The Haunted Ruins

The team are asked by a Baron Fitzsimons t ocheck on an old manor they own. It has lain desolate for about 10 years and they are looking to reuse it. Believed to have some malevolant entity in it, the team need to sort this out and find if such a thing exists. If so, lay it to rest once and for all.    They are given a story that a young lady-in-waiting disappeared in the grounds and never found. They think that she was murdered. Partly due to the bloodstains found in and around the well, and the library with blood on the floor seemingly disappearing into the latter's wall in the southeast corner & hand prints on the wall & on the bookshelves there. They are also told that it was during an after hunt party and the de Rais, de Sades & the La Merchands woere present. Happened 20 years ago and abandoned for 10 years. Strange happenings drove them out, namely ghostly figures, temperature drops, objects appearing & disappearing, strange smells & the like.   There is also a full moon for the whole period and gets to night time quicker and it lasts longer than normal as if time slows down.   They find the ruins easily enough, problem is is it's harder to leave, at least for the time being. At the very least, when in the grounds there appears to be a low-hanging mist aurroundibg it that appears about a mile wide. No magic seems to clear it, and anyone who tries to enter it finds themselves back in at the edge of it. All the while on the inside the plants at the edge of it grows exponentially trapping the characters. Also the cliffs prove to be impossible to climb and all hand/foot holds disappear while ending up slippery & too high.   The team find that they are plagued with objects vanishing, moving or being placed elsewhere. They should be able to encounter this on & off. Also strange smells are bound too, usually in & around the well, and kitchen & store room, and in the basement.    The team may encounter a ghosty young lady in parts or at least get a sideview or at a distance. She will quickly disappear in through walls, nehind foliage etc stopping them from following her. She appears to scream at times or appears to be strangled.   Sometimes a scream can be heard coming from the direction of the library or courtyard.   If the team investigate the master bed room, there is a mirror. It will activate a hauunted trap id stood in front off within 10 feet. The following may be the outcome (sually it disappears quickly and no-one else there):

• The young lady appears in it smiling behind the character. The smile is like a rictus grin & slightly disturbs the viewer.
• The young lady appears screaming in fear pointing at the character. 
• The young lady appears, and it looks like she is being strangled. The hands appear gloved with a signet ring on one hand. It looks like the La Merchand signet ring.
• The young lady appears butchered and her body parts strewn around. An old axe is noticed lying to one side.
• The character feels cold incredibly strong hands latch on to their neck, and feels they are being strangled. No hands are visible.
• The character feels sharp pain in their neck & limb joints as if they are being hacked into. No actual injury occurs.
• The character takes on a part of the appearance of the lady-in-waiting and feels a sense of dread.
• The character feels as if they are being watched by a shadowy deadly figure just behind them. Nothing is there of course but....

  A d8 can be rolled and the list counted down for the outcome. Either way the character has to make a DC 20 Wisdom saving throw or suffer the effects of the Frightened conditon for an hour. A Remove Curse or Dispel Magic on them will remove this effect. The same spell can cast on the mirror with it having a save against it of DC 17 to remove the overall effect. The mirror has an AC 10 and 12 Hit Points if they try to physically destroy it. It may be found reformed afterwards, especially if the characters don't complete the mission.   Sometimes other reflective surfaces may show the same thing, including glass, metal items scattered around, and especially the stream below. The effects are essentially the same but the water can't be destroyed.   It may take a bit to figure out the entrance to the hidden room. A Sleight of Hand or Investigation DC of 20 or higher will figure out how to get in or out. Getting in is by pushing in the left most bookcase wall, and the same when inside. It will shut after 15 minutes, potentially trapping some of them if they don't know how to get in and out.   They can examine the hidden room revealing a part of the skeletal remains with the clothes, no more than the torso & arms. The legs & head are elsewhere.   The neck seems to be broken.   Examining the kitchen storeroom the yamy find the skull of the victtim and an old pot that it lies in. It appears that the brain case has ben opened to get to the brain and the whole thing boiled at some point.   The skeletal legs are to be found under the well in the deep part of the underground stream that supplies the water. It looks as if the thigh bones have been broken yo get into the bone marrow.   These will all need to be reunited to let the team escape, and then have the remains buried on holy ground. That will clear the curse, at least in the time being. the mist lifts and the exits moved out off. THe plants & cliffs return to normal. If they escape with parts and not all they wil hear that others have gone in to finish the job and have vanished after 3 to 5 days.