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"Then let us be on our way, there is more work to be done!" Faust declares a little too quickly and heads out of the temple.
"Any preparations to make before we head into the graveyard? Something of Cold Iron seems prudent, given what we know about this compound," he says with a rather delighted smile. Out of the Erastilian's reach and into a graveyard, a suitable development!
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"Thank you," Ildris smiles at Shalendra's comforting words.
You make your way to Saringallow's Sundries and find, for a general store, a surprisingly wide array of weapons for sale, especially those designed to aid in fighting evil spirits. In discussion with the shopkeeper, you learn that Nolaria came by a few days ago requesting the largest cold iron weapon he had (a morningstar). After making your purchases, you return to the cemetery to search.
Hundreds of small grave markers stand between a few large mausoleums in this graveyard. Crows leer from the gravestones, scattering when other creatures draw near, only to resettle some distance away.
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Faust hands the gold to the shopkeeper and walks away with a cold iron dagger and a silver morningstar.
Grinning like a fool, Faust takes it all in. "Isn't this a wondrous place? Such potential is held within this earth. The very ground we tread is rich with life!" He kneels to rub the dirt between his fingers. Then, drawing his blade, he rubs some of the dark soil into the handle.
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Zeldana notices that there is an area of the graveyard that the birds seem to be avoiding except for a single noisy raven. She leads you to that place, which is behind a mausoleum. On the ground, an arcane circle has been etched, and there are several partially used candles scattered around the periphery.
The raven swoops down from the mausoleum roof and lands onto of a gravestone. It caws at you incessantly.
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Faust's eyes narrow when he sees the bird and his companions share their knowledge. "That is Nolaria's bird. Yellow-foot must be one of the apprentices or some horrid evil that spirited them away. Either way the path is clear: we must enter this mausoleum." He draws his sword again and kisses the amulet around his neck. May the darkness that lies within pale in comparison to what I've been subjected to.
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Takumi's sharp eye notices the intelligence in the eyes of the raven, recognising it as a familiar. He also figures out what the raven is trying to say, but stays silent, pondering through all that he has heard so far to make the connection to yellow-foot.
"Ah, I recall now. Yellow-foot could be a reference to Gellion. You might remember that Drummandy shared that Pavolus, his good friend, had made him a pair of yellow boots. But in what manner can we get Gellion when he is also missing? Might someone more skilled with animals communicate with it?"
Takumi steps closer to the arcane circle to study it more closely, summoning his arcane powers to detect any signs of magic on it.
The raven stops squawking and gives Zeldana a one-eyed glare that seems to say: I don't know. You tell me!
The circle on the ground appears rudimentary--nothing more complex than apprentices might draw to practice their ability to draw geometric shapes with precision--and nothing radiates an aura of magic.
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"Looks like the didn't know what they were doing when they made this. Let's look in the mausoleum." She pulls out her rapier ready to defend herself if needed.
"Bird. You probably can't understand me, but come along show us where your master is." She feels odd talking to a bird she knows can't understand her. She gives her hawk an apologetic look.
The mausoleum is locked and appears to have been sealed for several years.
Pavolus made Gellion a pair of fine yellow boots.
Nolaria has a pet raven.
A seemingly intelligent raven appears to be telling you to 'get yellow-foot.'
At least three of the six missing apprentices lived with their masters, being related by blood or adoption.
Gellion was Majora Pricknettle's apprentice.
Majora Pricknettle was the apothecary.
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Faust tries the door and it doesn't budge. Can't say I expected to waltz right in... "Any of you have a way with locks?" has asks as he presses his hand against his face to rub his temples. "That raven keeps telling us to get yellow-foot, but Gellion is missing. His master may know a thing or two about this, same with that priest..."
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You return to Pricknettle's Potions to find the gnome getting ready to close for the evening. "Oh, hello again. How can I help you? Have you found the missing apprentices?" she greets you, her last question hopeful.
You present your evidence so far--including the jar of demon bile and the raven's 'testimony'--and ask if she can think of anything else that might shed light on the situation. The blue-haired gnome sighs and murmurs, "I just can't believe that Gellion would have anything to do with this."
She brushes a wayward strand of hair out of her face and looks at you all. "I suppose you can be trusted. I really don't believe that Gellion would do anything to hurt anyone, so you must be wrong about his role in this, but he lives with his family at..."
She gives you directions to Gellion's house.
You walk to a simple, well-kept, two-story structure of bricks, wood, and plain shingles. Smoke billows from a brick chimney, and minimal light escapes from the windows, from which partially closed, thick-slatted shutters hang. The front door bears a tarnished brass knocker.
If you make a DC 15 Heal check, open the following spoiler:
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What a revolting hovel. Humans live in such filthy places. As he gets closer to the pitiful home, he catches sight of the shutters. "There is even filth oozing from the shutters! Never have I seen such a wretched abode."
Standing in front of the door, he rolls his eyes at the further injustice. What is on the knocker? Do these people have no shame? Resigned to his fate, he sighs. With much disgust, he picks up the knocker and drives it home three times.
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There is no answer to Faust's knock.
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Noticing the wire, he stumbles backwards and pushes anyone he can reach away from the door. "Get back, get back! The door is trapped, does anyone know how to rectify that? As brutish as it may be, we could attempt to enter through a window," he suggests. He pauses for a moment. "Who traps their front door? What a strange country..."
The animated rope easily coils around the handle and knots itself. However, it cannot generate sufficient strength to pull open a locked door designed to be opened inward...
Its ineffective efforts do trigger the trap, and a scalding hot spray of blood bursts from the door and across the entry.
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"Revolting," Faust grumbles as he wipes any remains of what was likely dried blood from the knocker onto the grass. A clever, resourceful trap to be sure but sickening none the less. Being sprayed with the source of a creature's life is entirely disturbing.
Drawing his blade, he steps up to the door again. "Shall we?" Once everyone is in position, he throws open the door.
It takes the powerful dhampir a few tries, but he eventual forces the door open with a satisfying crack. The door jamb splits and the bolt tears away from the wall.
Scratches and dark stains cover nearly every surface in this spacious living room. To the east, paintings and other once fine objects give fuel to a fire roaring in the hearth. Bent, broken, and bloody cutlery juts at odd angles from the table in the center of the room. Books lie scattered in heaps next to broken shelves, and shards of shattered dishes spill forth from their cabinets. An open door to the west looks into the filthy kitchen, and stairs to the southwest lead up to the next floor. Tiny bloody footprints cover the stairs, heading in both directions.
Faust fails to notice a fine trip wire as he crosses the kitchen threshold and a cabinet above his head releases and drops a dozen iron forks at his head. Most of them seem to strike him point first. One fork almost rips off an ear. While the clatter of ironware fades, Xanac magically moves the burning wood about in the fireplace.
It seems that nothing is hidden in the fire. However, a paring knife flies out from under the table and pierces his arm. A twisted, bloody humanoid the size of a doll and with an arm full of cutlery dances and giggles under the table.
"Bwa ha ha ha hee hee hee!"
This is a homunculus--a poorly made one. Know Construct traits.
Combat! Round 1. Bold may act.
Zeldana
Imojin & Whiskers
Tiny Ugly Thing with Knives
Shalendra
Xanac (-3 hp)
Takumi
Faust (-7 hp)
Whiskers bites at the little doll.
The bloody little humanoid squeals and burbles as Imojin's lance strikes it in its bulbous belly. Purplish intestines peak through the wound. Recovering its wits quickly, the creature backs away just in time to avoid the dire rat's teeth.
"I kill you!" it squeaks its sworn revenge.
Combat! Round 1. Bold may act.
Zeldana
Imojin & Whiskers (attacked)
Tiny Ugly Thing with Knives (-5)
Shalendra
Xanac (-3 hp)
Takumi
Faust (-7 hp)
"Suffer!" the creature pipes as it throws a carving knife into Xanac's leg and then runs for cover in the stairwell. "Kwa ha hee!"
Combat! Round 1/2. Bold may act.
Zeldana
Imojin & Whiskers
Tiny Ugly Thing with Knives
Shalendra
Xanac (-6 hp)
Takumi
Faust (-7 hp)
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"That's a homunculus, an artificial construct created by magic users as personal familiar, and a rather poorly made one.
Takumi studies the path that it flees and fears it retreating up the stairs. That would complicate things very significantly. He steps in the room carefully, just far enough to get a good look at the homunculus, while drawing out a plain looking square piece of paper. He rapidly folds into what appears to be in the shape of a bird. With a flick of his wrist, he launches this in the direction of the homunculus. Along the way, the paper eagle morphs into a real one overhead the creature, and immediately starts clawing and biting at it.