This guard room is decorated similarly to the others, with a table, a few chairs, and a pair of cots, yet unlike the others, no undead or haunts lurk within. A winch affixed to the western wall raises and lowers the portcullis that allows access into the Reaper's Hold. As you have seen, the portcullis is currently lowered and locked in place. The winch here can be used to release that lock (a move action) and to raise the portcullis (a full-round action).
Gaarm looks over the switch for any traps.
Upon finding none he will then open the Portcullis.
The as Gaarm pulls the winch, the group hears the grinding of gears and the adventurers in the hallway see the metal grate slowly rise. The Bloodrager secures the winch with a peg to keep the gate raised.
Phyton frowns deteminedly and follows along.
A brass nameplate, its face caked with soot, hangs above a portcullis leading into a large cellblock. Many of the iron doors along the walls within the cellblock hang open, revealing empty cells within.
A thorough search of Reaper's Hold reveals that most of its contents have been pilfered or destroyed. You find nothing of value in the cellblock.
"Can anyone make out whose brass nameplate that is?"
Unfortunatly I have no idea.
Wiping off the soot, you just see another nameplate with the words "Reaper's Hold".
Gaarm opens the door to the south to investigate.
Numerous grisly tools of torment decorate the room, from cages to hanging chains along the walls to a stretching rack, a large wooden tank, and a fire pit in the middle of the room. To the east stands a grim iron maiden, the lid closed and presenting a stern decoration of a tormented woman upon its face. The broken, twisted skeleton of a human dressed in a tattered guard’s uniform lies upon the stretching rack in the middle of the room; the body is surrounded by several discarded knives, branding irons, and pliers. A large, bloodstained wicker basket sits at the head of the rack.
"Yeah..this looks like a place where nothing bad is going to haunt us...."
Naxx casts detect magic..just in case it detects anything
Gaarm looks over the dead guard. He must have died here many years ago.
This place gives Tom the creeps. Everything about makes his blood simmer.
As you approach and examine the body, it becomes apparent that this man was tortured to death. He has scores of broken bones. His hands were severed from his body. His hips and shoulders dislocated, while they shattered his jaw with something that is still embedded in some dead, dried skin along his face. Finally numerous long, thin needles have been driven into his ears, eye sockets, elbows, hips, and knees.
Sir Thomas and Gaarm leap back as the bloodied, wicker basket begins to shake.
Gaarm steels his mind as he looks at the contents of the basket.
Perception:
Initiative:
The group sees Gaarm rush towards the open iron maiden and the steel contraption slams shut around the bloodrager. The man gives a painful scream as the contraption punctures his body with dozens of spikes.
"Friend gaarm!" the little kobold calls out!
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"Let's go get him out!"
Mother?...... Mother?...... MOTHER! Gaarm begins to sob uncontrollably as the cage closes around him.
The spikes stab painfully into his body as small rivulets of blood ooze all around the cage that has not seen blood in many years.
Gaarm was not prepared to see his mother bound and gagged. Let her go NOW!
Gaarm feels the spikes shoved through his body and, after a few seconds, he hears that familiar cackling as the iron maiden swings open. Oddly enough, you don't see any spikes, but you see giant puncture wounds in Gaarm. Even more odd, these wounds don't seem to be bleeding.
As the group pulls Gaarm from the cursed iron maiden, the pool of blood evaporates from around the foot of the contraption.
While everyone seems to be distracted by the cursed torture device, the forgotten bloodied basket's lid flies across the room as two disembodied hands leap out and slam into Naxx and Nizvit, gripping their throats tightly.
Initiative:
1st: Naxx-Grappled @ 14/16 HP; Nizvit-Grappled @ 6/8 HP; Gaarm @ 15/15 HP; Sir Thomas @ 21/21 HP; Phyton 15/15 HP
2nd: Disembodied Hands (#1; #2)
Phyton knows that these are undead creatures who attempt to strangle their victims to death. Once they have injured a creature, it will relentlessly hunt them until it can finish the job. Frequently, crawling hands will strangle a creature in their sleep.
Ugh.. Gaarm has tears stream down his face as he looks over the wounds on his body though they do not bleed. His body Shakes uncontrollably. That took a lot out of me it seems.
Before he knows it two hands fly forward and begin chocking two of his friends.
Gaarm's vision goes black as he goes into a full blown rage and swings his greatsword at the creature holding Nizvit. AAAARGH! You taunt me with my mother and now this! I will tear this entire building down around us if I have to......
Tom tries to rip the remaining claw off Naxx.
Gaarm frees Nizvit with a slash of his greatsword. The severed hand falling limp to the ground.
Phyton channels positive energy to harm the grasping hands!
Sir Thomas yanks on the hand of the guard, but finds that it is lodged tightly against Naxx's throat. Phyton channels some positive energy that damages the remaining hand slightly.
Initiative:
1st: Naxx-Grappled @ 14/16 HP; Nizvit @ 6/8 HP; Ramas; Gaarm @ 15/15 HP; Sir Thomas @ 21/21 HP; Phyton 15/15 HP
2nd: Disembodied Hands (#1 @ 1 damage)
Unable to speak (or inspire) Naxx struggles to get free
While Ramas tries to chew through what ever has gotten a hold of Naxx
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Nizvit and Ramas destroy the remaining severed hand. The cat bringing its new found treasure to its master's feet.
It is apparent that Gaarm was seriously wounded by the iron maiden, but it doesn't appear there were any spikes in the contraption. Still, that doesn't explain the giant bloodless punctures that litter his body.
A thorough search of the room tells you what you have already seen of the body. Decomposition has set in and most of the flesh has either dried or sloughed off. All manner of items have been shoved into the body, some obscured by the remaining flesh and the others held in by bone. You can find crude torture implements crafted from mundane objects around the rack. A search of the bloodied basket finds a ring of keys.
"I wonder if these are the keys we have been looking for..and if so..how'd they end up all the way here.."
They might be the keys. What do you say we head back to the office and see what's in there. Gaarm looks prett bad off, we may need to see what's in the safe and then head back to town for some rest.
Phyton nods and studies Gaarm for a moment, trying to discern what is wrong with him.
Phyton sbakes his head sadly after studying Gaarm for a long while. "I am afraid you are cursed, my friend."
A curse is bad news perhaps Father Grimburrow will be able to get rid of it. I do not have the power.
"Do we search on here...or return to try to have Gaarm....fixed? He got cursed here..he might get un-cursed here as well"
Let us see what the keys unfold then we can head back. Gaarm begins to head for the rope to ascend back to the ground floor.
Naxx follows after Gaarm
As does Sir Thomas. He is getting a little low on resources so is getting ready to call it a day.
The group heads back to the locked door near the entrance of Harrowstone and tries the keys. The first doesn't work. Neither does the second or the third. The fourth and fifth are also misses. By about the twentieth key, the group is able to unlock the door.
They open the room to see a bizarre collection of antique goods rests upon wooden shelves that line the room. Several of the items contain tiny tags with labels written in a careful script. Although much of the remaining property is junk, a few items remain that may be of interest, including a set of masterwork thieves’ tools, a bronze war medallion from the Shining Crusade (worth 40 gp), an unframed Taldan painting of Stavian I (worth 100 gp), a set of a noblewoman’s silver hair clips (worth 35 gp), a masterwork cold iron punching dagger, a pouch containing a dozen masterwork darts, a masterwork silver war razor, and a wand of lesser restoration (12 charges).
Gaarm helps to gather the equipment.
Maybe one of these will work on the safe.
Gaarm looks to the others before he heads over to the safe room.
Within the safe are kept numerous (now out-of-date) legal documents, along with 500 gp (the prison’s payroll and petty cash fund) and a wooden rack on which sit emergency supplies (four potions of cure moderate wounds, three potions of lesser restoration, and two potions of remove disease).
Hmm none of these will help with a curse. I suggest we try Father Grimburrow.