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Out in the hallway, Genryl doesn't really feel the full brunt of the haunt's terror inducing skills. He watches with some worry what little he can see of the display on the table but ends up too focused on that and missing the creatures when they actually attack.
The monsters startle the bearded man and cause him to start fumbling around for his longspear.
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Sira not only recognises the winged creature as a homunculus, he spots some arcane marks on it that allows it to cast some simple magic like illusory sounds and lights.
Sira and Lucifer are badly affected by the vision, and can't shake off the frightening image of Lady Illirigarde's last living moments. Despite his shaking hands, however, Sira manages to whip out a bomb and tosses it at the homunculus, burning it badly. Lucifer steps towards on of the mites, but between her shaking hands and the cover provided by the corner, her stab only glances off the wall.
The homunculus spreads its wings and flies towards Caena.
The mite that Lucifer is facing steps back and points a finger at him. Similarly, the other two point their fingers at Thorur and Sira. Almost in unison, they start intoning some arcane words and an overwhelming sense of doom descends upon the three of them!
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Keeping one hand on his wand, the other on his sword, Yu begins to do the familiar Inspire Courage to help bolster his teammates, this time with jokes.
"My friend thinks he is smart. He told me an onion is the only food that makes you cry, so I threw a coconut at his face."
"Whenever your ex says, "You'll never find someone like me," the answer to that is, "That's the point." "
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Caena manages to shake off the uneasy feelings that wash over her from the vision, though she is briefly distracted when Sira goes running out the door past them. She can't help but take a startled step backwards when the little flying horror zips right up into her face. With a couple feet in between them, she can focus on it enough to recognize the angry little creature from the vision. She calls out, "Don't lose heart, friends!" and draws back her rapier to try to stab at the homunculus.
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Genryl moves in, waving his longspear threateningly, especially at the lone mite. Yu Khan starts cracking jokes again, hoping to boost his allies' morale. This, however, is not enough to steady Sira - he is stricken by a deep fear from the mite's spell and turns tail fleeing from the room. Lucifer, despite being shaken by the spell, manages to stand firm but his shaking hands make his attack against the mite ineffective. Thorur similarly manages to brush off the spell, but perhaps due to its lingering effect, he is similarly unable to hit the small creature. Caena faces no problem, though. She steps away from the construct and with a mighty swing, chops the artficial creature in half, ending the existence of the murderous creature. It falls apart into clumps of dirt, cloth and string.
The mites appear taken aback when they see the distraction of the homunculus. The mite facing many enemies swings its small dagger at Thorur before stepping away from the wall, fearing to be cornered. Although it hits, the blow carries little strength and fails to break skin, leaving Thorur with a minor bruise. The other two mites fling darts at him as well, but they bounce harmlessly off his shield. They quick reposition themselves in the room.
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Yu Khan continues cracking jokes to keep up his team's morale. Despite quaking in fear, Lucifer nonetheless presses the attack and stabs at the mite withh his sword. Although part of the wounds close immediately, the damage is still enough to take it down. Caena swings her sword at the mite but it manages to duck under her blade. Thorur swings at the other one, but it similarly manages to avoid the clumsy swing. Genryl, seeing one of the mites taken down, circles around the table to cut off their escape and from over the table, jabs down at the fey. The spear plunges right now, ending its life.
Sira feels the crushing fear on his dissipate as the source is taken down.
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Sira returns to the room, and despite still shaking from the vision he saw, is not longer so overwhelmingly frightened by the mite, now that it is dispatched. Lucifer and Caena moves up to surround the remaining mite with Thorur. The paladin stabs with her rapier, puncturing the small creature through its chest, ending its existence with one quick stroke.
As soon as you cut down the last creature, the table’s mirrored surface once again reflects Lady Illirigarde holding one of the silvery disks in each hand. This time, however, the vision seems different. Instead of simply replaying a scene, the image of Lady Illirigarde is staring directly at you. She beckons you to draw near and when you do, you hear a whispery voice, ”Who are you? What are you doing here?”
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As the woman appears again, gets a bit closer to see what the whole hullabaloo about these haunts is, having been out in the hallway the two other times it has happened. When he gets close enough for the spirit to start talking his eyes go wide before narrowing suspiciously. He grabs his holy symbol and brandishes it before him before shouting out a warning. "I don't know if you actually are the spirit of Lady Illirigarde, or some spirit just taking her form, but I assure you if you mean our group any harm I will end your existence right now."
After snarling his warning out the flinty look in Genryl's eyes softens as he clams down. "That said, I will answer your questions. I'm Genryl Vinebrewer and we are here to investigate the odd happenings in this mansion. Now, it might be better if you told us who you are and what you are doing here. Your prescience could use some clarification right now."
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The image of Lady Illirigarde turns even more sorrowful. "Indeed, I myself am uncertain if I am the soul of ... of me... or merely a psychic echo of who I once was, and have since moved on. I only know I am trapped here, where I ... I was murdered!" She sobs silently for a few moments, then gathers herself to continue.
”After that disastrous reading at Dunhob’s tavern, I knew that there is some malevolent psychic … being that has manifested in this region. I fled back here, trying to find some way to pinpoint this creature. But woe, Andolf, my familiar, betrayed me! Cut me down when I least expected. I was foolish, though. This is all my doing. I was the one who used forbidden alchemical processes to animate this foul creature. I had hoped to to use it as an animate compass that could point to the phantom phenomena’s source. But the experiment failed, and I locked up it up. But the very source must have corrupted Andolf. While I was developing these etheric compasses, Andolf broke free and killed me! Killed me right when I was on the cusp of success” Here, she starts sobbing, but she collects herself shortly. ”I’ve held it here for so long. So long. Just for someone to come and take over my work. Here, take these. Track down the source of the psychic corruption with them and end it. Please...” She offers the pair of silvery discs to you from the other side of the mirrored surface.
When you reach for the discs, your hand passes through the tabletop which is as permeable as a soap bubble. As soon as you grasp the two discs, the image of Lady Illirigarde fades away. When you draw them out, the compasses are wispy, slimy shadows that slowly evaporate. In a few minutes time, they will fade away!
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Caena sighs into the silence after the shade's speech. "I think this woman was foolish, but it must be terrible to be killed by your own familiar. Let's do our best to get rid of this corruption and lay the whole situation to rest." She agrees with Sira about the urgency of their situation, and so she peers at the compasses in an attempt to figure out where they should go.
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Genryl reaches his hands out to take the device, frowning slightly as his hands actaully reach into the mirror. He pulls them out and stands there looking decidedly uncomfortable as some of the liquid from the mirror drips onto the floor. "Well, this has rapidly moved beyond things I can handle..."
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You frantically look around and at the two silvery discs, neither finding another nearby or recall anything that you might have heard of such creations. Just as they are about to fade into non-existence, you suddenly recall the two crystalline boxes Dr Quolorum had handed you earlier! Quickly, you retrieve them from your pack and desperately push the two compasses against their tops. Indeed, the two discs passes through the glassy surface and settles gently within and the two discs gradually start solidifying again. Whew!
You return to Dr. Quolorum with the two compasses safely stowed in the two crystalline boxes. ”I’ll get to work immediately to find out how to use this. Please, get some rest. I’ll get in touch with you shortly.” With that, he dismisses you and rushes back to his lab with the two boxes.
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Chapter 5 - University
You find yourself outside Dr. Quolorum’s laboratory at the Sincomakti School of Science, having been summoned there by another one of his notes, with an attached key.
Along the way, you might have asked the locals about Rozenport, or you may know about the city already.
Some of you may have some information about what is studied at the university.
Dr. Quolorum’s office is a single-story, 20-by-20-foot square building made of fitted limestone and covered in ivy vines. You reach for the lock with the key but as soon as you touch the door, you find that it is already unlocked as it swings partially open.
The contents of the room float aimlessly about as if loosed from the bounds of gravity. A large oak desk spins slowly in the center, and a matching carved oak chair floats near the ceiling. The walls are lined with low bookshelves, but the books and countless other items that once rested there drift gently in midair. Ivy-covered windows to the west and east provide only dim light. The cupboard in question is still secured to the opposite wall, but getting to it provide some challenge.
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Caena eyes the floating furniture cautiously. "You'd think Dr. Quolorum would have warned us if he had a habit of floating his office furniture around." She reflects on their experiences so far with the absent-minded professor and adds, "On second thought, maybe he wouldn't. However, the door was unlocked so I'd assume we have an intruder, rather than another ghost." But she steps into the room and cautiously pulls out a flask of holy water, just in case.
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"Hey, Guys" Yu states. "This is what I know about the city itself... Rising and falling upon steep sea cliffs, Rozenport’s archaic architecture possesses an almost organic pattern, with sharp steeples, flat-roofed manors, and a bubble-domed town hall. The campus of the Sincomakti School of Sciences is hidden amid the town’s labyrinthine avenues. The grounds of the campus, which are normally immaculate, have become unkempt and particularly weedy in the last few days."
"As for the Uni itself....The Sincomakti School of Sciences was founded over 200 years ago. The professors who founded the school extolled the dual virtues of broad education and guarded ignorance, but rumors constantly swirl regarding the occult, forbidden knowledge often studied here. Many of the buildings on campus have powerful magical protections enspelled upon the grounds long ago at the time of the school’s founding."
Yu continues to babble on about the area until they make it to the good Doctors office.
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While the rest of them stays outside to the room to stand guard, Lucifer and Caena hops into the room. As soon as they do, they start floating around together with the furniture in the room. While Caena is contented to stay floating there, Lucifer, after struggling for a bit, manages to "swim" his way across to the cupboard by pushing off against some of the floating furniture.
However, when he pulls open the door, he finds it empty. Just then, a large tome, titled Collected Wisdom and Secrets of the Luralia bound in red leather that is floating by suddenly starts flapping its pages and begins to speak!
”May I inquire as to your purpose in Dr Quolorum’s office? A direct and polite voice emanates from the book. The book then suddenly quivers and another voice rings out, this one at a higher and furious pitch, ”Thieves! Thieves! Get out! Guards! Guards!” Again the quiver, and the first voice speaks out, much more calm, ”Now, now, Pelin, don’t be jumping to conclusions. Perhaps they are here after the previous man. I am Nhorean Luralia. How can we help you?”
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Caena flails her arms when she starts floating into the air, but quickly realizes that nothing further happens beyond the sudden unexpected levitation. "Now this is a strange feeling," she comments while kicking her feet gently and spinning in a lazy circle. Since this doesn't appear to be another haunt, she tucks the flask away safely in her backpack.
When the floating book starts speaking, Caena peers at it, not sure what to make of the two voices. Since the one is using polite words, she attempts to answer in kind. "Pleased to meet you, Nhorean and Pelin. My name is Caena, and I and the rest of my friends here are from the Pathfinder Society. Dr. Quolorum sent us here to retrieve something to help with his research on the ectoplasm and the strange phenomena in the area, but it looks like someone else has been here. Who was this previous man you mentioned?"
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A third voice speaks up, this one more standoffish and obtuse. ”Perhaps we know, perrhaps we don’t. We see much, we see little. Our eyes may open, they may not.” After a faint quiver, Nhorean’s voice comes on again. ”Forgive dear Zame. She prides herself on being all mysterious. But if you want information, perhaps a trade would be in order? We have been bound in this book for so long we have no idea what’s happening with the world. Share with us three piece of information about the current state of the world and we’ll share what we saw.”
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Lucifer smiles, "In this very town, there is a tavern owner and his wife that adopted a cute half-elf little girl a few years back. They were happy for many years like this. But a rumor started spreading that the husband was cheating on his wife. Unfortunately for the wife, the rumor was true but what made it worse was he was cheating on her with their adopted daughter. When the truth came out, the husband divorced his wife, kicked her out of the tavern and then remarried the half-elf girl who was not quite an adult just yet."
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"While knowledge and sharing is something I am happy to help with, my specialties lie with the esoteric. How about something unique and different?" Yu begins to do a quick few jokes, and they all fall flat. He can tell that it isn't working on the book. So, he switches tactics.....
"So, not a fan of jokes? How about music?" Yu reaches into his bag and pull out his instrument. "A book is art, how about art of a different type?" Yu begins to play a very good rendition of a recent hit piece.
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Sira rolls his eyes, shakes his head and sighs.
"I can see them embroidering my name on a straitjacket now. I pray that Sun Wu Kong grant me a mote of his wiles to help me escape my impending fate!"
Sira proceeds to recount the past events in the area which has brought this party here to begin with-using the horse shoe as a prop when he comes to the consequential superstitious behavior in the local population. He goes on about the morlocks and the probable fate that led them to their present state. He finishes with their revelation from the apparition they ran into, as well as the battle with the homunculus and the mites. He leaves out the part when he ran from the encounter.
"Maybe that is sufficient to satisfy your historically-driven appetite?"