Cedric, unable to really see Maria, begins chanting a small litany and his eyes go golden once again.
Lazar's first arrow destroys Green, leaving only the two Ghast trapped in the pit.
Both of whom scrabble desperately at the walls but cannot get out.
Another band of four Ghasts race around the corner from were they had been resting until awoken by someone hammering on the door.
The party may now act
Gadren casts glitterdust at the oncoming ghasts before darting over beside Maria. "Lazar there are more around the corner! Finish them off and get back here when you can. I'll try to pull Maria back and hold them back when the pit ends."
Maria continues to glare at the ghasts.
"Got it!"
Silently thanking Gadren for the advice, Lazar steps back a bit to get some angle, certainly finding out more ghasts. He can also see Cedric nearby, so, figuring he's about to invoke his holy power and turn them all to ashes, Lazar fires his arrows with a plan in mind.
"A good plan" Maria thinks.
Cedric directs the summoned fire elemental to move against the ghasts and unleashes a wave of positive energy as well.
Seeing the ghasts head their way, Jack waits for them to come to him.
The Ghast, half of whom are blinded by Gadren run into Cedric's holy light and three are vaporized.
Orange is left alive, but blinded and falls the Lazar's arrow.
Searching the inn you soon find that it was abandoned recently and the Ghasts found it and moved in. All the bedding and equipment is gone.
You do find a pile of loot the Ghasts had gathered from ambushing passing travelers.
Loot
3 pp, 157 gp, 553 sp, 348 cp
Chainmail +1
MW studded leather armor
+2 rapier [no light or external clues]
MW shortbow
Gems
[9 gp] hematite
[7 gp] agate
[10 gp] rhodochrosite
[110 gp] amethyst
[8 gp] unworked shell (worth 4 gp; Craft (jewelry) DC 10 to repair)
[12 gp] turquoise
[10 gp] unworked tigereye (worth 5 gp; Craft (jewelry) DC 10 to repair)
[12 gp] rhodochrosite
Potions
[50 gp] potion/oil of jump (CL 1)
[300 gp] potion/oil of darkvision (CL 3)
[50 gp] potion/oil of mage armor (CL 1)
[25 gp] potion/oil of guidance (CL 1)
[50 gp] potion/oil of cure light wounds (CL 1)
[25 gp] potion/oil of virtue (CL 1)
[25 gp] potion/oil of guidance (CL 1)
[300 gp] potion/oil of slipstream (CL 3)
[300 gp] potion/oil of resist energy, fire (CL 3)
[50 gp] potion/oil of shield of faith (CL 1)
[25 gp] potion/oil of arcane mark (CL 1)
Scrolls
[25 gp] divine scroll of command (CL 1)
[13 gp] arcane scroll of ghost sound (CL 1)
[25 gp] divine scroll of divine favor (CL 1)
[25 gp] arcane scroll of ray of enfeeblement (CL 1)
[150 gp] arcane scroll of fox's cunning (CL 3)
[150 gp] divine scroll of flame blade (CL 3)
[25 gp] divine scroll of detect evil (CL 1)
[25 gp] arcane scroll of identify (CL 1)
Wands
[750 gp] wand of cure light wounds (CL 1)
What are you doing now?
Maria helps load up the goods. "Glad we could eradicate this wretched hive."
"Good work everyone, that went a lot better than it could have if we didn't work together. There's a few of the scrolls here that I know the spells of but I could hold onto them to use at an opportune moment."
"Let's round the corner, whatever else we've dealt with quite a few undead already. My own magical reserves are considerably depleted now but I'll do what I can. With luck enemy numbers remaining are very low now."
Maria pockets the wand. "Let's go deal with them." She rounds the corner, blade out, looking for more trouble.
The inn is abandoned, you've removed the unpleasant squatters who had moved in. If you want to rest it's a roof over your heads and a fireplace. Not much else.
Maria stretches to get rid of the horrible, frustrating feeling of being paralyzed. "I'm still fresh. I say we press on."
Cedric nods, moving over to look Maria over. After being satisfyed that she was indeed well, he nods again.
I am fine to continue onwards as well. While there is little we can do for the poor souls lost here, other than bring them peace, perhaps we can make safe this passage again for good. And keep others from falling to such a fate with this.
He pauses for a moment.
Though, if we do decide to rest here, I would like to perform a small rite, and hopefully put to rest the spirits of those here.
Placing his blades up, "I'm good here. Barely broke a sweat. I've got to say, you folks are efficient. Quite impressive."
The Beast’s second alleged crime is the murder of six children in Hergstag, formerly a small, religious farming community in the Dippelmere Swamp. A DC 15 Knowledge (local) check reveals that the village has been abandoned since the attacks 7 months ago. Until that
time, the villagers of Hergstag lived quiet lives and made passable livings farming and hunting.
A DC 10 Diplomacy check to gather information or a DC 20 Knowledge (local) check reveals that of the former inhabitants of Hergstag, only three remain in the area. Three sisters named Garrow, Starle, and Flicht now own a small windmill on the outskirts of Lepidstadt and are witnesses for the prosecution.
All in their late forties, the three lived their entire lives in Hergstag. Each remembers the deaths. The village’s children vanished one by one, only to return as ghosts.
Then one day the culprit was found—the Beast of Lepidstadt. It boldly walked into the village with one of the dead children, a girl named Ellsa. The witnesses all recall seeing the Beast laughing as it carried the child’s broken body.
As soon as the locals saw the Beast, they set upon it with pitchforks, but try as they might they couldn’t catch it, and the Beast escaped into the swamp. The poor innocents it killed continued to haunt the village, and before long became too much for the locals, who soon abandoned the cursed village.
While not lying the witnesses are concealing something.
A DC 15 Diplomacy or Intimidate check convinces them to reveal that of the six children who died, one—a girl named Karin—died in her own bed 2 days after the Beast was driven from Hergstag.
Her father heard her screaming but by the time he reached her she was dead, without a mark on her and with no signs of entry. The three villagers can also give directions to the house in Hergstag where Karin died (area B2).
If questioned about the case, the Beast remembers Hergstag. It quietly mutters Ellsa’s name and becomes visibly upset. Its face tightens, the stitching pulling back its jaw into a grimace, making it look almost like the Beast is laughing.
In fact, the Beast is crying, though its eyes are incapable of producing true tears. Although very simple, the Beast can tell you the basics of what it remembers—that it lived in the hermit’s tangle by the lake (area B4) and it befriended a local girl, Ellsa.
The Beast claims the children were killed by a “ghost who stole their souls and walks at night.” The Beast goes on to describe the day it found Ellsa’s dead body and how it took her back to the villagers to try to explain about the ghost, but was driven away.
You stand on the outskirts of the abandoned village. What are you doing now?
"If I recall correctly, there should still be two or three people in the village" Lazar informs, "but most important is the fact that one of the children died after the Beast was taken away." He indicates where the child lived, in case the group want to search for and study his corpse.
"From what I understand this was a small religious farming community. Incomes were mainly made by farming and hunting. Things have changed quite a bit since the attack seven months back."
Aye, I very much doubt that our "beast" would have the ability to kill the children without physical trauma, and I doubt from speaking with him that he would even have the desire to do so. It could very well be dark magic at work, similar to that which was at work in Ravengro. Which would indicate the whispering way has had its hand in this as well.
Cedric stops to think, closing his eyes to help him stay focused.
It could also be a curse of sorts... Either way, we need to investigate the place, perhaps there are traces of what happened. I would suggest we start where the last death occurred. Perhaps there is a trace there that I or Maria could pick up on.
Maria nods firmly. "I agree. We go to the scene of the most recent action."
Lazar agrees. "I guess that should be the kid that died after the Beast was gone. Do you think he'll be buried at home, or in the graveyard?"
"Graveyard if his family have any sense."
Lazar nods when Gadren suggets going to Karin's place. They have so many things to do that it doesn't matter where they start from, as long as they start.
Advancing carefully into the silent, decaying village you pass rotting houses.
C1. The Chapel
A small, whitewashed timber building stands in the center of the village, surrounded by gravestones.
The village’s chapel was dedicated to Desna, but it already shows the signs of its abandonment. Within, the simple chapel is falling victim to rot, its pews are already overgrown, and some of its windows are smashed.
Mice nest in the altar, the holy water in the font is turning green,
and the once-beautiful frescoes depicting Desna and the heavens have begun to flake.
You reach the house you were told is Karin's.
C2. Karin’s House
This house appears to be in better condition than others in the village. Its door is shut and barred.
Karin’s father always meant to come back here, and he secured his home just in case. The good wooden door has been nailed shut.
It's early in the afternoon, you still have several hours of daylight. What are you doing now?
"Let's take out time. Maria check for the auras of evil creatures, I'll try to detect any magic. We can keep an eye out for traps and tracks as a group. Someone might have laid a trap for people snooping about."
Maria nods and searches for evil presences. She also knocks on Karin's front door. "Hello?! We're here to help. Open up and speak. Justice is here."
Maria raises her hand to knock then stops, her Detect Evil finds a strong source of it inside the very house you are outside. It is small but strong and seems to be upstairs.
What now?
"Let's keep our weapons out as we move inside. We'll have to remove this board nailing the door shut first."
Maria notifies the others. "Small... hmmm... I wonder if it's an item instead of a creature... We'd better be careful." Drawing her weapon, she knocks on the door with her other hand.
Cedric readies himself, while he still has a smile, he doesn't say anything at the time.
grabbing an arrow, Lazar whispers a prayer, getting ready for a potential threat. "Better wasting resources than wasting lives due to not being prepared."
Maria knocks on the door, there is no response. The door stays nailed shut. Inside the source of evil moves a few feet.
Maria enhances herself and her sweet then smashes a shoulder into the door.
"Possibly another way in?" the rogue asks, glancing about. "I'm going to check it out." He then walks around the house, looking to see if there might possibly be another way in.
The door creaks and gives a tortured groan, but stays shut, just.
Jack you can see the windows are all shuttered, but would be easy enough to open.
Lazar connects his special senses as well, and stands at the ready.
Maria turns to Lazar. "Help me out a bit? This door needs to go down." I can't believe I asked for help... I guess I've been with these folks for a while...
Then she turns back to the door and slams her armored shoulder into it again
but her footing slips in the mud. She gives it another try
but the door is much sturdier than it looks. But Maria isn't about to give up.
Neither is the door.
At last, she breaks through it and raises her weapon as she steps inside the shack.
Door is open, the source of evil is upstairs and not coming down.
Maria growls "Let's get it." and rushes upstairs.
As Maria runs to the upper floor looking for the source, Lazar follows, though he takes a bit more time to check that they're not skipping anything too important.
"It might not be an undead, it could be a fey or some kind of wicked creature drawn to the psychic impressions left in this place like a Will O' Wisp... wretched things."