Hunter warily inspected the pit trap and swinging are blade. "Somebody went to a lot of effort, time amd expense to set these up" he commented. "Either they serve to hide some treasure or secret meeting place, or, more likely, those place has been thoroughly cleaned out of anything of value and importance and the only things remaining are traps and the bones of looters."

"Jenkins  are you going up? Let Piper go first, she's lighter. And stay close to the wall or railing so if it collapses you have something to grab."

Jenkins snorted. "I not dumb. I been on Goblin stairs before, break all time. I know what I doing,I smart goblin."

"Yes, Yummymousyscarycat go first" She added, with a gleam in her eye and licking her lips.

Hunter himself stayed close to their new companion and his Lantern.  "I propose we explore the rest of this level, Good Sir".


OOC Jenkins rolls: success with a raise for notice, success for stealth and agility if necessary.
Hunter rolls: success for notice, failure for agility, not especially trying to be stealthy as standing next to a Lantern...

08:35, Today: Hunter Gallagher rolled 7,5 using d8,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 7,5.  Jenkins agility. – 7,5
08:34, Today: Hunter Gallagher rolled 2,5 using d10,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 2,5.  Jenkins stealth. – 2,5
08:33, Today: Hunter Gallagher rolled 10,4 using d6,d6, rerolling max with rolls of (6+4)10,4.  Jenkins notice.

08:41, Today: Hunter Gallagher rolled 3,2 using d10,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 3,2.  Hunter agility. – 3,2
08:40, Today: Hunter Gallagher rolled 3,5 using d6,d8, rerolling max with rolls of 3,5.  Hunter notice. – [roll=170621
This message was last edited by the player at 22:04, Thu 25 Jan.

"Yeah, smart goblin who got an arrow through your paw," Kai reminds Jenkins.

The witch hunter hugs the walls as he moved through the house, keeping an eye out for places arrows might emerge.

17:52, Today: Kai Wasser rolled 2,2 using 1d6,1d4, rerolling max with rolls of 2,2.  notice. – 2,2
17:51, Today: Kai Wasser rolled 7,11 using 1d6,1d4, rerolling max with rolls of (6+1)7,(4+4+3)11.  stealth. – 7,11

Aeress felt foolish for her curiosity, but glad she'd been aware something was off.  She resolved not to touch anything else odd in this strange place.

She didn't like those two going up alone, but she knew following them was foolish.

"I'll take a position at the base of the stairs.  I can hold four men off with a spear on a flight of stairs, possibly more.  And be close enough to come if there is shouting down here."  She proposed.

Olyx didn't know if he should be elated, for being trusted to accompany Hunter- or offended, in case Hunter wanted to keep an eye out on him and didn't trust him outside his view. He shrugged and resigned to whispering, "In for a penny, in for a pound, huh?", before going off in the front as carefully as possible. His right hand gripped his sword, his left hand held the lantern high to illuminate the way, and his head was on a swivel, trying to notice any potential traps or hazards coming his way.

OOC: Notice, if necessary: 09:56, Today: Olyx Mintarios rolled 1,5 using 1d4,1d6, rerolling max with rolls of 1,5
OOC: Agility, if REALLY necessary! 09:56, Today: Olyx Mintarios rolled 1,9 using 1d8,1d6, rerolling max with rolls of 1,(6+3)9.

Seeing Aeress relieving her at the sown part of the stairs, Lirian moved to the door she saw opposite to them (OOC: the one leading to the large room with to tables and checkboard like floor).

Cautious after seeing the traps she looked at the door and pushed it with the staff, keeping at some distance. (OOC: assuming it opens and no trap is released). She entered the room, again cautiously searching it, using her staff to check the floor, as stealthy as she could.

[Private to GM: I know this may need several rolls. As I don't dare to guess which ones, and I don't want to bogg the game, feel free to make them for Lirian]
This message was last edited by the player at 16:30, Fri 26 Jan.

At Piper's prompting, Mosii slinked up the rickety rotten stairs along the wall.

Reaching the top they paused and both took a look for any dangers.


Piper rolled 2,1.  Notice (Piper).

Piper rolled 6.  Notice (Mosii).

Aeress kept a watchful eye out, minding the light.  She couldn't carry it, so she improvised a little stand to prop it up with some of the bits scattered about.

OOC: I took some liberties since I didn't mark the rooms with names.

IC: Lirian notices that the stairs under where Piper and Jenkins are heading is clear. However to the right hand side there is a banister with the way down to some sub level. No lights or illumination flicker from the cold dark stairs that lead below.

Hunter, Olyx, Kai and Lirian lead way into the next hall which seems clear of objects and any sort of paintings or pictures. Inside of the hall are three different doors each leading to a room. Lirian takes the first door to the right leading into a kitchen. Hunter and Olyx take second door to the right leading to a pantry. Kai takes the door to the left which leads to living space.

Lirian notices pretty quickly the smell of rotting food coming from the location. She also spots a number of empty pots and pans. Dishes of all sorts have to been thrown around or broken on the ground which she is quick to notice and step over. Other than that the room seems fairly old and dusty. You do wonder how long it's been since someone has been in, while the food is rotting by now it should've been gone. Which leads you to believe in recent months this mansion was used.

Hunter and Olyx take another room close to Lirian which leads into a pantry. The pantry has many different items all of differing degrees of decay, you do notice a door at the end of this room which leads to another room.

Kai is checking the living area and notices that on a table there is a smoking candle that has been put out. Almost as if someone was just here. The smell gives way to your senses and before you know it, you hear a click under your foot. You look down and can see a pressure plate. You look around for some idea of what it has triggered but you find none which leads you to believe that if you pull your foot, something might happen.

Upstairs Jenkins and Piper make their way up to the second floor which opens in a sitting area. Bookshelves and old chairs litter the area with dust and pieces of the roof which have chipped away and fallen from the ceiling.

Aeress sees nothing at the stairs that triggers her to think anyone is skulking around them.

Without realizing it, Olyx's voice drops to a whisper. _{"How long you said this place's been abandoned? I reckon it ain't that long."} He tried to ascertain how long perhaps these foods were placed there, poking them with his sword and making a disgusted face. <sub>"A month, maybe two- someone be here 'till then, and this be a base, I'll wager."

"Wanna check out that door?"</sub>, he asks, pointing with the tip of his sword at the door at the end of the pantry. He's ready to back Hunter up- or open it himself if Hunter hesitates or tells him to do it. Though with both hands occupied, it'd be a bit of a clumsy effort.

[Private to GM: Can I roll something (e.g. Common Knowledge?) to find out how long the food has been decaying? I assume experience aboard ships has made Olyx quite familiar with rotting food XD]
This message was last edited by the player at 14:19, Tue 30 Jan.

Mosii padded quietly into the second floor area proper as the pair continued to look for anything of note and get a look at what other rooms may be upstairs.


Piper rolled 4,7.  Mosii: Stealth, Notice.


Piper rolled 2,3.  Piper: Notice.

"I think you're dead right" Hunter answered, his voice also dropping to a near whisper. "Supposedly, this was abandoned years ago, but that mouldy food suggests otherwise. But whoever was here set the traps when they left. I mean... I can understand a disfavoured Lord trapping his manor to screw over the Kings men that are bound to come looking, or screw over whoever the King in his generous majesty gives the land to, bit why would squatters bother with the expense and effort to do this? If you were living here and discovered them, you would disable them surely, least you step into one by accident.  And if you left, would you reset them? Why?

"It suggests to me that whoever occupied this place were rebels that knew of the traps and knew to avoid them, or disarmed and reset them when they were done. It speaks of some sinister purpose, for certain."

Transferring his pistol to his shield hand, he stepped beside the door so if an arrow shot out or blade swung down he would not be standing in the middle of the doorway; and tried the handle. He pushes it open if it is unlocked. If it opens, he stamps on the floor on the other side without committing any weight to the foot, and if no traps have been triggered then he proceeded forward cautiously.

Upstairs, Jenkins looks around, not much impressed or interested in books, and continues exploring the second floor.

OOC; critical success with raises for Hunter's notice.
11:05, Today: Hunter Gallagher rolled 3,1 using d10,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 3,1.  Hunter agility. – 3,1

11:04, Today: Hunter Gallagher rolled 4,14 using d8,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 4,(6+6+2)14.  hunter notice

11:09, Today: Hunter Gallagher rolled 7,10 using d10,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 7,(6+4)10.  Jenkins stealth. – 7,10

11:09, Today: Hunter Gallagher rolled 4,5 using d6,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 4,5.  Jenkins notice. – [roll=170665
This message was last edited by the player at 22:11, Tue 30 Jan.

It wasn't exciting work, but Aeress would feel guilty leaving their scouts without any support.  She maintained her vigil.  It was tempting to be lured into complacency, but she reminded herself they were in a strange and dangerous place.

"In Callao there lives a gal Whose name is Serafina..."  She sang at a whisper, trying to focus her mind.

OOC: According the map, the dark room just above the kitchen seems to be entered from the Kitchen itself, as the only thing that seems a door is there…. I guess that’s the one Olix is scouting, so I guess he entered the Kitchen too.

The smell I nteh kitchen was unpleasant, but Lirian decided to search it, just in case. Seeing Olix moving to the next room from the kitchen, she was ready to support him if she heard he get in any problem…

17:14, Today: Secret Roll: Lirian rolled 4,4 using d6,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 4,4.  Notice (searching the kitchen). – 4,4

With Hunter in front of him ready to open the door, Lirian covering his back behind him, and the other (admittedly very recent) companions spread throughout the eerie, creepy place, Olyx felt confident enough to tackle this situation. Assuming that Hunter managed to open the door, without triggering any nefarious trap, Olyx will shine the light through and go in first, keeping an eye out for potential traps, poking anything suspicious with the tip of his sword.

OOC: HA. HA. This is my Notice roll. I deserve whatever the GM throws at me.
18:46, Today: Olyx Mintarios rolled 1,1 using 1d4,1d6, rerolling max ((1,1)).

Kai mutters a short curse.  First Jester knocking him out and now this.  It has not been a good day.

He considers calling for help since the recently snuffed candle suggests whomever is here knows they're there but quickly decides against it.  Their presence in the house may be known, but where in the house may not.  No reason to help them out.

Kai surmises the trap is probably something like the arrow trap that got Jenkins.  If so, then where would it come from?  Probably from the front or back.  Left, right, or above could miss the target.

Then there was the question of height. Generally, you'd want an arrow to hit the chest, but what if the trapmaker realized not everyone is human-sized?  It could be aimed lower or even shoot more than one of whatever the trap's loaded with.

Kai decides it will be multiple projectiles coming from the front or back, so he plans accordingly.  Keeping his weight on the plate, he turns to the left and crouches down as low as he can go. He may not avoid all of whatever's coming, but the more missed the merrier.  He offers a brief prayer to any god that might be listening, takes a deep breath, tucks his head down, and somersaults off the trigger.

As Hunter and Olyx goto the door for the next room Hunter notices quickly a light flickering. Before he can say anything Olyx slams open the door and barges into the room. There is a click as in real time he watches a small table near the door fall over and hit the floor with a loud thump. Behind them the door to the kitchen closes and slams confusing Lirian as she searches. Then seconds later a low hiss is heard as green gases start filling the living quarters.  Two beds that look untouched by time but a table in the far corner seems to have a piece of paper with scribbling on it.

Meanwhile as Lirian is checking the kitchen he comes close to near the end of her search as the door to the room that Olyx and Hunter are in slams. Touching the handle it seems the door won't budge.

Upstairs Piper and Jenkins move from the first room into a hallway that seems to be more of the living quarters of the house and less for the servants. In the first room Jenkins opens the door and manages to find a large bed. In the middle of the bed are a dish of fruits that are not rotten. Jenkins looks around for anything resembling traps and notices that the bed legs are shifted. As she walks in she grabs and object and throws it on the bed to see what happens. At first nothing and then seconds later, the object slowly shifts angrily towards Jenkins with teeth and mouth formed from the covers and objects making up the bed itself. Jenkins waste no time running out the room and shutting the door where she can hear the creature move in the room with a low growl.

Piper finds a room that seems rather untouched but notices that on a table there is a brooch of sorts with almost something like a house crest. It's not the crest of that of Varren. It appears to be another house. The crest almost resembles a shield compared to the small mouseling but you think it's likely important.

Aeress at the base of the stairs hears the door slam from the kitchen. At the same time upstairs she can hear some ruckus. While all of this is happening a soft sweet voice whispers in her ear, "My sweet baby, you've come homeeeeeeee" as the voice sends chills up your spine.

Kai manages to get off the trigger and waits for something to happen but nothing does. He waits for a few seconds more trying to decide of something has been triggered but he isn't sure. Whatever he did must have triggered something else.

Outside as the final seconds of the sun sink below the horizon of the landscape Quentin standing guard with his dogs notices that the dogs themselves seem on edge. A few bounce back and forth staying within Quentin's range but almost like they are waiting for something to happen.

Aeress was creeped the hell out, but tried to, perhaps very foolishly, reason with the voice.

"Yes and I've been away for some time, can you tell me what's happened since I've been gone?"  She asked softly, her voice a lot more nervous than she intended.

Then there was a whole lot of banging and smashing and clanging...

Since that all happens at once, can Aeress make sense of it all?
12:04, Today: Aeress Veles rolled 9,2 using d6,d6, rerolling max with rolls of (6+3)9,2.  Notice. – 9,2

OOC: Aeress it's a good bit of noise and you can tell where most of it is coming from. But the voice flickers from direction to direction but always seems like it's behind her.

"Kill that flame and grab that paper" Hunter ordered, pointing.

Taking his pistol, he placed it against the door frame where the latch must be and fired.

"HElP" he cried. "Kick the lock!


OOC: Even if that is explosive gas, it will take time to fill the room. Firing a pistol in the first five seconds should be fine.

07:29, Today: Hunter Gallagher rolled 21 using 2d6+1, rerolling max with rolls of (6+4)10,(6+4)10.  hunter pistol damage.

Edit: added shooting roll at -2 if necessary

21:50, Today: Hunter Gallagher rolled 3,4 using d6-2,d10-2, rerolling max with rolls of 5,6.  hunter shoot if necessary

This message was last edited by the player at 08:52, Sat 03 Feb.

After checking the door’s handle and finding the door locked, Lirian understood nothing good can come from it. She looked for something to be used as a ram (OOC: I guess the best she’ll find is the small table on the “northern” wall, the one with what seems a cheese on it) and tried to knock the door open with it.

OOC: I assume this will work as Breaking Things (Core Book, page 98) using medium improvised weapon (as per Core Book, page 102)

20:16, Today: Lirian rolled 0,2 using d8-2,d6-2, rerolling max with rolls of 2,4.  Combat roll vs TN 2, -2 for improvised weapon. – 0,2. I guess a hit, as parry is 2
14:11, Today: Secret Roll: Lirian rolled 7 using 2d6, rerolling max with rolls of 4,3.  Damage vs the door. – 7. As even it it is a light door its hardness would be 8, I guess no effect

I'll try again next round...

Hearing the shoot of Hunter’s pistol, Lirian realized stealth was no longer an option and hit the door with the small table, but the door didn’t move. Yakinbg a deep breath, she readied to try again…
This message was last edited by the player at 13:20, Sun 04 Feb.

Hunter's commanding tone snapped Olyx to attention. He stuck the sword between his thighs to keep it in place as his now freed hand opened the lantern and doused the flame with his fingers- and a tiny yelp from the short-lived pain of burning his fingertips.

If there was any light source other than his lantern, Olyx would grab the paper- otherwise he'd stand confused in the darkness for a moment, cursing. "The hells we do now in the blind, cap'n?".

[Private to GM: OOC: Is there any light after all? If there isn't, any chance if I cast Smite on my sword, that it will light up even a smidgen?]

During his tumble-escape, Kai misses the slamming door, but the gunshot was impossible to miss.  He hurries out of the room and towards -- he thinks -- where the blast came from.

18:08, Today: Kai Wasser rolled 5,2 using 1d6,1d4, rerolling max ((5,2)).

From where I am in the house, do I see anyone else?

Not trusting anything about this place, Piper raised her paws in a swirling motion.

As she did so dust from the floors and furnishings began to swirl in the air until it coalesced into a rather generic humanoid shape that was mostly an amorphous blob of dust except the smaller blob on top where the head would approximately be, and the two arms adorned with spindly fingered hands.  It had no legs but instead seemed to fade away towards the bottom where it floated in the air.

Mosii took himself and piper away and out of the room and far from the table before the summoned servant reached out and delicately plucked up the brooch.


Piper rolled 2,15.  Spellcasting (Summon Ally (1 PP total) w Raise & Adding Flight)

Jenkins decided not to enter the room with swirling dust-man where magic was happening, and instead continued searching upstairs.

******************************************

"That freaking flame!" Hunter roared as the room plunged into darkness save for the single flickering flame that threatened to ignite the green gas. Belatedly he dropped everything and leapt at it, trying to grab the candle or whatever it is and extinguish it.


17:31, Today: Hunter Gallagher rolled 6,5 using d10,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 6,5.  Hunter agility. That would be a second action so -2? Gives 4,3, success.

17:37, Today: Hunter Gallagher rolled 3,3 using d6,d6, Jenkins notice.
This message was last edited by the player at 08:38, Sat 03 Feb.

Quentin takes a sunrod out of a saddlebag and puts the dagger in its place. He then strikes the sunrod against the wall to lit it. He then carries it in left hand and sends the dogs to sniff on the periphery of the illuminated area. A lot of things worry Quentin, like being exposed to ranged attacks, the shot inside and the cry for help, but he was not quite sure he should rush in and instead tries to find what the dogs are worried about.

The sunrod might or might not provide adequate illumination to the rooms inside, depending on their positions relative to Quentin.

20:39, Today: Secret Roll: Quentin Fox rolled 2,3,4 using 1d10,1d10,1d6, rerolling max with rolls of 2,3,4.  Animals' notices.
20:37, Today: Secret Roll: Quentin Fox rolled 4,4 using 1d6,1d6, rerolling max with rolls of 4,4.  Notice.
20:36, Today: Secret Roll: Quentin Fox rolled 4,2 using 1d6,1d6, rerolling max with rolls of 4,2.  Persuasion.