Janek reels back from the attack of the Spectre, severely injured. (CON Save: 16)

Trying to recover from the blow, Janek warily draws his longsword and tries to fend off the creature as he retreats. (Disengage and then move back, away from the Spectre as far as possible.)  He then pauses a moment, trying to regain his strength. (Second Wind: 4 hp recovered) 

(( Still waiting on others to make their moves, but to avoid holding things up ))

Flames engulf Alcazar's hand then launch toward the spectral form that attacked Janek. He's not sure what the creature is, but as the sturdy fighter retreats, so does he. He moves as far from it as possible, while keeping it in sight.

Attack: 21; Damage: 3

Bianka 23 - Still waiting for Bianka's turn

Spectre of a woman 16 - The spectre attacked and struck Janek

Thromlin 13

Alcazar 11 - Alcazars flame attack strikes the spectre and you can see a patch of scorch-marks on her otherwise ghostly white flesh.

Rojor 9

Janek 6 - Janek pulled back, and second wind allowed him to recover all of the lost HP

Bianka, Thromlin, Rojor: Still waiting for your actions.

(Thromlin, botted:)

Seeing that Janek has pulled back and the figure stands alone, Thromlin decides to cast Ice Knife. He conjures a shard of ice in the air and hurls it at the spectre.

Attack: 20 Damage: 8 piercing

As the shard gets to the creature (whether it hits or not), it then also shatters and explodes outwards, causing further damage: Damage: 4 cold; DEX 13 save to avoid (fully): 13 

Next round:

Bianka 23 - skipping / removed due to inactivity

Spectre of a woman 16 - The spectre howls in pain from Thromlin's Ice Knife and seems to have lost some of its vigour - looking slightly more faded and transparent. It charges at him in rage, rushing past Janek (Attack of opportunity for Janek prior to your actual turn). It then slashes at Thromlin with its claws Attack: 13 Damage: 3

Thromlin 13  - if you are still online, please post for this round, otherwise will be botted again or also removed

Alcazar 11 <--- post next please

Rojor 9  - skipping / removed due to inactivity

Janek 6 - just post directly after Ereshion please

Still taking cover behing the warrior, Alcazar does the only thing that he can think of: Another bolt of fire. The last seemed to hurt the creature, hopefully with enough fire and ice it would fall. Perhaps it was the mist, his own fear, or just bad luck, but the bolt flies wide.

Attack: 9; Damage: --

Janek allows his torch to fall to the ground, drawing his second longsword.  He again moves forward, attacking the Spectre with both weapons. 
(Longsword Attack: 18 Damage: 7)
(Longsword Attack: 8 Damage: 7)

Alcazar's bolt of fire goes wide and instead hits the wall, burning off the top layer of wallpaper instead.

Janek then steps forward to attach the spectre at close range using his swords. The spectre tries unsuccessfully to avoid the slashing sword, and Janek cuts straight through it. As the sword comes out the other side, the spectre begins to lose cohesion and drifts apart, like fog caught in a sudden gust. The second swing of his sword goes through the thin air of the disappearing spectre. (Just to be clear: the Spectre is dead).

Quote from Touschka_ >>

Quote from Culuril >>

The animated armor seemingly vanquished by the long drop, Janek sheathes his longsword. He moves to try the door the south side of the room. He slowly opens the door and tries to peer inside.

(Perception: 22)

 The door opens into a large and well appointed bedroom. The room contains a large bed, two end tables, and a wardrobe. Mounted on the wall next to the wardrobe is a full-length mirror with an ornate wooden frame carved to look like ivy and berries..the entire room is covered in dust and cobwebs. The walls are wallpapered with a feminine flower motif that is peeling off in many places. Underneath, you can see the remnants of an earlier wallpaper, which seems to have of a friendly but simplistic animals as you might find in a child's bedroom. 

Through an open door just to your right, you can see what appears to be a nursery contains a crib covered with a hanging black shroud. Further along the wall is a set of stained glass double door which open on what you assume is the balcony that is visible from the outside. 

As you glance into the room, your eyes are drawn to the bed. The sheets are somewhat crumpled and the bed is unmade. No one is lying in the bed, but nonetheless there is a white spectre, like the shadow of a woman, floating just above the bed. You look at the strange shape, floating motionless just above the bed, when its head suddenly snaps around and it stares straight into your eyes. It looks straight into your eyes for a moment, and then opens its mouth to deliver a bloodcurdling scream.

It then raises itself up to a standing position turns towards you, with malice and violence in its eyes. 

(Roll Initiative; unless you guys want save time and carry on in the previous initiative order)

With the threat of the spectre gone, and the animated armor lying shattered at the bottom of the stairwell, the house returns once more to ominous silence.

You now have a better opportunity to look around the room (earlier description quoted above). The bedroom appears to have been a women's bedroom - with dresses and other clothing items around the room, and a flowery wallpaper. There are wilted roses in a vase on the end table. Where the wallpaper is peeling off, and where Alcazar's bolt of fire burned off the top layer, you can see a children's wallpaper popking out underneath. It appears that while once this was a bedroom for one or more children, more recently it housed an adult woman. 

In the adjoining small room, kitted out as a nursery, you see a crib covered in a black shroud.

(Please describe your actions, and roll perception/insight as appropriate for your path if you want to try to find out more)

"The children sent us in here to find a monster. That was one, but I don't suppose that's the end of what this house has to offer, do you?" Janek asks.  He decides to start with the nursery, "A black shroud on a crib cannot be good."  He takes a look about the nursery and looks into the crib. 

(Perception: 7)

Quote from Culuril >>

"The children sent us in here to find a monster. That was one, but I don't suppose that's the end of what this house has to offer, do you?" Janek asks.  He decides to start with the nursery, "A black shroud on a crib cannot be good."  He takes a look about the nursery and looks into the crib. 

(Perception: 7)

You enter the nursery and have a closer looks at the crib. It is covered with a back shroud, and the whole room is covered is dust and cobwebs. You carefully part the shroud, and find inside a tightly wrapped, baby-sized bundle lying in the crib. 

Seeing the baby-sized bundle, Janek closes his eyes a moment.  He takes a breath, then calls out to the others. "Seems to be something bundled here in this crib. I'll take a look."  His voice is full of resignation, as if he really would rather not investigate this further.  But he does.  He reaches into the crib, taking out the bundle to see what it is.  

(Investigation if needed: 16)

You pick up and carefully unwrap the bundle - mentally steeling yourself for the worst. But as you unwrap it, it becomes clear that the bundle is empty. There is nothing inside it, no remains of any kind. Given this, and the letter you found earlier (see post #146), it seems clear that this was set up for the child that ended up stillborn and thus never needed it. Which also means that this must be the room of the "other" woman in who's bosom the master of the house sought solace. And from the wallpaper, it seems that the master of the house repurposed a child's room to house his mistress instead. 

(Based on Janeks investigation of the bundle and what you have seen so far. If someone wants to search the room, please roll perception)

In addition to the bedroom and nursery you are exploring at the moment, there are also a number of other rooms on the floor still unexplored, and you have yet to find your way to the attic.

A bit relieved to find the bundle empty, Janek sets it down and moves on into the room. "I can check out the bed I guess, if someone takes the wardrobe?"

He then heads over to see if there's anything in the bed, under it, or in the end tables. (Perception: 23)

The bed has nothing of interest. Now that the spectre has disappeared it looks comfortable, if dusty, regular bed.

In the wardrobe, you find various women's clothes. Dresses, casual clothes, and at the very back a uniform similar to those you saw in the servants quarters, but slightly more ornate. The clothes are all in the same size, suggesting that they belonged to the same person - who seems to have gone from member of staff to kept woman. 

Mounted on the wall next to the wardrobe is a full-length mirror with an ornate wooden frame carved to look like ivy and berries. As you look at it more closely, you realise that something is slightly off, and start to notice snakes hidden inside the ivy and eyeballs among the berries.

As you search around the room, you realise an inset panel, similar to the door to the servants quarters. Pushing this open carefully you discover behind it a very narrow and plain staircase leading further up, presumably to the attic. The attic stairs have another entrance door to the main staircase, which from the inside is now easily visible even without searching.

 "The way up," Janek says briefly.   "Perhaps we check the rest of this level though?"

Alcazar nods, still content to follow the burly warrior and assist where possible.