Andrea and Lucrezia you hear a catchy upbeat flute playing near the end of the hallway. As you approach Orsin's door is open and he is dancing away, stomp, stomp, twirl to the left , stomp stomp, twirl to the right, prance around in circle. He is seems totally focused on listening to the flute play and his dance. The flute is at his side, with no visible signs of anyone playing the instrument.
Tweaker a young female gnome comes into the shop. "Ye mustbe Tweaker," she picks up a few objects and looks at them curiously, "I'm Yaz, another Brotherhood of Westcrown member. Arael send his regards and has asked if you would join him for supper tonight a the safe house...say late afternoon fiv'ish?" She places the item back on the shelf, bows to you and leaves the shop.
Orsin you have found your voice as Lucrezia and Andrea peek into the room, but your feet keep wanting to dance.
<stomp, stomp, twirl to the left stomp stomp twirl to the right, prance around the room.>
"Oh thank the gods! Help me! Destroy the flute, it's cursed!"
Orsin frantically shakes the flute in his hand as he stomps, jumps, and twirls.
Orsin continues his dance routine.
<stomp stomp, kick, kick, twirl left, stomp stomp, kick, kick, twirl right, stomp, stomp prance around the room. The trusty flute still in his grip tightly.>
Oh...the kick make is so much better. The bard is sweating bullets now from his vigorous dance steps.
Lucrezia! Help me get that blasted thing out of his hand! Since Lucrezia is stronger, Andrea uses aid another to help her pry it away from Orsin.
As his finger try to tighten around his beloved flute.
<Shuffle, shuffle Kick, kick, twirl to the left prance twirl to the right, kick, kick, shuffle, shuffle>
If Andrea is unable to help Lucrezia get the flute out of Orsin's grasp, she casts Silence on a rose
Orsin twists and turns to keep his favorite instrument in his hand.
<prance, prance, splits to the floor and back onto his feer. Kick foot over his head and spin.>
Wants a meet does e? Fine. I'll be there
Larko admires a few blades in the shop but when he gets his answer from Duncan he wishes you well and leaves.
"What the hell is going on?" Lucrezia tries to pry the flute outa Orsin's hand.
The flute falls to the floor and is silent. Orsin finally stops dancing. His brow is beading with perspiration and his clothes are soaked from his dance.
Tiny, I need to go this afternoon. Will be back to help you tomorrow hopefully but if not will come by and let you know.
Tweaker leaves and attemtps to find Andrea in the places he knows about.
Arael, Janiven, Amaya and their guest, Ailyn come down the wall, "What's keeping you Orsin, your fans left and the reporter out there was none pleased for not getting an interview before his post. Mumbled a few words that could make Lucrezia blush.
"Well, I sure am glad we managed to pry that damn thing outa your hand. If we couldn't, my next move was going to be to knock ya out. I'da hated to have messed up your pretty face though." Grinning, Lucrezia pats Orsin on the back as he tries to catch his breath still.
"When ya manage to stop panting, mind telling us what exactly was going on and why ya was prancing about like a little girl at a festival dance?"
After Janiven enters: "Now Janiven, I doubt anything could make me blush by now."
Orsin immediately reaches for his longsword, his sweaty muscled form fatigued with exhaustion and slick with perspiration. Without a word to Lurcrezia or Andrea, he swings wildly at the inert flute, his features contorted in a mixture of anger and hatred. His sword swipes little more than an inch from their faces as he strikes the flute with reckless abandon. The blade glows white hot as it pulses with magic.
Tweaker you arrive at the counting house and find a few people there but nobody has seen Andrea this day. had the day off.
"I am going to kill that little worm when I find him!" Orsin raves as he strikes the woodwind instrument with violent repetition. He drops the blade and stumbles back a few paces when he's finally broken it.
His head spins and his knee gives way, bringing him to the ground. He sees the others in the threshold of his dressing room as he falls.
He lies on the ground, eyes closed, panting.
The flute is not damaged in the slightest from Orsin's angry blows. Not even a nick on the finely crafted ornate wood.
Tweaker will be very indirect getting to temple but is also trying to hurry. He wants to arrive early. He is worried and wanting to scout things out first. He will get there and wander around the temple and looking for anything out of place before he heads inside as silently as possible.
Orsins eyes water as the he lies on the ground. He sees the undamaged flute roll slightly beside his fallen sword.
"Gonna kill...kill him...kill..." he continues to pant. His body already aches with the pain of his exertion.
Tweaker you manage to get to the safe house undetected and the gnome is sitting there drinking an ale chatting with two other members, Larko and Mathalen, all look up and wave. "'elp yerself" the gnome says as she points to the keg.
"Interesting...how many times you strike the flute?"
Lucrezia will attempt to move Orsin from the floor onto the couch in the dressing room. "Easy there Orsin. Why don't you just lay here for a few minutes, catch your breath and then tell us what exactly happened. And for goodness sakes no one had best touch that flute on the floor until we get some damn anwers." That last bit is directed to those who just walked into the room.
Thank you for the offer but I must decline. There is a chance of me going back to work after the meal. With the time and light then I will have to rush there as is and can't afford to risk not being able to walk.
Tweaker is surprised at the drinking but goes to where he sleeps and works on a few things while waiting.
Orsin continues his panting as he puts himself onto the fainting couch with Lucrezia's assistance. He takes a few moments to collect himself as Arael questions the others. "Cursed flute...cursed flute..."
"Someone wanna find Orsin a drink of some kind?"
Lucrezia looks down at the flute. "Cursed eh? Well, what the hell are ya doing a with a cursed flute in the first place?"
Andrea comes back with a drink for Orsin. We can have Duncan examine the flute, since I unfortunatly don't have any magic memorized right now that can tell us more.
Looking at the flute as well, Andrea muses. Just who did you want to kill? Did someone send you that flute as a vicous prank?
CHildish as it may seem, it might be useful. I wonder if I can sneak it away after Duncan has a look at it.
Arael says a quick pray while holding his holy symbol,"The flute is showing no magic." He thinks about it for a moment. That does raise the question is it really cursed?"
Lucrezia looks over at Arael and raises and eyebrow. "Do you want to pick it up and see what happens to you?"
Orsin's breathing finally begins to slow and with a low grunt he brings himself to a seated position on the couch, his feet falling to the floor with an audible clunk as he straightens himself.
"That whelp Thelsing has been trying to get at me the second I set foot in this city...but the cosmetics mistress said that the flute and roses were perhaps delivered by Calseinica Nymmis. She wasn't sure though. I doubt that to be true, however, as she and I were very amicable. That is unless she somehow blames me for the short run of The Winter of White Roses."
It might be a spell that has already expired. Andrea looks if there were any further items sent to Orsin that they can examine.
Ailyn looks at the flute, without touching it, "Did you see anything funny about the flute before you touched it? She speaks for the first time. "Why do you say it is cursed, what happened?" She looks around the room.
"As I left for the lobby, I grabbed the flute, thinking it might be a fitting gift for Amaya..." He looks up the beautiful Tian maiden before turning away in embarassment. "But the moment I did, it began to play by itself and my body was no longer my own. I was forced to dance about the room like a crazed idiot. If there's no magic, perhaps it was merely the focus for a spell cast from some distance off? I think I read about something like that in one of my Pathfinder Chronicles..."
Orsin is now swept up with the others of the mystery of the flute.
"You wanted to curse me?" squeals Amaya.
Aiyln picks up a canvass sack and uses that to pick up the flute. She looks up when she hears Orsin mention the Pathfinder Chronicles, "Perhaps, some investigation is required."
"So you didn't see anything unusual about the flute before you touched it? She folds the sack over several times. "You think a rival gave it to you...disguised or magic to change his appearance?
"No, that was before I knew it was cursed!" Orin replies, not just a little exasperated by all the commotion.
He regards Ailyn's inquiry seriously. "At the moment, yes. I can't imagine anyone else might mean me ill. Well, anyone living that is."
"...it's not a haunted flute, is it?"
Duncan arrives at the chapel, Armed and Armored as always. He arrives just after Tweaker,catching the end of the conversation, Drinkin in the middle o the day? Ain't Areal got a job.on? If not what's going on?
Ailyn looks at the flute, without touching it, "Did you see anything funny about the flute before you touched it? She speaks for the first time. "Why do you say it is cursed, what happened?" She looks around the room.
** spoiler omitted **
Yaz comments, "Arael asked that the group be gathered, he and few others went to see Orsin's last show. Probably gathering him but they are not back yet."
Andrea head begins to nod when Orsin mentions the flute being haunted. Very plausible.
---
"Well that was my impression that you did not notice the manifestation and when you touched it, it triggered. That would explain why the flute was not been destroyed by your longsword. We need to investigate it, perhaps see it manifest itself since we know it's pretty harmless." Ailyn mentions.
"You have some interesting friends."
Janiven steps up and interrupts, "We all need to get back to the house." She looks towards the door. "The others are waiting. We came to enjoy a wonderful show, but also, to gather the group to discuss a few things."
She starts to guide the crew out of the room.
I believe Orsin is correct when he said the flute was haunted. Various places and items can carry an echo of past tragedy and cause numerous effects. If we can trigger it in an enviornment we can control, we can learn more.
Andrea heads out with the others back to the house and figits with her corset. Unf.Pretty this may be, it is most certainly not built for strenuous movements, it pinches my bosom.
"But Andrea, I thought you liked your bosom pinched?" Lucrezia tried to keep an innocent expression on her face, but failed miserably and began to giggle.