"Be at peace, spirit. Speak your words and depart, for the sun is bright and you do not belong here."
You all take 8 points of negative damage except for Hilde who takes 14. Tindertwig also takes 3 points of bleed damage. But then Eddred's authoritative voice and arcane knowledge manages to banish the spirit.
The blood image dissolves into a spray and wafts in a spiral upwards, disappearing into the darkness above, but Hilde and Tindertwig can see it clinging to the trapdoor above.
You all get 80 xp each.
Except for Eddred, you each have a chance to try to staunch Tindertwig's bleeding before he takes more damage.
The dwarf tries to treat her injury, but doesn't have the skill.
"I won't be much good in a fight, I'm afraid."
Henry starts trying to help out Tindertwig.
"Nice going, mister Eddred."
"Vengeful spirits are somewhat common in Nidal. Thankfully less so in my adopted Ravounel. When we are hale enough to continue, I should like to discuss the face of the spirit. Did you notice her resemblance to the woman in the paintings? We have some researching to do, I think."
Hilde nods, wincing at the pain of her wounds.
Tindertwig pukes on the ground. Blood (along with breakfast, lunch, dinner, second breakfast, third lunch) colors the ground like a Van Gogh.
Mees no feelings toos guud.
The goblin seems to still be bleeding....
EDIT: Dirtbag begins choking...
Tindertwig is still bleeding, so you can make another round of attempts to stop it.
"Um, I think that discussion might have to wait," Henry claimed as he continued to try to staunch Tindertwig's bleeding. "Do we have any more of those healing drinks?"
After a concerted effort you manage to stop Tindertwig's bleeding but you are all so beat up that you decide to retreat to Otari.
Wrin looks concerned to see you so beat up, and even more so when you tell her what happened. She casts Heal and heals you all 15 points of damage, so it is up to you to decide if you have had enough for one night or if you want to investigate the lighthouse cupola before the haunt resets.
"Thank you, miss Wrin. I'm sure I speak for everyone when I say we appreciate your support."
Henry looked to his companions. "Do ya'll fancy one more excursion tonight to the top of the lighthouse? It's a bit scary, honestly, but I think now's probably the best time.
Hilde nods grimly. "Agreed. Let's go."
Eddred (momentarily still an alchemist) says "I have only one more batch of reagents. So I'm not going to be much help. Why is it important to go now?"
Tindertwig scratches his arse; yawning and slapping away Dirtbag's tongue.
Wees woulds likings ta sleeping under da trees da retink our current path in tis life.
Dirtbag nods in agreement.
"Would that vengeful spirit you dealt with return? It nearly killed Tindertwig, and wounded all of us. If we can find what we need to know before it comes back, so much the better."
"Let's get an early start tomorrow and catch the ghost napping, eh?"
Tindertwig and Dirtbag nod to Eddred with a wink and a sleepy wave to all....
Having learnt a few new tricks you confidently set out to explore the lighthouse. The door to the lighthouse proper stands open just as you left it and you are dismayed to see that the bloodstain on the floor is back.
Do you want to enter or do you want to look elsewhere?
Eddred spends several minutes marshaling facts about spirits in his head. When he is ready, he nods. "Let's go. This is a thing which should no longer be. It's time is long since passed. We must sweep it away to return these ruins to peace and stillness."
Holding his iron symbol aloft, Eddred enters the lighthouse.
"Spirit, depart! Seek the River of Souls and Pharasma's judgment. The Waiting Void commands your departure!"
There is a slight ripple in the bloodstain but other than that there is no response.
"Huh. Well that's a bit anti climactic. I'd ask if we beat it last night, but it wouldn't be here if we did, would it?" Henry asked, scratching his head.
"We could take out that other skeleton orb thing if this thing's going to keep behaving."
Tindertwig and Dirtbag both gird their loins, as Eddred enters the lighthouse; with a Childs toy in his hands.
Dirtbag makes a questioning growl at Tindertwig.
The goblin looks at the crocodile and just shrugs his shoulders.
Mees no bees knowings whats da girds or da loins bees.
Both just follow the weird dude still holding aloft a wooden Childs toy....
Do you want to check the trapdoor or do you want to take Henry's suggestion and take out the remaining skeleton orb? Or go somewhere else entirely, like down?
"Let's check the trap door first."
Tindertwig nods seriously-like to Hilde. The goblin reaches into his pack to produce...(one moment; looking....reaching for...got it!) a crowbar!
Dirtbag just shakes his head in disgust.
The goblin gives the crocodile a what?! look.
Dirtbag kicks at the goblin's pack.
Tindertwig shakes his head, reaches into the pack, producing the thieves' tools.
Dirtbag smiles.
They both nod--still all serious-like--to the group.
The iron stairs sway ominously as you climb them, but seem safe enough - at least nothing untoward happens. They wind up 90 feet and end at a locked bronze trapdoor above. It sports a complicated lock with a large bronze keyhole.
The goblin looks at his hands; each holding a crowbar and the other thieves' tools. He looks at Dirtbag (who is seen grooming). He looks at Hilde.
Youeses bees betters. Mees kins helps.
Dirtbag does creep away from this experiment. The crocodile gives Tindertwig a thumps up; although, he nods in the negative to the others.
The dwarf frowns at the lock. "I figure I have maybe one chance in four of opening that without the key. That reminds me--where did we put those two bronze keys we found?"
One of the bronze keys does the trick and the trapdoor creaks open. You emerge in a large, circular room.
Rows of black metal bars encase this chamber like a cage. Shimmering waves of force flicker between the bars and gives the illusion that softly glowing glass encases this entire area. The floor to the north has an iron trapdoor; otherwise, this room appears empty save for a human-sized encasement of glass and iron that flickers and glows with an unsettling, almost nauseating pale blue shimmer — Gauntlight’s lantern!
Fortunately there is no sign of any ghost, or any other creature. There are no visible exits other than the trapdoor that you entered through.
The floor to the north has an iron
trapdoor....
The floor to the north has an iron
trapdoor....
"Can any of you figure out what that is, and what it's doing?"
Hilde ponders her studies of arcane lore while she waits for an answer.
Dirtbag rolls over onto his back, laughing at the face of Tindertwig; as the goblin watches Hilde produce a key!
Whats da f+$*s!
Dirtbag giggles for a full minute. Tindertwig slowly places his tools and crowbar away....
Gauntlight’s lantern!
The unmistakable sound of s*@%ing one's pants is clearly heard from the goblin!
Dirtbag continues to roar with laughter!
"Right now it just looks like it's glowing, but menacingly. Which isn't a helpful observation, so, sorry for that one."
Not wanting to stare at the light for too long, Henry walked around the lighthouse and looked out of the windows, trying to find the town in the distance.
Hilde is unable to figure out anything useful about the lantern. It remains a mystery for now.
Standing with Hilde, Eddred also regards the Lantern with curiosity.
Eddred is just as puzzled as Hilde about the lantern.
Now what?
The dwarf finishes jotting down a few notes for Wrin, then puts away her writing kit. "Let's go deal with that other skeleton. There's a room there we haven't seen yet." Once everyone is out of the upper chamber, she locks the trap door on her way out.
You lock the door to the cupola and return to the clammy temple. The dead body lies as it did, next to the secret door. The smashed skeleton lies where it fell but the other skeleton seems to have moved back to its original position or left entirely.
Any preparations before you check the corner?
Tindertwig goes in with Raised Shield.
Eddred casts Magic Weapon on his bow just before they go in.
Hilde hangs back, concealing herself.
The skeleton hides in the very same corner as last time, but this time it is standing up. However, it is slow to react as you come into view.