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While the White Rose makes it to shore, Piotr trudges closer, and Aatish awaits, Elena tries to talk sense to the Keeper…
His eyes still wide, he cackles crazily. ”Destroy the creature? Impossible! You haven’t even seen it, can’t begin to comprehend it! I have seen it! I was there when it killed Marshan and Baskerwhel as an afterthought, it’ll hunt down and kill me, Myre, and Hyle as well…you can’t protect me! You are fools and will die as well! Better that you kill me than it! DIEEE!!!”
Clearly mad, he strikes out at Zylencia…
…but he misses badly…
COMBAT! Round 6 - The bold may post!
Keeper Hyle (-40)
Elena (-2 NL)
Zylencia (-2/-3NL)
White Rose Duelist (-2NL)
Piotr (-3 NL)
Aatish (-1)
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Elena’s blade cuts deeply into his side and the man sighs, almost in relief, as he crumples to the ground and moves no more…
COMBAT Over! Pathfinders victorious!
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You see Piotr emerge and help him onto the shore…
Upon the Keeper’s corpse, you find the following:
rapier
light crossbow (finely made, with 18 bolts)
3 vials of the purple stuff he tossed at Zylencia and WRD
studded leather
ring
belt
key
475 gp
Upon casting detect magic, the studded leather, ring, and belt all glow…
To the northwest, you see an island and, beyond that, a larger shoreline…
COMBAT Over! Pathfinders victorious!
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The only item Elena can make out is that the armor is +1 studded leather…
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Piotr climbs onto the small landing and shakes the water out of his fur. He takes several deep breaths and takes a moment to rest, bending over with his hands on his knees. He notices the dead guy and the diced fungus.
"Ah... Sorry."
He strains to speak while catching his breath.
"Sorry... it took me... so long to get here."
He glances up at everyone while panting.
"Good work... taking care of that nut case...
Hey. Where's Aatish?"
He stands up and glances around with a look of worry.
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The White Rose identifies the belt as a +2 Belt of Incredible Dexterity…
It takes a while, but you swim over to the northwestern shore, or walk along the bottom if you’re Piotr…you bypass the island as it looks barren except for another violet fungi…
When you reach the shore, you notice two more violet fungi, but you easily dispatch them with your blades. Of more interest though is the relatively intact skeleton dressed in Crow’s armor lies that slumped on the northwestern beach…
Amid the remains is a distinctive looking weapon; a fine longsword that appears to be made with a silver, or silver-like, metal. Upon casting detect magic, it glows…
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"Before I get soaking wet again, do you mind if I take a look at that blade?"
Piotr attempts to identify it.
"Hmmm... Silvery, finely crafted, and well-balanced in the hand."
He remarks as he waves it in mock swordplay.
Disappointed, he hands the sword back to Elena.
"Well, let's get out of here. We have this key of his."
Piotr looks for an inscription on the key.
"I wonder what it opens. Did anyone find a journal or spell book?"
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Unable to identify the silvery sword for the moment, you take Piotr’s suggestion, make like a tree, and get the heck outta here…
After more tedious swimming/walking on the bottom, using the rope, in addition to Aatish and her mount helping, one by one you are able to make your way up, slowly traverse the chute back up to the chamber/cavern where Keeper Hyle first ambushed you…
Now being able to take an unhindered look around, you see..,
This large, low-ceilinged chamber may once have been part of an extensive basement or subcellar, but the worked stone walls have long since crumbled to reveal uneven stone beyond. A sunken area in the center of the room contains a small pond of stagnant water that reaches around a single pillar of rock supporting the ceiling. A slick-looking circular tunnel extends south. To the southwest and northeast, several tables cluttered with what appears to be alchemical equipment stand around two more stone pillars.
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Aatish identifies the ring as a +2 ring of protection and the sword as a +1 aberration-bane mithral longsword…
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Piotr's eyes go wide in shock when the sword is identified.
"Woah. Really? A bane weapon and it's mithril?"
He looks over at Elena.
"You should take it. I can enhance my weapons with Milani's power."
He places a hand on Elena's shoulder.
"If you're fighting an aberration that's evil, make sure to let me give that blade my Holy Strike blessing beforehand."
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Piotr inspects the alchemical equipment.
"He must've been making poisons with this equipment. We've got plenty of time. Let's take our time to search thoroughly. Be careful not to knock anything over."
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Piotr finds a fully equipped alchemist lab sits at both the northeast and southwest wings of the cavern. From notes and ingredients scattered about, you surmise that Keeper Hyle was most likely trying to concoct a poison that would be more effective against whatever creature it was they released…
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Elena's eyes widen in surprise as well at the weapon's abilities.
"Oh my... alright, I'll take it. With this and Zylencia's great skills we should be able to harm the creature greatly. I was also thinking that if the creature is big, you should have an easier time to hit it with your boom stick," Elena nods to Piotr and takes that sword for the moment.
"To be fair, I wish to enchant my own sword sometime in the future to strike evil on it's core. I assume the citywatch will want this back when we are done..." she sighs.
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"I rather strike it as fast as possible instead than using the poison. Perhaps our little friends can help throwing the vials from above? In any case... Lynn, you can feel creatures. Please let us know if something big is near, that should give us a heads up and prepare if the creature attacks us."
60ft blindsense for anything large
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Lynn senses nothing…not surprising though…with the Keeper now dead, you assume the creature cannot sense his life force and would therefore not track him here now…
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Deciding to forego the asylum for the moment, you head back to the mayor’s office to report…
The Crows take you to the mayor immediately upon your arrival.
Mayor Heggry looks up to you with hopeful eyes. ”What news do you bring? Is the beast no more?”
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Elena shakes her head. "Not yet, but we are making some progress with these wicked cultists. They know the creature is hunting them and seems they have lost a bit of their sanity in the process." Elena explains what they have found so far in the Vat House and the old temple. Zombies and poison. She also tells them they found the sword on the corpse of a towns guard.
"Do you know who this one might have been? I feel this guard got wind up on the cultists plan and attempted to stop them, but didn't have much luck... If you allow, we could use his weapon to slay the beast."
On the other hand, Elena also asks for any information they might have on the Asylum, how many people there are and general layout, if they know. "I hope he is not recruiting such vulnerable people to their cult... things can get ugly if he has more followers there."
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Mayor Heggry examines the sword, his eyes somber. ”This weapon was the signature arm of a man named Khorg Eldreen, a Crow sergeant who has been missing for several months. At least now we know his fate…and are grateful to you for killing that murdering bastard of a pretender, Arlen Hyle. Word of Khorg’s death will allow the Crows (and Khorg’s family) closure; I would appreciate it if you could take some Crows with you to the corpse’s location, so they can retrieve the body for a proper burial…after your current business is resolved and calm is the norm once again, of course...
“I’m afraid I have little information on the asylum…most folk here avoid it like the plague…and I’m afraid I cannot spare any of the Crows to accompany you as the townsfolk are in a panic over this invisible creature and it’s talking all of them to keep order and what calm we can secure.” The mayor gives an apologetic shrug.
He hands the sword back to Elena. ”By all means, keep the sword for know…perhaps it can help against this beast of a creature. Fare thee well…”
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Piotr transforms to his human form before exiting the church.
Back at the mayor's office, Piotr relays what the group has discovered so far.
Upon hearing the news of the sergeant, Piotr offers his assistance.
"We'd be honored to help get Eldreen's corpse. If you can spare any Crows sooner, there's a secret door in one of the small rooms of Elm Way church that leads down into caverns below. You will need some climbing gear to get to the deepest reaches to get to the corpse."
"A quick question, if I may ask...
Now that Hyle is dead, who will be taking over the services at the church? It would be a perfect temple to dedicate to Milani and maybe some of the other lesser benevolent deities. If it will be abandoned or become the property of the city, I may be able to find some acolytes to take it over instead. The tithings they collect from the faithful could be used to pay the taxes needed to keep the church as a place of worship as well as a safe sanctuary for the townsfolk. The lower caverns could be converted to a basement and, in the deeper cavern, a crypt."
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Mayor Heggry nods to Piotr. ”I will consider that…once we have taken care of this creature and things start to get back to normal. It will be good for town morale to have a church in this city that is, indeed, a church, where folk can receive comfort and good will…
“But first, we must see to the situation in hand…”
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Elena will ask for some sort of proof from the Mayor that we are working with them. She would like to check the buildings around the asylum for advantage points where we could keep watch/rest for a few hours.
She will send Lynn at a distance to check for windows and doors around the building for entry options.
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The mayor shakes his head. ”None is needed. Every Crow knows you’re working with us and the few buildings nearest the asylum have been abandoned so you may use them as you may. Even if I were to give you a piece of paper stating such, or a badge, the townsfolk, who know you not, are in such fear that they’d most likely give it no regard…”
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You mosey on over to the Asylum area, find an abandoned building across the street from it, and, after a long day, you take a well deserved rest. Taking turns at the watch, you notice neither comings nor goings into or out of the Asylum…just an eerie quiet, aside from the deluge of dismal rain that’s been pretty steady since you arrived here…
You awake in the morning, refreshed but wary of what awaits you in the Asylum…you find all the windows barred and blackened, all other entrances with a sturdy iron door. You find every door locked, except the front entrance which is, most curiously, ajar…
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Lynn sees…
The room itself is relatively empty of any features, and is where Crows handle the turnover of new patients to the Asylum. You see 3 people, likely residents, all tightly bound in straitjackets and ropes, in this room, lying on the floor…
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Piotr, now back in wolf form, senses something amiss.
"That's odd. Why are patients bound in the front lobby? Usually, dangerous patients are kept bound in their cells."
Piotr pulls out his wand of protection from evil and gives himself a tap, just in case.
"Let's go in and have a look."
He says as he slides the wand back into his pack.
He nudges Elena aside and slips into the room, then draws his sword. He approaches one of the bound persons slowly.
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As you enter the Asylum, upon noticing you, the three bound inmates start shrieking and hollering gibberish…