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Post by zipp on Feb 16, 2009 2:53:24 GMT
"Mr. Mason only owned three dogs. I've never seen the other one before... the one that jumped in the window. You don't expect me to clean that up, do you? I really don't want to stay here tonight, but I can't very well leave on my own. I'm not searching any more of this house, though. If you insist on us staying, then I'll go up to my room and stay there, thank you very much. I've already seen enough bodies for one night. I don't want to see Thanh..."
She trails off, her voice cracking again.
Sherri's abilities can't help you in your search, anyways. She will be of great use in Oasis, though... if she survives the rest of the journey there.
Okay, at this point I need actions from everyone. Who is searching? Where are you searching? Who is studying the book? Skill rolls from those who haven't already made them (Aram and Bonnie already rolled). Meldorac is in the middle bedroom upstairs, by the way. I wouldn't advise disturbing him... further.
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Sir Aram
Hardened Gamer
Is Mr. Handy
Posts: 350
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Post by Sir Aram on Feb 16, 2009 3:06:41 GMT
"That's all right, you don't have to do any such things," says Aram. "You should get yourself some rest. We'll make sure you stay safe. I don't think anybody is going to clean up the mess. We'll be leaving at dawn anyway, and I doubt any of us wish to return." He addresses the others. "All right, let's begin the sweep. Should one of us stand watch to make sure nothing else gets inside? I'd probably be best suited for the task."
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Post by Bonnie Sommer on Feb 16, 2009 7:03:03 GMT
I've already blocked the entrance door and the back door. There is no way to get inside silently.
And NO ONE is studying books. Everyone either directly goes to sleep or aids in the search. Let me also remind you that sun rises early in the summer. There is only a few hours to dawn which is not enough rest for a night. I'd suggest we sleep longer, or you will be dropping off the saddles tomorrow.
And EVERY ONE settles down in the room beside the master's bedroom for safety. Bring gear from other romms as needed and settle on the floor. Except perhaps for Meldorac who I don't expect anyone to move.
By the way how far is it to the Oasis from here? Is it at all reachable tomorrow? All this moving around at ungodly hours tell me it probably isn't.
As for searching, it seems people are dropping off, so will be one group searching. 1 person securing corridors from entrance, while remainder (preferrably more than one) searches the rooms. Bonnie and Aram are taking volunteers.
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Post by Gregor on Feb 16, 2009 8:04:28 GMT
Gregor takes the book from Owain and tucks it under his arm. Still aware that Sherri is using him as a leaning post, he stands up gently with the girl.
"I think, gentleman, that the time has come for rest. We can discuss more about where we are going in the morning. That includes looking at this book, which I will do when I am more rested."
Gregor heads up the stairs with Sherri. Ensuring Sherri is safe in her bed, he brings up a chair next to her and slumps down. Getting as comfortable as he can, he attempts to fall asleep.
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Post by zipp on Feb 16, 2009 8:47:10 GMT
As far as updating goes, I plan on making my next post the last post in this scene. So far I'm just waiting for Owain's reaction to what's happened. I also have only Bonnie and Aram searching right now. Are you planning on searching all the rooms?
As far as sleep goes, to be honest, you're all probably going to sleep till late afternoon, whether you like it or not. That's what tiredness will do to a person in a world without alarm clocks. And when all the roosters have been murdered.
Oasis shouldn't be more than a day's ride away, at this point. I would say that, waking up at around 12:00 or 1:00pm and riding all day would get you there at about 8:00pm. A summer's night would see a lot of light, so it should be a pleasant entry into the Merchant city.
Pleasant... *snicker
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Post by Brother Owain on Feb 16, 2009 9:00:01 GMT
Too tired to argue with Gregor over his snatching of the book, Owain decides to give in to his body and sleep for the night. He takes a chair up the stairs with him to the room upstairs and gets some rest.
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Sir Aram
Hardened Gamer
Is Mr. Handy
Posts: 350
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Post by Sir Aram on Feb 16, 2009 15:32:54 GMT
Well, we won't be searching the basement. We'll just block that off. And we'll be leaving Meldorac's room alone. But other than that, the plan is to go through each room to make sure there's nothing hostile hiding inside. We'll start at one end of the house and go through it systematically, making sure nothing can possibly slip past us.
"Let's get started, then," says Aram. "The sooner we begin, the sooner we can finish and get some rest."
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Post by Bonnie Sommer on Feb 16, 2009 18:48:53 GMT
We will also leave alone the "secret room". The secret entry is closed and the corrdor to the puzzle lock is blocked off like the cellar to prevent undead or anything else from escaping that room.
Otherwise, like Aram said. We will search every room. As I said before. Thoroughly enough to find hidden persons and not any more thorough than that. Careful enough not to unnecessarily be caught by surprise or traps, i.e we will not heedlessly rush through the rooms nor be pedantic in our search.
We will take turns watching the corridor, and doing the search in the room. So one searches inside the room, while the other is back-up, second eye, and door-guard.
My suggestion is to start with all rooms below and then take all rooms upstairs.
There were some perception/Skill rolls made way back, if you need more rolls then let us know.
ALSO: We will also not search the room Bonnie searched when she arrived. I assume the others are sleeping there and have searched it already before turning in, and as mentioned no search of meldorac's room either.
IF the others are taking separate rooms and not listening to Bonnie (all too likely, then the search of whatever room they enter upstairs are on them, we will not clamber into rooms with other characters searching)
Yes, let's get started.
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Post by Gregor on Feb 17, 2009 7:26:36 GMT
Gregor will check Sherris room before they rest, I guess (that is if she has her own room).[/color]
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Post by zipp on Feb 17, 2009 7:50:22 GMT
Okay, let's finish this up. Reading the above posts, I've assumed that Owain and Gregor declined to help you and Aram (lol) so I'm having them sequester themselves in the servant's quarters (the bedroom Bonnie searched). I'm also assuming Aram and Bonnie are traveling together.
Bonnie sighed as everyone filed out of the room until only her and Aram were left. The two shared a quick glance, not quite of camaraderie, but of understanding. Both were, after all, military trained. No doubt they were bemoaning their fate: to be stuck coddling a group of scholars and mages... and one of them now weighted down by a serving lass.
Aram rose from his chair. "Let's get started then," he said. "The sooner we begin, the sooner we can finish and get some rest."
"Yes, let's get started," Bonnie replied.
The two agreed not to search the basement. Neither much relished the idea of that dark cellar after the night's events. They found that the kitchen door leading to the hallway outside the basement could be locked, and they settled on that for protection from whatever tentacle demons might be lurking in the bowels of the house. They were much too tired to move shelves to create a barricade.
The downstairs didn't yield any crazed home-owners, at least. There was the unpleasant matter of the dead dog in the dining room, but the two ignored it as best they could. Bonnie planned on torching the place in the morning anyway, so she saw no need to move the body. She did steal a glance out the window. The whole hillside was aglow in the light of the burning stables. It was a pyre for Trenton. She wondered if the mercenary was happy to have such a grand funeral. Probably he'd just as soon still be alive.
Aram spoke behind her: "I wonder if the fire will attract us any attention tonight. Do you think we should post a guard?"
Bonnie shook her head. "I doubt if any of us has the energy to keep watch. Better that we rest well tonight, and then ride like the winds tomorrow. Besides, the way I look at it, a small light or fire would indicate life and possible loot. But a large fire means someone else got the loot before me."
Even as she said it, though, she knew that if they were being tracked still by the Drakkarim, nothing would be more suspicious than a large fire. Shuddering, she turned away from the window and the two went back to their search.
The pair's method of searching was simple. One would enter the room while the other kept watch in the hallway. In this manner, they traversed the house fairly quickly. Even so, as they reached the upstairs, they were both very tired. There were only two rooms left to search, though. The first bedroom on their right as they came up the stairs, and the one at the end of the hall.
The first room turned out to be a spacious affair, furnished with a large bed, an overturned babie's crib, and a large desk of drawers. Seeing the child's crib, Aram remembered that Sherri had mentioned Lemuel Mason had a son, Robert, and Robert had a pregnant wife... Elyzabeth. Had this been their room then? The room was in a state of disarray: the bed sheets were scattered, the desk was open, and a vase lay broken on the floor, the water forming a puddle on the hardwood. At first glance, no other clues existed to show what might have happened to the room's occupants.
Aram cursed as he looked into the desk. A severed finger lay spread on a pile of white shirts. The blood from the finger was black, not red, and over the shirts crawled maggots. Bonnie ducked her head in to see what the problem was. Upon seeing the finger, she agreed they'd seen enough in the room and the two left. As they did so, they thought they could hear just a faint whisper of a baby crying.
The last room proved to be the most unsettling. At first glance Bonnie thought it looked much like the other rooms, except maybe a bit more... elaborate. The ceiling was a beautifully painted mural of a blue sky, now shining red in the light of the dim candles lining the room. There was a stuffy air about the chamber that seemed out of place. And in places, the red on the ceiling seemed not to be just the trick of the light....
A second glance at the two beds in the room showed her the distinct lumps that meant they were occupied. Dreading her task, Bonnie gingerly lifted the sheets covering the shapes. She stared for a moment, then backed out of the room. She'd found the Mason daughters, their throats slit unevenly. Sherri hadn't made it clear that they were twins. In death they seemed bizarrely serene and beautiful. Yet there was something disturbing about their smiles and the way their eyes seemed to look back at her, as if still seeing her from beyond the grave.
"I'm satisfied," Bonnie told Aram. "Let's to bed."
They joined Gregor, Sherri, and Owain in the servant's quarters. The three all seemed to be asleep already, from the sound of their breathing. Sherri had taken her own bed. Owain had taken the other bed. Gregor slept on the floor. Aram made himself comfortable nearby, and Bonnie did the same.
And thus did the second day of their journey finally come to a close.
The night doesn't pass so peacefully for all of you. Check your boards before you start spending EXP. Give me a little bit, because I have to post in each board. I'd say about an hour from now should be safe. Oh man... I need some sleep myself.
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