Ide cut through middle door only to find dark, necromantic... bedroom. Rolltop desk yielded some papers, a couple pouches, two gems, and a pair of gloves and a wizened hand laid out on black cloth - guess shriveled hand is not a "toss casually in drawer" item, and gloves were all fancy-runey.I guess for some people the answer to "would you want a giant pile of bones in your bedroom closet" is "yes", because that's what we found. Skull thing shrieked me deaf then called up a couple of skeletons from the bones - we took those out (got the flurry going nicely and was landing every hit for a bit) and a couple more showed up. Eventually figured out the skull was doing it, as did Barg - it exploded bones all over the room into more skeletons but Barg smashed it. Think we went through almost a dozen skeletons all told.
Found old master bedroom or something in tower corner - old tapestries up and stuff like someone had attempted to recreate Garhad-era appearance. Found some old dress weapons but weren't in good shape - cheap human work.
At other end of top floor hall found suits of armor, obviously mechanized. Classic trap, want to take 'em on once we're rested up.
Grabbed the necro dagger from the basement and buried the bodies - Ide buggered off back to town (*know* he doesn't touch dead, but could help *dig*), but he treated us all to some healing potions so guess I can't complain. While digging talked to Wind - when he fainted he had a couple of dreams, like Dreams I think. One suggesting his past is mixed up with the Ermery dream-mages - could be *very* valuable if he can figure out how to walk in dreams and stuff - and one of some trees and a big arena that seemed to correspond to a diagram in Killgarn's papers.
Got Cedar to check out the stuff with his magic vision - hand and gloves not magical, but one of the gems and one of the pouches were, and one sheet of the papers. Looked like it was a playing card or something in the pouch but the innkeeper knocked on the door with some question about did we want dinner sent up again and we had to whisk stuff out of sight - wizened hand in particular a bit unnerving. Do want to check that out though - magic playing card?? Maybe it makes you win when you play or something? [1]
Took the next day to rest and research - went and found a cave druid to ask about the weird rocks (one of which *screamed* when tried to chip it). Either they're human souls trapped in rocks or nasty critters that are rocks except in moonlight. Either way are very *wrong* and should be fixed. And think Barg took Wind shopping for some decent gear.
Have sense that have joined in late in the game of something long-running, and have no idea what's going on. Well - think Blackflames are *not* just in Garhad keep because it was handy and abandoned, they have specific interest in Whatever Spirit Is Trapped On Third Floor, and plan to use him in some plan (or he is coordinating plan, or...). (Questions: who did trapping? Are there trapping runes on floor and ceiling, too? Don't think we saw any from second floor... somehow done on *inside* of floor?) Think the box is somehow involved; unsure if there is a demon and if so where it is trapped (assume free demon would have made presence known by now).
Thoughts - gather up rocks and hide 'em from moonlight except for one; watch and see what it does, preferably from third floor or something. Maybe try to dream and talk to trapped-guy, if he's trying to talk to us through dreams. Are runes on window, but maybe drop down from roof and try to get a look through? Or just open box and see what happens; no evidence Garhads were bad, and *know* Black Flames are bad, so can't risk letting their plans go through.
Grepping magic users. Would be none of this nonsense if everyone took up sensible careers as artisans.
[1] Or something <nervous grin>.