Lilly's words calm the boy somewhat, and he blurts out "Yahī kāraṇa hai, ki bāta! Vahām̐ ghara mēṁ, yaha mērā dōsta hai!" and becomes more agitated. He seems to shrink into himself.
"What thing? Is it human, an animal or a monster?"
The boy frantically points to the house down the end of the lane, which looks like [url=https://docs.google.com/document/d/1bOKX0jjOR98Y-8btG20aRhEqBdl2ocrgVABoEG5U6lg/edit]this[/spoiler].
The boy sobs, "Yaha ēka kī him'mata thī, Waahid kā vicāra thā! Waahid kēvala wimps kē andhērē sē ḍara rahē haiṁ nē kahā. Pavi aura phahada maiṁ yaha ēka burā vicāra thā jaba unhōnnē kahā ki vē mujhē chēṛā, ēka ḍarapōka samajhā bulāyā jā rahā hai napharata. Waahid ūpara nahīṁ jānē dēṅgē, isali'ē hama ḍarāvanā purānē ghara mēṁ crept. Mērē dōsta, ōha dēvatā'ōṁ! Bāta yaha hai ki... Yaha unhēṁ hai!"
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Alwyn listens to the child talk with Lilly, and looks to the house, studying it.
"This is not building typical of Niswan. Something strange is happening here"
Chōṭē sē ēka, āpa apanē dōstōṁ kē li'ē lē liyā hai ki bāta kā varṇana kara sakatē haiṁ?
शांति
स्थिरता
मौन
》 (seeing the house)
Mohktar frowns down at the child, sensing the fear in him. "Why is he so sad? Is he seperated from his parents or friends? Why is he so afraid of that place?"
A small pit deep within the calm center of the monk stirs. He unconsciously sets his feet, a minor shift to distribute his weight evenly. Mohktar surveys the alley for dangers.
》
Then he looks back to the child. A child once lured me into an alley in the Coins. It wasn't until after the thugs attacked that I noticed it was a baited trap.
The boy blubs miserably at Alwyn's feet, "Ghara ajība aura FAE thā. Aura kahā ki.. Ki, uha ki uṛāna bāta. Yaha aspaṣṭa paṅkha aura sīṅga kē sātha ēka ghr̥ṇita fanged mukhauṭā thā! Isakē bārē mēṁ phaṛaphaṛātē aura ēka ḍēmŏna taraha hideously cackled aura chāyā aura bātēṁ vivāda! Bātēṁ! Ōha Waahid kyōṁ? Kyōṁ tuma vahām̐ mēṁ jānē kī kyā zarūrata thī?!"
Shiko doesn't trust this at all...
This island is cursed...I need no more proof of that. Shiko mutters. Mohktar, I suppose we will be searching for this boy's friends.... and before the monk can answer Shiko is off moving ahead silently and swiftly.
शांति
स्थिरता
मौन
Mohktar moves to follow his friend but something tickles at his memory...
शांति
स्थिरता
मौन
Mohktar frowns, as he searches the shadows in Shiko's direction. To his right and left he whispers to the others. "Oni, an unclean spirit...a torturer and shape changer..."
Looking to the house, his face goes impassive as he seeks the stillness at his core. "Shiko-san is right, this city is cursed." Mohktar steels to join his friend. "I heard three names. We cannot leave them to this fate. Instruct the child to hide well. The rest of you, approach cautiously, I'll scout ahead with Shiko-san."
He slips into the alley and catches Shiko's eye. A gesture to himself and then to the roof overhang. I'll get an eye thru the second floor windows.
》
》 (scope it out as I approach)
Pratavh listens but doesn't speak for now, once he has a description he begins to think it over. Interesting description, I wonder...
Most oni that emerge on the Material Plane do so into a new body of humanoid flesh, yet this is not the case for all oni. Periodically, when an evil spellcaster wishes to engage the servitude of an oni as a familiar, the result is something relatively unusual—an oni made flesh directly from its spiritual form rather than one who takes the features of a humanoid as its own.
"Some form of Oni it sounds like, maybe one summoned as a familiar since it inhabits no body but the one it was formed into." Pratavh begins thinking further on the issue.
Alwyn translates and the boy's eyes go wide and he beseeches you, "Yadi āpa kara sakatē haiṁ unhēṁ bacānē kē li'ē kr̥payā! Lēkina ōha maiṁ yahām̐ sē bāhara rahanē kē li'ē mila gayā hai? Kyā hōgā agara bāta mujhē pānē kē li'ē ātā hai?"
"If we go into that house, it won't see you as a problem. It will see us as one. I'm a problem that's itching to kick its ass, if it had any... >.>, ...we'll beat it nonetheless, ok? ;) "
The boy seems somewhat mollified. Intentions?
"Do you have a place here you can hide at?"
Just realized I posted a broken link to a picture of the house, it looks like this.
Mohktar doesn't see anything untoward about the porch overhang. Sure it's got ivy growing up it and looks old, but it appears to be solid enough. The front door is ajar as if somebody had just left.
The kid looks at Lilly hopefully, "Arē hām̐ , āpa kē pīchē. Yaha āpa kō surakṣita rakhanē kē li'ē mujhē kē pāsa haiṁ jaba rākṣasōṁ mujhē nahīṁ mila sakatā hai, vahām̐ sabasē surakṣita hai."
"Go in and kill it I guess it is then."
Please describe your actions, and can everyone roll a d20 - you'll find out what that's for later ;)
At the little kid's request to stick with them, she shakes her head, with a hand on his shoulder.
"You went outside to be safe, didn't you? We 5 are going inside, which is where it will be dangerous."
In preparation to enter the house, Lilly casts guidance on herself.
शांति
स्थिरता
मौन
Mohktar will attempt to hop up on the overhang to peek into the upper windows.
Shiko waves off Alwyn's lights with an annoyed look, as if he is saying Leave this to the professional
Shiko uses a Ki point to gain Darkvision for an hour and he moves into the house as silently as he can.
The wooden floor creaks slightly as Shikyomaru lightly steps inside. Theres a strange foetid smell as if something has died here. Inside the house is very dark, and even with darkvision he can't see more than a few feet, the light from Alwyn's spell swallowed up, before they wink out. Its as if some kind of fog was contained within. Deeper within Shikyomaru thinks he can hear a rasping noise.
Shiko keeps moving forward slowly, he is trying to make a quick reconnaissance trip through the house.
Shikyomaru enters deeper into the house, and feels the air move behind him as if something had walked behind him. He wheels around Katana in hand, but there's nothing there. Deeper into the house he hears a dripping noise in addition to the rasping one.
You press on past the front porch, deeper into the house towards the source of the rasping noise. It seems to be coming from towards the ceiling in what is apparently the living room. The ceiling is very high and you can dimly see an observation gallery from the second floor.
Out of the corner of his eye Shikyomaru sees a flash of a disturbing scene. Hung by his neck from the rafter rope rubbing on the second floor banister, is a tallish man killed in his prime. He has a well-muscled slim build. with olive skin, dark hair with hints of grey at the temples and the stubble around his jaw. Turning to face the hanged fully, the image is gone.
It's hard to tell through the murk, but you think you can see the legs of what might be a body sticking out from behind the sofa...
Shiko's perceptive abilities fail him once again. He continues his circuit of the premises slowly and stealthily making his way back to the door from whence he entered.