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Galadan shouts out about an undead somewhere in the room. You all seem on edge, you ready yourself, you try to defeat whatever materializes - the seconds seem to stretch to minutes - but nothing at all seems to happen - leaving you even more with a feeling of dread.
Target - Galadan twice as he was supposed to be the victim and this needs an active player
1 Andrea
2 Wren
3 Aldous
4 Kevin
5 Galadan
6 Galadan
After a while, Aldous decides to break the tense silence...
"So, if there is nothing in the room, shall we keep searching...?"
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You hear the soft jingling of chains being jostled. The noise seems to come towards you and seem to just walk through you.
Your Detect Undead indicates a single strong undead aura that is in agreement with the source of the jingling noise. You are unable to pinpoint the exact location it seems to move.
You have the very unnerving feeling that the undead aura is directly behing you - trying to evade your scrying attempts on it.
Turning around the best you can manage is to get a glimpse of a ghostly, fatherly hand that rests on your shoulder - seemingly to help or guide you.
You all see that Galadan seems irritated. He turns around - seemingly trying to look at something behind him.
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After a while, Aldous decides to break the tense silence...
"So, if there is nothing in the room, shall we keep searching...?"
Yes - feel free to search the room or otherwise act. I don't have any initiative - there is no fight ongoing or anything else you notice apart of Galadan acting strangely.
All you can tell is - he doesn't seem under any attack.
Unfortunately you will have to wait for his actions to find out more.
"There is something... behind me. It has its hand on my shoulder. It is trying to be helpful, I think."
Galadan stops trying to turn to view the presence, but he is wary of the ghost and its intentions.
Galadan quirks an eyebrow and says in a rather calm voice. "I am strangely afraid. This haunt is not like the others."
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Your Sense Motive is not giving you any further indications of the haunt and it's intentions.
For whatever reason - the haunt tries to stay out of your view and once the Detect Undead expires you can't sense the haunt any more at all.
All
You neither see or sense anything apart off a feeling of unease when Galadan tells you about the haunt.
Aldous shrugs.
"Well, let's finish searching this level, and then ask the ghost down stairs if she has any advice..."
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Aldous shrugs.
"Well, let's finish searching this level, and then ask the ghost down stairs if she has any advice..."
The Eastern Cell block looks pretty similar to the Western one - just smaller - just smaller. A total of 7 cells with skeletons slumped on some beds or on the floor.
Not suprisingly - nothing of any value can be found - but you are relieved also not to find any dangers.
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A quick summary of the level and what happened:
General areas on this level:
1) The Guard Post - Some chairs and a table behind some bars. You can easily look into it but need to lockpick / enter from outside - crumbled balcony. You can't spot much of any interest from where you are and don't expect much more.
1a) The stairway - done - you came up there
2) The mess hall - done - Stirges attacked you while searching here
3) Unknown room in the northern Tower - I think still an unopened door ? as you got disturbed by the Piper
4) Western Cell block - done - Piper and Skeletons
5) Unknown room in the east - (oops - mixed west and east here originally) - there is a door from the mess hall just next to the crumbling walls in the east.
6) Eastern Cell block - done now - nothing of interest
7) Unknown room west of the guard post - The room of Father Charlatan - more or less done. Let me know if you pick up the journal / read it
Wren walks over to pick up the journal/book.
"Anyone see this yet? I do love books."
Wren will flip through it, seeing what it's about.
Knowledge: Arcana
Knowledge: History
Knowledge: Local
Knowledge: Nature
Knowledge: Planes
Knowledge: Religion
Perception:
Kevin kicks over anything on the floor while his sword is held at his side. "Dust, garbage and more dust. Oh and dont forget all of the fargin undead. That we have found in abundance."
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The book is the journal of Father Charlatan. It describes many occurrences how he tricked honest people out of money or how he used the trust placed into him for his own good.
You recognize various places in Ustalav - some no longer inhabited and many different religions. On closer inspection it seems every religion mentioned also has a chain with it's symbol as one of the chains that wrap up the cleric.
Any Szarni would be proud to achieve just a fraction of the trickery that the Father achieved.
Apart of the content - the book seems very ordinary. It feels old and musky - but that seems to be just the age.
Wren, after browsing the book, offers it up to anyone else who wants it, if no one, stows it for later.
Andrea accepts the book from Wren it goes into her haversack
Wren leads the party back to the guard room.
"I don't think we've been in here yet. Last room then we can find a place to rest, either here or in town?"
Wren will nod to Kevin and then point at the door.
"Kevin, would you mind trying the door? I could try to peck it down, but that might take while."
Kevin moves to the door checking to see if it is locked. Trying to force it with his crowbar if needed.
Strength:
Seeing that struggle for momentum, Wren offers to help Kevin on his next go.
Strength to assist Kevin
Dot
Dotting.
Galadan pulls out his thieves tools.
Andrea cast guidance on Galadan as he attempts the lock
bumped
Wren carefully scratches the rash under her armpit, tilting her raised arm in hopes that Andrea will catch a glimpse and in secret hopes that she will have a solution.
Andrea notes the rash and makes a mental note to chaeck it when she gets wren back to town.
Bump in the night.
"Ia! Ia! Cthulhu Fhtagn?"
But..but we can't investigate scary building without Scooby Doo..
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This guard area is blocked from the cellblock by an arc of iron bars. Within sits an old wooden table and a few chairs.
Thanks to Galadan you manage to enter. But nothing of value is left here.
Guard duty here was considered a comfortable assignment compared to assignment in the dungeon below, and Harrowstone's guards would frequently wager their shifts, hoping to win future shifts here in order to keep themselves out of the more depressing cellblocks below.
On the back of the post you find two doors - leading to a crumbling veranda that even a glance suggests are instable and in danger to fall if you walk out there without precautions.
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Suggested options:
There is one more room to be complete - a door south from the mess hall. If someone 'opens' it I will post a description. I would then suggest to return to Ravengro. There is a big meeting next morning in the town hall.
Alternatively you could go back directly.
If you pass by the Church of Phatasma, then I arrange healing.
By my calculation, there are still two unopened doors?
3) Unknown room in the northern Tower - I think still an unopened door ? as you got disturbed by the Piper
5) Unknown room in the east - (oops - mixed west and east here originally) - there is a door from the mess hall just next to the crumbling walls in the east.
Regardless, Aldous is happy to open the door 'South from the mess hall' cautiously, and take a peek through it...
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The Kitchen
Once a kitchen, this room is now nothing more than charred, blackened remains.
Once used to prepare the prisoners' daily gruel, this room now contains little of note. An adjoining pantry once contained an abundance of foodstuffs, but it was picked clean by rats and squirrels long ago.
You notice that the heat of Black Ember Maw seems to have been used here to cook as the pipework brings up hot air. But all is normal up here as if the haunts influence never reached up here.
Wren will peck open the last door.
Wren is happy to go back to Ravengro as long as her new spellbook can come with her.
Kevin moves forward and eases the door open. His sword leading the way.
Galadan follows the others, but he keeps his senses open for any dangers.
Andrea looks around the sorry state of the rooms.."I don't think there's anything left for us to deal with is there?" she says with a hint of hope in her voice.