"This stairwell, leading down into the dungeon cell area, is blocked. That's the deadfall Lyvar triggered. You may be able to use the elevator shaft, just be careful. Most of the threat comes from there, but Father charlatan was imprisoned on the upper level. And one of them -the piper, I think- moves between the floors. If you can find their things, the items they used in their crimes, you can use those items against them. The items should be in the secure storage area by the front entrance."
She seems calmer. "Thank you for finally coming. Please help me control them. If you defeat the five, I can regain control even without Lyvar's badge. If I have it, I can dismiss them all before the five reform."
Lyvar had the badge when he was trapped down there. We ought to seek it out there. Here's the elevator shaft, should we get some climbing equipment and holy water first?
Vertielle thinks it over.
Okay, here's what we'll do. We'll go up this stairway , cleanse the upper level counter-clockwise, and descend using the East Balcony over here while it's still light. We'll head back to Harrowstone and trade some of these infirmary supplies for climbing gear and holy water, and remove Vesorianna's name from the monument.
Que leans over hte map, following Vertielle's briefing.
"That sounds like a plan."
"I don't think cleaning it off will do any good,
I think in order to stop it we have to destroy the source.
In other words, kill the splatter man again."
"I like Vertielle's plan; I do not know if we are ready to deal with any of the big 5 yet. I would like to clean out some of these lesser baddies and go back and rearm. I would like to see if those of us who popped our haunt siphon without making sure a haunt was present can get them repowered."
"There is an exit doorway through the laundry, though I do feel some dark energy in there. It's unformed, so it's not one of the Five. Please be careful."
"We ready for the laundry room?"
Aye, let us see what is in store there.
Gkirkhan leads the way after tipping his hat to the lovely ghost lady.
"Daylight won't last too much longer, better hurry up!"
The Laundry room contains several rusty iron tubs, washboards, metal buckets and heaps of moldy clothing - one of which starts to move as you enter.
A straightjacket struggles up from the rotting pile and moves to attack!
Your initiatives, please.
Huh.
"Oh no! You is not putting any of us in the loony bin!"
Init/Will
Wood looks longingly at his new spellbook rather than cast a spell.
"Great, even the clothing here is out to kill us..."
With that words Que storms forward, charging the straitjacket while drawing her Wakizashi.
Que charges forward, slashing at the floating clothing and scoring a hit!
Initiative order;
Que
Evangline
Gkirkhan
straightjacket
Wood
Vertielle
The floating clothing returns the assault, striking at Que.
Eva attacks
Well, that's interesting. I'm surprised it has capability of flight, that's generally very hard to attain.
Vertielle steps forward, drawing her longsword and feinting with a few quick flurries, driving the fluttering fabric deeper onto Que's blade. She makes sure to watch her step in the room, circling the jacket and drawing its unnatural attention to open the way for Que to deliver a truly devastating strike.
Hp: 19/23
Saves: 0/6/1
Que tries to take advantege of Vertielles maneuvering, going all out with her attacks.
Once Gkirkhan goes, we'll update the rounds.
Gkirkhan drops his hammer and grabs the sword on his back.
"Why does everything in this thrice damned place keep trying to attack us! What's next a rabid undead shrew?!"
Gkirkhan's sword arcs down over his head, his frustration very clear in his swing as it rips through the moldy straight-jacket.
Vertielle looks at the savaged, tattered remains of the mouldy jacket. Rent in numerous places, the beige canvas twitches unnaturally on the floor, then lies still.
Perhaps a rabid shrew would have fared better, undead or not.
Vertielle searches the room with magic, throwing invisible tendrils to the edges of the room. Everyone feels the light, lingering touch on their skin and clothes as they are included in the area, as if a graceful hand had been drawn curiously against their skin.
"Against my sword mehbe, but what about the hammer?"
Gkirkhan punctuates his question with a toothy grin at Vertielle.
Yes, between you all you manage to shred the straightjacket. S13 turns out to be just an old latrine.
The stairs up open into a 10' wide corridor that heads south and also opens to the northeast into a large hall filled with old wooden benches and tables stacked in a jumble of disarray. The entire east wall has collapsed away, creating an unintended entry onto a wooden deck beyond. The view it provides of the lake beyond would be beautiful if not for the eerie silence.
Wood summons a dog to scout ahead opening a dimensional portal to bring his signature dog into being.
The dog bounds up the stairs and starts sniffing around. As it turns toward the reamains of what seems to ahve been a dining facility, the hair on the back of its neck rises and it crouches low and growls.
As it does you hear a now familar sound of fluttering leathery wings.
Three stirges drop from their restng place on the rafters and start toward the group.
Victims: 1-Evangline, 2-Gkirkhan, 3-Que, 4-Vertielle, 5-Wood, 6-dog
vs Gkirkhan
vs dog
vs Evangline
Vertielle scowls, drawing the Piper's flute with a flourish. She begins to play a mournful dirge, keeping time with a slight sway.
@Vertielle: Will save, please.
"Well, it's not a shrew at least."
Que charges the nearest stirge.
"No, but i hate those blood suckers."
Hp: 19/23
Saves: 0/6/1
As stirge_1 approaches Gkirkhan, he quickly reacts, splattering the creature in one mighty blow.
Stirge_1: hp 5 - 12 = -7: Splat!
Init
XP 400
N Medium Animal
Init +2; Senses low-light vision, scent; Perception +8
Defense
AC 13, touch 12, flat-footed 11 (+2 Dex, +1 natural)
hp 17 (2d8+8)
Fort +7, Ref +5, Will +1
Offense
Speed 40 ft.
Melee bite +5 (1d6+5 plus trip)
Statistics
Str 19, Dex 15, Con 19, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 6
Base Atk +1; CMB +5; CMD 15 (19 vs. trip)
The dog retaliates
Wood fires his crossbow [ooc]assuming into combat -4[/occ]
Wood's summoned dog snaps at the one attacking it, missing but forcing the stirge to swerve missing it's attack as well.
Wood fires his crossbow at the stirge attacking the dog, connecting but doing little damage.
Stirge_2: hp5 - 1 = 4
Que rushes toward the last stirge as it dives for Evangline, but she just misses.
Que attacks the Stirge in front of her another time.
Que connects with Stirge_3, damaging but not distroying the creature.
Stirge_2: 4 hp [attacking dog]
Stirge_3: 3hp [attacking Evangline]
"I hate bugs!"
Gkirkhan spins around and tries to swat the bug with his hammer, but almost drops it in the process.
Damn!
she attack the bug
5 damage to one.
Wood sends the dog back into the fray
Wood waits and hope it is not necessary to fire his crossbow again
Evangline and Wood's dog both manage to finish off the stirges attacking them.
Where do you go next?