Callix nods, "I agree with the exploration idea, Samuel. We've already seen that doors often hide trolls and monsters -- the sort of thing we don't want coming up behind us when we're busy with a dragon."
I have one more spell in me...a dragon. I wasnt aware their kind lived in cities. Ashling cleans herself speculating out loud
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The group pauses before going up the stairs to heal up with the wand.
After discussing the option of continuing past or examining this level, Callix slowly opens the door which is unlocked.
the door opens to a small hallway with double doors on each side. several boxes and barrels are stacked up on the far side, opposite of the stairwell.
Something moved behind the boxes. you thought you saw a face peek out at you, but it was very small... it almost looked like a doll's face?
Global Condition: none |Party Condition:
Callix HP: 43/43 - AC: 20/14/16 Status:
Letitia: HP: 30/30 - AC: 17/12/15 Status: mage armor
Alec HP: 42/42 - AC: 19/12/17 Status:
Samuel HP: 41/41 - AC: 20/16/14 Status:
Ashling HP: 36/37 - AC: 19/15/15 Status:NPCs:
Letitia stays close behind the others, letting those strong in melee attacks take the lead.
Samuel carefully goes into the new room and closes silently to the barrels he does inspect while the others take position.
"[smaller]So what next? Shall we take the eastern door? That is the direction from where danger always comes from" the High Sentinel smiles wide trying to ease up the tension.
Anyway, he readies his musket whenever the group advances.
Callix shrugs, "Seems as good a door as any." She then smiles, "...and it saves me digging out a copper to flip."
Samuel pokes through some of the contents of the barrels and boxes. looks like it is all food stuffs. sacks of bone meal, pickled fish, and even some hardy produce like potatoes and onions.
Callix accepts Samuel's suggestion on which door to try and opens the door to the east once everyone is in position
the door opens easily and reveals a small sitting room. there is a table in the NW corner with an attractive oil lamp on top of a doily. A rocking chair sits in the SE corner next to a basket of yarn, needles and a pair of half-finished white mittens.
there are 3 doors leading out from this room, in addition to the door you are looking through.
"Mmmm, pickled fish!" Samuel takes some and gives it a bite, then picks up two potatoes and two onions and puts them in his pouch "This place is well stocked"
Proceeding behind Callix, he blinks at the needles and white mittens "It seems someone likes sewing in here"
Observing the different possibilities, the Taldan makes a gesture with the face to the northern door, proposing it as a way forward. He does firmly sets his feet on the ground ready to blast the group's way through this tower full of enemies.
Letitia frowns as she views the room. "This must be Zivia's room."
She casts a spell to ward her from the dangers of witches.
Alec followed the others, his spear in one hand, shield in the other. He stayed behind Callix, covering their backs against the opposite door. Sweat began to bead on his forehead as his eyes darted from door to door. He felt like one of the animals he had trapped so many times before, as if already ensnared, and waiting for the hunter to return.
Callix nods, "Sounds likely... Which means she's probably nearby. Let's keep on our toes.". She steps into the room, spinning the axe in her hand as she approaches the door Samuel indicated, making ready to open it.
"I had forgotten about the witch. You are all right Letitia, we should be careful. Let's open the doors clockwise starting from north" Samuel waits while Callix opens the doors.
Callix tries to open the first door to the north. it is locked tight
Callix frowns, "Locked. But I don't like leaving it that way. Alec?"
With a simple nod, Alec stepped past the others to the locked door. He leaned his spear and his shield against the wall near the door and pulled his tools out. He inspected the lock for a brief moment before going to work.
If Alec fails, Samuel tries to help "I have learnt one or two things seeing you set traps in the forest and fixing my musket"
If they do not succeed on opening the door he looks instead to the next door clockwise "The witch is not likely to have locked herself in the room. She should be somewhere else, and probably has the key to that room"
When the door is opened, he gives a look inside, musket first.
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Alec examines the lock and finds that it is surprisingly advanced. He knows it is going to take more than a cursory attempt to break in.
he points out what he found to Samuel who gives it a go, deft hands finding the tumblers and popping the lock
the door opens and Samuel leads with his gun.
Toys and dolls are strewn about the floor of this room, and small tables and chairs sized for small creatures or children sit in the northeast and northwest corners. Books, papers, quills, and ink vials sit top the tables. A cot stands to the southeast. The windows are barred, but the shutters are open to let in the natural light.
A little human girl sits on the floor, eyes going wide when she sees Samuel. Maybe she doesn't know what the gun is, or maybe she is just happy to see a new face, but she breaks into a big smile and jumps up to her feet.
she quickly collects herself and holds a finger to her lips.
have you met Granny Nan yet?
Samuel startles at the sight of the child, he does hold the musket up until she asks about Granny Nan "No. Is she the witch?"
"Are you Inga perhaps? The other children told about us. Please, take your stuff, we should bring you to a safer place" quickly comments the Taldan, making gestures for the child to stand up and come with the group.
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Letitia puts a hand on Samuel's shoulder. She says to him quietly, "Perhaps we should wait before sending her downstairs." She pointedly nods her head toward the doors they hadn't opened yet.
She rather coldly instructs the girl, "Go hide in the corner for a few minutes. We're about to meet Nan."
She then positions herself to be ready for when the next door is opened.
when she hears you haven't seen Nan yet, she is visibly scared. she hesitates at Samuel's order, but quickly does what Letitia says and tucks into a corner. when asked if she is Inga she quickly nods her head.
Be careful, granny Nan is very scary. and her little ghost is always watching...
Letitia's head spins back to look at the girl. "Her little ghost?" She allows herself a tight smile. "Probably her familiar, then." She gestures to the others, nodding towards the doors they haven't opened yet. Her icicle wand glistens in her hand, while the other is ready for spellcasting.
"A ghost?" Samuel frowns and takes one of the oils of magic weapon and quickly applies it to his musket "In which door they are Inga?"
"Quickly, open the door Inga says" the Taldan readies his temporarily magical musket.
Callix nods, "That's ok, Inga. We can be pretty scary too," she says with a smile. She walks towards the her companions and whispers, "Stay 20 feet away from me, Letitia... and from her.", before heading toward the door.
let me sneak ahead and scout things out. I'll see if I can figure whats going on
the girl points quietly to the door tot he south, next to Alec. then she hides in the corner as instructed, clearly very scared.
Ashling moves up to the door quietly.
"Hmmm... Let's not lose time!" if no dangers are found, Samuel urges Ashling or Callix to open the door.
If they do not, he opens that door "Where are you Nany? I have a tiny lead child eager to meet you intimately"
Ashling examines the door. it doesn't seem to have any traps set on it, but it is locked with another good lock.
you spot motion behind you from the hallway. it looks like a small creature is peeking in the door at you. is that a doll's face?
Letitia's mouth twists in distaste as they find another locked door. "Perhaps you should check the other door first?"
"Inga said the witch is in the southern one, and the magic on my musket will expire soon, I want to face that ghost as early as possible" Samuel points out but let's the eastern door be opened while Alec and himself work on the southern lock.
Alec stowed his tools and grabbed his shield and spear before moving up to stand behind his friend. He tapped Samuel on the shoulder as he nodded to one side.
"Move your right hand to the left a hair. And hunters don't usually shout at their prey. It tends to scare them off" he said with a grin.
Callix shrugs, then offers, "She could be invisible. It's not like we didn't make enough noise on the way in. Though, yes, let's check every door."
Samuel and Alec pick the lock, making quick work of it. the door eases open.
on the other side they find a cozy bedroom with blue walls. a bed occupies the east side of the room. a desk and chair sit next tot he southern wall, and a dresser with a large mirror on top sits to the west.
rising from the chair is an old human woman, who's eyes go wide when the door is opened.
Well, well, you're not Evija. you know, it's generally frowned upon in civilized society to break into an old woman's room...
Callix reacts quickly, sizing up the stranger quickly.
Global Condition: none |Party Condition:
Callix HP: 43/43 - AC: 20/14/16 Status:
Letitia: HP: 30/30 - AC: 17/12/15 Status: mage armor
Alec HP: 42/42 - AC: 19/12/17 Status:
Samuel HP: 41/41 - AC: 20/16/14 Status:
Ashling HP: 36/37 - AC: 19/15/15 Status:NPCs:
Callix shrugs, "True, but then, old women shouldn't be terrorizing children they keep in cages," then quickly casts a spell that stops further discussion before stepping into the doorway to get within reach of the witch.
Callix sees the threat of a witch and begins casting a spell that will help prevent the witch from doing anything magical in response. she begins muttering a prayer to the Drunken Hero, but needing to take the time to do it correctly
before the witch moves, Letitia, Samuel and Alec hear a haunting sound of many small children crying out and sobbing. the sounds is unnerving to say the least
along with the sobbing comes a small creature in the doorway from the main hall. it is a very small creature made out of a collection of small animal bones, clockwork gears and topped with a cracked porcelain doll head.
it quietly approaches Letitia and tries to lay a hand on her leg
Letitia tries to yell out a warning that something is coming from behind them, but no sound comes from her mouth! she tries a few more times, but cannot speak.
this little creature is an attic whisperer
An attic whisperer spawns as the result of a lonely or neglected child’s death. Rather than animating the body of the dead youth, the creature rises from an amalgam of old toys, clothing, dust, and other objects associated with the departed—icons of the child’s neglect. The widely varying materials that fuse together to form these creatures lead to attic whisperers with vastly different appearances. Attic whisperers linger in the places where they were formed, typically old homes, orphanages, schools, debtors’ prisons, workhouses, and similar places where children might be discarded
the creature's magic can steal a person's voice and/or strength, as it steals a person's voice to give itself a respite from the lonliness it is cursed with
Global Condition: none |Party Condition:
Callix HP: 43/43 - AC: 20/14/16 Status: casting a spell
Letitia: HP: 30/30 - AC: 17/12/15 Status: mage armor, mute
Alec HP: 42/42 - AC: 19/12/17 Status:
Samuel HP: 41/41 - AC: 20/16/14 Status: magic weapon
Ashling HP: 36/37 - AC: 19/15/15 Status:NPCs:
Witch HP:?? | AC: ??
Attic whisperer HP: ?? | AC: ??
"What is that?!" Samuel exclaims alarmed just some seconds before Callix turns the room into silence.
The High Sentinel quickly identifies the witch as the major threat and tries to blast her with a bullet between her eyes "Ah! You are there!"
Ashling rushes past and up to the Witch, Activates her cloaks wintery aura and then slashes
Ashling and Samuel both strike at the old woman, though she doesn't seem particularly bothered by the cold aura.
she growls in pain as she is hit, but she also recognizes the threat posed by another spellcaster that is apparently ready to deal with her.
"not today, deary. fighting my boys downstairs, you must be real tired, yes? why not take a break?
For whatever reason, this sounds really reasonable to Callix. her eyes get very heavy and she slumps to the floor.
the old woman then steps back, out fo the immediate reach of Ashling, and trying to gain some cover from Samuel's musket
bold may act: Letitia, Alec, Callix, doll, Samuel, Ashling, Witch
Global Condition: none |Party Condition:
Callix HP: 43/43 - AC: 20/14/16 Status: asleep
Letitia: HP: 30/30 - AC: 17/12/15 Status: mage armor, mute
Alec HP: 42/42 - AC: 19/12/17 Status:
Samuel HP: 41/41 - AC: 20/16/14 Status: magic weapon
Ashling HP: 36/37 - AC: 19/15/15 Status:NPCs:
Witch HP: -27 | AC: <21
Attic whisperer HP: ?? | AC: ??
Letitia was not used to being silent, and it unnerved her more than the chorus of whispers and sobbing surrounding the strange poppet that stole her voice. She steps back as she runs through her available magic that does not require her voice and comes up woefully short.
She wishes she could swear when Granny Nan was able to put Callix to sleep before she got her spell off. Familiar with the hex that she can do herself, she points to the Ulfen woman and sends an urgent empathic message to Lazlo. He hops from her shoulder and glides the short distance to where Callix fell, and screeches loudly in her ear while buffeting her face with his feathered wings to wake her up.
Granny had moved back further in her room, so now they fought on two fronts. She still believed the old witch was the most dangerous, so she gestures at the warriors to pursue her. Then she looks at the icicle wand in her hand. She couldn't speak aloud the command word, but she knew the tricks to unlocking the magic within objects. She tries activating it, to harm the strange doll thing.
With a nod to Letitia, Alec pursued the old woman into the bed chamber, cornering her between the wall and the bed. His shield held high, his spear shot out towards her mid-section.
Lazlo flies over and wakes up Callix. she is surprised to find herself on the ground, and has lost her spell, but is otherwise unharmed.
Letitia fires off an icicle spear, stabbing the old woman and knocking her to the ground
Alec follows up, stabbing the prone woman with his spear, critically hitting her. he feels intuitively that the magic of the spear could be activated, but the woman is definitely dead, so he saves it.
Callix, doll, Samuel, Ashling, Letitia, Alec.
Global Condition: none |Party Condition:
Callix HP: 43/43 - AC: 20/14/16 Status: prone
Letitia: HP: 30/30 - AC: 17/12/15 Status: mage armor, mute
Alec HP: 42/42 - AC: 19/12/17 Status:
Samuel HP: 41/41 - AC: 20/16/14 Status: magic weapon
Ashling HP: 36/37 - AC: 19/15/15 Status:NPCs:
Witch HP: -64 | AC: <21| dead
Attic whisperer HP: ?? | AC: ??
Callix gets up to her feet and shakes her head, "Next time, I start casting that before we open the door," she mutters as she steadies herself and readies her axe to face the doll.
the doll moves away, jumping up to the handle and opening the door to the room across the hallway. the opened door reveals a kitchen with a large iron stove and a cauldron, along with tables and food.
the whole party may act
"Where do you think you are going?" knowing from previous experience how the witches use the dolls to observe everything, Samuel does not doubt to blast the thing with a bullet.
He then quickly reloads his musket.
Letitia turns her attention to the small doll creature, again relying upon her wand rather than her spells. She points it at the creature and tries to unlock the magic without the activation word.