As it seems this battle is going to require some dangerous acrobatic maneuvers, Rajuna downs Zhandar’s final potion. His nerves fire and his coordination sings!
Stunning Fist (3):
Ki Pool (3): x <- at 2 total due to WIS damage
Shuriken (20): xxxx
AoOs (6/rnd):
Effects:
WIS: -2
Cat’s Grace = +4 DEX for 3 mins (affecting AC, To Hit, Damage, and all Dex skills)
Snake Style Active = IMMEDIATE action for SM roll to determine my AC/T for a specific attack that hits - possibly causing it to miss.
Rajuna's AoO hits the ghost as it moves past him, which surprises it but doesn't stop it. Horm hits as well through the help of Rajuna's flanking.
The ghost focuses on Park, his anger seeming to push him forward too far, and his swipe misses by a fair margin.
Init:
21- Rajuna
20- Park
18- Horm
11- Zhandar
10- ghost (44 damage dealt)
Zhandar continues casting and throws magically-enhanced rocks.
Horm steps to the side to let Rajuna flank and tries to hit the ghost again.
Surprised to still be breathing Park grabs the next page(s) and rips the next spell out. "Give up your false life and go to your final punishment! I'll burn this book to pure ash if it helps you on your way!"
Rajuna dive rolls into the room trying to avoid giving the ghost a chance to attack him then drives a disabling kick at the ghost’s phantasmal groin. Unfortunately, the rubble again hampers his efforts.
|
Stunning Fist (3):
Ki Pool (3): x <- at 2 total due to WIS damage
Shuriken (20): xxxx
AoOs (6/rnd):
Effects:
The ghost lashes out at Rajuna as he passes by, running its cold fingers through his skin again. Luckily, however, Horm's strike and Park ripping another page out of the book finally finishes off the ghost. It screams in a horrific rage full of pain before disappearing in an explosion of arcane power.
The ghostly hand misses the thief by a whisper! He tumbles to his feet just in time to watch the ghost vanish from existence. Relief is all he feels, "WELL done, folks! Well done!" He hands a Cure Moderate Wounds potion to Park with a light clap on the shoulder. "That was bravely done, Park. You've got a pair of brass balls."
Not one to stand around, Raj moves to search this area for treasure or anything of interest.
Stunning Fist (3):
Ki Pool (3): x <- at 2 total due to WIS damage
Shuriken (20): xxxx
AoOs (6/rnd):
Effects:
WIS: -2
= +4 DEX for 3 mins (affecting AC, To Hit, Damage, and all Dex skills)
Snake Style Active – IMMED SM roll to determine my AC/T for specific attack
Park rips the pages from the book and watches as the ghost shrieks in pain. How could the evil creature have such ties to a book? When the ghost fades out and the room goes quiet he just stands there for several moments, then goes down on a knee to try and gather the ripped pages back into the book. He doesn't use a spell book but knows that Zhandar does. "Well, I don't think this thing is cursed. Just disgusting with the blood-stained pages and such. Maybe you can get some use out of it Zhandar?"
He hesitates when Rajuna hands him the potion, but then accepts it and drains it. He feels some of his wounds close and considers additional healing. The room wasn't clear yet and there might still be enemies?
When the ghost dissipates Horm scans the area half expecting it to appear again. When everything is quiet he puts the sword away. "I'm really much better with my bow. But that wasn't going to work in this tight space."
Noticing Park drinking the potion he calls out, "Who all is hurt? Before we move on let's heal up." He uses his last channel for the day. for anybody wounded.
Raj looks at the flooded oubliette and groans. "Can we get a light spell down there? I have a feeling, I may be going for a swim."
Zhandar nods toward Park with satisfaction. "Thank you, Park, I will look through it when we are at leisure. I have still more healing potions, if we encounter an emergency. It seems I am better at throwing them at us than at the enemy," she declares ruefully. "Oh, and you may wish to drink that last potion of cat's grace now, as it will cease to function in the morning."
Park casts Dancing Lights and sends them down into the oubliette.
He hands the cat's grace to Rajuna. "If you're going swimming.... I didn't have time to drink it."
Raj stares into the depths of the oubliette as the lights move into it. To Park’s offer, he shakes his head, ”I just drank one those and I can still feel it. Happy to take that one after this one wears off.”
As a matter of fact, it does seem as if some things are down at the bottom of the oubliette. Thankfully it seems as if Rajuna can safely climb his way down into the flooded pit without any obvious side effects.
Inside the pit he finds the crushed remains of a skeleton and a longsword, a ring, and a dagger. All three light up when subject to detect magic.
The dagger is a +1 mithral dagger, the sword is a +1 keen longsword, and the ring is a ring of protection +1.
Raj brings the impressive gear up and lets it dry on the floor. ”Assuming those belong with the bones… wouldn’t seem to be the Splatter Man’s remains.” He looks at the remaining cells in this area. ”Let’s do a sweep of the rest of this wing then head back to the Warden’s wife. Maybe we are truly done here.”
He snoops through the remaining areas of this wing.
"Let's get the bones too. Maybe if the bones of the haunts are buried properly that will end all of this."
"Alright." Raj heads back into the water to retrieve the bones.
Zhandar nods. "Good thinking!" she says.
The bones are easy enough to get, and nothing untoward happens to Rajuna when he grabs them or takes them up out of the pit.
Raj places the remains in his pack and then continues with his search of the area, moving counter-clockwise around the oubliette.
Vesorianna is standing beside one of the windows when you return, and stays that way for a few seconds even as you enter her room. She eventually does turn towards you, deep blue tears streaming down her face before she wipes them away quickly.
"Ah, you have returned. I can sense the malicious spirits are no longer with us in the prison, that is good. Did you find my...my husband's badge?"
"We found a metal disk, perhaps that is it. Zhandar?" He says, reasonably sure she had examined the item last.
Oddly reverently, Zhandar produces the disk and offers it to the ghost.
"We also gathered the remains of the evil ones. Should they be buried anywhere special to help quiet them forever?"
Vesorianna’s face shows both recognition and sadness as she reaches out for the warden’s badge. Normally ghosts can’t interact with physical objects, but she takes it from Zhandar’s hands.
”I…yes. This is it. Thank you for bringing it back to me.” she stares down at it for a few seconds before answering Park’s question. ”No, I should be able to finish this business for good without the remains of those horrible criminals.”
She takes a look around the room as if seeing it for the last time.
”Before I…go, is there anything else you’d like to ask me? I am very grateful for your help and would like to offer any help I can in return.”
Park considers Vesorianna's offer. "Do you know what the Way might have done with your husband's spirit? Is there anything that we can do to help recover it and put him to proper rest?"
”Beyond the fact that I know they took it, removed it from its resting place here, I don’t know what purpose they may have had. They obviously came here specifically for him, but to what purpose?”
She sighs, shaking her head.
”Unfortunately I lack the knowledge as to how to recover it either. I wish I could be of more help.”
Raj gives her question a bit of thought, "I know they were doing spells and rituals but did they say or do anything that sticks out in your memory? Something not related to their task here?"
"I couldn't hear them for most of their time here, but when they were drawing the runes on the side of the prison walls I did hear one word repeated a few times: Lepidstadt. That's a nearby city, right? Perhaps they had some business there?"
She thinks, tilting her head to one side.
"It is a city and it's a start. Thank you for all your help. I hope you and your husband are reunited in the world beyond this one."
I was just there, thinks Zhandar, though she doesn't say it out loud. But she nods in agreement, that it is a good place to proceed with their investigations.
Park nods. "So back to the Professor's.... I guess I should say back to Kendra's home. We've got a chest full of books to haul to Lepidstadt anyway. Maybe we can make arrangements for an animal so we don't have to carry the thing ourselves?"
He turns back to Vesorianna. "We will try to find out what they have planned for your husband's spirit, and free it if we can. You two deserve to be together in your afterlife."
Vesorianna nods, taking a step back toward the window she seems to like so much. "I am grateful for the sentiment, and I do hope you can find out what happened to him and where he is. You have saved this town, and I appreciate your attempts to cleanse the prison of its awful past."
She turns back to you once more, the bright blue tears streaming down her face once more. "It is about time the spirits here go on to their rightful resting place: including me. Farewell friends, and when you find my husband, could you tell him that I love him?"
She holds out the metal wardens badge with both hands before seemingly straining extremely hard, her face and body twisting with the effort of the fight against this horrible, hate-filled place. After a few seconds a blinding blue light fills the room, requiring you to cover your eyes, and Vesorianna screams a wail of agony and release. When you look back after the light is gone you see the badge gently floating down to the ground, where it settles and gives off a slight blue glow. Vesorianna is nowhere to be seen.
Raj dumps the bones from his backpack and collects the warden's badge, explaining, "Just in case..." He gives the prison a final look, "Ready to go when you folks are."
Zhandar recognizes that the badge has absorbed some of the residual spirit energy of Vesorianna, and acts as a Lesser Rod of Ectoplasmic Spell.
The team wanders back to the Lorrimor's estate. After all the tension of the preceding days, Raj seems noticeably lighter in his mood. He opens the front door and declares, "I'm home, honey!" purely to see what reaction (if any) Kendra may have.
Zhandar is surprised by Raj's declaration as well, and stares at him while trying to determine if she missed something going on between them earlier. She excitedly sets up her potion brewing area again, though she has no plans to craft anything specific. "Perhaps slightly better healing brews," she mutters to herself. "Or cat's grace potions I can throw?"
Fingers makes a small screeching sound. "Oh, yes. That we can throw." Her mind is racing thinking about what materials she will need to purchase, but she tolerantly scratches the monkey's head.
Surprised by Rajuna's 'declaration', Park asks, "Honey?"
Entering he looks around for Kendra.
The scarred side of his face gives his grin a lopsided quality. But the twinkle in his eye indicates he's just fooling around, possibly hoping to lighten Kendra's mood. He asks playfully, "Should I have gone with 'Sweetie-pie', 'Lovey Lumps', or 'Snookums' instead?"
Zhandar frowns. "These are terms of endearment? I've never heard anyone use any of those words before. How strange!"
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Park thinks for a moment and nods back at Rajuna. "I think 'Lovey Lumps' has too many ways to be misinterpreted. The others should be good though."
He takes a relatively long look at Zhandar, and smiles. "Some day you'll meet a... partner that isn't scared off by your obvious prowess. Then you'll hear them. Unless the person is stupid. I hope I'm not offending you, but do you know the species of fiend that was in your family?" He lowers his voice so nobody outside of the three can hear. "Mine was a Pairaka. I probably should have mentioned it sooner.... But since we've been through so much. I figured it was time to come clean about it."
Zhandar looks at Park, stunned by his admission. "You're saying...?" she cries out too loudly, then looks around furtively and continues in a softer voice, "You're saying you are tiefling as well? But how is that possible? You are beautiful and charming, you seem like a perfect example of humanity..." She sighs, thinking about it, not voicing her darker thoughts. Evil can sometimes cloak itself in good, and is especially adept at seeming like what it is not. Why am I surprised to discover that such amazing fruit could have grown from a corrupt seed?
Out loud, she mutters "I do not know what type of devil my sire would have been, but my limited studies and questions lead me to surmise it was an osyluth, or bone devil. I cannot imagine what foul agenda the creature was pursuing with my mother, but fortunately it seems to have been thwarted. Or at least, I fervently hope it was. She claims Cayden Cailean gave her the will to break free of his enchantments and conditioning. Have you also escaped the dark designs this div had upon you and your family?"
Park sees the confusion and betrayal on Zhandar's face and sits down hard. "Charming.... perfect example? No." He glances at Rajuna, glad that Kendra hadn't responded yet. "I'm sorry. My mother. Or at least the female that 'spawned' me." He chokes, obviously feeling some anger. There is a slight red flash in his eyes. Possibly a sign of his extra-planar ancestor. ?? "I am sorry. I don't like talking about her. That's the main reason I hide this. The taint in my family wasn't ages ago like some tieflings. My mother was a sorceress, powerful but foolish. Beautiful but with no redeeming values. She was obsessed about arcane power and sought an easy way. She found a Pairaka that was tormenting the people in the town. Pairaka are beautiful, evil shapeshifters. They find couples, loving couples, and break them up. Seduce both and turn them against each other. Once the couple is destroyed they infect them with disease.... Anyway. My mother seduced this monster. She got pregnant from it and tried to bargain with my life. My soul. It led her on until right before my birth."
"My birth and the infection that it had put in her caused her death and I was alone, helpless, and infected with the plague that the Pairaka spread. Sister Theresa of Gravecharge found a squalling babe and a dead mother. She took me to the temple and saved my life. She decided to raise me even though she knew I wasn't a normal human. She and the sisters taught me about Pharasma, and they taught me about me.... Not goodness but also not evil. They watched me and taught me, and saved my soul. I look human, mostly. But I know that I'm not. I'm always conscious of my actions. I'm not 'good', but I'm not evil either. I have a code of values that I follow. Undead are not to be tolerated. Senseless slaughter. Preying on innocence. Such actions harm the souls and interfere with the river. That's why I'm against what the Way are doing."
"Your ancestry is visible. I suppose that scares some people, makes them distrust you? Not me, and I'm certain not Rajuna. You've proven yourself. We accepted you first because of the Professor. But now it's more than that. I trust you. We trust you. And I hope you can trust me."