Tomaru will continue with his next intended action which is to Channel Positive Energy excluding the two Graul (just in case)
"How in the abyss did this" - Lym points her sword at the fallen Ogrekin - "sire that?!" The sword goes to the slain tendriculos. "This place is foul! Let's finish checking if there are any more rooms, then burn the place down and salt the earth!"
"Yes, Shalelu. We are all alive. Now ask if we all retain our full sanity." In full agreement with falchion wielding wizardess, Tomaru searches the room.
Perception: w/Bit of Luck
Perception: w/Bit of Luck
Rhianni follows Tomaru's lead, "Whatever are we looking for Tomaru?" She takes her time, carefully searching the place, before the forthcoming conflagation.
"Live prisoners," Lym says in a grim tone of voice. "Though I have serious doubts that any remain..."
"Me too, but I think these... folk are the sort to have any survivors hidden away or put away in a torture box or something."
"All the more reason to be thorough on the search, despite the rankness of this place. We must go through the clothing of these creatures, in case they have a key or something." Rhianni holds her nose as she searches the bodies too.
If there are no more enemies, I suggest we go through each room and Take 20. Once we've cleared the entire house we set it for burning, being blessed twice, and salt the earth.
Kellen gets up; checking on Thordak as he moves around to get some feeling back in his limbs. "You gonna be OK, Thordak? That plant had a pretty strong kick, eh?"
At Rhianni and Tomaru's comments, he points towards the only other door in the corner of the room."Looks like that's the next hidey hole...give me a moment and I'll check the door."
"Yes, Shalelu. We are all alive. Now ask if we all retain our full sanity."
The reply is tentative. "Well....do you?"
The reply is tentative. "Well....do you?"
"Signs are good, with a chance for cloudiness. Open a door in the 'kitchen,' tell us what you think," replies Kellen with some sarcasm.
"These creature here were as evil as those in the barn, maybe more so. These are tales to scare your children, and then ask, what is sanity? It wasn't found in these walls." cries Rhianni with bitterness. "Just coming here was insane!"
Kellen gets up; checking on Thordak as he moves around to get some feeling back in his limbs. "You gonna be OK, Thordak? That plant had a pretty strong kick, eh?"
Stretching to work the kinks out, "Aye, lad. My pride's a little sore but physically I'm doin' alright. And I'm all for burnin' this place down until even the ash is no more."
There are no more auras to be detected anywhere in the house.
The remaining room in the basement is Husker's bedroom. An old lumpy mattress lies along one wall, and the partially completed forms of several chairs made from bone and human skin sit in various piles. Other bric-a-brac in the room tells you that Husker was the creator of the traps in this house.
More importantly, Kellen finds a room hidden off to the side of the pit where the tendriculous lived. He can also tell you that the slide trap under the sofa on the top floor would have dropped you in here with the plant-thing.
The side room has a chest, unlocked and untrapped, which contains the Graul's treasure. In addition, stacked in this room is the gear for three humanoid-sized creatures. All of it is marked with the symbol of the Black Arrows.
There are no other prisoners to be found in the house.
Shalelu shudders at Kellen's suggestion. "No thanks. I've heard enough from Jakardros to know better than to start poking around here."
Whilst Kellen deals with the small room and the chest, Rhianni takes out the wands Lym gave her and checks to see if she can decipher the magic contained within.
"The Ogrekin matriarch must have been an item-crafter," Lym says as she eyes the Ogre hook, shaking her head. "Hrn. Her spellbook may give me some hints on how she... crafted such items."
Muttering, Lym casts a cantrip on the spellbook to make sure it isn't trapped. If the book is safe, she opens it and thumbs through its pages -- extremely grateful for the fact that she is wearing gloves. The stench of Ogrekin sweat makes her grimace behind her face.
"I may have to magically cleanse this book," she growls.
"Just coming here was insane!"
As Kellen moves the gear around, he looks at Rhianni and states plainly: "Take comfort in the fact that more poor souls aren't going to be turned into dinner or furniture after this. No child or parent in Turtleback Ferry is going to be missing a loved one because of these beasts anymore." He finishes the reference by spitting on the ground in the direction of the dead ogre in the room.
He looks to Shalelu and points Black Arrows gear: "Guessing that's something that belongs to Jakardos and his friends."
"Let's get to work," Lym says, a growl in her voice. "Smash the furniture for kindling, build piles in the main rooms. Pour out any oil you find, make a trail from pile to pile, then a final one leading outside. First, though, we burn a circle around the place - before pouring the oil. We'll light the damn thing from outside and make sure the fire doesn't spread."
She looks to Tomaru. "You are a priest. Have you any prayers which would suit the occasion? Not just laying these damned Ogrekin to rest so their ghosts don't walk, but soothing the spirits of their victims? This filth-hole could become a pit full of undead at the drop of a hat, otherwise."
In the process of moving the chest of loot and gear outside, Kellen asks Shalelu: "How are the three men we found in the barn?"
Otherwise, at Lym's suggestion, he comes back to the "junk" room full of wood in the basement and dumps some oil into the mix. "That should start a nice bonfire here in the basement."
Rhianni follows Lym's suggestions and whilst she doesn't have oil herself, she searches around the disgusting house for some. Once this is done, she asks Shalelu, "How are the survivors? Is there anything we can do for them, we surely should burn the barn too. It was a scene of suffering as well." Rhianni waits, as she asks the ranger, "Other than your father, who are those other two? Are they both Black Arrows too?"
Once all the buildings have been torched and the fires controlled, Rhianni continues with er questioning of the Black Arrows. "What were they doing here? Did any others escape the Grauls? How many men have lost their lives to the ogrekin? Can they escort us towards the fort?"
Tomaru sees to the men that were rescued then blesses the ground. . He aids in digging the fire break in preparation to burn the house and the barn.
"They will live."The ranger says. "Near as I can tell, they were a patrol under my father that was out the night the fort fell. They were delayed - for what he doesn't make clear - and when they returned, Fort Rannick was overrun. He attempted to retake it, but was thrown back, and the survivors of the assault fell victim to the Grauls as they recuperated in the forest."
She looks down at the ground, her knuckles whitening as they grip her bow. "There were ten survivors. One by one, they were taken and tortured. Some were returned to the cells, as a show for those who were left."
She looks back up, watching the preparations to burn the house. "Goblins. Goblins and that damned bugbear were my life. I thought they were as base evil as evil could get."
She turns to you as the first flickers of the flames light her face.
"This is evil. Pure horror, and the very essence of evil. I will not rest until this region is clear of these and all their kind. Let's get these men back to the town, and we can plan from there. They have valuable information about the fort. It sounds like we'll need it."
Kellen doesn't say much more in the process, doing his part to alight the buildings and working to keep the fire contained as needed until they are ready to depart.
Covered in ash and staring at the conflagration he merely nods at Shalelu's suggestion, and follows the rest back to town. He'll carry the treasure they have found, if need be.
Arriving back in Turtleback Ferry and assuming they make for the Turtle Parlor, he does finally add: "First and second round is on me - I could use Cayden's relief right now after all that flame."
Thordak aids the others with gusto, ready to burn this place all the way to the underground.
Once all is finally ash, Thordak will also help carry any treasure necessary as they make their way back to town.
Praxim keeps an eye on the house, scanning it for manifesting auras, also checking the foliage nearby for any returning Grauls.
"Get the horses ready," Lym says as she produces something odd from one of her pockets; a toy carriage. "We'll have to go slowly, but at least we can take the prisoners back to Turtleback Ferry in some comfort."
At a snap of the Wizard's fingers, the toy expands to the size of an actual carriage...!
"Shall we ride back?" asks Rhianni, "I can find horses or ponies for those not using Lym's carriage. It may be quicker."
All is quiet as the accursed house burns to the ground. Eventually the barn goes as well, leaving no trace of the Graul family.
The three men are introduced to you as Jakardros, Vale Temros, and Kaven Windstrike. Of the three, Kaven appears to be the most seriously wounded. He can't speak, but he moans as he twists and turns in whatever horror he is reliving while unconscious.
The ride back to Turtleback Ferry is disturbed only by the wind and the rain, which picks up again now that you are back on the road. Thunder rumbles once again over Hook Mountain.
Tomaru rides in the wagon with the wounded.
Take 10 on Heal check for 19 total
Praxim rides up front, keeping a sharp lookout. He breathes a sigh of relief as Turtleback Ferry closes around them.
"We should take these men to the temple, to let their wounds be tended. Whilst we stay and help them, one of us should get the mayor, to keep him informed of what's happened. We need to ask these men what happened at the fort, how it fell to the giant-kin." the sorceress asks as she thinks of the tasks ahead.
"I'll get the mayor," Praxim offers, heading out to do just that.
When he finds him, he gives him a run down on what they encountered, what they did, and thanks the man for helping him get his perspective, especially concerning the facing down of such gruesome evil.
"I'll stay with them."
Kellen glances at the Parlor and his potential drink in passing, before turning to Tomaru. "I'll help you with these fellows. Get them over to the temple then for some care is the plan?"
Rhianni goes with Kellen and Tomaru and the Black Arrows.
The ashes have been sifted and blessed, and the rains are turning what's left into paste. You have to help the three men into the carriage, as they aren't in much shape to walk themselves. Of the three, Jakardros is able to limp along a bit, supported by Shalelu.
Suddenly, a red-furred streak emerges from the woods to the south. Moving like lightning, it charges straight for the ranger and her father.
"What in blazes..." Shalelu calls as she struggles to extricate herself from Jakardros and bring her bow to bear.
She is too late.
The firepelt cougar buries Jakadros in 400 pounds of fur and muscle. He goes down flat on his back with a loud "Oof!" as the air is blasted from his lungs. The cougar stands over him, huge paws planted on the ranger's chest, as its open maw descends...
And licks the man's face from chin to forehead. The big cat then shoves its head up under Jakardros' chin and nuzzles him with enough force to bang his head backwards against the ground.
"Seriously Kibb? Easy boy, easy..." the ranger groans in pain. The cat, sensing something is amiss, climbs off his chest and lays down on the ground, head still nuzzled against Jakardos' shoulder. "Never thought I'd see you again either..." he whispers, then passes out.
Maelin Shreed greets you at the door to the temple. Quickly, he sends a couple of his acolytes to prepare places for the wounded men, and helps you carry them in.
Once the Black Arrows are resting peacefully, Kibb curled up at the foot of Jakardors' bed, you gather to talk. He listens to your tale of the horrors of the Graul house, and what little the Arrows have shared, with growing concern.
"We have long known someone or something was nearby, taking our folk and unwary travelers, but I didn't realize just how close they were." He pauses. "The news that fort has fallen to ogres...well that is dire word indeed." He stands up, clasping his hands behind his back. He walks over the window of the temple, watching the rain run down the stained glass. This window has a man in green and brown garb, defending a group of children from the assault of giants. The man is about to be overrun, while the children flee. The rain patterns on the glass look like tears running down his face.
Thunder rumbles in the distance. Maelin turns back to you.
"For decades the Black Arrows have defended this region from the likes of ogres and giants, probably worse. They would not have fallen to the likes of those. I suspect treachery, my friends. Be wary."
Sometime later, Maelin calls for a private meeting with Praxim.
"The snake-woman," Lym suggests to Maelin and the others. "With some form of Thassilonian magic at her beck and call, she may have turned the tide, if the giant-kin and the Black Arrows were roughly matched before."
Thordak looks curious at Lym. "Snake-woman? There's a snake-woman involved? And she controls the big-un's? What's this all about?"
Seeing Kibb reunited with his master brings some warmth back into Kellen's bones. He makes it a point to rub the big cat's ears back at the temple: "Glad to see some families reunited, eh?"
"I suspect treachery, my friends. Be wary."
At the mention of the snake-woman and treachery, Kellen eyes suddenly narrow in thought. "Do you remember that pleasure barge and how many townsfolk were marked with the Thassilonian rune we noticed?"
As if considering something further,"Who's to say the Arrows were immune to Lucrecia's favor anymore than the townsfolk; I smell a rat." He points to the three recovering men and adds" "Maelin, have your acolytes check those men for a special tattoo - looks like a seven-pointed star perhaps."
In looking after them, did Tomaru notice any such markings?
Maelin nods silently at Kellen's suggestion. Summoning two of his acolytes over, he instructs them silently on what they are to do. They gather materials for bathing patients, and head into the rooms where Kaven, Jakardros, and Vale are resting. It isn't five minutes later when one of them comes running out into the main hall.
He stops in the middle of where you are sitting, breathless, and says: "Its one of the Arrows, sir! The one named Kaven! He's gone!"
In looking after them, did Tomaru notice any such markings?
At the time, after the horrors of the house, you didn't think anything of it.
Lym strides over to the nearest window, throwing it wide open, and holds out an arm. "Go," she commands, "find him if you can!" -- and the bat named Limmerick shoots out of her sleeve and into the darkening sky.
"I am low on magic, still," she says, turning to the others. "But if Kaven is still anywhere nearby, my familiar will find him. Can any of you find any tracks, perhaps...?'