A door behind a bookcase. Did we get transported inside a mystery novel? As Winter walks in the room, Anborn follows behind her. "This house only gets curious and creepier the deeper we delve into it. And something tells me that this isn't the only dead person we'll find in here. Be careful with that chest, there might be more traps." And with that, Anborn will touch Winter and cast Guidance on her.

Winter takes Anborn's words into consideration, but glares daggers at his hand on her shoulder. Lot of nerve this one, she thinks as she says nothing and shrugs off his touch by moving for the chest, readying herself for anything to pop out and attack her. She will take the letter from the skeleton first, then search the chest itself (if she doesn't lose a limb).

Corrin watches the exchange with mild amusement, nodding in approval at Anborn’s divine assistance. 

“Be careful, Winter. This place is full of dark surprises.”

Anborn sees Winter's gaze clear as day. "Just trying to help. No need to give me a temper, Ice Queen." He mutters in a voice too quiet for her to hear.

The chest contains three blank books with black leather covers (worth 25 gp each), three spell scrolls (Bless, Protection from poison, and Spiritual weapon, the deed to the house, the deed to a windmill, and a signed will. The will is signed by "Gustav and Elisabeth Durst" and bequeaths the house, the windmill, and all other family property to "Rosavalda and Thornboldt Durst" in the event of their parents’ deaths. 

No traps go off, thankfully.

Let me know when or if you want to read the note.

Elya, noticing that she is now very, very alone, walks up behind everyone, "What's going on here, guys? Did you find anything interesting?"

Winter skims through the items in the chest, picking out what she would consider to be the most interesting things first. She sets aside the books for later (thinking she'll keep at least one for later usage) then hands the scrolls over to who ever is immediately behind her. "These may be useful later," She mutters, taking out the will as well and sets it on top of the stack of blank books. "That's the will to everything it seems, for the children..." She takes in a breath, then opens the letter and reads it aloud to the group.

"Ah, let's see. Dead body, magic scrolls, books, and deeds to this house and a few mills. Somebody might want to tell those kids that they're the new owners of the Durst family property once we get out of here. There's also this letter that the dead body was carrying. But nothing that really relates to our monster issue." Anborn takes the scrolls from Winter. "There are some powerful divine spells on these scrolls. Finding these things here is a miracle."

My most pathetic servant,

I am not a messiah sent to you by the Dark Powers of this land. I have not come to lead you on a path to immortality. However many souls you have bled on your hidden altar, however many visitors you have tortured in your dungeon, know that you are not the ones who brought me to this beautiful land. You are but worms writhing in my earth.

You say that you are cursed, your fortunes spent. You abandoned love for madness, took solace in the bosom of another woman, and sired a stillborn son. Cursed by darkness? Of that I have no doubt. Save you from your wretchedness? I think not. I much prefer you as you are.

Your dread lord and master,

Strahd von Zarovich

Winter let's the words settle, then speaks. "This 'Strahd' sounds like quite the fellow." She quips, folding the letter and puts it in her pocket. "Looks like there is something downstairs, and it isn't just a basement."

"We're working on it. Maybe this might go faster if you gave us a hand in looking instead of just standing around like one of those suits."  He calls down. Then Anborn reflects upon the letter that Winter just read. "It sounds like Strahd could be our vampire that's terrorizing Barovia. Or he could just be a Dominant with a flair for the gothic." 

As Winter reads the letter, Elya tightens her grip on her greataxe and mutters to herself, "The worst monsters are always people, it seems."

"I am... worried about what may have happened to these children's parents. There seems to be no lost love between ours monsters and this Strahd, but he does not seem all that much better. Let's save the basement for last, I'm not sure I'm ready right now to face whatever is down there. I'll search these last few rooms quickly and then let's head upstairs, yeah?"

As she speaks, the damp spots on her clothing appear to grow and her hair flutters around her more rapidly, she then rushes off to the south room quickly and goes inside, not waiting for anyone to follow her.

"Breaking not much help." He replies matter fact, yet distracted tone. "'sides. Someone need keep watch." Orilo says more plainly as he turned to look back to the direction of Anborn's voice. "Vampire unsurprising. Know not much. But know very powerful. Very dark." He comments on as his attention again shifts to being divided between armor and stairs.  

 What happened to don't be so eager to swim that you drown?  "Come on everyone, let's go after her and make sure that she's not alone in exploring this freakshow of a house."

“I like the gothic,” Winter says idly as she picks up the books and puts them in her pack. “Better than... Blood and guts all over the place, not that I’d truly mind that either.” She listens to Elya, then shrugs, and follows behind her until they get to the main room on this floor, then stays behind as blue-grey hues look to Orilio then the armor he had seemed to be eyeing intently.

”Why don’t you take the armor? Isn’t it better than the armor you have now?” She inquires, glancing up the stairs. “... I’ll watch the stairs if you want.”

With the group heading upstairs, Ledanra will cast Mage Hand, and having seen the others enter rooms without immediate sounds of attack, she will guide the hand to open the main door next to the kitchen.oving herself to see into the room, but staying ebough distance back that nothing should come charging out at her and shake her imotionless calm. After all, why would she risk something like that herself when this new power can do so much for her.

This sort of simple use of her abilities has been the mainstay of Ledanra's interaction so far, after that first eruption in her rage. The spells she can simply and quickly cast with a click of her fingers, and acheive rudimentary, but startling effects. This magic that summon an almost ethereal hand has been one of her favourites; the looks on her visitors faces when she started opening the door for them whilst aitting comfortably behind her desk had raised more than a few eyebrows. Ledanra truly enjoyed the minor unease or momentary confusion that unsettled people before they came into an audience with her.

Corrin moves to keep up with the others, pausing briefly to consider the the pondering giant, who surprisingly just uttered more words than the halfling thought possible. 

“This whole place seems cursed. I’d be leery, if I were you, of donning that and hoping for no ill effects. Be careful, my loquacious titan.”

With that said, the halfling rushes after the others. 

“Hey, wait up!”

Song heads upstairs with the rest of the group. "If the parents of Rose and Thorn are truly... gone, perhaps we could leave them in the care of a townmaster of some sort? Doesn't feel right to leave them alone like this..."

Seeing Elya dart into the southern room, Song sighs. "Keeping together is a must, remember?"

Hearin Orilo speak of the vampire, Song replies, "Very dark indeed. I have this odd feeling we'll end this journey with bite marks in our necks. I'll help stand watch if you need it. You're not very loud. If something comes up, we need someone who can scream about it."

To winter, Orilo shakes his head 'no' if she can see him. "Tempting. But not the way." He replied solemnly, reaffirming an old conviction. As a result, he stood straighter -- or at least, as straight as the hall allowed -- and held his head prideful high. "Sides. Need you now, more than me." He declared as he went back to a more proactive watch. 

Unlike Winter, Corrin receives an annoyed sounding snort for the warning. "You 'ave no room for talk, Death Seeker." Orilo states flatly without breaking his pattern. Only Songs statement game him pause. In answer, Orilo lets out a dark chuckle, then bangs a gauntleted hand against his shield. "Can be loud enough." The air of levity quickly changes to one of contemplation as the man stares after Song. The giant stops short of reaching out towards retreating Song, and pulls it back as a tightly closed fist.

Only once /everyone/ had moved upstairs did he follow in their wake. Until then, he was content to keep an ear out from the stairs for those that went up while Elya and whoever else investigated the southern room towards the south. Ledanra antics up until then earned an idle glance, and in time what could be taken as an approving grunt out of the giant. But little more than that so far..