"You hear spirits in your mind, Galadan?"
Oh poor dear...he's going crazy, unlike me! The poor man must realize that he doesn't have many friends, unlike me!
Wren reaches for her Scroll #1, the one she bought long ago but had not used.
"Andrea, do you think he's okay?"
"I told you this was a bad fargin idea." Kevin stands up and looks at Galadan before turning to the others. "Should I do something?"
As for the second roll, before I snap out. Let me see if I can roll something a little less dangerous to myself. Unless you think I should go with the self attack one?
Galadan staggers away from the graveyard, his eyes bulging wide as he attempts to focus on something that seems to be coming from it. He grabs his mace and points at the graves.
"A spirit... a spirit approaches. She's... in my head. You MUST not!! I will not be controlled by you, spirit! Be at peace!"
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I know Wren can be annoying - but currently she is quiet. Keep my roll. I guess you have a 50:50 to still stand at the end of the round - and Andrea is close by.
The Planchette starts moving again
WHO ARE YOU
I DON'T PLAY ANYMORE
DO YOU PLAY WITH ME
Galadan looks like in horror across the chapel towards the exit to the graveyard. Folllowing his eyes you see the ghostly form of a young girl.
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In your mind you get the vision of a man in a dark coat - he turns around - but the coat is empty - apart of maybe a hundred of red glowing eyes.
You are paralyzed in place - he comes closer, embraces you - and all gets cold.
And then you realize - this wasn't you, this was the girl you see, this was Rachel - and YOU - an Inquisitor of Pharasma has disturbed her rest in Pharasmas graveyard. YOU have called her back because you wanted knowledge.
YOU are now responsible for her eternal torture in the form of unlive.
Your head nearly explodes.
'Aldous', seeing a ghost, swallows hard, and casts a spell.
Andrea's head snaps up and her first reaction is to move her ward to Galadan to strengthen him against what ever might be assailing his mind.
The usual +2 to AC and saves.
"Perfect. A fargin ghost. I told you son a ma batches, but you wont listen to me will you. Iceholes." Kevin attempts to kick the board away from Galadan and seperate it from the Planchette.
Galadan still behaves strangely.
"No! Spirit! It is not my fault! I did not DO THIS!"
With that, Galadan grips the planchette and drives the point into his forehead with compelling force.
Blood spatters everywhere, as Galadan's limp form collapses over the board and he continues to bleed.
Wren steps back from Galadan, an initial reaction to the madness in his eyes (and to prevent any unseemly blood splatter on her feather).
"Oh dearie. He ain't right...he ain't never been right, but this is beyond where he usually is."
Wren reaches down to check on Galadan.
Heal
Wren sucks in her breath as she feels for a pulse before turning back to the party.
"I think he's dead!" Wren announces with dramatic certainty.
Kevin looks around, apearing on the verge of panic as he pulls the Looper's cursed hand axe from his belt. "Some body tell this twit we don't want to play!"
"Better yet tell her we want to play hide and seek and it is her turn to go hide!"
"Hmmm... I'm leaving now."
"However, before I do..."
'Aldous' lightly touches Kevin, enveloping him in a suit of armor constructed of force.
Kevin dodges the ghostly girls arms as he swings the handaxe towards her head. "Fargin Martha farger! Get it off of me!
Power Attack with Magic Ghost touch handaxe:
Damage:
Round Surprise! Init 11
Acting in the surprise round, Wren reads the spell from her scroll #1 on Kevin.
Cast Protection from Evil on Kevin. Lasts one minute.
Round 1, Init 11
Wren stows the scroll, draws her acidic wand and 5' steps back from the 'ghost', trying to identify it.
Know (Religion)
Round 2, Init 11
"Oh dearie, I don't like that one at all. It's not a good one, by the feathers of Plumie, oh noes." Wren looks around trying to remember what might affect the creature.
"Mr. Hastur, I believe Galadan has some sacred bolts from the Harrowstone that might affect this creature. I'll try my magicks if you help with those bolts." Wren waves her wand around.
"Andrea, you might want to restore the stamina that the creature seems to be sapping from Kevin."
Wren moves to a point where she can safely shoot the creature without cover and activates her wand of Acid Arrow.
touch to hit;
acid damage.
AC 13, touch 13, flat-footed 10
hp 25/25
Fort +2, Ref +4, Will +4
Spd 30 ft.
Init: +7 (+3 Dex, +2 Reactionary, +2 Diviner)
Spell effects: none
Wand of Acid Arrow: 20/50
"I am afraid that I am not much use with a crossbow..."
Kevin screams as the ghost touches him but swings the axe again.
Fort SV:
Attack:
Damage:
Swallowing hard, 'Aldous' steps up, and makes a frenzied attack upon the ghost...
Andrea moves towards Galadan and delivers her healing hex to the Inquisitor.."Come my friend there is evil to be be defeated here and the Lady of Graves would not want you lying down on the job" she quips as she draws her wand of Cure Moderate Wounds.."This wand can damage the undead if I manage to hit the spirit but I'd rather keep it as a last resort"
CMW on Galadan from Hex.
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Status: Rachel -24 HP, Kevin -1 HP, -2 Con
Rachel hits Kevin who yells out in pain as his own life essence seems to be drained out of him.
He rataliates and lands another blow.
Hastur moves in. His claws seems to hack through some fog. But his attack isn't completely unsuccessful - some parts of Rachel shimmer in a slight redly glow and claw marks appear on her (half damage for hits as she is incorporeal)
Andrea heals Galadan who staggers up again
2Galadan - I move on into round 3. You should have time in round 2 to get up from prone and grab, take out whatever you want to be ready for round 3.
Fort sv:
Power Attack
Confirm crit:
Damage:
Crit damage:
Galadan slowly recovers, looking around at the others.
He wipes at the blood on his face and on the board and planchette.
"Well... that was not what I had thought would happen. But it was not entirely a loss. Something was or is here, controlling the child's ghost, possibly the children's ghosts. I sensed it briefly, a creature that causes despair."
"There is more afoot here than I should care to consider."
Galadan casts detect undead and moves closer to the graveyard.
"You have my thanks, Andrea, for your assistance in my untimely accident. It is not often that I feel Pharasma's breath upon my neck. I am not certain I am prepared for her judgment."
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Now - that your mind is clear again you realize that Rachel was a Wraith Spawn. This would also likely explain what Brother Swarm is and how he controls Rachel - and possibly all the other children.
A victim - drained of it's constitution by a wraith - will be turned in 1d4 rounds into a wraith spawn himself - under the control of the wraith himself.
Wraith are powerless in sunlight - but now - with the sun down - they are free to roam and can be a dangerous foe.
Andrea moves to Kevins side with a look of concern on her face..
"Hold still" she says as she examines him.."hmm she tagged you didn't she.."
The young witch pulls out her wand of lesser restoration
points of drain restored..
"We need to be careful if these creatures can drain our vitalty I can only restore people a limited number of times..I have 5 uses of this left and I can cast the spell once myself..after that..well we'll have to be careful."
Wren coos happily as the spawn dies.
"Hmmm...if there was one of them, there might be more. And, since there was an entire village here once, we might be facing lots of them." Wren stands up and looks around.
"Yes, dearie, the graveyard. Let's go there." Wren says to Galadan, surprised that he's not dead.
Kevin saggs a bit as the ghost disapears, looking like an undead himself. As andrea administers her magic, the swordsman manages a week smile. "She only had eyes for me, it must haveen my goodlooks ans charming personality. I seem to have that very affect on most women."
Galadan, (presumably not detecting any further undead) decides to look at the gravestones to determine if Rachel and the other children were buried here (presumably they would have the same date of death).
"Graveyards can be suitable places for information." He rummages through his pack until he can find the loose papers, which he hands to Wren.
"If you wish to make any rubbings or tracings, you may use this paper if you like."
"Wonderful." 'Aldous' comments sourly. "A entire village full of ghosts would make an utterly fantastic high point for an already stellar day."
He then sighs.
"We should probably keep moving; I would not want to be mobbed by a host of ghosts..."
Wren gratefully accepts the paper from Galadan.
"Yes, we should keep moving, Mr. Hastur. This business is quite foul, actually. There is no way Stitches had any part in the deaths here...we just need to prove it."
Wren blows her nose on the paper before taking out and loading her light crossbow with a ghost touch bolt.
"Galadan, how many of these apparition-affecting bolts you do have? I have but these two."
Galadan checks his bolt quiver.
"None, I have only a few bolts of undead slaying. I had not expected to encounter ghosts here, or I would have purchased some."
undead bane bolts x2.
"Indeed it seems that once again our..friend has been falsely accussed..now we just have to ensure that we do not suffer the same fate as these unfortunate children."
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Please let me know what you want to do now !!
Wraiths are dangerous when the sun is down. You can leave - at least you have solved that Stiches didn't do the crime. If he and maybe the witnesses can add to this - maybe it is enough.
After all - why did they leave the village?
Off course - feel free to clean out the village.
Still looking very pale, Kevin slumps along behind the others with his hand axe out and almost ready. "I can not take many more of this. If we encounter more it maybe the death of me. Then what would you all do without my charm and witt?" The swordsman takes yet another long drink from his flask and shudders before putting it back in his pouch.