Shikyomaru returns unscathed although he thought he heard a whistling from the room to the west.
The boy sees Shikyomaru come back and in a pleading tone he asks, "Āpa Pavi yā Waahid pātē haiṁ? Thōṛā phahada kē bārē mēṁ, maiṁ usakē li'ē ḍara laga rahā hai kyā, vaha hamēśā itanā patalā thā. Kyā maiṁ apanī bahana batānē jā rahā hūm̐?!"
Shiko silences the boy with a finger to his own lips and a shshh sound.
He motions the others to follow and he enters again, this time heading west.
What is everyone else doing?
Lilly draws her sword and takes her shield, before following Shiko.
Once the group proceeds to move into the building, Pratavh follows them, Hirati still on his head.
Shiko heads back into the building, trying to stay 20-30' ahead of the party.
शांति
स्थिरता
मौन
》
》
Mohktar creeps into the room, staggering his entrance to be the second one in the door.
He keeps a sharp ear out for trouble. Once inside he checks the interior for places onto which he can jump and bound, in case he needs a shortcut to the second floor. While he has concern for Shiko exploring on his own, the monk has developed a respect for the man's ability and competence. For now, his will is bent towards finding the lost children and to where this enemy has hidden itself.
Before the party enter the house, they notice something strange in the garden.
Shikyomaru quietly enters the house and is swallowed up by the all encompassing misty vapors populated by shadowy shapes that dance enticingly around him, seeking to lure him somewhere? Or maybe just to distract? Whatever the reason the brooding oppressive atmosphere sets you on edge, and the party are unable to see more than the backs of the person immediately in front. Lilly and Shikyomaru find this particularly unnerving and involuntary muscle spasms cause their faces to twitch and their arms to shake.
The whistling sound to the west grows stronger and stronger and the party follow it to find a kitchen. As they walk in they smell a strong whiff of ozone and strange lights play over the work surfaces. The various draws and pans start rattling and the pots on the stove start boiling over, yet there's no fire!
A corona of ghastly green light surround a block of knives which starts rattling violently and levitates. The knives start sliding out and one of them hurtles towards the party with tremendous force!
-> Shikyomaru
The rusty knife slices Shikyomaru's arm and embeds itself deeply in the wooden wall behind him with a strange metallic thwack/ting.
A haunt appears to have taken up residence in the kitchen. Something really bad must have happened here for it to leave such a strong psychic imprint on the place.
Haunts are difficult to fight directly, although positive energy can hurt them. Usually they are anchored to something left behind, sometimes an item, sometimes a body.
There seems to be something in the oven that looks suspiciously like a boot.
-> Shaken
-> Shaken
|
garden
"Ok so the freshly dug graves in the garden is a wonderful decorating idea. How many kids are we looking for in there? 3? something doesn't add up
inside
Alwyn follows Lilly through the gloom, the shivers attempting to run rampant along his arms and the back of his neck. Entering the kitchen something akin to a boot appears to be inside the oven. Starting to talk out loud and rambling slightly.
"I think a boot is in the oven, how's that stove working without ... HEY!" The last spoken loudly as the knife flashes past Shiro.
Pratavh catches sight of something in the garden and does a double take as he reads the name on a tombstone, he looks at teh group, "I think we have a problem here, that tombstone over there has your name on it Mohktar."
Seeing the knives fly across the room, Pratavh can't help but become even more worried. Hirati seems to think it is great fun and flies from his head to move around the room. As she passes by the oven she hovers in front of it a moment before her piping voice yells back, "Hey, there's a boot in this oven!" She flies back to the protection of Pratavh's head and lands there once more.
Not paying much attention to the garden, it's a garden and less important than the house, Lilly focuses on the house.
"Ah....i think we've got a haunt on our hands here. Something awful must have happened for such a thing to manifest."
"A boot in the oven? Well exc---uuuse me for this then."
Lilly bashes the glass with the pommel of her sword.
-> Shaken
-> Shaken
You examine the oven and find the mutilated corpse of a Halfling male stuffed inside. You suspect the haunt is related to this grizzly find.
Another knife rattles out of the block and flies at the party with disturbing force! Again it strikes our plucky ninja before deeply embedding itself in the wall.
-> Shikyomaru
Shiko swears as the knife cuts his arm and he drops into a defensive stance
Lilly frowns; "A dead halfling male. Corpse's rather recent, few days old maybe? Lots of clacerating, seems the acid killer might have something to do with it too? His teeth and what i can see from his insides, have corroded away. I can't say for sure if that was before or after he kicked it."
Lilly looks around, but still holding up her shield.
Might as well try.
Lilly attempts addressing the spirit causing the haunt.
"Spirit, hear me! We have not come to torment you, we are here to save people from a monster, a monster you surely know is here. If you are the spirit of the halfling murdered inside the oven, give 2 tics on a pan. If you are and are able, give a sign how we can release you from your chains in this house."
One of the knives shoots out of the block and Quivers in mid air pointing at Lilly! Slowly at first it turns aside and flies over to the wall and begins scratching something on the wall...
"Bury Me! Avenge Me!"
"Right, you guys keep guard, i'll help mr halfling here. Mister halfling, we reckon we'll walk into your killer, maybe two different, we will put it down, you rest and join your family you hear me."
She says it with a confident smile.
Lilly sheaths her sword and straps her shield. She pulls out the body of the poor halfling and carries him outside.
Removing the headstone that said Mohktar, she buries the halfling, folding his arms on the chest.
Breaking the shovel over her knee, she turns it into a makeshift cross. Despite not following some deity, she says some best wishes to befall the dead hafling, before rejoining the others.
शांति
स्थिरता
मौन
Mohktar views the graves impassively. Death is a part of life, something to look towards as one sought the perfection of his existence. Death revealed much of what one's life accomplished. But when the monk sees his headstone, he kneels before it and studies it for a second. "This cannot be mine. Irori would not accept my death in such an ignoble place. I am imperfect and unworthy of such attentions." He stands and nods to the house. "But the cause of seeing children to safety is a truly noble endeavour. If I should fall in doing so..." He pauses and points to the open grave. "At least your work will be easy." The monk cracks a smile and heads into the house.
He feels the clawing at his mind, threatening to engulf him in fear of this place. Mohktar sets his thoughts upon the still waters once more, holding the image of a calm surface free of disturbance. When the reach the kitchen and Shiko is injured, he notes that others in the party have not faired so we against the fear oozing from the house.
》 (body)
》 (body)
Mohktar keeps his observations to himself as he watches Lilly work. Her ability in discerning the odd and horrific has always been a boon to the party. The monk would offer insights where needed, but Lilly is up to the task.
At the mention of burying the halfling, Mohktar follows along to keep an eye on her as she works. He nods thanks for tossing his ill-timed gravestone to the side.
》 (graveyard)
Once done, he says to Lilly, "Well done. Most would have sought combat as the solution. But you saw to the heart of the being's torment and sided with peace. Impressive and admirable." He inclines his head to offer respect to one who'd shown him wisdom.
Back inside, he nods to the others and prepares his mind for the coming battle.
Outside in the cool crystal clear night air, your heads clear somewhat and the tremors fade from your bodies.
The boy's head pops out from behind the garden gate and wide eyed, he rushes forward to see what's happening, demanding fearfully, "Āpa unhēṁ patā calā? Āpa unhēṁ patā calā? Ōha! Vō kōna hē?" He eyes grow huge and he can't seem to take his eyes off the grizzly remains, until the halfling is safely buried.
शांति
स्थिरता
मौन
Mohktar steps over to one of the headstones, kneeling down to see that a new name has been scrawled into it. "It would seem, Mistress Lilly, your efforts have lay the soul to rest." He hefts the stone and brings it over to the freshly buried remains. "Rest well, Vraxim Surefoot. May Pharasma welcome you home and open vistas for the wanderlust of your heart."
》 (child's intent)
When the child appears from the bushes, Mohktar.m seeks to calm his excited tones. Thinking on the little one's desire to see his friends safe, he shakes his head and gestures back the his hiding place. Then he points to Lilly and himself and then to the house, followed by a gesture to his own eyes and around. "Stay hidden. We're still searching."
He nods to the house and asks Lilly, "Shall we continue the search?"
Lilly looks a bit surprised.
"Mistress? Your monastic habit of titles still persist among friends. No, i'm no mistress material."
She pats Mohktar across the back. "Let's go inside and beat ourselves an oni."
Yes, Lilly and Mohktar are rejoining the others.
Mohktar doesn't gain any particular insight into the child's behavior, beyond the obvious - he's scared.
The party re-enters the spooky house, with Shikyomaru scouting ahead into the gloomy and misty building. This time the strange mist at the front seems to have no effect, perhaps it was related to the haunt? There are three exits from here, ahead to the north you can dimply make out the form of a utility room. To the west is a door and to the east is the stairs. You hear a faint scratching from the west, and a low moaning from upstairs. Oppressive silence broods to the north.
Actions?
शांति
स्थिरता
मौन
》 (Western Direction)
》
Mohktar signals to Shiko-san then points upstairs, then with two fingers does a sweep in all directions then a signal downwards. Sneak upstairs and take a look around, then come back.
He gestures to Lilly and Alwyn and Pratavh and Hirati, slipping closer to them and pointing to the kitchen and the doorway through which they'd not entered. "I'll check the lower west room..." He points back to the hallway. "Be prepared to move in and support Shiko-san or me if there's trouble."
If there's no objection, Mohktar skulks off to the southwest room.
Lilly nods at Mohktar's sugggestion of approach.
She has her shield back in hand, her sword in the other.
"Sure thing, don't get yourself too beat up before i can get over, will you?"
Nodding at Mohktar, "the two of you are better at scouting than I will ever be so your plan sounds good."
Shiko nods in understanding and then moves up the stairs, katana in hand.
Perception DC 20 - For a moment you thought you saw a flash of a young boy standing behind you (no the one outside) but when you turn there's nobody there.
Perception DC 15 - The room has thoroughly fogged up, to reveal a message somebody has scrawled on the mirror saying, "YOU WILL DIE!"
You hear a low moaning from behind you in the shower cubical!
Suddenly written in blood, a letter 'S' appears on the wall. Your heart skips a beat and you have a sudden premonition that your name is being written, spelling your doom! Sure enough the ghost outline of an 'h' appears... You get a sick feeling that the writing is trying to bind your soul to the place and you get an incredible urge to smash the letters!
Perception DC 20: The shadows on the landing above are lengthening unnaturally...
For everybody else, you notice that the front door suddenly slams shut and the window shutters start rattling as if buffeted by a fearsome storm. You hear the peal of distant thunder.
Lilly had casted guidance, with the previous haunt, she wanted to stay alert.
"Wha...are you kidding me? We're locked in and to top it there's sudden thunder?"
She looks pretty displeased.
"Huh? Hey Alwyn, to your left near your leg."
Lilly points at the body near him.
Shiko cannot shake the feeling of dread he feels....This place is cursed, this entire island. We should leave now!
Sensing the unnatural shadows, Shiko attempts to retreat down the stairs.
Kn:Religion DC 16 - it's another type of haunt.
शांति
स्थिरता
मौन
》
The writing on the vanity causes the monk pause, eyes narrowing as he responds evenly. "We all die. I know my soul's destination, do you know yours?" Mohktar hovers above the waters of his soul, seeking the peace of Irori as he faces the terrors borne of some unknown presence. "Your fear is without depth and power, creature. We are here on the errand of the righteous to save the little ones whose wisdom did not deter them from coming here." the monk exerts his will and draws his Temple Sword, swiping it deftly across the rings holding up the curtain, readying himself for what might be on the other side.
Mohktar pulls back the curtain to reveal what appears to be a freshly skinned and cleaned corpse! It is a bloody, skeletal creature with bits of flesh and muscle still clinging to its wet bones. Its entrails and organs hang loosely in its torso, sometimes even dropping out entirely. Its eyes roll about in its eye sockets as it seeks its prey. Its mouth and insides have been hideously blackened and burnt by acid. It sniffs as much as sees Mohktar and it hisses at him!
|
|
If Shiro has joined the others outside for Lilly's burial of the halfling, Alwyn would have offer to expend a healing spell to offset the knives damage.
Back inside:
Alwyn is temporarily confused by the thunderous sound without a cloud in the sky, atvleast until Lilly points out that he is standing next to yet another dead body. knowing nothing other than the body appears to be dead he reach's out the end of his arrow he had in hand and prods the body.
Sorry I'm super busy today. I'll try and get a proper post up today.
You made me roll eyes with the lion king reference, mainly because when i ran we be goblins on gameday 3, one of them yelled 'dead frog, dead frog, lalalalala-la"... :)
Inside, Lilly shakes her head at Hirati. Still holding her sword she tilts her head slightly, "I'm a tad disappointed Hirati, we wouldn't make fun of your body if you died. Tonight no before-bed sweets for you."
That said, she sees Mohktar standing near a curtain.
"Mohktar, what're you looking at over..there..?
Eww, looks nasty...and it's...moving?"
The forces of DARKNESS approach! No surprise round.
Initiative rolls:
COMBAT ORDER:
Mohktar
Rawbones
Pratavh
Shikyomaru
Bloodwrit Names Haunt
Alwyn
Lilly
Everyone may post actions.