|
THE TOWN OF SANDPOINT NEEDS YOU!
After several people were killed and turned into ghouls in the Sandpoint farmlands, a key to the old Foxglove Manor was found, along with a deranged note written in blood daring you to catch the man responsible and inviting you to 'become part of the pack'...
You meet at Sandpoint’s Town Hall in private with the Mayor Kendra Deverin and Sheriff Belor Hemlock to briefly discuss your next mission. They look at the bloodied key on the desk with apprehension as an awkward silence fills the room.
“I believe you understand the urgency of this matter,” the Mayor starts. ”The ghouls were handled for the moment, but the one responsible remains at large. If the note left among the victims is correct, this man seems to be daring you to the Foxglove Mansion to meet him. Someone must investigate and stop him before he continues his killing and turning townsfolk into ghouls or worse.”
Sheriff Belor nods. “I have every able body patrolling the farmlands to ensure no more ghouls are left, but I believe only someone with your experience would be capable of handling this matter directly,” he says gravely.
”The manor is not too far away… about 4 miles following the Lost Coast road,” the Mayor explains. ”Do you think you can do it?”
|
|
Foxglove Manor is known as the “Misgivings” by the locals, particularly by Varisians for the tragedies that befell the families that have lived there. Most people avoid it. It certainly has a bad reputation—sightings of strange lights in the attic windows, muffled sounds of screaming from above and below, and even rumors of a huge bat-winged devil living in the caves below the manor are but a few of the tales told about the place.
It was built 80 years ago by Vorel Foxglove, a merchant ‘prince’ from Magnimar. He lived there for several years until his whole family and servants perished from a sudden and terrible unidentified disease. His wife and daughter were found outside the house covered in tumors, pustule and blisters. It was hard to identify the rest of the bodies left inside.
The surviving Foxgloves of Magnimar shunned the place, until Traver Foxglove, Vorel’s Great-grandnephew moved back in with his family 20 years ago. Tragedy struck again a few years later when a fire burned down the servants’ building, Cyralie Foxglove, his wife, was found dead—burnt and dashed on the rocks below the cliffs behind the house—and Traver himself was found in his bedroom, dead by his own hand. Their two daughters Sendeli, Zeeva and the youngest boy, Aldern, were found outside by travelers coming to investigate the column of smoke from the servant's building fire. The three children were sent away to be raised in Korvosa by distant relations.
Aldern Foxglove, a young adult now, had recently returned to live in the manor, but he had a hell of a time hiring locals to aid him in the reconstruction and repair of the old building.
|
An old man with deep blue skin and wisps of white hair shuffles in. He wears a finely made light brown bathrobe with armor underneath that appears to be made of lacquered leaves. Comfy fur-lined slippers adorn his feet.
With a raised eyebrow, he nods in amazed disbelief at Lasciel's vast knowledge about the Foxglove family.
"A crazed murderer and a haunted manor? Yes, it is quite sinister. Count me in."
|
Anastasia wanders around in the room absent-mindedly.
She walks with slow steps and is clearly weak and not the most agile woman … although she is clearly beautiful. Her warm green eyes and her brown hair show her heritage from somewhere in the Inner Sea Region.
When she looks at the sheriff and the mayor she has a questioning expression.
"Greetings to you. I’m Mina." says the beaming woman with a contagious smile.
“The Pathfinder Society believes that your problem is relevant enough to send us here so I’m not really concerned that this is beyond our abilities!“
She is wearing a mithral chain shirt and a small buckler is attached to her left arm. She also carries a backpack.
She really has a natural presence when she smiles at you all.
“This manor really has some messed up history. My friend is outside but I’m sure we’ll need his protection as well when we go in there.“
Mina looks out of the window and points at a large cat with a silver aura after mentioning her ‘friend’.
This powerful feline predator moves with a deadly grace, its white-silvery fur is slashed with black stripes.
This Tiger has a celestial touch!
The Celestial Tiger potentially hails from or has a strong connection to the good-aligned planes.
“Grooooaaarrrrr!!!“ roars the Tiger and is clearly looking at Mina.
|
|
"It's a pleasure to meet the two of you...
Mina... Lasciel."
Shamus says, nodding with a squinty smile.
He shuffles to look out the window at the big tiger. His eyes go wide when he sees how big it is.
"Bless the heavens! That's your cat? Biggun, that one is. Sure is a pretty kitty."
He chuckles softly.
Shamus notices the cat's fur shines with a silvery sheen and he just can't figure out why it doesn't look like an ordinary tiger.
"Oohhh. Your cat looks... different."
|
|
Mina smiles at Shamus and Lasciel.
“It is great to meet you as well Lasciel and Shamus. It seems that Lasciel, I and my friend Babr share some celestial spark that runs in our blood. But you Shamus are a Samsaran with so much history running through the incarnations of your past lives. I would be honored to hear more about lifetimes of experiences!“ she says respectfully.
|
|
Taking the pretty lady's hand in greeting, he notices her shrivelled and blackened hands and arms.
"Oh, good gracious. The poor lady. At least she doesn't seem to be in pain."
Shamus squints as he leans in and stares into her eyes.
*Blink, blink*
"By the heavens, milady. I can see the moon in your eyes."
With a puzzled look, he glances upward at the ceiling, wondering how the moon can be shining in her eyes.
He takes a step back to get a good look at Mina while still holding her hands.
"Oh-ho-ho! A moon oracle! You and I are going to get along just fine. Just fine, milady."
He gently releases her hands and bows respectfully. He notices her shoes.
"We'll need to get you some comfortable slippers, of course."
He says, gesturing at the worn, uncomfortable looking leather shoes on her feet.
|
|
Shamus approaches Lasciel and takes her hands.
"Now then. Let me get a good look at you."
Holding her hands, he looks her up and down, squinting.
"My, my. Very pretty young lady."
He says with a smile. He notices she is well-toned and athletic and has the taint of celestials in her and a silvery sheen like a dragon scale.
"Ahh! The blood of angels and dragons flows within you. And with legs like those, you must be quite the dancer."
He winks.
"You also have a wide breadth of knowledge within. Hmm. Inn-terr-esting..."
He bows respectfully, then nods in admiration.
"With beautiful ladies like you, I'm going to really enjoy this excursion."
Putting his hands on his hips and smiling at Lasciel, he suddenly realizes his coin pouch is missing.
"What in the blazes?... Hey! Where'd it go?"
He pats himself down as he searches for his coin pouch.
|
|
"Im just an old man going senile."
He rocks back and forth in the chair as he chuckles.
"Actually, Let me explain..."
Shamus gets up and grunts in pain as he places a hand on his lower back.
"Oof. Watch your back, old man. You're not as young as you think you are!" says a young female warrior in his mind.
Shamus takes Mina's hands and tilts his head back as he goes deep in thought. He sways gently as he projects a moment of history into her mind...
"Concentrate with me, Mina... See and hear my thoughts as if we were just there at that moment..."
He opens his eyes and steps back with a squinty smile.
"Did you see that? Just like we were there at that very moment in time. That's just a little bit of what I can do."
"And don't let those young-uns fool you. One of them was quite miffed about me wearing slippers!"
He taps a slippered foot with his morningstar cane.
"Obviously they never heard of slippers of spider climbing, or cloudwalking, or even feather step slippers. Heh. Kids these days."
|
An elegant kitsune woman enters the room, wearing a formal white dress that looks much more suited to finding a husband at the prince's ball than adventuring in damp caverns. She seems surprised that there are no familiar faces among the crowd.
"My greetings to each of you, honored friends," she says with just a hint of an accent that you can't quite place. "My name is Soni Alemnin, and I believe I am here in case we discover someone that does not immediately try to kill us."
|
|
"Lesya, please!" the kitsune responds with a note of feigned offense. "I know you miss your reptile friend, but the time for that language is not now. Or ever." She pulls a handful of seeds from a small pouch, which the bird begins to eat happily, as she listens politely to the briefing and the other agents' introductions.
"Well, this should be interesting. I have no doubt that we can learn what we need to and bring this matter to a satisfactory conclusion."
|
|
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Mina is surprised but smiles at the Samsaran.
"Thank you for this experience! I personally love slippers ... just so you know." she says with a sly smile.
~
Mina then welcomes the others.
"Wymarc, Soni ... and of course Oleksandra! Very glad to make your acquaintance! You seem to have quite the relationship!" she says with a wink.
|
|
Mayor Kendra finally relaxes after hearing you all accept.
"Thank you so much... Sandpoint has been through a lot lately and this is the last thing we need right now."
A couple of people passing by yelp in surprise seeing the big cat standing outside the town hall. You can tell everyone is a bit jumpy from the recent events.
Sheriff Belor considers for a second. "Just be careful out there. The Misgivings-, I mean, the Foxglove Mansion is not terribly far away so you could always come back to town if you need anything, but better to go well prepared, right?"
==================================================
Once they are prepared, the party leaves town and follows the south road as directed, eventually coming to the Foxglove river and continuing towards the coast through a narrow path leading to the high cliffs overlooking the Varisian Gulf.
Here, wild sea birds call out to a roaring ocean that churns hundreds of feet below and it seems as if nature herself has become sick and twisted. Nettles and thorns grow more prominent, trees are leafless and bent, and the wind seems unnaturally cold and shrill as it whistles through the cliffside crags. The path slowly bends around a steep corner in the cliffs, and then the strangely cold sea wind rises to a keening shriek as Foxglove Manor comes into view, looming at the edge of the world.
The building appears to loathe its perch high above the ocean, as if the entire house were poised for a suicide leap. The roof sags in many places, and mold and mildew cake the crumbling walls. Vines of diseased-looking gray wisteria strangle the structure in several places, hanging down over the precipitous cliff edge almost like tangled braids of hair.
The house is crooked, its gables angling sharply and breached in at least three places, hastily repaired by planks of sodden wood. Chimneys rise from various points among the rooftops, leaning like old men in a storm, and grinning gargoyle faces leer at you from under the eaves.
Even from this distance, you can tell there are two obvious entrances into the Manor: the front doors and the side doors for which you assume the key you have might open. Numerous windows could provide entrance into the manor as well; the unbroken, grime-encrusted panes of glass in their frames speak not only of the Foxglove family’s wealth in being able to afford such an extravagance, but also of the manor’s notorious reputation—no vandals have dared break them. The windows themselves are curtained from the inside, but it would be relatively simple matter to break one of them and climb into a room beyond.
Still, before you reach the main building, you come across the ruins of the burned servant building to your right (B1). It’s impossible to tell how many floors the structure that stood here once had, for all that remains are the sooty, scorched stones of its foundation. To the east, a four-foot-wide stone well sits, partially collapsed in the corner of the ruins. But what attracts your attention are hundreds, perhaps thousands of sickly looking ravens that sit quietly, covering every square foot of the ruins. They are disturbingly silent and still, watching you as one while you approach the house.
Knowledge Religion DC 11
What do you do?
|
|
Sometime during the trip when there are few people around, Soni pulls everyone aside and, checking to make sure they are alone, says, "Before we go on, there is something I need all of you to see."
To the faint sound of heroic, upbeat music with no apparent source, Soni's gown seems to unravel into a shower of white rose petals, trailing into the distance leaving only a silhouette, glowing brightly in a rainbow of colors as her muzzle shortens. The rapier at her hip, which seemed a dandy's weapon before, flies into the air above her as ribbons of silvery-blue cloth circle her limbs and torso, wrapping her now-human form in a short dress, gloves and boots. The raven-haired woman she has become reaches her arm to the sky and grasps her blade, which now appears wickedly sharp. In a flash of light, a golden tiara appears on her brow and a silvery shield with a white rose blossom device appears on her other arm. She slashes the blade through the air in front of her, cutting through the rain of petals and revealing her full vigilante identity as the music crescendos, then stops.
|
|
At the same time, Oleksandra is surrounded by a sphere of glowing feathers. Through the gaps, you can see a similar avian silhouette. It grows larger and more full-bodied, its beak retracts, and the wings become more leathery. In a flash of light, the feathers disperse, and a pseudodragon with silver-tinted scales appears.
|
|
"My normal profession is as a diplomat," the changed kitsune says, "and that is likely the reason the Society has assigned me to this group. However, I also seek justice in this form, in which I am called the White Rose Duelist. Whichever face I wear at the moment is the true me.
"Because this change takes time and is not particularly subtle, I will not be able to switch forms during a fight or in the presence of witnesses. I am not an incompetent fighter when I wear the fox's face, nor am I useless as a diplomat in this form, but I will be most effective if I enter each situation knowing which will be more appropriate.
"My companion also has two identities, though in this form she can be understood by few. I call her Silverclaw, and I hope you will forgive her poor manners, regardless of her shape."
|
|
Weapons: A swarm has no clear front or back and no discernable anatomy, so it is not subject to critical hits or Flanking. A swarm made up of Tiny creatures takes half Damage from slashing and piercing Weapons.
Elemental: A swarm takes half again as much Damage (+50%) from Spells or effects that affect an area, such as splash Weapons and many Evocation Spells. A swarm is immune to any spell or effect that targets a specific number of creatures.
The white tiger moves towards the ruins and tries to attack the birds.
|
|
As soon as you show aggressive intention, the ravens take to the air and swoop to attack!
]
Wymarc reacts faster than everyone, his blunt arrows hit true, leaving only feathers behind from cyan and crippling several other ravens on red swarm.
Round 1
Wymarc
Shamus
Carrionstorm (cyan dead, red -8, yellow, magenta)
Lasciel
Mina
White rose
|
|
The carrionstorms attempt to evade the fire flying in all directions.
Both burn away, leaving only tiny charred corpses behind.
Red moves onto the closest creature, which is Babr and they attack in unison cawing frantically!
Distraction DC10 or be nauseated
Round 1
Wymarc
Shamus
Carrionstorm (red -8)
Lasciel
Mina
White rose
The white tiger moves and tries to attack the birds with red colors in the black feathers.
|
|
The group checks the ruins thoroughly but don't find any sign or clues among or under the dead birds... This area has been abandoned to the elements for several years and the presence of the ravens might be a relatively new thing.
The Mansion itself is a three story building and has two main entrances. As mentioned before, it has also several large windows in each floor, all intact. Clambering up onto an upper story might also be possible as there are numerous handholds, but they look rotten... they might crumble under weight.
When you approach, you notice the doors are closed and locked. The locks and the key you carry bear the same symbol that you identify as the Foxglove family emblem.
What do you do?
|
|
Shamus tries to have a look inside but the curtains inside obscure the view into the room. His impression is that that side of the house must be a large social area.
Taking his time, Wymarc doesn't notice any traps or dangers on the door itself, so Mina opens it to reveal the interior.
As you enter, you feel your hair stand on end... something is wrong with this place but you can't quite tell what. On the other hand, Mina also gets a momentary whiff of burning hair and flesh in this room. It passes rather quickly...
B2
The sound of the house straining and creaking gives this long, high-ceilinged room an additional sense of age and decay. The place smells damp, the unpleasant tinge of mold lacing the air as surely as it stains the wooden floor, walls, and furniture in pallid patches. Moldering trophies hang on the wall to the northeast in the entry way: a boar, a bear, a firepelt cougar, and a stag, yet they pale in comparison to the monster on display in the center of the room. Here crouches a twelve-foot-long creature with the body of a lion, a scorpion’s tail fitted with dozens of razor barbs, huge batlike wings, and a deformed humanoid face.
Survival check DC 15
There's a door to the north and to the south another door and a spiral staircase.
B3
Ahead of the manticore entry, a rather gruesome antique—what appears to be a mummified monkey head—hangs on the northern wall here, its tiny mouth gaping. A bell pull extends from the monkey’s gaping mouth. But most strangely a ratty throw rug partially obscures a foul stain of dark-colored mold on the floor.
Mina's detect magic pings the monkey head as magical. Further closer inspection might be required for more details.
Perception DC20
Spellcraft DC18
There's a door to the north and to the south of this room.
At the back(b4), you can make a dining area with mahogany table surrounded by chairs and great stained-glass windows obscure what could have been a breathtaking view of the Lost Coast to the east. You would need to get closer to have a better look at this room and the images on the stained glass.
What do you want to do?
|
|
“Hmm .. the monkey head is actually a minor wondrous item called Hungry Decapitant. When the chain is pulled it gives a loud simian shriek akin to an Alarm spell. I’ll take that!“ she says.
Mina then asks everyone to look at the first door to the north to check for traps and then opens the door with the key for Babr to enter.
|
|
while in the room she will use Detect Magic and see if anything stands out
Lasciel casts detect magic and only finds the same magical traces that Mina found. When you get closer to grab the monkey head, you get a better look of the stained glasses in the east wing...
Each window depicts a monster rising out of smoke pouring from a seven-sided box. From north to south are depicted a gnarled tree with an enraged face, an immense hook-beaked bird with sky-blue and gold plumage, a winged centaurlike creature with a lion’s lower body and a snarling woman’s upper torso, and a deep blue squidlike creature with evil red eyes.
It was an unusual design choice to fit the rooms with arguably the best view of the Lost Coast with windows one cannot see through. These images must be of great importance...
ARCANA CHECK DC 25
Just as Mina and Lasciel move to check the door to the north, something strange happens...
Surprise Round
]
Haunt 10
The head of the stuffed manticore catches on fire. It's ugly face morphs as if melting into one of a woman with fiery hair and wrath in her eyes glares at Mina, her tail prepare to attack.
Knowledge Religion DC 15
On the surprise round in which a haunt manifests, positive energy applied to the haunt (via channeled energy, cure spells, and the like) can damage the haunt’s hit points (a haunt never gains a Will save to lessen the damage done by such effects, and attacks that require a successful attack roll to work must strike AC 10 in order to affect the haunt and not merely the physical structure it inhabits). Usually no other form of attack can reduce its hit points. If the haunt is reduced to 0 hit points by positive energy, it is neutralized— if this occurs before the haunt takes its action at initiative rank 10, its effect does not occur.
A neutralized haunt is not destroyed, and can manifest again after a period of time—to destroy a haunt, usually 24 hours, a specific action must be taken in the region to end the effect forever depending on their source.
Surprise Round
Mina
Wymarc
Shamus
White Rose
Haunt
Lasciel
Bold notice what is happening and may act in the surprise round!