Game summary for May 16, 2013, Carrion Crown Adventure Path campaign, The Haunting of Harrowstone adventure; PCs included Gnok Thatek (dwarf monk) and Irnadette Steelsoul (elan psion) accompanied by NPC companion Thorkatla Foamflagon (dwarf cleric).
At the Laughing Demon tavern, Gnok and Thorkatla met up with Irnadette Steelsoul, an elan psion passing through the area. Interested in their tales, she decided to join in their adventure. The team decided to investigate the statue of Warden Hawkran and found Deputy Vrodish standing watch. They spoke with him a bit and then knocked on the door of a ramshackle hut to find Gibs Hephenus within. He fussed at the group for disturbing him but seemed a bit intimidated by Gnok.
The group headed to the Unfurling Scroll and traded a used haunt siphon for a scroll of heat metal and a scroll of knock as well as a few coin. They then headed to the Temple of Pharasma and found the group still had no real use for them.
The team went back to Harrowstone Prison and went to the old warden’s office. Irnadette attempted to crack the safe but realized it was beyond her talent. She puzzled through the knock scroll and used it to unlock the safe with magical aid! Within, she found hundreds of gold coins and a trove of magical potions. Wanting an item to pry up a flagstone, they went back to the branding room where the haunt triggered and sent searing branding irons at them once again! Both Thorkatla and Gnok were branded with the Harrowstone Prison mark!
The group then went to the cold spot and put to test a theory they researched on how to get rid of it. They used the heat metal scroll to superheat a copper coin and buried it under a flagstone in the midst of the cold spot and then buried it in hallowed ground, disrupting the haunt! Irnadette tried to pick the lock of the metal door beyond but found it beyond her talent as well. With their newfound gold, they purchased another knock scroll and used it to get past the door. Within the room they found lots of property once belonging to the prisoners.
Loaded down, the team went to town to pawn off all the items and have dinner with Kendra. In their discussions, they talked about how odd it was they found no items belonging to the Five Prisoners in the property room. They went back up the hill to the prison and started searching each room very carefully. Within the property room, they discovered a hidden vault with five items within: a tangled mess of holy symbols, a bloodstained handaxe, a moldy spellbook, a smith’s hammer, and a tarnished silver flute. They quickly took the items to Vesorianna, and she confirmed they were connected with the Five Prisoners. She warned them they were powerful weapons, but they are also tainted by the evil of their former owners.
The group then returned to Kendra’s home for the evening. After a short while, they heard Jominda screaming outside. Rushing out, they found her running from a pair of staggering drunks. The party yelled at the men who turned and approached. About thirty feet away, in the light of the half-moon, the team realized they were faced with zombies! A brutal fight ensued, with the party nearly beaten to death by the undead, but finally Gnok was able to shatter enough bones to put the zombies down for good. Moments later, Sheriff Benjan Caeller and his deputies arrived. After learning what happened and finding that Jominda was safe and sound, the Sheriff warmed up to the team just a tiny bit. The group then tracked the mud and worms fallen from the undead back to the Restlands cemetery to discover two graves ripped open from the inside! The Sheriff posted a deputy and an acolyte from the church on guard duty while he and the other deputies, along with the party, stayed the night in the church next door.
While the priests and the law slept, Gnok made use of the temple library and found it an excellent source of information; however, he lacked the time to uncover tidbits they did not already know. The group awoke bright and early the next morning and prepared spells and powers.
