Eyes wide in wonder, Lucius waited for Heavy to pull down Tattoo.
He looked around the room to try to determine what triggered this effect.
"C'mon, Heavy. Jump girl. Jump."
He turned to Alenka, "Goggles, you OK?"
As Tattoo is suspended mid-air, Goggles eyes widen in fear. That is not natural. I want to fly someday but not like that. It looks like some sort of sadistic puppeteer has a hold of Tattoo. I don't want to be next. Goggles grabs her cleaver in one hand and her mutagen in the other and hides behind one of the larger chairs before planning her exit strategy. There were three other more noticeable targets in the room before anyone would notice her.
He turned to Alenka, "Goggles, you OK?"
Reaper's hand is enveloped by a greenish light as he touches the desk drawer... and nothing happens, his hand still glowing softly.
Heavy jumps to try to reach Tattoo but soon after she grabs her shirt, she hears a rasping sound as the fabric is torn apart. Heavy falls on her butt.
Lucius is finally able to pinpoint the origin of the sound... the mansion-shaped cage with the colorful taxidermic birds inside. Meanwhile Goggles hides behind a small cupboard.
A couple seconds of tension later, Reaper is also flung into the air with the same sensation of being falling to an endless-bottom pit.
"Yeeeeoooowwwww!"
Reaper's fleet fly out from under him as he feels himself first yanked into the air, then an awful, stomach churning sensation of weightlessness before he is falling at high speed. His hair flying back toward the ceiling, he can see Tattoo falling next to him, Heavy sitting on the ground, Mustache staring at a birdcage, and Goggles cowering behind a cushioned chair.
"Hey teach! Time to put that oversized noggin' to good use!"
Lucius smiled as his friends went flying in the air. It looked like they were falling but they never did.
His smiled was quickly replaced by concern. He did not want to be the next person flying.
First he asked, "Tattoo and Reaper. Did you touch the same thing or walked in the same area?"
Next he looked at the birds to see if there was any correlation with his flying friends and them. "C'mon, little guys. Dead birds don't chirp. Are you really dead?"
-----------
And inspiration hit Lucius.
"Heavy, get up from the floor and come here. It's the birds. The birds are somehow doing this."
He peered closer, "I'm guessing the birds want to be free, right? Birds like to fly just like our friends are doing."
He looked about, "Goggles, get over here.
He concluded, "We're going to let the birds go free. We are going to open the cage up and let them fly."
He added, "You may want to encourage them. You know, like talk nice to them and tell them they're free and all..."
He stepped back and let Heavy and Goggles do the dirty work....
---------
Heavy picked herself up from the floor and stuffed the torn bit of Tattoo's shirt into her pocket. "I don't know," she said to the professor. "I think somebody should be ready to catch them."
But seconds went by and they didn't seem to be landing. "We need something soft. Let's get cushions." Moving quickly around the room, she pulled cushions off the fancy chairs and piled them under her floating friends.
Moving over to the bird cage, the half orc pulled the door open, then put her hand out. "Here, birdy birdy. Come to Heavy. Time to fly. You like to fly? You go fly, and let my friends down. Come on birdys."
Goggles slowing crept out from her hiding place. She's not so sure about things now that Reaper is in the air as well. Moving over to the cage she takes a look and asks, "Professor, have you determined whether it's mechanical or something unnatural that's making them hang there? If mechanical, maybe you can disable it?"
Goggles slowing crept out from her hiding place. She's not so sure about things now that Reaper is in the air as well. Moving over to the cage she takes a look and asks, "Professor, have you determined whether it's mechanical or something unnatural that's making them hang there? If mechanical, maybe you can disable it?"
Lucius shook his head, "I've been looking and searching but just don't know. All I know is that the birds are somehow involved."
He asked, "See if you can help Heavy with reviving the birds. if they don't come out, maybe if toss them to each other, the birds will 'catch some air' and they will start to fly. I have seen people revive fish that way."
Seeing Reaper shoot up next to her, Tattoo lets out a sigh. Looking over at him as best she can, she mutters, "Don't worry. You get used to it after a while."
She gets a little nervous when the professor starts talking about a plan that involves just dropping them, so she is relieved when the half-orc lays out pillows below them, giving her the best thumb's up she can manage. "Good thinking, Heavy Hitter."
Goggles took a better look at the taxadermied birds in the cage and tries to figure out where the noise is coming from. "It doesn't make any sense that there isn't a cause here to the effect we're seeing over there." Unless it's something unnatural which means we shouldn't be poking around.
Nothing seems to work... the noise is still present. Goggles is the next one to be flung into the air, experiencing the same effects as Reaper and Tattoo.
Heavy stands besides the bird cage but no bird reacts to her... they don't move and for sure are not chirping, even if the sound comes from them.
Goggles shrieks as she's sucked into the air. "Get me down! This is not how I want to fly."
"Uh, oh"
Frustrated and afraid he was going to be flying next, Lucius yelled at the birds. "I know it's you doing this. I know it."
He turned to heavy, "I don't know what to do..."
--------------
OOC: questions..
Can we get Tattoo's spear and 'kite' the 'three flying amigos' out of this room?
Can the 'three flying amigos' start doing tumbling and air maneuvers for Lucius and Heavy's entertainment? :)
Did the birds chirp or show any signs of 'life'?
If not, can we further destroy these birds or does it not make sense to do so?
I don't know what to do..."
"Well s+~*, welcome to th'club!" Reaper screams through the roaring air. "Creepy!"
Then he remembers he can just think the words.
Creepy, see if'n y' can't help Mustache there?
::An' whatcha want me t'do? Grab more cushions? I'm as clueless as ya'll!::
As Goggles joined the others in the air, Heavy began to panic. If everybody ended up in the air, then nobody would be able to help. Reaching into the cage, Heavy began grabbing colourful birds and tossing them into the air. "Come on, you stupids! Fly if you want to! Let my friends down!"
Still floating, Tattoo tries to think of things to try. "Do you think it would be worth just trying to destroys the darn things, somehow?"
Still floating, Tattoo tries to think of things to try. "Do you think it would be worth just trying to destroys the darn things, somehow?"
Lucius shrugged, "Worth a try."
He turned to Heavy, "kill the birds before they make you fly too. I mean destroy them, tear them apart, that sort of thing."
Heavy tosses the birds up but, again, nothing happens.
BAM!
Goggles hits the ground, losing the air inside her lungs. Soon it becomes a bit clear about what happened to the dead bodies inside the room. Startled, Heavy lets one of the birds fall into the ground and it rolls towards Lucius...
Heavy tosses the birds up but, again, nothing happens.
BAM!
Goggles hits the ground, losing the air inside her lungs. Soon it becomes a bit clear about what happened to the dead bodies inside the room. Startled, Heavy lets one of the birds fall into the ground and it rolls towards Lucius...
Lucius moved over to the already dead bird, "I'm done with this game." He started to stomp on the bird until it soon was nothing more than a mass of feathers, both from the outside and inside stuffing.
"Heavy, get the other birds. Before they get you flying!"
"That was MEAN!" Heavy snarled at the birdcage. Drawing her greatsword, she attacked the cage and remaining birds with gusto, reducing it and the remaining birds to a pile of twisted metal and floating feathers.
As the birds are destroyed, the sound stops instantly and Reaper and Tattoo cease to be suspended into the air, falling into the floor. Luckily they land on the cushions that Heavy had provided before, feeling almost no pain.
With the strange event solved, Lucius has more time to look around and finds a couple interesting items on the dead men. Each man had a beautifully crafted silver dagger, an amulet made of bark, and a couple vials, of which two are still intact.
Looking through the windows to the east, you notice that the mist in there is thin enough to reveal a garden path leading from the east door to another part of the asylum.
As the birds are destroyed, the sound stops instantly and Reaper and Tattoo cease to be suspended into the air, falling into the floor. Luckily they land on the cushions that Heavy had provided before, feeling almost no pain.
With the strange event solved, Lucius has more time to look around and finds a couple interesting items on the dead men. Each man had a beautifully crafted silver dagger, an amulet made of bark, and a couple vials, of which two are still intact.
Lucius patted Heavy in the back, "Good job!"
He smiled, "You're my official bird killer from now on."
He then inspected the items found and stated that the amulets toughened your skin against attacks and all the potions were potions of cure light wounds. "Someone should take them. I have no need for the potions and I'm hoping to be away from being hit."
He then looked out the door, "Are we ready to go out in the garden?"
Goggles struggles to her feet, rubbing her hip and butt. "I'm fine, thanks for asking."
Turning to Heavy she says, "Thanks for figuring out to destroy the birds. I don't think I could have survived being this room's yo-yo pinata."
Landing on the pillow with a bounce, Tattoo pushes up of the ground. Giving the half-orc a firm clap on the shoulder and sideways grin, she says, "Thanks, Heavy Hitter. The pillows were good thinking...Speaking of which..." Tattoo turns to offer Goggles a hand up. "You alright? That looked like a hard impact?"
Peaking out at the garden, she replies Lucius, "I guess we can check outside...seems like the fog might be a little thinner..."
Goggles looks out into the garden. "I guess it would be a good test to see the effects of the mist on us when it isn't as thick. Plus it doesn't look like we'd have to be outside very long."
"What? No!" Heavy backed away from the door, shaking her head. "There are...things...out there. We have lots of doors in here to look at. See, look here! Doors." She moved north to the two doors facing each other and opened them.
Reaper lands solidly on the cushions, his breath knocked out of him as he lands on his rear.
"Nice catch, Creepy," he mutters sarcastically.
The ghost merely stares.
"There are...things...out there. We have lots of doors in here to look at. See, look here! Doors."
"Yea but, ain't you curious as t'what's going on out there? This yeller fog strikes me as downright pe-cul-iar. Not that dead birds with magic powers ain't also weird enough. If we move real quick, them creatures won't stand a chance o' snatchin' us."
::You're liable to get yerself eat.::
That's why you're goin' first.
Preparing for the trials ahead, Tattoo takes a moment to focus her mind, before moving turning to the half-orc. "We should check the other rooms too...for the paperwork...but at some point we are going to have to find a way out of here...and that means going outside..."
The east door opens to a corridor to the east who abruptly turns north after 20 feet, and then ends in a mount of rubble. From inside this passage, Creepy is also able to notice through the cracks of the big pile of rubble, that there is a door to the east wing, even if completely buried.
The west door opens to another courtyard. High asylum walls hedge in this spacious courtyard garden. Only thin breaths of sickly fog seep in from overheard, though beyond it's just as thick as ever. Misty wisps slip between leafless trees and simple benches, giving the impression of silent beasts prowling through the garden. These might be tricks of the fog...
It still rains heavily outside and even before stepping you can feel the warmth coming from the rain. A thunder resounds and suddenly the rain changes, turning from water to yellow ink... after about a minute it suddenly stops and, for the first time, the weather is clear.
Lucius peered at the garden after the rain had stopped.
"Wait. Don't you it? It's like flapping wings, low growls, and rustling steps coming from the courtyard."
He peered again through the fog, "But I can't seem to see their source of the sounds. it's like they're drifting from a distance..."
He looked about, "Well, do you hear them or am I just going crazy here?"
"Well, there's a door down there, but good luck gettin' through that mess 'o rocks."
Reaper and Cerio stare blankly at the professor. "Dun' hear nothin." He raises an eyebrow toward Heavy, Goggles, and Tattoos, then he spits onto the floor. "Looks like the rain done cleared up, though. Creepy could go check it out. Whatcha say, Creepy?"
The ghost merely sighs as it steps forward.
::I'm beginnin' t'see a pattern here.::
You're a right smart critter.
Goggles gives Reaper a knowing look before addressing the professor. "I think the stress of this place has finally gotten to you Professor. The weather is actually clear right now, nothing out there to see or hear." Although I don't want to know why it looked like yellow ink raining down a second ago.
"I don't hear anything," Heavy said, "But I believe you. There's nothing good out there. And more doors in here. Let's try this one!"
Heavy moved to the nearby north-facing door and tried it.
Tattoo lets out a chuckle as she replies to the Professor, "Well, I can't say you aren't going crazy...but there is definitely something out there." She continues to laugh as she realizes the others seem clueless as to what he is talking about. "Are you all serious? Here. Hush for a moment, just listen." Gesturing for them to be quiet, she tries to let them hear for themselves.
A Tattoo watches Heavy Hitter move away, she can't help but to feel a little worried. We are going to have to go out there eventually. I hope she is ready when that time comes...but I suppose for now there is no harm in humoring this. I do need to find that paperwork...
"All right. Lets see what lies behind door number three..."
Tattoo lets out a chuckle as she replies to the Professor, "Well, I can't say you aren't going crazy...but there is definitely something out there." She continues to laugh as she realizes the others seem clueless as to what he is talking about. "Are you all serious? Here. Hush for a moment, just listen." Gesturing for them to be quiet, she tries to let them hear for themselves.
Lucius pointed at Tattoo, "Finally, someone with as good an ear as mine. Thank you, ma'am."
He cocked his head, "I hear it again. Let's not go out that way unless we're prepared to deal with... whatever is out there."
He then followed Heavy, "Any better options?"
Creepy moved through the north wall and walked a couple steps before Heavy moved away, changing the course of exploration. He could see a couple more leafless trees but nothing more... as he was turning around, the mist thickens and soon starts to envelop him, almost as if possessing a devious mind... luckily Creepy was incorporeal, so he was able to move back inside, leaving just another translucent mark on the wall. The mist doesn't follows you, though.
Heavy opens the door, revealing what appears to be a storage. The room is partially collapsed, destroying most of the buckets, mops, and feather dusters that were stored here. A portion of the western wall has fallen away, opening to the other room.
A long desk, several chairs, a sideboard, and numerous once-stately landscape paintings barricade the door of what appears to be a somber conference room. The toppled wall undermines the room's defenses, a point driven home by the masked bodies littering the ground.
Six bodies lie in this room, battered by a variety of blunt implements... all the corpses have had their faces wrapped in sheets, shirts, or grain bags and clinched tight around the neck. It appears the corpses consist of Briarstone staff and patients alike.
"Goggles!" Heavy calls. "Got some more bodies to make sure of." She held her great sword ready to defend those that were checking the state of the dead.
Goggles was immediately uneasy as she saw the disturbing scene laid out before them. "Who would do such a thing? Why wrap their faces?"
Part of her wishes that she had never mentioned making sure the corpses were dead. It seemed like somehow it had become her job and hers alone. Nodding at Heavy, Goggles moves forward cautiously with her cleaver ready to dispatch any pretenders.
Lucius shook his head in dismay, things kept getting stranger. he unsheathed his rapier and touched the corpses making sure they were indeed dead.
He asked Heavy, "Watch my back, OK?"
He then bent down to inspect them. In particular, he was trying to determine whether they died from the wrapping on their heads either by asphyxiation or by strangling or whether they had died from the blunt objects.
Something was clearly off here but that was an understatement.
Tattoo shrugs in Goggles direction. "I mean who would do any of this? We are clearly dealing with something or someone twisted here." However, despite her seeming nonchalance, her knuckles are white as they grip her longspear. Moving near the professor, she tries to get a better look at the bodies as he examines, hoping that none of them seem familiar.
-Posted with Wayfinder
None of the bodies resist as Heavy and Goggles slit their throats.
Lucius checks the bodies and notices that one orderly was wearing a suit of padded armor and wielding a sap.
Aside from Goggles, who was perhaps distracted by the dead corpses, all the rest of you notice two different stones close to the northern body and a golden ring in his finger.
Lucius looked up from the corpses to his companions, "I'm sorry but I'm not sure about the cause of their deaths."
He noted the golden ring and stones. An avid connoisseur of the finer things in life, the professor knew a thing or two about valuable jewelry. "That ring is probably worth about 100 gp or so. Oh and the stones are thunderstones, quite useful actually."
There was no hesitation in his next actions. The professor was not used to have his decisions questioned.
He picked the ring up and pocketed it. he also took one of the thunderstone and offered the other one, "Anyone want this?"
As Goggles makes her way around to all the bodies, she begins to realize something that chills her. Only about half of them were actually killed by blunt objects while the others were strangled.
"I'm sorry but I'm not sure about the cause of their deaths."
That's ok because I do. The odd thing is that they all weren't killed in the same manner. Half of the bodies were strangled and the fabric around their heads appears to be added after they were dead."
She frowned, "What I don't understand is why kill in two different ways and why feel it necessary to wrap all their heads?"
Tattoo looks over the bodies briefly and seems to almost let out a sigh of relief after viewing all of them.
She also notices the gold ring, about a second before the professor grabs it. Raising an eyebrow, she comments, "You think that's only worth 100 gold? I saw a similar one once that was on sale for about 240 gold pieces..." Trailing off, she can't help but thinking, That's a weird thing to remember...but at least memories are starting to come back.
Shrugging at Goggles, she says, "Maybe they are just insane...We should keep checking rooms..."
Heavy nodded. "Too many dead folk in here. I don't like it." She let herself out the intact door, to find herself back in the entry hall. Moving to the big double doors to the north, she pulled them open next.
"Things's just goin' from bad to worse..." Reaper mumbles uncomfortably as Goggles inspects the hooded bodies. "This house 'o horrors just keeps on gettin' weirder. I keep waitin' on someone to pinch me and wake me up."
Cerio can tell simply by looking at the ring that it is worth more than the Professor thinks, but he kept this information to himself in hopes he might swindle it from him later.
"What if we remove the hoods?" he asks as he slips the blade of his scythe under one of them, careful not to cut the neck. "Maye they's a good reason t'have 'em covered over..."
"That's a simple enough thing to do. Let's find out." Goggles moves around and unwraps the heads of the ones that had been strangled. "These ones were strangled." Then she moved to the ones remaining. "These ones were beaten with blunt objects."
When the grisly scene was fully revealed she moved over to Reaper and pinched him. "You're not sleeping, are you. But I'll pinch you anytime you ask."
She also notices the gold ring, about a second before the professor grabs it. Raising an eyebrow, she comments, "You think that's only worth 100 gold? I saw a similar one once that was on sale for about 240 gold pieces..."
Lucius wondered, "No, you're wrong. You may be able to sell it to some poor sucker for that amount but look at the workmanship and the stone, it's hardly worth 100 gp. But if you can sell it for more then be my guest."
He offered the ring to Tattoo, "I wasn't going to keep it..."
"I'm sorry but I'm not sure about the cause of their deaths."That's ok because I do. The odd thing is that they all weren't killed in the same manner. Half of the bodies were strangled and the fabric around their heads appears to be added after they were dead."
She frowned, "What I don't understand is why kill in two different ways and why feel it necessary to wrap all their heads?"
The professor's admiration for Goggles grew, slightly. It figures that someone who knows about torture also knows about killing people.
He decided to venture a question, "Meaning no offense but how do you know so much about killing and torture?"
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