The Skinsaw Murders

Li Kao shuffles into the cathederal and offers a potion to Sasha.  He hands it to her while muttering cryptically, "best not to visit the potion shop for a while."  As she drinks it she feels her fever immedetiatly break and those watching can see the colour return to her cheeks.  While the ghoul fever is cured, Father Zanthus cautions that that it will take at least a couple of days for Sasha to recover her strength fully, and there is nothing preventing reinfection if attacked by another ghoul.

Malvick can only scare up a single healing potion.  Father Zanthus is the only one in town who can brew them, and he has been too busy tending to the sick and panicked the last few days to replenish his stock.  the one he does have however, he happily turns over free of charge.  Malvick also replenishes his quiver at the armory.

Through the rest of the evening the party talks to the locals about the Foxgloves and their Manor.  Foxglove Manor, known as the "Misgivings" by some locals, particularly Varisians, certainly has a bad reputation - sightings of strange lights in the attic windows, muffled sounds of screaming from above and below, and even rumors of a huge bat-winged devil living in the cliffside caves below are but a few of the tales told about the place. 

The manor was built 80 years ago by Vorel Foxglove, a merchant prince from Magnimar.  He and his family lived there for 20 years before the entire family was wiped out by disease.  The surviving Foxgloves of Magnimar shunned the place for forty years until Aldern's father, Travers Foxglove, moved back in 20 years ago.  5 years later a fire burned down the servants building, Cyralie Foxglove was found dead- burnt and dashed on the rocks below the cliffs behind the house - and Traver Foxglove was found in his bedroom, dead by his own hand.  The children were sent away to Korvosa to be raised by distant relatives.

Aldern recently returned to live at the manor but had a hell of a time hiring locals to aid him in the reconstruction and repair of the old building.  Until Aldern moved back in the place had been cared for by a man named Rogers Craesby who came in three times a  week from Sandpoint to air the place out, check for squatters and make minor repairs.  Come to think about it, no one has seen Rogors around town for several weeks now...

* * *

Morning comes too fast and the party assembles outside the garrison to begin their jouney to Foxglove manor.  The trip along the Lost Coast Road is cool and crisp, then its a three mile hike along a narrow path that follows the Foxglove river from a covered bridge where it flows under the road to the dark sea cliffs overlooking the Varisian Gulf.  Here wild sea birds call out to a roaring ocean that churns hundreds of feet below.  Nettles and thorns grow more prominent, trees are leafless and bent, and the wind seems unaturally cold as it whistles through the cliffside crags.  The path slowly rises, turns a steep corner, then Foxglove Manor looms at the edge of the world.

The place has earned its nickname of the "Misgivings" well, for it almost seems to loathe its perch high above the ocean, as if the entire house were poised for a suicide leap.  The roof sags in many places and mould and mildew cake the crumbling walls.  Vines of diseased-looking grey wisteria strangle the structure in several places, hanging down over the precipitous cliff edge like tangled braids of hair.  The house is crooked, its gables angling sharply and breached in at least three places, hastily repaired by planks of sodden wood.  Chimneys rise from various points among the rooftops, leaning like old men in a storm, and grinning gargoyle faces leer from under the eaves.  That the manor clings to the cliff is remarkable, as the whole far side is nothing more than a sheer drop to the ocean below, a fall of over three hundred feet.  Out front, the foundations of a long-burnt outbuilding stands sentinel astride the weed choked approach.

A few sickly looking ravens are perched atop the foundation stones of these ruins, and flap clumsily away as the party apporaches.  The stones still bear bear scorches and cracks from the fire that destroyed the builing so long ago.  To the east a four foot wide stone well sits, partially collapsed, in the corner of the ruin. 

* * *

Welcome to Foxglove Manor...  The blue circle on the map is the party's location.

Sasha still suffers the -2 penalty to Con and Dex from the fever ( which means - 5hp, -1 AC, Ref, Fort).  She will recover at the rate of 1 pt per day.

There are two obvious entrances into the manor - the front door, and the two side doors to the north.