Looking over the helm it is unfortunately not magical; and the identity and mystery of the seemingly last commander of Brinewall is left unanswered.
Byron holds up the two weapons for Winsome as well. He then shakes his head and says, "I don't think he was one for focusing on the past. It would have been nice if he had kept a diary though."
"I doubt they would have been in any condition to tell us. At that point they couldn't even tell friend from foe," Adrian added sadly. "Still, there has to be a connection between them and these people after Ameiko now... somehow."
He nodded over to Byron. "Maybe there still is something we can read what happened."
Byron holds up the two weapons for Winsome as well.
Winsome continues to concentrate on the spell and checks the weapons for magic also.
The sword detects as magic, and is easily identifiable as a +1 weapon while the Morningstar is simply masterwork.
"...so I'm not too eager taking on that bug again. Does anyone want to go upstairs or downstairs?"
"Have to at some point. I'm fine with upstairs." Lyraesel replies.
Zaraleva reviews the map again and points at T17 (or that spot if there is no actual T17 on the map.) "Let's check this room first and then go up the stairs. Stealthy people first? Listening and sniffing as we go?"
She quickly scans the group to see if anyone is still obviously wounded. If not, she waits for the stealthy people to check/open the door.
"Yeah. All right. Seems better than heading back down and risking running into that thing again," says Aiko quietly. She posts her naginata momentarily, then carries it over one shoulder as she tip-toes to the door and gives it a look over.
"That sounds alright by me... as long as there isn't another bug in that area." Adrian would head over to T17 to explore.
Heading over to the area in front of the stairs you see a donjon. Old tapestries depicting a seaside castle hang askew on the walls of this circular room and a thick layer of dust cakes the floor. The air is musty and weirdly cold. Old bloodstains splatter the walls, along with numerous brutal gashes and slashes to the stone itself. To the north, a third door lies in fragments on the floor, opening onto a flight of stairs leading down into darkness. A second staircase leads upward against the north wall.
As you move forward Aiko stops the group from getting any closer than a few steps in. She notices the blood on the walls what was once dry mysteriously starts to run down the wall as if fresh and new. She quickly realizes this is some kind of supernatural thing.
Aiko backs up two steps and points to Zaraleva, then tilts her head at the bleeding walls.
Zaraleva wonders if it's a haunt of some kind. She studies the wall from the corridor.
She then casts "Detect Magic" unless Winsome's is somehow still running from looking at the sword.
Adrian nervously steps to the side and lets the other more arcanely intuned figure out what's going on.
You would recognize this as a haunt Zaraleva, it’s a meta-physical representation of some event that can manifest some sort of effect. You would know that you can damage a haunt with positive energy and neutralize it but it will eventually return until it is destroyed. They are destroyed by some event or action usually. Finding out what destroys a haunt is difficult speaking with the dead, seances, etc are effective and a desperate fallback is to experience the haunt.
"We likely need to deal with this before we bring the caravan in, but until we can divine the nature of this haunt I think we should move on." Byron says while making a warding sign against the evil in front of him.
"It's a haunt all right. Creepy. I suggest just one of you triggers it and I can blast it with positive energy. Maybe Lyr can too?"
"Worth trying." Lyreasel replies before walking into the blood-stained region, weapon drawn.
Byron looks concerned by the whole thing, but watches intently to see what the haunt might do.
Winsome hides behind everyone else in brazen cowardice.
Adrian is at least ahead of Winsome, but is behind the others while the haunt is activated.
As you step forward Lyreasel, all of you can see that the blood now runs down the walls across the room. As she closes in to the stairways things start to happen. From the blood ghostly figures of soldiers in armor like the captain you saw charge forward screaming. Shades of figures meet them in battle; some are monstrous, and much larger than a man others are nimble and slim moving liking water amongst the battle. One of them is different though looking fuller and more substantial. The figure is small with wings sprouting from its back carrying a chain and sickle type weapon. As the ghostly figures are hewn apart blood splatters you all and the screams of the soldiers echo in your minds. The shades melt back into the darkness except for the winged one which stands for a moment, you can hear a faint voice hissing “vengence” as finally this last figure fades away.
As the haunt starts to spread and materialize Zaraleva sends forth a wave of energy protecting you all. However the power of the haunt eventually shatters the barrier ledge behind by the positive energy.
On success take 1 point of negative damage.
On failure take negative damage, and frightened and fleeing for 1 round. You can not flees downstairs and you will need to make a save if you remain here next round.
Lyraesel feels a wave of primal terror wash over her, causing the tiny hairs at the back of her neck stand on end. Letting our an angry snarl, she shakes off the supernatural fear, growling deep in her throat as dark energy siphons off a bit of her vitality.
Aiko stands her ground, naginata held firmly to protect Zaraleva in case the haunts should physically manifest in some fashion.
"Why did it have to be haunts?" Adrian tilts his head back and closes his eyes as the haunt consumes the party... only to slowly open them back as he realized it hadn't effected him. "It didn't work!" He smiled, unaware of whether the others were as luck as he was.
Predictably, Winsome makes a frightened noise in the back of his throat and flees back up the stairs.
"No... no it's too much. All the blood and the pain... Stay back!"
After the blast,
"I won't run. We have to save Ameiko! We have to be brave!"
She will send more positive energy forward when she has a chance.
The haunt is damaged again as the scene plays out. You see parts of the figures dissolve from the wave of positive energy.
However as you all watch it happen again Winsome rushes upwards ane see a little room scarred from battle. Judging from the from the blood and gouges marring the walls, a terrific battle once took place in this guard room. As he gets to landing the walls run with blood and he sees several wounded soldiers here with others. They scream as shades of the figures below begin to cut through them. A singular figure with wings and the chained weapon in his hands cackles standing out from the vague shadows. “How much I cherish this, a truly climactic end.”
The scene then fades leaving only screams as the disembodied faces before it’s only the screams left.
Success you resist the fear from the ghostly sight.
Failure you are terrified by what you encounter and are frightened for two rounds, and must flee upstairs or away from stairs.
"Zoinks!" cries Winsome, as he attempts to flee from this new horror.
Growling, Lyraesel shakes off the unnatural fear, watching s some of the haunt gets burned away by Zaraleva's divine powers.
The monk looks about as the battle unfolds before him. It was an interesting sight, but one that felt more surreal then frightening. It wasn't for Winsome unfortunately.
"Wait! Don't go off on your own!"
He sought to try and grapple the caster to keep him in place.
Using all of her powers doesn't matter because Aiko's player can't roll for shit, and she drops her naginata and runs off into the depths of the castle.
Byron starts to head off after those running, "Stop!" he cries out as he goes even though he doubts his words mean much to them currently.
Aiko sprints upstairs a blur of fabric, half convincing you it’s intentional if not for the utterly terrifying sight you just witnessed. As you crest the stairs Aiko you see the the final aspects or the haunt fading and see Winsome pale as a ghost. It however does not resurface as you reach the top letting your fear fade as you breathe deep now.
"I got him!" He did not in fact get him. In fact, he nearly tripped himself trying to catch Winsome all while letting Aiko get past him as well. "Wait up!" It wasn't safe for those two to go on their own, so he followed them upstairs to where they were heading.
Aiko sprints upstairs a blur of fabric, half convincing you it’s intentional if not for the utterly terrifying sight you just witnessed. As you crest the stairs Aiko you see the the final aspects or the haunt fading and see Winsome pale as a ghost. It however does not resurface as you reach the top letting your fear fade as you breathe deep now.
Rushing forward Winsome runs into a dimly lit room, the chamber reeks of rotten food and bird droppings. A long dining table sits in the middle of the room, heaped with partially eaten animal carcasses and several thick eggshells. You see rooms branching off as you’re in in, sprinting forward you make towards a series of doors on the Northwest side of the chamber. Slamming into the door it doesn’t budge seemingly stuck. As you catch your breath the fear starts to fade as you look about the room.
Down below; Zaraleva feels her power fading as she continues to channel Sarenrae’s radiance until finish a last bit of strength she raises her holy symbol and reaching out grasp a ghostly figure. Unlike before, charging into its death it stops and looks at the hand touching it. The ghostly face looks up at you. And in a moment of peace relaxes. “thank you.” Before dissipating. The haunt is neutralized for the time being, it may resurface eventually but you are safe now.
"Whew! That was intense. I am exhausted. Hey! You all can come back now! We put it to rest! Lyr, where did they go?"
I am going to assume Kelda is still here or just out in the hallway. "Kelda, did you see them?"
Winsome yelps as he becomes aware of his surroundings and his terror subsides to normal levels. He carefully picks his way back to the door he came through, and returns back the way he must have come. He tries to look nonchalant as he rejoins the group, hoping that no one noticed his embarrassing flight.
Having left the group behind (along with her principal melee weapon), Aiko gingerly puts down her backpack and removes the lantern that hangs from it, then fills it and carefully lights it. She puts her pack back on, then holds the lamp in one hand while she draws her wakizashi with the other as she makes a cautious circuit of the dining room in which she's found herself.
Adrian seemed more worried about the two's safety than any sense that they could be embarassed. He huffed when he reach the two. "Please don't do that again. The way you were acting was scary."
Seeing that the two would rather not talk about it, he sheepishly nodded and led them back over to where the rest of the party went.