"Ah, the Jury Room no doubt." Pharysene commented as she moved into the room. She wanders through the room, examining things for information about our situation. The dust swirled gently in the breezes flowing about her.
Perception:
Ava ignores the table and chairs and she crosses over to the window. She tries to pull out or knock out the rotting boards to try to see if she can break open the window.
Figuring that Avalerdis has the best chance of opening the window, Lao examines the table.
“Who’s funny now Mord? - E.B.”
In desperation to find something in this room, Lao pokes his head under the table and looks on the underside. "Ha!" he exclaims. "I've finally found incontrovertible evidence of the commission of a crime. It's only proof that Ebin defaced public property, but still... Was Mord's joke really so bad you felt justified in falsely convicting him, Ebin?"
Ava stops pulling at the boards and comes over to look at the underside of the table more out of curiosity than anything else.
"There are twelve seats here. What happened to the other members of the jury?"
you pop though a large double door and land on your butts
Eight enormous marble pillars fill this great
hall, holding aloft grand balconies. Years of dust
cover the floor, and muslin coverings are draped
over the railings of baroque staircases curling
like lazy serpents up to the raised landings
above. A rusted chandelier above sheds the dim
light of a few guttering candles. An impressive
grandfather clock more than ten feet tall rests
against the center of the western wall, its face
decorated with guilty souls suffering Asmodeus’
torments: evisceration, force-feasting of coals,
scalding blades tearing them apart, and other
less savory punishments. The clock stands
between a set of impressive oak doors and a
lone oak door of equitable splendor, identical
to another set across the hall. The largest set of
doors is at the south end of this long hall. They
are barred against the night.
and some moaning about landing on their butts.
Teresa gets up on her feet, and gave her hand to Eliannador to help her up. She then proceed to examines the room, and listen for anything unusual.
If she sees something unusual, she approach it cautiously, otherwise:
She move toward the door at the south end of the hall.
"I don't know what that was," Lao says. "But we can hope the door's open."
Lao walks into the main hallway.
Ava jumps at the clap of thunder. "What was that?" She grabs her earthbreaker and follows Lao into the main hall.
Groaning, Eliannador lets Teresa help her to her feet. "What was that? What happened?" She pauses for a moment, touching her hand to her forehead as she shakes some of the dizziness away. She hears a tiny whimper from beneath her and looks down to see a small white fox with overly large ears staring up at her expectantly. "Oh, Nef. Where are we?"
She scoops the tiny fox up in her arms and follows Teresa toward the southern end of the hall. The pale skinned elf grimaces with disgust when she sees the grotesque images in the grandfather clock, but remains silent otherwise as she protectively strokes Nef's fur.
Teresa readied her fist as she shout: "Who goes there?"
Teresa couldn't hear anything and proceed towards the door at the south of the hall.
At Teresa's shout, Eliannador stiffens, still unsure if she is dreaming or not.
Pharysene follows the rest out into the main hallway, dangerously curious as to what it could be. Ghosts wouldn't make such noise.
Would they?
Perception:
From the direction where she heard movement, through the door walks out a man shortly followed by a woman who've very much dwarf him. Although not completely lowering her guard she said gently "Who are you two?", but before she could finish, what seems like a female Sylph walks out the door and stand right next to the abnormally tall female. Teresa slowly pace a few step back to beside Eliannador, and continue saying "Who are you people, and why do you want us here?"
Killian
he walks over having over heard everything
in a british accent
"I don't think it's us that want you here,
but something or someone else that wants you here."
"I don't supposed you're here the same way we did. We're about to go to sleep, when some sort of freak thunderstorm appeared, it grew pitch black and shortly after, we're toss in here." After looking question at what happen to her for a while, she continued. "So who are you again?"
Killian
in a british accent
"I am Sir Killian , my dear lady.
But I digress, is it not rude to ask for one's name before giving yours."
Eliannador turns her gaze to Killian as he addresses her and Teresa. Her tone and glare are both sharp and icy, "This is no game, old one. We are in no mood for riddles or pleasantries. Now tell us, where are we?"
She sweeps her icy stare over the rest who enter the room, her head held high and her shoulders back.
"Oh, where's my manners."
Teresa bows gently, with her right arm cross against her chest.
"I am but just another monk, however if you wish, you could call me Teresa.
Killian
in his british accent
"I am afraid your sharp tongue won't do you any good here.
Judging from what we can so far determine, is that we are here in a court house where a certain trial was held 10 years ago.
and seems as someone from that trail has a grudge and to top it off,
he died 10 years ago, in this courthouse's gallows."
A short Tian man in lamellar armor enters the hallway from a door in the north. On seeing the women talking to Killian, he says, "Hello, my name is Tran Duc Lao. I'm afraid I don't know where this courthouse is located. Somehow I woke up after a strange dream and found myself in this building surrounded by strangers."
He bows briefly then adds, "I don't suppose you could open the door? We haven't been able to open any of the doors or windows leading outside."
"You're not saying this court house is haunted are you?" Thinking to herself. Perhaps there is a reason, why I was brought here. "I don't supposed you, know where exactly he died at? Perhaps I could perform a ceremonial prayer, in order to rest his soul."
Malgrim
you hear bellowing laughter
"Little elf can't stand a little haunted house.
You miss your mommy."
he continues laughing.
Sir Rekkart
"That's enough Malgrim,
I know your a royal pain in the be-hind.
Learn to grow up."
Teresa turn from Killian to Tran Duc Lao, "That's more or less what I've went through, I was about to fall sleep, and some sort of freak thunderstorm appeared, then we're toss in here. It was crazy."
"I'm sorry, where are my manners again, my name's Teresa, nice to meet you." Teresa said while she bows her head with her right arm cross against her chest.
Malgrim
smokes a puff of his cigar
"But I find it amusing Paly Boy."
he continues laughing.
Teresa glare at the person who look somewhat like an Orc, it started as if she has a lot to say, but after taking a deep breath she said,
"I forgive you."
Malgrim
his jaw drops in shock, and his nearly gone cigar falls to the ground.
Ebin
chuckling a bit
"That a good new look for you Malgrim."
"Oh goodie. Bonding. Are you two love birds done now? Where's the door? I'm not going to play your twisted game." Eliannador's words are flat and terse as she regards Teresa and Malgrim with a perplexed stare.
Teresa remember what Tran Duc Lao said, and walks back to the door she was thrown in from, and tries to open it.
"The one time I fought a female monk," Lao confides to Malgrim. "Was enough to make me a healer."
Avalerdis stares at the two women standing the hall. Or rather, one of the two women. Standing not 50 feet in front of her looked to be one of Baba Yaga's own daughters. Ava raises her earthbreaker and stalks toward Eliannador. "You! White Witch! What have you done to us! You'll pay dearly for this. Return us now!" Ava twirls her massive hammer around.
Eliannador stands resolute despite Avalerdis' threatening advance, her deep blue eyes finding and holding the Ulfen's. "Tch I've done nothing to you, yet. Threaten me with that hammer again and that might change though."
Oddly enough, Eliannador then relaxes slightly in the face of Avalerdis' anger. Here was an emotion she could trust, unlike the overly refined and cloyingly sweet manners of some of these other strangers.
"Done nothing?! You brought us all here with your magical powers! We had thought this about justice, about a trial. But if one of Baba Yaga's daughters is involved, then it must be more than that. You seek to enslave our souls into your service!" She spits at Eliannador's feet. "My father died fighting your kind. My brothers continue the fight. And I will make my namesake proud when I crush you."
Despite her aggression and her words, you can see a bit of hesitation in Avalerdis. She knows the power of a White Witch and she fears it.
Eliannador dispassionately regards the tiny drops of spit by her feet. "If I brought you here, why would I subject myself willingly to your presence? No, this was not my doing. Though I am just a tiny bit flattered that you think me responsible." She flashes Avalerdis an icy smirk before turning to the rest of the group.
"I take it this Ulfen brute is telling the truth? You are all trapped here by a power you don't know?"
Malgrim
still in a state of shock
Sir Rekkart
"Who knew the words, "I forgive you" would put Malgrim in this state of shock,
I can't help, but find this as a sliver slice of justice served to Malgrim."
Killian
in his british accent he replies to Eliannador
"I am afraid so Lass."
"Wonderful. Well perhaps we might be able to free ourselves if we cooperate?" She then meets the Ulfen's eyes again, "You can splatter my brains with your great big hammer after we get out of here."
"Well it's true, this door won't budge at all. Irori damn it."
Teresa sigh then turns to Tran Duc Lao,
"So what else did you find out about this place? Common sense dictate that we won't be able to get out of here, unless we get to the bottom of this, who or what is behind this."
"We don’t know who brought us to this place," Lao tells Teresa. "As far as we’ve been able to tell, a jury which included Malgrim, Rekkart, and Killian convicted a man named Jarbin Mord of killing his wife and child. We found a letter from one of the judges serving in this courthouse which accuses Silman Trabe, the judge who sentenced Mord, of knowing Mord was innocent. Unfortunately, the letter writer was killed before his letter was sent. Some of these jurors have admitted knowing that Mord didn’t kill his wife and child. I suppose whatever is keeping us here needs us to find out who the real murder was before we can leave."
"From what I heard, and how everything so far turn out. All that happens are definitely supernatural, and ghost is not a myth. It would be save to assume that the ghost of Jarbin Mord is probably keeping us here, it'll also be wise to not piss him off, but I digress, this could all be just a prank to scare us."
Teresa turns to and ask Eliannador
"I hope I'm not being too stereotypical here, but I still have to ask this even if you find this offensive. Could you... like... you know... talk to the dead?"
"Cooperate?! Ha!" Avalerdis turns and looks at the others to share her amusement. She suddenly realizes, however, that they are very serious about working with the Witch. She looks back and forth between Lao, Sir Rekkart, and Pharysene. "Are you serious? She can't be trusted. You...you want to work with her?"
"Of course we could just start fighting each other here and now," Lao says. "But I doubt that's what we were brought here for. Whoever survived any confrontation between us would still be stuck in this building. Working together to solve this mystery is a matter of necessity, necessity in this case needs some trust."
Eliannador turns to Teresa, "The dead?" She then laughs mirthlessly, "No, child. I'm from Irrisen, not Ustalav. I have no power over the dead." She then turns back to Avalerdis, "The living on the other hand, are another matter entirely."
"Ulfen, if your arrival here was in any way similar to my own, then we at least have in common a desire to escape this dreary, wretched place. You can trust that much. If and when we find our way out, should you still think me responsible for this, then you are welcome to swing your big, heavy, oh-so-impressive hammer at my pretty little head." Her eyes shimmer coldly as her voice then drops to a chill whisper, "Mark my words though, if you do swing your silly club at me, you'd best hope it kills me. Because one swing is the most you'll get."
She then perks up and turns to the rest of the group gathered in the pillared hall, her tone suddenly sweet and almost cheery, "Right! Now then, where do we begin?"