All Mara can tell is that this is a haunt of some kind, though it is clearly connected to the bird cages.
"Positive energy directed at the bird cages might drive off the spirits!", Mara suggested.
Oscar grimaces and points his IMPLEMENT REDACTED at the birdcage, pouring fire on it from point-blank range.
"This isn't positive but it is pretty bright!" Oscar calls out.
Oscars fire blasts buffets the birdcage, the metal glows bright red for a moment before slagging onto the floor in a pile of molten metal. After the cage is destroyed Dervak is released from his floating position. The noise and gusts stop abruptly though you see that the gusts had blown down a curtain that was concealing a glass door to the outside.
With that business taken care of you search the room. finding that the cultists each had an amulet that hardens your skin, a silver dagger, a sap and two potions of cure light wounds.
"Are you OK, Dervak?", Mara asked."Would you like to drink one of the healing potions?"
Mara looked around the room, and examined the charm bracelet, including checking for magic auras. "I wonder who these people were?", she said. "They're not dressed like the asylum staff."
After that, she looked out through the glass door.
"Dervak, one of these amulets should be helpful to you. Put it on, it will make your skin tougher and harder to pierce." Oscar says, after taking the time to analyze the items.
Mara can't quite tell what the charm bracelet is, though holding it does make her head pulse. Oscar however, instantly feels drawn to the bracelet. More specifically the charm on one of its loops that depicts a burning building.
Outside the glass door is a small path that seems to lead back into another room of the asylum some 20 feet away. The stomach churning sounds from outside however are in full swing.
Oscar will examine the bracelet and slip it on over his wrist. "There's psychic significance to this item, I'll need some time to go over it once we're done exploring forward." he says, his mind touching the charm.
"Thank you," grumbles Dervak. "This place is cursed."
He puts on the amulet (assuming it is a +1?) and drinks one of the potions.
"It certainly seems like it," Mara replied to Dervak.
When her companions had finished looking around the taxidermy display room, Mara walked back out to the rubble-strewn room. Not ready to brave the scary courtyard quite yet, she listened at the door in the eastern wall.
Only the top portion of the rubble door is visible, the rest is covered in... well, ruble. It could be cleared but would take some time, your best guess is about two hours of work
"Well, what do you think?", Mara asked her companions. "We could dig this out, or we could go through the courtyard. I'm not keen on going through the glass door to the outside path, and the library full of rats doesn't appeal to me right now."
Oscar, still fidgeting with the charm bracelet, sighs.
"I'm not very good at manual labor." Oscar says, patting his overweight stomach. "But if you want someone to supervise..."
N’Dateh puts on the amulet and pockets the two silver knives, the two sap, and a potion of healing, bowing deeply in thanks.
As they discuss shovelling, she just shrugs, her seemingly frail husk proof enough.
"If we're trying to clear out anything that could be a threat, we'll have to take out the rats sooner or later. And libraries could be useful for people like Oscar. But maybe we can get a swarm suit first.
If this passage is blocked then nothing can come at us through it. Until we clear it out. Do we have a reason to go down that way? I will work to clear it out if you want me to."
"Let us try the courtyard, then," Mara said. Steeling herself, she made her way out to the eerie enclosure and looked around for dangers.
N’Dateh sighs her relief. Shoveling is just about the worst ordeal she can think of.
Dervak also looks around the courtyard, his falchion raised.
Oscar comes in next, his bow ready.
The court yard is covered in a (slightly thinner) layer of fog. Your able to see just about twenty feet, but beyond that the dead shrubs and choked flower beds make for unerving sillouhts in the mist. Mara and Dervak can both make out bestial noises coming from the mist, but Mara is able to discern that they seem to be without a source, perhaps an illusion brought about by the mist itself.
Once the group is well inside the court yard, headed down a path that presumably will lead to another door elsewhere in the asylum, Mara and Dervak notice a very large batlike creature just before it swoops from the mist and lands just beside N'dateh.
Look out!," Mara cried, as the batlike creature started to swoop down.
As the creature landed next N'Dateh, Mara exclaimed, "Mommy, give us courage in battle!", as she cast a spell.
"Back, vermin!"
Unwilling to risk the creature getting the drop on the party, Dervak hacks at the bat-creature.
Dervak's attack, even with magical assistance from Mara, fly's wide. With the two Half-orc's having reacted to the beast it wraps N'Dateh in its arms and legs, digging its claws into her as it does so.
After she is firmly in the creatures hold it spreads its wings and takes off with her. As it's taking off its tail slides across N'Dateh's ribs, tickling her something awful.
"HOLY SHIT!" Oscar Panics.
Mara frantically jabbed her spear at the horrible bat-thing as it grabbed N'Dateh.
Dervak swings his falchion at the creature.
N'Dateh is taken aback by the surprising speed of the bat-like creature.
As she is lifted, she stabs back at her assailant behind her, sending the blade from her right hip and upwards.
Mara's spear strikes true in the volly of misses, piercing the creatures thigh as it takes off.
The pain causes the creatures entire left side to spazem for a moment, it's wing failing to flap as it needed in order to stay airborn. It falls the ten feet and lands prone, N'Dateh sill in its clutches.
Mara moved around to try to flank the repulsive monster. "Let her go!", she cried, thrusting with her spear.
"Die, stupid bat monster!"
Oscar gestures to a rock nearby, pointing at the creature. The rock rattles in place before suddenly shooting at the thing's head!
N'Dateh realizes that what her friends have in conviction is compensated by their fighting skills... With a shrug, she realizes she has to rely on her own skills if she is to survive this.
Slammed down by the fall, her teeth rattle and she spills blood as she tries to slip out of the creature's grasp.
If freed, she'll roll out of the way and behind Dervak.
Dervak's blade is the only one that strikes true this time, sinking into the prone, grappling creatures back. Flaying a long strip of flesh just below the wing.
The beast Holds onto N'Dateh as she struggles to be free, however, to her surprise, it releases her after a moment and rises. Unleashing two claws at Dervak.
The creatures Wraps its arms around Dervak, Pulling him in close and raking his back with its claws and tickling his ribs with its tail.
Mara continue stabbing at the monstrosity as it stood up.
Dervak strikes at it as it tries to get up off the ground.
If that doesn't drop the creature, he is indeed struck twice and grabbed by it.
Dervak's blows bring the creature to a knee as it throws its head back in a silent scream. Still managing to grab hold of him, it's tickle however fails to phase Dervak.
N'Dateh slashes at the creature as it shows an opening, then shifts behind it to flank with her companions.
Oscar flings yet another projectile at the creature.
Oscar, flinging a rock from a flowerbed at the creatures head, manages to bring it down in a somewhat anticlimactic fashion. It slumps, and bleeds from its head.
Mara had a closer look at the bizarre creature, now that it had been brought down.
"Should we return to the sanctuary and rest?", she asked the others. "Dervak's pretty beaten up, and I've used most of my healing."