Fundin follows Lazlo to open the doors
"If you let me Master Gorog, I should open those"
He says raising his shield
Lazlo steps aside and gestures extravagantly towards the door.
"Be my guest, my friend.
"I'm coming, don't leave me near that creepy staircase." says the gnome, his hands shaking a little after the eerie sound. He follows the others.
Four large paintings depicting various subjects hang from the west wall of this hallway: a gothic cityscape, a flock of birds among the trees, an imperious-looking woman, and Xarwin Manor under a starry sky.
A plaque on the gothic cityscape reads “The Motherland.”
A plaque on the bird painting reads “The Watchers.”
A plaque on the portrait of the woman reads “The Queen.”
The painting of Xarwin Manor is the most technically adept of the four. Its plaque simply says “Home.”
Galimus slowly walks along the pictures. He is pleased to see some art in this somber place, even if it is somber as well.
"Motherland."
"Looks like they came from Cheliax. The capital, specifically."
"The Watchers."
"Meh...birds."
"The Queen"
"I wonder which queen."
"Home"
"I mean...duh."
With Galimus pointing to the first picture, de Sibelius' face is flushed with pride, "Home!" he says most distinctly, "though Egorian is probably a little changed since that was done." He stays a while longer studying the picture, trying to recognise important buildings and places, hoping to see where Sibelius, Sibelius and Grieg have their offices, but to no avail.
As Galimus wanders off, not paying particular attention to the rest of the pictures, de Sibelius calls "No Galimus, these paintings are ... well wonderful ... I mean take in the brush work ... oh the colours of .... well they could probably do with a bit of restoration ... they are a bit grey, no very grey in places ... but I bet it's the dirt of ages ...." the gnome continues to walk slowly around the chamber, looking up at the walls, pointing and raising his specs every so often. Occasionally he lifts his specs off his nose and extends his arm and moves them closer to the canvas to take a good long look.
"Look at the way the artist has caught the lines of these whippoorwills, it's almost as if you can see them moving. So clever and ...." he calls over Lazlo, quietly whispering in his ear, "And worth more than one or 2 gold pieces I would warrant."
He coaxes Lazlo over to the picture of the regal lady, "Take this back to Egorian, and there will be many art houses wanting to purchase such a picture of Queen Abrogail I. We learnt much of passing just and righteous laws in her realm, even if some thought them ... difficult. Ah what a time at law school.... But laws are laws, and that's what we lawyers argue about eh!" he laughs at his own in joke.
"An this, such a likeness, it's a jolly good painting of this magnificent mansion, in it's better days."
Laurel goes to stand by the birds.
"Them's be..." "! Lucky, they. Like if yuh ask whut I do when thar' trouble. See ask I: Is'e gun do it? Sez me: Yes whoop-'er-will!"
He intends to keep the promise.
And begins listening to de Sibelius "Queen who? Ain' mine, nossir. Thot you said that them liars be praxin' they craff lyin', no? Whuddit fer a coin lotta hullabulloo. All's yuh really need is a good ol' knife an' a fass plan - you just stick wit ol' Laurel Sib - ain' nuthin fer the worryin' bout so-yonder!"
Fundin grunts and nods looking at the paintings. He was never a big fan of Cheliax, but he keeps it to himself. "Did the author leave their signature on the paintings? Where they painted here and simply purchased and brought?"
Fi=undin stops in front of the painting of birds and asks
"Why whippoorwills? Now there are Nosoi..."
Zoi clucks in agreeance with Galimus. "Those are indeed whippoorwills if I ever seen one." He wonders why it calls them the Watchers on the portrait when there are obviously sever Nosoi around instead.
Lazlo carefully examines the paintings.
Motherland
"Cheliax. That makes sense. If anyone would come out here to build a haunted house it would be someone from Cheliax." He rolls his eyes. "We can be a strange people.
Watchers
"I can't say I'm much of a birdwatcher. Whippoorwills you say?"
Queen
Lazlo nods. "Well with Cheliax as the Motherland, a portrait of Queen Abrogail I makes sense."
Home
"The paintings seem to be getting better. I wonder if it's a different artist or is he just getting better?"
"I think we've seen enough in here for now.
Lazlo turns to the dwarf and gestures grandiosely towards the next door.
"Mr. Goldenoak, If you would be so kind...?"
Fundin nods his head and heads for the doors "I would be delighted..."
He tries to pry them open
"Where are you off to now?" the gnome says with alarm as he realises the others in the party move on into the next room. He watches as Fundin starts to pry open the doors as Lazlo boldly moves forward.
Unimpressed with the boring paintings, Laurel follows the dwarf "Where we offta next, mister oak?"
This is not the sort of house where a person wants to be left alone. Galimus hurries to join the others as they continue their explorations.
This large study features three cozy looking sofas arranged around a low oval table. Two large stuffed chairs sit in the southeast corner, facing a low round table, while to the north looms a brick fireplace.
+9 vs traps
Zoi stops and shakes his head. His feathers ruffles. "There be spirits in this room. I just had a strange vision of the entire chamber set in flames."
”Ain’ fraida no gose!” our young hero reassures the party, being probably pretty sure himself...
Lazlo peers cautiously into the room.
"Hmm...I don't see anything..."
"If there is a spirit inside, we should look into that. Spirits left alone don't get any nicer" says Fundin
as he also tries to look for any signs of a haunt
"We could also send some brave one to tease the ghost out" he throws a look at Laurel
"Might I suggest we leave sleeping souls lie, at least for the moment? As they have not attacked us, yet we may assume that they are bound to this particular room. We can always return and deal with them once the rest of the house is explored and any other dangers dealt with," Galimus puts in a dissenting view.
"Maybe, but what if they are friendly and can provide some useful information?" asks the lawyer, always looking for more knowledge about this mansion.
Fundin keeps on looking into the room hoping to be able to learn something before making the decision...
The scene flashes once more. Several burning skeletal arms reach up from the ruined floors or out of the burnt walls, clawing at the air. Fundin rebukes the spirits, and performs a quick exorcism.
The scene disappears, and although the party searches more, it doesn't reappear.
"It seems that I have an invite. It would be rude to decline."
Lazlo takes a deep breath and enters the room. He cautiously looks around the room.
"Erm...hello?"
Blast! That's not exactly how a spiritualist would act. Quickly recovering his composure he addresses the room in a more confident tone.
"Are there spirits here that wish to converse with me? Please speak. I am listening."
Fundin walks after "I was invited as well, there was a strong ghost presence here. I don't think that they will show up again thou. At least not for now, so let us have a look"
Fundin begins to search the room, he thinks that by some chance he was lucky with responding the right way to this situation and for now the haunt will not come back...
De Sibelius looks astonished at Lazlo speaking to no-one, Has he lost his mind?!? before he sees the fiery skeletal features appear and disappear quickly, seemingly at Fundin's dwarven command. "You sure it's safe Fundin?" the gnome asks before he enters the chamber and takes a good look around, searching for magical energies that might exist.
Laurel's eyes BUG when he sees the skeletal arms - he throws a dagger at them.
And ducks behind Fundin, remaining there even after it's all over.
Galimus is no more immune to the spectral display than the others. In fact, he actually flinches away from the flames.
Once everyone has gone into the room, he debates internally, looking around at his surroundings and then, apparently, deciding he's safer inside with them than outside alone.
He steps in but stays near the door, ready to bolt should the restless spirits show themselves, again.
de Sibelius scans the area for magic. He finds lingering traces of necromantic energy, but it's fading quickly, and within a few seconds, disappears altogether.
"Awful brave of you. That vision didn't seem very inviting." Zoi cautiously follows into the room, waiting for it to burst into flames.
"Awful brave of you. That vision didn't seem very inviting." Zoi cautiously follows into the room, waiting for it to burst into flames.
"What? Oh I don't know. They just seem a bit shy from what I can see. That's common among spirits."
Lazlo carefully and thoroughly searches the room.
de Sibelius notices two more doors as the search the room, "Ooh, more rooms though here, perhaps we should take the right one before we delve to the left?" he states and asks at the same time. "Assuming nothing else untowards happens here." he says, safety first.
de Sibelius steps into a small parlor. This room has a large brick fireplace to the north. The rest of the parlor is empty save for a pair of chairs seated next to a small round table to the southeast.
+9 vs traps
:
For de Sibelius:
"Hey, uh... Liar? Kin I tellyus summit? See's I's a bird right, an' m'stuck in the wall. But iss not me, like, it is but it isn't. Yuh know? You e'er feel like thet? Like..." he begins to cry, and goes to hug the gnome, safely at his level of height, then suddenly swallows the tears, as if some voice in his head tells him to toughen up, which he does, standing with his chest erect now, the red around his eyes fading behind the confidence he projects.
Unsuccessfully!
Please open the "Laurel" spoiler in the post above this post.
...AND THEN...
Open the spoiler inside of that spoiler!
Fundin turns around to see at Laurel "What is happening lad? Are you all right? Is this place getting to you?" He assumes this is some sort of mental breakdown, he saw that among fighters...
"You're a bird but it's not you? Is that what you feel right now or was it a dream? Or a vision?" Galimus asks. There is not the usual tone of condescension from adults when talking to kids about such things.
This place is strange enough that even if it is a dream or imagination it may not really be a dream or imagination.
"He is too young to be gong mad." Zoi watches the lad curiously. "You sure you weren't seeing a vision of me?" He asks as Zoi unfolds his wings to show he is mostly bird.
de Sibelius does his best to extricate himself from Laurels sudden embrace and tears, somewhat embarrassed by the sudden show of emotion. "Yes, Yes, not don't cry ... and let me go ... I'll try and find the bird ..."
He pulls himself away from Laurel and looks around at everyone, brushing his coat back down smooth again, smiling weakly as he does. He then starts around the room, tapping on the walls, almost apologetically, shrugging his shoulders.
That is until he suddenly stops, blinks his eyes inside his glasses and says "I found it, where the bird is, a secret door on the north wall to the right of the fireplace, just here!" He looks back astonished at the rest of the party.
Somnambulantly, or perhaps with frightened curiosity, Laurel walks towards the place where de Sibelius indicates, and touches the wall!
The air in this windowless room is stuffy and stale. Densely packed bookshelves line the wall to the west and most of the south. The books here represent a much more indepth collection than those found in the library.
The only other furnishings in the room are a large wooden desk with a high-backed chair in the corner opposite the shelves. Thick black curtains with little glowing spots hang on the north and east walls, giving the impression of a star-filled night sky.
Above, a strange, spiral-shaped growth of fungus almost looks like a twisted series of letters.
Critical Success:
+9 vs traps
"That spiral suggests a link to Pharasma." Zoi swirls his feathered finger along the edges as he shudders a small bit."[/b] Looking over he notices a gap of light. "There behind the bookshelf is a passage.". Moving some items over he nudges the bookshelf aside.
Fundin looks at the spiral and nods his head. "A passage? How interesting..."
He heads towards the hidden passage
Lazlo smiles at the revelation of a second secret door.
"Aha! The secrets reveal themselves at last. The mysterious unknown beckons to us. Shall we heed its call?"
He looks at Fundin and gestures towards the newly revealed passage.
"Yeh" in answer to Lazlo's (rhetorical) question.
The boy holds his hands back, protective of his mates "Lemme see 'fit's safe" he inspects the area around before deciding "Okay" and darts himself through!
Zoi pushes the bookshelf aside, revealing a staircase heading down.
"I don't know if that is more impressive or disturbing," Galimus says as he examines the fungus spiral.
"I suggest that we continue to explore this level before we head down to another one," he continues when the passage is revealed.
De Sibelius listens to the words spoken, "Hmmm, you say the spiral of Pharesma, interesting she who judges, she who sends her messengers...." Then when Fundin finds a hidden passage, he can't control himself, "A hidden passage, Oh that is exciting, there was nothing like this on the documents I received." He bounds towards Fundin and the hidden door.
He stops as he gets to Fundin, passing lots of tomes, "Oh golly, all these tomes, words of knowledge! I do like a good book or do we go forward
into the mysterious! Such choices!!" As he follows Fundin.
---