The trapdoor opens into a small stable of some kind. A series of vines and other foliage grow densely over the open spaces in each wall where a relatively new roof hangs over each side save for a single opening serving as the "front". It is obvious that only one animal was kept here and from the still lit lantern and hay/feed scattered about it has only recently left.
Rullis struggles to free himself from the strangle hold these tentacles have and tries to move away out of their reach.
But he fails miserably as more tentacles wrap him up... With his dying breath, he yells out a meek, "Help!"
Looking back at the cleric's predicament and knowing he has little to offer, Camillo says, "It was a trap he left behind, I should have found it. I have one idea - let the spell work, don't fight it. Can you heal yourself?"
The bard hums a tune and tosses a small pat of butter onto his friend, who finds himself coated in grease.
Kithian moves to Camillo's location.
Kithian hops the short stairs up into the stable with Camillo who continues to lean down and observe the status of the cleric.
Sadly the cleric's situation worsens as the full effect of the spell is now solely turned on him. Multiple tentacles continue to wrap themselves around Rullis' legs and then his arms and with a great force squeeze him to the ground. The force proves too much and the cleric buckles, first to his knees, and then to the ground unconscious and broken from the force of the tentacles' pull.
The only glimmer of hope here is that as Rullis falls, the tentacles let him go to die as he may. Apparently the magic is only interested in "active" intruders.
Meanwhile in the sanatorium proper Kerrec frets over Habe to little effect. Vidar. Perhaps magic is at play somehow? Can you look him over and see if there is an ill effect on him of some kind? I sense no evil but...Kerrec offers a shrug.
"Perhaps if we get a rope, we can pull him clear. Do you have one?"
"Hmmm, a valid point master Valorian. Very well, I shall endeavour to discover what malady might be afflicting him."
Vidar does indeed detect magic, a subtle effect to be clear coming from a chain mostly underneath Habe's main shirt. Vidar notes necromantic and enchantment auras to the effect.
"Better get rid of that chain he is wearing, it may be the cause of his affliction.
But be careful, I think it may be killing him now, but at the same time, removing it might speed up the process."
Kerrec offers the wizard a chagrined look, Seems like a poor set of choices but I guess we will see...
Pulling his knife Kerrec is careful to loop the blade under the chain and work the necklace over the doctor's head, having Vidar move the body as needed.
The effect is subtle but distinct. With the necklace removed color returns to the doctor's face and in general his breath seems stronger. The necklace tself is silver and iron fixed with an amulet of tourmaline and jade arranges in a simple cross over X arrangement.
Kerrec takes a small sack and places the necklace within promptly offering it to Vidar. I would destroy it but I know your craft requires that you study to expand your abilities. With that, the paladin moves the doctor off the floor onto a nearby table to see examine the doctor more closely.
Kithian swears then tries to maneuver through the tentacles to get to his downed friend.
Acrobatics:
Vidar gets a sour look on his face.
"I supose you are right...personally, I have always found necromancy distasteful, if useful. Enchantment however is one of the two schools of magic I have given up completely."
Round 4 of 7
As Rullis' condition worsens Kithian braves the tentacles to retrieve his friend. Nimbly the oracle works his way back to the cleric and is able to scoop him up but for his all his deftness the added weight of the cleric and the continue of the thrashing of the tentacles proves too much. No more than a foot short of the stairs Kithian is wrapped up by the tentacles and like the cleric before, is pulled in a multitude of directions causing great strain.
Kerrec nods at Vidar as he looks over the doctor. No mistake, my friend, if it is of no interest to you I would see us destroy it...
Looking once more at Habe and then standing with a self satisfied sigh the paladin nods and looks at Vidar and the tieflings. Habe will live. I suspect he is exhausted and will awaken after some rest.
Kerrec then turns to the tieflings, What do you know of hidden passages and a means of escape for the wizard? He had a secret door that led elsewhere on the estate.
The still conscious of the pair furrows his brow, I know nothing of a passage but the wizard did have his own stable, out past the back pasture and small farmhouse we used for basic supplies. Could be it goes to that somehow?
Kerrec looks meaningfully at the wizard and gestures at the tiefling. Show us.
"Heh, an inspired idea master Valorian.
we should indeed pay our friend an...eh...VISIT. If we surprise him, he will not stand up to us, even if we are only two, and I do believe we might get reinforcment from our comrades.
Let us go."
"Desna's tears, Kithian. You are going to get all three of us killed."
He looks around the room for rope even though it will be of less use now.
Kithian tries to break free and shove push/pull the down cleric out of the area.
Still only invested in the moving the tentacles pull at Kithian who promptly exerts his own power and pulls at both himself and Rullis with a less than subtle grunt of exertion. Some of the the tentacles snap and others simply slip but the half-orc frees himself and manages to push the greased cleric up the ladder and himself out of the field of threat.
Meanwhile Kerrec and Vidar move about the grounds following the tiefling out and around the back. The paladin and wizard arrive in the pasture just in time to a hear a loud yell across the back pasture.
"Now is no longer a time to be subtle, let us make haste" Vidar begins to run towards the sound.
When the barbarian wrests the cleric from the tentacles, Camillo dismisses his magic so the man can carry their wounded ally more easily.
Camillo knows little about healing, but he's been hurt once or twice, so he will try to help somehow.
"Hmm, that wasn't it."
Carefully, "C'mon, Rullis, drink, drink."
CAm works on resting the cleric to the floor and on instinct pulls the potion from his pack. As the unconscious Rullis seems to get worse by the second, Cam up ends the potion into the clerics mouth.
A breath passes, just enough time for Kerrec and Vidar with the tiefling in tow to arrive to the sudden jolt of activity as Rullis shudders to a sitting up position coughing and in general having an unpleasant moment as the magic brings him back from the brink of death.
MEanwhile in the passageway the tentacles fade away.
"Gozreh doesn't want you home quite yet, my friend!"
Camillo sits on his heels and sqeezes Rullis' shoulder, concern and amusement warring for control of his emotions. "I was afraid we'd lost you, Rullis."
"Damnation, did he escape us?!?"
Kithian grins and slaps the cleric on the back. "The Lord in Iron still has plans for you my friend. You don't get off that easy."
CLW:
Camillo looks up. "Seems that way. Left a nasty surprise in addition to the pit, too. Thick rubbery tentacles came up from the floor itself. Nearly crushed Rullis to death, but Kithian waded in to pull him back out."
Standing up, he points out some of the signs of a recent departure. "I did not hear hoofbeats when I pushed open the door - which triggered the tentacles, I think - but this lantern was still lit, this was freshly spilled - the bugs haven't found it yet, and this tack was still moving. I think he saddled up in a hurry. Someone more savvy than I might be able to follow his trail."
With a coughing fit, Rullis sprays the remains of the healing potion. "What happened? Am I dead?" he sputters, but is startled to full conscious with Kithian's healing slap. "Thanks, I think."
As Camillo gives his analysis, Rullis gets to his feet, slowly like an old man with aches and pains. He converts his last non-domain spell to a CLW on himself.
Survival:
The half orc kneels and looks around on the ground for tracks of the old man.
"What's this? Does this help?"
Kithian looks about and does indeed find horse tracks and footprints both in the barn and outside. It is clear that the necromancer led the horse out of the stable and quickly mounted it and left the premises. Considering the light, while the tracks may be clear enough to spot following them impeded by darkness is another issue. The sweet smell of pregnant rain clouds does little to diminish the likelihood that the necromancer will be difficult to follow.
"Well? Let us proceed now! This necromancer might be the one behind the murders in Sandpoint, and even if he is not, he may know who is.
We have to at least make an effort to chase him down and apprehend him."
Vidar will proceed to gather the horses and lead them to the others with the same brash energy that he normally reserve for situations like these...and cooking.
Looking at the tiefling, "Do you know anything of this man outside of the asylum? Where he mighth flee, who he might know?"
The tiefling looks to Cam and offers a shrug with an earnest look of unknowing. WE barely talked to him and listened even less. No trucking with those types, we knew them from our Chelaxian days sure enough. HE never spoke of family or friends while we was around.
Vdar hurriedly gathers mounts while Reggie and Kithian follow the tracks to the wilds beyond. Reggie has a scent and seems confident.
Survival:
To the tiefling, "I assume you will be staying here to care for your brother and the doctor. We'll be back - prove to me that my faith in you isn't misplaced." He offers a handshake before he gets on his horse.
The tiefling nods at Cam as the group saddles up. Kithian keeps the trail and the group heads into the wood.
Pt.II
Pt.III
Kithian keeps the group on track as the ride is rough for all of the group being relatively unskilled in such things. His keen senses and tracker's skills lead the group into the night soon finding a light in the distance that the half-orc follows for some time. As Kithian's own senses start to falter Vidar is able to point out a clearing with mottled features that are murky in the stormy night.
Approaching, the group comes to what can only be described as a graveyard as a number of felled branches and stacked stones seem to mark various graves a few which seem fresh and a couple which lie open in the poor light of the flickering moon and wind burdened lights the group carries.
Kerrec frowns deeply as you approach the "edge" of the plots. Unholy magic marks this ground. I see nothing moving but we risk entering a dark god's territory if we step foot here.
"A necromancer, a graveyard and a paladin giving warning about unholy magic.
There is no possible way that the omens could be against us more, and yet, we cannot allow this miscreant to continue is nefarious deeds.”
”If we give him but half a chance, we shall surely see the inhabitants of this graveyard yonder rise to impede our path....”
"I agree with Vidar. We have to follow and put an end to this."
Rullis mumbles to himself, A necromancer in a graveyard... before chanting and asking for Gorzeh's guidance.
He continues to follow the trackers and more skilled riders.
Camille shudders at the images the others have broight to mind, but he does not hesitate. Much.
The lot of you move forward onto the grounds proper and able to see, as best as you can in the poor light, the various graves and markings that abound. Kithian proves most useful as his superior vision in the dark helps the group navigate the grounds which are littered with open holes and makeshift gravestones.
Reggie sticks close and quiet to the half-orc obviously perturbed by the sort of things only animals can sense. Yet for all of this the grounds are quiet if not foreboding.
18 graves in all. 4 are open and empty. 2 are open and occupied. 1 with a man in armor, a man at arms perhaps, another so old as to be nothing more than a skeleton with a fine parchment of skin. All of the headstones are cobbled together masses of sticks or simply large rocks save the one at the head of the seeming man at arms. "Alain Foxglove. Poorest Son. Noblest Heart."
It does seem the headstone was moved at some point but long settled here. The necromancer is nowhere to be seen.