Ereviss switches to his rapier and imbues it with magical energy (treated as +1 weapon) striking skull (2)
With a roar, Agrimar swings Lopper's bloodstained axe into the skull closest to him.
Round 3______________
Ysabot_______________
The witch begins to cackle, before covering herself and backing away from the Marauder.
Ereviss Ladyhunter____________
Ereviss switches to his rapier and imbues it with magical energy (treated as +1 weapon) striking skull (2)
Agrimar________________
With a roar, Agrimar swings Lopper's bloodstained axe into the skull closest to him.
Kendra__________________
Xiuj____________________
Enemies_______________
Skull 3 continued to attack Kendra, but missed.
Skull 4 spun about and attacked Ysabot, but missed.
The Mosswater Marauder muttered to himself, “No, not you.” He turned away from Kendra and swooped over to Ereviss. Swinging his hammer, he connects and Ereviss felt a sharp pain in his skull, as if he had been hit by a smith's hammer.
It seems to him a ghostly fragment flew out of his head and tried to fit in the skull next to the Marauder. He is close enough for you to see the desperate hope on the ghostly Marauders face fade as the piece fails to fit.
He turned next to Ysabot, muttering “Maybe you?”.
Ereviss retaliates at the Big Dwarf after imbuing magic into the rapier.
Ereviss hits the dwarf in what would be his eye. The rapier drives deep, but he doesn't know if striking the vitals did anything.
Agrimar rushes to Ysabot's side (B8) and attacks the skull vexing her.
Ereviss drove his rapier into the Marauder, the imbued magic making the difference. The Marauder moaned his despair, reaching towards Ereviss with his hammer.
Agrimar and Xiuj in rapid succession shatter the remaining skulls, which also make the Marauder jolt and scream.
He reached towards the dwarven woman's skull at the last, whispering "Theles, my wife..." before Ysabot put the finishing blow on him.
Wailing, the Mosswater Marauder and his dwarf woman's skull dissipate.
Briefly, you see Vesorianna's face.
"And so the Mosswater Marauder is beaten. You must be careful now; there is only one remaining. He is the most cunning of them all."
She said, before fading as well.
___The alcove itself contains several armor stands, weapon racks, and a wooden chest, all of which still hold dust-caked but perfectly functional suits of armor and weapons, and a few magic items.
In all, there are:
*six suits of masterwork chainmail
*six suits of masterwork studded leather armor,
*four masterwork longswords,
*four masterwork heavy maces,
*two masterwork heavy crossbows,
*120 crossbow bolts,
*a case of 10 +1 crossbow bolts,
*a wand of hold person (11 charges),
*4 potions of cure moderate wounds,
*a rope of climbing (perhaps the most ironic item in the room, for it was kept here to ensure that the guards would have a way to exit the dungeon via the lift shaft if the stairwell deadfall was triggered).
You all see Ereviss put his hands along a section of the wall, and part of it swings aside to reveal a secret stash of equipment for the guards. It's old, but still looks in good shape.
___The alcove itself contains several armor stands, weapon racks, and a wooden chest, all of which still hold dust-caked but perfectly functional suits of armor and weapons, and a few magic items.
In all, there are:
*six suits of masterwork chainmail
*six suits of masterwork studded leather armor,
*four masterwork longswords,
*four masterwork heavy maces,
*two masterwork heavy crossbows,
*120 crossbow bolts,
*a case of 10 +1 crossbow bolts,
*a wand of hold person (11 charges),
*4 potions of cure moderate wounds,
*a rope of climbing (perhaps the most ironic item in the room, for it was kept here to ensure that the guards would have a way to exit the dungeon via the lift shaft if the stairwell deadfall was triggered).
"Well done Ereviss." Agrimar claps the elf across the shoulders. "Surely there is something here we can use."
The bard takes the magic rope. It is similar to the second spell he learned, the animate rope spell.
"Let us rest up nearby and continue. Back where we met the lady. That was a fight!!"
Xiuj appropriates the potions, then reluctantly portions them out to each of the party.
Retreating back the way they came, the party goes back up to the Ground level again. By retreating to the Laundry room, they find enough padding to make a comfortable place to rest, as well as being within the direct influence of Vesorianna. She promised that no haunt would trouble your sleep.
Successfully resting your allotted 8 hours, you prepare again for the next descent.
Going back down, you return to the guard chamber you left. Just beyond it you find the portcullis is down, and you take several minutes finding the winch in the guard chamber in order to raise it.
After passing through, you find yourselves in the largest cellblock you've seen yet. You count thirty cells here, but they're all open and empty. There is another heavy door in the south, just like the guards chamber. But as it turned out, this chamber is just a little different.
When you open the door, you see numerous grisly tools of torment decorate the room, from cages to hanging chains along the walls to a stretching rack, a large wooden tank, and a fire pit in the middle of the room.
To the east stands a grim iron maiden, the lid closed and presenting
a stern decoration of a tormented woman upon its face. The broken, twisted skeleton of a human dressed in a tattered guard’s uniform lies upon the stretching rack in the middle of the room; the body is surrounded by several discarded knives, branding irons, and pliers. A large, blood stained wicker basket sits at the head of the rack.
The bard once again takes out his book--it appears to be a dramatic playbook, but Harrowstone is the only words written on the book. Ereviss' inspiring speech and impassioned recitation makes the group more alert.
Motioning to the paladin, he encourages him to do his evil detecting mojo as he holds his bow and is ready to shoot.
Agrimar detects evil from east to west.
Ysabot bites her lip as she stares into the room, her eyes eventually fixing on the basket. Taking a deep breath, she says, "I want to see that basket. If nobody objects, I could bring it to us with magic?"
There is the usual sense of omnipresent evil down here in the dungeon level. You cannot pin down a particular source though, but there is a nasty pull on your senses to the South and East.
Ysabot reached out a hand and concentrated.
The bloodstained basket quivered.
Then slid forward a couple of inches.
Then toppled over, its lid rolling away.
Inside is revealed two semi-mummified human hands.
Then...
The fingers twitched. The hands flipped over, then scuttled forward like some kind of horrible spiders!
One runs up and jumps at Ysabot!
... and completely missed, sailing by her head and landing on Xiuj. He takes slashing damage, and grabs on to his throat. He gasps and chokes, but is unable to speak.
One runs up and jumps at Ereviss!
Hit! He takes slashing damage, and it grabs on to his throat. He gasps and chokes, but is unable to speak.
Kendra_____
Kendra shrieked in fright and swung her staff at the one gripping Ereviss' throat.
but Ereviss, seeing the danger, ducked at the last moment.
Agrimar steps to hand #2 and attacks with the handaxe.
Tries to grapple the claw clutching his throat.
Round 1_____
Kendra_____
Kendra shrieked in fright and swung her staff at the one gripping Ereviss' throat.
Agrimar _____
Agrimar steps to hand #2 and attacks with the handaxe.
Xiuj-Hak-Leyng IV
Tries to grapple the claw clutching his throat.
(npc) Ysabot_____
Ysabot swings her staff at the one on Xiuj’s throat.
Hit! for to the crawling hand, and half to Xiuj.
(npc) Ereviss_____
Ereviss tries to grapple with the hand on his throat.
ENEMIES__________
Red 1, strangling Xiuj for
Red 2, strangling Ereviss for
Round 2_____
Players take their turn in order of posting, Enemies will go last.
TACTICAL SITUATION.
The grid is ten feet.
Ereviss, the pampered elf, realizes air to breathe is more important than all the money and culture of the entire elvish civilization. He attempts to break free, but he is of average build and quite intimidated by the grasping hand.
Not able to come close, he looks to Kendra, the feeling of immortality and privilege from his race and family has completely left. He is just a base creature struggling to breathe. All thoughts of drama and magic have left as his peripheral vision begins to shrink.
"Let go!" Ysabot shrieks, swinging again at the hand clutching Kiuj's throat. Despite her wiry frame, she manages to clock it solidly across the knuckles.
Kendra_____
Kendra, seeing Ereviss in trouble, dropped her staff, used his arm to stabilize her aim, and pointed her finger point blank at the hand strangling him. She spoke the word of power to cast Disrupt Undead
Hit! for positive energy damage.
Having successfully grappled the hand, now he tried to break its grip and escape.
Unable to speak the command word on his staff of Curing, the elf grunts and tries to break free again.
Round 2_____
Ereviss Ladyhunter_____
He attempts to break free, but he is of average build and quite intimidated by the grasping hand.
Ysabot_____
"Let go!" Ysabot shrieks, swinging again at the hand clutching Kiuj's throat. Despite her wiry frame, she manages to clock it solidly across the knuckles.
Kendra_____
Kendra, seeing Ereviss in trouble, dropped her staff, used his arm to stabilize her aim, and pointed her finger point blank at the hand strangling him. She spoke the word of power to cast Disrupt Undead
Ranged touch attack: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (12) + 1 = 13 Hit! for 1d3 ⇒ 1 positive energy damage.
Xiuj-Hak-Leyng IV_____
Xiuj kneels on the floor, gasping for breath.
Ereviss Ladyhunter_____
Unable to speak the command word on his staff of Curing, the elf grunts and tries to break free again.
CMB grapple escape: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (17) + 2 = 19
(npc) Agrimar_____
Agrimar again attacks with the handaxe.
for a possible damage.
The battle is over. Dead silence reigns over the decrepit torture chamber again.
When you've recovered enough to proceed into the torture chamber, you see the body on the rack wears scraps of a guards chainmail uniform and shows signs of torture.
truth of his demise, which includes broken bones, severed
hands, dislocated hips and shoulders, a shattered jaw, and
numerous long, thin needles that have been driven into
his ears, eye sockets, elbows, hips, and knees.
The skeleton still wears tatters of his chainmail uniform.
While the chainmail is ruined and his weapons were taken, the prisoners had no real use for his keys—by the
time they got to him, they’d used Gurtis Vortch’s keys to
unlock all the doors and cells they needed.
Instead, they used the warden’s keys, symbols of his control over the prisoners, as torture implements on the man. The keys sit inside of the skeleton’s pelvis.
The warden’s badge also gave the prisoners an impromptu
torture device—the metal disk has been wedged into his
jaw, and is obviously the object that was used to shatter
that part of his face.
The badge... that means this was the Prison Warden of Harrowstone, Lyvar Hawkran. Vesorianna's husband.
Breathing heavily, Ysabot glances around. "Well, I wasn't expecting that," she mutters. "I don't quite feel brave enough to go in, now."
Ereviss' acute Senses pick out a badge in the jaw of the victim.
"This is the warden that was tortured with his own badge!! We need to show his wife and put her spirit at rest."
Ereviss stands to shield Kendra from the horrid scene as he retrieves the badge.
Kendra hugs Ereviss tightly before reluctantly letting him go.
Xiuj grimaces at the damage done to the Warden before shaking his head and beginning to search around again.
Everybody searching this room must make a Willpower save.
Kendra:
The tension is thick as you all slowly press forward, trying to see something (anything!) before it eats you.
Suddenly...
You all see the Iron Maiden creak open, revealing a bound and gagged Professor Petros Lorrimor.
"Father!" Screamed Kendra. She rushed by Ereviss to get to her father, trying to free him from his bonds.
But...
When she laid hands on him, Professor Lorrimor vanished.
Kendra turned towards you, and you can just glimpse her incredulity...
... and then the doors slammed shut. Blood spurted from holes in the lid as you hear a scream that is suddenly cut off.
Ereviss looks around in horror and rushes to Kendra. He pops open a haunt siphon, hoping to stop this nightmare.
There is a thin inhuman scream as the haunt siphon lets off a violet flash. There is a thump from inside the iron maiden.
Xiuj rushes forward and thrusts his staff into one of the holes in the iron maiden. He leans into it trying to open the doors.
He yells out; "Don't just stand there, help me!"
Ereviss tries to help.