The Two Faces of Ann Campbell

"I know that Sir Burton is the same Wescoat who was to marry Ann Campbell one hundred years ago, but how to prove it and end the curse," thought Varrid.  Grunyar ever helpful suggested that the party just burn down the manor house, maybe that would end it, at least the hounds wouldn't have a place to attack.  "But that wouldn't necessarily get rid of the hounds, they still could attack the city and the people in the surrounding area.  We really need to find a way to lay Ann Campbell to rest, I believe,"  Baru surmised.

While waiting for the lord of the Manor to appear for luncheon, Varrid determined to study the servants quarters.  While Seglun distracted Darrell Holmes and Ralom kept guard Varrid searched each servant's room.  All the rooms had a simple bed, dresser and table.  The butler's quarters also had a desk with a task list on it.  "Polish the silver, check the boarded windows and doors, demond the Gabrielle quit loafing and that Douglas would be more prompt in bringing garden produce to Martine."  Quite boring stuff.  The clothes in each dresser were simple and threadbare, quite old actually.  Varrid did not find any secret passages, storage areas or really anything of value. 
When she had finished she traded places with Ralom, asking him to look for magic in the quarters.  Meanwhile Grunyar and Drovic entered the swamp where the apparition had fled.  Grunyar was looking for a tree tall enough and strong enough to hold him so that he could watch the apparition from another vantage point.  Arvien had Summergale fly concentric circles farther and farther from the manor, looking for any life, abodes or open spaces of interest. 
At last Sir Burton came down the stairs and invited everyone to join him for luncheon.  During the meal Baru queried about the location of the "death" of Ann Campbell.  "The legend says that she ran about a mile ENE from the Manor, where she stumbled into quicksand.  My grandfather could not save her, though he cast his rope and branches for her to grab.  It is a rather large clearing, you should be able to find it rather easily," answered Sir Burton.
The meal ended and the party headed outside to plan their next move.  Drovic was still confused about the direction that Burton took to drink of the bog versus where Ann apparently "died".  "Maybe she actually got lost in the fog, why else is he drinking of the bog south of here?" he mused.  Meanwhile Seglun talked with Summergale who indicated she saw a shack on stilts in the bog about a half mile southwest from the Manor.  Putting their heads together the group determined that they would head to the shack and then maybe back to the clearing.
Finding a relatively solid path heading generally southwest the group moved off.  As they moved away from the Manor, the party heard trees creaking and moaning with age.  The mires seemed to gasp and gurgle mournfully.  Every breeze was filled with the smell of rotted breath and the shadows shivered.  About halfway to their goal out of the boggy mire two vines reached out and grabbed Baru and Ralom.  What appeared as a 4 foot tall mass of rotting vegetation had a solid hold on them both.  The rest of the party leapt to action, Grunyar firing arrows, Arvien throwing acid and Drovic tried a lightning arc.  Unfortunately for Drovic the lightning seemed to do no damage.  The arrows and acid though both hit the mark.  Seglun raged to attack while Varrid moved to flank with Seglun.  Baru attempted to sever the vine doing severe damage but the plant then constricted with both vines.  Ralom's eyes rolled back in his head as he barely kept his feet below him.  Another round of arrows, acid and weapon damage broke the hold the plant had on two party members. 
Ralom immediately performed a channel divinity to restore health to the party, this was followed by more healing as both Ralom and Baru needed plenty.  Continuing on their southwesterly path the party spied a small crude hut standing on stilts at the edge of a pond.  The shack looked about to collapse into the murky waters nearby.  A thin wisp of smoke rose from the chimney.  Seglun climbed the stairs to the door and opened it to peek inside.  Inside were four corpses sitting around a table with the remnants of a meal.  This was certainly strange as Seglun called for someone to look for magic.  Drovic climbed up to perform the magic check and upon entering the room was shocked as the corpses lurched to life and moved toward the door.  Seglun and Drovic fled down the stairs as one "zombie" followed them slowly.  Two other "zombies" jumped off the landing to surprise Baru and Ralom.  The creatures attacked slowly doing little damage while the party hacked away and Grunyar moved back to fire arrows.  The "zombies" were easily dispatched as the group was still in shock about the existence of a fire and meal in the hut.  Seglun and Drovic searched the two room hut finding sleeping quarters with tick mattresses and rags of linen and clothing.  No other food was found in the kitchen.  This was certainly strange, when did these people die, and what were they doing here. 
Nevertheless the group decided to head back to the Manor and then follow the directions that Sir Burton gave them regarding the "resting" place of Ann. Seglun suggested that they try to find the body in the mire and lay it to rest.  "Maybe that would break the curse," she suggested.  Grunyar was still intent on burning down the Manor, after removing the gems and coins, of course.  Baru still counseled against this idea, especially "stealing" the jewels, at least while Burton was alive.  The party passed the manor and found a pathway heading generally east north east.  Seglun was out in front when she suddenly noticed a moldering, corrupted corpse floating in the bog to her right.  Peering closer she saw a ghastly thing -- a rotted head peeing from the surface of the quagmire,

staring intently at the party.  Its mouth opened in a silent curse and the head sank out of sight.  Seglun grabbed her grappling hook and threw it into the bog trying to dredge out the body.  Immediately she felt a vine whip out of the undergrowth, grab her leg and start pulling her toward the marshy bog.  Again the party had to leap to action, attacking the vine from many directions.  It was a quick battle as the vine finally released Seglun, who was only part way into the bog.  Opting to no longer try finding the body the group continued on the pathway.  Soon Drovic noticed the rotting head peering in his direction, it again opened its mouth and sank below the waters.  This time no one disturbed the bog.  After advancing another few yards Baru saw the same head.  Moving forward the party saw the clinging undergrowth part onto a dry blossom covered knoll.  There stood a beautiful auburn-haired woman gathering flowers in the midst of the swamp.  She looked up, unsurprised, and set down the basket.  She straightened, smoothing her old-fashioned dress, and waited.

  Her features seemed preternaturally calm.  With some trepidation the party moved toward the figure.  Varrid stated "You bear a resemblance to a painting of Ann Campbell in Wescoat Manor."  The figure replied that she was a descendant of the Campbells, come back to spread the truth about the night Ann was murdered.  As Varrid stated to ask about the actual reason for the murder the figure recites a story.  "Burton Wescoat was a man of such bad character that Ann could not bear the thought of marrying him.  When she attempted to flee, Burton's brother Michael saw here and chased her through the halls.  Cornered in the kitchen, she seized a knife to defend herself.  In the midst of the struggle that followed Michael inadvertently thrust himself upon the blade and died.  Ann fled into the night. 
"Enraged both by her flight and the death of his brother, the wicked Burton Wescoat set loose his hounds.  They hunted and finally caught Ann int he bog, driving her into the quicksand.  Burton stood by and watched her drown, laughing when she pronounced her dying curse.  To hide his evil deeds, he scratched himself with thorns, ripped his clothing and smeared it with mud and then crawled home to present his story."   As the figure related the story she became more outraged over the indignities suffered until she was sobbing in rage at the end of the story.
Varrid suggested that perhaps she was actually Ann Campbell and that the Burton Wescoat in the manner was the actual Sir Burton of the tale.  The figure stops her sobbing and admits that she is the real Ann Campbell.  "All I want is to be laid to rest.  If I can look upon the face of the man who caused my death, I can reconcile my spirit to its fate.  If you could just find a way to bring him to the clearing to the northeast of this bog, I can a last find peace.  From eve to morning's light is the only time that I can manifest fully.  If you could bring him there then, I can calm the spirit of the swamp."  Arvien asks "Burton goes into the bog and drinks of it each day, do you know why he does this?"  Ann replied "He must imbibe of the bog, and of my essence, each day or age 10 years each day that he remains free of its influence.  No matter how old he grows in outward appearance, he stays miserably alive.  He once resisted and grew so old that the agony was unbearable."  Ann again pleaded with the party to bring Burton to her and picked up her basket while fading into the swamp.
Baru wondered who to believe, the scoundrel Burton or Ann, there doesn't really seem much separating them.  Seglun and Ralom suggested heading on to the clearing to scope out the landscape while they discussed tactics.  How to convince Burton to come out into the night with them?  Grunyar still suggested "burning down the house".  As they moved toward the clearing Drovic wondered if they could convince Burton to follow the apparition with them,  "He clearly know that it is himself loosing the hounds in the apparition."  
After walking an additional quarter mile the party beheld a clearing larger than most of the dry patches in the bog but it appeared there were several patches of quicksand.  Heavy undergrowth surrounded the clearing, obscuring anything that could be lurking there.  A small copse of trees huddled in the clearing, and a drone of insects filled the air.  The stench of the bog was stronger and more horrible.  Mingling with the stink of vegetation rot is the unmistakable odor of an opened grave. 
Arvien was hungry and was all for leaving to return to the Manor immediately but Ralom scouted around a little finding nothing of interest but a sense of menace throughout the clearing.  Baru and Grunyar decided that they must lure Burton to follow the apparition and the party headed back for the Manor.  Grunyar was marking the path with upright branches and sticks stuck vertically in the muck.

DM's Notes: The party earned 570 XP for the nights session and now have 6970 XP requiring 570 additional XP to reach 3rd level.