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.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
“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?
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How does a red dragon blow out the candles on its birthday cake?
The parlor quieted as Boff, Gooterat, and Alaric settled in, the storm's rumble swelling against the shuttered windows.
Gooterat turned the slender wand over in his hands, feeling the subtle pulse of magic inside it. A faint warmth gathered at his palm, and in that instant he understood — this was a Wand of Magic Missiles.
Across the room, Boff sat staring at the spirit board, replaying the previous séance in his mind. He realized the names Radel Voz and Draz Volen to be anagrams of one another. He did not yet know why the deception was used ... but he believed Mara Silvra to be at the center of it.
Meanwhile, Alaric examined the raven amulet. It seemed normal at first. Just another relic from a haunted house. But as he turned it over, the gemstone eye in its center flickered once. Then again. Then began to glow in earnest, brightening from silver to white-hot brilliant.
The light swelled, enveloping the warlock in a blinding flash.
When it faded, Alaric was gone.
In his place stood an elf. Ashen-faced, clothed in robes that had long since gone out of fashion, holy symbol clutched in one hand.
The amulet lay at the elf's feet, now cold and dark.
A stunned elf stands there, looking down for a moment. His hands move to push his unruly dark brown hair aside and then he bends down, picking up the raven amulet, turning it, looking at it. Then suddenly he registers that he's not alone. He looks quickly at Boff and Gooterat, then looks up quickly, speaking to the ceiling as if it were able to respond. "Talen? Miranya? Are you here? Where are you?!?" He takes a seat at the table, not trusting his legs, wanting to sit and gather his thoughts.
He looks down at his hands, fidgeting, thinking, chewing his lower lip. Slowly, he looks up to make eye contact, listening, watching. Then, as if to satisfy a compulsion, he leans across the table and pushes the hand of Boff and then Gooterat with his finger, satisfying himself with his tactile senses. "You're real. I thought I... I thought I was losing my mind. Still may be, who knows. Who are you? How did you end up... here?" The elf looks confused, he stays silent to hear your reply, but glances over his shoulder quickly if there are any noises, any strange sounds that come from nearby.
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A wizard is never late, nor is he early, he arrives precisely when he means to.
Gooterat springs to his feet, trips over his bed roll, and points the wand at the new arrival with a trembling hand. He lowered the wand when he spoke, and seemed as relieved as the stranger to be poked! At least this person was real, and not some new horror from the house.
Placing a steadying hand on Boff's arm, the gnome replied." I'm Gooterat and this is Boff. Gennifer and Laurie are opening up ways to communitate with the spirits in this manor. I came through the mists with several others, but I'm all that's left of that group. The house has a way of getting you here if it wants you here." He explains with a shudder. Or getting rid of you... he thinks.
Realizing that he was still holding the wand with a trembling hand, he quickly tucked it away in his belt, within easy reach.
The elf casually puts the amulet on, recognizing it, still feeling somewhat numb and confused, he looks from face to face seated at the table for recognition. "Not "Alaric." And I was not a dwarf. I've always been an elf. My name, forgive me, is Sinak Stonemoon. I entered this house with two others... how long ago? I have no idea. I came with Talen, his name was.... what was it? Talen Greyward, funny how that name eludes me, I don't know how long it has been. He was pulled into the chimney, I do have a vague memory of the Witch in the Walls... gives me the creeps, but I can't remember the details. But I know that he was lost in this place. I remember that. And the other in our group was Miranya Stout, for some reason I remember her really well, she was someone you couldn't forget. A dwarven scholar in archaeology. She wanted to look through this house so bad, study it, figure our its secrets... she wouldn't listen to me, or to Talen, she just kept marching toward the basement. She disappeared and never came back to us. This amulet..."
He pauses here and looks down at the raven shaped amulet he picked up and put on. "This amulet.. protected me somehow. I can't remember. I remember this house speaking to me, compelling me, but somehow this amulet helped me to resist. To stay myself. But then, something happened. I don't know how long I've been gone. All I remember was a sensation of falling, like I was inside of this amulet, somehow. I know this doesn't make sense. Does it?"
He stops and looks at the others sitting at the table, holding his hands up in a defensive and submissive manner toward Gooterat. He looks at the others at the table, the ? paladin who seemed to be in a catatonic state, and the two women at the table, examining them. "Who are you? And how did you end up.. here? What is going on?"
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A wizard is never late, nor is he early, he arrives precisely when he means to.
"We lost a friend to the fireplace too. This place is awful. My group were strangers, all called to the mist by a dream or some other urging. The manor has a long, bloody history. When the sisters are ready we will learn more. The spirits here are restless and tell their secrets when asked correctly."
Gooterat plays interpreter, ensuring that Boff and Sinak are able to communicate to some extent.
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“Let him not vow to walk in the dark, who has not seen the nightfall.” — Elrond
Pondering the amulet, Gooterat looked at it closely. With a few arcane words, and a gesture as if he were reaching out to Sinak, Gooterat's helping hand blinked into existence. "May I see your amulet? Maybe I can help to unravel it's secrets."
If Sinak is willing to part with the amulet for a moment Gooterat will examine it for anything that may help them to understand it's power. He uses his mage hand to hold the item, careful not to touch it himself.
Upon completion of his inspection he sends the hand back to Sinak to return the amulet.
***OoC: arcana: 13 ***
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“Let him not vow to walk in the dark, who has not seen the nightfall.” — Elrond
Sinak nods and allows Gooterat to examine the amulet, but you can tell that he is uneasy about it. “Careful! I think that amulet is what kept me alive… I don’t know how, I can’t explain it. Somehow, I feel that if I wasn’t wearing it, I would have fallen captive to this house as well, a fixture inside the walls or buried somewhere within. Somehow, this amulet helped me to resist it and maintain my sanity. No small feat, in this place. I am keen to learn more, to see how we can end this, and get out of this forsaken place.” He looks up at the two women seated at the table, saying, “You were about to begin a seance? What are you hoping to learn here?” After Gooterat has examined his amulet, he hastily retrieves it and puts it back on, positioning it in the center of his chest.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
A wizard is never late, nor is he early, he arrives precisely when he means to.
Boff sits back down, but his posture remains tense. He looks around the room as if he can see faces in the walls. If this elf, this Sinak, has been in the house for some time, then perhaps...
...Alaric may be in the hoose somewhere still.
Then in a lower grumble he adds: The hoose eats people.
With his thick arms crossed over his broad chest, Boff waits quietly for the seance to begin, warily eyeing the magical amulet that cause Alaric to disappear and this elf to mysteriously arrive.
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How does a red dragon blow out the candles on its birthday cake?
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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
The parlor quieted as Boff, Gooterat, and Alaric settled in, the storm's rumble swelling against the shuttered windows.
Gooterat turned the slender wand over in his hands, feeling the subtle pulse of magic inside it. A faint warmth gathered at his palm, and in that instant he understood — this was a Wand of Magic Missiles.
Across the room, Boff sat staring at the spirit board, replaying the previous séance in his mind. He realized the names Radel Voz and Draz Volen to be anagrams of one another. He did not yet know why the deception was used ... but he believed Mara Silvra to be at the center of it.
Meanwhile, Alaric examined the raven amulet. It seemed normal at first. Just another relic from a haunted house. But as he turned it over, the gemstone eye in its center flickered once. Then again. Then began to glow in earnest, brightening from silver to white-hot brilliant.
The light swelled, enveloping the warlock in a blinding flash.
When it faded, Alaric was gone.
In his place stood an elf. Ashen-faced, clothed in robes that had long since gone out of fashion, holy symbol clutched in one hand.
The amulet lay at the elf's feet, now cold and dark.
A stunned elf stands there, looking down for a moment. His hands move to push his unruly dark brown hair aside and then he bends down, picking up the raven amulet, turning it, looking at it. Then suddenly he registers that he's not alone. He looks quickly at Boff and Gooterat, then looks up quickly, speaking to the ceiling as if it were able to respond. "Talen? Miranya? Are you here? Where are you?!?" He takes a seat at the table, not trusting his legs, wanting to sit and gather his thoughts.
He looks down at his hands, fidgeting, thinking, chewing his lower lip. Slowly, he looks up to make eye contact, listening, watching. Then, as if to satisfy a compulsion, he leans across the table and pushes the hand of Boff and then Gooterat with his finger, satisfying himself with his tactile senses. "You're real. I thought I... I thought I was losing my mind. Still may be, who knows. Who are you? How did you end up... here?" The elf looks confused, he stays silent to hear your reply, but glances over his shoulder quickly if there are any noises, any strange sounds that come from nearby.
A wizard is never late, nor is he early, he arrives precisely when he means to.
Boff blinks in confusion, staring now at Alaric who appears to have transformed into an elf.
"Uh... Alaric? You... elf now!"
He looks at the two humans as if to inquire whether this is part of the seance...
How does a red dragon blow out the candles on its birthday cake?
Gooterat
Gooterat springs to his feet, trips over his bed roll, and points the wand at the new arrival with a trembling hand. He lowered the wand when he spoke, and seemed as relieved as the stranger to be poked! At least this person was real, and not some new horror from the house.
Placing a steadying hand on Boff's arm, the gnome replied." I'm Gooterat and this is Boff. Gennifer and Laurie are opening up ways to communitate with the spirits in this manor. I came through the mists with several others, but I'm all that's left of that group. The house has a way of getting you here if it wants you here." He explains with a shudder. Or getting rid of you... he thinks.
Realizing that he was still holding the wand with a trembling hand, he quickly tucked it away in his belt, within easy reach.
“Let him not vow to walk in the dark, who has not seen the nightfall.” — Elrond
The elf casually puts the amulet on, recognizing it, still feeling somewhat numb and confused, he looks from face to face seated at the table for recognition. "Not "Alaric." And I was not a dwarf. I've always been an elf. My name, forgive me, is Sinak Stonemoon. I entered this house with two others... how long ago? I have no idea. I came with Talen, his name was.... what was it? Talen Greyward, funny how that name eludes me, I don't know how long it has been. He was pulled into the chimney, I do have a vague memory of the Witch in the Walls... gives me the creeps, but I can't remember the details. But I know that he was lost in this place. I remember that. And the other in our group was Miranya Stout, for some reason I remember her really well, she was someone you couldn't forget. A dwarven scholar in archaeology. She wanted to look through this house so bad, study it, figure our its secrets... she wouldn't listen to me, or to Talen, she just kept marching toward the basement. She disappeared and never came back to us. This amulet..."
He pauses here and looks down at the raven shaped amulet he picked up and put on. "This amulet.. protected me somehow. I can't remember. I remember this house speaking to me, compelling me, but somehow this amulet helped me to resist. To stay myself. But then, something happened. I don't know how long I've been gone. All I remember was a sensation of falling, like I was inside of this amulet, somehow. I know this doesn't make sense. Does it?"
He stops and looks at the others sitting at the table, holding his hands up in a defensive and submissive manner toward Gooterat. He looks at the others at the table, the ? paladin who seemed to be in a catatonic state, and the two women at the table, examining them. "Who are you? And how did you end up.. here? What is going on?"
A wizard is never late, nor is he early, he arrives precisely when he means to.
Gooterat
"We lost a friend to the fireplace too. This place is awful. My group were strangers, all called to the mist by a dream or some other urging. The manor has a long, bloody history. When the sisters are ready we will learn more. The spirits here are restless and tell their secrets when asked correctly."
Gooterat plays interpreter, ensuring that Boff and Sinak are able to communicate to some extent.
“Let him not vow to walk in the dark, who has not seen the nightfall.” — Elrond
Gooterat
Pondering the amulet, Gooterat looked at it closely. With a few arcane words, and a gesture as if he were reaching out to Sinak, Gooterat's helping hand blinked into existence. "May I see your amulet? Maybe I can help to unravel it's secrets."
If Sinak is willing to part with the amulet for a moment Gooterat will examine it for anything that may help them to understand it's power. He uses his mage hand to hold the item, careful not to touch it himself.
Upon completion of his inspection he sends the hand back to Sinak to return the amulet.
***OoC: arcana: 13 ***
“Let him not vow to walk in the dark, who has not seen the nightfall.” — Elrond
Sinak nods and allows Gooterat to examine the amulet, but you can tell that he is uneasy about it. “Careful! I think that amulet is what kept me alive… I don’t know how, I can’t explain it. Somehow, I feel that if I wasn’t wearing it, I would have fallen captive to this house as well, a fixture inside the walls or buried somewhere within. Somehow, this amulet helped me to resist it and maintain my sanity. No small feat, in this place. I am keen to learn more, to see how we can end this, and get out of this forsaken place.” He looks up at the two women seated at the table, saying, “You were about to begin a seance? What are you hoping to learn here?” After Gooterat has examined his amulet, he hastily retrieves it and puts it back on, positioning it in the center of his chest.
A wizard is never late, nor is he early, he arrives precisely when he means to.
Boff sits back down, but his posture remains tense. He looks around the room as if he can see faces in the walls. If this elf, this Sinak, has been in the house for some time, then perhaps...
...Alaric may be in the hoose somewhere still.
Then in a lower grumble he adds: The hoose eats people.
With his thick arms crossed over his broad chest, Boff waits quietly for the seance to begin, warily eyeing the magical amulet that cause Alaric to disappear and this elf to mysteriously arrive.
How does a red dragon blow out the candles on its birthday cake?