****Don't forget to make a WILL save DC 14 at the start of your turn to avoid being shaken from the Haunt***
Round 4- Battle in the cellblock-Bold is up
Malakos- 1 CON damage
Skeletons- Red dead, Black dead
Rahela- 2 CON damage
Sisu
Chellian - 1 CON damage, paralyzed
Haunt- 5 damage
Stirge
Niralzi - 10 damage, shaken
Niralzi continues to play her recorder to inspire courage in her companions, but the contrasting music from the Piper causes her to miss her attack at the stirge attached to Rahela.
Wiping the blood from where Chellian splattered the Blood-gorged stirge on him, furrowing his brow as he concentrates to fire off another force missile trying to nail the last Stirge on Rahela, "I got you Rahela, watch out!"
****Don't forget to make a WILL save DC 14 at the start of your turn to avoid being shaken from the Haunt***
Round 4- Battle in the cellblock-Bold is up
Malakos- 1 CON damage
Skeletons- Red dead, Black dead
Rahela- 2 CON damage
Sisu
Chellian - 1 CON damage, paralyzed
Haunt- 5 damage
Stirge-dead
Niralzi - 10 damage, shaken
And with the powerful force magic erupting from Malakos' hand he is able to kill the stirge on Rahela.
The loud cacophony of music from the Piper's haunt is still echoing through the cellblock.
"Maybe this last bit will put the haunt to rest!!"
Rahela tries one more time to channel.
Seeing Chellian completely unmoving, and not having anything that she can really go at the moment, Sisu moves next to Chellian to guard her and waits to see if more smackable foes will arrive.
Chellian is make to break the hold that the Piper's music had on her but the cumulative fear of watching him and his stirges make their way towards cause a dozen tiny punctures along her arms and neck to momentarily flow with blood.
Rahela for the briefest of moments the Piper's music starts to mesmerized you and you feel the tips of your fingers go still but you quickly shake your head and regain your focus and control of your body.
****Don't forget to make a WILL save DC 14 at the start of your turn to avoid being shaken from the Haunt***
Round 4/5- Battle in the cellblock-Bold is up
Malakos- 1 CON damage
Skeletons- Red dead, Black dead
Rahela- 2 CON damage
Sisu
Chellian - 1 CON damage, 5 damage
Haunt- 9 damage
Stirge-dead
Niralzi - 10 damage, shaken
Opening up his backpack, rummaging around inside before drawing out a dusty vial, "Ah hah! I knew I had one of these in here, the Professor's Cache, he is helping us already,"
He winds his arm back and throws the Cure Light Wounds . . . anywhere?
And as suddenly as the music started it stopped and you are able to breathe and asses your wounds and spells left for the day.
Let me know and we can move forward. :)
"This place is terrible can we please go now!"
She began sounding on the verge of a panic attack. She could feel sweat oozing out of her pores so much it was pratically drenching the sleeves in her shirt. She set the butt of the glaive-guisarme onto the ground holding it with one hand trying to loosen his shirt sleeves to hopefully air out her arms and she swallowed. Her eyes widening in a panic when she realized that wasnt sweat that had come out of her... it had been blood.
She surprised herself and didnt scream. She did however grab her glaive guisarme and ran out the same way they had come on, only stopping at the gate waiting to see if the others were following.
"If we're headed back to rest, let's try and conserve the potions. You never know when we'll need them for another haunt, or for when we can't rest."
As Chellian starts to panic and run, Sisu follows her with a concerned look, hoping the rest are coming as well. When she reaches her at the gate, she stops and tries to keep her voice as calm as possible.
"Are you ok hun? We can go back and get some rest, but I fear that if we're going to get to the bottom of the issues here we will have to return another day. At least another of the threats seems to be taken care of. When you are more relaxed, I would really like to hear about what happened to you in there, as long as you are okay sharing."
Surprised by Chellian's flight, Malakos will run after them, trying not to trip in his bunched up robes. Giving the haunted prison a fleeting look over his shoulder and shuddering.
This really is an accursed place
Gathering with the group, bent-over and out of breath, "Maybe tomorrow we try. . .we try the front door,"
You make your way back into town and Kendra welcomes you back to your temporary home.
Kendra lets you know that Father Gimburrow will be able to offer you any healing that you may need.
____________
Heading out first thing the next morning you all feel fully healed and refreshed and as you are heading out the door Kendra reminds you to be back in town by sunset for the emergency town hall meeting.
Once again you make your way up the hill towards the old prison. Standing outside the main gates you talk over your plan of action, as you walk over the threshold onto the prison grounds nothing happens to any of you.
Standing once again at the front gates to. . .not quite hell, Malakos tries to steady his breathing, holding his hand as it rocks with tremors.
"Yeah. . .perhaps, we can continue clearing that area, I'm sure there is more up there we didn't explore, this place is brutally unkind to us. Like it doesn't want us here." Holding open his spellbook, double checking his spells, "I've prepared a few more spells today, hopefully they come in handy,"
"I agree. We should go back to where we were. That level was not fully investigated and it's better to clear one floor at a time than to do them piecemeal and risk leaving a threat behind us."
"Lets go the way we went yesterday. It HAS to get easier from here. It just HAS to"
A long hot bath helped steady her nerves, especially when she carefully examined her arms and neck for wounds that would cause her to bleed so. While she recalled Sisu's words about well asking what happened she wasnt ready for that. She spent most of the night quietly stuffing the fear as deep down into herself as she could.
She stayed silent throughout the morning, only speaking up when they actually reached the old prison.
"There is wisdom in started where we left off yesterday."
She took a deep breath and swallowed looking up at the haunted terrible place silently for a moment... before forcing herself to take one step forward. then another... a third.
"Lets get this done."
She half turned her head as she trudged towards the site where they battled skeletons and stirges the day before.
Walking back through the small hallway you find yourselves back on the top floor of the burnt out prison. In front of you is the room you left the door open to, which has a wood and iron ladder leading up to a locked door on the ceiling.
To the east you see the mess hall. Wooden benches once lined this large hall, but several are now stacked in a jumble and others are overturned in disarray. Weakened by the fire, the entire east wall has collapsed away creating an unintended entryway to a wooden deck beyond. The view of the lake beyond would be beautiful if the silence were not so eerie not that you defeated the Piper's haunt.
A set of double doors at the end of the mess hall leads into what was once a kitchen. This room is now nothing more than charred blackened remains.
At the end of the hall south of the mess hall and kitchen is another cellblock. Each of the cells contains a prisoner's skeleton, and luckily none of them jump to life as you come near.
There is a large iron gate and behind it is a table and a few chairs, it looks like the old guard station.
Directly north down the hallway you find another set of double doors and a stair case leading down.
"It seems pretty quiet here now. Most of what remains is probably downstairs, but we would be remiss in leaving anything here unchecked."
Without dead things popping up left and right her confidence and investigative spirit begin to surge back and she head towards....
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Not knowing that the trapdoor is fastened tightly, Malakos will investigate the trap door room, "I've prepared a new spell that just might help with this,"
As he begins weaving his incantation, his spellbook lightly fluttering as its not a very intense spell, "Oponus!"
Frowning when his spell has no effect, "This might require a more Chellian-esque touch to open,"
Looking around, seeing Sisu begin to wander off, Malakos will follow behind, "Let's not get to split up,"
Rahela will also follow
"Praise Pharasma, Praise Pharasma. Please forgive me for my sins and let me use your holy light to cast down the undead"
"What?"
She began puzzled for a moment when Malakos mentioned it might require her touch... She chuckled lightly when she realized he meant someone to force it open.
"We should have brought like a crowbar, that would have made this easier."
She began eyeing the door and setting aside her glaive. She started to use just brute strength trying to get a feel for the locked door.
Before she put too much effort into it or even worked up a good sweat she noticed Everyone sort of continuing on.
"Bah its probably not important... hey wait up!
She called her voice a little too high. She didnt like to admit it, but this place was still really really creeping her out. Unconciously she started to rub along her arms.
As you wander and search this floor you come across a cell in the far south west corner. It is much larger than any of the other cells that you have inspected so far. Although this cell is rather spacious, it contains no concessions to comfort. A skeletal body dressed in the rotting remains of a prisoner’s robe lies slumped against the eastern wall, wrapped in numerous chains on which are affixed numerous weights emblazoned with several different holy symbols. On a small table next to the body lies a leather bound journal.
Sisu carefully enters the cell, looking around for any indication of danger. As she investigates the corpse she notices the holy symbols on the chain and calls back to the others "Be ready. This looks like this was Father Charlatan's cell. If the Piper remained as a haunt, there's a chance that this one will manifest as something as well. Maybe be ready with one of those vials if I call out."
Seeing that there is nothing in the cell but the body and the journal, she quickly grabs the journal and heads back to the door, preferring to go through it after leaving the cell.
Sisu, as you leave the cell with the journal in hand you take one look back over your shoulder into the cell. You hear the soft jingling of chains being jostled, but as your walk away nothing nothing in the cell apears to be a miss and the sounds fades.
Nothing of note happens and the only place left to head is down the stairwell
"For a second there I thought I heard something, but it seems that Father Charlatan has not stuck around in the same way that the Piper did. I think it's time to head downstairs but if you don't mind I'd like to quickly look through this journal to see if there is any information that might be useful to us."
Sisu walks north to the mess hall to see if she can find a relatively intact bench to sit on and take a quick look at the journal.
Watching from the hallway, slightly shaking his head at the thought of entering that room, that is definitely a trap
He goes to reach out when Sisu enters the room but she is so quick and nothing happens, Malakos is slightly shocked by the lack of events.
Shaking his head, "I was watching, but I didn't hear or see anything unusual happen, Sisu,"
Looking around to the others, "Yeah we can spend some time checking the journal, this floor seems pretty safe,"
Going up to Chellian, "We could try working on that trapdoor some more while Sisu reads that journal?"
"Sure, looking at the journal seems like a good idea. We'll keep watch as you check it"
Also you guys find a Masterwork great club and 2 potions of Cure light wounds on this floor.
The journal just lists the different cites in Ustalav and churches of various faiths that Father Charlatan conned. There is a list of the different "miracles" or cures that he performed and the amounts of money that he charged for these acts.
Some of the faiths that are listed are the church of Pharasma, the church of Shelyn and of Irori. Some of the other deities he claimed to be a priest of include Erastil, Iomedae, Sarenrae, Cayden Cailean and Desna.
The double doors leading down to the main floor are unlocked and there is nothing magical about them.
"The journal just lists his various cons throughout the years. If you haven't made any progress on that trap door we might as well head downstairs"
Trailing off back to the stairs, "Yeah, we can tackle that trap door another time, I doubt there is anything even to it anyways,"
Heading down the stairs to the first floor of the prison you come across a set of double doors at the base of the stairwell. The doors are unlocked and leads to a closed hallway. At the north and south end of the hall is are sets of closed double doors.
There is a single door at the north end of the hall that is open and leads into a long curving corridor with multiple doors along the way another one at the southern end of the hall opens to the same corridor.
A set of double doors next to your stairwell exit opens to a flight of stairs that once led down towards what must be a lower level. However it is now filled with a mess of large stone blocks and shattered timbers.
Sisu carefully takes a look around the initial area of the first floor and doesn't see anything unusual. She references the map of the second floor that she had been making in her journal, and starts making notes about the ground floor on a new page. After her brief survey, she turns to the group.
"It seems we could head through the doors at either end of this hall, or start exploring that curved corridor over there. Personally I like the idea of clearing a safe path to the front door so that we can get out faster if we run into more trouble than we can handle. Otherwise we would have to upstairs and out to the balcony. I believe that the front of the building is that way," She gestures towards the south "so I think that there is where we should start. What do you guys think?"
She pauses for a second as she looks back into her journal.
"Of course that assumes that we can extrapolate which way is the front based on simply orienting ourselves to where we've been. If there is some kind of disorienting effect in here that might not be the right direction at all...."
She had been quietly following along a mixture of fear and worry that her new friends would get hurt if she wasnt there to protect but the haunts and ghosts very nearly terrorfied her.
"A clear way to the front door is perfect."
She began looking about the room and any light filtering in before doing her best to use her knowledge of nature to orientate which way was north.
Holding his spellbook out, he'll dig some some simple spell components out, "Here Chellian, this might help with our exploring," casting a quick simple cantrip, "Ilumnus"
Lighting her weapon tip with the light of a Torch. "Let's clear the way to exit, I'd hate to get trapped in this place or find out as we are running away that this haunted place locks the front doors on us,"
Streaks of mold stain the walls of this foyer, and the floor below is a thick, gray carpet of fungal growth. Sturdy wooden doors beckon from every wall.
As you walk into this room Malakos and Rahela you notice one of the wooden doors on the wall quickly close.
Round 1
Malakos
Niralzi
???
Rahela
Chellian
Sisu
Jumping and looking pointing at a now closed side door, "Did you guys see that door just close by itself!? I knew it, these doors are up to no good!"
Malakos draws out a vial of holy water just in case something crazy begins to happen and steps into the room.
Round 1
Malakos
Niralzi
Haunt
Rahela
Chellian
Sisu
The room explodes with loud other worldly shrieking. All the doors in the room open and close as the badly-burnt faces of shrieking criminals rush out of all the doors before each door slams violently shut.