Etgar takes a step back and carries the disgusting little beast with him. Trusting in his friends to get rid of it he lashes out instead at the Stirge near Don.
Agni splatters the blue stirge. Etgar wounds the yellow one.
Round 2
Agnimitra 18/26 Donovan 24/24-27 Etgar 19/19-22 Niu 16/16
Red and yellow continue feeding on Don and Etgar. They each take another -1 to Con. Go ahead and give me fort checks for the possible disease.
red, yellow
Niu, Don Agni, Etgar ✔
Niu stabs at yellow again.
Niu kills yellow.
Donovan steps over to smash the last of the critters.
And he does just that. End initiative.
Agnimitra 18/26 Donovan 21/21-27 Etgar 16/16-22 Niu 16/16
You hear an unexpected voice. It is coming from the large portrait at the top of the stairs and the image is moving as it speaks.
"Well, well. Things aren’t as hopeless as I’d feared, then! Welcome to Nine-Eaves. The master of the manor, Kishokish, has been betrayed and captured. While I bear his appearance, I am little more than a host for his little parties and puzzles. Sahkils, wicked creatures that prey upon torment and fear, have invaded Nine-Eaves. Will you help?”
"What variety of sahkil are we dealing with? While we are interested in helping, many of these creatures are more powerful than we are."
“Oh, if only I could say directly. I am bound by my master’s affinity for games and puzzles; until you can solve certain puzzles, I am unable to divulge any information directly. I can answer general questions about myself and the house—so long as they reveal no vital information with regard to solving any of my master’s puzzles. This is frustrating for me. Shall we begin?”
"Where in this structure is Kishokish imprisoned?
Will you be able to provide us aid or healing in dealing with these sakhils?
Do you have the ability to call off the monsters that appear to be guarding this structure, like those stirges we just fought?"
"The stirges came with the sakhils. I am unable to perform healing. The structure has been taken and Kishokish is their prisoner. If I could call them off, I would have already. The puzzles I am bound by will give you the information you need to free him."
"Of course, it is as I expected." Niu sighs and looks around at the others as his shoulders slump. "This situation is very disheartening. Can you tell us how long ago these sakhil arrived?"
"I have no time keeping device within this portrait. It seems like it has not been that long. It is just a matter of time before these creatures grow tired of torturing him and kill him. Can we begin with these necessary puzzles? I am quite concerned for Kishokish and as a fragment of his consciousness made for a specific purpose, I am restrained within his puzzle guidelines."
Kishokish’s image waves its hand, causing an image to appear. “There are two tasks here: first, tell me the proper order of these images, and second, draw for me the image that would follow next. If you need a hint, I can give you hints.”
Agnimitra is finding herself a little bit amused by the portrait (or perhaps it is just Niu's frustration).
"I know this one," she blurts out. "They're just numbers!"
After that, she draws the number 5, joined by a reversed 5, which kind of looks like a small table on curved legs.
“Excellent deduction! First, vital information: Every shoki carries a staff that can contain a single soul within it. The leader of the sahkils—a grasshopper-headed monstrosity named Vithiz—trapped Kishokish’s soul within his own staff! You must—ngh! That’s all I can say before you complete another puzzle.” ‘There is a chalkboard hanging in the garden with several numbers etched on it. Circle any six digits that add up to 23.”
"The garden," Agni asks, looking around. "What garden?"
"The greenhouse. It is due west and attached to the manor on the ground level. It can be accessed from the outside or inside."
Don shakes his head a bit and moved to the door to the west opening it if not stopped.
You and Etgar have -2 con damage. Also need a fort from Don. Stirges carry diseases.
Agnimitra 18/26 Donovan 21/21-27 Etgar 16/16-22 Niu 16/16
"Good work, Agnimitra. But, I'm sure the puzzles will get much harder.
Well, let's be about it. This next task seems deceptively easy as well."
Niu follows Donovan down the stairs and waits for the door to the western wing of the lower level to be opened and discharge whatever monstrosity awaits them next.
Niu shares his knowledge of Sahkils with you as you move to your destination.
Sahkils are former psychopomps who rebel against their role as soul shepherds for the River of Souls. Their knowledge of multiversal entropy drives them away from their service to reform themselves into dominating horrors of the Ethereal Plane. Sahkils most often take on forms of mortal fears and are designed to induce the fear that they embody. There are many types of sahkil, some more powerful than others, and the greater sahkils' forms take increasingly incomprehensible shapes.
"I guess that means that we're going through here,"Agni says, points to the western door at the bottom of the stairs.
Listening to Niu's information, she adds, "As long as they are trying to disease us, or pull something out of us, I think I can handle it." She gives a bit of a playful smile, her fiery hair seeming to dance a bit under it's own power.
Despite her outward attitude, she keeps an eye open for any more surprises.
Etgar moves down the stairs and also checks the door, looking specifically to make sure no traps await upon activation of said door.
Etgar does not locate any traps on the door.
This large parlor has several padded chairs and an enormous sofa with upholstery so dark that it is barely visible in the dim room. A delicate wooden table with a distinct inlaid pattern bears a full decanter. Sliding doors lead out to the west, north, and east. The table has an inlaid board for a popular strategy game called imperial conquest. Faint sounds of harp music emanate from beyond the door to the north.
"He said that the garden could be accessed from outside, so head that way?" Agni asks, pointing across the room to the western doors.
Donovan moves through the room, he gets to the door and waits for Etgar.
Etgar moves to the next door and looks it over for traps as well.
If he sees none, he opens it.
Grimy glass comprises the walls and ceiling of this large greenhouse, barely admitting the dim moonlight. Benches filled with live potted plants line the sides of the room; bags of soil and gardening equipment are stashed underneath. Some of the bags are open, spilling dirt across the greenhouse floor. Strange tracks, as if left by a large earthworm, crisscross the dirt. A sturdy iron-framed glass door leads out of this room to the west, while a sliding double door leads out to the east. A small slate chalkboard hangs on a peg near the sliding door, with a piece of chalk tied to the frame.
Niu, not wanting to be left alone, sticks close to Etgar, but his eyes dart around to make sure nothing sneaks up from behind.
As Etgar points out the tracks, Niu frowns. "From our experiences so far, we can be certain those tracks were not left by simple worms."
Looking around for signs of something hiding, he adds.
"Careful now. Let's get closer to that chalkboard."
Agni makes her way into the Greenhouse, weapon and shield ready, though she is looking a little happier than before, since she solved that riddle. She is still staying aware of potential dangers.
You see nothing out of the ordinary except for those strange tracks.
Don readies himself and follows Agni.
Etgar walks over to the chalkboard, looking around it for some sort of rigged trap, since therer had to be something...
If he makes it that far, he looks about the room, a bit confused. Hello?
The chalkboard is not trapped. It is beside the door, so Etgar does not have to move that far into the greenhouse.
Etgar takes a look - what numbers are etched into it?
Niu looks at the board for a moment, quirking an eyebrow. "Seems too simple, doesn't it?"
Picking up the chalk, he quickly circles a 7, a 5, 3 3's, and a 1.
Once Agni sees what Niu is doing, she stops him before he circles the 1.
"No! 23, not 22."
Getting frustrated with what she sees, Agni looks around the room more closely, looking for any sign of other numbers. Maybe on the back of the chalkboard?
If she still can't find anything, she huffs back over to the paint and says, "Okay. What's the catch? We obviously can't solve the riddle with only the numbers on the chalkboard."
The portrait smiles at Agni. "77 is a single number,even though it has two digits."
Agni smiles, then makes her way back to the board.
Starting over, she circles 3, 3, 5, 1, 11.
"Excellent!" The portrait chuckles.
“Vithiz lurks in the ballroom, but the magic of Nine-Eaves protects it there. The sahkil carries Kishokish’s staff. You could slay it to free Kishokish, but the sahkil is powerful, and there is another way: if you can wrest Kishokish’s staff from Vithiz and touch the sahkil with the staff, Vithiz and Kishokish will swap places—imprisoning it within the staff and freeing the rightful master of Nine-Eaves. My master’s glove in his bedroom will help you with that task! But the ballroom is magically sealed and the key is—ugh, not again! I’m sorry. I can’t say more yet.”
"All right, this last puzzle is very straightforward. Only one key will open the door to the ballroom. Among the keys hidden in the master’s desk, find the one that completes this home. The master's chamber is in the northwest corner on the third floor.”
Satisfied with herself, if somewhat annoyed at the constant puzzles, Agni moves for the stairs again. "Let's go, guys. Can't keep the Master of the house waiting."
Niu still expects bad things to happen, but follows Agnimitra willingly enough.
Completes this home? Maybe that will make sense once we see the keys.
Donovan seems lost in thought, "Wait... Oh, yes that is 23" by that time the numbers have been circled and the others are leaving the room, he turns to clunk after them making it two steps before turning back to git the hammer he set down to free his fingers for counting.
"Wait up."
"The door to your east leads to the ballroom. A drawing room is through the door to your west."