Theodore stuffs the two scrolls of hide from undead into his inside coat pocket.
These would have been handy that one time I was hired to evict an annoying goblin skeleton that thought it was the poor families child. What a mess that was.
The Cleric then nods in affirmation of Tiff's suggesting they visit Kendra. He doesn't seem to agree about his Sister's interpretation of his disposition.....
"My apologies for the splash-back. I have proven a theory that such discharges can be made malleable under the right conditions, however I have not been able to replicate the experiment outside of the laboratory, yet. I will endeavor to persevere." Ismene rearranged her mental priorities now that she had companions she would rather not reduce to collateral damage...
"We do still have the Pharasman Archives available for research." She offers as a reminder, but doesn't oppose the idea of returning to Kendra.
"We do still have the Pharasman Archives available for research." She offers as a reminder, but doesn't oppose the idea of returning to Kendra.
Kendra welcomes you back.
"So the cache did exist. And my father must have taken some things. At least you have the permission of the Pharasman clergy; I do hope that will forestall any unlucky turns of Fate."
She looks at the items.
"I can cast Identify twice today, once using my amulet here, and each casting should allow me to identify two items. Let's start with the planchette and one of the vials."
"Ah yes, a Brass Spirit Planchette. You use this with the board to commune with spirits. It is not very reliable, unfortunately. And, the act of channeling spirits can be dangerous."
"This is a Haunt Siphon. It can neutralize restless spirits by drawing their essence inside; you loosen the top like so. It may take several such vials to neutralize a powerful haunt. My guess is that all four such vials are Haunt Siphons."
She casts the spell a second time from her bonded item.
"A Rod of Healing! It works similar to the healing hex that some witches have; it can heal any number of people, but no person may benefit from it more than once per day."
"These are five Ghost Touch arrows."
Her Identify spells spent, Kendra attempts the last bundle of arrows without such assistance.
"These are five Undead-Bane arrows."
Theodore stands over Kendra's shoulder as the Wizard announces the items properties.
And one big box of foreshadowing... isn't this nice.
The Roaming Exorcist rubs his hands together.
Definitely could have used those Vials of Haunt Siphon on that last case. Trippy that one.
Theodore then looks at the time.
Prison soon? I've a feeling things may get a bit pantaloon filling then...
He then nods to Iseme.
Quite right. Archive then spooky prison. Probably better experience at night anyway.
You head back to the Temple of Pharasma.
Father Grimburrow is there. "Back so soon? I hope you will tell me what you found when you have a chance. As I said, you are welcome to use the relics you found for their intended purpose, but it would be good to record what they were."
---
The temple's library is extensive. The only topic you have left to research is the Piper of Ilmarsh, one of the five notorious prisoners.
This is a DC 25 Knowledge (History) or Knowledge (Local). The Temple library gives a +4, and you can Aid Another - but please specify before rolling if you are making your own check or an Aid Another.
Tiff initially becomes distracted by Domha's Scrolls of Monstrous Plants squealing with joy at the weighty binder of collected vellum. But she sets them down in search of more useful books, tomes, librams, compendiums, and folios relevant to their search.
"My apologies for the splash-back. I have proven a theory that such discharges can be made malleable under the right conditions, however I have not been able to replicate the experiment outside of the laboratory, yet. I will endeavor to persevere."
"That would be appreciated. The fire stung, but I cannot find fault with its effectiveness!"
The mention of both hiding from and neutralizing restless spirits gives Quinn pause, he stops and ponders both for a long moment before shaking his head and carrying on.
At the archive, Quinn pipes up. "I do try to keep up with the goings on and can certainly immerse myself in records. I'll see what I can figure out."
Ismene jots down an inventory of the items as Kendra identifies their properties. Before they leave for the temple again, she asks Tiff to double check the alarm spell and cautions Kendra to keep the doors and windows barred while they are away, just in case.
When Father Grimburrow requests the information, she hands over the list. "Of course, Father. You have our gratitude for all your assistance in these troubling matters. The lock had been tampered with and it seems likely the Professor had visited before his untimely demise, so I fear it is not a comprehensive list of all that was secreted there initially."
In the Archive, Ismene inhales expansively, savoring the smells of aging parchment and vellum before drawing forth a vial of cobalt blue liquid that seems to glow faintly as if held up to the light. She twists the waxed stopper and tosses the contents back quickly, shuddering delicately at the apparent taste. Then her eyes pop open wide, seeming especially magnified by her lenses and she nods to herself as she sets to work.
I don't believe the Cognatagen lasts long enough to apply to this check, as it represents a full day's worth of research. But with Take 10 and with Aid Another from both Quinn and Tiff, Ismene can hit the DC.
It takes the better part of the day and into the evening for you to piece together the tale of the Piper of Ilmarsh. A snippet here, a fragment there, a footnote referring to another author, but eventually you have the tale.
Before he snatched his victims, the Piper taunted his targets with a mournful dirge on his flute. He preferred to paralyze lone victims by dosing their meals with lich dust and then allowed his pet stirges to drink the victims dry of blood.
Where to now? Back to Kendra's to rest for the night, or would you wish to do something else?
Tiff wakes up the next morning with a start, shooting straight up in bed. She wasn’t accustomed to waking up early but she could barely contain her excitement as she raced to the market to buy a very specific fish. Once she had the foul smelling and foul tasting fish in her possession she cut slits on the fish’s body and then squeezed as hard as she could draining the fish’s blood into an ink pot. Then she fetched Kendra’s spellbook, after asking politely, and began studying it and writing in her own book for just over two hours.