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[19 Abadius
4708 continued]
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| "Man's best friend" doesn't apply to ghoul hounds! |
With a few
hours of daylight left on a cold, wintery afternoon, the adventurers decide to
take up Sister Giulia’s vaguely-stated request to investigate the “haunting” of
Paupers’ Graves. The few miles’ walk
eastward on the Lost Coast Road is uneventful, and soon the adventurers reach
their destination: three acres of land, bordered by a low crumbling wall,
perched between the road and the seaside cliffs to the north. Although the graves are overgrown with vegetation
and many of the tombstones are faded and indistinct, the place appears serene
and far from terrifying. Salma examines
some of the markers and explains that the graveyard was popular with Varisian
caravans long before the construction of Sandpoint began several decades ago,
and that many poor labourers who died in the town’s construction were buried
there. When a graveyard was added behind
the town’s cathedral, few bothered using Paupers’ Graves anymore. The adventurers walk around and, not finding
anything suspicious, discuss either leaving or waiting until nightfall. Jinkatsyu, however, clears away the tree
branches and dead leaves covering one of the graves and realizes a disturbing
fact: it’s empty! And worse, a vertical
shaft has been dug out of the earth and descends at least 25’ down into
darkness.
Nerissa is
quick to volunteer to go first, and drops down the hole to find a warren of
rank-smelling passageways frequently layered with well-chewed bones. Instants later, her visit is welcomed by the
slavering jaws of a pair of large dogs that are clearly amongst the walking
dead: ghoul hounds! One by one, the
adventurers drop into the hole to do battle with the ghoul hounds (who are
easily dispatched), but the last member of the group left above on the surface
receives an unwelcome surprise—an arrow in the back! Ava panicks and jumps into the hole, saved
from further harm by a magical ring that slows her fall. With Jinkatsyu taking point this time, the
group moves further into the warren. Salma’s fireball disintegrates a pair of
ghouls who thought to make a meal out of the kitsune, but there doesn’t seem to
be any further opposition. Coffins,
gnawed bodies, and piles of bones are found, as well as a small cache of
treasure.
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| Ghouls are intelligent enough to use weapons and tactics. |
After
a thorough search of the underground tunnels, the adventurers decide to return
to the surface. No sign of the
mysterious archer appears until the half-elf Salma (the only member of the
party with human ancestry) climbs out of the hole. Once she does, a volley of enchanted arrows
come speeding out from behind a well-hidden sniping position and strike
true. The adventurers spring into
action, but not before the archer (revealed to be yet another ghoul) fires a
final arrow that kills Salma outright!
The archer is quickly destroyed, but the real hero of the fight is Ava
who springs quickly to Salma’s aid and uses powerful divine magicks to bring
the fallen wizard back from the realm of death.
The faith that the grippli has repeatedly demonstrated through prayers
to her deity Sinashakti was amply rewarded.
A thorough search of the cemetery turns up no further ghouls or other
threats, and with Nerissa and Jinkatsyu suffering from the low temperatures,
the group decide to teleport instantly back to the Rusty Dragon. Nerissa personally delivers the news of the
group’s success to Sister Giulia, and the others pass the night resting from
their harrowing experience.
[20 Abadius
4708]
In the
morning, the adventurers undertake a few errands. Salma teleports herself and Jinkatsyu to
Magnimar to purchase supplies and sell some of the items the group found in
Paupers’ Grave. Kang continues using the
freely-provided and well-appointed suite at the Rusty Dragon to conduct his
smoky and foul-smelling experiments into alchemy, testing the patience of even
a veritable saint like halfling maid Bethana Corwin. Nerissa goes over her journal again, still
frustrated that she wrote such an extensive diary at some point in her past but
cannot now decipher the code. Ava
continues her prayers and supplications to Sinashtaki.
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| Alaznist was not a Runelord to be trifled with! |
Around
lunchtime, the adventurers decide to make a serious effort to investigate the
catacombs underneath the town. Through a
variety of magicks (the most visibly interesting of which is Kang’s elixir that
turns his body into fluid), the adventurers all descend through fissures in the
ground to the chamber that Nerissa scouted earlier. Tunnels and chambers of ancient worked stone
are explored, but beyond a pool that magically replenishes purified water and
an impressive statue that Salma identifies as Alaznist, the Runelord of Wrath,
little of interest is discovered. Clear
signs indicate that the heroes who aided Sandpoint after the Swallowtail
Festival had already trod this same ground, and vanquished any visible threats.
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Director's Commentary (10 March 2019)
The mission to Pauper's Graves was from the back of the first volume of the hardcover Pathfinder comics collection. For the Jediah Kheln ghoul, I used a "Ghoul Huntsman" (I think it was called) from the Monster Codex, and tried to play it as cleverly as possible. Its elf bane were what caused Salma's death. We see Ava use breath of life for (I think) the first of the many subsequent times to come.
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