Grim, tired, but victorious, the party packed up Foxglove's possessions and took their leave of his final, hideous lair. Maneuvering the noble's body back up the slick staircase was a tricky business, but the judicious use of rope and a careful, cautions approach got them all to the top.
Kellan carried Foxglove's corpse as they trudged back to the well, inspecting it only to find that it was just that . . . a well. Pisca could see the starlight seeping in from above, and from the scratch marks on the side of the cistern's concrete walls it looked as if the bat had used it as a means to access the surface for hunting . . . at least before its fall into undeath.
They made their way up the staircase to the first floor, leaving Foxglove's body near the entrance in as dignified a matter as they could as they went upstairs to retrieve Iesha's remains. None of the haunts seemed active now, but whether that was due to exhaustion on the part of the malevolent spirit behind their animation or for some other reason, none of them knew.
Finally the group reassembled in front of the (thankfully quiescent) manticore, ready to head out for the journey home. But as they opened the door, they found that the exterior of the house was far from unoccupied.
"Look," Kerr said, somewhat unnecessarily. "Ravens." And so there were. It seemed like hundreds upon thousands of dark black birds perched on or around the ruined servants' quarters in front of the Foxglove estate. They simply sat there, black eyes gleaming in the moonlight, watching the manor.
But none of them made a single sound.
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
+--+--xxxxxxxxxxW-+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+
1 | | xxxxxxxx | W| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
+--+--xxxxxxx--+--xx-+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+
2 | | xxxxxxD| | | x| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
+--+--xxxxD-+--+--+--x--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+
3 | | xxxx | | | |x | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
+--+--xxx+--+--+--+--+-xx--+--+--+--xxxxWWxxxx--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+
4 | | xx | | | | | |W | | | s | | x | | | | | | | | | | |
+--+--x--+--+--+--+--+--+-xxxxxxxxxxx--+--+--x--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+
5 | | xW | | | | | | D |tt| x | |fpx | | | | | | | | | | |
+--+--xxxx--+--+--+--ppppppx--+--+--x--+--+--x--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+
6 | | xxxxW | | | pppp x | | x | | W | | | | | | | | | | |
+--+--xxxxxxxDDxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxDDxxxx--+--+--x--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+
7 | | xxxxxx| | | | | | | | D | | x | | | | | | | | | | |
+--xxxxWWxxxxDDxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxDDxxxxx-+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+
8 | x P| | | | | | x | | xfp| | | | | xxW | | | | | | | | |
+--x--+--+--+--+--+--+--xxxxxxxDDx--+--+--+--+--+--+xxW--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+
9 | D K|C mmmmmmmmmm | | | sP |K | | | | | | |xxW | | | | | | |
+--D--+--MMMMMMMMMM--+--+--+-sss-+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+x-+--+--+--+--+--+--+
10| D R|L mmmmmmmmmm | | | sL |R |C | | | | | |xxW | | | | | | |
+--x--+--+--+--+--+--+--xxxxxxxDDx--+--+--+--+--+--+xxW--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+
11| x | | | | | | x | | xfp| | | | | xxW | | | | | | | | |
+--xxxxwwxxxx--xxxxxxxDDx--xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxDDxxxxx-+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+
12| | | | |x | x| | | x | | | | | x | | | | | | | | | | |
+--+--+--+--+-xx--+--+--+--x--+--+--+--+--+--x--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+
13| | | | | |x | | | D | | | |Ch| W | | | | | | | | | | |
+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--x--+--+--+--+--+--x--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+
14| | | | | | | | | |x | | | | |fpx | | | | | | | | | | |
+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+-x+--+--+--+--+--x--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+
15| | | | | | | | | | x | | |Ch| W | | | | | | | | | | |
+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+xxxWWxxxxWWxxxx--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+
16| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+
17| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+
18| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+
19| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+
W = Window D = Door p = piano t = washtub fp = fireplace
M/m = Manticore s = Stain Ch = Chair
OOC:
PARTY STATUS - Kellan has taken 6 points of damage. Kerr has taken 18 points of damage. Cato has taken 9 points of damage. Pisca has taken 9 points of damage. Liseth has taken 10 points of damage.