Vice climbs up stairs after Juniper, now hearing the cries of the child. He winces at the sound. He knows babies cry, of course, but shouldn't the mother be able to calm him down by now? It sounds like the child has been crying for a long time. Then again, not like he's an baby expert himself. He probably wouldn't know what to do with one. With the thick cobwebs and layers of dust, it doesn't even seem like anyone is living here. He stops when Juniper's studying the rug. "Anything?" He asks quietly. 

If we were outside maybe I could make this out better. I just… do people really live here?

Juniper’s beaded braids click softly as she shakes her head, trying to clear it. “Probably nothing,” she responds to Vice, catching his eye to be sure he too hears the crying. The young elf follows Emma, and, when the others have caught up with her, knocks gently on the door behind which the baby can be heard crying.

“Hello?,” she says, loudly enough to be heard on the other side. “Rose and Thorn asked us to come in. May we speak with you?”

Juniper searches the ground for any signs of footprints in the dust. However, she can only see evidence of one set of footprints. These footprints likely belong to Emma.

Emma then approaches the door, and it is clear that the new set of footprints matches the ones that Juniper found. Juniper then follows Emma over to the door and knocks on it. However, there is no response from within the room. The crying persists despite the knocking.

Vice watches from the stairs as the two women approach the door. Kal and Star currently remain in the conservatory on the second floor.

“Come on." Vice says to Kal and Star, then follows Juniper and Emma to the door. When there's no answer came from to door, he exchanges a look with Juniper and Emma, and quietly eases the door open if he can. 

Juniper’s face is drawn. Only Emma has disturbed the dust, not the mother, not the harpsichord player. Maybe there is another way out of the baby’s room, but even so, this much dust? Is something wrong with the mother? Perhaps she is blind. And deaf, not hearing the knocking? Or just scared?

Trepidation bunches up her features as Vice opens the door. She wants to announce herself more loudly,  but his expression seems to ask for silence, and… maybe that’s better anyhow. She focuses on whatever is inside. 

As they retraced Emma's steps back up the stairs to the final storey, Star also hears the cries.

"So similar, the sounds of all babies" he muses in a whisper. "I could easily mistake them for the mewls of a Tabaxi cub." It spoke to the poet in him, that all creatures at the start of their life should be so similar in need and noise.

He stands and waits for a response after Juniper calls out to the woman in the room.

Vice opens the door to the room and hears the cries from the infant coming from behind a door immediately to his right. However, there is no singing anymore. No attempts to get the child to stop crying.

As Star walks past the suit of armour, he gets just a little too close. Suddenly, the armour comes alive and lunges at Star. With two open hands, it tries to push Star over the balcony railing.

(Shove: 4, @EMIW make a Strength(Athletics) or Dexterity(Acrobatics) check. If you roll less, Star falls over the balcony and takes 2 bludgeoning damage.)

Acrobatics: 12

Star spins, allowing the push of the armour to propel him harmlessly to one side rather than over the banister. He draws his rapier and holds it aloft between himself and his attacker.

"Who are you, lurker in armour?"

Vice ventures into the door, his footsteps light in the dusty, gloomy room. Now he hears the baby’s crying more clearly. It doesn’t sound like there’s anyone else in the room, which is odd, since they haven’t seen anyone come out. He hears some scuffle downstairs and assumes Star’s just being clumsy.

Vice knocks on the door to the nursery, waits for a second, then says. “Hi? We saw the children outside.” If there’s still no answer, he opens the nursery door and checks on the baby.

There is no response from within the armour. However, it seems that it is ready to fight.

(Roll for initiative.
Armour: 5)

5

Dex mod is +2 for tie break. 

(Busy weekend sorry.  Was reading the backlog and getting ready to post following the group upstairs, but I guess I'm rolling initiative instead :D)

Initiative: 13

Initiative: 16 

Initiative: 4.

((OOC: I'm a bit busy this week, so I probably won't be able to post anything before Wednesday. Sorry in advance, in case it slows combat down.))

Juniper is next to Vice at the door leading to the crying sound. At the sound of Star’s voice, her head swivels to focus her attention behind her, hearing but not seeing the armor come alive and Star’s reaction to it. The young Druid’s head swivels frontward at the same moment Vice opens the door, but her ears are wide open to the unexpected sounds behind her, and her brow remains furrowed as she feels a breath of fear and adrenaline pass through her.

Initiative: 5

(Order Vice, Kal, Emma, Star, Juniper, Armour)

There came no reply from the other side of the door, but underneath the infant’s cry, Vice quickly realizes the scuffle he heard wasn’t just Star being clumsy. He turns to see Star confronting the armor, the latter has apparently moved from where it was before. How did they not realize there’s someone in that armor? The half-elf curses under his breath, his muscles already moving in reflex, draws the bow, nocks an arrow, aims, shoots.

“Star, come over here!” He calls to the tabaxi. And to the hostile armor, he adds, “We’re just here to talk!”

Attack: 14 Damage: 9

Lagging behind a bit as he follows the others up the stairs, Kal doesn't see what happens to Star, but hears the sound of combat start above him.  He charges up the stairs to take in the sene, then jumps into action to assist.

(Dunno how far away I'd be, so if I can get into range to do so, I'll eldritch blast.  Otherwise dash to get closer)

Attack: 18 Damage: 4