Boff spends a moment catching his breath, but doesn't take his eyes off the porcelain doll. The marionette was in pieces, and the pile of stuffed toys was burnt and melting - neither posed a threat. But the doll was still intact, so after a few seconds rest, Boff walks over and stomps on what's left, ensuring it doesn't come to life once more.
After checking on the health of his fellow house-explorers, Boff looks around the room. The magic door holds no attraction for the magic-averse dwarf, but he is curious about the 'wound' in the wall, which he goes to inspect next.
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How does a red dragon blow out the candles on its birthday cake?
Gooterat picks up the silver needles and begins to inspect the arcane locked door. He tries to determine what should go in the impression, like a crest perhaps?
***OoC: investigation: 9 ***
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“Let him not vow to walk in the dark, who has not seen the nightfall.” — Elrond
Gooterat crouched by the locked door again, tracing where the glowing sigil had appeared. A hum of restrained magic pulsed beneath its surface.
The outline of the missing item on the glowing kite shield was visible, and looked to be a plant of some sort. A stem, leaves, and flowers.
Across the room, Boff examined the far wall where Alaric's spear had struck. The puncture remained small, but from it, a thin stream of dark red trickled down the plaster. The blood had a strange sheen to it. Definitely not the blood of a mortal being.
Gooterat and Boff left the ruined nursery behind, stepping carefully around splintered toys and the last curls of smoke rising from the smoldering bear. The house groaned as they made their way back down the staircase, the storm outside hammering harder against the shutters with every passing minute.
The parlor was as they had left it. Cassian was still catatonic beside the séance table, his breath steady, but his mind clearly elsewhere.
From one of the adjoining rooms ... the soft, distant notes of harp music. Shinrei no doubt.
As Gooterat and Boff entered the room, they saw Laurie and Gennifer beginning to set out candles on the parlor table for another seance.
With a sigh that seemed to come all the way from his toes, Gooterat took the last step.to the floor. He patted Boff on the shoulder. Friends were in short supply these days, and the little gnome had come to rely on Boff's steadfast presence. His burly, armored form and wicked axe didn't hurt either!
While the ladies began to set up for another conversation with this hells spawned domicile, Gooterat pulled the wand from his pack and began to inspect it more closely. When time permitted he would sit in silent study, unlocking its secrets and attuning to its magic.
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“Let him not vow to walk in the dark, who has not seen the nightfall.” — Elrond
Boff's head spins as he walks back to the parlor, thoughts mixing together in his head... bleeding walls, toys attacking, the living corpse... a picture of a family, the father a living corpse, the boy a spirit in his dreams... The names he had heard... Halvhrest, Mara, Draz Volen... Some he had seen elsewhere... on pictures, on the deed. He could barely read this foreign script, but could certainly pick out the letters that represented those three names.
Finding the humans preparing for another chat with the spirits, Boff recalls the previous seance... the letters laid out, spelling out words. RANDELVOZ... that was a name that hadn't appeared anywhere in the house. Or had it? Something clicks in Boff's mind... The name from the deed... DRAZVOLEN. It was the same letters! Trapped by Mara... she who had sought vengeance on Draz Volen.
Draz Volen! Boff blurts out to no-one in particular as the thought takes firm hold in his mind. Then, wanting to ensure the clever people in the room understood, he repeats as best he can in what little of their language he understands:
Before... Ghost... Letters... RandelVoz... DrazVolen... Trapped... by Mara.
Trapped somewhere in the house. But where? And how? And what had become of Mara and the Halvhrest family? And why did the walls bleed?
Another thought enters Boff's mind, not gradually as before, but stabbing like the silver dagger he carries.
How can you be set free? Brick by brick...
The dwarf's stomach lurches. The bleeding walls... Surely it couldn't... No-one could possibly... He keeps this dreadful thought to himself, too bizarre to be voiced aloud... But he can't help staring at the walls...
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How does a red dragon blow out the candles on its birthday cake?
The little Gnome, sitting criss-cross-applesauce on the ground like a child, paused his pondering of the wand at Boff's halting words. His strong armed friend just put together a bit of the mystery of the manor!
"So you think that this whole mess goes back to Draz Volen? Excellent convelusion!" he said to Boff. He was impressed by the deductive power of the dwarf, even if he lacked the vocabulary to express it.
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“Let him not vow to walk in the dark, who has not seen the nightfall.” — Elrond
I don't know, replies Boff, grateful that he can communicate a bit more expressively with Gooterat. I just figured Randelvoz might be Drazvolen. Those humans said Drazvolen took the castle in battle from Mara's father, right? And Mara took it back from Drazvolen. The ghost, Randelvoz, said he was trapped here by Mara. Makes sense. But where's Mara now? And what happened to the family?
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
How does a red dragon blow out the candles on its birthday cake?
Gooterat’s sorcery flared again, a crackling burst of fire striking the jester doll square in its chest.
The toy staggered, wooden limbs snapping under the force, and Boff followed through with a decisive swing of his axe.
The blow shattered the marionette, scattering fragments of painted wood and tangled string across the nursery floor.
The room fell silent once more, save for the storm raging outside and the slow, uneasy groan of the manor (and its bleeding wall).
Encounter complete.
Boff spends a moment catching his breath, but doesn't take his eyes off the porcelain doll. The marionette was in pieces, and the pile of stuffed toys was burnt and melting - neither posed a threat. But the doll was still intact, so after a few seconds rest, Boff walks over and stomps on what's left, ensuring it doesn't come to life once more.
After checking on the health of his fellow house-explorers, Boff looks around the room. The magic door holds no attraction for the magic-averse dwarf, but he is curious about the 'wound' in the wall, which he goes to inspect next.
How does a red dragon blow out the candles on its birthday cake?
Gooterat
Gooterat picks up the silver needles and begins to inspect the arcane locked door. He tries to determine what should go in the impression, like a crest perhaps?
***OoC: investigation: 9 ***
“Let him not vow to walk in the dark, who has not seen the nightfall.” — Elrond
Gooterat crouched by the locked door again, tracing where the glowing sigil had appeared. A hum of restrained magic pulsed beneath its surface.
The outline of the missing item on the glowing kite shield was visible, and looked to be a plant of some sort. A stem, leaves, and flowers.
Across the room, Boff examined the far wall where Alaric's spear had struck. The puncture remained small, but from it, a thin stream of dark red trickled down the plaster. The blood had a strange sheen to it. Definitely not the blood of a mortal being.
Gooterat
Gooterat looks at the shape and considers it in comparison to any seals or crests that he may have come across in the manor.
***OoC: general INT check 10 ***
“Let him not vow to walk in the dark, who has not seen the nightfall.” — Elrond
Gooterat and Boff left the ruined nursery behind, stepping carefully around splintered toys and the last curls of smoke rising from the smoldering bear. The house groaned as they made their way back down the staircase, the storm outside hammering harder against the shutters with every passing minute.
The parlor was as they had left it. Cassian was still catatonic beside the séance table, his breath steady, but his mind clearly elsewhere.
From one of the adjoining rooms ... the soft, distant notes of harp music. Shinrei no doubt.
As Gooterat and Boff entered the room, they saw Laurie and Gennifer beginning to set out candles on the parlor table for another seance.
Gooterat
With a sigh that seemed to come all the way from his toes, Gooterat took the last step.to the floor. He patted Boff on the shoulder. Friends were in short supply these days, and the little gnome had come to rely on Boff's steadfast presence. His burly, armored form and wicked axe didn't hurt either!
While the ladies began to set up for another conversation with this hells spawned domicile, Gooterat pulled the wand from his pack and began to inspect it more closely. When time permitted he would sit in silent study, unlocking its secrets and attuning to its magic.
“Let him not vow to walk in the dark, who has not seen the nightfall.” — Elrond
Boff's head spins as he walks back to the parlor, thoughts mixing together in his head... bleeding walls, toys attacking, the living corpse... a picture of a family, the father a living corpse, the boy a spirit in his dreams... The names he had heard... Halvhrest, Mara, Draz Volen... Some he had seen elsewhere... on pictures, on the deed. He could barely read this foreign script, but could certainly pick out the letters that represented those three names.
Finding the humans preparing for another chat with the spirits, Boff recalls the previous seance... the letters laid out, spelling out words. RANDELVOZ... that was a name that hadn't appeared anywhere in the house. Or had it? Something clicks in Boff's mind... The name from the deed... DRAZVOLEN. It was the same letters! Trapped by Mara... she who had sought vengeance on Draz Volen.
Draz Volen! Boff blurts out to no-one in particular as the thought takes firm hold in his mind. Then, wanting to ensure the clever people in the room understood, he repeats as best he can in what little of their language he understands:
Before... Ghost... Letters... RandelVoz... DrazVolen... Trapped... by Mara.
Trapped somewhere in the house. But where? And how? And what had become of Mara and the Halvhrest family? And why did the walls bleed?
Another thought enters Boff's mind, not gradually as before, but stabbing like the silver dagger he carries.
How can you be set free? Brick by brick...
The dwarf's stomach lurches. The bleeding walls... Surely it couldn't... No-one could possibly... He keeps this dreadful thought to himself, too bizarre to be voiced aloud... But he can't help staring at the walls...
How does a red dragon blow out the candles on its birthday cake?
Gooterat
The little Gnome, sitting criss-cross-applesauce on the ground like a child, paused his pondering of the wand at Boff's halting words. His strong armed friend just put together a bit of the mystery of the manor!
"So you think that this whole mess goes back to Draz Volen? Excellent convelusion!" he said to Boff. He was impressed by the deductive power of the dwarf, even if he lacked the vocabulary to express it.
“Let him not vow to walk in the dark, who has not seen the nightfall.” — Elrond
I don't know, replies Boff, grateful that he can communicate a bit more expressively with Gooterat. I just figured Randelvoz might be Drazvolen. Those humans said Drazvolen took the castle in battle from Mara's father, right? And Mara took it back from Drazvolen. The ghost, Randelvoz, said he was trapped here by Mara. Makes sense. But where's Mara now? And what happened to the family?
How does a red dragon blow out the candles on its birthday cake?
Gooterat
A shiver ran down his spine as he recalled their prior chat with the spirits. "The worst of it lies below..."
The little gnome risked a glance back towards the stone tower and shivered again.
“Let him not vow to walk in the dark, who has not seen the nightfall.” — Elrond