Cinna walks around and observes everything she can, hesitant to touch anything out of concern for magic and danger.

Eldon walks over to Cinna and just shows her the key and in a whisper "Found this it maybe useful. Also, I don't think the baby in the picture belongs to the mother - it may somehow be linked to this."

It's then that he hears the bard playing music and looks at him, waving his hand in a downward motion to keep quiet. The last thing they wanted was whatever was in this house to know they were there.

Cinna whispers back, "That's really interesting, and could be relevant somehow. Thank you for telling me."

Kestrell, eyes closed and lost in the melancholy notes he's strumming, doesn't notice Eldon's gestures and keeps playing.  Humming to himself:

"Mmmhmmm, Mmmmhmmm, Mmmmhmmm, Mmmmm."

Despite the harpsichord sounding rather out of tune, Kestrell plays it perfectly. Tiny spiders can be spotted skittering about from it as the keys are being pressed. Kestrell get the sense that the well-dressed skeletons etched in the mantelpiece are watching him.

OOC: Is Cinna looking in a specific room, or looking for anything in particular?

Kestrell looks up from playing, the hairs on the back of his neck standing up as he turns around, surveying the room.  He walks over to the well-dressed skeletons on the mantelpiece and studies them closely.

Investigation: 12

He doesn't notice much, but still has the sensation that he's being watched. The skeletons aren't doing anything in particular.

Kestrell bows to the  skeletons then turns and starts to walk away.  With a quick flourish of his cloak he spins around, facing skeletons again and says:

"Ah-hah!"

Arcana: 12

OOC: Cinna is more generally on guard, walking around trying to get an overall feel for things as the others are interacting with stuff.

Eldon looks at Cinna and whispers "I'm going to go look in the room near the staircase and see if I can't find what this key is for."

With that he motions to the rest of the party as he begins to walk towards the doorway taking a quick look in the room before entering.

[OOC]: perception check: 9

Kestrell doesn't detect any sort of magic, and Eldon doesn't spot anything within the Servant's Room. Cinna doesn't see anything that hasn't been inspected already.

Kestrell walks back out onto the second floor landing and follows the rest of the group into the room. He whispers:

"There wasn't much in the music room."

OOC: For anyone who's in the library, make a Perception check.

OOC: From the entrance to the library: Perception: 10

Perception 18

OOC: Since no one else is going to try. Are you guys to to advance to the third floor? You guys skipped some rooms on the first floor.

IC: Kestrell and Cinna aren't able to perceive anything that hasn't already been inspected.

Kestrell whispers to those around him:

"Should we go up to the third floor, or back down and make sure there is nothing that will surprise us on the first floor?"

"The children said the monster was kept in the basement. I think we should check the third floor, then back down to check the rest of the first and the basement."

Eldon just nodded as Cinna and Kestrell make their suggestions "I agree, let's go."

With that he begins to ascend the stairs, to the third floor.

Eldon and the rest of the party climb the red marble staircase to its full height and they will come to a dusty balcony with a suit of ominous black plate armor standing against one wall, draped in cobwebs. Oil lamps are mounted on the oak-paneled walls, which are carved with woodland scenes of trees, falling leaves, and tiny critters. Those who look closely will spot tiny corpses hanging from the trees and worms bursting up from the ground.