stonegod's Expedition to Castle Ravenloft: Ch. I [IC]

[stonegod]

[Spot and Listen checks]

Ashlyn peers into the rafters but sees nothing in the shadows. Grabbing an nearby torch and raising it high fares no better. Daellin, still winded from the necromantic blast, looks up to see nothing as well. But he just barely thinks he hears something... the flapping of wings... but then it is gone.

The archivist fumes, angrily dismissing his infernal wolf as he peers over the unconscious Marot and the missing book. His anger blocks any coherent words on his part.

 

[pathfinderq1]

No more than a moment later, the door of the tavern swung open, and Tessa peered in curiously. She stood there in the doorway, taking stock of the fading chaos. "What happened?," she stammered. "Does anyone need healing?"

 

[James Heard]

Janis snarls in frustration, but calms herself.

"You children should perhaps have someone see you home," she says tightly.

 

[stonegod]

Tessa sees the elf ranger---Daellin?---looking extremely pale, staggered near the winded shifter paladin and the other Flamist locked in a grapple with their unconscious friend. As she asks her question, the two children leap over the bar and out the door, crying loudly the whole way. She is shoved aside by their efforts, though she almost swears that something brushed her face as well.

The archivist, seeing Tessa's entrance, discolors a moment, then barks orders to get 'that traitor' tied. The fearful scribes, now poking their heads in from where they fled, acquiesce, and soon the Deneith mercenary Ladreth is assisting the Stalker tie the unconscious Marot to a chair. Meanwhile, he has another copy of Danovich's journal magically made, and rudely has someone shove the original back into Jarrith's pack before securing his copy---"No flying away this time!"

Finally, all that is done. A barely conscious warlock is tied to a chair and many people with questions stand around him.

 

[pathfinderq1]

Tessa sees the elf ranger---Daellin?---looking extremely pale, staggered near the winded shifter paladin and the other Flamist locked in a grapple with their unconscious friend. As she asks her question, the two children leap over the bar and out the door, crying loudly the whole way. She is shoved aside by their efforts, though she almost swears that something brushed her face as well.

Tessa paused only a moment in the doorway, at a loss to understand what might have happened here. But at the sight of one obviously hurt member of the group, she recovered herself and stepped forward to help. She moved forward to stand beside Daellin and asked quietly (so as not to intrude upon the 'handling' of Marot) "How badly are you hurt?" Even as she spoke, she put her left hand upon the glittering silver of her holy symbol, ready to invoke the power of the Sovereigns.

OOC: If she gets a reasonable answer from Daellin, she will start by casting Cure Serious Wounds (3d8+5, using up her memorized Prayer)

 

[drothgery]

She moved forward to stand beside Daellin and asked quietly (so as not to intrude upon the 'handling' of Marot) "How badly are you hurt?" Even as she spoke, she put her left hand upon the glittering silver of her holy symbol, ready to invoke the power of the Sovereigns.

Lying to healers was never a good idea. So while the grizzled combat veteran thing to do would be to tell her that he was fine, the reality was that he was having trouble staying upright. He hadn't been hit that hard in twenty years.

"I'm alive. I don't think I'd admit to much more than that." The elf said, obviously in pain.

 

[James Heard]

Seeing that whatever is going on seems to be well in hand, Janis exits the main room of the inn for the kitchen. Scanning the shelves, she mumbles off a few spells that don't quite seem properly wizardly and sighs as her senses expand.

Casting One With the Land and Scent for the scent ability for 50 minutes and +2 competence bonus on Handle Animal, Hide, Move Silently, Search, Survival, and wild Empathy for 5 hours.

Unless her new senses give her reason to suspect something is hugely improper going on in the kitchen, she then leaves that room to meet her companions once again in the main room.

 

[Kafkonia]

Janis snarls in frustration, but calms herself.

"You children should perhaps have someone see you home," she says tightly.

Perriwimple nods. "I will take them," he says. "Come with me." He takes one of the children by the hand and leads them to their homes, staying to make sure that they'll be well taken care of by their parents or guardians, then returns to the inn.

"What happened?"

 

[DEFCON 1]

As Marot's body goes limp in his arms, the first thing Jarrith thinks is that a soul has left it's body. A second thought comes that perhaps the warlock had been possessed, or maybe charmed. One does not loosen every muscle in his body immediately unless something unnatural is tightening it. "Marot? Marot! You there? Come on!"

As the general confusion abounds, Ladreth comes over and the two of them hoist the body up and drop it into a chair, tying off his arms and legs to the chair's arms and legs. Before anyone dumps a barrage of questions onto his friend though, Jarrith once again prays to the Flame to detect evil, to see if perhaps a soul or influence has released itself from his friend. He hopes that it be true.

"I dare say that the Emerald Claw had gotten to Marot. Allow me please to divine just how or what had occured."

 

[stonegod]

Confused by the discord in the room, Tessa deals with what she can, and tends to Daellin's wounds. Her Sovereign granted powers restore him to health. [One cure serious (22 hp) and one cure light (13) will heal Daellin.]

Janis discovers the larder smells of rats, not surprisingly, and she suspect they have been fairing better that the people over the last few days. Returning to the common room, she focuses a moment on her new senses. Though she has not sensed them before this way, nothing about the scents of her companions seem off---the musky scent of the paladin, the more oily, soapy scent of the archivist---all seem correct. Marot's scent---a dusty, rocky sort of thing---seems right. Casting her senses wider, she does detect the faint scent of brimstone coming from the ceiling and the door. It is fresher by the door, and she suspects whatever had been causing the scent flew out during the various times it was opened. A cursory sniff by the table previously holding the copied journal verifies that the smell was there as well.

Jarrith's evil finding gaze finds Marot apparently returned to his normal state---no taint clings to him. Shapechanging is thus ruled out---possession or something more sinister seems likely. An application of smelling salts, provided by Tessa from one of the Jorasco healers, brings Marot around. After a bit of disorientation, and overly stern questioning by Mateusz that Sir Khensu needed to break up, it becomes clear that Marot was ambushed while patrolling the streets with a few of the villagers.

"They all fell suddenly, as if knocked senseless or dead. I felt the power too, but fought it off. Looking for the source, I was greeted by two armored undead---they appeared to be from a Karrnathi legion at one time. They fought intelligently, but I hoped to overcome them. However, I was struck from behind by some power---and then I was senseless, floating in a black void until you awoke me just now." Marot hangs his head, still bound to the chair. "I am sorry, my Lumin Brothers. I have failed you and the people of this town."