"I'm getting my sister" the former law officer grumbles, as he helps. Ann ignores the banter on the other side of the wall and reads happily.
Hanako and Baldhart do not think the door is trapped and Kilarra and Garrosh do not have much luck on the door, but a 6 foot Baldhart busts the door open!
The party is greeted by 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, and Ann is pouring over the book labelled "Distant Worlds"
Which really isn't good for her. The book describes the darkness between the stars, a place known as the Dark Tapestry or the Dominion of the Black populated by truly ancient beings of a vast, alien intelligence that mortals investigate at their own peril. These beings pre-date not only the world of Golarion but also its more human-like gods and are known as Great Old Ones. Those who follow them and draw magical power from their worship, but Great Old Ones usually have agendas of their own in granting mortals power.
There are also a couple of vials of various coloured liquids (one red, one blue, one green and one black). Garrosh also spots silver spider shaped brooch scarf pin, with the back of it written "For Nemira, my love
Piotr identifies the red vial as a potion of Cure moderate wounds, the Blue vial as a potion of fox's cunning, the green vial as a potion of cat's grace but cannot identify the black vial.
Ann is really good a doing things that isn't really good for her, so reads on. "I'm taking this one with me. Light night time reading.
Look at the others to see if any of them are good."
Piotr looks at his sister and makes the comment "We're thieves now?"
While her nose is still buried in the book she answers "Dear brother, we've been breaking into places, killing whatever creatures that had the gall to defending their homes, and looting their possessions. Ever since we woke up in those cells."
The raven haired ghost looks up then to flash him one of her smiles. "That's just what being an adventurer is. And at least we didn't have to kill anyone this time."
Piotr scowled back, making her huff a bit and stop teasing him "Look around. At rot, the layers of dust, and the condition of these books. No one wants this stuff. So if it helps us find out what has happened to our heads, we should use them."
Hanako says, “I would like to carry Nemira’s belongings—for no other reason than to give them to her next time she appears.
“I fear she will forget our peaceful encounter, but surely seeing Clymes’ gifts will rest her soul… assuming she is not at rest already.”
To Winter, she asks, “Or must we bring these to her dead body? I am not sure I entirely understand this existence between life and death.”
"I don't think she's even dead even." Winter furrows her eyebrows. "If she was like Ann, it would mean someone needed to be near by to prevent the connection from breaking, which there was none, as she brought us to this place." Winter adds. "And she indicated she wasn't dead. Though sometimes you need to take what ghosts say with a pinch of salt because of their desire to remain on Golarion."
Garrosh steps up closer to the back door, listening for a few moments.
Hanako is happy to lend an ear… and a nose!
Garrosh thinks that the door is not locked nor trapped while Hanako doesn't hear anything from behind the door. Hanako smells the scent of ozone on the door though...as if it was charged with electricity.
Hanako changes back to her “natural form” (human guise), and says with just a hint of urgency, “This door smells of lightning. Do any of you know how to disarm traps?”
To Ann, “I do not know if it can be opened safely from the other side. My little fox nose can only tell me so much.”
"Traps... yes. They trained a bit in counter-thieving." Piotr admitted. Ann joined in from her book "I trained in 'counter-thieving' as well" though she smirked when she said it. Then they both added at the same time "But not magical traps."
Finally putting down the book, she sighs "I can look at the other side, one moment." then she slips through a wall (not the door) to see.
Ann sees a completely dark chamber with a religious altar depicting a a tall, lean man of dead black colouration but without the slightest sign of negroid features: wholly devoid of either hair or beard, with eeiee white eyes that seem to be staring at Ann's very soul, wearing as his only garment a shapeless robe of some heavy black fabric.
To the side of the room is a bare pallet, dusty and mouldy from disuse, next to it are two foot lockers and a cupboard filled with a number of black and red robes. There is also an old writing desk with drawers next to the chest of drawers and another door leading to the wash closet.
Ann sees the door can be opened from the other side but has no idea if it will trigger the trap or not.
Kilarra slowly approaches the door, but doesn't do anything until Ann returns.
Ann comes back out. "It's a bedroom with a rather interesting altar. I looked through some of the unlocked storage and there are a bunch of robe, none yellow though. Black and red. I can open the door from this side, and hope it won't trigger the trap." she gives Kilarra a wave"Step back just in case."
Piotr doesn't like it but doesn't have another idea, unless the wall looks flimsy enough they can hack through.
Once everyone is back, she'll try the door from the inside.
Kilarra steps back
As Ann opens the door, a red arc of lightning strikes at her but she is able to get partially out of the way.
The party sees a completely dark chamber with a religious altar depicting a a tall, lean man of dead black colouration but without the slightest sign of negroid features: wholly devoid of either hair or beard, with eerie white eyes that seem to be staring at Ann's very soul, wearing as his only garment a shapeless robe of some heavy black fabric.
To the side of the room is a bare pallet, dusty and mouldy from disuse, next to it are two foot lockers and a cupboard filled with a number of black and red robes. There is also an old writing desk with drawers next to the chest of drawers and another door leading to the wash closet.
No one has any idea which religion this altar depicts. In one of the footlockers are several volumes of Occult books,"Azathoth and Other Horrors, The Black Rites, Invocations to Dragon, Liber Damnatus" Each book could be worth 1,000 go if sold to a collector. In the other locker is a pair of obsidian bracers which Piotr identified as bracers of armor +1 and a black cloak which Piotr recognizes as a cloak of resistance. There is also Clymes notebook on Eldritch abdominations.
"There was clearly something more afoot in this place..." - Garrosh looks around at his companions - "Not only the trading of books"
He moves over to take a second look at the altar, as well as the pallet - his eyes gleam with divine energy.
Ann is busy looking through the books "A well-studied cultist? Corrected or not to the yellow ones, I wonder. If not, this area is a cult hotbed." she flips a few pages of Liber Damnatus "We should ask Nemira, next time we see her. With her pin being here, maybe she knew the proprietor."
Piotr is frowning at the altar. "We should ask the detectives to give this a look. See if they recognize it." Piotr is about to ask if there is any magic coming off of it but remembers his still unfamiliar powers. He concentrates with a furrowed brow and unnecessary hand on the side of his head.
"I was thinking we destroy the statue. Maybe after a detective looks it over?"
The altar does not detect as magical. The pallet doesn't have anything under it.
Baldhart moves around the room, not touching anything, but sensing any evil presence if there is one.
The altar detects as strong evil presence.
Hanako sees Baldhart is glowing bright red.
“Oh, I should point out that I had asked Baldhart to only make her skin glow red like that when she detects evil. The evil in this altar must be quite strong, or her glow would not be so bright.”
Baldhart is not sure what to do with an evil altar. She draws her sword, then points it at the altar. “GR-rRrRmMMG?” she asks.
"I agree with Kilarra - let us bring the detectives here, and then we can destroy it, if we find no better alternative"
Garrosh has no idea considering that he doesn't even know who the altar is concecrated to.
The party returns to the Sleepless Detectives, but finds that Cesadia is out meeting a client, and Shevan doesn't want to leave the Sleepless building, for fear of "leaving the fort unmanned".
"We could man it, I mean one or two of us. We just found a really weird altar... then again I guess it's been sitting for awhile so waiting til the morning wouldn't be the worst." Piotr tries to explain the need and then talks himself out of it being a need.
Turning to the others "So... dinner?"
Hanako nods. “We should eat and rest well. There is much to do on Iris Hill.
“We may want to take watches during the night, too, in case there is retaliation. We were not exactly subtle at Iris Hill.”
She says to the detective. “Not for lack of trying. I think they knew captivity meant you would get them to talk. I cannot understand how the more intelligent and sociable ones could be so fanatic.”
" I'll take my leave now," Winter takes the cue from the party not doing anything else important today. "I'll ask Priestess Trillis about the altar, but I suspect it's nothing good. Ustalav in general is full of horrors." Winter tells the party as she leaves for New Chapel.
Later in the afternoon, Shevan passes a note to Hanako, curtly saying "Some street urchin asked me to pass it to you."
Dear Hanako,
Ms Cesadia has arranged for us boat passage to Oppara tomorrow morning. Would you like to come over tonight to New Chapel so we can have dinner together one last time?
-Maeve
“Note! Yay!”
After reading (and looking like she is about to get emotional), Hanako neatly folds the note. “It is Maeve. She leaves tomorrow and wants me to join her for dinner.
“But first.”
Hanako hums her Prestidigitation tune so everyone is clean. She then says to Baldhart, “Wait until Maeve sees how big and strong you are! Ah! You can pick me up and fly me over in case there are weirdos on the street.”
Hanako becomes a fox and leaps into Baldhart’s strong arms.
(She will point the way with her tail if Baldy seems lost.)
Baldhart growls piteously in confusion. She heads out the door hoping the only weirdo on the street will be the winged woman carrying a fox who is a person.
As Baldhart and Hanako take to the skies,Baldhart spots something that shouldn't exist above trying to hide in a low lying cloud. It is a winged creature combining the features of a carrion bird, an ant, a bat, and a decomposing human in a most hideous manner.
Dinner of potato and pork stew, cabbage rolls, roasted eggplant salad and an apple cake is bought back by Shevan from a nearby Inn, the Stein.
"Hey!" Piotr stops the fox before she flies off "Um... tell her be safe and all, and if she ever needs anything, find us." Ann looks up from her book, first at her brother and then at Hanako and nods her agreement.
“We cannot let that creature attack Maeve’s boat! Let us handle it!”
Hanako draws her bow.
Baldhart holds Hanako firmly in her arms and makes it her goal to keep distance from the creature—if she can fly fast with a giant goddess in her arms, albeit a dainty one.
Baldhart struggles to even keep in the air as Hanako shifts back to her humanoid form. It's evident that despite her vailant efforts, all she can do is slow their fall.
The creature swoops in to attack.
It then latches onto Hanako with it's hooked beak, drinking her blood with relish.
Hanako zips away and looses an arrow.
If Garrosh is made aware Shevan would be going out to get them dinner, he would insist on accompanying him and paying for the meal for all of them - "Thank you again for the hospitality" - he nodded.
"I am not sure if I am happy with Hanako and Baldhart frolicking around on their own..." - he commented to those present - "Even worse if they are flying around" - the half-orc shook his head, serving himself another bowl of stew with cabbage rolls.
The creature continues to grab Hanako and drain her blood, despite Baldhart slicing into it.
Hanako struggles some more.
She steps back, if her escape is successful.
Piotr looks over the steaming bowl of whatever was brought back intently and quite happily. "Hanako is Hanako, she'll do her own thing." he shrugs.
Ann is busy with reading, but adds "The more we look, the more I think this town shouldn't have nearly the number of prejudices they seem to be holding on to."
As Baldhart provides a timely distraction by slashing the monster's shoulder, Hanako manages to wiggle free and steps back.
The creature closes in with Hanako.
As Hanako collapses on the ground,the creature turns to Baldhart.
Shevan accepts Garrosh's help with carrying food over from the inn, but refuses his offer for payment, since his boss Cesadia said that whatever the party needs is to be provided by the Sleepless Detectives.
SCENARIO 1: (7 HP)
Hanako tumbles and becomes a fox! She clings to Baldy for dear life!
SCENARIO 2: (0 HP)
Hanako steps back 5ft and heals herself.
SCENARIO 3: (-4 HP)
Baldy withdraws (120 ft) with fox Hanako clinging to her!
SCENARIO 2: (17 HP / Hanako healed herself)
Baldy 5ft-steps between Hanako and monster. Full defense.
SCENARIO 3: (10 HP / Hanako is down!)