Drosil, despite his best efforts found nothing of interest in the hazardous building. There were plenty of rat droppings, rotting papers, and moldy rugs, but that's about it.
"Abjuration and Necromancy. And the name of the Warden....Something to protect him? Or protect from him." Janos muses for a moment, but then shrugs.
He looks through the window and says, "Well B'yelka, I think we've found a stage for you. Though I don't know what kind of audience you'll get in here. Shall we enter?" He grips his axe and moves to the doors.
"Hawkran you say? Would it be worth the risk to hazard using the spirit board and planchette here? Perhaps the warden might respond and any lingering abjurations may provide additional protection."
"Wait Janos. Dantrian may have a good idea." Besides, I really don't want to go inside this place...
Hmmm... If the wards are on the outside I would guess that they were meant to seal something in. Just because Hawkrun is dead so what would there be to protect aginat now?
Somehow I feel that using the planchette will be more potent inside. But also more dangerous. I think its worth a try.
Janos, your eyes are sharper than mine, shall we head over to the north east corner? The wall has collapsed there, perhaps we can see inside and get a small idea of the layout.
"I think we need to be very careful how we use that here. If this is the center of the restless spirits, who knows what could happen with the planchette?"
Janos nods at Anton's suggestion. "Prudent to scout things out before we dive in. Maybe we'll even find a way in over there."
The group circles around the building, checking it out.
A casual observation of the western wall tower from afar reveals a dozen or so filthy rats watching from nooks and crannies in the stones; their fur is matted and filthy, their eyes dark and hungry.
A large, rectangular block of stone rests on this weather-beaten stone balcony, while ruined wooden benches line the eastern wall under a row of tiny, barred windows above. A stout wooden door sits in the wall near the northern end of the balcony.
This open pit appears to have once been a receptacle for the prison’s waste. Even now, with the right wind, the pit still emits a foul stench.
Near the waste pit on the back side of the building is a partially open door, looking in reveals several moldy cots laying strewn around the room, while doors to smaller, more private sleeping cells hang askew to the west. Judging from the rest of this room’s decor, this must have once been the prison’s infirmary.
Tibideau scrunches his nose as the group nears the waste pit. He eyes the infirmary door. "I suppose this would be as good a place as any to enter. But we should explore all the possible entrances, just in case we need to make a quick escape later."
"Let's check out those smaller rooms. Then we can decide if we want to continue from this direction into the main part of the building."
"Right - no sense using the front door when a back door exists."
A huge stone furnace dominates this room, large enough for a child to climb inside. An ancient fire has burned away the entire east wall the room, providing a panoramic, if eerie, view of the lake beyond . That same lake has gradually expanded into the room, flooding its eastern half.
"Ah, that must be where the blaze began. Shall we enter here then or do any of you think it would be wiser to approach from the balcony?"
"Let's go in here. At least we can see into some of the adjacent rooms." Unless he hears objections, Janos moves up to climb over the rubble of the broken wall.
The group scrambles over the broken wall and into the prison. As they get closer, they can see a soot-caked copper plaque over the furnace entrance reads “Ember Maw.”
Anton:
Drosil:
B'Yelka:
Dantrian:
Tibideau:
Janos:
Everyone except Anton sees the face of Old Ember Maw seem to animate into a leering skull-like visage made of metal and bars.
Anton:
Drosil:
B'Yelka:
Dantrian:
Tibideau:
Janos:
Initiative
Dantrian 21
Janos 18
Drosil 14
Old Ember Maw 10
Tibideau 8
Anton 4
Begin Surprise Round
Janos shouts in surprise as the furnace changes into a mass of metal teeth and bone. He steps up to it and swings his axe hard.
"That... is more disturbing than I had anticipated." Dantrian's words come out haltingly as he takes in the scene before him. Once the brief shock wears off, he hurries forward nearer to Janos, drawing a stoppered flask from his vest as he goes.
HP: 17/17
AC: 15 (11 T / 14 FF)
CMD: 15
F/R/W: +4/+4/+0
Hero Points used: 1/2
Prepared Mutagen: Dexterity [ ]
Prepared 1st Level Extracts (2+1): cure light wounds [ ], shield [ ], enlarge person [ ]
-Ongoing Effects-
none
Drosil, not knowing what else to do, draws his weapons, assumes a defensive stance, and prepares for the worst.
Wha..
Seeing the monstrous contraption come to life almost too late Anton sweeps round to see a squat furnace with metal teeth grinning at him.
"That's new!" Tibideau remarks cheerfully at the sight of the animated fireplace.
He ponders for a moment, then remembers reading about such phenomena with Frederique a few years before. "It's a haunt! The furnace is infused with spirits! It will attack us with fire! Well, duh, it's a furnace."
Surprise Round
Initiative 21
"That... is more disturbing than I had anticipated." Dantrian's words come out haltingly as he takes in the scene before him. Once the brief shock wears off, he hurries forward nearer to Janos, drawing a stoppered flask from his vest as he goes.
Initiative 18
Janos shouts in surprise as the furnace changes into a mass of metal teeth and bone. He steps up to it and swings his axe hard. His blade chops right through the figment to clang against the cast iron furnace like a gong.
Initiative 14
Drosil, not knowing what else to do, draws his weapons, assumes a defensive stance, and prepares for the worst.
Initiative 10
The furnace roars, then a fiery tongue lashes out from its maw to strike at Janos.
Initiative 8
"That's new!" Tibideau remarks cheerfully at the sight of the animated fireplace.
He ponders for a moment, then remembers reading about such phenomena with Frederique a few years before. "It's a haunt! The furnace is infused with spirits! It will attack us with fire! Well, duh, it's a furnace."
Initiative 5
B'Yelka starts singing.
Initiative 4
"Wha.." Seeing the monstrous contraption come to life almost too late Anton sweeps round to see a squat furnace with metal teeth grinning at him.
End Surprise Round
-------------------------
Begin Round 1
Initiative
Dantrian 21
Janos 18
Drosil 14
Old Ember Maw 10
Tibideau 8
B'Yelka 5
Anton 4
Dantrian tosses the flask of holy water at the animate furnace, his hand darting into his vest to draw another.
AC: 15 (11 T / 14 FF)
CMD: 15
F/R/W: +4/+4/+0
Hero Points used: 1/2
Prepared Mutagen: Dexterity [ ]
Prepared 1st Level Extracts (2+1): cure light wounds [ ], shield [ ], enlarge person [ ]
-Ongoing Effects-
none
Janos is astonished when his well-aimed blade merely passes through the creature. He steps back holding his axe in a guarded position. "What is this? How do we fight it?" he shouts at the others.
Drosil, seeing Janos' futile attack, becomes even more defensive . "Doesn't anyone know how we can defeat this thing? Do we even need to? Can we go around?"
Its animated by some sort of spirit, I just don't know how to drive it out!
Round 1
Initiative 21
Dantrian tosses the flask of holy water at the animate furnace, his hand darting into his vest to draw another. The vial splashes open on the leering metal visage, causing a burst of steam to rise up and the spirit to shriek in agony.
Initiative 18
anos is astonished when his well-aimed blade merely passes through the creature. He steps back holding his axe in a guarded position. "What is this? How do we fight it?" he shouts at the others.
Initiative 14
Drosil, seeing Janos' futile attack, becomes even more defensive. "Doesn't anyone know how we can defeat this thing? Do we even need to? Can we go around?"
Anton replies, "Its animated by some sort of spirit, I just don't know how to drive it out!"
Initiative 10
Another tongue of flame comes shooting out of the furnace's maw.
The blast of flame strikes Tibideau directly in the chest, burning away his clothing and charring his flesh badly.
"There's a prisoner's body in the furnace! We have to recover the remains!" She rushes to Tibi's side and heals his obviously grievous burn. All the while she keeps time for her song with a fast paced clap, even her words are in cadence.
"Seriously?! We have to stick our hands in there?"
An ominous belch of fire precedes a chuckle from the furnace's mouth.
He sees Tibideau recoil from the searing flame, a scream torn from his lips.
Desna help me but this is a stupid idea!
Anton rushes forward, close enough that he can feel the heat radiating from the furnace, every thought drawing him back to memories of the BOX, every fibre raging to flee the heat. But his will is made of sterner stuff.
He thrusts his hand into the heart of the fire scrabbling around fir bones or relics, roaring as flesh is seared and blistered, yet still drawing on his divine grace to balm grievous burns.
Tibideau screams as the pain of the burns nearly knocks him unconscious. The tatters of his coat turn to ash. He shrieks, "BONBON!" and before his coat burns completely, he uses a scorched hand to snatch the turtle out of his coat pocket. He stashes the reptile in his pantspocket, reduced to a charred undershirt on his upper half.
Through the haze, he sees a vision in common clothes approach him and hears it whisper some familiar words. Instantly, his wounds begin to feel a bit better and he regains many of his faculties. "My dear...." he begins, before he remembers the possessed furnace. No time for thanks!
Initiative 5
"There's a prisoner's body in the furnace! We have to recover the remains!" She rushes to Tibi's side and heals his obviously grievous burn. All the while she keeps time for her song with a fast paced clap, even her words are in cadence.
"Seriously?! We have to stick our hands in there?" Janos replies. An ominous belch of fire precedes a chuckle from the furnace's mouth.
Initiative 4
He sees Tibideau recoil from the searing flame, a scream torn from his lips.
Desna help me but this is a stupid idea!
Anton rushes forward, close enough that he can feel the heat radiating from the furnace, every thought drawing him back to memories of the BOX, every fibre raging to flee the heat. But his will is made of sterner stuff.
He thrusts his hand into the heart of the fire scrabbling around fir bones or relics, roaring as flesh is seared and blistered, yet still drawing on his divine grace to balm grievous burns.
Anton's hand goes straight down the spirit's throat before releasing a burst of positive energy. Bright white light comes streaming out of the furnace-skull's eyes and mouth as it bursts outward in a cloud of ethereal ash which disappears before it hits the ground.
End Combat
Janos comes and up and slaps Anton on the back. "That was amazing! You literally stuck your hand down it's throat and killed it." The half-elf gives him a huge grin. "Nice work!"
"B'yelka, you said the remains are in the furnace?" He helps Anton pull anything out of the furnace's now unanimated mouth.
"If that is typical of what we can expect to encounter in this place, then I am not surprised the Professor met his end here," Dantrian says flatly. He glances over to B'yelka and Tibideau then walks over to the scorched witch and offers him a potion of cure light wounds. "I have three others if this will aid you now."
"The locals spoke of a prisoner executed here, the bones may be in the furnace or somewhere else in this room. Let's just make this fast. I will not die forgotten in this place." The Diva's voice softens, and she turns to Tibideau, "Are you ok? You scared me for a moment there, my beautiful boy."
As the party searches, B'yelka looks at the elegant trinkets on her belt, Mayhaps these are more useful than we imagined
There are human bones amongst the ash in the bottom of the furnace.
Drosil sits to one side, thinking. "So let me get this straight. Because this prisoner was burned alive in the furnace, he is causing the furnace to try to burn anyone else that comes near? I'm assuming that if we are to resolve this, we must do more than just recover his remains. We probably need to put his spirit to rest, but how do we do that? Bury his remains? Something else?"
Anton turns the bones over in his hand.
Thanks Janos. I saw what it did to Tibideau and just reacted. We're only going to get through this if we stick together, right? he puts his hand on the rangers shoulder in a gesture of solidarity.
Maybe we should try the planchette? Find out what was torturing this poor soul.
B'yelka wracks her brain trying to remember the details of the so-called 'Haunt Siphon.' She holds one up to Dantrian and asks her old teacher, "To make this thing work, all I have to do is twist the top as these haunts manifest, correct?"
To Anton she says, "Will you be the one to commune with the angry spirits of this place? If you do ask simply 'Where are your remains'"