Skinsaw Murders

Adventure 5: Murder Most Foul
A month has passed since Nualia was defeated. Other than Tsuto having been eaten by rats while he awaited trial, the town has been very quiet. The Drunkards are becoming bored with the lack of action in Sandpoint, when Sheriff Hemlock approaches them for help -- there's been a murder and Rubick appears to be involved somehow!

The deceased is a miller, Banny Harker, and his lover Katrine Vinder. Banny was found ritualistically murdered, with a seven pointed star cut into his chest -- a star that matches the key found in Thistletop. A note for Rubick was found nailed to Harker's body, referring to the sorcerer as "master", challenging him to "join the pack" and signed "Your Lordship". Hemlock wants the Drunkards to investigate, as all his men are busy ensuring the town doesn't panic like in the days of Chopper.

The First Murders
While it is going to be impossible to keep news of these latest murders quiet, Hemlock reveals that this isn't the first attack: some local con men were found two days ago outside of town with a seven pointed star also cut into their bodies. The con men were found when a town patrol was attacked nearby by a mad man (a thug named Grayst Sevilla, believed to be the con men's bodyguard) who has since been sent to the care Erin Habe at Habe's Sanitarium. Hemlock believes Sevilla was driven mad by having to watch the mutilation of the con men. At first it was assumed the con men were killed due to a criminal transaction gone bad, but the murder of Katrine and Harker has the same M.O. with no criminal activity known.

The Investigation
At the mill, the Drunkards find evidence that an as-yet-unidentified undead (with a rotten smell) was present. A set of human-sized footprints lead from the riverbank (which Mir mistakes for dragon footprints on a natural 1). A bloody axe, possibly wielded by Katrine, bears evidence of having been used against whatever creature was in the mill.

The adventurers question the miller's partner, Ibor Thorn, who reveals that Harker was embezzling money from the mill. They interview the millers' boss (the unscrupulous Titus Scarnetti) to determine if he may have had the miller killed, but no new leads turn up.

The investigation continues as the party examine the graves of the dead con men, but no leads turn up. They then check out the site of the first murders... and find a note to the victims luring them to the place of execution. The note is also signed "Your Lordship".

The Drunkards make their way to Habe's Sanitarium to question with the mad bodyguard Sevilla... but who knows what awaits them there?

Adventure 6: The Thing in the Attic
The party arrives at the Habe's Sanitarium, an imposing stone structure built like a fortress, but their initial knocks on the door go unanswered. Eventually a man claiming to be Erin Habe answers. The Drunkards produce their letter of reference from Sheriff Hemlock, but Habe is uncooperative -- he doesn't like the look of the adventurers and claims he is too busy to accommodate the request to interview Grayst Sevilla. Mir and Bardakus eventually talk him into letting them in to interview the mad man. Two orderlies (recognized as tieflings, despite their disguises) escort the party into a common room. As the orderlies are fetching Grayst, Mir steals Habe's keys as the party questions the man (making him even more uncomfortable).

Grayst is brought down in a straitjacket, and set on the table. Despite their efforts, (including a heal from Kranks) the Drunkards can get nothing out of the man other than mutterings about "The Skinsaw Man". This changes when Rubick approaches, as Grayst bolts up and says

"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... He said you should come to the Misgivings soon, to meet the Pack, for they have something wonderful to show you."

Grayst then collapses, exhausted. Suddenly, with manic force, he bursts out of his strait jacket, and attacks the Rubick, as Habe and the orderlies are startled and flee upstairs. Since the maniac is oblivious to the rest of the party, Rubick casts protection spells upon himself, and moves to ensure the rest of the party can attack Grayst with the most effect. Bardakus's music inspires the party, and (despite a series of natural 1s...) the party easily subdues Grayst (with Clang's falchion lobbing off the head).

Unfortunately, the commotion has attracted another visitor -- a man comes up from the basement with a pack of zombies in tow. Apparently fearing that the PCs are from the Magnimar Watch, the arrogant necromancer Caizarlu (recognized by Bardakus, but no on else) sicks his zombie hoard on the PCs. Kranks and Clang know how to deal with undead though -- a few channel engergies obliterate the zombies, while hold person keeps Caizarlu from interfering and Bardakus' inspirational songs of victory amplifying the effect.

The party turns to Caizarlu, deals with the mirror image he cast, and wounds the man severely before taking him hostage.

Caizarlu begs for his life. He obviously thought himself untouchable, and the ease with which the Drunkards defeated his zombie horde has shaken him to his core. The party questions the man, who reveals he has been funding Habe's Sanitorium in exchange for a supply of bodies to do his own research. He was particularly interested in Grayst -- a man on the verge of becoming undead. As he seems to have no information directly related to the case (other than tracking increased ghoul activity in the area), Clang's falchion delivers justice to Caizarlu's neck (Mir makes a mental note to ask about a reward the next time he's in Magnimar).

The party moves upstairs, passing through a floor of patient's quarters (harbouring two apparently harmless persons) and up to the third floor. There they see a cell with a mad wererat, and a door barricaded from the inside. Knocking politely, the party tells Habe that they're sorry about the commotion downstairs, and that they just have questions they need answered. Habe eventually relents and opens the door. He's scared shitless (he was fearful of Caizarlu, but now is even more scared of PCs when they tell him that Caizarlu is dead). The barricaded room is a surgery, with much damning evidence of the types of experiments that Habe performed (he keeps saying that Caizarlu made him do it). Habe begs the party to let him go, as his research is of vital importance to the mental health of many people.

The Drunkards face a conundrum with members arguing surprising points of view -- Clang argues he has seen enough to pass judgment on Habe, and orders his immediate execution. Mir argues that Habe has never actually attacked or threatened the party, and poses no immediate danger. He says he's not ready to end the life of a man with whom he has spoken for all of 5 minutes based on what is still circumstantial evidence. Kranks sides with Clang, Rubick is neutral on the subject, and Bardakus supports Mir. Mir mentions his second-cousin-twice-removed, the fallen paladin ("he's like a fighter, but with fewer attacks and no bonus feats!") and Clang reluctantly agrees to let the authorities deal with Habe. The party checks out Caizarlu's basement lair (finding some items, including a map tracking ghoul activity) but no other clues. They give Habe's patients some rations to tide them over for a day or so until Hemlock arrives, and begin to drag Habe back to Sandpoint.

Adventure 7.1 - Walking Scarecrows
Things seem amiss in the farmlands. As the Drunkards are bringing Habe to Sandpoint to face justice, they are beset by carrion swarms, flocks of birds which consumed the flesh of the undead and turned undead themselves. Although dispatched without too much grief (largely thanks to Rubick's sonic burst followed by Rubick's flaming sphere) the presence of the swarms suggest a large amount of undead activity in the farmlands. The party holes up for the night with a family of farmers, who are getting very creeped out. Around 3 in the morning, Mir gets the feeling of unnatural activity taking place over the horizon...

The following morning, the journey to Sandpoint is complete. Gorvi, the half-orc local dung sweeper has something to show the party -- two horses rode into town bearing what Gorvi described as marks of a goblin attack, but the Drunkards identify the wounds as caused by ghouls. Bardakus tosses Gorvi a silver for his trouble, and the party cuts a brand from one of the horsed before telling Gorvi to burn the horses' bodies.

When the Drunkards present Habe to Sheriff Balor Hemlock, he is shocked. They relate the story of the suspected ghoul activity in the farmlands, but the Sheriff cannot identify the brand. The party arranges for four guards to accompany them to investigate the farmlands on their way to the Misgivings, and begin to research the brand.

While Mir drinks at the Rusty Dragon, Bardakus and Clang go to the tannery to see if anyone can identify the brand (Clang immediately leaves due to the offensive odour, leaves the questioning to the low-born like Bardakus, and goes drinking with Mir). Bardakus learns that the brand belonged to a man named Hambley who lived at the south end of the farmlands. Independently, Rubick confirms the same thing with a fruit seller in the town market (who has never tried a pomegranate before). As the heroes are deciding what to do, Sheriff Hemlock comes into the Dragon, bringing with him an old farmhand, Maester Grump. Grump is near the edge of madness, as he describes "walking scarecrows" and how all the people at the Hambley Farm (with the exception of himself, who slipped away) were attacked in the dead of night. Realizing that delaying might cost more people their lives, the Drunkards grab their horses, their town guard escorts and ride south to the farmlands.

The group stays with a local farmer who is very grateful to have his own personal army protecting his homestead. Again, the Drunkards get the sense of something moving in the night, just past the edge of perception. The following day, the party continues south, where they begin finding farms abandoned. In the barns, they find the remains of animals ripped apart with brutal force. The first farms seem to have no people at all (maybe they left in a hurry) while the ones farther south have ominous blood stains in the bedrooms.

Finally, they reach the Hambley place. Tall cornstalks obscure their view, even from horseback. A riding trail through the field leads the party to a scarecrow set up high on a post. BUT NO! The scarecrow brakes its bonds and jumps down -- it is actually a ghoul with a burlap sack over its face who was tied to the post! The ghoul attacks the party with teeth and claws, but is no match for Clang's mighty falchion. Examining the body, it becomes apparent what has happened -- the poor man was bitten by a ghoul, and given ghoul fever. He was then tied up on the scarecrow pole to ripen in the sun and die an agonizing death before transforming into a ghoul himself.

The party is horrified -- clearly this was not the work of mindless undead, but of someone intelligent, and truly heinous (who could it be?). Mir climbs the scarecrow pole and looks above the corn. In the distance, he can see a barn, a farmhouse -- and 19 more "scarecrows" scattered throughout the field, some in groups.

The party elects to head to the barn, as they can make a fortified place of defence there. They figure they'll take out "scarecrows" as they encounter them. Clang's detect evil is particularity useful in identifying ghouls compared to regular scarecrows -- or those who have been hung up but haven't succumbed yet. The party helps down one woman, who hails from a neighbouring farm. She begs the party to help her, and her husband and family who were carried here. The party can tell she's on the verge of death, and they (Clang especially) are kicking themselves for not bringing a few potions of cure disease. Bardakus discretely ends her suffering before she can turn.

Several scarecrows (and ghoul attacks, one of which was successful in paralyzing Clang) later, the party encounters the husband, also barely still alive. He tells the party that the barn is full of ghouls. Again, with nothing more that can be done, Bardakus sends him to his wife. Finally, the party reaches the barn, having taken care of only 6 of the 19 scarecrows...

Adventure 7.2 - Walking Scarecrows (continued)
Clang senses evil in both the barn and the farmhouse. Mir stealthily scales the side of the barn, and sneaks in an upper entrance into the hay loft. The party's suspicions are confirmed -- at least two ghouls can be seen, ready to jump down and attack anyone entering the barn. Mir decides that discretion is the better part of valour, and leaves.

He then sneaks into the back door of the farmhouse, where he finds a long dead body swarming with flies -- presumably the farmer who lived here. Yet another note for Rubick is affixed to the body, making the party even more suspicious of the sorcerer's involvement. Mir leaves the farmhouse and reports to his compatriots.

A plan is formed -- the barn door is barricaded and the Rubick, Kranks and Bardakus will set fire to it. Presumably, any ghouls inside will attempt to escape out the (now blocked) door. Meanwhile, Clang and Mir will pry a board loose and enter through the back of the barn, to ensure no living people are still inside. The Drunkards figurethe blaze will also attract the ghouls from the farmhouse, but they can handle the one batch.

Rubick sets the fire as Clang pries an opening in the back of the barn. Bardakus starts playing a dirge on his pipes, a tune none of the party have heard before. Mir is able to sneak inside and confirm that only ghouls are present in the barn. He and Clang then join the rest of the party in fighting the undead emerging from the farmhouse.

As rats emerge from the corn field, Bardakus is paralyzed by an attack from a ghast, and the rats retreat (rats under Bardakus' control? That vaguely rings a bell.) Kranks and Rubick prove more effective however, and the evil mockeries of life are dispatched before Mir and Clang can really join the battle. As the barn burns, the noises and scratching from inside the barn slow and stop. Clang declares this place is clean.

The ghast that paralyzed Bardakus had an iron key on his person -- one with the Foxglove family crest on it, another clue pointing to the Misgivings. The party elects to search the house for more clues. While not much remains inside, the party does discover the seven-pointed-star carved on the body in the kitchen where the note was. Upstairs, Mir discovers a loose floorboard. He directs the other party members (except for Kranks who won't leave) to other rooms, and pries up the board, discovering farmer Hambley's life savings -- quite a bit of coin, for a farmer. Mir and Kranks agree that half the money is best spent settling Kranks' gambling debts and the rest should be protected from misappropriation (like being spent on some useless suit of plate mail).

Finished with the farm, the Drunkards spend the night at a (different) local farmhouse, and sense no sign of "walking scarecrows" during the night.

Adventure 8.1 - Inside Foxglove Manor
The Drunkards, bump into Kaycee in The Rusty Dragon. It turns out she's on her way to the Misgivings as well, as Bayl Argentine (one of the Justices in Magnimar) hired her to fetch Aldern Foxglove for questioning (something mentioning Aldern was found in possession of an agent of the Brothers of Seven).

Together, the party (less Bardakus, who's hiding busy hiding stinking dead fish in Cyrdak's theatre to drive away customers again) heads to the manor. They have to leave their horses in a pasture as they approach the manor, since the footpath becomes overgrown. As they near, they see the remains of the burned down servant's quarters, and a well, along with a few suspicious looking birds, but no other clues. Clang senses evil all around the place. The party can't see into the house due to the dusty state of the (still in place) windows. They don't think of breaking any, and enter through what appears to be a side entrance. Clang feels like doing the paladin-shuffle and dancing the night away. Exploring around, they find a diseased rat in the bathroom off the dance room. Rubick is incredibly inhumane and slowly dissolves the flesh off its bones with a dilute, but remarkably painful, acid. Clearly, only one who is truly evil would perform such a cruel act on the poor creature.

Further exploration leads to a lounge where an evil presence seems to be pacing in front of a fire place. The Drunkards "nope" the fuck out of there, and explore in the other direction. A manticore with the face of a woman is stuffed in the main entrance hall. The party gives the beast a wide berth and check out the back of the house.

In the dining room (?) a series of four stained glass windows depict scenes of a confusing nature, magical beasts being let out of a box. Rubick's insight suggests that someone is capturing odd creatures in the box, rather than the creatures escaping (the others assume that Rubick's insight is due to his familiarity with his master's work). Further contemplation is interrupted by a scream upstairs.

The party proceeds to the second floor. They investigate an antechamber which has portraits of several Foxgloves, and a massive amount of dust. When they enter the (exceptionally clean and maintained) bedroom beyond, Mir is overcome with despair. He grabs a splinter of wood from a blood-stained desk, and stabs himself in the throat. Kaycee rushes over and is able to wrest the stake from his hands, at which point Mir regains his senses.

A second room on the level is believed to be the childhood chamber of a young Aldern Foxglove. A feeling of dread is felt, as if some lingering horror is hiding under the bed from some terrible trauma. Further in, more mysterious stained glass windows create more questions than they answer. A second child's bedroom is found, but not entered on account of the dampness and mold -- whoever screamed is not here.

A master bedroom is found, which Kaycee enters. Ghoul claw marks surround the room, as if made in rage. Kaycee turns over a portrait of Iesha Foxglove... and is possessed with an undeniable hatred of women. She draws her sword and begins trying to stab herself, screaming "Fuck you, ovaries!" The others are able to stop her from doing too much harm, and Clang is able to heal the wound.

The Drunkards proceed upstairs to the third floor, reasoning that must be where the scream came from. A few storerooms are investigated (Mir found a chamber-pot) before the source of the screaming is located -- a room at the end of the hall. "Aldern!" screams the voice from inside, between sobs. "You did this to me!" The Drunkards try to tell the woman that they're here to help. Clang attempts to kick in the door, but fails on account of general ineptitude. From inside the room comes much louder thumps -- something's kicking the door significantly harder than Clang. Clearly whatever is inside is not human, or at least not human anymore.

The party moves across the hall to what was apparently a study or library. They take up positions, ready to confront whatever comes out the room, should it prove hostile. Clang unlocks the door, and backs into the study... and the walking, corpse of Iesha Foxglove emerges. She screams in triumph at escaping her prison. She looks around, ignores the Drunkards completely, and spots something down below, as if she can see through the floor. "Aldern!" she screams, as she races downstairs.

The Drunkards struggle to catch up. Kaycee uses one of her fancy new ranger spells to move faster, but upon entering the basement, she holds up for the rest of the party. A kitchen can be found, long disused except for rats. Further in is truly a horrible sight... an arcane laboratory, complete with the remnants of experiments and a final set of stained glass windows.

It seems that Vorel Foxglove, the builder and original owner of Foxglove Manor, used the stained glass windows to document his journey to becoming a lich. What heinous acts were committed during the ritual, we may never know, but it is clear from the broken doors that Iesha made her way though the laboratory searching for Aldern. A staircase is found further in; something even older than the manor itself. The house must have been build on top of some older, ancient structure. Somewhere where Aldern himself is hiding now...

Adventure 8.2 - Beneath Foxglove Manor
The party descends the ancient staircase and find themselves in a series of caves and caverns underneath the manor. While some of the caverns may be natural, it also appears that some are new. A banging, someone slamming on a door perhaps, can be heard but the echos throughout the caves make it impossible to pinpoint which direction from which the sound comes. The air seems to sigh and breath like an unholy bellows. Exploring the southernmost cavern, the party comes across a caverns with several fresh dead bodies, looking like they're partially eaten. As Mir goes in to investigate (and possibly to look for loot) he is attacked from above by a winged creature which can only be described as an undead bat of monstrous size. The party had heard rumours about something bat-like around the Misgivings, but hadn't paid it any mind.

Fortune seems to be on the side of the Drunkards, as the Clang's evil-smiting-falchion, Kranks' positive energy, Rubick's scorching ray and Mir's thrown dagger all take their toll and down the skaveling in short order (i.e. a few crit hits and maximum damage rolls were plentiful). Kaycee claimed the teeth of the beast as trophies to turn into a necklace.

With the southernmost tunnel cleared, the party investigates the rest of the caverns. Several packs of ghouls attempt to ambush the party, but are not match for the might of the adventurers (i.e. the high rolls kept on coming, and the GM kept failing saves). While exploring they find a part of cavern with pick-axes and an odd lichen growth, as well as a sinkhole filled with water. It is now obvious that the "breathing" heard throughout the cavern are the waves crashing in the sinkhole. The party arrives at the sinkhole chamber just in time to see Iesha break through a stone door and confront someone, presumably Aldern, inside. After a brief scuffle, the sounds of battle end, with Aldern weeping for his lost love. Clang calls on Aldern to come out and face holy justice for the (apparent) murder of Iesha, while Kaycee is attempting to be a bit more diplomatic and asking him to come with her to Magnimar to answer Justice Argentine's summons. Foxglove is having none of it though and refuses to emerge until he hears Rubick speak. He claims that Aldern Foxglove is no more, and only "the Skinsaw Man" remains. He screams that he thought Rubick was dead, should have been dead, and insists that he will set things as they should be. He rushes into the sinkhole chamber wielding a war razor, with a face the looks menacing like Rubick.

Very little the Drunkards throw at him has much effect. Their luck seems to have run out (low rolls...) Rubick attempts to cast a slow spell on the Skinsaw Man, but the creature takes the opportunity to deliver a debilitating slash to the sorcerer, ruining the spell (scored a crit hit on attack of opportunity). Rubick finds himself in immediate moral danger, and throws himself into the watery sinkhole in an effort to escape.

Kaycee, Mir and Kranks do their best, but only Clang seems to be able to do significant harm to the creature. Finally, they are able to put an end to him, as Rubick struggles in the water. In the antechamber where the Skinsaw Man was hiding, the Drunkards find evidence that Aldern was transformed by something called The Brotherhood of the Seven and that he was directed to perform a ritual on certain victims as a sacrifice. A note links the Brotherhood to Aldern's townhouse in Magnimar, and suggests that its leader is someone named Xanesha. The note reads:

Aldern,

'You have served us quite well. The delivery you harvested from the caverns far exceeds what I had hoped for. You may consider your debt to the Brothers paid in full. Yet I still have need of you, and when you awaken from your death, you should find your mind clear and able to understand this task more than in the state you lie in as I write this.'

'You shall remember the workings of the Sihedron ritual, I trust. You seemed quite lucid at the time, but if you find after your rebirth that you have forgotten, return the your townhouse in Magnimar. My agents shall contact you there soon -- no need for you to bother the Brothers further. I will provide the list of proper victims for the Sihedron ritual in two days' time. Commit that list to memory and then destroy it before you begin your work. The ones I have selected must be marked before they die otherwise they do my master no good and the greed in their souls will go to waste. If others get in your way, you may do with them as you please. Eat them, savage them or turn them into pawns -- it matters not to me.'

-Xanesha, Mistress of the Seven

Adventure 9 - Foxglove's Townhouse
The Drunkards inform Sheriff Hemlock and Mayor Deverin of their findings at the Misgivings, and proceed to Magnimar to investigate the lead at Foxglove's townhouse. They now know that while Foxglove was behind the ghoul attacks near Sandpoint, he was but a pawn of something called The Brothers of the Seven, apparently led by someone named Xanesha. The Brothers perform something called the Sihedron ritual to collect the greed from men's souls in service of some kind of master.

Since Kaycee lives in Magnimar and has had dealings with Foxglove as a client before, she knows where to find his house. Breaking in to search the place, the Drunkards find... Aldern and Iesha Foxglove, alive and well? The Foxgloves appear disturbed by the murdering hobos breaking into the house, but calm down once the Drunkards express their surprise at finding the couple. Could it be that the party encountered someone else impersonating the nobles?

Clang discretely detects evil on the couple -- yep, they're bad. Kaycee confirms they are imposters by speaking to Aldern about the firepelt cougar hunt they were on together (when in face they hunted boar). "Aldren" claims he remembers the hunt well, confirming he is an imposter. The Drunkards attack and subdue the imposters, separating them for questioning. Interrogation leads nowhere as the captives continue to insist that they are the real Aldern and Iesha.

Finally, Clang has had enough, and performs the extremely honourable, glorious and lawful act of killing his unarmed and defenceless captives without a trial or even charges being laid. Just his gut feeling that they're not nice people. Way go to, hero, you're truly a model of virtue. Songs will be written about your legendary acts of valour.

A post mortum of the bodies shows internal deformities, suggesting that whatever creatures these were are not of this world. A search of the townhouse by Kranks and Mir yields more evidence that the real Aldern was involved with the Brothers of the Seven, including a clue as to where the Brothers may be based -- a place near Magnimar called the Seven's Sawmill. A ledger found in the house also indicates that Aldern was paying the Seven a substantial amount of gold per week, and the Foxglove Manor was actually built on land leased from the Seven. Apparently, Vorel Foxglove (the original builder of Foxglove Manor) was a member of the Seven and the evil infused caverns beneath the house was connected to the group in some way.

Adventure 10: The Seven's Sawmill
After a week of bumming around Magnimar, each doing their own thing, the Drunkards find themselves meeting at Aldern Foxglove's old townhouse. In this time, Clang has broken up a gambling ring (Kranks is awaiting bail), Rubick has been picking up girls and diseases, Mir and Bardakus have been building underground connections in seedy taverns, and Kaycee has been secured a commission from Justice Argentine to continue investigating leads into Foxglove including the Seven's Sawmill.

The party approached the sawmill and are reminded of the fate of Katrine Vinder at the sawmill in Sandpoint. They sneak into the basement of the mill where they encounter several workers among the wheels and machinery. When the party doesn't seem to be leaving, the workers don masks like Foxglove was wearing and attack. A fight ensues and (despite the workers' agility and ability to move through the cogs and wheels in the engine room) the Drunkards prevail (with one of the workers escaping by jumping under a water wheel and into the surf).

The party rounds the building and enters the main floor of the sawmill from the other side -- wet footprints seem to indicate that the escapee made his way in, possibly to warn others...

Tracking the footprints upstairs, Rubick's magical prowess comes into play. He uses his invisibility to make his way up, and find several people waiting in ambush. A plan is devised: the sorcerer will cast web to entangle the would-be-ambushers while the other Drunkards come up the stairs. The plan goes off flawlessly. Clang's and Mir's melee might easily dispatch the few who were not entangled by Rubick, and the party lets the ranged members take out most of the rest. Bardakus proves especially inspirational, and is the difference between many hits vs misses!

Finally, only the apparent leader of the baddies remains - Justice Ironbriar, one of the heads of the Magnimar court! It is apparent that the Justice is under the effects of a charm spell which Rubick dispells. Ironbriar claims that this is all the doings of Xanesha (whom Foxglove also mentioned). He claims that Xanesha took over the Brothers of the Seven society, and recast it as the Skinsaw Cult, sacrificing greedy souls to some unknown purpose. As the Drunkards debate what to do with the Justice, Ironbriar attempts to escape, only being recaptured (and suitably bound) at the last moment.

Investigating the rest of the sawmill, some ravens are found (apparently used for communication). Rubick casts light on a bird which Bardakus free, and the party was able to track the bird's flight to the tallest tower under the bridge district - the Shadow Clock. The party debated sending a second bird with the message "we're coming for you" (and a third with a drawing if a penis) but common sense prevailed.

The Drunkards then searched through the entire mill starting at the top. Ironbriar's office was a far more macabre affair then expected, with the faces of victims framed all over the walls. (He is a very evil elf). A locked chest contained a worthless book on Alchyme, a very ancient and rare tome on faires and old tales and a book of spells. There was also a ledger / journal that was written in code as well as a painting of a frozen waterfall. Rubick deciphered the text to find references to Xanesha and the Shadow Clock and how was Ironbriar was obsessed with her. Rubick took ownership of the spellbook (which was stacked with high level spells) and Bardakus took the fairy history book. Somebody also made of with the painting. Ironbriar himself had a mithral shirt and some weapons.

In other rooms there was various other loot - potions of ironbark, war razors, masks, uncut diamonds, etc. This was snatched by various members of the party.

Adventure 11 - The Shadow Clock
The stench of despair haunts the nostrils of our heroes, as they trod among the waste and ruins of the Underbridge district of Magnimar. More than one body is seen in the alleyways that separate the hovels from the dreamseed dens and winesinks of the sunless ghetto, as the adventurers make their way through streets that have never felt the cleansing touch of rain. Its almost a relief as they approach the tallest building... the Shadow Clock, a leaning structure of cracking stone, rotting wood and rusting iron. An angelic statue graces the top of the tower, seeming to weep in despair. It is here that the Drunkards hope to find Xanesha, and here that they hope to end the Skinsaw Cult's killing spree.

Sneaking into the rickety tower, a shape is observed behind a cart in the ground room floor. Thinking that it might be sleeping, perhaps similar to the sleeping giant imprints found in the sawmill, Mir moves around for a closer look, signalling the others to follow. Too bad it is not a giant at all, but instead some kind of Flesh Golem tasked with guarding the tower! The creature proves a hearty foe indeed. Clang swings and Bardakus sings. Rubick greases and Mir sneakses. Soon, the creature falls, and our heroes' might is confirmed. The body seems old, and the flesh (horse, cow, and human, mostly) corrupt despite the magic preserving the golem. Ew, gross.

The attention of the party is drawn to the rickety stairs that line the inside of the tower, spiraling upwards to some unseen area. Fun fact: at least 10 people have been known to die from falling off the steps, earning the them the nickname "the terrible stairs", which is part of the reason that Magnimar condemned the building. The Drunkards note that the stairs are in even worse shape than their reputation would have suggested -- gaps of 5 to 10 feet can be observed even from the ground...

Mir scouts ahead, jumping across gaps as he makes his way up. In the rafters, a flirt of movement is caught just a little too late. A giant bell comes crashing down through the staircase, hitting the elf -- Rubick casts Feather Fall with just enough time to save Mir's broken body from becoming a stain on the ground. With the party band-aid (Kranks) currently locked in jail for unrelated gambling offenses, Clang lays his hands on Mir, healing is most egregious injuries.

With their cover apparently blown, the Drunkards rush up the stairs and encounter several cultists wearing Skinsaw masks. A battle ensues in the upper beams and rafters of the tower, with the quick thinking Drunkards using the terrain to their advantage (to mitigate the bottleneck of the staircase). One cultist falls to his death with help from Mir's dagger, a second in falchionated in short order by Clang, and a third is blasted into oblivion by Rubick's incantations. Bardakus doesn't do much. After the cultists are defeated, the party searched the area, only to find a single ominous door. By their calculations, and a Knowledge (Surveying and Civil Engineering) check, they conclude that the door leads to a platform at the top of the tower where the angel statue must be.

Going through the door, they find... nothing. Some chests can be seen under the angel statue, but no one seems to be around. Did Xanesha, the supposed ringleader of the cult, flee upon the arrival of the glowing penis-bird?

Of course not! The invisible Lamia makes her presence known with wicked effect. A hard fought battle ensues, and several of the Drunkards near death - but there is light on the horizon! With the party rallying around Clang, and lending him their aid (enlarge person, bardic performance, flanking, etc) the creature is finally vanquished.

The party has earned some time to bask in their victory, but a note is found hinting at things to come. Apparently Xanesha came to Magnimar on a mission -- to harvest the souls of those who are tainted with greed, and to sacrifice them to some unknown purpose. Although Xanesha had recruited the Skinsaw Cult (including Foxglove) to do her dirty work, her approach was "quantity over quality". The note from Xanesha's sister Lucrecia (whereabouts unknown) brags about how much success Lucrecia's "quality over quantity" approach is having instead (although it does commend Xanesha upcoming plan on sacrificing the Lord-Mayor of Magnimar)

Epilogue
The chests on the top of the tower contain several magical items, as well as much gold. Lord-Mayor Grobaras invites the party to attend a feast at his home, in honour of their great deeds! The party reveals all the Skinsaw Cult’s plans to him. As thanks for preventing his assassination, he rewards the party handsomely.

Over the following days, Bardakus sets out into the city to identify new owners for a wide assortment of items collected during the previous adventures. Clangeddin takes the opportunity to dispose of a number of items he has been needlessly carrying for some time. One of noble blood should not be serving as the beast of burden for an eclectic pile of random magical loot. The entire party carefully oversees the distribution of wealth. It has become apparent that certain party members have procured an almost ludicrous assortment of magical items, with little explanation as to where they came from.

Magnimar and Sandpoint seem safe for now. In the meantime, more than one adventurer overhears rumours of ogres and a decimated village whispered in the Magnimar taverns. A messenger has been dispatched by Lord-Mayor Grobaras to deliver a letter to each member of the motley crew...