Bath Age of Worms IC

[Mark_L]

Lilith screams as the ghost plunges toward her, hastily pushing her way back down the corridor..

Spoiler: Save?

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Save vs fear (1d20+4)[5]
Save vs possession (1d20+4)[22]

[DrK]

Even as Lillith screams the ghost seems to physically bounce off her, Loki's sword passing harmlessly through its incorporeal form. Even as the party begins to flee the ghost speaks... a piteous horrible mournful wail. "no.... stay. You must hear me. I don't like it here, I want my mummy..... The voice high pitched, childlike and plaintive at the end.

[Luke GG]

Even as Lillith screams the ghost seems to physically bounce off her, Loki's sword passing harmlessly through its incorporeal form. Even as the party begins to flee the ghost speaks... a piteous horrible mournful wail. "no.... stay. You must hear me. I don't like it here, I want my mummy..... The voice high pitched, childlike and plaintive at the end.

What the ..... possessing people is not going to help with that. Why are you here boy.

[DrK]

The ghost floats in mid air crying sadly, head still crooked to one side. I died here. I hid from the bad men but the metal balls hit me and I fell..

He sobs some more as you realise that ghost has never changed from the 12 year old boy killed by the trap. please. Take my body home. I just want to go home. he pauses glancing at the door on the far side of the beam. I can open that for you if you just take my body home to give to my parents../

[Luke GG]

Where do you live. How long ago did you die?

[DrK]

The ghost continues to float, hanging in the air whilst half the party begin to recover their senses. I lived with my family on weather top. I don't how long I've been here. Its been so long. Please take me home and I can open the door.

[Luke GG]

How can this be done. I take it we have only to take your body and you will make the trap stop?

[DrK]

The ghostly child shrugs. I don't know how the trap works. I think it killed me.. ghostly tears fall, evaporating before they reach the ground. I just want to go home. If you do that I can open the door for you. To demonstrate quickly he waves his hand through the wall.

Spoiler: religion

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With know(religion) you'll be aware the returning a body can dispel a ghost.

[ShineyDuck]

Taluna gives the beam and the floor a very thorough look using her goggles to see if sahe is able to work out the triggers.

Spoiler: Searching

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preception cheak, including scavenger and goggles
(1d20+14)[25]

Spoiler

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I will also be carrying the great axe until we can sell it as i think im the only one who can use it

[Mark_L]

Lilith recovers somewhat.

"Oh you poor thing, of course we will. Open the door and we disarm the trap."

[DrK]

Taluna searching about quickly realises the whole beam is trapped. But simply climbing down and scrabbling across the uneven floor and climbing up the far side will easily circumvent the trap. Not the door on the far side however.

At lilliths words Alastar points to a scrap of fabric and bones in the corner. take my bones home first. I ain't opening the door till then.

[Mark_L]

After a brief period of mumbled chanting Pazuzu appears.. And gives the ghost his full attention, wings flapping angrily.

"MISTRESS?"

"It turns out he is a friend Pazuzu. Could you hop down where those balls are and recover the bodies."

To which the big demon jumps down and starts throwing the balls around..

[ShineyDuck]

Tanluna follows into the ball pit, but more cautiously moving towards the weapon tossing it up to the group to have a look at before helding the demon with the bones.

No one touch the beam...

She mutters

[DrK]

Dropping into the iron balls the demon and Taluna scrabble across the slipping and moving surface. Pazazu finds the remains of a small boy. The skeleton and ragged clothes suggesting the poor ghost may have been here for decades!

Taluna reaches the corner where the weapon is. The body of a long adventurer buried. The weapon up close is pitted and corroded but the banded mail around the body is salvageable. A belt, maybe gnome in origin looks special, the stately cummerbund features a number of dancing dolphins embroidered on its deep blue material. There is also glass bead, fiery red with ignis carved onto it.

Spoiler: loot

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A small boy's skeleton
Cummerbund of swimming
Campfire bead
Broken mw banded mail

[ShineyDuck]

Taluna tosses up the loot found to the others waiting, letting Pazuzu deal with the child's remians. She climbs out of the ball pit having had quite enough fun playing in their with the demon.

[Mark_L]

"ok, now where was your home?"

[DrK]

The ghost reaches out an incorporeal hand, the hand passing through his body. "Me da' was Master Land. The farm was on the west side of the weather top." He watches as the demon handles the body, more ghostly tears falling...

Spoiler: Where to?

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You heading to the farm?

[ShineyDuck]

Taluna watches the ghost reaching out to his broken corpse with a mix of un nerved ness and pity.

Take the lantern with us...might be more robbers like the others

she mutters as she starts to head back to her rope for the descent.

[DrK]

A lantern stowed in a bag the party leave once more. This time Taluna and Lillith taking the lead as they hike for 3 hours around the hills towards weather top. The rolling hills lead to the Land Farmstead and the small copse of trees that houses the family graveyard. Just where the boy ghost said you find the copse of trees, a pair of immense deklo trees shading the quite clearing. On the hilltop some 400m away you can seem a crumbling farmstead with sagging walls and a collapsed roof. Five gravemarkers stand in the clearing marked with names of the Land family; Anders Land CY 531-564, Bernissa Land CY 534-576, GemmaLand CY 550-576, Gertia Land CY 563-576 and Alastor Land CY 562 - .... The father's grave still hung with long dead wreaths, the mother and two sisters likley succumbed to the Red Death if the 4 leafed flower means what it normally does. In front of each headstone the earth is dug up and excavated, the bodies of 4 of them present having been removed recently - likely in the past week! Dirty tracks scattered around the meadow like hill side.

[Luke GG]

Loki will cast guidance to all, also light if dark..

This will help. Can you (Taluna) track at all or tell where the bodies might be? I do not like the fact the body are not here. I hate necromancers..

[ShineyDuck]

Taluna replys to Loki with a curt nod. Also with a slight scowl at the suggestion of necromancy, but thinking Loki probably right. Looking to the graves and their tracks she start to try to work out where the bodies have been moved, and particularly looking for any clues to "why" though knowing this unlikely at this venture, her eyes keen in the darkness not needing Loki'slight to see as she checks the trail.

Spoiler: Tracking

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Tracking to follow corpse bodies!
(1d20+7)[12]
Sorry forgot +1 from ranger levels...

Spoiler: Oppps

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I have only just noticed that in pathfinder googles of minute seeing are +5 to disable device, not search like they used to be in 3.5 (i was checking to see if they helped with tracks). Totally my bad but an honest mistake. I would never have taken them under the circumstances, and will pass to the rogue when he turns up...

[Mark_L]

Lilith stands near the graves, watching carefully as Pazuzu quickly digs a shallow grave and buries the bones of the boy.

"I don't like this, messing with the dead isn't natural"

Pazuzu pauses briefly in his digging and glances toward his mistress, before resuming.

[DrK]

Taluna looks at the tracks and follows them up to the crest of the hill where she can see the course seems to be heading... The old observatory that is just visible overlooking the town on a an old bluff above an abandoned mine. The observatory is crumbling with a wide slit bisecting its domed roof where a great telescope used to pierce the heavens. Now the place bears a darker character with a sagging roof, mould and mildew and an air of depression and decay. A slim stairway is the only way in climbing up the steep walls to the only door on the outbuilding's side. Flickering lights occasionally visible in the grey afternoon light in the second and third floor windows.

Looking at the despoiled graves and the now new one with the boy's body placed oddly gently into by the hulking beaked demon its obvious to everyone that the ghostly boy will get no peace whilst his families bodies have been despoiled....

[ShineyDuck]

Taluna points out the observatory and lets them know all she sees with her keen eyes. She looks uneasy and tense, the area of decay bringing out a dirty taste in her mouth, but also a grim steely determination to find and put down whoever or whatever stole the boys family's bodies.

No mercy here...

She growls softly, tense and obviously spoiling for a fight. One hand gripping her bow, the other thumbing the handle of the new 2 handed axe strapped next to her cleaver, hoping to blood it at least the once before they sell it on.

[ShineyDuck]

Waiting for everyone to be ready she carefully starts to make her way towards it, using guile and what cover is available not liking this one bit. Staying ahead of the party enough to see any potential ambush, but not so far that she might get cut off she makes her way towards the observatory.

Spoiler

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Perception
(1d20+7)[16]

Stealth
(1d20+7)[26]

[Mark_L]

Lilith and Pazuzu follow cautiously.

[Tombs]

Darius stares at the empty graves for some time before heading after the others and asking Lily

We're assuming that anyone up here is up to no good?

[Luke GG]

Loki moves with the others.

[Mark_L]

Darius stares at the empty graves for some time before heading after the others and asking Lily

We're assuming that anyone up here is up to no good?

Lilith pulls a face

"Well, this endeavor has been flush with good fortune so far.."

[Tombs]

Darius gives her a crooked grin and puts an arm around her shoulder and gives her a quick hug.

You're right. This doesn't look like the place for nice folk to be gathering. Don't worry Lil, the day isn't over yet. We can still get something out of all this.