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Maldrek and Bulgo look into the shed. The sheed seems to be empty, you see a large sign hanging on the back of the shed. It reads "Entry to above ground structure in the ‘Yard is strongly discouraged. It contains an dangerous supernatural force. Items in the yellow box are for emergencies only. Signed, V-C Dreng". You see the yellow standing on the floor below the sign.
"I think somebody was inside, but they are not any more. They are now dead, but were killed somewhere else." J. says.
Maldrek detects a magic aura coming from the yellow chest.
The yellow box beneath the sign contains four glass vials held within stylized cold-iron castings etched with strange runes. Within the vial rolls a small wisp of white vapor, churning as if caught in a miniature vortex of air.
A short note inside the box describes the function of the vial's content:
To capture a haunt’s energies within a haunt siphon, you
need only twist the metal casing to open the vial. You must be within the haunt’s area of influence to use a haunt siphon.
Apart from that the box is mostly empty. It contains several holding slots for papers and vials as well as several empty cloth pouches.
To capture a haunt’s energies within a haunt siphon, you need only twist the metal casing to open the vial in the same round that the haunt manifests (a standard action) — this can be before or after the haunt has acted. You must be within the haunt’s area of influence to use a haunt siphon. When you activate a haunt siphon, it deals 3d6 points of positive energy damage to a single haunt. If it deals enough damage to the haunt to reduce the haunt’s hit points to 0, the mist inside the haunt siphon glows green — if it does not reduce the haunt to 0 hit points, the haunt siphon is still expended and becomes nonmagical. It may take multiple haunt siphons to destroy powerful haunts. A haunt siphon that neutralizes a haunt can no longer be used to harm haunts, but it can be used as a grenadelike splash weapon that deals 1d6 points of negative energy damage with a direct hit. Every creature within 5 feet of the point where the haunt siphon hits takes 1 point of negative energy damage from the splash.
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Maldrek enters and opens the chest.
It looks Captain Dreng has left some supplies for us, but we should return them if not used. After having changed the captain words in such way, Maldrek picks the vials and offers them to his companions, keeping one for him.
The instructions are this << To capture a haunt’s energies within a haunt siphon, you need only twist the metal casing to open the vial. You must be within the haunt’s area of influence to use a haunt siphon.>>
J., where do you want to go now? And please, don´t say you want to see the haunt.
"I heard of them... never seen them before!"
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You pick up the vials and follow J. to the classroom. The small classroom is all that remains of a once great school. School benches and chairs are scattered about in a haphazard fashion and a chalkboard hangs crooked from a single nail on the western wall. The sound of the ocean beating against the cliffs in the distance is the only thing that breaks the silence.
"This was the classroom where Grishan and I studied." J. says. "The building completely collapsed during the earthquake, trapping dozens of students and four teachers inside, I heard. Many died immediately, but many more were trapped for days within the rubble while rescuers attempted to find them. Few were brought out alive."
You know that after J.'s rescue public interest increased. The classroom was partially rebuilt as a memorial for the dead. Several children’s names are written next to small memorials with their portraits. The names include Badru Ahnkamen, Grishan Maldris, Cassiel Marlinchen, Stilonius Morilla, Anaretta Nimz, and Jaran Shamyyid.
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"Ohh..." says Bulgo, poking about with the haunt sipheon with interest.
"I've heard about stuff like this. I'll give it a go if you like."
"Cassiel... wasn't that the name of the groundkeepers daughter?" asks Bulgo.
"I'm sure I remember reading something about this in the Chronicles."
He does his best to commit the names to memory while he searches the classroom.
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Bulgo recites a bit from an old chronicle he had read about the rescue of J.
I seem to recall the groundskeeper - a man old man - had a daughter, and I think she was called Cassy or something similar. He refused to believe she was dead. There was a class room - possibly this one - full of dead students and with a dead teacher. He had some way to interact with them and really thought they were alive still. Of course I could be remembering wrong too.
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"Some of those names look like your notes Grishan..." observes Bulgo
"M7 - updates after Stilonious's birthday... would that be Stilonius Morilla?"
He rummages further.
"A1 - Badru's sister... I'm guessing that would be Badru Ahnkamen?"
He shuffles the papers
"M12 Stilonius Morilla again. Maldris 8.. that is Grishan's father..."
He thinks.
"The A entries must correspond to Ahnkamen family; the Ms to Morilla; D - that is yours J.. The Dacilane; I guess the N entry would be Nimz? That is just a guess. Who would "T" be? Or "L""
With a shrug, Bulgo approaches the chalkboard to see if there is anything written on it, or if there are any other family names written about the room.
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"Cassiel was her name. She was our class mate and friend. She was with me in the Necropolis when the quake stroke. I'm sure she starved to death like I did. There was no way to escape." Grishan answers.
Bulgo does not see any useful notes on the chalkboard. It is clean. But suddenly Bulgo and Kyra feel a slight vibration of the ground.
As the sound of rumbling grows louder, the ground begins to shake and the sky grows black. Dozens of spectral school children run for the door, but just before they escape there is a mighty cracking sound as the ceiling collapses. J. looks at the ceiling and the spectral children, she tries to reach the door.
Bulgo
Kyra
Haunt
Maldrek
Bulgo
Aldrain
Kyra
Haro
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Haunt
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Bargus
Anna
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Bulgo opens a vial of haunt siphon and you see the fog within the vial starts to glow green while the haunt gets weaker and finally stops.
J., now crowching on the floor, thanks you for your guidance and protection, but her voice grows distant as if listening for a barely audible whisper. After a moment’s pause, she tells you she is certain another restless force still calls to her from below. Grishan agrees with her and senses a vengeful supernatural presence emanating from inside the entrance to the necropolis.
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J. leads you to a stone corridor which leads to the necropolis. The reek of death chokes this narrow stone corridor, where a trio of corpses slowly rots into the stone.
These people died two months ago. You further notice, that two of the three people have no signs of physical injury.
In addition to their own gear, the treasure hunters carried the rest of the Pathfinder cache. In total, you find the following treasure on the bodies: three suits of leather armor, three short swords, three oils, six potions (three different types), two different scrolls, two different wands, a collection of excavation tools and sundry items and a pair of gloves. Some of the items are each marked with a small Glyph of the Open Road.
The potions, the oils and the gloves radiate magic.
Two potions of cure light wounds
Two potions of cure moderate wounds
Two potions of remove fear
Three oils of magic weapon
Scroll of remove disease
Scroll of breath of life
Wand of lesser restoration with 6 charges
Wand of protection from evil with 18 charges
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"It looks like at least two of these died a couple of months ago... and they look the pathfinder stash too.."
Bulgo points out three suits of leather armor, three short swords, three oils, six potions (three different types), two different scrolls, two different wands, a collection of excavation tools and sundry items and a pair of gloves.
"And look, some of the items are marked with a Glyph of the Open Road. Pathfinder gear."
As he approaches he also adds "Something odd happened here.. two don't have any injuries."
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"Hun... let me see..."
"These are potions of cure moderate wounds..."
"And these potions remove fear..."
"These make our weapons magic..."
"Oh and the gloves are ghostvision gloves!"
"Not sure what the other items do..."
Looking at the gloves the cleric shrugs."Can anyone else channel positive energy?"
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There are also two potions of cure light wounds, an scroll of breath of life, a Wand of lesser restoration with 6 charges and a Wand of protection from evil with 18 charges.
I looks Kyra can make the most of the things we have founbd. I´ll suggest she keep the ghostvision gloves, the wand of lesser restoration and the scroll of breath of life. And Kyra, it will be great if you walk with the scroll in hand, to have it prepared in cse it´s necesary.
Haro, yes the oil helps to hit ghosts. In fact, without magic weapons are going to be harmless to them. I have had a rough time fighting a shadow, so if the more melee oriented pick the oils, it will be great. Also pick the potions of remove fear if you felt so, I´ll prefer not seeing how run the man between a threat and myself.
I only ask for a potion of cure moderate, in case I need to heal someone quickly, and the wand of protection from evil if Kyra prefers to help the group with other spells. But I don´t mind to not have the wand.
And last, if we expect ghosts, I can cast a mague armor on Bargus or Haro, but I´ll need fiveteen minutes to prepare it.
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A wide chamber lies just beyond the hallway where the treasure hunters met their end. The spirit of a young girl with blond hair sits in the center of the room. As J. and you approach, the spirit gets up, turns around, and addresses J. "I’ve been waiting for you a long time, Junia. Waiting for you to come back. Why did you leave me? Won’t you come back to me? Then we can all be friends again."
J. is paralyzed by fear and guilt, and can only mutter "Cassiel, Cassiel, I’m so sorry, please forgive me" over and over again.
Grishan explains that this is the spirit of their friend Cassiel Marlinchen who died with him in the necropolis.
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Bulgo holds his umbrella protectively in front of himself, peering over it at the ghostly girl.
"Grishan, do you think you could explain to Cassiel that J is still alive and has grown up to be an adult now? She really misses you all, but she has other things she needs to do now."
Then he has a bright idea.
"Can you teach Cassie how to leave here, like you can with J?"
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Haro looks at J. "When we grow, we take on.. Haro searches for the words.. .. needed things to do. Those things cause us to not visit ones close to the heart... looking up, he searches for the correct words on what to say.. When we can't see those people, it hurts us." He looks at the ghost. "When we lose a friend, it hurts and hurts us to see them no longer here." He swallowed, "The more someone is closer to the heart is harder it is to see them gone."
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"Ten years you were in coma? I did not know about that, I thought you abandoned me, because I can't leave this place, and you found new friends." Cassiel answers "Just like my father. But now I'm glad that we met again and I see that at least one of my friends is alive and breathing. I shall forgive you, Junia. Thank you for freeing me and my friends." the girl says.
You see Cassiel's body fade and after a few seconds the girl and several other children leave the place and follow her into the afterlife.
J. smiles warmly and proclaims that she wishes to follow your footsteps and help other trapped spirits. "I think I'm done with this place. This was my past and now I have to welcome my future." J. says. "But first, let's help Grishan find his brother."
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Maldrek looks how the ghosts banish to the afterlife. It´s the first time he see how an undead goes pacefully and he wonders if his vision will change differently as it succed when someone "kills" an undead.
Once he has satisfied his curiosity he turns to Girshan wating his answer to Bulgo´s question.
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As you and J. leave the Precipice Quarter, a man catches up to you. Junia mutters under her breath, "Brother is here." Grishan hides in J.'s mind.
A man in a uniform similar to Junia’s, but with more medals and polish, emerges from a side alley at a brisk pace. "Finally, I found you. I heard around the lodge that a team of Pathfinders was headed in to the Tri-Towers Yard." Colson bows his head.
"My brother was one of many children who died when the earthquake hit. As a result, I take great interest in expeditions leading in to that cursed site. The last Pathfinder expedition seven years ago found his body, and as a result, my family was able to give him a proper burial. Those agents also found some..." Colson pauses, and then continues delicately, "reports about my brother’s after-school activities that would have been quite embarrassing if made public. Did you, by chance, find any information about my brother?"