|
Brother Sorin of the Ruby Rose Sorin opens up an as-yet unopened door and pokes his head inside.
|
#
?
Jun 21, 2018 03:10
|
|
|
|
| # ? Apr 16, 2024 08:24 |
|
|
Moving upstairs Sorin steps into an elegant hall. Hanging above the marble fireplace's mantelpiece is a wood-framed portrait of a family: A well dressed man and woman stand flanked by two small children. Cradled in the father’s arms is a swaddled baby. Standing suits of armor flank wooden doors in the east and west walls. Each suit of armor clutches a spear and has a visored helm shaped like a wolf’s head. The doors are carved with dancing youths, although close inspection check reveals that the youths aren’t really dancing but fighting off swarms of bats. Tucked into a nook by the stairs another undecorated door leads to the east as well.
|
|
#
?
Jun 21, 2018 03:54
|
|
|
[quote="professor_curly" post="485276213"] Noroco "Roc" Olvir The Shadow-Sorcerer As Sorin moves up the stairs, Noroco quickly follows, testing the steps in front of him as quickly as he can, "This is not a place to be wandering off alone in friend, who knows what game this place is playing." Following Sorin
|
|
#
?
Jun 21, 2018 05:04
|
|
|
 Mokrul Verdant Allweather > 8 / 8 HP / 13 ACSkinny posted:"... the whole house is cloaked in magic ... illusions ... faint conjuration... seems harmless, but..." Noroco 'Roc' Olvir posted:... he picks up the crumbled, rotting wood and holds it up, motioning for everyone else to look at the hole in the illusion where the floorboard used to be. Plot posted:... cloakroom ... a few black cloaks and a top hat ... hunter’s den ... stag’s head ... three stuffed wolves ... wooden cask ... two cabinets.  >> Investigate and Perception >> Scouring the cloakroom. If nothing interesting is found, scouring the hunter's den.While he does so, Mokrul makes an ask of Mama Bear. "Skinny, would you mind stepping outside for a moment, before your magic eyes wear out? I'd be curious to know how far the effect you're seeing extends beyond the interior. Are the exterior walls also an illusory fabrication? What about the grounds? A simple circuit around the building might prove illuminating." __________________________________________________________________________________________ Passive: Perception (16) / Investigation (16) / Insight (14) / Darkvision (60') Effects: Resources:: Hit Dice (1/1d8) / Arrow (20) Livestock: Chickens (12) / Chicken Feed (100 pounds) Map / Journal __________________________________________________________________________________________
|
|
#
?
Jun 21, 2018 05:23
|
|
|
Brother Sorin of the Ruby Rose Sorin says, "Well, I must admit, Roc, this is hardly the house of horrors we were led to expect. There are some suspect design decisions, to be sure, but... well, if it's a house of spirits, where are the spirits?" He does keep a careful eye out as he examines the hall in greater detail, attempting to detect any hint of the dangers that might well lurk under the surface. Sune's light would surely illuminate any hidden threats, after all, and what did he have to fear with the Lady Firehair on his side? He gestures at the painting, "I wonder what their names were." Perception (Upstairs): 1d20+5+1d4 27 Tricky fucked around with this message at 05:43 on Jun 21, 2018 |
|
#
?
Jun 21, 2018 05:37
|
|
|
"Skinny" Erevan "Hrm." He nods at the request to do a lap of perimeter. "As you wish. Sergeant, would you join me? I feel it is unwise to go places alone, while we are here." He waits for Elaine - or another, if they volunteer, and starts walking. With a quiet focus, he sweeps his magical gaze along the lengths of the house, making sure to look from roof to floor. If he encounters anything in particular that is different to what he has seen before with the illusory magics, he will alert the sergeant with a quick signal, but no words yet.
|
|
#
?
Jun 21, 2018 12:57
|
|
|
Noroco "Roc" Olvir The Shadow-Sorcerer "I... don't know if this is a house of spirits. I think... The magic is coming from the rooms themselves. Everything is just slightly off. I think whoever these people were they tampered in things beyond their understanding... These faces, the depictions of horrors. I think the house is the danger here, or else the house has become the tool of something more powerful."
|
|
#
?
Jun 21, 2018 14:03
|
|
|
 Sergeant deWytte AC: 18 | HP: 12/12 Wahad posted:"As you wish. Sergeant, would you join me? I feel it is unwise to go places alone, while we are here." Elayne nods firmly. "I have your back." She accompanies Skinny, her weapon at the ready and her gaze sweeping into corners and blind angles with cool practice.
|
|
#
?
Jun 21, 2018 14:18
|
|
|
Erevan & deWytte Making your way around the house does not reveal any side entrances or access to a basement. The illusion magic's aura hangs on the exterior walls of the manor, but does not extend farther than that, the grounds are surrouding area are untouched. While outside it is noticable that lights on all of the first 3 floors have been lit, however, the fourth floor windows are still dark. Mokrul Investigation/Perception: The cloakroom turns up nothing interesting aside fom a few rather luxurious cloaks and a top hat. In the hunter's den the cabinet on the north wall contains a few decks of cards, wineglass's and a silver platter. The cabinet on the east wall is locked. Inspecting the stuffed wolves you find a tag on their undersides reading "AB". Sorin Perception: On the west wall you can see the first signs of wear on the house. Coming from the ceiling black mold clings to the wall, and there are signs of water damage from above as well. Lordorim Inspecting the suits of armor you deduce that these are purely ornamental. The wolf head helmets, while imposing, have such restrictive sightlines that no one would ever use them. The weapons are also ornamental. The edges of the blades have been purposly worn down to be as dull as they can be while still looking good. Ovo fucked around with this message at 19:32 on Jun 21, 2018 |
|
#
?
Jun 21, 2018 19:27
|
|
|
Sergeant deWytte AC: 18 | HP: 12/12 The Sergeant levels her gaze upward as the pair completes their circuit of the house, her eyes narrowing as she scans the upper windows for signs of movement. "Notch another point in the "attic" column," she mutters. "Must not be on the same enchantment as the lower floors. If Mokrul's guess is accurate, that'd make it a private area, and where we need to go." Failing anything else to see outside, she heads inside to meet back up with the squad.
|
|
#
?
Jun 21, 2018 19:33
|
|
|
Lordorim Shambastik Lordorim took in his ornate surroundings as his allies do most of the investigative work. It was a lot of very nice decor and floorboards, that even if they turned out to be absolutely fake and most likely the result of illusion magic but it might have looked like that back in it's heyday. He followed Sorin up the stairs whilst everyone else searched the downstairs landing, and when he set sight on the armour he frowned deeply and drew his sword and shield. "Let me just prod this a bit first I already don't trust a lot of this house." The nearest statue he eyed suspiciously as he very gently prodded at the arm, looking for any sign of movable joints that would suggest a trap. "See this is the exact thing I talked with Noroco about, it's all flash and no substance with a lot of these things. This armour is likely to get you blindsided since you can only peer out a thin slit in the front for example, you might as well be wearing blinkers. I know it's supposed to be just an ornamental set-piece but you can have something that looks nice and is still useful surely?" He said to no one in particular as he continued to prod at the armour sets. Lordorim attempts to investigate these statues for any sign of traps. He rolls a 1
|
|
#
?
Jun 21, 2018 22:05
|
|
|
Brother Sorin of the Ruby Rose "Mm, I suppose. It seems a bit far-fetched, but this is a magical world we inhabit, friend." As he gazes around, Sorin points to the mold, saying, "Aha! A sign. Perhaps we'll get to the root of the matter by climbing to its peak."
|
|
#
?
Jun 21, 2018 22:07
|
|
|
"Skinny" Erevan "Indeed...though I must urge caution; I'm sure the lights are out for a reason." The Firbolg follows Elaine back in, meeting up with the group and explaining the situation regarding the house. "It seems only the house is enchanted; the grounds are not affected. The attic has no light whatsoever visible from the outside, however - if there is an entity here, it is likely there."
|
|
#
?
Jun 21, 2018 22:13
|
|
|
Noroco "Roc" Olvir The Shadow-Sorcerer "Hmmm, well spotted. Shall we wait for the others to make their way up?"
|
|
#
?
Jun 21, 2018 22:13
|
|
|
Mokrul Verdant Allweather > 8 / 8 HP / 13 ACPlot posted:The cloakroom turns up nothing interesting aside from a few rather luxurious cloaks and a top hat. Plot posted:In the hunter's den the cabinet on the north wall contains a few decks of cards, wineglass's and a silver platter. Inspecting the stuffed wolves you find a tag on their undersides reading "AB". Plot posted:The cabinet on the east wall is locked.  >> Lockpick (thieves' tools) 8 >> Cabinet.Retrieving one of his favorite lock picks from his belt, it doesn't take him very long to give up on the process. His eyes were showing him a cabinet door that should be pickable, but he supposed it might be another idyllic and illusory version of reality, similar to what Noroco had uncovered beneath the floor. If that were the case, no amount of effort would pick a lock that had rusted over in the past few decades. He exchanges his standard pick for his 'emergency lockpick', reaching behind his back to unbuckle his trusty crowbar. >> Crowbar 11 >> Cabinet.Sergeant deWytte posted:Failing anything else to see outside, she heads inside to meet back up with the squad. __________________________________________________________________________________________ Passive: Perception (16) / Investigation (16) / Insight (14) / Darkvision (60') Effects: Resources:: Hit Dice (1/1d8) / Arrow (20) Livestock: Chickens (12) / Chicken Feed (100 pounds) Map / Journal __________________________________________________________________________________________ Waador fucked around with this message at 22:21 on Jun 21, 2018 |
|
#
?
Jun 21, 2018 22:16
|
|
|
Brother Sorin of the Ruby Rose "That's... probably wise, I'll admit. We should." Sorin calls down to the group on the ground floor, "Come on up! I think there's something to be found in the attic."
|
|
#
?
Jun 21, 2018 22:21
|
|
|
Sergeant deWytte AC: 18 | HP: 12/12 Waador posted:"Sergeant, welcome back! This locked cabinet is resisting inspection. That halberd must require big, strong arms, right? Would you care to give it a pry?" The Sergeant can't resist twitching the corner of her mouth upward slightly; yes, more or less what she'd expected to come back to. Still, the house was by all accounts abandoned, and since whatever lay inside the cabinet could yield useful information... "It takes more than just strength to smash a lock properly; most of them are made to resist blunt impacts, so it's harder than it looks." She accepts the crowbar, stashing her riotstaff on her back momentarily, then sizes up first the cabinet, then Mokrul. "Or so I've been told. You might want to stand back, just in case." With a sudden fierceness of motion, she brings the crowbar around, trying to bring to bear as much force as possible despite the slightly awkward angle. Smashing the Lock: 1d20+3 11, or 13 if Athletics proficiency applies.
|
|
#
?
Jun 21, 2018 23:37
|
|
|
Lordorim Edging closer to one of the suits of armour Lordorim pokes and prods at it, seeing if it reacts in any way. The suit of armour tilts to the right, then all in one motion swings back to the left and falls over. The clattering of metal echoes throughout the house, and lasts for some time as the wolf-headed helmet rolls and bounces down the marble staircase. deWytte & Mokrul After a moment the lock cracks and breaks and the door of the cabinet swings open. Inside the cabinet 3 crossbows of various sizes are strapped to the side. On the door bolts of all sizes sit tied together in bundles. Cabinet contains 1 Heavy crossbow, 1 light crossbow, and one hand crossbow plus 20 bolts for each. Ovo fucked around with this message at 00:55 on Jun 22, 2018 |
|
#
?
Jun 22, 2018 00:52
|
|
|
"Skinny" Erevan He waits patiently while Mokrul and Elaine bust their way into the cabinet...only to swivel around with arrow drawn back on his bow when the clattering of armor makes an awful din and the wolf-head bounces down the staircase. His muscles tense for a long moment, but when nothing happens, he exhales and relaxes the bow. "Everything alright up there?" he calls, a faint hint of concern in his voice.
|
|
#
?
Jun 22, 2018 12:03
|
|
|
Lordorim Shambastik As Lordorim leaned a little too hard against armour and it started to tip over, his head tendrils stood up on end as he tried to grab for it a little too late. As the sound of the armour clattering down the stairs made a deafening racket in the silent house, Lordorim was stood frozen arms reaching out in his attempt to catch the armour and failing, and stewing in mute embarrassment. Wahad posted:"Everything alright up there?" he calls, a faint hint of concern in his voice. "Err, yes! I was merely carefully examining the armour, and it must have fallen over on it's own due to poorly maintained joints. Yes. This is what happened, very, very sloppy maintenance here." Lordorim attempts to save face by lying about this even though two people watched him do it. He rolls a 6 He turns away from Noroco and Sorin to hide his face but they knew him long enough to know that he wraps his tail around himself when he's feeling especially embarrassed. TheNabster fucked around with this message at 18:33 on Jun 22, 2018 |
|
#
?
Jun 22, 2018 13:30
|
|
|
Sergeant deWytte AC: 18 | HP: 12/12 Peering into the confines of the cabinet, Elayne utters a slightly disappointed grunt before stepping back. "Hunting equipment. Makes sense, given the decor. Suppose we can requisition it for the Company as long as there's no supernatural strings attached, but I don't care for crossbows myself. Too unwieldy." She hands the crowbar back to Mokrul before returning the staff to her hand and pacing back out into the hallway and calling up the stairs, "Other than self-collapsing armor, anything of interest up there? We've found a cache of hunting crossbows, if anyone feels like requisitioning."
|
|
#
?
Jun 22, 2018 14:27
|
|
|
Mokrul Verdant Allweather > 8 / 8 HP / 13 ACSergeant deWytte posted:"It takes more than just strength to smash a lock properly;" ... accepts the crowbar ... brings the crowbar around, trying to bring to bear as much force as possible... Plot posted:... the lock cracks and breaks ... the door of the cabinet swings open ... crossbows of various sizes are strapped to the side ... bolts of all sizes sit tied together in bundles. Plot posted:... the clattering of metal echoes throughout the house, and lasts for some time as the wolf-headed helmet rolls and bounces down the marble staircase. With several crossbows hanging from his belt, a bag of grain secured under one arm, and a wolf-shaped helmet dangling on the edge of two fingers of the other hand, Mokrul heads towards the door, intent on depositing his recent acquisitions on or near their cart. He was curious to learn if the illusory veneer of the household extended to its contents. If so, was it a continuous thing, in the vein of an enchantment of permanent image, or would the potency be lost once beyond the confines of the structure?  >> Movement >> Returning to our cart parked outside the manor grounds, in order to deposit the crossbows, the top hat, the cloaks, and a bag of grain from the pantry, and observe how they react.It was also a ploy to test the strength of the illusion. Would the bag of grain merely disappear with a 'poof', having never really existed? Or was the bag of grain something else in disguise? Were the cloaks truly luxurious, or matted with dead moths and chewed through beyond repair? Had the crossbows withstood the test of time, or were they, too, merely bait for the trap? If he couldn't trust his eyes, he took some comfort in knowing that he could trust his paranoia. __________________________________________________________________________________________ Passive: Perception (16) / Investigation (16) / Insight (14) / Darkvision (60') Effects: Resources:: Hit Dice (1/1d8) / Arrow (20) Livestock: Chickens (12) / Chicken Feed (100 pounds) Map / Journal __________________________________________________________________________________________ Waador fucked around with this message at 18:16 on Jun 22, 2018 |
|
#
?
Jun 22, 2018 14:43
|
|
|
Noroco "Roc" Olvir The Shadow-Sorcerer There is a moment of instinct when Noroco reacts to the sudden clattering by raising his hand, heating simmering between his fingers as he searches for the source. The source that continued to clang as the armor collapsed in new an innovative ways, as the helmet clank, clank, clanked its way down the stairs. Then there is silence as Noroco fights down a snicker at the whole awkward situation. Wisdom Saving Throw (Snicker): 1d20+2 16 He manages to keep a surprisingly straight face when he nods slowly to Sorin, speaking with a tone that does not match his somewhat conspiratorial look, moving his eyes in the direction of Lordorim. "You see Sorin? This house really does like you. You ask for spirits and one of them knocks over a suit of armor. You need to use this power with more caution my friend." Deception (It must've been a ghoooost): 1d20+5 22
|
|
#
?
Jun 22, 2018 15:48
|
|
|
Outside the house As Mokrul deposits the items in the cart the change in them is already occuring. Having just been removed from the house the hat and cloaks fade and begin to fall apart, the grain rots and the helmet tarnishes. The crossbows likewise age, but likely would still function if some care was put into fixing them. Inside the House On the second floor a strange scratching noise echoes from the floor above. Quickly making it's way down the stairs is a broomstick that is levitating on it's own and is sweeping the stairs clean as it goes down. Reaching the landing it makes its way towards the pile of armour knocked over by Lordorim and pauses for a moment, before it moves on and continues sweeping the landing.
|
|
#
?
Jun 22, 2018 20:00
|
|
|
Noroco "Roc" Olvir The Shadow-Sorcerer His eyes go wide as the broom sails past in the air, just turning to watch it as it flies by, moving to the landing of the stairs as it begins the business of sweeping. "Are... are you both seeing that?"
|
|
#
?
Jun 22, 2018 20:48
|
|
|
Brother Sorin of the Ruby Rose Sorin looks back at the clamor, noting Lordorim's... decidedly less than subtle reaction, but Roc's comment distracts him. He says, "Hm... I suppose." He laughs and calls back to Lordorim, even as the broom appears behind him, "There's no shame in being afraid of ghosts, friend. I promise I'll not tell your next beau." Roc's second comment draws his eye to the broom and, indeed, it's all he can do not to summon the cleansing fires of Sune right then and there. He looks up, then back at the broom, saying, "That's... that's curious indeed."
|
|
#
?
Jun 22, 2018 20:56
|
|
|
Lordorim Shambastik "Hmmm, yes, yes that is quite the thing there." He paused, the moment of awkward embarrassment passed by the encounter with this strange floating broom. "Still if they can enchant a broom perhaps they can enchant a toolbox to repair this house a little? Should we start exploring some of the rooms up here?"
|
|
#
?
Jun 22, 2018 22:27
|
|
|
Noroco "Roc" Olvir The Shadow-Sorcerer "Um, Sergeant? We have floating brooms now. It came from upstairs and there is some strange scratching above us here. Recommend we group up before spears start flying next." He takes a position knelt down on the floor, holding a spell ready to fire at anything coming down the stairs to them. "drat it, this house is insidious. Everything is so drat benign. Can you beseech your lady and tell us if this house is evil or something?" Ready Action: Fire at any hostiles coming down the stairs.
|
|
#
?
Jun 23, 2018 03:20
|
|
|
Mokrul Verdant Allweather > 8 / 8 HP / 13 ACPlot posted:... the hat and cloaks fade and begin to fall apart ... the grain rots ... the helmet tarnishes. The crossbows likely would still function if some care was put into fixing them. Given their condition, the crossbows were of no use to him or any of his companions at the moment. He supposed he would repair them if he found the time, though for now they would have to rest among the other eccentricities of his growing hoard in the wagon. Returning his gaze to the doorway of the manor, he comments to Mama Bear, "What is your take on this situation, Skinny? This manor ... do you see an evil force at work here? I know what I see, though I suppose that might not matter, given how little it seems we can trust our eyes." With a sigh, he begins to trace his own circuit around the estate, counting out each step. "One ... two ... three ..." >> Movement >> Tracing my own circuit around the manor, presumably with Skinny as company.Noroco 'Roc' Olvir posted:"I think the house is the danger here, or else the house has become the tool of something more powerful." The fact pattern was clear to him, at least in that part. Frankly, it also resonated with essentially everything he knew about magical objects. When used with adequate training and care, most enchanted equipment was only dangerous when you wanted it to be. A fully-loaded magical home was certainly larger than the average piece of enchanted kit, but the principles should have been the same. He couldn't discount the possibility that someone was controlling the manor, and using it for ill intent -- the 'something more powerful' that Noroco had alluded to -- but there was another possibility. Rather obviously, the manor's enchantments were all left in the 'on' position when the former residents had departed, assuming they could ever be turned off to begin with. That was the other surefire way to run into trouble with magical objects: if you leave them running perpetually, and nobody within a ten mile radius has any idea how they work, you are virtually guaranteed to run into trouble eventually. In this case, the manor had been running its protocols for decades. He wouldn't find it surprising at all if an arcane circuit had simply gone haywire after running continuously for the better part of a human lifespan. With a shrug, he comments more to himself than to Skinny, "What happened here, I wonder? What were Ismark's words again? 'One day, the whole family just up and vanished.'" If he could find the answer to that question, he would be well on his way to understanding the situation, he suspected. What had happened to them? Having finally made his way around the manor and back to the wagon, Mokrul retrieves his seventy-pound duffel bag of workman's tools. He wouldn't need it immediately, but before this was over he suspected he would have need of one particular object stored within. Slinging the sack over his shoulder, he steps back inside the manor and regroups with his comrades in and around the marble staircase. He spends a few moments eyeing the area around the fireplace suspiciously, before commenting to seemingly nobody in particular, "I'll give it a pass for now, I suppose." Looking to the sergeant, he shrugs and inquires, "We might as well begin investigating the second floor, don't you think?" His flock of chickens clucked in confusion in a semicircle around him. >> Movement >> Onward to the second floor, finding a new room to liberate.__________________________________________________________________________________________ Passive: Perception (16) / Investigation (16) / Insight (14) / Darkvision (60') Effects: Resources:: Hit Dice (1/1d8) / Arrow (20) Livestock: Chickens (12) / Chicken Feed (100 pounds) Map / Journal __________________________________________________________________________________________
|
|
#
?
Jun 23, 2018 04:36
|
|
|
After a few tense moments of observing the stairs, nothing more comes down. The animated broom continues its patrol across the landing ignoring the party of you. Mokrul moves upstairs and opens the door on the east wall. Beyond lies a finely furnished library. Red velvet drapes cover the windows of this room. An exquisite mahogany desk and a matching high-back chair face the entrance and the fireplace, above which hangs a framed picture of a windmill perched atop a rocky crag. Situated in corners of the room are two overstuffed chairs. Floor-to-ceiling bookshelves line the south wall. A rolling wooden ladder allows one to more easily reach the high shelves. As the Mokrul opens that door the animated broom bangs against the west door and opens it, shuffling its self inside to continue cleaning. Gossamer drapes cover the windows of this elegantly appointed hall, which has a brass-plated chandelier hanging from the ceiling. Upholstered chairs line the walls, and stained-glass wall hangings depict beautiful men, women, and children singing and playing instruments. A harpsichord with a bench rests in the northwest corner. Near the fireplace is a large standing harp. Ovo fucked around with this message at 05:22 on Jun 23, 2018 |
|
#
?
Jun 23, 2018 05:20
|
|
|
Brother Sorin of the Ruby Rose Sorin looks at Roc with the pious look of someone about to coach why he can't do that with a pithy phrase and delivers, "Sune's love is strongest with those that help themselves, Roc! Her delicate touch is ever with me, but I must say this is one mystery that we will have to figure out on our own." He makes towards the stairs upward, adding, "I'm still convinced that we'll find what there is to find in the attic. You all are welcome to come with, if you choose." Headed upstairs again!
|
|
#
?
Jun 23, 2018 06:32
|
|
|
"Skinny" Erevan "Hrm." Mokrul's questions led the Firbolg to lapse into a thoughtful silence as the two of them made another lap. "I...do not see or feel the presence of evil, so to speak, but with everything we've seen, I cannot help but be worried. I have little experience with magic as extensive as this, but consider the facts. A house, once family owned, now rotten to the core yet kept up in appearances by extremely complicated layers of magical illusion. And not just that, but something here has been luring people inside and disposing of them. Even without the magic or said mysterious threat, this house would be a death-trap, given the condition it is. Were I a more paranoid sort, I'd say we set the entirety of it on fire and be done with it. Whatever lurks inside should perish in the flames." Listen to him. His elders would be ashamed; but then, in his time out on his quest, and with the Golden Lions, he had grown to be less inclined to his race's natural pacifism. The world was a dangerous place, and evil lurked in many corners. "But I suppose that wouldn't be in accordance with the task we were given, now would it?" He joins the rest as Mokrul and himself go up to the floors above. "I imagine the family fell prey to whatever entity also disappeared the other villagers. The simplest solution to the question, yes? Which, of course, begs the other question of what said entity actually is." Sorin starts moving up further stairs, and the scout grumbles. "Be careful, Brother. The higher we go, the likelier 'tis we'll meet the source of the danger here."
|
|
#
?
Jun 23, 2018 10:30
|
|
|
Noroco "Roc" Olvir The Shadow-Sorcerer "Alright, that is fair enough. Lead the way then, but don't forget to test the stairs before you step on them. That broom floated down, the wood may be too rotted to support us." Noroco follows Sorin up the stairs, giving a wave back to Skinny, "Do not worry friend, I'll make sure the lover boy doesn't get in over his head."
|
|
#
?
Jun 23, 2018 12:50
|
|
|
Mokrul Verdant Allweather > 8 / 8 HP / 13 ACSkinny posted:"I...do not see or feel the presence of evil, so to speak, but with everything we've seen, I cannot help but be worried. I have little experience with magic as extensive as this, but consider the facts. A house, once family owned, now rotten to the core yet kept up in appearances by extremely complicated layers of magical illusion. And not just that, but something here has been luring people inside and disposing of them. Even without the magic or said mysterious threat, this house would be a death-trap, given the condition it is. Were I a more paranoid sort, I'd say we set the entirety of it on fire and be done with it. Whatever lurks inside should perish in the flames." He frowns, having been led to the beginnings of a conclusion by the conversation. "When you're dealing with magical objects, that's where the danger always lies -- demanding more of something than it was designed to handle. It's like riding a wagon down a mountainside, you're obviously going to snap a wheel off, and you should know better than to even attempt it. In this case, the people who knew better disappeared for ... whatever reason ... and all we were left with were villagers who had no training in the maintenance or care of an enchanted home, which has continued to pick up speed down that mountainside as the power required to maintain its illusions grows with every day as the floorboards rot and the contents disintegrate with age." Ismark posted:"As for the disappearances, they happened at first with phantoms so people say. Figures would appear outside the house begging for aid, people would go to them and never return. Now that the house is avoided people say that shadows stalk the streets near it, grabbing anyone who is alone after dark and bringing them into the house." That was the piece he had been missing. It explained the 'lure' better than any of the other possibilities. An enchanted home on the brink of collapse, with an arcane core drawing more and more power with each passing day in order to maintain the illusions and other enchantments carelessly left 'on' by the former residents. More likely than not, this building was headed towards a catastrophic core breach, and some reasonably intelligent designer had predicted that possibility and encoded a fail-safe designed to warn nearby residents if a situation arose where the residents were not in town to maintain the estate. The villagers, unequipped to deal with or even comprehend the danger, had likely suffered some sort of unpleasant fate when they approached the source of the problem. It made sense. Mokrul laughs in response to Skinny's suggestion, offering, "Skinny, I rather suspect that if we were to set fire to this building and walk away, the resulting explosion would devastate half the town. Best case scenario, adding fuel to the ongoing breach of an arcane core wouldn't help matters at all." Plot posted:After a few tense moments of observing the stairs, nothing more comes down. The animated broom continues its patrol across the landing ignoring the party of you. Plot posted:... a finely furnished library ... exquisite mahogany desk ... floor-to-ceiling bookshelves ... >> Investigate and Perception >> Scouring the library.__________________________________________________________________________________________ Passive: Perception (16) / Investigation (16) / Insight (14) / Darkvision (60') Effects: Resources:: Hit Dice (1/1d8) / Arrow (20) Livestock: Chickens (12) / Chicken Feed (100 pounds) Map / Journal __________________________________________________________________________________________ Waador fucked around with this message at 14:20 on Jun 23, 2018 |
|
#
?
Jun 23, 2018 14:07
|
|
|
"Skinny" Erevan "I'm not entirely sure your theory is correct," he muses, staying behind in the library while Mokrul goes about searching the books. "If such an arcane core were present within the house, the magical energies it would have emitted would have likely been picked up by my senses as I gave it a once-over; indeed, such a power would be hard to miss even to the non-magically inclined." He casually perused the books as he talked, though nothing of interest really stood out. "Let me expound upon my former suggestion; say there is an entity here, or at least a power that requires some sort of...nourishment; be it a fiend or another monster, or something less physical. The house is benign, yes, giving off an appearance of hospitality and pleasantry, the same way a carnivorous plant might give off a sickly sweet scent to lure in vermin for it to eat." The Firbolg sighs as his eyes glide over his half-elf companion going through his own routine of inspecting the bookshelves. "But I cannot shake the feeling that there is a darker turn of events waiting for us here, as soon as we discover the entity, or it decides it has tired waiting for us to stumble about; just as the villagers have all disappeared. The plant remains stationary until the vermin crawls in far enough; and then the jaws close shut, and it simply waits for its meal to dissolve." He shrugs. "La, it is what it is. I expect our upbringings have indeed colored these views in their own ways. We shall see who is correct sooner rather than later, I suspect."
|
|
#
?
Jun 23, 2018 15:57
|
|
|
Sergeant deWytte AC: 18 | HP: 12/12 | PP: 14 The Sergeant nods in agreement with Skinny. "Perhaps it's just my own background, but I'm inclined to agree-- better to assume there is some presence here in addition to the enchantments on the house. If this were a matter of pressing time, a hostage situation or some such, it might be different, but we have little to lose from caution." She raises her voice, projecting so Sorin and Roc can hear as they climb: "Even if we haven't encountered anything hostile yet, as far as I'm concerned, we should still be using breach-and-clear tactics: stay in groups of at least two, make sure each floor is clear as you climb, and remain in earshot of each other. If you two clear the third floor, we'll take this, and meet back up before clearing the attic." Turning back to Mokrul, Elayne smiles crookedly. "This will go more swiftly with more pairs of eyes. Let's hope whoever left this house behind also left behind a manual, or a journal cataloging their inexorable descent into madness, or an evil plan, hm?" Searching the library, but leaving the desk to Mokrul: Perception: 1d20+4 NATURAL 20 (24) Investigation: 1d20-1 4
|
|
#
?
Jun 23, 2018 17:00
|
|
|
Mokrul, Erevan & deWytte Mokrul inspects the desk, finding a large variety of fine writing supplies as well as a wooden seal with the design of a windmill on it. In the drawer of the desk he finds a large iron key and nothing else. Scouring the bookcase for anything noticable deWytte find books on almost every topic. Tomes about theoretical applications of magic and tactics in war sit next to novels and poetry. Towards the end of the row a large red book with no title on the spine. Curious, deWytte pulls on it; it only comes out halfway, before a loud clicking noise comes from behind it. In an instant that section of the bookcase swings inward, revealing a dust chocked hidden room behind the wall. Bookshelves line the walls of this hidden area, and a large wooden chest with clawed iron feet stands against the south wall, its lid half-closed. Collapsed onto the chest is a skeleton draped in the moldy remains of its owners clothing. Roc, Sorin & Lordorim Moving up the stairs the group finds themselves at the top of the marble staircase; it ends here on another grand landing. Oil lamps are mounted on the oak-paneled walls, which are carved with woodland scenes of trees, falling leaves, and tiny critters. Closer inspection reveals tiny corpses hanging from the trees and worms bursting up from the ground. Against the North wall sits another suit of armour, identical to the ones below. Ovo fucked around with this message at 21:06 on Jun 23, 2018 |
|
#
?
Jun 23, 2018 20:09
|
|
|
Mokrul Verdant Allweather > 8 / 8 HP / 13 ACPlot posted:... variety of fine writing supplies ... wooden seal with the design of a windmill on it ... large iron key. Plot posted:... a loud clicking noise comes from behind ... section of the bookcase swings inward. >> Investigate and Perception >> Giving the books on the shelves a second look.Not particularly keen on stealing the sergeant's thunder by rushing ahead of her into the room she had found, Mokrul opts to pull books off of the shelf and flip through them, curious to see if there are any hidden surprises to be found. A letter hidden in the pages of a book was a distinct possibility, as was one of those admittedly campy but effective storage lockers hidden within a book that had endured its pages being cut out to fit an object. The sort of thing one would miss just by looking at the covers, in any event. __________________________________________________________________________________________ Passive: Perception (16) / Investigation (16) / Insight (14) / Darkvision (60') Effects: Resources:: Hit Dice (1/1d8) / Arrow (20) / Iron key (library) Livestock: Chickens (12) / Chicken Feed (100 pounds) Map / Journal __________________________________________________________________________________________ Waador fucked around with this message at 21:14 on Jun 23, 2018 |
|
#
?
Jun 23, 2018 21:07
|
|
|
Lordorim Shambastik Lordorim looked along the reliefs on the wall as he and his companions did their initial search of the third floor. "I wonder if the macabre designs on the carvings are a product of the enchantment on this house, or if they were carved to look like that in the first place. It seems a little on the nose to me." He looked at the new suit of armour suspiciously and drew his sword back to poke at it, but then thought the better of it after the last moment of embarrassment. Instead, he joined Noroco near the two unexplored doors on this floor. He saw Noroco inspecting the top door and shuffled himself in carefully. "Our venture into this house have thus far been trap-less, but just to be on the safe side perhaps I should open the doors first?" He wait for Noroco to step a little way from the door, and then shield at the ready threw the door open and stepped inside sword and shield at the ready.
|
|
#
?
Jun 23, 2018 21:22
|
|
|
|
| # ? Apr 16, 2024 08:24 |
|
|
Noroco "Roc" Olvir The Shadow-Sorcerer "Alright, cover me. I'm going to see what is in this room." Noroco walks over to the door, casting a wary gaze at the suit of armor as he passes before trying to open it. When Lordorim volunteers to go in first though, Roc steps back and allows the fighter to go in first. As soon as the door opens (assuming it isn't locked), Noroco comes in just behind Lordorim, the final motions of a ray of fire ready in his hands.
|
|
#
?
Jun 23, 2018 21:26
|
|