"Whew! That was way too close. I think we need to retreat and come back another day!"
"No. I think I'm fine. Let's see if we can finish exploring this floor before we break for the night.
That experience was ... interesting. It seems that Father Charlatan has been riding along with me for a while, perhaps since I was in his cell days ago. We had quite a battle of wills inside my head as he tried to convince me of some blatant lie.
In any case, if I'm the only reason that you want to retreat, I assure you I'll be ok."
To prove that she is doing 'just fine', Sisu starts searching the room, attempting to hide how weak her knees are after the mental battle. Finding some items, she studies them carefully.
"I'm not sure what this scroll is, but the wand will be quite useful in making sure we're ready to continue." She runs her wand over where the chains were binding her, twice.
Casting read magic when the scroll is found, Malakos quickly identifies it. "Ahh if you had taken any more strength sapping this could have helped you, it is a Scroll of Lesser Restoration!"
Looking to hand it out, "Alas I cannot cast this spell, someone with the divine magics should hold onto this,"
"I can use that scroll if you want me to take it"
Handing it over to Rahela then turning to Sisu, "Are you sure you're okay to continue, looks like you took a beating there from the chains"
Looking through his spellbook, "I'm still pretty good on spells, if we want to keep pushing through this floor, can't be much more to this place,"
Malakos'll turn around in the hallway and open the door behind the group, peering inside for anything dangerous.
Sisu puts on a brave face, remembering all the previous investigations she's had to power through without rest. Attempting to bring some levity to the situation she replies "I'm fine. Those chains were whole minutes ago, I've had plenty of time to recover."
As you look inside the the room across the hall, you notice another chamber in shambles. Old wooden benches lie in ruins along the walls, while rusty chains and bits of rotten rope lie scattered on the floor.
Sisu, as you enter the room you hear the sound of faint sobbing and the clanking rattle of chains. You also being to be filled with a momentary sensation of hopelessness and the strange feeling of heavy manacles clamping over your wrists. The sensation quickly passes, but a set of manacle chains rise up animate and attack.
Round 1-fight with the manacles-bold may go
Rahela
Niralzi
Sisu
Animated Manacles
Chellian
Malakos
Wanting to release some of the rage she has from Father Charlatan trying to manipulate her mind, Sisu doesn't even bother trying to utilize her spear. She wants to directly feel something get crushed.
She takes a small step forward and lashes out at the manacles with both hands. "You want my wrists? she growls as she reaches her hands forward one at a time.
Wanting to release some of the rage she has from Father Charlatan trying to manipulate her mind, Sisu doesn't even bother trying to utilize her spear. She wants to directly feel something get crushed.
She takes a small step forward and lashes out at the manacles with both hands. "You want my wrists? she growls as she reaches her hands forward one at a time.
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"Oh come on!! Does EVERY room have to attack us?"
Rahela again tries her crossbow
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Niralzi moves forward into the room, drawing her rapier as she does.
"I doubt I can hurt this thing but if I can aid one of you in hitting it, I will!"
The badly damaged and in poor repair animated manacles clink and clank as they clumsily float around, they try and slam onto Sisu!
The manacles gently slam down onto Sisu's wrists and just as they are about to close down, grabbing her, she pulls back safe from the shackles.
Round 1-fight with the manacles-bold may go
Rahela
Niralzi
Sisu 1 non-lethal
Animated Manacles 4 damage
Chellian
Malakos
"Oh no you dont!"
She growled at the floating manacles taking a huge hefty swing at them with her glaive-guisarme.
With a powerful swing she obliterates the spooky manacles, with an unearthly scream the manacles clatter to the ground, whatever animating force that possessed them now dead.
Searching the room you find nothing of note, you know this was an induction room for new prisoners and as such nothing was kept here.
Stepping out into the hallway you guys pass around to the last hall of doorways.
Outside of the doorway is a half burnt placard that reads:
Looking around the others, "Well. . it won't open itself," Stepping forward, Malakos opens the door to the presumably registration room.
Opening the door you find that this stark room contains a low stone bench against the north wall and a ruined desk to the west that sits under three narrow, barred windows. An old brass brazier lies on its side to the south, surrounded by numerous rusty branding irons, ranging in letters from A to Z and numbers 0 through 9.
You find a burnt but serviceable Masterwork Sap in this room.
You notice the rising scent of burning flesh emanating from the room
"Hmm, there is a sap here that looks pretty spiffy
I smell burnt flesh and its getting stronger!! HAUNT!!! RUN."
Rahela tries to rush out of the room
Sisu begins surveying the room along with Rahela, when she also notices the strange smell. "I suspect you are correct. This does have the feel of yet another haunt. I don't see anything of real value in this room we can probably leave it be" she states calmly as she backs towards the door, watching the empty room carefully for any manifestation.
As the smell of burning flesh fills your nose you notice that four branding irons rise up and come flying forward, burning red hot.
Round 1-bold may go
Chellian
Rahela
Sisu
Niralzi
Haunt
Malakos
"There's a good chance that this is restricted to the room. If we back out into the hallway hopefully they won't follow us, and if they do we can fight them at that point."
Sisu continues to back out into the hallway to avoid the brands.
Rahela runs out the room and continues down the corridoor
Rahela runs out the room and continues down the corridoor
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At this point she was ready to do whatever anyone suggested if it got them away from all the ghosts, spirits, haunts, and spiders that seemed to inhabit this place. If anyone in the town put a vote to have the place razed to the ground she would vote for yea a dozen times at least.
As you all move out of the room the brands fly towards you and ram up against the door frame as last of you leave the room. Closing the door behind you, you leave a mark on the door for future reference.
Following the curve of the hallway, the next room's door is locked. The door is relatively rotted and looks as if it could be bashed down fairly easily.
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Despite her fear she paused watching Sisu push and press against the door... When the woman cleared the way Chellian lifted up her foot and gave it a solid kick right near the handle and watched it splinter inward pratically falling apart from the force.
She paused and looked at the door like it had messed up before making a motion for the others to go ahead through the door like a weird violent doorman holding it open for a guest to get in.
Rahela watches, afraid of what will be beyond the door but unwilling to run away and leave her friends.
But she is SO tempted :-)
Upon the door, you see tangled mounds of moth-eaten fabric sitting upon several wooden tables, each surrounded by workbenches. Various sewing tools-shears, needles, rolls of thread, boxes of chalk, and other objects lie scattered over the floor, while the arm of what appears to be a skeleton protrudes from a stained heap of fabric to the west.
Rising from the mound of moldering fabric the ghostly figure of a beautiful young woman dressed in a tattered, but lovely blue dress appears. Getting a good look at her almost everything about her in blue, her hair, the tears streaming from her pale blue eyes and even the clouds of smoke that drift from lips as she speaks.
Wiping the tears from her eyes she clasps her hands and looks at the lot of you. "I'm sorry you need to see me like this," a small sob escapes her as she continues. "but I am glad to see that the town has finally sent more guards here, to deal with the uprising of the prisoners. Those," she looks out towards the hall, "cowards locked me in here when i was trying to help my husband..."
At the mention of her husband she breaks down into heavy sobs, holding her hands in her face. "I...I just want someone to acknowledge what he did, and...and...i'm sorry I should let you speak..."
she continues to sob quietly as she turns and takes a ghostly seat upon the mound of moldy fabric.
"For some reason, I don't think this is a trick, but be wary" Sisu says to her companions in the hallway.
Hesitantly entering the room, Sisu stands before the apparition but doesn't approach too closely. "It's just fine Madam, anyone would be upset in a situation like that. You need not apologize. Is it safe to assume that your husband is the warden of this establishment? My name is Sisu. My companions and I have come to investigate what has happened here. When we are complete and present our report I will be sure it includes details of his bravery and honor."
Whispering to the others as they edge into the room, "Look. . this is a pretty spooky ghost wife, let's just take it real easy and not uh. . .not spook her,"
"That is awful! As my friends said, please tell us what he did and we will be certain to tell others the truth"
"Investigate the prison you say? Well recently there has been much going on here, however I should probably start at the beginning." She pauses briefly and gestures for you to take a seat before she starts her story.
"I suppose I should start at the beginning that way you might have a better understanding of what is going on and can cleanse this place of all the evil here. Twice a year the guards of this prison would round up prisoners from across Ustalav and convoy them here to Harrowstone. The second convoy of 4461 brought some of the most evil and horrible prisoners Harrowstone had yet to house. Among them where five notorious convicts: The Lopper, The Splatter Man, Father Charlatan, the Piper of Illmarsh, and the Mosswater Marauder. My husband, Warden Hawkran, and some of the other guards were worried that the prison wasn't adequately equipped to handle such criminals. They were set for execution but the day was far off."
"A few days before the 5 were to be executed they worked together and staged a desperate attempt to seize control of the prison, and try their escape. My husband and received word that the guards on duty had been over taken by the prisoners. He rushed in found that the prisoners had taken control of the lower level. He triggered an emergency dead-fall and sealed off the dungeon-which trapped everyone-including himself and the guards within the dungeon. With the only way out being a supply lift that couldn't be activated from below." She softly cries as she recounts her husband getting trapped. Wiping her ghostly tears with pale blue hands she continues.
"After a few hours of waiting, my husband did not return home for dinner so I went up to the front door only to find it unlocked and strangely empty. I followed the sound of shouting and found the remaining guards firing crossbow bolts down the shaft in the training room. I quickly learned that my husband was trapped down below with the crazed madmen. I begged and pleaded with the guards to lower the lift and save him and the other guards but they refused. In the panic I..I started to lose it and was able to doge the guards, run to the winch, throw the release and cause the heavy wooden platform to plummet into the dungeon. Much to my horror the lift crushed multiple guards and prisoners who were standing underneath it. The shock and horror of killing my husband with the lift took me over. The guards were then able to drag me here to this room," she gestures to the room around her, "Where they locked me inside. Back at the lift the prisoners started to climb the chains and in the panic the guards dumped barrels of lamp oil down the shaft. One prisoner was able to make it up the shaft-The Splatter Man- and when he stepped into view one of the guards threw a lit torch down the shaft and the famous fire was started. The remaining guards were able to run to Ravengro to get help but in their panic they forgot about me, locked in here to die."
Wiping her tears and looking at the lot of you she tells you that up until recently the spirit of her trapped husband had been containing the ghosts. "However not long ago men and women in dark robes who spoke only in whispers came here and began to work strange magic around the foundations of the prison. Even though I cannot leave this room I am able to observe through the walls," she gestures with her hand towards the northwest wall,"as these strange people inscribed runes along the ground. Not long after their visit did I witness the death of a kind faced scholarly man. He was killed by foul magic wielded by the leader of the black robbed villains. After her was slain I watched them bash his face in with a broken piece of gargoyle from the roof above. My guess is that it makes it seem like an accident."
"After killing the man they finished their ritual but what they did it was not where I could see them. I was however able to feel immediately the repercussions of their evil deeds. It felt like a horrific storm, with wind that chilled the soul, it felt as if my very being was being pulled apart. It lasted only but a moment but as soon as it passed I could no longer feel my husbands spirit within the prison's walls."
Panic had stayed locked onto her face almost all throughout the ghost's story. It was only the others staying to listen that kept her from running out the doors never to look back again...Despite the story of the heroics of the warden she was still almost petrified until she heard about the dark robed figures and the death of the professor. Her pale features darkened quickly and her trembling terrified lips suddenly firmed and hardened.
She actually snarled as she lifted up one of the workbenches and threw it in a rage against the wall. At the sudden sound and realization of what she did she colored less in rage and more in embarrassment. It was clear she was still fighting back the urge to just go on a wanton spree of destruction to let the rage all out.
"Oh gods! Sorry i got a bit angry. Im sorry miss uh warden's wife. Your husband died a hero trying to stop the prison riot. That kindly scholar was my friend. One of the few folk who has ever been readily nice to me. Those robed figures will pay. but first I think we need to stop whatever is happening here first. "
She frowned and looked to the other literally reaching up and pinching the top of her nose as if she had a headache.
"I am sorry everyone this... this all is beyond anything I've learned about. If any of you have an idea just tell me what I can do to help."
She offered trying to control her hands from shaking in anger.
"Thank you for telling us all of that. Your husband was a hero and we will make sure that everybody knows that.
And now we know enough to at least know WHAT to try and find to fight.
But now it is time for you to go on to your rightful place.
I can guess, but perhaps you know so I think I'll just ask you.
Do you know what is binding you here, why you cannot pass on"
to know how to lay her to rest
"Well, what I do know is that since those black robes cultists removed my husbands spirit from the prison, is that the spirits of all the murderers and sadists trapped here have grown more and more powerful. Since he left I have taken over his role of containing the spirits within the walls of Harrowstone. I can feel 5 very distinct spirits within these walls, I assume that they are the notorious 5 criminals that died here. I have watched you take down 2 of those key spirits, the Piper and Father Charlatan. After you defeated their spirits I have been able to keep them from manifesting again."
"I believe that if you can bring me the symbol of my husbands office over the prison, like his warden's badge, I should be able to banish the haunts and spirits from Harrowstone. This should not only free me from this world and re-unite me with my beloved but also end the haunting of Harrowstone for good." She looks off in the distance longingly.
" As I mentioned before I cannot leave this room but there is a room to the southeast of here with a secret vault that houses 5 objects that once belonged to the 5 and can be used against them. But becareful using them, as they will aid you in defeating the inmates, they are unlikely caused by the unholy link to them."
" also, one last thing The Splatter Man is slowly eating away at me and my resolve. and if he succeeds I fear that if he succeeds at whatever his plan is he will completely destroy me.." she trails off as she finishes
Sisu smiles as something that had been bothering her now all of a sudden makes sense. "Your name is Vesorianna, is it not?" She turns to the group. "That explains the letters appearing on the monument in town. Based on what we know of the Splatter Man, he will probably overtake her once he has written her name in its entirety. That leaves us two options; we can either find out how he is writing them and stop him, or we just need to put him down before he finishes her name. I think the latter option is better, as he's only managed a few letters so far."
She turns back to Vesorianna. "I believe we have already found the objects you speak of, and the symbols of Father Charlatan did make things a bit interesting for me. In any case, thank you very much for your help keeping these creatures contained. You are as much of a hero as your esteemed husband. We shall do our best to defeat the other three before they can overcome you, so that you can be free of this place and join him in peace."
Listening carefully, writing down notes as he can of this fascinating encounter with the dead, "We can finish clearing this floor, head back into town, rest and then work on stopping the Splatter man, he must be manifesting to write those letters or worse, possessing someone,"
To Verosianna
"As Sisu says, you and your husband are great heroes and Pharasma is sure to reward you when you finally both make it to the Boneyard. Truly you have done wonderful work. Praise The Grey Lady"
To the others
"Very well, Splatter man it is. I'd prefer to wait until the morning if possible"
"Let's finish off these last few rooms and make sure there's nothing hiding in them, then we'll head home to get a good night's sleep." Sisu heads towards the door. "It was good to meet you, Ma'am. We will do everything we can to assist in scouring this place alongside you."
"Yes my name is Vesorianna, and I dont believe that the Splatter Man can leave the prison so you are probably correct in that he is likely possessing someone in the town."
Taking your leave of Vesorianna, you explore the two remaining rooms on this floor
These rooms were once the Laundry room, filled with several rusty iron tubs, along with washboards, metal buckets and heaps of moldy clothing. The last room along this hall is an a derelict privy with nothing of interest to find.
___________________
The next morning you have a filling breakfast with Kendra and as you make your way back to the prison one of the sheriff's deputies lets you know that another attack has been made against the memorial statue in town and that another bloody letter was written along the bottom.
__________
Once back in the prison you find that the stairwell leading down to the basement is filled with rocks and debris. Knowing that this was the deadfall that the Warden triggered during the riot.
Looking back at the notes Sisu kept while clearing this floor the only other area to get down to the dungeon below is the pit in the old training room. The pit is 20 feet deep and you know from Vesorianna's story that the lift for it is at the bottom.
You guys can ignore the parts about the next morning and going back to the prison. I may have jumped the gun a bit on that.
Once you guys clear the floor what would you like to do? I read it wrong thinking y’all wanted to rest for the night. Sorry about that
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