"Drat, we've gotta find how to solve this somewhere..."
Pleased to see Dora has retained control of herself, Khamul replies to Idun: "Well lets search this place. When we realized there was a compulsion in this room, we bypassed it last time. Let's see if there are clues we can find."
Khamul busies himself searching the room...
5 ranks +3 trained+1 Trait+2 spirit bonus
After Dora gets control of her own mind again, you start to search the room in earnest. Seeing if there was something you may have missed the last time you were here. The various experimental devices, paraphernalia, and the books, if they can be somehow exorcised, could be worth a fortune to the right buyer. Plus, you would have to find a way to carry them all out. Safely.
Khamul does notice one thing in particular that stands out. Each of the birds in the cages, while they watch you, do not make a sound when you approach. On each bird cage is a symbol of a pig with a set of keys in its mouth. The banner underneath it says ‘Pug’s Contraptions- Magnimar’.
"Hmmh" Khamul considers the birds. "These birds are like the ones outside, not pigeons, but I'm guessing that they serve the same function - and the clearly travel to 'Pug's Contraptions' in Magnimar. Definitely someplace to have a poke around in the future."
"That said, Idun's right we need more clues and I see nothing else here. Let's try the heart of the matter, bluecoat's lair..."
Khamul will lead off, heading down into the tunnels below the house, tense and alert.
Beside the pool, he pauses and speaks "Ok, beyond this door is where we fought Aldern Foxglove, who had become a ghast. When we put him down, he decayed into a pile of mold in seconds. There was also a great mass of the black mold that we find throughout this place in there... So everyone get ready, and lets's mix up some of the lye solution for mold killing ... nice and strong. Then we go in and see if Dora understands what's been happening here, because Idun and I don't."
From his handy haversack, he pulls a kitchen pot (from his mess kit) and uses some of the lye and water from the pool to make up a strong mold killing solution. As he works, he casts guidance on everyone...
"Sounds like a plan!"
Dora agrees.
“Let us do it!“
You travel towards the hole in the ground that leads you into the sub basement tunnels below the manner. Here, the smell of death and decay still lingers, assaulting your nose and your sense of peace. Khamul leads the group, using magical light to allow you to see just far enough in the darkness to jump at shadows.
Once you reach the place where Aldern was slain for the second time, you see that his remains, those of Iesha and the mold on the wall have grown to a larger mass. Dora has been mentally talking notes the entire time and piecing things together. She may have an idea of what happened here.
You travel towards the hole in the ground that leads you into the sub basement tunnels below the manner. Here, the smell of death and decay still lingers, assaulting your nose and your sense of peace. Khamul leads the group, using magical light to allow you to see just far enough in the darkness to jump at shadows.
Once you reach the place where Aldern was slain for the second time, you see that his remains, those of Iesha and the mold on the wall have grown to a larger mass. Dora has been mentally talking notes the entire time and piecing things together. She may have an idea of what happened here.
** spoiler omitted **
She casts guidance several times.
Dora looks around.
“Well, that’s really a scary place! Judging by the strange images on the windows, the visions on your mind from the book and many other minor things you have seen on this visit throughout the mansion, it is abundantly clear that what happened here was a failed attempt at immortality. Whoever performed this ritual failed and in turn subjected the manor to vile necromantic energy, the likes of which can only be removed by the blessings of a powerful priest. Maybe with a Consecrate or Hallow or Dispel Evil spell!“ she says.
“Oh and on the mold! This mold appears to be the residue of a ritual gone wrong. The broken ornate box on the floor appears to be designed to hold something important. I have heard of things called phylacteries that can keep a person's soul energized forever. The mold itself may require fire of some kind to remove, but it would only be temporary unless a divine source could be found!“ she adds.
"Can you perform such a ritual Dora?" asks Khamul. He continues" If not, I might be able to if I seance an appropriate spirit tomorrow. Also, you say fire to clear the mold, but I'd like to try the alkali solution first. It's less likely to damage things. "
As he converses, he tries to use his psychic senses to perceive magical auras.
She shakes her head.
"I really do not have any of these spells in my repertoire." she say.
"Once you're ready, I can start chucking stuff." Idun is a bit out of the loop with all the magic, but she tries her best to keep afloat.
"Well, like I said, I can't do it today. But for now, let's search this place thoroughly, while staying away from the mold. Once we've done that, we break up the tables to make a fire. I have a spell to protect one of us from spores. Whomever I protect can then try to use our lye mold killer to destroy that mass over there. If the lye doesn't work, then we can try fire. We didn't search blue coats remains for magic items, and I suspect he had some. So lets see what we can find in here."
5 ranks +3 trained+1 Trait+2 spirit bonus
"I'll give a shot." Idun nods to volunteer as mold killer.
After discussing what to do about the mold, Khamul reveals that a few items were left behind after Aldern’s latest transformation. The razor he had been using to attempt to kill each of you, lies there with a foul stench and aura emanating from it. A tiny ring, shaped into what appear to be rabbits encircling it also lies among the mess. Finally, a medallion, not unlike the ones you have found before lays there, its sihedron symbol shining up at you.
After breaking up the tables for kindling and torches, Khamul starts a small fire, and lays the improvised torches so their heads catch. He sets the pot of mold killing lye at a convenient point, and then:
"Ok, I'm going to cast my mold protection spell on you Idun. Me and Dora will retreat outside while you use the lye and the fire to clean up this black mold. Make sure you clean the magic items carefully as well... While you are doing that, Dora and I will stay outside. If the mold does something weird and you need some help, shout."
Khamul then casts Protection From Spores on Idun and retreats outside blue-coat's sanctum to beside the pool...
Dora nods. “Great plan!“
After tying a cloth across her face and making sure the others are at a safe distance, Idun will attempt to use the pot of lye to kill the spores.
"Even the mold is cursed..." She shook her head, and kept about the work.
Idun works hard destroying as much mold as possible and after a few minutes of work, the items are cleared of the mold and a patch about the size of her torso is now clean wall. Still, as you watch, some of the mold slowly starts to creep back into the barren areas. It does not grow back on the items.
Khamul observes Idun's efforts and chimes in : "Ok, Idun, it's pretty clear that mundane methods won't clear this out - that's growing back unnaturally fast. We'll have to try tomorrow with a consecration. In the meanwhile, there are a few other spots in this place to check out. That bat predator thing left quite a pile of corpses at the bottom of it's cavern, and I'm pretty sure it wasn't collecting any money on them. There's also that gold looking pickaxe..."
"Gotcha." Idun scoops up the items and retreats from the mold. "Sooooo, what do they do, are they fun magic or more spooky magic?" Idun offers the magic items.
Khamul heads off to the cavern where we slew the bat thing, and begins the grizzly work of searching the bodies of it's victims (engaging his psychic abilities as he does so )...
5 ranks +3 trained+1 Trait+2 spirit bonus +1 guidance
All while keeping a wary eye out for potential trouble.
Dora agrees and follows.
She looks around and helps.
You leave the cave where the mass of mold seems to be centered, and then head towards the cave of dead things. Even though it has been some time since they have been here, the smell still remains as if something is keeping them from decaying completely. Ignoring it as best you can, you dig through the bodies. The only one with anything of value is the one-armed dead man. There is a pearl ring (~300gp) and some coins totaling to 56 gold sails. Underneath the body is a well made sword, apparently forged from some strange metal. Finally, the one that glows in Khamul’s vision is a leather cap lying nearby, along with a name tag inside it, marked ‘Shaz Redshiv, touch it and you die.’
"Heh, figured there had to be some valuables to be found here," Khamul seems quite satisfied with the profits being had... Up until he reads the label inside the magic cap. Then the grin drops off his face and he looks up to say to Idun and Dora "OK, I think this is just hot air, but in case, neither of you handle this cap..."
Dora looks around as well and she reads the note but follows Khamul's instruction and does not touch it.
"Oh ok! Maybe it is just a fake statement! Shaz is a well known bandit in Magnimar, his last bounty was listed at 500gp with proof of death." she says and casts detect magic to check the surroundings and the cap.
"Oh and look here! The sword is made of meteoric metal, known here as adamantine. It can cut through almost anything!"
"I'd be happy to collect the 500 gold, but I'm not too sure I want to carry around a decomposing head. Any ideas?"
"I mean, I don't think there's any other way to do it but just grit our teeth and do it, unless you think the cap would be enough proof."
Khamul grits his teeth and says "All right then...". He takes up the adamantine sword and uses it to collect Shaz's head. He stuffs it in a sack and then, with a grimace, puts it in the side pocket of his handy haversack.
"Well the next thing to look at is that gold-looking pickaxe."
After the messy work of removing a head and stuffing it into a sack that it barely fits into, even a magical one, you pass back down and thankfully away from the aroma of decay. Following a different path, you end up in the area where the golden pickaxe was spotted. There is a blanket of yellow mushrooms growing on most of the mining equipment here, including the golden pickaxe.
“This is a hat of disguise! Very handy!“ Dora says.
Khamul pauses and extends his psychic senses to the room, sweeping the pile of equipment.
As he does, he speaks up "Ok, Idun, last time, you said these mushrooms were yellow mold and we should use fire. You also said that it'd shoot spores at us if we touched it. How far can it shoot spores? If we find ourselves a long pole, and use it as an extra-long torch, would we be safe?"
"I was thinking I could chuck an alchemist's fire further than any pole we find. Quicker than a torch too."
"I was thinking I could chuck an alchemist's fire further than any pole we find. Quicker than a torch too."
"We wanted the pickaxe, right... Do you think it's going to handle being doused in alchemist's fire all that well?"
Dora thinks.
"I can also just shoot fire!"
She aims and then casts burning hands on the spores.
Khamul notes that the golden pickaxe is indeed magical, but as they discuss what to do about the mold, Dora takes matters into her own hands, dousing the room in enchanted fire that sets the mold on fire, destroying any spores that burst forth as it does so. After a few seconds, there is a path through the mold to the pickaxe.
"Waagh" Khamul jumps back from the surprise spray of fire that bursts forth from Dora's empty hands!
After a pause, where he looks a the pickaxe, apparently unharmed by the flames and back to Dora, and says "Subtle that wasn't, but I guess it works..."
He slips along the path Dora has cleared and, trusting his spiked gauntlet to keep him from any residual heat, grabs the pickaxe. Then he returns to the party, away from any residual mold.
Then he's got a proposal: "All right, from our previous explorations, I'm not sure there's any more loot to be had in here, without confronting haunts. If Dora's right, to settle the haunts, we need to consecrate that mold down there. I can do that, given a day to prepare. I don't see a point in defeating the haunts when we could just settle them and clean up after. So I propose we actually call it a day and head back to Sandpoint. We come back tomorrow, ready to do a proper consecration... What do you say, Ladies?"
"Well, if that's what we've got to do, that's what we've got to do. Hope we don't have to fight the birds again on our way out.."
With some careful maneuvering and avoiding the major areas, you leave the manor unmolested, at least in the physical sense. Whenever you think of the place, your skin seem to crawl in odd ways and you are happy to have left it behind. Until you remember you are coming back again on the morrow.
Toilday, 22 Lamashan 4707, 2:35pm. 71 degrees, Calm, Clear Skies. Southern Gate, Sandpoint.
The travel back to Sandpoint is rather uneventful. It is a workday and most of the town’s inhabitants are doing just that at this time of day. While you pass a few travelers along the road, they simply nod or wave or otherwise acknowledge your presence, but then move along to their destination. You welcome the normality, having been dealing with a haunted manor the last couple of days. Still, you sense that even though you have a plan to rid the manor of its ghosts, there is something more sinister afoot. You just can’t put your finger on it.
That is when you arrive at the gates and see quite a commotion. Several of Sandpoint’s guards and the borrowed militia from Magnimar are trying their best to contain a group of citizens who are shouting and throwing insults and rotted vegetables towards someone in the middle of the guards. When you catch a glimpse, it is none other than Red Fist himself being escorted out of town and into a waiting wagon. He is the key to some information about what has been going on lately, but do you let him be taken to Magnimar for trial or do you have something else that can work in your favor?
Dora's eyes widen as she takes in the commotion at the Southern Gate. Seeing Red Fist, a key figure who might hold valuable information about recent events, being escorted out of town raises a dilemma.
“Wait! Red Fist might have information about the recent disturbances. We need to ensure that we fully understand what's happening. Let us question him, and if necessary, we can bring him to Magnimar for trial afterward!“ she shouts.
She locks eyes with the guards, hoping to appeal to their sense of reason.
“We're here to help Sandpoint and get to the bottom of these troubles. Give us a chance to uncover the truth and bring justice to those responsible!!“
One of the guards comes forward and after recognizing your group, he says, ”Look, our hands our tied. Even Sheriff Hemlock is upset, but we just got word this morning that Justice Ironbriar of Magnimar himself is demanding his presence. We’d like to keep him here as well and dispense some of our own Sandpoint justice, but rules are rules. You’re welcome to tag along on the trip if you want to speak to the Justice.”
Khamul is conflicted, and hesitates as Dora speaks up. Although he thinks there might be more to be gained from further interrogating Red Fist, it is also true that he's had several cracks at the matter. Perhaps Justice Ironbriar will have better luck (or a perhaps a proper set of thumbscrews...). Meanwhile the Abdarian spirit he channels is whispering "The law is the law, let him go to justice..."
When the guard speaks his piece, Khamul responds "Well, we cannot come with you, as we have responsibilities tomorrow . We could perhaps follow the day after." He addresses the helpful guard directly "Do you think that Red Fist will be the good Justice's first order of business, or will he rot for a few days in a Magnimarian cell?"
The guard thinks for a moment. ”Knowing how busy Magnimar is, it could take a few days, but this message seemed urgent, as if the Justice already had plans for him.” He pauses, looking at the other guards and the wagon starting to move off. ”We’ll be taking the main road along the Coast, so if you’d like to catch up, it shouldn’t be too difficult.”
Dora looks at Khamul and then shakes her heads.
“Ok!“ she just says.
