Game summary for June 6, 2013, Carrion Crown Adventure Path campaign, The Haunting of Harrowstone adventure; PCs included Amras Amandill (half-elf inquisitor), Dinendal Ironbow (elf ranger), and Malthus Brightray (half-elf cleric) accompanied by NPC companion Thorkatla Foamflagon (dwarf cleric).
The party ventured into Reaper’s Hold, discovering numerous empty cells. They came upon a door they unlocked with the headless guardsman’s key and discovered a massive torture chamber! An ominous iron maiden stood against a far wall, and a skeletal figure lay stretched upon the rack. Upon further investigation, they discovered the skeleton’s hands had been severed. Malthus smashed the rib cage, for safety, and they found a ring of keys and a warden’s badge shoved into the body. Next to the rack was a large bloody basket which, when opened, revealed two severed crawling hands! Both tried to choke the party, but Dinendal succeeded in slicing one apart with his rapier while Malthus smashed the bones of the other with his mace.
They continued to explore the room, and as they got closer, the iron maiden swung open! Dinendal perceived his brother inside and rushed to rescue him! The maiden swung shut upon the duped elf! Inquisitor Amras deduced this was a haunt, and he and Malthus extracted Dinendal from within. They discovered him pierced from the spikes but more physically drained and weakened than injured. After comparing notes and thoughts on haunts, the cleric and inquisitor decided they needed to cleanse the torture devices and destroy the items to try and disrupt the haunt. The group piled all the torture tools upon the rack, and Amras attempted a religious ceremonial cleansing that ended up so offensive and off-color that even the dwarven priestess blushed. Mortified, Malthus stepped in to do the ritual instead. After finishing the rites, he hurled alchemist’s fire upon the torture tools. As the flames spread, the screams of tortured mean erupted from the cruel implements, and tears of blood flowed down the cheeks of the iron maiden. The fire burned hotter and took on a supernatural force, consuming the wood and metal items alike and disrupting the haunt in the room.
Having purified another portion of the prison, the team moved on and found another guardroom. Within lay several skulls and the rotting body of a red-haired dwarf. As the group entered, tattered bloody flesh formed on the skulls as they floated up off the table and began to scream. If that weren’t enough, a bluish spectral form rose up from the dwarven body and raised a ghostly hammer high in the air and cried out for the party’s skulls! A brutal fight ensued as the team realized they faced the Mosswater Marauder himself! Malthus was driven back between some cabinets while Amras tried to organize a fighting retreat. Thorkatla channeled positive energy, which seemed to damage the Marauder. Encouraged, Dinendal pulled the cork on his last haunt siphon! The powerful magic ripped through the haunt but did not quite lay him low. The team redoubled their efforts against the severed heads and the marauder himself. Amras used a charge from a wand of cure light wounds to deliver positive energy straight into the heart of the Marauder, disrupting his form! With the haunt gone, the severed heads were quickly dispatched.
Right before entering the room, Malthus had sensed the faintest source of magic, and the team found a secret cache of fine weaponry and magical items! Amras and Malthus donned some masterwork chainmail while Dinendal put on masterwork studded leather. They also divided up several fine quality weapons amongst themselves. Better armed, and emboldened by another victory, the team prepared for additional exploration.
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