"Now what?" queried Ursina as she watched Gavril and Ciprian clean themselves off. "I guess we should go see if the other two members of this small group are OK," Ursina continued.
"They were fine when I left them," said Ciprian.
"What did you find out there?" asked Erevel, "I am ready to attack whatever it is!"
"I am not sure we can get through this way," answered Gavril, "A wall of gore pushed me back into the blood just as I left it and entered a larger room."
Armania and Paullus were debating whether their companions were still alive. "I guess we can wait for an hour or so," stated Armania. "Then we might have to ask Winter for help."
Paullus was agreeing as the other four characters trudged into the office through the blood wall.
"We are low on healing and should go ask Winter for some healing,"Ursina piped up.
"It's only two hours since we left, do you think she can help us again? questioned Erevel.
"Well she can watch us rest or give us some help," posited Armania.
So the group made its way back to the chapel recounting their options on the way. There were two doors here in north of the library they had left shut. In the Entrance hall, there were double doors to the south, the main entry doors, and two doors in the north of the room. Also they cleaning closet seemed to have an entry to the room with the blocked door.
Armania asked about the dolls the group had seen in the Personal Effects room. She examined them but did not find what she was looking for. She stated that they didn't look evil and harmful to her eye, so she had no further use for them.
Winter was surprised to see the group back so soon, but as she saw the blood and gore still clinging to them she was concerned. "Did you find Administrator Losandro?" she quickly asked.
"We found her, but it seems she fell afoul of some ritual left to her by Count Lowls." replied Ciprian. "She can't be of any help now."
The group explained what more they learned of Count Lows, Ulver Zandalus and the connection between them. They explained about the wall of blood and gore and asked for some healing. Winter freely shared a Channel of Positive energy, healing up most of the party. Paullus was in need of some additional help which she offered freely.
"We really need to find a way out of this place, our supplies are dwindling as we speak," Winter asked plaintively.
"We are on our way back to find what we can," responded Erevel.
The group trudged back to the entry hall and the small closet that Gavril had opened once before. Erevel entered the room, which was partially collapsed destroying the contents. The western wall had fallen away and led into a office where a long desk, several chairs, a sideboard and numerous once stately landscape paintings barricaded its door. On the floor were four bodies, battered by a variety of blunt instruments. Each body had a sheet, shirt or grain bag covering their head, cinched tight around the neck. Investigating the bodies revealed that these were probably patients and staff, their heads weren't critically injured, just the bodies. There was a suit of padded armor and a sap along with two thunderstones and a gold ring on the bodies.
Leaving this room the group next went to the southern double doors. Gavril listened at the door, which was not swollen in its frame and did not appear to be an outside door. Hearing nothing he opened the unlocked door.
This room appeared as if it could have been plucked from the halls of some warm, country estate. There was inviting furnishings, a hearth ready for a fire, artwork populated by picnicking families, a large mansion shaped cage with two colorful birds inside. Large windows on the east and west showed the usual yellow fog. A battered corpse lay on the floor by the eastern alcove while another was impaled on the antlers of a stuffed elk head hung above the hearth. The corpses were dressed in yellow stained sheets, Apostles again.
Ursina detected six items of magic in the room, two of transmutation and four of conjuration. Seeing this she moved to the body on the floor and started searching finding an amulet around the neck of the man. She removed the amulet and placed it on the floor. As she did a pleasant chirping began to fill the room. Gavril and Paullus, who had entered the room heard the chirping also. The rest of the party outside heard nothing.
Gavril, pinpointing the chirping to the cage and the taxidermy birds, moved up and swung his sword at cage but missed hitting it. Ciprian moved into the room and began countersong, while Erevel and Armania entered to see and hear what was occurring. As they entered the pleasant chirping transformed into a shrill, mechanical sounding klaxon and Ursina rose ten feet into the air.
Armania picked up the amulet from the floor while Ciprian stopped his countersong since it did not appear to have an effect. Gavril swung again and dented the cage and knocked the birds around. Ursina prepared to fall while Gavril moved to shoot and arrow at the cage missing high and wide. Erevel ran right up to the cage and smashed it with her great-sword completely obliterating the cage and hacking the birds in two. Ursina fell to the floor as the klaxon stopped.
Armania and Ursina continued searching the body. Gavril moved forward and tore the dead body down from the antlers and searched it. Ciprian was examining the cage and taxidermy birds to try and determine what this was. Erevel and Paullus peered out the windows into the fog.
Ursina found two potions of Cure light wounds and Armania found a masterwork silver dagger. Gavril found the same on the other body. Ciprian did not find a mechanical workings, just two birds in a cage. Paullus noted that to the east the fog was thin enough to reveal a flagstone garden path leading to a door. This door appeared to be another part of the asylum.
After collecting and distributing the magic items, searching the desk and fireplace Gavril moved to the door leading to the garden path. Opening it revealed rustic flagstones leading through a bed of wilted flowers and shrubs, the foliage shriveled as if drowned by the surrounding sea of dense yellow fog. The rain was falling outside but was not hot as Gavril ran up the path to the far door followed closely by Erevel. The mist muffled every motion, a sound like the flapping of giant wings split through the fog banks, causing it to swirl as if seeking escape.
Erevel began to notice hear digging in the earth around them and saw some disturbances in the mulch. As Gavril tried the door, finding it locked, Erevel say pale, headless things like wormy bats with to many limbs burrow forth and begin flopping and snuffling impotently. These creatures seemed to form two pallid wriggling swarms. Gavril, turning as he heard Erevel's warning, saw the swarms and felt an unhealthy obsession rise up in his head, he swallowed hard, tamped the obsession down and bolted back inside the Visitor's lounge. Erevel followed apace and Paullus slammed the door shut.
"What was that?" queried Armania as Gavril looked more pale than usual.
"I think we need to find another door," answered Gavril.
With that the party headed to the two remaining doors in this area. Ciprian listened at the door to the west, which appeared to be an outside door so he moved to the east. Gavril popped open the west door into another courtyard, where rain was falling and fog was seen. There appeared to be a path from the door but Gavril shut the door as Ciprian opened the door to the east.
Ciprian saw a large area of rubble and smashed, fallen ceilings to the south which blocked any movement in that direction. A path led to the east along the north wall and it seemed to turn north a few feet in. Gavril moved down to the corner at peeked north. The blank hallway led north about 40 feet and ended at a pile of rubble. No doors, windows or other features were found in the hall.
Gavril was determined to find another door to the east and opened the door to the courtyard and stepped out into the rain. He saw north for 40 or so feet before the fog blocked sight. No doors or other exits/entrances were seen.
"Well lets go to those doors north of the library. If we don't find anything there I guess you will have to deal with those swarms," Gavril stated firmly.
Erevel led the group to the north of the library where she listened at the door. Hearing the same small scratching noises as before, she opened the door revealing a sagging ceiling resting largely upon a pair of sturdy bookshelves. A desk and set of chairs skirted the edge of a sizeable fissure in the floor. The scratching was coming from under the bookshelves and desk. Seeing nothing new Erevel shut the door saying "We already fought things like this, and they could summon swarms too. We should leave it alone."
Following the slime trail into the conference room. It led to the door in the northwest corner. Ciprian noted that the slime had a preservative smell. The group arranged themselves in the room as Erevel opened the door.
The closet held a collection of fluid-filled jars with floating aberrant brains, spinal columns, and dissections. These were surrounded by a set of lab coats and the remains of a human being forming a nest of sorts. On high shelf a was a liquid filled jar containing a hornlike pale white growth. It fell as if pushed onto Erevel's head. The jar exploded upon hitting and splashed a ten foot area with the contents. Looking up Erevel saw a tiny grotesquely deformed humanoid creature peering down from the shelf.
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