Despite the screaming coming from beyond the door to the west, Erevel moved further into the large room with the blood stream crossing the floor. Worn old chairs and small tables set with the scattered pieces of simple games lay scattered throughout this room. A serving hatch in the north wall opened into a darkened space beyond. Vast glass windows dominated the eastern walls, beyond which a jaundiced kaleidoscope swirls hypnotically. A coppery smell permeated the room. At the termination of the stream of blood stood a wheel chair which faced the wall of windows. A body with its head lowered sat in the chair.
Armania headed back to the open door to the west and headed toward Ciprian in the communal ward. She could not see any creature but heard the thrashing ahead. Gavril opened the northern door and entered into a corner of the ward. Ciprian moved forward cautiously to the ghoul, then used his mace to hammer the creature. Paullus stood ready outside to fire arrows if necessary.
The ghoul on the bed continued thrashing, trying to overturn the bed or at least reach the damn creature, who looked mighty tasty. Ursina moved to the open door and cast Disrupt Undead at the ghoul.
Erevel continued toward the body in the wheeled chair. The body was that of a rotund old woman in a faded housecoat. A gaping wound covered her chest, gore pooling and streaming away from her. The stream of blood actually flowed toward the wall of red blood to the west.
Another round of attacks destroyed the ghoul where at Ciprian did a detect magic in the room. There was no magic detected and Gavril, Armania and Ursina left the room to advance into the day room. Several members closed in on the stream, they also saw that it was flowing maybe an inch deep, easily stepped over. So Gavril tried to step over the stream, but as he did a wave of gore arose from the blood flow and pushed Gavril back into the wall of blood once again.
Gavril moved forward out of the blood wall and the wave of gore again rose up to push him back but this time Gavril resisted and pushed his way to the north of the blood stream. As Gavril again cleaned the gore off of himself, swearing loudly at his condition.
Meanwhile, Ciprian had found a straitjacket and hoodwink cowl in communal ward and moved out toward the woman in the wheeled chair. Studying it he was trying to figure out how to disrupt the flow. Erevel moved around the east end of the chair where no blood flowed and the looked into the service window in the north wall. Inside she could see a low desk and a door to the west. Beyond it was a empty door frame that opened into a larger area.
Ciprian tried to push the wheeled chair with a moveable chair, by pushing it himself. The chair did not move from the floor. He tried tipping the chair over but couldn't lift a wheel from the floor. Nothing he tried worked, the chair did not seem anchored by a physical mechanism, it just wouldn't move.
Gavril opened the double doors to the north into a dark space. Ursina came over to look also but even her darkvision was unable to penetrate the inky blackness. Armania placed her light rock on the end of her staff and poked the staff through the door, the blackness was still impenetrable. Reluctantly Gavril closed the door.
Erevel squeezed through the service window into the small office whence she could make out a yellow clad figure passed the open door frame. The floor of the room was covered in broken glass and opalescent stains. Gavril and Ciprian squeezed through also and took up positions at the door frame. Ciprian yelled out for to the figure "We're here! Come fight like a man!"
The Apostle moved forward and attacked Gavril with his crowbar, missing badly. Erevel, already low on energy moved through the door to the west where she found a set of desks and a sofa, kind of a break room. There was a door leading to the west. Another way into the dark room she surmised, opening the door and finding the blackness.
Meanwhile Ursina and Paullus squeezed into the small office, now full of people. Two more Apostles made their way to the doorway and attacked, one throwing her crowbar to no effect. The first two Apostles were cut down quickly by a flurry of blows and arrows. Ciprian moved into the room and demanded that the last Apostle get down on her knees. She dropped her sap and complied while spouting, "Please don't kill me, Blue, Blue."
"What are you doing here," demanded Ciprian forcefully.
"Looking for drugs, Yellow. You know they keep Opium in here. There it is. Aha, made you look." was the disjointed reply.
Armania asked, "How did you get in here? Where did you come from?"
"North, through the double doors, Blue, Yellow. Where is the Opium? Give me more. Mother where am I? came back the unusual reply.
"Did you come through the dark?" Armania pushed further.
"Sure dark, Blue, Yellow, whatever color you want." the Apostle again replied.
"Where is my flanking partner? queried Ciprian as readied his mace.
Ursina moved to flank and the two dispatched the final Apostle. Ursina detected magic in this pharmaceutical area and found two more potions of cure light wounds. Clearly some other medicines had not been smashed on the floor but no other magic was seen. In the lounge Ciprian found a book wrapped in butcher's paper that bore the handwritten word "confiscated." Inside was a licentious novel entitled "Her Majesty's Honorable Nightcap" by Charent.
The question was now whether to try and continue through the darkness or rest. Gavril was all for resting but didn't want to go back outside. No one wanted to push through the blood to get back to the chapel. Ciprian did not want to chance not getting spells back or get a good rest so finally the group decided to try the dark room. Erevel opened the door and entered into the blackness, feeling for a wall, or other obstruction. As she entered she heard unnerving childlike whimpers, songs and sobs. She looked back but could no longer see the door she had entered through, and told the others of the sonic effect. Ciprian entered, heard the same whimpers and sobs and started a Bardic countersong.
Out of the blackness Erevel felt a bit on her arm and her breath was suddenly sucked away and she became fatigued. Ciprian felt the touch of a bony hand on his arm, and for a moment he felt his voice quiver but it ended as fast as it started.
A childlike voice sobbed and pleaded "Brenton?! Wake up, Brenton! Brenton, the lamp went out!"
Ursina moved directly into the room, placed the empty lamp on the floor, and tried to Disrupt Undead once again, seemingly to no effect. Armania pushed her staff into the room, giving the three a way to leave the room easily. Ciprian withdrew but felt a bite as he exited, his breath sucked in quickly but he breathed normally as he left. Erevel also moved to exit but felt the touch of a bony hand and suddenly could not speak. Ursina followed quickly out the door as the group heard again the sobs again.
"Brenton?! Wake up, Brenton!" only this time in Erevel's voice!
"Looks like we bit off too much here," said Ciprian.
Armania piped up "Maybe we can trade the wooden soldiers for the lamp that Brenton has. Maybe that will let us through this room."
"I still say we have to get back to the chapel to get a good rest," declared Ciprian.
Finally all the group reluctantly agreed and the party headed for the great outdoors. At the door to the outside Ciprian checked the weather, it was still raining, yellow mist filled the air and a strong wind was blowing directly up from the ground with the smell of sweet candy. He dashed across to the Visitors Room, followed by Erevel who passed through a severe wind blowing. Armania followed through a moderate wind blowing down but filled with arm-length feathers. As Paullus made his way across the storm had turned into a windstorm which almost kept him from moving out of the way of daddy long-legs spiders, giant pollen spores and scabs. Gavril and Ursina were the last to cross in a strong wind filled with hair and squirming leaves. The weather seemed to change at all turns.
Back in the chapel the group checked in with Winter. They received more channeled healing and reported their findings.
As Tolman brought the children back into the room, Maeve headed straight for Gavril saying.
"You are a bad man. Stay away from Brenton and me, we don't want to see you around any longer!"
Ciprian took the diversion to show Brenton the wooden soldiers. His eyes lit up as he said "Mine, those are my soldiers."
Looking at Tolman he pleaded, "Can I have them? Debis would want me to have them."
Ciprian said tenderly "I will trade you the men for the lamp, if that is OK?"
"Yes, yes," cried Brenton as his pushed the lantern toward Ciprian.
DM's Notes: The party earned 300 XP for the night and now have 4730 needing only 270 to reach 3rd level.
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