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While the Harry and Karlan are occupied with the Captain Kanyk stands by the window and takes the opportunity to get a better look at the city from such a high vantage point, trying to get a sense of the lay of the land much the same way he would in the wilderness.
"Watch house sounds good to me. Not like I'll be much cop in a library anyway and if Aldern's house is nearby we could go take a look once we've let the locals know what we're about."
Never having been into the more well heeled parts of Magnimar, Kanyk keeps quiet and lets the others lead the way, taking the time to experience the place.
Kanyk cocks an eyebrow at Celestra's whispered conversation but says nothing, not wanting to be seen to be eavesdropping.
Once the ship is well underway, Kanyk heads for the stern rail with his fishing line all baited up with some cured meat from his pack. He ties the line to the rail, loops it over his hand so he can feel the tug of the hooks and line dragging through the water and finds himself as comfortable a seat as he can to wait it out and enjoy the sun and the breeze.
While the more gregarious members of the group chat to the captain, Kanyk is far more interested in the ship itself and the work needed to sail it. He stops multiple times to examine some of the more complex knots tied by the sailors, a few of which look like they'd transfer well to snares and trapping. He is less impressed with the below decks, thinking that maybe the naval architects went for form over function. Gold rails and costly paintings were all very good until they were bending and falling off walls in high seas.
On his way back from the woods Kanyk had purchased a spool of line and a few fishing hooks off a local fisherman and was busy tying the hooks onto the line when Perdition's joke caused him to grimace and stop his work.
"Don't worry about me, not fond of ships but I've been on a few before now, I'll keep myself occupied with a go at some fishing. Trip to Magnimar isn't exactly long anyway. Can't imagine a wolf will be much welcome on the streets of Magnimar though, so give me an hour to get him back to something resembling the wild and I can go."
Kanyk had been staring off out at the ocean while the rest of the group alternately menaced and comforted the captain, mind somewhat adrift and vaguely wondering why it was the endless rows of waves formed across the watery surface. With a visible start he snapped back into the present as the chat with the captain concluded and spoke possibly the first words any of the group had heard from him for a few days. "So we're headed to Magnimar? By boat or by caravan? The sea'll probably be quicker but I can't see Harry wanting to get back on a ship any time soon and the thought of so much water between my feet and the ground doesn't exactly fill me with joy either."
Kanyk spends a few seconds outside trying to shake some of the rainwater off before entering the bar but realises it is a fruitless task and just heads in still soaked.
"Left Aldern's body with that gravedigger Gerlick was friends with, seemed better than it sitting around in the rain."
Kanyk unshoulders the corpse that'd been getting him stares and mutters all the way back to Sandpoint and stretches to relieve some of the stress on his back. "Might be an idea to get Abstalar as well, get the body wrapped up properly. Can't imagine his family'll really want to see him in the state he is."
"So we add this to the list of places we have to clear evil out of, which puts it up to three at the last count? The ruins under the glassworks, the temple Nualia was hiding in and now the lich house ancestor of Aldern Foxglove."
"Oh good, hundreds of undead crows are just what we need right now."
"Could be Aldern bought them with him? Where did he live when we met him first? Didn't he say he was from Magnimar?"
Kanyk picks the painting out of the grime and brushes some of the dust and dirt off it before tucking it carefully into his pack and heading back to the group.
While the others are working out what to do about the fungus Kanyk will head back to Aldern's lair and give it a thorough going over. Mostly looking for lamp oil but also for anything valuable.
"Mold doesn't do well with lots of light or heat so this could be Perdition's moment to.. uh.. shine? And if that doesn't work there is always the holy light option."
"That is unless Aldern got rid of them for the inheritance or something? I don't really think I'd put anything past the stupid foppish bastard at this point." "Now talking about Aldern, can we maybe just take his head back? I don't fancy dragging a corpse through a likely underwater and possibly ghoul infested tunnel."
"Might be time to leave then, after all this work we don't want to get killed by falling masonry. Oh and the ghouls using the waterways would tally with all the tracks we found going into and out of the river near that farm. Be the perfect way for them to move around unnoticed." Kanyk heads back to the underground lair/study and hoists Aldern's corpse onto his shoulder and jogs back to the pool. "So are we going to try to leave the way the ghouls did or back up through the house?"
Round 2 With limited space to manoeuvre Kanyk sticks with what he knows best and slams his hammer into the Skinsaw man's back, attempting to convert his spine into a mess of pulped meat and shattered bone.
Kanyk runs into the room, pulling his hammer from his back as he does so and heading around behind the desk to flank the ghoulish remains for Aldern Foxglove.
Kanyk unlimbers his hammer and stands quietly at Harry's shoulder, eyes locked on the chair that hides what remains of Aldern.
Only a pained groan escapes Kanyk's mouth before his muscles stiffen and he finds himself frozen in place on the narrow ledge.
Kanyk steps forward as Harry neatly removes the ghoul blocking his access to the rest of the pack and swings at the nearest undead.
Kanyk heads over to the indicated fancy pickaxe, tucking his hammer away and hoisting the heavy mining tool to get a better look at the carving. "Ailetha, reckon if we meet another ghost this'll come in handy like your sword? Maybe we keep hold of this at least until we get out of here."
Kanyk shadows Harry as he moves down the tunnel, hammer at the ready and eyes peeled for any sign of attack.
Seeing Karlan go down almost immediately to one of the Ghasts Kanyk ignores the sensible plan of backing up and attacking from a position of strength and instead charges the remaining Ghast.
As the paralysing effect of the ghoul bats attacks finally wears off Kanyk groans and slumps to his knees barely able to keep himself from collapsing completely as control is returned to his muscles. He struggles back to his feet and spits to clear his mouth of blood before answering Ailetha's question. "..Giant ghoul bats.. newest least favourite thing..any healing you could through at me would be good at the moment."
Kanyk roars in pain as the huge bat slashes at him and sinks its fangs into his upraised arm but his strong constitution staves off the paralysis with ease.
..but not used to an airbourne opponent his attack goes well wide of its mark.
Kanyk squeezes past Ailetha and Celestra to get closer to close on the Bat, but can't quite reach it.
"How is it that everywhere we go the damn Runelords have gone and left something nasty underneath? Makes me want to live on a river boat or something equally mobile."
Kanyk dodges past Celestra to get within hammer range of the ghouls still trying to savage Karlan.
Kanyk seems almost relieved by the appearance of the Ghouls, the sight of a physical enemy to vent his frustrations on almost making him smile.
"If someone in this house has taken the time to trap this Revenant then would it not make sense for us to free it? The enemy of our enemy is our friend and so on."
Not able to help in the more arcane way Celestra and Karlan can, Kanyk instead makes sure his grip on the rope is firm and braces his feet ready to pull as hard as possible at a moments notice.
With Celestra armed Kanyk tucks his hammer away and takes up the rope tied around Harry's waist, ready to yank him out of the room if it does indeed contain some form of spectre.
Harry turning into a raging misogynist had taken Kanyk aback, so much so that he had been slow to react to his attack on Celestra, not quite comprehending that the inveterate ladies man was actually doing what he appeared to be doing. "Ending on an innuendo? Well you're definitely back to normal." Kanyk grins with relief and reaches to untie the knots binding the glib tongued Half Orc.
Kanyk glances into the room and frowns at the thick layer of mold covering everything. "Mold this thick is going to be full of spoors, you stand on it and take a breath and then your lungs'll be full of them too. Not a good thing most of the time, but in this house? Might eat you from the inside out. Maybe we just skip this room?"
"None of those sound like spell components any good person would use.. what kind of spells need that stuff and why would anyone want to use them as decoration in their family home?"
Kanyk enters the room cautiously, glancing at the fallen painting for a moment, but deciding to check the other exit before taking a proper look at them. He pulls his handaxe from his belt and uses the slightly hooked edge of the blade to try the door handle.
"But that would mean picking up the items related to the various Foxgloves and that will most likely mean an unpleasant experience for who ever draws the short straw. As for the box, can almost guarantee that if it is anywhere in the house it is going to be in the basement. The house seems to be leading us upwards and why would something this nasty lead us straight to the possible source of it's evil juju." Harry's anger and his own lack of purpose in the cursed mansion is making Kanyk decidedly tense and he paces up and down the corridor and gives the opposite double door a vicious kick to relieve some of the frustration.
"If this place is getting to you cousin I can take a turn entering the rooms first. So far the house hasn't laid a finger on me and with the way things are going it'll have laid you and Karlan low by the time we finally get out of here. Maybe spread the load a little?"
"Could be that the boxes pull the soul of the thing in and leaves a corpse behind? Would explain the beastie in the hall, but would also mean there are possibly boxes full of monsters somewhere in a house where everything wants to attack us. Not a good thing."
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