"Already on it Zel!" Aliseya, frustrated by the stuck door, lifts one leg and braces her foot against the wall beside the door handle. The well-defined muscles of a dancer pop on her arms and legs (visible through her side pants' slits), revealing a stronger woman than her thin frame would have otherwise suggested. She pulls and twists the handle with both hands while putting her back into it.
Cellawyn will help Aliseya with the door.
Aliseya's muscular legs and her loud cry of sheer effort do push hard enough to, with Zelda's and Cellawyn's struggling help, overpower the door... but then you realize that there is no sign of there being or having been anyone in the hallway, except for Cellawyn's and Naught's footsteps on the dust.
You may keep the door open for long enough for everyone to come through, but you can feel it trying to shut again.
Letting out a long whistle at seeing Aliseya's leg come out it soon fades out as Naught's jaw drops at the door being forced open. Her face starts to brandish red as her mind becomes occupied with all manner of thoughts stemming from the image she just witnessed before vigorously shaking her head back and forth in an attempt to regain composure and turning to Zelda. "Don't suppose you can take the stupid thing off its hinges?"
Mirelinza relates what she heard and felt. "I cannot truly say if what we're up against are people or spirits and if they are naturally evil or made so by this place. Regardless, we should trust no-one and nothing except ourselves. Our eyes may deceive us - remember that."
Aliseya wedges her body in the open doorway to prevent it from shutting. Responding to Naught's suggestion, "Yeah, that's a good idea. 'Cause this door," she gives the door a determined look of defiance as she forces it to stay open, "it has a mind of its own."
She peeks around from where they all just heard the coughing man. Then, looking back at Zelda, "That's odd. You heard that too, right?" With sincerity, she asks everyone, "Do all of you normally hear the dead, too?"
After they (presumably) all say no to her latter question, she holds the door open with both arms fully extended and pushing against it, and responds to Mirelinza, "Yeah. Guess it is this place, then. Creepy."
"Yes." she says with an annoyed tone while her narrowed eyes slowly go about the room.
Cellawyn detects magic on the room and then advances to the doors at the end of the hall. She attempts to open each.
Aliseya takes her staff, then wedges it so it holds the stubborn door open.
Now freed and in the next room with the old offices, she closes her eyes for a few moments, as if to center her thoughts. She also mumbles something in a low voice, and holds her open palms upwards in a gesture of supplication.
Opening her eyes again, she peers at the decaying parchments and papers strewn about the moldy floor. She tries to very carefully lift a few of them, or if not possible without damaging them she simply leaves them be on the floor. In either case, she pays keen attention to what writing she can make out on them.
The staff manages to keep the door open, and you hope it will be able to remain whole in spite of the door's constant forcing against it. From your inspection on the offices, you see that these are prison documents; they mostly report accounting and inventory transactions, payroll operations, etc, but you realize that the paper is in good condition. Unfortunately, although you can make sense of what each page may refer too, it is much harder to extract any knowledge from them about the daily processes of Harrowstone, because the papers are mostly displaced and unsorted.
You try the handle of this door, and you notice that it is locked. Finding it more sensible to leave the judgment about the door to the locksmith on site rather than bashing through it, you proceed to the northern east door, whence a putrid smell emanates.
You open it carefully, and see that this was a small lavatory. At the back of this small room, another door stands, and you see that the smell of rot is stronger from there.
You gaze into the room, as it mysteriously apprehends your eyes, and then WHAM! Something behind the door just hit it really hard and loud.
You suddenly hear a loud knock on some door where Cellawyn went in. It is not a desperate knock like you heard from the foyer, but rather a knock of something that does not want the door to be on its way.
What is it that lies in that room?
Startled, you all feel agitated for a few moments, but you manage to get a hold of yourselves, and you all start to wonder what sort of thing might be there, for you cannot find any explanation how an animal big enough for that knock would end up in there. You feel this way, all for Aliseya, who upon hearing the knock defile the silence of the building and with an exclamation of sheer fright drops the documents she was holding and...
As soon as you enter the foyer, you notice that the doors are about to shut tight, but you have enough time to bust any of them open and go through. As the owl turns bad into good and good into bad, of the things that are neither good nor bad, the rush of adrenaline takes control of your body, and what once was an escape route becomes a window of opportunity: you are fully in control of yourself, and you may choose to cross any of the doors, if you so desire.
Running after the Varisian Naught will begin shouting. "Ali! It's okay! Ugh, stupid ghosts needs to stop scaring my friends!"
Aliseya is used to the spirits of the once living. True, sometimes the dead complain alot. And more often than she would prefer, they do bother her when she tries to sleep at night. But they haven't really scared her since her first encounters as a young child.
Not even the masked intruder last night could completely throw the girl for a loop. She's got balls, figuratively speaking. Yet, there's just something about this place... this prison...
Perhaps the events of the past couple of days are finally wearing thin her resolve. Or maybe she was simply taken completely off guard by the sudden noise while immersed in the old paperwork. And, maybe, there is a presence of malevolence in this place, the likes of which this poor gypsy lady has never before seen.
Whatever the case, Aliseya has a rather... extreme reaction to the loud slam of Cellawyn's lavatory door...
she shrieks in a deafening pitch, shrill enough to make the birds a hundred feet away take flight, and for all nearby ears to ring in pain.
Aliseya flees to the door from whence she came. Swiftly, she grabs the staff and pries it from the door while bearing her full body weight against it in order to get the hell out of there. She makes for the double oaken doors that lead straight out of the prison...
When, quite suddenly, she stops in her tracks. She stands there, sweat dripping from her forehead, staring wide-eyed at the doors a few feet away. In silence, she simply gazes aimlessly at them, as if she were waiting for someone... or something... to arrive...
Unphased, Cellawyn watches Aliseya flee with the cold eye of someone trained to deal with the paranormal, "She is being affected by the same evil energy that is controlling the doors. We must stay with her until the effects wear off. We cannot allow ourselves to be divided."
Cellawyn will follow Aliseya.
You are alone and trapped in the foyer again. Frightened, you barely noticed what happened behind you, but now you look to the north door and see nothing -- the only clue that something happened is the feeling that you heard something, yet all is silent. You may proceed to force one of the doors open, if you wish.
You see Aliseya run away from one of the offices into the foyer, and the door shut behind her. You do not hear any sound on the other side, indicating that she has left (or, for that matter, that she is there). You may proceed to force the door open, to rejoin with your gipsy associate.
You see that the lock on the southern east door is a standard lock. A normal person, without a key, without the tools, would not be able to open it, but for you it is your standard everyday locksmith job.
Mumbling under her breath about stupid ghosts Nauggt will attenpt to force the door open to get to Ali.
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Zelda carefully looks over the door, then she begins to pull out some tools to work on the door. Suddenly she stops and looks around, realizing no one else is near her.
"Oh well, um yes I guess we need to follow Aliseya." embarrassed Zelda hurries help Naught open the door once again, but does more to get in her way then to help.
You both know that manifestations such as the shutting doors are sensitive to positive energy. You also know that with enough exposure to such powers of good, the manifestations can become temporarily innocuous.
You know that manifestations can be destroyed forever, but for doing so you first have to suppress them. It remains to be found out how one or another manifestations are destroyed, though.
Cellawyn will help Naught open the door.
Mirelinza lends her weight to the problem of the door too.
"The manifestations such as the one holding this door can be dispelled using positive energy. Unfortunately, we don't have a priest with us whom can channel."
"What are you talking about? We have Linzy, we don't need no stinkin priest."
On opening the door, you see Aliseya standing there, sweat dripping from her forehead, staring wide-eyed at the entrance doors a few feet away. In silence, she simply gazes aimlessly at them, as if she were waiting for someone... or something... to arrive...
In response to Naught, Mirelinza shakes her head. "Alas my development is not sufficient to do what you ask. I have heard of Paladins of greater knowledge and wisdom - not to mention years - being able to perform such feats but not me I'm afraid."
The paladin almost looks dejected at not being able to help in the way Naught asked.
"Someone as pretty as you doesn't have time for the Years so we're just gonna hafta figure out how to make you more badass the old fashioned way then, aren't we?"
Aliseya remains unphased by Zelda's kind words. She continues, with eyes dilated, to stare aimlessly at the doors.
When Zelda feels her hand, she finds it quite chilled...
...and with her touch, Aliseya begins to speak. But, it is not the sweet voice of Aliseya that she hears. Rather, a deeper, gritty voice of a haggard woman far more advanced in years emits from the young woman's mouth. A voice which makes the hand instinctively withdraw, and the spine tingle with fear...
"Glaaki ghashaen, bveen g'rruul.
Glaaki eesht drvol ba'she kruul.
Chadi tuul'ki, rkhru chdaii.
N'gha kreyha sov'laach nieshai."
Nearing the end, Aliseya's head turns to face Zelda. Her blank staring begins to falter when she blinks a few times. Her pupils focus once more, her brows furrow, and her mouth opens, perhaps astonished by the expression on Zelda's face.
Her voice is now the voice of a sweet young woman once more. "Zel? Wh... why are you staring at me like that?"
Scent of flesh turned ashen black.
Tormented souls, eternal groans.
Cries of death doth never slack."
"Like... what?" Aliseya looks perplexed. Her eye contact switches to Cellawyn, then to Naught, and then to Mirelinza before returning back to Zelda.
She cracks a half smile, "Come on. This isn't the time to be silly." She seems to genuinely believe Zelda is joking.
Her eyes then gaze down towards the floor, and she now looks guilty. "I'm, uh, sorry about the running away thing. I... that loud noise, I don't know, I just got so scared. Sorry."
"Don't worry, you were just speaking the Language of Dreams. I do it too." Giving a quick dismissive wave back and forth as she she strolls over she is happy that Aliseya appears to be fine, at the least physically fine at the moment.
You don't have to speak a language to get an inference from the tone - and whatever Aliseya said - it didn't sound like a lullaby to Mirelinza.
Every fibre of her being was tensed for what might happen next.
Aliseya follows to the locked door, cautiously looking all around as she walks.
Cellawyn stares with concern at Aliseya as she speaks in tongues. "That didn't sound like you Aliseya. I think the evil of this prison is affecting you. Are you alright to keep going?"
She then follows Zelda back into the hallway. She will take 20 on the far door (S3.4)
Aliseya casually asks Naught, "The 'Language of Dreams?' Like, what's that?"
When Cellawyn confirms Zelda's story, Aliseya now looks surprised and concerned. Of all her new friends, Cellawyn is certainly not the type to kid around.
"Wow. Really? I... I guess it must be this place, then."
She looks around at everyone with genuine shock on her face. "I... I just remember running away into the foyer. I was about to open the doors and get out of here, when Zel took my hand."
Aliseya then shakes her head, "Why don't I remember doing anything else though?" She then touches her lower backside, "Maybe it's that... thing that the creepy intruder put inside of me last night?" Her jaw drops, "Oh cr@p guys... this is, like, really freaking me out now..."
"I think most people shorten it to 'Aklo', I believe. It goes beyond mere words though, when you're speaking it you speak with your soul just as much as your mind."
Seeing Aliseya's concern though Naught will take the one of the girls hand into her own. "Don't worry, we're going to fix all of this, you'll see. And I promise on my life that I won't let anythikg else happen to you."
Aliseya rubs a tear with her free hand. Sniffling, she smiles for Naught, "Th-thanks. That really means a lot to me."
Taking in a deep breath to calm down, she coughs a few times. "Ugh. The mold in here..."
Walking over to Zelda, she admires her toolset and watches with mild interest in the locksmith's handiwork.
Seeing Ali smile Naught's face likewise adopts its usual goofy grin.
As Zelda works on the door lock, Cellawyn puts a hand on Aliseya shoulder, "You're going to be fine. We just need to stick together. Draw upon your inner strength to repel the demons."
Cellawyn lowers her light infused sword tip closer to the door so that Zelda can clearly see the lock mechanism. "We must be especially vigilant. We must seek and destroy the evil entity that killed the professor."
This is a standard door, unlocking it is nothing you would not have done twice or three times in a workday. Who would have thought, though, that of all places you would be in an abandoned prison picking locks to delve further in!
As the others console Aliseya, they still manage to notice your expertise in play, as you effortlessly push the unlocked door open.
You all see an office untouched since the time it was locked. This rather spacious room reeks of a nauseating mixture of smoke, mildew and rot.
A long cedar desk and chair sit to the south, while to the northwest a narrow alcove contains a closed safe.
You can see that someone left this room in a rush, as the chair is pushed away from the desk, and the pen, darkened by the dry ink, leans over the edge of the ink flask.
Somehow, the desk withstood both the test of time and the sparse visits of those who dared to enter Harrowstone, just as the oaken doors at the access foyer did. In fact, perhaps thanks to the rudimentary lock that sealed it, the office has been intact for many years, as the thick layers of dust reveal.
At the northwest corner, the office forms a tooth where a reasonably tall, black iron vault is lodged.
Meanwhile, in the silence of the room beside , looms the mysterious being that hit on the shut door from the other side.
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Zelda looks at the door ahead of her. Worry on her face about what might lie beyond. She then looks around the room she finds herself in.
"I am curious about who or what closed that door, but I also think it is important to see what has lane hidden in this safe for these many years. What should we do first?" she ask the others.
Unable to help herself Naught blurts out the first thing that comes to mind. "Crack it baby."
Cellawyn gets a smile as well, "Thanks, Cell. I will."
The gypsy looks around at the office as well. "Yeah," she concurs, "let's see what's inside. Maybe there's jewelry..."
Mirelinza brings up the rear, her hand falling naturally to the pommel of her sword, although it remains sheathed.
Whilst the others fcous on the contents of the room, she sweeps her gaze in all of the other directions.
"On it." Aliseya makes her way to the old desk. She carefully and gently checks out the drawers for papers and other clues as to what this particular office was used for, or other interesting information it might reveal.
As she looks, her face and nose crinkle. "This place really stinks."
Cellawyn will search S5, looking for any sign of the entity that knocked the door.