Silas chuckles at Karsielle's 'stylish' additions, but soon joins in the costuming. Bloody Flag is happy to make do with his own improvisation thanks to his hat. Within a couple minutes, the entire group is dressed as servants...or servant governesses. From the sounds of things, the panic in the kitchen seems to have settle back down a notch.
Karsielle eases open the door in the west wall. This room holds a collection of simple hand tools for working on the house and ground's keeping. There is a door on the western wall. You can feel a slight cool breeze from that door as you open yours.
"Do we try and make it out through the house and find out who has this ready access to evil temples below, or make a run for it through the gardens. I'm pretty sure if we can get to the outside here." Karsielle slowly closes the door and looks up and down at her disguise. "Despite it all, if we could go through the main entrance with the servants, we would gain valuable information and get to the bottom of this mystery. What do you think, can we brazen it out through the house?" she asks her compatriots.
Suny shifts and fidgets a little, glancing as she does so at Flag and Karsielle.
"I be up fer anything, though...there is still that thing down stairs. I dun't want ta' be hanging around any more'n we have to..." She admits.
"Scamperin' while tha' scamperin' be good works better fer me."
Bloody gulps before suggests,"I say we move through the front and find out as much as we can, it will help us."
"House it is, let's go! At least we seem to have a way out."
You move back into the kitchen. Things seem to be calming back down and a few people are looking suspiciously at the area where Bloody Flag worked his 'magic.' Opening the other door exiting the kitchen, you can see a window out on the garden to your left. It appears the hallway straight ahead leads toward a foyer at the front of the house. Ahead you can see the ceiling opens up and must reach to the 2nd floor or beyond. As you watch, you can see a woman in a fine gown and cat mask make her way from left to right across the foyer.
"Oooo....pretty...." Suny mutters as she spies the high bearing socialite.
Karsielle curtsies to the lady as she passes, though her teeth grind and are gritted as she does so. Nodding, she intimates that they should follow the woman.
"Why is we followin' tha' pretty lady?" Suny asks in a whisper.
You move forward into the foyer in time to see the woman moving up a wide curving mahogany staircase and brass toward the second floor. A man in formal clothes and a bear mask holds his hand out to her on the landing and once she reaches him, she takes his arm and the pair move on up the stairs to a balcony-lined tier above.
As you move into the foyer, you can see it opens to a high arched ceiling that climbs up past the second floor. In the center, a massive four-layer chandelier splays flickers of candlelight everywhere.
To your right you can see a set of double doors that likely lead out of the house. Ahead to your left you can see the foyer opens to a banquet room filled with guests.
"We's runnin' away now, riiight?" Suny whispers rather nervously.
"OK Suny, probably the best, although we must return to discover who is behind this cult and seek the final revenge of our sweet sister and her beau."
Suny nods "Well...we'll have a house number an' people to look out fer when we's come back, hey?" She replies, even as she edges her cloak draped figure towards the door that hopefully leads to the outside.
"Agreed lets make a quiet exit, if we get out without being seen we can follow them easier. Though they might get paranoid after the see the mess in the basement." "Chef" Whispers to the girls.
*Scamper, scamper, scamper, scamper.* (^_^)
As you begin to slip out the door, you see a young woman dressed as a servant hurrying down the stairs. "One moment..." She hands a note to Karsielle.
Your presence is cordially requested in my private dayroom, the matter is urgent. Please hurry.
--Kythra.
Karsielle quickly reads the note and asks the maid, "Pray tell me, who is this Kythra, that requests my presence in her dayroom as a matter of urgency? I know not of this person."
Suny skids to a stop thence deftly skips back to her ladies side.
The servant looks somewhat startled for a moment, "Ma'am, she is the lady of the house of course." She seems to gather her composure. "The dayroom is upstairs. Go up these stairs and follow the balcony past the music room. There is a door to the lounge after the balcony turns. Go up the spiral stair, across the causeway to the trophy room. Her dayroom is through the right hand door."
Suny shifts nervously, "Well...we in't in'a spot ta' upset a Lady..." She mutters.
Karsielle caught in two minds, says "Thank you, tell her we'll be there presently. Just need to tidy up first."
Once the maid has returned, she looks at friends and shrugs, "So?" unsure whether this is the best course of action.
Suny shrugs, "Whut could it be hurtin'? Asides, would be good ta' help a lass in distress, hey?" (^_^)
Bloody Whispers,"Ugh.....Suny is right we have to take this chance, at least with you Kariselle we have luck and charm on our side. This lady might have the answers we are looking for."
on Lady Kythra
"I will help the best I can, though I am more or less out of blessings from Calistra, I can't call on her powers for much anymore. Let's take this chance then." and she follows the others upstairs.
*Skippy, skippy, skippy, skip* (^_^)
You move up the stairs as directed. Atop the curved staircase, a small balcony overlooks the foyer beneath. Along the north wall, two doors face the balcony. To the east a row of windows allows a full view of the deck and much of the garden beneath. The rest of the room, west of the stairs opens into a grand dance floor. Masked couples dance together in studied deliberate steps to the soft tones of a strong quartet echoing from the open archway to the south.
You know Lady Kythra to be a prominent and extremely well-connected Freeport noblewoman. She inherited a large sum of money from her father and owns a manor house not far from the Goodrest Mortuary in the Warehouse District, always felt to be an unusual location for such a wealthy noblewoman. She is known to throw fabulous parties.
Suny stands close to Karsielle and waits to be introduced.
Agreed to be the best spot.
You begin moving toward the archway and now can see that there are two mountainous sentries opposite you patrolling the doorways at the northern balcony. The thick-muscled guards are smeared head to foot with black greasepaint and wear faceless black leather masks.
The hulking guards are thinly disguised grimlocks.
They are not obstructing you path through the archway.
Through the archway you can see a broad wooden deck traces the perimeter of the courtyard. Scores of guests wander the walkways, gleefully chatting and peering in the gardens below. A small ensemble plays softly from an open room on the south side of the deck. At the far end, you can see the door the servant directed you to.
Suny walks along demurely behind Karsielle, keeping her head lowered and eyes down respectfully.
Bloody makes sure he is in front of the girls and the bounty hunter, waiting to intercept any quests wanting something from them.
Karsielle nods, and motions to BF, "You see that door, that's where we must go."
You advance out onto the deck toward the door. Below, you can see the outdoor courtyard gardens that you glimpsed from the lower level. You pass among the chatting guests who seem to not give you much notice. To your right, you pass a music room , open-sided and echoing with gentle melodies played by a small ensemble consisting of wind and string instruments. A three foot high barrier of silk screens separates the musicians from the balcony.
The door opens upon what is obviously a lounge. A few guests chat on furniture, though most seem to be preferring the pleasant evening outside. In the center of the lounge, a wrought iron spiral staircase ascends through the ceiling. The stairs are chained off. Dangling from the chain, a small plaque reads Please, No Guests Beyond This Point.
Suny moves to stand quietly besides Karsielle. Though her hands cannot help but fidget with the dress she wears.
Karsielle smiles, "It's a good job we aren't guests then, isn't it." she jokes to Bloody Flag and her companions. She looks up and around, searching for an indication of what is in store beyond the chain, and the servants who might protect against such an intrusion. "Is there any magical device to warn us off from here?" she asks BF.