After days of reciting holy prayers and drinking his fair share of medicine in one of the many taverns that lined the city streets, Lem found himself back at the farmhouse where he and Valeros had encountered the foul ghoul that had injured him. He shuddered involuntarily as he recalled the feeling of the thing's slick, rotted flesh on him. They were back to look for clues; evidence that would lead them to the mastermind of these undead attacks. They had yet to find anything of note.
Lem
Card Feat: Spell
Skill Feat: Carisma +2
Power Feat: 1D4 +2 to another character’s check
Starting Deck
Sling
Toad
Aldern Foxglove
Burglar
Wand of Force Missile
Sihedron Medallion
Aid
Cure
Lightning Touch
Holy Light
Enfeeble
BoShelyn
BoG
BoDesna
BoPharasma x2
Valeros moved through the house, kicking over empty bottles and other garbage that littered the floor. This place had been abandoned, at least by the living, for some time. They were close though, he could feel it. There was a rot that plagued the city of Magnimar, and he would destroy it.
Valeros
Card Feat: Item
Skill Feat: Strength +2
Power Feat: Hand Size – 5, 1D4 +1 to another characters combat check
Starting Deck
Icy Longspear +1
Warhammer +1
Bastard Sword
Glaive
Shock Longbow +1
Sheriff Hemlock
Grizzled Mercenary
Masterwork Tools
Holy Candle
Staff of Minor Healing
Magic Shield
Magic Half-Plate
Magic Leather Armor
BoSarenrae
BoG
BoIomedae
Lem examined some bottles in what used to be the kitchen. As he picked up one of the bottles, the movement disturbed the brackish liquid inside. Lem dare not open the bottle, for fear that it would smell as bad as it looked.
Turn 1
Lem – BoG
Farmhouse
Potion of Ruggedness – Int = D6 = 5 = Fail
Just then, one of the guards entered the building. He was dragging an unkempt woman behind him. She struggled against his grip while cursing and spitting at him. Valeros moved to the man.
"Who is this woman?"
"I found her skulking around the barn. I thought we might question her." The man tightened his grip as the woman's struggling renewed. One of her arms slipped from the guard's grasp, and she leveled her free hand at Valeros.
"The Skinsaw Man will flay the flesh from your bones!" she cackled as she unleashed a blast of force from her outstretched hand.
Valeros dove to one side, crashing into broken furniture and garbage. As he rolled to his feet, he unsheathed his broadsword and plunged it into the woman. Her crazed appearance did not change as the sword impaled her. She simply stared forward with a lopsided smile upon her lips. As her blood ran onto his blade, Valeros cursed as it erupted into flames.
Turn 2
Valeros – BoGorum
Farmhouse
Guard – Charisma = D6+2 = 6 = Success
Bury Sheriff Hemlock explore (Bury due to Location) – Enchanter – 1 Force Damage = Banish Guard, Reveal Bastard Sword = D10+5 + D10 = 14 = Success, 1 Fire damage
Lem watched the whole altercation in horror, dropping yet another container of filthy liquid he had found in shock. The corpse of the woman, now blackened to a crisp, lay on the floor. Valeros' sword stuck straight up out of it like some grisly gravestone. The whole scene only made him more anxious to leave this place.
Turn 3
Lem – BoSarenrae
Potion of Glibness – Int = D6 = 2 = Fail
Valeros broke the leg off of a nearby table that had been overturned, and used it to poke at the corpse. Satisfied that she was truly deceased, he retrieved his sword. The guard that had brought the woman simply stared at him, dumbly.
"Go back and tell the chief what you saw here. Tell him to have some people start looking up anything they can on this 'Skinsaw Man'. Hopefully there's some record of that name somewhere in the archives."
The man nodded, still wide-eyed, and stumbled out of the house.
Turn 4
Valeros – BoG
Quarterstaff = auto-success
Use Staff of Minor Healing
Shortly after the guard had left, the sound of shattered glass brought Valeros and Lem to the front room of the house. One of the front windows was shattered, and a flaming arrow was lodged in the opposite wall. Valeros motioned to Lem to get down, and he leaned against the wall near the window, trying to get a glimpse of what had fired the arrow. A small band of goblins stood in front of the house, bows drawn.
Valeros turned to Lem and attempted to pantomime to him the scene outside. He then adjusted the grip on the broken table leg he still held, and nodded to the halfling. He kicked the door open and charged at the goblins, booming a mighty war cry. Lem followed behind, unleashing blasts from his wand. Some goblins fell, and others were clubbed by the wild swings of Valeros' makeshift club. Soon, what was left of the small band had scattered back into the nearby woods.
Turn 5
Lem – BoG
Goblin Raid – Summon and encounter Goblin Raider
Valeros – Reveal and recharge Quarterstaff = D10+5 + D6 + D6 = 14 = Success
Lem – Wand of Force Missile + Valeros = 4D4 + D4+1 = 13 = Success
Recharge Wand = Success
Valeros was sure that the goblin attack was no coincidence. Someone, or something, had sent them to stop their investigation. He frowned as an explosion inside the small house signaled that the flames had reached some of the potions that Lem had been examining earlier. He turned back to Lem, and as he did, he was shocked to find himself face to face with the ghost of a woman.
The transparent glow of her form shimmered in the light of the fire behind them. She must have been beautiful in life, but in afterlife her appearance was nothing short of haunting. She gazed at him with a face full of sadness and anger. Her voice was a moaning whisper, and it said only one word: "Foxglove", then disappeared.
They could only guess as to what that meant, but they both agreed that the farmhouse would offer no further clues. They made their way back to the city with more questions than answers.
Turn 6
Valeros – BoG
Holy Candle – 2
Haunt – Placed in front of him
D6 to encounter Iesha – 7 = Encounter her
Diplomacy + Aid + Lem Recharge = D6+2 + D6 + D4+2 = 12 = Fail = 1 damage
Recharge Aid = Success
Summon and defeat random monster to close location – Skeleton - Reveal Warhammer+1 = D10+5 + D8+1 = 14 = Success = Location closed
They decided that the best place to start their search was at the Magnimar Academy. Most knowledge, both magical and mundane, could be found there. They flashed their badges at the head librarian, and Lem began piling musty books upon the table to pore over.
Turn 7
Lem – BoG
Academy
Quarterstaff – Strength = D4 = 2 = Fail
Free explore from location - Inflict - Divine = D10+3 = 12 = Success
Valeros wondered how useful he would be here, since research wasn't necessarily his forte. He began to explore the other areas of the Academy instead. He brushed aside a few stacks of books, looking for something more interesting.
Turn 8
Valeros – BoG
Academy
Fiery Weapon – Intelligence = D6 = 1 = Fail
Lem continued his search through the shelves. After a time, he did spy a book that looked that it might have some answers. The title on the spine identified it as "A Brief History of Magnimar Nobility", but that wasn't what caught his eye. What stood out was the author's name: Thaddeus Foxglove. Lem pulled at the tome, and heard a faint 'click' as he did so. He did not react in time to dodge the curved blade that swung out from the shelf towards him. He cried and staggered back as the blade bit deeply into his midsection.
Turn 9
Lem – BoErastil
Slashing Blade – Dex + BoPharasma + Valeros BoG = 3D8 = 5 = Fail = D4 damage to both
Lem – 3
Valeros – 1
Valeros ran back to his partner, having heard his cry from outside the room. He found Lem slumped back against a shelf, bleeding from his chest. Farther down the row of shelves, Valeros saw an opening in the stone. From this opening, great boar sprang from the darkness. It's eyes were wild and foam lined it's mouth. It charged directly towards his partner. Valeros moved quickly in between them, bringing his sword down upon the beast before it could reach Lem.
Turn 10
Valeros – BoG
Tickwood Boar – auto-fail wis check – reveal and recharge bastard sword = D10+5 +2D10 = 24 = Success
Free explore from location – Archer = Diplomacy = D6+2 = 3 = Fail
Lem took the opportunity to murmur a healing prayer. Feeling the warmth of the spell work on his chest, he allowed himself a moment of respite before examining the shelf where the trap was sprung. He identified the mechanism that triggered the blade easily, and disarmed it. Valeros had turned back to check on him after dispatching the boar. He nodded to the man, then pointed at the opening in the wall.
"What's that?"
Turn 11
Lem – BoCalistria
Cure – 2
Recharge cure = Fail
Slashing Blade – Dex + Recharge Burglar + BoDesna + BoSarenrae = 3D8 + D10 = 17 = Success
Free explore from location – Augury = Divine = D10+3 = 6 = Success
Use Augury – Monster – reveals Skinsaw Man, Cloak of Elvenkind and Lightning Bolt
Skinsaw Man on bottom of deck
Recharge Augury = Fail
They moved into the darkness cautiously, not knowing what other creatures might lurk within. They were relieved to find no more beasts within, but there were a few objects worth examining. Valeros picked up a cloak that hung on a nearby wall. It had not been there long. Clearly, this place had recently been inhabited.
Turn 12
Valeros – BoShelyn
Cloak of Elvenkind – Dex = D8 = 1 = Fail
Lem was looking over some papers that rested on a small desk in the chamber. The writings were clearly arcane, but he could not make them out. Retrieving the book that had opened this place, he showed it to Valeros. They were certain that this was an important clue, and went back to the station to see if they could uncover any more information about this Foxglove family.
Turn 13
Lem – BoShelyn
Lightning Bolt – Arcane + Aid = D10+3 + D6 = 7 = Fail
Recharge Aid = Fail
They were directed to the dilapidated ruins of Foxglove Manor. It was a large mansion that rested just outside the city walls, atop a cliff that overlooked the sea. The Foxglove family had once held a position of high esteem in the city, before some unidentified tragedy caused their downfall. No one would speak of the event, but many referred to the family estate as "cursed".
They resolved to waste no time, and moved towards the outskirts of the city. They could see the mansion in the distance, silhouetted by the sunset reflecting off of the calm sea. The mansion must have been beautiful at one time, but had fallen into disrepair for many years now. As they neared the structure, Valeros spied a large hole in the ground. Investigating further, it appeared as though something had clawed it's way from the earth below.
The hole itself was deep, large enough for Lem to stand upright in. Valeros looked to his diminutive friend.
"No. No way am I going down there. Forget it." The halfling cried, backing away from the pit.
"Fine, you big baby, hand me a torch then."
Valeros descended, and was shocked to see that the hole was in fact connected to a tunnel that extended towards the house.
He was about to tell his partner when a rock whistled past his head, shattering on the earth behind him. Valeros hurled his glaive into the tunnel where the rock had come from, and heard the thudding sound of a body hitting the ground. He motioned to his partner to come down.
Turn 14
Valeros – BoG
Warrens
Soldier – Melee = D10+5 = 8 = Fail (Thanks, Haunt)
Discard BoIomedae explore – Scout – 1D4-1 ranged damage = 0
Glaive = D10+5 + D10 = 19 = Success
Random monster gets put on top of Foxglove Manor
Lem stopped any pretense of not entering the hole and clambered down to join his partner. As he did so, another rock flew at him from the darkness. Lem shot lightning back towards the source. The bright sparks briefly illuminated the depths, showing the pair that these tunnels went even deeper than they had supposed. It appeared that there was a great labyrinth that rested underneath the manor.
Turn 15
Lem – BoDesna
Warrens
Scout – 1d4-1 ranged damage = 0
Lightning Touch + Valeros = D10+3 + 2D4 + D4+1 = 15 = Success
Random monster gets put on top of Foxglove Manor
Recharge Lightning Touch = Success
Discard Toad explore – Mending = Divine = D10+3 = Auto-Success
Valeros moved cautiously forward, disabling many simple traps that he found in the tunnels as he did. He could not even imagine what would be lurking down here, but he was determined to find out. The earth had not been dug by tools, but instead appeared to have been clawed by human hands. The thought was disturbing.
Turn 16
Valeros – BoG
Slashing Blade – Recharge Masterwork Tools
Lem followed Valeros closely. Something in this place terrified him, though he could not identify the source of his uneasiness. They had lit torches to see in the roughly-hewn tunnels. The smell down here was earthy, as one would expect, but it was tinged with something else. Decay. Lem's thoughts drifted back to the ghoul again, and he moved closer to Valeros.
Turn 17
Lem – BoDesna
Exchange Enfeeble for Cure
Cure – 5
Recharge Cure = Fail
Longsword = auto-fail
Discard BoG explore – Haunt
Dex to close = D8 = 5 = Fail
Random monster on top of Foxglove Manor
They continued on for some time. Valeros was beginning to worry that they would be unable to find their way back. The tunnels wormed through the earth in random directions, twisting and turning. It was impossible to know which direction they now faced.
Turn 18
Valeros – BoG
Burglar – Diplomacy = D6+2 = 7 = Success
Staff of minor healing on self
Lem's nose caught a new scent: rotten wood. He informed his partner of this new discovery, and Valeros let the halfling in front of him. Following his nose, Lem worked his way towards the new smells. As he neared the source, he caught other, less identifiable, scents as well. He reached the terminus of the tunnel they had been travelling along, and saw that it opened up directly into the manor above.
Turn 19
Lem – BoPharasma
Cape of Escape – Auto-Fail thanks to Haunt
Discard BoShelyn explore – Mace – Auto-fail thanks to Haunt
Dex to close location – D8 = 7 = Success
As he and Lem emerged from the pit, Valeros was set upon by a mass of feathers and talons. Valeros unslung his bow and began firing in all directions, hoarse squawks answered him. Within moments, he was surrounded by the corpses of several birds. They were decayed, pustulent and wretched things. These birds had clearly been reanimated by some dark magic. They must have been disturbed by the pair exiting the tunnels.
Turn 20
Valeros – BoG
Foxglove Manor
Carrionstorm – Reveal and recharge Shock Longbow +1 = D8 + D8+1 + D10 = 24 = Success
Lem moved to examine the room they were in, satisfied that they were no longer in immediate danger. He staggered backwards in shock as he looked at the painting that adorned the rotted wall. It was the woman that they had seen in spectral form earlier! With her was a man; both looked noble and wore fine clothing, and the placard below read "Aldern and Iesha".
As he stared at the haunting figured in the painting, he found himself transfixed in place. His eyes began to burn, and he felt pressure begin to build in his skull. He could not move nor speak. The painting would not let him. The eyes of the couple locked onto his, and he was helpless against their power.
Turn 21
Lem – BoG
Foxglove Manor
Reveal Aldern to banish haunts
Satyr – Dex = D8 = 4 = Fail = 5 damage!
Valeros could see Lem standing in the hallway, and he saw his partner staring at the wall, unmoving. He could tell instantly that the halfling was not himself. As he moved towards him, a hand reached from the doorway next to the halfling. Rags hung from the arm that followed. Whatever it was, Valeros wasn't going to wait to find out. He hurled his spear at it, and the shaft knocked the arm aside. Running to the creature, Valeros swung his glaive in a wide arc, knocking the thing backwards into the room.
Turn 22
Valeros – BoG
Academy
Skinsaw Man – Difficulty increased by 2 – Icy Longspear +1 = D10+5 + D8+1 = 18 = Success
2nd check – Glaive + Lem Aid = D10+5 + D10 + D6 = 24 = Success
Recharge Aid - Success
Location closed
The disturbance broke the spell that had ensnared Lem. He slumped against the wall, holding his aching head. He focused and said a prayer of healing, and felt the healing light enter him. He was recovered enough to pick himself up and help his partner.
Turn 23
Lem – BoIrori
Exchange Augury for Cure
Cure – 5
Recharge Cure = Success
Potion of Healing = Intelligence = D6 = 1 = Fail
Discard BoDesna explore – Potion of Healing – Intelligence = D6 = 1 = Fail
Valeros was chasing the thing through the manor. He was focused only on catching it. The details of the manor were a blur as he ran through decayed halls and leapt over rotted furniture.
Turn 24
Valeros – BoAbadar
Foxglove Manor
Longsword – Auto-success
Lem lagged behind the chase, still working to clear his head. What was it that Valeros was chasing? What connection did it have to the undead cult that plagued Magnimar? It was almost too much for him to wrap his mind around.
He was snapped out of his reverie by a voice. "Foxglove" it whispered in a low moan. Lem stopped in his tracks. He turned and immediately shut his eyes tight involuntarily. It was the spectral woman again. He stammered out an inquiry.
"Are you Iesha?" he said in a terrified whisper.
"Yeeees. Ieeeshaaa was my naaaame." the moan was like wind whispering through dead trees.
"Who killed you?" Lem didn't know if he wanted to hear the answer.
"Aaaaldern."
Lem dared to open one eye, and saw nothing but darkness. The spectre was gone. Lem sat on the dusty floor and cried softly.
Turn 25
Lem – BoG
Guidance – Auto-success
Discard BoShelyn explore – Haunt
D6 to encounter Iesha – 7 = encounter her
Diplomacy +BoPharasma = D10+5 + D10 = 24 = Success = Undefeated due to no magic
Arcane to close Location - Guidance + BoPharasma = D10+3 + 2D10 + 1 = 22 = Success
Location open with Skinsaw man being the only card left
Recharge Guidance Automatically
Valeros had cornered the thing in an upstairs bedroom. It turned to face him, and Valeros saw the thing clearly for the first time. It was clothed in filthy rags. In one hand, it held a wicked knife. It's face was covered in a full mask made of the same rags that covered it's body.
"Who are you, and what do you know about the Skinsaw Man?" Valeros said as he took a defensive stance with his glaive.
At the mention of the word 'Skinsaw' though, the posture of the thing changed. It lunged towards Valeros with a feral growl. Valeros swung twice with his glaive, and pieces of the creature hit the floor around him. He reached down and pulled the rags from the head of the thing. Looking up at him with pale, vacant eyes was the face of Aldern Foxglove.
Post-Game Analysis
I'm still recovering from a pretty nasty cold/flu, so I likely made many mistakes this time around. Nevertheless, there was some good story to be told here. I kind of cheated by leaving Skinsaw man at the Academy and then sending Valeros back there after the Warrens had closed, but there are going to be situations in the game that don't translate to a narrative well.
Missing out on that Lightning Bolt was really crappy, and the haunts prevented me from getting a couple other boons, but overall I was pleased by the events of the game. I have a healthy backlog of episodes now, and will be posting up one a week for the foreseeable future. Till next time!
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