The group collectively tries to drain the remaining water whether by force or use of tools but ultimately fails to make further progress. Arlo senses that the spirit is quite strong and is unable to get rid of it so easily.
The water in the tub swirls to form a ghastly version of Drizzic's head which then slams into the water face first. Drizzic immediately feels like he's being cut off from air as well.
The room continues to be somewhat chaotic for a few moments as the group tries to drain the water. Drizzic and Navarre struggle to find their breath but Arlo manages to exorcise the spirit to the tune of vigorous drums. The water stops swirling and the ghastly version of Drizzic's head dissipates into nothingness. The remaining water suddenly begins to boil and within a few seconds all of the water has evaporated. With the spirit and water removed, Drizzic and Navarre regain their breath.
Looking around the room, there is a very obvious corpse that Muzzo has been standing over. The corpse lies crumpled in the center of the room, clutching a razor in her hand.
Meanwhile in the hall, Nordvick, Dehliana, and Selik remain close by but only Selik is brave enough to peek his head in.
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"Ummm...Muzzo no do that one! No bite marks, see?" The goblin held up one of the woman's arms, then let it drop with a wet splack!
"Maybe Drizzic right. She drowned here? Work here,maybe? Barkeep know!"
And before anyone else could speak up, Muzzo ran to go get the bartender and drag him back into the bathroom.
Nordvick gets dragged into the room, sweating profusely, "What happened to the housekeeper?!" he yells.
Dehliana pokes her head in and asks "Do you mean what did YOU do to the housekeeper? I saw you arguing with her just before dinner!"
Nordvick doesn't deny this and stammers a response, "But--but I wouldn't kill her!"
Selik remains calm and level-headed standing outside of the room, whereas Annavinia is out of sight.
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Xun stops the drumming, he takes a step forwards.
"She is dressed, so it did not happen while taking a bath. She held a razor so it would seem that she wanted to defend herself."
Turning to Drizzic
"Beside drowning, did you saw anything else? Bruises, broken bones?"
"So Nordvick, over what were you arguing? And where did it happen?"
Nordvick stumbles together a response, pausing occasionally to find the words, "She was picking a fight... because says pay no good here anymore... I told 'er she just had a raise... but she went ballistic. But that doesn't mean I killed her!"
Navarre believes that Nordvick is telling the truth, but Navarre recognizes Nordvick's body language---darting eyes and refuses to look anyone in the eyes directly-- seems to suggest he's wracked with guilt.
"No, No, I didn't kill her! Don't know who did!" Nordvick replies with seemingly have nothing new to offer
Selik steps into the room, "I'm not sure we have Annavinia with us any longer. She's not in the hall."
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"Annavinia is gone? We told everyone to stick together! If she encounters more snakes all on her own, she's done for!"
Arlo walks out to the hallway looking for Annavinia and calls her name out loud. "Anna! Please come back, or you might get jumped by more ghosts!"
He passes the tracks he found earlier and remembers making a note of them. He calls back, "Hey guys, there's some weird tracks on the ground here, can anyone of you figure out what made them?"
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"My...a head of mine was slammed face first into the water. So I don't think she did it to herself." Drizzic says as the others start to intimidate the keeper, he then loads a vial into his crossbow just in case they run into trouble.
He sighs when it is brought up that Annavinia is gone.
"No one ever listens to a goblin. Even though we are experts at getting lost and getting into trouble. No one go chasing her just yet...we need a plan and to move together." Drizzic says.
Dehliana speaks, "Well, she was last seen in the hall when that door slammed shut. Everyone ran into the room, we followed close behind, but...I don't know where she went."
Silence follows Arlo's call for Annavinia, though when he heads to the pantry he is able to study the tracks he spotted earlier. The tracks were made on the flour near a torn sack of flour and after studying them closely Arlo is positive these are tracks of an imp.
"Ha! I've seen worse than this in the Sarkoris Scar. Just a bit of a mystery this time!" Selik says with a smile.
Drizzik tries the keys on the iron door but it remains locked. Nordvick speaks up, "Housekeeper just had keys to living quarters but not to the cellar. Haven't seen that key in a while..." he says nervously looking at Muzzo and Navarre.
Dehliana scoffs, "Oh, very convenient"
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Xun notice Eithrim look. The eyes of a Zealot wishing to uncover the truth, the thing that makes Hellknights get their reputation. The certainty that if they are onto something they will not hesitate or slow down before they get it.
Xun with one hand began to beat on the drum. He was murmuring a song telling about a man who killed an innocent woman. Who was chased down by the guards, hanged, and then cut into pieces, his belongings passed to the family of the victim?
"Fine, fine!! The key...It's in my room!!" Norvdick says exasperatedly to the hellknight and the half-orc bard. Turning to Arlo, "Yes, I've seen the Imp!" He then breaks down and begins telling a tale of him as a crusader fleeing the Worldwound, "We were attacked by giant spiders...my whole party...was..killed. I barely made it out and stumbled upon this trading post. The imp...he was here...and spared my life. In exchange I had to lure travelers to him...HE'S the killer, not me! Never killed no one..."
Dehliana chimes in, "Sure sounds like a killer to me!"
Anjo picks up the trail but it suddenly disappears after heading into the hall though seems to have been heading towards the stairs.
Suddenly breaking glass is heard from the remaining room on the first floor.
"Where is your room Norvdick?" asks Xun quickly. He turns around nervously hearing the glass breaking.
"Up..Upstairs!" Nordvick mutters.
""Do anyone knows any details about imps?" asks bard
Navarre and Selik head towards the remaining room. Selik speaks up, "Imps are not all that powerful, but they are a sort of devil."
Rounding the corner near the stairs and opening the door to the remaining room, Navarre finds a small kitchen with an ancient woodstove abutted by a granite block stacked with dirty plates which are shaking and rattling.
Within the kitchen, Xun and Muzzo get glimpses of rotten food crawling with maggots, but both realize this is just an illusion. While looking through the room, Xun touches one of the dirty plates to try to stop it from rattling, and instead it shatters to pieces! Muzzo spots half carved boar but among it is two massive tusks that would be of value to the right clan.
Removing the tusks from the boar, more plates shake violent and a bowl is lifted up and hits Muzzo on the back of the head! The plates then suddenly stop shaking.
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Arlo turns back to Nordvick. "Is this your imp friend trying to scare us away?" Then he turns back to the group.
"Come to think of it, can't all of this be one big prank perpetrated by that thing? The ghost could be an illusion, and there are spells to keep doors locked, right?"
He grabs some healing tools and motions towards Muzzo. "By the way, Muzzo, come over here, you're bleeding all over the floorboards."
Arlo turns back to Nordvick. "Is this your imp friend trying to scare us away?" Then he turns back to the group.
"Come to think of it, can't all of this be one big prank perpetrated by that thing? The ghost could be an illusion, and there are spells to keep doors locked, right?"
"The imp...Zirzip...I wouldn't put it past him to scare you away...but I have not known him to do these things..." Nordvick says, still looking rather frightened.
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Xun tries to keep an eye on Selik and his reaction to the revelation made by Nordvick...
At one point he would walk to Muzzo and say
"Can you show me the amulet that I made for you?"
Then Xun would open the leather sack and with nod, he would give it back to the goblin.
"All good, it will keep you safe." lies Xun and pats the goblin on his arm.
Xun tries to keep an eye on Selik and his reaction to the revelation made by Nordvick...
Selik would seem rather indifferent and instead looks towards the party to see how each of you react. If asked directly about the imp, he would share a story of his crusading which would draw the point of how an imp is of little concern to him. You don't suspect him of lying or being suspicious.
Heading upstairs you find a shadowy corridor that winds it's away through the upper level. There are framed paintings on the walls and worn marble statues making the hall somewhat reminiscent of an art gallery. To the left of the stairs, Nordvick indicates is his room. He also says the guest rooms are in the center of the floor. .