Strange Aeons: In Search of Sanity II [IC - Group #2]

[bcool999]

Jens

Jens moves and tries to fire stone at where the creature appeared to bite Zoo from.

Spoiler: OOc

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Earth Blast at the creature moving as necessary to be able to hit (not moving past allies though.)
Attack: (1d20+6)[19] Attacks made assuming PBS no other bonuses/penalties applied
Damage: (2d6+7)[16] Bludgeoning damage
Miss chance: (1d100)[41]

[lostsole31]

R12T14: Jens moves and tries to fire stone at where the creature appeared to bite Zoo, but a stone is heard skittering in the darkness beyond.

R12T13: Maeni, you're readied action did not occur. What do you do?

Bogey on deck, Flair in the hole, Gaye/ Corbin/ Haru delaying ...

[silphael]

Brainstorming to look for all the possibilities, Maeni starts loosing herself in her thoughts.

Spoiler: Collective

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"Could it also be an haunt ?"

Spoiler: OOC

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Gonna try if I can get anything in mind about that kind of stuff. We already got quite a number of informations about the abilities of that, it could help narrow what it is and how to fight it.

[lostsole31]

R12T13-7: Brainstorming to look for all the possibilities, Maeni starts losing herself in her thoughts.

Spoiler: Maeni >>> Collective

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"Could it also be an haunt?"

Of course, as brilliant as she is, Maeni doesn't know anything about haunts (or anything even related to them), so doesn't really have anything to offer.

Flair mentions the strange aspects of the voice-stealing, which seems to be very unique. Gaye offers a few insights regarding the strange exhausting effect of the bite, and Haru finally puts the whole thing together.

The creature - its sobbing aura, its strange little skull, the child's voice when calling for "Brenton" and something about a "lantern" - is an attic whisperer. An attic whisperer is a type of undead - specifically from a child who died while lonely or neglected. So, anything anti-undead helps. Sadly, Gaye can't cast her spells without her voice. Attic whisperers' sobbing aura makes those that hear it less capable to fight and resist mental attacks.

The darkness seems to be unique to this situation. [The back-and-forth soaks up Maeni's and Haru's turns.]

Spoiler: Corbin

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CORBIN is able to remember something, but only because he and Heck spent some time with the two children in the chaplain's office. Remember them? One of the kids' names was Brenton Lieklan, and he had been separated from his little brother Debis. Brenton was upset because he missed his little brother (and his little brother had his toy soldiers), and Brenton also had Debis' shadow lantern - a child's lantern in which you put a candle inside and spin it and it makes moving images.

R12T6: Gaye drags Zoo to herself, and then steps forward to take his place, but not before the attic whisperer bites (and misses) Zoo.

End Round 12, Begin Round 13 ...

R13T26: "Brenton," comes the eerie child's voice amongst the sobs, "the lamp went out!" The little skull bites at Gaye but scratches against her studded leather. Again, there is no claw.

R13T25: Flair, the attic whisperer seems to be standing in front of Gaye. What do you do?

Björn on deck, Corbin on deck ...

[digiman619]

Flair curses in Infernal again. He'd been so focused with it being a creature that he hadn't thought about it being another haunt. The worst part is that it's an easy fix, but one he can't implement until tomorrow. "Fall back!" Flair shouts, frustration clear in his voice. "We can't deal with it without some positive energy or other anti-undead abilities, and I have the wrong set-up to deal with that. It clearly can't leave the room, so let's come back to deal with this later." He paused, the frustration in his voice giving way to disappointment, though the target of it was himself rather than anyone else. "I'm sorry. I should have been prepared for haunts like this but I was too focused on living opponents that I bound my spirit wrong. I can fix it, but not today and I hope this isn't gonna backfire." He then turned to Maeni "Head back to the chapel; without your voice, there's not much good you can do out here."

[lostsole31]

Does anyone oppose Flair's suggestion? Right now, honestly, the party is probably pretty demoralized ... voices lost, few blows struck, Zoo asleep ...

[BuckGodot]

Björn will reluctantly agree and back away.

[ClockworkCorvid]

"Agreed. ... I think this thing is... related to a child back at the sanctuary. We might have a way to deal with this with some finesse."

[bcool999]

Jens nods in agreement to falling back. He didn't particularly care for fighting something he couldn't see. "I am fine with falling back, who all is hurt? I will do some healing and check what is wrong with Zoo." Jens says to the party at large.

Spoiler: OOC

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Jens will try to figure out what is knocking Zoo out. He will also do some healing but I don't know who is hurt or how badly.

[BuckGodot]

Jens nods in agreement to falling back. He didn't particularly care for fighting something he couldn't see. "I am fine with falling back, who all is hurt? I will do some healing and check what is wrong with Zoo." Jens says to the party at large.

Spoiler: OOC

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Jens will try to figure out what is knocking Zoo out. He will also do some healing but I don't know who is hurt or how badly.

Björn gestures to some very minor scratches...

[lostsole31]

The group pulls back to the east into the main part of the day room first. Björn puts sword and shield away to heft Zoo with Corbin and Gaye's help. It turns out that Zoo nearly 230 pounds! Jens does a quick check on everyone before puling fully out (because he wants to make sure people are AUR in case of a random thingie on the way back to the sanctuary). Gaye assists Jens, even as his invigoration effect ends on those that had it.

Spoiler: Triage Results (Jens)

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Björn is barely wounded (95%).

Zoo has had a beating (2/3 health), but as far as why he's unconscious, it seems to be a type of respiratory exhaustion ... as if loss of breath knocked him out, but solidly enough that no normal means of reviving him seem to work.

The party then hefts Zoo and begins carrying him back to the sanctuary. Corbin, who is helping carry Zoo, senses the change before it happens and has his fellow haulers (Björn and Gaye) gently put Zoo down when Zoo returns to his normal form. His masterwork backpack is handed to Flair to carry, which helps cut out nearly 20 pounds of weight. Despite Jens' caution, no random thingy attacks.

The debrief with Winter is a little difficult, but not terribly, what with tepe-ing among the unvoiced and "translating" as necessary using normal voice. However, she is told of the event. Assuming that this is the current method of handling communications, any particular insights or ideas anyone want to posit? (You are assumed to have told Winter the basics of the event.)

[bcool999]

After taking stock on those wounded, Jens decides to patch Zoo and Bjorn up now rather than regret it later. He sends a surge of healing to both of them but redirects any excess from Bjorn back to Zoo.

Spoiler: OOC

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Natural Healing augmented with Spirit of many and an extra PP to have it heal 6 each to Zoo and Bjorn, with excess from Bjorn going back to zoo if it over-heals. Costs 3 PP total

[lostsole31]

Zoo, receiving full and complete benefit from the natural healing (and still down a touch), receives no additional benefit from Björn (who is now fully healed).

Back at the meeting with Winter ...

[digiman619]

"...And that's the long and short of it." Flair finished. "I can bind the spirit the correct way to do it in the morning, but my contract with them lasts exactly 24 hours; I can't renegotiate with them midday, or evict them earlier. If we had someone who could channel positive energy at it we might be able to deal with it, but with Maeni's voice taken, the only one I know that can channel the energy needed to deal with it is you," he gestures to Winter, "and I can't guarantee your safety if you go out there. Moreover, you're a calming influence that keeps the Chapel safe; I shudder to think what would happen to the people here if you fell."

"Regardless, at least Maeni should stay here. Zoo's been beat up as he was our frontline for this and he might want to recuperate. Is he even up yet?" he quickly turned to his teammates for confirmation, but turned back before he could get it. "Either way, that makes two of us down and I'm of two minds on advancing with a limited crew and with an improper set-up."

[lostsole31]

Winter shakes her head, "No, look after your temporarily fallen and take ease for the day."

Corbin, do you have anything to add?

[ClockworkCorvid]

"I uh... think that... thing... is related to one of the kids we've got locked up with us. Brenton, I think." He shifts from foot to foot, uncomfortable with the subject. "I think he has the lantern the haunt wants. I mean, I don't really know much about the undead, but maybe we could try appeasing it instead of trying to attack it head on."

[lostsole31]

Winter calls one of the guards to fetch the nurse that watches over them and Brenton, as she definitely recognizes that name.

A dark-skinned man, bookishly handsome in his way, comes to report to Winter and the group. The PCs recognize him as the male nurse that watches over the two children in the old chaplain's office, but you never really had much dealing with him. He is introduced (if needed) as Tolman Leolies. He guides in a youngster (again, you recognize by sight, but only Corbin spent time with the children, along with Lord Hanley). The youngster is introduced as Brenton Lieklan, a frightened youngster who got separated from his brother during the uprising. He clings to a shadow lantern, the only memento of his departed parents.

Winter looks back to the group after introductions. "Well, heroes? Is this actionable?"

In the meantime, those who have lost their voice feel a tickle in their throat. Their voices are slowly coming back after an hour without them. Zoo is beginning to stir and waken groggily, no longer exhausted.

[digiman619]

Flair was going to sweet talk the child into giving up the lantern, but when he saw how desperately he held onto it, his confidence wavered. If he was 100% sure that using the lantern would dispel the haunt and removing it thereafter wouldn't cause it to come back, he would have gone through with it, but since he wasn't certain, he wasn't going to rob the child of his one remaining comfort. He argued with himself back and forth until he saw Zoo waking; maybe they weren't as out of it has he had thought. . He smiled at the child and knelt to talk to him. "Hello. Brenton. You can call me Flair. That's a very important lantern. You should keep it safe."

He then stood and turned to Winter. "With Zoo up, I think that the voice-robbing effects may be running out as well. Give me a bit to check my notes and confer with Maeni, but I think we can head back out and deal with it without risking the lantern."

[meemaas]

"I can manage some positive energy of my own, but I don't trust my aim enough to hit the haunt within its darkness. And I can't approach it for a good clean shot, losing my voice will rob me of my power. I'd be useless then."

[BuckGodot]

Björn tries to speak up if he can... If cannot he will tepe: "I believe, if this is a haunt... That I can affect it as well. Contact with it will cause it damage and also allow me to ask it one question. If that's what it is, we may be able to find a way to put it to rest without harm."

[lostsole31]

Gaye goes over to Brenton and squats on her haunches, her wide dress in a form of lily pad around her. "Brenton, your parents gave you that lantern, didn't they?"

Brenton nods slowly.

"Brenton, I am going to make a guess, and I want you to tell me if I am right."

Brenton looks at her in expectation.

"Your parents gave you the shadow lantern, but you had a little brother, didn't you?"

Tolman speaks up (barely) and stutters, "Yes, younger, h--"

Gaye shoots him a look and the man simply withers as if he had seen the devil itself and he is quiet.

Gaye looks back to Brenton, but after seeing the look she gave Tolman, he backs up into Tolman's legs, as if to protect the nurse. If she was going to make an inroad of any kind, it seems to have backfired. Gaye stands up and shrugs.

[lostsole31]

Okay, what's the plan?

[ClockworkCorvid]

"It's alright to answer the question." He speaks to Brenton in a calm voice, trying hard to keep his natural... twitchyness under check. "We think you might be able to help us with something uh... out there."

[digiman619]

Flair waved off any further attempts the others might make to talk to the child "Brenton, thank you very much for coming to talk with us. That lantern of your is very important, but I think you need it more than we do. You can head back now." He nods to the nurse to head on back. He then turns to the party.

"Okay guys. We've took a bit of a pounding attacking this from the wrong angle. Now that Maeni's voice is back and Zoo is conscious, how is everyone doing? How much energy, both physical and mystical are you at right now? Are you ready to head back out there? I'm not looking for a yes; I want an honest assessment of how you are currently. I'll make the call on if we head out or not based on everyone's report."

[BuckGodot]

Once again, Björn roles his eyes at Flair and his sense of entitlement and croaks ""I could use some time to adjust to dealing with a haunt and Winter has already suggested we rest for the day."

[SwordChucks]

"It looks like I just needed a little rest." Zoo croaks out.

"I'm not sure what I can do differently the next time we go to the haunt. If it can't be clawed or bitten I'm not much use. Well, unless you need a distraction."

[meemaas]

"I can keep fighting without a problem. Fighting that thing though is not something I feel I'll be helpful with, but I'm good to keep going nonetheless."

[lostsole31]

"My magic can effect it," says Gaye. "I can put some powerful positive energy spells on it in melee, but that just puts me at risk to get my voice stolen again ... and then it is just up to my sword technique of the stage actors of Karcau Opera House. However, if Björn and Maeni can stand at the door and go fully defensive ... or at least fight defensively, I can keep taking pot shots with disrupt undead. I don't recommend Zoo up front because he is in't very good at defense. No offense, Zoo. Not only is Maeni's mage armor helpful against what hidden attackers, she also has oracle healing ... which if used offensively she could get lucky. I still recommend she fight defensively, though."

[SwordChucks]

"None taken. It helps that you're not wrong. I can stand behind the others and drag them away if something happens to them. When we get there give me a moment to prepare myself before we engage."

[lostsole31]

Anyone else have anything? or, move back to the far side of the asylum to again confront Kid Whispers?