You all find yourselves in a large, opulently appointed horse drawn carriage traveling along a fog obscured and bumpy road on a cold afternoon. The day is gray and cloudy. The road is surrounded on either side by lush forests, but you'd be forgiven for assuming you were surrounded by mist alone Although you can tell there are bumps and ruts along this dark road, the ride is smooth and steady, another nod to the quality of your surroundings and the deep pockets of your employer. The driver -- a small but sturdy man who introduced himself as Darnell Bonnydock -- spurs the horses as if he wants to end this trip as quick as he can. Hunched and poring over some paperwork as he sits squashed between you all is a tall, almost impossibly thin man, Mr. Balthazar Noh, who continues the conversation he started when you were first hired to investigate the disappearance of the entire Skhalhammer family and their staff.
"We'll be arriving at the manor soon enough. I looked into your backgrounds and have it on good authority you're among the most talented adventurers in your particular field. But success is only part of your story. Tell me. What do you fear? What keeps you up at night? What plagues your nightmares? I'll start: spiders. And dentists. But most of all, I ear failing Lord Jhaal Skahalhammer. Which is why I've hired you. So. What do you fear?"
Ruby’s listens intently to Balthazar as he speaks, the topic of fears bring up memories she would prefer to forget.
”I was almost sacrificed to a blood demon once by its followers. An experience which I fear repeating or worse being enslaved to the demon to do its bidding. The partial sacrifice also left me cursed with a need to feed on blood, a hunger which burns inside me constantly. I fear losing myself to that need and becoming that which I hunt.”
Blathazar watches as intently as he can while the carriage bumps down the road at its reckless pace. "Ah yes, becoming the very thing you swore to destroy is quite terrifying. I wonder..."He looks out the window for a moment, lost in thought, and then turns back to Ruby with a forced smile."Well I certainly hope there are no demons running around the manor now. Dreadfully difficult to get rid of I hear."
Ferro Fainsworth sits in the carriage, trying to outwardly exude calm but inwardly he’s giddy. An entire empty mansion! Who knows what treasures it might hold? He can almost see it now: silver candlesticks, platinum silverware, the lady’s jewelry box sparkling full of gem-studded accoutrements, the lord’s secret stash of cash….
Sure, the skinny Mr Noh had mentioned something about doing an investigation, and Ferro was up for that. Searching about can find clues for the missing family as well as their treasures, all at once. And it would be good to determine their status, if possible. The less likely they are to come back home, the less likely they would be to miss their stuff, right?
Ferro suppressed a chuckle and an urge to drum his feet against the carriage seat (they dangled and did not reach the floor, owing to his sub-four-foot frame).
And then Mr Noh started asking spooky questions. Well, he did rather remind Ferro of a scarecrow. What did Ferro fear? Come to think of it, he was getting a bit peckish.
“Honestly,” volunteers Ferro, “I have a fear of missing meals. Do you think we can wrap up our investigation by supper time?”
If someone were to press Ferro and ask him to be serious, he’ll double down with an explanation.
“I am being serious! I’m terrified of missing meals. I won’t be able to rest or concentrate if I start to go hungry. My mind starts racing wondering if I’m going to starve to death, or at least lose some muscle mass. As you can see, I don’t have that much to lose! So yeah, that would keep me up at night. It comes from my upbringing, I had 15 siblings and not enough food to go around…”
He knows he’s babbling a bit, probably because he’s so excited, and consciously reigns himself in to let the others talk a bit.
Balthazar looks at Ferro as he babbles and gets a somber grin."The Skhalhammer Manor has always been very well stocked, but it has been a while since anyone has dared to go in, so I can't speak to the condition of their food stores. But truth be told, the sooner you get this business sorted out the better. Even the people of Biggensworth, ten miles from the manor have begun reporting seeing strange things and having haunting nightmares. I imagine the town would be more than happy to send you off with whatever they can afford if you deal with this...mystery."
Staring out the window of the carriage---and not paying too much attention to what's going on around him---Rai sits in silent contemplation. My shop, my poor shop... He sighs, pressing his lips together in a tight line so the sigh almost comes out as a pathetic, whimpery whistle. The cold brass rings wrapped around his fingers only serve as a reminder for what he lost to the fog they were now venturing into.
Upon hearing the word "demons" come out of their companion's mouth, he snaps out of it. "Wait, demons? What are we talking about? Are there---are there demons in the manor?" His voice doesn't come out fearful at all; it's more mild disbelief than anything else. He shifts his gaze to the ghostly outline of the manor before them. He waits until Ferro and Ruby finish their exchange before scratching the nanometer of brown stubble growing out of his face. His beige coat shifts against the black dress vest and white dress shirt he's wearing. Well-fit black trousers and black cuban heels complete the ensemble, along with various items slung across his hips that give away his profession as an alchemist. "I'm not afraid of anything. Ghouls, demons, zombies, whatever you suggest. Nothing a little magic and steel can't fix." He pats the weapons, beakers, and leather pouches strapped around him. A small, mismatched body made of gears and bolts darts out of his coat sleeve and jumps into one of the open pouches. A mechanical squeak comes from the inside, accompanied by the clinking sound of metal against metal. A small metal dragon's head pops out of the opening, gnawing on the bolt clutched between its two miniscule claws. Rai doesn't pay any attention to it.
When Balthazar speaks again, he visibly bristles, flicking his gaze to meet the lanky man's eyes. "Oh, we'll deal with it alright. The fog's already taken my shop, and I want it back."
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Jack, a Changeling Artificer/Bard/Cleric/Fighter/Rogue---RynnElocin'sFrom Dusk to Dawn Amon, a Fairy Arcane Trickster---ShieldHero_'s Fractum
Rai, as you sit gazing out the window you would swear your eyes are starting to play tricks on you. In the swirling, ominous mists there was, for a brief moment a workshop table covered in broken devices. Tubes, gears, springs all scattered about and beyond repair, and then a pair of fists slam silently down on the table sending the pieces scattering still more, and then the vision disappears. In a quiet, whispered, unearthly voice you thought you heard someone say"Broken! Broken! Ruined!"
No one else seems to notice this though, as Balthazar muses over your comment. "Ah yes, your shop. That was rather something, wasn't it? And I don't -know- that there are demons about, it is just a possibility I suppose, and we are all afraid of something. Fear is universal no matter what form it takes. But I hope you are right, and that nothing frightens you..."He suddenly looks out the window and back at you."Something out there?"
Ferro, as you look out the window you see nothing but gray, cloudy mist for a minute, until you too start to see a table in the distance. But this one is covered in all manner of food, from simple breads to succulent looking meat, all looking fresh and ready to serve. A pair of children's face appear at the edge of the table and small arms and hands begin to reach out for some of the food, only for it to disappear as soon as they touch it. Plate after plate, dish after dish they desperately try to grab whatever they can but it is to of no avail! Every last crumb poofs from the table and the children clutch their tummies and look out at you with vacant expressions, falling over as their bodies shrivel up into dust and the scene evaporates into mist once more.
Ferro can’t help but grin at the sight of so much food (even as a part of his brain asks “what is that randomly doing out there?”) but then it gradually turns into an ever deepening frown as the scene plays out, and he sees those kids looking hungry and desperate, and his heart and belly ache as he knows exactly how they feel, and when they fall over and shrivel up he instinctively pounds the glass window with his fist and shouts “no!”
Then he sees the scene dissolve away and he foolishly realizes his eyes were just playing tricks on him.
“Err, hehe,” he chuckles nervously to the others, “I thought I saw something too, but it was just the mist playing tricks.”
He settles back into his seat, a streak of misgiving now ruining his previous giddy mood.
Ruby seeing Ferro’s reaction and hearing him shout jumps to look out the window not knowing what to expect. After hearing him saying it was just a trick of the mist gives him a nod before taking one last glance out. To settle back into her seat.
Rai turns his back to the window of the carriage with a scoff. "Sure."
What is that..? He squints into the fog, but when his eyes settle on the table he has to suppress a small yelp. He takes a sharp breath in instead. It's fake. A vision. Then his blood runs cold as he adds, Is that a vision, or a prediction? Shaking his head, he dispels the thought. "Thought I saw something through the fog, but it's just a tree." His voice returns to its usual gruff and roughness.
He presses as far back into his seat as possible with a grunt as both Ferro and Ruby up at the window next to him. "Yeah... this fog sure is strange," he wheezes with a tinge of uncertainty. As soon as both of them are out of his space he moves back to his normal seating position with a small scowl on his face.
Ruby as you glance out the window the mists quickly begin to coil around a shadowy figure, heavily obscured by mist but something about seems way too fiendishly familiar. A shadowy hand, clawed and rankled extends out towards you as a pair of deep, infernal red eyes glow ominously in the head. You realize that there is a rolled up piece of parchment in the hand as well, right before they let it loose and the paper rolls out enabling a glimpse of scratched writing, but the unmistakable name, your name, written in blood at the bottom. The figure looks like it is about to laugh, and then it all disappears back into mist once more.
A primal fear begins to swell up in Ruby as the figure manifest. A figure she has never seen before but all to familiar to her. Her grip tightens and her breathing increases unable to look away. As she see’s her name written in her blood she closes her eyes and slows her breathing with a barley audible “Never.”
The carriage suddenly rounds a hard corner and you see a flash of something ethereal -- a giant spider, maybe, but wearing what looks like a lab coat? -- that vanishes from your field of vision as the carriage speeds past it."What was that?"shouted Mr. Noh. A shaky voice from the front of the carriage, that of your driver Darnell, echoes out over the thunderous horse hooves,"The horses didn't see it, but I sure did. This is madness!"
After that, Darnell chimes up again."Look, I been here my whole life, and while I got no great love for the STC, I understand their...necessity to our town and livelihood. But if you ask me, the artifacts they keep at the manor weren't "discovered", they were stolen. Bamboozled, commandeered, displaced from their rightful homes. Can't say I'm really all that surprised, it was bound to happen eventually I'd say. And don't think I'm doing this out of the goodness of my heart. The only reason I'm here taking you in is cause my daughter Nissa started working at the manor recently and she's gone missin' too. I want her back."
“Oh, I’m sorry to hear about your daughter. Maybe she’s still there… we will look for her. Say, what was that you were talking about, artifacts? Stolen? I was wondering what artifacts you’re talking about, and who might their rightful owners be? Any bit of information could prove critical to our investigation.”
Ruby listens to Ferro’s line of questioning and nods in agreement.
”Also your daughter she started prior to whatever this madness is that now besets us. Did she ever speak of anything that she saw or felt might have been the causes in her time there?”
Belko had been rather chuffed that the little cash he'd spread around had reaped such rewards...most talented, indeed.....
And then the pale woman had started talking about fiends and everything came crashing down, he was momentarily startled out of his fog by the mechanical horror on the seat opposite but when no one else reacted to it he took to staring out the window until suddenly Mr Noh screamed and Belko was unable to stifle a gasp of his own.
Finally he managed to stumble out the words, " Daughter..yes, I will most definitely rescue your daughter even if it means sacrificing each and every one of our brave troupe!"
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You all find yourselves in a large, opulently appointed horse drawn carriage traveling along a fog obscured and bumpy road on a cold afternoon. The day is gray and cloudy. The road is surrounded on either side by lush forests, but you'd be forgiven for assuming you were surrounded by mist alone Although you can tell there are bumps and ruts along this dark road, the ride is smooth and steady, another nod to the quality of your surroundings and the deep pockets of your employer. The driver -- a small but sturdy man who introduced himself as Darnell Bonnydock -- spurs the horses as if he wants to end this trip as quick as he can. Hunched and poring over some paperwork as he sits squashed between you all is a tall, almost impossibly thin man, Mr. Balthazar Noh, who continues the conversation he started when you were first hired to investigate the disappearance of the entire Skhalhammer family and their staff.
"We'll be arriving at the manor soon enough. I looked into your backgrounds and have it on good authority you're among the most talented adventurers in your particular field. But success is only part of your story. Tell me. What do you fear? What keeps you up at night? What plagues your nightmares? I'll start: spiders. And dentists. But most of all, I ear failing Lord Jhaal Skahalhammer. Which is why I've hired you. So. What do you fear?"
Ruby’s listens intently to Balthazar as he speaks, the topic of fears bring up memories she would prefer to forget.
”I was almost sacrificed to a blood demon once by its followers. An experience which I fear repeating or worse being enslaved to the demon to do its bidding. The partial sacrifice also left me cursed with a need to feed on blood, a hunger which burns inside me constantly. I fear losing myself to that need and becoming that which I hunt.”
Blathazar watches as intently as he can while the carriage bumps down the road at its reckless pace. "Ah yes, becoming the very thing you swore to destroy is quite terrifying. I wonder..." He looks out the window for a moment, lost in thought, and then turns back to Ruby with a forced smile. "Well I certainly hope there are no demons running around the manor now. Dreadfully difficult to get rid of I hear."
Ferro Fainsworth sits in the carriage, trying to outwardly exude calm but inwardly he’s giddy. An entire empty mansion! Who knows what treasures it might hold? He can almost see it now: silver candlesticks, platinum silverware, the lady’s jewelry box sparkling full of gem-studded accoutrements, the lord’s secret stash of cash….
Sure, the skinny Mr Noh had mentioned something about doing an investigation, and Ferro was up for that. Searching about can find clues for the missing family as well as their treasures, all at once. And it would be good to determine their status, if possible. The less likely they are to come back home, the less likely they would be to miss their stuff, right?
Ferro suppressed a chuckle and an urge to drum his feet against the carriage seat (they dangled and did not reach the floor, owing to his sub-four-foot frame).
And then Mr Noh started asking spooky questions. Well, he did rather remind Ferro of a scarecrow. What did Ferro fear? Come to think of it, he was getting a bit peckish.
“Honestly,” volunteers Ferro, “I have a fear of missing meals. Do you think we can wrap up our investigation by supper time?”
If someone were to press Ferro and ask him to be serious, he’ll double down with an explanation.
“I am being serious! I’m terrified of missing meals. I won’t be able to rest or concentrate if I start to go hungry. My mind starts racing wondering if I’m going to starve to death, or at least lose some muscle mass. As you can see, I don’t have that much to lose! So yeah, that would keep me up at night. It comes from my upbringing, I had 15 siblings and not enough food to go around…”
He knows he’s babbling a bit, probably because he’s so excited, and consciously reigns himself in to let the others talk a bit.
Ruby smiles at Ferro and reaches into her backpack and offers him a piece of spiced bread.
“May you never lack friend.”
Balthazar looks at Ferro as he babbles and gets a somber grin. "The Skhalhammer Manor has always been very well stocked, but it has been a while since anyone has dared to go in, so I can't speak to the condition of their food stores. But truth be told, the sooner you get this business sorted out the better. Even the people of Biggensworth, ten miles from the manor have begun reporting seeing strange things and having haunting nightmares. I imagine the town would be more than happy to send you off with whatever they can afford if you deal with this...mystery."
Staring out the window of the carriage---and not paying too much attention to what's going on around him---Rai sits in silent contemplation. My shop, my poor shop... He sighs, pressing his lips together in a tight line so the sigh almost comes out as a pathetic, whimpery whistle. The cold brass rings wrapped around his fingers only serve as a reminder for what he lost to the fog they were now venturing into.
Upon hearing the word "demons" come out of their companion's mouth, he snaps out of it. "Wait, demons? What are we talking about? Are there---are there demons in the manor?" His voice doesn't come out fearful at all; it's more mild disbelief than anything else. He shifts his gaze to the ghostly outline of the manor before them. He waits until Ferro and Ruby finish their exchange before scratching the nanometer of brown stubble growing out of his face. His beige coat shifts against the black dress vest and white dress shirt he's wearing. Well-fit black trousers and black cuban heels complete the ensemble, along with various items slung across his hips that give away his profession as an alchemist. "I'm not afraid of anything. Ghouls, demons, zombies, whatever you suggest. Nothing a little magic and steel can't fix." He pats the weapons, beakers, and leather pouches strapped around him. A small, mismatched body made of gears and bolts darts out of his coat sleeve and jumps into one of the open pouches. A mechanical squeak comes from the inside, accompanied by the clinking sound of metal against metal. A small metal dragon's head pops out of the opening, gnawing on the bolt clutched between its two miniscule claws. Rai doesn't pay any attention to it.
When Balthazar speaks again, he visibly bristles, flicking his gaze to meet the lanky man's eyes. "Oh, we'll deal with it alright. The fog's already taken my shop, and I want it back."
Jack, a Changeling Artificer/Bard/Cleric/Fighter/Rogue---RynnElocin's From Dusk to Dawn
Amon, a Fairy Arcane Trickster---ShieldHero_'s Fractum
I'M BACK
PFP credit goes to Mo Willems
Rai, as you sit gazing out the window you would swear your eyes are starting to play tricks on you. In the swirling, ominous mists there was, for a brief moment a workshop table covered in broken devices. Tubes, gears, springs all scattered about and beyond repair, and then a pair of fists slam silently down on the table sending the pieces scattering still more, and then the vision disappears. In a quiet, whispered, unearthly voice you thought you heard someone say "Broken! Broken! Ruined!"
No one else seems to notice this though, as Balthazar muses over your comment. "Ah yes, your shop. That was rather something, wasn't it? And I don't -know- that there are demons about, it is just a possibility I suppose, and we are all afraid of something. Fear is universal no matter what form it takes. But I hope you are right, and that nothing frightens you..." He suddenly looks out the window and back at you. "Something out there?"
Ferro accepts the spiced bread from Ruby and snarfs it down. “Gee, thanks lady!” He says with his mouth full.
When attention is drawn outside, he will hop up onto the seat and peer out the window intently. “You saw something out there?”
It better not be the family, come back in the nick of time to ruin the fun!
Ferro, as you look out the window you see nothing but gray, cloudy mist for a minute, until you too start to see a table in the distance. But this one is covered in all manner of food, from simple breads to succulent looking meat, all looking fresh and ready to serve. A pair of children's face appear at the edge of the table and small arms and hands begin to reach out for some of the food, only for it to disappear as soon as they touch it. Plate after plate, dish after dish they desperately try to grab whatever they can but it is to of no avail! Every last crumb poofs from the table and the children clutch their tummies and look out at you with vacant expressions, falling over as their bodies shrivel up into dust and the scene evaporates into mist once more.
Ferro can’t help but grin at the sight of so much food (even as a part of his brain asks “what is that randomly doing out there?”) but then it gradually turns into an ever deepening frown as the scene plays out, and he sees those kids looking hungry and desperate, and his heart and belly ache as he knows exactly how they feel, and when they fall over and shrivel up he instinctively pounds the glass window with his fist and shouts “no!”
Then he sees the scene dissolve away and he foolishly realizes his eyes were just playing tricks on him.
“Err, hehe,” he chuckles nervously to the others, “I thought I saw something too, but it was just the mist playing tricks.”
He settles back into his seat, a streak of misgiving now ruining his previous giddy mood.
Ruby seeing Ferro’s reaction and hearing him shout jumps to look out the window not knowing what to expect. After hearing him saying it was just a trick of the mist gives him a nod before taking one last glance out. To settle back into her seat.
Rai turns his back to the window of the carriage with a scoff. "Sure."
What is that..? He squints into the fog, but when his eyes settle on the table he has to suppress a small yelp. He takes a sharp breath in instead. It's fake. A vision. Then his blood runs cold as he adds, Is that a vision, or a prediction? Shaking his head, he dispels the thought. "Thought I saw something through the fog, but it's just a tree." His voice returns to its usual gruff and roughness.
He presses as far back into his seat as possible with a grunt as both Ferro and Ruby up at the window next to him. "Yeah... this fog sure is strange," he wheezes with a tinge of uncertainty. As soon as both of them are out of his space he moves back to his normal seating position with a small scowl on his face.
Jack, a Changeling Artificer/Bard/Cleric/Fighter/Rogue---RynnElocin's From Dusk to Dawn
Amon, a Fairy Arcane Trickster---ShieldHero_'s Fractum
I'M BACK
PFP credit goes to Mo Willems
Ruby as you glance out the window the mists quickly begin to coil around a shadowy figure, heavily obscured by mist but something about seems way too fiendishly familiar. A shadowy hand, clawed and rankled extends out towards you as a pair of deep, infernal red eyes glow ominously in the head. You realize that there is a rolled up piece of parchment in the hand as well, right before they let it loose and the paper rolls out enabling a glimpse of scratched writing, but the unmistakable name, your name, written in blood at the bottom. The figure looks like it is about to laugh, and then it all disappears back into mist once more.
A primal fear begins to swell up in Ruby as the figure manifest. A figure she has never seen before but all to familiar to her. Her grip tightens and her breathing increases unable to look away. As she see’s her name written in her blood she closes her eyes and slows her breathing with a barley audible “Never.”
The carriage suddenly rounds a hard corner and you see a flash of something ethereal -- a giant spider, maybe, but wearing what looks like a lab coat? -- that vanishes from your field of vision as the carriage speeds past it. "What was that?" shouted Mr. Noh. A shaky voice from the front of the carriage, that of your driver Darnell, echoes out over the thunderous horse hooves, "The horses didn't see it, but I sure did. This is madness!"
After that, Darnell chimes up again. "Look, I been here my whole life, and while I got no great love for the STC, I understand their...necessity to our town and livelihood. But if you ask me, the artifacts they keep at the manor weren't "discovered", they were stolen. Bamboozled, commandeered, displaced from their rightful homes. Can't say I'm really all that surprised, it was bound to happen eventually I'd say. And don't think I'm doing this out of the goodness of my heart. The only reason I'm here taking you in is cause my daughter Nissa started working at the manor recently and she's gone missin' too. I want her back."
Ferro perks up at the driver’s talk of thievery.
“Oh, I’m sorry to hear about your daughter. Maybe she’s still there… we will look for her. Say, what was that you were talking about, artifacts? Stolen? I was wondering what artifacts you’re talking about, and who might their rightful owners be? Any bit of information could prove critical to our investigation.”
Ruby listens to Ferro’s line of questioning and nods in agreement.
”Also your daughter she started prior to whatever this madness is that now besets us. Did she ever speak of anything that she saw or felt might have been the causes in her time there?”
Nothing more than a simple "I'm sorry to hear about that," escapes Rai's lips as he listens to what everyone has to say.
Jack, a Changeling Artificer/Bard/Cleric/Fighter/Rogue---RynnElocin's From Dusk to Dawn
Amon, a Fairy Arcane Trickster---ShieldHero_'s Fractum
I'M BACK
PFP credit goes to Mo Willems
Belko had been rather chuffed that the little cash he'd spread around had reaped such rewards...most talented, indeed.....
And then the pale woman had started talking about fiends and everything came crashing down, he was momentarily startled out of his fog by the mechanical horror on the seat opposite but when no one else reacted to it he took to staring out the window until suddenly Mr Noh screamed and Belko was unable to stifle a gasp of his own.
Finally he managed to stumble out the words, " Daughter..yes, I will most definitely rescue your daughter even if it means sacrificing each and every one of our brave troupe!"