Looking the way towards to front entrance, Tara shrugs as the group seems deadlocked. "I am fine with entering through this door. Just as a warning though, some doors are intended to keep something in, rather than out." Pulling a dagger from her side pocket, Tara awaits with bated breath to enter into the prison.
Sentir shrugs, and stands back. He is not suited to breaking down doors, with his burned and painful hands.
He turns to Tara and says, "What do you think lies within the ruins? I have to admit, I'm more then a bit fearful. I wish I had a God, like you, to lean on in these circumstances." His woeful words are undercut as the other bash in the old prison door.
Offering a kind smile to the oracle, Tara contemplates his question. "Well, hopefully nothing, but that is a child's hope. Practically, we might face," Tara pauses for a moment, searching for the proper wording, "echoes of those who died here. Most likely it will not be their spirits, but memories trapped in a perpetual loop; a haunt, if you will." As she speaks, she watches Drace attempt to knock down the door.
"There are many deities here in Avistan, it took me most of my life to find solace in the Mother of Souls. In fact it wasn't until after-" Cutting herself off Tara clears her throat, "Pardon me! I was actually raised in a home that worshiped Abadar. If you would like, I could help you try and find some sort of faith." Giving Sentir a kind smile as she finishes, Tara's eyes sparkle with determination and excitement.
Vivian stays alert while Drace slams his weapon in the door
One of us should keep an eye on the outside of the prison. We don't want anything to come between us and the small dirtroad back to the town..
The redhead comes closer to the fighter
Sorry, Drace, I thought I would be able to jam this lock open... At least the door don't strike back!
Teil joins Drace, unstrapping his shield and bringing his axe to bear with two hands against the door.
Drace takes a hunk out of the door with this morningstar, while Teilaenthis creates a sizable hole with his axe.
With the door obstruction removed, the party heads into the building. After moving through a short hallway and a rusty door, Drace leads the group to row upon row of ten-foot-square prison cells that line the walls, each separated from the passing hallway by a series of iron bars fitted with a narrow iron door. Inanimate skeletons slump in many of the cells, the bones scattered where they lie and coated with a mixed layer of ancient ashes and fresh mold. Four of cells doors stand open , but the rest appear locked.
The room at the north of the center line of cells looks like it was a utility room and it contains a wood and iron ladder that leads up to a trap door in the ceiling, perhaps granting access to the roof or center balcony.
Sentir nods to Tara. I know there is a God watching over me, or at least granting me powers. I have spent a good part of my life looking for them. I would be honored to explore Pharasma with you.." His words trail off as the door falls under the party's assault.
The oracle wrinkles his nose at the decaying odors from within the dark building. He also shudders at the fire burned skeletons, remembering his own torched past...
Shaking off these memories, Sentir picks up a old bit of wood and casts Light upon it, shedding light in the dark and creepy space. He searches the open rooms dead ahead, using his glowing light as a guide.
But his nerves are shaken and the light bobs in his hand, moved by fear.
Vivian enters the prison carefully and on her guards, listening for any threat, her short sword in hand, praying to Pharasma
May my faith pierces the darkness...
A small globe of light illuminates the tip of her blade, bringing another light source to the group
Sentir and Vivian both cast Light spells which brings the cellblock into sharp focus for those in the party without darkvision. Taking a closer look at some of the skeletons, Vivian sees no evidence that the bodies were burned despite the ash that covers some of them.
"No burned bodies...What do you make of it, Vivian?" Sentir asks as they look through the rooms of the old jail.
"My, my. What have we here" The doctor enters a cell examines the charred bones.
With Dr. Von Herzog's knowledge of modern medicine and the events at the prison, he ascertains that these individuals most likely died from smoke inhalation rather than the fire itself.
After Dr. Von Herzog makes his diagnosis on the cause of the prisoners' deaths; Sentir, Tara, and Vivian all begin to hear the faint sounds of mournful flute music and the eerie flapping of tiny leathery wings, although the exact source is difficult to determine. Both the cleric and the inquisitor believe this could very well be a haunt.
Initiative (Surprise Round)
Teilaenthis
Tara <= Up
Sentir <= Up
Drace
Haunt
Vivian
Stefan
Sentior moves nervously in the gloomy dark, still holding his lit bit of wood. "I don't think we are alone in here. Drace, Teil, get ready!' The oracle shouts hoping the heavily armed men can do some good.
Sentir gets his own crossbow out and takes a step backwards out of the strange hallway.
"Speak of the devil and Asmodeus shall appear." Tara grumbles to herself as the fluttering of wings and flute music fill the room. "In the name of Pharasma, begone restless spirits!" Tara shouts as she channels to harm the undead memory, hoping to negate it before it can fully form.
The mournful dirge that was just barely audible to a select few of the party soon becomes loud enough for everyone to hear as the flute music echoes through all the empty cells on this side of the prison. The sound is quite chilling and macabre, forcing each of you to mentally focus not to let its frightening effect eat away at your resolve.
To make matters worse for Vivian, she begins to see the flickering image of a ghostly figure in a cowl carrying a flute.
Things then just seem to become dire as all the formerly inanimate skeletons in the various cells begin to shuffle, snap together, and stand up. Although the majority of them are trapped in locked cells, there is still the matter of the four with open doors.
Initiative (Surprise Round)
Teilaenthis [1 dmg]
Tara
Sentir [8 dmg]
Drace [5 dmg]
4 Skeletons
?????
Haunt
Vivian [Will save vs. shaken, Will save vs. paralysis needed]<= Up
Stefan
Effects
Haunt Effect: Every round make a Will Save DC 14 or become shaken until next turn.
Vivian finds herself completely entranced by the sad music and unable to move her limbs as only she sees a spectral vision of a man playing the music on his flute, surrounded by a flock of striges.
The haunting music chills Sentir's blood, and he finds it hard to stand here and face the fear. As he watches the undead rise, he remembers Tara's bright spirit and, more importantly, her potion. He swigs the potion down.
With a single blow from his morningstar, Drace returns one the skeletons to a pile of bones.
Meanwhile, Sentir takes the opportunity to quaff Tara's potion and magically heal some of his injuries.
Moving into the room, Tara frowns heavily as she feels the music affect her. Not seeing any creature in the immediate striking range, Tara simply watches the musician and his pets fly around. "Hmm... The Piper of Illmarch, I presume."
Tara advances further into the cellblock to assist her companions, while the now shaken Teilaenthis moves to engage the nearest freed skeleton. Although he lands a solid strike on the undead creature, the slashing attack appears to do no damage whatsoever.
The two skeleton's on the west side of cellblock exit their cells and move straight toward Vivian. The closest one easily claws the paralyzed redhead. To the east, the skeleton that Teilaenthis attacked retaliates by swiping both of its claws at the occultist, and manages to break through his defenses with one of them.
Apparently attracted to the siren song of their ghostly master, three striges comes sweeping in from the east, with one of them poised to strike Teilaenthis, while the other two continue onwards to threaten Tara and Sentir!
Although he is still flat-footed as the attack commences, Dr. Von Herzog begins to now see the same ghostly musician as Vivian.
Initiative (Rounds 1-2)
Teilaenthis [6 dmg] <= Up
Tara <= Up
Sentir [3 dmg] <= Up
Drace [5 dmg] <= Up
3 Skeletons
3 Striges
Haunt
Vivian [3 dmg, Will save vs. paralysis needed] <= Up
Stefan [Will save vs. paralysis needed] <= Up
Effects
Haunt Effect: Every round make a Will Save DC 14 or become shaken until next turn.
Vivian can't move at all, or speak.
That is frightening...
As Vivian struggles to free herself from the music, the ghost of the Piper of Illmarsh and his spectral flock of stirges seem to just loom large next to her, poised to strike at anytime.
With a strong swing, Drace easily destroys one of the skeleton threatening Vivian.
Teil channels mental focus into his earthbreaker, causing it to crackle with arcane energy as he swings at the nearby skeleton.
The eerie music still off puts the oracle, and causes him to be afraid, very afraid. He takes a step backward, reeling. But despite the feat tearing into him, Sentir raises his hands and casts a spell of fire and pain towards the flying stirges.
Screaming in pain as fire washes over her, Tara gives Sentir a blood chilling look, before turning to the stirges. "Mr. Damutu, we will be having words later." she clips out, clearly angry. Slashing at the flying menaces, Tara tries to not let her temper get the better of her, however she flails ineffectually against them.
Now with his mystic earthbreaker in hand, Teilaenthis demolishes the nearby skeleton.
Sentir steps back and immolates the two nearby stirges and a now irate Tara. Although the cleric ducks away from the worst of the blast, the two stirges are now very close to death. The cleric then turns her anger at one of the flying beasts, but her weapon unfortunately misses.
Despite a valiant effort to resist the Piper's music, Dr. Von Herzog finds himself paralyzed as well.
The remaining skeleton attacks Drace with both claws, with one of them landing a solid hit that bypasses the fighter's armor.
The burnt stirges merely move half-heartedly into the personal space of both Tara and Stefan, while the one near Teilaenthis moves into his space and tries to stick its needle-like beak into the occultist.
The image of the ghostly Piper now begins to come into the view of Tara, and she finds herself quickly becoming entranced with his deadly music.
Initiative (Rounds 2-3)
Teilaenthis [6 dmg] <= Up
Tara [2 dmg, DC 14 Will Save vs. paralysis]<= Up
Sentir [3 dmg] <= Up
Drace [10 dmg] <= Up
Skeleton
3 Stirges
Haunt
Vivian [3 dmg, DC 14 Will save vs. paralysis] <= Up
Stefan [DC 14 Will save vs. paralysis] <= Up
Effects
Haunt Effect: Every round make a Will Save DC 14 or become shaken until next turn.
Suddenly, the redhead springs back into action.
Knowing-or at least fervently hoping- that the skeleton will be no match for Drace, she dashes to the Piper
I know the usual saying goes "at the end, all must pay the Piper"... I say you gonna pay now, Piper!
Sentir, despite his magic's power, still is fearful. With that in mind, he simply stumbles backward, away from the attacking stirges.
Vivian finally breaks of the Piper's dark spell and immediately declares her revenge. Unfortunately, the ghostly specter stops being visible to her as soon as she frees herself.
While Sentir backs away from the mutated mosquitos, Drace destroys the last freed skeleton with his morningstar. However all the other cells contain other skeletons, each trying to reach out between the cell doors to grab one of you. The bars are close enough together, however, to eliminate that as an immediate threat.
Vivian acts quickly to kill the stirge threatening the paralyzed Dr. Von Herzog.
Swatting at the small insect as it enters her space, Tara's attack goes wide. Seeing the piper clearly for the first time, Tara lets out a laugh as it attempts to unnerve her. "I am not afraid of you. Ha!"
Slashing out at the stirge again, Tara grins as the creature is hit by her dagger. Although the weapon does not deal a great amount of damage, it is still a victory in her book. Taking a five-foot step out of the square, Tara lets out a snort of amusement. "Is this the best your pets can do piper?"
As Tara fights off the attempt to paralyze her, the image of the Piper and his ghostly stirges fades out of her view. She then steps away from the corporeal stirge and stabs it with her dagger. The already burned creature instantly crashes to the ground, now unconscious from the injury.
Teilaenthis smashes the stirge with his Earthbreaker as it tries to attach itself to him, leaving little but goo remaining. He rounds the corner with the others ready to attack anything that comes within range.
Teilaenthis easily slays the last stirge and readies himself for any additional threats.
Dr. Von Herzog comes out the Piper's stupor none too worse for wear, despite finding himself still shaken by the music. Like the others, the vision of the Piper fades from his view as he resists the effect.
Drace, on the other hand, begins to perceive an image of the spectral Piper and finds his limbs becoming numb as the music tries to overwhelm him.
Finally overcoming his fear of the music Sentir pauses for a moment and shouts, "How do we destroy this cursed haunt? hoping someone has some ideas.