"After you." Fioralba says, sweeping her hand forward to motion for Triel to proceed. She follows in behind her, rapier in hand and looking for trouble.
Trouble quickly finds them in the form of an ooze! Sidestepping around Triel, she moves to the side and strikes it! Once more she demonstrates her excellent form by hitting it, but once more she's completely unable to do anything severely debihilating to it.
Elanna grimaces at the nefarious creature in the room and leaps aside to aid the attack on the ooze.
With Triel freed from the water ball Hope felt a bit of relief. She didn't necessarily like the dark elf much but she didn't wish to see her hurt either. She kept her quiet about it and waited until they moved along following the group.
When they suddenly stumbled on the ooze Hope made the same series of movements as she had before. Light bent towards her and a little swirl of dust began to form a disk between her hands. When she was finished she sent a small ball of condensed gravity lashing out at the ooze.
The twins both graze the ooze with their blades. In response, the ooze emits a cloud of foul smelling gas!
Madame Hawk lets out a cough, but it appears that her mask is letting her withstand the worst of the stench. She brings her spear to bear and tries to stab the ooze!
The twins, now flanking, continue to dance around the creature as they swipe with their rapiers. Neither is particularly effective with their attacks, but boy are they fun to watch!
Both twins fight off the sickness and continue to be ineffective attackers!
Hope cursed as she saw yet another attack miss as she tried to avoid hitting her allies and decided to give it one more try. She pulled the power together before sending it lashing out in another tiny ball of gravity at the disgusting ooze.
Merely quirking an eyebrow as the ooze detaches from the wall and begins attacking, Screaming Moon watches as the sisters begin stabbing at the creature, glad that this wasn't one of those oozes that split apart or spray acid when you attack them.
The smell of the thing, unexpected as it was, really was not much worse than many things encountered in the wild. It caused Tsu-la to sneeze and scratch at his nose, but little other effect.
Moving close to the ooze, he attempted to help destroy the thing, but nearly stabbed himself in the process.
"Insects, ghosts, and slime? I suppose we know why this house was not put on the historical tour."
Triel stabs the ooze, then Hope blasts it to bits! A search of the kitchen turns up nothing of value.
Madame Hawk pulls back from the destroyed ooze to look over at Hope.
"Ms. Hope? Where did you learn to do that? That wasn't a spell or any divine invocation that I've heard of before."
Turning to Hope, Fioralba continues the discussion Triel starts. Folding her arms, she asks "Yes. Inquiring minds want to know. What exactly is the nature of your power?"
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As the ooze blew to bits those bits pulled in before blowing out as the ball of gravity first sucked them in. When the questions started Hope began to wish she'd never agreed to help. She didn't talk about her abilities, they frightened her even as they called to her, but she had already resolved to help them and it would probably help them to know what she did.
While it was obviously an uncomfortable subject Hope finally said, "A few years ago, when I was little, I started to hear the whispers, the darkness between the stars called to me, and one night they took me away." Hope shuddered at the vague memories of her years caught in the void between stars, where dark...things of madness lived. After a moment she continued, "I don't know how long I was there but I saw...things we were not meant to see, my mind quickly broke and then I was offered to it." Her eyes began to grow wide in remembered terror, "Have you seen that which consumes all things, even light may not escape it's grasp? Have you seen how it eats worlds and stars, even time itself?!" She was starting to sound crazed as eh explained the origins of her powers, "Even worse is when it pears back into you, when you feel it's hunger, its desire to consume you, and know that it will take forever to do so?"
In her now manic state Hope began to sound almost aroused as she said, "When it devours it feels, and yet it still hungers, it binds you, sucks you into it's depths, and forever changes you. If you get out the void remains within you, it desires to consume everything, to return it to nothingness! Even the hunger of Rovagug or the insatiable desires of Calistria or the incomparable beauty of Shelyn are nothing before It!" Her gaze was not far from total madness as she said, "It is like a lover and it grants me a tiny portion of it's power. I can bend the force that holds us to this spinning ball, prevents us from flying off. I can make it pull you less," she moved and called her power to her in a tiny fraction of what she had been hurling and unleashed it on Fioralba. Suddenly everything felt like it weighed less, like she could carry more with the same efforts. She then did a different motion and the light around Triel began to dim as though sucked in by an aura surrounding her ever so slightly, "It can devour some of the light around you. One day I may even be able to reverse it completely and fling things off of this world."
Hope reached out one hand to try and grasp Ella's arm desperately as she tried to anchor herself and pull back from the brink of madness. It took her time but she finally did, her expression calming, and she finally, after a few minutes of calming herself, spoke once more. "Then I returned and found myself here. I don't know how or why, but I have lived here this last year trying to remain stable and control the madness." Her words became frightened as she said, "But the whispers are still there, still it speaks to me, tempts me, tries to call me back. I don't know how or why I came back but I have and all I had is gone."
Madame Hawk listens to Hope's... explanation, refusing to interrupt.
"...well. Thank you very much for the explanation, Hope." She finally says once Hope is finished. "It was... enlightening."
If Hope's story was supposed to frighten or scare away Fioralba, it has the opposite effect. With each word of the story, the magus seems to lean in a little closer. Never has she heard of anything quite like this and nothing seemed to get Fi's attention more than power.
Fioralba listens intently as Hope goes off on a direction she completely did not anticipate. "Fascinating!" she says, hanging on to every word. "Have you sought a teacher or perhaps to study these ways? There could be a secret hidden just beyond your reach which may be the key to all of it, something that masks it from your sight. Perhaps there are others or documented states of this condition you find yourself in."
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Touching Hope's arm lightly and gives her an empathetic look. "I cannot know your experiences, but I can appreciate that they were traumatic for you, and I care about your pain."
Smiling, he continues speaking softly. "I also appreciate that these powers are frightening. I was trained in the use of my powers and they were explained to me before hand. I can only imagine how frightening it would have been if they had come upon me suddenly."
Removing his hand, he gestures to the others. "We may not understand your fear, but you are our ally and we care about you and about your fears. Let us share them, and they will lessen.
Remember, also, that these powers and experiences do not define you. You choose how to use them, and so far as I have seen, you are using them only to help others."
Smiling still, he reaches out to grip Hope's hand and squeeze it reassuringly.
Ellana puts her hand over Hope's as she tries to calm herself down but.
"Doesn't sound like you're mad Hope, just sounds like no one else appreciates you, pretty normal that - most people are soooo self-absorbed." She says ironically. Elanna is making an attempt to be nice, if anything for a little self-preservation; Elanna does not want Hope to use that ability against her for any reason.
You move on to investigate the last room on the first floor of Roderic's Wreck. A moldering sofa sits along the south wall of this room, and once-comfortable chairs sit in front of mold-covered windows.
As you peer into the room, you suddenly see a vision of Roderic’s family. One child sits upon Roderic’s knee while the other two sit on the floor around him, listening to him read. Roderic’s wife, Andella, sits next to him on a chair doing needlepoint. This pleasant scene suddenly turns to horror, though, as the family suddenly shifts, their skin sloughing away in wisps of shadows to reveal skeletal faces. Roderic turns to you, points accusingly, and says, “Get out!” in a long, gasping shout. A wave of fear washes over you, but aside from leaving you shaken for a short time, the haunt has no other effect.
You head upstairs to the upper hall. Two doors stand along the north, west, and south walls, while a single door stands partially open along the east wall.
Madame Hawk blinks as the haunt in the former living room manifests itself. "...well."
Once the party is upstairs, Madame Hawk investigates the nearest door on the north wall.
The remains of a wicker cradle slumps against the wall between two cracked windows. A small wicker table in similar condition sits in the corner of the room.
As you start to search the room, a skeletal creature crawls out from under the cradle. The child-sized undead wears the tattered remains of a rabbit costume, its canine skull protruding from the hood-like head of the destroyed outfit. A necklace of lettered, wooden blocks hangs around its neck, and the unsettling creature drags a wheeled wooden duck by a soiled and knotted string. An aura of sobs and whimpers surrounds it.
"...an attic whisperer." Madame Hawk says, her tone turning worried. "An undead child whose bite can steal your breath and whose touch can take your voice."
"This just got uncomfortably grim."
She raises her spear in a protective stance--and a shimmering blue shield coalesces into being right in front of her.
"Lets get rid of the thing before it can do that then." Elanna says callously.
She leaps round to the other side of the child and attacks with her rapier.
Hope calmed more quickly when most everyone at least seemed to express sympathy or understanding to some degree. She returned the squeeze of Screaming Moon's hand on her's gratefully and then let go as they continued their explorations. The haunt of the family was very disturbing and Hope was more than happy to comply with it's demand. When they found the cradle though Hope felt a great wash of sadness...at least until the creepy attic whisperer crawled out from beneath it.
Hope didn't hesitate to strike as she began her graceful motions to generate another blast of gravity. When it was ready she lashed out and sent it flying at the creepy child thing.
Moving opposite of her sister, Fioralba looks concerned "This isn't Roderic's daughter's spirit, I hope?"
Hope blasts the attic whisperer while the twins move to flank, both scoring hits. The thing dances about playfully as it attacks Elanna. It bites her leg, but she dodges away from its grasping hands.
Madame Hawk tries to swallow her discomfort and moves in with her spear to stab the poor thing.
"Hey! Get off of her!" Fioralba shouts at the ghost child, defensive about her sister getting bit.
"It seemed that Sir Roderic's children were well cared for, based on the images downstairs. It would be hard to believe one of them would have animated as this creature. But, if not his, then who?"
Reaching inside of himself, Screaming Moon connects with the energy of the world around him and lets out a burst of positive energy to disrupt the undead creature.
"Rest, child. A better life awaits you on the other side."
Tsu-la whines at his feet, feeling pity for the wretch.
Hope saw the Attic Whisperer bite Ella and felt a wash of rage. How dare it! The feeling was a bit of a surprise to Hope but Ella had given her a muffin and she really liked muffins damnit! Hope shifted to the side so her next attack would move the thing away from her and pulled in more power than she had used before. When her motions were complete the ball of gravity lanced out
Elanna steadies her emotions as fear nearly takes over, but luckily her body is strong enough to withstand this at least.
The channeled energy has full effect, but aside from that, only Fioralba lands a hit. The undead giggles and turns to attack the other twin, biting her on the hip.
Madame Hawk tries another stab.
"Ow!" Fioralba calls out, scowling at the undead creature. She swats at it with her rapier, hoping to hit it harder this time.
"Hey creep! Leave my sister alone!"
Hope cursed when her attack missed and again when the thing bit Fioralba. Pulling together another ball of gravity she flung it out at the monster determined to strike it this time.
Eyeing the restless spirit worriedly, Screaming Moon lets out another burst of positive energy.
I may have to try out this wand thing, thought it seems like a resource we may want to have available in the future.
While the melee combatants miss, Hope blasts the undead before it succumbs to Screaming Moon’s channeled energy. It crumbles to dust, leaving just the inert skull behind.
Madame Hawk watches the undead child crumble into dust before bowing her head. "Tlu a gre'as'anto, dalhar. Dos xunusnaut rytho'le folt natha ap'za." She whispers.
Fioralba shakes her hand, looking down at her forearm where she was bitten. "Gah. Why did it have to bite me!"
Putting aside her pain, she looks at the fallen creature with a sad sigh, shaking her head slowly. "That is... Unfortunate. I'm sorry, child."
Pivoting to Hope, she reaches out and places a hand on Hope's shoulder. "What you see as crazy has repeatedly saved our lives. I for one value you for what you have done for us. Thank, Hop." She flashes a smile and leans in and pecks a soft kiss on her left cheek before dragging the back of her hand across her cheek.
Turning to Ella, she says "Nice work, sis. We had it right where we wanted it!"
"Well done, everyone!" Fi shouts enthusiastically. She turns away and hops over to Triel, slipping her left arm under the spiritualist's and says "Onward, Madame Hawke!"
"Before we leave, perhaps there is something that will help us to put things to rights in this room?"
Picking up the skull, he looks at it sadly. "I know this is not the child's skull, but it seemed to be attached to it. Perhaps it was a companion?
I think we should bury it when we leave." Slipping the skull into his pack, he aids in searching the room.
Madame Hawk takes Fi by the arm and prepares to move on. "There may be, there may not be. Don't forget Sir Roderic is who we're here for."
Elanna pouts a little as everyone piles attention on Fioralba but, if Mistress Hawk was going to walk with Fi, then Elanna was sure as hell going to do the same with someone else!
Walking over to Hope, she takes hopes arm without hesitation and looks smug. "Let's get moving shall we lovely?"
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Searching the room doesn’t uncover anything interesting. It doesn’t seem like the attic whisperer was one of Roderic’s children, though—likely a wayward spirit that sought refuge here.
In the next room, a moldering mattress lies amid a bowed wooden frame, flanked on either side by ruined tables. A dresser in the northwest corner of the room has seen most of its drawers pulled out and discarded on the floor. Remnants of moldy and animal-gnawed clothes spill from them. A hole has been hacked into the floor, near a long, slender wooden case that is open and tipped over on the floor.
Appearing drenched and bloated, the ghost of Sir Roderic drains up from the floorboards into the room in an eerie mockery of gravity. He speaks in a hollow voice. “The cove. The stone house in the wood. The gauntlet. Save them. My map. The key.”
"We shall do it when we find what we came for, Screaming Moon. Perhaps that will give that child some piece. For now though, Sir Roderic awaits!"
She starts ahead quickly with Triel but slows pace. "Lovely?" Fioralba says to herself in a whisper, looking back over her shoulder at to whom Ella was talking to, a hint of jealousy showing in her narrowed eyes.
Once into the next room, Fioralba is eager to repeat "Cove. Stone house. Gauntlet. Map. Key. Okay. Where? Where's this key?"
She doesn't seem unnerved at talking to a dead ghost who just floated out of the floor. This is becoming a regular thing now, apparently. Letting go of Triel, she steps forward and says "Sir Roderic. We need more. Can you give us more?"
Elanna is non-plussed at the apparition.
"Can't you just elaborate?" She snaps. "What woods? What gauntlet? Save who?" She sighs, rolls her eyes and leans over to her sister. "We're never going to get these charges dropped unless we know more."
"We have a piece of the map already, I think, and presumably the most important part, since it has the X.
Perhaps we should go to the location shown and see if there is any sign of the people who took the rest of the map.
Is that it, Sir Roderic?"
"Which way is this cove, Sir Roderic?" Madame Hawk asks, her tone level and steady.
Roderic seems nonplussed by your questions. He repeats the same words, only with a slight inflection of frustration and anger. “The cove. The stone house in the wood. The gauntlet. Save them. My map. The key.”
The ghost lingers a few more seconds before draining away again.
The wooden case on the floor is of masterwork quality, and a thin sheeting of lead lines its interior. Etched into a plaque in ornate lettering on the case's side is the word "Baraket." Two small but complex locks line the edge of the case; they automatically lock if the lid is closed. A wad of adhesive gum holds a pair of keys tacked to the lid.
"...well, I suppose we have our next objective." Madame Hawk picks up the case on the floor.
"May I see that, Madame Hawk?" Fioralba asks, reaching for the case but not taking it if it is not offered. If it is offered, she slowly traces her hand over the case and tries to make out the words on it. "It's beautiful. This. Baraket. This was the legendary sword! " Her eyes dance wildly as she envisions Triel's reading to mean that she was destined to find and wield this sword!
She then tries to each of of the keys into the locks to see if they are destined to be used with this case or elsewhere. Handing the case back to Triel, she says "Shall we finish with the rest of the house now? Perhaps we can make some more sense of this brief puzzle he has given us?"
Madame Hawk hands the case over to Fi.
"Yes, let's."