Carrion Crown: The Haunting of Harrowstone [IC]

[Ason]

With the light spell likely still shining brightly on his polearm, Marius hovers near the back of the party, watching the spirit while staying as close to the door as possible. He offers an awkward smile and wave from his back-row position but says nothing.

[SwordChucks]

Hargrimm heads through the doorway with a look of confusion. Surely no one else would have braved the prison. But if they did...

"Hello? Is someone in need of healing?" he asks as he looks for the others.

[lostsole31]

With all of the questions coming in, she seems to ignore Abrax right in front of her, floating past him through some workdesks and materials to stand in the middle of the room and look at Hargrimm, "It is too late for healing here, Master Dwarf. What are your intentions here?"

[SwordChucks]

Hargrimm tries his best to not look worried as the woman steps through soild objects. "My intentions specifically? To render aid to the first voice we've heard here that hasn't tried to kill us. Now that I've had a closer look, I regret to say, I think your condition is beyond my abilities." He gives a quick bow. "My name is Hargrimm if you should need assistance with anything less magically demanding."

[lostsole31]

"You will find no life here in Harrowstone beyond yourselves, Hargrimm, and the odd scuttling vermin. And yet," she warns, turning to the rest of the party, "Harrowstone is not quiet. I am Vesorianna Hawkran, and I ask again of all of you, knowing there are no living here to be rescued, what are your intentions?"

[Kvard51]

Abrax, unsure now that the apparition has sim[ly "walked" by him, turns to follow her progress. "We seek to root evil out of the ruins of this prison and discover the cause of several deaths and attacks around the town."

[SwordChucks]

Hargrimm nods at Abrax's explanation. "We also have reason to believe that the Whispering Way has an interest in Harrowstone, and stopping them can only be good for the town. Someone also seems to be interested in you, Mrs. Hawkran. We found blood on the memorial that seemed to be spelling out your name over time."

[lostsole31]

"Until recently, the spirit of my husband, trapped so near yet so far in the dungeons below, had contain the ghosts," Vesorianna explains. "Yet, unsettling visitors - men and women in dark robes who spoke only in whispers - came to Harrowstone not long ago and begain to work strange magic around the building's foundations. Unable to leave this room, I was nonetheless able to observe through the walls to the northwest as these strange people inscribed runes along the ground. I also witnessed the sad end of another man, slain by foul magic wielded by the leader of the black-robed villains - a thin, gray-skinned human who wore a bone breastplate and carried a black staff capped with a skull gagged by a black cloth - but I know nothing more about this blackguard. The cultists bashed in the dead man's face with a fragment of gargoyle from a roof above in an attempt, I surmise, to make the man's death seem more like an accident.

"Later that night," she continues, "after they murdered the man, the black-robed cultists finished their rituals. Whatever they did, they did so out of my sight through the walls, but I felt the repercussions immediately. It felt like a horrific storm, yet one with no wind that chilled the flesh. This windstorm chilled the soul -- it felt to me as if my very essence was being pulled apart. Yet the horrific sensation passed in an instant...and when it had, the presence of my husband’s spirit was gone. I can only assume that the black-robed cultists somehow managed to abduct my husband’s spirit, for since that hateful day I've felt no sign of either my husband or the black-robed cultists.

"What I do know is that ever day since that event, the spirits of the murderers and sadists trapped within the walls of Harrowstone have grown more and more powerful. I know now that my husband's presence kept the other haunts in line, and that with his ghost gone, they would have escaped to wreak unimaginable havoc, had I not stepped in to do the job my husband, until recently, had done so well.

"While I don't know much about the exact nature of the prisoners, their ghosts, or the dangers to be found elsewhere in Harrowstone, I can feel among the hateful dead five distinct powerful personalities. I suspect that these correspond to the five most dangerous criminals who were imprisoned in Harrowstone at the time of the fire. I also know that if you can confront and defeat the unquiet spirits of the five key prisoners, I'll be able to contain them and keep them from manifesting again.

"If you can defeat all five of the prisoners, and if you can bring to me a symbol of my husband's office over the prison, I will be able to banish the haunts from Harrowstone entirely. My husband's badge of office would work best, and I suspect it's hidden somewhere in the dungeons below, along with his mortal remains. Doing so will release me from this world as well, and will effectively end the haunting of Harrowstone for good."

[Tippnick]

"That aligns with what we have found out and suspected. The cultists killed our friend the professor. It hurts my soul to hear his death described. I thank you for the information nonetheless. For my part, I will attempt to put you to rest by finding this badge of office", Zauberei pledges.

[SwordChucks]

"Agreed. These souls deserve their time before Pharasma.

Hargrimm pauses before reaching to his neckline. "We found some items we believe are connected to the criminals you mentioned Mrs. Hawkran. Can you tell us anything about this?" he finishes by revealing the tangle of holy symbols around his neck.

[lostsole31]

Wren simply nods his consent.

She shakes recoils from these items, but cannot offer any information.

[Ason]

Marius, hiding behind the others in the back row, watches the initial exchange with uncertainty, but his expression slowly slackens in awe and pity as Vesorianna reveals her experiences of recent events.

After the ghost's personable history lesson, Marius likewise nods his consent to helping her, giving a small reply of gratitude. "My thanks for sharing your story, madam. We will do what we can to bring peace to you and this place. It seems our course will lead us underground soon, then, but I am curious about those nearby runes you mentioned. Were they merely a part of that horrid binding spell, or are they an ongoing source of magical trouble here? Perhaps we could unweave the runes, if that would help?"

[lostsole31]

"I think that is what they used to draw out and imprison my husband. I sense no power in the scrawlings now," she answers.

[Tippnick]

"Tell us about the haunts, please. How do we avoid them?" asks Zauberei.

[lostsole31]

She shakes her head sadly, "I don't know about that, for I am here, and do not know their nature ... but you'll have to face them anyway if Harrowstone is to be free. I sense the anguish of spirits, but not exact locations, and in truth I've never seen most of the prison when I was alive."

[Ason]

Marius replies, "Still, you have our thanks for shining a light onto truth of this shadowy place. I hate to leave a woman in distress, but I believe--thanks to you--we now have a clear task ahead of us."

Turning to his allies, the man asks uncertainly, "So... should we continue our searching, then?"

[lostsole31]

Wren looks on at the trapped spirit and nods. "Yes, for now it is not just the living who are the prisoners."

[Tippnick]

"Well then, unless we think we can gain more info here, I say we proceed further into the prison. Does anyone have an idea where the way to the lower levels is?" asks Zauberei.

[lostsole31]

Wren is ready to move, but he doesn't know the layout of Harrowstone.

[Ason]

Marius mulls over Zauberei's question before suggesting with an uncertain shrug, "Maybe we just continue our keep-to-the-left circle around this level then? We're bound to find the stairs eventually, and lack of doors on the far walls of these rooms make me think the hallway is leading us around the perimeter."

[lostsole31]

The group gets back into something resembling formation and moves northeast along the corridor until it turns east. And then stop to investigate a door to the north.

Abrax, do you do anything special at the door besides a normal search (which Wren assists)? If not, let me know as well.

[Kvard51]

Abrax searches the door as he has been, using all of his senses.

[lostsole31]

The two "men" don't find anything amiss. Abrax pulls the rotted door off its hinges as he's done the other and drops the remains to the side. Looking in, several rusty iron tubs sit in this room, along with washboards, metal buckets, and heaps of moldy clothing.

What do you (pl.) do?

[SwordChucks]

Hargrimm peers into the room. "Mr. Elbourne, were there any stories about the five prisoners that involved a laundry room?" he says a bit nervously.

[lostsole31]

"None of which I know," he says, stepping in carefully and checking the ground carefully.

[Ason]

After making sure his gear is securely where it should be, Marius carefully follows Wren's example to aid in checking the laundry room.

Spoiler: OoC

Show

Since he's done a dance of equipping/unequipping his shield and polearm in the last few rooms, I want to clarify that Marius has his polearm in-hand and his shield equipped, just in case. I'm not sure how much time has passed since the light cantrip was cast upon his polearm, but I'm assuming it's still active.

Marius is making a perception check for sure. If Wren's "careful" actions implies a stealth check, Marius will do the same, though I imagine the light spell would severely impact any such roll. Otherwise he's just slowly and cautiously checking the ground before each step and then surveying the room while stationary, much like Wren.

[Tippnick]

Zauberei will renew the light spell on Marius's weapon and will walk into the room and cast detect magic. He proceed to scan the entire room taking the time to make sure he eliminates his companions magic.

[lostsole31]

Marius, while Zauberei begins casting his spell and choosing his initial vector for detect magic, you sense movement off to the side. There is as small shape struggling within a mound of clothing, as if a small child or animal were buried underneath. What do you do?

[Ason]

Marius swivels his body toward the movement, gripping his polearm tightly in one hand as he points in the mound of clothes' direction with the other. He nervously calls out to the moving shape,"Who, uh... who's there?"

[lostsole31]

Suddenly, something flies to unholy life and moves to flap around Marius!

Begin Round One ...

R1T21: Marius, you are standing right next to what seems to be a flying, animated clothing! What do you do?