---
Lazlo frowns and clutches his head theatrically. "The spirits seem to be urging caution. Perhaps we should investigate this floor further before descending that secret stair."
Laurel stamps his foot "Yer all reely gunna siddaround an' read books!"
He paces back and forth waiting for the adults to get finished...
"Not yet," Galimus replies to Laurel.
"Let us continue to explore this floor and we'll return here and do some more research when we're ready to retire for the night."
A line of grimy windows along the north wall faces four large portraits to the south. Each of these paintings presents a life-sized depiction of a different person: a teenaged boy carrying a crossbow in the woods; a teenaged girl building a dollhouse that looks like Xarwin Manor; a red-haired woman standing in a graveyard, carrying a pair of matching crimson-handled woodcutter’s hatchets hanging from her belt straps, ravens swarming around her; and a stern-looking man holding a silver telescope in his hands as he looks up into the night sky.
+9 vs traps
Lazlo and Laurel start into the room, but Zoi squawks. Something doesn't feel right, and an evil presence infuses the paintings, lurking for an opportune moment to trigger.
--Round 1
Laurel
Fundin
Lazlo
Galimus
de Sibelius
Zoi
Laurel prays to Desna: "Eh Whatzit" is that what he calls her!? "S'me Laurel 'ere, know we doesn't be talkin' thet much - ain't gotta lotta say mostwise. Wull. Ta you enyways" he clutches his starknife like a holy symbol "These 'ere pictures gettin' the heeber-jeebers. Kin yah fixit Whatzit? I be good, promise!" nearly an afterthought "Oh an' tek care o' me ma, willya Whatzit?"
Unsure how to conclude the prayer, he kisses the blade with definitivity.
"Do you feel that? Something evil...something powerful is latched onto the room." Zoi's feathers ruffle out in a state of panic as he tries to help Laurel exorcise this spirit.
HP 30/30
AC 17 (18 w/ shield)
Spells Used:
Divine Font 1/4
Focus Points 1/1
Wand of Heal (1st): 1/1
Battle Medicine:
Hero Points 0/3
"Zo! what is it? More ghosts? How on graveyard do they get so many ghosts!?"
Dwarf puts down his skull-cracker and tries to aid Tengu who already jumped to exorcise the spirits.
"Isn't that what we're discovering? That something has gone wrong with the natural order of life and death in this house?" Galimus offers up in response to Fundin's question.
For the moment, he hangs back, staying out of the room while Zoi deals with the restless spirits.
Following Fundin into the room, de Sibelius is at once taken by the full sized paintings, "My word in the name of Asmod....." his voice trickles to silence as he realises what he is saying. recovering he is about to start talking again when a cold wind, makes the hackles on his back stand on end. "You said spirits, well begone!!" he says force-ably with the weight of law behind him. As he then helps Zoi by sprinkling salt over Laurel.
"The portraits are restless!"
Quickly leaping into action, Lazlo attempts to cover the portraits before disaster strikes.
"Azz-who?" Laurel puzzles at de Sibelius' near-slip with utmost innocence "Oh I see. Like my Whatzit - Lady of the Travellin' folks (like me an' me ma!) - Muss be the Lady of Liars!" yet to realize that gods come in more than one gender, our young hero's mental tracking of his own thoughts are audible!
Laurel says an informal ... verrry informal ... prayer to Desna. But the paintings do not appear to have much respect for the prayer.
Fundin moves into the room and makes a prayer as well, but the evil presence in the room is too distracting.
Lazlo tries to throw a cloak over the paintings, but the paintings glare at him, startling him and causing him to miss.
Galimus stays out of the room, wisely.
de Sibelius moves into the room, and the paintings suddenly start to bleed — the man from the left wrist and the other three in a line cutting across their brows. All four faces twist in agony.
--Round 1
de Sibelius (Will save)
Zoi
--Round 2
Haunt (Religion DC > 23, Thievery DC > 16)
Laurel (Will save)
Fundin (Will save)
Lazlo (Will save)
Galimus
Zoi moves into the room and calls on Pharasma for aid. Pharasma responds and one of the paintings stops bleeding.
--Round 1
de Sibelius (Will save)
Zoi
--Round 2
Haunt (23 < Religion DC <= 27, 16 < Thievery DC)
Laurel (Will save)
Fundin (Will save)
Lazlo (Will save)
Galimus
The bleeding portraits have a severe effect on de Sibelius, his stomach turns as he tries to keep his breakfast in his stomach. Words do not escape his lips, just a low groaning. He leaves the room, or rather staggers out, not looking back, his eyes glazed over in pain.
Laurel crouches low, grasping his stomach "Think 'em hungry?" he does his best to try and diagnose the feelings that result from the screaming!
Lazlo makes one more attempt to cover a painting before staggering out of the room.
Fundin grabs a hold of the wall and he begins to turn colors "I think I am getting sick, how disgusting..."
Everyone in the room suddenly feels very ill. De Sibelius runs out of the room.
The paintings' eyes flash with power, and an evil presence in the room afflicts bleeding wounds on Fundin, Laurel, and Lazlo.
persistent bleed damage, and are frightened 2.
2d6 persistent bleed damage, and are frightened 3.
With a heroic effort, Lazlo throws a cloak over one of the paintings!
--Round 2
Laurel (sickened 2, Fort save)
Fundin (sickened 2, Fort save)
Lazlo (sickened 2, Fort save)
Galimus
de Sibelius (sickened 2)
Zoi
--Round 3
Haunt (2 successes, 23 < Religion DC <= 27, 16 < Thievery DC <= 21)
A hero runs toward danger instead of from it. And, this time, apparently, so does Galimus.
As de Sibelius departs, he takes his place and tries to lend his aid to Fundin.
Terrified, his "Whatzit" having abandoned him, Laurel loses all faith as the flesh is stripped from his body, his easy-going confidence broken, he quakes in his bare-foots, knees wobbling and sweating unnaturally from every orifice.
A final prayer to Desna: "Whatzit! I'm a goner I jus' know it. If'n yuh savin' me, gossa heppen now. But uh - tek care of me ma, willya? She dint do nuthin but good. Even tho I dont know what I did tu mad yuh. That's all Whatzit!"
With that, he slashes the painting with his starknife / holy symbol - a last desperate attempt!
Desna does indeed abandon him - the boy bleeds out!
Fundin feels the cuts on his body and is seriously afraid.
"Guys, maybe we should leave, I have a bad feeling about this. Lad step out of the room, lad! Laurel!? " he looks at the boy falling to the ground.
He grabs him by the arm "Pharasma abandoned this place, and Magrim does not need your services yet laddie. Stand up!"
Then he drags him out of the room.
...the tiny cluster of caravans on the high open road but driven into a circle to surround a central fire undergoes a sudden warp! The measly several meters separating each one is suddenly dilated to vast distance in time and space, exponentially expanding the sheer number of hiding spots in bushes, behind rocks, into short ravines, and other features of the terrain, into which our young hero's siblings could slip into in continued but ultimately fruitless evasion of pursuit!
...for under the night sky, Laurel is "it", a moniker which, in this context, roughly translates into "hunter" or "seeker", skulking as he is bent low and toes barely touching ground, sneaking up on his "prey", starting with his first-next-olderest - of the pack, the least adept - and discovering her with a touch on the shoulder and an exclamation of mild displeasure, who now becomes part of his entourage, following her younger brother as he stalks the second-next-olderest, the third-next-olerest, and so on...
...When Suddenly! Looking up in the night sky, of his siblings reluctantly following in tow, interrupting the Great Game, a stubby finger reaches from the heavens and touches him, pressing him against the ground, where the scene fades from view with a loud swirl of sound, and...
the boy awakes and sees the face of Fundin Goldenoak!
"I assure you, Pharasma hasn't forgotten this place." Zoi is living proof of this. He tries to shut this haunting down as he continues with the exorcism, slowly moving towards the exit of the room.
HP 30/30
AC 17 (18 w/ shield)
Spells Used:
Divine Font 1/4
Focus Points 1/1
Wand of Heal (1st): 1/1
Battle Medicine:
Hero Points 0/3
Zoi and Galimus move in to exorcise, but neither of them can manage a word in edgewise as the painting terrify them.
--Round 2
Laurel (-28 hp, 2d6 bleed, frightened 3, sickened 2)
Fundin (-28 hp, 2d6 bleed, frightened 3, sickened 2) [last turn's reaction available]
Lazlo (-14 hp, 1d6 bleed, frightened 2, sickened 2)
Galimus
de Sibelius (sickened 2)
Zoi
--Round 3
Haunt (2 successes, 23 < Religion DC <= 27, 16 < Thievery DC <= 21)
Faiting from sheer fear, our young hero, having had a brush with death, or rather, a panic-attack sharpened to a fine point, momentarily recovers enough to try and scratch away the face on the painting!
Fundin tries to exorcise the spirits, but he is to terrified of what they encountered, his hands are shaking and his voice is not steady.
Fundin leaves the room trying to find the cuts that are leaking blood.
Laurel tries to throw a cover over the painting but fails, and Fundin tries to exorcise and fails. de Sibelius heals Laurel.
--Round 2
Laurel (-3 hp, 2d6 bleed, frightened 3, sickened 2) 1 action
Fundin (-28 hp, 2d6 bleed, frightened 2, sickened 2)
Lazlo (-14 hp, 1d6 bleed, frightened 1, sickened 2)
Galimus
de Sibelius (sickened 2) 1 action
Zoi
--Round 3
Haunt (2 successes, 23 < Religion DC <= 27, 18 < Thievery DC <= 21)
de Sibelius, manages to help Laurel close some of his wounds, but the effort makes de Sibelius retch, as he tries to regain his composure again. He manages to feel slightly better, although the nausea continues.
The eyes on the painting flash again, catching Zoi and Galimus.
--Round 2
Laurel (-3 hp, 2d6 bleed, frightened 2, sickened 2)
Fundin (-28 hp, 2d6 bleed, frightened 2, sickened 2)
Lazlo (-14 hp, 1d6 bleed, frightened 1, sickened 2)
Galimus (Fort save)
de Sibelius
Zoi (Fort save)
--Round 3
Haunt (2 successes, 23 < Religion DC <= 27, 18 < Thievery DC <= 21)
Zoi feels sharp and painful cuts form all over his body as he reaches out for the painting. "We need to hurry or Pharasma will meet us here."
HP 16/30
AC 17 (18 w/ shield)
Spells Used:
Divine Font 1/4
Focus Points 1/1
Wand of Heal (1st): 1/1
Battle Medicine:
Hero Points 0/3
Safely outside, Laurel loses his lunch...
◆◆◆) Retch x3
...leaving a disgusting pool of unchewed (!) berries and nuts below him, but possibly feeling much better...
Fundin looks at Laurel and begins to throw up as well
But without any greater effect. He does not even notice that he is still bleeding.
The little gnome seeing Lazlo bleeding from several wounds, quickly strides across to his client and presses the wounds together, bind his leg with Lazlo's belt to create a tourniquet for his leg, reducing the flow of blood. "Don't worry, it'll soon stop, Lazlo, it'll be fine." he says without conviction.
...until a fresh spurt of blood gushes from his open wounds!
Wounds open all over his body and seeing his own blood and no source of the wounds is enough to convince Galimus that he has no interest in dealing with this room at the moment.
"Don't be a fool, Zoi! Unless you want to join the ghosts here, come with me!" he shouts before fleeing.
Zoi tries another exorcism, but to no avail. Laurel vomits and feels better. Fundin vomits, but doesn't feel better (but slightly less frightened).
Galimus runs out of the room
--Round 2
Laurel (-8 hp, 2d6 bleed, frightened 1, sickened 1)
Fundin (-34 hp, 2d6 bleed, frightened 1, sickened 2)
Lazlo (-14 hp, 1d6 bleed [DC 10], frightened 1, sickened 2)
Galimus (-14 hp, 1d6 bleed, frightened 1) 2 actions, bleed
de Sibelius
Zoi (-14 hp, 1d6 bleed, frightened 2) 1 action, bleed
--Round 3
Haunt (2 successes, 23 < Religion DC <= 27, 18 < Thievery DC <= 21)
Lazlo leans against a wall and attempts to compose himself.
Laurel calls a team huddle!
"Eh - Come lissen ol' Laurel - goss an idea bout how we kin beet this thing!"
"Alrighty - see you kin be fass like me! We all go ousside, then wait, then 1, 2, 3 BAM we all run in right when it gits angry, then BOOM we tek care of it and GIT!"
Laurel Acts out the following 2-round Rotation
R1
◆◆) Ready Action
◇) Trigger: The Haunt Attacks the Room
↺) Stride into the Room
R2
◆◆) Disable Haunt
◆) Stride out of Room
"So: Whuthca all sey?"
With nobody in the room, the haunt echoes meaninglessly.
--Round 3
Laurel (33/41 hp, 2d6 bleed, frightened 1, sickened 1)
Fundin (15/49 hp, 2d6 bleed, frightened 1, sickened 2)
Lazlo (12/32 hp, 1d6 bleed, sickened 2)
Galimus (25/43 hp, 1d6 bleed, frightened 1)
de Sibelius (32/32 hp)
Zoi (10/30 hp, frightened 1)
--Round 4
Haunt (2 successes, 23 < Religion DC <= 27, 18 < Thievery DC <= 21)
Laurel makes Ready to execute his plan!
"I'ma gitcha, stupid paintings!"
"Okee - 3, uh, 2, uh, 2... no... arty sed thet... uh 2, " poised like a sprinter, head below chest, legs outstretched and crossed, his muscles explode when he reaches his countdown!
◆) Demoralize vs Haunt
◆◆) Ready Action
◇) Trigger: The Haunt Attacks the Room
↺) Stride into the Room
His bravery greater than his wounds!
The little gnome calls Fundin to him, as he tears up some bandages and starts to bind and help stop Fundin's bleeding.
Did the previous assisted recovery work so that Lazlo gets 2 flat checks at the end of this turn? If assisted recovery isn't working then de Sibelius will do something different this round.
'There's only one thing wrong with your plan, kid. Those portraits are unlikely to do anything if there isn't a target in the room. Still...It wouldn't hurt to try."
He places his finger on his nose to indicate that he does not wish to be the bait.
Fundin moves to de Sibelius and nods his head letting him help
"Kid I am not getting back there just yet, I am barely standing!"
But without any greater effect. He does not even notice that he is still bleeding.
"Laurel, wai..." Galimus trails off as the boy dashes back into the room.
He shakes his head then looks around at his battered and breathing companions.
Taking a deep breath, he summons up the strange energies that power him and pushes them out, a faint green tinge coming over everything but coalescing into lines that connect him to each of his injured companions.