The kobold at the back seems to relax a little at Yarg saying to 'not fight', and after a couple of short, yappy words to her comrades, they hold their spears up... although the small band nonetheless looks at Clacent with some misgivings.
"Why no listen to Tarka?" the kobold grumbles again. "Tarka ask you first! Who you?" The kobold pauses for a few moments, a look of confusion coming across her face. "Why come from out from fire shrine? ... What happen to Fire Speaker?"
Some more confused blinks. "Fire Speaker runned away?" The kobolds' apparent 'leader' considers this for a moment, before a wide smile leaps to her reptilian maw. She chatters rather animatedly to the rest of her band for a moment, who likewise seem confused but happy.
"Hah! Tarka knowed he fake. Real Fire Speaker no run," she sneers. "That make Tarka boss here now. Tarka happy now, so let Pathfinders through." The kobold band steps aside, Tarka looking especially gleeful.
"Bad out though," she warns. "Scary howling ghost there. And some Tarka friend taken by spider. Kobolds no go that way no more."
True to the kobold's words, if you listen at the door to the south, you can hear a strange howling coming from beyond.
Ranger/1; Hp 7/12; AC 18/T 12/FF 16; F +4/R +4/W +2; CMD 17; CMB +5; Per +5; Init +8; Speed 20, Melee +6, Ranged +2
"That would be troublesome." after some careful thinking, "It could be the ghost of the kobold that was taken by the spider, maybe it just needs our help?"
Thayn ponders the idea of the ghost, trying to recall any information.
Thayn should be able to roll Kw:Religion, since its an Undead (if I recall correctly) and his Favored Enemy. Knowledge(Religion):1d20 + 5 ⇒ (10) + 5 = 15
It's hard for me to explain your character omnipresently knowing anything at this point - since you know very little about it as second hand knowledge from the kobold - but I'll use that roll when you go into the next room anyway.
In any case, obviously Thayn knows that, typically speaking, ghosts haunt places because they have some unfinished business from this life. You can destroy them, sure, but generally speaking it's easier to deal with them by fixing what problem tethers them to this world.
This game has really ground to a halt since GenCon... so I'm going to nudge you forward a little in the interests of getting the scenario done soon. Is everyone still here?
FYI, Nicolae contacted me to say he'll be away on a vacation for the next couple of weeks. I'll be botting him in the interim.
The creature earlier has likely bolted by now. There's not much chance of catching up.
After some discussion, the decision is made to at least look at the next room, and the door is opened. A mournful howl comes from a stone well in the room's center; the volume and intensity only seems to increase as people approach the well. This large chamber's walls, once painted with vermilion and gilded with gold leaf, are now splotched and crumbling. Unlike the walls, however, the tiles that decorate the well are untouched by the ages and gleam as if recently polished.
Clacent moves towards the well and looks into it. At the bottom, about twenty feet down, he spies the long-dead remains of a man, his simple servant's clothes tattered and threadbare from the many years that have gone by.
Perception DC 10:
The wailing becomes louder and louder the closer Clacent gets to the well. Mixed amidst the eerie howling from the well, you can hear the distinct sound of a person screaming.
Clacent:
Clacent Will Save:1d20 + 2 ⇒ (11) + 2 = 13
You hear a whispering amidst the screams and howls from the well... a desperate, fevered whispering, filled with overtones of despair and hatred.
"Join me... leap into the well... embrace your inevitable fate... suffer in the subterranean darkness for eternity with me..."
For some odd reason, this sounds incredibly convincing to you, so you leap over the edge. You land on the bottom of the well with a painful thump, although you land safely enough to protect yourself against the worst of the damage.
You take 2d6 ⇒ (1, 1) = 2 points of falling damage. Man, so lucky!
The rest of the group looks on (with horror, no doubt) as Clacent's eyes glaze over ever so slightly and he leaps into the well.
Thayn:
This is where your Knowledge (Religion) check comes into play.
You're fairly sure this isn't a "ghost" per se, but rather some kind of haunt. Haunts are formed from the pain and sadness of people who died in unfortunate ways, such as suicide and murder. Much like ghosts, the best way to deal with a haunt is to bring its subject peace in some way. They also tend to be susceptible to positive energy (such as that from channel energy or cure spells). Some have other weaknesses such as holy water or spells that affect undead.
Anyone who looks into the well, please make a Will save.
There's nothing else down at the bottom of the well except for an old skeleton, the same one you spotted from above. The howling and wailing is strangely quieter down here.
Interesting, this appears to be a haunt. We must do something to put the spirit to rest.Perhaps burying the skeleton would give it the rest it desires.
M Oni-Spawn Tiefling Monk (Maneuver Master) 3 | HP 27/27 | AC 16 | F +6 R +5 W +7 | I +1 | P +9
Balak catches the end of the rope and anchors himself against the lip of the well, careful not to look in, and then hauls Clacent up when he's ready. "So we gonna carry the body out with us then?"
In combination, the strong muscles of the party are able to help Clacent out of the well without much of a strain. The wailing from the well continues, but it seems to be somewhat subdued.
After Clacent is hauled out of the well, Thayn hands him the last potion of cure light wounds and indicates for him to use it, if he needs it. He then moves along the wall to give the well a wide berth and stops at the far door. Leaning closely, he tries to hear what is on the other side.
will save reroll 1/1 | Heroic Defiance 1/1 Human (Taldor) Fighter (Unbreakable) 10.2 | HP 137/137 | AC 28 | TCH 12 | FF 27 | Perc +0 | Initiative +2 | Stealth -4 | CMD 21 | F/R/W: 14/9/10 (+2 vs compulsion/charm, +2 vs mind affect)
Chasik, weapon and shield drawn, will stay his position near the back to protect their flank. He will also give the well a wide berth so he doesn't fall victim to its perils.
