Chapter 2: The Haunted House, Part 1

Written by Skarth Diem to Dronaet Klingstone

I’m sitting under a tree and writing this while Mrs Jenny Fisher brews some tea. We’re outside the house of an alchemist who apparently disappeared many years ago and now there are stories of the house being haunted.

I must admit, I’m still confused as to why Mr Anders Solmor and the Town Council asked me to go on this mission. I can heal a little, but there are others who are better healers. I can use a little magic but there are others who are better with magic. And I can use my scimitar and shield a little, but there are others who are better with weapons. And I have never been in an actual combat. I doubt if my ability to speak the language of Mirzak and his kin will come in useful. And I know nothing of ghosts, so I can give no advice. Nevertheless, I was asked so here I am.

I am here with Mr Wrack Seaforth (the Triton), Ms Riellian Raetheye (the Elf), Kelshann of the Tundra Dawn (the Dragonborn) and Mrs Jenny Fisher. Mrs Fisher is here under protest but I think the Council wanted someone here to represent the town and she is certainly well respected around the town.

The house they want us to investigate used to belong to an alchemist. He disappeared many years ago and since then there have occasionally been stories around the town about the house being haunted. These stories have reemerged recently and some of the more superstitious locals have become so disturbed that it is quite disrupting the normal working of the town. The council wanted us to investigate and “deal with” the source of the stories, so here we are.

The house was a short walk along the coast, perhaps two or three miles to the east of the town. I’d walked past it every day on my way to the mine which is another two miles further along the coast. At this point, there are some significant cliffs that drop down to the sea. The house is set well back from the cliff edge and the path to the mine. It is protected from the weather by some old and scruffy trees and a very weathered and crumbling stone wall. Inside the wall, we could see an overgrown garden. I recognised a few plants that would have been grown for their herbal properties.

The entrance through the garden wall is guarded by a rusted iron gate which leads to a path that was overgrown and gloomy. Having heard that the alchemist was not fond of visitors and liked to leave “surprises” for his unexpected guests, we worried that this entrance could easily contain a trap. So we circled around the outside and found a gap where the crumbling wall had collapsed. This allowed us to make our way through into the back of the garden where three threadbare trees cast speckled shade on the dying grass. There was a back door into the house, and near it was a low stone wall in a ring that indicated a well.

I will tell you of our encounter with the snakes. During our walks around the village, you’ve pointed out a few snakes sunning themselves on the rocks. They were my first encounters with snakes. I’d been told about them, but had never seen them before I came to the village. The snakes you and I saw were quite small and would slither away if we came too close.

The snakes that my colleagues and I encountered were very much larger. Their bodies were as large around as mine is, and they were a good deal longer than I am. From the comments my companions made, I assume that most snakes are more like the ones you’ve shown me. I wonder why these grew so big.

They were also very aggressive. Perhaps they considered us intruders into their territory. They lived in the old well just outside the back door of the house. We noticed a few skeletons of small creatures scattered on the ground around the well. When Ms Riellian Raethye looked down into the well, one of them launched itself out of the depths of the well and struck at her with its deadly looking fangs.

The speed with which my colleagues reacted startled me. I was still drawing my scimitar when my companions had already sliced off its head. They were so fast. I was left standing there and feeling a little foolish while I finished readying myself for a battle that was already over.

The body of the snake had fallen into the well and it was thought wise not to leave it there where it would poison the water. So Ms Riellian Raethye climbed down into the well – it’s not a deep well and the water at the bottom was perhaps thigh deep on a human. She fastened a rope to the body of the dead snake. It was when we were hauling out the body of the first snake that the second one emerged from a crevice and attacked her.

The first thing I knew about the second attack was when there was a sudden burst of yelling coming from the bottom of the well. Mr Wrack Seaforth jumped in, feet first – it was very dramatic. I rushed over to the well to see if I could do anything. At the bottom of the well was a maelstrom of the two fighters plus the writhing snake, all crammed into that tiny space. There was nothing I could do that wouldn’t potentially make the situation worse instead of better so I backed out of the way.

Then I saw that Ms Riellian was sorely wounded and was being hauled up out of the well. Ms Riellian came up out of the well in a rush and I saw blood seeping from several wounds where the huge snake had bitten into her flesh. I took out my wooden bowl and poured some water into it, singing the healing song as I did so. She drank from my bowl and I once more watched in awe as the magic took hold and her wounds closed before my eyes.

I’d barely finished with Ms Riellian when Mr Seaforth came lurching out of well. He had defeated the snake but the cost was high. He had a huge gash down one arm that was bleeding profusely. I gulped and poured more water into my bowl, singing the healing song once again. Under the power of the magic, the gash on Mr Seaforth’s arm stopped bleeding and the wound closed.

I took a breath and looked around, my head spinning slightly from administering two potions in such quick succession. It never occurred to me that we would be risking our lives coming here to this place. Investigating a haunted house sounded more like a case of exploring and solving a mystery than a situation where we would have to go into combat. If the Fates are kind, that will be the last such encounter. But, as Mirzak so often pointed out, the Fates are rarely kind. If we encounter more such situations then I will do what I can to protect myself and my colleagues.

My companions immediately organised to pull the pieces of the dead snakes out of the well so the water would not be poisoned. I am impressed that these people showed such respect to the future of this place. This well is attached to an abandoned house that is a considerable walk away from the town. As individuals, I can’t imagine any of them needing to use this well again in the future. The way they immediately agreed to leave the well in good condition has earned them my deepest respect.

I see that Mrs Fisher has the tea ready and I’m sure a hot drink will help to settle my nerves after the frantic encounter with the giant snakes. I shall leave off writing for now and pick up again when I get another opportunity.

After our rest, we entered the house through the back door and found ourselves in a kitchen. It was in a poor state and appeared to have been abandoned. After a quick look around, we were surprised to find some fresh tracks. We followed them into a small side room and saw some steps leading down. At this point, we apparently triggered one of the alchemist’s traps because we were suddenly overwhelmed by an incredibly loud howling sound that was honestly quite terrifying. Eventually, the noise disappeared and we were able to continue.

We followed the stairs down into a basement below the kitchen. In the middle of the basement floor was the body of some unfortunate warrior clad in heavy metal armour.

When we checked the body, we disturbed a swarm of very large grublike things that had been feasting on his flesh. The grubs attacked us. Despite my best efforts to avoid them, two of the grubs sunk their teeth into my leg. It hurt and I cried out – more out of shock than due to the pain. We were carrying flaming torches to light our way and the quick application of a flame from the torch to the back end of these overlarge bugs quickly encouraged them to let go of my leg and drop back to the floor where they curled up and lay still. But there was still a mass of other bugs crawling around and snapping at us with their sharp teeth. My colleagues and I were all prancing around trying to strike at these creatures without actually hitting ourselves or each other. It was somewhat chaotic for a moment.