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The party "charges" into the room ready for combat because they noticed something stirring inside. Now that you've had an opportunity to take in the visage of this thing you realize: he's headless! The remnants of his tattered clothing suggest that this man was actually a guard, not a prisoner. The insignia suggests that he might have been a higher rank--perhaps a captain of the guard.
This triggers something in the spirit animating this burning skeletal champion. Reality warps around you as the skeleton's rage forces the last moments of his life into your minds. He was the first victim of the Harrowstone riot; he was the captain of the guards. A cruel man named Gurtis Vortch he wasn't much better than the prisoners he enjoyed torturing and tormenting. He was the first casualty during the riot, murdered by the Lopper with his own stolen sword.
Despite not having a head, the skeleton manages to roar with furious anger. Since Blackheath attacked him with a longsword, he focuses on the bard:
, ,
, ,
Blackheath takes 24 HP of damage and falls down. Hard!
Sharien tries to distract the skeleton by firing off some magic missiles at it.
"Faria or Sangre, you must save Blackheath!"
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Faria nods appreciatively to both Sharien and Gravleon, before approaching the revived Blackheath. She lays her hands on his shoulders, uttering a quiet prayer to Pharasma. His grievous wounds begin to heal, the divine energy pulling back together what was just moments ago torn apart.
Once she is done, she turns to everyone else. "Perhaps we should search this room, then retire for the night."
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OK, you guys call it a day! You go back to Lorrimor place to rest. You also LEVEL UP! :-D
The historical information, unique items, etc, etc that you bring back to the town nets each PC the equivalent of 3,000 GP.
The whole time you are gone from the prison, the weather in Ravengro gets worse. It storms constantly, now.
Who wants to consult the planchette to see how to deal with the remaining prisoners? The Mosswater Marauder, the Lopper, and the Splatter Man.
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After they return to Ravengro, Faria grows worried as a pall seems to fall over the place. Constant rain and thunder are the group's companions throughout the day, and the priestess can see the visible effect it is having on the town's inhabitants.
The Pharasman wondered if, after their successful disposal of the Piper of Ilmarsh and Father Charlatan, the remaining three restless spirits were pooling their resources in a last gasp effort to demoralize the town and drive the heroes out.
Determined to bring this haunted occupation of Harrowstone to an end, the priestess sits down, bringing out the Spirit Planchette. Having just fought one of the Lopper's victims, Faria decides that she will seek information on him, first.
The priestess decides to preserve her body against hostile possession, drawing upon a sliver of Pharasma's divine energy to steel herself against the dark forces that might come to the planchette's call.
After everyone gathers, she takes out the man's haunted possession, pressing it to the planchette before demanding aloud, "Reveal to us the weakness of the spirit known as the Lopper!"
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Gravleon calls to his god so he can gain some protection from the evil he will call
"Faria you don't need to take on this evil your self, let me join you in the calling so we may shoulder the burden together. I am sad to say it seems our involvement has seem to made the weather here worse, I do hope once we rid that prison of the last few spirits will take this cursed weather away..."
"We will do all we can to help you bear the burden, my friend Faria." Sharien readies to cast disrupt undead on the planchette itself if necessary.
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Smith's Hammer: This is a masterwork light hammer. The hammer’s presence is enough to cause the spirit of the Mosswater Marauder to suffer powerful pangs of shame, guilt, and horror—as long as the hammer is within 20 feet. Unfortunately, each round the person carrying this hammer must make a Will save to resist the compulsion to attack the nearest living creature with the hammer.
Moldy Spellbook: The covers and pages of this thick, leather-bound spellbook have become caked with mold over the years, but some of the contents remain legible. This book once belonged to Professor Hean Feramin, the man who would eventually achieve fame not through academia but through murder. Known in his final days as the Splatter Man, he was delt a hideous blow to his morale and sanity by the loss of his spellbook.
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As Faria and Gravleon call upon the planchette to guide them while the others look on, the priestess gives a distinct nod of her head, approving. While not liking the fact that a spirit ultimately is answering her, she thinks of it as by far the lesser of two evils. Knowledge was power, and now the group of companions knew how to use the personal effects of the remaining prisoners to the best advantage.
"My friends...are you ready to return and cleanse Harrowstone of its sin and curse?"
"Sounds like someone's being attacked! We should go help!"
Sharien heads for the door.
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Faria leads the way into the storm. She catches a glimpse of something with fur and fangs menacing a villager. She can't quite make out who it is. Just as soon as she thinks she knows where they are, there's a gust of wind and rain that blows into her face and she loses sight of them. Though she can still hear them. She presses on.
Gravleon follows closely behind Faria. But the same gust of wind slows him up just a half a step. No sooner does he pause to wind the rain from his eyes than Faria is gone! She was there just a second ago; she's just further along, right? Right?
Sharien covers her ears with her hands, sobbing, and screams "STOP IT! LEAVE ME ALONE!" she still tried to follow Faria while freaking out.
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Faria, completely separated from the others by now, runs into a ghoul of some kind. But it seems more ominous than a "regular" ghoul, somehow.
Gravleon, completely separated from the others by now, runs into a swarm of tiny heads floating silently and ominously, bits of flesh still hanging from their faces and graying teeth clattering slightly as they bob in the air.
Blackheath, completely separated from the others by now, runs into a pair of zombies.
Grog, completely separated from the others by now, runs into a group of three skeletons.
Sharien, completely separated from the others by now, runs into a group of three Screaming Severed Heads. All of them yelling out her name.
"AAAAAHHHHH NOT MORE OF THEM!!!"
You all hear Sharien scream at the top of her lungs, then she casts a spell to hopefully lower their accuracy.
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Grog and Blackheath attack their respective enemies with weapons.
Upon coming in contact with them, Grog immediately recognizes that they are illusory.
Furthermore, he realizes that this may be a ruse to get the party to expend resources before they arrive at the prison. Now that he can "see" through the "storm" he perceives that the others are, in fact, quite near by.
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Faria, Sharien, and Gravleon attack their respective enemies with spell and holy vengeance. To no avail. Their enemies seem completely unaffected.