Misgivings, part 5 (Friday--Thursday, Neth 2nd-7th, 4707 AR)

The heroes finished their exploration of Foxglove Manor.

Ruined Servants' Quarters. When the heroes passed by, (on their way out of the manor), hundreds upon thousands of ravens sat quietly in this area, covering every square foot of the ruins. These ravens were disturbingly silent and still, watching as one as the heroes approached. As soon as Tsela came close, the ravens took to the air and swooped to attack, only then revealing their true natures. These ravens were, in fact, a swarm of undead birds known as carrionstorms, created when carrion birds feed upon ghoul-tainted flesh. The birds did their best to kill the heroes, but the heroes prevailed.

Dancing Parlor. As soon as any of the piano's keys were pressed, Shalelu heard faint piano music. Then the instrument exploded into music, playing a catchy but discordant Varisian song. Shalelu was swept into a series of rapidly increasing pirouettes, leaping across the room in the arms of an invisible dance partner. Shalelu could, of course, see her partner: Iesha in all her vibrant beauty. As the seconds passed, Iesha's beauty faded as her neck darkened into a blue-and-black bruise. While Shalelu was caught up in a whirling dance and span wildly through the room, she lost muscle and physical power ,but she managed to end the dance early. Once the dance ended, Shalelu became fatigued.

Private Study. Shelves of books lined the walls of this room, interspersed with curious objects such as skulls fitted with stubs of candles, tribal fetishes, and decorative scroll cases. An empty birdcage lay near the southern wall besides a small desk and a fine leather chair. Statues and sculptures grinned from all corners of the room.

When Thurden entered this room, he heard the sound of pages rustling, as if a book were being read rapidly. Then dozens of memories of expeditions, sea voyages, and travels to exotic locales raced through his mind, remnants of Traver Foxglove's journeys before he settled down here in Varisia. As the memories built momentum, they became increasingly infused with a sense of bitter disappointment and regret, and Thurden became increasingly aware that he was now receiving memories that never were, memories of fantastic discoveries he could have made had he not chosen to settle down with a shrill harpy of a wife.

The oddments included several dozen curious fetishes and masks, but the most impressive piece was an old painting of a bullfight. The painting bore a plaque that read "Throwdown in Swynetown", and in the painting, vast crowds jeered and cheered the bullfighter on, the huge bull aurochs towering over him, its cruel forward-jutting horns each the length of a spear. Dozens of bodies lay in the streets - the aurochs had clearly rampaged through them already, and although a score of brightly colored spears jutted from the creature's flanks and back, it still raged on. This painting was, in fact, an original work by renowned Magnimarian artist Andosalu, worth 600 gp.

Fen used magic on the wall behind the painting to reveal a loose brick - the small hollow beyond was a secret niche. This niche still contained three stacks of coins (20 pp in all), two vials that once contained doses of pesh but now contained only a foul-smelling and worthless residue, and a copper key.

The books were mostly on Shoanti tribal cultures and history, along with numerous maps of mysterious realms and nautical charts. None of the books were particularly valuable. The scroll cases contained more maps, along with a scroll of lightning bolt and a scroll of keen edge.

The heroes then returned to Sandpoint and used the letter they found addressed to Aldern to prove Bruthien's innocence. After recuperating form the haunted house effects, they started their trip to Magnimar. On their way there, they found the body of a dead bugbear. when they took its magical amulet, a faintly glowing ball of light attacked them, which the heroes killed.