As the pathfinder approach they see a small windowed door on the eastern wall. It looks out onto a rooftop garden. The pathfinders once again walk in to a better then average bedroom. This posh room contains a large mirror and an armoire.
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"Tilly is blowing the whistle!" Pooka shouts as Luna gets restless beneath him.
"Go Girl! Yah!" he says, spurring the dog on and not waiting for the others. They were fast enough that he knew they would be right behind him.
With all haste, Pooka rockets back down the hallway and down the curved stairs, his heart racing as fast as Luna's paws beat at the ground beneath them. He tightens his grip on his lance, ready to put it to use, piercing whatever denzien may be threatening the little girl.
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Chumley gives a sigh of resignation as Pooka goes rushing off. That little girl will be the death of us yet. Calmly he mutters, "Bottoms up, Chums" as he seizes a mixer from his belt and drinks an Extract of Expeditious Retreat and goes bounding off at supernatural speed.
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Without words, Xûll races off behind Pooka with his hammer drawn. He takes the steps two at a time on his way down, almost falling as he goes in his haste to find Tilly. You may have killed her parents already, fiends, but there will be no more innocent souls for your harvest... you will have to take mine first.
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Targath wastes no time as others rush to the stairs. "Dicks, fastest is going DOWN!" He leads an example by jumping over the railing and landing on the floor below.
After his expertly done jump, Targath lands on his feet and rushes over to the closet at best possible speed. "GIRL! GIT OVER HERE NOW! OPEN THIS BLOODY DOOR!"
Targath rips open door to see Tilly siting up, empty water skin next to her, crumb covered furs bunched in her lap, sucking her thumb,. She removes the thumb with a "Pop', then puts her pointer finger in her mouth and sucks on that before removing it with another 'Pop'.
See looks at the large Shoanti, "Gotta pee. Who's gonna take me?"
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Targath is clearly very irate by this interruption and tightens his fists. Unless someone acts quickly, the shoanti might erupt into a tantrum. No one wants to see a big, grown man go on a tantrum.
"What the f@!@, kid?!" Targath says the best things in front of a child. "You make us all come running to you and you've just gotta pee?! Well you are in a closet already, make it a water closet! We're on a demon hunt, damnit!" Targath slams the door shut once again and turns to see the rest of the group glare at him angrily. "What's with the faces, pussies?"
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Chumley rushes up with supernatural speed, not even breathing heavily as he comes to a halt and surveys the situation with a clinical eye.
Human-spawn, visibily unharmed. Targath, slightly bruised bully. No immediate cause for danger or concern. Who should help Till relieve herself? Probably Pooka. He looks over at the halfling that is presumably getting there around the same time, with a raised eyebrow then turns to the girl. "Till, you just scared all of us to death. Well, most, I would wager. We're trying to help find your parents." He sighs, "Though if needed, I can take you." There's a slightly haunted look in his eyes.
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Strange that suddenly she needs us to help her pee. She cannot have had much to drink, but I doubt this is her first time since getting into the closet that she has needed to. We must be careful... oh... and... "Sweet Nethys, me has just been realizing that we are to have been locking child in her own latrine before..." The Shoanti is genuinely contrite at this.
"Worry not child," Xûll comes in and gives her a bit hug, "That is not what we were to be giving you the whistle for, but me is understanding. You are having adults in life now. It is being too cold to be peeing outside, though... and perhapsing too dangerous also."
Xûll upends the dining room table and positions it like a privacy screen.
"Be peeing on floor, Diri is having magics to be cleaning up," Xûll nods at the gnome, "And we are to have been making bigger stains than urine with our own bloods earlier."
"Tilly, perhapsing leaving you alones was not such good idea. You should be following of us and staying at good distance at back with me," the man says so in a tone that will brook no argument from his companions, "No more closets for Tilly."
Targath rips open door to see Tilly siting up, empty water skin next to her
Strange that suddenly she needs us to help her pee. She cannot have had much to drink, but I doubt this is her first time since getting into the closet that she has needed to.
Tilly looks at them incredulously. "You all pee where you sleep? That's gross. Don't eat or drink since Mother and Pa and Tarcey went gone."
Listening to Targath yell at her, she begins to sob again. "Didn't mean to make you all mad. Just was scared to go pee by myself. Case the thin men come again. I'm sorry. I won't blow the whistle again. Even if the thin men come. I promise I won't. Just want to find Mother and Pa and Tarcey."
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Pooka is relieved at first to find the girl ok, and then annoyed at the interruption of their work. He does his best to hide his annoyance though, and Xull snaps him out of it.
"Yes, perhaps you should be coming with us. I admit I cannot say what could be more dangerous. The fact that you are still alive in this house is amazing at all. You hang onto the whistle for now. Finish your business, and then lets get back to what we were doing."
Pooka weathers the cold stare from Targath, shrugging his shoulders as if to say, What do you want us to do? This was not part of the plan.
Tilly in tow, the Pathfinders make their way back upstairs without event.
In the room, they begins their normal pathfinder searching.
The pathfinders only find clothing in the armoire.
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"This is being strange," says Xûll holding aloft a strange looking kit bag, "It is appearing as though something in here is trying to be appearing as something it is not. All that is left is this..." Xûll holds aloft a fake mustache. He tries to place it on his own lip to cheer Tilly up, but the glue has long since lost its sticking power and it flops to the ground like a dead hairy caterpillar.
"Well let us see if we can be getting past this iron door here," Xûll flanks the far side of the next room's door . He waits patiently for Chumley to do his thing and assesses whether, should they need to resort to force, it might be easier to go through the wall rather than the door.
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"Could it be that whoever has lived here originally meant only to make it look scary and shit, before demons actually invaded?" Targath asks, this time being sensible. "To keep strangers away. Ha, I know a lot of fat lords who root their asses on couches and keep beggars away. Those sorry sods then die on their piles of money, only to have robbers to get all of it to themselves."
"Let's move, this waiting is making me yawny."
Turing to Xull, Tilly queries the large man. "Is that the paint the ladies put on their face to look and fancy and stuff. Tarcey and I would pretend that we was fancy women going to balls in Egorian. Don't have no real paint though. Just used plants and stuff."
Walls are wooden, between 1 to 2 inches thick.
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Pooka chuckles at Xull's antics, then quickly paints a more stern looking scowl on his face.
Killing demons is serious business. He tries to convince himself, then flashes a wink and a playful smile at the girl just before the door opens.
"Ready girl, our work isn't done just yet." he says, reaching down to pat his dog on her side.
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"While it is quite improbable one of my earliest lessons suggests that sometimes the simplest solutions are the most elegant so I keep one of these around just in case the improbable situation occurs and probability favors preparedness and lazy manufacturing patterns," Diri offers, holding up a skeleton key. She shrugs her shoulders and offers it to Chumley. And if not," she continues, reaching for a crowbar, "we could apply some advanced engineering to the problem at hand with this advanced force amplification device and some gnome ingenuity."
Chumley, though accustomed to opening locks, is unable to make any head way with this one. The door remains locked.
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Chumley grumbles a bit as he rolls up his sleeves to help Xull push on the door. "So, we've abandoned the pursuit of stealth and subtlety to make a right propper job of Breakin' and Enterin', it would appear?"
With a glance at the child tagging along, he adds, "Don't try this at home, Till."
Together Xull and Chumley wedge the crowbar in the lock. With a mighty heave the lock snaps. Whatever forge this lock was beaten out on is sad indeed to witness such a pitiful end to its existence.
Rushing forward to see what veritable dragons horde of gold this room must contain to be secured so well, the pathfinders faces notably slump as they enter the manors armory.
Wooden weapon racks line the walls of this room.
After searching they do find one weapon that stands out. A large heavy mace
if the PCs do not enter this room and explore its contents reduce their gold earned as follows: reduce each PCs gold earned by 27gp
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In the armory, Diri happily grabs an extra dagger. Can never be too prepared. "Though this 'Hell's Gavel' is too large to be a feasible weapon for someone my size, one of you dire halflings could probably wield it because if nothing else it is beautifully made," she says to the two Shoanti, admiring it as she runs a finger along its etched designs.
Diri continues following the group, diagramming the way Targath's shouting echoes off the obliquely aligned walls in her notes.
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Pooka stays to the back, following the group as they systematically clear out the upper level. He finds himself hoping that Tilly's parents are up here, because she said they were brought up here, but his mind goes back to the shaft in the secret room.
Brought upstairs to be dumped down that hole I am sure.
He helps when he can to keep things moving with urgency as they go through the rooms.
Xûll puts a hand on the girl's shoulder and once more steers her to the back of the group.
Tilly moves deftly out of the way. "Keep your hands to yourself or when we find Pa I'm gonna tell him you been ruffin me up."
The Pathfinders open the door to twin guard towers. Both are open air turrets rimmed by crenelations. They would have offered a great view of the countryside but for the raging storm outside.
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If Pa is strong enough to do something about it, then he likely doesn't need our help... Pooka keeps his irritated thought to himself. The girl is alone and scared, and it's not his place to judge. Maybe he will wait until later to remind her that that tone is no way to treat someone who is helping you avoid death and dismemberment.
"Process of elimination right? I'm guessing we are going to find something ugly behind this door. Tilly, stay out of the way."
Pooka stands up in his stirrups to get a human's perspective on the rest of the balcony as they walk around the corner. He watches Chumley go through the paces, and grips his lance as Targath and Xull open the door.
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"Me is being ready to go through other doors, and me is happy to open when you have checked, Chumley," Xûll looks back at Tilly, "Please be staying in backs. Me is not wanting you to be getting hurt." He does not blame the child for her outburst. She was alone for gods know how long and scared. She may well be an orphan too. Hopefully that anger does not get her killed.
As the pathfinder begin to search the last room, they are in what could only have been the manor's guest quarters. Instead of private bedrooms, complete with resplendent furniture, these many rooms are filled with cots pushed close together. Garbage is strewn about in this messy area.
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Chumley surveys the area grimly, it becoming more and more clear that it's unlikely they'll find Tilly's father alive. "The descent into the Abyss seems to be our course, then." If he can get Xull or Pooka alone, he quietly informs them, "There is quite possibly a literal entry to Hell down there. If we do find Till's dad, it's unlikely it will be pretty... Anything we can do to save the kid from nightmares?"