The Wildemount Irregulars (2020)

The ghost stays still above the pool, staring at Balasaar. His expression is hard to read. The moment holds, and then, he breaks eye contact to look down into the depths of the pool.  With his left hand, he points downwards as well, to something below the water that you cannot see. Then he looks up again, directly at you Balasaar, and in a few seconds fades from view as though he had never been there.

Silent looks at Balassar wide-eyed. This someone you knew? 

Alton also stares at Balassar, "I didn't know you knew a ghost! That's so cool! What's it like? Do they take over your body sometimes? That must feel so weird." 

Balassar just freezes as he looks back "I think we need to go down. I'll volunteer if you all are willing to try and pull me out if anything goes wrong."

Alton uncoils the rope tied to the side of his bag, "I've got about fifty feet of rope here we can tie around you. I'm not sure if it will be long enough." 

(OOC: Silent also has fifty feet of rope, maybe we can tie them together?) 

Silent offers to hold the rope while Balassar descends. 

Balasaar, are you going in? If so, describe anything you do to get ready, and then give me a Perception.

Balassar will take Altons rope and his own tying them together "This should be enough, but just in case you can tie yours on at the end." with that he ties it around his waist and jumps in.

OOC:

perception check: 22

Down into the depths swims Balasaar, rope secured around his waist. The water seems clear enough near the top, but as he goes down, it's pretty murky and might be difficult to see in otherwise, but Balasaar is skilled at conducting searches - he explores carefully, coming up for breath when he needs to, and searches slowly and carefully and finds... a body. It looks humanoid, perhaps human, perhaps half-elf. Balasaar touches an arm - not too squishy - it doesn't appear to have been dead too long. It's about fifteen feet below the surface, propped up against the rock side of a pool that goes somewhat deeper down than it looks from above.

What would Balasaar do?

Balassar will quickly check the body for anything that could be of interest. If nothing is found he'll keep descending into the depths.

The body is wearing Righteous Brand armour, but isn't carrying a weapon.  You find an identifier tag, small wooden carved coins on a bracelet on the left wrist.  As you inspect the corpse, you find another hand, attached to another body; there appear to be at least four bodies, as far as you can tell.  The water doesn't go much deeper.

Balassar just plants his feet on the bottom and then tugs on the rope to signal his companions to pull as grabs the body and begins to try and swim up.

Alton feels the tugs on the rope, "Hey Silent, I think Balassar found something." He starts pulling on the rope to bring Balassar back up.

Alton and Silent pull, and soon Balasaar, body slung over his shoulder, emerges. Balasaar, you don't feel you needed the assist, though it did make the swim up easier.  You drop the body on the side of the pool; it's clearly a half-elf man, now you have a better chance to inspect it.

Balassar just looks at them both “There’s more down there I’ll be back.” He says as he heads back to the bottom to get the rest of the bodies.

Balasaar, you find four more bodies, for a total of five. One other is wearing Righteous Brand armour.  A third appears to be a drow elf.  The last two look as though they've been in the water much longer; the bodies are more decayed, the features harder to make out. They are definitely the size of humans or elves, not halflings.

You lay the five side by side on the ground next to the pond; it's getting late, and Catha is bright in the night sky.

Balassar just gets back onto the land looking at his companions "What were the chances they just happened down there..." he says looking up at Catha.

You tell me. Who was the ghost, Balassar? He one of these poor sods (he gestures at the corpses) or someone else? 

Balassar just looks down “No don’t think he would be.” He says looking over the bodies to see if there’s anything recognizable about them besides their armor.