Expedition: Fingers/Ghostly Trial - Part II - 23 July 2021

[Alethan]

Holy Water Damage [1d8] = 8

[onlyme]

I believe Markd has ended up keeping his staff, as the cleric didnt take it. please correct and I will change action]

Markd pulls his staff from his back and swings. His sword and knife sheafed in his belt.
Staff (thac0 16) [1d20+5] = 10+5 = 15 ; damage [1d8+5] = 7+5 = 12

[Zhym]

I may post later today. Meantime, could someone roll init?

[onlyme]

Initiative [1d6] = 6

[Zhym]

"Oh crappity crap," says Fingers when the angry ghost attacks—although he's more upset that he didn't get as much holy water on the bones as he had hoped. When Markd draws its attack, Fingers tries to strike the ghost from behind with the Bowman sword.

Longsword +1 (THAC0 18) [1d20+2] = 14+2 = 16 [1d8+2] = 3+2 = 5
No backstab or attacking-from-behind bonuses applied.

[Marullus]

Ready for the charging spirit, Markd smacks it so hard with Cathelon's Staff that it's spectral material disintegrates under the blow. Fingers' sword then impacts it's back, both magical weapons finding the translucent being solid enough. Bandy then pours the holy oil into the sepulcher and the figure dissipates utterly, it's ashes finally at rest. The room goes silent after the brief, but final, battle.

Date: 3:31pm, 24 July 2021
Light: Allmond holding Markd's lantern (until 4:30pm)
Effects:
Injuries: Markd (minor wounds)

[Zhym]

"Hah!" gloats Fingers. "Serves that jerk right for messing with us! Told you we could take him. Didn't I tell you we could totally take him?" He wipes a sweaty forehead with one sleeve, breaking what little illusion of confidence and bravado he'd managed to project. "Not that that was, uh, the plan. I thought a little holy water woulda just done it in. Sorry about that."

He checks to make sure Sprinkles is okay, then devotes his attention to the bookcase. "Time to find out what that ghost really didn't want us looking at." After checking for traps and secret doors, Fingers inspects the contents of the shelves.

[Zhym]

FWIW, here's what we have so far in terms of loot:
Silver curios and cameos - 50 lbs (50 gp)
Golden ring set with green malachite stones [Bandy]
Gems:
- a clear round-cut diamond
- a long quartz crystal
- a clear cushion-cut diamond
- a round, faceted ruby
- a clear yellow diamond the size of an acorn
- three polished onyx roundels
- a tear-drop shaped sapphire
Gold stuff from the Clelland family tomb - 60 lbs (600 gp)
Weapons from the Clelland family tomb - 282 lbs (?? gp)

There is also 1,000 lbs of misc silver in the Clelland tomb (worth 1,000 gp). We have two mules and a pony, who can carry 600 lbs at 120' or 1200 lbs at 60'. We're at 342 lbs including gold and weapons, with a TBD set of books and scrolls and as much silver as we want to pack up as filler.

I don't suppose anyone has Detect Magic prepared? It might help us trim down the weapons if we know which are worth taking with us.

[DavetheLost]

Sadly Hengist does not have Detect Magic prepared, but I can swap it in at morning prayers if we want to wait.

[onlyme]

might not hurt to rest a night, now that we are stable. Of course, we would need to fix the door and be secured from skeletal hall.

Markd looks around with a bit more precision this time, a bit more relieved that he doesnt have to face that thing again.

[Alethan]

OOC: I agree, detect magic is just what we need right now. Get ALL the magics.

[Marullus]

Markd leans on his banded quarterstaff and looks around the room, but his expression is both blank and confused.

He can't make heads or tails out of the writing on the walls anymore.

Fingers carefully inspects the shelves, which do in fact contain many, many bound volumes and loose scrolls brittle with age, his practiced eye looking for the items of greatest value. He is pleased to find that he has no difficulty with discerning the script on any of them - Seneschal Kelyr's handwriting is impeccable. He finds an inky black potion bottle, a large scroll case filled with a massive scroll with magical writing, two dozen mostly-intact volumes chronicling the history of King Farthegn's reign, one huge and well-preserved tome titled, 'Trials to Knighthood: The Journey of Collen Clelland,' and three large maps of the kingdom's holdings.

(the set of books is 120lbs, the massive volume is 10lbs, the scrolls are otherwise negligible.)
Are you sleeping? Where and how?

Date: 4:00pm, 24 July 2021
Light: Allmond holding Markd's lantern (until 4:30pm)
Effects:
Injuries: Markd (minor wounds)

[Zhym]

Fingers gives a low, appreciative whistle. "Oooh, a magic scroll! I wonder if anyone would be interested in the history books or the one about Collen Clelland?" He carefully looks through each to see if they reveal any useful information about what's going on in the tomb.

Would Fingers have any idea whether the non-magical books have any value?

As far as sleeping goes, is the door to this room beyond repair?

[Marullus]

Fingers knows that Wilhelm the Sage has offered to pay for any historical maps or records of the Northlands.

The massive tome about Collen Clelland and the trials of knighthood is of little interest to Fingers but has a lot of practical advice likely of value to a warrior. It would take at least a week to read.

From what Markd revealed to you from the tome already in his pack, the ghosts in the trial are the grandchildren of King Farthegn, so any easy link to these histories is ellusive. (With historical books, you can ask a question for each two full days of research (I think).)

The door cannot be repaired, but can be barracaded.

[Zhym]

"Let's barricade the door and sleep here. It's creepy, but at least we won't be attacked by gargoyles overnight."

[onlyme]

Markd stows the staff back through his belting, and pulls his knife back out of the sheath in case another wondering ghost appears. He doesnt want to waste any more charges from the staff if not necessary.

He advises not to open or read the books until they go through the loot, as one of his older books was magical only for the first person to read it.

[Zhym]

Fingers agrees not the inspect the books any further until they've been checked for magic.

[Marullus]

Fingers makes the decision to rest here. With everyone helping, you are able to drag some of the stone coffins over to barricade the doorway, securing your little tomb for the moment. Brittle old graveclothes and some dried-out wooden goods are serviceable for a bit of a fire to get your camp cozy. You have a meal and settle down to rest, letting Hengist and Allmond rest and recover themselves while the rest keep a watch.

Allmond uses his last call upon the divine to heal Markd's wounds before they settle down to rest. (+4hp)

Four hours pass uneventfully, Markd giving the watch to Bandy after the first three, Fingers sleeping soundly next to Sprinkles the dog. As Bandy pokes at the coals and tries to ignore the snoring of his companions as they lie among the bone fragments and glittering gravegoods of those long dead, a translucent beautiful blonde woman passes through the barricade. She looks at him uncertainly, this child-sized person sitting among the dead. He recognizes her as the woman weeping by the fountain and also as the one who forlornly sits as the accused in the trial.

Date: 8:00pm, 24 July 2021
Light: Campfire
Effects:
Injuries: Markd (superficial wounds)

CLW [1d6+1] = 3+1 = 4

[Alethan]

Bandy recalls that he didn't think he was able to communicate with the woman, even Chaotically, so he smiles up at her and gently nudges Markd with his foot.

"Hey, Markd. HEY!" he says a second time a little louder, pushing his foot against the human more urgently.

"The weeping woman is here. Apparently, er, the barricade doesn't work against ghosts..."

[Marullus]

That's sufficient to wake Fingers and Hengist, too.