You open the northern door just to reveal a library. Red velvet drapes cover the windows of this room. Here is a place of great study. A wealth of knowledge sits on floor-to-ceiling bookshelves: weighty tomes of untold worth—novels, treatises, encyclopedias, poetry, histories. So vast is this library that a rolling ladder is necessary to reach the high shelves. An exquisite desk faces the hearth, upon the mantelpiece thereof hangs a framed portrait of a windmill perched atop a rocky crag. Two reading chairs flank the fireplace, stuffed and lovely and inviting.
Reshi lets Simon pass into the room and keeps an eye out for a moment, making sure nothing strange or out of the ordinary is in the room. Then he goes to the small door by the stairs and slowly opens it, again, standing as far away from the door as possible.
Simon jumps straight to the library and starts examining it. The bookshelves hold hundreds of tomes covering a range of topics including history, warfare, and alchemy. There are also several shelves containing first-edition collected works of poetry and fiction. Two books catch his attention, one has a white cover and on the back of it is written "The History Of Simon", the second one is red and it's the only one that doesn't have a name. He waits to take them and leaves them where they are for now.
Reshi in the meantime opens the smaller door next to the stairs. The room is dusty and undecorated. Two lumpy, strawfilled mattresses sit on worn out bedframes, from under which footlockers loom. Servants' uniforms hang in an open closet. There's a wooden button next to a small wooden door on the south wall. The door is 3 feets above the ground and 2 by 2 feet wide.
Simon feels an irrational fear as he gazes at the two tomes, but he quickly brushes it aside and takes them down for further examination, beginning with The History of Simon.
Garren feels quite uneasy about this, but, being one for gathering knowledge, he looks through the books, attempting to locate something about magic, its theory or practical application.
((OOC: Sorry guys, I am going quite silent every weekend))
Rod
Rod curiosity is drawn by the windmill portrait of the windmill upon the mantelpiece, it seems quite different from the others, specially for the subject, he tries to inspect it or to remember if they saw it before outside in the mist...
Reshi gives the room a second glance (Is the back wall solid?). Perception: 12
He then goes to check on his companions. With all of them deep in thought or searching thoroughly, Reshi will join in, scanning the books for anything that could hold information on this village, the mist that engulfs it, or the monster that hunts it. Investigation:16
Simon gets his own book and starts reading it. It provides a narration of his own entire life, from his humble origins, to the moment he decided to embark on his journey. The final page reads: “He pulled the book down off the shelf and began to read, unaware of the creature that watched him from the shadows. Slowly, the beast began to creep forward.” The next page is blank, save for a bloodstain two-thirds down.
Garren in the meantime starts examining the books as well. Among all the other these names catch your eye: Destruction of the Dusk Elves,Alchemical Secrets Best Left Unknown, and Political Theory in Dismal Days . He is then briefly joined by Reshi that, after finding nothing in the other room got drawn by the books as well. His searches reveal a book about the history of this village. It narrates how the villagers got punished because of the actions of their ancestors, about an evil being called "Strahd" that controls these lands and about the mist that is revealed to be a magical barrier that prevents the inhabitants of this land from reaching the outside world. He finds no information about the monster.
Rod spends his time watching the windmill, he doesn't remember seeing it along their path, but it sure looks curious. It's a strangely common icon in this house.
Simon's hands begin to tremble and he drops the book to the ground, slowly looking into the shadows around him. He has broken into a cold sweat, and he rubs at his bad eye continuously.
Simon creeps out. To get a better idea try this: focus on these words, and whatever you do don't let your eyes wander past the perimeter of this paragraph. Now imagine just beyond your peripheral vision, maybe behind you, maybe to the side of you, maybe even in front of you, but right where you can't see it, something is quietly closing in on you, so quiet in face you can only hear it as silence. Find those pockets without sound. That's where it is. Right at this moment. But don't look. Keep your eyes here. Now take a deep breath. Go ahead and take a deeper one. Only this time as you start to exhale try to imagine how fast it will happen, how hard it's gonna hit you, how many times it will stab your jugular with its teeth or are they nails? Don't worry, this particular detail doesn't matter, because before you have time to even process that you should be moving, you should be running, you should at the very least be flinging up your arms, you won't have time to even scream. Don't look. Of course Simon looked.
Just to discover a deserted room, or was it merely a recently deserted room? That thing, whatever it had been, obviously beyond the grasp of Simon's imagination, or for that matters his emotions, having departed into alcoves of darkness, seeping into corners and floors, cracks and outlets, gone even to the walls.
Garren is too focused on the books to notice anything going on around him. He immerses himself into the Alchemical Secrets Better Left Unknown. Is it of any use?
Simon falls to his knees, shivering uncontrollably. He stares at the book at his feet and then slowly picks it up, shoving it in his pack. He does the same with the second book, not even bothering to examine it.
"Did you feel nothing?" He inquires of his companions.
Simon would lose his temper but for the fact that he has just been traumatized, no common experience to the cold-hearted delver in the arcane.
"The monster.... it was here... THE BOOK!" Spittle flies from his mouth as he glances around wildly. Then he calms down. " There was something in the room with us, mere moments ago. Felt you nothing? "
“Maybe we should keep moving and get this over with.” Reshi keeps his eyes on Simon while putting the book back on the shelf. “Let’s stick together. One more room to check on this floor and then onto the next floor to get the boy... And stay alert, everyone.” After saying that, Reshi slowly moves towards the exit of the room and to the last room he hasn't checked. There, he waits for the rest of the party to join him.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Rod
Rod cocks the head looking at this peculiar framed painting "What are you doing here?" The thing is getting him curious "Touch it....touch it.....don't you think is sooooo weird?" so he runs through the frame and the painting with his dark fingers, perhaps there is another reason for this subject and this painting here ((Investigation: 21)).
“Has anyone heard of a ‘Strahd’ ?”
"Strahd? What do you mean for Strahd? Is it a brewery thing? I'd like to drink....my mouth drying actually" The Warlock leaks his lips...adn looking around he notices Simon who is going creepy...Rod trots to him.."Hey...hey friend you are looking pale...aaaand I am not saying this cause I am almost pitch black eheh...what's up?Uh uh...a monster you say? No nothing...really you can stay close to me if you want....I will give him a nice bump with my Rod...Rod" The Warlock give a couple of swings with his staff to the air...
"Here's the problem. I don't doubt that Simon did indeed feel a presence. This means, that, if the thing we are looking for, can become invisible, or is already invisible, and can go through rooms without at least some of us noticing it, what is the point of looking for it? Would it, maybe, be better, for us to find those children's parents instead? Maybe they have a solution we are not seeing."
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"At last." Whispers Simon. He begins to scan the shelves for books on the arcane and medicine.
Investigation: 14
Flayr Flameseeker | Genasi/Fire | Wizard/School of Evocation | Level 2 | Custom Campaign: Cold Cash
Reshi lets Simon pass into the room and keeps an eye out for a moment, making sure nothing strange or out of the ordinary is in the room. Then he goes to the small door by the stairs and slowly opens it, again, standing as far away from the door as possible.
Simon feels an irrational fear as he gazes at the two tomes, but he quickly brushes it aside and takes them down for further examination, beginning with The History of Simon.
Flayr Flameseeker | Genasi/Fire | Wizard/School of Evocation | Level 2 | Custom Campaign: Cold Cash
Garren feels quite uneasy about this, but, being one for gathering knowledge, he looks through the books, attempting to locate something about magic, its theory or practical application.
If needed, Investigation: 11
Perception: 2
((OOC: Sorry guys, I am going quite silent every weekend))
Rod
Rod curiosity is drawn by the windmill portrait of the windmill upon the mantelpiece, it seems quite different from the others, specially for the subject, he tries to inspect it or to remember if they saw it before outside in the mist...
((Perception: 16))
Reshi gives the room a second glance (Is the back wall solid?).
Perception: 12
He then goes to check on his companions. With all of them deep in thought or searching thoroughly, Reshi will join in, scanning the books for anything that could hold information on this village, the mist that engulfs it, or the monster that hunts it.
Investigation: 16
“Has anyone heard of a ‘Strahd’ ?” Reshi looks around the room seeing if anyone answers him.
Simon's hands begin to tremble and he drops the book to the ground, slowly looking into the shadows around him. He has broken into a cold sweat, and he rubs at his bad eye continuously.
Perception: 19
Flayr Flameseeker | Genasi/Fire | Wizard/School of Evocation | Level 2 | Custom Campaign: Cold Cash
Garren is too focused on the books to notice anything going on around him. He immerses himself into the Alchemical Secrets Better Left Unknown. Is it of any use?
If needed, investigation: 9
Simon falls to his knees, shivering uncontrollably. He stares at the book at his feet and then slowly picks it up, shoving it in his pack. He does the same with the second book, not even bothering to examine it.
"Did you feel nothing?" He inquires of his companions.
Flayr Flameseeker | Genasi/Fire | Wizard/School of Evocation | Level 2 | Custom Campaign: Cold Cash
This does manage to get Garren's attention:
"Feel what? What is wrong?"
Simon would lose his temper but for the fact that he has just been traumatized, no common experience to the cold-hearted delver in the arcane.
"The monster.... it was here... THE BOOK!" Spittle flies from his mouth as he glances around wildly. Then he calms down. " There was something in the room with us, mere moments ago. Felt you nothing? "
Flayr Flameseeker | Genasi/Fire | Wizard/School of Evocation | Level 2 | Custom Campaign: Cold Cash
“Maybe we should keep moving and get this over with.” Reshi keeps his eyes on Simon while putting the book back on the shelf. “Let’s stick together. One more room to check on this floor and then onto the next floor to get the boy... And stay alert, everyone.” After saying that, Reshi slowly moves towards the exit of the room and to the last room he hasn't checked. There, he waits for the rest of the party to join him.
Simon takes a last nervous glance around the room and follows.
Flayr Flameseeker | Genasi/Fire | Wizard/School of Evocation | Level 2 | Custom Campaign: Cold Cash
Rod
Rod cocks the head looking at this peculiar framed painting "What are you doing here?" The thing is getting him curious "Touch it....touch it.....don't you think is sooooo weird?" so he runs through the frame and the painting with his dark fingers, perhaps there is another reason for this subject and this painting here ((Investigation: 21)).
"Strahd? What do you mean for Strahd? Is it a brewery thing? I'd like to drink....my mouth drying actually" The Warlock leaks his lips...adn looking around he notices Simon who is going creepy...Rod trots to him.."Hey...hey friend you are looking pale...aaaand I am not saying this cause I am almost pitch black eheh...what's up?Uh uh...a monster you say? No nothing...really you can stay close to me if you want....I will give him a nice bump with my Rod...Rod" The Warlock give a couple of swings with his staff to the air...
Garren follows Reshi, but speaks up as well:
"Here's the problem. I don't doubt that Simon did indeed feel a presence. This means, that, if the thing we are looking for, can become invisible, or is already invisible, and can go through rooms without at least some of us noticing it, what is the point of looking for it? Would it, maybe, be better, for us to find those children's parents instead? Maybe they have a solution we are not seeing."