Carrion Crown: The Haunting of Harrowstone [IC]

[lostsole31]

This corner cell was Father Charlatan’s final home before his death from smoke inhalation. Of the five key prisoners, Father Charlatan’s crimes were the least heinous, and thus he was imprisoned not in the dungeons below but here, in this relatively spacious cell. Yet the power of the churches he blasphemed against was strong, and as a concession toward that power, Father Charlatan was bound in heavy chains decorated with the symbols of the faiths he sinned against.

While Zauberei is looking over Father Charlatan's remains carefully ....

Spoiler: Zauberei, Marius, Wren

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You each hear the faint sound of chains. Zauberei was moving chains to conduct his examination, but when you each hear them "this time" it doesn't sound like the normal chain-settling sounds of his examination!

[Moriar]

"What do you all see in there? Anything we should be worried about?" Angelo asks.

[BuckGodot]

Alexandru moves closer to his brother and draws his sword.

Spoiler: Alexandru>>>Collective

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”I don’t see anything… what about the rest of you?”

[lostsole31]

It's been several seconds. Nobody answered Angelo. Lexi pulled back a little. Nothing is happening in the cell.

[Ason]

Marius looks puzzled and speaks aloud slowly, thinking through the problem. "I swore I heard something... Ghostly chains maybe? ...but maybe not, after all. If this is the cell of that man with the jumble of holy symbols, that jumble might trigger a proper response... But that may not be something we want..."

With nothing immediately happening, Marius will gingerly extend his polearm and prod the chains with it in a testing fashion, alert for some sort of reaction. As he does so, he says with tentative resolve, "Still, past experiences at this prison would suggest some sort of spirit is lurking here... Best to at least test the waters..."

[lostsole31]

"I heard it, too," says Wren, a little nervously. "But, I sometimes have experiences others do not, so I'm loath to mention this unless others mention them as well. I say we pull back from here, and we can now say where Father Charlan lays. I would say 'lies' because it would be punny, but correct grammar is 'lays.'"

[BuckGodot]

Alexandru looks confused but backs further out of the room and goes to his brother's side.

[SwordChucks]

From his spot outside the room, Hargrimm calls out to the others: "At least we know where the cad is. The sound you've mentioned though. The nursery rhyme I learned said: 'Tricksy father tells a lie; Listen close or you may die'. I wonder if that means we should heed the rhyme, or that Charlatan in particular needs to be listened for."

[Tippnick]

"Whatever it means, I do believe we might have disturbed the dead Father. Vacate this area as quickly as possible.", Zauberei advises.

He leaves the cell and moves back down the hall.

[Ason]

Marius smiles at Wren's grammatical precision, but he quickly resumes his usual downcast look at Hargrimm's nursery rhyme recital. "That poem is..." he says, before pausing to select the proper word, "foreboding. Were there any more lines to that nursery rhyme? It may be the best clue we have so far. If 'lies' are what we must beware... maybe there is an illusion at work on this floor? Or perhaps the holy symbols on these shackles differ from the ones we found in the evidence locker? Beyond those two blind guesses, I cannot fathom what lies the spirit might tell here. Regardless, caution dictates we all call out any unusual sounds we hear for the foreseeable future."

[Ason]

Zauberei's declaration shakes Marius from his musings, and he follows his suggestion and likewise heads out, lingering cautiously outside the cell door until everyone else is out.

[SwordChucks]

Hargrimm's lips move silently as he looks at the ceiling, reciting the rhyme to himself. "Nothing else about Father Charlatan because those were the last two lines of the rhyme. I did make a mistake though. It was 'Listen close or you will die, not 'You may die'."

[Moriar]

"If we know where he is, shouldn't we try to locate his presence?" Angelo asks. "Don't we need to find all of the main ghost baddies that you mentioned the lady ghost wanting put to rest?"

"Watch my back brother."

Angelo moves into the cell to be next to Lexi and after uttering arcane words peers intently around the corner at the body.

Spoiler: pesky neighbor

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Move south to stand right next to Lexi at the corner and cast detect magic and then concentrate around the corner to see the body.

[lostsole31]

Angelo doesn't detect magic looking south and then moves down to shift his position, and doesn't detect magic then, either. There is nothing magical in Father Charlatan's cell.

Only Angelo is in the cell now.

[Moriar]

"Oh well, it was worth a shot Tippy," Angelo says. "Shall we check this area to the east?"

Angelo heads out of the cell and starts looking at the area.

Spoiler: next

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Heading to area marked T1 on previous map

[Ason]

Marius nods in agreement and accompanies Angelo to assist in searching the next area.

With an unusually hopeful tone, Marius suggests as they work, "On the bright side, Hargrimm's poem suggests this ghost may hunt for us while we meander in confusion, so it may come to us of its own accord. The man's body isn't going anywhere, so keeping our ears perked while we crack on for now may be our only choice with this scheming spirit."

[lostsole31]

Heading to the east, this guard area is blocked from the cellblock by an arc of iron bars. Within sits an old wooden table and a few chairs. There are three doors inside this barred area.

[Ason]

Marius points at the door farthest east in the barred-off area. "I think that might be how we enter this restricted section. Let's go see."

The young man then proceeds to walk around the arc of bars and south down the brief hallway to face the door in question. He then inspects the door for any dangers, inviting anyone else skilled in detection to assist him, and gives the proper warning or all-clear signal based on his findings.

[lostsole31]

As Marius goes, Wren will follow to provide light. The two get to the much smaller eastern cellblock as Marius turns to face the door going to the barred section, the door being like any of the others.

Wren checks it clear and like Lexi, hefts it off its hinges to get access within.

[Moriar]

Angelo moves into position and utters an arcane phrase. "I'll let you know if I see any auras besides yourselves." Angelo says and begins concentrating.

Spoiler: cone time

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Angelo moves to the square north of T1 on the map but outside the bars.

Then casts detect magic and focuses south. Will let people know if he detects anything besides the party.

[lostsole31]

Angelo detects no non-party sources of magic.

[Moriar]

"This area looks clear of any active magics," Angelo announces.

"Shall we head inside to get a better look?"

Angelo then goes inside the barred area and begins looking for any clues.

[lostsole31]

The party does a search and finds nothing cluesworthy in the barred area. There are two doors to the south.

[BuckGodot]

Alexandru heads to the door to the south west and looks back to Wren nodding for him to check the door.

[lostsole31]

Wren checks that door clear and then backs off. Lexi rips off the door with a single try. Beyond is the exterior balcony that overlooks the front entrance.

[BuckGodot]

Alexandru checks the door to the South East, not wanting to make any assumptions.

[lostsole31]

This door practically crumbles in Lexi's hand. Looking out, his guess was not incorrect, but not correct, either. Now, this doorway looks out over a crumbled ruin that leads a person to the balcony, but this used to be a room with a set of stairs going downstairs, but that is now a ruin ... the stair filled with rubble and inaccessible, the walls fallen away, to effectively make to a less discerning eye? Just an extension of the balcony.

Wren steps out carefully to verify nothing of interest here.

[Moriar]

Angelo will follow Wren out onto the balcony to take a look around.

Spoiler: Looking

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Angelo will use hus senses and detect magic to scan the balcony

[lostsole31]

Nothing of interest out there, but to note the cold Pharast day, though the sun is breaking the stratus. Later, the day will know a brief period in which the temperature is barely above freezing.

[Ason]

Marius gingerly surveys the ruins of the room-turned-balcony, ransacking his memory of the prison's layout to discern where the rubble-filled stairs would have led were they not blockaded. If the party did not do so as part of its initial foray into this barred-off area, Marius also cautiously ruffles through the desk between the two balcony doors.

He then suggests, "If Wren says the balcony is clear, I suggest we shut the doors once we're done. While the light is appreciated, that frost could be the death of us. Shall we next scan, say, the cell block aisle over to the west? That would leave only the east left to search, followed by any forays to the roof we might make."