The Pathfinders escort Tavvar back to the Grand Lodge to meet with Gorm Greathammer who welcomes them into his office.
"You have the text? Ah, I see. You have a copy, the original, and the young lady herself. Well, that's a little more than I asked for but I am sure she has some wonderful tales to share. Yes, yes, we can see her situated and have Sorrina Westyr, our Master of Spells make arrangements for her education."
The team then rests up and replenishes their supplies before heading to Westgate.
The team receives a message from Fola Barun reminding them of the salve she provided and that this costly item must only be used to revive the wronged Pathfinder. She also includes a sketch of the statue they are to look for. slide 9
As the team asks around they find out a variety of information.
The group meets at their appointed place and time to exchange information before setting out to Statue Street with the salve in hand.
For several blocks, the quiet lanes of Westgate’s residential neighbourhoods feature small houses, low-key cafes and taverns, and the occasional specialty shop. The fragrant scent of tended flower gardens in the warm sunlight blends with the low hum of distant conversation over what would normally be a pleasant boulevard. But the stone statues—at first appearing only here and there, like odd decorations—now number several per block, and the otherwise plain square ahead is outright cluttered with stone figures. They take countless forms, from humans and halflings to orcs, lizardfolk, and even stranger, all forever frozen in acts of desperation, defiance, or despair. The quaint, statue-filled square is also filled with people; several dozen townsfolk shout and argue, their voices somehow out of place among the silent statues.
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"Yes, I was expecting the same. One of my fellow transcribers hails from this neighborhood, and according to them, there are a few agitators in the crowd, in particular: a smith, an acolyte, and...well, a drunken sot. I've purchased a bottle of Brandy in case he can simply be bribed, if we need to."
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Jayson walks up to the Smith. "Good morning, sir! Fine mornin', isn't it? Say, could you help me?" He unbuckles his shield from his back and hands it to the man. "I've been tryin' to get this dent out of this thing, but I ain't got a proper anvil, nor forge. Say, I can help if we go to your smithy. I'm not so bad with a hammer. Where's your forge again?" Jayson cups his ears as the man answers. "Sorry, sir, I can't hear ya. Could you maybe get these folks to settle down and go home? I'm lookin' to set up a repairin' account, and mebbe jaw about blacksmithin' for a while, but I can't hear myself think with this noise!" he says, speaking extra loudly for effect.
Sara and Razpen team up on the drunk who is hooked immediately his attention fixed on what they are saying and completely ignoring the "cause" he was defending moments before.
"Cheap drinks you say? Giving 'em away, they are? I need to go check that out. There may be some code violations going on. 'Scuse me!" He pushes past the Pathfinders as he goes in search of the offending establishment.
Jayson, meanwhile, engages the smith and pulls their focus to his commercial concerns. He turns to the crowd and in his booming voice strongly suggests, "Quiet down, folk. These people may have something to say that is worth listening to."
Saturday speaks with the Acolyte, trying to engage him in a philosophical debate about the issue.
He succeeds and the man turns to the crowd and suggests that they all look to their own deities for guidance and that the freeing of an innocent should not be stopped.
With all of the leaders either absent or attempting to calm the crowd, the people begin to disperse.
As the crowd breaks up, there is a deep chanting and a slight pop as if something has been summoned from another plane. This is followed immediately by the sounds of screaming and running feet as those who were slower than their neighbours to move off now flee the scene. This includes the smith and acolyte, no longer interested in their respective discussions.
The Pathfinders see two tiny creatures flying toward them.
The Pathfinders begin to act quickly in response to the new threat with Jayson striding up and slicing at the nearest creature.
Sara demonstrates the Society's promotion of teamwork and cooperation, allowing Saturday to deliver a particularly effective, almost critical blow to the nearest creature, leaving it severely wounded.
Razpen wracks his brain trying to remember what these creatures are.
He then shoots a burst of electricity that drops the nearest one with a full jolt and adds to the other one's injuries though it manages to dodge the worst of it.
The remaining creature attacks Jayson, biting at him twice. The first one is close enough that Jayson feels the brush against his face, the second misses as the creature is already moving cautiously away.
Sara tries to recall anything about these creatures and readies to attack it.
Jayson steps forward and obliterates it, while Saturday moves in with the same intent but finds he is a fraction too late.
The Pathfinders look around and find the square deserted except for the ever-present "statues".
The square seems quiet now. The culprit responsible for the appearance of the cacodaemons is long gone, too cowardly to face the Pathfinders themselves.
The team have no trouble locating the petrified Pathfinder they have come to revive. One of them applies the salve and they all watch with amazement as the statue slowly reverts to a living person.
Once restored to life, the Pathfinder expresses her extreme gratitude to the team and digs in her pockets, offering a small gold idol of Acavna in additional thanks.
She accompanies the team back to the Grand Lodge to meet with Fola Barun and listens and the new Pathfinders report in.
After all the formalities are complete, the team have a chance to rest and recover, replenish their supplies, and prepare for their next assignment.
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Immediately after the battle, Jason gently pokes one of the carcasses with his sword. "Shame we had to kill 'em. Had to protect the citizens, though. They were kinda cute."
After Sara informs them of the creatures identity, "Demons!" He takes a couple of steps back and looks sheepishly at his companions, "Er, forget about me callin' em cute. Too bad we don't have more salve. How'd ya like to tussle with that big fella, eh, Mister Saturday?" Jayson grins and points to the large snake-like creature with his sword before carefully cleaning and sheathing it.
Later at the Lodge, "Haunted house or critter hunt. Which do you folks fancy? I'm good with either." He gulps, thinking about the shadows in the library, then jerks his head back and forht as if to shake the memory lose, and looks at his friends, resolute.
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The Liberator admires the small statue of the goddess he had never seen before, curious what all there was to this woman who had an effigy of gold made in her honor.
”Nah, they’re still cute. Just evil. And deadly. Maybe.” Saturday comments when looking over what remained of the daemons.
When Jayson started ribbing him about fighting the giant monster he just smiles. ”I’ll stick with what I know if I can help it. Besides, it’s probably enjoying its nap.”
”I’m biased, this supposed haunted house has my interests.” he tells them when back at the lodge.
Diplomacy for Gather Information
Saturday is ready to test his mettle by staying the night in a haunted house and convinces the rest of the team that they should do so sooner rather than later.
They head out to gather what information they can about the Mavedarus estate, the mansion that Calisro Benarry all but dared them to inhabit for an entire night.
Gathering their courage and their supplies the team head into the Puddles District where it is easy enough to find their intended destination.
This old home might have once commanded the respect and envy of its neighbours, but the remaining story is cracked and crumbling. Whatever upper stories it might have once had have long collapsed, scattering stone and debris across gardens grown wild and weedy. Two curving staircases lead to a broad veranda bereft of its railings.
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Sara will relay everything under her spoiler to her companions.
Seeing the shadowy, ominous ruin in front of them, she tsks and says, "Hmm, it's not much use to me, of course, but I expect you could use some Light, eh Mr. Saturday?" and she offers to cast the Cantrip on whichever of Saturday's belongings he proffers.
The team split into pairs and explore each stairway up.
Two openings that might have once been doors lead into the faint remnants of a solarium, while two more doors lead further into the creaking house itself. A whiff of rot and decay seeps from the structure.
Looking through what was clearly at one time the main doors, the team see that the tiled floor, ornate columns, and sweeping staircases of this once-grant hall evoke a distinctly Taldan aesthetic, though the finery has suffered greatly over the past years. The marble floor tiles are cracked and filthy, and the statuary lining the walls has been smashed. None of the three staircases climbs beyond head level before ending abruptly, debris from their fallen upper reaches scattered across the floor.
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”Huh, I heard they were devil worshippers. Guess rumors are just mixing every evil thing they can together.” Saturday mentions when they meet back up at the house.
When Sara offers to light something of his he stows the torch he was about to bring out and instead holds out one of his hatchets for her to bless.
Keeping his other hatchet at the ready he moves with the lit one up.
Before Sara steps forward, Jayson reaches out to stop her. His senses have detected something, perhaps this place really is haunted.
Sara and Saturday confer together and once alerted to the danger realise they can hear a scrabbling sound under the floor of the main room. But this is not the usual sound of rats, it is something much more sinister.
The work together, calling on Sarenrae and Arazni to help settle the spirits. They succeed at their task but realise this is just a temporary fix, these spirits will become restless again within hours. The only way to truly bring them release is to discover what happened here and ensure it is made public.
As they proceed, the Pathfinders note that there are almost no intact doors, it is easy to see through most rooms, mould and debris is present everywhere though there is an underlying hint wealth and decadence.
The doorway to the right reveals the furniture in this once-fine dining room was crushed by the debris falling from the floors above. What remains is sodden and mostly unidentifiable.
They pass ahead to the far room. A large, long-cold fireplace stands in the east wall of this expansive parlour, but the furnishings are all rotted. A dank stench of mould lingers in the air. The ceiling overhead has collapsed, leaving the room open to the sky. The floor in the room’s southern end has followed suit, leaving a gaping hole into darkness.
While Sara concentrates on her magic awareness the others all realise that the floor in this room looks more stable than it is.
Even the boards that look solid near the obvious hole are ready to collapse with any pressure. There are some stronger boards around they could try to use to craft a stable platform to investigate the collapsed area, or they could move on, having determined there is nothing else of particular interest in this room.