GM Rednal's Rise of the Runelords: AE (Inactive)

Game Master Rednal

Updated map. Incidentally, you're in the southeast room.

The ceiling of this room angles down steeply, leaving only four feet of headroom to the southeast. A low cot and a dresser are the room's only furnishings. As you open the door, you hear a loud shriek of pain, clearly coming from the northeast room.

Shalluk glanced at the room they'd opened...but whatever was happening in the North East seemed like a more immediate concern. Noting to return once they could, he headed for the North East room and, after a moment to check, opened the door.

Perception: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (10) + 11 = 21

Zelani followed worriedly after Shalluk towards the source of the scream...

Perception: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (2) + 11 = 13

Rixa moves faster than either Shalluk or Zelani, swiftly reaching the northeast door and going into the next room, more to prevent her allies from being attacked by whatever haunt was active than genuinely believing anyone was currently being attacked.

Perception: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (12) + 5 = 17

As you move up to the northeast room, you find that the door is locked - and thoroughly so. It would take deft hands or quite a lot of brute force to open it. Behind the door, more audible now, you can hear what sounds like the voice of a crying woman.

Shalluk broke out the lockpicks and began to work on the door, checking for any traps first.

Perception: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (4) + 11 = 15
Disable Device: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (13) + 14 = 27

Rixa stands by as Shalluk opens the lock, then barges into the room with sword at the ready.

Perception: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (12) + 5 = 17

As Zelani waited as Shalluk tried his hands at the lock, she quietly peered around the hallway...

Perception: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (14) + 11 = 25

There was a click as Shalluk managed to jimmy the lock open.

This room is cold and damp; an old armoire stands near the east wall. The ceiling slopes down to only four feet high to the northeast, leaving little room for a small window. A full-size mirror in a dark wooden frame of coiling roses leans against these bricks, angled toward the tiny window. Sitting in front of it is a sobbing, very much solid body that looks to be of a since-departed Varisian woman. She doesn't seem to have noticed your entrance.

Zelani cautiously walked into the room, hands on her kapenia...

Perception: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (20) + 11 = 31
Stealth: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (8) + 10 = 18

Well...this was odd. Shalluk looked around, making sure the woman was the only thing there.

Perception + Detect Undead, Sense Life, Sense Magic,Sense Density: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (3) + 11 = 14

Rixa looks around, somewhat confused.
What on Golarion... she thinks to herself, sword still held by her side, but no longer ready to strike, and Rixa briefly thanks Shelyn for her celestial muscles and their tendency to never cramp or get too sore.

You didn't notice any other threats in the room - and the figure on the floor continued to sob. From what you could tell, she might pay attention if actively disturbed, but for now she seemed fixated on her reflection in the mirror.

Shalluk looked at the others, baffled. This spirit needed to be put to rest. Was it wise to approach and speak with her, or would that cause her more suffering, incite her to attack? Shalluk had no idea.

Rixa likewise is unsure to the best course of action, and studies the situation and considers her options.

Zelani shrugged at Shalluk's bafflement. In her long decades, ghosts hadn't been something Zelani had wanted to look into much. Nervously, Zelani slowly walked up behind the ghost and the Varisian aasimar leaned over beside the figure as she attempted to put one hand on her shoulder, the other on Zelani's kapenia.

Even touching her didn't get the undead woman's attention - at least, not much of it. She turned slightly away from the touch, but seemed to be trying to avoid interacting with you as much as possible.

3d20 ⇒ (11, 18, 19) = 48

Zelani, you recognize this as the behavior of a Revenant that's been consumed by self-loathing after seeing something they had some sort of attachment to in life. Unless the object is removed or she's attacked, it's unlikely she's going to do anything else.

"Do we need to return something to her?" Shalluk asked. He didn't feel right leaving the spirit here.

Zelani took a step back, feelings mixed - a bit guilty at disturbing her flickered through.

At Shalluk's question she turned, speaking quietly, "I thought so at first too...I thought maybe returning her scarf even after what he did, if it could be returned in peace rather than hate...but the way she is acting, it seems more like she's attached to something that is keeping her here and causing her pain which needs to be removed rather than returned to her..." she said, glancing back to the mirror and looked around as she considered if any other objects might be better to try first...

Perception: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (15) + 11 = 26

Undead really aren’t my specialty. Unless, of course, you need them destroyed. I don’t know what to do here.” Rixa says, but scans the woman for evil, doing her best to tune out the overwhelming aura of the house itself.

Given the revenant's proximity to the mirror, it was definitely the most likely culprit pinning her in place - though from what you knew of their behavior, tampering with it might well turn her against you.

"Let us look around first, and see if we can snap her out of this." He returned to the room he had been in when the sobbing had been heard.

Perception + Detect Undead, Sense Life, Sense Magic, Sense Density: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (10) + 11 = 21

Zelani looked over in tired confusion for a moment before she followed Shalluk to check the previous room...

Perception: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (9) + 11 = 20

Rixa follows a along carefully, keeping a cautious eye on the weeping undead.

Looking around, you didn't find anything particularly more interesting than what you'd already seen. If there was anything else here, it was probably in one of the other rooms.

And to save time... smash the mirror or smash her. That's really the only practical ways of getting a Revenant's attention, assuming that's what you want to do. XD Or you could just leave her. The effect has no end point.

"Shall we shatter the spirits mirror with a bolt, and fight it? Or shall we simply ignore it?" Shalluk couldn't see any other choices.

"While I'd rather not fight her, she's been through so much already, she doesn't deserve to be left like that either..." Zelani responded as she moved to head back towards the room with the weeping woman.

"If we leave her, she'll be released in the fire. We can simply move on and finish up here." Rixa replies, "Of course, it may be simpler and kinder to put her out of her misery now"

"She's probably Aldern's murdered wife. Either of you have any idea how to remedy love gone wrong? We do that, and she's likely freed." Rixa looks to her companions for advice.

"Divorce papers?" Shalluk shook his head, unsure. "I am afraid I am...not very familiar with love as a rule." He considered. "Seeing her murderer is gone would be more for a victim, but not to help with love. Is there a rite that might be performed, as an ordained member of Sheyln's flock?" Although perhaps Callistra would be a better bet on this occasion.

A mix of feelings fluttered over Zelani's tired face, "I guess it would depend on whether it is the love for the murderous Lord or her other lover or both that she weeps for. As the pain seems to be wrapped up in that mirror, my only guess is removing it so she can move on...Fire might help with that though it would need to be quite hot to fully get rid of it."

It did, in fact, take prolonged exposure to fairly hot fire to effectively melt mirrors... the glass could be done away with fairly easily, but the frames often took a bit more.

Shalluk looked over to Rixa.

Intelligence check?: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (7) + 1 = 8
If it would be Wisdom, that's a -1 instead. I'm stumped, both IC and OOC, it would seem.

Rixa shrugs, "I wasn't exactly... trained. Shelyn brought me back to life, so I hit evil things with a sword and blast them with fire in Her name. This is a bit beyond my training." she says apologetically.

Zelani nodded sympathetically before walking back quietly towards the room and the crying spirit was. The Lunar Guardian paused awkwardly before saying, "I hope this brings you peace..." as she tests her thinking by reaching out to move the mirror, glancing between the mirror, the window, and what was left of the murdered woman...

Perception: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (13) + 11 = 24

Zelani's thinking of tossing the mirror out the window, hoping it will enough force to break both the glass and the frame and possibly that the spirit might follow...

As Zelani moved the mirror, the Revenant's head suddenly snapped up and shrieked.

Will DC 14 (Shalluk): 1d20 + 8 + 4 ⇒ (15) + 8 + 4 = 27
Will DC 14 (Zelani): 1d20 + 9 + 4 ⇒ (17) + 9 + 4 = 30
Rixa is immune.

Fortunately, the deathly noise wasn't enough to overwhelm you.

"Aldern! I can smell your fear! You'll be in my arms soon!" she howled as she began making her way towards the exit of the room... and those of you in her way.

Rixa interposes herself between the revenant and the door, "Aldern is dead, my lady. You can rest now." she says.

Well, this was unexpected. "He has paid for his crimes against you. I do not know if the thing he became could truly regret what he did to you, but his soul rest in the next realm."

Diplomacy: 1d20 + 16 ⇒ (4) + 16 = 20

While prepared for a reaction, Zelani still startled slightly at the shriek. As the others tried talking to her, Zelani continued her plan to throw the mirror out the window...

Make a Strength check, Zelani. The mirror-with-frame is pretty heavy and hard to move on your own unless you've got a lot of muscle.

"I won't be swayed by honeyed words. I will see his body for myself! Get out of my way!" the Revenant snarled, lashing out at Rixa with one hand.

Claw (Rixa): 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (3) + 14 = 17

"If that's what you want, my lady. He's downstairs. Would you like me to show you?" Rixa asks, not even flinching at the claw scraping against her armor.

"In the caverns, below the basement area. His head has been severed, so it is not a pretty sight." Shalluk wondered if the looting had been the wisest idea. Sadly, none of them had been unique to him.

Strength: 1d20 ⇒ 9

Zelani struggled with the mirror. She stopped after a few moments with a sigh that turned into a cough that she tried to quieten to not bother what the others were doing with the woman's spirit...

"Less talking, more moving." the Revenant said, looking about three seconds away from attacking again. Like many undead, the particular nature of her undeath clearly drove her - and she couldn't be reasoned with the way you might have done if she was alive. Undeath was often strange that way - even in agreement, they might lash out.

"This way, ma'am." Rixa indicates, quickly escorting the undead to the basement.

Shalluk followed at a distance, hoping the magic in his crossbows could wound the creature if she turned.

As the spirit woman and the others left the room, Zelani gave up her idea and followed.

The Revenant clearly didn't need a guide as she strode down the steps, walking down the floors, into the basement, and then into the caves. As she saw Aldern's body, she stopped for a moment... then bent down and began to physically rip him apart. "Your passions have brought you to a fitting end." she hissed as she stabbed her claws into his chest and crushed his no-longer-beating heart.

Rixa stands aside as the revenant destroys her former love's body, "Are you satisfied now, milady? You may rest in peace now, with Pharasma's grace."