Charles Plemons' Blog

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.

Game summary for May 9, 2013, Carrion Crown Adventure Path campaign, The Haunting of Harrowstone adventure; PCs included Amras Amandill (half-elf inquisitor), Dinendal Ironbow (elf ranger), and Gnok Thatek (dwarf monk) accompanied by NPC companion Thorkatla Foamflagon (dwarf cleric).

After the meeting with Vesorianna, the team met back up with Amras and Dinendal at Kendra’s home.  They sat at the table and discussed the situation for a bit.  Then, they returned to the prison where Gnok did some research and discovered the history of Hean Feramin, the Splatter Man!  They then spoke with Vesorianna some more and learned one of the spirits she had sensed with Abilard was not present.

The team then went back to the old training room with the gaping hole down into darkness.  The group tied Dinendal to a rope, cast light on the end of it, and lowered him into the depths where he discovered a shallow body of water.  He discovered it to be approximately waste deep.  He untied himself and looked around, seeing the ruins of an old lift and evidence of a collapse.  Amras followed him down into the water and went up on the shore.  Suddenly, two horrid ectoplasmic forms emerged and attacked!

Amras and Dinendal found themselves fighting for their lives as Gnok lowered Thorkatla safely down.  He then slid down the rope himself to enter the fray.  Dinendal took several deadly blows and was staggered.  Amras cut down one ectoplasmic spirit with his longsword but succumbed to the attacks of the other and collapsed in a bleeding heap.  Thorkatla channeled positive energy to heal her allies a bit and cast an ironbeard spell on Gnok.  The monk’s beard stiffened and grew into a shining metal barrier of armor which deflected at least one attack!  Gnok decided to hurl a flask of holy water at the remaining undead monster while Thorkatla again channeled healing power.

With Amras grievously injured but stable on the ground, Dinendal scrambling around for a healing potion, and Thorkatla nursing wounds, Gnok knew they were in dire straits.  He did the only reasonable thing—he grappled the ectoplasmic monster!  His plan, once pinning the creature, was to force his potion of cure light wounds down its throat!  Once he had it held, Thorkatla used her last channeling to surge the undead with positive energy, destroying it.  Gnok then rolled Amras over and poured his potion down his throat, reviving him.

Battered, bruised, and out of spells, the group scrambled back up the rope and returned to town.  They decided to go to the Laughing Demon tavern for lunch.

Game summary for May 2, 2013, Carrion Crown Adventure Path campaign, The Haunting of Harrowstone adventure; PCs included Abilard Athame (human magus) and Gnok Thatek (dwarf monk) accompanied by NPC companion Thorkatla Foamflagon (dwarf cleric).

Overpowered by the terrifying Piper of Illmarsh the party found itself temporarily scattered.  Gnok was rescued by a pair of adventurers, Abilard and Thorkatla, who were also exploring the prison.  The three of them regrouped at Kendra’s long enough for Thorkatla to cure Gnok’s injuries.  They returned to the prison and found the branding room.  Four branding irons surged to red-hot heat and flew toward the party!  Just as suddenly they fell inanimate to the floor.  Perplexed, Abilard took one of the brands with him.

The group then returned to the second floor and stumbled upon a trio of stirges!  The vermin began attaching to the party and draining blood!  Thorkatla and Gnok suffered the most from the little beasts.  Abilard cast magic missile to injure one, and Gnok’s flurry finished it off.  Gnok used flurry of blows on another to bring it down while Abilard cast shocking grasp and exploded the last one!  As the blood of the final stirge dripped down the wall, faint piping filled the air as the Piper of Illmarsh manifested!  Calling upon the power of their deities, and using a haunt siphon, the team directed sufficient positive energy into the Piper to disrupt the haunt!

The team then explored the rest of the upper floor but did not go out on either of the upper balconies.  They found a larger cell with a corpse within and days marked off with tally marks on the walls.  Abilard used chalk to add a few more, and as he did, Gnok caught a glimpse of an overweight spectral man sitting up from the bed, looking at Abilard, smiling, and disappearing!

The group then moved back downstairs to speak with the ghost of the warden’s wife.  They learned her name is Vesorianna.  She indicated she could sense a presence with them.  Gnok assumed it was the negative energy of the Piper contained in his haunt siphon, so he left the room, but she said the presence remained.  Abilard left the room, and the presence went away.  Vesorianna looked at him suspiciously and said she did not trust him!

Game summary for April 18, 2013, Carrion Crown Adventure Path campaign, The Haunting of Harrowstone adventure; PCs included Amras Amandill (half-elf inquisitor), Dinendal Ironbow (elf ranger), and Gnok Thatek (dwarf monk).

The team rested at Kendra’s and then went to the Laughing Demon for breakfast where they heard some locals dismissing the stories of Harrowstone being haunted.  They then proceeded to the Unfurling Scroll to do some research and came across a group of girls skipping rope and singing a disturbing song.  Amras scared the girls, but Kendra got them calmed down and talking.  From what they could gather the song, which seemed to reference the infamous five prisoners of Harrowstone, was a longstanding rhyme in the village.  The girls didn’t have any idea what it really meant.  The team then did research and discovered more about the history of Harrowstone including that the fire was started by the guards accidentally during a riot.  While at the magic shop, they traded for a scroll of knock.

The group then returned to Harrowstone to use the old offices to research the prisoners.  They learned about Ispin Onyxcudgel, the Mosswater Marauder.  They then returned to the workshop to speak with the spirit of the warden’s wife.  She told them shortly after they last left her presence, the Splatter Man somehow attacked her psyche, and she felt diminished somehow.  From their conversation, they also learned that the Piper of Illmarsh seemed to be haunting the upper levels of the prison.

The team sent Kendra back to town and ascended to the upper floor.  In the cellblock, they discovered numerous animated skeletons, some behind bars, and others free roaming.  A brutal battle ensued!  Dinendal unleashed arrows at the undead, but his bow was only of limited use against the skeletal foes.  Likewise, Amras struggled using his longsword.  Gnok’s crushing blows had great effect, but he caught several hard strikes from the skeletons and collapsed dying on the ground.  Meanwhile, eerie piping filled the air, terrifying the party in waves.  The fright was so great that Dinendal froze in place and could make out a gaunt spectral form surrounded by ghostly stirges floating toward him!  He shook off the effect just as Amras shattered the last skeleton.

The party is now face-to-face with the Piper of Illmarsh, and their monk is dying at their feet!

Game summary for March 28, 2013, Carrion Crown Adventure Path campaign, The Haunting of Harrowstone adventure; PCs included Amras Amandill (half-elf inquisitor), Dinendal Ironbow (elf ranger), Sealamin Laughshield (gnome fighter), and Stoella Carter (human evoker).

The group, after hours of research, decided to explore some more of the prison.  They discovered stairs leading down, which were blocked, and stairs leading up, which they walked away from.  They went into the old prison infirmary where they were startled by the sudden appearance of a poltergeist!  Everyone but Amras ran off in fear.  He instead stood his ground and vanquished it using numerous disrupt undead spells.  It was not without effort, however, because the spirit battered him with several medical supplies including smashing a beaker in his face!  Stoella, recovered from the fear, was able to help Amras in the end though with a well-placed force missile.

The party proceeded through a door out of the infirmary and found an old furnace room.  Amras noticed a haunt activating and pulled a haunt siphon, but the haunt was too strong for just one!  The haunt made the furnace seem to flare to life with licking flames and an evil iron face.  The flaming tongue shot forth and charred Amras to within an inch of life.  His unconscious smoldering form collapsed nearly lifeless onto the floor.  Thinking quickly, Dinendal grabbed Amras’ other haunt siphon off his belt and disrupted the furnace haunt!  Stoella spent some time trickling potions of cure light wounds down what remained of Amras’ throat while Dinendal discovered charred human remains within the furnace.  After Amras returned to consciousness, Stoella poured holy water over the bones which seemed to lift the oppressive force of the haunt from the room!

The group consulted their map and went to investigate a steel door they had yet to open.  Unable to get through, they went outside and peeked in through a barred window.  Within were numerous items labeled with little tags.  Stoella was able to extract a small pouch using mage hand and discovered it filled with a dozen masterwork shuriken which she saved for Gnok.

The group went back into the old training room and peered into the hole leading into darkness.  Amras cast light on a copper coin and dropped it down the hole.  It splashed into a not terribly deep pool of water approximately twenty feet down.  From what they could tell, the hole opens up into a larger cavern.

Faced with the options of exploring the second level of the prison or delving underneath, the party decided to instead return to town and rest.  They plan to then meet with Alendru Ghoroven at the Unfurling Scroll and see if he has any magic items that might let them through the steel door they discovered earlier.

Game summary for March 21, 2013, Carrion Crown Adventure Path campaign, The Haunting of Harrowstone adventure; PCs included Amras Amandill (half-elf inquisitor), Dinendal Ironbow (elf ranger), Gnok Thatek (dwarf monk), and Stoella Carter (human evoker).

The team quickly left the scene of the vandalized statue and sought to do research at the town hall.  Therein they offended Councilman Muricar and were run off.  They then had brunch at The Laughing Demon tavern.  Stoella then went to visit Father Grimburrow at the temple of Pharasma but was unable to secure access to the church’s library.  The team then learned through Kendra of The Unfurling Scroll magic shop and school.  They went and met Alendru Ghoroven, the proprietor of the establishment, who agreed to rent out his library for 10 gold pieces a day.  The team spent some time research and found some hints but nothing solid and conclusive.  The group spoke a few minutes with young Pevrin Elkarid at the posting pole and found he was posting about the vandalism.

The party traveled back up the hill to Harrowstone Prison and began searching for the stairway down.  They discovered a number of offices filled with old prison records as well as one containing a very sturdy safe.  They then found an auditorium of some sort and triggered a cold spot haunt!  The party was badly injured by the netherworld cold but made it to the other side and found a massive room partially collapsed by fire.  Stoella went to check out a large opening in the floor and was attacked by a trio of flaming skulls!  The skulls injured her and nearly killed Dinendal.  Gnok and Amras rushed to their aid while Stoella blew one up with a force missile.  She was burned in the process and her last act was hitting another skull with a second force missile.  Amras and Gnok moved in and fought the skulls briefly until Gnok was able to shatter them with his impressive unarmed combat skills.

Battered and nearly depleted of resources, the group crawled out the side wall of the prison and went back in the front door.  They spent the next five hours organizing the papers in the office and another hour researching.  Stoella was very confident the answers they seek are within the papers, but it is going to take more time to uncover them.

Game summary for March 14, 2013, Carrion Crown Adventure Path campaign, The Haunting of Harrowstone adventure; PCs included Amras Amandill (half-elf inquisitor), Dinendal Ironbow (elf ranger), Gnok Thatek (dwarf monk), Sealamin Laughshield (gnome fighter), and Stoella Carter (human evoker).

The group fought violently against the grappling manacles that had pinned Amras!  The team hit with weapons, and Stoella used spells.  Nothing seemed to harm the steel chain!  The group tried to pull the chains off, but the manacles had handcuffed themselves to Amras’ wrists!  Dinendal uncorked a haunt siphon, which seemed to have no effect so he dumped his holy water on Amras and the chain!  Other than making it momentarily harder for Amras to breathe, being both drowned and constricted, the water had no effect.  Sealamin dragged Amras out into the hall in case it was a localized event.  Finally, Gnok used his monk training to snap the chain!  Amras was released but was still cuffed on each wrist.  With no one capable of picking a lock, he had to drag the dangling chains around.

The team went north through the prison and found a laundry room.  Within moments a straitjacket flew into the air and attacked.  It pummeled Gnok unconscious in seconds and wrapped itself around Sealamin, trying to squeeze the life from him!  Stoella had hit it with burning hands while Amras and Dinendal used their swords on it.  Sealamin drew forth a dagger and viciously cut into the attacking apparel as well.  Finally, Stoella brought it down with a force missile.

The team spent a few moments resting while Amras cast cure light wounds and used charges from his wand of the same.  They then opened another door to some kind of workshop.  Within they found an old skeletal corpse from which rose the spirit of the warden’s wife!  She asked if the party were the new guards, to which they answered yes.  She charged them with cleansing the prison of the evil presences she could feel below.  She suspected the five presences belonged to the most notorious of the Harrowstone prisoners:  Father Charlatan, the Lopper, the Mosswater Marauder, the Piper of Illmarsh, and the Splatter Man.  She told them there may be items tied to the prisoners she or they may be able to use to defeat them.  The spirit revealed that a man the party assumes was Professor Lorrimor was murdered by dark robed men who spoke in whispers and that the same men stole away the spirit of her husband.  He was the only force keeping the powerful evil of Harrowstone contained.  She indicated the stairs down were likely blocked but there was a pit or tunnel down into the depths.

Hearing all this, Stoella suggested they return to town and research the five prisoners.  The got back shortly before 1:00 a.m. and went to sleep.  The next morning they searched and found that Lorrimor’s books and papers held nothing on the prisoners.  Later that morning, they heard a commotion out in the streets.  They discovered that someone had painted a large “V” on the statue of Warden Hawkran in blood overnight.  They discussed that it could be representative of the number five and realized there were five of them and the townsfolk were beginning to whisper.  They party overheard snatches of the conversation, including mention of what a scene the party made at the professor’s funeral the day before.

Game summary for March 7, 2013, Carrion Crown Adventure Path campaign, The Haunting of Harrowstone adventure; PCs included Amras Amandill (half-elf inquisitor), Dinendal Ironbow (elf ranger), Gnok Thatek (dwarf monk), Sealamin Laughshield (gnome fighter), and Stoella Carter (human evoker).

The party discovered a thunderstorm was blowing in, so they waited about 35 minutes for it to pass through before travelling to Harrowstone.  They arrived in a slight rain shortly before midnight.  As they passed through the gate, Gnok was overcome with a feeling of claustrophobia and the sense of burning.  He shook it off and found he was the only one to experience the sensation.  Gnok and Dinendal then explored what Sealamin determined to be the warden’s house.  After a few minutes, Dinendal was staggered by falling bits of ceiling.  Gnok got him to safety before the entire house collapsed.

The group then explored the front of the building and found strange markings and symbols around the foundation.  Amras spent some time transcribing some of the symbols onto the bottom of his cooking pot using chalk.

After looking around for a few minutes, the group entered the prison.  Once inside, they found a room where the images of screaming burned prisoners came shrieking out of the doorways!  The door they entered slammed shut and was resistant to all attempts to open.  They discovered the doors were not locked but would not budge.  Finally, Amras figured out they were dealing with haunts and performed a ritual involving sprinkling holy water about.  This seemed to disrupt the hold on the doors.

The group moved further into the prison and found a web-shrouded chapel filled with giant crab spiders!  Amras charged in and found himself poisoned after striking one spider dead!  The team moved in quickly, with Stoella using force missile, Dinendal firing arrows, and Sealamin swinging his sword.  In short order, the spiders were eliminated.  They then discovered a cabinet filled with holy water, a scroll, and a wand.

Next the team moved down the hall and found a large room filled with broken benches, rotting rope, and chains.  Suddenly, a pair of manacles slithered across the floor and clamped down on Amras’ arms!  The team attacked the chain but found the strong steel somewhat resistant to their attacks.  The manacles wrapped all about Amras and pinned him to the floor!

Game summary for February 21, 2013, Carrion Crown Adventure Path campaign, The Haunting of Harrowstone adventure; PCs included Amras Amandill (half-elf inquisitor), Dinendal Ironbow (elf ranger), Gnok Thatek (dwarf monk), Sealamin Laughshield (gnome fighter), and Stoella Carter (human evoker).

Amras, Dinendal, and Gnok visited the Laughing Demon tavern and met Zokar Elkarid.  He introduced them to his fine, if disturbing, cuisine such as corpse chowder, wolfballs, and vampire steaks washed down with faintly glowing liquid ghost.  Despite the names, the food turned out to be very tasty.  Meanwhile, Stoella went to the general store and bought several goods.  She brought the food home, and she and Sealamin made a steak dinner for Kendra.

Amras and Gnok went to the temple of Pharasma where they inadvertently insulted Father Grimburrow and were ushered out of the church.  They were also run off from the cemetery.

The team reunited at the Lorrimor household and took a rest until 9:30 p.m.  They studied new spells and prepared to investigate a crypt mentioned in the professor’s journal.  They set out and discovered the mausoleum just as the journal described.  Inside they were attacked by a pair of giant centipedes that poisoned Dinendal!  The team quickly cut them down, however.

Within one sarcophagus they discovered numerous magical items and weapons for fighting the undead.  The group cleaned it out and returned to Kendra’s.  Once there, they discovered a spirit board and a brass spirit planchette along with six haunt siphons.  The group decided they needed to head to Harrowstone next.