As the two ghoulish bodies lay still on the dirt floor, the party begins investigating the room in hopes of finding additional clues to the nature of this spooky situation. Krask discerns that the fungus on the far wall is unnatural and seems dangerous with its spiky membranes and Tim Burton-esque appearance, so he decides that it would be more prudent to avoid physical contact with the substance. A large portion of the clue-gathering centers around the broken puzzle box, correctly identified by Theo as having something to do with necromancy. They stash it.
The bodies of the two star-crossed lovers are thoroughly searched and stripped of valuables, minus the Skinsaw Man’s exquisitely torn nobleman’s outfit. Losing his friend has hit Barnaby hard, and he objects to any suggestions of tampering with the body. Fobias respects his wishes despite wanting to see if something was buried beneath the rotting flesh. A quick rundown of the loot includes +1 leather armor, +1 war razor, a small locket, a rusty iron key, a stalker’s mask, a ring of protection +1, and a ring of jumping. Iesha’s body lacked any valuables.
Disturbingly enough, it seemed like Aldern or the Skinsaw man had been obsessed with Barnaby for a longer time than the party had originally guessed; the central table is covered in dozens of charcoal drawings of Barnaby striking heroic poses and numerous personal effects of the Swashbuckler are scattered across the table’s surface. Hair, a button, feathers – it appears that the Skinsaw Man had an avid, albeit creepy, fascination with Barnaby. The party takes the crude painting of Barnaby with them, possibly hoping to get the opportunity to find someone with Craft (painting) to help them restore the painting to its original state.
Finally, the party uncovers a clue that connects Aldern (or the Skinsaw Man) to the Brothers of the Seven. A lengthy letter connects Aldern to someone named ‘Xenesha’, who refers to herself as the Mistress of the Seven. He was instructed to meet her agents at the Foxglove townhouse in Magnimar after conducting business to assist in completing the Sihedron Ritual.
There is a brief discussion about hightailing it out of the Manor, but there are a multitude of leads that the party wants to follow up on: informing Sheriff Hemlock of what’s been going on, interviewing suspects in the sawmill murders, checking out Magnimar, resting, and cleansing the evil from the rest of this house. The cleansing wins out and the party begins investigating the caverns and house, floor by floor.
After killing a ‘big bat’ in the underbelly, the party scours the basement floor and finds some hidden valuables that they eagerly stash away. The ground floor had already been properly vetted, so they continue to the first floor. Barnaby has a sudden vision of his parents attempting to murder one another for a brief moment when they enter a child’s bedroom, furthering the belief that evil still lurks within the walls of this terrible house. Skepticism reigns supreme, and everybody becomes hesitant to poke around too much, but Theo uses his vast knowledge to identify the depictions in the stained-glass windows of an upstairs gallery.
The manor has ties to lichdom.
Was it Aldern or the Skinsaw Man who helped with the Sihedron Ritual? Why are the windows hinting at lichdom? Will Daddy Fobias ever stop doing Barnaby’s chores?