Book 3: House of Lament Session 15

General Summary

The group ascends to the third floor of the House of Lament and continues their search for the “fractured shield of Erza” so they may restore it as the spirit from their last communion requested of them.
Norikami’s obsessive compulsion to check behind every portrait pays off and behind the portrait of the former owners of the house that resides above a mantle in the family room is a lock box. When he attempts to pick the lock, the portrait comes to life and one of the figures that was once depicted in the painting comes to life and attacks the group. Once they destroy the painting, it reforms in the same location as if it was never damaged. On his second attempt, Norikami uses the key the group found earlier on the safe and it opens without any issues.
Within the nursery the group locates an etching of the symbol of Ezra upon one of the doors except it is missing the spring of belladonna. When Ozrek presents the belladonna plant a spirit gifted them with earlier, the door sheds a light upon him and Kass who happened to be nearby, rejuvenating them as the door opens. Within is a bedroom for two children and a skeleton sitting in a rocking chair that sways on its own.
The ghost of two children talk with the group and agree to leave with them if they can keep them safe from the “hungry things”. The kids had stayed in their room, explaining the “hungry things” took their parents but the room was safe from these creatures. Ozrek lays the skeleton (who the kids said was their mother) on one of the beds and prays to Ezra to lay her to rest. Tendrils of mist surround the skeleton and Ozrek feels, for a brief moment, the presence of his goddess. Once they remove the children (possessing two toys) out of their room, the house comes to life. Echoes of spirits are everywhere and the house itself feels as if it is breathing. As this happens, Firan asks them to join Ezmerelda in the drawing room for the final séance.
The spirit of the final séance asks the group to “find me below” to “free” them, though gives no indication of how that is to be done. The group, suspicious of the spirits intentions, heads down into the basement and eventually find a whole in the floor that leads into an underground cavern. Victor can hear the sounds of chanting similar to those he heard in his vision of Firan and Irik the Mists showed him before they encountered the house.
Within the cavern, suddenly Ezmerelda and Irik were there, entangled by shadowy tendrils extending from a dark pool surrounding a large amber monolith. Firan stood by his brother, no entangled and the group assumed the worse. The spirit of the woman who wore the blood-red armor that many of them had seen in their visions was there, she shouted “Take them, you foul thing and leave me be” as the group entered the area. However, in the end they were able to save both kids and Ezmerelda. They were unable to do any damage to the amber monolith and quickly left the house as it began to shake violently at the death of the spirit of Mara. Upon exiting the house, both Firan and Irik disappeared as if they were never real to begin with. The kids spirits that were trapped in the toys, however, appeared and thanked the group for saving them.

Report Date

27 Jul 2022