The Haunting of Harrowstone (Keegan's Carrion Crown)

Game Master James Keegan

Luka pushes open the set of double doors at the northern side of the east wall. The hinges send a high-pitched squeal through the large chamber on the other side. He can see another set of double doors about fifteen feet opposite from where he is standing. On his left, the room opens up into a large auditorium. Several rows of wooden benches, all spotted with mold and sagging with neglect, face a stage walled off from the rest of the room by a wall of iron bars.

Luka is startled to find that the door is, quite on its own, beginning to shut! From the north, west and east doors badly-burnt faces shrieking in agony rush outward and each door rattles on its hinges. Luka manages to recoil just in time for the eastern door to slam shut, missing his face by a hair.

Trevor starts forward in a flash: "What's going on!? Luka, are you okay?"

Seeing Luka recoil, Evelyn draws her bow, readying a shot for the first horrible thing she sees.

Ghastly burned faces wail silently from the woodgrain of the oak doors, but the doors themselves remain shut firmly.

"What are those things?" Arasmes asks. "Are they blocking our entrance?"

Skill checks
Knowledge (Arcana): 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (8) + 9 = 17
Knowledge (Religion): 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (18) + 11 = 29

"I suppose this manifestation is consistent with the history of Harrowstone. A deadly fire and now these ghastly burned visages."

Knowledge- local or religion DC 16:

Trevor points to his axe: "Do you want me to open the door?"

"I don't think it will be necessary, or wise, to use your sword on that door, Trevor," Arasmes notes. "The door is haunted. I may be able to disperse the haunt, but I have limited access to the power necessary to do so. Perhaps one of you has some holy water to sprinkle about the door?"

Trevor, puzzled, looks at his axe, then at Arasmes: "You really can't see much, can you?"

Cought off guard by the paladins brutal honesty and stright-forwardness, Evelyn, tries to stiffle a chuckle.

"Didn't we find some holy water in that crypt?"

I'm leaving for two days. Probably back Tuesday night. Feel free to dmnpc my character.

I was just teasing Trevor. Well, maybe Arasmes wasn't teasing; he just might be distracted. We picked up six bottles of holy water, of an excellent vintage, at the crypt. I don't know who has them, though. I wrote the funky items and the scrolls down on my sheet. Assuming we figure out who has the holy water . . .

"Axe, sword. Whats the difference? It was a metaphor, Trevor." Arasmes grabs the bottle of holy water and sprinkles it on the door, expecting that it will disperse the spirits.

The holy water seems to burn away the spirits; on each door, the solid veneer peels back as if on fire, embers giving way to blackened wood as the agonized faces are consumed. What is left are dilapidated wooden doors, worm-eaten and moldy.
That's 100 XP each for dealing with the doors.

Seeing the faces fade from the door, Arasmes stands up, turning to the others: "Well, that turned out just as I was told," he sounds slightly surprised. "Shall we continue?"

"Well at least we know that someone doesn't want us going that way, and that usually means we're onto something."

Trevor lets out a sigh of relief. Thank you Professor!

"Let's go further. Evelyn has it right."

You push the now rotted door open with a creak. About fifteen feet ahead of you is another set of double doors. On your right is a wall of iron bars with a wooden podium holding a gavel behind it in a narrow room. The far wall in this adjoining chamber has a metal door (this is next to the wooden doors, separated by the wall of iron bars). To the left the room stretches out into a large auditorium with rows and rows of dilapidated benches spotted with mold.

Perception DC 10:

Looking around the room, sword in hand, Luka notices the chill in the air.

Perception 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (14) + 2 = 16

Let's make this a little more exciting- please roll initiative as well.

Oh, I love excitement. . .
Perception1d20 + 1 ⇒ (11) + 1 = 12
Initiative1d20 + 3 ⇒ (10) + 3 = 13

"Something's wrong here," Arasmes mutters, grabbing his spear, shivering slightly from the chill.

Perception: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (10) + 1 = 11
Initiative: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (11) + 4 = 15

Trevor suddenly worries as he feels his skin crawl from the coldness and the sweat on his forehead turns to a cool moisture.

"Is it me or it's much cooler in here?"

Initiative 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (9) + 2 = 11

perception 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (7) + 5 = 12 initiative 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (9) + 3 = 12

"Be on your guard"

Evelyn draws the bowstring back as her eyes scan the room.

Aldous: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (2) + 9 = 11

Initiative
Trevor- 15
Arasmes- 13
Evelyn- 12
Luka and Aldous- 11
? - 10

The room remains empty and silent, only the occasional creak of the settling prison to keep you company. The temperature continues to plummet; in the first few rows of benches you can see bits of frost forming on the damp wood. The air is starting to sting your exposed flesh.
Everyone gets a move action or a standard action as the temperature drops.

Evelyn shivers as the the cold begins to sting. "This room is freezing, literally"

Looking for the closest door, other than the one they entered, Evelyn makes her way over to it.

Trevor waits a bit as he's last in line, but when Evelyn pushes forth, he follows her: "Yes, forward! Everyone!"

Arasmes waits for whatever is coming. And casts guidance on himself.

Luka steps toward the benches, keeping a watchful eye and waiting for the others to clear the room.

perception 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (8) + 2 = 10

"I don't see this ending well...", Aldous says as he follows Evelyn and Trevor into the next room. Hoping to get a better vantage point, Luka walks up the isle between the first and central bank of seats while Arasmes stands firm, alien syllables slipping from his mouth and bolstering his natural resistances.

The air continues to grow colder and colder, sucking the warmth from Arasmes' body. The scholar shivers as the icy cold stings his flesh.

Arasmes takes 1d6 ⇒ 2 points of damage. Please make a fortitude save.

Luka can see no visible threat causing this disturbance.

In the next room...
Pushing the wooden doors aside, you can see that the northeastern wall of this large room has partially fallen, revealing the dark, murky waters of the pond outside. Moldering training dummies and other similar equipment hint that this room may have once been a training area for the guards. In the northeast part of the room, the floor around a dark, jagged hole is surrounded by black scorch marks.

Status Update

Trevor shifts the balance of his axe in the slightest, trying to loosen somewhat his tensed fingers. He focuses his gifted senses on the hole in the ground. Detect Evil.

"Something is attacking me," Arasmes mutters, shivering from the cold.
Fort. save:1d20 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 1 = 3 That turned out poorly.

Seeing the rest of the party exiting the room, Arasmes hastens to join them.

"Looks like the fire hit this section pretty strongly"

Turning and looking back into the room they just came from, Evelyn calls out. "You say something Arasmes?"

Luka quickly turns and follows the others into the next room. Noticing the hole, he walks over and peers in.

Perception 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (16) + 2 = 18

"Something is attacking me," Arasmes mutters, shivering from the cold.

Fort. save:1d20+1 That turned out poorly.

Seeing the rest of the party exiting the room, Arasmes hastens to join them.

Arasmes feels unnaturally tired, as if part of him was drained away.

Staying in rounds for the time being, with Trevor taking a standard action to detect evil, Arasmes taking a move action to exit the auditorium and Luka taking a double move to do the same from his vantage in the benches.

Trevor:

"Th-This is where it's coming from... Evil... In the hole..."

Hesitantly, he moves towards the gaping mouth he fears.

As Trevor approaches the jagged soot-caked hole in the floor an unearthly shriek echoes through the training room and out into the hills. Three charred, flaming skulls rise from the rubble near the pit and fix their dreadful gaze on the adventurers.

Flaming skull initiative: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (15) + 1 = 16
They will act next round, so when Luka and Arasmes enter the room they'll be floating and noticable. Trevor's round is up, feel free to adjust posted actions to reflect the shrieking skulls.

Initiative 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (16) + 2 = 18

Luka comes into the room, and upon seeing the flaming skulls, quickly reacts and immediately moves to attack the nearest one.

Attack 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (19) + 2 = 21 Damage 1d8 + 2 ⇒ (1) + 2 = 3
Crit 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (14) + 2 = 16 Damage 1d8 + 2 ⇒ (6) + 2 = 8

Initiative: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (20) + 4 = 24

Init 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (12) + 9 = 21

Initiative 1d20 + 2

Luka comes into the room, and upon seeing the flaming skulls, quickly reacts and immediately moves to attack the nearest one.

Attack 1d20 + 2 Damage 1d8+2
Crit 1d20 + 2 Damage 1d8+2

We're keeping the same initiative order as before, which I'll repost below. And Luka's coming in from the other room this round, so you won't be able to melee until next round- but I'll hold onto your crit!

Initiative
Flaming Skulls- 16 [x]
Trevor- 15 [x]
Arasmes- 13
Evelyn- 12
Luka and Aldous- 11 (L- Double move toward flaming skulls, Al- pending)

"By Desna!" Evelyn exclaimes as the skulls rise. She releases an arrow at the nearest one.

longbow 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (5) + 4 = 9 damage 1d8 ⇒ 6

The excited grin that Aldous breaks into when the flaming skulls rise out of the pit seems entirely inappropriate given the situation. "By the gods this place is popping with residual spiritual energy! This is more than I had dared to hope for."

Total Defense

I will be out and with difficult access to the internet until Friday night. Feel free to DMNPC my character as required.

Found some time! Will post my action if my turn comes.

Trevor at the skull with unbelieving eyes: "By the Lady, what madness is this!?" He fires his javelin at the flying skull then closes bringing his axe to bear.

SAc: Javelin PBS 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (17) + 4 = 21; 1d6 + 5 ⇒ (4) + 5 = 9
If the skull has closed in, he'll power attack it with his axe, dropping his javelin: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (17) + 4 = 21; 1d12 + 9 ⇒ (1) + 9 = 10

Evelyn's arrow goes wide of the mark, but thankfully doesn't hit Trevor either. Luka runs up beside the young paladin, his blade at the ready, while Arasmes catches his breath in the rear and Aldous settles in to watch the proceedings.

The flaming skulls shriek and dive for Luka and Trevor.
Slam vs. Trevor: 1d20 ⇒ 11d2 - 1 + 1d6 ⇒ (1) - 1 + (2) = 2
Edit- I get the same results from the dice roller if I roll for all three at once, so the other two I'll roll up at home with real dice.

Slam vs. Luka: 1d20 = 12 (miss)
Slam vs. Trevor: Also 12, also a miss.

The shrieking skulls dive at the two adventurers but both Trevor and Luka are too quick and nimble and succumb so easily. The young Trevor hefts his heavy axe and brings it down easily into the skull attacking him on the left, shattering the flaming head with ease and sending burning bits of bone left and right. Meanwhile, Luka deftly skewers a second with his longsword, forever silencing the tormented spirit.

Only 1 left- Trevor and Luka's actions for round two are set.

Taking aim again, Evelyn tries to adjust for the somewhat erratic movements of a floating skull. Here goes nothing"

deadly aim shot 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (16) + 3 = 19 damage 1d8 + 2 ⇒ (2) + 2 = 4

Arasmes continues to watch his companions battle the skulls, trying to catch his breath, and to find some way to be useful.