"Then why allow the danger to continue? We wouldn't want a child wandering into it, no?" The teifling readies his axe to try and finish collapsing the building.
Sentir shrugs and followes Teil's lead
I'm not sure my little sword would be helpful here, but let's try..
The doctor takes several steps back to watch the others demolish the building.
Feeling her eye twitch, Tara frowns heavily but says nothing as she backs up to stand next to Stefan.
While the others work on demolition, Stefan says, "While I can't exactly fault Mr. Arcanos' reasoning, I also cannot rightly envision the grounds of this prison as being a particularly enticicing playground for children... Your thoughts, Miss Elidae?"
Turning to face the older gentleman, Tara offers a small smile. "I agree, doctor. It took a skilled locksmith for us to enter these grounds. I find it a shame to see a historical building being knocked down for the age old argument, 'Think of the children'." Using air quotes, Tara sighs and shakes her head, "But what's done is done. My only hope is that we did not anger any spirits that linger here."
After a minute of work at hacking at the exterior walls, the brick building begins to groan and then loudly collapses in cloud of dust, dirt, and debris.
As the house crumbles into a pile of rubble, Teilaenthis and Vivian deftly avoid the various pieces that fall away, but Sentir isn't as lucky as a brick bounces off the ground and hits him hard in the ribs.
With the matter of the house taken care of, the obvious next choice of action is to get a better look at the main building. The two-story stone building looms in the center of the prison grounds. Ivy and moss cling tenaciously to the walls, while above the wooden shingles of the roof are often missing entirely, exposing the wooden rafters of the upper structure to the sky. Here and there, leering stone gargoyles perch on the eaves, once functioning as drainspouts and decorations but now seeming almost to serve a more ominous role of sentinels. Many of these stone decorations have crumbled away and lie in ruined piles on the soggy ground below. Windows in the building’s facade are narrow and blocked by grills of rusty iron bars. Stone columns support a slumping wooden balcony over the building’s wooden front doors, both of which hang askew and reveal dark glimpses of chambers within.
To the southeast, near the building, you see one of the broken gargoyles laying on the ground with a faded splotch of blood partially underneath it.
Are you all right, Sentir? I'm sorry, it never occured to me you could be wounded by the falling house..
There's real concern and compasion in the redhead voice and attitude
When the team arrives to the prison's entrance, Vivian first looks at the balcony, trying to see if it would be safe enough to climb to
Then she can be heard talking or singing softly
If there's something strange in your neighborough, who'd ya call? Spirits busters!
She realises her companions now look at her with amused surprise, and smiles back at them
Sorry, I am nervous. Was singing for myself... I don't even know where or when I heard this strange song, but it seemed fitting. I mean, Ravengro needs us, but no one from the town dared to come with us. And honestly, I don't blame them. This place is spooky. And probably dangerous too.
Scanning the balcony above, Tara squints her eyes as she spots something. "Does anyone else see something? Right there?" Pointing at the sentinels, Tara frowns. Something was off about that balcony, but not being well versed in architecture, she can't be sure what was wrong.
"I suggest that we continue to explore the prison grounds before we enter the building."
Despite her lack of formal study in architecture, Tara notes serious signs of rotting throughout the boards the compose the balcony. This leads her to the conclusion that the structure is likely to collapse if any significant weight is placed upon it.
Following behind Stefan, Tara speaks up "Er.. I think that the front door is our best bet into the prison. If we attempted to climb on the balcony, it would probably collapse." Keeping pace with the group, Tara carefully looks around the grounds hoping to spot something that will turn the odds in their favor.
Tara spearheads the effort to examine the exterior of the main building and she quickly discovers that the ivy and grass around the building's foundation has been cleared where the concrete meets the ground. Moreover, along this edge she sees a series of runes have been etched into the stone and smeared with blood. From her vantage point near the front doors, the runes seem to run unbroken along the foundation in both directions.
Vivian watches the previously hidden runes, trying to understand what they mean.
She touches the blood reluctantly, and tries to check if it was recently smeared on the runes
Stefan, I might need your arcanic expertise here... I'm not sure if the runes have a magical signification.
Drawn by Vivian's request, Stefan examines the prison wall.
Teilaenthis also steps up to examine the runes.
With his knowledge of the Varisian, Dr. Von Herzog can tell that the majority of the runes are magical incantations, although the name Lyvar Hawkran is repeated numerous times. The group can easily recall that Lyvar Hawkran was the Warden of the Harrowstone prison at the time of the fire.
With Vivian's knowledge of religion, and Teilaenthis' knowledge of the arcane, between the two of them they ascertain that the runes seem
to have been part of a larger ritual that involved both abjuration and necromantic magic, although the writing currently lacks any magical auras.
A quick walk around to the northwest side of the building reveals an old, crumbling stone staircase that leads up to a west balcony section. The runes continue to encircle the building's foundation even here. The group can also continue past that to the north part of the building if you wish to continue your perimeter check.
Sentir notes, "These are disturbing finds. I think we should examine the perimeter first. Who knows what we may find?". The cold air around the ruins chills him, and his burned arms ache.
Troubles?
answers the redhead quickly, with a smirk and a wink
Vivian's wink startles Sentir, so much he almost trips. "You...you react very differently to what I see. But true enough, it will probably be trouble.", Sentir agrees.
Continuing to walk clockwise around the building, you soon reach the north side to find an open pit that appears to have once been a receptacle for the prison’s waste. Even now, with the right wind, the pit still emits a foul stench. Although a couple of rats can be spotted hovering around it, there appears to be no immediate danger.
Your perimeter check ends as you continue east to run into the murky pond that takes up most of the eastern side of the complex. The sharper-eyed among you notice that the runes have continued completely around the foundation of the main building, with the exception of the pond area.
Let's keep it simple and get through the front door. What do you think?
|
Drace tosses a rock into the pond, ensuring its emptiness. "Do we have any other idea about the runes? Are they keeping something inside the prison?"
"Everything I've learned tells me not to go through the front door. I know nothing is technically expecting us...but if something is...I'd vote for the stairs."
As long as you go first, Drace, I won't complain or argue if you prefer the stairs. You'll go first just because I don't want you to look under my skirt, of course. There is a time and place for everything.
Vivian's warm smile widens at the silly, irreverent and unexpected joke.
She's doing her best to dissipate everyone's fear-including her own, you suppose.
Or she has a crush on Drace, and that might be even scarier.
"The stairs it is then..." Teilaenthis steps up beside Drace to join him climbing up the stairs.
Sentir shakes his head at Vivian's remark. "I vote the stairs....I think something IS waiting for us, Drace. You've seen what has been going on to town. You don't think something is alive and awake in here?"
Sighing in annoyance at Vivian's attempt at a joke, Tara follows behind the others, keeping her opinion of the other Pharasmin to herself. "I agree with Mr. Kross in entering through the staircase. Besides, Mr. Damutu, who says whatever inside is alive? We could always encounter animated objects, or an animated body or maybe something else entirely!" Realizing that she was rambling
Tara clears her throat, as she gives a superstitious glance to the markings that wrap around the building before following the tiefling and undead hunter into the prison.
With the majority voting to examine the western balcony, the party begins to make its way up the crumbling stone stairs leading up. The only sounds echoing through the area are those produced by yourselves, with the main building remaining silent as an apparently abandoned structure should be. The air does take on a slightly sharper chill, but that could easily be from your nerves rather than any actually change in temperature.
Reaching the top, you see a large, rectangular block of stone that rests on this weather-beaten stone balcony, while ruined wooden benches line the eastern wall under a row of tiny, barred windows above. A stout wooden door sits in the wall near the northern end of the balcony.
Just as the last of you finally reach the top, a hissing noise erupts from the south as some mists begins to swirl around unnaturally, finally coalescing into metal scythe floating aloft with two disembodied skeletal arms gripping its handles. In a perhaps intimidating gesture, it quickly slashes the air around it.
Initiative (Round 1)
Vivian <= Up
Teilaenthis <= Up
Tara <= Up
Stefan <= Up
Scythe
Sentir
Drace
Now the front door doesn't seems quite a bad idea, don't you think?
Beware, it doesn't seem truly solid.But I guess the scythe will be real enough to kill and maim anyone.
The redhaired girl studies their first foe, trying to find how to bring it down, holding a vial close to her
By the Lady of the Graves, I'll bring you down.
Hey, it ain't the reaping season yet... Get back to your grave!
Tilting her head to view the enemy, Tara reaches out to tap Drace on the shoulder, sticking a piece of holy text to his armor. "May the lady of graves watch over you." Drawing her dagger, Tara watches the creature to see what it will do next.
Vivian and Teilaenthis realize that the scythe does not appear to be undead per se, but with its connection to a supposedly haunted prison it might be vulnerable to positive energy damage. Whether holy water would damage it is unclear.
Tara thinks it might be a construct, but she doesn't recall ever reading or hearing about anything like this before.
Despite its apparent spectral origins, the scythe is hard, solid metal, not incorporeal.
Tara casts a protective spell on Drace and readies her dagger.
I don't think that will work...
Vivian takes a step back, put the cork back on the vial and unsheath her short sword, leaving the fight to Drace
Slowly Vivian recalls that this is an animated object, probably called a Headman's Scythe. Being a construct made out of metal, adamantine weapons or magic would be the best way to destroy it, although magic is only partially effective. It's immune to mind-affecting effects and anything that affects a living constitution. Since it's most likely haunted by a malevolent spirit, positive energy will probably damage it as if it were undead.
The talkative redhead delivers the information she knows to her companions
This thing will be hard to destroy, be careful... Even magic would have an hard time to damage the scythe. And of course, it has no mind, it doesn't even have a bloody head to start with! What a fool I was thinking I could influence it with words...But perhaps positive energy might disrupt the link between this creature and the place... If you want to fight the scythe, use your biggest weapon and use all your might, Drace. You're probably the strongest of us, and the only one able to break it.
Stefan moves to the right to get a clear shot at it. Guessing that the physical object is animated by a malevolent spirit, the doctor casts a spell, blasting it with the vital energies of life.