Diving into the filthy clothes in the chest, Fin finds himself standing in a wardrobe. Opening it reveals a hexagonal room. A single candle atop a wooden table to the northeast illuminates this cluttered hexagonal room, though a hint of sunlight kisses the sill of a single window on the western wall from beneath heavy curtains. The only sound is the creaking of loose floorboards and the groan of aged walls. A single door, tightly barred with a hammered iron bar and stout lock, stands in the eastern wall.
|
Quasit pushes a big woolen overcoat out of the way and finds herself behind Findurel.
"Lovely, we found a closet." she says. She looks past her companion into the room and sees the bolted door and the single candle. her face screws up into an expression of impatient annoyance.
"Oh, well THAT doesn't seem ominous at all. Wait, do you hear something? Is there someone invisible walking around in there?"
Quasit turns a suspicious eye onto the room, looking for traps.
Before waltzing into the next room, "You guys do realize that you're talking about my great great grandmother, like I'm not even here, right?"
|
Before waltzing into the next room, "You guys do realize that you're talking about my great great grandmother, like I'm not even here, right?"Fin arches an eyebrow. ”This is no very striking resemblance of your own character, I am sure. We speak of a well-known, legendary even, evil witch; no doubt, you’ve heard worse spoken of her before now…”
|
|
Before waltzing into the next room, "You guys do realize that you're talking about my great great grandmother, like I'm not even here, right?"Fin arches an eyebrow. ”This is no very striking resemblance of your own character, I am sure. We speak of a well-known, legendary even, evil witch; no doubt, you’ve heard worse spoken of her before now…”
"She's bragging." says Quasit dismissively. "She thinks it makes her important."
"Selena, please don't go in there yet, there may be an invisible creature in there, or a trap of some sort. The whole Hut seems rigged for mayhem at this location. Let me and Fin check it out. And if you can try and detect magic, all the better."
Quasit can tell she has a very short amount of time to do something before some kind of trap centered on the single candle in the room goes off.
|
|
As Quasit stares at the candle, she notes that its light isn't the normal flickering, guttering light of a candle -- more like a gleaming steady magical light. That madde sense, a real candle would melt down in a few hours, and this was obviously meant to burn indefinitely... which meant it was instrumental to some aspect of this room... which meant...
"Crap! I was right! It's a trap! And it's about to go off!" she hisses. Biting her lip, she quickly looks around, then grabs an overcoat from next to her, then leaps into the room to try and snuff the candle with a lunge, throwing the coat over it.
Fin just notices something strange going on with Quasit's shadow before she snuffs the candle, leaving the sliver of light coming through the curtains the only source of light in the room. What little shadow remains in the darkness of the room now behaves normally.
|
|
Fin shakes his head. ”No. at least not now…right before you snuffed out the candle though, your shadow was starting to look weird…but it’s fine now,” he says as he walks to the table and helps the spread-eagled Quasit off of it. ”Nice job with the candle, Q, you definitely stopped something bad from happening…”
He checks things out in the room…
|
|
Quasit goes limp and slides from the table to a sitting position on the floor and manages to exhale.
"That's nice. I'll just sit here and have a heart attack for a while. Is that door the only way out of this room? Or is there another weird magic portal through a teapot or something? I can barely see in here."
She goes for her sippy flask, but finds it empty, so she settles for water.
"Wherever we are, I hope they have good booze."
"That door being secured that way makes me a little nervous. Whatever is in there, they certainly didn't want it getting out. On maybe it's the door outside and they were worried about someone getting in, but that wouldn't fit the pattern of this place."
Before waltzing into the next room, "You guys do realize that you're talking about my great great grandmother, like I'm not even here, right?"
"Don't you need to add more greats to that?"
--
Maka waited until everyone else had gone through the chest before following. As usual, keeping a defensive position and her glowing eyes open.
|
|
She goes for her sippy flask, but finds it empty, so she settles for water.
"Wherever we are, I hope they have good booze."
Fin grunts in agreement as he retrieves his waterskin, offering it to Quasit, murmuring, ”You can refill your flask with this, if you like; I filled up at Spurhorn before before we left. It’s the good stuff we drank at the celebration, not the swill…”
"That door being secured that way makes me a little nervous. Whatever is in there, they certainly didn't want it getting out. On maybe it's the door outside and they were worried about someone getting in, but that wouldn't fit the pattern of this place."
Fin shrugs. ”I agree…but we should probably open it any way. Maybe it’s locked because It might hold some valuable clue about Baba Yaga that Elvanna doesn’t want us to find, perhaps?”
Fin’ll check the door for traps…
…and if he finds nothing hinkie with it, he’ll aid Quasit in picking the lock, if she so chooses…
Kalchine doesn't make it into the room until all the danger has passed.
"If that's the way out then we definitely need to figure out how to use it," he says, when he sees the bolted and locked door.
|
|
”You can refill your flask with this, if you like; I filled up at Spurhorn before before we left. It’s the good stuff we drank at the celebration, not the swill…”
"Aw, I don't want to steal your booze. I can wait til we find some." says Quasit as she takes Findurel's skin and helps herself to a long drink. "Just needed a tipple for medicinal purposes."
”I agree…but we should probably open it any way. Maybe it’s locked because It might hold some valuable clue about Baba Yaga that Elvanna doesn’t want us to find, perhaps?”
"That's possible. I keep forgetting that Elvanna owned this thing and probably used it."
"Bah, I can't see a thing in here, hang on."
She goes to the window where the sliver of light is coming in and raises the shade all the way. Then she'll take a look out the window and around the room.
|
|
Kalchine doesn't make it into the room until all the danger has passed.
"If that's the way out then we definitely need to figure out how to use it," he says, when he sees the bolted and locked door.
"If it's the way out, then whoever barred that door was locking themselves in. This place most likely has only one exit to the outside world, and I'm pretty sure teleportation magic wouldn't work too well in here." observes Quasit.
"Knowing Baba Yaga's tricks, the door may just be locked to pique our interest enough to unlock it. But my guess is that there's something in there that someone didn't want to get out."
Looking around the room, Fin finds a small chest. Opening it reveals 2500 gp worth of loose coins, in addition to six potions of cure serious wounds.
When Quasit opens the curtains, afternoon sunlight floods into the room. Beyond the window she sees rolling pasturelands, long grass waving slightly in a gentle breeze.
Beyond the wardrobe you entered through and the door, there is also another fireplace that looks to have a familiar blackness in it.
|
|
When Quasit opens the curtains, afternoon sunlight floods into the room. Beyond the window she sees rolling pasturelands, long grass waving slightly in a gentle breeze.
Beyond the wardrobe you entered through and the door, there is also another fireplace that looks to have a familiar blackness in it.
Looking at the pastoral scene out the window, Quasit sighs.
"No winter. It looks so pleasant. So that's gotta be an illusion too, right?"
Then she spots the fireplace. "Hey look, another not so secret passage. Maybe we should leave the locked door alone and see where this leads -- we can always come back."
|
|
Fin takes two potions, one for himself which he attaches it to his bandolier and handing the other to Sakitu. ”Here you go, Hlao-roo, we might need ‘em later…”
Quasit sighs. "No winter. It looks so pleasant. So that's gotta be an illusion too, right?"
Nodding as he peers out the window, he says, ”Aye; we haven’t been anywhere warm on this venture yet, so doubt we are now either…”
Then she spots the fireplace. "Hey look, another not so secret passage. Maybe we should leave the locked door alone and see where this leads -- we can always come back."
Fin looks on doubtfully as he heads towards the chimney. ”Your call, Q…but I’d imagine we’ll need to get into that door sooner or later. Let’s just hope this fireplace doesn’t lead back to the gingerbread room,” he says with a shudder as he enters the chimney’s darkness…
Nodding as he peers out the window, he says, ”Aye; we haven’t been anywhere warm on this venture yet, so doubt we are now either…”
Nodding as he peers out the window, he says, ”Aye; we haven’t been anywhere warm on this venture yet, so doubt we are now either…”
"We'd be lucky just to have to deal with more cold."
Then she spots the fireplace. "Hey look, another not so secret passage. Maybe we should leave the locked door alone and see where this leads -- we can always come back.
"Yeah we can always smash it down later."
"Wait...we're NOT going outside? I thought we were trying to get out of this place!" Kalchine's ears droop in disappointment as he stands near the doorway and looks at the rest of the group walking away from it.
|
|
"Wait...we're NOT going outside? I thought we were trying to get out of this place!" Kalchine's ears droop in disappointment as he stands near the doorway and looks at the rest of the group walking away from it.
Quasit looks back at Kalchine.
"Sure we are. I just have a hunch it's this way." she says, flicking her head toward the fireplace. "If I'm wrong we'll come back. And then you can say you told me so. Won't that be fun?"
Quasit winks, grins, and ducks into the fireplace and disappears after Findurel.
"Our lives are very odd Kal. A lot of blundering about, hazards, chaos and a bit of backtracking. Direct paths are a luxury you learn to appreciate." Bulvi sighs a little and moves over towards the fireplace peering inside. "It does get tiresome at points but never boring."
Selena uses Detect Magic and checks for illusions again.
"So we found gingerbread house and Otik. That leaves Vasilisa and her doll, and possibly a son if that passage didn't refer to Otik. Not sure where the spiders fit though."
Fin and Quasit come out of a fireplace in a dusty room filled with wooden coffins. They're stacked against the walls and on the floors, leaving only a small clear space in the center. An ironbound door sits in the wall to the right, with an old wooden chair in front of it.
A skelatal figure sits in the chair, considering some cards spread over the coffin laying in front of him. He holds the rest of his deck in his bony left hand, while his right holds a gleaming scythe. He looks up at the two and waves at the room.
"Take a seat, travelers. Maybe bring the rest of your friends in, too," he rasps, his voice as dry as the dust in the room. "I don't want to have to repeat myself, you see."
|
|
"OK. Sure. A talking skeleton." Quasit says to herself in a helpless, resigned voice.
But there being no reason not to at least try to be pleasant with her host, she sits down across from him on the floor, trying to look relaxed.
"I'm sure they'll be along any moment." she says, noting to herself that he seemed to be aware that there were others in her group beyond the dark portal.
She takes another look around at the coffins stacked along the walls. "Friends of yours?" she quips.
|
Sakitu's fingers touch Fin's as she accepts the potion from him. The tingle that races down her arms gives her security. This new region for the hut is creepy beyond creepy. Just a few weeks ago Sakitu would have been paralyzed with fear but now she knows she can handle it. Maybe it's Fin but maybe it's just her.
"Thanks. But hopefully we won't get injured and we won't need this."
Quasit and Fin disappear through the fireplace again. Sakitu follows close on their heels.
Seeing the talking skeleton, she slides behind Fin.
Kalchine stops in his tracks when he enters the room. He's been in one like it before. Disposing of bodies is always an unfortunate logistical necessity in a war and he's been in the morgue back and Spurhorn more than once.
That doesn't mean he likes it.
But, this is the first door that really seems guarded so maybe that means it is the one that leads out.
He moves further into the room, at least partially because Chest Thumper comes through the darkness behind him and forces him forward.
"Wait...we're NOT going outside? I thought we were trying to get out of this place!" Kalchine's ears droop in disappointment as he stands near the doorway and looks at the rest of the group walking away from it.
"What? All the windows and outside and stuff is all illusions. That's why we have to go through fireplaces and closets. Have you even been paying attention?" Maka bent down and looked Kal in the eyes. "Because if you don't you're gonna get really confused. Trust me."
"Our lives are very odd Kal. A lot of blundering about, hazards, chaos and a bit of backtracking. Direct paths are a luxury you learn to appreciate." Bulvi sighs a little and moves over towards the fireplace peering inside. "It does get tiresome at points but never boring."
"You can say that again!" Maka said with a laugh.
--
Maka quickly moved through the darkness as soon as the last member went through. Seeing a skeleton playing cards and offering a seat, the fire monk figured the issue one to be solved with words. Her golden eyes continuing to sweep the area for any threats as she maintained a defensive posture.
"Well, here you all are," the skelatal being rasps in its dusty voice, before coughing slightly. It leans its scythe against a coffin and wipes the back of its hand against its coat. "I am Baba Yaga's... 'cousin', you might say. Most call me the Coffin Man."
He waves his hand at the coffins in the room. "I am the door warden, so tell me, why should I let a ragged lot like you out the door?"
Behind him, through grimy windows mostly hidden by stacked coffins, you can vaguely make out a snowy hilltop overlooking a ruined, burned village next to an ice-choked river.
|
|
Quasit takes a deep breath, counts to five, and answers the skeletal door warden.
"Well, apparently your 'cousin' is imprisoned somewhere by Queen Elvanna, and we're trying to rescue her because her heralds have been slain. That's why we're using this Hut. If you have any loyalty to Baba Yaga, you should at least let us pass."
"Can you tell us what world this is? Do you know if Baba Yaga is here?"
"We've been following her trail for weeks with the help of magical portents and visions, but we haven't seen anything like that so far at this location. All we have is a vague reference to a forsaken 'son'. Do you know who this is?"
Bulvi looked between the Coffin Man and Selena as he sheathed his blade, if they were indeed related it was clear which one of them had gotten the looks.
He let Quasit do the talking but he saw Maka scanning the room, he discretely moved to stand in her blind spot. He placed the back of his fingers lightly on her back wordlessly letting her know he was still there but not restraining her in any way in case she needed to spring into action.
Maka turned her head to give Bulvi a nod. Whatever the skeleton's game was, the pair would be ready.
"Hmmm... I have been expecting Grandmother to have some agents come along at some point, but... you don't exactly seem up to facing Elvanna and Rasputin," the Coffin Man rasps. "How do I know you won't just make a bigger mess of things, here on this world from which magic has long since flown?"
Maka took a step forward from Bulvi before flames burst around her. For a moment the fire monk was swallowed by an inferno before Maka slammed her fist into her palm. The force seemingly blowing the flames out and sending a wave of heat and light across the room. "We're up for facing them!"
|
|
"Hmmm... I have been expecting Grandmother to have some agents come along at some point, but... you don't exactly seem up to facing Elvanna and Rasputin," the Coffin Man rasps. "How do I know you won't just make a bigger mess of things, here on this world from which magic has long since flown?"
Quasit is more than mildly annoyed by this saucy skeleton, but does her best to hide it and be civil.
"Well... we stole this Hut from Elvanna in her capital city. That ought to count for something." she says with a matter-of-fact shrug.
"Look, I know you're just doing your job. Since we're talking, I don't think you really want to fight any more than we do. We were tasked by Baba Yaga's herald before he died. We're the only ones coming, for better or worse. We should come to an understanding here."
She nods at the cards. "Whatcha playing anyway?"
The Coffin Man stares at all of you for a long moment.
He coughs.
He stares for a bit longer.
Finally, he sighs dustily. "Well, you are right about one thing. You are probably the only ones coming. But it seems like you don't know much about what you are coming to."
He sets the deck down. "The people of this world are fond of a game called poker, and while I have some amusement playing against myself, it would do a great deal for my boredom to have someone to play against. Come, sit down, I will teach you to play. Then we can discuss what you do not know while we play a hand or two."
Kalchine looks at their host. Then around at the contents of the room. Then to Quasit and Fin casually taking a seat. Then the cards.
Then Selena, the final look one that practically says "Is this really happening?"
Skeletons being able to move and talk was something that Maka had never really questioned before. There was magic involved so therefore it was just a weird, but natural, way of things. Sometimes bodies animated, and sometimes they could think and talk. But when the skeleton coughed, the only thing Maka could think about was his lack of lungs. Her mind whirled with questions about the hows and whys until the sound of shuffling cards brought her back to the world.
"Oh no, this is bad! Cards are tricky. They aren't random at all! Hace basically always won." Maka whispered to Bulvi. "This skeleton is up to something!"