Ughh. Not good. Cassandra pulls out her Holy Symbol, calls upon Eir, and tries to turn the Shadow. Only a 20% chance with the curse of Tegel Manor interfering with her communion with Eir. The Shadow is unaffected by her first attempt. Maybe Otis will fare better.

00:56, Today: Cassandra rolled 13 using 1d20.  Turn Shadow (Type 4) - need 17 or better! Rnd 1 - FAIL!

Otis follows Cass's lead and tries Turning. "Ugh I need a magic weapon for this."

======
OOC: No, he's even less successful.
10:01, Today: Otis rolled 5 using 1d20.  Turning 16.

Uncertain that it will even effect the ethereal creature, Rasxif pulls the stopper from one of his vials of holy water and swings the bottle in a wide arc, hoping to catch the spirit in a portion of the shower. With his nerves jangled by the shadow’s sudden appearance, his effort is clumsy.

09:46, Today: Rasxif rolled 6 using 1d20+3.

The advantages of positioning prove illusory against a foe as elusive as a shadow, able to strike any within its purview. This one descends upon Otis who jumps back in time to avoid being enveloped but not in time to avoid being doused by an errantly thrown vial of holy water. Whether that will make him a more or less likely target of the shadow remains to be seen.

Orwin, Archonia, and Brant pass.
Otis and Cass fail to turn undead.
Rasxif misses with a thrown vial.

Shadows have an AC 7 and can only by hit by magical weapons (not silvered ones).
They turn as Type 4 undead.
All are considered to be engaged with the shadow.
Fighters might wish to review OSRIC combat options for a better choice for Rnd #2.
Rasxif is not proficient with thrown flasks/vials. He should deduct 2 from his roll.

15:02, Today: The Host rolled 5,3,1,3 using d6,d20,d6,d3.  target, roll, dmg, att.

"Run for it! I'll hold this thing off as long as I can. If you can magick your weapns from the statue and get back here, I wouldn't mind."
Brant will insert himself between the shadow and Otis and go into full parrying mode.

Ornwin obediently retreats sturdily toward the statue, braced to fight if he sees any way to attack the shadow.
This message was last edited by the player at 02:21, Tue 17 Jan 2023.

"Ooh! A frightful flight from an impossible foe!" Archonia giddily squeaked. "Such desperate odds!"


(ooc)
I had meant her staying out of the way and moving last round to be her withdrawing from melee, but should have been clearer. That is fine; she will do so this round.
This message was last edited by the player at 17:35, Sat 14 Jan 2023.

Thank you, yes, best to OOC the combat option you have chosen.

Otis fails Turning again.

Cass digs down deep and calls out once more in desperation to Eir. She removes her holy symbol from her neck and, holding it in her right hand, plunges it into the darkness that is the body of the Shadow.  Her deity hears her heartfelt plea and unleashes holy power from within the holy symbol against and inside the Shadow - causing it to dissipate. Cass feels sudden pain and then numbness in her right hand and arm, up to the point where her arm entered the Shadow. She picks up the ice cold holy symbol from the floor with her left hand and returns it to around her neck. The coldness of the holy symbol slowly leaving and returning back to room temperature.

16:34, Today: Cassandra rolled 17 using 1d20-1.  Turn Shadow, attempt 2 - needed 16 w/ TM curse.
This message was last edited by the player at 01:58, Tue 17 Jan 2023.

For all but Cassandra, the shadow shrivels to the size of an unseen spot on the wall where the painting had been. For Cassandra, it's a spot she'll always be able to spot and this the shadow knows.

Unharried, Brant resumes his careful enshrouding of the painting, and within minutes, all is wrapped and ready to go.
This message was last edited by the GM at 23:35, Mon 16 Jan 2023.

As the painting was carefully collected, Rasxif contemplated the room the party found themselves within. For a moment, he had a clear vision of the party’s skeletons, skulls grinning, lying about the chamber, having been handily murdered by the undead spirit that they lacked the tools to contend with. Thankfully, Eir had heeded Cassandra’s call and driven the shadow away. But what if the goddess turned a deaf ear during the next encounter? Would they then be cursed to haunt these halls? To become a permanent part of this madcap estate?

Warmed by such cheerful thoughts, he made ready to follow his companions to their next destination.

"Anyone remember which is closer, nursery or haunted quill?"

Responding to Brant, Cass says: “They are both fairly close and next to each other. What about enchanting a weapon or two at the statue first? Just in case. We need to determine if it will still enchant, whether it will enchant a weapon other than yours, Brant, and whether it can enchant more than just one weapon at a time or per day.”

“I know the way to the Statue - back through the Great Hall. We can head north from the Statue to the Nursery and the Office. And, unless we want to haul it around and risk damage, we can leave the Fear painting wrapped up in here (or Main Foyer) - until we are ready to head back to town.”

Cass quits talking and makes it clear that she is open to any other ideas or suggestions for moving forward.
This message was last edited by the player at 00:32, Wed 18 Jan 2023.

After leaving the painting in the keeping of the other ten paintings in the master foyer, the guests then crawl through the back of the eastern fireplace in the great hall to reach one of the manor's fog-shrouded inner courts, this one stinking of offal and boasting two statues, one at the western end of a robed figure holding a set of measuring scales and a saucy book in the other and the other near the middle of a smiling old woman who looks to be offering a large-petal flower to an invisible patron.
This message was last edited by the GM at 02:05, Wed 18 Jan 2023.

"Good call!"
Brant approaches the statue with the scale and places an equal number of coins on either end of the scale.

Ornwin holds his ax ready to be enchanted when his turn comes -- if it does.

"Very dramatic!" Archonia clapped to Cassandra. "One could feel your pain as their own! It would be a sequence undiminished with a second viewing, but hopefully it will allow more audience participation next time," she added wistfully.

Looking about, she had the vague feeling the room would have chemicals and linens, but no, it was just paintings. The others would just be out of place anyway, and distract from the scene. Still, it was a nagging thought. With a shrug, she went with the others.

When coins for balancing were placed, she looked to see what was used, "Is this a set amount to unlock some trick? Would two silver coins suffice?"

“Not sure. I was hoping Ornwin would go first since we already know it worked for Brant and his weapon.”

'Also good to know if it's a one-time thing or something to count on."

With a practiced hand, Brant places a single silver coin first in the left palm of the statue and then its twin in the right palm.

Nothing happens.

Undeterred, he grabs eight more silver coins and distributes them evenly as well.

Something happens.

The base of his sword swells, with the swelling spreading all the way up to the tip which then pulsates as if it has received an infusion of white-hot steel. With this embiggened tip, he should able to better deflect thrusts from whomever might provide them (+1 AC for Brant, +1 Vibration dmg).

When Orwin sidles up for his turn, the statue waves him away. It's done for the day.

Ornnwin looks disappointed, but he turns to the company and asks "Shall we seek another adventure and return later to see if the statue will work for me?"

“I suggest we rotate through our fighters to magick one of their weapons, each time we return to the Manor or when the power dissipates from the current enchanted weapon. I don’t think we sit and wait.”

“At least we have one magic weapon in the party  in case we need it later today. Let’s go to the Nursery so that we can explore it further and see if Archonia has any new insights that we may have missed the first time.”

We will go up the North hallway from here, through the Ball Room and then East through the secret door in the Ball Room fireplace - which should put us out in the hall right outside the Nursery.

"Well, that didn't go as hoped. Sorry, my friend," says Brant to Ornwin.
"How are you with swords?"

With growing confidence, Cassandra directs the other guests through a sequence of secret doors and passages until they once again reach the nursery after having passed through the music room, the large organ with its ivory keys and harp failing, as before, to harmonize.

The guests are in the nursery. An empty cradle by the south wall rocks rhythmically to a soft lullaby, the refrain of "It's too late" distinctly audible this time. Occasional whimpers from within the cradle occasionally disturb the melody of the lullaby.

A storage closet holds broken and worn-out cradles and bassinets, several of which have been stained with blood.

The reek (or aroma) of spirits still permeates the room.