The Thing in the Attic, Part 1 (Wednesday, Lamashan (X) 31, 4707 AR)

During their hunt for clues, the heroes had an encounter with a local creature; a lost reefclaw that ended up in the harbor riled things up pretty good, but the heroes defeated it easily. They then made their way to The Saintly Haven of Respite, better known locally as Habe's Sanatorium, to speak to Grayst Sevilla. The Sanatorium was run by Erin Habe, an expert on disease and mental derangement.

Sanatorium Features

The squat, stone building that served as the sanatorium had three floors under a stout, stone flagged roof, and was built in the lee of the limestone escarpment known as Ashen Rise. All doors were stout wooden ones, and a brisk sense of cleanliness filled the place - floors were scrubbed and walls were freshly painted white. Narrow windows, no more than 4 inches wide, allowed for air circulation but were too small to allow access into the building. The somewhat sour sense of incense abounded. All of the doors in the sanatorium could be locked.

Sanatorium Exploration

These are the rooms in the Sanatorium the heroes have entered so far.

Veranda. The old floorboards of this wooden veranda creaked under any weight. During the day the heroes visited, the south door remained locked.

Reception. This room contained a desk and three chairs - two to the west, one to the east. A cord hung from a hole in the southern wall above a sign that read, "Ring for service". There were two doors leading off this room. The door to the workroom was locked.

Workroom. This disused area served as a combination kitchen and sewing room. The door opening into the stairwell leading down to the basement was kept locked.

Orderly's Room. This small bedroom served one of the two orderlies as a place to sleep. The orderlies were tiefling brothers - Gortus and Gurnak. The deformed orderlies had frightening appearances. One of them was on patrol in the sanatorium, and came out to meet the heroes when they started yelling outside.

Meeting the Doctor

Erin Habe's initial reaction to visitors was unfriendly - until the heroes convinced him, he refused anyone entry, claiming that he was in the middle of some frightfully important work and could not be disturbed. Mentioning Hemlock's name helped the heroes to sway Habe, and he agreed to let them interview his patient Grayst, but only for a few minutes. He asked the heroes to wait in the workroom with him while he sent the orderlies upstairs to gather Grayst and bring him down to meet the heroes.

Meeting the Patient

Grayst Sevilla was obviously insane, driven so by some still-undiscovered trauma, but he also suffered from a terrible disease causing a hideous physical malaise. Habe allowed the heroes to speak to his patient - under supervision.

Grayst's skin was pale and looked gangrenous, his hair wild and eyes milky white. When Tsela saw him he realized Grayst was quite sick and close to death, specifically that he was in the advanced stages of ghoul fever. Grayst was mostly nonresponsive, wrapped as he was in a straightjacket.

This all changed as soon as Bruthien came into view. When he saw Bruthien, Grayst's eyes bulged and he spoke:

"He said. He said you would visit me. His Lordship. The one that unmade me said so. He has a place for you. A precious place. I'm so jealous. He has a message for you. He made me remember it. I hope I haven't forgotten. The master wouldn't approve if I forgot. Let me see... let... me...see..."

The message Grayst had for Bruthien was the following: "The master said that the bodies you are finding are signs and portents, that when he is done, you shall be remembered forever and the Misgivings shall be your throne!" Tsela recognized "the Misgivings" as a local name for a run-down and abandoned estate further south - a place called Foxglove Manor.

At the climax of his speech, the message delivered, Grayst collapsed and issued a low moan. Seconds later, his moan rose to a shriek, and as he lurched to his feet, his arms tore free of the old straightjacket. He lunged at Bruthien. The orderlies did their best to get Habe to safety before they stepped in to help.

Grayst focused his anger on Bruthien. ignoring all other targets. Grayst fought until rendered unconscious.

After Grayst's outburst, Habe begged for the heroes' forgiveness. He failed to make the heroes promise their silence.

The Necromancer

An old Varisian necromancer confronted the heroes. After hearing the sounds of combat and shouting surrounding Grayst's outburst, he gathered his four zombies and came to investigate.

When the fight with the necromancer begun, the jumpy doctor shrieked. He panicked, and fled from the heroes. Gortus and Gurnak were bullies and brutes, and they didn't hesitate to get physical with the heroes when Erin didn't allow them to leave. Erin recruited the orderlies in capturing the heroes, but the heroes defeated them.

The necromancer had a number of illusory doubles before entering combat. He let his zombies engage the heroes in melee while he hung back to cast offensive spells.

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