Off to the last room on the first floor
Brightly colored columns stand in the four corners of this foyer. Hieroglyphs cover the walls and tiled floors, obscured in places by piles of dust and sand. Open archways lead to the north, east, and west, while a set of stone double doors exit to the south.
Once Rameth sets foot in the room, another strange sensation comes over all of you, like the one that happened as you crossed through the gate a few hours before.
Ancient Osiriani echoes in your ears, somehow understandable to all who hear it.
Against the clamor of voices from outside the house, you see the bar slam shut sealing the front doors, even though you have not opened it yourself.
They shake on their hinges as a ghostly woman's voice screams They're inside! Protect the family
Another voice echoes and you see four ghostly figures of Osiriani men, armed with khopesh and protected by the tear-drop shaped quilted armor so common in desert climes, raise their arms in response.
It's too late! Save yourselves!
They turn to face not the door which seems to be barely holding against heavy blows from a mob on the other side, but upon the Maze Minders.
Under three of the ghostly forms you see three skeletons, armed with broken swords and shattered helms move towards you in the unnatural motion of undead.
Bah...they are already dead, lets just knock em down.
The skeletons move to engage you much more professionally that the usual shambling charge of normal undead. The haunting and the animating force of the skeletons gives them some semblance of human thought.
The skeleton attacking Rameth raises it khopesh, but the skeleton is so ancient that this violent movement causes its hand to break off from its forearm, landing with a clangor on the floor of the foyer. The phantom blade swipes through Rameth own weapon harmlessly.
The second skelton takes a quick step to attack the fearsome dwarf following Rameth into the foyer. It own blow is wild but the broken sword remains in hand.
The last skeleton shambles across the floor and thrusts its broken blade hard at Azubah, landing a mighty blow with the jagged edge of its tarnished bronze blade.
religion, in case there is something special about the skeletons
for
Rameth two hands his club and tries to knock the skull off.
Rameth's attack passes harmlessly over what he determines is an ordinary animated skeleton, no doubt because he's startled by the loud noise of the sword banging on the hard floor.
The last skeleton shambles across the floor and thrusts its broken blade hard at Azubah, landing a mighty blow with the jagged edge of its tarnished bronze blade.
Will Save
If Dwalindor beats the Will Save:
Dwalindor's attack blasts the skeleton in the sternum and whatever animating force vanishes as it collapses to the floor. Oddly the ghostly vision of the guard continues to attack him without affecting him in any way.
Dwalindor's attack, though devastating, is clearly the result of his blind panic as he screams manically while delivering the blow.
Die kitten doll! DIE!
Azubah waves his arms clumsily, nearly falling off balance before some unseen force steadies him. Then he resolutely points at one of the approaching skeletons and yells "By the power of Aroden, you are denied your will!"
Kitten doll?!
Albus is so confused by the haunt that he forgets he's confused and acts as he normally would.
for
Rameth slams the club down on the head of the skeleton
Albus takes a 5 foot step into P19 and flails about with his sword, anxious to destroy the kitty doll Dwalindor saw. One of his attacks smashes into the skeleton at O19.
His sword smashes into the skeleton and it is cleaved in two.
Where's the doll?!
The last skeleton flails at Rameth with its remaining hand hooked into the semblance of a claw.
It fails to connect and when Rameth's club hits its skull it collapses.
The ghostly figures suddenly snap back into places at the door, flailing at limbs and in a few minutes they're overrun by the unseen ghostly fingers.
The locking bar on the doors releases when the haunt fades, although you feel the presence of the ghosts lingers in a way that causes the hair on the back of your necks stand up.
With a sudden start, Azubah speaks to the air. "Sir Howard, are you all right? Did the manifestation affect you in any way?"
Oh no, I'm fine I think. The other fellows who keep following you are a little unhappy.
He looks sadly down at the remains of the skeletons.
How sad, to be trapped at guard duty for an eternity. Poor chaps probably saved their whole lives for a decent burial for themselves and their families, no wonder they're walking unquiet.
Knowledge (religion)
Knowledge (arcana)
Azubah surmises that this particular haunt, interacted with the corpses of the slain guards in such a way that it could be disrupted by interring the bones of the four guards in the crypt next to the house.
You would need to identify the last guard as only three skeletons were present in this room however.
Rameth nods at the suggestion. Well, I guess we need to find the other one...I perhaps the skeleton in the other room?
Albus follows the others a little embarrased that the creature clouded his mind. This place is starting to get on my nervers. I need a beer.
keep an eye out for a skeleton head.
As Dwalindor climbs the stairs, he sees the second floor is set up as one grand corridor and rooms off each one.
The stairs give way to a wide balcony that wraps around a twenty-foot-square opening in the floor, overlooking the inner courtyard below and connecting hte rooms of the second floor. Above, a square skylight in hte ceiling provides natural light to the ground floor and ventilation for the entire building.
Six different sets of doors lead off this balcony, and the rotting remains of a wooden railing ring the skylight.
DM Only:
Perception
"What is that, Sir Harold? Where? Point it out."
Rameth checks the door immediately to the south of him
for traps
Assuming it is not trapped he opens it, sword cane in hand.
I thought I heard - oh dear! One of your companions has turned south. Which one is he again? It's so hard to tell the living apart, even when they have such a nice hat. Is that a peacock feather?
Sir Howard floats a bit away from your towards the south door.
The walls of this room are decorated with a scenic vista of a river valley running through a desert, resplendent with verdant life and greenery near the shores. Only a few pieces of lacquered furniture remain in the chamber. A faint, musty odor of decomposed wood and fabric lingers in the air. A set of doors stands in the western wall that you just walked through.
Worse, as you walk in you see human remains in the alcove to the east - and it is no skeleton.
If Perception successful:
On the body's hand is a simple gold ring with "To Akar from Panhet, Love Eternal" inscribed in modern Osiriani on the inside of the band. Underneath the body's headless shoulders you find clumps of hair that make something turn over in your head.
Perception
Heal
Knowledge (planes)
"There is a ring on his hand, it has an inscription."
Read the spoiler.
Modern Osiriani...that doesn't make much sense does it.
Rameth loots the body.
Azubah, you know that the hair and signs of death should be familiar to you, but you can't quite dredge up the memory.
The body however concerns you - it is less than a year old and although the body itself is unmarked by wounds the head appears to have been pulled off, not cut.
After searching the room, Rameth prepares another shield extract.
Something not very nice here.
"I have never seen a head yanked from a body before" Azubah says to no one in particular.
It was, really? How terrible. And that must have been quite painful, it's bad enough when someone starts pulling hair much less your whole neck.
Rameth leads the group to the room to the north of the stairs and checks the door, pointedly ignoring Azubah's muttering.
percep
if it seems safe he opens the door.
Doors at M3. I assume that it is one big room