"Huh... How do you fight against flying knives?" - Ederion retreats.
As Ederion retreats backwards through the doorway, he suddenly finds himself turned around and retreating back into the room. His companions see him back into the doorway, vanish for just a tiny second, and then reappear as he's going back into the room.
He cannot leave...
Ederion advances to stand side by side with Aster.
Ederion recognizes this as the OTHER type of ghost: The haunt.
Rather than an intelligent spirit, this kind of ghost is more of an emotional echo of its former self. Some sort of traumatic death or unfinished business has warped the magic inherent in the world until the business is fulfilled.
These ghosts start out by creating haunts, small magic effects that are usually tied to the specific circumstances of the ghost's death. These effects start ramping up in frequency and power until the ghost fully manifests, at which point it is incredibly dangerous. All of these ghosts (and their haunts) have the following weaknesses: They cannot effect that which is surrounded by salt (or if they are surrounded by salt they are trapped), they are susceptible to holy weapons and holy water, and they immediately (and permanently) disperse if their unfinished business is complete.
"A haunt.." - Ederion had read about it, but he had never actually experienced such apparition - "Amazing..." - he adds - "Clearly this is another form of ghost Aster, and one with unfinished business... Maybe the spirit of those who lie there? Murdered?"
Rexandi turns this way and that, trying to stay away from the hovering cutlery. "So uh... what do we DO about it?"
"Where should I . . . stab it?"
Tarnagius wades in with his heavy mace. "Just smack it." He says as he flails around at the floating cutlery. He hits a couple of knives that bend or break before clattering to the ground. The swarm approaches Tarn, but Ederion tries to fend it off. With lightning fast reflexes Ederion stabs at the cutlery long enough to ward it away from Tarnagius. The remaining utensils fall to the ground as the magic falls apart.
Despite the big talk, Tarnagius visibly tenses up as he goes into hyper-vigilance.
1. Aster, Tarnagius
2. Ghost
3. Everyone else
4. Ghost
Can't crit
I don't know if that's the correct bonus
"Think Think Think, Aster." Aster tells herself, trying to figure out something from the room and knives that would cause the haunt. "Did someone die from stabbing, one of these two before and now has been killing others? Or is the haunt the killer?"
Thinking maybe the haunt's source might show up as magic she'll cast detect magic.
"I don't know, but I think it's best if we leave." Replies Tarnagius.
Aster gleans a general necromantic energy from the room, but can't get an exact reading of where the magic is coming from.
Six figures manifest from nothing but thin air behind Ederion. Gaunt and emancipated humans wearing silk robes appear, all bearing knives and forks. They look at Ederion, Aster, and Tarnagius hungrily. They act more like feral wolves than normal humans. They ready their weapons and prepare to fight to the death.
"Their Illusions! Don't Believe In Them And They Can't Hurt You!" Aster yells! "Okay... um, they look hungry, they have knives, maybe they need food..." she suggests, kicking herself for not packing a lunch, even if the idea is a longshot.
Bazzle moves toward the floating knife and strikes at where he suspects a body would be.
"Is this what you want?" - Ederion throws a ration to the ground next to the apparitions, then turns to the others - "I think I remember they cannot affect you if you are surrounded by salt... Or if any one has holy weapons or water, you can try fighting..." - he whispers - "Else we need to find out what they want"
"Salt? That's odd." Aster mumbles "Tomorrow we are buying holy water and will keep it on us at all times."
Aster pulls out her holy symbol, and prays "Milian, please see this poor creatures trapped and lost. We don't know how to free them but ardently wish to. Could you see it in your heart to help us out? Please?" Aster has never trained to be any kind of priestess so her prayers are very much less than formal.
The creatures follow the ration as it's thrown through the air.
"I wonder if this will work..."
Rexandi glowers and points at one of the floating pieces of cutlery.
Rexandi moves into the room - staying away from the foes - and attempts to hex the one threatening Aster.
"I think you already got them."
The illusions go into a frenzy and start stabbing at Tarnagius and Ederion repeatedly. Aster is completely ignored, as she's already seen through their guise. Tarn and Ederion both get stabbed and yell out in pain, but no actual damage has been done. Ederion feels the gripping sense of desperation start to take him.
One of the illusions turns and stares down Rexandi now that she's entered the room. It lunges at her and stabs her with the knife. Rexandi yells out in pain, but she does not lose her composure.
Milani does not seem to answer Aster's plight. She will have to figure this one out on her own. This realization of Milani's silence hits Aster a bit harder than usual, but still she soldiers through. Speaking of soldiering through, Tarnagius continues to fight despite his fear and lands a hit on one of the illusions. To Aster's surprise, the illusion takes a smack of the mace to its face, and crumples to the floor dead.
1. Aster, Tarnagius
2. Ghost
3. Everyone else
4. Ghost, Illusions
5. Ghost
The illusion that died disappears after a second. Tarnagius and Bazzle just assume it's just how these monsters work, Ederion and Rexandi are able to cool their heads and truly believe that Aster was right.
Seeing Tarnagius succeed with his attacks, Ederion decides to do the same, striking at the closest apparition.
Ederion decides to attack the illusion in order to help Tarnagius and Bazzle who just can't seem to shake their realism. He stabs one through the chest and lets it slowly slide off the blade and onto the floor. The illusion disappears into nothingness, and both Tarnagius and Bazzle finally come to their senses. All of the illusions look transparent and while still scary-looking, are completely harmless.
Something is still wrong... Aster will do her best to shamble over to the bodies and figure something out.
Looking at their bodies for anything that will help, .
Three bodies, multiple stab wounds, knives and forks...
"Think this may be related to the murderous cook we found earlier?" - Ederion asks of Aster, scanning the area with rapier and buckler in hand, but not really sure what else to do.
Aster determines that the robed skeletons died of starvation, but the fresh corpse was stabbed to death. A lot of its flesh is missing, and looks to have been carved out. One knife still rests stuck in its body.
Aster and Ederion both get a bit of a headache for a moment, as if something was pressing against their head. During that moment, both feel a brief sense of fear and helplessness, of panic and pain. Both manage to shake off the feeling.
Rexandi gets a totally different feeling. She is overwhelmed with sadness. She looks at the corpse as if it had been a beloved family member, one who did not deserve this terrible fate. In addition, Rexandi is compelled towards a singular task: To remove the knife from the body, and to close their eyes.
1. Ghost
2. Aster, Tarnagius
3. Ghost
4. Everyone else
5. Ghost
6. Ghost
"Damn this!" - Ederion blurts out frustrated - "I can feel 'something' still here, pressing against my will"
Bazzle looks about at the strange scene. "Ahhhh this is some creepy crap just saying. Didn't we kill the dead things . . . you know again."
As compelled, Rexandi leans down and takes the fork.
Rexandi grabs the knife and takes it out of the fresh corpse. As she does so, she has a vision. This vision lasts for no more than a few seconds, but it feels like much longer.
Rexandi sees a noble man, depressed and down on his luck. He's walked into the Lucky Bones and heads into this very room. A Tian woman hands him a contract which he signs with shaky hands, then hands them a huge sum of money. He lies down on the bed, where staff use a hookah to drug him. It doesn't take long before he's so high that he can't function. Days pass and the staff keep him on the drug. Rexandi doesn't see anything else that happens during this time. When he slowly awakes, hunger ravages his body. The room is empty of staff, and the lights are out. He walks around and finds the bars from the magical shield. There's the giant pit that bars his passage. He's trapped. Others are stirring in the room where he rests on his bed. He's sucking the hookah for another hit, but nothing's left. The others climb out of bed. A small tribe forms, but does not last. The two other members turn on him with knife and fork, and stab him to death before trying to eat his raw corpse. His death is not quick, and he lies there being stabbed repeatedly, fearful and terribly sad and alone.
Now that Rexandi knows the truth, the ghost manifests. A twisted echo of pain, sadness, helplessness, and fear. It rises from the man's corpse and stares straight into Rexandi's soul. Though she does not collapse from this raw emotion, it tears at her insides like claws.
This manifestation is followed by a long moan of otherworldly suffering. It recks havock on the minds of everyone, but only Aster is able to withstand it.
1. Ghost
2. Everyone Else
Aster watches Rexi take the knife out of the corpse she is looking at and then her face contort in fear. "What is it?!? What did you see!"
"starvation, the others died of starvation..." she'll shuffle to where the ration was thrown and try putting parts of it in the corpses mouths.
Rexandi drops everything and races right out of the room and down the hallway, yelling as she does so. She turns the corner and hides as she attempts to get a grip on herself. Tarnagius runs out as well, but slams into the doors to his right, revealing the giant pit. He's just about to run over it out of fear, but stops himself just in time.
Bazzle drops his daggers and tares out.
A panicked creature must drop anything it holds and flee at top speed from the source of its fear, as well as any other dangers it encounters, along a random path. It can’t take any other actions. In addition, the creature takes a –2 penalty on all saving throws, skill checks, and ability checks. If cornered, a panicked creature cowers and does not attack, typically using the total defense action in combat. A panicked creature can use special abilities, including spells, to flee; indeed, the creature must use such means if they are the only way to escape.
Panicked is a more extreme state of fear than shaken or frightened.
Ederion runs away as fast as he can.
"Well I don't have an drugs, sorry about that so..." she'll scoop up the corpse belonging to the ghost and start shuffling to the door.
Bazzle and Ederion high tail it out of the room as well. Unlike before, Ederion crosses the entryway without issue. The only person who remains in the room is Aster, who the ghost focuses on. It raises its arms and one of the beds begins to float. Then, it launches it directly at Aster, who takes a beating as the bed flies right into her. In addition, its stare into Aster's eyes gives her a chill to the bone, which makes her move slower.
Bazzle slowly starts to get a grip on his emotions. He's frightened, but no longer in a panic.