The Haunting of Harrowstone (Keegan's Carrion Crown)

Game Master James Keegan

Ah- Luka and I can share spells to expand our books over time. Hadn't realized the Magus is a book caster.
Currently color spray and mount are the only spells I have that are also on his list. As it turns out though I have a little less than 10 gp so I won't be doing any purchasing of scrolls or inks or anything on this trip. I'm going to be moderately useless other than as a Knowledge checker for a while longer until we find something we can sell.

EDIT: Aldous does not have an invitation from Father Grimburrow to use the archives so he isn't heading over there to research unless someone else invites him.

Luka looks up, and for the first time, notices the interaction between Aldous and Kendra. He takes it in, however, without comment, not wanting to step on anyones toes when it's clear there is a history there that precedes him. Before Aldous can leave, however, Luka pulls him aside and invites him to visit with Father Grimburrow first thing in the morning. "An hour or two of research before we return to the ruins of Harrowstone" is what he suggests.

I'll assume everyone is off to bed, with the exception of Arasmes who is researching again on the Whispering Way?

Aldous departs the Lorrimor house, walking along the path toward town square and the Outward Inn. The air is cooler by night and a breeze gently stirs the grass beside the path. In the square, an old dog sleeps quietly on the steps of the wooden gazebo, paws twitching in a dream of pursuit. The lights are still up at the Outward Inn when the scholar shoulders open the door. Ms. Sarianna Vai, the proprietor, nods hello and the two traveling troubadours that are the only other boarders glance up from their game of Towers as you enter. As you walk past toward the stairs, intending to get some rest, the portly young troubadour with the curly hair laughs victoriously, putting down his winning hand.
"Hah! There's all the suits and my tower's the taller! That'll be...AUGH!"

A plume of flame two feet in height suddenly shoots up from his winning hand- unprepared for the sudden light, you flinch back reflexively.
Give me a fortitude save, Aldous.

Fort 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 1 = 2

Arasmes spends some time investigating the Whispering Way in the professor's library (while also keeping an eye out for any tomes dealing with his particular affliction), before heading to bed, being sure to spend enough time resting to recover his spells.

Knowledge Religion1d20 + 13 ⇒ (8) + 13 = 21
Knowledge Arcana 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (14) + 11 = 25

Both checks are for the Whispering Way, not sure which applies better. Necromantic cults sort of blend the line between arcana and religion.

Trevor is nervous as the night sets in. After oiling his kit and spending a few minutes in prayer, he can't find sleep, as the horrors of the day come back to haunt his mind...

He sits in his bed, looking out the window, How peaceful... then decides to move back downstairs where he finds Arasmes: "Can't sleep..." He leaves the scholar to his books, only to crash down in the leather chair and slumber after a few minutes only.

Fort 1d20 + 1

Aldous finds himself momentarily blinded by the sudden flare of light.

Blinking away the motes of light caught in his eyes, Aldous can hear faint, muffled sounds of several people screaming below the floorboards- the smell of smoke fills his nostrils, but loses its intensity after a moment Aldous' vision returns.

The musicians and your innkeeper blink, looking around for a moment in alarm. On the table you can see that the cards are unburnt, not even scorched. The topmost card on the winning tower depicts a small army of enraged peasants marching amid a field of flames. The Uprising.

I'm thinking the general idea is pretty self explanatory, but is there an appropriate Kn Roll for further insight to the card?
Kn Arcana 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (19) + 8 = 27
Kn Local 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (14) + 10 = 24

Arasmes spends some time investigating the Whispering Way in the professor's library (while also keeping an eye out for any tomes dealing with his particular affliction), before heading to bed, being sure to spend enough time resting to recover his spells.

Knowledge Religion1d20+13
Knowledge Arcana 1d20+11

Both checks are for the Whispering Way, not sure which applies better. Necromantic cults sort of blend the line between arcana and religion.

We'll go with Arcana.

I'm thinking the general idea is pretty self explanatory, but is there an appropriate Kn Roll for further insight to the card?

Kn Arcana 1d20 + 8
Kn Local 1d20 + 10

If you had to guess, it's pretty clearly a reference to the Harrowstone prison revolt- and an indication that the spiritual disturbances aren't confined to the grounds...

The card itself typically represents reckless fury, mob rule and panic- when right side up.

Assuming everyone has gone to sleep, then.
22nd of Arodus, 4011
You wake to another warm morning in Ravengro. Aldous finds the accomodations at the Outward Inn to be impeccably clean and beyond the flaming cards, entirely wholesome. Warm tea is served in the common room along with biscuits and oatmeal with fruit and cream to taste.

Kendra prepares flapjacks for breakfast accompanied by bacon and fruit. Before you leave for the day she brings out some clean, if somber, clothing from the line outside.
"I found these among father's things the other day and I thought that maybe you would like them...", she says.

The Professor's daughter hands a sturdy pair of leather boots to Trevor.
"I saw you fussing with your shoes yesterday, Trevor. Maybe these will fit better- father only wore them from time-to-time so there should be some months left in them."

Kendra hands Luka a hat with a broad brim, similar to the sheriff's.
"I hope you don't mind my saying so, but you seem to be getting a bit of a sunburn Mr. Katic. After father lost his hair, he had to start wearing a hat in the summer- I'm sure he'd like you to get some use out of it."

To Evelyn, a pair of thick leather work gloves.
"I have the feeling you don't mind getting your hands dirty, Evelyn. Father was particularly demanding of his gloves- thick enough for protection but not so thick he couldn't use his fingers. These were a favorite of his..."

Finally, she hands Arasmes a folded up coat and a small wooden box.
"I know it's still warm out, but winter is never too far away and Ravengro gets an awful chill off the lake in the autumn. You don't want holes in your cost when the wind comes through here and I think my father was about your size.", she says before adding,"... and if you intend to work with Aldous, please give him this box. Father was always partial to him, even if my feelings have soured."

"You're hospitality knows no limits, Kendra. Thank you," says Luka. "It means all the more, knowing that it was your fathers. Now then, everyone, what is our plan for the day? Have we decided? Arasmes, have you learned anything new? Personally, I think we would best be helped by finding a map of the prison, if one exists."

Oh wow! Kendra! How did you guess..? They are just perfect! And look at the leather... You can tell they're not from Numeria, that's for sure!"

Listening to Luka: "With my new boots, we can walk to hell and back, I don't care! Let's get a map."

"This is very kind of you, Kendra. I suppose I haven't had the time or money to invest in clothes more suited to Ustalav's climate. I will be sure to give Aldous the box, and I'll make it clear that the box is a token of your father's partiality towards Aldous, and not your own."

Turning to Luka, Arasmes begins: "I'm not sure if I uncovered more than we could guess. The Whispering Way is interested in finding the means to create liches and to engineer the release of the Whispering Tyrant. According to the professor's books, agents of the Whispering Way often travel to haunted places or areas plagued by the undead to perform research and capture unique monsters. I'm afraid that the Whispering Way keeps its secrets very well. The professor's books notes that those who learn of the Way's secrets are often discovered murdered, with their mouth mutilated so that they cannot divulge those secrets, even under the compulsion of magics that allow people to converse with the dead."

That should be an accurate summary of the spoiler above.

"A map is a fine idea. Kendra," Arasmes asks, "Is there a place that would likely have a map of the old prison. Perhaps the town government keeps such records?"

"This is very kind of you, Kendra. I suppose I haven't had the time or money to invest in clothes more suited to Ustalav's climate. I will be sure to give Aldous the box, and I'll make it clear that the box is a token of your father's partiality towards Aldous, and not your own."

"Just mention my father's regard, thank you; I think he got the message last night and I wouldn't want to push it too hard, you understand."

Kendra thinks for a moment.
"I wouldn't put much hope in finding a map of the prison; such things aren't made public for fear that some ne'er-do-well would use it to spring a criminal. Harrowstone did hold some of Ustalav's most famous and dangerous criminals in its time. Any records the Warden had on it would be in the prison itself- or possibly in his home, but it's likely to have been looted long ago. Perhaps its on file in the capitol... but it's hard to say if it would be in Caliphas or the old capitol in Ardis."

"Hmmmm . . . checking the warden's home seems like the easiest option. If we find nothing there, I guess we'll just have to push our way through the old place and face what we find. I don' think we have time to go rummaging through the records at either capital."

Trevor grows impatient: "Okay, we have to get moving. I don't think the warden has kept the plans at home, or that they have survived waves of looters. I would prefer we go back and give it another try. I would also ask to be given some kind of weapon, a vial of holy water for example, to help again these monstrosities."

He'll start packing his gear, and give Kendra a big grin as he steps in his new boots, and head outside, clearly showing he's ready to move. He'll sit under a tree though, because he doesn't want to just stand up in the sun with his heavy pack...

The info on the Whispering Way is worth 400 Xp; I'll update more later- you're meeting up at the Cathedral library and then on to Harrowstone?

Works for me!

The info on the Whispering Way is worth 400 Xp; I'll update more later- you're meeting up at the Cathedral library and then on to Harrowstone?

Yeah, I think a little research at the Cathedral (and some healing for Luka) is in order, Let's say two hours x the five of us? That leaves us plenty of day light to hit the prison again.

Cathedral sounds fine to me. Do we need to go pick up Aldous?

"I will stop by the Outward Inn and pick up Aldous. He might be able to help us navigate through the Cathedral records. And then head to the Cathedral. Perhaps we can find some information that will help Trevor better combat the spirits aligned against us.

The party sets out for the Pharasmin cathedral via town square. Ravengro's citizens are just starting their daily business; the general store's shopkeep sweeps his front steps while across the square a dwarven woman (the only one you've seen in town) lights her forge for the day in the smithy. Passers-by give you all a wide berth, watching you from the corner of their eyes.

A group of five little Varisian girls dressed in shawls and dresses are playing a rope skipping game near the gazebo in the center of the square, an old dog looking on. Each girl takes a turn skipping the rope and singing two lines of a rhyme in Varisian, then switching to another girl and passing off the rope in a well-coreographed and practiced routine.

Varisian:

Aldous is wherever he decides he's standing, either in the Inn or waiting outside.

Just to allow a bit more activity, I'll put up the cathedral part as well.

Across the river from town square, the gothic cathedral to Pharasma awaits you. The great stained glass windows depicting Pharasma judging the infamous Count Andachi catch the light of morning and dapple the inside of the somber structure with bright hues. Grey robed acolytes tend to business around the church and offer you no challenge when you go to consult the church library and it's shelves of books on local history and religious tracts.

The Pharasmin temple provides a +4 bonus on checks to research Harrowstone, the Whispering Way and the Five Prisoners. A knowledge- history or local will turn up the following about the Prisoners-

DC 15 (100 XP):

DC 20 (200 XP):

With a separate DC 25 check, you can research one of the Five.

Trevor watches all the books, in such majestic setting, in religious awe, mouth agape with wonder and humility. Then, as priests move pass him, he looks down at the floor, as if caught doing something wrong. How he wishes he knew something about this world! Rafan knew some... Maybe I should start too..? He picks up the thinnest book he can see and sits down, holding his head in both hands, biting his lip as he slowly turns symbols into meaning.

Upon gaining entrance to the Pharasman archives, Arasmes tries to locate information about the five prisoners who died in the fire. Anyone near him will note that he spends as much time muttering to himself and staring into space as he does reading books.

Knowledge History 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (19) + 14 = 33

"The Lopper . . . Father Charlatan . . . Mosswater . . . Marauder, the Piper of Illmarsh, and the Splatter Man? Such charming names."

Knowledge history for the Lopper 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (5) + 14 = 19

"Not much more here about the Lopper. . . Maybe the Splatter man?"

knowledge history for the Splatter Man 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (12) + 14 = 26

Not sure how long we want to spend researching. I crushed the rolls for the Prisoners, if anyone asks Arasmes will explain the information above in the spoilers. The names are the main bit of information.

I'm out of town this weekend, so feel free to puppet Arasmes along.

A lucky choice...
The Splatter Man (400 XP):

While at the cathedral, Luka looks into healing, quietly explaining the unique quirk of his heritage that requires inflicting spills to cure him, and looks into the availability of procuring a wand or potion for future use.

While at the cathedral, Luka looks into healing, quietly explaining the unique quirk of his heritage that requires inflicting spills to cure him, and looks into the availability of procuring a wand or potion for future use.

The acolyte looks at you oddly, but agrees to cast the spell for you for a 10 gp donation- if you would like to make a special order for potions, they will cost 50 gp each once they are prepared. He reports that they do not have a wand available, since necromancy is quite frowned upon by the church.

You can attempt a diplomacy check to allay his suspicions if you like. Ravengro's folk don't strike you as the most understanding, so it may be better to head off any gossip.

"Ten gold," Luka grumbles. "I'm going to have to get back to you on that," he says, as he ponders selling his bow, which he lately finds he has little use for anyway. "Regardless, it's really not that big a deal."

diplomacy 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (18) + 2 = 20

Nice Map James! Thanks!

Getting bored faster than he could have foreseen, Trevor looks up at Arasmes: "Sounds like you found something. I wouldn't mind getting back on the road..."

"Ten gold," Luka grumbles. "I'm going to have to get back to you on that," he says, as he ponders selling his bow, which he lately finds he has little use for anyway. "Regardless, it's really not that big a deal."

diplomacy 1d20+2

The acolyte nods. "I will pray for you in the meantime, sirrah."

OK, so to speed this up I'll trust you not to peek. Here's the spoilers for the other four prisoners- DC 25 checks all, each worth 400 XP- even though researching may take time, it could put you closer to 2nd level...

Father Charlatan (Sefik Corvin):

The Lopper (Vance Saetressle):

The Mosswater Marauder (Ispin Onyxcudgel):

The Piper of Illmarsh (real name unkown):

Luka only has +2 in the appropriate Knowlegde skills, so it's up to someone else to hit those checks.

Trevor is also useless here...

Yeah, it's up to Aldous and Arasmes. They're the only ones with enough skill points to hit that DC25. On a side note, I hope Evelyn is still with us. I notice she hasn't posted in awhile.

Last night...

When the momentary blindness from the intense flare passed, Aldous instantly checked for his purse then looked around suspiciously before settling on the card players. When he saw which cards were laid out on the table, his face went pale and he immediately continued up the stairs to his room at a careful measured pace. Day to day Aldous had more or less convinced himself that he was not a superstitious person, but something about the spread of the cards managed to tap into a reservoir of suppressed belief cultivated by his decades of youth in the Ustalavic countryside well before University days. Days spent in the care of his mother and her tales of fate and prophesy and more importantly- her ever present harrow deck. Aldous was rattled, but safely inside his room he pulled a chair up to the tiny desk and spread his book open. For the next hour or so the mage lost himself in recording his initial impressions of Harrowstone, those he had explored it with, and the spirits encountered within in exquisite detail. That time was precious to him as it always was when he could pour all of his focus into one thing and stop the intermittent bombardment of incoherent sensory impressions from near and far, present, past and future. As his pen scratched across the page tension flowed from it and the scholar slowly began to unwind. Eventually a long yawn surprised him and let him know he was finally drowsy enough to change clothes and turn in for some sleep. In his dreams though, the cards, The Uprising and his mother's warnings were waiting...

I'll post the meeting up portion tomorrow. In the meantime...
Father Charlatan 1d20 + 10 + 4 ⇒ (9) + 10 + 4 = 23
The Lopper 1d20 + 10 + 4 ⇒ (1) + 10 + 4 = 15
The Mosswater Marauder 1d20 + 10 + 4 ⇒ (16) + 10 + 4 = 30
The Piper of Illmarsh 1d20 + 10 + 4 ⇒ (1) + 10 + 4 = 15

If anyone qualifies to aid a Kn Local roll we'll get Father Charlatan as well. Otherwise just the Mosswater Marauder.

I'll post the meeting up portion tomorrow. In the meantime...

Father Charlatan 1d20 + 10 + 4
The Lopper 1d20 + 10 + 4
The Mosswater Marauder 1d20 + 10 + 4
The Piper of Illmarsh 1d20 + 10 + 4

If anyone qualifies to aid a Kn Local roll we'll get Father Charlatan as well. Otherwise just the Mosswater Marauder.

You also had a success from before in the Professor's study that I'm willing to transplant here; Father Charlatan was the closest, so we'll say you closed the gap on him too. That just leaves the Piper of Illmarsh and the Lopper as research subjects for Arasmes. So that's 1200 XP of research so far.

Arasmes' Knowledge- History: 1d20 + 10 + 4 ⇒ (13) + 10 + 4 = 271d20 + 10 + 4 ⇒ (13) + 10 + 4 = 27

Arasmes tilts his head as if listening to something... his eyes glaze over and he starts grabbing volumes from the Cathedral library shelves with great purpose, flipping through them rapidly before finally stopping at specific pages.

"Yes... here you are, Vance Saetressle. Your secrets still hide from me, Piper... but not all of them...",he says in a deeper voice that has small resemblance to his own. Arasmes blinks, a jolt passing through his body.
"Here is what can be found on the Lopper and the Piper of Illmarsh. Huh. Illmarsh... something about that sounds important for some reason...", Arasmes says- this time in his normal tone.

Sorry, just getting these out of the way. Doesn't hurt to get the boring research bit over with.

No complaints from me. Speeding things along is just fine. Though research is exciting. At least I always thought so.

Arasmes listens to Aldous' discoveries regarding the Mosswater Marauder and Father Charlatan. He then adds his own information about the other prisoners of Harrowstone.

"It seems, to me at least, that Feramin–this splatter man–is our likely ghost. The desecration of the warden's statue seems to fit his earlier crimes. He liked to spell out his victim's names in blood before killing them. Though . . . we were attacked by a stirge, which points to the Piper of Illmarsh. . . Perhaps the whispering way released more than one spirit. . . . I suppose it may be time to go. Enough pouring over these old tomes for one day."

Trevor pales slowly but completely as his companions relate the tale of the Five.

"Splatter Man... Father Charlatan... The Lopper... The Mosswater Marauder... The Piper of Illmarsh... What a sombre bunch! And we are to understand that their ghosts have been released! That's mad!"

He ponders Arasmes' thoughts: "I agree about Splatter Man being responsible for the V on the statue. But whose name is he spelling?"

Later: "But Arasmes, the stirge was no ghost." He finds a piece of flesh caught in his armor and presents it. "See? That's smelly, disgusting and real! I don't know... Unless the ghost still uses real stirges, but I wasn't paralysed and didn't hear no music..."

On the road: "Oh! And the skulls... Do you think they are from The Lopper?!"

As they approach: "Oh, by the way, I still have nothing to use but my axe against these ghosts. Will that be sufficient?"

Luka ponders the information the others have found. "Hmmmm," he says, "How does this information help us? How can we use it to our advantage? Any thoughts?"

Arasmes smiles at the Trevor's brandishing of the stirge flesh. "True, I didn't hear any music either . . . so perhaps we will avoid the Piper of Illmarsh . . . hmmm . . still don't know why Illmarsh sounds so familiar," Arasmes trails off muttering to himself about Illmarsh. "I don't suppose any of you know anything about Illmarsh? Must be a place around here. Doesn't sound very inviting."

"I'm not sure how this information helps us, Luka. I suppose knowing who, or what, we are dealing with counts for something. If we could figure out who the Splatter Man is targeting, that might help us anticipate his hauntings . . . but I don't know. It may not hurt to discover if there is anyone in town who's name begins with a V and is associated with the prison or the Warden. At the very least, we did a lot of Aldous' research for him. If we all die in the prison and he escapes, I am sure he will dedicate his book to our memory."

"We should best get on our way," Luka suggests as he picks his wide brimmed hat off the library table. "I suggest when we get there, we review the equipment we have, and maybe explore the Warden's house first."

The moment that Arasmes makes a crack about doing research for Aldous, the writer steps around a corner walking slowly while reading a tattered book. Without looking up he mumbles, "And I can't thank you enough. You've been invaluable."

Aldous is looking a bit more disheveled than yesterday with dark circles under his eyes and ink staining most of the fingers of his right hand. "This is truly fascinating reading'"

Heading to the prison again or doing legwork in town? Also consider if you want anything Evelyn was carrying- like the ghost hunting stuff from the false tomb- and feel free to borrow it from her for the time being.

"Aldous, it's good to see you! I was hoping to talk to you about yesterday. I know it's none of my business but... But... Well, anyway, it's none of my business..." Trevor's blushing seems to have overwhelmed his brain with blood. He looks down then away. "So, are we going to the warden's house first?"

"Glad we can help, fearless scholar. Have to find some way to make for all the time you waste bleeding in a burnt out prison with us." Arasmes gives a grim smile and then pulls out Kendra's box. "Kendra asked that I give this to you. From her father."

I'm willing to follow Luka's lead to the Warden's House.

"The warden's house seems as fine a place to start as any. Perhaps if we escape the prison a bit earlier today, we can find an inn and see if any of the locals can add some rumor and gossip to our store of scholarly detail."

Evelyn doesn't have any special equipment listed in her profile. I'll try to fish them out from older posts. Also, Trevor doesn't have a bow. Luka, do you want to take the arrows?

"An inn sounds good. We should not stay too long at Kendra's. Aldous, how is it where you are? Food any good?"

So the following is unaccounted for:
10 +1 arrows
5 +1 ghost touch arrows
2 +1 undead bane arrows
4 potions of cure light wounds
1 potions of lesser restoration
Anyone interested?

Arasmes can carry some of the potions. Though, if James is being cruel, we might have to watch out for overloading the poor man. Hard living has left him a bit weaker than the average adventurer. Potions weigh an ounce, I think. So 5 more ounces shouldn't ruin Arasmes' day.

After a morning of research, the four of you follow the path from the cathedral south, crossing the river and passing the town's monument on your right. You pass fenced in fields and sullen locals- lone Ravengro residents give you a wide berth while small groups speak quietly amongst themselves at your passage.

It's early afternoon by the time you've returned to Harrowstone. The Warden's cottage is a small stone manor house almost completely overgrown with gray-green ivy. The roof sags ominously and the door hangs askew.

Group rolls:

Arasmes and Luka:

"We better make our investigating quick. That house looks likely to collapse at any moment."

Arasmes will wait for one of our sturdier party members to enter the house first.