Book II - Chapter IX: The Haunting of Trollskull Manor

[opius]

((Reaction))
The thing lashed and gnashed at him as he twisted out of range. She turned her back to him- an opportunity to punish he wouldn't pass up. Using the momentum from his juke, he turned, grasped the handle of his mace, and slammed it into the side of the monstrous woman's flank.

His ire flared up something fierce, a light crackling from his fists.

((18 to hit, 9 bludgeoning, 10 Radiant, 6 additional radiant if she's undead))

[Ancelas]

...and SHRIEKED as, for a moment, the room was illuminated by a flash of brilliant white light. In that moment, Jinn felt something substantial beneath his mace, and then it was gone, the door on the far side of the room slamming open as the light faded back into darkness.

The heat in the room seemed to waver and subside slightly - the rotting wallpaper sloughing off of walls in dirty, soggy heaps that began dissolving into smoke as they struck the floor.

[Kyt]

Rey flinched as the figure surfaced again, firing off a shot into the nearby wall. ((Attack: 11))

"Fuck! Crys, please tell me they in there." Quickly working to reload her crossbow, she kept a panicked eye out, following the flash of light from Jinn.

"You actually got her? Shit, how long you been holding that in?"

((Held Action to fire again)

[opius]

"Too long, Reyrey, too long!" He called back with a delighted growl. "I don't get to club the daylights outta jerks like this nearly often enough."

((Perception:17))

He squinted as he realized the room he was darting into was dark- too dark for him to be useful. "Vinny- bring that light of Karkanis or whatever in here- I wanna see this roach scurry before she gets squashed!"

((Held action: attack))

[Ancelas]

Jinn dashed into the the adjoining room, finding what could have once been a private meeting room off of the main common space. The windows, like all the others in the manor, looked to currently be bricked up, the walls made of peeling wallpaper. The space otherwise seemed empty and unremarkable in the darkness.

[CautionCat]

Vincent heard the commotion, and would rush his way to help Jinn, bringing the bright light with him. (Using dash for my action.)

[Ancelas]

Vincent rushed through the common room, following after Jinn, his light burning through the supernatural darkness as he did so. For a brief moment, a ripple in the air appeared in the wake of his passing, a suggestion of a figure - and then he was through the door, into the adjoining room with Jinn.

[redcoat]

People splitting up- no, didn't like that. The large wolf bounded into the next room, evenly betweeen the two groups and watching for what disaster was next.

((Holding a dash action))

[uberwulfx]

Crystal looked around quickly-- quick glances to the side, then more thoroughly in the latrine hole, before she even registered what it actually was. She did warn whoever was supposed to be there to back out of the way, and there wasn't anywhere else to check. By the grace of one of the gods this was an abandoned manor, so even as the realization of where she was searching started pushing through the fog of adrenaline, she was able to appreciate the lack of a freshly minted scent.

Unless this godsdamned ghost was going to throw that at her senses as well.

[Ancelas]

Crystal peered into the latrine hole and saw two sets of eyes staring back up at her - but only one face.

Mouse, crouched and shivering under the wooden seat of the dry latrine, let out a small sigh of relief at seeing a recognizable face. Beside him was a pool of deep darkness from which a pair of pale white eyes stared, unblinking - quite similar to the child shade Jinn had left in a corner of the landing before his rush into the adjacent room.

SLAM.

In the common room, the door separating Vincent and Jinn from Cerys abruptly slammed shut, plunging the room Cerys was in back into darkness. Cerys felt a rush of hot air move past her and a rising shriek, the entity appearing at the doorway, long limbs braced to thrust it toward Rey, her open mouth elongating into an unnaturally gaping maw...

((Post to be continued - need a CHA save from Rey, which will affect the held attack. Will post after the roll is made.))

[Kyt]

Rey, peering after the others, jumped like hell as the thing was just in her face. Instead of scrambling back, she snarled, shifting the crossbow. "I ain't scared of no ghosts!"

She fired off the bolt, glad that the thing was right in front of her to actually do something about, rather than playing shoot the wall.

((Held action crossbow shot, 14 to hit, 4 piercing damage)

[Ancelas]

Rey swept her crossbow up and fired directly into the mouth of the entity, and just as the shadow was about to collide with her, it exploded into tendrils of darkness that darted in all directions at once, leaving behind a wave of heat that slammed suffocating into the dragonborn.

The heat dispersed moments later, leaving Rey and Crystal alone on the landing with Cerys in the second floor common room. The shadowy hag could not be sensed, but the manor seemed to still be under the thrall of whatever power had manifested alongside it.

[Kyt]

"By the ancients..." Rey swore under her breath before shouting. "Damn thing's splitting us up again!" She moved up to the first door as she reloaded her crossbow. "Crys, clear out and join up; Cer, break that door down if'n you have to, I got your back."

((Held action, bolt to the face)

[opius]

"Alright, we're catching on to Bad Granny- we got light so you got nowhere to hide!"
*Slam.*
*Scream*

Jinn was silent for a moment. Vincent could see the man's shoulders tense for but a second before growing slack. He chuckled. "... Real funny, grandma..."

Jinn then pivoted on his heel. Vincent could see the crazed look in his eyes- same as when he was throwing chairs at mooks in the tavern.
"Amuna getcha you dusty sonavabitch- An when I do Ammana rip off ya head and shit down ya neck!"

His string of expletives, perhaps not the most inspiring of battle cries, was followed by a full charge toward the door.

((Action...? Athletics check: 24))

As Jinn smashed through the doors and stumbled for several feet further- nearly careening into the enlarged wolf that was Cerys, he looked about wild eyed as if to spot their adversary right away. When he didn't see the grim granny, his head went on a swivel to spot the target of his rage.

((Perception check: Natural 20 for a total of 22.))

[Ancelas]

With a small run up, a grunt of effort, and a lot of expletives, Jinn charge the door and through his full weight into the door.

Rusted hinges snapped. The lock gave way. The door fell open into the common room, slamming to the ground, and angry Jinn tumbling through after it.