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From her listening post at the door in front, Estelle shifts back and shares what she heard. "Voices behind the door. Also Growling. But... it doesn't seem hostile. Maybe a Dog and its master or such?" she wonders. "Anyway, we should be ready for a fight just in case."
After having delivered the message and having face-checked the apparently safe, western part of the hallway for traps, Estelle moves back to the new door and stands ready.
Estelle also briefly checks the door for more surprises before opening it.
The door looks of decent make, Estelle sees nothing off about it.
Though as she slightly kneels to examine the lower part, she now more clearly hears, though still muffled, the rapid breathing of a dog, a little closer then the growling was before.
*BARK! BARK!*...
Astella follows Estelle, keeping her bow ready in order to back her up.
Brunhild and Daniel dodge the fire bolts, and both assume positions near Astella and Estelle.
The barking on the other side of the door intensifies, and now all can hear a man talk.
"What's got you riled up, boy, strange people?"
*BARK, BARK*, GROWWWWWLLLLL*
You hear shoving on the other side, something heavy, wooden.
You're pretty certain whoever is behind the door is shoving something towards the door. By the sound of it, that won't be too long.
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Not having time for anything else, Estelle quickly opens the door!
"We mean nay harm!" Brunhild shouted, arrow in one hand and bow in the other.
Despite good intentions, Brunhild does not sound convincing to the man in the room.
"One of the easiest things to say, either way.
Besides, my dog suggests otherwise."
It's not bearing teeth much, but frowning and growling still, body ready to move.
"Um, sorry, but who are you, if I may ask? The six of us are partaking in a contest on this island to find certain rare items, but also looking for a group of adventurers that have gone missing. Would you know anything of fancy hats or missing people?" Estelle decides to ask. You never knew...
Easy to say, indeed, but something that we really mean. My friend Estelle has explained our purpose. What brings you down here?
As has been said, no harm is meant. Though as the others stated, I too am curious how you found your way down here. Are you part of the contest as well? Daniel openly sheathes his sword as he speaks to support his statement.
The six of us are partaking in a contest on this island to find certain rare items, but also looking for a group of adventurers that have gone missing. Would you know anything of fancy hats or missing people?
.....
"Missing adventurers, the group said to have arrived prior to the competition? I have no idea what has happened them. What i do know is that the local lord has put out a reward sum, for proof of what has happened. Can't miss the notices pinned in town."Easy to say, indeed, but something that we really mean. My friend Estelle has explained our purpose. What brings you down here?
"Exploration. Plain and simple. Aside from the size of the place, i am not too impressed.""[/b]
As has been said, no harm is meant. Though as the others stated, I too am curious how you found your way down here. Are you part of the contest as well?
"Way down here? Careful exploration. As for the contest, in a way, i suppose. That's all that can be said about it."
"Now i've indulged you folk."He calls back his dog, which still holds position when next to the cabinet.
"But i've found no hats, just dust and old furniture. Place's clearly been abandoned a very long time ago."
With the voices from the team coming from one side, and the man behind the cabinet, from both a head peers around the corner. The man on his end, Estelle on the other.
Both are in equal state of surprise.
Mutual: "Eh?? You??"
Estelle recognizes this as one of the men who left after Astella offered the bard physical protection.
He wears a two holed flute around his neck, just like the one Roderick now has on him.
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"Oh dear. This is bad! If he has that same whistle... that probably means Serena's team just killed at least one of his friends? And those were the non-contestants that were presumably after the Bard yesterday - the ones we might have driven off by protecting her?"
Estelle eyes dart to the whistle, then to Serena and Astella before settling back on the man. How to play this? Play it dumb? Cordially? Both? Strike first? But she'd just told Serena she wouldn't... "Um, yes! Is there... a problem with that? You're the group with the deaf guys and the sign language, and you left the inn yesterday night early, if I recall correctly. But... you're not a contestant, are you? Are you like... tourists or something? A pretty dangerous place to go sightseeing with all the fireballs flying around in my opinion, right?"
...Yeah, awkward dialogue for an awkward situation.
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Astella walks through the door, and, recognizing the man, she is a little concerned. She starts to say something, but when Estelle starts talking, she waits, hoping things stay calm.
By the looks of the man, cleanly shaven and cut, a maintained armor, and a small variety of weapons and belt pouches, you as former soldier would reckon this man to be of, or formerly otherwise, of trained or military background.
The man facepalms.
"Of all places to meet a naive one just like her."
"None of us are deaf and...wait what? How'd you know about.....
Phe, never mind."
He looks frustrated, disappointed and like losing interest in the chamber, almost all at the same time. He then looks back to his dog, then you.
"So what is your game. You clearing out people you encounter, or not?
If not, i'd really appreciate getting passage to leave this place. If you are here to attack people at random, i will defend myself, as will Hektor over here." His posture is cautioned, and one hand is aimed at what he wears around his neck.
With Astella walking into the room, his "you?" look is somewhat absent, her friend already being here and all.
Leave this place? Are you trapped here?
"Try losing interest, with only old furniture, skeletons and vermin thus far."
"Well, that's fine and all? As far as I'm concerned you're welcome to leave. All we really want to do is explore this place some more and I don't see why we'd have to fight. Just be careful for the fireballs down the hallway. We tried to lock it down but it didn't really work..."
Estelle steps back into the hallway to let the man pass.
"Hmhm."
If the others also let him leave, he'll do so. Serena shows a hint of surprise if he walks away, looking into the direction of the flute.
Once he would be out of clear earshot, she points, "Tha' guy, he's wearing the same whissle as the one Roderick has on him. Tha' other one was eager for a figh', you le' his buddy go jus' now. I hope he's no' going to ge' his friends."
"Maybe you're right. But if you wish to know why I let him go; for one, we don't know anything about his group or why they're here. We can only speculate that they were chasing the bard. We don't know their reasons, and she herself wasn't very forthcoming in telling us either, which I find at least somewhat suspicious. If she was innocent, why not be more upfront? It might not be as simple of black and white as it may seem at first, " Estelle reasons, tracing the man's path with her eyes.
"Secondly, I didn't know how your encounter with his friend went down. And lastly, what else would you have us do, Serena? Kill him just because you killed his friend earlier and he might seek revenge...? That doesn't feel right with me. I don't consider myself a murderer. If I get attacked, I will defend myself. But I won't take someone's life just because they *might* become a problem later on."
She enters the room afterwards and begins to search it.
Well, do you think he took that whistle from Roderick and Roderick needs to be avenged? If that is the case, I'm more than willing to go after him... but if he just found another one, or you are hinting that his whole group has them, then I think Estelle's estimation is fair. No need to kill anyone that doesn't offer a threat.
I am concerned for Alexis and the others, but you did say they can take care of themselves, which I believe as well, so let's hope they are okay.
Astella is still concerned, and is worried that the man will turn out to be more of a problem in the future, but unless Serena has further objections, Astella moves further into the room, assisting in the search.
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When Estelle is finished speaking, Serena holds up a hand.
"Hold on lass, i never said anything abou' killing him. Restraining works equally fine."
"His bud's sleeping one off, after Zoltan hogstrung him up with his own pants and bel'. Bu' consider this, if his friends are also around, any secrecy of us being here, is gone."
She peers over her shoulder.
"This one seemed a reasonable type, bu' if his friends or comrades are like the other, le' alone if they find him tied up, we'll likely find ourselves a figh'."
At Astella's comment.
"I know, i's more fun humilia'ing them, i'm jus' saying to be careful.
Bu' no, we found the flu' on the other guy's person. And since a flu's an instrumen', profi'."
Esttele stops her search momentarily to think. "Hm. All right. Sorry, I suppose I jumped to conclusions when I saw the blood on Zoltan's shield."
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"Well, a shield kissing the nose of a person tends to have tha' effec'. Especially if said person is blowing blood back a' you."
A 10ft wide, short hall leads to a modest bedchamber. Four basic beds, sheets worn by time and moths, are spread on simple styled wooden frames.
An old oil lamp stands between each two beds on a simple night stand cabinets. A symbol of the moon, engraved within a more stylish crafted plaque of wood, hangs from the ceiling, at the center of the room.
Nothing in particular catches neither Astella's nor Estelle's eye.
Up ahead, there are three cabinets, in what seems to be a storage corner of sorts.
"Hold on lass, i never said anything abou' killing him. Restraining works equally fine. His bud's sleeping one off, after Zoltan hogstrung him up with his own pants and bel'."
"...Actually, wait a moment. Rather than killing him, you say you left him hogtied and defenseless in a ruin filled to the brim with man-eating giant centipedes and giant bats...?" Estelle seems to think deeply for a moment, wondering if that really seemed such a good idea. "Ah, never mind. I'm probably worrying too much."
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In response, Serena shrugged with a slight smirk.
"We had killed any vermin we me' prior to mee'ing him, so i'm fairly cer'ain he's no' in danger. Especially since we came across an old storage alcove, the guy fi' perfec'ly in a ches'. An unlocked one, a' tha', had holes for breathing. Like i said, humilia'ing aggressive people like tha' is much more fun."
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"Kinder than killin.'" Brunhild offered. "At least gave the chance for survival. And I wouldn't call it especially cruel, as he has every reason to believe that it be safe." As she talked, she assisted in the search, moving forward with arrow back in quiver.
Brunhild, the other two inspecting the main room, inspects the storage area. She carefully inspects the large cabinets.
The right one's knob can be turned a bit, but is locked.
The left one is as well.
The middle one can be turned a little further, and she faintly hears a small tick as she does.
A good chance this needs working on, on top of being opened.
Some minor items for ceremonies.
x2 lamp oil.
Flint & tinder.
x4 thick candles.
x2 incense, akin to the one from the cabinet in the hall.
Candle wax, probably worth 5 gold.
Some moth ridden robes.
A very proper crafted dagger, with a crescent moon engraving on the hilt.
Red potion x1
Berries, all dried up and crumbling to the touch.
A mundane shortsword.
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It takes Astella quite awhile (she doesn't seem to be very good at this lock-picking stuff), but eventually she gets it.
Astella manages to pick the lock eventually.
Still, Brunild did warn her something would likely still need to be fixed before it is safe.
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"Can't say that I know exactly what is going on here. Strange 'click' sound. But ye be the expert, aye Astella? I be thinking that there's something that needs to be fixed, if that makes sense?"
Seeing her friends busy with breaking into and disarming cupboards, skills strangely never taught at either basic combat training or the church, Estelle walks back to stand guard and cover the others' backs.
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Astella realizes just before she opens it up that Brunhild's words probably meant that there was a trap. She takes a look
but she can't see any specific trap mechanism.
Surmising that it must be related to the opening mechanism since she didn't trigger it by unlocking it, she does her best to bypass that process, but, just in case, she tells everyone to step well back while she works.
She isn't sure if it worked or not, but when it clicks into place, she thinks that she got it right. Cautiously, she slowly opens it.
It worked, and the cabinet opens safely for looting purposes.
Looking around, Astella doesn't see any more exits in this area, so she starts back out.
Anyone have ideas about how to block that firebolt trap? I tried disarming it, but there just isn't anything I can get my hands on. Looks like we have to go past it again now.