GM_Foxy's 2nd Carrion Crown

Game Master Foxy Quickpaw

Further west, there is a door there S-6

Spugnoir moves further west and opens the door. This stark room contains a low stone bench against the north wall and a ruined desk to the west that sits under three narrow, barred windows. An old brass brazier lies on its side to the south, surrounded by several rusty branding irons.

Perception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (17) + 7 = 24

I smell burning flesh! I think there is another haunt in here!

One of the rusted branding irons - a number 8 - starts to glow at the tip and rises into the air. Like a shot arrow it attacks Spugnoir.
Branding: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (1) + 2 = 3
Damage: 2d6 + 1 ⇒ (4, 1) + 1 = 6

But Spugnoir is lucky and the branding iron hits the door leaving a black 8 on it. The iron falls to the ground.

Perception: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (4) + 2 = 6

As Spugnoir opens the door Brother Varsk barks:
Wait! I didn't check that door, did you?

He brings up his detect evil as the branding iron smacks into the door.

Religion to id the haunt: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (8) + 5 = 13

Spugnoir gets ready to close the door if another iron starts floating.

The irons still don't move and on inspection are cold to the touch. Besides that there is nothing of interest in the room.

The party moves on to the next door (S11) only to find it locked. The door is of the same making as most of the others. It was a good wooden door, but time has not been nice to it.

Spugnoir eyes the lock carefully and if there is something nasty on the door, attempt to disable it.

Perception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (4) + 7 = 11
Disable Device: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (14) + 9 = 23

The lock gives up easily. Opening the door reveals the following: Tangled mounds of moth-eaten fabric sit on several wooden tables, each surrounded by workbenches. Various sewing tools — shears, needles, rolls of thread, boxes of chalk, and other objects lie scattered over the floor, while the arm of what appears to be a skeleton protrudes from a stained heap of fabric to the west.

Above that mound of moldering fabric manifests the ghostly form of a beautiful young woman dressed in a tattered but lovely blue dress. In fact, much about the ghost is blue, including her hair, the tears that run from her pale blue eyes, and the clouds of smoke that drift from her lips.

Wrong door. Spugnoir closes the door, not wanting needles in his eyes and his lips sewn shut.

Looks like a haunt or ghost. Spugnoir says to the others. Get ourselves ready to siphon it?

Am I detecting evil from this room? Did anything hit the door as he closed it?

Assuming we heard/saw what was in the room:
this is the first time we have seen a ghost and a body together. So we maybe we can put this one to rest?

Spugnoirs fear of flying needles is only caused by bad experiences. Nothing hit the door. And while the door was open no evil was detected beyond the background that is always present.

Really? Hmmm. I was just checking if it was waiting for us behind the door...

Grergof gets a puzzled look on his face.
I am not detecting the thing in the room as evil... That's... odd.

He thinks for a moment then says:
Ready your haunt Syphons but do not attack untill we see what is going on here. I will take point.

Puts his scimitar away, checks his shield so he was one hand free to lay on hands. And when the other two are ready opens the door and steps into the room in a defensive crouch.
Full defense - so with a buckler that gives me a 21AC I believe.

As the man stands there the ghost woman addresses him. "Good morning Sir. Are you the new guards from town?"

Grergof stands up our if his defensive crouch but does not drop his guard completely.

Unfortunetly no ma'am. We are from town, but we are investigators sent to find the state of the prison. Are you expecting some new guards soon?

Darius palms a siphon and keeps it behind his back and cautiously moves in ever so slowly behind Grergof and then off to the side. Sword lowered and presenting no threat to the ghostly image before them.

Spugnoir eyes the woman warily, wishing he had something that could actually hurt ghosts amongst his vials and powders.

"I was hoping so. But maybe you can help too." the ghost replies. "The prisoners must be kept here in the prison. The must not be allowed to flee."

Darius speaks slowly and calmly to the ghost before them.
"M'lady. Can you please gift us with your name and how you come to be in such a place?"

Which prisoners particularly? We have been assaulted by a number of haunts but they don't seem to have names.

Do you believe the prisoners are in danger of fleeing?

"I'm Vesorianna Hawkran. I was looking for my husband as he was late for dinner. Just then the riot started and these... guards locked me in here to keep me safe. You can see what good came from that." Vesorianna answers Darius, smoke coming out of her mouth as she speaks.

"The prisoners are the Lopper, Father Charlatan, the Piper of Illmarsh, the Mosswater Marauder and the Splatterman. Everything was safe as long as my husband was here. But now that he is gone I have to hold them back. But something is eating away on my strength."

I believe we have heard of those names, from the books we looked at with Kendra. Are they ghosts like you? If so, we can try to destroy them.

"You can't. They would reappear. I can hinder that, but to finally put them to rest you must bring me the badge of my husband." Vesorianna replies.

Darius replies. Speaking slowly. Lines of sadness showing upon his brow. "We can do that Vesorianna. Do you know where your husband and the badge would be in here?"

"My husband was somewhere in the basement before he disappeared a few weeks ago. But be aware that the most dangerous prisoners where kept there."

Spugnoir sighs. It would be in the most dangerous place. The princess is never anywhere but the dragon guarded tower. He scratches his head. We did find some weapons and some pipes that was labeled with the 'Piper of Illmarsh' would these have special significance?

"Indeed. There might be ways in which these items can be used against their owners. But these are cursed items that would bring harm to the one using them too." Vesorianna explains.

Darius replies. "There is always a price. But perhaps worth it to bring you some rest. Tell me lady Hawkran, have you seen anyone else of the living pass by here and enter the Harrowstone?"

"No one came into the building. But that evil wizard that took my husband away was on the estate. He and his minions." Vesorianna replies barely hiding her anger.

"Wizard? Which wizard?" Darius asks taking a step closer.

"Some guy in dark robes wearing an amor made of bones."

"Should be easy enough to spot looking like that." Darius mumbles to himself as he moves off to the side and slowly starts to check out the rest of the room, leaving Grergof with the ghost of Vesorianna.

Perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (6) + 6 = 12

Do you know how we can lay to rest the haunts on this floor? Plus in other areas of the prison?

"Once you bring me the badge and put an end to these five prisoners I can put this whole place to rest." Vesorianna replies.

There is nothing else of interest in the room.

Can you tell us more of the dangers upstairs or downstairs or the details of what happened the night of the fire?

"I don't know what happened in the night of the fire. I was locked in here until I suffocated because of the smoke." Vesorianna tells. "What are the exact dangers I don't know. I only feel the presence of these five."

Can you tell us anything about the group of people that took your husband away? You said the leader had bone armor. Was there anything you can tell us about the others who were with him?

"It were a group of people in black robes. Nothing special about them. Only that they never spoke loud enough to hear them. They were only whispering." Vesorianna replies.

That sounds suspicious. Well, we best be getting to searching for the badge. Spugnoir suggests continuing clockwise. S-12

"I agree with Spugnoir. Thank you for your time Lady Vesorianna but we best move on and locate the badge and end this."

As he is about to turn away Grergof stops.
Thank you Mrs Hawkran. Just one more thing, what can you tell us about the five Prisoners? Anything you might know about them could help us in the conflict to come.

After he gets his answer we with take his leave and join the other two at the door to the next room scanning for evil.

"Sorry, but I didn't know them personally. Only the stories my husband told me. Father Charlatan acted as a priest of whatever faith someone had to talk them out of their money. The Piper of Illmarsh had some creepy connection to stirges that killed his victims. The Mosswater Marauder smashed in his victims heads with a hammer. The Lopper beheaded his victims and the Splatterman spelled out the name of his Victims in blood in public before killing them."

"Good luck!"

The next room seems to have been a laundry. Several rusty iron tubs sit in this room, along with washboards, metal buckets, and heaps of moldy clothing.

Hmm.. One more door before we head down? S-13

As Spugnoir considers inspecting the next room one of the heaps of clothing starts moving and a leather strightjacket rises into the air.

Initiative Spugnoir: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (12) + 2 = 14
Initiative Darius: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (1) + 3 = 4
Initiative Grergof: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (6) + 3 = 9
Initiative Jacket: 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (9) - 1 = 8

Uh-oh! This is one hug I don't want

Spugnoir throws a flaming bomb at the clothes
Bomb,Touch,Fire: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (17) + 7 = 241d6 + 5 ⇒ (2) + 5 = 7

Spugnoir hits the straitjacket and the bomb burns a nice hole into it.

Grergof?

Grergof draws his scimitar and attempts to slice at the coat if it comes near him or the other two.

Scimitar (Str damage) - Power Attack + Furious Focus: 1d20 + 5 - 1 + 1 ⇒ (19) + 5 - 1 + 1 = 24
Confirm Crit: 1d20 ⇒ 17
Damage (Str Damage) + Power Attack: 1d6 + 3 + 2 ⇒ (6) + 3 + 2 = 11
Crit Damage: 1d6 + 3 + 2 ⇒ (1) + 3 + 2 = 6