Surprised by the sudden apparition, Lirianne reflexively fires her pistol at the image of the murderous woman.
Hagnar sees his comrades becoming unusually hostile, wondering what is happening to them. He thinks through what the ghostly image may be doing to them and how he can counter it...
Hagnar knows that the way to neutralise a haunt is to apply positive energy, or attack the source. Once it manifests, however, the effect must run its course.
Lirianne and Elindirel frantically try to attack the ghostly apparition, but only manage to create a bullet impact in the wall.
Ceobryrn is about to strike Lirianne, as Svetlana jumps in between, and catches the blow on her armour.
--- Round 1
Hagnar (Succeeded at save)
Lirianne (Succeeded at save)
Ouroboreia (Failed save)
Svetlana (Protected)
Ceobryrn (Failed save)
Elindriel (Succeeded at save)
--- Round 2
Hagnar (Succeeded at save)
Lirianne (Succeeded at save)
Ouroboreia (Failed save)
Svetlana (Protected)
Ceobryrn (Failed save)
Elindriel (Succeeded at save)
---
Ouroboreia manages to shake of the supernatural energies that haunt her, while Ceobryrn finds the will to act normally.
--- Round 2
Hagnar
Lirianne
Ouroboreia
Svetlana
Ceobryrn (Can act normally)
Elindriel
---
Since Hagnar was not affected by the haunt, he stays and searches the room for clues.
Svetlana is ready to take Ceobryrns weapon, while Elindriel and Hagnar search around, but not finding anything specific this quickly.
This haunt would be vulnerable to spells that or effects that grant a morale bonus, or calm a creature.
Hagnar keeps looking for another round...there must be a clue here somewhere!
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Looking ill as his uncharacteristic anger and attack, Ceobryrn drops his sword quick draws his bow and drops it as he orders Lokie to Flee, before he himself double moves away from his fellow patherfinders across the backstage, drawing his scimitar and dagger as he moves dropping them both "I can't be trusted, stay away from me!"
Stupid, Lirianne chides herself for the waste of a bullet. Think back to all those ghost stories around the campfire, how would something like this manifest? It would need some kind of tether... of course, the scissors! Seeing that Elindriel has come to the same conclusion, she joins in the search.
Round 3
While the party draws a complete blank on what could stop the madly afflicting Ceobryrn, the latter - now completely disarmed - again fails to stop the haunting thoughts in his head.
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Ceobryrn rages on in and out of his murderous affliction, but being unarmed he only does non lethal damage and having moved away from his friends it takes time to move back to attack.
If they block the door then all he can do is pound on it.
Once the murderous affliction wear's off, Ceobryrn is sheepishly apologetic "I don't know what came over my something about the ghostly image just caused me to be snap? I am truly sorry. I wish there was some way to put the spirit to rest."
The ranger gathers up his scattered gear and puts it away, and looks around the dressing room after the haunt has run it's course.
As the spell on Ceobryrn runs off, he is alone in the dressing room.
Well, alone... The ghostly apparition is still there, and returns to normal, as if snapping out of a bad dream. Good afternoon, dear. My name is Margaret, master of hair of this theatre. What role are you playing tonight, city guard? I'll give your beard a nice trim, just sit on down...
Ah, she was the one rehearsing just the other night. Yes, I heard Olivina stay late one night to practice a soliloquy, and all of a sudden there was the sound of a scuffle, muffled footsteps, and muffled screams. I suppose it could have been real trouble, but I wouldn’t interrupt over something like that—not after the lecture I got after interrupting the last diva to stalk these halls. No, no...” She trails off while grinding her teeth and nervously clipping her scissors together, though she does not become violent.
Ouroboreia doesn't find additional clues, but the strands of hair found earlier indicate she has been dragged over the stage.
The door opens as easily as before.
It's no matter, dear, it's all settled now, she says, snipping her scissors nervously.
Anyway, after the scuffle, I heard them moving across the stage as if dragging a great weight. Makes sense, given that she always bragged about being carried out of the theater by her adoring crowd. I found the building’s back door open a little later, and the sewer grate back there was ajar. She’s a sharp-tongued harpy, but no actor deserves to be dragged off by the swampers like that.
She pauses in thought as her eyes narrow and glance in the direction of the stage. Almost no one...
The strands of hair show that Olivina has been dragged from the backstage room to the front of the stage.
"And the missing costumes were probably used by the abductors to help them blend in with the crowd. Let's continue our search, starting at the back door, where they likely gained access, and then to the front of the stage and into the orchestra section. Perhaps there is a concealed entrance there..."
Swampers? They're a superstitious, backwater community that lives in nearby Graidmere Swamp. They never visit the theatre.
“Nobody knows the tunnels below like the swampers know them.” The spirit smiles knowingly and sighs romantically. “There are so many tales of the desperate seeking the witches and werebeasts of the mire, wishing for cures, curses, and more. Call on them, and they’ll answer. There’s a sinking manor carved with signs of swamp gods out in Graidmere. Go there and speak this aloud three times: ‘dark marsh, dark secrets, I petition thee.’ The swamp listens, and they’ll answer.”
I don't know dear, I'm just a simple hairdresser. the ghost responds, snipping her scissors nervously.
Put my soul at rest? What are you talking about?
"Yes, we'll be off, thank you for your time ma'am," Lirianne says quickly. Pulling Ceobryn out of the room, she whispers to him, "Let's try not to annoy the crazy murdering dead lady any more, shall we?" She then follows Hagnar to the orchestra pit.
The party leaves the theatre, and civilisation as they head out from Karcau into the backwater marshes of Graidmere swamp. Beyond the cosmopolitan confines of the city, the theaters and academies give way to ramshackle farmsteads—moss-draped shacks occupied by suspicious farmers. Gnarled vines seem to pull every structure down into the swamp, and the roads gradually deteriorate into muddy footpaths. The air becomes thick with mosquitoes and the shrill shrieks of unseen creatures.
Impromptu causeways of soggy debris wind through the swamp, several converging on a decaying stone manor whose walls have settled, sagged, and sunk unevenly into the wet ground. Garlands of sinew strung with animal bones hang from the stones like a threadbare spider web, partly obscuring the small carvings incised into the crumbling stone. A small hut of wooden posts and woven grasses stands atop a nearby hummock.
There are no creatures in the area, save for some birds and insects, buzzing around in the swamp.
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"I'm going to say that this hardly looks like the sort of place one comes out of in a healthy state, last time I saw a place with this sort of decor the occupants were a bunch of crazy worshipping cannibals."
Svetlana detects for Chaos, and she checks the needle of her Shining Wayfinder for traces of Evil. Assuming nothing draws her attention or concern...
She loudly calls into the night.
‘dark marsh, dark secrets, I petition thee.’
‘dark marsh, dark secrets, I petition thee.’
‘dark marsh, dark secrets, I petition thee.’
She then peers around.
As soon as Svetlana completes the third call, the insects stop buzzing, the birds stop singing and the foraging animals run away into woods, hastily departing. The swamp is dead quiet, and remains so for an hour.
Then, a rattling precedes the appearance of two figures that have their armour, clothes and skin adorned with animal bones and geometric patterns of mud.
Who calls the voice of the swamp, the spirit of the trees, the essence of the soil? the first speak in a heavy dialect of common, then the second adds Who taught you the secret of the bog?
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Svetlana eyes focus in the middle distance as she maintains the connection to Asmodeus.
"Svetlana, Hellknight in service to the Order of the Gate, I call to you in words given to me by one beyond the grave - we have come about an abducted girl, we'd like to ask you a few questions about it, and see if her whereabouts is one of the bogs secrets."
Hagnar observes in silent fascination!
He also tries to identify the figures...but is too distracted by their odd affinity for bones.
What voice beyond the grave calls out to the voice of the wetlands? A scream for help? The swamp hears and the swamp responds. The response is: none that live here did the act. The swamp holds more secrets, but a secret is not received for free. the first swamper speaks again.
And truthfully, it seems.