Hanako heals whoever needs it most. (Kilarra, I think.)
A riff from the lute and healing spell lyrics in Aklo do the trick.
And stalk away into the night
I heal you now in case we cannot
Get out without a fight
Hanako then says to Winter, “This whole set-up is very strange. Waiter uniforms? Would these red-eyed men who eat horses raw dress up and serve people like Asa and Darlene?
“We should leave, report, and expect the enemy to be highly alarmed. I am not sure we can simply walk away.”
Piotr uses his magic on his sister while Hanako heals
"This does seem like a good time to leave." Piotr agrees. "You mind scouting the path out in your small fuzzy form?>" he asks Hanako. "Better to pick where to fight if you are right about the danger."
“Good thinking. In addition, let me use a bit of magic to speed us all up.”
Hanako plays Triple Time on a summoned shamisen.
She adds an extra riff to inspire competence.
In fox form, Hanako moves stealthily…
Baldy at her fairy size is even stealthier. She flies to a roof top for a fairy’s-eye view.
Hanako says, “The coast seems clear, but I strongly suggest we use the buildings as cover.”
If the party agrees to follow her , she will lead the way out she deems least likely to be interrupted by snipers’ bolts.
The party manages to get to the gatehouse without incident.
Hanako smiles as Baldhart alights on her shoulder.
“Where to?” Hanako asks. “Shall we report to Miss Werntz?”
"Ya" Piotr agrees. "Who knows what else is in that place, but none of it is friendly to the town anymore I'd wager. If when we go back, we don't make it, then its best they know what's coming."
Ann gives him a look of Be More Upbeat, but doesn't disagree.
The party heads towards the Sleepless Detectives but as they are on their way to the Sleepless Detectives they see he translucent figure of an old hag in aristocrat clothing (though years out of date) with one eye replaced by a cat's pupil, and tentacles sticking out of many parts of her body.
"Another one?" - Garrosh snarls - "Winter, can you use magic to bolster my bow against this one? Like last time?"
Baldhart hands Hanako her viol.
It grows in Hanako’s hands. She immediately plays the viol.
Each creature within range receives a Will save (DC 10 + 1/2 the bard's level + the bard's Cha modifier) to negate the effect. If a creature's saving throw succeeds, the bard cannot attempt to fascinate that creature again for 24 hours. If its saving throw fails, the creature sits quietly and observes the performance for as long as the bard continues to maintain it. While fascinated, a target takes a –4 penalty on all skill checks made as reactions, such as Perception checks. Any potential threat to the target allows the target to make a new saving throw against the effect. Any obvious threat, such as someone drawing a weapon, casting a spell, or aiming a weapon at the target, automatically breaks the effect.
Fascinate is an enchantment (compulsion), mind-affecting ability. Fascinate relies on audible and visual components in order to function.
Garrosh notices it's the same old hag they met earlier.
"You play well."The translucently hag compliments Hanako. "But no, those parlour tricks don't work on me."
"Sorry, I didn't prepare a second casting of magic weapon today."Winter apologizes.
The hag floats across and tries to touch Piotr, but hits the wall instead.
"Let me try to banish it since Garrosh - you don't have a magic weapon, right?" Winter sends a blast of grey energy at the translucent hag to no effect."It doesn't work?" Winter seems shocked.
Hanako continues to play a soothing tune. She asks the ghost-woman, “What do you want?”
“Please. There is no point in fighting you day after day. Tell us what you want, and if you will not harm anyone, perhaps we can find a way to put you at peace.”
"Hey, stop that." Piotr does not want to be touched by the old hag, so dodges to the side, and then lashes out with his sword.
Ann yells at the witch from way in the back. "Leave my brother alone, decript old crone, he already has someone he likes!" leaving her brother slack-jawed and staring and missing his sword thurst by a mile.
"I want to be free. To walk down the streets with my love again."The translucent hag answers as she dodges out of the way of Piotr's sword stroke.
"Hey uh, are you still using that magic sword?" Kilarra asks in Hanako's general direction. In the meantime, she casts Protection from Evil on herself.
“Yes, but if she is willing to talk, why draw the sword? No harm has been done, and we know who her love is—he was at Fort Hailcourse.”
"And how do you know who my love is?"The translucent hag questions Hanako.
“I can only be certain of two things. One is that we met a ghost who spoke highly of a woman—a strong woman, whom he loves and longs to be reacquainted with on the other side.
“And the other is a name. I do not recall him mentioning his own name, but he did say hers.
“Nemira.” Hanako certainly hopes there is not a ghost love triangle! “Am I correct in my assumption that you are Nemira? If you are, please… let us not fight.”
These words are as much to the ghost as they are to her friends. Hanako believes she is getting through to the ghost… at least if the ghost is Nemira.
"Uh huh. Thrushmoor is full of ghosts, some more dangerous then others."The translucent hag seems almost bored. But as Hanako mentions the name Nemira, her demeanour changes immediately. "Clymes...a ghost?" She begins to sob. "How many years has it been since I've been sequestered from the world? How many years have I waited in vain...?" She gives a heartbroken cry.
“Oh, please do not be sad, Nemira. If we can find your body, it is my understanding that you can be reunited with Clymes in the afterlife. We have already performed the ritual on him.
“You wish to go to him, do you not?”
Hanako steps closer to the ghost. She is unarmed.
"Yes I do. He's the reason I've waited this long, and the second reason is that I don't have any way to kill myself." The translucent hag gives a bitter grimace. "My son purged the chamber well. I think he enjoys seeing me in torment."
Hanako turns to Winter. “Do you need any supplies for us to… you know?”
And to Nemira, “Do you know where your body is?”
"Sorry, I don't understand what you mean." Winter looks at Hanako puzzled. "Maybe we should talk about this later, though."
"Not very sure on on that since I have been incarcerated for so long I don't even know how long it was since I last saw the sun. And I see everything vaguely. Like sentients are in colours, everything else in shapes and shades of grey." The translucent hag replies.
Hanako says to Nemira, “You were not incarcerated in Fort Hailcourse. I believe your remains can be found on Iris Hill.
“We will go there soon, but we must prepare. In the meantime, what shall you do to put your mind at ease… and to prepare to meet your beloved Clymes?”
She has her viol in hand still, and so offers, “I could play for you some more—no magic tricks, I promise. Just music. Or you could tell us what you recall about your beloved, or any other story you would like us to listen to.”
Hanako waits to see what Nemira thinks of her offer. She wants to leave the hag in peace, but not get any innocents killed as a result.
Despite of its reduced usefulness, Garrosh keeps the bow taut and ready to fire. But he allows Hanako some space to try and find a peaceful solution - she is good at that.
Kilarra can't fight at all, but now she's just kind of watching the whole situation... dumbfounded.
"Urm... I'd like to look as pretty as the day I first met him, in that occult book store...but it's not possible now." The hag answers sadly. "The decades have taken its toll on me..not to mention the taint on my soul that I wilingly accepted for a chance to be free of my abusive husband so we could start a new life together. Rozenport, Magnimar, even the Shackles,I don't care. As long as we could be together..."
Hanako holds up her viol and says with confidence, “You will be.”
She performs for the hag if she would like. As promised, there is no magic. Hanako hopes the soothing music will ease her into giving info that will help all that are present (the hag and the party).
“You are becoming more beautiful now, as we speak, Nemira. I do not mean your appearance has changed, but in your ability to control yourself—which you are evidently able to do because of your love for Clymes. Please, tell all you are willing to—no, tell all that you want to. Whatever you did to taint your soul, Love is stronger. And in your present form, you of course know there is life beyond the grave, which means you will go to Clymes. Your abusive husband has not defeated your true love!” As passionate as she sounds, it is not lost on Hanako that Nemira met Clymes at an occult bookstore. “Oh, and do tell us about the bookstore in particular. Is it in town?”
Not wanting to betray the hag (or even appear to—as long as she’s peaceful, of course), Hanako will answer the question ‘why do you ask?’ if asked. She asks of the bookstore in part because she wonders if the key to resting Nemira’s soul (which Hanako honestly believes will reunite her with Clymes) can be found in the bookstore. It’s there or Iris Hill, she thinks.
"My abusive husband is dead. And my son was almost too gleeful to have Clymes framed for his death." The hag sounds rather sullen about it.
"And you don't have to pander me and sugar-coat things, I'm too old for this. I've got a tentacle sticking out of my waist, occult whispers in my head, and would be burnt as a witch if I stepped out into Thrushmoor."The hag answers abjectly.
"Clymes bookstore? I can lead you there!"The hag offers eagerly.
Hanako smiles awkwardly. “I assure you, the sugarcoating. as you put it, is… it is my habit.” She puts her violin away and says (as a warning to the hag), “Thank you, yes, please lead us to the bookstore.”
She takes the lack of violence as approval from the rest of the party.
The traluscent hag takes lead into an unsavory looking neighbourhood, with even the street thugs avoiding the party, or more likely,the translucent hag leading the party around. The party finds themselves looking at a boarded up, decrepit building. A skewed signed post, labelled,"Rare Collections" hangs off it's hinges. "There it is," The hag points to the building.Wait... wait, what's happened to this place?" Then, as if her concentration was broken, the translucent hag disappears as if she was never there.
Hanako is more than ready to do some research, as she’s not convinced the soul is rested… but she does ask, “Why did she fade like that? I mean, it comes as a relief she will do no harm. But am I correct we need to find her body to lay her to rest, Winter? And that you need to perform a ritual?” Hanako did not lie to Nemira, but she only knows of what Winter does from little factoids she has pieced together without fully understanding the ritual, and where the soul departs to, and how the Grey Lady’s judgment fits in.
To everyone else, “Thank you for standing by. I was not actually sure I could keep her calm, but I think she has some humanity left in her.”
"I don't think she's a ghost per se - why would she not be harmed by positive energy if that was the case?" Winter replies to Hanako. "As for fading out like that, I have no idea. If she isn't a ghost, I have no idea how she's walking out here."
"And since I don't know what exactly she is, I really should not comment on how I can lay her to rest. Perhaps I can consult with Priestess Trillis in New Chapel about that."
“Positive energy does not… oh! Good thing we did not fight then. It would have been both embarrassing and painful for me if I hit her with my wand.” Grabbing a fistful of bloody clothing, Hanako adds, “Oh, but speaking of embarrassing and painful, would you mind giving us a burst of positive energy now?
“I can clean the bloodstains after you heal our wounds.”
Hanako will play her viol to clean via Prestidigitation magic. She will gladly look into the store to see what can help Nemira. She still has one casting of Ears of the City as well, if she needs to research magically. And Winter has her contact…
"Waiting is fine" Ann assures Hanako "Killing ghosts for no reason is unreasonable at best." listening to Winter "It feels like she was purposely trapped and warped, unlike her love who died and couldn't move on."
She is also vastly disappointed that the bookstore is no longer. "I'll take a peek." and then slips in through the walls to see if any books are left on the shelves.
Winter agrees and uses a blast of positive energy to heal the party.
Ann slips through the walls to see a rotting counter with shelves filled with books on questionably politically correct matters(considering it's Thrushmoor), such as titles of "A guide to Necromancy,""Distant Worlds", "Thaumaturgy 101","Herbs to Harm, Herbs to Heal"
The books are old with yellowed pages.
There are also a couple of vials of various coloured liquids that Ann sees under the counter and also a door leading further in.
"Killing ghosts because ghosts are ghosts is reasonable." Kilarra disagrees. "Except Ann, because she's like some sort of positive energy ghost. Maybe the old bag is also a positive energy ghost?"
Ann's head pushes through the wall "The Books Are Still HERE!" her face is lit up with glee. "Come IN!" then she disappears again. In the room she is looking over the titles, humming a light little song, that happens to be one of Hanako's.
Piotr looks at the others for a moment, not loving the idea of pulling open the boarded up door "I doubt she is coming out on her own so..." he looks for the best way to break in.
Hanako checks the door for traps.
From atop her shoulder, Baldhart might have sensed Hanako is still rather jittery from her success with the hag. That or helping Hanako look at doorknobs is simply the warrior-fairy’s duty and/or habit.
"This is probably still breaking and entering my friends..." - Garrosh points out.
"Well the thing is... the government is kind of not a thing." Kilarra argues, never having any love for government. "And it's not like this place is feeding people, and we're here to rescue ghosts... good ghosts, well positive energy ghosts. What I mean is we're not stealing."
If trapfinding is dealt with, Kilarra will help deal with the boards. "I need a crowbar." She grumbles.
"We are entering a locked and barred house which does not belong to us" - Garrosh shrugs - "You can paint it any way you prefer Kilarra, but it is breaking and entering" - he adds, assisting the tiefling.
"By that logic, we're murderers too." Kilarra quips
“True,” Hanako chimes in, “This is the least serious crime we have committed all day.”
To her fairy, “Baldy, smash.”
Baldhart leaps off of Hanako’s shoulder and, in mid-flight, grows from six inches to six feet!
“G-G-GRR-R-R-RMMM-M-M-MMMRRG-G!!!”
She flies full speed into the door, using a different shoulder than last time!