena whispers I am so sorry Miri. It wasn't me. Really, it is this house and everything in it. Please forgive me Miri. I wish I could say it won't happen again but I can't. I don't know when this place will manifest again in me against you. If you wish me to leave I will so I don't harm you again.
Grinning lightly, Mirela tries to put Selena's mind at rest "No Selena, of course I don't want you or anyone to go... it was this damnable house of course, not you." Glancing over at Barek, the young acrobat eyes widen as she flippantly muses "Besides, I'm just lucky the spirits that haunt this place decided to possess you; had they [the spirits] chose Barek, I think Seldon would have his work cut out for him right about now."
Finally the sense of total relief comes and Selena can't help but throw her arms around Miri. Thank you for understanding Miri. you are the closest friend I have. I just felt awful for what just happened. I will try to make it up to you and help you end this thing. Even if that means burning down this house after we have gone through it all.
Selena sits back and breathes deeply without a trace of sobbing for the first time. A puzzled look gets on her face but she smiles quickly to reassure everyone that she is not possessed again. Sorry about that look but it seems that the possession had an unexpected positive associated with it. It seems that the ordeal has sharpened my mind somehow. Made it able for me to think clearer about some things. You see I was ruminating on the fact that we don't know exactly what we are up against. We know that undead are in the area and that we have run across necromantic forces. I was hoping we could find a way to nullify any magics that could be used against us. I was at a loss for how to accomplish that until now. I remember what one of my professors talked about at length about reversing the polarity of magical conduits to end certain effects. At the time it seemed too far fetch to understand. Now though I can see what he was talking about. In fact I believe I could even accomplish the task if I needed to.
Why the possession should have cleared my mind so and enabled me to understand his lecture all of a sudden I don't know, but I hope that it aids us somehow. I am not sure if it would remove a possession of someone so we will have to be on guard especially if Barek or Tunder is possessed like you fear.
Barek marvels at how the two women seem to make up even after such a harrowing incident. "Are you two sure you're ok? This place is getting ridiculous. Maybe you were right about simply burning it all down."
"When we find that monster, Foxglove, I'll give him one of these!" He jabs and swings with a hard hook. The brawler's hands look deadly and massive.
Yeah Barek, Selena says turning towards him with eyes still wet. I will be ok once this place is behind all of us. I just want this to end not only for Miri's sake but for all of ours. All of us have been affected by this Foxglove and we owe it to ourselves to see this through. Now lets keep going and find Foxglove.
Seldon remains silent for some time, recognizing that words, not spells, are what is needed to heal these particular wounds. As the party make to move on, he adopts his usual, conciliatory tone.
"We should be careful about what we touch, lest we stir more of the spirits of this place. There could be prisoners behind this locked door, although the sounds we heard could also be mere illusions..." Seldon frowns. "Miri, can you handle this door?" he says, motioning to the locked door to the left.
With a grin and a quick nod, Mirela responds "I can give it a shot Seldon, just let me get my tools." Swinging her backpack from off her shoulder, Mirela fishes a leather kit containing her lock pick tools. Heading towards the door, she sets about to work on the lock.
Selena steps back to let Miri work but adds softly, Be careful. We don't know what is on the other side. Right about now I would prefer a ghoul compared to these visions, apparitions or possessions that have been going after us.
Mirela, glad for the distraction, focuses on the lock for a few minutes. She works the tools one way and then the other, the tip of her tongue protruding slightly from her mouth as she works.
Finally, after she is about to give up, the satisfying click of the mechanism means the door is now unlocked.
Opening the door, the party is faced with the horrifying sight of...more stairs, this time ascending to the attic of the creepy old house.
Tunder leads the way up the stair.
Barek follows Tunder. "Right, the creepy attic in the haunted house. Can't be anything interesting up here." He gives a nervous chuckle. "Stay sharp, and watch out for anything targeting Miri."
Climbing up into the dark attic stairs the howling of the wind is even more audible here, the house seeming to shiver under the onslaught of the continual sea breeze.
The stairs wind up into a hallway in the attic. Many doors lead off from this main hall, and the passage turns, continuing around the corner at the far end.
Uh Tunder, why don't we finish clearing out this level first before we go upstairs? Better yet, why not have Miri and myself remain here guarding the rear why you heck out to see if the path ahead is clear and safe to cross.
Looking at Tunder going up Selena shakes her head. It was worth a try. I will be up with you.
Just take the first door Tunder please. That way nothing can come up from behind us.
First door it is.
"It might not be as much as an issue you as you think, Selena. While we've seen horrors and been unnerved here, we haven't actually encountered anything real. There hasn't been any sign of anyone or any thing living here to sneak up on us." He stares up to the attic. "Let's let Tunder explore his attic, but after that, we might leave and try exploring that well of yours again."
That is true Barek but I get the feeling like we are being watched. Maybe it is just this place that is making me feel that way with all of the forces arrayed against us. Perhaps I am thinking too much of the last time we entered a place with the goblins. It seemed like there were too many paths to take then and we know how that ended. I just don't want us trapped in here is all.
Selena gives an involuntary shudder at the last bit. Being stuck inside a haunted house as malignant as this one is not her idea of a good time.
Looking alarmingly at Barek behind her on the stairs, Mirela puts the palm of her right hand on her forehead and retorts "Oh Barek, why did you have to go and say that?! We're going to run into something for sure now!" Crouching defensively behind Tunder, the young varisian mumbles something about superstition quietly to herself, and waits for the door to be opened.
"No, Selena. We aren't scouring this place for treasure or rooting out some Goblin nest. We don't want to wake any slumbering spirits if we do not have to." Seldon says, firmly. "I am with Barek. We need to find Aldern and any survivors, not go stirring things better left undisturbed."
Tunder opens the first door in the creepy attic. A large number of wooden planks, rope, and other repair supplies are stored here. The ceiling above sags noticeably; in several areas patches of the sky are visible.
It appears partial repairs on the roof were started here, but never completed.
Looking out the window at the front of the house, you can see a disturbingly large number of crows now stand on the ruins of the burned out servants quarters. Where only a dozen or so stood there cawing at you as you entered, there are likely now more than a hundred of the jet-black birds.
Tunder leaves the door open for any who want to investigate the room before going to the next door. He stands in the doorway and takes the room in.
Tunder flies down the hall knocking open doors, and when no Foxglove is present, quickly moving on to the next one. The next several doors are really mundane storage areas filled with drape-covered old furniture, sheets and linens, boxes and crates, and other bits and ends of an old house.
Nothing of value is found in any of these rooms.
"Three more doors."
I agree Seldon. We are not here for wealth or fame, yet anything could happen by opening a random door to find Aldern. i am just not liking this at all and wish it was over with. The sooner we find him the better off we will be. Likewise the sooner we get down from here the happier I will be. I am not afraid of heights but I don't like being ina rickety attic either.
Looking out the window Selena sees the black birds and gets a bit more nervous. Hey, uh, guys. You know that feeling I mentioned about being watched. I think I know why. Look outside. There are over a hundred crows now. I am really not liking this.
Barek peers out of the window after Selena points out the crows. "That...that doesn't seem right. Maybe it's a sign. Something unnatural is down there."
"That is definitely not normal. It'd be my guess that would stop as soon as we burn this place down though."
No.let's keep going. The sooner we're done the sooner we can burn the place down.
The next door opens to reveal a room with a ceiling that angles down steeply, leaving only four feet of headroom to the southeast. A low cot and a dresser are the room's only furnishings.
As you open the door and begin exploring, a sudden and unmistakable, blood-curdling scream of pain echoes through the attic. The wailing sound obviously comes from the room at the far end of the hall on the right.
Selena crouches down as she expects whatever caused the wail to hurry down the hallway. When nothing seems imminent she looks to the men to lead the way. you first and I will be right behind you. Lets go stop Aldern and make him pay for his sins. Selena grips the staff in both hands and makes ready to move with the group. She does cast mage armor on herself in preparation for a fight though.
Tunder hurries to the end of the hall and opens the door. He takes a single step inside ready for a fight.
Startled and noticeably unnerved by the shriek, Mirela nevertheless finds the courage to follow after Tunder. Keeping pace with him with her rapier drawn, she mutters quietly to herself "This can't be good."
"Ai eleana!" Seldon cries, clutching his holy symbol as a pair of blue, gossamer Swallowtail wings seem to materialize around him and envelop the party before vanishing, the slight shimmer of starlight piercing the gloom of the attic. "Desna, shield us on our trail."
Arriving at the door in question, the party finds it locked. The undeniable sound of a woman sobbing can be heard from the beyond the stout door.