Finlan will exit and head for the third floor, determined to find these kids' baby brother.

"Eh, so I missed one down there? Alright, one is better than none, trade you one silver knife from one of my sets for the fork" she said, a little dissapointed, both at his haul, and herself for missing one.

"Did you even get the rest of the silverware down there for yourself?" Gralwynn said, moving into the study/library with Reed, tapping on the open door to announce her presence. 

“Totally.- I’m giving ‘er my all cap’n!”

A total lie, Deception for fun: 16

There’s no way he checked it that quick.

Reed

At the bookcase, I will pull on the green book. 

"Fine, I thought you would have wanted some shinies or coins for yourself, but it's up to you" She scowled, tasting the sarcasm dripping from Creak's odd, chirpy voice.

Turning away, and heading into the room with Reed, Gralwynn looks at the wall of books with a mixture of curiosity and distrust. "Reed" she half-barked, "I was searching downstairs, and I found some tails, specifically, yours and Adric's." Clasping her hand on his shoulder, she focuses her mind and gives the man a little pick-me-up

Guidance is cast.

“Creak, shush, we’re on private property!” Creak mimics as he points to all around the house, as if questioning why she’s stealing. Creak sighs, readjusts his pith hat, and also enters the room with Reed and Gralwynn, “Hey, how’s it going- What’re we looking at?”

So is it just Adric, Fin, and Silvana going up to the third level?

(Yes, Creak, Gralwynn, and Reed are in the study/library, looking for stuff.)

Gralwynn takes a quick look at the bookshelf, and notices the books on alchemy and history. "Hmm, about the area?" She quickly looks at the table of contents for these books, looking for anything interesting, or recurring names.

(Do I roll for this?)

Can Creak help Gralwynn using his keen eyes and birdy brain?

 Gralwynn hands Creak some of the books as well, two heads are better than one, and that just gave her a frightening idea...

Reed, you pull on the green book and it slides out from the bookshelf easily. If you flip it open, you do see that its plain cover is meant to distract casual observers from the bawdy sketches inside. They are tastefully done, but certainly not the type you'd leave out for just anyone to peruse. Assuming you proceed to pull the red book as well, you have more luck with it. It doesn't pull off the shelf, instead a soft click behind the shelf as the bookshelf silently swings outward into the room, revealing a dark room beyond.

Gralwynn and Creak, you two start flipping threw the books trying to find some kind of information about the area. You do find a few tomes discussing the history of a land called Barovia. It reads much like a history textbook, really just a retelling of stories about some count named Von Zarovich that was some kind of war hero to Barovians. He cleansed the valley of its then inhabitants and brought in subjects from his war campaigns to give them new homes.

Adric, Fin, and Silvana, you three head up the chill stairs towards the third floor. When you reach the top, you notice this floor is far different from the other two. Where the previous ones were clean and hospitable, if a bit dark, this floor is covered with dust and cobwebs. Similar to the floor below, a suit of armor stands against the wall across from the stairs with the same wolf-headed motif. As with other areas of the house, oil lamps sit on the oak paneled walls, extinguished. There are woodland scenes of trees, falling leaves, and tiny critters carved into the panels. You can see three doors in the walls. A set of double doors set with glass panes with the same windmill design from elsewhere in the house to your right. To the left there are two single doors.

Ongoing Map:

As the opening appears, Creak chirps and mimics as he gestures toward the opening, “Oi, you lot, I found a door- I thought you might want some shinies for yourself- Shall we, gentlemen?” He also looks Reed up and down before extending a clawed hand to shake, “Crow Beak Creak?- Sorry, miss, we’re just some treasure hunters- Nice to meet ye, bird brain.”

Let's investigate this room over here. Finlan says as he moves to the room on the far left of the stairs.

And of the alchemy books?

The alchemy books are pretty standard, the same types you'd find in any library or study you've ever seen in the past. Nothing really enlightening.

"All right. I'll go in there with you." Adric will follow Finlan into the room

Fin and Adric, as you begin to step off the stairs, you hear from down below the sound of the Creak exclaiming about finding another room, barely.

At the same time, all of you in the house are surrounded by a dread chill and your vision flares momentarily. Fin and Adric, where next to you in the past had been Silvana the tiefling ranger, you find a new compatriot. From the looks, someone elven this time.

Gralwynn and Creak, it would seem that your attempted introduction to Reed synced impeccably with the chill, leaving you reaching a hand out for a different human than your previous armored companion!

Balmaris and Rynna, you had been travelling together, acting as an advanced scouting group for a group of soldiers that had been marching across the foothills outside Baldur's Gate. While normally reserved for rogues and other sneaky combatants, you had shown a level of expertise at foiling magical traps, which your expedition was afraid they would be encountering. It was as you made an entrance into a ruined building that the deceptive gray mist sprang up around you, hiding your vision and chilling you to your bones. When the mists parted, you find yourselves each facing two other adventuring types. Balmaris, you find yourself in the company of a semi-naked halfling and an armored human. Rynna, you are with a crazed looking elf and a weird bird-like creature.

(OOC: Hooray for the weird magics of Barovia doing funny translocation things to your party members! This will get us back to our full group and away we go! Fin and Adric, you are still free to progress towards that door if you'd like, or you may react to your newly discovered compatriots!)

"Oh hello there. My name is Adric Stormheart. My companion and I are up here searching for a lost child and possibly the monster that is terrorizing this house. What's your name?"

Immediately as the mists clear, Balmaris adopts a defensive stance, his weight balanced upon the balls of his feet ready to strike out.  

"Who are you? Where am I? and what have you done with Rynna!"

Before you stands what appears to be an elf, but it is as if he never saw the sunlight.  His pale gray skin contrasts with the black tunic he wears, a shock of white hair crests his head pulled neatly back in to a functional pony tail.  At his waist hangs a sickle, but he has made no move to draw it forth.

"As I've just said I'm Adric Stormheart. I don't really know where we are or who Rynna is, so I can't really help you with that. But I could help you find this Rynna person if you would describe them for me."