Erven arrives in the room and sees Onyx bent down before this skeleton.  He asks Onyx "Who was this, do you know?  What can you tell us about this hero?"

Erven then begins to look through the room and alcoves systemically with Talion, helping each other as before.

Perception :  18

Onyx pauses.  Erven's question was reasonable enough.  Still, his response is terse and succinct.

"A guard for the family, a good person.  Deserved better than this."

Talion stops in his tracks and stares at Onyx, his mind racing as his hand develops a faint purple glow. He does not sound like one of the children. Esme? Someone else? He moves a little back, eyeing the man warily. "You are clearly not our enemy, but you are also clearly not Onyx. Who are you?"

While wary, his expression is one of curiosity and perhaps even hope. They could tell us much more about what we face than the scraps we have learned so far! Alliances and favours...

Erven stands to the side of Talion and agrees.  "Maybe we can help you.  We know that you inhabit the body of Onyx.  Perhaps we can work together.  Can you tell us who you are?"

@Erven, Sho, Talion
You look around for a time not finding anything but, as luck would have it, you do notice something in the straw mattresses - a sword that Onyx recognizes as his.
Nothing else is found in the room.

Sho, you can tell that the bones had been chewed upon, the marrow sucked out long ago.

The drum beats and chanting are a constant thrum in the back of your skull....they are much fainter now, but every so often at the crescendo you feel the vibration in the air...

Onyx glares at Talion and Erven, thinking over his reply.

"I have gone by Onyx as long as I remember.  Maybe I had another name when I was a babe, but those months are long forgotten.". His black-clad hand grips his new sword firmly. "You two are acting. . . strangely.  It was fair for us to take supplies to help purge the house, but we have taken so many trinkets and treasures, ill-gotten spoils pried from the hands of a murdered family.  I fear this place is enhancing those parts of you that are selfish and greedy.  I wonder. . . ."

Onyx slackens his jaw and takes a number of short, shallow breathes, using Divine Sense.

Sho turned his head to look at the warrior's stoic profile, his glance lowering to the sword, clutched tightly in Onyx's hand, then turned his eyes back to Talion and Erven, "We haven't left each other's side in the last two days." He asked slowly, the two seemed weirdly much on the same page, "What makes you say that?"

"They are trying to help. We all are." He continued to Onyx, "There is no need to be harsh." 

Bertolt frowns but continues to mess about with the strange eyepatch he has been curious about. He shakes his head at the drums and crosses arms. "They need to work on their timing it is terribly off."

Talion laughs at Onyx's ominous tones, "I'm not sure that I could be more greedy!" He frowns a little, momentarily distracted by the question. Could I? Probably. I just need more carrying capacity. Nodding to himself, he glances at the bag over Bertolt's shoulder before returning his gaze to Onyx. "But selfish? Everyone's selfish -- it's called surviving. Whatever fine purpose you wrap it up in -- and I've heard too many to count -- it all comes down to selfishness. Though my particular brand of selfishness involves everyone surviving where possible." Favours and alliances, that's what it's all about bro'. He raises an eyebrow to Sho then stares at the warrior closely for a moment before continuing.

"So master hero from a distant-small-town-I've-never-heard-of: How is is that you knew the bones were of a household guard who deserved better? Could it be that there is a voice in your thick and muscular head, offering to help?" He pauses, cocking his head to one side. "Esme, is that you rattling around in there? I imagine there's plenty of room."

"We helped the children, and we know they meant no harm when they tried to control us...and we'd like to help you."

"Hey Onyx, look it is your old sword!  How about using good old trusty instead of the sword from this corrupted, haunted house, what do you think?"  He turns to Sho, "Sho, how are you feeling, do you think there is anything going on with our warrior friend here, Onyx?  He just seems.... different to me.  Maybe it's just the stress of everything."  He turns back to Onyx.  "I want to know how you know who's bones these are, how you know they were a guard, how you know they were a good person.  We have never been in this room before.  How do you know, Onyx?"  Erven gauges his response, he is really concerned that his friend is possessed.  "Is he?" he thinks...

Insight :  15 

The man who might be Onyx shrugs.

"How do I know?  Maybe my god told me.  There are higher powers, higher callings beyond selfishness and 'survival'.  On that note. . ."

Without revealing the results of his divine sense, he spins on his heel and heads for the exit of the room.

(If I'm reading the map correctly, the other exit leads to the north end of that first hallway.  Onyx's path would probably be towards the room with the innocent-looking spikes and statue.)

Talion glances at his companions at the mention of higher powers, "I think he means sex" he explains, then smiles back at Onyx and watches as the warrior storms off into the darkness, relieved to have a moment to speak to the others. Let's hope he falls into a pit.

He turns to Sho, speaking quietly, "He is clearly hiding things from us. Something is guiding him, and I don't think it's his god -- even if he does. It's connected to the bones or to that sword or maybe the armour." He pauses a moment, considering, "We killed Esme, and the children are at rest, but ... we should lay the other bones to rest, to be sure."

Not the children, not the maid, "Likely it's the sword."

"Is there anything that you can do for him -- or about the sword?" he asks Sho. "At the moment ... running off into rooms alone ... I think he is a danger to us and to himself."

He glances at Bertolt, complaining about the music and fiddling with the peculiar eye-patch. It's probably possessed too! "And you, scholar, have you any ideas? Anything to add?"

Erven says "Should two of us run upstairs and get the trunk with Esme's bones so that she can be put to rest?  Did you put her bones in your bag, Bert?  I'm sure that nothing will happen to us if we split up, right?"  Erven looks back and forth between Talion, Sho and Bert with a wry smile.

Sho touches his fingertips to the corners of his eyes a little tiredly, trying to ignore Talion’s sex joke, while thinking over his words. “Will you still grab Onyx’s old sword?” He finally asks Erven.

“Yes, I think it is the sword as well.” Sho admits slowly, “if the sword - or Onyx - were possessed,” He pauses, weighing the importance, “It hasn’t been hostile until now, then it sure will be after it is forced out. And that is assuming that it can be turned. There could be nothing, or something that is beyond us.”

“I will need to have him, and the sword.” He finishes, looking at Bertolt for any input, before starting off. Letting Onyx march south, he stops at the crypts in the north east corner. “We do have Esme’s remains, do we not?”

"Bones has them..." Talion says, nodding at Bertolt. "In his bag. Not sure about Walter, though. Did you bring him, Erven? Last thing I remember is you hand that bundle at the top of the stairs...on the floor below the attic."

Quote from Twombley >>

Erven considers Talion, Sho and Onyx's words, and then goes back to the cradle.  "Perhaps all of this is still an illusion.  But this seems real.  The body of Walter.  I believe that Esme's tale is real.  I think that we should bury Walter.   This place has an ability to get inside your head.  I think I have seen in my near death state the master of this house.  There will be a reckoning.  Perhaps not yet, but it will come..."  After searching the room as above and sitting for a moment to gather himself, Erven says "Should we head back up those steps, behind the secret door?"  He takes a blanket from the bed and after the insects have scurried away, wraps up Walter's little body / skeleton in the blanket and puts him outside near the stairs, for when they can descend from this place.  "Perhaps I'll place a marker in the front of the yard, to warn others away from this place, and create a final resting place for Walter."  

Erven recalls leaving Walter's bones wrapped up in a blanket beside the stairs.  "We must go back quickly and retrieve his remains.  Perhaps putting him and Esme to rest will help this situation and release whatever is inside Onyx's head.  How should we do this?  Onyx marches on..."

Bertolt nods as he lets the bag at his side, shaking his thoughts of music away as he keeps a close eye on Onyx. "I believe that the bones may have to wait. If that sword or whatever else is causing him to act strangely then perhaps it would be imperative to have a strategy in place if he turns on us."

Talion nods, his expression serious as he considers the question, eventually he looks. "Knock him out. Tie him up. Take the sword." With a wink at Sho, he calls out to Onyx's retreating form, "Oi! Onyx! Will you help us retrieve young Walter's bones from above?"

More quietly he adds, "If he's not willing, then I reckon it's not Esme."

[Just so I know what is happening, just want to summarize - you give me the yay or nay:  
- Onyx has decided to go north to the stairs leading to the hallway where the crypts were (there are empty ones at the mouth of that hallway
- Onyx does not hear what you're saying about him
- Onyx, are you heading full on for that room in the southeast?  Or waiting ahead for others to join you?

- Who is going back up the stairs?  I believe Walter is near the main stairwell in the second-floor (where the nursery was).  Depending on how fast you go, it could be 10 minutes to 30 minutes.

- All - are you planning on engaging Onyx physically?  i.e. to restrain him or "knock him out"?

Sho stares as Onyx walks towards the south room, he withdraws his eyes and nods towards the crypts. "Let us get them open first. Bertolt and I will go and retrieve Walter's body. You two stay here, and Talion can open the crypts. Keep an eye... should Onyx get himself in trouble."