Good afternoon Dr. Habe. We wish to speak to one of your patient, one Grayst Sevilla, concerning the recent... incidents
There may even be exculpatory information, as he could plausibly be another victim, rather then a perpetrator
After all, if we have a serial killer, well, Mr. Grayst likely has the pretty good Alibi of being sick and in custody here. Could be part of this "pack" too, but I am guessing that could also be unvoluntary.
Ideally without disturbing your sanitarioum and its operations, while I do not know how many patients you have, I could imagine that the presence of a heavily armored and armed tiefling with obvious demonic ancestry could be distressing for some.
Alicia is in "tactfull and polite" mode, but not exactly at her bestest performance ever.
Ano smiles genuinely, "We promise, we won't take up too much of your time, we can see you're a busy man. We just need a little bit of time to ask Grayst some questions, and we will be on our way."
Arrian says, "We wouldn't want to disturb anyone but this is a rather critical situation for Sandpoint and we need all the information we can gather."
The doctor sees that he cannot go around this and says "Fine, please follow me." He opens the door to the south from where he initially came. It leads to a large room that is obviously used for many different purposes. There are kitchen appliances, a sowing station, and some cloth in need of repair, such as bed sheets and clothes.
Apart from the door the group enters, there are four apparent doors, though there is a wide corridor to the west that could have more. The doctor knocks on one of the doors and says loudly "Gortus, come out, I need you." Shortly after, from the door he knocked and also one door next to it, a large tiefling comes out. The doctor whispers them something while they measure the group up and down. The two tieflings look very much alike, making them obviously brothers.
The one called Gortus looks at his brother and says "Got the keys?", to which his brother nods and they swiftly walk the wide corridor and turn south, where they open a door and start climbing a flight of stairs. As the group waits, doctor Habe shifts uncomfortably and impatiently. Eventually, the steps of the brothers can be heard coming down along with a third set of steps.
When they appear, they have another man with them, supposedly Grayst. This man's skin is pale and looks gangrenous, his hair wild and eyes milky white.
This man is sick and very close to death.
He shows signs of advanced stages of ghoul fever.
Grayst has a straitjacket on, and he looks at the floor, not caring about the environment. Doctor Habe says "Please be quick, he requires care and my attention."
Would an infusion of positive energy help him? He is obviously in severe need of attention indeed.
Alicia offers to the doctor
Either myself or Ethan could provide such. In my case I would need to touch him for a full infusion, or could do so at range for a less impactful one. Ethans ability does not require touch.
She pauses
Dr. Habe, as a Paladin I have the ability to *Detect Evil*. Which can be used to see if someone is possessed, or under fiendish and/or undead magical, possesive or other pathological influences. Sometimes, as the act of interpreting the results is sadly more then an art form then a science. May I use this ability on him? It does not require touch, merely looking at him intently for about 18 seconds.
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The man says "That's not necessary. Really, leave the caring of the patient to me. Do what you must and then you may go, as soon as you can, please."
Alicia is a bit suspicious about the caretakers desire to get them away, and tries to figure out the reasons for this.
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He is twitchy and is indeed trying to get rid of the group. However, as he speaks, he keeps an eye on Grayst, as if he is sort of expecting something to happen.
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Ano begins to talk with Grayst. “Grayst? My name is Ano, my friends and I are on the trail of a murderer. We were told you may have encountered the one responsible?”
Alicias internal monologue, due to her paranoid drawback, considers the possibility of the poor Doctor doing:
--Illegal experiments
--Being secretly the lair of evil, with the detergent covering the smell and people freuqently "leaving" a sanatorium
--Something else going on
--Any combination of the aforementioned
She is suspicious of the doctor, as she would normally expect a different reaction from offering to assist with entirely above board things.
I absolutely want to give opportunities for others to interact.
Do what you must? Its not too much of a stretch
Alicia thinks as she takes the words spoken by the Doctor as consent.
Her eyes flash blue as she detects evil on Grayst for 3 turns, the 2 tiefling would likely also be in the area of effect.
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"With all due respect Dr. Habe but my compatriots and I are also trained in the healing arts. Grayst is quite ill with an advanced case of ghoul fever. If we act swiftly we may be able to save him. Ethan in particular is great with healing being a cleric of Erastil."
Also sensing something is amiss with the situation:
”How did he contract ghoul fever?” Ethan asks in a tone of concern. ”Was he attacked recently, or bitten? What happened to the ghoul? Was it destroyed?”
Neither your characters know he has ghoul fever.
Neither the doctor nor the patient register as evil. However, both tiefling brothers do.
Grayst seems to respond to Ano. He tries to answer her. However, all he manages to produce is some mumbling. Eventually he says "...razors..." and then "...too many teeth..." in a high pitch. After some more mumbling he says "the Skinsaw Man is coming!".
He continues some mumbling until Arrian speaks. At this time, his eyes bulge and he is surprisingly coherent. He addresses Arrian specifically when he says "He said. He said you would visit me. His Lordship. The one that unmade me said so. He has a place for you. A precious place. I’m so jealous. He has a message for you. He made me remember it. I hope I haven’t forgotten. The master wouldn’t approve if I forgot. Let me see… let… me… see…" He thinks hard and long, then finally says "He said you should come to the Misgivings soon, to meet the Pack, for they have something wonderful to show you."
You recognize the Misgivings as a local name for a rundown and abandoned estate further south. It's also known as Foxglove Manor.
Then Grayst collapses and issues a low moan. A few seconds later he rises to a shriek, and as he lurches to his feet, his arms tear free of the old straitjacket. He lunges towards Arrian. The orderlies jump towards the doctor and pull him away.
Grayst manages to punch Arrian strong in a surprise attack.
Drawing a blank at the message Arrian is surprised when Grayst morphs into something else and attacks!
Arrian is startled even more by Grayst turning into a ghoul and attacks:
The Misgivings? Ano asked, Wait, I heard of that before-
Before she can tell the others what she knows, Grayst attacks Arrian. The suddenness of it all makes her scream, and she flashes into a bloodrage and attacks instinctively.
Alicia pretends to draw her blade
But instead pivots and embraces him, seeking to control his head in particular
He is not undead yet, lets try to subdue him! She shouts
Oh Light in Shadow, grant me the opportunity to save this soul from darkness, for his actions are not his own.
She prays loudly with considerable intensity.
Ano successfully pierces his skin with her rapier. Alicia manages to grab him.
Juriya confirms what Ano remembers with a nod.
Juriya, seeing the opportunity to use her skills against a foe who can't see through the Kitsune's tricks, and to finally get real-world use for non-lethal strikes instead of the endless reading, takes it with a smile.
Juriya's attack is enough to bring the man unconscious. As he goes down, doctor Habe frees himself from the tiefling brothers' grasp. He walks over to the group and nearly kneeling down he says "I am so sorry, please, please forgive me... I had no idea he'd do that, I... He's never done anything like that! Please, please, don't speak of this outside of here. Please give me your word. You, you're a paladin, right? Please say you won't tell anyone of this."
A moment
Alicia quickly rebinds Grast
I believe you that he has never done anything like this before. My interpretation is that he was... to an extent controlled by another, likely the Ghoul, or perhaps Superghoul that infected him. As to how precisely the super ghouls actually controls him I do not know.
She speaks precisely, seeking to project an image of being in control of the situation.
Ethan, could you channel positive energy to heal? Including Grast once I rebind him, I view him as a victim, not unlike someone dominated by a Succubus.
She turns to the Doctor
What exactly were you hoping to achieve? And are there other patients here, specifically other patients with similar symptoms?
I could interpret your actions in a benign way Dr. Habe, you had a very ill patient, you did what you could to stabilize him, but the disease was too unusual, and your options against its magical or metaphysical aspects were limited. In this interpretation, your only "crime" would have been to not send for help earlier, and that would arguably be a mistake rather then a crime.
Or I could interpret your actions as willfull endgangerment of your other patients, as well as the surrounding communities, as ghoul infestations spread quickly if out of control, and can kill hundreds of people if no sufficient military force is at hand.
If you cooperate fully I am far more likely to give the first interpretation more credence
She says without making a promise or comitting to anything.
”Yes, I can certainly do that,” Ethan replies to Alicia’s request to channel
”What did he mean by his master waiting at the Misgivings?”
Habe seems more concerned with whether the group will talk about this occurrence than Alicia's talk about ghouls.
It seems the talk of ghoul, turning into one and crime are not news to the good doctor.
“I remember hearing about the Misgivings,” Ano piped up, her spots fading away with her rage, “Foxglove Manor, down south from here. I don’t remember why it’s called that, all I remember is it’s been abandoned for a long time. Some of the locals make up scary stories about the place.”
”Doctor…you knew about this. Why would you withhold such information from the community? Do you realize that two people were murdered in Sandpoint recently, and that Grayst and his mysterious master are connected to the killings? Whether anyone in town knows about this is the least of your concerns at the moment. This is urgent. Tell us what you know. Please help us!”
Eyes widening he turns to Ano, "Foxglove Manor? I knew there was something weird about Alden Foxglove! He took too much of an interest in us when we 'saved' him from those goblins. I bet he's at least involved if not the mastermind."
Arrian's eyes narrow with suspicious as he turns to Dr. Habe, "But none of this is news to you is it? You need to tell us what you know, when you knew it, and what's being planned. And what or who is this 'Skinsaw Man' Grayst mentioned?"
"Oh god, f--" she shuts her mouth, nice going, dumbass.
"Not even just the community, why hide this at all?"
[dice=survival]d20-1
After Grayst is tied up and healed, he wakes up. He tries desperately to get free again, eyeing Arrian in a madman's gaze.
Meanwhile, Doctor Habe behaves most oddly from the conversation with him. He seems very distressed. He shakes his head saying "No, no, no." and runs off to the end of the room and opens a door. Then he continues running towards a flight of stairs that go down.
Ethan runs after the doctor. He draws his bow and nicks an arrow as he moves.
”Stop!” he cries out in a warning voice.
Despite Ano’s exhaustion, she takes off after Habe. Though she ends up having to find a way to get around the tiefling brothers.
“Don’t let him get away!”
"Watch Grayst!"
Arrian takes off after Habe and shouts, "Stop! Don't make the situation any worse! You're helping people and you can still help them and all of Sandpoint!"
I will continue to control Grayst, plate armor is not made for chasing people
Alicia says calmly, she is likely sitting on top of Grayst (and is strongly focused on controlling his head), but also keeps a watchfull eye on the 2 tieflings.
Hmmm, how to break his mania, beauty? Worth a try. But I dont think I can oppose his rage directly, I think I need to hijack it
Alicia begins to sing a song in Celestial, seeking to take Grayst's rage and replace it with something
Sirène, enchaînée
Noble reine, éplorée
Poème d’amour
Elle règne, monde sourd
Dans sa robe d’ébène satinée
Elle gronde, elle détruit, ravagée
Et crie au drame, cruauté de l’âme
Sirène, enchaînée
Noble reine, éplorée
Poème d’amour
Elle règne, monde sourd
Siren in chains
noble queen, she despairs
A poem of love
She reigns over a deaf world
Dance in ebon robes of satine
Ravaged, she roars and fights
Cruelty of the soul, cries of drama
Siren in cheins
Noble queen in despair
Poem of love
She reigns upon a deafened world
If it doesnt help, at least he perishes hearing something beautifull.
She thinks as she is suprised by her own performance, given that she is in full plate and sitting on top of someone who is struggling.
Juriya barely notices anything is going on for a few seconds, then decides to stay and watch after Habe for her mistake.
Ano and Arrian eventually push through the two brothers who are a bit unsure of what to do. They get to the door and see a flight of stairs that go down. They hear Habe's panicked voice saying something. It's hard to make out what he's saying, as if he's saying in a hushed voice.
Ano doesn’t hesistate, and she takes off after Habe.
“Stop! You’re getting yourself deeper in the hole!”
Arrian hurries after Habe and will rely on his darkvision if needed.
As Alicia starts singing, somehow there seem to be birds chirping alongside her. She and her friends feel their spirits being touched by little cherubs and somehow more powerful.
Grayst seems to calm down, although this happened at the same time as Arrian goes out of sight, so it's hard to say the true reason for his calm. The two brothers look at each other and start towards the stairs as well, meaning to follow their boss.
You walk into Habe talking to a man. He seems like a spellcaster, because there are many versions of him acting in unison.
He is surrounded by zombies. The man looks at the two heroes climbing down the stairs and says "Step aside, doctor. I'll handle this. You two, pretty do-gooders! You will not ruin a good thing, so..." He is about to cast a spell.
He casts a spell, and he becomes even more confusing.
Before you get down, you are able to overhear Habe saying in a hushed voice "They're... tell... ruin.... help..."
Wow, I never felt that while singing before
Alicia thinks as her hold on Grayst becomes more gentle, although still firm, and less rough.
You dont have to stay what you are now She whispers in between singing to the 2 brothers
There are other ways, simply stay, listen, and do no evil on this day, no harm will come to you from me and mine.
The words somehow become part of her song as she offers them redemption and change.
Please refrain from revealing spoiler content to other players who are not in another scene. As I said before, it's perfectly fine that you can separate player knowledge from character knowledge, but some players prefer to not open spoilers that don't pertain to their characters, and this might spoil the immersion for them.
This also means to include content from a scene where other characters aren't present in a spoiler.
The two brothers pause on their way after the paladin's words. One of them says "We understand, miss, but they're paying our salary, so..." They don't finish the sentence, but reticently continue making their way down.