GM WhtKnt's Darkness Within: A Carrion Crown Adventure Path

Game Master WhtKnt

Ella nods, ready to follow wherever the trail may lead.

Who else is still here?

I am.

Still here, just got bogged down at home the last few days, Will post proper tomorrow. I assume that you are returning to the point you left off?

Okay, everyone is back at the manor, right where you left off. Map is updated.

"Hold on for a second." Judah said before they continued.

He looked down at his arms. Now how'd that thing happen yesterday? he concentratd for a while, trying to remember, and then picked up the reliquary. He fiddled with it for a moment, trying to find something.

"There." He pressed something, and twisted something and a series of faint, ghostly runes crawled up his arms and across his chest.

He didn't want to think too hard about what he'd just done so he dropped the reliquary and let hit hang from it's chain against his leg.

"How about this way first?" he said going to the closest new door.

Lorant's eyes widen a bit at Judah's newest trick.

"That's...that's interesting."

He thinks back on the magic he's seen in the past and wonders if this is similar.

Spellcraft: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (11) + 7 = 18

Cassiel arches an eyebrow at Judah's new magic trick, but doesn't think too much of it and moves to open the door he points to.

Ella also blinks and looks startled. That's...different.

Spellcraft: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (13) + 6 = 19

She sighs as she realizes something that they'd forgotten. "Well, since no one...living...is around, I suppose it's best that I bring my brother back," she mutters. "A moment, please..." Furrowing her brow, she closes her eyes to focus. Beads of sweat start to stand out on her skin as she murmurs under her breath.

After a minute, there's a sudden squelching noise...

...and Edmund appears. "Eeaaaggghhhh! Good to be back in the land of the living, even if they're not very lively!" He grins, leering, at the group.

No sooner than you have returned to the haunted hall where you faced the skeletons than the disembodied ghostly pipes again begin their dirge. For a moment, Mathis stands entranced by the music but quickly shakes off the effect.

Judah was looking at his arms and about to respond when the pipes started. He shut his mouth, his hands trembling for a few moments. He took a deep breath.

"That's... the Piper of Illmarsh, right?" Judah said, shaken but trying to focus. "What do we know about him?"

Judah was looking at his arms and about to respond when the pipes started. He shut his mouth, his hands trembling for a few moments. He took a deep breath.

"That's... the Piper of Illmarsh, right?" Judah said, shaken but trying to focus. "What do we know about him?"

"Like the children's rhyme says "Watch the blood come out the pipe, feeds the stirge so nice and ripe." He'd sneak lich dust into his victims' food to paralyze them, then he'd take them someplace isolated and play them a dirge on his pipe while his trained stirges drained the victim's blood."

Lorant draws his morningstar with one hand and takes the holy symbol off his neck with the other.

"We already killed a few of those, right? Anything in the rhyme that mentions how many of 'em there are?"

While they talked, Judah got to work checking a door.

I'm moving in a line from the ones we've already checked. Cass, want to move yourself next to me?

Take 10 on Search for 19 and Disable Device (if necessary) for 20.

"They're probably not exactly the same stirges--I don't think they live that long," Ella says with a frown. "Hopefully the shade can only command a few at a time, though..." She turns to Edmund. "Poke your head through and see what's over there, will you?" Grumbling, the phantom complies.

Edmund sticks his head through the door, reappearing seconds later. "A room with a window and a heavily-barred door of solid oak, looks like. Nothing inside."

Done.

Cassiel sighs. "So, where now?"

"A heavily barred door is definitely something." Judah said, finishing up and letting Cassiel take over.

Cassiel steps up and opens the door.

Lorant readies his morningstar as Cassiel opens the door.

The door creaks open and it is as Edmund said. A short hallway leads to a stout, iron and wood door. A window looks out to the north.

Lorant moves forward, cat-like eyes glowing in the torchlight as they scan the hall and look out the window.

Perception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (11) + 7 = 18

The window reveals the grounds around the old asylum, including a lovely view of the cesspit.

"Ed, go stick your head through that door. The rest of you stay put a sec. I'm going to make sure the floors don't collapse or something." Judah said quietly.

Take 10 on Search to look for traps and hazards as I move into the room. If it's clear I'll stealth up the stairs and around the corner to look at the rest and wave everyone in.

Ella nods curtly to Ed, who, grumbling, goes over to the door. Before he phases through it, Ella adds, "If there's just another door behind it, go through that too." She gazes out of the window alongside Lorant.

Judah, not sure which stairs you mean--you might be looking at what I think is supposed to be the window, due north of the door we came through?

Hmm. Yeah, maybe. It looks like a short flight of stairs to me.

Lorant nods.

"I'll follow, Judah. My darkvision may help me see anything you miss." he says quietly.

"Andoletta, Grandmother Crow, grant me the sharp eyes of your messengers."

No stairs, just a window.

Edmund peers through the next door, returning after a moment. "Nothing there, dear sister, unless you consider a balcony something worth investigating," he says snippily.

Judah, the floors seem safe enough. The boards hold your weight but creak eerily.

Judah waved the others in and got to work on the door Edmund had just checked.

"Looks good. Take a look outside. I'd check the door."

Take 10 on Search and Disable again. If it's clear I'll let Cas open it and go in first.

Lorant follows after Judah.

Sorry for the delay. My wife had another eye surgery on Monday (not to fix the problem, but rather to keep it from getting any worse) and our surgeon is two hours away, plus we had to be there at 0715 the next morning, so we opted to stay overnight (as opposed to getting up at 0430 and making a two-hour drive). Anyway, long story short, she's recovering nicely and I'm trying to get back on track.

Judah checks the door, carefully examining every part of it before going to work on the lock. Satisfied, he jimmies the lock and the massive door can be opened. Cas carefully opens the portal and looks out onto a small balcony, with barely enough room for two people to stand. There is no map of the balcony, sorry.

Judah took a few seconds to glance around, then walked out of the room back to the hall to start on the next door.

Take 10 on search and disable again. Then open the door for Cas and Lorant. Ed can stick his head through the door while I work.

"Watch your step, Judah," Lorant says quietly. "There's no telling how stable those timbers are between the damage from the fire and the passage of time."

Thoughts are with you and your wife, GM. Hope her eye is fixed soon.

Ed sticks his head through the door with an indignant sigh. Withdrawing from the door, he says mockingly, "Congratulations. You found the privy!"

The door is checked and found to be unlocked with no traps apparent. On opening the portal, it is apparent that Ed was correct in his assessment.

"Why don't you go see if there's anything interesting at the bottom." Judah deadpanned, moving on to the next door.

Cassiel gets ready to be the first through the next door.

Lorant stifles a laugh at Judah's joke. Over a century old and still he sometimes had the immature sense of humor of an obnoxious kid.

Where in the prison were we again? Part of me feels like we missed something.

You are on the second floor, among the cells.

Judah checked the door. Ready when you are, GM.

The door opens into a cramped room with a wood-and-iron ladder on the south wall, leading to a trapdoor in the ceiling. Once more, the eerie piping can be plainly heard.

"We must be getting closer to where he died," Lorant comments as they enter the room.

"So...climb up?"

"You first." Judah said to Edward. Then he started to climb, carefully checking things as he went.

He realized there wasn't going to be much of a way for Lorant or Cassiel to move past him after he checked the trap door. He was going to have to be first. Anxiety rose in his chest.

Lorant looks at Judah and notices his expression shift.

"Are you all right, Judah?" he says quietly.

"Oh sure. We're in a haunted prison following a ghost up a rickety ladder toward the sounds of the pipes of a famous murderer. I'm fine though," he snarked.

Ella chuckles. "If it helps, Judah, famous murderers are generally the best kind. At least you know who they are," she calls from the bottom of the ladder.

"Now that was rude." Ed mutters.

Edmund pokes his head through the trapdoor, withdrawing it just as quickly. "Rubble; quite a bit of it," he reports. "Opening the door is going to be tough, but there appears to be a space beyond."

Lorant strokes his chin.

"Cas, you're probably the strongest out of all of us. Want to try opening the trapdoor?

Cassiel shrugs and tries forcing it open.

STR: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (15) + 3 = 18