9th of Eleasis, continued
Dinner preparations and continued search of the manor
(Review of last session ending: )
The people in the house are Gurs who are wereravens. They are members of the Scarlet Sash band of Gurs.
They are being vexed by the werewolves.
Vasilya doesn’t know what to make of them.
The members of the Scarlet Sash have left to do recon (as ravens), leaving through the holes to the building in the dining room.
Outside, it is raining… a quiet rain
Atalaya, Boz and Sorrow head to the kitchen to start preparing a dinner. Atalaya selects one of the pork roasts and prepares it with the ingredients that she finds in the kitchen. They also search out and prepare some sort of vegetable dish. Boz is helping with the dinner preparations, but it is obvious that his mind is very far away. Atalaya and Sorrow give him space to make peace with all that he has been learning.
While Atalaya is preparing dinner, Nevil takes Cirilli with her to scout around the manor building. Nevil has Cirilli ask for permission from Atalaya. She gives it and tells her to listen and follow all Nevil’s directions. Boz tunes in long enough to hear this and reinforces that Cirilli is to listen to Nevil and to be careful.
When they go outside the moon is momentarily visible through the rain clouds. It is a waning crescent moon which gives off very little light. It is very dark outside.
Cirilli, shuddering, says, “This isn’t creepy at all. What are we looking for? Wolf tracks?”
Nevil tells her that they are going to circle the manor looking for ways the wolves can get in.
It is also discussed that they might be able to climb and come in the holes that are on the second level of the house as they continue to take stock. They make note of the graveyard and the scarecrow that is in the middle of it.
Cirilli says that she thinks that they should board up the windows. Nevil states that the dining room is a loss. They head back inside to help finish the dinner preparations.
Cirilli says, “I have heard that werewolves can turn you into a werewolf.
Nevil says that she can cure diseases.
Cirilli says that these people (the Gurs) seem pretty nice.
Nevil is concerned that the werewolves might be another Gurrish faction and doesn't want to get involved in clan disputes. She asks Boz, “Are there any legends of your people being werewolves?”
Boz replies that there are legends of his people being able to walk in the Shadowfell. “We walk through the world. We walk through the shadow.
The group decides that while the Scarlet Sash members are away scouting out the werewolves that they should continue the search of the manor. Sorrow and Cirilli remain in the kitchen to continue working on dinner.
The searchers (Atalaya and Vasilya, Nevil and Inman) head back up to the master bedroom to continue their search there. In that room there is a large bed, a tall wardrobe, a stone hearth, and a dust covered writing desk. On the desk are a couple of books, (The Sea Prince and the Lady, a bodice ripper and 1000 Puzzles, a book containing various puzzles.)
Nevil finds a loose knob on the four poster bed; it shows wear and is loose. Atalaya and Nevil continue to search the room. Boz is just watching the women. Inman is researching the study/library area.
When Nevil doesn’t find anything else interesting she goes back to the loose bedknob and turns it. When she does so we hear a click in the hallway.
Inman, who had been coming to join us, says, “It locks a tower room.”
We unlock the room by turning the knob again and go into it. (This is where we had found Madrina and Vinique.)
Nevil wants to search the room for what the women were trying to hide. She casts detect magic and directs Boz to the woodpile to retrieve something. Boz doesn’t want to pick it up with his bare hands, so he gets a bandana from his pocket and uses that to remove a figurine from the woodpile. He pulls out an Orcus. It smells. It is a demon figure.
Boz looks crushed. Atalaya asks, “What is it?”
Boz says, “It’s a demon, right?”
We discuss whether to keep the figure or put it back and wonder what they are doing with it.
Boz says that if we take it, they are going to know it. The smell continues to bother us.
Nevil wants us to keep it. Boz flips his bandana over it, to completely cover it and says, “Don’t touch it.”
We continue discussing what it is and why the Scarlet Sash would have it.
“Maybe they are protecting it…. Hiding it… etc. Nevil reassures Boz that just because they have it doesn't mean they follow him. Maybe they are protecting it from the possession of an evil group.
There are destroyed stairs going up from this room. Boz goes up first, testing the soundness of the stairs. He tells us that we can get up them, but to stay by the walls, don’t put your weight in the center of the steps.
This room is dank and dusty. There is a trunk up here, it looks like there was a fire in the room. We hear tinkering and a creak.
There are potions and trinkets in this chest that Boz has just opened. “These people… I’ll bring it down.”
When we get back downstairs Boz shows us a little cube made out of an unknown substance, a little idol (of an imp or devil) as well as the potion and a little book.
“What is going on in this house? Here is a little book.”
Nevil performs a Religion check. She knows that the larger figure is Orcus, but doesn’t recognize the little imp/demon one.
Nevil calls Inman into the room.
They look at the book. It is small. It does not have a title. It is very dusty and is missing the last part of it. When Inman checks it out he says that it is an adventurer story but the last chapter is missing.
When we investigate the potion, it is a dense purple that has a cloud of pink floating in it.
When Nevil looks at these items, the potion, the trinket and the Orcus figurine light up. The trinket is a dull light, while the Orcus figure is very bright and evil looking to Nevil.
We continue to search the upstairs. Along the hallway behind the master bedroom we find two guest rooms. These are dusty and musty. Their windows are intact. These rooms appear to be above the room with the bay windows that we entered the building from.
Atalaya heads up the circular stairs at the end of this hallway. It leads to a modest bedroom. The door is swollen from moisture and there are holes in the roof, exposing the attic room to the elements. Bird droppings are on the floor. We find two wooden bed frames and a storage trunk. There are also 2 tall narrow wardrobes. It does not appear that anyone is sleeping in this room.
We investigated the wardrobes and found 5 black robes, 5 red sashes and 5 pairs of sandals. The group finds the dark robes and cult-like uniforms disturbing. They do a quick count of the known Gur and number of robes and speculate that they belong to that group and that there might be one more Gur to account for the 5th robe .
Atalaya asks Boz to open the chest. He looks at and takes out his tools. We hear a light scrapping and a wiggle of the padlock. Boz asks everyone to stand back as he opens the lock and raises the lid of the chest. The trunk hinges are rusted. Once opened we find a big suit of studded armor, a heavy leather helm, a heavy crossbow, 15 crossbow bolts with crimson fletching and two hunting traps.
Nevil says something about these items perhaps being the barons, the avid hunter, and suggests that we could use the hunting traps.
Atalaya agrees and adds the two hunting traps to the bag of holding.
The group opens a storeroom where several paintings are discovered. One painting depicts the Baron as a holy warrior for Tyr ? Another emphasizes the hunting theme again.
Inman: “Fuck what….
Nevil: This appears to be the house of a holy man.
We check the attic on the other side of the house. It is very dusty, we push the door open, and find a peaked roof, dust everywhere. A hearth and oval rug. There is a bed for a young child, a rocking chair, a small wooden playpen and a crib.
When the last of us walk in the door slams shut behind us and the curtain flutters. Inman instantly pushes the door back open.
The rocking chair kicks over backwards.
Nevil talks to the presumed being in the room. “You might as well come talk to us, we aren't leaving until we figure out what is going on here.
Nevil feels something hit her in the chest with both hands and tries to push her. She resists. Nevil uses Divine Sense and finds that there is a poltergeist in the room and that it is chaotic and angry.
“She” steps back.
Nevil: We want to talk. There is about to be a big battle here and we need to understand the sides.
The rocking chair flies across the room and smashes against the wall.
Nevil: If you are trying to get people…
Atalaya feels forceful wind blow through the curtains and swirl around the room.
In the room there are also dolls, toys, and a suspended mobile above the playpen.
Nevil: Let’s play a game, a yes/no game. Move the doll for yes and the mobile for no.
Nevil asks can you do that: yes
Nevil asks are you one of the girls that lived here before: yes
Nevil asks are you alone here: yes
Nevil asks if she (ghost) wants to be released: yes
Nevil asks if she has seen “this” (the Orcus) object before: No
Nevil asks if the Gur are protecting the Orcus: no response. you're not sure: yes
Nevil asks if she is stuck in the room: yes
Nevil asks if she is stuck by an object in the room: no
Nevil asks if her father was a worshiper of the god Tyr: Yes
Dinner and continued talking with the Gurs
We head back downstairs to the kitchen to help with dinner and to be downstairs when the Gur come back.
Eventually Madrina and Tspar come into the kitchen/parlor area. They are wearing black robes and red sashes like those we saw in the attic room.
Madrina says “...that she hopes you have made yourself comfortable. That smells delicious.
We head into the parlour and a talk, asking the Gur questions about the Baron and what happened here.
They say that he was a good baron with a tragic story. They say that the Baron had two daughters. That he went mad and fell down the well that is in the basement. His youngest daughter died when she was about 6 years old. She had been a sickly child, never well.
We asked if they had been visiting the place during his life. they said no, they had only discovered its uniqueness after his death.
Madrina tells us “the Baron went mad protecting something. This is a special place, that is why we don’t move on.”
We ask about the thing that they are protecting. Are you protecting it to keep it safe for your people to use, or to keep it away from others?
They say that some things just need to be hidden away to keep them away from evil.
Unsatisfied with the vagaries, Nevil brings out the Orcus and asks if this is what they were protecting….
The Gur seem concerned with its discovery. Nevil explained they had to search the place to ensure the whole picture was understood before choosing sides. She explained the concern of the evil nature of the statue and the creepy black cult-like robes. We explain our recent run-ins with evil cults and Thayians. They agree it's bad business. Nevil asks if they have heard anything regarding cult activities in the area. They said no. We asked the nature of the clearly evil orcus. They explain it controls nearby undead. We ask if they have considered destroying it? They said they tried but it didn’t work. The party exchanged glances.
We ask if they are aware of the restless spirit of a young girl.
The Gurs tell us that someone opened a portal through the girl’s grave, using her body. That her spirit likely remains disturbed for that reason. We ask what kind of portal. They explain a portal to the shadow realm. That is what has made the location special. It must be protected to prevent evil from slipping through. Nevil does not understand the nature of the shadow realm but Boz confirms that Gur can shadow walk and are kind of like keepers of that space with regard to its separation from the seen world.
Boz gives back the items he lifted, giving them to Madrina to keep safe.
Madrina gives back the potion bottle, saying that they have no need of it. She explains that it is a potion of Mindreading.
Taspar doesn’t like that Madrina has been telling us so much. Madrina explains we are here to help and his concern eases.
When asked about the werewolves they had been scouting, we are told that “I hear them. I saw a fire in one of the fields. They came in human form.
Wanting to verify this is not related to a tribe war, We ask if they are Gur but are told, “No, I don’t think so.”
Will they turn with the moon? No, they turn freely like us. The camp is about ¼ miles from here.
Sorrow and Cirilli bring in dinner. We push the furniture in the room aside and sit on the floor to eat, picnic style.
Rennic and Vinique come back and join us, also wearing the black robes.
After we finish talking and clean up after the dinner. While others do this, Atalaya sets the hunting traps outside. One by the main door into the building, one under the window where we entered and one in the back around an opening in the wall outside of the dining room.
We head upstairs to rest, Atalaya hoping for a rest of at least 4 hours. We get 2 hours (short rest). Atalaya had passed out her Good Berries to everyone and then makes more before going into trance. (17 Goodberries).
Fight with the Werewolves
We are awakened by a raven pecking at our windows. It points its head and wing toward the north and caws.
We ready ourselves for battle while hearing the approaching howling of the wolves and we hear the bushes rustling.
On Raven hovers over Inman’s head and raptors that 6 beasts are coming and that they are surrounding the house. One in particular is making his way around the tower area.
Inman can hear cawing from the Ruined tower.
We take our places downstairs. Inman guards the hallway between the parlour and the dining room. Nevil stands near the window in the parlour where we entered. Cirilli is guarding the doorway between the parlour and the mudroom. Atalaya is farther back in the parlour. Vaz is ____________
Sorrow is __________________. The Gur in their Raven form are keeping guard outside. One on top of the building, one in a tree near the edge of the property, one at the wolves camp, and Rennic is watching from the graveyard.
We hear a trap spring shut and a howl by the front door. That werewolf takes 3 points of damage.
We hear angry howling near the window, but while the trap is sprung, it doesn’t catch the werewolf trying to enter that way. The third trap in the back of the house is also sprung and we hear howling as that werewolf takes 2 points of damage.
Boz shoots an arrow and hits a werewolf causing 10 points of damage.
Inman casts Melf’s Minute Meteors.
Madrina is up the road flying.
Farkas (werewolf) is outside where Inman is and tries to break from from the trap. He does so.
Rennic is in the graveyard.
Erzebet: Throws itself at the window and jumps into the room. It moves unnaturally fast.
Zsofic: Breaks in by Inman. He tries to claw Inman and misses. Then it tries to bite Inman and misses again.
Cirilli: ? Shoots arrow??
Sorrow: Casts Vicious Mockery at Erzebet. The werewolf makes its save and takes no effect from the casting.
Taspar: Pecks at Zsofia for 1 point of damage and distracts it.
Nevil: Wanting to smack Erzebet she swings her morningstar and gets a critical hit, doing 11 points of damage.
Second strike:_____________________
Uses spell slot for ___________________
Atalaya moves 35 feet towards Inman going through the kitchen trying to reach him to help.
Zoltran: comes in behind Boz and Nevil in the parlour. Thrusts a spear at Nevil and hits for 6 points of damage. Tries again and misses Nevil.
Vinique:
Boz: using his shortsword he strikes at Zoltan doing 12 points of damage. He disengages from Erzebet and moves around Zoltan to flank him.
Szabo: Blindsides?
Connects with Sorrow X2. 9 points of damage and 9 points of damage.
Inman: using his scimitars
First hit does 4 points damage
Second strike misses
He then sends 2 meteors at Zsofia for a total of 19 points of damage.
Farkas: Moving over top of tower. He howls.
Csilla: in wolf form runs through the door and attacks Boz, trying to bite him, but he misses. Boz is able to nimbly dodge out of the way, ;)
Erzebet: Is in wolf form. Bites Nevil for 4 points of damage. Nevil does not become infected.
Zsofia: In fight with Inman, Tries to claw Inman but misses, then succeeds at biting Inman. Inman is able to save against becoming infected.
Cirilli: Shoots her arrow and hits Zoltan for 5 points of damage.
Sorrow: Casts Phantasmal Killer at Szabo but it is able to shake off the illusion taking no damage.
Taspar: Pecks at the head of one of the werewolves doing 1 point of damage and distracting it.
Nevil: swings her morningstar at Erzebet and it slams into a wall scattering blood everywhere and then falls to the ground, dead.
Atalaya: shoots and kills Zabo. She moves so that she can get a shot through the door at the one Inman is fighting.
Zoltan: Bites Boz as he dodges away inflicting 7 points of damage. Boz is able to make his constitution save against becoming infected.
Vinique: Perches on the window, flys over Nevil and peeks at Zoltan doing 6 points of damage.
Boz: Attacks Zoltan, hits and kills him (using his shortsword.)
Inman: Using Scimitar attacks Zsofia and Zsofia goes down Inman sends two meteors at the remaining werewolf in Dining room for 2 points of damage.
Madrina: lands on the sideboard and pecks on the back of the head of Csilla for 3 points of damage.
Frakas: Leaps onto Inman and bites him for 8 points of damage. He makes his constitution save and doesn’t become infected.
Rennic: Flies over from the graveyard and pecks at Farkas doing 1 point of damage.
Scilla: in wolf form, jumps on Nevil and attempts to bite her, but misses
Cirilli: using Searing Smite hits (and kills?) _________________
Sorrow: Casts Vicious Mockery at Frakas and causes 6 points of psychic damage.
Taspar: Pecks at Frakas doing 1 point of damage
Nevil Moves behind Inman and heals him.
Atalaya: 2 shots at Frakas after pushing Sorrow aside to get into position. Frakas dies.
End of game session: To pick up with healing, clean up (and looting?)
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