Ellery smirks and makes some hand gestures.
Guess it is good to finally get him to wash some of that zombie off of him.
Seeing Theo pointing up, Mara commented, "I imagine that leads up to the courtyard, where the dogs are. Perhaps we should search the rest of the basement."
Ellery makes some hand gestures.
Mara told those who couldn't understand sign language, "Ellery's missing some of his gear; let's go and look for it."
She followed Ellery's directions and made her way to the area he described.
Once Dervak climbs out, Theo follows.
This dark hallway leads to a row of three doors along the northern wall, each fitted with a small grate in the middle. A single door stands in the southern wall. The middle door on the northern wall hangs open the other two and the southern door remain locked.
"Prison cells? Anyone in there?"
Dervak would like to look for prisoners and for anything hidden in the cells.
Theo looks over each door for traps.
Theo finds no traps. Dervak looks in the eastern cell, it contains the butchered remains of two humans. The western cell holds Ellery's backpack.
Ellery happily takes his pack and methodically checks it over.
Mara shuddered when she saw the fate of the previous prisoners. "Barbarians!", she muttered angrily under her breath.
Mara examined the locked door this time, to make sure it wasn't trapped. Then she cast Guidance on Ellery again.
Mara finds no traps and Ellery easily picks the lock.
Motes of dust hang heavy in this room’s stale air. Crates and barrels stand along the damp stone walls. A plastered portion of the wall in the southwest corner of the room has begun to crack. years.
If someone opens the crates, in addition to a face full of dust they find old clothing, out-of-fashion furniture, outdated militia uniforms, disassembled weapon racks, broken furniture, tapestries in need of patching, extra bedclothes, chamber pots, and old files from the town’s administration. Glancing through the files reveals nothing important or even all that interesting.
"We don't have time to look through all this stuff," Mara observed. She scanned the room for magic auras and looked around the room, just in case. She also had a closer look at the area of cracked plaster, just in case a door had been plastered over. "It can't hurt to check," she told the others.
Ellery makes some hand signs and looks around the room
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Starled, the gentleman drops a file of papers that he was reading.
He looks guilty.
Dervak hangs back and watches the corridor.
Holissa stands in the hallway with Dervak gawking at him.
Mara is certain that this part of the wall was sealed up at some point. The dampness and hasty stonework caused the plaster to crack. It might be possible to remove the masonry carefully with time. She detects no magic, but she does know stone will block the divination spell if it's thick enough.
Only Mara hears a spectral voice coming from the other side of the wall, "Nemira is that you?"
The pale translucent head of what was once a small bookishly handsome man appears from behind the wall. His visage turns to one of anger and yells, "No! You work for him! I can feel his taint on your souls!"
The former man emerges from the wall. A ghostly hand touches Mara on the arm where her skin rapidly shrivels and spots as if it was aging before her eyes. It's incredibly painful but Mara grits her teeth and powers through.
Rowan knows the man is a ghost, Undead Traits, Incorporeal, and knows that the ghost will reform even if its form here is destroyed. To permanently get rid of the ghost the spirit must be laid to rest somehow, the method varies from ghost to ghost.
Theophilus looks disapproving at the ghost.
He then takes out a Wand.
Mara objected, "We don't work for Count Lowls anymore — he betrayed us!"
She swung back with her mace to discourage the hostile incorporeal gentleman.
Ellery jumps a bit as the ghost comes out, quickly coming to his sense he takes a 5' step and pokes the ghost.
The ghost is heavily disapproved.
Mara and Ellery work together with Mara distracting the ghost while Ellery stabs it. Ellery feels like his attack is being turned aside but not enough for the attack to miss. Red destiny pierces the translucent skin of the dead man and the wound leaks a little ectoplasm, but the wound is not nearly as impressive as Ellery had hoped.
Rowan takes a 5 foot step forward and flurries with his magical fists.
Rowan's assault with fist, knee, and kick distorts the ghost slightly.
The ghost floats to the middle of the room distraught, "No... no, NO! You couldn't have, the Count SHOULD be dead." The party takes their opportunity to strike at it, Ellery piercing its ectoplasmic skin and Rowan punching it slightly out of shape.
Suddenly several of the larger objects in the room start to lift off the ground and start spinning slowly at first but rapidly gaining speed. One by one each of them are violently tossed at each person in the room.
Mara realizes the ghost is using Telekinesis.
Mara is hit with a glancing blow from a weapon rack but her armor protects her. Rowan's training kicks in and dodges a heavy looking ottoman before he realizes what's happening. Ellery is unable to move out of the way of a chamber pot fit for a horse, but luckily his thick skin from the amulet he wears protects him. Finally Theo, caught off guard takes a crate in his chest, knocking the wind out of the witch.
Holissa's eyes go wide when he sees the commotion in the room. His voice barely a whisper, "Is that a g-g-ghost?" He freezes with an expression of sheer terror.
"Why should the Count be dead?", Mara asked the apparition, while switching wands and blessing the party.
"Are we talking to it or trying to kill it??"
Dervak steps into the room, draws his falchion, and attacks.
Dervak's Falchion is driven off target by some unseen force.
Theo knows the ghosts style of clothes is well-to-do but 30 years out of fashion.
Ouch! And, here I was about to be awed by your extremely fashionable attire!
Theo touches the wand to the ghost.
Ellery circles the room until he is standing next to Theo and stabs at the ghost again.
The ghost steps aside from Theo's poke but not Ellery's.
Rowan makes another 5 foot step and flurries.
Rowan again brutalizes the incorporeal creature.
Holissa screams and flees.
The ghost answers now beginning to weep, ”No! I didn’t do it. Why are you torturing me?!” The ghost continues, answering a question no one asked, ”I don’t know what you’re talking about. I can’t cure the Count. I don’t even know what’s afflicting him.”
The ghost thrusts his hand into Theo’s shoulder, black veins spiderweb from his shoulder up Theo’s neck and down his arm. The pain is intense but Theo thinks it probably could have been worse.
Mara replied to the ghost, "I'm not blaming you. If you're innocent, maybe I can help you clear your name."
She switched wands again and healed herself.
Dervak sees the specter wound Theophilus, and strikes at it.
He misses having Fortune.
Ellery watches for an opening and strikes at the ghost again.
Rowan flurries again.
”We’re only fighting you because you attacked us. Just stop, and we will too. We can talk this out and maybe help you.”
Theo touches the wand to the ghost.
Not at all certain that this thing works.
Rowan and Ellery again continue to assault the ex-man. While Dervak again bumps up against an invisible force preventing his falchion from connecting. No one is even sure if Theo tried to touch the ghost with his wand.
The ectoplasmic tears continue to roll off the semi-transparent face, ”You’re lying! I won’t admit it.”
The ghost reaches for Rowan but Rowan just barely manages to avoid its touch.
Caught in a time loop, Theo touches the wand to the ghost.
Mara healed herself again with the wand, and urged the spirit, "Tell me what I can do to help you!"
"RAAAGH!"
Dervak steps into a flank with Theophilus and attacks.
Dervak brings the magical blade down through the ghost. He looks at Dervak with some a pained smile, "You'll... still... die... Lowls." The specter dissipates.
Ellery makes some hand signs
While continuing to heal herself, Mara said, "I wish I knew what to do to put the ghost's spirit to rest. I got the impression he feels wrongly accused of something. We might well find another chamber beyond this stonework. But maybe we should be worrying about Constable Cesyll first."
Theophilus scratches his head (with the wand).
Dervak thinks the wall is pretty sturdy and it would take a few hours to take apart if they were being careful and even if the party was working together they'd be hard pressed to break it down quickly.
"I think you are right - probably his body is walled up in there. Let's come back and do that later. Put him to rest. Let's keep an eye out for hammers or picks."
Ellery looks around and makes some hand signs
Probably should have just left him in the cell.