At Constantine and Garland's suggestion our heroes moved cautiously towards the haunting music.
The north door opened into a kitchen. Rats had long since eaten any foodstuffs that had survived the fire, and anything remaining had rotted away. The stove was rusted through, the implements pitted and useless. There was nothing of interest there.
The party was likewise disappointed by the center door, a simple broom closet.
And so it was as the adventures moved cautiously into the cells that the tension began to build. The music remained faint, barely detectable, as they moved through the barred rooms. The doors here were sturdy wood with thick iron locks and a barred window to let the jailers look into the cells. Each was bare except for long rotted pallet of straw and a bucket.
Several held ancient corpses.
Halfway down the hall the flute music rose to a sudden trill, rising in a cacophonous shriek that seemed to tear at the ears. The pace increased to a frantic tempo, and the ghostly flute music competed with the growing sound of buzzing wings. From a crumbled hole in a shadowy corner of the roof vile little insectoid bodies began to boil out. Vicious stirges buzzed forwards, probing, sucking proboscises waving wildly through the air.
And at the opposite end of the corridor, hoovering between our heroes and the hallway leading out of the cell block, the ghostly figure of the Piper of Illmarsh hoovered into view.
The ghastly apparition said nothing but it continued its eerie dirge, flute music crashing against our heroes ears. The otherworldly tune was relentless but only Darcon seemed shaken by it, the music seemed to flay his nerves bare.
But it was on Garland that the specter focused its main attention. The cleric felt fear sap his will, the dread will of the ghost trying to pin him in place. He shook off the ghostly influence, but even as he did tiny pinpricks of pain lanced through is throat and wrists. Oozing droplets of blood began to seep from tiny holes that appeared there.
A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | |
| | + | | | | + | ST1 | ST2 | + | | | | + | 1 |
| | + | | | | + | ST3 | ST4 | + | | | | + | 2 |
| | + | | | | DOR | | | + | | | | + | 3 |
| | + | + | + | + | + | | | + | + | + | + | + | 4 |
| | + | | | | DOR | CON | GAR | DOR | | | | + | 5 |
| | + | | | | + | KND | | + | | | | + | 6 |
| | + | | | | + | KEA | DAR | + | | | | + | 7 |
+ | + | + | + | + | + | + | | | + | + | + | + | + | 8 |
| | | | | | | ILL | | DOR | | | | + | 9 |
| | | | | | | | | + | | | | + | 10 |
+ | + | DOR | + | DOR | + | + | + | + | + | | | | + | 11 |
| | | + | | | | | | + | + | + | + | + | 12 |
| | | + | | | | | | | | | | | 13 |
| | | + | | | | | | | | | | | 14 |
On the first round of combat four stirges crawl through a hole in the ceiling and the Piper of Illmarsh manifests behind you.
The stirges spend their turn getting into position.
All party members make a will save vs the effects of the ghostly music, Darcon fails and is shaken.
The Piper targets Garland with Hold Person effect but Garland passes. He fails a subsequent save against the effects of the attack though, and takes 2 damage.
CON - Constantine
GAR - Garland, 2 damage
KND - Kendra
KEA - Keanala
DAR - Darcon, Shaken
ILL - The Piper of Illmarsh, AC 16, Touch 16, Fort +6, Ref +4, Will +6, Channel Resistance +4, Incorporeal
ST1 - Stirge, AC16, Touch 16, Fort +2, Ref +6, Will +1
ST2 - Stirge, AC16, Touch 16, Fort +2, Ref +6, Will +1
ST3 - Stirge, AC16, Touch 16, Fort +2, Ref +6, Will +1
ST4 - Stirge, AC16, Touch 16, Fort +2, Ref +6, Will +1
This message was last edited by the GM at 19:17, Wed 10 July 2019.