Wednesday, December 13th, 2017
—
With the threat of ghouls directly in front of them, the party quickly assembles themselves to battle the undead beasts. Thanks to their sheer numbers, the enemies are sent to their final slumber without much trouble. After a few more minutes, our heroes return to the fork where they first entered the Hambley property, and they begin to head towards the direction of where they presume the farmhouse structures to be.
Along the way, there are accosted a few more times by ghouls posing as scarecrows, but again, nothing more than our heroes can handle. They are becoming quite adept at hunting the undead creatures of Golarion; first there were the zombies in the Sanatorium and now the ghoulish delights of the Sandpoint Hinterlands, so the party is gathering a substantial quantity of knowledge on their enemies. Part of it stems from firsthand experience, of course, but at least they are now aware of the dangerous side effects of a ghoul attack – paralysis and disease.
The two structures on the property are simple dwellings; there is a modest farmhouse spaced fifty feet from a single-story barn. As the party nears the barn, Krask decides to sneak ahead and try to find another entrance besides the standard set of double doors at the end of the path. He is able to locate a small side door and he cautiously peeks into the barn to see what might lie beyond the weathered boards that comprise the structure’s walls.
There are seven shambling figures inside, all sharing the characteristics of ghouls. Although they don’t seem to be doing anything of note, their attention is clearly focused on the barn doors that lie between them and the living mortals on the other side. While Krask reports back to the group so that they can formulate a plan, Theo notices that the barn is built around a gigantic stone head resembling a warrior ready for battle. It holds the tell-tale signs of ancient Thassilon, and he begins to study it intently, searching for runes or other sigils.
While Theo continues his secondary education, the rest of the group flanks the doors and opens them up into the barn. As the ghouls begin their assault, it is clear that one of them is more mindlessly “in charge” than the others. Barnaby sees a faint resemblance in the one-eared ghoul’s features, but can’t quite place who it might be.
One by one, the ghouls fall to the blades and arrows of the party. Fobias is struck with a bout of paralysis early on in the fight and the Sandpoint guards focus their efforts on protecting his vulnerable body. The arrows from Krask’s crossbow find their mark and Barnaby’s blade sings under the moonlight. Eventually, only the one-eared ghoul remains. He is tougher than the others, and gets several attacks off before Barnaby lands a ferocious hit that sends the undead abomination reeling backwards in a crumpled heap.
And with that strike, Barnaby recognizes the man as Rogors Craesby, the old caretaker from the Foxglove estate. A tarnished key, sculpted into the shape of the Foxglove crest, hangs from the lifeless corpse, thickening a plot that is already quite muddy.
Krask and Fobias feel unwell, and it is only a matter of time before the symptoms of ghoul fever truly begin to manifest.
Why would the caretaker of the Foxglove estate be holed up in a barn miles from the grounds? How long before before Krask and Fobias turn? Can Theo get a degree from Big Giant Head University?