"No divination magic I have access to would be able to detect the magical the lingering traces of an a spell after this length of time. Morast does seem like a reasonable next port of call."
Maria strides into Morast with clear purpose on her mind. "Let's talk to Elder Lazne and get the official account."
"And maybe if we find where the killings occurred, we might have some notion of where that wraith might be."
Lazne is a grizzled, middle-aged man with dirty gray hair and skin the color of swamp mud. He chews on a foul-smelling swamp weed and
punctuates most of his sentences by spitting weed-juice onto the ground. Lazne doesn’t much like “cityfolk and furriners” (by which he means anyone not from Morast, or, to a lesser extent, from Lepidstadt) and his starting attitude is unfriendly.
Maria looks him up and down. "Look. You don't like fancy people who don't know how to work. And neither do I. I've worked a forge since I was tall enough to use the bellows. But you know what I hate worse than fancy strangers?" Her voice goes icy cold. "Murderers. You've had some murders here and I'm going to do everything I can to make sure the murderer sees justice. So help us out here and tell us what you can."
Lazar nods in agreement while Maria speaks. It's refreshing to have one by your side capable of taking clearly and straight. Laxative has never been the best talker.
"We apologize for disturbing you and thank you for your time in talking to us. Now, the sooner we can find out what happened here, the sooner we can depart. Your help would make this go a lot quicker for us all.
Gadren tries to give his best smile. "We're just trying to help, we wouldn't want to disturb you more than necessary."
"We also think there could still be a murderer here.
"An undead one, actually.
"So we need to find it and destroy it."
Brought around somewhat by your well mannered approach Lazne grumbles a bit but tells you what he witnessed.
Lazne claims that at first the Beast only took lone villagers who were outside at night, but soon became bolder and began to attack houses. These attacks only ended when Lazne organized the villagers and set a trap for the Beast.
He recalls that night well. The villagers were lying in wait for the Beast, who attacked just after nightfall. Armed with torches, the locals attacked and wounded the creature—a huge, hulking brute about 7 feet tall.
The Beast took to the water, but the swampers gave chase in their boats, pursuing it to the village boneyard, where it was attacked by a blood caiman. Lazne grins as he recalls how the Beast yelled oaths and curses that even the worst whore in Lepidstadt would blush to say as the
gator attacked it, and describes the deep bite wound the gator made on the Beast’s shoulder as it dragged the Beast under the water.
Although the Beast’s blood tainted the villagers’ burial ground, forcing them to abandon it and build another, the swampers thought it a small price to pay for the thing’s death. Hearing that the Beast actually
survived was all that Lazne needed to tell his story to the authorities, and he’s looking forward to seeing it burn.
There were no signs of any bites on the Beast that you could see?
What are you doing now?
"A fascinating tale, would you mind retelling it again some time perhaps over an ale?" Would Lazne's tale grow more fantastical in each retelling or stay completely static and scripted Gadren pondered.
Maria ponders the man's story. "Horrible. But this doesn't sound like the same beast as the one in Lepidstadt. For one thing, he doesn't look like he was killed by a blood caiman." She looks to her more scholarly allies for confirmation of the details on golems.
"Maybe someone made more than one Beast?"
"I agree with Phaedra; maybe there was more than one.
"The beast we saw had no bite marks on him.
"Could you show is where the Caiman attacked the Beast?"
"There MIGHT be clues there," Mishtes whispers to Phaedra.
"Do you know how the victims died?" Mishtes asks Lazne.
"I think the Beast can only kill with brute force; which he has lots of!"
After an uncomfortable night spent sleeping on the floor of an empty shack you are taken to the old boneyard in the morning.
The abandoned boneyard where the Beast was attacked can only be reached by boat. The swampers use small coracles to navigate the swamp, and will rent the tiny boats to you for 5 gp per boat per day. The swampers will agree to pilot the boats for you.
The old village boneyard lies about a mile north of Morast on a low, wooded isle. Some 40 graves, each marked with a simple wooden fetish man, lie on the island.
Abandoned Boneyard
A tiny, miserable island rises from the swamp, a tangle of trees covering its dour, reed-choked surface. Hundreds of fetishes hang from the trees—simple, roughly humanoid figures made of sticks and bound with twine. Larger fetishes are planted in the ground on various parts of the island, leaning drunkenly in the soft mud. A large nest built of sodden swamp wood sits high in the boughs of a trio of tangled trees on the northwest side of the isle.
What are you doing now?
Phaedra looks up at the nest in the trees. "Well, it doesn't look like there is much to search on this little island except for whatever may be up there."
She looks around for a rope or ladder for getting up there.
Before they leave the elder, Maria asks him for a detailed description of what this "beast" they saw looked like.
Maria points to the fetishes and turns to one of their guides. "What is the meaning of these?"
Gadren considers a number of ways the situation could have been misleading using magic. The possibilities of using illusion, enchantment or transmutation magic were consirable... if you had the resources and motive.
Before nightfall, Mishtes will relate to the others what he thinks about golems:
"They told us that a caiman got the better of the beast, but that doesn't sound right at all.
"A flesh golem can easily kill animals like caimans by ripping them to pieces.
"So whoever, or whatever, they saw killed by that caiman couldn't be the Beast.
"Getting a bit stranger the more we look, isn't it?"
Unless the local guides object, Mishtes will search the old boneyard for any recent signs of tracks or other disturbances (disturbed burial sites and the like).
He will carefully avoid disturbing anything, though.
Phaedra The nest is large and 20' up. You'll need rope or a ladder, your guide doesn't have any of those things.
Maria. You only get vague descriptions of the beast they fought. It was dark and it stayed away from them and their lights.
Your guide looks at you as if you are ignorant when you ask about the fetishes. "Grave markers ain't they? Don't you types bury yer dead?"
Gadren. Your knowledge roll tells you that a Caiman attack such as the one described to you would have left scars. Scars the Beast does not have.
Misthes. Making s search of the southern end of the boneyard you come upon the remains an old camp (area B2). Around a small firepit are a waterskin (still half full of wine), the aged remnants of some trail rations, and a curious glass vial. The bottom of the vial contains the dried remains of a green substance that smells vaguely of carrots.
This is not a potion it is an alchemist’s darkvision extract.
What are you doing now? Hint: Perception checks would be a good idea. :)
Unable to identify what's in the vial he found, Mishtes asks "Does anyone else know what this stuff is?"
A DC 25 Perception check identifies six graves in the boneyard that appear to have been tampered with, sagging into the ground as though they had collapsed from below, and leaving wide depressions in the muddy
earth. These six graves are empty, but the other graves are undisturbed.
"I can't say I can recall seeing it's like before. But Golems, even flesh Golems don't have any blood or ichor and a caiman attack would leave a considerable mark."
Lazar helps his companions search, though he constantly reminds them that the trial will start without them apporting anything if they take too long.
Lazar.
B3.
Your search turns up something interesting.
A coracle is hidden in the trees and brush along the southwest shore
of the island (area B3). Dried blood can be noticed in the bottom of the boat. The coracle contains an oar, a moldy leather travel bag with a damp artisan’s outfit (a shirt, breeches, shoes, and a cloth apron) inside, along with a vile object—what appears to be a detached human face.
In addition, a length of rope stretches from the boat into the waters below. The rope is attached to a heavy sack, requiring a DC 10 Strength check to haul up. The sack is very large (big enough to hold a Medium-sized humanoid in fact) and has dried blood soaked into its fabric. The sack holds some rope, a gag, a rusted lantern, a trio of heavy knives, and a rusted shovel.
Maria looks around with a grunt. "A lot of foul play here. Looks like this was used to hold a body. Very suspicious... If we have to, I think we could go back to the trial and request a delay given significant evidence that the beast did not commit the murders here." She shakes her head with concern "But those fools might not listen to us. Too scared to think straight."
"Looks like we found the remains of our False-Beast!
"Look at these six graves, they're empty!
"And sagging like someone, or something, dug up from below."
Mishtes will try digging into one of the empty graves to see if anything else is revealed.
He'll be careful about it, half expecting either a tunnel to fall into or something nasty to come out.
Phaedra takes a turn trying to identify the potion. "Huh, weird. This isn't even a potion, it's an alchemist's extract. Not really something that I would consider a Beast being capable of crafting."
Phaedra ponders the large nest for a moment and tries to think of any animals that might have created it.
"Well, I suppose we should still check out that nest. Just not to leave any stones unturned and all that."
Phaedra will take some rope and try her hand at climbing up to the nest for a quick peek.
Phaedra easily shimmies up the tree with the aid of a rope.
The nest is large and contains the remains of a Dwarf, at least you think it's a Dwarf from the well gnawed bones.
Amidst the grisly remains are:
The corpse wears a colorful patchwork coat with numerous pockets holding An oil of keen edge,
A package of bodybalm (Adventurer’s Armory 9),
A silver hip flask still containing brandy worth 30 gp,
And a crimson felt purse containing 31 pp and 22 gp.
A masterwork shortsword and A wand of ghost sound (22 charges) lie nearby.
Since being abandoned by the villagers the Boneyard has become the nesting ground of a Female Manticore. Returning to see her nest being invaded has made her very unhappy!
Phaedra, Lazar & Gadren all spot the large creature flying hard towards the small isle.
You have a round before the Manticore is in range. What are you doing?
"Warining! Manticore incoming!"
Lazar calls for divine assistance while trying to remember all he knows about manticores.
Maria also casts the same spell, seeing Lazar's plan. "Anyone know if it's evil or just territorial?" She moves to the front holding her greatsword.
Gadren moves out to get into cover and casts a defensive spell. "Just our luck.
As the manticore approaches, Mishtes casts a spell on himself:
« langur armur » . .
What are you doing now?
"It's got an ability to attack us at range. Anyone who can get to me and I'll cast a protective ward. Once it's used it's tail spikes I expect it to leave or land to engage us in melee." Gadren closer to Mishtes and once everyone is assembled focuses a huge amount of arcane magic on bolstering their defences.
Phaedra decides that she really doesn't want to be up here and alone in the manticore's nest when it land, so she climbs back down the rope that she had brought up and secured and rejoins the group and draws her bow.
Maria nods and gets closer to Gadren and holds her greatsword at the ready.
Cedric had, surprisingly, been keeping more to himself and had spent the initial time on the island seemingly praying over the abandoned graves. At the sound of being attacked he stands.
I suppose it would be best to drive this beast away. Less it harm innocent folk.
Cedric pulls out a scroll from his bag and utters a small litany before dropping it and letting it fall to the ground. As it lands a small whirlwind erupts from it, tearing the scroll to pieces as it does.
Lazar gets closer to Fasten and tenses his bow.
Ignoring the arrow and the bullet the Manticore moves closer to the nest invader and hovers 20' in the air. It's barbed tail snapping viciously at her.
Manticore has taken 15 damage. Phaedra has taken 19.
The party may now act.
Cedric commands the elemental to attack the manticore, then moves to help phaedra.
By the light of Shelyn, you wont fall today. He gives her a smile as positive energy fills her
the air elemental charges the manticore
"Okayyy... Don't move..." Lazar aims carefully before releasing a pair of arrows.
Accepting that the Manticore would stay airborne for a while yet Gadren takes out and loads his crossbow.
Maria keeps her greatsword ready and growls. "Come and face me." She moves closer to Phaeda, ready to strike if the monster comes down.
Phaedra hisses in pain and casts a healing spell upon herself.
Mishtes moves closer to Phaedra and takes another shot with his sling at the manticore:
Lazar puts two arrows into the beast. Mishtes misses this time.
Hit by the summoned Air elemental the Manticore hurriedly lands.
The Air elemental giving the beast a nasty blow as it moves away.
Landing in front of Phaedra it lashes out at her savagely.
Ripping into her viciously.
[b]The party may now act. No AOO's from you as you had missile weapons out.[/ooc]