GM Ghost's The Haunting of Harrowstone

Game Master Del Azast

The stairs always seemed longer after a day like this. As she made her way up to her rooms in the Van der Geist manor, Rhia looked forward to a long soak in a hot bath, a much deserved reward for the hard work of the last few days.

Already her brother Garrick, a Paladin of Pharasma, had made his way to the temple, before heading home to reunite with his new wife. The graveyard of the village they'd ridden to aid had finally been put to rest after a hard fought battle, and Rhia longed to have the finger-bone scratches on her leg soothed by the hot water and bath salts.

A wall sconce snuffed out behind her, the work of one of the rebellious ghosts that traveled with her, a sign of her exhaustion, they were always harder to restrain when she was tired.

Despite the fact that it was well past midnight, she was glad to see a warm fire in her anteroom, a welcome home by Milen, the family's head maid. As she dropped her gear just in the door, and made her way to the bath she could see the steam rising, beckoning, an irresistible call.

Without hesitation she began to disrobe, the warm air comforting, a hint of what lay in store in the water almost too hot to bear, just the way she liked it. As the last of her garments hit the floor she noticed a letter, on the dresser. As she considered letting it wait until morning, the envelope floated up off of the dresser, hovering across the room to her hand.

"Fine, I'll read it now." she said in mock exasperation.

She broke the seal, unfolding the parchment to find an official looking script, as she read, the world seemed to go cold.

The Professor was dead.

The tears came freely, the loss of a good friend striking deep until the sobs wracked her body as she knelt on the lush rug, clutching the letter to her chest. Unaware of the passage of time, she slowly rose, gently placing the letter back on her dresser and entered the bathing chamber, slowly lowering herself into the warm water. Though not quite as hot as it would have been, the water soothed her soul as much as her aching body if not more. She would sit here for a while, allowing her mind and body to relax, and then she would sleep. Because tomorrow......tomorrow she would be attending a funeral.

The coffee pot burbled loudly on the stovetop as eggs sizzled in the frying pan. Stefan opened the door of the woodstove and threw in a few more sticks of firewood from the pile on the kitchen floor. I never thought I'd become a halfway decent cook while at University, he thought idly as he flipped the eggs, so I suppose not having my own cook any more has at least one advantage. The smell of breakfast filled the small apartment, and Stefan turned to set the table.

"That smells delicious," came a voice from the next room. Stefan smiled as Andrei walked into the kitchen, wearing a red silk dressing-gown and leather slippers. His long blonde hair was tied in a pony tail, and he wore a goatee to accentuate his Ulfen ancestry. "Good morning, love!" greeted Stefan, and the young men embraced.

"Ready for tonight's practical?" asked Stefan as he poured a mug of steaming coffee into a pewter mug. He held the mug to Andrei, who took the mug and slurped loudly.

"About as ready as I will be. I hope this week's subject won't smell as bad as the last one." Andrei took another sip.

"I guess that's what we get when the University is competing for corpses in Lepidstadt: peasants dead of the pox for five days. The fresher corpses just get up and walk away." Stefan poured himself a mug of coffee, and the two men sat down to enjoy their breakfast.

* * * *

The lock clicked open, and the heavy oaken door creaked on its hinges as it swung inward. The cut stone walls were damp with condensation, and the room reeked of decay. The flickering torchlight unveiled a dungeon-like room, about 20 feet square. Wooden shelves held medical equipment along the walls. In the center of the room stood a white-draped metal examining table. A humanoid shape was underneath the bloodstained sheet.

Stefan stepped into the room, and Andrei followed in silence. Stefan lit two other torches in wall sconces, placing his own torch in another, while Andrei lit the oil lamp suspended over the exam table. "Ugh! This one smells even worse than the last one!" complained Andrei, his face a grimace of disgust.

Stefan wheeled the tray of chiurgical instruments next to the exam table. "Ew. That is truly foul. This won't be a pleasant lab practical. Let's go through it as quickly as we can." He placed a medical text on the tray and opened to the current lesson while Andrei donned his apron and gloves. Stefan put on his own lab gear and picked up a scalpel. Andrei pulled back the sheet.

The naked corpse of a man of indeterminate age lay on the table. Its skin had begun to decay badly, and was now an angry purple hue. Reddish-black fluid seeped from the corpse, pooling onto the exam table and dripping onto the floor, where grooves cut into the floor channeled it into a drain. But something about the corpse didn't seem right-- did it just twitch? "Andrei, did you see that?" Andrei frowned and stepped closer to the corpse. He poked at its cheek with his scalpel.

At that, the corpse's eyes flicked open, and it roared-- a hoarse gasping roar that chilled Stefan to the bone. Shocked and alarmed, the two doctors-in-training stumbled backward as the body sat up and balefully turned its milky-white eyes toward them. It lunged at Andrei, gripping his shoulders and forcing him off his feet. Andrei fell hard on the stone floor as the zombie rent his flesh with its hideous black nails that were far sharper than they appeared. It then bit Andrei's neck, and red living blood now ran into the drainiage grooves. Andrei screamed in agony.

Stefan scanned the tray of chiurgical tools for an appropriate weapon to use on the unead thing that was trying its best to kill his lover. He grabbed a scalpel the size of a butcher knife, normally used for slicing through flesh quickly when amputating a gangrenous limb. He plunged the knife into the zombie's back, which got its attention. The zombie lurched around with one arm in an attempt to grab Stefan's ankle, but Stefan managed to sidestep. He pulled the scalpel out and plunged it back in, this time aiming for its shoulder. Maybe if I cut of its arms, it won't be able to attack, he thought.

Andrei, still clutching his own scaplel, managed to jam the instrument into what remained of the zombie's left eye. It bellowed, gurgled a moment, then exploded in a rain of nauseating black blood and a hail of putrescent organs. The force knocked Stefan off his feet.

As he staggered to his feet, covered in decayed gore, the door to the lab opened. Standing with a look of shock and horror was Professor Lorrimor. "By the Lady of Graves!" he swore. Stefan and the professor moved the unconscious Andrei to a stretcher and carried him to the infirmary.

"Andrei! Please stay with me! Don't leave me alone!"

* * * *

Four hours ago...

Stefan re-read the letter for what seemed the hundredth time. It was late afternoon, and the sound of the horses and the creaking of the private coach was lulling Stefan into an almost dreamlike state. It was hard to imagine the world without his dear friend Petros Lorrimor. I hated him when I first met him, he mused. He was so tough on all of his students, and woe betide anyone who hadn't done the assigned reading! That one lecture that he made poor Anya squirm by peppering her with question after question that he knew she couldn't answer... but none of us ever skipped an assignment after that. He smiled in his reverie, as he knew that his old professor used that prickly demanding persona to bring out the best in his students' scholarship... and if students earned the professor's respect, how he could become a mentor and a friend. He reminisced about those evenings at the public house discussing philosophy, arcana, and history with Andrei and Professor Lorrimor... and of how the professor had been so comforting and fatherly after Andrei's death.

Stefan broke out of his reverie when he heard the sound of three arrows striking the side of the coach, and a man shouting, "Hold, or the next three go in your chest!" The coach lurched to a stop. Stefan peered out of the coach windows, and saw four dark-haired men approach the coach, each holding a cocked and loaded crossbow. He briefly considered attempting to ensorcel them, but realized that he was unarmed and outnumbered, and that he'd heard stories of bandits kidnapping wizards to take advantage of their power. He decided to wait, but he first hid his wizard's ring, a gift from his grandfather.

The bandits were only interested in treasure. They went through Stefan's baggage, leaving mainly clothing and a few odd items-- they took just about everything of value, including his doctor's bag and his coin purse. He'd managed to hide a dagger, his cane, and a handful of coins beneath the seat, and the bandits didn't find those. After a few minutes, they retreated into the forest. Stefan re-packed his scattered belongings, and tended the coachman, who was also rather shaken.

"I am so sorry this happened! Regrettably, they took the money I was going to pay you with." He retrieved a sheet of paper and a pen and wrote a letter to his lawyer, sealing it with his signet. "After we arrive in Ravengro, you can drop me off and return straight away to Lepidstadt. Give this letter to my solicitor, and he will pay you for the trip, plus a little extra for the trouble."

Fortunately, the rest of the journey was as unremarkable as the first part.

DEFENSE
AC 12, touch 12, flat-footed 10 (+2 Dex)
hp 7 (1d6+1)
Fort +1, Ref +2, Will +3 (+1 vs. enchantment effects)

OFFENSE
Speed 30 ft.
Melee quarterstaff -1 (1d6-1)
Wizard Spells Prepared (CL 1st; concentration +5):
1st—comprehend languages, grease, mage armor
0 (at will)—acid splash, detect magic, prestidigitation

STATISTICS
Str 8, Dex 14, Con 13, Int 18, Wis 12, Cha 12
Base Atk +0; CMB -1; CMD 11
Feats Harrowed, Scribe Scroll, Spell Focus (conjuration)
Traits harrow born (varisian), outcast's intuition, teacher's pet
Skills Knowledge (arcana) +10, Knowledge (local) +8, Knowledge (planes) +8, Perception +2, Perform (oratory) +2, Profession (fortune-teller) +5, Sense Motive +6, Spellcraft +8
Languages Aquan, Auran, Common, Ignan, Terran, Varisian
SQ arcane bonds (arcane bond [familiar]), dependent, forewarned, opposition schools (enchantment, necromancy), prescience (7/day), specialized schools (foresight)
Gear quarterstaff, belt pouch, flint and steel, harrow deck, ink, black, inkpen, soap, spell component pouch, spellbook, waterskin, 53 gp, 17 sp

Travels and Lorrimar
It was during her travels that she met the Professor. The two held many discussions on her divinations in Lepidstadt. He was able to teach her more about herself and helped her in understanding what she saw. He taught her more of the arcane world around her and how everything tied into it. She told him of the strands of the future, and how they were affected by the past and present. She also told him how the past could be affected by the future. Their discussions would often go far into the night. The two parted, Dawn with the understanding finally of who she was.

Return
She eventually returned home to her caravan. Years later, it was with sadness that she received news of the Professor's death. But a little confusion as well. Their acquaintance was only intellectual, surely. Why would he include her in his will? Once again gathering her few belonging, Dawn once again took to the road, this time with a firm destination in mind. The small town of Ravengro.

Race Gnome

Classes/Levels Alchemist 1 (Grenadier)

Gender Male

Size Small
Alignment: CG
Languages Gnome, Common, Elven, Sylvan, Draconic, Dwarven.

Strength 10
Dexterity 16
Constitution 12
Intelligence 16
Wisdom 10
Charisma 10

About Ziipzuret "Zipz" Tinkerblast

Background: Zipz is what you might call obsessed with Alchemy. Combining mundane and arcane skills to spectacular effects never ceases to bring a smile to his face. There is always another formula to discover or a special ingredient to find, and his adventurous life has kept the bleaching away.

During a "Chance Encounter" one night, Zipz stumbled across the Professor's camp as a fell beast had cornered Lorrimor. To this day they still do not know the origins of that creature, but the fire blast of Zips bombs was enough to send it howling off into the forest.

Init: +5
BAB: +0
Range: +4
Melee: +1

Bombs: 4/day +4(+5 if 30"), 1d6+3 20' range splash damage 4, DC 14 reflex

HP: 10
Fort: +3
Reflex: +5
Will: +0

AC: 18
F.F. 15
Touch: 14

trait: Chance Savior: +2 init
Nimble Fingers, Keen Mind: +1 to disable device, and its a class skill

Feats:
1st level: Point blank Shot

(Grenadier)
Martial Weapon Prof: Longbow

Formula Known:
1st level (7):Bomber's Eye, Detect Undead, Identify, Shield, True Strike, Expeditious Retreat, Cure Light Wounds.

Extracts per Day (2): Shield, Cure Light Wounds

SKills:

Craft Alchemy 7: 1 rank
Disable device 8: 1 rank
Knowledge Arcana 7: 1 rank
Spellcraft: 7: 1 rank
Heal: 4: 1 rank
Perception 4: 1 rank
Appraise 7: 1 rank

DEFENSE
AC 16, touch 10, flat-footed 16
hp 10
Fort 4 ,Ref 0,Will 3

OFFENSE
Speed 20 ft
Space 5 Reach 5

STATISTICS
STR 16, DEX 11, CON 14, INT 14, WIS 12, CHA 10
(All after Racials)
Base Atk 0 Grp20

Feats
Sacred Weapon Longsword,
Weapon Focus Morning Star,
Power Attack

Traits
Making good on promises
Glory of Old

Blessings 3/day
War Minor (War Mind At 1st level, you can touch an ally and grant it a tactical advantage for 1 minute. At the start of its turn each round, it can select one of the following bonuses:
+10 feet to base land speed, +1 dodge bonus to AC, +1 insight bonus on attack rolls, or a +1 luck bonus on saving throws. Each bonus selected lasts for 1 round.)

Good Minor (Holy Strike At 1st level, you can touch one weapon and bless it with the power of purity and goodness. For 1 minute, this weapon glows green, white, or yellow-gold and deals an additional 1d6 points of damage against evil creatures. During this time, it’s treated as good for the purposes of overcoming damage reduction. This additional damage doesn’t stack with the additional damage from the holy weapon special ability.)

Sacred Weapon d6

Skills
Spellcraft +6, Perception +3, Know Religion +6, Know Arcana +6, Heal +5

Languages Dwarven, Common, Undercommon, Giant

Gear: Scale Mail, Light Wooden Shield, Longsword, Warhammer, Morning Star, Dagger, Sling w 20 bullets, Warpriests Kit, Dungeoneering kit, Gear Maintenance kit, Grooming kit, Cooking Kit (AA), Grappling Hook, 2 Acid Flasks, Bandolier, 2 Blankets, Explorers outfit, Caltrops, Powder X 2 bags