Nelyna listens as Jim explains his theory, and she nods though doesn't say anything. It's as good an explanation as any. She still believes there is some sort of dark magic at play though. The children didn't seem like any ghosts she had ever heard of before. As she listened to Razi recount his story, she realized they were going to use the downtime to get to know each other better, and that made her nervous. She had never been a good speaker and was socially awkward at best. Hopefully she wouldn't be in the spotlight for long.
At Razi's story, she can't help but smile. She likes the warlock and his devotion to destroying evil wherever he found it. At the mention of the angelic being, her curiosity is piqued. She will have to ask him more about that later.
She wasn't surprised by Caine or Jim's stories. The pair seemed two of a kind, both scoundrels though the lovable sort for the most part. Her mouth quirked upward in a small smile. Sleet's story was most surprising. Raised by gnomes indeed? She was still a bit unsure around the big dragonborn but somehow knowing he was raised by a family of gnomes made him seem more approachable.
When it's her turn, Nelyna blushes slightly and doesn't really meet anyone's eye. "I've been apprenticed to Master Neralmo for decades now." Time is a bit different for elves. She knows some humans can be touchy about the subject. Hopefully none of them will ask her how old she is. "My specialty is archaeology. I explore ancient ruins and sites of historical significance. I mainly look for magical artifacts or items. As far as magic goes, I mainly know a few evocation cantrips, but I'm hoping to hone my skills in divination as it would be very useful in my field." She smiles shyly.
Caine gives Nelyna a smile as she mentions here education and magical interests and ancient ruins.
"That sounds like a different world," he says. "Something the minstrels would sing about in the square. But someone who actually explores old ruins and works with magic? Impressive."
He knocks on the wall carvings once or twice, grimacing a little at the twisted images.
"Even beyond being locked in and the disappearing kids, there's something really wrong with this place," Caine says. "Good things did not happen here."
Caine cocks his head to one side.
"But we haven't heard any sounds coming from any basement either, and that feels like a big plus at the moment," he says as he walks out of the dining room and back to the main hall and looks up the stairs. "I think we're going to have to continue on up. Maybe there's a back staircase or servants stairway or something that leads to a basement."
Still lighting lamps as he goes, Caine heads up the staircase.
Razi takes a look at the painting. "Just one child? Can anyone tell if that is supposed to represent an infant girl or boy? If these are the parents of those two... children... we encountered, it would stand to reason that if there is just one child in the painting, this would be the older girl, Rose, just after her birth." The he runs his hands through his hair and gives an exasperated smile. "Or this could be a painting of their great-great grandparents from 100 years ago and completely irrelevant to this mystery."
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
PC - Ethel - Human - Lvl 4 Necromancer - Undying Dragons * Serge Marshblade - Human - Lvl 5 Eldritch Knight - Hoard of the Dragon Queen
DM -(Homebrew) Heroes of Bardstown *Red Dead Annihilation: ToA *Where the Cold Winds Blow : DoIP * Covetous, Dragonish Thoughts: HotDQ * Red Wine, Black Rose: CoS * Greyhawk: Tides of War
Razi double-takes when he looks again at the painting, now seeing young Rose and Thorn. "I could have sworn...". He shrugs he shoulders and falls back in with the others.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
PC - Ethel - Human - Lvl 4 Necromancer - Undying Dragons * Serge Marshblade - Human - Lvl 5 Eldritch Knight - Hoard of the Dragon Queen
DM -(Homebrew) Heroes of Bardstown *Red Dead Annihilation: ToA *Where the Cold Winds Blow : DoIP * Covetous, Dragonish Thoughts: HotDQ * Red Wine, Black Rose: CoS * Greyhawk: Tides of War
Jim steps beside Razi to look at the painting, "So there was a third child? A baby at the time of this painting. What do you suspect that this child never got a chance to grow up? If the other two appeared before us, there must be some reason why the third child didn't."
He then begins examining the painting and surrounding area more closely.
(Investigation: 14)
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
“The secret we should never let the gamemasters know is that they don't need any rules.” ― Gary Gygax
Nelyna studies the painting with the others and shudders at the mother's look of utter disdain. She can't even imagine a mother looking at her own baby in such a way. If these were Rose and Thorn's parents no wonder they had seemed so lost and forlorn. If they really had encountered the spirits of the children, Nelyna hoped their presence now provided the children with some measure of comfort or solace. They needed to get to the bottom of this, if only to avenge the poor children.
She steps toward the staircase, shivering at the cold draft. At this moment she wishes she had paid more attention to Master Neralmo when he had tried to teach her the Detect Magic spell.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Caine lights these lamps as well, then swirls the black cloak about as he moves, trying it out a little. Eventually while the others examine the painting and walls around, Caine looks more closely at the suits of armor - lifting up the visors and knocking on them just to make sure they're empty.
Perception (for any hidden compartments or buttons/panels, etc): 11
Jim then sheathes his daggers, "This place is just getting weirder by the minute. Though it seems that the children are not the only things manifesting in this house."
He then looks around, looking for the next room to move on to.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
“The secret we should never let the gamemasters know is that they don't need any rules.” ― Gary Gygax
"I believe the only place left to search, until we find the basement at least, is the upper floor," says Nelyna, still looking up the staircase. She makes no move to ascend the staircase first. Wizards, let alone apprentices, aren't known for being particularly able to withstand a surprise melee attack, and who knows what else is lurking inside this house of darkness.
"Want me to lead the way up the steps? I found the cold air refreshing. Who knows, in this house this could be the way to basement."
A laugh escapes from Razi. “”Quite right. You know, you may be on to something. But is that really all there is to this floor… isn’t that a door there that Jim was just preparing to fight?”
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
PC - Ethel - Human - Lvl 4 Necromancer - Undying Dragons * Serge Marshblade - Human - Lvl 5 Eldritch Knight - Hoard of the Dragon Queen
DM -(Homebrew) Heroes of Bardstown *Red Dead Annihilation: ToA *Where the Cold Winds Blow : DoIP * Covetous, Dragonish Thoughts: HotDQ * Red Wine, Black Rose: CoS * Greyhawk: Tides of War
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
"Yeah," Jim calls over his shoulder, realising that the others perhaps didn't see the bats after all. Jim then presses an ear to the door to see if he can hear anything through the door.
(Perception: 6)
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
“The secret we should never let the gamemasters know is that they don't need any rules.” ― Gary Gygax
Nelyna listens as Jim explains his theory, and she nods though doesn't say anything. It's as good an explanation as any. She still believes there is some sort of dark magic at play though. The children didn't seem like any ghosts she had ever heard of before. As she listened to Razi recount his story, she realized they were going to use the downtime to get to know each other better, and that made her nervous. She had never been a good speaker and was socially awkward at best. Hopefully she wouldn't be in the spotlight for long.
At Razi's story, she can't help but smile. She likes the warlock and his devotion to destroying evil wherever he found it. At the mention of the angelic being, her curiosity is piqued. She will have to ask him more about that later.
She wasn't surprised by Caine or Jim's stories. The pair seemed two of a kind, both scoundrels though the lovable sort for the most part. Her mouth quirked upward in a small smile. Sleet's story was most surprising. Raised by gnomes indeed? She was still a bit unsure around the big dragonborn but somehow knowing he was raised by a family of gnomes made him seem more approachable.
When it's her turn, Nelyna blushes slightly and doesn't really meet anyone's eye. "I've been apprenticed to Master Neralmo for decades now." Time is a bit different for elves. She knows some humans can be touchy about the subject. Hopefully none of them will ask her how old she is. "My specialty is archaeology. I explore ancient ruins and sites of historical significance. I mainly look for magical artifacts or items. As far as magic goes, I mainly know a few evocation cantrips, but I'm hoping to hone my skills in divination as it would be very useful in my field." She smiles shyly.
She follows the others into the dining room.
Extended Signature
Characters: Bryony Alderleaf (Phandelver and Below) ♦ Vesta Trevelyan (Vecna: Eve of Ruin) ♦ Ada Kendrick (Curse of Strahd) ♦ Gareth Blackwood (Dragon of Icespire Peak) ♦ Karys Velthune (Out of the Abyss) ♦ Surina Xarith (Simple, Heroic Adventure)
DM: Baldur's Gate: Descent Into Avernus
Caine gives Nelyna a smile as she mentions here education and magical interests and ancient ruins.
"That sounds like a different world," he says. "Something the minstrels would sing about in the square. But someone who actually explores old ruins and works with magic? Impressive."
He knocks on the wall carvings once or twice, grimacing a little at the twisted images.
"Even beyond being locked in and the disappearing kids, there's something really wrong with this place," Caine says. "Good things did not happen here."
Caine cocks his head to one side.
"But we haven't heard any sounds coming from any basement either, and that feels like a big plus at the moment," he says as he walks out of the dining room and back to the main hall and looks up the stairs. "I think we're going to have to continue on up. Maybe there's a back staircase or servants stairway or something that leads to a basement."
Still lighting lamps as he goes, Caine heads up the staircase.
Razi takes a look at the painting. "Just one child? Can anyone tell if that is supposed to represent an infant girl or boy? If these are the parents of those two... children... we encountered, it would stand to reason that if there is just one child in the painting, this would be the older girl, Rose, just after her birth." The he runs his hands through his hair and gives an exasperated smile. "Or this could be a painting of their great-great grandparents from 100 years ago and completely irrelevant to this mystery."
PC - Ethel - Human - Lvl 4 Necromancer - Undying Dragons * Serge Marshblade - Human - Lvl 5 Eldritch Knight - Hoard of the Dragon Queen
DM - (Homebrew) Heroes of Bardstown * Red Dead Annihilation: ToA * Where the Cold Winds Blow : DoIP * Covetous, Dragonish Thoughts: HotDQ * Red Wine, Black Rose: CoS * Greyhawk: Tides of War
Razi double-takes when he looks again at the painting, now seeing young Rose and Thorn. "I could have sworn...". He shrugs he shoulders and falls back in with the others.
PC - Ethel - Human - Lvl 4 Necromancer - Undying Dragons * Serge Marshblade - Human - Lvl 5 Eldritch Knight - Hoard of the Dragon Queen
DM - (Homebrew) Heroes of Bardstown * Red Dead Annihilation: ToA * Where the Cold Winds Blow : DoIP * Covetous, Dragonish Thoughts: HotDQ * Red Wine, Black Rose: CoS * Greyhawk: Tides of War
Jim steps beside Razi to look at the painting, "So there was a third child? A baby at the time of this painting. What do you suspect that this child never got a chance to grow up? If the other two appeared before us, there must be some reason why the third child didn't."
He then begins examining the painting and surrounding area more closely.
(Investigation: 14)
“The secret we should never let the gamemasters know is that they don't need any rules.” ― Gary Gygax
Nelyna studies the painting with the others and shudders at the mother's look of utter disdain. She can't even imagine a mother looking at her own baby in such a way. If these were Rose and Thorn's parents no wonder they had seemed so lost and forlorn. If they really had encountered the spirits of the children, Nelyna hoped their presence now provided the children with some measure of comfort or solace. They needed to get to the bottom of this, if only to avenge the poor children.
She steps toward the staircase, shivering at the cold draft. At this moment she wishes she had paid more attention to Master Neralmo when he had tried to teach her the Detect Magic spell.
Extended Signature
Characters: Bryony Alderleaf (Phandelver and Below) ♦ Vesta Trevelyan (Vecna: Eve of Ruin) ♦ Ada Kendrick (Curse of Strahd) ♦ Gareth Blackwood (Dragon of Icespire Peak) ♦ Karys Velthune (Out of the Abyss) ♦ Surina Xarith (Simple, Heroic Adventure)
DM: Baldur's Gate: Descent Into Avernus
Caine lights these lamps as well, then swirls the black cloak about as he moves, trying it out a little. Eventually while the others examine the painting and walls around, Caine looks more closely at the suits of armor - lifting up the visors and knocking on them just to make sure they're empty.
Perception (for any hidden compartments or buttons/panels, etc): 11
Jim steps back at the sight of the bats flying directly at him, and as he moves he draws his daggers.
“The secret we should never let the gamemasters know is that they don't need any rules.” ― Gary Gygax
Jim then sheathes his daggers, "This place is just getting weirder by the minute. Though it seems that the children are not the only things manifesting in this house."
He then looks around, looking for the next room to move on to.
“The secret we should never let the gamemasters know is that they don't need any rules.” ― Gary Gygax
"I believe the only place left to search, until we find the basement at least, is the upper floor," says Nelyna, still looking up the staircase. She makes no move to ascend the staircase first. Wizards, let alone apprentices, aren't known for being particularly able to withstand a surprise melee attack, and who knows what else is lurking inside this house of darkness.
Extended Signature
Characters: Bryony Alderleaf (Phandelver and Below) ♦ Vesta Trevelyan (Vecna: Eve of Ruin) ♦ Ada Kendrick (Curse of Strahd) ♦ Gareth Blackwood (Dragon of Icespire Peak) ♦ Karys Velthune (Out of the Abyss) ♦ Surina Xarith (Simple, Heroic Adventure)
DM: Baldur's Gate: Descent Into Avernus
feeling the cold draft coming down the stairs...
"Want me to lead the way up the steps? I found the cold air refreshing. Who knows, in this house this could be the way to basement."
A laugh escapes from Razi. “”Quite right. You know, you may be on to something. But is that really all there is to this floor… isn’t that a door there that Jim was just preparing to fight?”
PC - Ethel - Human - Lvl 4 Necromancer - Undying Dragons * Serge Marshblade - Human - Lvl 5 Eldritch Knight - Hoard of the Dragon Queen
DM - (Homebrew) Heroes of Bardstown * Red Dead Annihilation: ToA * Where the Cold Winds Blow : DoIP * Covetous, Dragonish Thoughts: HotDQ * Red Wine, Black Rose: CoS * Greyhawk: Tides of War
"You alright over there?" Caine ask, not having seen the bats.
Once satisfied there's nothing actually coming to attack them, Caine picks a door listens for a moment and then opens it with a flourish.
"Tada," Caine says.
He looks inside.
"Yeah," Jim calls over his shoulder, realising that the others perhaps didn't see the bats after all. Jim then presses an ear to the door to see if he can hear anything through the door.
(Perception: 6)
“The secret we should never let the gamemasters know is that they don't need any rules.” ― Gary Gygax