Byvalson fails to furnish a reply, and his weapons float back over to him with a look.
Andrea reluctantly presents her dagger, short spear, and Morningstar. She keeps her buckler attached to her forearm.
I understand your reluctance to trust us, but if we had intended to harm you, we would’ve done that instead of hunting dopplegangers for you.
York sighs in resignation and motions to one of the guards behind him. He waves everyone through the door to the west , "That way." A moment later the door unlocks and creeks open. You are led through a closet with mops, buckets and brooms, then through a hole punched in the wall and through a second room where two more guards are stationed. Behind the barricade where the hall turns east you see dingy bed sheets have been sewn together and drawn across the hall blocking line of sight, from behind the sheet you hear faint weeping.
Led west through a pair of double doors you see the chapel. Improvised pallets are clustered beneath sculpted divinities, and cooking fires burn beneath cracked windows in this chapel. Panes of violet and blue stained glass form spiraling patterns between prison-like bars, while dozens of candles flicker from modest alcove shrines. Most prominently the chapel is dedicated to Pharasma suggested by the prominent statue of the goddess and the spiral stained glass windows. However, the smaller candlelit shires are dedicated to other deities, including Abadar, Desna, Erastil, Gozreh, Iomadae, Irori, Nethys, Sarenrae, Shelyn, even Asmodeus and Zon-Kuthon. Locked donation boxes sit beneath the shrines to Pharasma and Asmodeus. Taking refuge here are over 20 survivors.
Winter is a dark haired woman with heterochromia, she is wearing a holy symbol to Pharasma around her neck. She says wearily, "Greetings, you are welcome to share what meager and dwindling supplies we have and I'm sure you have many questions. I would like to answer them but there is far too much to do right now and I have little time to answer." Looking around you see that the survivors have wounded of their own, a nurse is trying to get a man, who is growing increasingly more agitated, to take some sort of tincture, a man attempting to break apart furniture with a crowbar, while some survivors awkwardly attempt to prepare food from the food supplies available them.
On there way to the chapel El signs to Andrea
Andrea looks at the Pharasma holy symbol and try’s to recall information about the god.
I am growing weary, but could provide some limited healing to some of the injured, if you require it, and would permit it.
"Any help to you and yours for the safety of the chapel's embrace."
Byvalson gaze lingers at the dark haired woman's holy symbol, and proceeds to slowly meander over to nurse struggling with the man.
The elf leans down and whispers in the nurse's ear words of encouragement, and gives the man a look.
"You really should settle down sir, this kind woman surely only wants to help."
Byvalson casts Daze!
Andrea use her last channel energy in the chapel
Uther is also unhappy about leaving behind his weapons. He stares intently at Winter, hoping to detect any sign of evil.
Ellery takes some extra time to survey the room for dangers of various kinds while the others make themselves useful.
Rogelio takes a tour of the place.
Rogelio, remembering suddenly, leaves the chapel to investigate the weeping behind the sheet.
The man not really responding to the arcane touch, Byvalson decides to use a stronger suggestion.
Byvalson casts Charm Person!
Andrea's channel washes over the chapel and the injured woman and child look like they are in a little less pain but still look like they are be quite injured.
The man is confused for a second and then looks at Byvalson relieved and smiles a bit. He relents and takes the tincture from the woman. She says, "Thank you! Loric suffers from hallucinations, the tinctures help but getting him to take them is sometimes hard. I'm Nayse, one of the nurses here."
Ellery doesn't seem to notice anything out of the ordinary.
Rogelio head out into the hall toward the sheet. York stands in front of the sheet but doesn't stop you from looking behind it. The hall ends just beyond the dingy curtain, but the wall here suffers some sort of otherworldly parasitism. A mass of stringy, yellow fungus stretches across the stone blocks. At its heart bulges and blinks a watery eye the size of a wagon wheel. The sound emanates from the eye.
"So, um, York...what's the deal with this...eyeball thing? They a friend of yours?
"Hello Nayse, my name is Byvalson. How do-, eyeball thing?"
Byvalson looks over his shoulder to see Rogelio confronting York.
"Pardon me Nayse, apologies."
He walks with purpose over to his elf brother.
"What's this about an eyeball?"
Uther checks for sick and injured to attend, beginning with the most grievous of the women and children.
Andrea wants to take some time to read the room. She is looking for an injured person who seems significantly important. She would be looking for someone with either influence, or who a bunch of people are huddled around trying to help.
Uther goes to attend the child and mother that Andrea had attempted to aid earlier, noting they are still injured. He speaks quietly and displays surprising care and tenderness for such a brutish-looking knight.
Child
Mother
Uther will then ask Winter the number and severity of other injured that he could help with.
Ellery assessing no immediate dangers to him or his companions begins looking for areas that seem off limits or for hushed conversations not meant to be listened to.
York looks grim, "It appeared over the door yesterday and its been growing slowly. Winter doesn't know what it is either. I covered it up because some of the patients and the children are easily disturbed and they have enough to worry about. I'd take it as a personal favor if you didn't bring it up to the others."
Andrea notes that neither of the two injured appear to be apparently important. The woman is wearing dirty clothes and isn't in a doctor's uniform. The boy you surmise must be a patient. Several other survivors do check on them and bring them water and food. A mute woman does visit the boy.
Uther takes stock of the woman and boys injuries. The woman has a broken arm and several broken ribs. The boy has several vicious bites. After bandaging their wounds you feel that they will be able to move around in a couple of days, barring magical intervention. While talking with your patients you find the woman's name is Airwynn Savoia. She worked with the boilers. She suffered her injuries after a wall collapsed on her during a recent earthquake shortly after the madness started. The boy you discover is called Bates and he was committed because of the seizures he suffers. He suffered his injuries when another patient attacked him, he was saved by Mura a mute woman who was also committed 12 years ago.
Ellery explores the southern rooms looking for trouble.
Not seeing any imminent danger in the enigmatic eye and fungi, Byvalson heads back over to talk to Nayse.
Unlocking his familiar satchel, he let's his weasel perch on his shoulder.
He attempts to make small talk with the nurse Nayse about the asylum and to find out more about its current state.
"So what happens if you try to destroy It? I assume someone must have tried."
After rendering healing, Uther quietly informs his comrades that he detects no evil in anyone in the group.
Uther also takes the opportunity to stare intently at the strange eye creature, looking for any hint of evil.
Unable to resist himself, El smirks and goes looking a little deeper...
Nayse is onto making onion soup and insists Byvalson help her if he's going to be chatty.
York responds to Rogelio, "Yup, I shot it right in the pupil. Damn thing grew fangs and bit the bolt in two. Then started screaming and cried something I swear they use to clean the rooms. A couple seconds later the damage I did was gone."
Byvalson helps make soup.
Rogelio nods to uther, "Go ahead and give it a whack. I need to see this reaction before we can decide the best course of action and since it's evil, thats your whole thing, right? So chop chop!"
Nayse is a mid-forties full figured woman with hair turning steel-gray and a calm voice. When talking to her while preparing the food she invariably turns the conversation to singing or asking questions about halflings.
York panics a bit and says, "I don't want to upset the rest of the folks here and if you whack it, it will start screaming again. If you can find some way of getting rid of it quietly you have my blessing."
With the soup made Winter grabs a few bowls and gathers the party to share a meal, assuming they are willing to be gathered. "You've been very helpful to us and I'm grateful. I have a few minutes to answer any questions you might have."
Rogelio reluctantly joins Winter Where are we and how are you all trapped here?"
Andrea checks behind the curtain and examines the eye. She digs into her knowledge of history and religion... and likely comes up with not much.
Byvalson enjoys some onion soup.
Winter answers, "Briarstone Asylum. It's a hospice stuck on a rock sitting in the Danver River. A convenient place to forget inconvenient people."
She continues, "It's as if the outside world has turned against us. I don't know if it's just Briarstone Isle, or if it's the whole world, but the hospice is surrounded by some repulsive vapor. Worse, the weather beyond is like nothing I've ever seen-thunder like laughter, rain like blood. And that's to say nothing of the shapes that scamper and flap within, vague forms that know when we sleep. Things are terrible here, but at least here we can see doom coming." As if on cue the thunder roars from beyond the chapel walls.
Byvalson sips the dregs of his soup and tries to pretend he didn't hear any thundering voices.
Rogelio sighs and looms around. "So, if we're in an asylum what happened to all the patients and staff/how did we get here?"
Ellery cocks his head to the side and signs to Andrea...
Andrea signs back.
Andrea approaches the small Nethys shrine. She kneels, bows her head and closes her eyes. She begins mouthing a silent prayer to her god.
A pained look crosses Winter's face, "If you don't remember I'm guessing you were committed here. There must be records of why. I was helping the Royal Accuser investigate the strangeness in Thrushmoor. The Accuser was having me chase a lead here when I got trapped here with everyone."
She continues, I'm not entirely sure, but there was a patient led uprising. It wasn't like any riot I've heard of, though. It was more like a religious movement. Most of the northern halls are now held by robed patients who call themselves Apostles in Orpiment. Those we've met are fanatically devoted to a patient named Ulver Zandalus."
"Soon after the revolt there was an earthquake and the fog and monsters started appearing. What's strange is that some of the patients and staff with us say that, in the nights before the uprising, they had nightmares of exactly the sort of thing that stalks the halls now."
Rogelio rolls his head and shoulders trying to release tension and annoyance. "It seems nightmares are a common thread we keep pulling on here. Does Ulver have something to do with them or do you suspect it's a different, external force? Perhaps it is related to the lead you were chasing?"
Byvalson wonders to himself if he can have Ellery's soup since he has the whole mouth sewed shut thing going on.
El quickly removes his mouth binding and eats the soup, replacing it after eating. He then moves closer to Andrea and waits for her to stop praying.
When she has finished he discreetly signs to her.
Byvalson feels a bit downcast while watching Ellery unthread his mouth and polish off his bowl of onion soup.
Andrea finishes praying to Nethys, having received the answer she had hoped for. She takes a deep cleansing breath and looks around her. She notices Ellery looking at her, and then signing to her.
She looks around, then says and signs: Is there anymore soup? I can’t remember the last time I ate.
Nayse frowns at Andrea, "Sorry hon we only have about a weeks worth of food, and who knows how long we'll be stuck here."
Winter considers Rogelio's question, "Accuser Omari was investigating Haserton Lowls, the count of Versex, after he appears to have abandoned his duties. Omari believed Lowls had regular business here at Briarstone and sent me here to investigate. The asylum staff that took shelter in the chapel described Ulver as a quiet man who suffered from horrible nightmares. But if they are connected to each other or the events here, I don't have any direct evidence."
"Then I guess all that's left is for you to tell us about that eye over there. It almost seems like it was once a sentient creature but underwent a horrible tragedy..."
Andrea had started drifting off a bit, but snapped to attention when she heard Rogelio mention the eye. She is listening intently, and occasionally glancing over to the sheet.
Byvalson steps up to Winter and Rogelio while a holy symbol of Pharasma floats over with the last bit of his unseen servant's strength.
A thin elf frown appears as he holds out the holy symbol out to Winter.
Ellery stretches and wanders off to find the bathroom to relieve himself.
"I... don't know what it is. We've left it alone and it hasn't bothered us. Please don't tell the others about it though. I don't want to upset the children or other delicate souls."
Seeing Byvalson say something in Elvish and the holy symbol float up a moment of recognition and then sadness crosses her face. She takes the symbol and says a prayer to Pharasma, one intended to guide a soul to her court for judgement.
"Ok then. We're going to go deal with that eye then since It's evil so maybe distract the sensitive people so they don't hear what's going on. Also, what are you going to do with the bodies we brought? They're just hanging out in the hallway. I mean...you could always eat them if you get desperate so... good luck with that. They might start to stink soon."