GM Mindxing 03-15 The Haunting of Hinojai

Game Master MindXing

"HAUNT!" the magus hisses at the others, trying to warn them as he casts Shield on himself.

Six ghostly figures appear on the landing. Apparitions of a woman and two small children huddle together, flanked by spectral armored figures with drawn blades. A robed and hooded woman stands apart from the others pointing down the stairs. The children sob as their mother pleads to some unseen person to hurry. The hooded figure calls out sharply, "You're too late. It is sundown. Their lives are forfeit!" Despair, futility, and the feeling of being tricked wash over any witnesses standing on the staircase as the spectral soldiers raise their blades and fall upon the family.

As the apparitions fade, you are all left breathless and in shock. The weight of what you've seen settles heavy on your bones.

Everyone is fatigued. Let me know when you're ready to proceed through the gate an into the mansion. Or maybe you have something else in mind.

Survival: 1d20 ⇒ 12 Not a 20, so...

Kiyoko draws a deep breath after the apparitions fade, steeling herself for whatever lies ahead. Using one resolve to remove her fatigued status.

Resting a hand on the saya (scabbard) of her ancestral katana, she takes another step forward and looks at her comrades. "Is everyone unharmed?"

survival: 1d20 + 17 ⇒ (20) + 17 = 37

"What kind of strange things happened here?!" Eltran asks.

He looks around.

"But look here ... I can tell that there has been foot traffic on the outdoor steps to the mansion in the last 24 hours. Nothing else can be determined due to the fact that the terrain is hard and exposed to the weather ... so let us go inside then! But I am so tired!!"

"I'm fine, just a little disturbed by what I saw. Let's continue on."

Proceeding through the moon gate leads to the wooden walkway that runs to the right and the left before disappearing around either corner of the house. A set of double doors with an ornate design carved into them appears to be the main entrance to the house.

To the right, further down the walkway but before the corner, is another set of stairs that also lead into the house.

Aylanna shivers at the frightful sight.

She can remove fatigue from anyone with lesser restoration. She'll probably put up with the condition herself, but recommends at least Ki Chin accept a casting, along with anyone else who wants it.

Kiyoko advances up the stairs, taking each step with deliberate caution. As she arrives at the double doors, she places a hand on one and opens it, then peers inside.

Survival: 1d20 ⇒ 15
Ki Chin pats his chest, trying to clam his rapidly beating heart.
The magus agrees to Alyanna's offer to remove his fatigue.

"I would appreciate the help."

Once Alyanna is done with the restoration Ki Chin shakes his head to clear it before bracing himself and moving forward.

The walls of this large, L-shaped room are painted with depictions of soldiers and samurai in battle against the armies of nobles and daimyos, while receiving the adoration of peasants and common people. Little furniture is to be found, but a once ornate wood-and paper folding room divider lies in a broken ruin in the southeast corner. Metal hanging lanterns have been torn from the ceiling and now lie in ruins on the wood floor. Several ceremonial weapons have been pulled from the walls and discarded.

Are you just looking in through the door or are you guys going in?

Before stepping in, To-to glances the doorway for tripwires and other obvious dangers. "Lots of paintings, not much else here."

Perception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (16) + 7 = 23

Kiyoko advances into the room cautiously. "Quite a bit of history on them," she says, replying to To-to-obika. She takes a closer look at the folding room divider, curious whether it may have depicted something--a scene from history or myth, for example--before it was ruined.

Aylanna follows Toto and Kiyoko into the room, continuing to concentrate on the detect undead spell as she scans the room. Maybe next time she can catch whatever is haunting this place BEFORE it causes a problem for the party.

The way looks clear to To-to. He steps in. He feels a sudden sense of dread and a split-second sense of wrongness. He shivers as chills run across his skin.

Need a Will Save from To-to only. Open the spoiler if you fail.

Kiyoko takes a closer look at the divider. It is such a shame. As one time it was a beautiful and lavish depiction of a snow capped mountain. But now it is just discarded debris.

And, while the hairs on Aylanna's arms stand up, she senses no additional hauntings in the room.

There is a door heading north direction across from the entrance. There's another door heading north (we'll call it the NE door) and there's a door heading east. Please let me know how your are proceeding.

Kiyoko shakes her head at the ruined art in front of her. It was, indeed, a shame. The sword saint brushes off the moment of regret and moves toward the eastern door. "It is safe," she says over her shoulder to the others outside the room. "Relatively speaking."

Will save, +1 on saves against fear, charm and compulsion effects: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (13) + 11 = 24

To-to shrug off odd feelings and opens door directly to north.

Of the three doors, Kiyoko is standing next to the east and To-to has opened the door directly across from the entrance. Do I have that correct? Is anyone else doing something? Kiyoko, are you wanting to open the east door?

Yeah, Kiyoko will open the eastern door.

Ki Chin draws his sword as he moves to support Kiyoko over by the eastern door.

Of the three doors, Kiyoko is standing next to the east and To-to has opened the door directly across from the entrance. Do I have that correct? Is anyone else doing something? Kiyoko, are you wanting to open the east door?

Yes, correct

To-to opens the northern door revealing an open space. The ceiling of this large spacious area extends two stories high, with staircases on the north and south walls leading to an overlooking balcony. A rock garden dominates the center of the room; a large wooden frame filled with clean sand and large stones, moss, and pruned trees. Adding to sense of luxury, paintings and woodcuts adorn the eastern wall. A balcony on the second floor overlooks the garden from the east side. On the ground floor there is no exterior western wall; rather, it opens out to a wooden porch and another outdoor garden.

Kiyoko opens the eastern door and peeks inside. It is a simple room for guards. There is a single chair in the room. Nothing else.

Slides updated

Perception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (9) + 7 = 16

Clutching his sword and unsure what to expect, To-to sneaks in and peeks into the garden from staircase.

Can't make that Perception check, so moving along...

Kiyoko gives a small grunt of mixed frustration, trepidation, and anticipation when the room turns up empty. She then moves to the door to the north-east, and opens it.

So far, there is not much to this place, she thinks to herself.

perception: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (4) + 9 = 13

Eltran cannot perceive anything either.

To the north...

The garden has been groomed even if other locations in the mansion are disheveled. A wooden extending rake leans in the southeastern corner. The western side of the room opens right out to an open area, but there is an overhanging wall that drops 8 feet from the ceiling to prevent rain being driven from the east from blowing into the room. There are two of the woodcuts are of exquisite beauty on the walls.

To-to (and whoever else is in the room), give me an Appraise check please.

To the northeast...

Two long, low dining tables run parallel in the center of this room, surrounded by the tattered remains of seating mats. Iron lanterns hang from the ceiling but are dark now. The stench of death is particularly cloying under the lanterns. The corpse of a man hangs suspended from a lantern in the center of the room. The body is not ancient, but there is a mummified quality to it.

Kiyoko (and whoever else is in the room), give me a Heal check please. I also need to know if you're going into the room and where in the room you will be.

Slides updated

Aylanna keep up with To-to. "It's pretty out here. Unexpected given how unpleasant the rest has been."

Appraise: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (3) + 2 = 5

Eltran moves to the north as well.

appraise : 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (11) + 6 = 17

Seeing Kiyoko move on Ki Chin takes a peak at the eastern door. perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (7) + 6 = 13

Seeing nothing of note the kensai follows Kiyoko to the northern door.

Heal: 1d20 ⇒ 17

Kiyoko advances into the room, keeping to the west wall and moving toward the southern-most door on that wall.

Can’t edit the slides on my phone, so will have to update map position later.

To-to nods to Aylanna "The garden is indeed beautiful to behold, which means there must be someone who regularly visits the mansion to tend it."

Appraise, untrained: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (8) + 1 = 9

To-to, Aylanna and Eltran look around in the atrium. Nothing stands out as being particularly valuable.

From the atrium, there are two doors heading east, one north, the opening to the west, and the door to the south that you came through.

Ki Chin and Kiyoko continue to investigate in the dining room. As Kiyoko walks closer towards the hanging body, she can see that it is only a few weeks old and has been exsanguinated. There are no bloodstains underneath the body despite the many bruised bite marks on its skin. Her feet crunch against something on the ground. Looking down, she sees thousands of dead flies covering the ground in a wide area centered on the dead body.

There are two doors to the east, one to the north, and to the west (that Kiyoko is next to), and the door to the south that you came through.

Kiyoko slides open the door to the west and calls to her comrades in the atrium, “There is something in here. A body drained of blood—not more than a few weeks old.”

With that, she moves to the door to the north and opens it.

Aylanna opens the connecting door to make sure it isn't locked and keeping the group apart, then moves to the next door to presumably the same room as Kiyoko's door and opens it too.

Immediately as Kyioko informs him of the body, To-to hustles into the dining room with a look of concern on his face. "We should try to find out who he was." He looks around for any personal effects of killed person.

Perception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (8) + 7 = 15

Ki Chin moves next to Kiyoko and peers through the doorway. perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (7) + 6 = 13

Aylanna and Kiyoko open their doors almost at the same time. Both doors open into the same room. The eastern portion of this L-shaped room has a raised floor where a finely crafted wooden chair, almost a throne, sits. A half-dozen faded woven mats litter the floor. A small low table—another fine piece of furniture—rests tipped on its side. Scattered on the floor are the broken remains of a porcelain tea set. On the walls hang empty racks where commemorative weapons used to hang in places of honor. The words "LIARS" is scratched in the western wall.

To-to examines the body. He finds a small bag of coins tucked into the man's inside coat pocket. He also finds a small travelogue. It contains the names of some of the local towns and a small ledger of accounts. It appears that this man was a travelling merchant.

One unexplored door out of A4, one out of A15, two out of A16.

"Hm. It would seem this was a scene of betrayal," Kiyoko muses as she takes in the scene in the L-shaped room. "Nothing to be done for it now."

She then moves to the northern door on the eastern wall and opens it.

Ki Chin moves towards the other door leading to the east of A16 and watches as Kiyoko opens her door before opening his.

Aylanna follows Kiyoko, also watching Ki Chin to make sure to note where any action might happen.

Kiyoko reveals a room that contains two empty bathtubs and a rotting bench. Faded paintings of cherry blossoms decorate the walls. When it looks like there is no danger, Ki Chin opens his door. Two stoves sit in the southwestern corner of this large kitchen area. Multiple worktables and butcher’s blocks occupy the center, while the other walls are covered with cabinets and other storage areas. A large wooden barrel sits, almost out of place, to the west. The scent of death that is so prevalent elsewhere is weaker here, replaced by the smell of overripe fruit.

Sorry that this is such a slog. I'm trying to keep it moving. Slides updated.

"I have found the kitchen." Ki Chin announces to the others before taking one step into the room and giving it a cursory examination
Perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (18) + 6 = 24

Kiyoko takes a step into what she surmises to be the bath-house. She looks over the faded paintings and into the empty tubs.

Perception: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (6) + 2 = 8

After a cursory look, she joins Ki Chin in the kitchen.

To-to hastily writes a note explaining origin of the coin purse, which he puts in his pocket with travelogue and steps into the kitchen looking inside the barrel.

Perception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (11) + 7 = 18

Aylanna follows into the kitchen. She looks around trying to get an idea how long ago this was used - the fruit suggests it's not been TOO long.

Perception: 1d20 + 0 ⇒ (5) + 0 = 5

perception : 1d20 + 1 + 9 ⇒ (18) + 1 + 9 = 28

Eltran also looks around.

Kiyoko finds nothing of interest in the bathhouse so she joins the others in the kitchen. One of the barrels in the kitchen is filled with vinegar. Another table is covered in earthenware jars that contain fermented fruit that is also well on its way to becoming vinegar. The room looks like it has seen recent use but there is nothing else interesting here.

"I wonder who last used this place," the Tian-Min samurai muses. An answer not forthcoming (nor could there be), Kiyoko moves to the door on the eastern wall and proceeds to open it.

Aylanna moves to keep up with the brave door-opener.

If the impression I'm getting is right
"Some rooms seem sort of recently used, while others look abandoned for years at least. A taboo and supposedly haunted house makes a good cover for villains seeking secrecy."

To-to moves next to Kiyoko as she opens the door.

Ki Chin takes a step closer to Kiyoko and prepares himself for the opening of the door.