Brandark and Kelvin swings furiously at the approaching Swarm. They manage to dispatch the swarm of rats. A few stragglers scurry back through cracks in the wall.
Garrath was unable to dispatch the second Swarm as they flood over the Barbarian.
The party then descends on the remaining Swarm. Their remnants scatter back into the cracks.
That was easy!
"Well, that is that." Kelvin moves to the next door and listens, checks for traps and disables if necessary.
"Pheew, did I mention I hate swarms? Well we should press on."
Kelvin will only hear a few remaining rats scurry away. He will quickly learn that there is not a trap on the door. The door is actually ajar.
When Brandark enters the room he will see two wine racks lining the walls, their shelves empty and dusty. Mounds of broken glass bottles clutter the foor.
What might this be. Brandark walks over to the nook. Garrath, I cannot reach, can you see what is in there ?
"That looks to be some very fine wine there, Brandark."
Lets crate them up, and then get the last room before we burn the place.
Heading up the stairs to the final room, Kelvin listens, checks for traps and disables if necessary.
Kelvin, again will not hear anything. And once more the door is neither trapped or locked.
When Brandark opens the door, he sees shelves of books lining the walls of this room, interspersed with curious objects such as skulls fitted with stubs of candles, tribal fetishes, and decorative scroll cases. An empty birdcage lies near the southern wall beside a small desk and a fine leather chair. Statues and sculptures grin from all corners of the room.
Searching the room discovers oddments including several dozen curious fetishes and masks, but the most impressive piece is an old painting of a bullfight. The painting bears a plaque that reads “Throwdown in Swynetown,” and in the painting, vast crowds jeer and cheer the bullfighter on, the huge bull aurochs towering over him, its cruel forward-jutting horns each the length of a spear. Dozens of bodies lie in the streets—the aurochs has clearly rampaged through them already, and although a score of brightly colored spears jut from the creature’s flanks and back, it still rages on.
The books are mostly on Shoanti tribal cultures and history, along with numerous maps of mysterious realms and nautical charts. None of the books are particularly valuable. The scroll cases contain more maps, along with a scroll of lightning bolt and a scroll of keen edge.
"Does anyone else hear the books pages being turned, or is this another one of those ghosty thingies?'
After looking around the room, Kelvin stops at the painting. "That is worth some serious coin."
Suddenly stopping Elektra pulls the Brick, revealing the secret compartment. After a moment she looks at the key than with even more interest at the scrolls.
Garrath watches the hallway, eyes wide and nostrils flaring as he breathes. The look he has almost mimics that of a spooked horse. "We should leave now, and burn this place to its roots. Looting it only invites trouble. Too many restless dead here."
Aye, Kelvin, I hear the pages turning, but I think it belongs to the ghosty things.
However, I think that you should carry that painting. I am afraid that my ham hands will not carry it well.
Garrath, I also think we should burn this place, but let us get some wealth out of it first.
Brandark grabs the maps, while waiting for the others to finish looking over the room.
"Stone, is there anything you can do to rid this house of the ghostly things?" Kelvin asks the groups cleric.
This was the last room. As you leave Foxglove Manor, you see an interesting sight. It looks like a truce has been reached between the horses and a growing swarm of birds. When the party leaves the building, the birds descend upon them.
Round One
Seeing the large murder of crows launch into the air and start coming their way he mutters.
By the gods, you do not see that every day.
Kelvin moves up to within thirty feet of crow murder and fires into the flat footed swarm.
Shalelu moves up and fires an arrow into the same area of the swarm as Kelvin fired into, scattering some of the Swarm.
Garrath growls angrily. "I am tired of undead things!" and lets the rage fill him and attacks the bird swarm.
Six swarms of Carrionstorm descend upon the party.
Familiar
As the swarm descends on him, Kelvin switches from his longbow to his dogslicer.
Seeing that the crows were already dead, he grabs for his little used warhammer in both hands.
Brandark swings hard at the carrionstorm as it engulfs him.
Begone you foul beasts begone
Round One
As the Swarm descends on the party, Garrath swings his Great Sword scattering many. Kelvin and Shalelu picked off a few of the undead birds as they approached. Stone missed with his Crossbow. Brandark missed his first swings at the fowl creatures.
Garrath will scatter the remaining elements of the Swarm that descended upon him.
Stone Channels Holy energy toward the Swarms. One by one, they Swarms begin to dissipate. Some with a horrific chorus of various screeches.
Though neither Stone nor Elektra become nauseated by the Swarms, they both are pecked at by several of the undead birds.
Round Two
LEVEL SIX!!!
Cleaning off the head of his warhammer, Brandark looks at the mess of feathers and go lying around.
Well, that is done, now how do we go about burning this place down, so no one else suffers like we did.
"Yes, back to Sandpoint."
"Indeed. Forgive me, but I need a warm bath, a decent meal. And a good nights sleep in a warm bed!"
"We have to destroy this place, whether now, or we come back after rest, it's a blot on the lands."
Day Twenty-Eight
It was just past midnight when the party reaches the Goblin Squash stables. Brandark wakens Daverin Hosk in a stir, but the retired old Ranger settles down when he sees the familiar Dwarf. Hosk can smell the stench of death all over the party, "What have y'all been doin'? Diggin' up corpses? That is some pow'rful od'r you cari'n with ya." The ranger works to find stalls and help remove barding, tack, bridles etc.
When the party walks into the Rusty Dragon it is full of patrons. Ameiko was in middle song when she suddenly stops. The patrons look at the party, one by one, "It is the heroes!" they call out. When Ameiko moves closer she gets to within about six feet and stops, "I will have Brathana prepare baths. We can bring supper up later."
Ameiko quickly leads the party upstair. Patron after patron wrinkle their noses with a squint of their eyes and move away from the party.
The baths were very much a welcome experience to everyone, party, patrons, Ameiko, Brathana but most of all Shalelu. She was nearly in tears as the smell of death, vomit and more hung around the shy Elf.
Later, Brathana brings up the Local Wine, Dwarven Ale and Cool Water
along with warm bowls of a hearty Boar Stew and Bread just starting to get a bit stale.
To say the party was exhausted would be an understatement. The beds were warm and comfortable. Everyone rested well, except Garrath, Shalelu and Kelvin. Garrath and Shalelu's rest were feverish. Kelvin's itchy.
When Garrath wakes up he finds himself weaker and not nearly as nimble. The thought of staying in bed sounds like a good idea.
Shalelu does not sleep but stays in bed feverish and sweaty.
To Kelvin's horror, he wakes up to leaky boils on his arms and legs. One such boil is growing on his cheek.
Yea !!!
"Stone !!!" Kelvin yells. If/When the cleric shows up, "now do you believe me that something happened? Do you have some healing that can get rid of this disease?"
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Stone will look over the party and seeing that Garrath and Shaleu have ghoul fever he will cast remove disease on them both.
Stone will rush in to Kelvin's room to see what has happened.
Hold still and let me take a look. detect disease
Now seeing and understanding what is happening to Kelvin, Stone will administer the appropriate cure. remove disease
Stone has two more remove disease if any more are needed.
In a true ly tired voice Stone will for someone to bring his breakfast to his room because he is going back to bed.
Waking up after a good nights sleep Elektra is shocked to find her friends in such a sorry state.
"Stone, what do you need. Maybe... together we can find a cure!"
AS soon as she has time Elektra will take her time to find the use of the items.
Then she will work on her headband.
Stone starts the morning by removing the Ghoul Fever off Shalelu. But he is unable to remove it off of Garrath. He does restore some vitality to the big Barbarian.
Stone, with an assist from Elektra, will divinely discern that Kelvin has been infected by a phage, a bacteria brought on by Vorel's fungus. Ironically Stone sees similarities between this phage and the Ghoul Fever. Not in the visible effects, but in the physical effects. Kelvin is dying in the same way as thoses infected with Ghoul Fever. If Kelvin is not cured, then he will turn into a Ghoul. But Stone will divinely notice that the negative energies were greater with this phage. That the end results could create a powerful form of Ghoul, the Ghast. And the greater the exposure the more powerful the Ghast.
Stone fails in his first attempt to remove this powerful disease infecting Kelvin. But is successful in the second attempt. The boils and sores begins to shrink and disappear.
In any case Elektra will take notes, steeling herself that the patient is a friend, to aid others in the future to cure this pleague.
Garrath will make sure Shalelu is okay and settled before seeking out his own bath.
Garrath mutters and fusses over the attention Stone pays to him, but is grateful none the less for the cleric's help. "No disease will keep me down for long, no matter the cause." Despite still looking pale and in a bit of a cold sweat. "We should talk with the Father, and get some ideas on how to destroy whatever it is in that house."
Garrath will go to do that, if no other more diplomatic person goes with him.
Hearing the commotion from Kelvin, Brandark comes in with Stone.
Is there anything that I can do to help with this?
lektra lays out all items and quite beautifully casts the spell, showing a love to her school quite clearly.
+1 War Razor
+1 stinky Leather Armor
4 +1 Elfbane Arrows, (Elektra is repulsed by the them.)
+1 Ring of Protection {+1 Deflection Bonus to AC}
Ring of Jumping (This ring continually allows the wearer to leap about, providing a +5 competence bonus on all his Acrobatics checks made to make high or long jumps.)
Potions: CLW x2 and a CMW.
Elektra can only guess that the foul smelling vial was once a potion of some kind that became foul and dried out over time.