Corlan sniffs dubiously at the chicken. "Are these kind of like Kentucki Fried Lizzard Partes?" he asks.
Well thats me done..., says Borden scarfing down the chicken but waving aside the offer of Gravy.
Back to exploring teethe place for more silver keys?
"Mmm," Lucia intones, maybe agreeing with Borden, maybe enjoying the chicken. As she licks the delicious grease off her fingers, she says, "Yeah--maybe find that Madame Whatsherface."
Spotting the strange woman for the first time, Lucia asks, "Hello. Who are you?"
Corlan sniffs dubiously at the chicken. "Are these kind of like Kentucki Fried Lizzard Partes?" he asks.
The Colonel nods. "Ah take mah inspiration from many places."
It does seem to be finger lickin' good
The Colonel looks up sharply. "That's very good, young feller. I might use that." He makes a note in a small book.
Spotting the strange woman for the first time, Lucia asks, "Hello. Who are you?"
The woman blushes and lowers her eyes. "A humble servant of the Dawnflower, devoted to the pursuit of Her grace, and the redemption of wayward souls in fire and blood."
She pauses. "I know not how or when I came here. The Everlight sends me to many places. This is one of the more strange."
She looks over Lucia briefly.
"I...like your armour."
"Thank you; I like yours as well. Unfortunately, I don't know who or what this Dawnflower or Everlight is," Lucia replies. "I don't suppose you know where we might find a certain Madame Zara or... a way out of this madhouse?"
Lionel looks distraught as everyone ignores him in favour of the fried chicken. "Alas, my curse has reasserted itself - will my torment never end?" He flaps off into the corner and mopes.
Kyra doesn't know the way out, or where to find Madame Zara. She is pretty disoriented, and not sure when or how she arrived. She asks if anyone has seen "the other three" but when asks who she means, isn't able to explain.
As the breakfast is slowly cleared the various other guests drift away, leaving only Biffy, who is reading a book and puffing on a pipe, and the two gossimer/silk/web covered creatures who form some sort of cocoon on the chaise longue.
Corlan waits until Biffy's pipe dies down, then proffers a light--if this situation fails to manifest, he offers a cup of tea instead.
"Nice to see you again, old chap." After further pleasantries: "Zounds! We're nearly late for our card reading with Madame Zara, but sadly I seem to have forgotten the way. Would you perhaps be able to direct us?"
Biffy puffs on his pipe thoughtfully. "Zara, eh? You probably want the other wing. I don't go there much - dreadful place - rooms are all cold and formal, and rather, well, smelly to be honest. And there are the most queer people hanging around, don't you know. Through the door at the end of the hallway, into the garden, and then through the other side, if you must go. Don't get sidetracked in the chapel - although the organ is rather fine. Might join you in the garden later for a spot of croquet."
He regards Corlan thoughtfully. "Going to get your cards read, eh? Reminds me of a time in the Amedio Jungle, when we were playing bridge with some fellows from the Brotherhood. I had just bid four no trumps, and Oofy Simpkins - do you know Oofy? Terrible oik, got used as a toastrack at school - anyway, Offy doubles and then these blonde fellows...."
Corlan grins hugely. When there's the slightest hint of a break in the story, he replies, "Croquet! Just the thing! I'll see if I can scare up some hedgehogs. And remind me to tell you about Snerdimer Goff's game of dominoes in Hepmonaland... Thanks awfully for the directions!"
Lucia approaches Corlan and quietly asks, "Did I hear some directions to Madame Zora mixed in with all that other foolishness? If so, let's seek her out with haste--I tire of these madmen and -women and want out of this place as soon as possible."
Corlan leans his head towards Lucia's and whispers, "End of the hall and through the garden, he says, in the other wing. And don't tell any of the others this, but my impression is that the people in that part of the house are even weirder than the ones here."
Having swept away the last of the breakfast crumbs, and pulled Lucia away from her feast of deep-fried chicken (It goes really well with sweet chilli sauce!) the group set out in search of the mysteries of the East Wing, which requires traversing the Garden.
At the end of the grand hallway, a set of double doors open up into a small entranceway, with their own doors. These lead...well... your first impression is 'outside', but then you realize the cerulean sky overhead is actually the inside of a great glass dome. Circular in shape, it contains an exotic, somewhat overgrown garden that is easily several hundred yards in diameter, possibly more - it is difficult to tell from ground level. Curiously, despite the uniform grey mist outside the windows of the main house, the impression you have here is of the sun shining diffusely through the crystal dome, although when you try it spot where exactly the sun might be, you can't really pinpoint it.
The garden is a riot of colour, scent and sound. Songbirds call from the densly-foliated trees. Climbing plants and ivy wind around their trunks, and the spaces between them are full of bushes, some of which are heavy with berries of various sorts. Here and there are small planters, or larger flowerbeds, filled with exotic and colourful flowers. A small stream trickles away in the distance. Squirrels scamper between the trees, their cheeks full of nuts. A winding path leads away into the garden. As well as the entrance to the West Wing behind you, you get the impression of buildings to the east and north, although you can't see details through the foliage.
Whoa!, says Borden, caught by the appearance of the place.
Lucia draws her longsword and starts down the path.
"Squirrels!" she hisses. "No doubt attracted by all the nuts about this place...and I don't mean acorns."
"Yes, there are some very strange people here." Celeste nods sagely.
The path twists and turns, its amber bricks leading though light-dappled glades, thick scratchy bushes, through the carved-out center of a tree. Bees hum, birds sing, the air is heavy with the scent of a thousand blooms, and the chuckle of running water is never far away.
Eventually the path leads into a larger clearing. A meandering stream runs through it, crossed by the rickety span of a wooden bridge. As the group emerge into the clearing, they are just in time to catch sight of the green, warty hide of a troll going clippity-clop, clippity-clop across the bridge, before turning a corner and vanishing from sight.
Corlan, glancing dubiously at the amber bricks, mutters, "I sure hope this doesn't lead to an emerald city" to himself.
At the sight of the troll, he draws his swords and starts paying more careful attention.
Wait... isn't the troll meant to go UNDER the bridge?
Lucia presses onward, heartened by Corlan and his blades at her side.
"I hope that beast isn't on its way to snack on Madame Zara. It would be just our luck."
As Lucia takes a few steps onto the bridge, several harsh voices bellow out from underneath it.
"Who's that trotting over OUR bridge?" roar the voices.
"No one. You're hearing things!" Lucia replies. Then she turns to the others and gives a big shrug.
Corlan stops short of the bridge, motioning Lucia to back off.
"Maybe we should consider renting a boat? Or see if this is a toll troll bridge..."
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Lucia waits a moment to see if whatever's under the bridge is dumb enough to let her pass unmolested.
Errr... friends?
There is the sound of something large and bulky moving under the bridge, and then a fierce-looking goat's head on a long sinuous neck pokes out. It sniffs the air, and gazes round at the group suspiciously. Then a seconf, identical head emerges, sneers st the first, and fixes the group with a cold look.
"Ah!" it roars. "The troll told us that if we just waited a while then something much more palatable would come along. You look much more juicy than that scrawny old troll. Oh yes! If you want to pass over our bridge, all trippy-trotting and clippity-cloping, then we will want to eat one of you first."
As it speaks, a third identical, but much more timid head pokes out from under the bridge.
Corlan leans over to Morden. "I don't suppose if we feed it Sister," he begins, then, catching Morden's look: "Hear me out! I mean, will she just re-appear afterwards, good as new?"
"Eat one of us, you say? Hmm...."
Lucia looks back at the others and then her gaze lingers upon Sister. "Eat her!" the warrior woman suggests, pointing out Sister. "She's magically delicious!"
Then she grits her teeth and takes a hack at the nearest of the 'mean' heads.
for
Celeste steps back and casts Interstellar void on the Chimera.
"Hey! That's not the way it works!"
"Did you want to get in on the fight? I'm sure they didn't mean what they said."
"'It's goats. Why would I fight a goat?"
"Well they did say they were wanting to eat us."
"Goats don't eat people. Give them a cabbage or something and they'll be happy"
"So you just want to watch?"
"Sure. It's kind of funny."
Corlan, leery of slashing off heads, decides to see if there's any way he can get under the bridge and maybe attack a body or something.
The creature hauls itself out from under the bridge, revealing that all three heads and necks connect to a single giant goat body.
The chimera, er, goatmera, looks momentarily puzzled as the group readily offer up the smallest member. "She looks rather small for a full mea...OWWW" it roars, as Lucia takes a swing at it. Lucia's blade skims off its thick matted fur, but the blow is enough to enrage it.
All three heads whip round to focus on the warrior, just as Celeste completes her spell, and the icy cold of the void descends on the creature. "Now, look here, stop that!" it bellows, shaking the ice off its fur.
Rotation:
Lucia - can post
Corlan - can post
Goatmera
Morden
Borden
Celeste
Corlan attacks with both blades:
Lucia makes no attempt at negotiation or reconciliation with the beast; her experiences with the crazy Amber scions and being trapped in their madhouse has drained her patience and diplomacy. She shifts her position a bit and takes another mean hack at the beastie.
for
Lucia stands her ground, fending off the snapping heads with her blade, but unable to get a telling blow in her own right. Corlan advances to her side, and his blow is more telling, scoring a bloody cut across the creature's bloated body.
"Gaaaah!" it roars. "I only want to eat one of you - you are being entirely unreasonable about this!"
The various heads dance and snap, lunging towards the two targets in front of it.
One of the heads' teeth close around Lucia's arm, delivering a nasty bite.
Rotation:
Lucia
Corlan
Goatmera
Morden - can post
Borden - can post
Celeste - can post
Borden uses his longspear to stab past his friends into the monster.
for
"Not goats."
"Nope."
"I think I should help out then."
"That might be for the best."
Mordan will cast mage armor on sister (AC 21) She'll move up and attack
Celeste drops another Interstellar Void on the Chimera. DC14 Fort for half.
The creature howls its displeasure as once again Celeste blasts it with icy cold.
And then howls again as Borden's longspear thrusts into its matted hide.
"Now stop this at once!" it roars, the words alternating from several heads. "There is natural order to things - you walk over the bridge, and I eat one of you. That's the way it is. Stop resisting - you'll make me all Gruff"
Rotation:
Lucia - can post
Corlan - can post
Goatmera
Morden
Borden
Celeste
"I have a better idea," Lucia replies through clenched teeth. "How about if we cut off one of your heads, you eat that instead! And once you finish chowing down, you'll have one less mouth to feed going forward. Everybody wins!"
The warrior woman takes another mean hack at the talkative beastie.
for
Corlan focuses on how to best kill the goat-monster and then slashes again with his longsword:
One of the creature's heads seems to take Lucia's suggestion seriously, pausing in its attacks briefly to look hungrily at the other two heads. Briefly, because moments later Corlan's blow severs it from its sinuous neck. There is a spray of blood, and the head drops lifeless to the ground.
"Now I say!" roars the creatre, the words now alternating from the other two heads. "That simply isn't on!"
The heads turn, and lunge viciously at the man from Oerth.
But Corlan dodges, fending off the attach.
Rotation:
Lucia
Corlan
Goatmera
Morden - can post
Borden - can post
Celeste- can post
"Bad goat...thing.'
(power attack)
(power attack)
(power attack)
Mordan will cast acid splash
Borden stabs it with his longspear.
for