"Who is the Skinsaw man? Was he the one who made you what you are now? Please tell us, for we need enlightenment in this matter. We might be able to ask Professor Habe to alleviate your sufferings, if that is your wish."
Kufieno shrugs and examines the man as well.
"He seems sick and quite close to death."
The man seems not to understand any of the questions the party puts forth, or perhaps he is choosing to ignore you, until Miana speaks up, at which point his eyes focus again, bulging out as he speaks once more. "He said. He said you would visit me." Grayst looks into Miana's eyes. [b]"His Lordship. The one that unmade me said so. He has a place for you. A precious place. I'm so jealous. He has a message for you. He made me remember it. I hope I haven't forgotten. The master wouldnt approve if I forgot. Let me see. . . let. . . me. . . see. . . [He said that if you came to his Misgivings, that if you joined his Pack, he would end his harvest in your honor."
Grayst then suddenly collapses and issues a low moan. Seconds later his moan rises to a shriek and he lurches to his feet, his arms tearing ffree of the old straightjacket. He lunges for Miana as the orderlies burst back into the room to help you subdue the crazed man.
Once resecured, the orderlies drag him off and the room is eerily quiet for no more than a few seconds before Habe reenters. "I. . . I am so sorry, please, I beg for forgiveness. I honestly had no idea that he would react in such a manner. I ask that you keep this incident to yourselves, if at all possible. I am not sure if that was helpful for you at all but I hope you found what you were looking for."
"I concur Kufieno, he'sa gonna die. Does he say that to all the girls? Or is Miana just special?"
"Hmph. The self-obsessed are *chhh* tiresome."
The wizard ponders. "The structure of his phrasing indicates the Misgivings is an object, perhaps a place or a religious ritual. His signature name "Lordship" could be *squeak* self-aggrandizement, but it could also be literal. Given its usage with the murders at the barn, I lean towards the latter interpretation."
Rissi gives a squeak of insight. "Nualia's journal indicated that she went to Magnimar, and the cult leader, the one presumably sending these messages is from there. Is it possible to combine these factors to deduce the identity of the cult leader?"
"It does seem unlikely that an intelligent undead would lead a cult of Lamashtu. Perhaps there are multiple agents at play. Thoughts?"
For Misgivings as a place (in Magnimar, maybe?)
Misgivings as a ritual (of lamashtu?)
Nobility of Magnimar? Those with strong ties to Sandpoint, especially.
There are no nobility in Sandpoint per se although the Kaijitsu family is shown high regard as the most prominent family and Aldern Foxglove of course visits on occasion.
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Miana is once again shocked at the man's words and horrific feelings of attachment. "By Irori's bald pate...", is all she can muster at first, she takes a deep breath, letting her ki flow from her dam tien point and relax her muscles that instinctively went into an aggressive forward stance upon Grayst's lunge.
"I'm not that special Seal. But if going to this Misgivings place will help us root out this twisted individual, then... ", cupping one hand to an audible punch, " I will make sure that his macabre activity will end."
After Rissi's line of thought, the paladin can only nod in agreement. "That is a logical deduction, although do you think Sheriff Hemlock would be alright with us heading to Magnimar at this time after just deputizing us?"
"I hope so, for I've had another thought"
Rissi pauses again.
"Well now, it should of been obvious from the start. 'Grander adventures on the road then back at my manor' indeed. I did not realize that murder was considered an adventure." She clicks repeatedly and runs her hand over her head nervously. "If my working theory is correct we have previously saved the murderer from goblins, and dined with him."
Lucian appears surprised. "Surely you don't mean Aldern Foxglove? How can a weak-minded noble like him be our man?" After pondering for a few seconds, "... unless that was an act. I must admit I was completely fooled by it."
"Does this mean we have to give back the horsies? Thunderpuss and Thunderhoof have started to get along."
Kufieno stares at Rissi, slack-jawed. "Really? Alden? He appears nothing more than a fop."
"His manor house was known as the 'Misgivings' once, a haunted place, he does seem to be the only noble with a serious interest in Sandpoint. And befriending a victim certainly sounds like something a servant of Norgorber might enjoy."
"The undead aspect still confuses me. Certain clerics of course can impose their will over the animate dead, but to do so with the intelligent undead is, to my limited understanding, extremely difficult."
"Where is this manor, in Sandpoint? Magnimar?"
"The Foxglove manor is in Magnimar."
We should investigate into Alden's ongoings the last couple of days in town before heading off to Magnimar. It shouldn't take very long but it could reap some useful information."
---
By the time you make it back to Sandpoint towards the end of the day, Sheriff Hemlock is waiting for you but not, it seems, to hear what you have to say; a breathless man covered in mud and sweat stands with the Shoanti Sheriff. Hemlock barely has time to introduce the man as Maester Grump, a local farmer, before the man breaks out into frantic babbling.
"There's walking scarecrows and the Hambleys place is haunted and we took torches but there's more been attacked and I only just ran away and..."
He takes a few shallow breaths and the Sheriff helps calm the man down. "What I mean to say is, the southern farmlands are being plagued by these foul walking scarecrows stalking the night. All the farmers around knew the problems were coming from the old Hambley place-things just ain't been right there for a few days now-but when a group of us went down there to sort it out last night we were attacked by folk that looked like corpses but fed like starving animals. They even ate the dogs! I only just got away."
At this point Sheriff Hemlock takes over, "My men picked up Grump as he ran into town screaming about walking scarecrows. I'll provide four men to help you go check this out. I'm hoping his story has been enhanced by the booze I can smell on his breath, but then again the moonshine may have only dulled his memories and the situation is even worse than Grump realizes."
"No time to waste then; let us hurry" In truth, though, Rissi pauses and racks her brain for any tidbits of lore on magical scarecrows.
"Yes Miana, I think what happened to poor Maester Grump here is more urgent."
Old Crade Hambley was known among Sandpoint's farmers for being a penny-pincher and a tenacious haggler when it came to selling his crops. His family dwelt in poverty, even though his farms seemed to make as much money as those of his neighbors. He was certainly a greedy soul....
Over three dozen farmsteads dot the fields and vales southeast of Sandpoint, the farthest being some 6 miles from town. Farms to the east and north have heard stories of the trouble to the wouth, but it's not until you move south of Ashen Rise and approach Soggy River that the rumors turn into firsthand accounts.
Footpaths, dusty tracks about 10 feet wide, hemmed in by fields of corn and other crops, connect the farmsteads. The Hambley farm is nestled at the western edge of the Whisperwood, a forest said to be home to capricious gnomes, pixies, and other fey, but now overshadowed by the closer menace. All five of the other farms south of the Soggy River are no deserted, their occupants having either fled north to seek shelter with other farmers or disappeared....
"I don't suppose anyone sees *chhh* any useful spore on the ground?"
Rissi looks around on the ground somewhat aimlessly, confused by the mass of footprints.
Kufieno cocks his head at Rissi, then nods and begins looking around.
Swallowing his increasing fear, the young Varisian summons the power that be to answer his question on a scrap of parchment. His inkpen in hand, he lets himself drown into a transe.
"Kindred spirits, masters of lore, answer my call. Will the exploration of the farmstead yield Weal or Woe?"
Then he casts a protective spell around Kufieno, Sealman and Miana as they prepare to approach the fields.
Reacting to Rissi's request, he looks at the ground.
The crops are high enough that the footpaths have nearly turned into tunnels, although you can indeed see some scarecrows in the distance of the fields, scattered about the two buildings at the center of the homestead.
Lucian sighs as he looks on what the spirits wrote on the parchment through his hand.
"The omens are not good once again, my friends. Maybe we should check out the fields first, there are scarecrows there. Let's be careful about them, shall we?"
"They are killing the poor doggies! They must be dealt with. Let's go!"
Seal draws his newly acquired bastard sword and leads the group into the fields.
Kufieno takes out his newly acquired wand and taps himself with it, before offering it. "Would anyone else like to use this wand of armoring?" He asks as he readies his bow.
Rissi nods affirmative to Kufieno's request.
After she receives armor of the mage, she proceeds to flex her finger vigorously, prepared for some serious spellcasting.
Miana is able to detect from afar which scarecrows are just scarecrows and which are actually posing undead.
Having purged the fields of the undead menace, the party approaches the barn. The barn is a simple L-shaped structure but is curiously constructed around a unique feature-a 12-foot-high stone head, canted slightly to the left, depicting a helmed warrior, his face a stern model of determination. Moss has grown over much of the weathered figure, making his features hard to discern. Nothing else is found around the barn though.
The farmhouse is in a terrible state as well. Moving in, you find Hambley's mutilated body lying in the kitchen. Although the corpse is already decaying and swarming with flies, the Sihedron Rune is still plainly visible upon the man's chest; as is a single scrap of parchment pinned to his tunic.
Your Lordship
There is another ghoul waiting here in the house, which is quickly dispatched by the party. Curiously, this one is not dressed like a farmer, instead having more upscale clothes befitting a servant or caretaker of a wealthy household. An iron key still hangs around his neck on a leather cord. The key bears a heraldic symbol of a curious flower surrounded by thorns.
Seeing the sihedron rune once again carved on someone's body, Lucian has trouble keeping his last meal inside, but his thoughts cannot help but race.
"Another of these Sihedron runes carved on a body. I wonder... The three men assaulted by the ghast were mostly greedy men. Farmer Hambley was also described to us as a greedy soul... is there a connection? We could check this hypothesis, see if the people who died at the mill were also greedy people. If that's true, then the question is what purpose do these deaths serve? Didn't we find out that Thistletop was also related to the Runelord of Greed?"
"It is an interesting theory, *chhh* Master Arvandu. As the magics or runelords seems as much metaphysical as arcane, it is far from an outlandish hypothesis. I wonder if we will find another one of those runewells underneath the foxglove estate - or some other runelord device that manufactures undead instead of sinspawn."
Rissi fingers the key from the last ghoul.
"I would guess this particular ghoul was an invitation. This key bears the *squeak* Foxglove Crest. 'Come and find me'."
The route leading out to Foxglove Manor is a 3-mile hike along a narrow path that follows the Foxglove River from the covered bridge where it flows under the Lost Coast Road to the dark sea cliffs overlooking the Varisian Gulf.
As you near Foxglove Manor, it almost seems as if nature herself has become sick and twisted. Nettles and thorns grow more prominent, trees are leafless and bent, and the wind seems unnaturally cold and shrill as it whistles through the cliffside crags. The path slowly rises, bending around a steep corner in the cliffs, and then Foxglove Manor looms at the edge of the world.
The strangely cold sea wind rises to a keening shriek as Foxglove Manor comes into view. The place has earned its local nickname of the "Misgivings" well, for it almost appears to loathe its perch high above the ocean, as if the entire house were poised for a suicide leap. The roof sags in many places, and mold and mildew cake the crumbling walls. Vines of diseased-looking gray wisteria strangle the structure in several places, hanging down over the precipitous cliff edge almost like tangled braids of hair. The house is crooked, its gables angling sharply and breached in at least three places, hastily repaired by planks of sodden wood. Chimneys rise from various points among the rooftops, leaning like old men in a storm, and grinning gargoyle faces leer from under the eaves.
"Lovely place...." Kufieno quips as he peers around the area.
"Seems like a good time to use the armoring wand again, no?"
"Perhaps we should investigate the outbuilding first. If we go slowly... or, ahem, if I can ride upon someones shoulders, I could *chhhh* maintain a detect magic. I am sure this manor house possesses some measure of magical wards, perhaps alarm spells."
Kufieno nods. "You took the words right out of my mouth Miss Rissi."
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"Well, there is Thunderpuss..." noting the creature's large size that even she or Kufieno could ride with ease, although Sealman may be too much dwarf for anyone to ride.
"We should move slowly; if there are any more ghouls or other undead abominations, Irori will grant me the power to locate them."