Megan Robertson |
Tre'duinne, your detect magic indicates there's something magical in the oubiette (which is, of course, full of water).
Now, none of the 'famous five' convicts laid claim to being wizards. Father Charlatan was a con-man (and not a divine spellcaster at all). Little was known of the Lopper bar his fondness for hacking people up with a big axe. The Mosswater Marauder was an artisan (and a dwarf). The Piper of Illmarsh is another unknown, but if anything magic-using he might have been a bard rather than a wizard. The Splatter Man had been an academic, who studied personal names and their origins... he was said to have consorted with a succubus, but if he was a wizard he did not earn his living from it.
If you recall the hidden vault you found on the ground floor of the gaol, there were five items in there. There was a bloodstained hand axe, a collection of holy symbols all tangled up, a tarnished silver flute and a smith's hammer, as well as the spellbook.
Megan Robertson |
Barret plunges into the cold, dark water. The oubilette goes down and down... so, Barret, how deep do you think you can freedive?
Lungs feeling as if they might burst, the need to draw breath almost overwhelming, you eventually reach bottom. There, you find a skeleton and a few objects. Scrabbling, you grab the items and shoot for the surface, outracing your own bubbles (any diver will tell you that's a bad idea but you're desperate for air), finally bursting out and taking great gulps of air.
Once Barret has climbed out, dripping wet and freezing cold, and has got his breath back, you can take a look at the items retrieved... a +1 keen longsword, a +1 mithral dagger, and a ring of protection +1.
Sorin Szekely |
"Yes, I think you should probably bear the sword for now Merian. It is your god's weapon, no? Perhaps it is a sign. Perhaps Dillan should bear the dagger and you the ring Tre? Shall we go speak to Vesorianna and see if she can sense any change in the ghosts?"
Merian Benvalla |
Merian picks up the sword, swinging it experimentally. She seems very pleased with the balance, and - after a brief attempt to find a way to store it when she only has one sheath and another blade currently occupying it - settles for simply carrying it bared for the moment.
Adding it to my sheet then.
Megan Robertson |
Alright then. Everything is strangely quiet as you make your way back up through the gaol to the workshop on the ground floor where Vesorianna's spirit is to be found. When you enter Vesorianna manifests immediately before you, rising from the mound of mouldering fabric that serves as her tomb. She appears as before as a beautiful young woman dressed in a tattered but lovely blue dress, but she's stopped crying.
What items are you showing her?
Tre'duinne Braeguldae |
"My lady Verisonna." Tre bows to the spirit, "our journey into the depths of this prison has led us to some find some valuable items, including this ring." Tre hand extends out showing the ring on his finger left hand middle finger. "Do you recognise it?" he asks, smiling. "I mean no offense by wearing it, but it has some power to protect me from the evils below. Expediency overcame my desire to discover more of history and ownership. "
I'll leave it up to the carriers of the other items to show them or not.
Sorin Szekely |
Sorin follows Tre's lead and bows in turn. He takes out the badge and keys that Barret and Sorin recovered from the Warden's skeleton. "You knew already that your husband, the Warden, is dead. We hope that we have also now lain the spirits to rest, but we are unsure and hope you can tell us more. We did find your husband's badge and keys on his remains." Sorin presents them to her. "Do you have a place nearby that you would like us to bury his remains?"
Megan Robertson |
Vesorianna looks as delighted as a ghost can.
"Ohhhh," she says, "You have found my husband's things. With these I can cleanse this building of all the unquiet spirits trapped here... and then I too can rest. I cannot thank you enough."
The spirit floats over to Sorin and takes the badge of office from his hand, somehow manipulating the material object although she remains incorporeal herself. Holding it up, she releases a long breath, a sigh... and all around there is motion, a movement of air, a fading away of the opressive atmosphere that has shrouded the lowering hilltop gaol all the time you have been here.
Outside, you can hear birds singing. Not the caws of crows that you have heard hitherto, but joyful trills of songbirds.
With one last breathed "Thank you", Vesorianna too fades away. The badge falls to the ground with a solid clunk, glowing softly with a pale honey-coloured light. Those of you sensitive to magic know it is now a magical item without need for detection spells.
Congratulations! You have completed Book 1 of this AP successfully!
Do you wish to continue?
Tre'duinne Braeguldae |
Tre watches intently as the spirit is released from its everlasting vigil, "We have twarted the plan of those who did try and release the evil spirits upon Ravengro. The Whispering Way may not take well to our interference, we must be wary in the days to come of their revenge. So let us celebrate this victory with Kendra." he continues in all seriousness, without the exhilaration of one who has succeeded in banishing evil. He looks around, still wary of the spirits, though with each minutes that passes, he visibly relaxes, the tense muscles of his face letting a smile appear.
Megan Robertson |
A glance out the window shows glorious sunshine. You make your way outside - what a relief not to have to mess around with slamming doors in the foyer! - and find the whole place looks brighter. There are even some rabbits playing on the lawn, and song birds overhead.
The track back to town is as steep as ever, though, and the town itself looks much the same... yet everything feels more relaxed.
Kendra is in her garden digging weeds when you arrive.
Sorin Szekely |
"Kendra, a welcome sight! The rains have let up at last. We defeated the last spirits and the ghost of the warden's wife has helped us to banish them forever." Like Barret, Sorin in in exceptionally good spirits although the question of what has become of the men who killed the professor lies heavy in his mind.
Tre'duinne Braeguldae |
"Dillan, we have disrupted whatever evil plans were put in motion. Remember those markings around the prison. We have done what the professor would have wanted, stopped the rising of murderous spirits. The safety of Ravengro, that is assured, Kendra you father's passing has been instrumental in that, it has given meaning to his last days. So now we can celebrate this victory for him, before we must study what was going on. What was the deeper meaning of this." Tre speaks solemnly. `
Merian Benvalla |
Merian, seeming to sense Kendra's conflicted feelings, has been quiet at first, but now she reaches out to touch the other woman's hand. "How much do you want to know of what we saw and faced?" the crusader asks. "You know a lot more than most of us do about the supernatural, so if there's sense to be made of it we'd need your help... but I don't want it to be too painful either."