Blood Suckers

Both Paullus and Armania were grappled by the creatures tentacles and were bleeding profusely.  The horrid monster was turning more red by the second.

Armania started to break the grapple as several tiny tendrils slithered out from the creatures body to leech away the dripping blood with efficiency.  The creature seemed to gain strength as it consumed the blood.  In reaction the party became slightly spooked at the sight, except for Paullus who tried desperately to close his eyes to the horror.

With a satisfying wrench, Armania was able to break free of the grappling tentacles while sliding backward, hopefully out of reach.  Multiple attacks flew about from Erevel, Gavril and Ursina.  The bloodsucking creature fell on top of the table.

Gavril kept on hacking away at the monster and saw it start to fade as the blood began draining from its limbs.  Finally the whole thing became invisible once again.  Ursina and Ciprian rushed to apply some healing to both Paullus and Armania.  Then Ursina use her Wand of Lesser Restoration to remove the constitution damage both had received.

Ciprian identified that the creature was a Star Vampire, an aberration, but he did not identify any other characteristics.  They certainly knew saw the Vampiric nature of the creature.  Ciprian also wandered to a window and looked out onto the grounds.  He saw no movement around the grounds possibly indicating that the groups entry had not been noticed yet.  A search of the room found only dust, cluttered cabinets with games, dice, and cards in them.  The tops of the cabinets were strewn with various papers with notes of books, scrolls and rituals.

Gavril moved to the only door and heard no noises on the other side.  As usual Erevel opened the door revealing a dark hallway running north-south.  Directly across the hall was another door.  Erevel moved in to a window in the north which was shuttered and nailed shut.  Ursina with her dark vision moved in and looked to the south where she spied four additional doors.  A window to the east was also shuttered and nailed shut.

Starting at the north Erevel listened at all the doors and did not hear any noises within any of the rooms.  Armania noted a marble washbasin fed by a from above.  The water in the basin was greenish.

Suddenly between Gavril to the south and the rest of the party a swarm of rats appeared.  Gavril did not react with madness toward the swarm and Paullus was not Phobic about the rats so the battle proceeded normally.

After an exchange of blows with Gavril, two additional swarms appeared near Ursina and Paullus.  The battle was short but certainly made noise as the party tried to disrupt and disburse the rats.  Finally all the rats scurried for under the floor boards or up the water pipe and the party was left standing alone in the hall.

Erevel decided to start with the northern most door and she flung it open revealing a well furnished bedroom containing two dust covered beds, a writing desk, a night cabinet and shuttered windows.  There was a strong smell of vinegar hanging in the air.  On the writing desk were six phials and a notebook.  More terrifyingly, each bed had a decapitated body laying on it.  No blood was on the beds just decapitated bodies.  The southern one had a robe and relatively fine clothing.  The north body had peasant's garb.  The room appeared to be the scene of a pair of gruesome murders.

Ursina was worried about undead and moved into the room detecting magic.  She found three emanations of magic, one on the south bed body the others in the night cabinet.  Ciprian rushed into the room and began hacking away at the body on the north bed.  Gavril headed for the cabinet, opened it, and found two scrolls and a leather bag that jangled like coins.  Armania stood guard in the hall while the others continued to ransack the room.  Under one bed Gavril found a composite shortbow, 20 arrows and a shortsword.  

After dismembering both bodies Ciprian moved to the desk and looked at the phials, which were empty with their stoppers nearby.  The phials were labeled with the names of the party.  Taking his he took a deep whiff of the dry empty phial, which had no smell.  He then opened the notebook finding written notes about Zandalus.  

Ulver Zandalus confirmed a second triad of Star Stelae in a forgotten city in a remote desert. He must know the name and location. 

What is this rumored location?  How to help him find or remember?

Losandro accepted the new research materials and subjects for her experiments. My frequent interviews with Zandalus convince me that researching the written word would only get me so far, I must turn to a new method of research: dreams.

Zandalus must explore the dreamlands.  I have to find what he knows or learns there.

Zandalus is the key!!!

Additionally there was a letter to Lowls written in another hand.

Count Haserton Lowls IV,

 

Here are the vials based on the following characteristics:

Erevel – Half Elf, Female, 5’9”, 135, Karcau, Ustalav

Ursina Laeca – Changeling, Female, 5’9”, 125, Ardis, Ustalav

Gavril Yonescu – Human, Male, 5’6”, 150, Magnimar, Varisia

Ciprian Otvos – Human, Male, 5’6”, 142, Tamrivena, Ustalav

Paullus Octavianus – Human, Male, 5’7”, 160, Kar Station, Molthune

Armania Badescof – Human, Female, 5’3”, 170, Caliphas, Ustalav

 

Yours,

Miacknian Mun

Ciprian recalled the name Mun from the receipts for alchemical tools  that they had found in the dining hall.  "Does everyone want their phial?" Ciprian queried.

Ursina wanted hers, while the rest declined.  Ciprian stoppered all the phials and collected them giving Ursina's to her.  At the same time Ursina determined the bodies were separated parts of two undead.  Possibly these undead reside elsewhere within the manor.

Erevel moved to the next door and flung it open revealing another bedroom similarly appointed to the one they had just examined, minus the bodies.  The only window was shuttered.  Seeing nothing of interest Erevel moved away toward the next door.

Ciprian moved to the door and detected magic, finding something glowing in the drawer of the nightstand.  He moved into the room and was immediately attacked by two red-caped humans who were apparently hiding along the wall next to the door.  Ciprian shrieked in fear and moved back into the hallway as the rest of the party converged. 

Armania used her wand to magic missile one of the attackers.  Paullus attacked from the hall while Erevel moved into the room after the attackers had moved back away from the door.  Ursina entered and moved next to one enemy while Paullus did the same to the other.  Armania again fired magic missiles while Gavril drank his potion of vanish and moved into the room to flank with Ursina.  With great skill the party downed the two caped figures and collected their equipment, including potions of cure moderated wounds and vanish along with chain shirts and weapons.

Ciprian moved to the nightstand finding a leather pouch with coins, a pearl, a vial of oil and a stone cube.  He started to collect the items but when he grabbed the stone cube it began emitting an ear piercing screech.  By instinct he dropped the stone and all the party began looking around, listening for footsteps or moving to the windows to see if any creature or guard was moving toward the manor.  Ciprian thinking a little slowly grabbed the stone again and placed it in his bag of holding, drawing the pull string tight.  The screech was no longer evident as the bag swallowed its noise.

Now the whole party stood still for several minutes waiting for the worst to happen, but nothing.  Still questioning their luck Erevel moved to another door opened it.  This bedroom looked like it once belonged to a child.  Thick dust covered most of the furniture in the room, aside from a single wooden chair.  The bed was still tightly made and looked as if it hadn't been slept in for years.  The nightstand and cabinet were covered with dust.  A lonely clay mug rested on the floor next to the chair.  Booted footprints led from the door to the chair.

Ursina checked for magic and found none.  Erevel entered the room looking at the chair which appeared to have been sat in by someone, facing the door.  The mug was half full of clear water looking liquid.  Further examination found nothing else in the room other than cobwebs in the corners of the ceiling.

There were two doors left, one to the south and another to the east.  Ciprian tried to get the party to follow him to the south door but Erevel again took the lead and opened the east door.  The room was finely decorated with intricate patterns carved in the wood paneling. A sumptuous four-poster bed with a minaret-like canopy sat against the eastern wall. The furniture includes an ebony writing desk and a large, L-shaped armoire.  Two doors led to the south from the center and eastern end of the room.  The writing desk was covered with a disorderly stack of papers.

Paullus entered to stand guard by the armoire, while Ursina headed to the desk, with Gavril close behind.  Erevel moved into the room to search around the bed.  Armania stood in the doorway checking for magic, which she did not find.  Ciprian stayed in the hallway.  

A cloud of golden particles covered Gavril, Ursina and Paullus outlining their bodies and continuing to glisten in the dim light.  Paullus found himself blinded by the particles.  In a corner a pale face framed

by glossy black hair hung in the air, trailing viscera from the ragged stump of its neck like a grisly tail.  The battle was underway as Paullus stood still wondering what and where everyone went.  Gavril moved out of the circle of golden particles hoping to continue breathing.  Erevel moved right over the bed to attack as the head started to sing.  Ursina cast bless from the wand and Armania fired magic missiles.  Ciprian moved into the room and tried to identify this monstrosity.  He determined that this was a Human Penanggalen Bard who was undead.  He also determined that the creature had damage reduction against all but slashing, resistance to cold and that the bardic performance was Inspire Courage.

Ciprian then began his own Bardic Performance to help the party.  Gavril moved over to attack and found that his attacks were not as effective as he thought.   The Penanggalen then moved, without provoking and during its bardic performance, a chord was struck whose notes transformed into a shower of razor sharp, crystalline shards covering Erevel, Gavril and Ursina.  Only Erevel took damage from the shards and the others reflexively moved out of shower.  Paullus fired arrows doing no damage and Ursina used Disrupt Undead to damage the creature.  Armania attacked with her quarterstaff which also did not damage.  Ciprian ran in with his silver dagger and attacked successfully at full damage. 

Unfortunately the party saw the creature healing as it had moved around the room.  Gavril seeing and hearing Ciprian's attack switched to his silver dagger and also attacked successfully.  

The creature now bit Erevel took damage but evaded the poison dripping from the fangs.  Next came a slam attack and Erevel was grappled taking additional damage to her constitution.  Now completely enraged Erevel attacked twice and found critical spots on both attacks blasting this monstrosity into death beyond undeath.

DM's Notes:  The party earned 2167 XP for the night and now have 26997 XP.  They need 8003 XP to reach 7th level.