Faywen does the same at the next door, looking for any traps along the way.
"Looks like lots of options. First door?"
René moved to the bottom of the staircase, grumbling about people going the exact opposite of the basement.
Reynard helps Faywen look for traps, his tools still in hand if needed.
Trox moves up with the others not having much to contribute until there is violence.
The first door seems safe enough, so you open it. A large number of wooden planks, rope, and other repair supplies are stored here. The ceiling above sags noticeably; in several areas patches of the sky above are visible.
The next four doors are silent. Peeking inside, they all look to be similar . Each of these rooms is stacked with old furniture, sheets and linens, boxes and crates, and other bits. Nothing of value, you guess.
The corner door is also quiet, and a peek inside reveals a loft. The ceiling of this room angles down steeply, leaving only four feet of headroom to the southeast. A low cot and a dresser are the room's only furnishings.
As Cordwin turns the corner, a sudden and unmistakable shriek of pain echoes through the attic. The sound obviously comes from the last door to the right.
At the shriek, Druamin jumps into action. He races down the hallway to the room where the sound came from. He bursts through the door, axe in hand.
Cordwin will motion to the others, This way! and will then fall behind the more martial members of the group.
Faywen follows close on Druamin's heels, already pulling an orb of water into her hand.
Sighing, René trudged up the stairs, making sure to remain towards the back of the group and outside of whatever room they were blindly rushing into.
The door to this room is locked, but the unmistakable sound of a sobbing woman can be heard beyond it.
Druamin slams his axe into it, followed by his body, and bursts in.
This room is cold and damp; an old armoire stands near the east wall. The ceiling slopes down to only four feet high to the northeast, leaving little room for a small window. A full-size mirror in a dark wooden frame of coiling roses leans against these bricks, angled toward the tiny window.
A clearly undead woman sits in front of the mirror, crying in mornful sobs of self-loathing.
Faywen's step falters, baffled by the sight waiting for them in the room.
"Uh. I was expecting something else." Druamin immediately backs up and moves out into the hallway. "It's some sort of undead creature. We need to move somewhere so we're not cornered."
Trox thinks this may be a moment that he can actually be useful and slips past the retreating Druamin.
"Were in a house so its all corners. Better in the room then in the hallway though."
He does not attack but slips into the room as quietly as he can but does not approach until the others weigh in, unless attacked.
Yes, it looks like some version of the last lady of the house, Iesha Foxglove. Clearly, she has been murdered. She just seems to look into the mirror, horrified by what she sees.
"She is looking at herself in the mirror? I am guessing she is not happy with what she sees, not sure what that means though. Not sure how to help her." Trox pauses before mumbling to himself, clearly way out of his intellectual depth. "Maybe slip a picture of her in place of the mirror? Undead are not that smart right?"
I can try to reason with her. Cordwin offers. Stepping into the room, Ahem. Lady Foxglove? You seem to be in distress. How can we help?
As of yet, she doesn't seem to take notice of you.
After initially backing out of the room, Druamin notices that the undead creature isn't actually following him. And in fact, others seem to be going back into the room. He goes up to the doorway and peaks in just in time to hear Trox. "That's a good idea Trox. Just a sec." He turns to find Erond. "Do you want to come with me to get the picture from the other room? Trox suggested that if we show the ghost thing this picture instead of what's in the mirror, it might appease her, uh it, or whatever. Maybe Faywen will come with us too."
As the others get the picture, Cordwin will continue to try and get the ghost's attention. Yoo-hoo! Lady Foxglove!
Faywen initially moves to head into the room with Trox, but at Druamin's suggestion she nods and follows after them.
Trox looks around as the others take his 'idea' a little confused.
"Maybe she is upset buy how she looks was all I meant.... Sure lets go get it and give it a try."
As you put the picture in front of here, she stands up and unleashes a baleful shriek, then cries out, "Aldern! I can smell your fear! You'll be in my arms soon!"
Iesha then lurches for the door and into the hall...
Faywen flattens herself against the wall to stay out of the ghoul's way, then watches her go. "Not what I expected at all," she says.
Druamin follows Faywen's example and stays out of the creature's way. As it disappears down the hall he chuckles. "Well now. I wonder where she went. And I also hope that we don't see her again. Great idea Trox. Now let's examine the rest of this room."
Reynard eyes her suspiciously as she steps into the hall, but steps back out of the way.
Trox scratches his head.
"I do not think I would want to be this Aldern fellow. Sounds like a bad day to be him if she can smell him." he looks at the others "Is in her arms a good or bad thing do you think?"
She rushes past you all and heads down the stairs.
Druamin starts looking around the room, but nothing interesting catches his eye.
"Well," Faywen says, watching the ghoul run down the hallway, "shall we follow her?"
"I, well I guess we should."
Trox will do his best to keep pace with her.
She keeps moving through the uppder floor and down the stairs to the main floor, Trox and Faywen following along.
She gets to the main floor, and then seems momentarily stopped by something she spots on the floor. The mold stain that looks like a spiral staircase has her full attention now.
After a few minutes, she unleashes a baleful shriek and begins smashing and clawing at the stained floorboards with her claws.
Druamin looks at two unopened doors in the attic and is torn. Either follow Faywen, Trox, and the apparition or investigate these rooms. While he curiously remains high, he still sees the value of sticking together. He follows after the others.
Down on the main floor he stands back as the creature claws at the floor. "Uh. This is weird. Let's wait and see what happens."
”Yeah.” Reynard says, nervously.
It takes her only about a minute to smash through the floor with her savage claws, at which point she clambers through the hole and drops down into area below.
Druamin crosses the room to get close enough to peer into the hole in the floor. The ragged, torn boards at the edge creak as he steps closer.
Trox will simply drop in after her assuming his low light vision will be enough. Once down he look about.
Druamin sees she basically made her own entrance to the floor below as Trox drops down into it.
Iesha continues down the stairs to the "underbasement" .
"Quickly, now!" Faywen follows after Trox and Iesha, taking the most direct route to the basement.
Cordwin will follow and stop at the hole and await hearing from Trox.
René had followed well behind the undead woman, choosing to stand next to Cordwin and look down into the hole rather than jump in just yet. "Don't see why we couldn't've just taken the stairs..." He muttered before more loudly calling down. "Y'all still alive down there?" He wasn't quite sure how deep the drop was. He would have been fine. He was less certain how well the others would fair.
You suspect that taking the stairs should be perfectly fine, as long as you hurry to catch up. Iesha moves down the stairs to B31 and heads into the yet unexplored caverns.
"Whew! I was afraid that this hole in the floor might lead to some other plane of undead creatures. Fortunately, it's just a hole in the floor. Seems to lead to the basement. I guess we should keep following her." Druamin considers jumping down the hole for a second but then glances at Kobu. "Now I don't suppose you would like dropping through that hole would you? No? Ok. Let's take the stairs."
He steps around the hole and then moves quickly down the stairs and races through the passages in the basement to find Trox and Faywen at the top of the spiral staircase that leads further down.
"She went that way, right?" he asks while pointing down.
"This way, yes," Faywen says, hurrying down the stairs as well. "She seems to know where she's going, at least."