Session
17:
Bump
in the Night
[JadedDM]: Ruebon 6th, Darkday; 10 bells.
Although early, the overcast skies block the sun considerably, making
this morning cool and dim. The party
(Gaheris, Jasmin, Aidan and Eskar) arrive at the Peur mansion, an impressive
two-story building at least five times the size of Gaheris' home.
The drapes on all of the windows are pulled closed, preventing anyone
from looking within. Lord Tyler
stands at the double front doors, looking anxious.
He is flanked by two guards as he awaits the party's arrival.
[Eskar]: Eskar stays toward the back of the party, remaining out of
sight and hopefully out of mind of Lord Tyler. He sneaks looks at the mansion,
clearly impressed.
[Aidan]: Aidan takes a look around as he steps closer to the front
doors, pulling his cloak tighter around him.
"No Tainted Hands or Meschior? Interesting."
[Jasmin]: Jasmin seems to be almost somber as she looks over the
mansion. "The Tainted Hands might all ready be inside, and Meschior is busy
with his temple."
[JadedDM]: Gaheris leads the way, approaching the nervous noble.
Lord Tyler seems a bit relieved to see them.
"Ah, you've arrived at last."
[Aidan]: Aidan gives Lord Tyler a quick bow of his head, though he
looks a bit less calm after Jasmin's words.
[Jasmin]: Once in front of Lord Tyler, Jasmin gives a small curtsy
to him. "Good morning, Lord," she says politely.
[Eskar]: Eskar pulls the goggles from his eyes up onto his forehead
and coughs. He looks down, and checks that his weapons are secure on his belt.
[JadedDM]:
[Jasmin]: "Is there anything we should know before we
begin?"
[JadedDM]:
[Jasmin]: Jasmin raises an eyebrow curiously before giving Lord
Tyler a charming smile. "We shall try our best."
[JadedDM]:
[Jasmin]: Jasmin bows her head before she steps up to the double
doors, then steps inside the mansion.
[Aidan]: Aidan scowls at the open doors for a moment, takes another
quick look around before following Jasmin inside.
"I'm sure the Tainted Hands will be more destructive than we could
be."
[Eskar]: Eskar follows right behind Aidan, not leaving much of a gap
between himself and the man.
[JadedDM]: Gaheris walks with them, saying nothing.
The party enters a very spacious room with a beautiful crystal chandelier
hanging from the ceiling. Two
staircases, one on either side, ascend to a balcony on the second floor.
There are sturdy, double doors made of oak on the right, left, and
between the staircases on the south (the party has entered from the north).
The guards close the front doors behind them.
[Jasmin]: Jasmin looks over her shoulder as the doors are closed,
then turns her attention to Aidan. "This would be a good time to let us
know how to deal with ghosts," she says softly.
[Aidan]: "Well... Loreleii told me these will likely be
invisible... And I suppose you three
will need magical weapons to attack them...."
[Eskar]: Eskar looks around and draws his sword. He moves over to
the door on the right and presses his ear against it, cupping his free hand
around it to amplify sounds.
[Jasmin]: "So then my swords will work against them?"
[JadedDM]: Gaheris: "Magical,
huh?" He digs around in his
pack and removes a satchel of arrows with blood red tips.
[Aidan]: Aidan takes a look at her swords.
"I suppose so. Also, I
should warn you, Loreleii told me that some undead can kill instantly.
She said poltergeists will usually try to scary people away and throw
things, though."
[Eskar]: Eskar abandons his efforts and looks on the group. He sighs
and munches down a piece of charcoal.
[JadedDM]: Suddenly, from all directions, the party hears sounds:
disturbing whispers, rattling, and creaks.
They seem to be coming from up above, to the left, and to the right.
These sounds persist for a few seconds and then die down just as quickly
and unexpectedly.
[Eskar]: Eskar opens the door on the right immediately at the
sounds.
[Jasmin]: Jasmin looks up towards the right. "Well, lets get
this over with," she says as she starts moving up the stairs towards her
right.
[JadedDM]: The doors swing open at Eskar's touch, but nobody is on
the other side. He sees what appears
to be a dining hall.
[Aidan]: Aidan looks around suspiciously even after the sounds die
down. "Silver weapons and
positive energy should work as well, actually."
He begins to walk towards the right and stands near Eskar.
[JadedDM]: Gaheris: "Swell.
That might have been helpful before we got here."
[Jasmin]: Jasmin pulls out Radiant
Star and Scalebiter.
"Positive energy?"
[Aidan]: "Well, unfortunately, I had less than a day to find
anything at all. If you had wanted
information earlier, then you should have looked it up yourself."
He nods to Jasmin. "I
had assumed Meschior might be able to fill that position."
[Eskar]: Eskar just sighs. "We are having what we have. Nothing
but to try, and fast. Before the others." He moves on into the next room to
inspect it.
[JadedDM]: Gaheris nocks an arrow and heads to the south, pushing
open the doors between the stairs and entering.
[Jasmin]: Jasmin follows after Gaheris with a small shrug, and
simply just takes in the mansion.
[Aidan]: Aidan follows after Eskar, looking back towards Gaheris and
Jasmin.
[JadedDM]: Jasmin and
Gaheris enter what appears to be a hallway, stretching from west to east.
They are in the center. There
are blue tapestries on either side of the door they just entered with geometric
designs. The velvet curtains have
been pulled over the windows, making the hallway seem dark.
[Jasmin]: Jasmin gives Radiant
Star a small shake so that it lights up the hallway. She takes a moment to
look around before she starts walking east.
[JadedDM]: Aidan and
Eskar enter what appears to be a dining hall.
This is a long room stretching north to south.
There are doors to the south and the east, as well as the western doors
they just entered from. A narrow oak
table stretches across the room, allowing at least 20 people to sit and eat.
Right now, though, the table is cleared.
Several chairs are knocked over and a golden candleholder on the table is
tipped over. Velvet curtains have
been drawn over the windows. A small
chandelier hangs from the ceiling, right over the table.
[JadedDM]: Gaheris
watches her depart, and then heads west himself.
[Jasmin]: Jasmin glances over her shoulder towards the departing
Gaheris. "By myself," she mutters as she continues going to east. She
looks for doors that she might be able to enter.
[Aidan]: Aidan looks around at the mess.
"Did it sound like those sounds came from this room?"
[Eskar]: Eskar looks and then at Aidan. "I am thinking this is
clear."
[JadedDM]: Jasmin
reaches the end of the hallway, and finds a pair of double doors to the north.
On either side of the doors is a pedestal with a blue vase on it.
[Jasmin]: Jasmin glances over the vases on either side of the door
before she reaches out to open the double doors.
[JadedDM]: The double
doors to the south move. Someone is
turning the door knob on the other side.
[Eskar]: The duergar nods. "Aye."
[Aidan]: "I suppose we can move..."
Aidan turns towards the doors as they move.
"Hello?" he calls.
[JadedDM]: As Jasmin
turns the knob to the doors, she hears a muffled voice on the other side say,
"Hello?"
[Eskar]: Eskar moves in between Aidan and the door, sword drawn.
[Jasmin]: Jasmin raises an eyebrow. "Hi," she says
cheerfully, not having a clue as to who is on the other side. "I'm going to
open the door now, so you might want to get out of the way."
She opens the double doors and steps inside the room.
[Eskar]: Eskar sighs, having been standing facing Jasmin with his
sword drawn. "You are going in a circle."
[Jasmin]: "Apparently," Jasmin says, looking and sounding
amused. "I'm going to circle back, and head up the stairs. Gaheris went
down the hall."
[Aidan]: "Well," Aidan says, "Perhaps it's best that
we all stay together."
[Eskar]: "We should not be leaving Gaheris alone." Eskar
looks doubtful, and starts into the room Jasmin came from.
[JadedDM]: There is a crash in the room Jasmin just left, like
something shattering.
[Aidan]: Aidan looks suspiciously at the room behind Jasmin, moving
closer cautiously.
[Jasmin]: Jasmin turns around quickly upon hearing the crash before
she dashes down the hallway she just came from.
[JadedDM]: Jasmin
finds that the left vase by the door has been knocked over.
It hit the ground and broke. There
is no sign of anyone nearby.
[Aidan]: Aidan sighs before picking up his pace and running after
her.
[JadedDM]: They enter a hallway's end, with the drapes pulled over
the windows here, as well. A nearby
blue vase has been knocked over, and shattered.
There is no sign of anyone else nearby.
[Jasmin]: "I all ready hate this," Jasmin says as she
points to the vase with Radiant Star.
[Eskar]: Eskar bends down to examine the vase.
[Aidan]: Aidan scowls at the room around them, then begins chanting
as he pulls some powders from his component pouches.
[JadedDM]: The vase was probably fairly expensive, made of clay
and had artistic designs on it.
[Eskar]: Eskar gets back to his feet and continues down the hall,
presumably after Gaheris.
[Jasmin]: Jasmin watches Eskar move down the hall, then turns her
attention to Aidan.
[JadedDM]: Eskar moves down the hall, coming to double doors in
the center, with blue tapestries on either side of it.
They bear the same designs as the vase.
[Aidan]: Aidan finishes his chant and moves his hands about him, then
casts pinches of two different powders about him.
He looks around the room once he's finished.
[Eskar]: Out of silly suspicion, Eskar checks behind the tapestries.
[JadedDM]: Eskar finds stone walls.
[Eskar]: The duergar shrugs and moves through the doors,
intentionally leaving them open.
[Aidan]: Aidan scowls and looks at Jasmin.
"Nothing. We should move
quickly... I'll be able to see whatever is causing this while my spell is
active, but it won't last long."
[Jasmin]: Jasmin shakes her head as she starts walking down the
hall towards the double doors that Eskar is near. "That just leads to the
main room, Eskar."
[Aidan]: "Should we go after Gaheris?"
[Jasmin]: "Gaheris can take care of himself," Jasmin says
almost bitterly as she moves through the double doors. "Like I said, I'm
going upstairs."
[JadedDM]: Eskar swings the doors open and Jasmin barges back into
the main room. However, there is
someone else there. Not Gaheris.
Rather, it is Kricket. He
holds up his rapier, but lowers it upon seeing them.
"Ah, so you did make it after all."
[Aidan]: Aidan steps quickly after the two, scanning the room before
giving Kricket his attention.
[Jasmin]: Jasmin stops in mid-step upon seeing Kricket. "Were
you hoping we wouldn't make it?" she asks.
[JadedDM]: Kricket: "Well,
it's quite dangerous here. Not sure
what it is we're facing exactly, but...whatever it is, it can be sure to be
nasty."
[Jasmin]: "All ready faced it once?"
[JadedDM]: Kricket: "Perhaps.
Have you?"
[Eskar]: Eskar continues down the hallway west.
[Jasmin]: "Maybe," she says, looking over her shoulder as
Eskar moves off.
[JadedDM]: Eskar
leaves the rest of the party and returns to the hall.
At the far west end, it looks identical to the east end--complete with
double doors and a pair of blue vases on pedestals.
[Aidan]: Aidan turns back as Jasmin looks, then moves back into the
hall and after Eskar.
[JadedDM]: Kricket
notices the two depart. "Your
friends are in a hurry, it seems."
[Eskar]: The grey dwarf trudges down the corridor, slowing so Aidan
can catch him. He heads for the doors at the west end of the hall.
[JadedDM]: Aidan
catches up with Eskar at the end of the west hall, which looks just like the
east hall's end. There are double
doors to the north and two pedestals with blue vases upon them.
[Jasmin]: "It seems like it," Jasmin says, sounding
amused once again. "It is a big mansion, so it is probably going to take
some time."
[Aidan]: Aidan quickens his pace as he catches up with Eskar, sparing
only a moment to look at the vases before he moves to open the double doors.
[JadedDM]: Kricket,
however, seems to be in no hurry. He
casually walks up to her, sheathing his rapier.
"How have you been, my dear? I
haven't had the pleasure of seeing you since the ball incident."
He kisses her hand.
[Jasmin]: "Have you missed my company that much, Kricket?"
Jasmin smiles faintly at the older man as she sheathes Scalebiter. Radiant Start
is still giving off its light.
[JadedDM]: Aidan
pushes open the doors to reveal a room stretching north to south, very similar
to the dining hall. This looks to be
a waiting room of some sort for visitors. There
are double doors to the right and left, as well as the ones they just opened to
the south. At the far north is a
fireplace with chairs and a couch facing it.
The fireplace is empty. There
is a mural on the west wall of a red dragon killing a gold dragon (both have
riders).
[JadedDM]: Kricket:
"I have," he says, his eyes shining.
"I do hope you will reconsider joining us, however."
[Aidan]: The mage scans the new room as he waits for Eskar to take
the lead.
[Eskar]: Eskar wanders over to the mural and considers it for a
moment. "I am recognizing this... But... Oh well." He heads for the
door on the West wall.
[Jasmin]: "Why are you keeping the offer open?" Jasmin
asks as she casually, slowly starts to walk past him towards the stairs off to
her right.
[Aidan]: Aidan follows Eskar to the west door.
[JadedDM]: Eskar
quickly moves on, pushing open the west doors.
This appears to be servants' quarters.
It's a very large, spacious room with a number of windows, all draped.
There are about fifty beds crammed into this room, all messed up.
Gaheris is in here, examining one of the beds.
He quickly turns his arrow at Eskar when he swings open the doors.
[JadedDM]: Kricket:
"I have hope that you will change your mind."
[Aidan]: Aidan peers into the room and steps into it.
"Hello, Gaheris. Anything
unusual?"
[Jasmin]: Jasmin steps up on the first step before she glances over
her shoulder to Kricket, her free hand moving to rest upon the banister.
"If I did join, which my answer is still no, what would you do with
me?"
[JadedDM]: Gaheris
slowly lowers his arrow. "No,
not yet," he says. He examines
under a bed.
[Eskar]: The dwarf stares at Gaheris, and then furrows his brows.
"You are checking for more than ghosts?"
[JadedDM]: Kricket:
"I think my first act would be to take you out for a night of
celebration."
[Jasmin]: "A night of celebration. Now would that be just the
two of us, or would you invite your sons as well?"
[JadedDM]: Kricket
grins. "That would be up to you
entirely, my dear."
[Aidan]: After making a quick scan around the room, Aidan notes the
lack of extra doors. "None for
us, either. Besides a shattered
vase, at least." He looks to
Eskar. "Perhaps we should turn
back?"
[Jasmin]: "I don't think you would be able to handle me all by
yourself." She smiles brightly towards him. "Speaking of by myself,
are you really going to allow me to go up these stairs alone?"
[JadedDM]: Gaheris
picks up a pillow and tosses it to the mage.
"Look at this," he says. The
pillow appears to have been torn to shreds.
[JadedDM]: Kricket:
"You wish an escort, my dear?"
[Eskar]: The duergar nods to Aidan and turns to go before stopping
when Gaheris throws the pillow. "Why torn? Someone is having a very bad
dream?"
[Aidan]: Aidan steps to the side as the pillow falls near him, and
then bends to pick it up and examine it.
[Jasmin]: "Two are better than one."
[JadedDM]: Kricket
nods. "As you wish.
I could never say no to a lady."
He walks up to the stairs with her.
[Aidan]: "Is there something in particular I should see?"
[JadedDM]: Gaheris:
"You're the expert. Is
that something a ghost would do?"
[Jasmin]: "I'm sure you've said no plenty of times, Kricket. I
think you just like me," she says teasingly before she moves up the rest of
the stairs.
[JadedDM]: Kricket:
"It is difficult not to like someone so charming and beautiful,
yes?" he asks as they ascend to the balcony.
There are two doors up here, one on either side.
[Aidan]: "Well, if Lord Tyler is afraid of torn pillows,
perhaps. I have heard that they
might be more interested in throwing things and making noises and such,
though."
[Jasmin]: "I'm just a commoner. I'm nothing like the nobles
you mingle with." Jasmin moves to the door on her left, as if she knew
where she was going, and slowly opens it.
[JadedDM]: Gaheris
shrugs. "I'll continue
looking," he says, turning back to the beds.
[JadedDM]: Kricket
chuckles. "There is nothing at
all common about you, my dear." Jasmin
enters the door with Kricket right behind her.
It takes her to a single, narrow hallway with another door on the end and
a second door to the north.
[Aidan]: "Perhaps it's not ghosts that we're looking for, then.
Still, best to be prepared for the worst."
He turns to Eskar again. "Back
the way we came, then?"
[Eskar]: Eskar tugs on Aidan's sleeve, and heads all the way east
back to the Dining Hall to explore the last door there. "I am thinking that
maybe now ghost? Maybe person?"
[Aidan]: "I think I might agree," Aidan says as he keeps up
with the dwarf. "At least we
might find something more suited to our talents."
[Jasmin]: Jasmin glances down the hall, taking note of the doors,
and then walks down to the door to the north. "You certainly do know all of
the right words to say, don't you?" Jasmin asks. "I wonder how much
you actually know about me."
[JadedDM]: Eskar and
Aidan return to the waiting room, but now find that the fireplace has been
filled with wood and lit. However,
there is no sign of anyone around.
[JadedDM]: Kricket:
"Not nearly as much as I would like to," he admits, following
her north. They find themselves in a
study. The walls are lined with
bookshelves. There's a fireplace,
empty, and a leather-bound chair for curling up with a good book.
There are doors to the right and left.
[Eskar]: Eskar looks at it dumbfounded. He moves over to the
fireplace, inspecting it.
[JadedDM]: Stepping
closer, Eskar can see something moving around in the fire itself.
[Aidan]: Aidan looks around the room, looking for other doors nearby.
[JadedDM]: There are
doors to the west (where they came from), the east, and the south.
[Jasmin]: "That is vague," Jasmin says as she moves into
the study. "What would you like to know?" she asks as she walks
towards the right door.
[Eskar]: Eskar makes a noise akin to yelping and grabs for a poker
or clamps or other such fireplace tools to get at something in the fire.
[Aidan]: Aidan looks concerned as he moves closer to Eskar.
"What happened?"
[JadedDM]: Kricket
blinks as Jasmin moves onward without even looking around.
He tries to keep up. "Well,
what qualities do you look for in a man?" he asks slyly as they enter
another short corridor. There are
some glass doors to the north and another door to the far east.
[JadedDM]: Eskar grabs
a nearby fire poker next to the fireplace.
[Jasmin]: "This isn't going to turn into some attempt to hook
me up with one of your sons is it?" she asks, while moving to the glass
doors curiously.
[Aidan]: Aidan rubs his eyes for a moment.
"So much for seeing any ghosts," he mutters.
He peers into the fireplace at the thing Eskar has spotted.
[JadedDM]: Kricket:
"Why should they get all of the fun?" he teases.
The glass doors are draped in velvet curtains.
[JadedDM]: Looking
closely, Aidan can see something squatting in the fireplace, too.
But he cannot make it out.
[Eskar]: Eskar tries to get the thing out of the fireplace somehow.
[Aidan]: Aidan makes a face. "What
is that?"
[JadedDM]: As soon as
Eskar jabs the poker into the fire, a gout of flame erupts from the
fireplace...as if the fireplace itself were spitting at him.
[Jasmin]: Jasmin runs her fingers down the velvet curtains with a
small smile, as if she likes the touch of them. "Spontaneous men. I like
the unpredictable when it comes to men. The more spontaneous, the more attracted
I am."
[Aidan]: Aidan steps back quickly.
"Okay. That's not very
pleasant."
[Eskar]: [1d20] -> [3] = (3)
[JadedDM]: Kricket:
"I would expect nothing less from you."
He touches the curtains himself and then draws them forward a bit.
"Ah, a balcony."
[Eskar]: Eskar drops the poker to pat at his beard as he spins out
of the way of the fire a bit too late. "Trouble. Maybe Ghosts after
all."
[JadedDM]: During the
chaos, they hear insane snickering as something small and leathery leaps out of
the fire and behind the drapes of a nearby window.
[Jasmin]: Jasmin moves to open the glass doors now that he has
mentioned that it is a balcony. "Isn't this an odd place for a
balcony?" she asks. "Of course, I don't happen to be in mansions a
lot, so what do I know?"
[Eskar]: Eskar rushes to make sure all doors are shut before
approaching the thing behind the drapes. "I am not thinking that was
funny."
[Aidan]: Aidan raises an eyebrow and, leaving Eskar to pat himself
down, moves cautiously towards the drapes the thing ran behind.
[JadedDM]: Kricket:
"I imagine it's rather romantic at night," he says as they step
out. The balcony looks over the
city, giving a nice view. Or it
would be nice, were it not for the grey, dull skies this morning.
[JadedDM]: Now and
again, Aidan sees something wriggle from behind the curtains.
It appears to be climbing them.
[Jasmin]: Jasmin takes in the view quietly for a few moments.
"I've never had a lot of romance, so it is a little hard to imagine."
[JadedDM]: Kricket:
"Perhaps you just haven't found the right man," he suggests.
"Ah, gargoyles," he says. On
either side of the stone railing is a small gargoyle.
They are ugly, goblinoid-looking creatures with bat-like wings and
grotesque expressions.
[Aidan]: Aidan scowls at the creature and grabs at the curtain,
stepping back and pulling on it to look at the opposite side.
[JadedDM]: More
laughter, and suddenly the curtains are cut loose.
They fall over Eskar and Aidan. They
hear something moving on the ceiling and then hear a door open and close south
of them as they struggle with the heavy drapes.
[Jasmin]: Jasmin looks up to the gargoyles curiously before she
wrinkles her nose. "Someone should speak to Lord Tyler about his
tastes," Jasmin teases. "I don't think we are going to find much else
out here."
[JadedDM]: Kricket:
"Agreed. He opens the
glass doors and stands aside like a gentleman, letting her in first."
[Eskar]: Once free of the drapes, Eskar rights himself. "Maybe
not ghosts. Maybe it is so small to see... And quiet." Eskar says this
while charging at the southern door.
[Aidan]: Aidan grumbles as he fights his way free of the drapes, then
follows after Eskar.
[Jasmin]: Jasmin smiles pleasantly towards Kricket as she steps
back inside the hallway. "As for finding the right man...you are probably
right."
[JadedDM]: Aidan and
Eskar hurry to the southern doors and step through.
The moment they do, a vase nearly crashes into them, smashing up against
the wall.
[JadedDM]: Kricket:
"You shall someday. If
you have not all ready," he says.
[Eskar]: Eskar looks around for something small and probably flying,
ignoring the vase.
[Jasmin]: "Have not all ready?" Jasmin asks curiously as
she moves back to the study.
[JadedDM]: Whatever
threw the vase has gone missing again.
[JadedDM]: Kricket:
"You never know. You may
have found him and just not realized it yet."
[Aidan]: Aidan yells a curse as he steps back away from the falling
vase. He looks around after he gets
over the shock.
[Jasmin]: Jasmin seems rather amused at the idea even as she
finally starts to take in the study. She walks over to the fireplace and chair
semi-curiously. "How could one not realize it, I wonder?"
[Eskar]: The dwarf signals Aidan to continue down the hall as he
checks behind some drapes from an angle at which they are unlikely to fall on
him.
[JadedDM]: Kricket:
"I've seen it before. Sometimes
you feel a way without even knowing about it until it is too late."
He sets his hand on the chair's back end and squeezes it.
[Aidan]: Aidan looks behind them into the room they just came from
for a moment, and then continues slowly down the hall, looking about him as he
goes.
[JadedDM]: Eskar
checks each curtain diligently, but finds nothing more out of the ordinary.
[Jasmin]: Jasmin looks over to Kricket in that instant, as if
realizing something. "You are speaking about Liam's mother, aren't
you?"
[JadedDM]: Kricket
blanches but quickly recomposes himself. "Ah...well,
perhaps." He walks to a
bookshelf and begins looking at the titles.
[Eskar]: With a sigh, the duergar gives up and heads for the dining
hall.
[Jasmin]: Jasmin smiles as she watches the older man before she
looks over a few of the bookshelves herself. "Shall we move on?"
[JadedDM]: Kricket
nods. "As you wish."
[Aidan]: "This is quickly becoming very frustrating," Aidan
sighs as he moves with Eskar. "Perhaps
we should find the others and tell them what we saw."
[Jasmin]: Jasmin runs her fingers through her hair before she moves
to the door that they didn't take.
[JadedDM]: The pair
returns to the dining room. However,
they now find that the candleholder is standing up again and lit.
[Eskar]: Eskar growls and calls out. "Alright thing. Come out,
I am being tired of you."
[JadedDM]: Jasmin and
Kricket enter what appears to be Lord Tyler's bedroom.
There are two single doors: the
one they just entered from and one to the south.
The room houses a double bed stuffed with goose down and dark blue linen.
An oak armoire, a dresser, and a full-sized mirror are also found within.
All of the windows are draped.
[Aidan]: "At least it had the courtesy to light the candle.
It seems to like flame, doesn't it?"
[Jasmin]: "Oh, to have a bedroom like this," Jasmin says
almost dreamingly as she moves to plop down on Lord Tyler's bed, as she'll
probably never get the chance to again.
[JadedDM]: Kricket:
"You realize, were you to join us, you could afford such
splendor," he says, fingering the bed sheets.
[Eskar]: Eskar nods. "I am thinking there is maybe one or more
and that is all. It was cutting the wall sheets... you know... covering the
window? And the pillow is cut. I am thinking it has claws and makes fire. You
know such a thing?"
[Jasmin]: "Probably, but you three spend your time at the Wolf
Blaze Inn. I wouldn't exactly call that...splendor." Jasmin stretches her
arms over her head, simply enjoying the feel of the linen under her for a little
while.
[Aidan]: "Not very especially, no.
It sounds vaguely familiar, though. Perhaps
the others might know...?"
[JadedDM]: Kricket:
"Only because we choose to. The
boys worry if we get a house of our own, we will be tempted to settle down and
retire." He strokes his beard.
"I, on the other hand, wouldn't mind a nice mansion like this."
[Jasmin]: "You aren't actually considering becoming one of
those boring, nobles are you?" Jasmin asks as she pushes herself up.
[JadedDM]: Kricket
laughs. "Perish the thought.
But just because we're adventurers doesn't mean we can't have some of the
good life, eh?" he asks, sitting down on the bed himself.
[Eskar]: "Maybe..." The dwarf shrugs.
[Jasmin]: Jasmin runs her fingers through the linen. "Having
some of the good life isn't a bad thing, just as long as it isn't the only thing
you want I guess," she says with a small shrug. "I like nice things,
but I wouldn't want to be pampered all the time."
[JadedDM]: Kricket:
"No? Even if you had a
man who wanted to pamper you?"
[Aidan]: Aidan sighs and steps forward to examine the candle a
moment, then moves towards the nearest door.
[Jasmin]: Jasmin seems to consider this for a good minute or two
before answering. "Even with a good man, I wouldn't want it all the
time."
[JadedDM]: Kricket:
"But now and again wouldn't be so bad, eh?"
[JadedDM]: Aidan heads
to the east door then.
[Jasmin]: Jasmin nods in agreement. "I've not driven by that
want though," Jasmin stands up from the bed only to walk over to the mirror
to look into it.
[Eskar]: Eskar follows.
[JadedDM]: Kricket
takes a moment to lie down as well. "Hmm,
that is rather soft."
[Aidan]: Aidan grabs the East door's handle, and then slowly pulls it
open, looking into the room behind it as he does.
[JadedDM]: They enter
what appears to be a kitchen and larder. This
large room is where the servants prepare meals and where the food is stored.
There is a maze of blood stained counters snaking the room.
A number of kitchen utensils and plates have been strewn about
carelessly.
[Jasmin]: "Don't fall asleep now." Jasmin continues to
look over herself in the mirror, almost with a critical look.
[JadedDM]: Kricket
sits up. "Odd...we haven't run
into anyone yet."
[Aidan]: Aidan's eyes widen as pulls the door open completely.
"I don't believe we've been in here before."
[Jasmin]: "I was thinking the same thing," Jasmin pulls
her gaze from the mirror towards the other door in the room. "Matter of
fact, it has been oddly quiet."
[Eskar]: Eskar looks around with obvious paranoia. "I hope
there are none here." He digs about half-heartedly for a knife that looks
like it might be made of silver.
[JadedDM]: Kricket:
"Hope the boys are all right."
[JadedDM]: Eskar goes
through the drawers, and does find a set of silver utensils in one of them.
They look brand new, never used.
[Jasmin]: "Ah, the father worried about his sons. How
sweet," she teases, though she seems to study the look on his face.
[Aidan]: Aidan slowly makes his way around the room, inspecting the
blood on the counters.
[JadedDM]: Kricket
stands up. "I should probably
go and look for them. Make sure they
aren't getting into mischief."
[Eskar]: The duergar sheathes his sword and takes a silver steak
knife, tucking it into his belt. He looks around for anything that is scratched
or on fire.
[Jasmin]: Jasmin giggles lightly. "Go on. You don't have to
keep me company. I can take care of myself," she says, moving towards the
untouched door.
[JadedDM]: The blood
stains are quite old from what Aidan can tell.
As they are looking around, they hear something clatter, as a dozen
utensils fall to the floor on the other end of the room, behind one of the
counters.
[JadedDM]: Kricket
bows politely to her, and then exits the way they came.
[Aidan]: Aidan looks up quickly at the noise and walk towards its
source.
[Jasmin]: With a snicker, Jasmin opens the door once Kricket
leaves.
[JadedDM]: The door
does not open. It is locked.
[Eskar]: Eskar stays back so that he can observe the situation
properly.
[Jasmin]: "Oh, come on," Jasmin tugs on the door a few
times just to see if it will budge at all.
[JadedDM]: Aidan finds
a set of utensils lying on the floor in a pile.
He catches some movement from the corner of his eye.
[JadedDM]: The door is
not jammed, merely locked.
[Jasmin]: Jasmin moves from the door, and walks to the armoire,
looking for a key that could open the door.
[Aidan]: Aidan turns away from the pile, looking for whatever had
moved.
[JadedDM]: Jasmin
opens the armoire and finds many fancy clothes; tunics, leggings, cloaks and
gloves. No key, however.
[JadedDM]: Aidan finds
it is just an overturned pan. He
realizes the movement he saw was a reflection of something up above in the pan.
[Jasmin]: Jasmine moves from the armoire, to the dresser still
searching for a key.
[JadedDM]: Jasmin
searches through the dresser, although many of the drawers are also locked.
No key in the ones that are unlocked, however.
Some parchment, ink vials, and quills only.
[Aidan]: Aidan looks up.
[JadedDM]: He sees a
creature crawling along the ceiling slowly.
It kind of looks like a cross between a lizard and a bat, but is just
over a foot in size.
[Jasmin]: Jasmin looks over the rest of the room before she finally
moves out of the room the way that she came. She walks back towards the main
room where the stairs were, and heads to the door that she didn't walk into
before.
[JadedDM]: Jasmin
finds this door is also locked.
[Aidan]: Aidan raises an eyebrow and moves to follow its path along
the ceiling, a hand moving slowly towards his component pouch.
"Hello?"
[Jasmin]: "All these doors are locked now? For someone who
wants us to find a ghost, he isn't making it very easy," she says to
herself as she moves down the stairs. She walks to the doors that Gaheris and
she had previous walked through, and then turns west down the hall.
[JadedDM]: Jasmin
returns down into the main hall, and descends the staircase.
Nobody is about.
[JadedDM]: The
creature Aidan sees looks down at him, hisses, and then starts to scurry toward
the west door.
[Jasmin]: Jasmin grips Radiant
Star and moves through the doors that Gaheris and she had gone through
before.
[Aidan]: Aidan quickly tries to pull a vial of molasses from his
pouches and chants an incantation.
[JadedDM]: As Jasmin
walks under the chandelier, she hears something creak up above.
Suddenly, the entire thing comes crashing down on her.
[Jasmin]: [1d20] -> [20] = (20)
[JadedDM]: Jasmin
nimbly leaps out of the way just before the chandelier hits and shatters.
[Eskar]: Eskar presses his back against the door, hoping to rob the
critter of the ability to get to the door. He draws his sword. "Stop. What
are you?"
[JadedDM]: The
creature responds by spreading its wings and leaping at Eskar.
[JadedDM]:
(Roll initiative.)
[Aidan]: [1d10] => [2] = (2)
[Eskar]: [1d10] -> [2] = (2)
[Jasmin]: Jasmin lets out a small scream as the chandelier just
misses her. "What in the...?"
[JadedDM]:
Creature's turn.
[JadedDM]: The
creature leaps at Eskar, claws flailing, but he's able to keep it off of him and
toss it aside.
[JadedDM]:
Aidan's turn.
[Jasmin]: After taking a few moments to compose herself, she looks
up from where the chandelier fell to see if she can see anything.
[JadedDM]: Jasmin
doesn't see anything unusual.
[Jasmin]: Jasmin shakes her head before she walks around the
chandelier to the door that she was trying to get to.
[Aidan]: Aidan finishes his incantation and gestures at the
lizard-bat, the spell emptying his vial of a drop of molasses.
[JadedDM]: Immediately,
the creature begins to slow down considerably, as if moving through molasses
itself. It's only half as fast now.
[JadedDM]:
Eskar's turn.
[JadedDM]: Jasmin
enters the large hallway once again.
[Jasmin]: As Jasmin has all ready walked east, she now walks west.
Though, she is being just a little more careful now after the chandelier almost
tried to kill her.
[Eskar]: [1d20] -> [1] = (1)
[JadedDM]: Jasmin
reaches the end of the west side, and finds that one of the vases has been
shattered.
[Eskar]: Eskar's sword hits something expensive that he wasn't
counting on and is knocked from his hands. He curses and pulls the knife out.
[JadedDM]:
(Round 2 actions?)
[Jasmin]: "Matches the east door," she mutters to herself
as she carefully opens the door.
[Eskar]: Eskar attacks with the silver knife and continues to guard
the doorway.
[Aidan]: Aidan steps forward and begins another spell's incantation.
[JadedDM]: Jasmin
enters a waiting room of sorts. It's
a long room, stretching north to south. There
are more double doors to the west and east sides.
To the far north is a lit fireplace, a couch, and a number of chairs.
A mural depicting a red dragon killing a gold dragon is on the west wall.
Liam is examining the fireplace.
[Aidan]: [1d10] => [6] = (6)
[Eskar]: [1d10] -> [5] = (5)
[JadedDM]:
Aidan's turn.
[Jasmin]: Jasmin looks over the room curiously before she quietly
walks up behind Liam. Once behind him, she looks over his shoulder to the
fireplace. "Anything interesting?" she asks softly.
[JadedDM]: Liam turns
to face her. "Oh, you.
I thought you were father." He
looks back to the fireplace. "Look
at this." He indicates the
nearby window. The curtain has been
torn off of it and now lies on the ground.
[Aidan]: Aidan stretches his fingers into strange positions as he
finishes his chant, finally casting a hand at the creature as bolts of energy
leave his fingertips.
[Jasmin]: "Oh, you. Well, nice to see you too," she says
with a smirk before she looks towards the window and curtain. "All the
windows in this place are usually covered," she says, moving to gently pick
up the curtain from the floor.
[Aidan]: [3d4+3] => [1,3,1,3] = (8)
[JadedDM]: Looking
closely, it appears something tore through the curtain from the top.
[Jasmin]: "I wonder what did this...and why," she says
out loud, and more to herself than anything else.
[JadedDM]: Liam:
"Ghost?"
[Aidan]: The bolts slam the slow-moving creature into the floor with
a crash.
[JadedDM]:
Eskar's turn.
[Eskar]: [1d20-2] -> [16,-2] = (14)
[Jasmin]: "I don't think a ghost could tear through a
curtain."
[JadedDM]: Liam:
"Know a lot about ghosts, do you?"
[Eskar]: Eskar curses as the knife makes contact with the creature
only to bounce off. "This isn't working."
[JadedDM]:
Creature's turn.
[JadedDM]: The
creature slowly bites at Eskar, but he's able to avoid it.
It then goes for the doors.
[JadedDM]:
(Round 3?)
[Eskar]: For lack of better things to do, Eskar tries to hold the
thing down with his body, motioning Aidan to help.
[Aidan]: Aidan takes a glance at his staff, then decides to assist
Eskar.
[Aidan]: [1d10] => [3] = (3)
[Jasmin]: "Sure. Why not?" she says with a small shrug.
"I just don't think a ghost did it is all."
[Eskar]: [1d10] -> [7] = (7)
[JadedDM]: Liam:
"Then what?"
[JadedDM]:
(Both of you make attack rolls with a +8 bonus.)
[Eskar]: [1d20+8] -> [2,8] = (10)
[Jasmin]: "Maybe the same thing that tried to kill me with a
chandelier in the main hall. I did hear someone walking up above, I
thought."
[Aidan]: [1d20+8] => [7,8] = (15)
[JadedDM]: Working
together, the two pin the creature down to the floor.
[JadedDM]: Liam:
"The chandelier?"
[Jasmin]: Jasmin gives a small nod. "I heard some steps, and
then the chandelier fell."
[JadedDM]: Liam: "You
were lucky you weren't hurt then. That
thing was quite large."
[Eskar]: The duergar concentrates fiercely before becoming a very
large dwarf. He looks at Aidan. "Go. Get Jasmin or Gaheris. I wait
here."
[Aidan]: Aidan gets up slowly, and then runs out of the room and
towards the room where he last saw Jasmin.
[Jasmin]: "I was able to leap out of the way just in time.
Being a dancer helps from time to time." Jasmin smiles faintly, letting the
curtain drop from her fingers. "Your father was with me earlier. He said he
was coming to look for you and Cardel."
[JadedDM]: Aidan
hurries into the dining room to the west, but finds nobody inside.
[JadedDM]: The
creature chatters and babbles in some strange tongue while struggling in vain.
[JadedDM]: Liam nods.
"I'm glad you're all right then.
I ran into Cardel upstairs. I
think he's still up there."
[Aidan]: After gasping for a moment, Aidan runs towards the room
where he last saw Gaheris.
[Eskar]: Eskar holds it down, not letting it get an inch of space.
"Can you be speaking my language?"
[JadedDM]: Aidan
proceeds west then, into the main entrance hall.
To his surprise, he finds the chandelier has fallen and crashed to the
floor. He sees no blood or any sign
of a body, though.
[JadedDM]: The
creature does not respond in any way Eskar can understand.
[Jasmin]: "Upstairs where? I was just up there. The door in
Lord Tyler's bedroom is locked, and the door on the west is locked
upstairs."
[JadedDM]: Liam:
"Last I saw him, he was on the east side."
[Aidan]: Aidan moves to examine the chandelier, then heads for the
room with the stairs and climbs them to the next floor.
[Eskar]: Eskar just sits tight, waiting.
[JadedDM]: Aidan
climbs the stairs to the balcony up above. There
are two doors, one on either side of him.
[Aidan]: Aidan takes the left door.
[JadedDM]: Aidan finds
himself in a small hallway. There
are doors to the north and east.
[JadedDM]: The
creature squirms. The spell on it
wears off, but this doesn't help it any in escaping.
[Aidan]: Aidan hesitates, listening as he moves to stand closer to
the two doors.
[Jasmin]: "Well, I guess I'll leave you to do whatever it is
you do," she says with a small smile. "Thanks for the concern by the
way." Jasmin kisses his cheek before she moves back into the hallway that
she came from.
[JadedDM]: He can't
hear anything unusual.
[Aidan]: Aidan takes the east door.
[JadedDM]: Jasmin
returns to the hallway where the shattered vase is.
[Jasmin]: Jasmin walks back to the doors that she walked in front,
and steps back into the main hall once again.
[Eskar]: Eskar calls on the patience of his ancestors and race to
sit there pinning the thing down. "Just be calm. We may not kill. Only if
you stay still."
[JadedDM]: Aidan
enters what appears to be a nursery, although it looks abandoned and neglected.
There is dust everywhere, and the only thing of note in the small room is
a half-built cradle that looks about ready to fall apart.
There is another door to the north.
[JadedDM]: Jasmin
returns to the main hall where the fallen chandelier lies.
[Aidan]: Aidan steps carefully through the dust towards the north
door.
[Jasmin]: Jasmin walks around the fallen chandelier to move up the
east side staircase.
[JadedDM]: Aidan
enters a bedroom that looks equally dusty and neglected.
It holds a double-bed stuffed with goosefeathers and dark blue linen.
There is an oak armoire (one of the doors on it has come loose and is
swinging slightly), a broken full-sized mirror, and a dresser with missing
drawers.
[JadedDM]: Jasmin
finds herself on the balcony once again.
[Jasmin]: Jasmin glances around then walks to the door on the right
only to carefully open it.
[Aidan]: Aidan looks at the broken furniture for a moment, and then
looks around for any other doors.
[JadedDM]: Aidan spots
a door on the left.
[JadedDM]: Jasmin
heads into the east door, reaching a hallway with three more doors.
One to the north, one to the south, and one to the east.
[Aidan]: Aidan inspects the furniture briefly before moving on.
[Jasmin]: Jasmin grips Radiant Star for a bit of comfort as she
moves to the door on the east.
[JadedDM]: Aidan
enters a new room, this one containing a number of impressive items.
The walls are decorated with weapons and shields.
There are stands and shelves containing a number of trophies and cultural
artifacts. The floor itself has an
owlbear skin rug! There is one door,
to the west.
[JadedDM]: Jasmin
enters what appears to be a nursery. However,
it looks abandoned and neglected. It's
covered in dust and the only thing of interest is a half-constructed cradle in
the center. The wood on the cradle
appears to have rotted a bit from the years.
There is a door to the north.
[Jasmin]: Jasmin slowly walks over to the half constructed cradle
curiously. "Planned to have children maybe?" she asks herself.
[Aidan]: Aidan walks carefully through the room, taking in all the
items. He steps over to the west
door.
[JadedDM]: Aidan steps
into a hallway. There are glass
doors to the north, covered in drapes. To
the west is another door. Just as he
enters, Cardel comes wandering through the glass doors.
[JadedDM]: As Jasmin
examines the cradle, she hears something move from under it.
[JadedDM]: Eskar is
left to his own devices for awhile. Eventually,
the door opens again. But this time
it is not Aidan, nor Jasmin or Gaheris. Rather,
it is Liam. He spots the oversized
dwarf quite easily.
[Eskar]: Eskar looks at Liam expressionlessly. "Morning."
[Jasmin]: Jasmin frowns faintly, yet she pushes the cradle a little
to the side to see what is under it.
[Aidan]: Aidan stops in the doorway, looking towards the room past
Cardel and the glass doors.
[JadedDM]: Liam, his
bow still over his shoulder, casts the dwarf a strange look.
"What are you doing?"
[JadedDM]: Something
small and leathery bounds out from under the cradle, between her legs, and
behind the curtains of the windows to the south.
[Eskar]: Eskar looks at the creature then back to Liam.
"Waiting."
[JadedDM]: Cardel
turns to the mage in surprise. "Oh,
it's you. The mage guy.
Airellian or something, right?"
[JadedDM]: Liam:
"Hoping the ghost will come to you, is that it?"
[Jasmin]: Jasmin walks to the curtains the thing decided to hide
behind. She points her Radiant Star at the curtains as she pushes it back to get
a better look at whatever the thing is.
[Aidan]: "Yes," Aidan says flatly. "Sure."
Aidan walks over to the west door and opens it as he talks.
"And how are you, Cadmus?"
[JadedDM]: The
curtains come down on top of her, draping over her.
She hears the creature skitter to the north.
[JadedDM]: "Cardel,"
he corrects absently. "Looking
for a ghost. I think it was scared
off when it heard the Tainted Hands arrived."
[Eskar]: The duergar furrows his brow momentarily then shrugs.
"Seems silly to run, you are seeing. Ghost will come. It is like hunting in
the caves."
[Jasmin]: Jasmin groans as she struggles with the curtains. She
pulls them over her head, and moves towards the door that is to the north.
"Probably just a rat anyway," she mutters in annoyance.
[JadedDM]: Liam shakes
his head. "Only a dwarf would
be lazy enough to sit on his rear end and wait for his quarry to find him."
[Aidan]: "Ah, I'm sure."
Aidan turns towards the glass doors.
"I suppose you haven't seen anything, then?"
[Eskar]: "When you are getting to be old as me, you will
understand. Wait a many tens of years."
[JadedDM]: Jasmin
enters the room ahead and finds it looks remarkably similar to Lord Tyler's
bedroom. Same bed, same armoire,
same dresser and mirror...however, everything is suffering from neglect.
There is dust everywhere, the bed is unmade, the mirror is broken, the
dresser is missing drawers and the armoire is missing a door.
The only other door is to the west.
[Eskar]: "Are you to be seeing any of my friends?"
[JadedDM]: Cardel:
"Just a lot of boring, rich people stuff," he says, scratching
his head.
[JadedDM]: Liam
snorts. "Oh, so you care?
Perhaps if you weren't sitting on your hands, you'd realize Jasmin was
nearly killed by a falling chandelier."
[Aidan]: "I see. Have
you run into anyone else?"
[Jasmin]: Jasmin runs her fingers over the dusty dresser and
armoire as she moves to the door to the west curiously. "Probably
locked."
[JadedDM]: Cardel:
"Not from your team."
[Eskar]: "It is sounding like you care to me. You did not seem
to like her at the ball. How come?"
[JadedDM]: The door is
not locked. It takes her into a
display room. It contains a number
of impressive items. The walls are
decorated with weapons and shields. There
are stands and shelves containing a number of trophies and cultural artifacts.
The floor itself has an owlbear skin rug!
There is one door, to the west.
[Aidan]: Aidan raises an eyebrow.
"I see. Well, I suppose
I'll leave you to your search, then." Aidan
moves to go through the west door.
[JadedDM]: Liam
frowns. "I...have nothing but
respect for Jasmin's abilities."
[Jasmin]: Jasmin's eyes widen in surprise. "What is he doing
with all of this stuff?" she asks herself as she slowly walks to the west
door, though she is taking in everything around her as she moves to open the
door.
[JadedDM]: Aidan
departs, entering a study. This room
holds a small library. The walls are
lined with bookshelves. There's a
fireplace (empty) and leather bound chair for curling up with a good book.
Nobody is here, though. There
is a door to the south and west.
[Eskar]: The duergar shrugs. "I am just being curious why you
didn't act how you say.... happy? To have her there with you. You are lucky I am
thinking."
[JadedDM]: Jasmin
finds herself back in the hallway with the glass doors and balcony.
But this time Cardel is there. He
looks to her and grins.
[JadedDM]: Liam:
"Lucky...indeed. I am
often told that by my brother and father. Lucky
to live in their shadow. Lucky to
have Cardel's leftovers."
[Aidan]: Aidan closes the doors behind him, then heads for the west
door. He stops before passing
through it, though, and begins chanting and gesturing while pulling a forked
twig from a component pouch.
[Jasmin]: Jasmin seems almost confused at first, but upon seeing
Cardel the confusion melts away. "Oh, happy to see me are you?" she
asks.
[Eskar]: "It is that which bothers you." Eskar nods.
"I see. Was she asking them before you? I can be asking about you if you
want."
[Aidan]: Aidan nods to himself and continues on through the door.
[JadedDM]: Cardel is
wearing his typical adventuring gear, which is nothing more than a helmet,
boots, bracers and a loincloth. His
massive axe strapped to his back with a harness.
He steps toward her slowly. "I
was wondering when we would come across each other."
[JadedDM]: Liam
coughs. "It's no concern of
yours." He looks around.
"I've wasted enough time. I
should continue searching."
[JadedDM]: Aidan finds
himself in a bedroom, almost identical to the last one.
But this time, it's kept well maintained.
The blankets on the bed are mussed slightly, as if someone had been lying
there recently. There is a door to
the south.
[Jasmin]: Jasmin takes a few moments to look him over, but finally
ends up focusing on his eyes. "Why is that?"
[Eskar]: "If you are wanting. I am just talking with you. You
are interesting, you see, I don't know why you stay with them if you don't like
them."
[Aidan]: Aidan takes the south door.
[JadedDM]: Cardel
shrugs casually. "Have you
thought about joining us yet?" He
stands close to her, his eyes drifting over her body.
[JadedDM]: Liam:
"They are my family," he says simply.
[JadedDM]: Aidan finds
the door is locked.
[Jasmin]: "I've all ready told your father no, Cardel. Surely
he told you."
[Eskar]: "I am understanding now. I did not think humans cared
about that."
[JadedDM]: Cardel
moves even closer, gently pressing up against her.
"Perhaps it's easier to say no to him than to me?"
[Aidan]: Aidan raises an eyebrow, then backtracks to the library and
takes the south door there.
[JadedDM]: Liam
doesn't answer, but begins searching the kitchen idly.
[JadedDM]: Aidan finds
himself in a small hallway, with doors to the south, west, and east.
[Aidan]: Aidan heads west.
[JadedDM]: Aidan finds
that door locked, as well.
[Eskar]: Eskar coughs "Can you be doing me a favor?"
[Aidan]: Aidan scowls at the door, and continues on south.
[Jasmin]: Jasmin gently runs her fingers down his chest. "I
don't think you can convince me to say yes."
[JadedDM]: Liam looks
up. "What?" he asks
skeptically.
[JadedDM]: Aidan
enters a lounge. This small room
looks to be used for relaxation. There
is a liquor cabinet, a grand piano, and an easel for painting.
There is a painting, half-complete, still on the easel.
There are no other doors.
[JadedDM]: Cardel:
"Maybe not...but I can have a great time trying."
[Aidan]: Aidan grumbles and heads off at a run back through the
hallway and through the east door.
[Eskar]: "I am needing to find Jasmin, if you see her tell her
to come here? I will give you my ideas in exchange." The duergar looks
uncomfortable.
[Jasmin]: "We are in the middle of a hallway, Cardel. Besides,
do you really think this is the best time?" Jasmin asks, sounding highly
amused.
[JadedDM]: Aidan has
returned to the second-story balcony, where the stairs are.
Looking over the railing, he sees the shattered chandelier.
To the south and east are doors, and the two staircases leading down.
[JadedDM]: Liam:
"Why can't you find her?"
[JadedDM]: Cardel
gestures behind him. "There's a
pretty nice bedroom right down there," he says, reaching down to stroke her
face.
[Eskar]: Eskar looks confused then answers. "Because I am
waiting here. For the mage. He is telling me to stay here, and I don't want to
get lost."
[JadedDM]: Liam:
"I just saw her not long ago in the waiting room."
[Aidan]: Aidan pauses at the staircases for a moment, looking down
below him, and then moves on through the south door.
[Jasmin]: "I know. I've all ready been in there once,"
she says, as she takes a step back from him. "Why is it you are
so...attracted to me now? You wouldn't give me the time of day when I was just a
nobody."
[JadedDM]: Aidan
enters a guest bedroom. It only has
two single beds, a desk and chair, and a couple of chests by the beds.
It also contains a full-sized mirror and two nightstands with unlit
candles. Kricket is here, examining
himself in the mirror. He turns to
face Aidan when he enters.
[JadedDM]: Cardel:
"I remember we had a pretty wild time once before."
[Eskar]: "Well if you see her. Please be to telling her."
Eskar looks at the door. "I am thinking that something not ghost is here. I
am finding scratched pillow. And lit fires. There that is my idea."
[Aidan]: "Oh, hello," Aidan says.
"I thought you and Jasmin might still have been chatting."
[JadedDM]: Liam shakes
his head, clearly not understanding Eskar's so-called 'ideas.'
He turns to depart.
[Jasmin]: "It took you awhile to remember," she says as
she makes an attempt to brush past him.
[JadedDM]: Kricket
shakes his head. "No, I last
saw her in Lord Tyler's bedroom."
[Eskar]: Eskar shrugs and makes no other comment.
[JadedDM]: Cardel
doesn't allow this. He takes hold of
her as she passes by.
[Aidan]: "Hm. How
long ago was that?"
[JadedDM]: Kricket
shrugs. "Twenty minutes or
so."
[Jasmin]: Jasmin looks down at his arm once he grabs her. "Not
letting me go are you?" she asks in almost a purr.
[JadedDM]: Cardel:
"Not this time," he says, pulling her in for a rough kiss.
[Aidan]: "I see. Thank
you," he says politely, then calmly closes the door he entered through
before running towards the nice bedroom he had run into.
[JadedDM]: Aidan
returns to the balcony, heads west to the hallway, north into the study, and
then finally west back into the bedroom.
[Jasmin]: Jasmin returns the kiss for a few moments before she
tries to push him away. "I don't respond well to just being taken."
[Aidan]: Aidan opens the door to the bedroom, looking around for
anyone, or signs of people passing through recently.
[JadedDM]: Cardel
shrugs, as if this is no concern of his, and scoops her up in his arms before
walking towards the bedroom.
[JadedDM]: Nothing
looks different from the last time he was there.
[Aidan]: Aidan curses, then makes his way quickly back to the room
with the stairs, and heads back down.
[JadedDM]: At a full
run, Aidan goes through the study, the hallway, and back to the staircases where
he reaches the main hall with the shattered chandelier.
[Jasmin]: Jasmin just looks stunned as she is taken to the bedroom.
"Answer me this one question."
[JadedDM]: Cardel
kicks open the door to the study and begins walking through it.
"Yeah?"
[Aidan]: Aidan looks around the main hall, wondering at which door to
choose.
[Jasmin]: "How long have you really known who I am?" she
asks curiously, looking up to him.
[JadedDM]: There is
the door to the west (waiting room), to the south (hallway) and the door to the
east (dining hall.)
[JadedDM]: Cardel
kicks open the bedroom door, and then uses his leg to push it close.
"Since father told me," he said, setting her on the bed.
[Aidan]: Aidan takes a look at the other two doors for a moment, and
then walks back through the familiar east door.
[Jasmin]: Jasmin allows herself to be set down. "When did he
tell you?"
[JadedDM]: Aidan
returns to the dining hall. The
kitchen is to the east, and the hallway to the south.
[Aidan]: Aidan sighs and returns to the kitchen.
[JadedDM]: Cardel
shrugs as he takes off his clothes. "The
night before the ball, I think."
[JadedDM]: Aidan
re-enters the kitchen, where an enlarged Eskar continues sitting.
[Eskar]: Eskar looks hopefully at the man. "Well?"
[Aidan]: "I've been all over, and I haven't found either Jasmin
or Gaheris."
[Jasmin]: "Thought so," Jasmin mutters to herself as she
watches him. "Do you really think I'm going to go through with this?"
[Eskar]: "What do we do?"
[JadedDM]: Cardel:
"Can you honestly say you don't want to," he asks, getting into
bed with her.
[Aidan]: "I've no idea. I've
run into both Cardel and Kricket, but I didn't particularly think I should tell
them about that thing. How is it, by
the way?"
[JadedDM]: The
creature seems to have calmed down, apparently having worn itself out.
[Jasmin]: "Oh, I didn't say I didn't want to." Jasmin
takes hold of Radiant Star and puts it
up to his throat so he doesn't get too much closer to her. "How do I know
this isn't just a mere distraction to keep me away from my friends?"
[Eskar]: Eskar shrugs. "It is fine."
[JadedDM]: Cardel
holds still. "Look down,"
he says. "You can see I'm being
sincere."
[Jasmin]: Jasmin does indeed look down, but quickly looks back up
to him. "Cardel, when aren't you like that?"
[Aidan]: Aidan sighs. "Well,
perhaps we can take it with us while we search.
Or I can blast it again, I suppose. Do
you think we should keep it alive for the time being?"
[JadedDM]: Cardel:
"Are you going to put down that sword now?" he asks.
[Eskar]: "I am wanting to keep it alive. But it has sharp
claws. Find something that can be holding it. Maybe something in here?"
Eskar looks around.
[Aidan]: "Hmm." Aidan
looks around the kitchen for a rope or something similar.
[JadedDM]: There is no
rope that he can find, mostly just plates, cloth napkins, and utensils, as well
as frying pans and pots.
[Aidan]: Aidan picks up some napkins, then sighs, dropping them.
Suddenly, he lifts the hand bearing the gold ring with feral eyes, and
turns towards Eskar and the creature, and begins to concentrate on the creature.
[JadedDM]: Nothing
visibly happens.
[Jasmin]: Jasmin looks towards the close door as if expecting
someone to burst right on in. In a way, she almost looks like she is hoping
someone will burst right on in, but in the end she lets the sword fall from his
throat. Though, she leans in and kisses him passionately, as she can't say she
doesn't want it.
[Aidan]: Aidan concentrates on the creature, attempting a mental
command to have it wriggle and call out.
[JadedDM]: Jasmin and
Cardel spend some time up there, alone.
[JadedDM]: The
creature continues to lie there, tired, underneath Eskar.
[Aidan]: Aidan sighs and drops the hand with the ring.
"Well. I guess we could
try tying it with napkins?"
[Eskar]: Eskar sighs. "This is going to be a funny story. But
not now. Go find Jasmin."
[Aidan]: Aidan rolls his eyes and heads back out into the dining
hall.
[JadedDM]: Aidan
returns to the dining room, and finds it unoccupied.
[Aidan]: Aidan heads back to the main hall.
[Eskar]: Eskar looks down at the creature, trying to get a better
look at it for the first time. "I am to be sorry my friend. We may kill
you. You don't seem that bad."
[JadedDM]: Aidan finds
it also unoccupied.
[Aidan]: Aidan goes to the west door and opens it.
[JadedDM]: The
creature hisses weakly. It almost
looks like a small goblin, except for the bat-like wings.
It's rather ugly, in a way. It's
bald and does not wear any clothes.
[JadedDM]: Aidan has
returned to the waiting room.
[Aidan]: Aidan goes through the south door.
[JadedDM]: Aidan has
returned to the long hallway. He
spots someone on the other side.
[Aidan]: Aidan heads cautiously towards the other person.
[Eskar]: "The more I am thinking about it, the more I am liking
you. You are ugly though. I am wondering why you are here you see. Why make us
kill you?"
[JadedDM]: Moving
quietly, the other person does not seem to notice him.
It is Kricket, casually strolling eastward.
[JadedDM]: The
creature grumbles something incomprehensible.
[Aidan]: Aidan stays where he is and lets Kricket continue.
[Eskar]: Eskar scratches his beard with a free hand. "If you
can be understanding me, hiss once."
[JadedDM]: Kricket
continues on, reaching the doors at the end and heading through them.
[JadedDM]: The
creature grumbles further.
[Aidan]: Aidan walks over to the space Kricket came from.
[JadedDM]: Aidan
reaches the central doors in the hallway. The
blue tapestries are still present.
[Eskar]: "Oh well. This makes things hard you see, my friend.
If you were to be talking I could just say not to come back instead of
killing."
[Aidan]: Aidan heads through the doors.
[JadedDM]: As Eskar
sits there, he hears something enter from the dining hall.
But when he looks that way, there is nothing there.
[JadedDM]: Aidan
returns to the main room with the shattered chandelier and stairways.
[JadedDM]: After
getting it all out of their systems, Cardel eventually pulls away from Jasmin
and rolls over, a big satisfied grin on his face.
[Aidan]: Aidan curses. After
a pause, he repeats the curse, shouting it.
[Eskar]: Eskar fumbles for his sword. "I was forgetting there
were more than just you my friend. Trouble."
[JadedDM]: Kricket
comes running in from the dining hall. He
pauses when he sees Aidan. "What?
I heard shouting."
[JadedDM]: Eskar grabs
his sword, but he cannot see anyone nearby.
He does hear something scrape against the floor to the right, though.
[Jasmin]: Jasmin stretches out a bit looking rather satisfied
herself, but it only lasts a few moments before she is sitting up so she can get
dressed.
[Eskar]: Eskar looks over there.
[Aidan]: Aidan shrugs. "I
tripped and fell. Sorry."
[JadedDM]: Cardel:
"In a hurry, are you?"
[JadedDM]: He sees
something scurry behind a counter quickly.
[JadedDM]: Kricket
sighs, lowering his rapier. "You
should watch where you are stepping then."
[Jasmin]: Jasmin glances over to Cardel curiously. "Aww, you
want me to stay?" she asks teasingly.
[Eskar]: Eskar bellows loudly, very, very loudly for help.
[Aidan]: "I should, yes."
Aidan heads through the south doors.
[JadedDM]: Cardel gets
up, as well, dressing himself. "May
as well find that ghost, now that we've messed up Lord Tyler's bed.
Imagine the look on his face if he knew."
[Jasmin]: Jasmin laughs lightly as she gets dressed. "I
suggest we work together, at least until we run into our groups."
[JadedDM]: One of the
creatures hops up on top of the counter, a butcher knife in his hand.
He looks different--slightly bigger with a white mohawk of hair on his
head. He's also wearing a belt with
a couple of pouches tied to it. A
second one picks up a pot and pan and wields them like clubs.
[JadedDM]: Aidan
returns to the long hallway with the blue tapestries.
[JadedDM]: Cardel
nods. "We work so well together
all ready."
[Jasmin]: "I haven't even shown you half of what I can
do," she says while picking up her swords.
[Eskar]: The duergar faces them all. "Look my friends. I am
just wanting you to go. We don't have to fight"
[JadedDM]: Cardel
picks up his axe. "Maybe you
can show me when we're done with this job," he suggests.
[Aidan]: Aidan mutters another curse.
"Enough of this," he says to himself.
"I'll just kill the damned thing."
He heads back towards the kitchen.
[JadedDM]: The mohawk
one barks some order in his own tongue. The
second one responds by throwing pots and pans at Eskar.
[Jasmin]: "We'll see," she says before moving for the
door. "Wait. I'm going to let you go first. The last time I went first, I
was almost killed by a chandelier."
[Eskar]: Eskar cannot help but bark out some laughter as he tries to
shield himself from the pots and pans... with his shield.
[JadedDM]:
Cardel: "Right," he
says, walking past her and patting her rear.
"Wouldn't want anything to hurt that pretty face, right?"
He steps back into the study.
[JadedDM]: The first
two bounce off of Eskar's shield, but the creature is not discouraged.
He continues picking up kitchen utensils, plates, and pots and pans and
hurling them.
[Jasmin]: Jasmin follows after him, giving his butt a poke with her
sword. "I can't have that, now can I?" she asks playfully.
[JadedDM]: As Aidan
steps into the dining hall, he hears Eskar roar with laughter from the kitchen.
He also hears the clatter of pots and pans.
[Aidan]: Aidan raises an eyebrow and hurries into the kitchen.
[Eskar]: Eskar cannot help but find the whole situation very
comical. He lets out another bellow for help.
[JadedDM]: As the two
walk through the library, Jasmin is surprised to find that the fireplace is now
lit.
[Jasmin]: Jasmin takes hold of Cardel's arm before she points to
the fireplace. "That wasn't lit earlier."
[JadedDM]: Aidan
rushes in to see quite a sight. Another
of the creatures, a bigger one with a white mohawk and a belt with pouches is
carrying a butcher knife and standing on one of the counters.
He is egging on a second creature, which is hurling pots, pans and other
utensils at the sitting dwarf. One
bounces off his shield, but another one smacks him in the face.
The creatures laugh manically at this.
[JadedDM]: Cardel:
"Maybe Liam or father lit it. Or
one of your guys."
[Jasmin]: "What would be the point though?" Jasmin asks
as she moves to inspect the fireplace.
[JadedDM]: Jasmin gets
closer and sees something in the fire itself, moving around.
She can't make it out at this distance, though.
[Aidan]: Aidan scowls, chanting an incantation and contorting his
fingers.
[Eskar]: His face now stinging the dwarf loses all semblance of
comedic value. He tries bashing the original's head into the ground.
[Jasmin]: Jasmin moves closer to the fire to get a better look at
the thing moving around.
[JadedDM]: Suddenly, a
gout of flame erupts from the fireplace, as if the fireplace were spitting at
her.
[Jasmin]: [1d20] -> [12] = (12)
[Aidan]: Aidan finishes his spell, a bolt of energy shooting off
towards the creature with the pots, and two shooting towards the creature with
the knife.
[Jasmin]: Jasmin falls back on her behind as the gout of flame
suddenly erupts in front of her face. She cries out more out of being scared
than anything else, and her hand goes to her nose.
[JadedDM]: Eskar grabs
the head of the sitting one, and tries bashing it into the ground.
This seems to annoy it greatly.
[Aidan]: [1d4+1] => [4,1] = (5)
[Aidan]: [1d4+1] => [1,2,2] = (5)
[Aidan]: [1d4+1] => [2,1] = (3)
[JadedDM]: A creature,
small and leathery, leaps from the fire and runs toward the curtains.
[Jasmin]: Jasmin points to the curtains. "There! I saw that
thing in another room."
[JadedDM]: Cardel goes
to the curtains, readying his axe. However,
the curtains fall over him. As he
struggles to get free, Jasmin spots the creature making a break for the east
door.
[Jasmin]: Jasmin pushes herself up and runs for the east door,
hoping to block the exit before the creature can escape.
[Aidan]: The knife-wielding creature is slammed back against the
counter, and the pot-wielding creature is zapped uncomfortably.
[JadedDM]: Jasmin
blocks the creature's way, so it skids to a halt right in front of her.
It's an ugly little thing, like a goblin with wings.
It's only about a foot and a 1/2 high.
[JadedDM]:
(Actions for Round 1?)
[Eskar]: Eskar continues to holler for help, and keeps sitting on
the one he is and defending himself, resigned to the fact he can do nothing.
[Jasmin]: Jasmin points her sword at the creature. "A
gargoyle," she says absently.
[JadedDM]: The
creature turns and tries to run out the other way, as Cardel attempts to cut
himself out of the heavy curtains.
[Aidan]: Aidan begins casting another spell.
[Aidan]: [1d10] => [2] = (2)
[JadedDM]:
Pot Throwing Creature's turn.
[Jasmin]: As the creature tries to run, she tries to stab Radiant
Star down upon it.
[Jasmin]: [1d20] -> [20] = (20)
[JadedDM]: It hurls a
plate and a kitchen fork, but both are blocked by the dwarf's shield.
[JadedDM]:
Aidan's turn.
[Jasmin]: [2d6+3] -> [4,1,3] = (8)
[Aidan]: Aidan contorts his fingers once more, repeating the
incantation he spoke just a moment ago.
[Jasmin]: Jasmin stabs Radiant
Star into the creature's back, causing the creature's skin to sizzle a bit.
The creature cries out in a great amount of pain, but it still lives sadly
enough.
[Aidan]: [1d4+1] => [1,1] = (2)
[Aidan]: [1d4+1] => [3,1] = (4)
[Aidan]: [1d4+1] => [3,1] = (4)
[JadedDM]: Cardel gets
out of the curtains, annoyed. He
raises his axe and brings it down on the creature as it attempts to run by him.
He cuts it in twain, his weapon having the same effect on it.
[Aidan]: This time, the knife-wielding Thing is zapped uncomfortably,
while the pot-wielding Thing is slammed against the counter.
[JadedDM]: The
creature with the mohawk has had enough. He
mutters something and then slowly fades away.
The second one grumbles and tries to escape through the door Aidan came
through.
[JadedDM]:
(Actions for Round 2?)
[Aidan]: Aidan tries to close and block the door.
[Jasmin]: "It did the same thing to me in the other
room," Jasmin says as she looks down upon the gargoyle before finally
rubbing the burn on her nose.
[JadedDM]: Cardel
swears. "Damn it all...I should
have known it wasn't real ghosts."
[JadedDM]:
Creature's turn.
[Jasmin]: "Really wanting a ghost were you?" she asks,
laughing lightly.
[JadedDM]: The
creature rushes forward at Aidan, biting at him.
It latches its teeth on his arm and snarls.
[JadedDM]: Cardel
snorts, looking at the creature's remains. "Better
than an infestation of gremlins!"
[Aidan]: Aidan shouts in pain.
[Eskar]: Eskar, having had enough of these things, keeps a firm grip
on the goblin he has and tries getting to his feet, swinging it around and
around in circles.
[Jasmin]: "Well, we better search for the others," Jasmin
groans in annoyance. "And this is a big mansion."
[JadedDM]: Cardel
grunts. "We've fought gremlins
before. Where there is one, there
are always more. And they're harder
to get rid of than giant cockroaches."
[JadedDM]:
(Actions for Round 3?)
[Jasmin]: Jasmin pats Cardel on the back. "Come on, big
boy," she says, sounding amused. "Not as thrilling as I would like,
but it works I guess," she says."
[Eskar]: Eskar moves over to Aidan and tries to pry the other
Gremlin off of him with his free hand. He just holds onto the other goblin
tightly.
[Aidan]: Aidan grabs the thing on him and runs towards Eskar.
[Eskar]: [1d10] -> [2] = (2)
[Aidan]: [1d10] => [6] = (6)
[JadedDM]:
Eskar's turn.
[Eskar]: [1d20] -> [19] = (19)
[JadedDM]: Cardel
nods. "Where to?"
[Eskar]: Eskar grabs the second goblin, now swinging both in circles
on either side of him. He grits his teeth and tries to smack them into each
other right in front of him.
[Jasmin]: "I guess the next room," Jasmin says as she
moves out of the library that they are in.
[JadedDM]: The two
creatures are smashed into each other. They
begin biting and wriggling to get free of Eskar's grip.
[JadedDM]: Jasmin and
Cardel head back into the hallway with the glass doors.
This time, Cardel keeps his axe at the ready.
[Eskar]: Eskar just tears them apart and gets a good idea, he keeps
them at his sides, swinging in circles to keep them from doing anything.
"Aidan. Door."
[Jasmin]: Jasmin keeps Radiant
Star and Scalebiter at the ready
as she moves through the hallway. She keeps her eyes and ears open for the
little gremlins.
[Aidan]: "What about the door?"
Aidan asks grumpily, rubbing his new bite marks.
[Eskar]: "Open it. Going to be taking them outside."
[Aidan]: Aidan mutters and opens the door, stepping through it and
holding it open for Eskar.
[JadedDM]: Eskar steps
out into the dining hall.
[Eskar]: Eskar looks wild eyed and slams both creatures into the
ground, jumping on top of them as best he can.
[JadedDM]:
Okay...we'll end it here, folks.
