Daventry presses the blade a bit into the creature, applying pressure but not drawing blood. Her voice is deathly serious. "The truth, and no more tricks or hidden gambits."

The hag stifles her giggles under Daventry and Ilam's threats. "OK, OK no more games I swear." She holds her right hand in the air. "Just let me go. You can have the paintings, yes there are others, and you can destroy them as soon as I am good and free." She clears her throat and motions to the two smaller, "I grabbed these two as they were closest to the door. Sylvarie's is the most elaborate, thought it might fetch a good price but none of that matters just promise my safety and when I am clear of these woods you can do whatever you like."

She takes a step backward and looks at Ilam, "As a sign of good faith I'll answer your question, truthfully. Sylvarie is in the temple, she's the medusa in the basement. Four years ago she came to us, said she was not beautiful enough to be loved by Sune. We offered her even more beuaty and grace. She accepted and we painted her picture. A year later we collected our payment. That's the price, we give them what they want, for a while... then we take it from them, make the oppositive of their desire." She smirks as she describes their wickedness. "We were hoping she'd thin your numbers, turn a few of you to stone. Make you desperate enough to come to us for more help. Now do we have a deal?"

"I have a few questions. And I am sure more will be apparent after you leave," Triäsa says. "First, for those who have not been asked for their payment so to speak, can we simply destroy the painting and they are free?  For those for whom payment has been collected, does destroying the painting reverse them back.  And in all cases, do they go back as they were before?"  She pauses, "And how do we be sure you have removed any protections like those that injured Ludolf?" 

"Questions, questions I suppose I'll humor you a final time But will you two put down the sharp objects?" She gestures at Daventry and Ilam. Ilam looks toward Daventry briefly to see what she does. "Once the magic, the painting, is broken then the deal is nullified. The boons we have given will cease to exist and the debt will be refunded. You all seem like the heroic type you can consider the 'victims' saved though I doubt most will thank you for the deed." She sneers and again narrows her eyes. "As for how do you know I removed the protections? You don't. You'll have to trust me or take your chances without my help. What will it be my pretty? Are you willing to risk your neck or will you take mine?" She raises an eyebrow at Triäsa.

"Bartering with a hag!" Triäsa says in exasperation. "I suppose we take what we can get." She leaves the choices to Daventry and Ilam. 

She turns her attention back to Ludolf, softly running her hand across his forehead. "Are you alright? I could heal you more if needed." 

"You forget, we're the Candlekeep Investigation Agency. We'll find a way to breach your magic, and you won't live to cause any more suffering."

Daventry nods to Ilam, and drives her blade through the hag's throat, attempting to have the tip emerge out the back of the neck before she twists the blade sideways.

Pardot catches up to the group, and seeing many of his friends injured takes a moment and looks up to where the stars should be. The area around him suddenly gets dark just for a split second, and for the next minute everyone around begins to recover from their wounds. He then quietly adds, as they look to the portrait of the dwarf back at the keep, "She may not be wrong. Not everyone may be unhappy with the deal they made..."

Ludolf comes around, looking up at the angel-like half-elven bard above him. "Yes, foolish." He says with a sigh, clearly embarrassed, not having the strength to get up right away, listening to the frustrating questioning of the hideous hag. "Thank you Triäsa, but see to yourself first, I think I could do with a rest when we're done here though." He says, getting up in a sitting position now. His eyes goes wide in surprise for a moment at the callous act of Daventry as she runs the tip of her blade through Sanza's throat, but then he simply nods and gets up on his feet as Pardot's magic slowly heals his remaining wounds. He then starts to carefully examine the paintings trying to figure out how to destroy them.

Arcana: 17 + Guidance 2

If that doesn't yield any usable information her will read a strange text from his Grimoire to cast detect magic, then studying the paintings again.

(Ludolf can use 3-5 and be fully healed :-)

Taking his que from Daventry, Ilam releases his trigger. In violent unison the bolt and sword pierce the hag. The sword skewering her throat and the bolt partially erupting from the back of her skull. She drops to the ground, dead an evil smirk lingers on her face even in death.

Ludolf -- You sense a tremendous amount of very powerful magic on these paintings. On the surface is a form of evocation magic a strong enchantment that coats each painting like a blanket. There are no gaps or weak points that you can find. You are able to surmise that this coating must be disrupted or interrupted even just temporarily if one were to reach the actual painting. You have no idea how to do this. You then probe deeper and are overwhelmed with the power of a transmutation spell. It is as the hag said these paintings are the key to magics and transformations they are preforming. 

As Ludolf works Ilam lowers his weapon and sighs heavily, "A medusa? A hideous, ugly creature the torture that must be causing my dear Sylvarie...." He stares off toward the direction of the shrine, "I know the shrine she mentioned but I have never been able to enter it. Some sort of magical, slime encases the entire structure. The Sist... Hags... would go there each night and lift a portion of the spell and drop meat inside... Feeding their pet... "

Daventry coldly wipes the black ichorous blood off her blade onto the back of her bracer before sheathing the sword. She then blinks, and looks to Ilam, her expression softening at his distress. She puts a comforting hand on Ilam's shoulder. "We have time to sort this out, now. If we can break this spell, we will, and release Sylvarie from her cursed form." 

Daventry looks at the body of the hag. " Someone give me a hand with her. Leave no pocket unturned... If she has something on her person, or something in their rooms that gives us a clue on how to break this curse, let's find it."

(Help action to someone with really good investigation) 

As Ludolf finishes examining the paintings he informs the team of his finding, which isn't that much he admits. "We should try to find a way to destroy the paintings, at least the one depicting Sylvarie." He says with a tired sigh. "Then we can free Sylvarie from her captivity in the shrine."

"Do we want to just destroy the paintings without understanding what is going on or what has happened with these people?" Triäsa glances at Ludolf. "I know you did not care for that dwarf, but what just happened to him when you blasted the portrait and nearly killed yourself?"

She then moves over to where Daventry is examining the hag. "I will help see if we can find anything.  Then I should run upstairs to check the other bodies. And we should find the paintings. And look for other books or items that she'd light on all this." Triäsa begins with just checking on Sanza and her belongings. (Investigation: 28)

 (Investigation: 26 - rolled on log due to forum roller error) 

"I am sorry Triäsa, I am a little...unbalanced after all this. I will refrain from taking any new initiatives for a while. If you let me I will assist you with all the investigation you mentioned." Ludolf says apologetically and follows Triäsa, continuously and generously using his magic to guide her in her investigation.

(Help action +  Guidance provided until further notice. :-)

Triäsa you start your investigation with Sanza who lies very dead at your feet. She has a small silver key in a pocket. It is very well made but rusted and tarnished with time. As you look over the body something does strike you as very strange. Her skin, worn and wrinkled, is pristine without a scar or blemish anywhere upon it. The one exception is along the thin skin of her left forearm. Tattooed in a dark red ink is some sort of script in a language you do not understand. (It appears to be Infernal.) It is a fairly length amount of text. 

You find yourselves on the bottom of the three floors. 

Map:

@ Pardot:

 Where would you all like to go? Is everyone going to explore together or split up to investigate faster? Sounded like wanted to go back up stairs to check out the other bodies?

Daventry glances outside. She decides to go give Seth's corpse a pat-down while they're still downstairs.

Investigation: 3 (nat 1), 6 if advantage, plus 2 guidance, and I'm not rolling investigations the rest of the area.

Triäsa glances at the tattoo. "I think this is Infernal, can anyone read it?" As it seems nobody can, she says, "Give me a few minutes."  She grabs her lute and starts to pray, singing a song of mumbled words and humming as she casts Comprehend Languages as a ritual.  She then touches the tattoo, trying to read it. 

Pardot looks over to Ilam and and says, "Come help me try to copy this." He then pulls out a bit of scratch paper and a pencil to copy the infernal script, as he did with the symbol back in the mines. When Ilam is next to him Pardot quietly says, "Is there anything more that you're worried about here? I see that you seem quite curious to know what is behind yonder door."

Triäsa gazes into the markings quietly singing. After a few moments you hear melody back in your mind, the lyrics that accompany it are the cruel sounds of infernal but you understand their meaning, mercifully for only a moment but that's all you need. These markings are instructions on how to create a canvas for painting. How to prepare the leather and treat it so it can be used.  You are pretty sure with these instructions you could replicate the process if you wanted but you would have to find the ingredients, lots of urine, sweat, heart of this, eyes of that, a gallbladder and two spleens. Unpleasant but not too hard, rather typical hag stuff. Then you would need the actual leather of course, but not just any leather will do... you need the skin of an elf... lots of it... the younger, the better.

Pardot

 Pardot with significant time you have no trouble copying the script. (One infernal recipe for hag elf leather can be added to you inventory. I hope you find a use for it some how ;) )

((well that's just creepy... lol ))

Pardot nods and replies, "We can perhaps investigate later. We could definitely use your help in facing whatever is past that door. But we must not rush in heedlessly. Let us at least rest for an hour and talk together about what we may face with the others."