Amaria detects an evil presence under the house, its aura similar to that of the wraiths that haunt the village.
Do you need help, Bert?
Bert says, "Under the house, right? I can feel it. So front door or cellar. I'd like some room to maneuver when we find it, this hammer ain't small. And I didn't think my shield was much use."
Bert waits for the decision and then attempts to break the door open.
Stefan watches with some bit of amusement as Bert and Vivian try unsuccessfully to force open the door. "Perhaps try a different angle?" he suggests unhelpfully.
Bert glares at Dr. Stefan for a moment, then winks and tries the front door again.
Sophie gives Bert a pat on the back as he works. "Maybe this will help, boy."
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With the help of Sophie's Bull's Strength, Bert's second attempt successfully rips open the the front door. Carefully moving through the building in case of a wraith sneak attack, the group finds the house neat and tidy, unlike the others homes you've examined so far. Indeed, sheets have been thrown over the furniture to protect them from dust. The home consists of a kitchen and dining room downstairs and two bedrooms upstairs, with no access to the cellar from the house.
From your conversation with the sisters earlier, you easily deduce the smaller bedroom on the second floor was Karin's bedroom, the girl who died after the Beast had been run off by the villagers. The room’s single window stands 15 feet up from the ground.
Despite not encountering anything malicious in the home, Bert and Sophie can still feel the cold presence under the house which Amaria confirms as evil.
Performing a thorough investigation of Karin's room, Vivian discovers that the window unmarked in any way and shuts from the inside with a stout latch. Those who examine the house from the outside see that the house’s slatted timber walls are difficult to climb and also show no marks. Therefore it is unlikely the Beast returned to harm her after he was driven away from the villagers.
"You wanna open the cellar and let the evil one out?" Bert asks.
"If you want to stay near me, Bert, I can ensure that your weapon fully damages these spirits." Tara pipes up feeling uneasy.
With a firm voice, Vivian answers
I can't leave this village knowing that there are still undeads at bay and that we have the means to destroy them. Pharasma wouldn't accept that. I'm sorry. We still have time to defeat these creatures before having to go back to Lepidsadt for the trial, I guess.
Sophie croaks out agreement. "I favor wraiths no more than any other monstrosity; there is no reason for us not to destroy them."
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After thoroughly checking the interior and exterior of the house, the group moves to the cellar. Bert takes his crowbar and rips open the cellar door, exposing the musty and dirty exterior. Of a more immediately concern, however, is the small wraith standing in the center of the cellar, screaming as sunlight from the outside shines upon it.
Initiative (Round 1)
Amaria <= Up
Wraith
Bert
Tara
Vivian
Sophie
Stefan
While searching the house upstairs, the doctor mutters, "The undead scourge on this village must be destroyed once and for all!"
Amaria fires two arrows at the wraith, with the second one hitting. Yet again, its incorporeal nature appears to negate a good portion of the injury it receives.
Still screaming in the sunlight, the wraith then quickly retreats into the darkened southwest corner of the room.
Initiative (Rounds 1-2)
Amaria <= Up
Wraith
Bert [3 dmg, 2 Con drain] <= Up
Tara [5 dmg] <= Up
Vivian [2 dmg; 1 Con drain] <= Up
Sophie <= Up
Stefan <= Up
Bert glances at Tara and then to the others before moving into the cellar.
Knowing where the wraith is, Bert moves into the basement and cuts off retreat but allows his companions to move in.
He then swings his hammer.
Brushing her fingers across Bert's hammer, the hammer begins to glow an eerie blue. "Go ahead Bert." she states as she stays out in the sun.
Stefan moves into the room past his friends, and then casts a spell. A glowing beam of energy fires from his hand at the creature.
Tara enchants Bert's hammer with the power to more successfully hurt incorporeal undead and the fighter makes his way into the cellar. He then successfully slugs the wraith with his weapon, doing full damage with it.
Sophie follows him inside and casts Spiritual Weapon, creating another nodachi composed of force energy next to the wraith. It then attacks, but completely misses.
Stefan joins the others in the cellar and creates another beam of positive energy with his magic. It successfully hits and burns the wraith.
Vivian too stays at bay, as Bert is the heavy hitter of the group
she sends a spiraling beam of energy that does little damage to the creature
Vivian moves into the cellar and also uses magic to create a beam of positive energy that she directs at the undead menace. It unfortunately misses due to her companions blocking her shot.
Amaria moves into the cellar and successfully fire an arrow at the wraith.
The shadowy creature moves up carefully to the paladin, eager to avoid the waning sunlight filtering into the room, and touches Amaria with one of its tendrils. Although it does not cause physical injury, the wraith's touch threatens to sap her overall vitality.
Initiative (Rounds 2-3)
Amaria [Fort Save needed] <= Up
Wraith
Bert [3 dmg, 2 Con drain; Bull's Strength is active.] <= Up
Tara [5 dmg] <= Up
Vivian [2 dmg; 1 Con drain] <= Up
Sophie <= Up
Stefan <= Up
The doctor moves toward the cellar wall to get a clear shot at the wraith. He then casts the same spell again, firing another beam of brilliant energy at the undead spirit.
Vivian changes tactics, and joins the fray, trying to put the undead out of its misery.
Bert swings his hammer again.
Dr. Von Herzog shifts for a clear area to cast his positive energy beam. Despite finding a good spot, he still misses with his spell.
Vivian moves in with her magic sword and swings at the wraith. She hits and does some minor damage to it.
Now experiencing the same cold, dead feeling as Bert and Vivian, Amaria nevertheless continues her attack as she steps back and fires two more arrows at the wraith. The second hits hard enough to discorporate the wraith.
A search of the empty basement does not unearth anything valuable or interesting. It's just an empty basement.
After finishing up in the cellar, the group continues to explore the rest of the village. After investigating several groupings of abandoned buildings in the west and southwest, eventually the party makes it to a small lake on the southeast side of the community.
By the lakeside you find a tangle of willow trees grows by the shores of the, many of them scarred by fire. Exploring this in more detail unearths a number of spent torches on the ground and the burnt remnants of a Taldan poetry book lying in some ruins.
* * *
Moving northeast from the lake, you find another small home that corresponds with the icy chill felt by Bert, Vivian, and now Amaria. This time, the group is able to bash the windows in on the structure, forcing the wraith into a small corner as it avoids the last bit of sunlight. The party then quickly destroys it with arrows, reach weapons, and Disrupt Undead spells.
* * *
Traveling further northeast, the party finds what at first appears to be a fallen scarecrow lies at the side of the path, bones jutting from its tattered rags. A closer examination reveals the withered body of a man with its leg stuck in a bear trap. On the corpse you find a turquoise worth 100 gp on a leather thong around his neck. In his pockets, you also discover 12 gp, 22 sp, a small silver pocket knife worth 25 gp, and a set of masterwork thieves’ tools in his pockets.
* * *
Moving northeast once more to the center of the village as the last rays of sunlight disappear over the horizon, you find another cold spot, this time at the bottom of an empty well. A small voice cries up, "Please help me, there's a monster down here!"
Peering into the well without darkvision, you can see nothing but black emptiness. Dropping a light source might illuminate things in more detail.
When Amaria, Sophie, or Tara peer down with their darkvision, they see the well extends down 30 feet to a water-less bottom and there doesn't appear to be anyone down there. The bottom does appear to extend out beyond from what they can see from the top, however.
I got a sunrod, and my rope of climbing. I can easily climb down, and scout.
The doctor casts a spell, causing four glowing orbs of light to appear above his upturned hand. With a gesture, one of the orbs floats down the well.
Vivian makes some suggestions on how to tackle the well problem, while Stefan casts a spell to create some dancing magical lights. He sends them down into the well and yet again there is nothing to see down there, nor does the voice respond to it.
While the group looks down the well, no one notices the form of a wrath rise out of the ground and swipe Tara with its tentacles until it is too late to react.
Initiative (Round 1)
Sophie <= Up
Bert [3 Dmg; 2 Con Drain] <= Up
Wraith
Tara [8 Dmg; Fort save needed]
Amaria [2 Con Drain]
Vivian [2 Dmg; 1 Con Drain]
Stefan
Bert moves around everyone and swipes at the wraith with his hammer.
Letting out a surprised shriek as the icy fingers brush her ankle, Tara jumps and reflexively touches her holy symbol, flooding the area around her with holy energy. "We do not touch people without asking!" she snaps at the apparition. For a moment Tara appears truly monstrous, before her features reform back to her normal features.
Bert moves forward and brings his hammer down through the shadowy wraith, dispersing some of its form.
Tara successfully resists the wraith's icy touch from infecting her.
Sophie casts Spiritual Weapon once last time, and the nodachi composed of force attacks the wraith! It lands a hit and the incorporeal undead breaks up a little more.
With a mad laugh, the creature descends into the ground and re-emerges south of Vivian! It then touches red-haired woman, doing more negative energy damage and threatening to infuse her with more spiritual chill.
Tara then channels positive energy into the area to do direct harm to the spiritual abomination. It seems to resist the worst of the injury.
Initiative (Round 1)
Sophie <= Up
Bert [3 Dmg; 2 Con Drain] <= Up
Wraith
Tara [8 Dmg] <= Up
Amaria [2 Con Drain] <= Up
Vivian [3 Dmg; 1 Con Drain; Fort save needed] <= Up
Stefan <= Up
Drawing upon the mystical forces within his grandfather's heavy onyx ring, Stefan instantly recalls the words of a spell from his spellbook, which he casts. Two shards of glowing magical force fire from his hand and strike unerringly at the wraith.
Bert takes a swing at the wraith
And then spins and swings another time at the wraith when it appears.